AUTUMN SALAD WITH HORSERADISH VINAIGRETTE + NEWS!

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

I'm pregnant! We're pregnant is what you say, I suppose, but I'm the one in the stretchy pants over here. So many things to say about this, friends, but I'm at a loss for words at the same time. This may be more of a generally-emotional-lady thing, so bear with me, but you know when you feel outside of yourself? Like little crazy trolls are frantic in your head making you irritable and easily bringing you to tears. Sometimes the trolls rest, but I generally feel a little... off. I have another human in my belly and trolls in my mind and I'm in absolute amazement that our bodies make people. I still can't believe it.

I have wanted to be a mom my entire life. I have never once doubted it. I was a big sister, and I mothered my little sister the moment she came home from the hospital. I covered her whole body in diaper cream and bossed her around. I mothered my own mother, too, from time to time. I would ask if she had her purse when we left the house and remind her to get gas when the dash light went. I enjoy taking care of people, I am a nurturer, I ask questions and listen for the answer, I love a really good, meaningful hug and a good cuddle. All I know is that this baby in my tum? I have desired him/her for as long as I can remember.

I'm so excited to be doing this with Hugh. He will be so good at being a dad. That is one of the things I am most excited to watch. I'm aware we're both imperfect people, figuring things out as we go, and I'm ok raising a family without having everything together. That's something I hope our child sees in us early on - that you do the best you can to love people well. You give and listen and compromise and work hard and stay present and use good manners and be honest and soak up the worlds' beauty, but remain aware that we're fallen people just doing our best, and you are completely loved anyway. I am so freaking excited to love this person. I tear up when I think of meeting you, baby. Every time. Do you feel me rub my belly when I get up to go to the bathroom 100x through the night? I just want you to know I'm thinking of you. I giggle to myself that there will now be another person to observe our quirkyness. I hope we don't completely embarrass it, even though that sounds inevitable if I remember my teen years correctly. Hugh and I are silly and laugh a lot and we're a little bit weird, but we have the greatest time. Gah! I am so excited this little person will be joining the silly. We've been waiting for people to join our home office dance party. It's only a matter of time now, baby.

So here we are. A precious baby coming end of May. Thank you for your patience while things have been a bit slow around here. I am not getting much cooking done, unfortunately. I am currently in a bean and cheese burrito phase. This is only after we've passed through cold cereal (there are so many types!), french fries, a fruit-heavy week, and a very short (gasp) cheeseburger stint. I feel a little outside myself and somehow wonderfully confident that we are as ready as we can be for this. With full hearts... Sara, Hugh and the nugget.

P.S.

It needs to be said that getting pregnant was not easy for us. It took longer than we expected. We had some tests done, and we were told that we wouldn't be able to conceive on our own without alternative methods... which turned out not to be the case, thankfully. That season weighed heavy on my heart - something I wanted to talk about here but it didn't feel quite right. My heart is so tender for the woman who desires a child and is having a tough time getting pregnant. One month or two years of hoping, waiting and being disappointed, only to run the cycle again - not enough people talk about how that feels. Lady, huge hugs to you. You feel defeated, like your body is failing you, that it is SO EASY for everyone else. It doesn't feel any better when people tell you, "It will happen when it's supposed to happen," that just makes you feel more frustrated and want to punch them in the face. I may be on the other side for now, but I wanted to express some empathy for this group because it's a dark place to be and it feels super lonely. My suggestion to you is to find people - even when it seems easy for everyone else, I guarantee you there is someone else having a tough time or another woman who has a story. Talk about it, find a confidant, it will help keep your head above water.

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

AUTUMN SALAD WITH HORSERADISH VINAIGRETTE // Serves 6

This is a deconstruction for my sister. She had a similar salad at True Food Kitchen(side note, they have a gorgeous cookbook) and asked me to replicate it so she could bring it to Thanksgiving. The original had dried mulberries in it, and I think you could sub in cranberries or cherries, but I skipped this. I would consider the amount here a moderate addition of horseradish in the dressing. If you like a kick, want a more forward flavor, add more. There is no dairy in this salad as written, but next time, I'll be adding a generous sprinkling of parmesan on top and a dollop of creme fraiche to the dressing. 'Tis the season :) 

• 3/4 lb. brussel sprouts
• 3/4 lb. cauliflower florets
• 3 cups butternut squash, in 1/2'' cubes
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. white balsamic
• 3/4-1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• few pinches of cayenne
• 1 cup cooked white beans (great northern, cannellini etc.), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 2 packed cups arugula
• 1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1/2 a shallot
• 1 tsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. each sea salt and pepper, to taste
• handful of fresh chives and/or parsley
• dollop of creme fraiche, optional

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

Preheat the oven to 400'. Cut the brussels in half length wise, and cut the cauliflower into similar size chunks. Add both of these and the squash to a large rimmed baking tray. Drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and few pinches of cayenne and toss everything together with your hands to coat. Roast in the upper third of the oven for 35 minutes until edges are browned.

While the vegetables roast, make your dressing. In a mini blender or processor, combine the horseradish, garlic, shallot, honey, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, herbs and creme fraiche, if using. Blend everything together to mix well. taste for salt and pepper and set aside.

As soon as the hot tray is out of the oven, add the beans onto the tray and toss everything together. Allow the vegetables to cool to room temperature. Add the pom seeds, arugula and a good drizzle or the dressing and toss everything to coat. Sprinkle with a little parmesan if you please.

This salad is served at room temperature, could be served cold as well if you chill the roasted vegetables.

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

AVOCADO TARTINES WITH GRIBICHE EGG SALAD

Avocado Tartine with Girbiche Egg Salad . sprouted kitchen

I know, the avocado toast thing has been played, but this one is my new favorite. Goodies on toast is a timeless food application, I'm sure of it. I was at a baby shower brunch for one of my dearest friends a few weekends ago at a charming restaurant in Los Angeles called Eveleigh. Life is its own sort of wonderful when you see a friend who your soul trusts and adores, growing a person inside them. Baby, your mother has one of the most tender spirits and sweetest hearts and greatest laughs of all time, you're the luckiest. I'm thrilled you'll get to receive her love. So that part is exciting. But the second most exciting was this avocado toast starter that all the ladies at the table talked about after multiple shared courses. It was quite simple - thin crispy pieces of fresh, grainy bread, smeared with avocado, a sprinkle of aleppo pepper, and then a very chunky sauce gribiche was served on the side to top your toast. I get stuck on what to make for the blog and I just listened to the table chatter about the toast and felt like I was doing blog field research - people want a recipe for this toast, and I need to eat this again.

Classically, this sauce is more of an aioli base, where the yolk emulsifies for a more cream sauce consistency than the egg salad disgrace to the French I have here. It is intended to put on potatoes, chicken, fish... Molly writes about it here if you need more persuading. She's one to be trusted. I am an easy sell as eggs, shallots, heavy on the green herbs, and ripe avocado all fall into my favorite ingredients list. I suppose you could manage this on small baguette-size toasts for an appetizer or serve it along side a green salad for a complete meal. Even if you didn't want it on a tartine, the egg salad part would be an easy to pack lunch for work with a bag of crackers. All I know is this combo will be happening here often. 

Avocado Tartine with Girbiche Egg Salad . sprouted kitchen

AVOCADO TARTINES WITH GRIBICHE EGG SALAD // Makes 4

I don't like my egg salads super yolky, so I take the yolk out of 2-3 of the eggs and chop from there. This makes it a little less rich and I prefer it that way, but you can make that call. If it gets chilled over an hour or two, leave the egg salad at room temperature for at least fifteen minutes before serving for the dressing to be the best texture. 

• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup well chopped mixed herbs: flat leaf parsley, tarragon, thyme, chives, fennel fronds
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained
• 6 hard boiled eggs (see headnote)
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices of a grainy country loaf
• 1-2 avocados

Avocado Tartine with Girbiche Egg Salad . sprouted kitchen

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dijon, vinegar and olive oil. Add the herbs and shallot. Give the capers a rough chop and add them too. Add a hearty pinch of salt and pepper and give it a stir. 

Remove the shell from the eggs and discard any yolks if you so choose. Chop the eggs up and add them to the dressing. Stir to mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep covered in the fridge until ready to use. The egg salad can be made up to a day in advance. 

Toast the slices of bread. Mash the avocados well with a pinch or two of salt. Spread a layer of avo mash on the toasts and top with a few heaping spoonfuls of the egg salad on top. 

Avocado Tartine with Girbiche Egg Salad . sprouted kitchen

QUINOA CAULIFLOWER PATTIES

pquinoa cauliflower patties . sprouted kitchen

We were going to be leaving for Yosemite tomorrow. It's sort of hard to believe that I have lived a bit less than a half-day's drive from the park my entire life and I've never been. We woke to the news of the National Park closures today, so we'll have to think of a plan B. Hugh has some work up there this weekend, so we'll know what to do once that gets figured. There is a pop-up tent on the roof of the car and a fridge full of food for the road so we'll certainly be going somewhere. I don't know if I ever craved wilderness until the last few years. I've always had ocean, and that fills me with inexplicable gratitude, but giant mountains and trees and waterfalls - a lady needs majesty like that every now and again. Both of us are a tad rusty on our rusticness, but the desire to be out in the wide open space and the trees is there, so we'll figure something out.

I made these patties with some items I had in the fridge. They are simple and intentionally simple-flavored as to be an addition anywhere you wish. I wanted these as a car snack, so I have a tupperware full with one little dish of this cilantro pesto and another of hummus for dipping. I like them on a pile of dark leafy greens or Hugh stuffed a couple in a pita for a handheld situation. I'll be trying one under a poached egg with hot sauce and avocado. You get the idea.

pquinoa cauliflower patties . sprouted kitchen

pquinoa cauliflower patties . sprouted kitchen

QUINOA CAULIFLOWER PATTIES // Makes 12

Barely adapted from Vegetarian Everyday

I try to make a dressing or two on days I'm cooking so I just have them on hand when I need a quick meal. I don't really have a recipe for the one pictured here, but it was a quick whiz in the food processor of garlic, tahini, lemon, chives, cilantro, olive oil and a teeny splash of white wine vinegar. If you're the measurement sort, it'd be something like the dressing here but double the tahini.

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
• 4 eggs
• 6 scallions, white and green parts
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• sea salt and pepper
• 1 1/3 cup sheeps milk feta
• zest of one large or two small lemons
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
• ghee, for cooking

pquinoa cauliflower patties . sprouted kitchen

pquinoa cauliflower patties . sprouted kitchen

Rinse the quinoa. Put the quinoa and 2 cups water in a medium pot. Bring it up to a boil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, turn it down to a simmer and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, turn off the heat, set the lid ajar to rest.

In a food processor, pulse the cauliflower until it resembles cous cous. About 10-15 times.

In a large bowl, whisk the 4 eggs together well. Add the cauli cous cous to the eggs. Back to the processor (it's fine if it still has cauli crumbles, leave them), add the scallions and oats and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Add this to the egg bowl along with the cooked quinoa. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper, the crumbled feta, lemon zest, chopped parsley and stir to mix well. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Warm a nub of ghee in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Form the quinoa mixture into patties about 4'' wide and 1'' thick. Cook them for about 4 minutes on each side until just crisped, covering them after the flip to completely warm though. The patties will keep covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.

pquinoa cauliflower patties . sprouted kitchen