GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH HERBED QUINOA

I'm not even sure where to start with the sentiments on this one, because the past week or two has sort of taken me under. I am not necessarily overwhelmed by way of responsibilities, but by emotion. I feel thrilled that the book is out next week, anxious about the feedback, excited to cheers with family and friends, insecure about my work, incredibly grateful for friends sharing recipes and compliments, timid in self-promotion, scared of speaking in front of people... it just feels like... a lot. That's all I can really say. I'm going to keep it short because honestly I'm not sure how to process all this quite yet. I've always been one to really feel things - to get swept up in emotion and feel like my heart has no callus on it. So maybe you can imagine why this season of cookbook release time feels like "a lot."

I included a number of links on the book page of friends who've so graciously posted recipes from the book. I am truly humbled. So many people who I admire are cooking my foods. I think that's crazy. I will be adding to that list, so you can keep up there if you wish. I updated the dates of events as well and would love to see your faces! Hoping this will be the last book related post out of me, I know I've mentioned it quite a bit :)

There isn't a lot of free time at the moment but I wanted to share a simple dish that seems to fit in with the pace lately. It's not fussy, tastes light while still having enough flavor to remind you that vegetables are just magnificent.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH HERBED QUINOA // Serves 6 as a side

I've been a big fan of the eggplant and za'atar combination since this pizza. If you don't have any, some dried thyme or a bit of oregano would be nice as well. The sumac in za'atar gives just a bit of smokiness that compliments the grilled flavor. You could use millet or another whole grain if you have something else on hand. The following gives you more eggplant to quinoa ratio, if you prefer it the other way, simply double the quinoa salad instructions.

• 3-4 medium eggplants (maybe 2 larger ones, 4 smaller ones)

• sea salt

• extra virgin olive oil

• za'atar seasoning

• 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed

• half of a small red onion, sliced thin

• generous handful each of fresh basil, dill and cilantro

2 Tbsp. capers, roughly chopped

• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

• 2 tsp. honey or agave nectar

• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

Cut the eggplants into 1 1/2'' rounds. Sprinkle with salt and set aside for 30 minutes to release water.

Add the quinoa to a pot with a pinch of salt and 3/4 cup water or stock. Bring it to a gentle boil, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff with a fork, cover again and leave it to steam another 5 minutes.

Heat up your grill or grill pan (I LOVE this. Obsessed). Press the eggplants between a dishcloth or paper towels to absorb the excess moisture. Brush both sides with olive oil and grill for about 5 minutes per sides until you get nice dark marks and the texture seems pretty soft throughout. I like the softer texture that comes with covering them. Remove to a plate, drizzle a bit more olive oil and sprinkle with za'atar to taste.

To finish the quinoa, toss in the onions, all of the herbs, oil, vinegar, honey or agave and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Taste and adjust as you like.

Put the eggplants on a plate, top with the quinoa and garnish with the toasted pinenuts.

GARNET PILAF

I had planned the menu for Easter in my head before we even started making plans. I wanted to have a brunch in my parents backyard with a smoked salmon frittata, a spring pea and greens salad, a pastry with strawberries and some sort of grain salad, this one here would have been great.

As it is, one thing leads to another and it turns out we'll be driving out to the desert to visit one of my grandmas. Traffic. Heat. Eating at The Sizzler (I'm not kidding, it's one of the only options out there and Grandma Gladys uses the oven for storage space so you know she's not cooking). So I made the grain salad for a dinner with friends the other night and it was so simple and so pretty I had to share. There are three cooking vessles used, which for some dismisses this dish from the "simple" category, but grains are hands off cooking, so I think it classifies as such. I keep all the sweet potato nuggets on top for presentation sake, covered in a blanket of fresh chopped chives, but mixing eveything together works just fine.

I hope you have lovely weekend plans with family and friends and a table full of good food.

In other news, our "tech guy" (Hugh) has the email subscription up and running again, so if you're still trying to get updates, fingers crossed this attempt proves successful for all of you! Thanks for your patience.

GARNET PILAF // Serves 4-6

1/2 cup brown rice

3 sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 Tbsp. smoked paprika, divided

sea salt + pepper

1 small yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup red quinoa, rinsed

1 cup water or broth of choice

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

sprinkle of red chili flakes, if you like some heat

1 bunch fresh chives, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

Preheat the oven to 425'.

Rinse and cook the brown rice according to instructions. This takes the longest, so start the rice first.

Wash and dice the sweet potatoes into 1'' cubes. Pile them on a large, rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 Tbsp. of the smoked paprika and a few pinches of sea salt. Toss everything together with your hands to coat and spread them all out in a single layer. Sprinkle a few grinds of pepper.

Roast on the middle rack for 23-25 minutes until the edges are browned and crisp.

In a pot, add a drizzle of olive oil and saute the diced onion until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the quinoa, a pinch of sea salt, 1 cup water or broth of choice and bring it to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15-17 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat, fluff with a fork and cover it for another few minutes to finish.

When both the rice and quinoa are cooked, put them both in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with the remaining Tbsp. of olive oil, remaining 1/2 Tbsp. smoked paprika, red wine vinegar, chili flakes if using and toss everything together to mix. Taste for salt and pepper. Top it with the cubes of sweet potatoes and a ton of fresh chives and serve.

*It may not all be piping on at the point of serving and that is ok. I found it tasted best just a tad warmer than room temp.

GREEN BEAN + BLACK QUINOA SALAD

I made a post out of what I had on hand! Congratulations, self! I have wandered from my grocery budget lately. I can pinch pennies on most things, but get me to a market and I feel like I am spending monopoly money. The same girl who holds on to gift cards that have under a fifty cent value... yeah. Lately, I've been coming home with pretty bottles of red wine from Trader Joes and the things is, I prefer white wines, I don't even like red wine! They're inexpensive bottles, but that's beside the point. So, of course I cried out of guilt, punished myself by drinking the red wine I don't even like (this is a confusing punishment, I'm aware), and am pretty sure I snapped out of the grocery addiction.

I tend to become a bit unmotivated when the weather warms up, and I'm certainly not turning on our ancient oven which heats up the entire upstairs. I have loads of green beans from my CSA basket, and admit they're not really a vegetable I would purchase otherwise. The green bean isn't known for being the most versatile ingredient - sort of akwardly lanky and reminiscent of your grandma's, creamy holiday casserole. But as a hater of waste and in my renewed frugalness, I dressed them up enough to be a dish I would bring to a backyard dinner party, or something I would take a bite of while passing the fridge for a snack.

The green beans stay crisp from a quick blanch, and the quinoa adds a bit of protein to fill you up. If you like your salads to be a little easier to eat, simply chop up those lanky beans to bite size pieces. Ignore the oven, have a tasty salad and it's the weekend again, party people.

GREEN BEAN + BLACK QUINOA SALAD // Serves 4-6

I made my dressing with a lemon infused olive oil because I had some and I am obsessed with it, but it is not necessary. Use that if you have it, and if you'd like a bit of citrus, add a bit of fresh lemon zest when tossing everything together.

// Dressing //

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white balsamic or champagne vinegar

2 tsp. agave nectar or honey

2 cloves garlic, grated

Handful of basil leaves

1 tsp. sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup quinoa (black or red is pretty, but any color works)

1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed

4 scallions/green onions

1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed, roughly chopped

In a blender or food processor, whirl all of the dressing ingredients together. Taste for salt and pepper and set aside in the fridge.

Bring 1 cup water to a boil and add the quinoa, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and leave the cover ajar to cool.

Blanch or steam the green beans until just barely tender. Drain well. Give them a rough chop. Add green beans to the cooled quinoa. Thinly slice the scallions and add them, and half of the chopped hazelnuts to the bowl and toss with desired amount of the dressing. Finish the salad with a few grinds of fresh black pepper and the rest of the hazelnuts. We could add some shaved parm here. Serve at room temperature or chill in the fridge. The leftovers hold up great.