GRILLED HALIBUT SANDWICHES WITH JALAPENO SLAW

Only because I don't have kids in school, can I say this is my most favorite part of summer. The crowds that fill up the beaches and cause traffic start to taper off. The breeze cools off the extra warm days and the corn, oh that sweet corn that doesn't even need anything on it. Kids return to school, we take liberties to call early work days and spend late afternoons at the beach with enough space on all sides that someone else isn't listening to your conversation. I am a personality that thrives on getting things done - being efficient - but I married a man who lives so well in the present; he sees what is right in front of us when I so often want to put my head down and plow forward. SO glad there have been afternoons of stopping and watching my boys play in the surf. 

Hugh has been asking for a fresh fish sandwich for a while now and I don't know why it took us so long to get around to it (aside from fish having a season... salmon and halibut, get to it!). This came together so quickly that I will for sure make these next time we have company. Perhaps they are too simple to share but these days, cooking with a toddler either trying to touch the hot BBQ or throw gravel into the fire pit, this is what I can muster up. 

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GRILLED HALIBUT SANDWICHES WITH JALAPEÑO SLAW // Makes 2

This could easily be doubled to make four sams as I know that's a common number to feed. Account for 5-6 ounces of fish per person. I prefer a lot of slaw, likely offering more heft than fish but it needs that fresh crunch. There may be some leftovers based on taste. I know some people are sketchy on mayo but in the slaw, you don't taste it, it merely gives the dressing some viscosity. I have heard good things about this product if you're wanting a super clean version. The recipe works perfectly well with some wild salmon, a marinated tofu steak etc. It's a simple sandwich but just right for summer meals. 

10-12 ounces fresh halibut filet
grapeseed or sesame oil, for cooking
1/2 head small green cabbage
1/2 a small red onion
1 jalapeno, some seeds removed unless you like it really spicy
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

//slaw dressing//
1 Tbsp. mayonnaise (or similar alternative)
1 Tbsp. grapeseed oil
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. cane sugar

2 buns of choice (brioche, gluten free etc.)
1 avocado, thinly sliced
sea salt and pepper, as needed

sriracha mayo, optional*

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Cut the filet in half so you have two square pieces. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and rub it generously with grapeseed oil. Preheat your grill to medium heat. 

To make the slaw, set the slicer blade in your food processor (alternatively you can use a mandoline or careful knife skills). Slice the cabbage extra thin. Do the same with the onion and jalapeno. Collect them in a mixing bowl and add the cilantro. Into the bowl, add the mayo, grapeseed oil, rice vinegar, sugar and a few pinches each of salt and pepper and toss well to dress. Set aside in the fridge. 

Clean your grill and oil the grates. Grill the fish for 4-5 minutes on each side depending on the thickness of your filet. It should feel like the meat of your thumb joint when cooked medium which is perfect here. Brush the buns with oil and grill them just to warm through. 

To assemble the sandwich, cover the bottom bun with avocado slices, then the fish filet and a healthy amount of slaw on top.

*For the sriracha mayo, we do one part sriracha to two+ parts mayo. It's similar to what you get with a roll at an Americanized sushi restaurant? Spicy, but not mouth burning. Adjust to your spice preference. 

ROASTED BANANA COCONUT ICE CREAM

Roasted Banana Coconut Ice Cream . Sprouted Kitchen

I've stalled halfway through Brene Brown's book, Daring Greatly, a week after my book club already met about the book. It would have been helpful to finish it prior to the get together but I just didn't. I kept meaning to but such is life. I intend to finish the book eventually. Anyway, she tells this story about her daughter being in grade school and a girlfriend telling one of her secrets in class and how embarrassed and disappointed she was. The metaphor Brene uses to speak with her daughter is comparing friends to a marble jar; like the sort teachers keep in class that they add marbles to when the class is good or take marbles out of when kids misbehave - encouraging good behavior with a reward to be had if the marble jar becomes full. Friends can be people who we trust while some others say hurtful things at times, but they live on somewhat of an invisible marble system in our heads. You can think of the friends who have earned lots of marbles, the ones who listen and respect your secrets in this case, and those are the friends who it is most safe to be honest and vulnerable with. I just keep thinking about that image, of being a person who earns marbles for and from people I care deeply about, and I feel incredibly accountable for my actions and words in a good way. I understand that is not the big picture of the book but halfway through, I keep thinking about being a marble friend. 

I have been slowly paging through Anna's book, A Modern Way to Eat, because so much of her style is what I want to cook. She has just the right amount of Nigel Slater-ness where measurements and directions are sometimes left to the cook and I love that sort of responsibility. I know some folks think it is vague recipe writing but I enjoy it. I had great luck with one of her pancake recipes, am anxious to try the California Wraps and will absolutely make this ice cream again. It has no dairy, a very subtle, natural sweetness, and still feels like a treat. I've been having a thing with McConnell's Eureka Lemon and Marionberry Ice Cream (you guys, if you're a lemon person you MUST try) and this feels necessarily less decadent. My chocolate shavings addition here is because I couldn't imagine it otherwise but perhaps you're more virtuous than I. Her next book, A Modern Way to Cook, is out in the UK if you're that direction and I can't wait to see that beauty as well. 

Also! We are heading back to Seattle in October to host a photography workshop with the lovely Aran Goyoaga of Cannelle et Vanille at her beautiful studio. It was such a nice group of people last visit and I felt like I came out of the weekend more inspired than I went in so we're excited to go back. There are more details on her site and a few more spots if you're interested. 

I hope your weekend involves ice cream in some capacity. xo

Roasted Banana Coconut Ice Cream . Sprouted Kitchen

Roasted Banana Coconut Ice Cream . Sprouted Kitchen

ROASTED BANANA COCONUT ICE CREAM // Makes 1 pint

Recipe adapted from A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones

• 3 medium, ripe bananas
• honey (I used about 3 Tbsp.)
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• juice of half a lemon
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 ounces grated dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350'.

Slice the bananas into 1/2 - 3/4 inch pieces and toss them with the honey on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the bananas are browned and cooked through. Scrape the bananas and any syrup into a blender or food processor. Add the coconut milk, lemon juice, pinch of salt and vanilla and puree until smooth. 

Chill the mixture in the fridge until cool. Process the mixture in your ice cream maker, scraping down the sides as needed. In the last minutes, pour in the grated chocolate and give it one more churn to incorporate. Transfer it to a container and stir occasionally until frozen. If you like it softer, serve it after only an hour in the freezer, if you want it firmer, let it sit overnight. It will be scoopable after sitting at room temperature for a few minutes. 

Garnish the ice cream with some chopped pistachios, toasted coconut or more grate chocolate. 

Roasted Banana Coconut Ice Cream . Sprouted Kitchen

GREEK SALAD DIP

Greek Salad Dip . Sprouted Kitchen

We were at some new friends' house for dinner this past weekend and they made a whole Greek-themed dinner. I brought a sub-par peach cake, we listened to Greek music and I soaked in being on the other side of the kitchen. I really like hosting and having people over, but it is such a treat to be the one invited as a guest. I just finished the lovely Jessica Fetchor's book Stir and from the perspective of someone who is sick, she mentions as being the natural hostess and care taker, it is uncomfortable sometimes to be on the other side, being cared for, but how necessary it is. I realize I was merely at someone else's house for dinner on a Saturday night, not holding a candle close to Jessica's story of surviving a brain aneurysm, but we can relate to stories by way of our own reality. I was craving to sit at the table instead of standing in front of the stove, is that ok to say on a food blog? As someone who gets paid to write recipes for work? Maybe especially so. My favorite, unrelated to this, line in the book:

"But we are always swept this way and that. We create the life we want to live, yes. Then, in return, that life creates us. We follow the tides; we have no other choice. We splash about beneath the brightest of moons, then the darkest of skies, tug hard from the surface on anchors that refuse to budge, and then, if we are very brave, dive deep." 

I just really enjoyed the book and Jessica's perspective. Perhaps I feel swept up in some sort of tide myself. Anyway. Erin made this chunky Greek salad with tomato halves, slices of cucumber, whole olives and feta cheese scattered throughout. It seemed so rustic but classic and I could have eaten the entire bowl. So, in light of loving to have lunches ready in the fridge, I thought maybe I could chop everything small and have a Greek salsa type thing. I could bring it to BBQs as a dip or toss it with a bit of lettuce for lunch or just sit with the serving bowl and a bag of sturdy crackers. It is exactly as I imagined it'd be and worth sharing here. No new technique or farmers market romance, just the tale of a summer staple gone right. 

Greek Salad Dip . Sprouted Kitchen

Greek Salad Dip . Sprouted Kitchen

Greek Salad Dip . Sprouted Kitchen

GREEK SALAD DIP // Serves 6 as an appetizer

I'll bring this dip to summer parties, but it's also great to keep stocked at home for a quick lunch. Stuff the mixture into a pita or into romaine leaves to make a meal of it. Not that crackers and a dip like this are not a sufficient lunch. You could add some cooked quinoa and a little more dressing and consider it a side dish, making it even more perfect for backyard BBQs.

• 1 cup cooked French Lentils
• 2-3 persian cucumbers
• 2 roma tomatoes, or something similar
• 1/2 a red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed
• 1/3 cup minced red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 Tbsp. fresh chopped oregano leaves
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/2-3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, to taste

Put the lentils into a large mixing bowl. Scoop out the seedy center and finely dice the cucumbers. Do the same with the tomatoes and red pepper. The smaller the dice, the easier to scoop with a cracker. Add them to the mixing bowl. Add the red onion, olives, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper flakes, olive oil and vinegar and stir to mix. Gently stir in the crumbled feta and taste for seasonings. 

Serve at room temperature or chilled. The salad will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge, the vegetables getting a bit softer by the day but still enjoyable. 

Greek Salad Dip . Sprouted Kitchen