Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I love this quick mayo-less slaw. So easy. So tasty. Ingredients 5 T olive oil, divided 3 T white balsamic vinegar 2 T prepared yellow mustard 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced 1 purple cabbage, thinly sliced Procedure Whisk together the first three ingredients. Stir in the fennel and cabbage. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand 10 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.

This is a dish that I have made many times with all sorts of cruciferous bites. But last week when my 'Eat a Rainbow' class was focusing on blue and purple foods for Food Day 2014 , I bought a purple cauliflower. So, it got this tasty treatment... Ingredients 1 head of cauliflower (you can substitute broccoli or romanesco, too) 2 T peanut butter or almond butter 1 t soy sauce 1 t rice wine vinegar 2 T olive oil freshly ground pepper Procedure Blanch cauliflower quickly so that it is still crisp. Drain and set aside. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the remaining ingredients until they are smooth and well-combined. Add in the cauliflower and toss to coat.

I made sure to have my parents pick up our  High Ground Organics  CSA when we were out of town...then I completely blitzed on picking up my box yesterday. Ugh. I was distraught. Yes, over vegetables. Thankfully, there was a grace period and it was still there! I was so excited; I left work and ran right over. Inside the box this week there were several stalks of broccoli. Yum. This is a quick, easy, but tasty sidedish that highlights the freshness of the broccoli...with a little Asian flair. We love it. Ingredients 1-2 stalks of broccoli 1 T organic raw almond butter 1 T soy sauce 3 T olive oil freshly ground pepper Procedure Trim the broccoli stalk into segments. Blanch broccoli in boiling water. Drain. While the broccoli blanches, place the almond butter, soy sauce, and olive oil into a large mixing bowl. Whisk together to form a dressing. Add in the broccoli. Season with pepper to taste. Serve while still warm. Enjoy!

When we drove into our favorite market in Arcata, on our way to Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park, there was a farmers' market set up in the parking lot. Perfect! I picked up organic pea shoots and golden tomatoes; we had fresh basil from our visit to the greenhouse in Canby. Ingredients organic pea shoots golden cherry tomatoes, halved water salt pepper fresh basil, thinly sliced olive oil Procedure Quickly blanch the pea shoots. Do not overcook. Drain pea shoots and lay on your plates. Top with tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with fresh basil and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

Padròns are another one of those deliciously seasonal treats. They have a subtle heat...usually! The smaller ones are less hot with a grassy sweetness. We love 'em! Whenever I get them, I cook them the same way. Why fix what is amazing, right? But when I served them for Easter, they were ridiculously hot. Uncomfortably hot. So, it became a dare sorta thing. Great! Ingredients padròn peppers olive oil fleur de sel  Procedure Rinse and dry your peppers. Heat a splash of oil in a skillet. Add the peppers and sear until they begin to blister. Remove from heat and season with a sprinkling of salt. Enjoy! Maybe just have a glass of milk handy...in case you get a hot batch like we did this weekend.

Red lentils are my go-to when I need a quick, but filling side dish. Red lentils, unlike green or black lentils, cook in less than 30 minutes. Love it! Ingredients 2 C red lentils 2-1/4 C water 2-1/4 C chicken stock 1 minced clove of garlic 2 splashes of olive oil 1/4 C fresh herbs (I used parsley from High Ground Organics tonight) fleur de sel to taste Procedure In a medium sauce pan, soften the garlic in a splash of olive oil. Stir in the lentils and add the liquids. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until softened and fluffy. It usually takes about 20-25 minutes. Add another splash of olive oil, fold in the herbs, and season to taste with salt. Serve hot.

As we go through the CSA season, I figured I'd spotlight something from the box...and I'll provide a recipe for what I did with it. When Pia picked up our CSA boxes from High Ground Organics   last Thursday, she dropped mine off in the office. "Don't show that to Brian," she warned, gesturing at the celery root. She didn't knowing that her veg-shy husband was tucked away in his office...within earshot. Don't show me what?  he demanded, peeking over the wall. She left and I spun the bag to show the innocuous strawberries and lettuce. "What?" I said. What are you not supposed to show me\? "Nothing," I lied. No! I saw that thing. The brain! What is that? "It's just celery root. Now go back to work, nosy! You won't even recognize it when she cooks it." He shook his head and sat back down. Meet Celery Root - also known as celeriac. It's one of the least photogenic root veggies. E...

Last week - in preparation for all the fabulous holiday meals to come - I put out a call for recipes for wonderful side dishes . I could make an entire meal of sides. I love 'em! Foodie bloggers answered the call and linked up some delicious-looking sidedishes. I will definitely be giving some of these a try between now and the new year. I've divided the dishes by the cornucopia of ingredients. Enjoy. Corn Cornbread Casserole  by  Noshing with the Nolands Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Corn Pudding  by  Spinach Tiger Cornbread Casserole  by  Table for Seven Gulliver's Corn  by Mike Sweet Potatoes and Potatoes Smoky Potato Salad  by  My Hobbie Lobbie Sweet Potato Gratin  by  Dancing Veggies Orange Sweet Potatoes  by  Farm Belles Tri-Colored Roasted Potatoes  by  Lollipopsicle Greens Pasta with Broccoli and Cheesy Curry Cream  by  Lollipopsicle Bean and Spinach Bake  by ...

To go with our Garoupa de São Miguel , I made a Portuguese Carrot rice - Arroz de Cenouras . Ingredients 2 carrots, halved and sliced 4 roasted beets, peeled and sliced 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced 6 T olive oil 4 C water freshly ground sea salt to taste 2 C short-grained rice Procedure Saute the leeks in a saucepan with the olive oil. Place carrots and beets in the pan with the leeks. Place the water in the saucepan and season with salt to taste. Once the water is boiling, add the rice. Cover the saucepan and reduce to flame to a minimum heat, and let it cook the rice for about 25-30 minutes until the rice is softened but still has a slight bite. After that turn of the heat and let it sit, and continue steaming, for 5 minutes before eating.

This recipe came to me in response to  my call for wonderful sidedish recipes   via email - not as a blogpost of her own, just as an emailed recipe from Jenn. So, I am posting it here. Though this is not my recipe, nor have I tested it, I will definitely give this a try before the year is through...maybe even before the week is through! Thanks for submitting it, Jenn. 1-12oz bag cranberries 4 T fresh cilantro 1/3 C fresh lime juice 1/2 t salt 1/4 t pepper 2 jalapeno seeded (sometimes I use 1 Serrano instead) 2 T onion 1/2 C sugar Blanch cranberries until they pop open. Drain immediately. Add all ingredients to blender. Blend until smooth. Serve chilled with cream cheese and crackers (or let me know what other creative serving suggestions you come up with!) I take this to our thanksgiving potluck at work every year and Christmas potlucks too.

This recipe came to me in response to  my call for wonderful sidedish recipes   on twitter- not as a blogpost of her own, just as a tweet from @Jayasax . So, I am posting it here. Seventy-three characters. Impressive. Though this is not my recipe, nor have I tested it, it is similar to a fresh relish I've made before, pre-blogging days. And I will definitely give this a try before the year is through. Thanks for submitting it, Jaya. Cranberry relish! 2 c. cranberries, 1 c. orange, 1 c. sugar, grind it up!

In response to my call for wonderful sidedish recipes , one reader submitting the following - not as a blogpost of his own, just as a comment to my post. So, I am posting it here. Though this is not my recipe, nor have I tested it, I might just give this a try before the year is through. Thanks for submitting it, Mike. Gulliver's Corn submitted by Mike Hamm 2 bags (16 oz each) frozen kernel corn, defrosted (I like to use one bag of white kernel corn and one of yellow.) 1 1/2 C whipping cream. 2 t salt 1 t sugar 3 T flour mixed with 3 T melted butter or margarine 1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese Butter an ovenproof baking dish. (I like to use those disposable foil pans since I'm generally bringing the dish to someone else's house.) Set aside. Sprinkle 2-3 T parmesan over the butter, tilting the pan to distribute the cheese. Bring the whipping cream to a boil. Reduce the heat and add corn. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in salt and sugar. Make a paste...

For another Halloween sidedish, I roasted some Brussels sprouts. And they were a hit! Brussels sprouts (enough that lay in a single layer in your baking dish) olive oil minced garlic freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place all of the sprouts in a mixing bowl. Cut the larger ones in half, but you can leave the small ones whole. Drizzle them with enough olive oil to coat them and make them glisten. Toss them with minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes. Move the sprouts around in the pan. Roast for another 15 minutes. When cooked and slightly browned, season with more salt and pepper and drizzle with more oil. Serve hot or at room temperature.

When a friend assigned me veggie side dishes for her Halloween potluck dinner, I was thrilled! I love creating fresh, dishes with seasonal greens that make people ask me for the recipe. This was one of those dishes. One of the guests commented, "I taste lavender. This is like a spa lunch!" Sweet. 2 bunches kale (Thank you,  Fogline Farm !) - larger ribs removed and thinly sliced 4 T olive oil juice from 1 lemon 2 pinches dried lavender crushed lightly between your fingers freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper Place the kale in a large mixing bowl and pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the leaves. Massage until the leaves are softened and have turned from a greyish-green to a bright, deep emerald. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and crushed lavender. Toss to incorporate all of the spices. Let stand for at least 20 minutes.

click on the photos, above, to go to the original recipe posts Thanksgiving - and other holiday -  dinners are about spending time with loved ones over good food washed down with good wine. Well, that's what it's about at my house. Though I serve a main dish, not usually a turkey, these feasts are all about the side dishes. I could eat an entire dinner of sides. And I try to dazzle my guests with some delicious bites. I'd love to hear from you . What do you serve with your Thanksgiving - or other holiday - dinners? Are you traditional or not? Favorite stuffing recipe? Best appetizer? Below are few of my personal favorites. Click on the recipe title to go to the original recipe post. Link up your favorites. I'll categorize them (Soups, Salads, Appetizers, etc.) and post a round-up by November 11th. Triple Mushroom Pâté Cucumber Salad Rustic Potato-Fontina Tart