Honey-Balsamic Green Beans

Every year we go to Santa Barbara to my aunt and uncle’s dreamy beach house for Thanksgiving but this year, we are heading to Sonoma County. I’m making a few sides to bring including these green beans from my new Forest Feast Mediterranean cookbook inspired by our time in Sicily.

Honey-Balsamic Green Beans

recipe from The Forest Feast Mediterranean

4 c green beans

2 cloves minced garlic, trimmed & diagonally sliced

1/4 c (35 grams) pomegranate seeds

1/4 cup (30 grams) pistachio seeds, roasted & chopped

Saute on medium heat with 1 T olive oil, plus salt and pepper, for 3-5 minutes or until the beans are bright green. Then add 1 T balsamic vinegar and 1 T honey to the pan and toss until all the beans are glazed. (about 1 min).

Transfer to a platter and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and the pomegranate seeds and roasted & chopped pistachio seeds.

Max and me in Cefalu, Sicily in 2017 while shooting The Forest Feast Mediterranean cookbook

The rural area of Sicily we visited is known for its honey and pistachio production and these ingredients are used frequently in sweet and savory dishes from the region. I love the added crunch from the pistachios. We visited the snowy volcano peak in the morning and ended the very same day with a sunset walk along the coast in the village of Santa Maria La Scala.

Ezra making a snowball near the top of Mt. Etna, Sicily, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving!

For more vegetarian sides, try my Persimmon Cranberry Sauce, Butternut Hummus & Deviled Eggs , or Nutty Cauliflower Rice Pilaf.

P.S. The Forest Feast Mediterranean is on sale now and makes a great host gift!

Apple + Honey Mules

Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, is this weekend. It's one of my favorite holidays because it marks the beginning of a new chapter. I like to think about my goals moving forward and use it as a way to refresh, which is nice as seasons shift as well.

Rosh Hashana is usually near the beginning of fall and it's generally celebrated with a cozy and festive autumn meal at home. We always host a big dinner, this year with about 25 people! The dishes we make each year alternate a bit, but there are always recipes with apples and honey, (and always honey cake!). The honey is meant to "sweeten" the new year and often jars of it are gifted.

Before dinner we always serve something with apples and honey to kick things off and this year I'm excited to make Apple & Honey Mules with my local Hangar 1 Honeycomb Vodka. It's infused with honeycomb, not just honey, so it's not sweet, making it great with savory or sweet dishes. The honeycomb actually comes from Golden Harvest Bees in Redwood City, literally just a few miles from where I live. I have been enjoying Hangar 1 for years and I love how thoughtful they are in keeping their process pure and close to home.

APPLE & HONEY MULES

2 oz Hangar 1 Honeycomb Vodka

2 oz ginger beer

1 oz sparking apple cider

Fill a copper mug with ice half way. Pour in ingredients and stir. Garnish with a circular slice of apple floating on top (I use a mandolin).

Cheers and Shanah Tovah!

Melon with Tajin & Mint

This is one of my favorite simple appetizers. It’s something you can throw together quickly when guests are coming over, but it feels a little different and festive. We have been getting the best cantaloupe in our weekly farm box — a sweet melon makes this a late summer treat. It’s great as an appetizer before dinner with drinks.

Tajin is a powdered seasoning mixture that can be found either in your produce department or on the spice aisle. It’s a little citrusy, a little salty and just slightly spicy. So good with a sweet melon and fresh mint!

Melon with Tajin & Mint

1 cantaloupe

a few pinches of Tajin seasoning

2 sprigs of fresh mint

Halve the melon, remove seeds, then cut into wedges. Using a small knife, slice the rind off each wedge and then slice into cubes, leaving the melon to sit on the rind. Arrange the melon on a platter then sprinkle with Tajin and finely chopped fresh mint leaves (stems removed). Serve with toothpicks and enjoy!

Forest Feast Fashion: Floral Dress + Floral Rolls

I’ve got another Forest Feast Fashion pairing for you! Wouldn’t you love to nosh on some Floral Summer Rolls while wearing this lovely floral dress by Sonnet James? I would (ha!)

These rolls are one of my favorite things to eat. (So much in fact that my family has been known to make them for me on my birthday!) They are in my entertaining cookbook, The Forest Feast Gatherings. I can usually find the rice paper wraps at my local grocery store in the “international” aisle. As for edible flowers, I like to grow nasturtium seeds (they are really easy), but you can also find edible flowers at the farmers market and even at the grocery store. (I asked my local grocery store produce department to order them and they arrived next day!) If you can’t find any, you can always decorate the rolls inside with basil leaves, mint leaves, rings of red onion, carrot strips, red bell pepper slices or chopped purple cabbage.

TO MAKE THE ROLLS:

More instructions are on the image below but simply soak the rice paper rounds in water for a minute, lay out on a cutting board, then fill with thinly sliced salad ingredients in the middle of the round. Musts for me are lettuce (crunch!), avocado, red onion and fresh mint. But you can add anything that’s cut up small enough. Fold the ends in and roll up like a burrito!

I recently spent a weekend on a retreat with Whitney, the founder of the dress company Sonnet James. In honor of Mother's Day, I thought I'd share her inspiring story. She started her company on her own as a newly single mother with 2 very young boys.  After they'd go to bed at night, she read business books and taught herself to make patterns and sew. Later, she went door-to-door at factories in San Francisco until she found a place that could ethically produce the dresses for her. Her goal was to make play dresses for moms, and that's just what she does! She started with some Kickstarter money and then a blog post by Design Mom ignited initial orders, but after a recent appearance on Shark Tank, she now works with the investor Sara Blakely of Spanx (another super-inspiring biz-mom!) and her business is thriving. Can't wait to see what's next, Whitney...and I love my new dress, thank you for sending it to me.

Read more about Whitney here.

*Amazon Affiliate links are used in this post and if you purchase via these links, The Forest Feast will earn a small profit.

Ricotta Dip with Asparagus Gremolata

Inspired by an article in the latest issue of Bon Appetit by Andy Baraghani that featured beautiful, simple dips I created this one. It’s full of spring flavors, great for a gathering and really easy to make.

Ricotta Dip with Asparagus Gremolata

6 oz good-quality creamy ricotta cheese

2 green onions

3 asparagus stalks

butter, olive oil, salt & pepper

crudites, crackers or baguette (for serving)

Spread the ricotta on a small plate and drizzle with olive oil, flaky salt and pepper.

To make the gremolata topping, finely chop and sauté the 2 green onions and 3 asparagus stalks with butter, olive oil, salt and pepper on medium heat for 3 minutes or until bright green. Allow to cool (mostly) and then spoon the gremolata over the center of the ricotta. Add a bit more flaky salt over all.

Serve with crudités (like these cucumber slices or carrots), pita chips and/or slices of baguette for a springy appetizer.