This recipe was born from two very different dining experiences, in two very different places.
Last year my husband and I were in Las Vegas, celebrating a friend's 50th birthday with three other couples. The guys were out doing manly things (car racing) while us ladies hung out by the pool. We ventured inside to grab some lunch and I had the most incredible arugula and quinoa salad, with slices of sundried tomatoes. I thought about that salad incessantly for months after and tried to recreate the dressing, without huge success.
Sometimes, amazing things—like penicillin, Viagra, potato chips, and the microwave—are created entirely by accident. As everyone's favourite fuzzy-haired painter, Bob Ross, says, "There are no mistakes, only happy accidents." That may or may not be a completely true statement, but this dish, full of gorgeous roasted vegetables and zestiness, was created by accident, and it was indeed a happy one.
A few months I saw a package of freekeh in the grocery store, and I couldn't stop making jokes about it. It's super-freekeh. It's time to get your freek on. Let your freek flag fly. But it's no joke that this roasted wheat is the new supergrain in town! While I'm not ready to kick quinoa to the curb, I am always ready to add a delicious new grain to my repertoire, especially one with so many health benefits.
Here's the situation—it's 11:55 and you're hungry. Starving, even. You cannot stop thinking about lunch. Temptations abound; the takeout place around the corner is calling out its siren song of french fries and pizza by the slice.
Watermelon is such a classic summer snack, isn’t it? It’s the fruit of choice for picnics and soccer games; for me, it evokes nostalgic images of childhood and summer, along with ice cream trucks and playing in the sprinkler. A sweet juicy slice of watermelon goes with a hot summer day like a steaming cup of cocoa goes with a frosty day in January. But did you know watermelon also goes beautifully — incongruously enough — with feta cheese and mint?