Simple Red Fruit Salad

A favorite red fruit salad, and arguably so much better than old-school fruit salad! It’s perfect as spring rounds the bend into summer. A simple, seasonal fruit salad made with plump strawberries, sweet cherries, lemon zest, and coriander brown sugar. Five ingredients. So good.

And when I say simple, I’m not kidding. For a bit of something special, I ground a bit of brown sugar with coriander seeds to add to the fruit, liking the way the coriander’s citrusy, green notes played off the flavor of the strawberries and cherries. Just a little tweak, but enough to bring a hint of unexpectedness to a bowl of radiant, seasonal fruit. If you’re stuck on traditional fruit salad, consider making the jump to a red fruit salad!

I first started making this fruit salad in the early days of the QUITOKEETO project, when a lot of it was happening at the house. Laugh/ cry. Friends would stop by and just shake their heads. The towers of boxes, the tape guns, the bins of items we’d sourced – it was all a bit much. We did many shipments from the dining room and kitchen island, and I thought you might like a look at the process. But, in the midst of it all, we would always try to break for a quick lunch.  This ruby-hued beauty came out of one of those lunches.

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Spicy Rainbow Chopped Salad with Peanuts

The base of this rainbow hued chopped salad is a new-to-me, homemade, red curry paste. I can’t stop using it, and it was the perfect back note to this salad situation, where every bite is a flavor explosion. The curry paste went in the dressing. Once you’ve made the dressing, blood oranges, crispy shallots, peanuts, radicchio, herbs, brown rice, scallions, and tofu are tossed with it. I’ll be honest, this isn’t the most weeknight-friendly recipe (here’s a link if you’re looking for the easiest dinners, or quick recipes in general), but it’s so good, you’ll want to give it a try at some point when you aren’t crunched for time.

I’m posting the red curry paste I used on its own page, it’s the A.P.C.P. – All-Purpose Curry Paste from Kris Yenbamroong‘s Night + Market Cookbook. If you’re inclined to make your own curry pastes, you’re going to want to take this one for a spin. I love it, and have been using it in everything lately – curry pots, this salad, spring rolls, chopped salad, etc. Enjoy!

I noticed a lot of you are using the winter green miso paste and lemongrass turmeric paste from my site, & this should round out your collection!

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One Bowl Banana Bread

Give this banana bread recipe a go! It’s perfect if you’re craving classic banana bread flavor and texture, but want as little mess, drama, and equipment as possible. It’s the laziest, best, one-bowl banana bread I know. Still with big pay-off. The promise? No mixer, a single bowl, classic flavor, and a moist and tender crumb. If you have three ripe bananas on hand, chances are good you have the rest of the ingredients as well. Let’s do this!

A Better Banana Bread Recipe

What you’ll get here is a straight-ahead banana bread, or as straight-forward as I get. I like my baked goods to have rustic wholesomeness to them, which is why you see a portion of whole wheat flour and brown sugar here. Consequently, it makes your banana bread more nutritious, extra special, and delicious (when compared to versions with white sugar and white flour).

Inspiration

This particular banana bread recipe evolved into its current lazy-day state from this Melissa Clark gem. I skipped any add-ins for simplicity’s sake here, and would recommend a banana-only first pass. That said, you can absolutely add ingredients like toasted nuts, chocolate chunks, citrus zests, herbs, toasted coconut, glazes, etc!

Watch: One Bowl Banana Bread Video

Also(!), if you like this, I’d be willing to bet you’ll also like these banana-packed Buttermilk Berry Muffins.

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An Incredible No Bake Chocolate Cake

I suspect this will be the easiest chocolate cake you’ll ever make. And it’s always a huge hit. It’s the sort of easy dessert that is perfect for summer (and entertaining!) because you don’t need to heat your oven. I think of it as a no bake chocolate cake, you wouldn’t be far off calling it a slice-able truffle. Or, imagine an espresso-spiked, velvety, chocolate mousse you were able to cut into beautiful wedges. Sounds incredible, right? If you have ten minutes,  some dark chocolate, cream, and something to infuse the cream with, you’re in business. I also have some non-dairy variations as well.

When this Sort of Chocolate Cake is Perfect

This is the sort of thing I’ll throw together if we’re having friends over for dinner and I run out of steam on the dessert front. It’s less trouble to make than it is to go out and buy something. A small slice really goes the distance. It’s intense, it’s hardcore chocolate. Paired with a touch of whipped cream (or whipped coconut cream) it’s a total crowd-pleaser. I infused the cream used in the cake with espresso adn allspice in this version, but you could play it straight. Or take it in any direction you’re inclined – there are dozens of great suggestions in the comments.

Choosing the Right Pan

This is a small but mighty chocolate cake. The choice of pan warrants a mention. You end up with with ~ two cups of batter, and for the most part you can pour that into any small-ish, parchment-lined cake pan you like. The parchment is important if you ever want to get the cake out of the pan. For this cake, I used a little loaf pan I like, but I’ve done this in small spring-form pans, and on occasion little tart pans. Just keep in mind, a bigger pan will mean a thinner slice. A small loaf pan like this yields a deeper slice, and so on. It’s hard to screw up – I mean, it’s a slice-able truffle cake. In the lead photo I’ve used a 6-inch springform pan. In the shot below, I’ve used a small loaf pan.

In a pinch – a number of you have mentioned that you simply pour the chocolate mixture into individual muffin tins, or dessert cups, allow it to set, and served this way. Brilliant! Less cake like, but I suspect no one will complain. 😉

Variations

If you want to avoid heavy cream, there are a number of substitutions that work well. I love using cashew cream in place of the heavy cream called for in the recipe. Make cashew cream by combining 1 part cashew nuts + 1 part water and process in a high speed blender until silky smooth. No need to strain. Coconut milk also works nicely as a substitution.

Finishing Touches

I like to bring a bit of extra flavor (and some pretty) with a dusting of cocoa powder, a few dried rose petals, and a sprinkling of cacao nibs. Others like to finish things of with a few berries. Generally speaking, if it pairs nicely with chocolate, go for it. A few toasted nuts, or crumbled cookies wouldn’t be unwelcome.

Choosing the Right Chocolate

Because this cake is all about the chocolate, you don’t want to skimp on quality. I’ve been using Guittard Organic 74% Bittersweet Chocolate Wafers for this cake. It works beautifully. I often use it straight, meaning, without the added espresso or allspice noted in the recipe. So it’s just the beautiful chocolate notes coming through. San Francisco family-run chocolate represent! But, any good chocolate between 70% – 80% will work. 

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11 All-Star Ways to Cook Corn on the Cob

Corn season – it’s officially on! It’s the season to eat outside. And, it’s the season to eat with your hands – especially corn on the cob. What follows here is a round-up of corn-centric ideas to inspire you this summer.

Corn on the Cob Basics

• These recipes are all about celebrating corn – shopping for the freshest corn, still in husk, makes a difference!
• If you shuck the corn before grilling, keep an eye on it, it can get dried out. Try grilling in the husk to keep in steam.
• If you boil the corn in a large pot, definitely shuck it before. Salt the water, boil for 3-5 minutes.
• After cooking, if you want to get the corn off the cob to use in salads, sides and more, check out this method using a bundt pan (video -jump to :25 sec).
• If you cook a lot of corn and remove it from the cob with the above method, try freezing it for future recipes!
• Used cobs can be cleaned, placed in a stock pot and simmered to make a corn stock. Use the stock to bump up the flavor in corn-centric dishes (polenta, risotto, chowder).

1. Grilled Corn Kale Salad (The Almond Eater)  Throw a few chickpeas in this hearty kale salad, and call it a main. Probably couldn’t resist tossing a few cherry tomatoes while I was at it.

2. Baked Green Chilaquiles with Sweet Corn  (Bojon Gourmet)  A stunner from Alanna – love the idea of making these beautiful chilaquiles with any leftover grilled corn.

3. Corn & Chickpea Bowl with Miso-Jalapeño Tahini (Bon Appetit) If I could only have one salad this summer, this might be it. Chickpeas, avocado, herbs, summer corn, and an herby miso-tahini dressing – fresh, bright, and satisfying! A perfect, summery, one-bowl meal.

4. Grilled Corn With Harissa and Mint Recipe (Serious Eats)  This might be the most flavor-forward of all the options here, with a strong combination of harissa and cumin.

5. Coconut Corn Salad (101 Cookbooks) Five ears of corn, shaved in quick fashion, sautéed in a bit of butter. Tricked out beyond that with thyme, red onions, toasted almonds and coconut. So good!

6. Indian Corn on the Cob (La Petit Chef)  Apparently corn on the cob is an Indian street food thing and here’s a delicious looking version, with chaat masala as a flavor.

7. Elote Farro Tomato Salad (the Kitchen Paper)  This recipe takes the classic Mexican elite grilled corn, adds farro and turns it into a delicious salad.

8. Green Curry Broth with Summer Corn (101 Cookbooks) A thin green curry broth, fragrant with garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. Punctuated with fresh corn. There’s heat from serrano chiles, and zings of tanginess on account of the fresh lime juice. Spicy and summer in the best way.

9. Sofritas Style Burrito Bowls with Tofu, Lime Rice and Grilled Corn (Lauren Caris Cooks)  No one loves a good hippie lunch bowl more than me, and this one fits the bill. Love the grilled corn punctuation.

10. Grilled Corn with Sriracha Aioli (Minimalist Baker)  Another vegan masterpiece from MB – this recipe focuses on the vegan aioli, which looks amazing and flavorful.

11. Grilled Cilantro, Lime and Paprika Corn on the Cob (Blissful Basil)  Corn on the cob plus lime is a prety classic combination at this point, this vegan version uses coconut oil as an alternative to butter. 

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