Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Avocado, Fava, & Quinoa Salad

First off, quinoa is pronounced "keen-wah". Secondly, my picture is not as pretty as the one in the magazine.
I found this recipe in the February 2012 issue of InStyle magazine but it's originally from Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Cook 1 cup quinoa and rinse under cold water; let dry. Blanch 1 lb. frozen shelled fava beans (or edamame) in boiling water for 6 minutes. Segment 2 lemons into a bowl, squeezing in juice from the membranes and from a third lemon. Toss in 2 thinly sliced avocados. Add quinoa, beans, 2 minced garlic cloves, a large handful of thinly sliced radishes, finely chopped basil, 1 tbsp ground cumin (with its nutty, peppery flavor), 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/4 tsp chili flakes, and salt and pepper. Toss gently. Garnish with more finely chopped basil.

So what I did to make this recipe easier for me, was to follow all the microwave instructions for the quinoa and edamame (pronounced "ed-uh-mommy") beans. The frozen package of beans ended up only being about 1/2 to 2/3 cup which is fine by me, because honestly, I think they're very plain and boring. I did also omit the radishes because I don't care for their taste either and then I just used dried basil instead of fresh. See, I like cooking that doesn't involve too much work, lets me improvise, and is healthy yet doesn't taste like grass.
And in case you might be a bit confused about where to purchase edamame and quinoa, I found the edamame in small, individual packets at Costco and I found the quinoa at a health food store (which ended up selling more per volume and at a cheaper price than the regular grocery store).
Overall, I really liked this dish but it did take me a while to prepare everything so make this on a lazy day. Try to pair this with chicken or white fish, such as cod, and eat it on a hot day because it's perfect for summer.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Hamsa

After a lengthy hibernation, I've decided to come back.. I always do!
Anyways, onto the hamsa:
I've always had this thing about wanting to attract good luck (who doesn't) and wondering if charms really worked or if it had something to do with reminding one to make wise decisions just by seeing it. Also, I just really like looking at jewelry. What?
The hamsa caught my eye because it is definitely different than the other jewelry pieces I've been seeing lately. Of course I had to look into it! Some research led me to learn that the hamsa is a symbol of protection and defense against the evil eye most commonly seen in the Middle East and Northern Africa. Specifically, the charm (or amulet, if you will) is the right hand but with two thumbs and sometimes has the evil eye in the center of the palm. The hamsa is also used in Jewish tradition, Levantine Christianity (but under a different name), and frequently by Muslims. This was just a teensy bit of information I found about the hamsa, not to mention all the jewelry floating around online; gold and silver necklaces and bracelets, some with diamonds and some with rhinestones, multi-colored, etc.
All in all, I'm keeping my eye out for the perfect hamsa necklace to add to my collection.