Somewhere in the world (not Vancouver, where it is grey and cloudy and dreary on this Saturday in July), it’s too warm to cook in a messy kitchen all day. Instead , a salad is being tossed for a haphazard sunset supper that will taste all the better served in the backyard, where you can holler hello to neighbours grilling burgers on their patios. A salad like this one, apple-sweet and shallot-sharp and avocado-rich and watercress bitter-crisp all at the same time. It’s summer on a plate, wherever the sunshine might be.

Avocado, Apple & Watercress Salad

{RECIPE} AVOCADO, APPLE & WATERCRESS SALAD

This is such an easy recipe that it doesn’t warrant a recipe.

{INGREDIENTS}

For the salad:

6 C watercress (thin stems and leaves only), coarsely chopped

1 Gala apple

1 firm-ripe avocado, or maybe two

For the dressing:

1/4 C rice vinegar

1 TB grated sweet onion or shallot (use large holes of a box grater)

1/4 C finely grated Gala apple (use small holes of box grater)

4 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp brown sugar

3 TB vegetable oil

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Prepare the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, onion, grated apple, soy sauce, sugar and oil.

two. Just before serving, quarter, pit, and peel avocado, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Slice apple into 1/4-inch slices. Gently toss with watercress and dressing in a large salad bowl.

{ADAPTED FROM}

Epicurious’ recipe for Avocado & Watercress Salad

As in this simple recipe. That bare sprinkle of curry powder- just enough so as not to overpower the flavours. That final splash of lemon juice which brightens the taste of the entire recipe. The spoonful of fresh cilantro to top off each plate. It’s these small things that transform hum-drum lentils and canned tomatoes into something heavenly.

Curried Lentils & Tomato

{RECIPE} CURRIED LENTILS & TOMATOES

{INGREDIENTS}

2 tsp good olive oil

2 C yellow onions (2 onions), large diced

2 C carrots (3 to 4 carrots), large diced

2 C sweet potatoes (1 to 2 sweet potatoes), large diced

1 TB minced garlic (3 cloves)

1 (28 oz) can whole plum tomatoes

1 C green lentils

1 C chicken broth

2 tsp mild curry powder

2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2-3 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 C cilantro, finely chopped (for garnish)

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, carrots and sweet potatoes and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon.

two. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more.

three. Add the canned tomatoes with juice, squishing apart tomatoes with a wooden spoon. (Squish carefully- this is messy!)

four. Pick over the lentils to make sure there are no stones, then rinse them briefly in a sieve. Add the tomatoes, lentils, broth, curry powder, salt and pepper to the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer covered for about 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

five. Remove from the heat and allow the lentils to sit covered for another 10 minutes. Stir in the freshly squeezed lemon juice. This will make all the difference.

six. As will that last sprinkle of cilantro right before serving.

{ADAPTED FROM}

Smitten Kitchen’s Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes, which was adapted in turn from Barefoot Contessa at Home

The next moment… poof. It was GONE.

Save for this caper and this itty bitty roasted caulifower floret…

And these disappeared too- suddenly and quickly. An entire cauliflower devoured, all in one night. There was only one suspect in the messy kitchen. Guess who?

Roasted Cauliflower with Capers

{RECIPE} ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH CAPERS

1 (2 1/2-to 3-pounds) head cauliflower

2 TB extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon (or to taste)

2 TB capers (or to taste)

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Preheat oven to 450°F .

two. Cut cauliflower into 2-inch florets and place them onto a rimmed baking sheet.

three. Drizzle with olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt, then toss.

four. Roast for about 20-25 minutes, until cauliflower is golden and crisp-tender,tossing once or twice.

five. Place roasted cauliflower into serving bowl and sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice and capers.

I envy those with refrigerators chock full of organic vegetables crisp in the crisper, butter beautiful in porcelain bells, fruit freshly-picked and tucked in their rightful drawer. Girls who line up their gourmet dressings in matching bottles (alphabetically!) in their fridge have got their lives figured out. I aspire to such order and elegance.

But instead, I have a happy, humming refrigerator in a messy little kitchen. It’s a source of occasional surprises, and since I quite like surprises, I’ve decided to simply let my fridge (and my life) be.  This morning, I rummaged in there and was quite pleased to discover half a sweet potato that had rolled to the back, along with a bedraggled bunch of kale, a handful of parsley almost (but not quite) withered, three orphaned sausages, plus a whole lot of eggs.

There were all sorts of other delights in there too, but only these made it into this found frittata. It’s a casual, rustic, tossed together sort of dish- no airs here. But with a handful of greens on the side, it’s exactly the sort of brunch or dinner one might find from the fridge of a messy kitchen.

Frittata with Sweet Potato, Kale and Sausage

{RECIPE} FRITTATA WITH SWEET POTATO, KALE & SAUSAGE

A few things to keep in mind while foraging your fridge for this frittata:

1) The ingredients here are flexible.You can replace your sweet potatos with regular potatos, your parsley with other herbs,  your onion with shallots or scallions etc… etc.

2) That being said: your frittata will only be as good as your sausage. If you just happen to have a few fresh chorizo or Italian fennel sausages languishing around your fridge, all the better. If, like me, you only have supermarket turkey sausage on hand… it will do. But your frittata will taste like a supermarket-turkey-sausage-frittata instead of a gourmet-frittata.

3) Remember to cook your sweet potatoes through and through. There’s nothing quite as disappointing as a frittata with half-raw sweet potatoes…. even if it’s a humble fridge frittata.

4) Do not overcook your frittata. There is nothing more  disappointing than a frittata with half-raw sweet potatoes…  than a frittata that is rubbery and overcooked. Trust me. I’ve been there.

5) I like this frittata better with hot sauce.  You might give that a shot.

MAKES} 6 Servings

{INGREDIENTS}

10 large eggs, from happy, free run chickens

1/4 C parsley

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 TB plus 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

3 sausages, removed from the casings, then cut into thin slices, or if using fresh gourmet sausages, crumbled like ground meat

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp cayenne

2C diced sweet potatoes, 1/8-inch cubes

3 large kale leaves, stems and inner ribs discarded, leaves coarsely chopped

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Preheat the broiler and position the rack *8 inches* from the heat. (*8 inches is important… too close to the broiler and your frittata will go rubbery. Trust me. I’ve been there.)

two. Crack 10 eggs into a large bowl. Add the chopped parsley, season with salt and pepper, then mix the eggs with a fork until blended.

three. Add 1 tsp of the olive oil to a 10-inch, deep dish, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red onion and saute until fragrant and translucent, about 5 minutes.

four. Add the sausage, paprika and cayenne. Brown and cook through, about 5-8  minutes. Transfer to a plate.

five. Add 3 TB of olive oil to the skillet and heat until shimmering over medium-high heat. (Don’t skimp on the oil… you’ll find that things will stick.) Add the diced sweet potatoes, and brown for about 5 minutes.

six. Add the chopped kale and season with salt.  Toss until softened, about 2 minutes longer.

seven. Return the sausage and onion to the skillet. Cover until sweet potatoes are just cooked through, about 5-10  minutes.

eight. Lower heat to medium and pour the egg mixture into the skillet. Cook for 3-5 minutes, then gently lift the edges of the frittata with a spatula and tilt the pan so that the uncooked egg seeps to the bottom. Cook until the bottom and sides are barely set, another 3-5 minutes.

eight. Place skillet in the oven,  and broil until the eggs are set. Check in every 2 minutes- the top should be lightly browned, and the eggs still barely runny when you remove it from the oven.

nine. Remove from the oven and let sit for five minutes. Cut into wedges and serve hot or warm with a handful of salad greens.

{INSPIRED BY}

Food & Wine Magazine’s Potato, Sausage and Kale Frittata

XE748C2Z9KBP

Kythira, Greece (Photo Credit:Flickr, Madeby197)

But on this morning, in lieu of transporting you to this Ionian island paradise off the coast of Greece, I bring you this:

A handful of parsley.

The scent of lemon groves.

Cool cucumber.

Cumin-spiced chickpeas.

A Mediterranean recipe to start your week on a dreamy note- wherever you may be.

Chickpea Salad with Parsley, Lemons & Cucumbers

{RECIPE} CHICKPEA SALAD WITH PARSLEY, LEMONS & CUCUMBERS

{MAKES} 4 Servings

{INGREDIENTS}

2 cucumbers, thinly sliced (approx. 4 C)

2 C tear drop or cherry tomatoes, halved

2 1/2 C cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed if from a can)

1/4 C red onion, finely chopped

1/4 C Italian parsley, finely chopped

2 TB olive oil

1 TB red wine vinegar

juiced from 1 ripe

1 tsp crushed chili flakes

1/2 tsp cumin

{DIRECTIONS}

one. In large salad bowl, toss together cucumbers, tomatoes,chickpeas, onions and parsley.

two. Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, cumin, chili flakes and lemon juice in small bowl. Pour over salad.

three. Toss. Lazily. As if in a place saturated with sunshine and sea.

four. Serve on its own, or with a simple grilled chicken or fish…preferably on a patio with a view of the ocean.

To celebrate Ally’s birthday, Andrea, Courtney, Elisa and I hosted a dinner that meandered the tropics- from Thailand to the Bahamas, from Haiti to Hawaii. Over crisp white wine and laughter that you can only share with good friends, we cooked up a monsoon:

Courtney’s Delectable Thai Chicken Wings:

Prawns with Pineapple, Water Chestnuts and Bamboo Shoots a la Elisa, and from the Messy Kitchen, Bahamian-Style Beans and Rice,

Lime Fish Tacos and Fresh Pineapple Salsa,

and Kalua Pork Sliders, with Haitian Coleslaw and Roasted Yams.

Then for dessert, a dreamy Coconut Cake baked with love by Andrea:

I promise to share some of our recipes here. But because it was the company that truly made this evening memorable, I share with you first, some of my dearest friends:

Sunny Pineapple Salsa

The wind has been heaving itself across Vancouver, bringing with it a torrential downpour so cold that it’s iced itself into occasional hail.

But sunshine, like sparkle, is a state of mind.

So in spite of the rain coming in sideways through my open window, I am quite certain that summer is just around the corner.  Call me an optimist, but there are suggestions of  it everywhere. You just have to look a bit harder than usual. Like the cherry blossoms, for example. They burst into bloom last month and have started drifting to the ground, leaving in their wake the leaves that  only summer can bring. In boutique windows, greys and blacks have given way to exuberant florals and greens and blues.  And in my messy little kitchen, the coziness of braises and stews, and the winter spiciness of cinnamon and cloves have moved over for lighter fare. Salsas. Salads. Bursts of citrus that smell of sun.

On a blustery day, this sunny pineapple salsa, paired with a simple poached or grilled chicken or fish, brings the flavour of summer into any kitchen.

Bring on a recipe for sunshine.

{RECIPE} PINEAPPLE SALSA

{MAKES} 6 Servings (approx. 2.5 cups)

{INGREDIENTS}

2 C fresh pineapple, diced into 1/4 inch cubes

7 TB red pepper (approx. 1/2 a pepper), finely diced

1 TB cilantro, finely chopped

1 TB shallots, finely diced

3 TB jalapeno peppers (approx. 1/2 a pepper), finely diced

juice from 1/2 a lime

1 tsp sugar

1/3 tsp salt

{DIRECTIONS}

one. In a small bowl, mix together the diced pineapple, red pepper, cilantro, shallots and jalapeno.

two. In a separate bowl, mix together the lime juice, sugar and salt.

three. Toss the lime dressing into the pineapple mixture, and let stand at least one hour (or in the refridgerator overnight).

Serve chilled or at room temperature, with seared, poached or grilled chicken or fish.

{ADAPTED FROM}

This salsa from Epicurious.com

Twenty Chewy Cocoa Cookies with Chocolate Chips

In so many ways, it would be easier to make a gargantuan batch of cookies. If a girl is going to sift one cup of flour, she might as well sift five. Then she’d have lots and lots of delicious cookies to dole out to friends and family, or to freeze for busy nights ahead.

The only thing is, I prefer baking my cookies in small, secret batches. They feel more special that way, more exclusive. In my kitchen as I sift and stir and bake, I think of those one or two special people who will receive them this time. How I might nestle them into a small box, or wrap them up in a cellophane bag. How they might smile when they receive them, or maybe, if they’re hungry, eat one right away.

Tonight I baked exactly  twenty chocolate cookies. Some for my sister, some for Michael, and yes, some for me. Just twenty cookies, crisp on the outside, dark and dense with cocoa and chocolate chips on the inside.  Just enough to savour, and just enough to selectively share.

If you had just twenty chewy cocoa cookies chock full of chocolate chips, who would you share them with with?

{RECIPE} CHEWY COCOA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

{MAKES} 20 cookies

{INGREDIENTS}

1 C unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

4 TB (½ stick) unsalted butter

1/3 C granulated sugar (or use 2/3 C for a sweeter, chewier cookie)

1/3 cup light brown sugar

7 TB unsweetened cocoa powder

1/3 cup plain yogurt, not low- or nonfat

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ C chocolate chips, semisweet or bittersweet

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet, or line with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

two. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

three. Place the butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl, and microwave briefly, until just melted (approx. 30 seconds). Add the sugars, and sift in the cocoa. Stir to blend well.

four. Add the yogurt and vanilla and stir to mix thoroughly. Add the dry flour mixture, and stir to just combine. Add the chocolate chips and stir to incorporate.

five. Using a tablespoon-size measuring spoon, scoop and shape the dough into little domes onto the baking sheet. You will get precisely 20 cookies.

six. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, in batches if necessary, until the tops of the cookies have crackled slightly and look set. Avoid the urge to overbake… the cookies should be just done.

seven. Remove from the oven, then press lightly on each cookie with the back of a spoon or fork to flatten slightly.

eight. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and cool completely. …that is if you can resist the urge from eating the warm gooey cookies right away!

These cookies are delicious warm, straight out of the oven, and store for several days in an airtight container or plastic bag.

{ADAPTED FROM}

Molly’s recipe for Chewy Cocoa Cookies with Chocolate Chips from Orangette, less 1/2 a cup of white sugar, as well as her unique reflections on cooking and life.

Average is Better: Applesauce Muffins

Sometimes a girl needs an average sort of muffin. Someone wholesome and reliable, the sort of muffin you can bring home to your parents and count on to get along with your best cup of tea, mug of coffee, even your favourite stew.

This average applesauce muffin forgoes fluffiness for a moist, honest-to-goodness crumb. He skips over-the-top sweetness and goes straight to a hint of brown sugar and honey. He can’t be bothered with fussy frosting (vanity is sooooo unattractive in a muffin) for an aww-shucks slice of apple. And best of all, you can always count on him to rise to the occasion when it really counts.

Your mothers were right, ladies. When it comes to applesauce muffins (and men), “average” is actually better.

{RECIPE} APPLESAUCE MUFFINS

{MAKES} 12 muffins

{INGREDIENTS}

1 C unsweetened applesauce

1/3 C vegetable oil

1/4 C honey

1 egg slightly beaten

2 C all purpose flour

1/4 C brown sugar (for a sweet muffin, double the brown sugar to 1/2 C)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/3 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 large apple, diced (approx. 1 C)

additional 1/2 apple, thinly sliced for garnish

{DIRECTIONS}

one. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

two. Prepare muffin tins by lining with paper muffin cups, or by greasing each muffin tin with vegetable oil or non-stick spray.

three. Peel (if you want to peel) and dice 1 large apple and set aside for the muffin batter. Then, thinly slice the remaining 1/2 apple and set aside for a simple garnish.

four. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together applesauce, vegetable oil, honey and egg with a rubber spatula.

five. In a large mixing bow, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

six. Fold in 1C chopped apple.

seven. Make a well in the centre of flour mixture and pour in applesauce mixture, all at once. Using a rubber spatula, fold ingredients together until juuuuust moistened.

eight.With a large spoon, divide the batter into muffin cups.

nine. Garnish each muffin with a slice of apple. (I stuck my apple slices vertically into each muffin at a jaunty angle.)

ten. Bake for 350 degrees until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in the centre of each comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then remove from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Colourful Curried Confetti Soup

The leaves have begun to scatter. After yesterday’s rain, they littered this morning pavement like coloured confetti. I can’t help but think that before long, even these leaves will pass, and we’ll be left with nothing but bare branches, grey pavement and even greyer skies for the winter months ahead.

It would be a melancholy time, if not for recipes such as this one for a colourful curried confetti soup, with its flurry of red onion and cabbage, orange pumpkin, yellow sweet potatoes and green zucchini. And for fall company like Lindsay, who  blew into my apartment a few nights ago as if on seasonal cue with a warm grin, girly gossip and a massive green salad from Whole Foods. I love that she’s the sort of friend I can share this sort of messy, unfussy soup with-both of us in comfy sweats, catching up on life and relationships between spoonfuls. Perfect company to colour grey fall evenings.

{RECIPE} CURRIED CONFETTI SOUP

{MAKES} 4 generous servings

{INGREDIENTS}

2 TB olive oil

2 cloves garlic, slivered

1 TB curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 small red onion, diced (approx. 1 C)

1 large sweet potato, grated (approx. 2 C)

1 large zucchini, grated (approx. 2 C)

2 C pureed pumpkin

2 C chicken stock

2 C coconut milk

1 C frozen peas

1/2 C purple cabbage, finely diced (for garnish)

salt and pepper to taste

{DIRECTIONS}

one. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat and add the garlic and red onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.

two. Stir in curry powder and cumin.

three. Add grated sweet potato and zucchini to the pot. Saute uncovered for 6-8 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften.

four. Stir in pureed pumpkin,  then chicken stock. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes on medium-low heat until vegetables are well softened, stirring occasionally.

five. Add coconut milk and green peas. Simmer on low until peas are bright green and just cooked through.

six. Remove from heat and stir in purple cabbage.

Serve with thick slabs of crusty bread and a crunchy green salad.