Christina Shoup

Green Beans Provencal

July 31, 2020 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

This side dish is such a hit with my family that during the summer when green beans are in peak season, I make it on a weekly basis. Correction, my 13 year old son now makes it for us on a weekly basis. Lucky me!

I first enjoyed this salad while in cooking school and have been making it ever since. The original recipe is from Chowhound and delicious as written- thank you Chowhound for the inspiration! But this is my favorite summer version, especially when tomatoes are in abundance. I cannot get enough of these flavors. We eat a lot of Mediterranean cuisine in our house, so the ingredients used here are pantry and fridge staples for me. Along with weekly trips to the local farmer’s market, this is an easy and quick side dish that everyone loves. It is the perfect side dish to grilled pork, chicken and fish – mains we have a lot of!

I’m bringing this dish to a small, backyard, socially distanced birthday gathering this weekend. I cannot wait to share it with family and friends.

Cheers,

Christina

Green Beans Provencal

During the summer months, this side dish is on repeat in my house. I first enjoyed this dish while in cooking school and have been making it ever since. The recipe is adapted from Chowhound and this is now my favorite version, especially during the summer when the tomatoes are in abundance. It is the perfect side dish to grilled pork, chicken and fish. Enjoy!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Keyword green beans, salad

Servings 6 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

2 tbsp finely chopped shallot
2 tbsp champagne vinegar red or white wine vinegar work as well
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp capers, drained, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1 lb green beans, trimmed of stem
2 tbsp kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
¼ cup crumbled feta optional
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted optional
1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Combine the shallot, vinegar, and garlic in a large, nonreactive bowl and let sit for 15 minutes.
Add the mustard, salt and pepper and whisk until combined. Whisking constantly, add the oil in a slow, steady stream. Stir in the capers and olives and taste for seasoning.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add trimmed green beans and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. The green beans should be cooked through but still have a slight crunch. Drain well in a colander and while still hot, add the green beans to the dressing.
Toss until well coated. Add the tomatoes, and if using, feta cheese and pine nuts, and gently combine. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm or at room temperature- both are delicious. Be sure to give a gentle toss just before serving to make sure all the green beans are well coated.

Summer Fruit Almond Cream Galette

July 18, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

When your favorite summer desserts include all things fruit, you come up with new ways to use all that peak produce! Fruit crisps are one of my favorite desserts- I can never get enough of that sweet, buttery, oat crumble. But then I remind myself how much I love pie, or anything with a flaky, buttery crust. Galettes (French), or crostatas (Italian), depending on the cuisine you’re talking about, are the perfect solution to this dilemma. A sturdy crust, a surprise almond cream that serves as a base for all that juicy fruit, and a sweet oat crumble to top the fruit makes for a very satisfying summer dessert. A scoop of good vanilla ice cream is highly recommended – it was very much a recent hit with my family and mother-in-law.

Don’t be turned off by all the steps! Most can be prepared in advance of the assembly, and the galette itself can be baked entirely and served room temperature. I did that recently and only popped it in the oven for a few minutes to heat so our ice cream on top would get perfectly melty, but it’s certainly not necessary. And, store-bought pie crust is a fine substitution – Trader Joe’s is a great choice and makes this recipe even easier. The goal is to enjoy this delicious dessert!

Cheers,

Christina

fresh peaches in a circle and blueberries scattered

fold, brush with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar

Summer Fruit Almond Cream Galette

This delicious summer dessert is the best of all fruit desserts. It's got a sturdy crust to hold all the juicy summer fruit, a surprise almond cream as a base hiding below that fruit, and a oat crumble on top to give it the perfect crunch. A satisfying pie-crumble-galette combo that will both impress and delight your family and friends.

Course Dessert

Keyword galette, summer fruit

Servings 8 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

3-4 peaches or nectarines, halved, pitted and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
½ cup blueberries

Galette Dough

1½ cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces
4-5 tbsp ice water

Almond Cream

¼ cup almond paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
¼ cup sour cream

Oat Crumble

¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces
2 tbsp old fashioned oats
2 tbsp sliced almonds optional
pinch of kosher salt

Egg Wash/Sugar crust

1 egg
1 tbsp heavy cream or whole milk
pinch of kosher salt
1-2 tbsp turbinado sugar

Instructions

Galette dough

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt to blend.
Add butter and pulse a few times to cut butter into the flour until you have small pieces of butter throughout.
Add ice water a little at a time and pulse until mixture forms a dough that can holds together when you pinch a bit in your hand. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board. Gather dough and press into a disc.
Place disc in between two sheets of parchment paper and roll into a rough circle, about 11 inches in diameter. Place the parchment lined dough on a baking sheet and place in the freezer while you prepare the crumble and almond cream, about 30 minutes.

Almond Cream

Blend almond paste, brown sugar, and sour cream in a food processor. You can also use a hand mixer, but is harder to get the almond paste to blend in completely. Set aside.

Oat Crumble

Add all ingredients, except the butter, to a small bowl and combine. Add small pieces of butter and using clean hands, or a fork, work the butter and mixture together until a crumble mixture appears. Chunks of butter coated with flour and oats is what you're looking for. Set aside.

Egg Wash

Combine the egg, cream or milk, and salt and whisk until mixture is homogeneous. Set aside.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 400°. Pull dough out of the freezer and peel the top layer of parchment off. Leave the bottom layer on the baking sheet and let sit out on the counter for a few minutes until it can be easily folded.
Evenly spread almond mixture over the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Place peaches in a circle or evenly scattered around, followed by the blueberries. Sprinkle the crumble on top of the fruit. Fold the dough edge over the fruit, pleating naturally occurs as you fold. Brush the edge with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake until crust is golden, about 35 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into wedges. A scoop of ice cream on top is a very good idea.

Arugula Salad with Tomato, Peach and Roasted Golden Beets

July 17, 2020 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

For many of us, a simple trip to the farmer’s market can provide such joy these days. The aromas, the array of colors, and the people! Oh how nice it is to see people – outside, masked, and there to support our local farmers and their hard work. Even greater than joy, our health is directly affected by these essential workers by providing fresh, organic produce. The best medicine during a global pandemic! We are so grateful for our farmers.

If a trip to the farmer’s market is on your agenda for the weekend, I would put good money on fresh tomatoes and peaches being part of your haul. They are so SO good right now and I cannot stop eating them. Out of hand is the most common way for me to consume these tasty fruits, but with so much time at home these days, I’ve incorporated some really yummy salad lunches for my husband and me to enjoy.

One of those recent lunches was this arugula salad. All the produce came from a quick Thursday stop at the farmer’s market and provided one of the tastiest salads we’ve had this summer, and we’ve had a lot of them – look for a post soon on all things salad!

The combination of peaches and tomatoes makes perfect sense. You may be familiar with the old saying – what grows together goes together. It could not be more true in this case! The golden beets are roasted and beautiful on the plate – but deep red would be pleasing as well. If you’re feeling spunky, some thinly sliced jalapeno or serrano pepper would be delicious with the peppery arugula. Or add that surprise kick with my favorite salt right now, Jacobsen Salt Co.’s Habanero Salt. So tasty!

So good on avocado toast, tomatoes and sliced melon – almost anything

I hope you have a great weekend and make time to stop at one of your local farmer’s markets!

Cheers,

Christina

Arugula Salad with Tomato, Peach and Roasted Golden Beets + Shallot Vinaigrette

This salad is summer on a plate. Thick juicy tomato wedges, ripe fresh peaches and earthy golden beets meet peppery arugula and creamy goat cheese. Crispy torn bread and crunchy salt pulls the whole dish together. This is a great place to play with different vinegars for the dressing – some of my favorites include sherry and red wine vinegar. Different types of flake salt are also a fun way to change the flavor up a bit – Jacobsen Salt Co. Habanero Salt or Smoked Maldon Salt sprinkled on the finished plate is a fun flavor surprise.

Course Salad

Keyword beet, peach, salad, tomato

Servings 4 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

2 cups arugula
2 peaches, sliced into thick wedges
4 small golden beets, roasted and thinly sliced see note
4 early girl tomatoes, sliced into thick wedges
½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup torn croutons see note
¼ cup goat cheese crumbles
flake salt and ground pepper

Shallot Vinaigrette

1 tbsp small shallot, minced
2 tbsp champagne vinegar
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp honey
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch Maldon salt, or any coarse flake salt

Instructions

Add shallot and vinegar to a jar with a lid. Let sit 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake.
Working with four dinner sized plates, place beet slices overlapping in a circle.
Scatter peaches and tomatoes around the circle, leaving the middle of the circle empty. Season everything with salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, toss the arugula with enough dressing to lightly coat the leaves. Pile the arugula in the center of the circle. Scatter goat cheese and croutons, seasoning with a touch more salt and pepper.

Recipe Notes

For roasted beets – trim stem and root but leave unpeeled. Place in a foil lined roasting pan and add ¼ cup water, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp kosher salt. Cover tightly with foil and roast at 400° until you can pierce the beets with a sharp knife and have little resistance. Let cool enough to handle and using a paper towel, gently rub off skin.

For torn croutons – cut 1 inch thick slices of country bread, or any other sturdy, day-old bread. Trim crust or leave on for a more rustic crouton. Tear each bread slice into sizeable pieces (about 1 inch) and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle olive oil enough to coat the bread and toss with a little kosher salt. Bake in a 400° oven for about 20 minutes, turning with a spatula to encourage even browning.

Overnight Oats

July 14, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Overnight oats are such a welcome treat in the morning, especially during the summer months when even the thought of a steaming bowl of anything makes you sweat just a little. I’ve been making these for longer than I can remember. When my kids were younger, I used to tuck them in at night and head straight to the kitchen when I had only 5 minutes of energy left in me. Thankfully, that’s all the time it takes to make this tasty make-ahead breakfast!

The oats can easily be adjusted to suit your tastes. Don’t love bananas? Use blueberries, peaches or apples. Not a fan of almond milk? Use any dairy or non-dairy beverage. This happens to be my favorite combination of flavors and lends itself to a variety of crunchy toppings to be added in the morning.

We’ve taken these oats on camping trips, road trips, early morning youth sports events, and when I was in culinary school, I packed these several times a week and ate breakfast during my morning commute to San Francisco. Easy, portable, healthy and kept me full all morning.

And while this used to take me 5 minutes to make two jars of overnight oats, I’ve got 3 kids that now request one for the morning and it’s definitely worth the extra few minutes to make several more. And bonus, it’s easy enough for them to make their own!

Cheers,

Christina

Overnight Oats

This is a perfect make-ahead breakfast for busy mornings and one our whole family enjoys. It's portable, easily adaptable to fit your tastes and full of fiber and nutrients to keep you full for hours. It's great cold straight from the fridge or heated briefly in the microwave, but in any case, don't forget some sort of crunchy topping before you enjoy!

Course Breakfast

Keyword breakfast, make ahead breakfast, overnight oats

Servings 1 serving

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

⅓ cup old fashioned oats
⅓ cup greek yogurt, plain
½ cup almond milk
½ banana, diced
2 tbsp almond butter
1½ tsp chia seeds
1½ tsp ground flaxseed meal
¼ tsp vanilla extract
⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of kosher salt
drizzle of maple syrup
crunchy toppings: chopped nuts, toasted coconut, granola optional

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a mason jar or tupperware with lid. Refrigerate overnight.
In the morning, add crunchy topping. Eat cold straight from the refrigerator or take the chill off in the microwave for 30 seconds before adding a crunchy topping.

Cherry Peach Smoothie

July 2, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

This refreshing smoothie is one of my favorite summer smoothies. The fresh peach and mint are such a great flavor combination. During the summer, I buy extra peaches each week and wait for them to get almost too ripe before transferring them to the refrigerator – this way I have them always ready for this smoothie. Note: while ripe fresh nectarines also work well, frozen peaches do not. They just don’t have enough ripe flavor!

As always, a high powered blender such as a Vitamix is key to making the best smoothie texture. We were recently on vacation in Lake Tahoe and while the kitchen in our rented home was one of the most stocked kitchens I’ve ever been in (for a rental), our smoothies just weren’t the same without a good blender. There were chunks of peach peel and ice that just never blended – it was still very drinkable with good flavor, but generally not as enjoyable as usual.

Here’s to ripe summer fruits and healthy summer snacks!

Cheers,

Christina

Cherry Peach Smoothie

This refreshing smoothie is one of my favorites for summer. Fresh peach and mint are such a great flavor combination. During the summer, I buy extra peaches each week and wait for them to get almost too ripe before transferring them to the refrigerator – this way I have them always ready for this smoothie. Note: while fresh nectarines work well, frozen peaches do not. They just don't have enough flavor to make this tasty.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Keyword smoothie

Servings 2 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

¾ cup almond milk any dairy or non-dairy milk will work
¼ cup plain Greek whole or lowfat yogurt
1½ cups frozen cherries
2 fresh peaches, cut up
1 banana, cut up
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp honey
10-12 fresh mint leaves
3-4 ice cubes

Instructions

Place ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Boysenberry Pizza

June 27, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

This is a childhood favorite – a 4th of July staple for our neighborhood block parties, and even now, I crave it every single summer. It’s in our family recipe book written by my mom over 15 years ago and it’s a wonderful combination of tangy pudding-like cheesecake and sweet boysenberry jam. It has a few steps of chilling, cooling, etc. but it’s worth every step.

The pie dough is a very sturdy one, hence the “pizza” name. It’s firm enough to cut a slice and pick it up with your fingers. Do it! You could certainly do a more standard flaky pie crust (which I love), but the recipe included definitely isn’t that.

Start with a pie dough, followed by a blind bake (partially baking with parchment and dried beans or weights), remove and bake until golden. If you like your crust to maintain it’s defined crimped edges, be sure to chill the shell for 30 minutes and bake straight from the freezer or refrigerator. If you’re like me, it’s one extra step that isn’t important to you, and definitely doesn’t affect the taste of the final product so you skip it.

Then you make the boysenberry filling and let it cool while the crust cools.

The cream cheese filling mixed with lemon zest is absolutely delicious- this gets piled in the cooled crust, before the whole berries are scattered around and the jam filling is poured over.

Like all of us, this dessert NEEDS chills time. If you begin it in the morning and allow steps for cooling and set up time, I promise you will be rewarded with a boysenberry pizza you can pick up with your fingers and be absolutely delighted.

If you begin it in the early afternoon and let it set at least 4 hours like I did in the above picture, you will have a little more runny jam filling, but will be delighted nonetheless. Both are delicious and I hope you get a chance to make it this summer!

Cheers,

Christina

Boysenberry Pizza

A delicious combination of cheesecake and fruit pie, this summer dessert is a childhood favorite and now a favorite with my own family. You can use boysenberries or the widely available blackberry. If you make this for friends or family, I promise they will ask you for the recipe after their first bite. A perfect summer BBQ or July 4th treat!

Course Dessert

Keyword blackberry, boysenberry

Servings 8 servings

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Pie dough

1½ cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
4-5 tbsp ice water

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
1 egg
1 cup sugar divided
zest of 1 lemon
¼ kosher salt
2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
2- 6 ounce containers of boysenberries or blackberries

Instructions

Pie Dough

In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and salt to blend.
Add butter and pulse a few times to cut butter into the flour until you have small pieces of butter throughout.
Add ice water a little at a time and pulse until mixture forms a dough that can holds together when you pinch a bit in your hand.
Gather dough onto a very lightly floured board and press into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Chilled Dough

Preheat oven to 400°. Roll dough out on a lightly floured board and place in a 9" glass pie dish. Crimp the sides as desired. Make several fork piercings around the bottom and sides of dough.
Blind bake: Place a sheet of parchment paper on the dough and cover with dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove parchment and beans and continue to bake for another 10 minutes, until the crust is lightly golden. Set aside to cool. Lower oven temperature to 250°.

Filling

In a medium saucepan, mash 1 container of berries with ⅔ cup sugar. Add water and cornstarch and bring mixture to a boil. While mixture is boiling, stir with spatula to prevent scorching and continue to cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Add cream cheese, egg, sugar, lemon zest and salt to a medium bowl. With a hand mixer, blend until smooth and well combined.

To assemble

Fill cooled pie shell with cream cheese mixture and bake for 15 minutes at lower temperature until set. Cool.
Scatter remaining container of berries over surface of cooled filling. Pour cooled crushed berry mixture over the whole berries.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours, until firm and can easily slice with a knife.

Salmon Sandwich with Bacon, Pesto Mayo & Apricot Jam

June 24, 2020 by Christina Shoup 1 Comment

This is dish is a Shoup family favorite and was a perfect meal for our Father’s Day dinner. We were enjoying some time in Lake Tahoe last week and this tasty sandwich/burger was an easy one to plan ahead for – nearly all the ingredients can be prepared in advance and the bacon and salmon are the only components that need to be cooked when you’re ready to eat.

Any seasoning works for this, but I enjoy a mesquite grill seasoning with a bit of smoked paprika and brown sugar.

Prepared pesto and mayonnaise mixed together are a nice herbaceous contrast to the sweet apricot jam.

Crisp little gems or peppery arugula are both great choices for this sandwich as well a lightly toasted buttery brioche. Other buns that also work well are pretzel buns and potato rolls.

We don’t usually have sides when we eat this sandwich – but when we do it’s usually a side of sweet potato oven fries or fresh fruit. It’s hard to say how much we love this dish! I hope your family loves it, too.

Cheers,

Christina

Salmon Sandwich with Bacon, Pesto Mayo & Apricot Jam

This sandwich is a house favorite! The salty bacon, sweet jam, smoky mesquite seasonings and peppery lettuce makes for a very satisfying dish. It's a hit with adults and kids alike and a highly requested recipe in our house.

Course Main Course

Keyword salmon, sandwich

Servings 4 sandwiches

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

1⅓ lbs salmon fillets
1 tsp mesquite grill seasoning optional
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp brown sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil
4 slices cooked bacon
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup pesto
¼ cup apricot jam
1 cup arugula mixed greens and little gems work as well
4 brioche hamburger buns

Instructions

Place salmon on a sheet tray lined in parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with mesquite seasoning, paprika, brown sugar and salt. Roast salmon at 375° until done, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix mayonnaise and pesto. Set aside.
Make an assembly line of pesto mayo, apricot jam, bacon (broken in half) and lettuce.
Separate brioche buns and place on a sheet tray. Toast these in the oven for a few minutes after pulling out the salmon.
When ready to assemble, spread about 1 tablespoon of pesto mayo each on half of the buns and 1 tablespoon of jam each on the other half. Place one portion of salmon on the mayo, followed by the bacon and lettuce. Top with remaining buns spread with apricot jam.

Energy Bites

June 16, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Summer is in full swing, and that means so is the snacking! These power bites are a great addition to your family’s snacking repertoire – whether you’ve got long days of entertaining the kids at home, teenagers logging in for summer distance learning or are hitting the road to safely shelter out of place this summer.

Recently, I had the opportunity to contribute an article on snacking in the June issue of our sweet, local magazine, Hillsborough Living. The magazine is written for and by Hillsborough residents, and it was an honor to submit articles in the May (fridge foraging- frittatas) and June issues. With so many of us spending so much time at home the past few months and likely more time at home this summer, this month’s article on snacking seemed like a timely submission. I hope you find some helpful tips on the list of snack ideas!

Cheers,

Christina

*Hillsborough Living* magazine, June 2020

Energy Bites

These are a great snack to keep in the refrigerator any time of the year. They are quick to make, portable and a healthy alternative to packaged granola bars and power bars that are often high in sugar and additives. Making a double recipe is not a bad idea- they go fast!

Course Snack

Keyword energy bites

Servings 18 bites

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
½ cup ground flaxseed meal
½ cup nut butter such as peanut or almond
¼ cup toasted coconut
2 tbsp chocolate chips
2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 tbsp chia seeds
½ tsp vanilla
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ kosher salt

Instructions

In a medium bowl, add all ingredients and combine thoroughly. Using a tablespoon, scoop into 18 balls- adding a drizzle more of maple syrup or spoon of nut butter if mixture is too dry to hold together. Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Spiced Rosemary Bar Nuts

June 9, 2020 by Christina Shoup 3 Comments

This snack is a house favorite! During shelter in place it’s been the perfect complement to Zoom cocktail hour with friends. In pre-COVID-19 days, it served as the most perfect bite to offer guests when they arrived at our home. The ingredients are ones I always have on hand – nuts in the freezer, salt/spices in the pantry, maple syrup and butter in the refrigerator, rosemary bush in the front yard. I highly recommend you keep these on hand as well! As for the rosemary bush, if you don’t have one yourself, I can pretty much guarantee a neighbor of yours does and wouldn’t mind a little container of these as a return favor.

Cheers,

Christina

Whisk melted butter and maple syrup that nicely coats the nut mixture

Quick toss to coat the nuts- best served warm

Spiced Rosemary Bar Nuts

Perfectly Spicy, Salty, Sweet snack to enjoy with a cocktail. An unexpected and delightful treat for your guests. These are best served warm but very delicious at room temperature as well. Adapted from Union Square Cafe

Course Appetizer, Snack

Keyword bar nuts

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

2 ½ cups unsalted raw mixed nuts walnuts, cashews, and pecans are a great combo; Trader Joe’s has Fancy Mixed Raw Nuts that would work well
1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
pinch Maldon salt optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°
Line baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Toast nuts on baking sheet in oven until golden, about 8-10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine rosemary, cayenne pepper, dark brown sugar, and salt.
Just before pulling the nuts from the oven, melt butter in a heat-proof microwave safe bowl. Immediately add the maple syrup to the butter and whisk together until completely combined. Pour butter mixture and toasted warm nuts into the spice mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle with a pinch of Maldon salt, if using.
Enjoy warm.

Southwest Grain Bowl with Roasted Poblano Dressing

June 9, 2020 by Christina Shoup Leave a Comment

Bowls have been popular for some time now, and I’m in no hurry to have them go away. Grain bowls, poke bowls, burrito bowls, breakfast bowls, smoothie bowls – I love them all! The one thing they have in common is that they have a lot of components, that’s both a positive and a negative. They take some time to make each part at home, but when the prep work is finished, you’ve got several meals that can be assembled in no time at all and for a fraction of the price as a purchased bowl.

For grain bowls, the key components are: Grain + Veggie + Protein + Dressing + Topping

My favorite grain to use in a bowl is farro. It’s easy to cook and high in protein, thus making a very satisfying vegetarian meal. Other good options are brown rice and quinoa. Cooking the grains in vegetable or chicken stock imparts more flavor, but water works too, just be sure to adequately salt that cooking water. Tossing the cooked grains in a little oil and vinegar is another way to give this important base some flavor.

Spreading cooked grains out on a sheet pan helps keep them from getting gummy

The veggies I use for this recipe are grilled, a favorite way to cook during the warmer months for corn, peppers, asparagus, zucchini, onions, etc. Roasting is my other favorite way to cook veggies as this method brings out the natural sweetness in broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, root vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots. It can also just be a handful of your favorite greens – I’m a big fan of arugula or kale. Tomatoes or thinly sliced radishes also make a nice texture contrast.

Protein can be as simple as grilled or store-bought rotisserie chicken, sauteed shrimp or roasted salmon. I also know that if I use a protein-rich grain such as farro or quinoa, I don’t worry about the need for additional protein – especially since most of my bowls have protein in the form of a crunchy seed or nut on top. Yum!

The dressing for the bowl is key – it can be a simple vinaigrette that is tossed with several of the individual components and then lightly drizzled on top, or it can be a chunky salsa or thick sauce atop everything that winds up getting all mixed together once served. Your bowl, your choice.

Farro bowl with roasted chicken and grilled peppers, onion, asperagus and zucchini

And the best part of the bowl just might be the toppings. You can go wild here. And depending on the overall tone of your bowl, you can change the personality or nutritional content just based on the topping you choose. Adding roasted nuts or seeds, chili crunch, sliced avocado, fresh herbs, spicy sriracha or a crunchy raw vegetable are great ways to round out your bowl.

Farro bowl with arugula, grilled veggies, avocado, pepitas and feta

I have many more favorite bowls I’ll be sharing this summer. One of my teenagers is a big fan of acai smoothie bowls and since those can demand a pretty hefty price tag from the local juice bar- and she doesn’t drive- I’m thankful she taught herself how to make delicious smoothie bowls at home.

Cheers,

Christina

Southwest Grain Bowl with Roasted Poblano Dressing

This southwest grain bowl is perfect for summer when the corn, tomatoes and peppers are in peak season. It's also easily adapted to whatever grain, veggie or hot pepper you have on hand or is in season. The farro is high in protein making this a satisfying vegetarian meal, but roasted or grilled chicken is a great addition as well.

Course Main Course

Keyword grain bowl, poblano dressing

Servings 4

Author Christina Shoup

Ingredients

Dressing

2 tbsp canola oil plus more for brushing
2 poblano peppers
2 ears of corn, shucked
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
2 green onions, white part only, thinly sliced green parts reserved for bowl
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Kosher salt

Grain Bowl

2 ears of corn, shucked
2 medium zucchini
1 red onion
1 sweet bell pepper any color
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
cilantro leaves garnish
1½ cups farro pearled or unpearled work, cooking times differ
2 cups spinach, arugula, or any mixed greens
¼ cup pepitas, toasted optional
¼ cup goat cheese or feta, crumbled optional

Instructions

For the dressing:

Light a grill and brush the grate with canola oil.
Prepare the corn and poblanos for the dressing as well as the corn, zucchini, red onion and bell peppers used in the bowl by brushing with canola oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper. Grill over moderate heat, until all veggies have grill marks and the corn and poblanos are lightly charred all over.
Transfer to a sheet pan to cool slightly. Peel, seed and chop the poblanos. Cut the corn kernels off the cob. Cut all other veggies into bite-sized pieces and set aside to for the grain bowl.
In a blender or mini food processor, combine 2 tbsp of canola oil, olive oil, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, green onion whites, chopped cilantro, poblanos and 1 cup of the corn kernels. Pulse until a chunky dressing forms. Season with salt.

For the grain bowl:

In a medium pot, boil water and cook farro according to the direction on the package. Drain any excess liquid and spread on a sheet pan lined with parchment to cool. This step also prevents the grain from getting gummy and stuck together.
Toast pepitas in a saute pan until lightly golden and begin to pop. Set aside to cool.

To assemble:

Divide farro among 4 bowls. Top with each bowl with grilled vegetables, dressing, pepitas, green onion, and cheese.

Recipe Notes

This dressing was inspired and adapted from Food & Wine magazine.