Recipe: Pomegranate Quinoa Salad

I made a half batch of this salad on Monday, and it's lasting me through this particular cold, dreary week. Recipe originally from Cookie and Kate.
I learnt that 'pomegranate seeds' are actually called 'arils'. And one step further, I learnt how to remove said 'arils' from the pomegranate using the water method. Big week for me!

Ingredients

• 1 cup black or red quinoa, rinsed well in a mesh colander
• 6 stalks of leafy organic celery, leaves picked and reserved, cut into a small dice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• loose 1/2 cup curly parsley, chopped
• 2 pomegranates, arils carefully removed

Instructions

1. Pour the rinsed quinoa into a medium sized pot on the stove. Add two cups of water and bring the mixture to a boil.
2. Cover and simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, until the water is absorbed. In the meantime, chop your celery and parsley. Once it’s done, remove from heat and fluff the quinoa with a fork.
3. Drain the quinoa and transfer to a mixing bowl. While it is still hot, mix in the celery, olive oil, vinegar, allspice and salt and pepper. Stir to combine, and leave it to cool completely, or close to it.
4. Once cool, add the parsley, celery leaves and pomegranate arils. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary (more vinegar or salt and pepper), then serve.

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Recipe: Watermelon, Feta and Balsamic Salad

How amazing does this salad on Sweetsonian look? Summer in the northern hemisphere makes this salad perfectly appropriate. A few simple ingredients, fresh produce and stunning presentation, that's my favourite type of food.

Simply slice the watermelon into cubes (or for a fun alternative, you could use shaped cutters). Place rocket (arugula) on the plate and scatter the watermelon on top. Crumble the feta over the arrangement and season with salt and pepper. Finish with a drizzle of balsamic and perfecto! Can't wait to try this as a post-exam treat.

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Would You Rather: Edible Flower Recipes

Some other edible flower recipes to accompany your floral ice cubes. Tea sandwiches which are just far too sweet and a green salad adorned with flowers for a pop of colour. I don't think I could ever be game enough to present these in front of male guests, definitely something a girly event would appreciate.

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Recipe: Flower Ice Cubes

 What a sweet idea to liven up drinks! Freezing small edible flowers in an ice cube tray is so easy and effectively stunning. Either fill an ice bucket laden with flower ice cubes or place the cubes inside a clear glass tumbler and wait for your guests to gush over just how adorable you are.

 

Images: one, two, three

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Recipe: No-Fuss Fruit Tart

One of my Sunday procrasti-(pseudo)baking sessions. A classic fruit tart that is so deceptively  impressive. My girl Nigella aka THE Goddess introduced me to this no-cooking required beauty and it has quickly made it to my arsenal of fail safe recipes.

Ingredients:
375 g digestive biscuits
75g softened unsalted butter
400g cream cheese, at room temperature
240g ready-made lemon curd, at room temperature.
Around 300 g of mixed berries. I used raspberries, blackberries, strawberries (halved) and blueberries, but redcurrants and pomegranate seeds could be beautiful additions.

Method:

1. "Process the biscuits and the butter to a sandy rubble in a food processor, then press the mixture into the sides and bottom of the tart tin. Place in the freezer (or fridge if that is not possible) for about 10–15 minutes." - I don't readily have access to a food processor, so getting messy with my hands is equally as effective.

2. Mix the cream cheese and lemon curd and spread it into the bottom of the chilled tart tin, covering the base of the tart evenly.

3. Arrange all of the fruit gently (so that it doesn’t sink into the filling too much) on top of the lemony cream cheese in a decorative manner.

4. Place the tart in the freezer for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight in the fridge. It does need to get properly cold in order to set enough for the tart to be unsprung and sliced easily.

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The Delicious Miss Dahl

Sophie Dahl, an all-rounder if there ever were one. The grand-daughter of Roald Dahl, she writes, she models but I enjoy her cooking prowess the most. Her recipe book-turn-memoir Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights (and its follow up From Season to Season: A Year in Recipes) and subsequent TV series The Delicious Miss Dahl are informative, entertaining and visually - just stunning.

Her recipe for Rhubarb and Rosewater Eton Mess is firmly on my to do list. Whether embellished with crystallised rose petals or pistachios, this treat is so beautiful. I envisage whipping this up on an easy Saturday afternoon in preparation for a dinner party with loved ones.

Images: one, two, three

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