Around Christmas, I ate at Blanc Burgers + Bottles in Leawood. Instead of my usual fries, I opted for a salad with my burger. The arugula + citrus caught my eye, and after I ate it, I couldn’t get it out of my head.

A week later, I was still thinking about it and thought I could make a similar version at home. My grocery store didn’t have blood oranges, and I didn’t want to invest in another expensive olive oil, so I used plain navel oranges instead. And, they worked just fine.

My version is delicious and simple to put together.  The most intimidating element might be the jicama. If you’ve never seen, eaten or cooked with a jicama, you’re in for a treat. Although not the prettiest person at the party, it’s a tasty ingredient. Jicama has basically, no flavor. It’s crunchy and porous, which means it will take on the flavors of other ingredients easily, while remaining firm. It looks like this.

To use a jicama, peel it and then, slice it. Here’s how the julienned slices looked.

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My husband has a host of vegetables he doesn’t like, and mushrooms top the list. Last week, he was out-of-town for work, so I did what I usually do when he’s gone, cook something he’d hate. And let me tell you, he really missed out on this one. I slowly sautéed cremini mushrooms with a chopped shallot and minced garlic and then, let them cook slowly in some wine. The resulting product was so good I found myself eating seconds straight out of  the pan. 

If you like mushrooms too, try this recipe soon. I ate mine over some polenta topped with a fried egg and Gruyère cheese. It would also be great over roasted chicken, folded into risotto or tossed with pasta. Truthfully though, this dish stands on its own, so feel free to serve it by itself as a side dish.

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Tonight, I had plans to make this couscous. Lucky for you, I was overcome with a bout of laziness. The thought of roasting butternut squash seemed like too much work, so I rooted around my fridge and came up with this Spanish-inspired couscous. The mixture of spicy olives and arugula plays nicely with sweet notes of citrus and fruit. It comes together very quickly, but is pretty enough for company. If you’d like to make this vegan, omit the feta and use vegetable broth. Continue reading →