The Book: While for the most part I was pretty active on my Maine vacation (swimming, hiking, kayaking, a six-mile road race), I definitely overindulged. It’s hard not to when you’re surrounded by good beer, red wine, hearty family dinners, grilled burgers, ice cream sundaes and the like. But, for now at least, vacation is over, and it’s time to get back to a more virtuous eating routine. To help me accomplish that, I’m glad that I have a copy of Diana Henry’s newest book, A Change of Appetite. I love Diana’s books, and while this one, which is focused on healthy but still flavorful and balanced eating, is a radical departure from the likes of Roast Figs Sugar Snow (a book populated mainly by cream and cheese filled winter dishes – you can read my review here), it still has all the characteristics of her cooking that first attracted me to it: internationally inspired, seasonally focused, and full of intense flavors.

Reading Diana’s intro, I identified with many of the questions and concerns that she has struggled with as she has tried to find more balance in the food she prepares and eats. I’m glad she ended up where she did, since this book has loads of flavor-forward recipes in it that she has developed along her journey to healthy eating – you could cook healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners from this book for a year without getting bored.  The recipes pull heavily from Asian, Middle-Eastern, and Scandanivian traditions, and are very seasonally driven. Many recipes are what I describe as “bowl food” – a mix of seasonal foods tied together by a similar spicing or flavor profile, and when combined, make a complete and wholesome meal. I already cook this way quite a bit, so it’s not a book where I find page after page of fresh inspiration, but there’s still plenty here to get my creative juices flowing. Diana’s narrative voice is strong, and she stops frequently to share thoughts on hot-button health issues, like fad diets, the importance of breakfast, and the restorative power of homemade broth. Last but not least, the book and photos have a light, clean feeling, complimenting the overall idea nicely. The pictures are all about the food, and have an uncluttered style that I really enjoy (and lots of jealousy-inducing stoneware).

The Food: Although there are plenty of enticing recipes in the summer section of A Change of Appettite, I couldn’t resist making the lentil, roasted tomato, and dukka-crumbed egg recipe in the fall section. While I’m actually not a huge fun of eating fresh tomatoes raw, I love roasted tomatoes, especially in high tomato season. And these roasted tomatoes, drizzled in a spicy harissa olive oil and cooked until sweet and caramelized, are some of the best I’ve ever had. In addition to the tomatoes, there are three other separate parts to this recipe: soft-boiled eggs, sauteed lentils, and dukka, a spiced seed and nut mixture. Although that might seem like a lot of different things to prepare for one meal, all four are the sort of thing that are great to make ahead of time and keep in the fridge, mixing and matching with your meals throughout the week for a flavor and nutrient boost. After you’ve tried the combination here, leftover roasted tomatoes can be tossed with pasta, sauteed lentils can be mixed with rice for an easy dinner, soft-boiled eggs can be added to your lunchtime salad, and a sprinkle of dukka is good on everything from scrambled eggs to a snack of hummus and pita. Having this kind of food on hand is exactly how eating healthy can become both easy and delicious.

Recipe Shortlist: Salmon Tartare with Pickled Cucumbers and Rye Crackers; Chilled Tomato Soup with Cumin and Avocado; Goat Cheese and Cherry Salad with Basil Gremolata; Cavolo Nero and Bulgar Pilaf with Glazed Figs; Warm Duck Salad with Plum-Ginger Dressing; Date, Apricot, and Walnut Loaf Cake

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy of A Change of Appetite from Mitchell Beazley, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Lentils, Roasted Tomatoes, and Dukka-Crumbed Eggs

Recipe from A Change of Appetite. Serves 6.

For the dukka:

• 1/2 c. hazelnuts (skin on)
• 1/3 c. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp nigella seeds (black cumin)
• 1 TBS sunflower seeds
• 3 TBS whole coriander
• 1 TBS whole white peppercorns
• 1 1/2 TBS whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

1. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. One at a time, toast each of the first 7 ingredients (hazelnuts through cumin) until fragrant, usually about 1-2 minutes, then add to the bowl of a food processor. Once you have toasted all the seeds and spices, pulse in the food processor until coarsely ground. Stir in the paprika and sea salt flakes, then store in an airtight container. You will have more than you need for this recipe.

For the tomatoes:

• 12 large plum tomatoes, such as Roma, quartered
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 2 tsp harissa paste
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• salt and black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Stir together the olive oil and harissa, then toss with the tomatoes. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer, and sprinkle evenly with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes to an hour, or until caramelized in parts and slightly shriveled.

For the lentils and assembly:

• 5 TBS olive oil, divided
• 1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 stick celery, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/3 c. Puy or green lentils
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 TBS sherry vinegar
• 2 TBS chopped cilantro leaves
• 6 eggs

1. Heat 1 TBS of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, and saute until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the lentils, thyme, and bay leaf and stir to coat with the oil, then add 3 cups of water. Bring the lentils to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer, uncovered for 15-25 minutes, until lentils are tender but not mushy. If any water remains, drain the lentils. Stir in the lemon juice, sherry vinegar, and remaining 4 TBS of olive oil. Taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
2. While the lentils are cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Carefully add the eggs and boil for 6 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and run under cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Peel the eggs and set aside.
3. To serve, place a few large spoonfuls of lentils on a plate. Add several tomato slices. Roll an egg in the dukka mixture, and add to the plate. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro, and serve immediately.

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Sorry for the radio silence around here! I’ve been missing this space, but between traveling, moving, and ballet camp (yes, ballet camp for adults, it’s awesome and exhausting), I feel like I’m running at 150% capacity, with not much of a reprieve in sight. Right now, October seems like the light at the end of the tunnel, but I’m trying to enjoy the summer for what it is, because while busy can be overwhelming, this time around, busy is ripe for making lasting memories.

Sometimes when your mind is in a hundred different places, you can forget to choose nourishing foods (especially if all your equipment for making nourishing foods happens to be packed away in boxes). But when you’re slammed is when you most need good energy to get through the day, which is why recipes like this Baked Blackberry Oatmeal from Vegetarian Everyday are minor life savers. It’s effortless to throw together, low on fat and sugar, high on fiber and protein, craveably good, and one batch is enough for breakfasts and snacks all week. I would venture to say that this might be the best baked oatmeal you’ll ever have – the huge volume of blackberries oozes up into the oats making it taste like a giant blackberry muffin, and the crunchy, maple-sweetened topping tastes like something that should be really bad for you, but it isn’t at all. And if you live near any sort of bramble patch, now is the time to make this – we have more ripe blackberries in our garden than we can keep up with and I’m sure some of you have the same problem.

I promise I’ll be back soon – I want to update you on our garden, tell you about all the food I got to try in Russia, show you my new house, and share a few more great summer cookbooks with you. Thanks for not forgetting about me in the meantime!

Baked Blackberry Oatmeal

Adapted from Vegetarian Everyday. Serves 6-8.

• butter, for greasing pan
• 2 1/2 c. fresh blackberries
• 1 1/3 cups rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger or cinnamon
• pinch of sea salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. maple syrup, plus more for serving
• 1/2 c. pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 c. pecans or hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/4 c. sunflower seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a loaf pan with butter. Pour the blackberries onto the bottom of the pan and spread so they are at an even height.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, baking powder, ginger or cinnamon, and salt. Pour over the blackberries. Whisk the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract together in the same large bowl, then pour over the oats, evenly soaking the entire mixture.
3. In a small bowl, use your fingers to mix together the maple syrup, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and sunflower seeds until they are all evenly coated. Sprinkle the seed mixture over the top of the oatmeal. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the oatmeal is set and the seeds are lightly browned and crunchy. Serve at any temperature with a drizzle of maple syrup. Keep leftovers in the fridge.

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Now that I’m back from my first real business trip – which was hectic and busy and fun and interesting and a serious crash course in Spanish, what with participants from Venezuela, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Brazil – I’m here with a trip report and pictures from my mini-vacation to Vermont last weekend.  I’m probably being an idealist, but I have visions of Vermont as being beautiful in every season – green and bucolic in summer, crisp and splendidly colorful in the fall, quiet and snowy in the winter, and breathtakingly fresh in the spring.  I have some foundation for these ideas – I used to go to summer camp on Lake Champlain, and it was always gorgeous and idyllic.  More recently, I visited a friend at Middlebury in late spring, and I’ve never enjoyed a drive as much as the one through those mountains, nor seen quite as many daffodils in one place.  Now I can confirm that the fall is just as crisp and wholesome and nice as I imagined, leaving only winter for me to investigate.  If I like winter, I might just have to move there.

Stowe is a very quiet place in November – the leaf-peepers are gone, and the skiers have yet to arrive.  A few trees have straggling bursts of orange, but most leaves have faded to brown and begun to fall.  Frost covers everything in the mornings, but the sun can still be warm enough at midday to forego the winter jacket.  I loved it.  We drove up Friday afternoon and after getting settled in our hotel, we got a casual dinner at Piecasso, a local pizza place that made really good pizza (loved the crust), but just OK hamburgers (duh, Katie.  But, I only went the hamburger route because I had train station pizza at lunch).  Then early to bed – the biggest, best, most comfortable bed ever.  We stayed at the Green Mountain Inn, and had an absolutely wonderful experience.  A large part of this was due to the king-sized bed, gas fireplace, and fireside Jacuzzi tub combo, but we also enjoyed pretty much every other aspect of the hotel.  Highly recommended if you’re planning a trip up that way.

Saturday, we went for a frigid but absolutely gorgeous run on Stowe’s 5-mile riverside recreation path.  Everything was covered in beautiful frost even well after the sun had risen.  We passed a picturesque herd of dairy cows and crossed wooden bridges and it was basically the exact experience I was looking for.  After the run we had breakfast (real maple syrup on everything!) at The Gables Inn and did a little thrifting in a local “stuff” store – I got blog props, of course, but Trevor found the greatest old architectural magazine.  Old, like, 1880s old, and full of detailed black and white sketches of houses and staircases and it’s totally awesome.  We spent the afternoon (as well as Sunday morning) doing some of the foodier things that Vermont has to offer – touring the Magic Hat brewery in Burlington, sampling the cider at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, picking up Lake Champlain chocolates, and trying every single one of Cabot’s cheddars.  Other than the brewery tour, I was kind of disappointed with the “factory” stores – they were very cut and dry and touristy, and mostly focused on selling their products at higher than retail price rather than demonstrating how they were made or even explaining the process.  I guess what I was really looking for was a more farm-to-table experience, and I probably shouldn’t have expected as much as I did from such big-box names.  I was tempted by the enormous bins of apples outside the cider mill on sale for 50 cents a pound.  50 cents a pound!  That’s a pretty good deal.  But, since I was leaving Monday morning and I haven’t finished my last batch of apples, I refrained.

Sunday we slept in and then had a lovely brunch at our hotel, then headed out.  On the way we stopped for a walk at the Waterbury reservoir, a beautiful, quiet spot with great views of the mountains over the water.  The area used to be farmland, and many of the trees were still covered in apples, with that great scent of slightly fermented apples hovering over the ground.  It was a good sendoff for our drive back to Massachusetts.

And now for the food – maple syrup is probably the most quintessential Vermont ingredient, so I knew this post had to include it somehow.  However, it is also one of the most expensive condiments I know of.  The lowest price I saw on it was $15 a quart, in a gas station close to our hotel, which is where I ended up buying some.  I’m sure you can get it more cheaply direct from a sugarhouse, but since it’s not sugaring season (maybe we’ll go back for it!) I figured this was my best bet.  Maple syrup in hand, I started going through maple-laden recipes I have bookmarked, but a lot of them called for a large amount of syrup and I just couldn’t bring myself to part with 2 cups of the precious stuff barely a week after I had gotten it.  As a happy medium, I went with these cookies, which are from Peter Berley’s Modern Vegetarian Kitchen.  As I mixed up the batch I was a little bit skeptical – no eggs, no sugar, no leavening, and only half a cup of flour?  Not your typical cookie.  But, as I pulled them from the oven and bit into one I was pleasantly surprised – they were some of the best cookies I’ve made in recent months.  Crunchy, dense, and both sweet and savory they make a great snack, and are particularly good dipped in a little bit of orange tea.  As an added bonus, they’re fairly healthy – although they are not low calorie (160 per cookie), the bulk of the calories in them are coming from the sesame seeds, which provide a massive dose of several minerals, as well as calcium, healthy protein, and fiber.  I think these may become my more wholesome and natural alternative to power bars for the near future.  Lastly, they can easily be made vegan with the simple substitution of olive oil for the melted butter, which is even recommended by the author.  They’re easy to whip up, so pick up some sesame seeds in bulk (try wholefoods) and give them a try!

Sesame-Cranberry Cookies

Adapted from Peter Berley’s Modern Vegetarian Kitchen .  Makes 9 cookies.

• 1/2 c. sesame seeds
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. oats
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• pinch of salt
• 3 TBS maple syrup
• 3 TBS melted butter (could substitute olive oil for vegan cookies)
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Soak cranberries in hot water in a bowl for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, pulse flour, oats, and salt together in a food processor until oats are finely ground.  Transfer to a bowl and mix in sesame seeds.  In a separate bowl, whisk together melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla until combined, then pour wet ingredients into dry and whisk together.
2. Drain most of the water from the cranberries and add the cranberries to the dough.  Mix together until it forms a thick dough.  If the dough is too dry to press together, add a small amount of the cranberry soaking liquid to the dough to moisten it.  Form the dough into small balls and then flatten into 2 inch disks and place on baking sheet.  Bake for 15-17 minutes, rotating halfway through for even cooking, until cookies are just beginning to turn golden brown.  Great straight out of the oven and several days later!

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