Thank you so much to everyone for coming out to my opening last night at Umami Mart! I had so much fun! A special thanks to my good friends Kayoko and Yoko (UM owners) for hosting The Forest Feast in Oakland. We celebrated with snacks from the blog (Gorgonzola Grapes, Radishes with Butter and Stuffed Dates) and toasted the new book deal with glasses of The Forest Feast’s signature cocktail, The Skylonda. My photos, greeting cards and furniture I designed (using a photo I took of an orange tree) will all be on display, and for sale, through the end of January at Umami Mart (815 Broadway, Oakland). Cheers! And happy weekend…
Quinoa with Squash, Peppers & Figs
This dish is great to make in advance because it can be eaten warm or at room temperature.
Quinoa with Squash, Peppers & Figs
serves 4-6 as a side
1 c dry quinoa (this will yield 2-3 c cooked quinoa)
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced into bite-size pieces
2 c butternut squash, peeled and cubed (I often buy pre-cut)
3/4 c chopped dried figs, stems removed ( I often use Mission figs)
olive oil for roasting
vinaigrette of your choice or simply olive oil and balsamic
salt & pepper
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 425F. Spread the sliced peppers and cubed squash on a sheet pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender (this will depend on how big the cubes are, which can vary when buying pre-cut squash. Aim for approx 1-inch, bite size cubes.
Boil 2 c water and add the dry quinoa. Cook for about 20 minutes or until it’s tender and the water has been absorbed.
Meanwhile, chop the dried figs.
When the squash and peppers are done, toss in a bowl with the cooked quinoa and figs. Dress lightly with vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Bonus ideas: Use this recipe as a starting place! Be creative and make your own additions, perhaps pecans, pine nuts, cilantro, red onion or a different dressing (I’ve also made it with a spicy sesame-soy). Enjoy!
Spiced Apricots in Dark Chocolate
I am excited to now be blogging for Better Homes and Gardens and my first post on their Delish Dish column is up today! My posts will go up every 2 weeks and will feature BHG recipes, like these Spiced Apricots in Dark Chocolate. I took several other photos of this dish, so check out the post to see the others!
Artwork by Erin Gleeson. Recipe by BHG.
The Forest Feast Cookbook
I am thrilled to announce that THE FOREST FEAST COOKBOOK will be out in Spring of 2014!! It will contain 100, mostly new vegetarian recipes, with my hand lettering, watercolors and photography. The book will be published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. I am so excited to be working with Dervla Kelly from Abrams and am immensely grateful to my agent Alison Fargis. Many thanks to everyone who has been following The Forest Feast, I could not have done it without your support! More recipes to come this week….Happy feasting!
Artwork Exhibition at Umami Mart
I will be having an exhibition of artwork from The Forest Feast in Oakland at Umami Mart in 2 weeks, so excited! The show opens on Thursday, November 15, and there will be a reception from 6-9pm that night. We’ll be serving The Forest Feast’s signature cocktail, The Skylonda, and work will be for sale! Lots of fun holiday gift ideas, from recipe cards to small fine art prints.
For those of you in the Bay Area, hope you can join us! Save the date!
xx, Erin
The Umami Mart Shop imports high-quality kitchen, table and barware from Japan (and beyond the galaxy) for your cooking, eating + drinking pleasure. 815 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607
