Avocado 'Mayonnaise' (or Egg-Free, Vegan Mayonnaise) - the perfect condiment for Memorial Day cookouts!

Matt and I are now firmly entering into the preparation stages for our upcoming move. It's exciting (our first time in a real place - with spare rooms, stairs, and a real lawn!) and a little stressful (we'll be packing and moving everything ourselves) but let's be honest, it hasn't really left me a lot of time for blogging.

Thank goodness, then, that today's recipe is ultra-short and super-simple. In fact, it only has two ingredients, but don't let that fool you, it's big on taste and a perfect accompaniment to all those juicy burgers - of the beef, veggie, or portobello variety - that you'll be grilling for Memorial Day this weekend!

Avocado 'mayonnaise' may sound a little unusual, but it's a great, natural alternative to the regular kind - filled with healthier fats and also perfectly appropriate for vegans. The flavor is surprisingly similar - especially when spread on burgers or in sandwiches. It's also great with Mexican food, and if you're a bit skeptical, you can think of it like extra smooth and creamy guacamole!

I happened upon this tasty condiment when I was preparing some super-ripe avocados for freezing - you'll notice that the preparation method is almost identical, which also means that you can make a big batch and freeze the leftovers without any issues (they'll keep in the fridge for a couple of days, but anything beyond that and I recommend freezing).

Whether you're not a fan of regular mayonnaise, just sick of buying it, or want to try out a new use for avocados, give this 'mayonnaise' a try - you won't be disappointed.

Easy Avocado Mayonnaise

Ripe avocado, seed and skin removed
Lime or Lemon juice (1 Tablespoon per avocado)
Salt, to taste

In a blender (I use my mock Magic Bullet) blend avocado flesh until smooth and creamy. Add 1 Tablespoon of lime or lemon juice (lime is recommended) for each avocado blended. Blend again until mixture is light and smooth - it should be somewhat frothy. Add salt to taste. Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Enjoy as you would regular mayonnaise - on sandwiches or burgers, or as a condiment for mexican food, pasta, or baked potatoes. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

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Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Browned Butter and Sage

Did you know that yesterday was 'Gnocchi Day'? Of course, I happen to find out about this just one day late - and one week after I whipped up some delicious, feather-light sweet potato gnocchi. The good news is that we only have to wait one month until it's Gnocchi Day again (lest you begin to think I'm crazy or making all this up, here's the Wikipedia article that proves it...because everyone knows that Wikipedia is the very highest standard in incontrovertible, scholarly proof).

Apparently, in some parts of South America, particularly Argentina and Uruguay, the 29th of every month is Gnocchi Day, or Dia de Ñoquis. You can catch a bit of the backstory here, but the important takeaway is that there's now a dedicated day, every month (well, except most Februarys) when you have full and free license to stuff your face with delicious pillows of potato pasta. As if you needed any excuse!

I've a shared a gnocchi recipe on this blog before - in fact, it was my first-ever homemade gnocchi experience - but this one is a little different: it's made with sweet potatoes. If you want a bit of information about the history of the dish, as well as a very detailed method for creating the perfect gnocchi, I recommend reading that earlier post. I also heartily recommend that recipe for first-time gnocchi makers because it's pretty foolproof and delivers light, airy gnocchi almost every time.

Today's recipe, for me anyway, has been a bit more finicky. In fact, my first try of the original recipe yielded dough much too soft to shape. The gnocchi may have been light, but they were amorphous blobs that fell apart at the slightest touch. I've played with some of the quantities since, and come up with a version that worked well for me - I hope it will for you also.

If you can manage the rolling technique and find the line between overworked and under-floured (the trick is to work and flour the dough as little as possible, to keep it light but still manageable), this recipe yields wonderfully flavorful pillows of perfection. I love the bit of sweetness from the potatoes paired with the savory parmesan, but the flavor of the gnocchi is subtle, so don't drown it in strong sauces. Browned butter and sage is a good choice, as is a light pesto, or just some olive oil and a sprinkling of grated, aged cheese.

Pinned There, Done That: Grow Your Own Green Onions!

It's Springtime - and that means lots of green, growing things. To be honest, it's felt like spring for weeks around here, but now that the dogwood tree outside our apartment is in full bloom (it's one of my favorite trees - how lucky am I!), I know that the warm, sunny days and increasingly temperate evenings are here to stay.

I love this time of year, when the world wakes up after winter and we can slowly peel off our layers and enjoy the sunshine. I love the first sign of buds on a tree, and the way even the most desolate places spring to life at the promise of warm, wet days (believe me, I spent a few years in the desert in Arizona, and spring there is just as much a marvel as it is on the verdant East Coast).

Ever since I was a child, I've loved growing things - which is why I'm doubly disappointed to have somehow ended up with two black thumbs! I nurtured gardens all through childhood, with great success, but somehow my skill with plants must have gotten lost with my baby teeth...until now.  Early in the year, I decided to give my green thumbs a second chance. That may have been a bit ambitious, given that Matt and I don't have so much as a patch of dirt to our names, but thanks to this simple project, I'm off to a pretty good start.

I've shared my admittedly checkered gardening past because I want to convince you just how easy it is to grown your own green onions. If I can do it, anyone can. And we have Pinterest to show us how!

The Pinspiration:

The Product:

So here's how to grow your own onions:
1. Using your last ever bunch of store-bought green onions, cut off the green flesh, leaving about two inches of white flesh above the root (I cut mine a little too short and they grew more slowly as a result).

2. Fill a shallow glass container with enough water to just submerge the roots and stand the cut onions in the water (you may need to bundle the onions with an elastic band to get the to stay upright at first).

3. Change the water daily and keep your onions in a sunny place. You should see growth within the first day or two.

4. Continue to water the onions daily until they're long enough to harvest. You can repeat the process as often as your onions will keep growing. You may need to start afresh after a few cycles.

From start to salad, it took me about three weeks to grown my onions (I'm sorry I don't have a final picture - we were hungry!), but your timeline may vary depending on light conditions and such. Also, although my onions grew just fine in a Mason jar, I don't think I'd recommend it. A few onions seemed 'stunted' by the sides of the jar - although that could just be the lingering influence of my black thumbs!

How to Freeze Avocado

Did you know that you can freeze avocados? Until last week, I didn't either - and the discovery came just in the nick of time.

You see, I have a little avocado addiction. Every time I have a salad, I scoop the flesh of half an avocado into it. It works as a great substitute for salad dressing, adding some much appreciated flavor and a helping of healthy fats without any unusual chemicals or unwanted oiliness. I buy up handfuls of avocados when the price is good, ripening them one by one on my kitchen counter and keeping the others in the fridge until they're needed. This system works well as long as I keep eating them, but last week's stomach flu left me with no appetite and a bowlful of overripe avocados.

Even without the flu, it can be tough to catch an avocado when it's perfectly ripe. I'm sure some of you have been there - you poke and prod your avocado, thinking you have a few days before it reaches peak softness and then, suddenly, it's going downhill fast and you're desperately trying to figure out ways to add guacamole to every meal.

I couldn't bear the thought of wasting one more of these gorgeous green gems, so I decided to give freezing a try. After a few minutes on the internet, I came up with the following method - which I can honestly say is pretty amazing. The avocado is pureed and combined with lime juice (to prevent oxidation), so its use will be slightly limited, but it's still great thawed over salads, stirred into guacamole, or eaten, as is, with tortilla chips.

The best part: you're only three steps away from never having to waste another avocado again!

Step 1. Scoop avocado flesh into a blender and combine with 1 Tablespoon lime (or lemon) juice for each avocado. Puree until the mixture is smooth (this also helps distribute the lime just evenly, so your avocado won't turn brown).

Step 2. Spoon into airtight containers or resealable bags (folding the top of the bag over, as shown above, will prevent the seal from becoming dirty during this process). Seal bags, removing as much air as possible. Using a pair of chopsticks, create a grid of indentations (as shown below) in the unfrozen avocado. This will make it easier to remove and thaw the frozen avocado as you need it.

Step 3. Place on a flat surface in the freezer until avocado is frozen solid. To use, 'break' off as many sections of avocado as you require and return the rest to the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator (you can thaw at room temperature, but the avocado may brown slightly - if you need to speed the process, try stirring the frozen avocado).

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Pinned There, Done That: Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

After yesterday's sweet and indulgent Thin Mint Brownies, I decided today's post should skew to the healthier side of the 'green' spectrum - and what better choice than a new twist on my favorite vegetable, the humble brussels sprout.

Several weeks ago, I shared my go-to method for producing delicious sprouts but, I dare say this version is just as good...if not better. Instead of roasting the sprouts with olive oil and salt, they're sliced thinly and caramelized with garlic on the stovetop. The flavor is much the same but this version is quicker, which makes it a valuable tool in my weeknight cooking arsenal - and you can be sure this one will be a regular.

This method of cooking also opens up more options for different flavor combinations. I kept it simple for the first go-round, but I could see this recipe benefiting from the addition of some chopped, toasted walnuts, or perhaps some crumbled bacon or pancetta (but really, isn't almost everything elevated by bacon?).

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash (the easy way!)

From Valentine cookies to...spaghetti squash? Well, life is about balance after all, and if you baked, whipped, and frosted along with me last week, you're gonna need some veggies in your life right about now. And where better to start that with a veggie that doesn't feel like a veggie.? I mean, it's all in the name: it looks like spaghetti, it feels like spaghetti, and with a bit of sauce it even tastes like spaghetti...and all for a fraction of the calories.

In my experience, I lot of people are intimidated by spaghetti squash - and that's somewhat understandable; many varieties of squash require hours of oven or stovetop cooking to render them soft enough to be edible, but if you have a microwave, you can prepare a delicious bowl full of spaghetti squash in less that 15 minutes - about the same amount of time it takes to boil a pot of ordinary pasta!

I like to use spaghetti squash as a lower calorie alternative on those nights when Matt comes home craving a vat of starchy noodles. Half a squash will more than fill me - and all for about 40 calories per cup, (versus 200 for pasta!). Just like its namesake, it's a real blank canvas and pairs well with all kinds of meats and sauces. Leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge or can be frozen.

If you've never tried spaghetti squash before, you're probably pretty excited right now, so let me share some more big news - I actually remembered to take step-by-step photos this time. This may be the first time that's ever happened, so what was going to be a spaghetti squash recipe is now a spaghetti squash tutorial.

I'm A Believer (Roasted) Brussels Sprouts

You don't want to miss this! Today, the world's most maligned vegetable gets a make-over. That's right, I'm talking about brussels sprouts, and today's recipe as is near to fool-proof as these miniature cabbages can get.

I tackled roasted cabbage a couple of weeks ago, and this recipe is very similar. In my opinion, though, it's much better. But then again, I don't take much convincing when it comes to brussels sprouts. Perhaps it's my British upbringing (brussels sprouts are a regular fixture of Sunday Roasts, along with Yorkshire Puddings and England's legendary roast potatoes) or perhaps it's because I don't have a problem with too many veggies (green peppers excepted), but I've always loved these mini cabbage look-alikes. Of course, most brussels sprouts are eaten boiled - and that's the big mistake. Believe it or not, brussels sprouts are my favorite veggie when cooked this way. You may be skeptical, but once you figure out how to roast them, you'll be a believer, too!

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon and Garlic

Remember those resolutions from yesterday? Well, I'm diving into action today with what I hope is only the first of many veggie recipes to come. Of course, I couldn't make it easy on myself with some nice glazed carrots or a green bean casserole. Nope, I had to choose a controversial one - I had to choose cabbage.

Apart from its often-pungent smell, I'm not sure why this veggie gets a bad rap. Its flavor isn't really that strong and its texture can be transformed from crisp and crunchy, to soft and pliable, depending on the method and length of cooking. I may be picky when it comes to peppers and olives, but I've never met a cabbage I didn't like. That being said, some preparations are certainly less palatable than others (sauerkraut, anyone?) and I sort of understand when people say they have trouble getting past the smell.

While this recipe isn't guaranteed to be odor-free, it is guaranteed delicious. Even cabbage-hating friends have been wooed by the crisp, golden inoffensiveness of a roasted cabbage. And the addition of lemon and garlic adds a bit of unexpected flavor. I always think roasted veggies are perfect for winter, and cabbage is a good source of vitamin C - which is a nice bonus for those, like me, fighting off seasonal nasties.

Roasted Cabbage with Lemon and Garlic
1 medium head cabbage, cored and cut into thick wedges
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely minced (optional)
Coarse salt and ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Brush cabbage wedges with olive oil mixture (be careful as they tend to fall apart - if it helps, you can leave a bit of the core in until after cooking!) and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until cabbage is tender and edges are browned (don't be alarmed if some of the edges appear slightly burnt - that's where the flavor is!), about 20-30 minutes. If you're feeling brave, flip your wedges half way through for more even browning. Serve as a side dish or as an unexpected salad alternative.

A few notes: The trickiest part of this whole recipe is getting your cabbage wedges to stay together (and as you can see above, I wasn't entirely successful). You can leave a bit of the core in, as mentioned, but just remember to remove before serving as it may still be tough and inedible! Don't worry too much if your wedges fall apart - they may not look pretty, but they'll still taste good.

Personally, I prefer this recipe without the hint of lemon. But then again, I already love cabbage. If you're not sure, cut the amount of lemon to 1 teaspoon or try half with and half without. Don't worry, this recipe makes a lot of cabbage! For those who like to experiment, I could see this going well with a splash of balsamic vinegar, or maybe even a reduction. Meat eaters may want to sprinkle it with bits of bacon. Cabbage is a great blank canvas, so have some fun with it!

Prior Planning.....

It's a new year and at last I return to my poor neglected blog. I had no intention of taking such a long break, but sometimes circumstances conspire and things don't work out quite as planned. For example, I had planned to have a great visit with family, but I didn't plan the ferocious cold and and lingering case of laryngitis that resulted when germs from all across the country (well, really across two countries) got together. I had planned a few retrospective posts and a few predictions for the New Year; I didn't plan spending New Year's Day sleeping fitfully in the front seat of our car while Matt drove us home long into the night.

Apart from the fact that I sound like a Muppet (thankfully, a functioning voice isn't a required component of blogging!), I'm doing fine. Still, I find it a bit ironic that all this unplanned happenstance occurred at a time of year when planning is seen as the greatest virtue. After all, what are New Year's resolutions, if not plans for the year ahead?

You might think my experience over the holidays would turn me off to plans and resolutions forever, but you're not so lucky. In fact, I've even come up with a few for the blog - so if you're interested in what 2012 has in store for The Traveling Spoon, read on!

More vegetable-based recipes: I'm making this resolution as a result of a few requests, but also at the insistence of my own body. Weeks of seasonal baked goods (always my most popular posts) and a few years of marriage to a meat-lover has made me shelve a lot of the vegetable-based recipes I used to enjoy. I've decided that 2012 is the year to dust a few of them off!

A blog redesign: This one is near and dear to my heart, because I feel it's been a long time coming. While several of you have expressed a fondness for the Moroccan tagine theme, The Traveling Spoon is coming up on its one-year birthday and I think it needs a new look - something more modern and clean. Whether I (figure out how to) do it myself or hire in some talent is still up in the air, but you can expect a fresh new look sometime this year (and yes, I'm open to input!).

More Book Bites: My list of great books to review for the blog gets longer by the day - especially with the great crop of food memoirs and cookbooks that have come out in the past couple of years. I intend to step up my delivery of 'Good Reads' this year with a few more reviews. Recommendations are always welcome!

Better photography: This resolution has a few components, the first being to actually read my camera's manual. I've been getting by with my photos so far, but I know there's room for improvement - I already get lots of practice, so it's time to deepen my technical knowledge. At the moment, I do most of my photographing in natural light - which means snapping stills on my windowsill between the hours of 10am and 3pm (it's the only place and time that our little apartment consistently gets light!). Perhaps a white box or some artificial lighting is also in my future......

More travel tips: Believe it or not, the travel tips are one of my favorite parts of this blog! I love collecting and sharing unique tips, and think it's great that the smallest piece of advice can completely revolutionize the way you travel. That I don't share many is partly a function of audience (most of my readers come for the recipes - and that's a great thing!), but also because I'm just forgetful. However, this is The Traveling Spoon, so you can expect some more road-worthy snippets in the months to come!

More balance: If you've noticed, most of my resolutions are about 'more this' or 'more that,' but what it's really all about is balance. I'd like The Traveling Spoon to be a little more well-rounded in 2012 - whether that means featuring more Book Bites, sprinkling in a few more travel tips, or even just evening out the ratio of sweet-to-savory...which means I might have to actually use 'more recipes' for my cooking!


What did you resolve to do this year? What do you think of my resolutions for The Traveling Spoon?

Hearty and Healthy Cabbage and Barley Soup

So this was the recipe I'd intended to share on Wednesday, until Blogger ate my post - recipe, photos and all. Perhaps you should take that as a sign of how delicious it is? But seriously, things worked out for the best because Wednesday ended up being unseasonably warm and sunny (it reached 70°F - in December!) and today is, once again, cold and wintry and pouring down rain. In short, it's the perfect day for a mug of this winter warming soup.

Packed with nutrient-rich cabbage and antioxidant-laden stewed tomatoes, this soup is a deliciously powerful tool against the cold and flu season. It's also full of carrots, onions, and garlic, all floating in a rich vegetable broth. Cabbage soup may have gotten bad rap ever since the introduction of the crazy Cabbage Soup Diet, but this is no tummy-rumbling, starvation-rations, diet soup. The addition of pearled barley makes it hearty and filling, without compromising any of the health benefits.

Sundried Tomato, Mushrooms, and Blue Cheese White Pizza

Today's post is a bit of a teaser. You see, I'm working on a post that I'm pretty excited about, but because I want to be sure to do it justice, it's taking a little longer than I'd intended. I'm having fun doing the research, but I know that in the meantime bellies are getting hungry, mealtimes are approaching, and folks are looking for recipes. So, to tide you over until that post is ready (and as a little foretaste of what is to come), I'm sharing a version of our favorite white pizza.

To be honest, this pizza is worth getting excited about in its own right. Tangy sundried tomatoes pair beautifully with slightly sweet caramelized onions, richly flavored sautéed mushrooms, and crumbles of sharp blue cheese. Matt and I have been making white pizzas for years so we have a few go-to versions, but this incarnation is my personal favorite. Its light and fresh, but still packed with flavor from all those 'gourmet' toppings.

Our white pizza is based on a 'sauce' of olive oil, garlic, and Italian spices (with a splash or two of my precious truffle oil thrown in on occasion). The absence of traditional tomato sauce lets the individual flavors shine through, and the thin crust keeps the pie from being bland and doughy. Although we've made our own dough in the past, I have to confess that we often make this recipe with store-bought dough for a quick, weeknight feast. As with most things, there's nothing better than homemade (so you should make your own dough if you can), but it's the toppings that really make this meal special.

Of course, you shouldn't feel limited to the toppings I've mentioned; sometimes we add spinach, chicken, sausage, or even whole, fat cloves of roasted garlic to our pizza. You can also change up your cheeses, substituting mozzarella, parmesan, or others for the more strongly-flavored blue. I've always thought that pizza is the perfect medium for expression in the kitchen, and I've never met one I didn't like (okay, almost never), so treat this recipe as a guideline and give yourself permission to experiment!

Three Cheese Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce

No story today, folks. Just food! Can you believe it? Okay, maybe there's time for just a little story, but then I leave you to enjoy these cheesy, gooey, carb-y stuffed shells in peace, I promise.

I'm finding it hard to believe that, in all my years of cooking, I'd never made stuffed shells until this week. Thankfully, that situation has been remedied and I've now made them twice - in as many days! No, Matt and I aren't in that much of a dinner rut, though this meal might be that good; the second showing was for a family from our church, and though stuffed shells certainly can't heal all the injustices of the world, they can give a little bit of nourishment and strength to some people going through a tough time.

The Allure of 'White Gold': White Asparagus and Mushroom Soup

Celebrating Easter on the road this year meant that I wasn't able to try out any new spring recipes, but if I'd been home, our Easter meal might have included one of my favorite seasonal ingredients - white asparagus. White asparagus is extremely popular in northern Europe, and Germany in particular, where it's sometimes called 'white gold.' During our time in Germany, Matt and I lived near a huge asparagus-growing area and I can remember driving past tarp-covered fields, waiting in eager anticipation for the season to begin.

White asparagus actually comes from the same plant as the more common green variety - the difference in color and flavor is due to the fact that white asparagus is kept out of the light during growing, which prevents photosynthesis (the lack of chlorophyll is what makes the asparagus appear white). It has a slightly milder and less bitter flavor, and the shoots are often thicker and more robust than their green siblings. On menus, white asparagus appears drizzled with hollandaise sauce, steamed with lemon juice, paired with seafood, blended in cream soups or even roasted on pizza. The highly-prized vegetable has a very specific growing season - usually late April until late June. In Bavaria, June 24th is celebrated as the end of Spargelsaison (Asparagus Season).

Meatless Monday: Carnivore-Approved Black Bean Portobello Burgers

My husband is a die-hard carnivore.  One of his favorite meals is a big, beefy helping of bolognese sauce with a side of spaghetti, and he's always most excited about the dinners that make the house smell like roasted, sauteed or grilled hunks of protein.  Now I'm not exactly vegetarian (I love seafood and am on fairly good terms with all kinds of poultry) but I'm pretty apathetic about meat and, pre-marriage, often indulged in meatless meals.

"Meatless? Who, me?"