I still can remember the first time I ever tasted a kalamata olive. I was living in Atlanta and dining at one of my favorite restaurants, Fratelli di Napoli, where, several years later, we’d have our rehearsal dinner! I can remember thinking that olive was just perfect. Salty and briny and the most delightful accompaniment to the crusty Italian bread, roasted red peppers, and cheeses with which it was served. As a single, twenty-something foodie, living in a city where fantastic restaurants were popping up daily,  it seemed like I discovered a new favorite ingredient every weekend! I had a ball experimenting with those ingredients in my own kitchen, trying to replicate the flavors I was discovering.

This dish is one that would have fueled my love affair with kalamata olives! (Especially once I learned you could buy them already pitted! BIG idea there.) This is quick enough for weeknight cooking and really delicious. You could serve it over rice or with some warm crusty bread for dipping. Don’t skimp on the olives; they make the dish!

Spicy Mediterranean Seafood Saute

Adapted from Bon Appetit, 2002

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds tilapia, red snapper, or orange roughy fillets – any mild white fish will do

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper (1/2 teaspoon might be too spicy if you are serving this to little ones)

4 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and  chopped (remember, you can buy them already pitted! BIG time saver)

6 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Rinse fish under running water and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Combine cherry tomatoes, olives, and garlic in a medium bowl.

3. Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add half of the fish to the skillet and saute until just opaque in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to a platter and keep warm. Repeat with remaining fish.

4. Add tomatoes, olives, garlic, parsley and crushed red pepper to the skillet;  saute until tomatoes are soft and juicy, about 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper and spoon over fish.

When September finally arrives with its overflowing bushel baskets of apples, I can hardly stop myself from adding them to…well…everything! Apples start showing up in neat slices next to my morning toast, they’re dipped in almond butter or sprinkled with cinnamon as a snack, they are diced with crunchy toasted almonds and thrown into salads at dinner, and they ceremoniously make their way into an apple crisp or a homemade apple pie on the first really chilly weekend of fall. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, my family is going to be reeeeeally healthy this month! Given my love of all things apple (now that I seem to have outgrown my apple allergy – see post here), I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting ways to incorporate them into menus.

Here’s a recipe for a grain salad using protein-packed quinoa that is loaded with healthy mix-ins like apples, carrots, walnuts and dried cranberries. This makes a great vegetarian lunch or side dish at your fall dinner table. Enjoy it, in all it’s apple-y goodness.

Apple Quinoa Salad

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large granny smith apple (or other tart apple you prefer), diced

1 cup  diced carrots

1/3 cup dried cranberries

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Combine the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer covered until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl, stir and let cool completely.

2. Whisk together the honey, lemon juice, and salt. Slowly whisk in the oil until well blended.

3. Once the quinoa is completely cool, add the apple, carrots, dried cranberries, parsley, and walnuts. Toss well. Add the dresssing and toss gently to coat the salad. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve at room temperature.