Great Recipe for Spring

For those of you who know me, you probably know that cooking is one of my favorite past times. Especially now that exciting and colorful produce is starting to show up the weekly farmer's markets here in Santa Monica. Here is a recipe I made last night that was so delicious I wanted to share it with all of you. It is from a great website called 101 cookbooks. If you like this recipe then definitely check out the website, everything I make off of it turns out absolutely wonderful. Click on the name of the recipe to view it directly from the website:

Spring Wild Rice Salad Recipe

You can use tahini or experiment with other nut butters here. Also, If you like a bit more texture you can pan-fry the split peas for a minute or so - don't go too far or that get overly crunchy. You can easily make this vegan by omitting the goat cheese.

Almond Dressing:
1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup almond butter
zest of one lemon
scant 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
scant 1/4 cup hot water
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
4 cups cooked wild rice*
1 cup cooked yellow split peas**
1 bunch chives, chopped
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled (optional)

Whisk together the garlic, almond butter, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil. Add the hot water to thin a bit and then the salt. Set aside.

Bring a saucepan full of water to a boil. Salt the water and add the asparagus. Cook for just a minute - until the asparagus is just bright and tender. Drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking.

In a large bowl combine the wild rice, yellow split peas, asparagus, and abot half of the almond dressing. Give it a good toss. Add more dressing if needed. Taste, and add more salt if needed. Serve topped with chives and crumbled goat cheese.

Serves 8.

*To cook wild rice (SNC 60). Rinse 1 1/2 cups wild rice. In a medium sauce pan bring the rice and 4 1/2 cups salted water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook for 40 minutes or until rice is tender and splitting open, stirring occasionally.

**To cook dried yellow spilt peas: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add 3/4 cup dried yellow split peas, and cook for 20 -30 minutes, or until tender. Drain, salt to taste and set aside.