GREEN BEAN + BLACK QUINOA SALAD

I made a post out of what I had on hand! Congratulations, self! I have wandered from my grocery budget lately. I can pinch pennies on most things, but get me to a market and I feel like I am spending monopoly money. The same girl who holds on to gift cards that have under a fifty cent value yeah. Lately, Ive been coming home with pretty bottles of red wine from Trader Joes and the things is, I dont even really like red wine! Theyre inexpensive bottles, but thats beside the point. So, of course I cried out of guilt, punished myself by drinking the red wine I dont even like (this is a confusing punishment, Im aware), and am pretty sure I snapped out of the grocery addiction.

I tend to become a bit unmotivated when the weather warms up, and Im certainly not turning on our ancient oven which heats up the entire upstairs. I have loads of green beans from my CSA basket, and admit theyre not really a vegetable I would purchase otherwise. The green bean isnt known for being the most versatile ingredient sort of akwardly lanky and reminiscent of your grandmas, creamy holiday casserole. But as a hater of waste and in my renewed frugalness, I dressed them up enough to be a dish I would bring to a backyard dinner party, or something I would take a bite of while passing the fridge for a snack.

The green beans stay crisp from a quick blanch, and the quinoa adds a bit of protein to fill you up. If you like your salads to be a little easier to eat, simply chop up those lanky beans to bite size pieces. Ignore the oven, have a tasty salad and its the weekend again, party people.

GREEN BEAN + BLACK QUINOA SALAD // Serves 4-6
I made my dressing with a lemon infused olive oil because I had some and I am ob! sessed w ith it, but it is not necessary. Use that if you have it, and if youd like a bit of citrus, add a bit of fresh lemon zest when tossing everything together.

// Dressing //
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. White Balsamic
2 tsp. Agave Nectar / Honey
1 Clove Garlic
Handful of Basil Leaves
Pinch of Salt + Pepper

1/2 Cup Quinoa (black or red is pretty, but any color works)
1 lb. Green Beans, ends trimmed
2 Scallions/Green Onions
1/2 Cup Hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed, roughly chopped

1. In a blender or food processor, whirl all of the dressing ingredients together. Taste for salt and pepper and set aside in the fridge.
2. Bring 1 1/4 Cup water to a boil and add the quinoa, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. Transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool.
3. Blanch or steam the green beans until just barely softened. Drain well. Add the drained green beans to the cooled quinoa. Thinly slice the scallions and add them, and half of the chopped hazelnuts to the bowl and toss with desired amount of the dressing. Finish the salad with a few grinds of fresh black pepper and the rest of the hazelnuts. Serve at room temperature or chill in the fridge. The leftovers hold up great.

Joy the Baker Podcast, Episode 8!

Heck yes, were still doing this!

This week on the Joy the Baker Podcast, Tracy and I get down to business. Were talking about over-eating for the 4th of July, the wonders of Internet shopping when it comes to bikinis, and Joys celebrity crush. It gets awkward. it always gets awkward.

Also! Super important news about the Joy and Tracy retreat in Palm Springs. Yes thats actually happening.

Listen up and listen close!

Love to you!

Joy the Baker Podcast, Episode 8!

Visiting Raimat

You couldn't get more of a contrast. The previous day there were scrubby little patches of vines, precariously eking out an existence on the hills above Scala Dei. Today, having moved further inland, we were viewing the 'industrial' plantings of Raimat.

Huge swathes of fields planted with Cabernet, Tempanillo, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Plus smaller plots of Albarino, Xarel-lo, Syrah. Production is huge, the largest in Costers del Segre resulting in bottles of sparkling, value-packed reds (Raimat Abadia) and stylish whites. And all the 2,245 hectares of vines are family owned, making it the largest family owned single estate in Europe.

The vineyards are sustainable and fully irrigated. Raimat established the first weather station in a European vineyard and was also the first Spanish vineyard to use satellite imaging and GPS technology to aid its vine management and harvesting. Over-seeing the wine making is Australian Mark Nairn. But a viticulturist overseas every metre of its vineyards and is able to manage irrigation, inputs, vine management and harvesting at micro level. Between the vines grow wheat, poppies and other plants while overhead swifts dart between the vines and far overhead feeding on the insects. For an 'industrial' plantation these signs of the balance, of the sustainability, that Raimat has installed in the land are welcome.

The winery is as mammoth as the vineyards. Combining the old architecture - the estate was founded in 1914 - with the new (underground facilities topped with a cabernet vineyard), there are stainless steel tanks, a full cooperage and an entrance way lifted straight from one of those American sci-fi TV series - all glass, columns and perfect ponds.

The vineyard tour inevitably f! ollowed by a multi-bottle tasting. I won't bore you with my dry tasting scribbles but should point out a couple of 'faves'. Hitting the UK shelves in a few months is the Raimat Gran Brut - a sparkling wine that they can't lable as Cava. A Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend (60%/40%) that offers a lovely array of flavours and different nuances to the Codorniu sparklers. Should be available for around 14.99. Also 'coming soon', although you'll have to wait for the 2011 vintage, is the Raimat Terra Chardonnay. Here a fresh, sweetly fruited, slightly herbaceous palate makes for a full but lively Chardonnay. While they are not touting the credentials as a major marketing aspect the grapes used for the Terra are 'in conversion' to being organic.

A different style of Chardonnay - Raimat Castell de Raimat Chardonnay Barrica 2010 - should be available from independent merchants about now, at 9.99. Here 30% of the wine is barrel fermented, and has great texture from "plenty of leas stirring". That oak is subtly manifested leaving the lemon-lime core to shine. "Commercial aspects dictate a little sweetness".

Perhaps though you are more of a red wine peep. The Raimat Vina 43 Tempranillo 2009, an 'as yet to be released vintage' I believe, has a delicious meaty edged (that ebbs away with bottle age) but beautifully drinkable with a refreshing bank of acidity. (Comparing this 2009 vintage alongside the 2008 to the 2007 was interesting. The latter, where Mark Narin and his team had only been in place for 3 months, is markidly simple and straightforward).

Limited quantities of a 100% Syrah are also shortly being released. With a retail tag of 8.99 the 2008 vintage has a littlemore richness, a touch more power and a more balanced oak sweetness to the 'blackcurrant crumble' 2007...

This last photograph shows the new visitor reception entrance. Reflected in the glass you can just see the stainless steel tanks; the grassy bank on the right host the Cabernet vineyard on its summit. More photos from this Spanish trip on flickr. On SpittoonExtra are a few pictures of Raimat's Castle.

Flavours Of Shanghai at Zuan Yuan Chinese Restaurant of One World Hotel

Set Lunch @ il Lido Italian Dining + Lounge Bar, Kuala Lumpur

The in-laws are fond of Italian food, so we headed to il Lido for lunch. Although my first dining experience here was just average, I decided to give the restaurant another chance. I'm glad I did because the food that afternoon was outstanding.

For lunch, you can order from the a la carte menu or go for their set lunch. The 3-course set lunch is priced at RM49.90++ , which includes an amuse bouche, appetizer/soup, main course, dessert, petit fours and coffee/tea. Really great value for money.

Our guests were impressed with the decor of the restaurant, very classy indeed.

Restaurant interior

We were served complimentary focaccia while waiting for our food to arrive. Compared to our last visit, the bread was not so oily.. in fact we enjoyed it so much, we had more than a couple of pieces each.

Focaccia with olive oil/balsamic vinegar

Amuse b! ouche

The set lunch menu changes daily here. To start, you can choose between a soup or appetizer. One of our guests had the asparagus soup which was good according to him; rich, creamy and wholesome.

The rest of us had the seafood salad. It was one of those salads with minimal greens and lots of everything else. Brimming with fresh seafood such as squid, mussels, clams and juicy prawns, this was easily one of the best salads I've eaten this year.

For the main course, you can choose from 3 dishes. The herb crusted salmon with lemon butter saffron sauce was well prepared and delicious, though it was possibly outshone by the other two mains that was served that afternoon.

One of our guests had the gnocchi in a goat's cheese sauce with air dried beef strips. Goat's cheese can be rather pungent for some, but if you don't mind the smell and strong taste, you will love this dish. The gnocchi had a wonderful texture; delicate, pillowy soft while the sauce was rich and silky.

The best mains of the day, in my opinion, was the pan fried duck breast served with pumpkin puree. The duck was served in a generous portion, and was absolutely delicious. The sweet pumpkin puree complimented the tender, flavoursome duck meat very well.

The dessert of the day was a white chocolate parfait served with blackberry jelly and fresh fruits. Parfait literally means "perfect" in French, and this was definitely the perfect end to an excellent lunch. The parfait tastes very similar to ice-cream; rich, creamy and sinful.

Petit fours served with coffee/tea

Lovely view of the Petronas Twin Towers from il Lido car park

Verdict: Everything we ate that afternoon was top notch and definitely left us impressed. If you have time, you should try to make it here for the set lunch as it is definitely good value for money.

Set Lunch is available Mon - Fri from 12.00 noon to 2.30pm.

Service: Can be improved. If I ask for cold water, please do not bring me a bottle of still water and hope that I don't notice.

Price: RM49.90++ per person for the set lunch.

Location: il Lido Italian Dining + Lounge Bar, Lot 183, Jalan Mayang (off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng). 50450 Kuala Lumpur. (opposite Menara Ambank / Australian High Commission)
Tel: 03-2161 2291

GPS Coordinates: 3.16047, 101.71099

Website: http://www.il-lido.com.my/

Join their Facebook page here.

If You're Planning to Be in Penang....

For quite a while I've been meaning to start posting jpegs of our published work, even that which is not focused on food. But then the publication comes out, I get busy and .....

But judging from the hordes of tourists I saw in George Town this morning, this is timely -- a round-up of recent boutique hotel openings within the Unesco world heritage site that appeared in last month's issue of Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia.The 2011 George Town Festival is going on from now until the end of July, which makes it the perfect time to book a stay.

We've got more Malaysia coverage and a bit of Taiwan coming up in near-term issues, so stay tuned.