I kinda have a girl crush on Jane Coxwell, the chef and writer behind Fresh Happy Tasty, a cookbook that lives up to its name. For starters, Jane’s the personal chef to Diane Von Furstenberg and Barry Diller aboard their yacht Eos (dream job, right!). A few flips into her cookbook and I felt like I was cooking with a friend. There’s just something down-to-earth about Jane – she’s seems super relaxed and relatable… like the opposite of Martha Stewart – and that punch of personality comes across in all 100 of her vibrant, veg-centric recipes. I seriously want to make them all. But here’s a good place to start…
green apple and macadamia quinoa
{ Serves 4 }
This dish tastes like health and summer. It can be eaten as a side dish or on its own.
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1⁄2 cup macadamia nuts
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 small green onion, thinly sliced
3⁄4 cup seeded diced cucumber
1 cup diced green apple
1⁄2 cup diced green bell pepper
1⁄4 cup diced celery
1⁄2 red serrano chile, seeded and thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
Agave nectar
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
Maldon or other flaky salt
1. Prepare the quinoa according to the package directions. Put the drained quinoa back into the pot and stir it over low heat to remove some of the moisture.
2. In a small dry skillet, toast the macadamia nuts over medium-low heat until evenly browned, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often to keep them from burning. Crush the nuts lightly with a knife.
3. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, macadamia nuts, and the remaining ingredients. Toss and check for seasoning; add more lemon juice and salt if necessary.
