Oh, what a perfect fall day walking around out midtown Sacramento enjoying the beautiful Victorians this past weekend. We had lunch at a new vegetarian restaurant called Veg in midtown and also visited the newly renovated Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op. The co-op has been around for ever – even before Whole Foods came to Sacramento and fosters a real sense of community. It made me really nostalgic to go there. This is the place where I first learnt about the real implications of organic and locally sourced foods, how to make natural cleaners using stuff like vinegar, to eschew plastic bags and carry my own bags, and everything important in life!
We got lucky with the weather in Sacramento, but this fall in California has been weird – the weather’s been alternating between too hot and too cold with intermittent showers in between to mix it up. The effects of the drought seems to be lingering and as I have done for the last 4 years, I hope fervently for a wet winter. On the bright side, fall produce like squashes have started appearing in the markets. (In fact, at Veg in Sacramento, I had a yummy curry with sweet potato and kabocha squash in coconut milk.) Fall fruits like figs and persimmons and pomegranates are also here. Last time around, I made a vegan banana bread topped with fresh figs. This weekend I made a really bright salad with pomegranate seeds.
Aren’t pomegranates just about the most exotic and sexy of fruits? No wonder in many ancient cultures they were seen as a symbol of fertility. Pomegranates grow rather well in California due to the Mediterranean climate with dry summers and winter rainfall. Apparently they were brought here by Spanish settlers originally, but the young tree in our backyard was brought to us by a friend who is an expert at propagating fruit trees. He considers all the baby trees his own babies and so it was a relief to him (and us) that our tree has survived and thrived, and had its first produce this year. We were quite pleased with the deep red sweet seeds and look forward to many years of fruitful growth.
Here’s the super simple, yet delicious recipe for a quinoa salad with pomegranate seeds and parsley.
Quinoa Salad with Pomegranate Seeds and Parsley
Ingredients:
- 3 cups cooked quinoa (about 1 1/4 cup uncooked)
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 large pomegranate)
- 1 large bunch parsley, washed and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups shredded cabbage and carrots
- 1/2 cup lightly roasted walnut pieces for garnish
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 medium orange)
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Toss all the salad ingredients except walnuts together
- To make dressing, place all the ingredients in a bottle, close the lid and shake until emulsified
- Drizzle dressing over salad and toss lightly
- Before serving, garnish with walnuts and serve
This was the perfect fall meal sitting outside in warm sunshine, trying not to think about having to put away our patio furniture for the winter just yet!
