Herb Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

I don't really care that it is summer and it is hot, because these days I have been wanting to roast everything.  My abundance of summer squash goes into the oven, I have been making Spice Roasted Carrots like crazy, and I just made another batch of Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip this weekend.  Call me crazy, but doesn't roasting make everything taste better?

Isn't this bag of little potatoes just the cutest?

Roasting also saves me time - which I don't need to remind you, is in short supply these days.  So naturally, when I picked up some beautiful fingerling potatoes from Weiser Farms at the Little Italy Farmers Market, I made big plans to toss them into the oven with some olive oil, and little salt, and some fresh herbs. 

Beautiful different colors of fingerling potatoes.

I love roasting sliced potatoes with some onions, red peppers, and rosemary, but for these whole fingerling potatoes I wanted something a little more rustic, so I turned to sage.  I adore the soft texture of fresh sage, it just draws me in like a delicate feather.  The earthy and sweet fragrance is so different from other herbs, and it pairs perfectly with fresh-from-the-ground fingerling potatoes. 

Ana's Weeknight Broccoli Soup

I only recently decided that I actually like broccoli.  

For years, I despised it, avoiding it on veggie trays, picking it out of soups, and steering clear of casseroles and pastas with those pesky green crowns.  My boyfriend even used to make jokes about it - when we would go out to eat and I would order something that might have broccoli, he would smile and say, "I'll be sure to tell them you want extra broccoli."  I would usually roll my eyes, smile back, and reply with, "Ha, ha.  I know you think you're very funny."  (Incidentally, he is usually quite hilarious.)  

My aversion to broccoli was pretty strange, considering I am really not a picky eater, and I do enjoy most vegetables.  Plus, I am a big girl.  I know vegetables are good for me so I don't need to be coerced into eating them.  But still... Broccoli was always a sticking point for me.

Broccoli cut up and prepped the day before to make this soup even easier.

But now I would say I like broccoli.

I honestly don't know if my tastebuds suddenly took a liking to this veggie, or if it was just the fickle winds of change, but there was a definite turning point.  One day I hated broccoli, the next day I liked it.   

I can't say I love it yet, but I like it.  Sort of like with any new relationship, I am still trying to decide exactly how I feel about it, but broccoli is growing on me day by day.  We haven't had our first fight yet, so we are still in the honeymoon phase, but so far things are looking good.  

So in the spirit of celebrating my new found feelings for broccoli, I thought I would share an easy, satisfying way to enjoy this lovely veggie.  This recipe is from my good friend and super-mom, Ana.  She makes this recipe on busy weeknights, and believe it or not, her 2 1/2-year old daughter actually requests this soup all the time!  She looooooves her broccoli soup.  

I got to try Ana's Weeknight Broccoli Soup right after her second child was born - I was over at her place one evening, and she was chatting, entertaining her daughter, making this soup, and cleaning up the kitchen while balancing her newborn on her hip.  Yes, I did say she was super-mom.  But basically, the fact that Ana can multi-task and make this soup at the same time is just a testament to how easy it is - and that is something that any busy guy or gal can appreciate.       

French Potato Salad with Herbs, and So Cal Summer Salad round-up

So remember allllll the way back in June when I said I would feature healthy salads regularly throughout the summer?  That little thing called So Cal Summer Salads that I very ambitiously promised I would keep up with?  Can you remember that far back?  Personally, I am having trouble remembering, partly because June seems so distant now that it is officially September, but it also may be that my mind has become suspiciously clouded with desserts, and summer fruits, and cakes...trying to see the light of leafy greens and vegetables through all that sugary haze has been nothing less than fun-filled delicious journey, of which I don't regret a single bite.  This summer, whether it has been sweet or savory, crunchy or creamy, I can definitely say I have eaten well.  

As September dawns and fall approaches, I can't really say that I anticipate radically changing any of my eating philosophies.  Oh sure, I could tell you I might try eating more healthy, or chowing on more apples and less ice cream (We all know this is a lost cause at this point.  How about less apples and more ice cream?).  But the truth is, I like eating and cooking and baking loads of different things, and the thought of focusing specifically on one thing or another doesn't sit well with me.  Where am I going with this?  

Well, with the launch of Project Food Blog from Foodbuzz (which I am SUPER excited about btw), I have taken a little bit of a timeout to ponder a big question...what is really going on here at The Cilantropist?  I mean, what am I doing here on this little webspace I like to call home?  The analytical side of my brain has been feverishly trying to fit myself into some sort of food-blogger mold, so that I can stick a shiny new label on this blog so everyone knows exactly what they are getting.  This feels much like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and thats not comfortable for anyone.   In contrast, the creative (and hungry) side of my brain seems say, "What's all this hooplah about?  We're having fun with this whole cooking and writing thing aren't we?  And we feel inspired!  And even better, we are eating... really eating...So lets just keep it up!"  Being a scientist, the analytical part of my brain usually wins out, but I think here I need to cave to creativity; because honestly, here on this site I am just sharing my adventures in eating well, feeding those I love, and living the good life.  And isn't that enough?   

Gratin Dauphinois

So today I had planned to share a recipe with you that features my favorite ingredient of the moment: yep, you guessed it, Berries.  Ripe, fresh, jewel-toned, bursting with flavor berries.  I have two things that I am just dying to share with you... But I'm not really feeling it today.  You know how that goes?  (Just be patient, give me few more days; the sun will come out and we can all be in berry heaven.  I promise.)  Today, I am taking issue with this crappy weather we have been having.   


(Disclaimer: if you are from the Northwest, Midwest, or East Coast, and will be offended by a So Cal girl's petty complaints skip to the end and just make the gratin.)


All day today, all day Saturday, and all Sunday, the sun did not come out.  A dreary cover of clouds blocked any beautiful rays of sun from peeking through the haze.  I know, I know... this might be a description of daily life in other cities, but it is a rare occurrence here in sunny San Diego.  Sure, those of us from Southern California know that "June gloom" is right around the corner, but do the gray skies we experience while the rest of the country heads into summer have to come so soon?  I mean really Mother Nature, get your act together, it is only May!  I know you are probably shaking your head right now, or rolling your eyes (or likely doing both).  Trust me, I am well aware that I am utterly and completely spoiled by the climate here.  I grew up in Northern Ohio, so I am no stranger to bad weather, but that is why I moved to San Diego.  Having lived here for almost five years now, my blood has thinned, and I have apparently become a pansy when it comes to tolerating cold temperatures.  It happens.  So can I order up a little sun here?

So back to the food issue, this gloomy day put me in no mood for sharing bright, summery berries as I had planned.  Rather, I am craving something warm, creamy, and comforting.  I want a dish that will make me feel like it is wrapping a warm blanket around me when I eat it.  And this gratin is it.  This recipe for Gratin Dauphinois is from My French Kitchen, by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde, and it is packed with cream and butter and loads of cheese.  I also added some minced thyme and garlic for a little flavor undertone.  Mmmm... all these things make food taste wonderful.  When you pull this out of the oven, the golden gruyere crust and the bubbling filling underneath is so satisfying.  A bite of this is rich and filling, and just the cure for gray skies and cool days.