labneh grilled cheese

Since I was in middle school, Tuesdays have been ingrained in my brain as grilled cheese and tomato soup day, thanks to my summer camp and its weekly celebration of American cheese and glorified tomato juice. No matter how hot it was outside or how strict we were being about our preteen “diets” in advance of the 4th of July dance, on Tuesdays at lunch time it was universally understood that we would take no prisoners as we ravaged through platters of buttery Wonderbreaded triangles of grilled cheese dunked in styrofoam bowls of tomato soup. It’d all get washed down with ice cold bright blue punch and then we’d roll ourselves Violet Beauregarde-style back to our bunks for an hour of digesting and writing letters home on Hello Kitty stationary. 

It was the life. 

Ah, I love a good camp memory and you know I’ll take any chance to relive it. But now 15 years later, since blue punch has been replaced by kombucha (ok fine, and wine) and Hello Kitty stationary has been replaced by emails littered with emojis, I’ve updated my grilled cheese game. It might not have the nostalgia of butter and American cheese, but it’s got the nuttiness of seedy wheat bread, the tanginess of labneh and za’atar, and the sharpness of white cheddar and parmesan. Which is to say that it’s fancy enough to eat as a grownup and good enough to write home about. And obviously it’s not complete without a little swim in hearty tomato soup. 

You can use homemade or store-bought labneh here, or in a pinch you could also sub out plain full-fat greek yogurt. It doesn’t melt down like a harder cheese, but when it’s sandwiched between melty cheddar and parmesan, you get a nice oozy center in your toasty grilled cheese.

---

Labneh Grilled Cheese

Makes 2

Ingredients

Olive oil
4 thick slices seedy wheat bread
2 ounces shaved white cheddar
2 ounces shaved parmesan
1/4 cup labneh
Za’atar
Sumac
Tomato soup, for serving

Clues

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Toast the bread slices on one side until lightly browned and then flip them over. Top two slices with cheddar and two slices with parmesan and then spread two of the slices with the labneh and sprinkle with a pinch of za’atar and sumac. Carefully sandwich them together, cover with a lid, and cook until the bottom is toasted. Flip, cover, and cook until the bottom is toasted and the parmesan and cheddar are melted. Transfer to a plate, cut diagonally, and serve with tomato soup. 

---

-yeh!

The soup in this post is Progresso’s Hearty Tomato Soup! Thank you, Progresso, for sponsoring this post! 

pita ribollita

i opened up the camera on my phone so that i could video tape myself hitting send on the email with my manuscript, went to hit send and then realized i hadn’t written anything in the body of the email, put my phone down, typed “attached!” and hit send without remembering to pick my phone back up. i think holding onto that video would have been kind of hoarder-ish anyway. then i tweeted, took my first shower in a week, and went to the town’s new fancy restaurant with eggboy and ate a schnitzel with rosemary fries and two ramekins of ketchup. it was my first time wearing shoes and interacting with non-egg humans in a very long time and it all felt like how your eyes feel when you step out into the sun after being in the dark for too long, but my good heavens, that relief. like descending into a hot tub on a cold winter day. and the joy of being able to spend the next day sitting on the couch in my underpants eating potato chips, watching the today show and kelly and michael, and then to even entertain the possibility of going on a weekend ski trip or cooking my way through zahav… 

ok, i’m not off the hook yet, i still have the other half of my photos to take, which are due in april. but for at least these next few days i’ll be zoning out and decorating for valentine’s day and, oh, putting away our chrismukkah bush.

how have you been?? what all is new? did you watch grease live?? i’ve watched it twice so far and cannot stop listening to “magic changes.” which i’m grateful for because i don’t know if i’ll ever be able to listen to sia again without reliving the stress of my deadline. 

anyway, i am in severe need of vegetables because for the two entire weeks leading up to my deadline, i ate almost exclusively pita with salted butter. it was sort of like how steve jobs wore the same exact outfit every day so that it was one less thing to think about. so here is a really warming, vegetabley soup that’s got a bunch of torn pita in it since homemade pita is queen of my bread box rn, and it’s flavored with hawaij for soup, the savory sister to hawaij for coffee, that’s got cumin, turmeric, and cardamom at the front and center. this soup is kind of like what would happen if chili took a trip to the middle east and had to leave all of its meat behind at customs, ya dig? and i’m pairing it here with lemon ginger kevita because it’s a perfectly refreshing partner to hot soup, and say it with me now, “pita ribollita with kevita!” you know how i feel about a good rhyme… oh and this soup happens to be even better heated up the next day, so if you want to make a big pot for your super bowl part this weekend, you can totally make it a day in advance and then just reheat. easy peasy. 

---

pita ribollita

makes 8 servings

ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons hawaij for soup
1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper
Black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 14-oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chopped or torn pita, fresh or day-old
plain greek yogurt or labneh, for serving
chopped fresh parsley, for serving

clues

in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. add the onions, carrots, celery, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes. add the garlic, hawaij, aleppo pepper, and a few turns of black pepper and cook for 2 more minutes. add the bay leaves, tomatoes, broth, and beans and bring to a boil. cover and simmer for 20 minutes. stir in the pita and cook for 5 more minutes. taste and adjust seasonings as desired. ladle into bowls, top with a drizzle of olive oil, a plop of yogurt, and a sprinkle of parsley. 

---

and serve with lemon ginger kevita! kevita is a sparkling probiotic drink that i pretty much lived on while i was writing my book, and the ginger in this flavor goes so well with hawaij for soup. also the company was started by a friend of lily’s! yayyy! i feel very country bumpkin that i didn’t find out about it until very recently but i’m hooked now because it’s way tastier than drinking plain jane fizzy water, not too sweet, and it’s healthy because of all of the probiotics. 

-yeh!

thank you so much for sponsoring this post, kevita! all opinions are mine. kevita makes 11 flavors of their sparkling probiotic drinks which each contain (4 billion cfu’s) and 6 different kombuchas made with fermented green and black tea leaves. their kombucha also contains probiotics, as well as b vitamins and organic acids to boost energy. all of their drinks are dairy free, gluten free, kosher, non-gmo, organic, and vegan and you can click here to see where you can find some! (i get mine at target!) click here for more information on kevita!

rosemary farro with roasted grapes, shallots, and almonds

i was a smelly homebody this weekend! i wrote and procrastinated and then wrote and procrastinated some more, and then at night we emerged to go eat salads at our brand spankin new awesome town brewery because we are hip millennials and our brewery is so cool. (now that we have a brewery, what else do we need in order for you to come visit us? a fried chicken place? a cookbook store? i'll work on it.)

i have some personal news and that's that i don't think i'm a future village champion curler of america. or maybe i'm just judging it too quickly? but ok, imagine this: because i was a former mathlete and know a thing or two about angles and curves, i was elected to be the skip, which is the position that stands down at the far end of the ice to give aiming directions while everyone else (i.e. all of your friends who you signed up with) waits to throw the stone (i.e. hangs out and laughs and forms inside jokes and strengthens their friend bonds). so there i was, spending my three units of social time for the week trying to make small talk about the fabled beer vending machine that's hidden deep in the back room of the curling barn with a total stranger and failing miserably and watching my friends at a very long distance laughing and having the best time ever. so i quit.

conveniently, the class session ended that day so i didn't need to be dramatic about quitting mid-season and letting my team down, not that i was of any real value anyway, but i'm glad i tried! it was a really fascinating learning experience and maybe i'll take it back up again once i find a teammate who is socially confident enough to not get fomo while watching a bunch of people whom they can't interact with have fun. could i put out a craigslist ad for a skip? female, 26, seeks platonic friendship with introverted calculus whiz who can lunge well. 

errmm...for now i think i'll devote all my free time to master of none. what a great show! 

i wanted to make you a grape salad as a nostalgic nod to #grapegate for thanksgiving. but i came up with this farro salad with roasted grapes, because 1) ohmygahh grapes deserve better than to be dressed in an outfit of sour cream, and 2) i'm going through a farro stage. it's such a fancy yet hearty grain! i've been using it lately where i would normally use israeli couscous or rice. (my first foray into farrotto happened over the weekend and it was a success.) this salad is great warm or at room temperature, and the rosemary, toasted almonds, and roasted grapes lend some wonderful fall flavors. i've been putting some fresh mozzarella in mine, but if you're looking for a vegan dish for your thanksgiving table, this will totally hold up without the cheese. and speaking of vegan thanksgivings, um, i think i'm gonna make a squashducken...????

---

rosemary farro with roasted grapes, shallots, and almonds

serves 4-6

ingredients

1 pound grapes from california

1/4 c olive oil, divided

kosher salt and black pepper

1 c farro, rinsed and drained

1 sprig rosemary

1 large shallot or 2 small ones, finely chopped

1 1/2 tb white wine vinegar

1/2 c toasted almonds, roughly chopped

4 oz fresh mozzarella pearls, optional

clues

preheat the oven to 425ºf. line a baking sheet with parchment and spread out the grapes (remove them from their stems). drizzle them with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes.

in a large pot, cover the farro with water, add the rosemary sprig and a good pinch of salt, bring it to a boil, and then reduce the heat to simmer for 30 minutes, until tender. drain it and place it in a large bowl. (discard the rosemary sprig.)

while the farro is simmering, place the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small pot with the shallot and simmer it over medium heat. remove it from the heat once the farro is done cooking and stir in the vinegar. 

add the grapes, almonds, and mozzarella (if using) to the bowl with the farro and drizzle it with the shallot mixture. toss to combine. salt and pepper to taste. serve warm or at room temperature. enjoy!

---

-yeh!

this post is sponsored by grapes from california. all opinions are my own!

cauliflower, two ways: cauliflower swiss soup + cold curried cauliflower

we are in the midst of sugar beet pre-haul right now!

eggboy and his crew are working on opening up the sugar beet fields and doing little harvest test runs to make sure that all of the equipment is running smoothly before sugar beet harvest officially starts on october first. this is a super important step because sugar beet harvest is the mother of all harvests: it's so intense, it goes for 24 hours a day, and it can be really unpredictable. last year's harvest was a dream because the weather was perfect, but who knows what this harvest is going to bring. luckily, i've still got a month to prepare myself mentally for the long eggboy-less hours. (and you've still got a month to plan your trip to visit me and keep me company!)

of course, even during pre-haul, eggboy needs a lunch! this week, cauliflower is on the menu. sometimes i question cauliflower and need to google it to make sure that it's actually healthy because aren't healthy foods supposed to be really colorful?? whatever, the internet says it's healthy so i'm gonna go with it. i am slowly but surely expanding my arsenal of cauliflower recipes, which until recently has just included dan barber's cauliflower steak and smitten kitchen's cauliflower fritters, but this summer i got some inspiration in california via an alarmingly good curried cauliflower salad at lemonade. so this cold curried cauliflower recipe is totally based on that. it's sweet and nutty and curry-y and great. and then this soup represents my excitement about soup season being around the corner. it's pretty simple to make and packs creaminess and flavor thanks to the addition of swiss cheese and paprika. so go get thee some heads of cauliflower! 

---

cauliflower swiss soup

makes 4-6 servings

ingredients

2 tb unsalted butter

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 large carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

kosher salt and black pepper

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tb sweet paprika

5 cups chicken broth

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 c shredded swiss cheese

Hot sauce, to taste

clues

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, a good pinch of salt, and a few turns of black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1-2 more minutes. Add the broth and cauliflower and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Add the swiss and then use an immersion blender or food processor to blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve with additional swiss and a few shakes of hot sauce.

enjoy!

---

cold curried cauliflower

makes 4-6 servings

ingredients

1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

2 tb olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

 curry vinaigrette (ingredients below)

1/2 c golden raisins

1/2 c toasted almonds, roughly chopped

curry vinaigrette:

1/2 c canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 tb curry powder

1 tb dijon

1 tb honey

1 tb apple cider vinegar

1 tb lemon juice

kosher salt and black pepper

clues

Preheat oven to 400. Toss the cauliflower in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread out on a sheet pan and roast for 20-30 minutes, until brown and tender.

to make the vinaigrette, first make a curry oil: coat the bottom of a pan with about a tablespoon of the canola oil and then cook the onion over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Add the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1-2 more minutes. Pour in the remaining oil and let it sizzle over medium heat for 1 minute. remove it from heat, let it cool, strain out the onion and allow the curry to sink to the bottom.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the dijon, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, and a good pinch of salt and pepper, and then pour in the oil (carefully as to not disturb the curry at the bottom). Whisk together the vinaigrette. add the roasted cauliflower, raisins, and almonds, and toss to coat. Chill until serving.

enjoy!

---

-yeh!

i'll be packing up eggboy's cauliflower lunch in genuine thermos brand®'s new dual compartment food jar, which has two separate compartments, one for your soup and one for your curried cauliflower. it is super sturdy, holds enough for a filling meal, and is perfect for the tractor. for more info on this great new thing, check out genuine thermos brand®'s site.

thanks so much for providing compensation and products for this post, genuine thermos brand®!