Celebration in Oaktown: Quinoa, Wild Shrimp & Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

During our recent trip out to the Bay, we were graciously welcomed by our friends, Amy and Chris. We spent a few days with them in Oakland, along with a fun-filled excursion to Napa. The four of us decided to venture to an area of wine country that was previously unexplored to us all – northern Napa county. We did the drive north past Napa and Oakville, and found ourselves driving through the rolling hills of northern Napa county and quaint towns of St. Helena and Calistoga. St. Helena had buildings with Victorian charm, while Calistoga reminded us of the wild west. The first stop on our wine tour took us to Chateau Montelena Winery, where we marveled at the stone castle, as well as their orange and lemon trees (the wines were good too, particularly their Riesling).




We next ventured to Sterling Vineyards, where a aerial tram takes visitors up to the winery and tasting rooms at the top of the hill.



Our last stop was Cuvaison Estate, where we had a sample of a special Cab, and the sommelier tried to show my husband a thing or two with our camera. After a wonderful meal at Tra Vigne, Chris and Amy gave us a lift to the airport, and we barely made our red-eye flight back home.



Earlier that week, Amy had been scheduled to take a graduate exam that she had long been studying for. While she was off at her exam, I went into San Francisco in search of the Painted Ladies. After an uncalculated walk through the Tenderloin, I finally found the famous row houses and had enough time to snap some pictures before heading back to Oakland to meet Amy.


She had aced the exam and a celebration was in order. Amy, Chris, and I went to a celebratory lunch at Bocanova in Jack London Square. After debating over several options on the menu, Amy and I both ordered the Quinoa, Wild Shrimp & Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette. It was delicious - so refreshing, light, and flavorful! As a fellow cook and foodie, Amy and I spent most of the meal trying to determine how it was prepared.


With the sun shining and a pleasant breeze blowing, Amy and I continued the celebration with a little wine tasting. And on this day, we did not have to hop in a car and drive north of the city to get to wine country. We instead only had to walk a few blocks to get to a couple of Oakland’s wineries. The tasting rooms of JC Cellars and Dashe Cellars are both in Oakland, and share the same location. You can taste flights of wine from each winery for $5, respectively (much cheaper than wineries in wine country!). Amy and I spent the afternoon sampling wines from JC and Dashe, and it was the perfect afternoon to follow up our delectable lunch.


I couldn’t get that quinoa out of my mind, and once I returned home and had a chance to spend time in the kitchen, I made an attempt to recreate our lunch (less the wine tasting). I was pleased that my version was pretty comparable to the dish that we had! I was only able to find a purple beet at my grocery store, but I recommend using a golden beet if you can find it. (The purple beet will color the whole dish, and if you are using one, I recommend adding it at the last minute to try to avoid coloring the rest of the ingredients purple.) You can omit the shrimp for a vegetarian version. Amy and I were contemplating adding some crumbled feta, which I did try, but found it to be too much. This is good as it is, and a lunch that I’ll forever remember!

Kate's Quinoa, Wild Shrimp & Roasted Beet Salad with Orange Vinaigrette
Ingredients
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp champagne vinegar
1 medium-size golden beet
1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup carrots, shredded
10 oz. cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 orange, segmented
½ cup cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 tbsp. watercress or microgreens, for garnish

Directions
Wisk together olive oil, orange juice, mustard, champagne vinegar, and a dash of salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Cut off beet greens, wash beets, and gently scrub to remove any dirt. Wrap beet in aluminum foil and place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake until beet is thoroughly cooked (approximately 1 hour). Unwrap beet and allow to cool. Using a paper towel, rub off the beet’s skin. Cut beet into small cubes.

Place quinoa and vegetable broth in a 1 ½ quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all broth is absorbed (10-15 minutes). Allow quinoa to cool.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, shrimp, orange segments, carrots, cilantro, beets, and salt and pepper. Toss with vinaigrette mixture until lightly coated (you may not use all of the vinaigrette). Top with watercress or microgreens to garnish and serve.

Sisterly Suggestion: Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette

I went through a phase a couple years ago where I watched every episode of Everyday Italian. It became a ritual every night after work while my husband was in class (thank goodness for TiVo). You may have noticed that I am a fan of Giada de Laurentiis’ recipes. (She can do no wrong in my book.) One recipe that I saw her make but never tried was her Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette. It looked like a great idea, but what would I do with a whole chicken? Especially when my husband is a breast man. (That is, boneless, skinless chicken breasts.)

Just a couple of weeks ago my sister mentioned to me that she made this recipe with chicken breasts, instead of a whole chicken. As she was raving about how good it was I was thinking to myself, “…why didn’t I think of that?” So I tried it myself with four chicken breasts, and this was easy and tasty (so says my husband). I paired it with herbed polenta, and he has been dining on this all week!

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette
(From Everyday Italian)
Ingredients
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 2 garlic cloves, chopped
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (giblets, neck and backbone reserved for another use) (*Kate used 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts - please see baking note below)
* 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon lemon zest
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions
Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend. Combine the vinaigrette and chicken pieces in a large resealable plastic bag; seal the bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate, turning the chicken pieces occasionally, for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400°F*. Remove chicken from the bag and arrange the chicken pieces on a large greased baking dish. Roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 1 hour*. If your chicken browns too quickly, cover it with foil for the remaining cooking time. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Place the baking dish on a burner over medium-low heat. Whisk the chicken broth into the pan drippings, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the baking sheet with a wooden spoon and mixing them into the broth and pan drippings. Drizzle the pan drippings over the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest and parsley over the chicken, and serve.

*Note - If you're baking chicken breasts, I recommend baking at 350°F for approximately 40-45 minutes.

Everyday Salad: Kate's Fresh Herb Salad & Lemon Vinaigrette

For the first time in my life, I attempted to grow something this summer. This was a risky bet, as I do not have a green thumb. I have no children, pets, or plants, and therefore, no responsibility to tend to anything other than my husband (and well, if I forget to feed or water him, he’ll let me know!). I thought about growing my own herbs a couple summers ago. My mom informed me that I’d need to water them a couple times a day, so I quickly abandoned that idea. But this summer I decided to give it an attempt. I figured that even if I couldn’t keep them alive for long, I’d at least get my money’s worth in the beginning.

We purchased some basil, mint, chives, Italian parsley, and cilantro from the farmers’ market and planted them in a small planter at home. The total cost was under $10, so after just a couple uses, I had already surpassed what I could have purchased for that amount of money at the grocery store. I’m pleased to say that I’ve been good adequate at remembering to water them. My mint took a little while to get started, but it’s coming in nicely now (and from what others are telling me, it will never go away!). The cilantro has had it, but we had a good run. It has been so convenient and economical to be able to step outside, trim a few leaves, and add fresh homegrown herbs to my dishes.


One evening this summer I was throwing together a salad, and decided to use all of the herbs that I had. I actually just tossed the herbs with some arugula, added a little dressing, and that was it – a delicious, yet simple salad! I started making this salad every night. It is so simple and light. I have so many salad recipes that include lots of cheeses, beans, nuts, dried fruit, etc., which are all quite good, but on a warm summer day, this is refreshing and hits the spot.

In the recipe below, I’ve included pine nuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano to add some texture, but if you’re up for a simplified salad, feel free to omit them. This vinaigrette is my standard dressing that I use on almost all salads. I make a batch and keep it in a mason jar in the refrigerator to last throughout the week. I think the dressing tastes great with just the lemon and the olive oil, but my husband complained that he tasted “too much lemon”, and with the addition of a little honey and Dijon, he likes it very much now! This is a salad that you can get creative with and add your own favorite herbs, cheese, nuts, and/or dried fruits.

Kate's Fresh Herb Salad & Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For Lemon Vinaigrette:
* 1 lemon (juice and zest)
* ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
* ½ teaspoon honey
* ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
* Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For Fresh Herb Salad:
* 8 cups loosely packed arugula
* ½ cup fresh herbs (such as basil, cilantro, chives, Italian parsley), coarsely chopped
* 2 green onions, chopped
* ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
* ¼ pine nuts, toasted

Directions
Zest half of the lemon, and combine with juice from entire lemon, olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, and pepper. Either whisk ingredients together in a small bowl, or combine ingredients in a container with a sealable top (such as a mason jar) and shake until all ingredients are incorporated. (The vinaigrette will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks.)

In a large bowl, toss arugula with green onions, fresh herbs, and a couple tablespoons of dressing, so lettuce is just barely coated. Arrange salad mixture on individual plates, and to garnish, sprinkle each salad with cheese, pine nuts, and freshly ground black pepper, if desired.