It’s been a great week so far! I’ve discovered ‘Somersaults’  a delicious and healthy new snack, made with sunflower seeds.  Somersaults come in a few different flavors.  I like the sea salt and the black pepper varieties.  I didn’t care for the cocoa and haven’t tried the salsa.  Whole Foods has started carrying drinks sweetened with agave nectar—important for my family since my mom has blood sugar issues.  I really liked the Gingerade from Big Island Organics.  It was pleasantly piquant and definitely gingery with 1 oz of ginger juice in each  16 oz bottle. I found and purchased an almost new racy, red kitchen aid (with all of the attachments!) at a yard sale for $75 and Mollie Stones, the supermarket in my neighborhood has started carrying Labne.   Labne is a yogurt cheese—it’s simple to make—it’s just strained yogurt, but until recently it has been difficult to find in the grocery store.  I think it is a yummy alternative to cream cheese.  Spice, by Ana Sortun with Nicole Chaison has a great recipe for a winter salad using Labne.   It starts with a base of Labne, mixed with herbs and pecans, formed into a disc and topped with a marinated apple slaw and endive.     It was delicious, refreshing and different.

Have you found any new and exciting treats at the grocery store lately?  If so, please share!! I’m always interested in trying new foods and products.

Endive and Apple Salad with Grapes, Sumac and Pecan Labne

Adapted from Spice by Ana Sortun with Nicole Chaison

Serves 4

½ cup pecan pieces, toasted and chopped finely.  Reserve 1 Tbsp for garnish.

1 Granny Smith apple, julienned

2 tsp each chopped mint, dill and parsley

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

A handful of grapes, stemmed and washed

1 garlic clove, grated

¾ cup of labne

2 Tbsp. ground melba toast or very crisp, dry breadcrumbs

1 head of endive

Sumac for garnish (If you can’t find sumac sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice over the finished dish.)

1. Toss the julienned apple with the 1 Tbsp of olive oil, the herbs and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.  Cut the grapes in half and add them to the apple mixture.
2. Combine the labne, the remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil the melba crumbs, grated garlic and pecans.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Trim the bottom ends of the endive and remove the leaves, one by one.  When you reach the heart of the endive, set it aside.
4. Slice the endive hearts into thin rings and toss with the apple mixture.
5. Assemble the salad by placing a couple of tablespoons of labne on the bottom of each salad plate.
6. Using the back of a spoon, smooth the labne into a 2 inch circle.  Arrange the endive spears on each plate at a slight angle, sticking the bottom of the spears into the labne.
7. Spoon ½ tablespoon of the apple mixture over each endive spear. Sprinkle sumac and reserved pecan pieces over the salads and serve.