Summer Yum-Yum Yumminess

It has definitely been a strange summer up here in Northern California. The weather has been oddly chilly, with cold front blowing in from the San Francisco Bay. We have had only a few days of 100+ temperatures, and honestly, I have been loving the cooler weather. If you happen to live in my town, you know that yesterday was a HOT one… the kind worth melting the rubber off the soles of your shoes and not wanting to step outside. So with that said, in honor of summertime and scorching hot days – I woke up this morning and wanted to share one of my all time favorite recipes with you. And, technically I made it up… so bare with me.

The Story goes like this :

I was in the stunning Mendocino area, near Fort Bragg. I had spent the past few days near the ocean in a cute little cabin, hanging out with good friends, fasting to spend time together and get closer with God. It was beautiful and nice to get away. I love being around good girlfriends. But, after 3 days of not eating… you get pretty darn hungry and everything in the world sounds fabulous to chow down (even some liver and spinach.) After everyone had taken off to go home, it was just my best friend and I, all alone and abandoned to roam the streets of Mendocino… STARVING. We found this healthy little cafe (you always want to break a fast with something healthy) and I saw this rice-dish staring at me through the looking glass. It was making flirty passes at me, so I bought a little for lunch. OH YEAH, it’s yumminess hit the bottom of my belly with satisfaction. I absolutely LOVED it. After licking my plate clean (literally) I skipped back inside the cafe to dissect the ingredients to pieces. So what you have before you, is my version of this fabulous favorite Mendocino dish, discovered in a nameless cafe. I personally like to call it :: Marin’s Mediterranean Concoction

Details

Start with cooking the two cups of wild rice (which will take almost an hour, because wild rice takes forever to cook.) When it is done, put it to the side. Then cook up your cous cous. That takes only a few minutes. Combine your rice and cous cous in a large bamboo dish (ha ha, just a bowl – it doesn’t have to be bamboo.) Add in your cranberries and green onion. If you haven’t roasted up those almonds yet, now would be the time to do it. I like to buy them raw, chop them up, and then broil them myself… This way they are super toasty tasting. That is honestly one of the best parts of this dish, those toasted almonds make it GREAT! Make sure you watch the almonds though, because they will burn before you know it! I have done it soooo many times. Throw those in after cooking them up. Pour in the oil, honey, and lemon to taste. It shouldn’t be too sweet or too sour. It should be a perfect blend of both. You might need more of one than the other. I just taste as I go along and gave you a rough version of the ingredients. Make it your own! Add more of one thing than another if you like… Put in the fridge for 2 hours. Eat cold.

Well, that is it. Good luck. Let me know how you like it… I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.