birds of a feather get together, the recipes!

hi friends!  you remember when i posted a sneak peek of our birds of a feather get together here?  well today i’m sharing the recipes for what we ate that day!  to read about my entertaining tips, inspiration for the day and sources for everything on the table , head on over to the glitter guide! and if you’d like to see even more of the decor and prettiness head over to the birds of a feather blog (so many little details!).   i hope you enjoy all of this! more after the jump…

let’s start here, with these blood orange mimosas.  because you can’t very well be asked to prepare brunch without something to keep you hydrated, right?!  this is really quite simple- the juice from some blood oranges and some champagne.  i bought the fancy stuff because it would look the prettiest in the photos, but in regular life i would buy something medium fancy.  i don’t care for cheap champagne but i also don’t really like throwing down for a champagne that’s going to be mixed.   of course, if you watch shahs of sunset you might remember that not even those crazy champagne guzzlers can tell the difference.  so i might be kidding myself and just pretending that i have a refined pallet.  yep, that’s probably exactly what’s happening.  well, whatever.  moving on…

these are herb and beet quinoa patties with a chive aioli and i can tell you right now they taste about 1000X better than they look. there’s no trick to these, they’re easy to make and a sure hit even with those people who think beets taste like dirt (aka, my husband). i prepared the patties in advance and then cooked them up real quick when everyone arrived so as to avoid greeting them at the door with beet hands (i prefer my guests to arrive and not immediately fear for their lives).

the what:

for the patties-

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa

3 cloves minced garlic

3 large shallots, finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped beets

5 eggs

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

2 tablespoons sage, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped

1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

grape seed or other high heat oil

pea shoots or chives to garnish (optional)

for the chive aioli-

4 tablespoons vegenaise or regular mayonnaise

1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

pinch of sea salt

the how:

– preheat oven to 325 degrees

– clean beets and wrap in foil (i roasted three beets, although the recipe needs much less- they’re so nice to have on hand to throw into a dish though!)

– while beets are cooking prepare the aioli by mixing the vegenaise, chives, lemon juice and sea salt.  refrigerate until ready to serve

– roast beets for 40 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.  remove, unwrap and set aside to cool.  when they’ve cooled, wipe away skin with fingers (should come off easily!)

– chop beets into small pieces

– in a large mixing bowl combine quinoa, garlic, shallots, herbs, sea salt, beets, bread crumbs and mix.  add eggs and mix thoroughly.

– form mixture into little patties and cook over medium heat in a well oiled pan.  (oil is your friend when cooking these!)  they’re done when lightly browned and crispy on each side

– serve hot with chives or chopped pea sprouts to garnish

next up we have a shaved brussel sprout salad with pomegranate in a mustard vinaigrette.  this is another dish that can be prepared in advance and dressed at the last minute.  it also sounds impressive when your guests ask what it is… “oh nothing, just a little shaved brussel sprout and pomegranate salad i threw together”.  RIGHT?!

the what:

for the salad-

5 cups of shredded brussel sprouts (thinly slice brussel sprouts to create a shredded look)

2 cups of pomegranate seeds

1 1/2 cup chopped nuts (i used a mixture of hazelnuts, walnuts and pecans)

for the dressing-

3 tablespoons whole grain mustard

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons of maple syrup

pinch of sea salt

the how:

– in large serving bowl combine brussel sprouts, pomegranate seeds and 1 cup of nuts.  mix well

– in a small mixing bowl combine mustard, olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup and sea salt

– add dressing to salad before serving, mix well and sprinkle 1/2 cups on top of salad to garnish

this recipe is so simple that even if you took down three too many mimosas before your guests arrived you could still swing it.  for the record that didn’t happen.

the what:

1 bunch of carrots with the tops chopped off

1/2 cup of blood orange juice

3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

the how:

– pre heat over to 325 degrees

– in a small bowl combine orange juice, maple syrup and soy sauce

– place carrots on a baking sheet and coat in the orange juice glaze

– roast at 325 for around 30 minutes, removing from oven a few times to mix them up and to make sure all are coated and cooking evenly

happy eating my friends!