I love radishes.  It is odd that I have not talked about more on this blog.  I guess that  I don’t actually cook with radishes.  I just eat them as a snack with olives, salted nuts or cheese….and add them to every salad I make…and sprinkle them, minced on top of my eggs.  Really, I eat radishes just about every day.  Radishes and swiss chard. I know that I have made some fuss about how hard it was for me to give up wheat, but if you wanted to see me have a total breakdown you could tell me that I was no longer allowed to eat radishes and swiss chard.

I’ve decided that this counts as a recipe, because the radishes get dipped in a cilantro avocado crema and then a spicy pepita powder.  I made it up myself and I want to eat all the time.  Radishes are particularly spicy and wonderful in the spring time.  It is nice to have a variety of colours, for aesthetics, but also because different colours tend to have slightly different levels of spice and sweetness.

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Some of you may be wondering who the foxy lady is.  That is my beautiful and talented friend and neighbor Kirsten Kammermeyer.  She agreed to meet me this morning to have her nails painted like radishes and get her picture taken in Prospect Park while eating my radish snack.  In addition to being lovely, she is an amazing puppeteer and educator.
Now more from our ravishing radish model, Kirsten…

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RADISH SNACK WITH AVOCADO CREMA AND SPICY PEPITA POWDER

• Several bunches of delicious, spicy, colourful radishes
• 1/3 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 tsp  whole cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground dried ancho chili (I just flaked a bit off of a whole one)
• 1/2 tsp salt (maldone salt if you’ve got it)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• the juice of 1 lime
• the zest of 1/2 lime
• 1 perfectly ripe avocado
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro
• salt to taste

1. Rinse and scrub the radishes.  Trim them of most of their greens.  It’s nice to leave a bit of green to use as a handle.  Save your radish greens to throw into Stracciatella or Gumbo Z’herbs.
2. Heat a small heavy bottomed skillet and dry roast the pepitas until they start to turn from green to a toasty gold colour.  Transfer the pepitas to a mortar and pestle, spice grinder  or food processor.
3. Add the cumin seeds to the hot pan and toast until they are fragrant and begin to change color.  Add the cumin seed to the pepitas along with the ancho chili and flaky salt and process the mixture until it is a powder.  It will be a beige color, but will gradually turn orange over the next hour.  I don’t know why.
4. Combine the sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, avocado flesh and minced cilantro in a clean food processor or blender and whir until totally smooth and combined.  Season to taste with salt.  Dip each radish into the avocado crema, then the pepita powder and chomp!

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MORE SNACKS AND RADISHES…

Snack Time on the Isle of Cats https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/07/08/snack-time-on-the-island-of-cats/

My Mother’s Amazing Crab Dip https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2011/07/04/my-mothers-amazing-crab-dip/

Curried Avocado https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/05/27/curried-avocado-indian-guacamole/

Chipotle Cheese Spread https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/08/18/sweet-and-smoky-chipotle-seasoning-paste-and-a-love-letter-to-my-texas-friends/

Red Remoulade with Vegetables https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/08/09/red-remoulade-and-some-of-its-many-uses/

Spicy Lemon Date Spread https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/baked-chickpea-pancake-with-spicy-lemon-date-spread/

A Cooling Salad of Radish, Fennel, Celery and Hazelnuts https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/08/05/a-cooling-salad-with-radish-fennel-celery-and-hazelnuts/

Rocket and Radish Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/naked-and-imperfect-nettle-and-wild-garlic-dumplings-gluten-free-rocket-and-radish-salad-with-walnut-vinaigrette/

Crunchy and Colourful Green Been Salad https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/crunchy-and-colourful-green-bean-salad/