Roasted Green Onion + Apple Tapenade

Good morning! Does anyone else sing ‘Friday, I’m In Love’ in her head every Friday morning? So…just me. Cool.

This post was actually written last Friday, and I was almost an overachiever and double-posted, but then I figured, why not save this Strange But Good recipe, giving me more time to clean and prepare for Mama and Sister Smart’s visit this weekend? [And by 'clean and prepare' I obviously mean catch up on The Bachelor, Downton Abbey, and blog reading.]

In addition to being the first day I didn’t track my calorie intake (in some form or another) in at least 18 months, I also spent Friday morning preparing a photo shoot before school. Awesome.

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As usual, I did not learn about our school’s two-hour delay until I had drained my coffee mug on the way to school. Big, flat snowflakes started falling, and I just had the inkling…

Two-hour delay means two posts in one day.*

*Technically, I wrote the other one last night. But who can resist a great rhyme?In addition to the grapes and tomatoes I had floundering in the fridge–an expression I am using solely for alliterative purposes–I had a heap of green onions whose ends were starting to turn a bit brown.I had managed to swipe a bunch of sliced green apples from the teacher’s lounge fridge as well, which I swear I totally intended to eat at school…or not. But if no one else is going to eat them, I certainly couldn’t let them go to waste!Much as I love roasting grapes, I love roasting apples. Usually together. But this time I thought…what about roasting onions and apples? [An idea I'm sure came from someone--or some publication--but I will take credit for, thankyouverymuch.] And if you are going to go green, why stop there?Michelle had roasted celery (not all that) recently, and you can bet I was curious about how that would taste. In went that crisp crudite that I swear can have amazing flavor, even raw, if you get a good bunch. [Much like cucumbers. So often misjudged as flavorless.]The idea to turn this into a tapenade could have only come from having had a delicious roasted veggie version while in Louisville visiting Brittany last weekend.Also, I had a mess of olives still chilling in the fridge from my Mango Peach + Olive Salsa. [I wasn't lying when I said most of what I create comes from a place of waste not, want not desperation.]

The ginger was simply a burst of sheer genius.Of course, first I got lazy and stopped at relish.

Yet, since I already had the immersion blender out for mixing up my Roasted Red Pepper, Grape, and Tomato (Vegan) Bisque, I figured, why not take it to the next level?

If tapenade actually is the next level of relish. (But only the Bruschetta Brigade can make that call I imagine.)Roasted Green Onion + Apple Relish or Tapenade

(Makes 1 Cup)

• 1 cup chopped green apples (100g)
• 1 bunch (8) green onions, whites and light greens (2/3 c. sliced)
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• salt + pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 c. chopped olives (about 15 medium olives)
• 1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
• rice vinegar, to taste
• grapeseed or canola oil, to taste (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine apples, onions, celery, and seasoning in a roasting pan.
3. Bake/roast for 15-20 minutes. (Fruit and veggies should be soft, but still have a bite.)
4. Stir in olives and ginger immediately.
5. Remove mixture from pan and chop into a coarse relish, or blend in a food chopper or processor with added vinegar and oil (if desired) to create tapenade.

There are probably a number of even weirder creations swimming around in blog land today, so why don’t you pop over to see wha Laura and the other freaky foodies have come up with this week?