You Can Pickle That

Cava is a local restaurant in the DC area, think of it as Mediterranean Chipotle style fast casual. I love their bowls of all things delicious. However at the ahem, bargain price of $9 a pop, it's a rarity to eat there. Putting on my creative hat, and solid skills in the kitchen to good use- I made my own. With a few minor tweaks, naturally. 

Instead of rice at the bottom of the bowl, I made cilantro lime quinoa, and putting shredded kale on top. Cava bowl is topped with a variety of dips and sauces, wanting to keep my sanity I only made one dippy sauce, a loose-y tzatziki sauce. Topping it all, I love the zippy zing of pickled onions. Among such whole bowl of hearty flavors the pickled onion cuts through and gives a mouth puckering balance. 

I followed this basic pickle recipe for the pickle brine, then I added Fennel and Coriander whole, dried seeds. Clearly this recipe makes more pickled onions than I needed for my week of faux Cava bowls, so I've started adding them to other dishes. So far they've topped my curried chicken salad wrap, squashed into a melty grilled cheese and I look forward to finding other uses for he half jar or so I've got left in my fridge.

Fortunately it lasts awhile, after all- it's pickled.