My husband picked up Simply Nigella from the library for me and I was immediately smitten. Apparently I spent most of December blabbing about how great it was, because two different people got it for me for me as a Christmas gift. Why do I love this book? It is just perfectly in line with how I want to eat and cook right now. I love spending time in my kitchen, but I certainly don't want to be there all day. Simply Nigella embraces that balance and you can clearly see how the author loves the ritual and the creativity of cooking (and certainly relishes the final product).

Here are a handful of recipes that I have tried and recommend: Cauliflower and Cashew Nut Curry, Roasted Radishes, Oven-Cooked Chicken Shawarma, Maple Pecan No-Wait, No-Cook Oats. But there are so many more I would like to try. The photos are beautiful and Nigella's tone is wry and amusing. (For what it's worth, I did purchase another Nigella cookbook and didn't like it nearly as much.)
But back to the recipe at hand. Nigella considers this a light supper, but for me it makes a perfect lunch. It takes a bit of foresight with the pickled onions, but 20 minutes will get the job done and I can think of plenty of other things I can do around the house during that brief interim. You should use the best ingredients you have because the individual flavors shine equally in this dish. If you can find fresh feta use it. And this is also the time to use a really nice olive oil if you have it.

 Feta and Avocado Salad with Red Onions and Pomegranate Seeds

Serves 2

• 1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced into thin half-moons
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 8 ounces high quality feta cheese
• 1 ripe avocado
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• 1 or 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon nigella seeds* 

1. Place the red onion slices into a small, non-reactive bowls, cover with vinegar and leave for 20 minutes. You can cover it with plastic wrap and leave it for several hours and it will be even better.

2. After the onions are pickled, get out your two plates and divide the feta cheese between them, breaking the feta into largish chunks.

3. Peel the avocado, remove the pit, and cut into long crescents. Arrange them around the feta. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the top and drizzle the olive oil. Put some of the pickled onions on each plate.

*If you have nigella seeds go ahead and sprinkle them. I thought perhaps the author had made up the name of this seed, but it is in fact a real thing called "kalonji" in Indian cooking. I could not find them or her recommended substitute, black mustard seeds. It was perfectly delicious without them. A grind or two of good black pepper would suit this very well. I also tried a sprinkle of Za'atar, a middle eastern spice blend.