Candida Kale Caesar Salad

This is so easy and delicious. It is Paleo, Candida, and Vegan friendly!! There are a few variations that can take this salad different places, so here are your options:

Kale Caesar Salad (for 4)

• 1 Head of Kale, de-stemmed, washed, and cut
• 3 tablespoons Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (or Lemon Juice...if you are on the Candida or Body Ecology Diet though the ACV is better because it has live cultures)
• 1 clove of garlic, pushed through a press or run over the grater
• *good quality* organic unrefined oil, drizzled generously overtop
• Shake, Shake, Shake and Shake some more of Braggs Nutritional Yeast (this is fine for people on Candida or B.E.D. because it is not live active yeast) *the more cheese that you want on your salad, the more nutritional yeast that you'd want...
• Hard boiled egg (optional): to take this salad to the next level you can dice up a hard boiled egg on top. Make sure you do so before you massage it with your hands, so that the cooked egg yolk can act as a thickener for the 'dressing'. 

Massage it with your hands for about 5 minutes, softening up the tough kale and integrating all of the flavors together. Warning: this salad is freaking delicious. And crazy insane healthy. 

Full Power Lunch Hour.

Boom. Full power lunch. I made a simple salad that was sooooo delicious, probably the best salad I've ever made (and I make good salads). It's tasty, quick and easy to make, it'll fill you up and power you up- and it'll leave a smile on your face.

1. Clean and slice green kale (splurge on organic, it just tastes so much better)

2. Quarter 2 hard boiled eggs

3. Slice half an avocado

4. Sprinkle some raw pepita seeds on top

5. Drizzle with EVOO and lemon juice. Dust with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

AMMMMMAZING.

Fresh Fall.

Oh me oh my, the changing of seasons...what a clusterfuck of emotions and physical sensations. Where to begin? After the 5-day-prep-Moroccan-feast, I felt like I was coming down off of a high. Not that it was a distraction from some stuff that's been going on internally for me, but it was a healthy distraction keeping me busy (doing what I love to do). I woke up Monday feeling pretty shitty. I was a bit congested, my eyes felt heavy, and my head was a bit foggy. I covered Michelle's class for her, hung with my friend Julie all afternoon at Who's on First, and then gave a Thai Massage at the Zen Den (which was a beautiful space to receive).

The Zen Den in Ocean City also serves as a great space to receive Thai Massage. With the change of seasons, Thai  Massage is a great way to move stagnant energy that's in the body, and to help cleanse the body of any toxins. 

After the massage I went to Ari's Sweat Express class because I needed to physically and emotionally detox. As we flowed through the practice, and up through our chakras, I tried to keep my eyes closed and mediate on the chakra that we were engaging and opening. I don't know if it was the playlist, or if I was successful in opening each.and.every.chakra, or if I just haven't practiced under someone else in so long - but I started crying when we were on the throat chakra and didn't stop until well after class was over. I was holding back tears until Ari said (of the throat chakra) "an imbalance in this chakra is when we want to say something but we haven't, or we have been holding back what we want to say. Well, the time is now." I just thought of all the things that I want to say to my Dad, that I wanted to say to my Dad, and that I'll never be able to say to him - and it just opened the flood gates. I cried, and cried, and cried. And though I don't think it's good to hold back tears - I was desperately trying because I just didn't want to be sobbing in front of this community that I love. I just wanted to be alone. I got a few great hugs at the end of class, which always feels good - but again, the flood gates were opened and there was nothing that was going to stop it. Poor Ari had my snot all over her shoulder from me dry heaving through her embrace.... Got home, cried with my mom, then did what I do when I'm sad : I cooked.

Cailins Spicy Sadness Soup: (P*if you leave out chickpeas, V, VG)

• 1 leek
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery 
• 1 bunch of kale
• 1 can of chickpeas
• coconut oil
• vegetable broth
• curry
• Sriracha *Chili Garlic 

Dice and sautee the leek, carrot and celery in the bottom of the soup pot along with a big scoop of coconut oil. Clean, de-rib and chop up kale...add to the pot.Cover and cook about 10minutes. Add vegetable broth to cover the veggies, a large scoop of the sriracha chili garlic sauce, and a generous few shakes of curry powder. Add in another big spoonful of coconut oil for some healthy fats. Cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the (rinsed) chick peas. Let simmer a few minutes and then enjoy. 

Cold weather makes me crave warm, spicy foods. This spur-of-the moment creation hit the spot. 

After eating the whole pot of spicy soup I took two benadryl and was asleep by 10pm. I woke up the next afternoon at 12:30pm. I guess that my body needed sleep. A lot of sleep. More sleep than I've ever had in my life. When I woke up I housed a bowl of cereal and then some spicy Moroccan leftovers before retiring to the couch. Another *this never ever happens* happened...I laid on the couch and watched TV!!! ALL AFTERNOON! I was only awake for about 3 hours and then my eyes started to feel heavy again. I'm so grateful for my Mom who encouraged me to sleep and do nothing - because if she wasn't there yelling at me to relax then I would have been cleaning the house and doing work because I felt the need to "do something". So, at her advice, I laid down in my bed and took a nap for two and a half hours. Woke up, ravenous, craving pizza and television. So I cuddled up onto the couch again - enjoyed some pizza and TV, and then was back to sleep by 10. I woke up this morning not yet feeling 100%, but feeling a thousand times better than I did yesterday. I taught this mornings class and then caught a few waves in Sea Isle with my buddy Johnny DiGenni. It felt good to be in the water and in the sunshine, it felt great to be able to clear my head from the hoard of snot that is determined to clog my brain, and it felt great to laugh with Johnny -- he is the funniest motherfucker that you will ever meet, I promise.

Nothing like a natural-Neti....a dip in the ocean. Enjoyed a fun surf today in the warm water with my good friend Johnny. 

Got home and was craving Fresh and Cruncy and Spicy. Lucky me, my Mom had just roasted Duck breasts - so I decided on creating an epic salad (credit goes to Doreen on this one, who inspired this salad many moons ago)...

Spicy Crunchy Asian Salad with Roasted Duck Breast:

Crunchy Asian Salad with Roasted Duck Breast.

• small handful Chopped romaine (only the hearts, not the green leafy bit)
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery
• 1/4 red bell pepper
• red cabbage
• green cabbage
• sunflower seeds
• duck breast

Homemade Asian Vinaigrette.

Dressing:

• Sriracha Chili Garlic
• Spring Roll Sauce
• Toasted Sesame Oil
• ground Ginger
• Rice Vinegar

The assemblage is pretty self explanatory. Chop up produce and put in a bowl. Remove any fat and skin from the duck breast and then shred and place on salad. The dressing is pretty self-explanatory as well....a scoop of spicy sriracha, a good amount of spring roll sauce, a drizzle of sesame oil, a sprinkle of ground ginger and then rice vinegar to finish it off. Whisk it together and throw it over the salad. And since I like this crunchy salad extra spicy, I always sprinkle cayenne pepper as a final touch. BadaBing...enjoy.

Food for Fall.

I have been inspired to eat, cook, listen to, and be surrounded by everything Moroccan. Paula Wolferts cookbook, "The Food of Morocco" has been my bible - and is the ONLY cookbook that I have used, and probably ever will. It's outstanding. Everything is a "hit". Last night I wanted to make something delicious for my Mom, but she said that she didn't care to eat any meat. I have a bunch of lentils, some leftover swiss chard from my afternoon soup, and butternut squash is in season, so I decided to create an adaptation of Wolferts "Lentils with Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash and Meat Confit". After I made my changes the recipe was quite different, but just as delicious. Here is my interpretation of dish:

Cailins Fall Lentils with Squash and Swiss Chard: (V, VG)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup French Lentils
• 1 large onion 
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)
• 3 large Swiss chard leaves, tender ribs and leaves rolled and finely shredded crosswise
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 1 garlic clove
• paprika (be generous)
• cumin (be generous)
• ground black pepper
• cayenne pepper (be generous if you like heat, scant if you don't)
• lemon juice
• flat leaf parsley (fresh)
• cilantro (fresh)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, prep your squash, then put squash into a roasting pan. Fill up the pan about 1inch with chicken broth, then sprinkle some paprika, cumin, cayenne, and black pepper on the squash. Cover with tin foil and cook til tender (about 20minutes??).

2. Rinse the lentils. Put one cup of lentils in a saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to a full boil for 5 min. Drain the lentils.

3. In a deep skillet, sautee your onion in olive oil with the tomatoes and garlic. (side note: I cut the onion in half and did small half moon slivers. With garlic I NEVER chop it, but instead use a zester or grater so that the garlic becomes a paste almost and can melt into the sauce...otherwise you get a big bite of garlic, and thats nasty). Then sprinkle some paprika, cumin, cayenne, and black pepper into the pan. Cook and stir for about 5-10minutes.

4. Spread the lentils over the onions; place the Swiss chard (which has been sliced up) on top. Add about 2 cups of chicken broth (or beef or vegetable, chefs choice), and simmer on low heat for 20minutes. (side note: when you are simmering something, it means that there has to be a low boil to it. So make sure that its bubbling a little bit).

*I am using broth to cook it in, and I even drizzled extra virgin olive oil on top, because it needs some fat - which if you used the original recipe with meat confit it would have. So just be sure to pour a bit of EVOO on it and use broth instead of water.

5. Add the roasted squash to the lentils (taste test to make sure that the lentils are tender!!!).

6. Once in your bowl, add a generous amount of fresh cilantro and fresh flat leaf parsley to the dish -- these add a freshness and citrus to the dish that it needs. Also, it needs a bit of acidity, so squeeze 1/4 to a 1/2 of a lemon over the dish. It sounds odd, but it completes the dish.


The salad that I did was a simple french salad. Mixed greens, herbed goat cheese, pickled onions, salted pepitas and a simple vinagrette. To pickle the onions (which takes the gnarly ONION taste and bite away), you place the onions in a dish with a bit of fresh lemon juice. Let sit for about 10 minutes. Reserve the juice for your dressing but rinse the onions and squeeze them. The dressing was the reserved lemon juice, a splash of balsamic vinagarette, EVOO, and a touch of salt, agave nectar and tarragon. DELICIOUS.

Morocco Round One

Here are recipes from the first round of food that was put out:

• Fresh Tomato and Caper Salad
• Orange and Olive Salad
• Grilled Red Pepper Salad
• Eggplant Zaalouk

The beauty of Moroccan feasts is that because there are many dishes served, there are certain things that are meant to be made and/or prepped a day ahead of time. All of this was made the day before, with the exception of the tomato salad. These are MY adaptations of Paula Wolferts recipes from her book "Food of Morocco". I've put my spin on them, so enjoy...

Fresh Tomato and Caper Salad

6 medium sized tomatoes (peeled, seeded and diced)

*the way that you peel a tomato...bring water to a boil, place the tomato in the boiling water. Remove in about a minute, once you notice that the skin has a crack in it. voila.

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

1 large handful of medium to large capers (rinsed and drained)

sea salt

ground white pepper

3 tablespoons EVOO

Juice of 1 lemon and zest of one lemon

This was probably my most favorite thing of the whole evening -- and it was the EASIEST thing to make. This will definitely be a regular on our dinner table.

Orange and Olive Salad

6 navel oranges

24 oil cured black olives

dressing:

4 tablespoons EVOO

4 tablespoons orange juice (from the oranges youre peeling)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

pinch of cayenne

drizzle of honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

Section the oranges but slicing the top and bottom off the orange. Then cut the peel off. Then slice the sections out. Easy. I made this the night before by sectioning the oranges and then making the dressing separate -- tossing it all together and throwing some parsley on just before serving.

Next up were the peppers. Again, I did things my way more so than Wolferts', but it tasted good and thats all that matters.....

Grilled Red Pepper Salad

3 large red bell peppers (peeled, seeded and quartered)

*an easy way to peel peppers....put them under the broiler and once the skin starts to bubble and char just peel them off.

sea salt

EVOO

1 medium sized tomato peeled, seeded, and diced

2 garlic cloves crushed ( i just use a zester and zest the garlic, creating a paste)

generous sprinkle of cumin

chopped flat leaf parsley

First I sprinkle the quartered and seeded peppers with salt. I rolled them in paper towels and pressed them, letting them sit for an hour. Once removing the excess moisture I put them under the broiler so that I could remove the skin. Wrapped em up and went to bed. The morning I sauteed them in a skillet with the tomato, olive oil and seasonings for several minutes. Refrigerate. Sprinkle with fresh cut parsley just before serving.

Mindy was in charge of the eggplant zaalouk...and it was delicious! She said that it sucked the day she made it, but luckily for her she followed the recipes instructions that you make this dish atleast 24 hours before consumption....

Eggplant Zaalouk

2 medium eggplants

1/3 cup EVOO

1 pound ripe tomatoes (peeled, seeded, and chopped - or 2 cups drained chopped canned tomatoes)

pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

salt

2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

fresh lemon juice

Halve the eggplant lengthwise, place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet, and broil until blackened and tender (20minutes approximately). Dump into a colander set in the sink. Peel while still hot and allow to drain until cool. Squeeze gently to remove any bitter juices. In a skillet pour 3 tablespoons EVOO, add in tomatoes, sugar, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt. Cook, stirring, for about 20minutes. Crush the eggplant with a fork and add to the skillet. Stir in the chopped cilantro and continue cooking for another 10minutes. Add lemon juice and salt to taste. LET COOL AND THEN COVER AND REFRIGERATE OVERNIGHT. Toss with a bit more olive oil before serving.

Quick Pickle Savory Salad

I was putting a salad together last week when Julie was here. I said, "What else does it need..? It needs something." She replied, "QUICK PICKLE". Quick pickle Onions, that is. Here's the ingredients for the salad (which will feed 6 as a stater, or 4 as an entree) along with the recipe for Quick Pickle Onions:

Savory Salad with Quick Pickle Onions

- spinach or mixed greens. NO romaine, no hearty lettuce. If you want this salad to work it's simply spinach or mixed greens, no substitutions

- one can of pitted black olives, cut in half

- one can of chick peas, rinsed and drained

- 2 or 3 large ripe tomatoes, diced

- generous handful of grated pecorino Romano cheese

- several cranks of fresh ground pepper and a mild sprinkle of salt

- Quick Pickle Onions

QUICK PICKLE ONIONS:

• *1/2 cup water
• *1/2 cup white wine
• *1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves of garlic, whole (not diced)
• A few cranks of black pepper
• 2 spoonfuls of sugar, or agave.

Slice two small onions, or one large onion into thin half moons. Place in pot with the ingredients above and bring to a boil for a minute. Then put on medium heat and let cook for an additional ten minutes.

Scoop out the onions and place on salad. Because they are pickled, there flavor is mild- so don't be alarmed by the quantity of them on the salad. For the dressing you'll drizzle the salad with EVOO and use the vinegar/water/wine concoction as well. *be sure to discard bay lead and garlic cloves.

Panzanella Bread Salad

This salad makes me happy. Super duper happy. Like, smile-from-ear-to-ear kinda happy. I first had it in Seattle at Erins house...Gordon whipped it up in about 2 minutes!! I don't remember the exact recipe that he used, but this is my spin on it (and I encourage you to put your own twist on it too...add tomatoes, peppers, artichokes... whatever!). This is a traditional Italian recipe, used to finish up a loaf of day-old bread.

Ingredients:
- bread with thick crust
- romaine lettuce
- 12 scallions
- EV Olive Oil
- good quality Balsamic Vinegar
- salt and pepper

I cut the bread into 1 1/2" slices. I figure on one slice of bread for each person (5ppl, 5slices). You're supposed to grill the bread and scallions, but im lazy so I just drizzles them with olive oil, dusting of salt and pepp, then put them under the broiler in the oven (turning once). Also, since I didn't grill- I added a sprinkling of smoked paprika to the bread. (If a grill is easily accessible, I recommend using it!). The bread only needs a minute on each side, and the scallions will take about 2 on each side. Dice the bread up into large bite sized pieces. It's going to seem like the romaine and bread are equal parts...this is good. Then throw on the grilled scallions, that have been chopped into large bits. Drizzle with a good amount of EV olive oil and balsamic, dash of salt and pepper. Let it sit for about 15minutes before you eat it, so that the bread gets to soak up all of the yumminess. Like I said- make this your own! I'm a whore for kalamata olives, so ofcourse I added a huge handful to this salad before serving!! ENJOY! this salad is EPIC.

SE ASIA: Papaya Salad

For a buck, you can get FRESHLY prepared papaya salad on any street in Thailand. It's EPIC and refreshing. This was definitely an essential for my "Southeast Asian Supper". BUT: it took me THREE HOURS to julienne the goddamn green papaya - and thats WITH a little shit device that I purchased at the Asian Supermarket. Well, the hard work paid off - because it was freaking outstanding...I just recommend that if you plan to make this, you invest in a LEGIT julienner like the one here:

I ordered this off of Amazon for only $1.99 (plus $5 shipping!!!), and was wishing that I loaded up on them when I was in Cambodia (where they were only 50 cents!). A good tool goes a long way.

PAPAYA SALAD

Ingredients:

1 small green papaya, julienned

1/2 cup plain roasted peanuts, lightly crushed

2 plum tomatoes, cut into long strips (or a dozen cherry tomatoes, halved)

1 thai red chili, minced

2 spring onions, sliced into matchsticks

1/2 cup fresh thai basil, roughly chopped

1 cup fresh string beans, cut in half

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons fish sauce

juice of 1 to 2 limes

2 tablespoons agave nectar

Combine all of the ingredients and smash. If you have a large mortar and pestle use this -- otherwise just get a meat tenderizer hammer and tenderize the tough green papaya, marrying the sauces. Let sit and enjoy at room temperature.

Northwest Food & Friends.

Julisa scooped me up at the airport and into her arms after my loooong journey home from Asia. Despite going nearly 20 hours without sleep, I was ready and raring to go - as Julia knew I would be. We dropped my bags, picked up Gordon, I shed my flight clothes and threw on a nicer getup - and we were off for brunch! The food was absolutely delicious. I, as is my way when in Seattle, ordered a Burger & Fries. The fries were the highlight of brekky...Julia was pretty stoked on them (see photo below), and they were served with homemade ketchup. MmMmMmMm. Julia had fresh, heavenly biscuits topped with sauteed mushrooms in a gravy, and scrambled eggs. Gordon had a turkey club, and we shared a really fantastic grilled vegetable platter. Of course, we washed it all down with a champagne cocktail and some coffee, afterall -- it's not brunch without a little bubbly! Stuffed to the gills, we headed to the farmers market to pick up some local, organic goodies to bring to dinner at Carl and Erin's later that night. Then we headed home and Jules & Gordon putzed in their garden, enjoying the "hot sunny day" (aka, I had a sweater on, and socks, and a blanket wrapped around me!).

Jules, stoked on fries and champagne.

Gordon and Jules, gameplanning their veggie beds...

A few hours to digest, power naps all around, and then we were ready for round 2 of food and booze. We headed to Carl and Erin's. Carl and Erin aren't a couple, but they are a dynamic duo that is entertaining to hang out with and simply to observe!! Carl is...carl. He's a pretty eclectic, random, multi-faceted person...with not a single bad bone in his body, and generosity that is over the top. We aren't sure how old he is, but after years of research and asking around, Erin gathers that Carl's 49 or 50. The asian in him makes guessing his age nearly impossible. So, the age-less Carl owns a big, beautiful home just outside of Columbia City in Seattle. Erin, a young, boisterous traveler has been his roomate for a few years now. She works at La Medusa with Julisa and Gordon, as well as another side job. Living with Carl for next-to-nothing has allowed her to save save save and Carl will tell you that he enjoys the company of his outgoing roomie more than anything. It's a great partnership. Both Carl and Erin are AVID bikers....this is bicycles I'm talking about. But for shits and giggles they will ride to Portland, Oregon and back. Fucking hell! Erin has an enthusiastic addictive personality, and anything that she does she will put her whole heart and soul into. SO, in just a year she has taken her cycling to a whole new level -- investing in all the gear, a coach, and has even begun competing in races...and doing great!! Needless to say, I'm super proud of her. She truly is a go-getter...and I love to be around people like this. They are inspiring. Anyways - Carl and Erin. Not a romantic thing, but a roomate thing. They hosted us for dinner and we all pitched in to make an outrageously delicious, nutritious local meal. Carl had FRESH halibut filets that he did on the grill in a simple salt, pepper, lemon concoction that was absolutely divine. The fish was cooked to perfection - moist, tender, and fresh fresh fresh. We also did some grilled onions and asparagus that had been marinated a bit, grilled baked potatoes and a bread salad. Gordon did the bread salad, and no one could speak - we all just moaned our way through it.

BREAD SALAD:

Get a good loaf of bread, slice into 3/4 inch slices. Drizzle with olive and grill. Dice into cubes. Do the same to large scallions: drizzle, grill, dice. In a bowl mix fresh salad greens, bread and scallions. Drizzle with HIGH QUALITY extra virgin olive oil and HIGH QUALITY balsamic vinegar. Salt, Pepp. Enjoy.

First round of drinks was Carl's famous (deadly strong) margaritas, and then we finished the night with white wine.

The Dynamic Duo: Carl and Erin.

Erin, Gordon and Julia...snacking and slavin'.

Fabulous Foodies and Fabulous Friends: Erin, Me and Julisa.

We got home around 11:30pm, and I fell straight to sleep. In the previous two days I had slept only about 5 hours total, so I was wrecked. Jet-lagged and totally confused by the time difference. Well, at half past noon Julisa walked into my room and said "Are you alive??". BAH. Needed that! I felt bad that I missed quality time with my bestie, but sleep was necessary and it was nice that her and Gordon got some quality time together on their day off. We putzed around the house and drank a couple cups of coffee (Julia makes the best! It's the combination of Bialetti espresso and the beans that they use: HERKIMER COFFEE, its the BEST!). Then we got cleaned up and headed out on our expedition: wedding dress. We got to the plaza a bit early so we had to stop into H&M. Well, their bathingsuits were in - and they are GOOD this year. SO, I got a few... You know me, my weakness: coffee and bathingsuits. Yeeeew! We met Erin at a restaurant in the plaza after H&M for a glass of wine. Then we were off to JCREW for wedding dresses. This JCREW is one of the 5 in the country that actually have the wedding dresses at the store. It was supposed to be a "big deal", but the situation was this: a mono-toned college student who lacked enthusiasm, personality and wedding-dress-knowledge put us in a dressing room for the handicapped and said 'holler if ya need me'. Ha. Not quite what we were expecting, but we made it fun none-the-less. There weren't any winners, or even any semi-winners, but the process of elimination is good sometimes by realizing what you DONT want you come closer to knowing what you DO want.

Wine to warm up for the wedding dress excursion....

Miller...trying to figure out whats going on. Where do we sit? Where is the lady? WHERES THE CHAMPAGNE? This was supposed to be a consultation...

Julisa, paying homage to her Dad....

Yeah, no. No, No, and another No.

Pearls? NO THANK YOU.

She'd look beautiful in anything....

Size 12 dresses, had to clip em up....

So, no dress. What now? Food and booze of course!! Janice met up with us and the 4 of us headed to SERIOUS PIE for some seriously outstanding pizza pies, appetizers, and .... wine. Grilled octopus and garbanzo beans, Greens with Caviar and Ham, 3 stupendous pies, a bottle of bubbly rose followed by a bottle of white, finished off with chocolate mousse and americano's. Boom. Get 'er done. Us ladies don't mess around.

Julisa, JANNNNNICCCEEE and Me.

Jules, Me and the PIG @ Serious Pie. This photos for you Dad! We love you.

Savory Salad

My family and I love to eat, and our passion for cooking is just as strong. It's tough having 3 chefs living under one roof...sharing one kitchen. Dad is kinda down for the count now - so the kitchen competition is down to two: Me and Mom. To keep it flowing {and to keep the peace} we divy up the dinner, who makes what. I'm usually put in charge of the salad - which is fine by me, salads are my specialty. For so many, salads are a half-assed afterthought. Some crappy romaine or iceberg, topped with some carrots and celery and then smothered in dressing. I like to model my salads after the season - as you should with every meal, cooking around ingredients that are in season {therefore full of flavor!}. It's easy in the summer and spring - I load up my greens with fresh fruits and herbs. As much as I love my grapefruit + avocado salad, it just doesn't seem right to eat during these colder months. So tonight's Autumn Savory Salad was the following:

• Spinach + Arugula
• sunflower seeds
• pepitas
• red onion {thinly sliced half moons}
• sundried tomatoes
• marinated artichoke hearts
  
• avocado
• hardboiled eggs
• proscuitto
• shaved parmesan reggiano
  *(optional additions: diced string beans + green olives)
  

The dressing was a homemade creamy balsamic vinaigrette. If you don't have the time to put one together yourself then just use a store-bought balsamic vinaigrette, touched up with a teaspoon of mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of agave and the egg yolks from the hardboiled eggs - shake vigorously. If you want to take a few extra seconds to put together a homemade dressing....

• 1/3 balsamic vinegar
• 2/3 olive oil
• juice of 1/2 a large lemon, or a full small lemon
• tablespoon of mustard
• teaspoon of agave nectar
• fresh ground pepper
• salt
• dash of dried tarragon
• dash of dried oregano
• dash of dried basil
• egg yolks from the hardboiled eggs {to make it creamier!}

Voila...enjoy! I'm going to start experimenting with squash and pumpkin salads - as well as mixing in some warm cooked greens {kale, collards, etc.}

Goddess Dressing.

I love Annie's Naturals! She makes the best stuff...great quality and lip-smackingly-delicious. I prefer to make my own dressings from scratch, but I sometimes look to her products for inspiration for good combinations. I was thinking about making a tahini dressing yesterday for my salad, but realized we were all out - but we DID have ANNIE'S NATURALS GODDESS DRESSING. Perfect. Vegan- No Added Sweetener -Ingredients: *Canola Oil, Water, *Tahini, *Apple Cider Vinegar, *Soy Sauce (water, *soybeans, sea salt *wheat), *Lemon Juice, Sea Salt, *Garlic, *Sesame Seeds, *Parsley,*Chives, Xanthan Gum. {I've made this on my own before using Tahini, a bit of Olive Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar, Bragg's Liquid Aminos, Salt, Garlic, and Chives}. I think that the Goddess Dressing goes really well with quinoa and avocados - so I went on that inspiration and whipped up a soul-satisfying salad for lunch.

mixed greens
alfafa sprouts
avocado
red quinoa
grape tomatoes (cut in half)
ground flaxseed
(raw unhulled) sunflower seeds
(raw) pumpkin seeds

throw it all in a bowl, toss with some Goddess Dressing, and you're good to go! I like to squeeze a little lemon on top to cut the creaminess of the tahini. Enjoy.

Cous Cous Salad

I don't know how the hell I came to make this recipe, but it's freaking delicious! Light and delightful and perfect for summer!

2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups cous cous
2 small granny smith apples, diced
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup pinenuts

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup

rosemary
thyme
parsley
(if fresh, 1/4 cup each. dry...i heaping tablespoon each)
1 tablespoon dried mint
salt (optional) to taste


Bring vegetable broth to a boil- once boiling add cous cous - cover pot, take off heat + let sit for 5minutes. Add apples, cranberries, almonds, pinenutes + herbs. Mix in cous cous. Add olive oil, maple syrup + apple cider vinegar. Mix it up - give it a taste. It may need another drizzle of olive oil or a touch of salt. Enjoy.

Scrumptious Springtime Salad.

I opened my eyes at 6:30am and before I even acknowledged that I was awake my first thought was "AVOCADO + ORANGE SALAD"! Bah, I'm certifiable. I bought a huge 10lb bag of yummy, just-perfect Navel oranges at the farmers market the other day. Why a 10lb bag? I don't know...just in case, I guess. So now I have a gazillion oranges that need to be eaten, and I have two amazingly creamy and delicious avocados that are listo para comer as well. Usually I make this salad with ruby red grapefruit but some sweet and tangy oranges will do the trick. It is the easiest, most satisfying spring salad...perfect for this time of year.

salad:

Romaine + Red Lettuce

Orange Sections

Avocado

Hulled, Raw Sunflower Seeds

dressing:

Juice of Oranges

Dash of Balsamic Vinegar

EV.Olive Oil

Salt + Pepp

It's pretty self-explanatory, but for you people who need blow by blow, here it is:

Prepare your greens, top with sliced avocado. To get the orange sections I've found that the best way is to slice off both top and bottom of the orange. With the orange sitting flat proceed to take the knife all along the outside of the orange, cutting off ALL of the rind and the white parts, just exposing the flesh of the orange. Once you've cut it all off, run a sharp knife along the thin sections and voila! If you are having a dinner party and making this salad, I would recommend slicing up the oranges earlier in the day - it's not difficult, but can be tedious. For a little sumthin' sumthin' extra I like to sprinkle a few hulled raw sunflower seeds on top - they just seem very "Spring-y" to me. For the dressing you use the fresh orange juice as your vinegar - I also like to add a dash or two of balsamic to it as well. You do a little more than 1/3 vinegar {or in this case juice} and then less then 2/3 EV.OO. Easier than mixing them - squeeze the orange over the salad til it seems right and then drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle a little salt on top and then a few turns of the Peppermill and bam - you got yourself a scrumptious springtime salad!

Lemons, Blueberries and Friends.

Dinner Party #583.

Gray, Erin and I had breakfast at my place...green eggs, french toast, fresh fruit. MmMm. Then we set off for the Farmers Market right here in Leucadia. Got some goodies and decided to make dinner at Grays house later that day. I whipped us up some Lemon Linguini and a Blueberry Salad. So simple, so delicious.

Gray and Erin, stoked on the Farmers Market

We love Farmers Markets!

Here are the recipes...

Lemon Linguini

Ingredients:

• Linguini
• EV.Olive Oil
• Fresh FLAT LEAF Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese
• Course Ground Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Lemon

Cook the pasta. Dress with a good amount of EVOO, juice of a whole lemon. Toss in a large handful of fresh parsley and a nice bit of parmesan cheese. Grind some pepper on top and toss in some chunks of salt. Garnish with a lemon wedge. If you'd like you can sprinkle on some crushed red pepper for some pizazz!

Blueberry Salad

Ingredients:

• Mixed Greens
• Salt + Pepp
• Honey
• Roasted Pecans or Walnuts {if you'd like you can roast raw nuts in the oven with some butter for about 15minutes @ 400 degrees}
• Cheese {Goat Cheese or a Stiton...I used a Blueberry Stiton!}
• Balsamic Reduction {to make this you put a cup of balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan on a medium heat. Let it cook down a little more than half way until its syrupy. You can also buy this premade at the supermarket}
• Fresh Blueberries
• Fresh Mint

To begin take a nice handful of fresh mint and mix it into the mixed greens, so that it's acting as a lettuce almost. Top the mixed greens with fresh blueberries, roasted nuts and crumbled cheese. Drizzle with the balsamic reduction and a little bit of honey. Dash of salt, a grind of fresh pepper. If you'd like, right before you serve the salad throw some fresh blueberries in a skillet with some honey, let them cook down a bit and then toss them on the salad. TaDah!

Another wonderful dinner with my wonderful friends!

Figs, Please.

Food.

Delicious Food.

I've consumed more delicious food in the past 48 hours than I have all week combined. On Wednesday night LP {"little paul" aka paul kates} and I had a date night. He's been my BFF for years now and we like to go out for niccceee dinners. We were all excited to eat @ DUNE in Margate but it was CLOSED. Their current schedule is Thursday thru Saturday...so not to worry, we will return. Their menu looks delightful, delicious and healthy - and from the photos that I've seen and the reviews that I read, the place is cute to boot! Lost for a dinner destination, we called up my good friend Chris Paisley who was working just a few blocks down the road. Paisley is a Margate Fireman, and one of the best bartenders in the nation. He gave us a few recommendations for restaurants in Ventnor, and we ended up at one of his favorite restaurants: Domenico's. It was scrumptious. LP and I started with the two appetizer specials: grilled baby octopus and roasted figs. The figs get an A+! They were stuffed with bleu cheese, wrapped in prosscuito, roasted in the oven and then topped with a balsamic reduction. The octopus was good, but kinda missed the mark. It was served over a toasted baguette in a red sauce with shitake mushrooms and capers. It was a bit too salty, but all in all it wasn't an awful dish. For entrees I had the Lobster Sinatra and LP had the New York Strip special. Damnit, Paulie won. He always wins!! The strip was melt-in-your-mouth delicious...topped with THREE huge seared diver scallops, served over the most delicious herbed mashed potatoes that I have ever had. To top it all off we ended with two cappuccinos and two freshly made- freshly stuffed cannolis. MMMM. Friggin delicious. I had to be rolled out of there. Once again, LP and I were the last ones to leave the restaurant. Oh man.

Now, stroll ahead to Thursday night. We were invited to a lovely dinner party at the Bourgeious's house. Everyone was to bring something along so I proud a cheese tray {olives, artichokes, roasted reds. parmesan reggiano and stilton cheese w/ apricots. apples and grapes. and my famous honey spicy roasted nuts*see recipe below}. I also brought a salad: roasted figs with goat cheese, caramelized onions and pecans...tossed in a honey/lemon vinaigrette. Muy good. We had a fantastic time, ate some delicious food {grilled shrimp and homemade spaghetti with crab meat!}, and indulged in some great conversation!

I'm going to share with you the most delicious salad recipe of all time:

Roasted Fig Salad with HoneyLemon Dressing:

• 2 figs per person
• spring mix or spinach {i heaping handful per person}
• handful of fresh parsley + basil
• caramelized onions {optional}
• goat cheese
• salt + pepper
• honey
• lemon

Here's what you do.... preheat the oven to 400 degrees. While you are waiting rip up the handful of fresh parsley and fresh basil into the spring mix....if you want to add a bit of fresh mint you can do that too. Top the salad with some carmelized onions - about one tablespoon per salad. slice of a decent hunk of goat cheese and place in center of salad.

Dressing: Figure about one tablespoon of honey per person {per salad}. The honey to fresh lemon juice ratio is 3 to one...so for every 3 tablespoons of honey add the juice of one small lemon or half of a large lemon. Also, add about a tablespoon of water. Heat up the dressing just for a second, then whisk it together. Serve dressing warm.

Slice an X into the bottom of each fig. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, a little dash of salt and pepper - and then roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Immediately after removing them from the oven place two on each salad. Drizzle salads with dressing and VOILA! I'd recommend topping with a bit of fresh ground pepper. mmmmm. figs.

Although dried figs are available throughout the year, there is nothing like the unique taste and texture of fresh figs. They are lusciously sweet with a texture that combines the chewiness of their flesh, the smoothness of their skin, and the crunchiness of their seeds. California figs are available from June through September; some European varieties are available through autumn.

Figs grow on the Ficus tree (Ficus carica), which is a member of the Mulberry family. They are unique in that they have an opening, called the "ostiole" or "eye," which is not connected to the tree, but which helps the fruit's development by increasing its communication with the environment. Figs range dramatically in color and subtly in texture depending upon the variety. The majority of figs are dried, either by exposure to sunlight or through an artificial process, creating a sweet and nutritious dried fruit that can be enjoyed throughout the year.

Figs are thought to be originally from small Asia and are one of the first fruits cultivated ever.

It is said that humans could live on Figs alone as a source of food -- such is the goodness and nutrition in the fruit!

Figs are a rich source of calcium, iron, magnesium, Vitamin B6, and potassium. Figs are low in fat and high in fibre. They provide more fiber than any other common fruit or vegetable.
Figs have many health benefits. Fresh and dry figs are high in pectin, a soluble fibre that can reduce blood cholesterol.

HOP INK & Greek Cuisine!

So, my friend Gina came to visit for the weekend. We had a lovely time filled with sunbathing, food, chatting, food, and more food. Anyways, before she left on Monday evening I made us an easy and delicious greek feast for lunch. Here's the easy recipes:

Greek Salad:

• lettuce (romaine)
• sliced cucumber
• sliced tomato
• thinly sliced sweet yellow onion
• kalmata olives
• feta cheese

greek salad dressing:

1/3 lemon juice

2/3 GOOD olive oil

salt and pepper

fresh dill

Served alongside our Greek Salad was Grilled Lemon Chicken Shishkabobs with homemade tzatziki.

Grilled Lemon Chicken Shishkabobs:

Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Cut into cubes. Load up the skewer and then douse the chicken with lemon juice (squeeze a whole lemon on there!), and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Pour some olive oil on top or spray with PAM and throw onto a hot grill. I had the grill on Medium-High. I let the chicken cook on one side for about 5 minutes before turning it.

Tzatziki Sauce:

• 1 small container plain yogurt, or greek yogurt
• small handful of chopped fresh dill
• even smaller handful of chopped fresh mint
• salt & pepper
• grated cucumber, (about half a medium-sized cucumber)

Boom. It was delicious. Yummy greek salad and some fresh-off-the-grill lemon chicken topped with homemade tzatziki. I think the whole meal took me about 20 minutes to make...grilling included. Serve a grilled pita on the side -- brush with some olive oil, throw on the grill - a minute or so on each side. MmMmMm.

Here's Gina and I after our lovely afternoon lunch.

“He who receives his friends and gives no personal attention to the meal which is being prepared for them, is not worthy of having friends.”
Jean-Antheleme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826)

**************

Gina's Company, HOP Ink Studio. She makes hand-crafted notes, cards, envelopes, stationary, books and illustrations. To send to "somebunny" special. Again, her email address is ginaenberg@mac.com She has a store on etsy.com: hopinkstudios.etsy.com which will be updated with new inventory at the end of this month.

Spring Cuisine

I'm trying to channel Spring.

I feel like maybe if I dress, act and eat like it's Spring,

that it will finally arrive.

SO, Today for lunch I had:

Grapefruit & Avocado Salad

Lemon Linguini

w/ Sparkling White Wine

It was pretty tasty...certainly a Spring menu, so I figured that I would share the recipes with you. The grapefruit avocado salad is a version of an old Martha Stewart salad recipe...and the Lemon Linguini is my interpretation of a Nigella Lawson recipe. The sparkling white wine -- well, that's just genius.

Grapefruit Avocado Salad

- 1 Grapefruit

- 1 Avocado

- Romaine Lettuce

- Salt & Pepper

- E.V. Olive Oil

Slice up the grapefruit into sections...for a quick and easy time, you could even buy the Del Monte pre-sliced Ruby Red Grapefruit. Slice up the avocado as well. Prepare lettuce as you normally would, decorating with the avocado and grapefruit. The salad dressing is made out of the juice squeezed from the grapefruit(2/3), 1/3 olive oil, salt and pepper. For some extra sweetness, add a splash of Balsamic Vinegar. Boom. That's it.

Lemon Linguini

- Linguini (1/2 lb)

- Fresh Parsley

- 1 Lemon

- 1 Egg

- Parmesan Cheese

- E.V. Olive Oil

- Garlic {Powder}

- Oregano

- Salt & Pepper

Prepare linguini. Coat the cooked pasta with olive oil. When completely coated, beat egg YOLK (toss the egg white) and pour over pasta. Mix in well. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over pasta. Sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oregano, 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, and a dusting of parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Cut up a handleful of fresh parsley and mix into pasta.

For those who don't drink...instead of Sparkling White Wine, substitute with a fizzy Spring beverage: 3/4 Seltzer Water, 1/4 Juice {Cranberry} and a lime wedge.

Perfecto. Come on Spring...we're all rootin' for you!! No more rain or cold weather!

Happy Spring Everyone!!!

Hopefully all of these April showers will bring May Flowers.

April is a promise that May is bound to keep.

~Hal Borland