picnic {№16}

spontaneous backyard picnics pulled together with simple ingredients are my absolute favorite kind of outdoor living. on this most gorgeous in a string of gorgeous may evenings we enjoyed perfect light, perfect food and perfect togetherness on gypsy hill.

i saw a photo of this dish in a cookbook in the bookstore (now on my wishlist) and, since i LOVE caprese salad more than any salad in the universe, i had to try it:  burrata and heirloom tomato caprese.

so simple:

• slice a variety of colorful organic heirlooms.  
• layer in a concentric pattern with a leaf of basil in between each slice.  
• salt and pepper.
• drain the burrata and place in the center of the tomatoes, making a well in the center of the cheese with your thumbs to release the creamy insides.
• sprinkle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, basil ribbons, more pepper.  et voilà!

the golden hour:  100% good.

and it's not a gypsy hill picnic without a fox terrier at the table (ahem, the corgi has manners).

the golden light faded, replaced with the darkest indigo sky, lit with a thousand stars and a bright moon.  i love it here.

to see more of our picnics, click here and scroll past this current post.


note:

picnic {№15} happened on easter sunday.  we packed up sandwiches and hot pink deviled eggs and headed out to the blue ridge mountains with the dogs for our first hike of the season.  we were met with picnic grounds not yet open for the season (why?) so we totally had to trespass on government property to have a decent space to eat.  luca ended up getting really sick on this day, we don't know if he drank some infected stream water or what, so the day kind of lost its beauty for me.  gratefully luca recovered and here is a sweet shot of sandwich wrapping that happened before all the lawbreaking and dog vomiting.

soul salad {№5}: chopped artichoke salad

chopped salads are my favorite.

i love that you can take random ingredients and cut them up into tiny pieces and create colorful and healthy goodness.

this salad is a pantry salad and uses what you probably already have in your pantry or fridge.  i make pantry salads all the time; i love the improvisational feel to them.  there is really no exact recipe here, just a variety of good stuff mixed until happy.

• artichoke hearts, chopped.  i use frozen hearts, but you can also used canned, just rinse very well before chopping because they have that weird salty can taste.  you can also use marinated if that's what you have, but rinse first.
• olives, pitted and chopped.  i had a mix of marinated olives from the olive bar at whole foods that needed to be eaten.  in they went.
• roasted tomatoes, chopped.
• pepitas, toasted (a handful or two)
• tons of herbs.  use whatever you have.  i still had end-of-summer basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano, lavender and thyme from the kitchen balcony.
• season with sea salt and course black pepper.
• olive oil and balsamic or lemon as needed to taste (because my olives were marinated, i did not need to add any type of dressing)

this one is topped with the most glorious grilled salmon.  see the table?  mr. parks made that with his own hands for under our pergola.  more photos of that goodness coming soon.

soul salad {№4}: rainbow caprese

this, my friends, is summer in a bowl.

start with tomatoes that look like they could have been purchased from the gumball machine at the five and dime.  mine are organic cherry tomatoes from my favorite local farm, sandyfoot farm.

add fresh mozzarella balls, or bocconcini.  these are marinated in olive oil and herbs.

top with gorgeous fresh basil from an organic garden (or your organic supermarket).  i like to leave the leaves whole.

splash with really good balsamic vinegar and season with sea salt and course ground pepper.  stir.

 devour.

soul salad {№3}: i heart india

this salad is inspired by my love of all things india.  it's based on one of my favorites, aloo posto:  spicy potatoes with poppy seeds.   also, ever since fresh pressed turmeric juice cured my nasty sore throat in nyc last month, i'm putting turmeric in everything.  read about it's mojo here.

every main ingredient in this salad with the exception of the pistachios and the poppy seeds was either grown in my garden or purchased at the farmer's market.

i heart india salad

• five medium potatoes, diced, spiced and roasted
• one cucumber, diced
• one-half purple onion, diced
• one cup fresh herbs (i used parsley and dill)
• red wine vinaigrette
• pistachios
• poppy seeds, a few pinches

dice the potatoes, toss in olive oil and liberally sprinkle with turmeric, chili powder, salt and pepper.  roast at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes.  i prefer roasted potatoes to boiled for potato salads; they have more flavor and it cuts way down on the need for vinaigrette or mayonnaise.  let cool a bit and then toss in a bowl with the cucumber, onion, herbs and poppy seeds.  sprinkle with red wine vinaigrette.  garnish with chopped pistachios.

it's kind of bold and amazing.

five things i love about india:

1. color everywhere
2. hindu gods and goddesses
3. the incredible spirit of the children
4. kheer and chai
5. (i know it's not true, but) i imagine the air is scented with cardamom and patchouli

soul salad {№2}: crimson and clover

my grandma dee was a bit of a wild child even in old age.  i remember sitting in her kitchen next to the metal fan (the only cool place in the house), looking up from my book to watch her in her garden through the lace-veiled window.  she carried a giant basket through the rows, gathering goodness nurtured and warmed by the california sun.  i would blush a bit when she would squat down and eat right out of the ground, worried that someone would see her (although the nearest neighbors were blocks away).  she would swing her long black and grey apache braid out of the way and just pop a bean in her mouth or a bit of greens, sometimes even flowers and grass.  i would definitely cringe when she would pull a giant bloodred beet from the soil and take a bite.  i despised beets and could not imagine why someone would want to eat them, especially uncooked and covered in dirt.

turns out, i'm beginning to live much like dee and appreciate the things she loved.  you could say that i am embracing my genetic quirkiness.  i even like beets now.  i love them juiced, roasted and once even took a bite of raw.

this salad pays homage to dee:  roasted beets, greens and flowers.

crimson and clover salad

• two beets, roasted and cut into small cubes
• red leaf lettuce
• arugula
• radicchio
• goat cheese, crumbled
• walnuts, chopped
• clover flowers*
• garnish with mint, bee balm petals*, finely diced beet stalk and finely diced dried cranberries
• beet and balsamic vinaigrette

i roast the two whole beets wrapped in foil at 400 degrees for about 50 minutes.  let them cool enough to handle and then they peel so easily.  cut into cubes and sprinkle with a bit of balsamic vinegar while still warm.  set aside.

build a salad with the lettuce, arugula and radicchio.  lift the beets to strain (reserving the balsamic vinegar and beet juice, now mingled into the most magic of liquids) and top the greens.  crumble goat cheese, walnuts and clover flowers.  dress with the vinaigrette and garnish.

*clover and bee balm are edible; just make sure you pick them from an organic garden.

to make the vinaigrette:  mix together equal parts extra virgin olive oil and beet juice and balsamic vinegar magic liquid with salt and pepper to taste.

grandma dee is smiling.

and also would like it very much if you ate this outside in the sunshine.  preferably in the same spot where you picked the flowers.  with dogs.  and dirt.

soul salad {№1}: thai mango

i'm challenging myself to make one new salad each week to get out of my arugula-and-goat-cheese rut.

while in manhattan last month, i ate thai food like every other day.  the abundance of amazing thai cuisine in the city is overwhelming.  i was particularly fond of the mango salad or yum ma-muang at aura / zoob zib in hell's kitchen.

we have two thai restaurants back home in the 'burg.  both make a decent pad thai, but neither makes papaya or mango salad.  so i made my own version at home sans shrimp.  it's a gorgeous color burst of flavor:  the mango is sweet, the avocado is buttery and the dressing is (super!) spicy.  mangoes are quite challenging to julienne; i think mine were transitioning from green to ripe and they were a little hard to handle.  says the girl with two bandaged fingers.

thai green mango salad 

• two green mangoes, julienned (they need to be firm, not yet ripe; you might not need two if you are more skilled with the knife than i.  aura puts the mango through a pasta cutter set to spaghetti instead of the julienne.  mango noodles!)
• 1/4 red pepper, diced
• 1/4 purple onion (i used the last of my pickled onions from last week)
• fresh cilantro to taste (i like a lot)
• fresh basil to taste
• one avocado, sliced
• cashews, toasted

the dressing

• juice of one lime
• one tablespoon fish sauce (i used vegetarian fish sauce that i purchased in nyc)
• one tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 thai chili, seeded and finely diced
• pinch of red pepper flakes

combine mango, red pepper, onions and cilantro and set aside.  mix dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.  dress mango salad lightly.  slice or dice avocado and top salad or mix in.  garnish with basil ribbons and cashews.  

colorful food just makes me so happy.

i've been playing around with making cocktails with my home brewed kombucha, since i always seem to have a lot on hand.  i love this one in particular.  

i call it the lotus.

• 1/2 lime, sliced and muddled with a bit of sugar in the glass
• pour one inch st. germain elderflower liqueur
• add crushed ice (i have a hand crank ice crusher and was summer-afternoon-lazy, so cubes are pictured above.  crushed is better.)
• fill to top with lavender kombucha (hibiscus would work nicely too)
• garnish with edible flowers

possibly a little over the top with the flowers but so so good!

spring clean

april.  it's the month when we all want to shed the emotional and physical heaviness of winter.  nature is telling us to start anew and we are listening.

it's the month when i can easily get discouraged that despite an organic, plant-based diet, i'm still overweight.  (i get it universe, my body will never be lithe, but seriously why is it that the more i move toward body acceptance, the fatter i get?  ugh...)

it's the month when i realize that every year i really take that whole winter-rest-and-hibernate thing a bit too seriously and i need to jumpstart my activity level.  gorgeous mountain trails are calling my name.

it's the month to spring clean our homes; the physical structures we inhabit and the flesh and blood bodies that house our spirits.  it's time to release the grime and create clean space for new experiences. it's time to reset.

the components of a good (spirit house) cleaning:

• clean day salad (pictured above and recipe below).  honestly, it is so so good.
• green juice with a tablespoon of superfood (daily)
• rainbow quinoa
• lots of filtered water
• kombucha and yogi tea skin detox tea
• coconut oil-pull daily (in addition to incredible detox benefits, this also helps keep sinuses clear)
• nightly skin brush and salt bath
• gentle yoga
• walks outside
• deep breathing
• good deep sleep

clean day salad
(based on whole foods' detox salad)

two cups organic kale leaves (de-stem and roughly chop)
three or four organic carrots (rough chop)
one bunch organic parsley leaves (some stem is okay)
zest of one lemon (always use organic citrus if you are zesting)
juice of half lemon
one-half cup sunflower seeds (or chopped pepitas)
one-half cup organic raisins
one cup organic dried blueberries, cranberries or goji berries (or mix)
one tablespoon olive oil
one teaspoon kelp granules or dulse
chia seeds

pulse greens and carrots in food processor to the size of confetti, careful not to make a pesto of it.  mix all ingredients together except for the chia seeds.  sprinkle a half teaspoon of chia seed on each serving just prior to enjoying (if you mix the chia into the salad and let it sit, it will absorb the moisture in the salad and get a bit gel-ish).

i pulverize the remainder of the parsley leaves and stems and add a spoon to the pups' food daily.  they love it.

i feel sparkly and new just writing this post.  happy cleaning!

good♥food

kind, clean and colorful.  that's how i want to live and eat.

i am increasingly unable to ignore the faint whisper that is reminding me to eat and live as i believe.  to eat clean and beautiful foods that make me sparkle on the inside and do not cause harm to my body or the animal kingdom.  to harmonize my mind and body in the practice of yoga on a regular basis.  over the last decade or more i have shut out this voice and lived in a way that is out of alignment with who i am. 

often i dive in to something head first once i open my heart and mind to it.  this impulsiveness results in a crash and burn and then a retreat to the same old habits.

i'm trying to move more slowly, consciously, deliberately into new and beautiful practices.  beginning with things i love and then softly stretching to allow space for more goodness.

can i tell you how much i love quinoa?  more specifically, can i tell you how much i love every single variety of my rainbow quinoa salad i've created since first trying it last summer?  quinoa nurishes me and provides such a stable foundation for vibrant add-ins. 

for this version i used rainbow quinoa, which is a mix of white, red and black quinoa.  isn't it gorgeous?  i couldn't wait to take its photo.  then i wanted to make out with it.

winter rainbow quinoa (all organic if you can)

1. cook one cup of quinoa
2. dress lightly with a splash of olive oil and the zest and juice of one lemon, orange or lime
3. finely chop a spectacular confetti of purple cabbage, carrots and unsweetened dried cranberries
4. mango! 
5. a few spoons of chia seeds
6. a few handfuls of toasted pepitas
7. cilantro

use what you love and make it beautiful.

i'm so excited about the juicing!  the green juice from last week is quickly becoming my daily go-to.  but remember the soft stretching?  this week, i allowed in some beet, which i have complained all the livelong day tastes like dirt.  i juiced one up with some carrot, cucumber and spinach.  it sure is pretty and only had the slightest tinge of dirt.  wait, let me reframe that:  it tasted of the earth.

i'm working on it.

in my twenties i was a vegetarian for over a year.  and by vegetarian, i mean i survived on bean and cheese burritos, pizza and french fries.   basically it was a lousy diet minus the meat.  there was nothing conscious or beautiful about it.  i haven't made the decision yet to go veg.  maybe there won't be a decision.  maybe it will just be an organic shift toward the kind, clean and colorful.