keeping normalcy

When you're pregnant people love to tell you how much your life is going to change. They can't exactly tell you how its going to change but they want you to know that it will, and the implication is often that its not for the better.  This was one of the most difficult parts of pregnancy for me.  I love to plan, to be in control, to asses a situation and handle it, but this unknown threat of change - as it often felt - was a struggle.  There was no way to plan for that unknown completely out of my control.

Fast forward to month 5 with Max and I can say, without a doubt, that my life has changed.  A lot.

Unlike the prophesy hinted at by others, however, the change has been beautiful. Instead of just my husband to love I now have a tiny best friend to love.  Rather than wondering how I'm going to spend a lazy Saturday I know now that it will be filled with baby giggles (and sometimes tears).  Of course the change isn't all magic, some of it is hard and exhausting and frustrating...but it's always better on this side and I'd never go back.

One big thing I was told is that I would no longer have time for anything once the baby arrived.  Say goodbye to quiet nights the two of you, they said.  No more reading!  They said.  Good luck cooking the way you used to, the voices rang in my head.  Well, guess what?  I'm still reading, we're still cooking and some nights, at least, we sit quietly outside eating dinner and chatting.  Life is still wonderful, it's just more full.

So, in honor of this, I post one of my favorite go-to quick recipes that I loved before Max and certainly love now that my life is filled with Max.  It's adapted every so slightly from a Food52 recipe so I can't take all of the credit, but I'm reposting it with slight modifications in the hopes that it becomes a favorite for you all as well.  No matter what your life is like or what change you might be going through, try to keep a little normalcy.

Seared Salmon with Coconut Cauliflower and Kale
Serves 4 (with leftovers)

• 1 head of cauliflower, grated*
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk
• 2 bunches of lacinato kale, roughly chopped 
• 1 1/2 lbs of Salmon
• 4 large sweet potatoes or yams, cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons Bragg's or liquid aminos
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1 teaspoon paprika 

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss cubed sweet potatoes in 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, a few pinches of salt and paprika.  Spread on a baking sheet and bake until roasted and easily pierced with a sharp knife, about 25 minutes.


Combine remaining melted coconut oil, sesame oil, Bragg's, and Sriracha (to heat preference level) in a lidded jar and shake to combine.  Put kale on an additional baking sheet and toss with 1/3 cup of the dressing until coated.  Prep salmon by placing on top of kale and drizzling a few tablespoons of dressing over top to coat.  Massage with your hands until entirely coated.  Bake salmon and kale mixture during the last half of the sweet potato roasting time, until kale is crispy and salmon is cooked to the desired level of doneness.

Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of coconut oil in a large nonstick pan.  When hot, add grated cauliflower and stir.  Once hot, add 1/2 cup of coconut milk and a teaspoon of salt.  Continue stirring frequently until cauliflower is cooked to desired consistency.  

Layer the cauliflower "rice", sweet potatoes, kale and salmon in a shallow bowl and serve with an extra drizzle of dressing or Bragg's over top.

*This is cauliflower "rice".  A box grater works best for "ricing" the cauliflower but a food processor can work as well.  You can also substitute white rice but I think the cauliflower adds an additional dimension of flavor.

feeding ourselves as we would feed others

Much has changed since my last published post on this blog.  I got a new job and so did my husband. We got married, traveled Spain and Portugal on our honeymoon ridiculously free and happy.  We worked our butts off at said new jobs.  I got pregnant and successfully grew and sustained life inside me (still wowed by this one.) And I have since now kept the little one alive, solely from my body, for 4 months.  His name is Max and I'd love to avoid the cliches but honestly, he's our world.  Who knew having a baby could actually be as amazing as they say it is?  Spain and Portugal were pretty amazing too...

So much has changed since my last blog post that it's almost worth not considering this the same blog.  But, it's still me, and I still love to eat and cook and most of the items we cook with still have 'just a little dirt' on them so I think I'll keep it and continue on.

The big difference these days is that I'm eating for two, still.  I know, I know, it's a term that gets thrown around a lot and typically we think it signifies that someone is justified in eating twice as much as they usually would.  I'm not here to tell anyone to eat more or less, that's a personal decision and I've most definitely indulged in twice the amount of ice cream any human should during my pregnancy...but really, eating for two means that anytime I choose something to put in my body I'm also choosing it for my son.  Its a lot of responsibility and it's especially challenging for someone who is hungry all...the...time.  Seriously, always.  Breastfeeding burns more calories than almost any workout I've ever done and on top of that I'm working full time, raising and enjoying Max, cooking, keeping some semblance of a "clean" house and trying to enjoy a little time in between.  What this means is that eating often has to be quick, nutritious and hearty and, because I hate to waste a meal, delicious.

And for those in between times, there's healthy(ish) banana bread.

Healthy-ish banana bread
(But quite honestly the most delicious I've ever had...)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold*
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup spelt whole wheat flour**
• 4 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1/4 whole fat plain greek yogurt 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 2 eggs
• handful of toasted pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease a 9x5" bread pan with butter (old rusted pans from grandparents are the best if you can find them).  Beat butter, honey and sugar together until blended but not emulsified in a large bowl, add eggs and blend again.  Add mashed bananas, yogurt and vanilla and mix well.  In another bowl combine all dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients with a few combining strokes.  Mix in nuts, either chopped or whole.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 55 minutes or until a knife comes out almost clean.  

*Cold butter is key to making delicious sweet breads.  All recipes call for room temperature butter that emulsifies beautifully into your batter.  But guess what?  If you use cold butter it will slowly melt while it cooks, caramelize, and create pockets of buttery goodness in your finished bread, much like pie crust.  It tastes like you have triple the amount of butter you actually have!

**There's no reason to use any flour other than white unless you want to make the bread healthy-ish and you have spelt or whole wheat flour on hand.  Your discretion, it won't affect the recipe one way or the other.

foraging

If you've ever driven through wine country in the spring you've seen the spray of beautiful yellow flowers that splash through vineyards and line the sides of the road.  Napa is notorious for this wash of yellow and Oregon doesn't seem to be falling too far behind.  This lanky abundant plant is mustard, and although I have yet to make the fabulous yellow condiment we all know and love, the greens have grazed our kitchen table more than once this spring.  Not only do I get a kick out of finding something delicious and free growing wild around me (particularly before the garden has started producing), mustard greens are nutritional powerhouses.  Deborah Madison in her cookbook, Vegetable Literacy, writes "...the mustards are powerful plants, endowed with vitamins A, C and K, and that's not all.  Add vitamin E, calcium, fiber, and manganese, plus antioxidants and phytonutrients, and you have another plant that supports detoxifying functions."

I tend to think of these greens as a cross between arugula, spinach and swiss chard.  They have a spicy strong flavor reminiscent of arugula, yet they cook down like spinach and do well blanched or sautéed. With that in mind they hardly need a recipe to put them to use, but here's the latest one we tried, a sort of clean out the pantry/fridge week night indian sauté.

Note: although mustard greens are difficult to confuse with other plants due to their tell tale four petaled yellow flowers and arugula shaped leaves, always be sure to correctly identify wild food sources.  There are numerous foraging books and trusted internet websites that can help guide you through local foraging.  In addition, make sure to chose a location away from roads and other pollutants.  Soak and wash foraged foods well.

Indian Spiced Lentils with Mustard Greens and Baked Yam Rounds

• 1 large bowl of trimmed mustard greens
• 1 large yam or sweet potato cut into 1/2" thick rounds, skin on
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• minced cilantro stems from 1 bunch cilantro
• 1 1/2 cups rinsed lentils, Le Puy or beluga, soaked overnight if possible
• 2 tbsp coconut or sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 
• 2 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• juice of 1 lime, plus additional lime wedges for serving

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place yam rounds onto a lightly oiled baking tray, drizzle with sesame or coconut oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1 tsp of the ground cumin.  Bake until soft when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.  

While sweet potatoes are cooking, place lentils in a pot with three cups of water, season water with salt and bring to a boil,  Cover lentils and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally.  Drain lentils.  

On another burner, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add trimmed mustard greens to boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.  Once drained, remove to cutting board and chop coarsely.  

Place 2 tbsp oil in a sauté pan over medium heat, add onion, stir to coat with oil, and cook gently until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add remaining spices and cilantro stems, stir again and let cook for another few minutes.  Add cooked and drained lentils to onion mixture, along with mustard greens.  Stir over low heat to let flavors combine and taste for salt and pepper.  Once all ingredients are warm, remove from heat.  Place 2-3 yam rounds on a plate, pile with mustard green/lentil mixture.  Top with fresh chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.

new beginnings

Spring is here in wine country.  It arrived so quickly it felt like a palpable shift in energy.  A blossoming of cherry trees, sprays of wild flowers on rainy walks, daffodils pushing through the earth and a balminess forgotten about since last fall.  It's joyful and rejuvenating and blissfully wonderful.  Spring is the doorway to all kinds of new beginnings.  The garden is calling and vegetable starts are growing quickly, ready to brave the early spring rains and short bursts of sunshine.  On a lucky day it hits the high 60s and somehow, falsely, summer seems right around the corner.  I can taste ripe tomatoes and pan seared pardon peppers in my dreams.

But, there's still time.  A lot of time.  This week has brought inches of rain, a reminder that we're still in for a few months of kale, kohlrabi, arugula, and spinach before the colors of summer join us in the kitchen.

New beginnings.  Last July, Aaron and I packed up our few belongings, our curly head pup Mosely, and countless memories from our halcyon days on the farm, and moved.  Only a 10 minute drive from our old place, our new home felt like a world away and I can't deny there was an anxiousness and nervousness accompanying the excitement and joy.  No longer secluded on a 180 acre, tree lined, peaceful farm, we were thrown into a cul-de-sac with children bouncing balls up our driveway, friendly neighbors, dogs barking at each other through fences, and a house to take care of.  A large house, one to grow into.

It's been fantastic.  I can't say we haven't looked back, or reminisced, or traveled back to memories of early love and no responsibility, but overall we have absolutely loved our new home, community and lives.  Instead of sprawling fields and farm land to wander, we have our own acre to cultivate and countless walking trails to explore, vineyards to roam and cute little restaurants to enjoy.  Over Christmas we got engaged in our beautiful new home and my two nephews, one here (hi Wesley!) and one not yet born visited us over New Years Eve, still safe in the warmth their mothers.  There are going to be a lot of new memories in this place and I can't wait.  Each day a new adventure.  New beginnings can be wonderful.

So, what better way to ring in the start of Spring with than a meal to celebrate the joy of early crop asparagus?  This started out as a sort of "clean out the fridge" one dish meal and turned into one of our favorite dinners in a long time.  I apologize for the lack of pictures and quality of the only picture we did capture before the meal was over.  I wasn't planning on this being my first post back on the blog, but it was too yummy and too much an impromptu celebration of spring not to share.  Enjoy!

Lemon Bulgur Asparagus Bowl



• 1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1 clove of garlic, smashed and minced
• 3 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 can of white beans (chickpeas would work well too) or two cups of fresh cooked beans
• 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
• 3 cups cooked bulgur or other whole grain of choice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp. chopped rosemary
• 2 tbsp. chopped sage
• juice from 1 lemon
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• sliced avocado (optional) to serve

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Cut up vegetables and garlic.  Toss sweet potatoes with garlic, salt, pepper and a tbsp. of olive oil.  Place on a rimed baking sheet and bake until potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork and browned in places, about 20 minutes.  Add asparagus and bake for 5 minutes more.  Add white beans and radishes to baking tray and bake for a few more minutes, turn oven off and leave tray in oven while you prep the rest of the ingredients, toast the pine nuts in a frying pan on the stove top and set the table.  Toss bulgur, fresh herbs, 1/2 the lemon juice, 1 tbsp. olive oil, pine nuts and roasted vegetables together.  Taste, add more lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish each bowl with a few slices of fresh avocado, a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of fresh black pepper.  Enjoy!

Feel free to substitute fresh vegetables and herbs to fit your tastes!



sunday morning scones

If you've grown up in the Northwest or spent a significant amount of time here, you're familiar with June gloom.  Just when summer seems to have arrived, strawberries are in full force, your legs are slightly tan and the freckles are emerging on your cheeks from afternoons in the sun, June arrives.  And with it, the gloom.  The past two years haven't really been that bad, and this year it seems to mean more rain than the past few months and humid, strangely summery, drizzly days.  Today was one of those in Oregon wine country and it seemed like a perfect excuse to enjoy scones and coffee for breakfast (as if we needed an excuse).  The sheer fact that summer officially showed up on Friday, rain or shine, made me crave blueberries - one of those foods that signal summer, like heirloom tomatoes - and remember the bounty we picked last year.

I've been known to call scones "the perfect breakfast", and I'll happily defend this statement.  They're warm, begging for melted butter, jam and a nice cup of something warm.  They make you feel happy and content and fill our house up with good smells and Sunday indulgences.  Aaron, my partner, is our resident baker and won my heart for many reasons two years ago, scones not far from the top of the list.  He makes them almost every weekend with different fillings based on the season and mood of our family or guests.  Indulge, enjoy and definitely don't wait until next Sunday.

Aaron's Sunday morning scones

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 3 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 stick of cold butter
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup almond milk (milk, or other milk substitute - we find the flavor with almond milk is delicious!)
• zest from half a lemon
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries (frozen berries work much better than fresh)
• tbsp raw turbindo sugar

Preheat oven to 425.  Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Add butter with a pastry knife or crumble into pea size pieces by hand.  Add zest, mix by hand, then add milk and mix until combined and all ingredients are wet.  Fold in frozen blueberries and divide into six even pieces of dough.  Sprinkle raw sugar on top of scones.  Place on floured and greased oven sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes or until knife comes out dry.  

Other good filling options include: pecans and dates, lemon and cardamom, blackberry and vanilla, cherry and almond, or any other fresh fruit and spices you have around.  Just remember to adjust the sugar level accordingly.  These scones tend to have a hint of sweetness rather than a sugary hit, so feel free to double the sugar!

purpose

My very talented friend Dan Elliot (http://pointedmanband.com) wisely told me that all food blogs need a purpose.  I couldn't agree more.  Part of me was hoping that the purpose would become clear to readers over time, but in our busy world, inundated with food blogs and beautiful food focused instagram photos, it can be hard to wait.

So, my purpose is simple.  Without preaching or labels (vegan, GF, non-GMO, etc, etc, etc) I want people to begin to eat better and therefore feel better.  To realize that the best food; best tasting, best looking, easiest to cook with, cheapest to buy, and most interesting to play with in the kitchen, comes straight from the earth.  Not in prepackaged plastic containers, or in the freezer isle, and should never have ingredients you cannot pronounce (unless you're addicted to asian food like I am and therefore they're in another language; exception to every rule).  Food tastes better with just a little dirt from the garden.  Dirt you tilled yourself, that lodged itself under you finger nails and made you feel like part of something real.

Heirloom tomatoes from our garden

You should never have to count your fruit and vegetable servings, they are the core of what sustains your body and should be abundant in every meal. 

Life is to short to eat bad food.  I think gardening taught me this...but more on that later.

Every time I sit down to a meal and leave less than excited about what I just ate, I get sad.  Honestly.  Ask my partner, I often have orderer's remorse.  I feel as though I wasted an opportunity to experience a new flavor, ingredient or preparation.  That I wasted precious space and time in my body and life that could have been devoted to something more spectacular.  Not complicated, or expensive, or challenging to cook, just spectacular.  Sometimes, in fact most often, in it's simplicity.  Good, real, whole, natural ingredients don't need to be dressed up, they shine in their nakedness and delight with their abundance of flavor and color.  I'm excited to share with you, whoever you may be and with whatever purpose you visit my blog, the joy of cooking with real food that I've experienced over the past few years.  It's been a journey and I'm loving it.

I want you to enjoy the creative energy that cooking inspires, sit down to a lovely meal and never even realize that it's vegan or meatless or dairy free.  It tastes better despite and because of that, but never because of the label that comes attached to those choices and the stigma and preconceived notions that tag along behind them.  That being said, know that I have only respect for whole food vegans and vegetarians.  It's difficult to cut things out definitively from your life and experiences.  It's hard to set strict boundaries and say no.  I just believe that to be healthy and happy you always don't need to.  Moderation and pleasure can be friends. 

I'll try to teach you how.

And now, my favorite meal this month...(and yes, it's vegan.)

Lemongrass Tofu Banh Mi with Sweet Potato Fries

Lemongrass tofu marinade

• 1 pkg firm tofu
• 1/2 cup peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 tablespoons tamari or braggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass

Other ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• siracha sauce
• veganaise
• 1 large cucumber
• small bunch of cilantro
• french rolls
• 4 large carrots
• 2 medium daikon radishes
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Drain tofu and slice into slices 2" wide by 1/4" thick.  Chop and smash (with the side of your knife) lemongrass and garlic.  In a large plastic freezer bag combine the rest of marinade ingredients and mix well.  Lay tofu slices on top of marinade and ensure tofu is coated.  Leave in refrigerator for 1 hour or up to a day.  Occasionally flip bag to ensure equal coating.

Meanwhile, slice 4 large carrots and 2 medium daikon radishes into bite size pieces, either with a mandolin or sharp knife.  Any shape will work that seems like it will fit nicely into a sandwich.  Mix 3 cups warm water, 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 3 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp salt together until everything is dissolved. place carrot and radish slices into a large mason jar and cover with pickling liquid.  Let sit for at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.

For sauce, combine 1/2 cup veganaise or mayonnaise with 1 tbsp siracha sauce and 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, mix.

Slice cucumber into thin slices for layering and set aside coarsely chopped cilantro.

Cut sweet potatoes into wedges, toss with salt and olive oil and bake at 450 until golden and crispy.  Mix another 1/2 cup veganaise with 1 tbsp sirarcha sauce for dipping.  

Remove tofu from marinade, sauté on high until golden and crispy on all sides.  Briefly toast french rolls at 350 until slightly firm.  Coat french roll with sauce, layer tofu, pickled vegetables, cucumber, and cilantro and enjoy!

the x factor

I discovered cooking through love.

I know, it sounds trite, but its the honest truth.  I always cooked, enjoyed following recipes and spending time in the kitchen, but it wasn't until I found a love that also loved cooking that I truly learned how to cook.

I once learned Portuguese for someone I loved and the ease with which fluency and proficiency came was astonishing.  I practically failed high school Spanish, so no, its not a gift for languages that got me through.  Love opens something up inside you, gives you abilities not previously possessed.  If you've felt it, you know, if not, just wait.  I envy your ignorance.  The journey will be the time of your life.

But cooking.  I digress.  The Flavor Bible talks about "The X Factor," defined as "what is perceived by the other senses (besides taste), plus the heart, mind, and spirit."  I believe it is this factor that takes recipes from basic to gourmet.  From food to experience.  The X Factor...I think it's real.

Let's start with kale.

I suppose it would be crazy to call kale my favorite food, with things like gnocchi and bahn mi and heirloom tomatoes out there. But as a basic, everyday ingredient it's pretty amazing.  Forget boxed baby lettuce, easy to use but slimy from a life in plastic containers, tannic spinach (more on tannins later) and even arugula (although there is a soft spot in my heart for arugula and a definite time and place for this magic green).  Kale is touted as a super food, versatile in cooking applications and infinitely delicious - sautéed, baked, blended and raw.  Yes, raw.  And it's easy to grow.  Throw rain at it, heat, mild frost, drought, it will surprise you and thrive.  It'll make you feel like a real gardner and that alone makes kale awesome.

Let alone all the things you can do with it in the kitchen...here's an easy one, just to get us both started.  This whole food blog thing is intimidating.

Baked Kale Chips

• 1 bunch raw kale (curly, lacinto, red)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon braggs liquid amino (or soy sauce)
• sprinkle of red chili flakes (optional)

Chop kale into 3" pieces, including stem.  Toss with remaining ingredients and bake at 400 F until crispy and brown.  Serves 4-6 as an appetizer or 1 as a delicious snack!