Holiday Slaw with Roasted Shallot Dressing . Sprouted Kitchen

I had the best of intentions to share this simple salad, one that goes with everything, before Thanksgiving but one thing led to another and maybe this will fall into your weeknight plans. I made the mistake of purchasing a Costco bag of peppermint pretzel thins so the only way to make that right are giant salads. This past weekend we hung lights, wreaths and put out a few poinsettias. I don't own a bunch of holiday decor, but I am eager to make our home feeling cozy and festive this time of year. I have memories of the stuff my mom put out - an old nativity scene with shredded paper hay, stockings with a disney character and our name embroidered on them and the alternating red and white lights that go around the roof. Even though Curran has no idea what's going on yet, I want to build traditions he'll look back on. It's amazing how a mini person can inspire so much intentionality. And I mean that in more ways than just Christmas lights.

I'm on this bender of vegetables being chopped small or sliced paper thin. I've mentioned that I finally found a mandoline I'm keen on and it makes the whole situation easier. For Thanksgiving round two with Hugh's family, I shaved multi-color carrots super thin and tossed them with some red quinoa, lentils, micro greens, toasted walnuts and an apple cider vinaigrette. It didn't appear as popular as the mashed potatoes but I will for sure be making that again.

I know the crazy starts now - may there be rest and thankfulness in between it.

HOLIDAY SLAW // Serves 6

3 cups diced butternut squash (1/2")
1 Tbsp. olive oil
pinch of salt, smoked paprika and cinnamon
-
2 bunches Lacinato/Tuscan kale
1/2 head red cabbage
1/2 small red onion
1/2 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup shaved parmesan
3/4 cup toasted pecan pieces
// roasted shallot dressing //
2 small or 1 large roasted shallot*
handful fresh chopped chives or parsley
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. honey or maple
1 tsp. sea salt
ground pepper
nub of a jalapeno, optional

* roast a shallot much like a head of garlic. Trim the end, toss it (skin on) in a little olive oil and pinch of salt, wrap it in foil and pop it in the oven for 30-45 minutes (depending on size) until softened and caramelized. Time will vary by size of the shallot or how many you do. Simply peek in to check it's texture. Remove to cool to the touch before squishing it out of it's skin.

Preheat the oven to 400'. On a large rimmed baking tray, toss the butternut cubes with the olive oil, salt, smoked paprika and cinnamon to coat. Spread in an even layer and bake for 20 minutes until just tender but not mooshy. Set aside to cool completely.

In a blender or food processor, whiz all the dressing ingredients together until smooth.

Stem the kale and chop it ultra thin. Using a mandoline or excellent knife skills, shave the red cabbage and onion. Collect these items in a large salad bowl. Add the cherries (I chopped mine in half if you feel so inclined), parmesan and pecans, drizzle desired amount of dressing and toss to coat. The kale and cabbage can handle, if not improve, by sitting in the dressing for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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Entrée, Winter, Gluten Free, Soup

CURRIED YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP

Sara Forte · November 10, 2014

"You'll need coffee shops and sunsets and roadtrips. Airplanes and passports and new songs and old songs, but eople more than anything else. You will need other people and you will need to be that other person to someone else - a living, breathing, screaming invitation to believe better things." - jamie tworkowski

CURRIED YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP // Serves 4-6

I bake up an extra sweet potato and scoop out the flesh to thicken up the soup. I find it deepens the flavor to not taste so legume-y. Perhaps a personal preference. You could use pumpkin puree or even cooked carrots if you have them on hand. Add more ginger or a sprinkle of cayenne if you'd like some heat. The soup will keep for a week but will thicken up in the fridge, so simply reheat with a touch more liquid.

I wish we'd had some naan on hand. Soup + naan. That would make for a wonderful dinner.

2 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter
1 small red onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 tsp. each sea salt and pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
1 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. curry powder
3/4 cup roasted sweet potato
12 ounces dry yellow split peas, rinsed and drained
6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk, remaining for garnish
1/3 cup orange juice
chopped cilantro, black sesame, micogreens for garnish

In a large pot or dutch oven, warm the ghee or butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, salt and pepper and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, turmeric, cumin, curry, sweet potato flesh, yellow split peas and broth. Stir and bring the mixture up to a boil, down to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 45-55 minutes until the peas are very soft. With an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender, puree until mostly smooth. I like mine a little chunky. Return to the pot.

Stir in the coconut milk, orange juice and taste for seasoning. Add cayenne or more ginger if you'd like it spicy. Serve each bowl with dollop of coconut milk on top, cilantro, black sesame and microgreens for garnish.

This post is sponsored by the U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council.

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Beverage, Spring, Summer, Gluten Free

BERRY-GINGER COCKTAIL

Sara Forte · November 4, 2014

I went over to her house to pick up some chairs on loan for our dining table. My Aunt Suzy wasn't using them, it will take me months to pick out chairs for our new table, and I like to get Curran out to say hi. I've mentioned my Aunt before - my mom's sister, the only aunt I've grown up close to, geographically speaking, who has been fighting ovarian cancer for six years. She had a beautiful drawing of a skeleton sitting out and I couldn't believe she drew it herself. Actually I could, she's good at a lot of things, art being one of them. As she pulled the drawing closer, she pointed where she had drawn arrows to all the parts in her own body where tumors have grown. She used the technical names of the organs, as you would expect a very conscientious woman would. A lump rose in my throat as she talked about it so matter of factly, like it was no big thing to go through your cancer records and make an illustration of the sick parts of your body that are designed to keep you alive. I didn't say much because it made me sad and I'm certain that as unbelieveably positive she is, it had to have made her sad too. She wiped a few treasured baby toys clean and played with my son and he smiled back at her. I thought of taking a picture because the moment felt important to me, even though I was just going by to pick up chairs, but she has been a supportive, encouraging and generous role model for me, and seeing Curran gaze at her with the affection I feel but infrequently express, was special. But I believe we can take pictures in our minds too, and I'll always hold that image. The drawing keeps popping in my head and I've been thinking about how we deal with grief - how to humbly empathize with someone I love who has been fighting for six long years. That terrible, cliche saying, "live like you're dying" (which we all are at some rate), what does that look like in a practical sense? Not in the hike a major mountain or skydive sort of way, but in the everyday. The small moments.

In this recent interview I read from Anne Lamott she answers a handful of questions about her new book and on life in general. She's speaking on self-consciousness here, but I love theses lines:

"It gets infinitely better as you get older. You’ve lost your parents and some friends, and you feel so amazed and grateful that you still have the gift of life. You figure out that what your butt looks like is 143rd on the list of what is meaningful here, during our brief stay. You throw stuff out of the plane that keeps you flying too low. And yet; and yet. It’s still a struggle."

I've wasted a good amount of time lately concerned about fixing up our house, my post-partum body, our "long term plan" but then I saw Suzy's drawing. What I wanted to tell her was that it's not over. Cancer hasn't won. I'm so proud of her and grateful for the person she has been to me in the thirty years I've been her niece. I have nieces and nephews of my own now, and I hope to be as good to them as you've been to me. This weekend a big group of family and friends are hiking to raise money and awareness for womens cancer research and to celebrate Suzy. It honors a remarkable woman. So, a cocktail. Cheers. Bottoms up. To the strongest fighter I know. May your plane be flying high.

BERRY GINGER COCKTAILS // Make 1 drink

Adapted from Bon Appetit

I know we're all into apples and squash and such but my car thermostat said 76' this afternoon and there are still berries at my farmers market. If you can get your hands on juicy, bright red berries, go for it. Thawed, frozen berries will give you the same pretty color with likely a little less flavor but it's still worth the cocktail, if you ask me.

Lemon Ginger Syrup

4 ounces peeled, chopped fresh ginger
1/4-1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4-1/3 cup agave nectar

Blitz the ginger in a food processor to form a coarse paste. Put it in a saucepan along with 3 cups of water and simmer for 30-40 minutes until reduced by half. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and strain it into a container. Stir in the lemon juice and agave nectar (I used roughly 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup agave. Adjust to your taste). This will make more syrup than you need but can be stored, covered in the fridge for two weeks.

3 strawberries (fresh or thawed frozen berries)
2 oz. tequila
2 oz. lemon ginger syrup
glug of soda water
ice and super thin lemon slices for serving

In your glass, cut up the berries and muddle them in the bottom of the glass. Fill it up with ice. Add the tequila, ginger syrup and a splash of soda water. Give it a stir, taste and add more of whichever you fancy.

Garnish with lemon slices and drink. I suppose you could make a pitcher of this for a party or shower just multiply each ingredients by about eight.

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SPROUTED KITCHEN COOKBOOKS

cooking club

Gluten Free

HOLIDAY SLAW WITH ROASTED SHALLOT DRESSING

CURRIED YELLOW SPLIT PEA SOUP

BERRY-GINGER COCKTAIL