BABY KALE SALAD WITH CHERRIES, MARINATED LENTILS + GOAT CHEESE

To better explain the experience, I must first introduce you to Elyse. I know her by way of mutual friends; our paths have crossed a handful of times, but ever since I started listening to her new podcast project, I knew she would be someone I would really enjoy. She has the kind of personality that draws people in - warm, confident, intentional, wise, assertive. She has a crazy story herself, one that could lead you towards darkness and despondence, but she exudes light. And consequently has the easiest, and best laugh I've ever heard. She's a trained therapist, so you expect some of that, but to experience her is different. An extensive education doesn't compare to someones' natural strengths. Like I said, I knew I liked her before I attended her retreat last weekend, but what she is building - creating a space for people to feel vulnerable and seen and to be moved out of their own way - is remarkable. 

It was essentially two days, with a group of five other women, while Elyse led us through her curriculum of, as she puts it, "looking at a practical evaluation of your history, and the current repercussions of your experiences and core beliefs." We wrote a letter to our younger selves, broke down a timeline of our own lives, shared stories with each other that near broke us - stories of loss and abuse and silence and shame -  each woman had something to share from such different perspectives and circumstance.  I left feeling like I had untangled a few things that were leaving callouses on my heart. I left feeling motivated about how to practically move towards what I need - both professionally and personally. One of the exercises had a line that stuck with me: "you are already the woman you want to be." I needed a push out of my head, out of some old stories and self doubt to believe that. Go for it! Do it! Have the conversation. Engage in the conflict instead of always keeping peace. Start the business. 

On the heels of the terrible loss of Anthony Bourdain, I feel responsible to point you towards soul food just as much as I do literal food. This past weekend was that for me. In my experience, pulling things out of your head, into the light and looking at them with another perspective, goes a long way towards putting them back under your control rather than the other way around. The internet sells us things all day long; promising things to fix our insecurities.  There is quieter messaging about seeking connection; reaching out a hand when you can't dig yourself out. So I'll say this for whomever may need to hear it - invest in the friendships, invite people over, ask for what you need, seek knowledge, spend the money on a therapist, do the thing, ditch the life sucking boyfriend, take the risk, get down and play. 

It's actually pretty difficult to put it all to words honestly, it was so personal and needed. I'm still riding my high of bringing some power back to me, and I want to give some of that to you. You are enough. You are capable. You are smart and beautiful and worthy.

“Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books written in a foreign language. Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.” 

― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

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BABY KALE SALAD WITH CHERRIES, MARINATED LENTILS + GOAT CHEESE

Serves 2-4

I'm into having a salad special and eating it a few days in a row so I don't have to reinvent the wheel every day. I prep the components, then it is just ready to throw together with little fuss. In this case, I double up the dressing, cherries pitted and halved, lentils marinated, clean lettuce stocked. Then when it comes to making a salad, it takes 2 minutes instead of starting from scratch.
Swap in peaches for cherries as needed, their seasonal window is short. Grilled salmon or chicken works on here too, otherwise it's great and easy as is. 

INGREDIENTS

• maple mustard vinaigrette
• 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt and pepper
• tip of dried herbs - basil, oregano, Italian blend, whatever
•  
• 1 cup cooked lentils
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• salt and pepper
•  
• 4 cups/5 oz. baby kale
• 1 cup pitted and halved cherries
• 4 ounces soft goats cheese
• 1/2 cup toasted almonds

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake it all together (I clean out old nut butter and jam jars to store condiments). Set aside. 

Mix the lentils, oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic and a generous pinch of salt and pepper together and stir to mix. This can be done a day or two in advance and kept covered in the fridge. 

Toss the greens and cherries in desired amount of dressing. Top with a scoop of the lentils, goat cheese and almonds. 

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THAI-ISH CAULIFLOWER RICE SALAD

I saw this recipe on pinterest recently and given I (ironically, it is a long list) had all of these ingredients, I could not stop thinking about it. I strayed really far from the original, but am happy with where I ended up. I could eat this all day long. I am aware it is not a truly authentic Thai list of ingredients, but it tastes delicious at the end so I'm not concerned. I don't like rambling on to sell you a recipe so instead, here are a few podcasts I listened to this past week that I really enjoyed. Not sure how you listen to podcasts, I trust you can search for them. 

Oprah Super Soul Conversations : Brene Brown and Shonda Rhimes
The Liturgists : Body Image
How I Built This : Howard Schultz/Starbucks and Gary Hirshberg/Stonyfield Yogurt

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THAI-ISH CAULIFLOWER RICE SALAD

Serves 4-6

Recipe inspired by The Awesome Green

It is a long list of ingredients, and quite a bit of chopping, but worth the time. I add some grilled chicken or tofu, both of which I marinate in sriracha, sesame oil and a bit of tamari. Salmon would be AMAZING here. Any leftovers will keep for a few days, covered in the fridge.

The Salad

• 1 bell pepper, small dice
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1/2 a red onion, small dice
• 2 Persian cucumbers, small dice
• 1/2 a small head of purple cabbage, finely shredded
• 1 mango (or 2 ataulfo mangos, preferable if you can find them), small dice
• 1 small bunch cilantro
• 1 small bunch mint
• 1 large lime
• sea salt and pepper


• nub of coconut oil
• 1 medium head of cauliflower, riced (about 1 1/2 cups prepared)
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 2 avocados, for garnish
• toasted cashews, for garnish

Peanut Sauce

• 1/2 cup creamy, salted peanut butter
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• juice of two large limes
• 2 inch nub of ginger, grated
• 1 clove of garlic, grated
• dash of fish sauce, optional
• 1 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar
• 2 tsp. tamari or soy sauce
• sea salt and pepper

Recipe Instructions

Put all the prepared produce in a large mixing bowl. Chop the cilantro and mint, add that too. Squeeze the lime over everything, add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss everything to mix. Set aside, room temperature or in the fridge.

Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the riced cauliflower, pinch of salt and pepper and saute until it begins to soften. Add the coconut milk and saute another 2-3 minutes until softened. Set aside to cool down.

When the cauliflower cools, make your sauce. In a bowl, combine the peanut butter, water, rice vinegar, juice of both limes, grated ginger, garlic, fish sauce if using, honey or agave and tamari. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk everything together until smooth. Taste for seasoning, if you like some heat, add a dash of sriracha or cayenne. Add water or lime juice to thin if needed. Keep it mind it will firm up in the fridge.

Add the cooled cauliflower to the bowl of vegetables and toss everything together. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve the salad with the peanut sauce, avocado and toasted cashews on top.

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MEAL PREP SAUCES

MEAL PREP SAUCES

Thanks to those of you who commented and asked for the sauce ideas. I hear you! Let's make dinner better.
In this season of life, our meals are riffs on the same sort of thing, all made special by the rotation of a few sauces. As a girlfriend mentioned to me, "I can chop things for a salad or roast some vegetables, I just need to know how to make the sauces" - so hopefully this is helpful. The vinaigrette works on any sort of green salad, the mexi bowl sauce is what we put on tacos, stuffed peppers or burrito bowls, which happen weekly here. It is also great with scrambled eggs. The citrus tahini miso is the crowd favorite recipe from Bowl + Spoon. We use it over grain or noodle bowls, or any neutral seasoned roasted vegetable. They all are super easy, only one requires a blender, and they make meals come together so quick. Prep them on a Sunday, they store fine in the fridge for the week and use as needed. I also love this Vegan Caesar or this Green Harissa from the recipe index too.

I lean towards sauces being on the more acidic, zingy side. A few tips for "fixing" them when you wing it, or you misjudged the heat in your jalapeno, or perhaps my measurements here aren't to your taste:

too spicy? more sweetener
too salty? more of all the other ingredients, aside from the salty ones (soy, miso, parm, olives etc.)
too oily? more acid and herbs
flavorless? more acid and salt
too thick? water or citrus
too thin? blend in nuts, herbs, greek yogurt, avocado

// back pocket vinaigrette //

I put everything here in a jar with a lid and shake it up to mix. You could also whisk everything in a bowl or even whiz it in a blender, if preferred. I call for ACV here to use a pantry staple, but a squeeze of fresh lemon helps brighten everything here. I heart you forever, lemons.

2 Tbsp. minced shallot or red onion
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. sea salt
fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. grated parmesan
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (1/2 tsp. dried oregano as a sub)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Into a jar with an available matching lid, combine the shallot, dijon, honey, salt, a few grinds of pepper, cider vinegar, parmesan, parsley and give it all a little swirl. Add the olive oil and shake it around to mix. Season to taste. 
Dressing will keep at room temperature for a day or two (the parm is fine), or in the fridge for a week. If the oil solidifies, just leave it at room temp for a few minutes before using. 

// mexi bowl sauce //

1 jalapeno, roasted over gas burners or broiled for 5 minutes
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup toasted pepitas
1 anchovy (optional but delicious, you wont even know its there)
3/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one large lime
1 Tbsp. white or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 ripe avocado

Do a quicky roast to your jalapeno, I do this over the stovetop. Chop it up, avoiding some of the seeds in the center. Put the jalapeno in your blender, along with the garlic, pepitas, anchovy (if using), sea salt, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, water and avocado. Blitz until smooth. Use citrus or vinegar to thin it if you prefer it thinner. It will firm up in the fridge. 
Best used within a few days. Will keep covered in the fridge for 5 days. 

// citrus tahini miso //
from Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon
I will say this yields enough for one meal? Depends how saucy you are. Double it if you'd like it on hand for more than one meal. 

1/2 cup tahini
2 Tbsp. yellow or white miso paste
1 Tbsp. honey or agave
2 tsp. sriracha
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, grated
1/4 cup citrus juice (orange or lime preferred)
2 Tbsp. water, more as needed
minced cilantro, optional
sea salt and pepper to taste

Into a bowl, combine the tahini, miso, honey, sriracha, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, citrus juice, water and whisk everything until evenly combined. Taste and adjust as you wish. Whisk in fresh cilantro, if using. 
Keep the dressing stored in the fridge for a week.