Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges . Bowl & Spoon Launch party

I ordered a diet coke on the plane ride home and Hugh gave me a wide-eyed side glance when he heard me ask the stewardess. It was a silent understanding that I was needing my routine back. I'm not a soda drinker so Hugh knows when I order one, I'm not particularly feeling myself. One could think of a few worse vices, no? I had a just barely sleeping, teething baby on my chest and I was so tired. So tired from not sleeping well and stressing about the book and hosting a workshop and talking in front of people and being super social that I was one more night away from a melt down. I ordered a diet coke because there was really no other way to rebel against my own self in that moment. I love being away but being away and working with a baby is just...different. Different as in I needed wine but took the free diet coke instead and called it even.

I had the sweetest time at the book signings meeting a handful of you. This space feels real and communal for me but there is nothing like some good ol' fashioned face time. I hope there is more of it to come, cross your fingers. We taught a photography workshop while in Seattle at Aran's dreamy studio and I felt the spark to be cooking more. I have a bundle of new cookbooks and I'm just going to surrender to other peoples' instructions to coax me back into cooking. I do it for work and because I need to feed my family, but it has lost a bit of its romance as of late. It was so refreshing to talk about what we/I do with other people. I think I felt outside of it for a season, if that makes any sense. So it goes with the value of community, I needed other like-minded people to get my wheels turning. How one can feel so depleted and filled up in a given week is beyond me but that is life and I'm still learning.

I have been doing some recipe development for Electrolux as they build a pretty neat food blog for prospective customers and curious home cooks. There are a few more springy dishes coming up next week as well if you remember to pop over. I know there are a grip of sweet potato recipes that I've shared here, but I need to add this one to the list because I love having them with a solid dipping sauce. Also, the leftovers in a tortilla with a handful of fresh greens - instant lunch. Think guacamole with an extra bit of heat and generous amount of herbs. I leave mine pretty chunky but you could mash it more smooth and perhaps thin it with more lime juice or olive oil. I hope you don't mind one click over - the site is worth a peruse aside from these tasty potatoes anyway.

ROASTED SWEET POTATO WEDGES WITH AVOCADO CHIMICHURRI // Serves 4

The recipe can be found at the Electrolux blog Live.Love.Lux

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Personal

BOWL + SPOON LAUNCH PARTY

Sara Forte · April 6, 2015

What I do is not a typical job. I don't exactly have an official title, my paychecks are random and my schedule is both amazingly flexible and annoyingly inconsistent. I have loved this program before, but find it a bit more complicated with a mini person around. It's not just the time management aspect. I have Hugh around who is an expectional father and so supportive that I am able to take the time I need to get my own work done, but it has made my identity as a mother confusing. Perhaps for only me, but our sense of self can be so key - so pivotal and nocuous if left unencouraged. Who I am as a worker versus who I am as a mother has been tough for me to fuse as I feel like society tells me you can only excel at one or the other. In short, only because I still don't think I am on the other side of understanding where I am in all this, I needed this book to come out. I needed all the recipe deliberation, days at the library to concentrate, emails to testers, and fights with Hugh over final photos to be held in my hands, to show other people, to see my work. I am proud that this is my job and that some days I allow my son to tear through all the kitchen cabinets to entertain himself so I am able to do it. This work is something to celebrate.

I wanted to share a few photos from the launch party we hosted for the cookbook last week. It was family and friends and a good handful of local SK readers. I had about four times as much food as I needed and I was so stressy my legs were shaking the whole time BUT I am so glad we did it. I had dear friends help me set up and sell books, my sister and her best friend bartend and my mom help me make it pretty. The Ecology Center is a really special place, they are doing great things, inspiring really, and being in that space felt just right.

"...When you realize that the story of your life could be told a thousand different ways, that you could tell it over and over as a tragedy, but you choose to call it an epic, that's when you learn what celebration is. When you see that what's in front of you is so far outside of what you dreamed, but you have the belief, the boldness, the courage to call it beautiful instead of calling it wrong...THAT is celebration."

- Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines

This party was possible because of a few very generous sponsors. Our local Laguna Niguel Whole Foods supplied me with the groceries so I could prepare a few recipes from the book, we served Seven Daughters Wines , House Beer and a sessions beer from New Belgium. I had bowls full of Justin's Dark Chocolate PB Cups that went just as quickly as you'd think they would while a few handfuls may have gone home with us. THANK YOU for making it possible to do this!

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Snack, Gluten Free

SUNFLOWER SEEDED BRITTLE

Sara Forte · March 17, 2015

This is a big year for cookbooks. Many I am looking forward to cooking from here this spring and a good handful to anticipate for fall. One of these, which coincidentally comes out the same day as ours, is the plant-based My New Roots from Sarah Britton. Sarah is seriously about clean eating. Not just a "I love salad" kind of plant-based, but the "ice cream made with cashews" sort of commitment. If you've read her blog, it's inspiring to get a glimpse of how she views food as medicine. She writes her recipes with not only flavor in mind, but packs in maximum nutritional value. As a holistic nutritionist, she saves her prose for educating readers about the benefits of the foods she uses and I have learned so much from her. Sarah's cookbook is beautiful and encompasses her sweet enthusiasm for the work she does. I will say there are a number of ingredients featured you wouldn't find at a regular super market, but if you frequent a health food store or buy things online, lucuma and maca powder will find their way into your pantry. I have bookmarked a beautiful looking strawberry frozen yogurt, kale, onion and olive spelt calzones and must try her Life Changing Loaf of Bread that made it's way from the blog to book pages. It's one to add to your list for sure.

This brittle reminds me of a Kind bar, those sweetened nut bars for on the go, but better and fresh tasting. Lots of seeds and snappy sesame strewn throughout. Mine turned out more chewy than crunchy which is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps more cooking time or a little less brown rice syrup next time if I want more crackle. These would be perfect for traveling or kids school snacks. Portable, a mellowed sweetness and lots of seedy crunch. I think you could play around with the nuts and seeds, change the dried fruit and make them yours. Either way, these will for sure be made again and on my list for edible gifts.

Congrats, Sarah!

SUNFLOWER SEEDED BRITTLE // Serves 4-6 as a snack
Recipe from My New Roots
1 1/4 cups sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins or cherries, roughly chopped
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
scant 1/2 cup brown rice syrup

Preheat the oven to 325'. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the sunflower seeds, coconut, sesame seeds, dried fruit, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl and stir well.

In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil over low heat. Add the syrup and whisk until uniform. Pour the liquid over the dry ingredients and fold\ quickly to incorporate it before the mixture becomes too sticky. Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth out the top with the back of an oil-greased spatula.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Let cool cool completely on the baking sheet.

Crack the brittle into pieces and store them in a sealed container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

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