Salads as Art

We eat with our eyes as well as our taste buds, and beautiful food just tastes better! Naturally colorful foods are often the most healthful for us, and so fetching in designing an artful plate.
Our garden is providing fresh lettuce even in these winter months.  Check out some of the variety we offer at www.dustbowlseed.com.
Creating beautiful salads has become a creative outlet for me, which is evidenced by my photo album named 'salads as art' :)
This is not meant to be a recipe post, as much as
a suggestion of possible ingredients and a mind set.

Begin with whatever lettuce, or greens you have.
In this salad pictured, to the right, I used 3 types of
lettuce currently sprouting in our garden.  Romaine,
mottistone (a lovely green, speckled with red 'freckles') red cross (a lovely red leaf lettuce)and some small leaves of kale.
I like tearing them into bite sized pieces.
Next, I added some cooked cold quinoa, which is
an amazing food that offers complete protein (containing all nine amino acids).
Here is a great link on the subject of quinoa benefits:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4994/7-Benefits-of-Quinoa-The-Supergrain-of-the-Future.html

Here is where you have the opportunity to get creative!  What do you have on hand, in your fridge, pantry or freezer, that would add beauty, nutrition and flavor to your salad? Think outside the bowl!
 I opted for some  cranberries and blueberries.  Both berries are considered super foods and I am constantly looking for new ways to add them to any meal.  I also had some thawed boiled shrimp, but this could very easily be a vegan salad.
Next, some shaved parmesan, sliced red onion, whole black olives and a few avocado slices.

You can buy salad dressing, but it's very simple to make your own.  You can control the ingredients, know what you are eating (and not eating) and it just takes a few minutes, and keeps for days when refrigerated. If you don't have another salad within that length of time, try using it as a marinade for meats, fish or veggies. Each dressing around here is unique and today was no exception.
I did not measure, but here is the list of ingredients in order of most to least:
Grapeseed oil
Sesame oil
Red Wine vinegar
Tahini

Dressing Prep, Citrus honey on bottom right

finely chopped roasted garlic                                                
cranberry juice
citrus infused honey
sundried tomatoes
smidgen anchovy paste
dried parsley
fresh cuban oregano
salt and pepper to taste
If you have a food processor, feel free to juize this up, but it's really not necessary.  I simply use a recycled glass jar, and shake well with the lid firmly screwed down.  This can be stored in the fridge and shaken as needed. Experiment with different vinegars and oils.

Bon Appetit!

Adding a new salad photo that was made yesterday, based on
a recipe I saw for garbanzo bean pasta salad.
I used canned beans, cooked quinoa, artichoke hearts, blueberries, hard boiled egg, anchovie, feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, flaz meal and 3 lettuces from our garden.  Quick semi sweet vinagrette...ripe greek olives on the side.

It's a salad I will try to re-create!
03/09/2013

Power Brunch

 'Breakfast is the most important meal of the day'. We've all heard it said, and for those of us with blood sugar issues, we know that this is true!  We wake up hungry! Over time it's become clear that this first meal hugely impacts my mood, energy level and ability to think clearly.  Protein,slow burning carbs and good sources of fat are key, and meat is not something I eat at every meal, so it has taken some experimenting to find options that work for these food requirements.  This post is meant to be a template for ideas, rather than a recipe...try your own ingredients and see what happens.

We garden year round.  One of the items that grows quite willingly all year is various greens.  I didn't grow up eating many greens, other than spinach, which I happen to love.I love it canned, raw and fresh, or sauteed with garlic and oil... no matter!  Pass it over here!  So, at some point I began adding unusual vegetables to my eggs in the morning, just in attempt to eat more from the garden.  It began with okra I think, but soon I was trying just about anything.  It's not a technique I have ever seen before, so it seemed worth sharing.  Think frittata, but without the oven, and without the whisk.

'Oatmeal' Eggs

The brunch plate in the photo above, is a large meal.   First, a corn tortilla covered with cooked beans (of choice) and a bit of cheese (also  your choice) and chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts, but eat what you like).  There is also a small patty of sausage.  Sweetie brought home some 'blue and gold' sausage, which is a delicious fund raiser purchase often found in these parts.  This was a special ingredient and not often found on my plate.  The eggs were cooked with butter, coconut oil, sage, greens and roasted garlic.  There are many option for this technique.  I have also used sliced okra, sliced radishes (yes, you heard me...they are DELICIOUS cooked and take on a sweet roasted yumminess that you will remember) diced sweet pepper, onion,  mushrooms, cabbage, oatmeal (one of our favorites).  One day I had made too much oatmeal and, after searching for ideas, tried this and loved it!

Here is how I make these eggs if you wish to try them:
You really need a non stick pan.  This pan is a 'Green" Pan, which is ceramic coating and very nicely non-stick!  I love my green pans!

Start with one small pat of butter and cut it into thirds if you plan to make three eggs (that is how many this pan holds comfortably, but if your pan is smaller or larger, adjust your plan accordingly).
Place a piece of sage atop each butter pat.
Begin heating at medium heat.
Add a small dollop of coconut oil in the center of your pan.
While that is heating, chop your greens.  Pictured above are a bok choy, chard and purple mustard.  Also use kale, spinach, or whatever green you have on hand.  I also might add some garlic here with the greens.
Allow these items to wilt just a bit and add oatmeal if you have some already cooked.  If not, add any other veggies that make sense to you.
Now, just crack an egg over each sage butter center, and cooking over a medium heat.
I usually turn down the heat just a bit here, to a low medium.  Season to taste.  I use salt and pepper, a lot of parsley, sea kelp flakes, pinch cayenne.
Flip your eggs, when ready to flip and cook to desired done-ness!  We happen to like ours nice and toasty, caramelized, and cooked through!

Serve with salsa, avocado, yogurt or other condiment of choice.
Bon appetit!

Auditory Palate Cleanser?

Dirty Dancing aired this past weekend, and now I have the Kellermans end of season song stuck on re-loop!

'visitors, staff and guests'!

Help!

Do you know of a sure fire auditory palate cleanser?

Coffee beans work well for the olfactory sense, by the way!

Sorbet for the tongue!

But, WHAT, OH what do I do to stop this song?!

'join hands and hearts and voices, voices, hearts and hands'

Help!


'OH Sylvia!"