Showing posts with label greens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label greens. Show all posts

Greens, Roasted Beets and Afternoon Gelato



    Like many of you, I spend a few days cleansing at the beginning of every new year. Cleansing my house, my clutter, my mind and my body. There are several large trash bags filled with toys and unnecessary things waiting to be donated. This makes me feel both better and guilty. Better because I cannot function surrounded by clutter, yet guilty because it highlights how wasteful we can manage to be. I am striving for a more austere year in the material realm. I will let you know how that goes. Something tells me I will be challenged.

    But back to cleansing my body.



    Perhaps what I call cleansing is really not a strict cleansing diet as many experts would define it. I don't limit my foods to juices. Maybe I should, but since I am a pretty healthy eater as is, I just try to eliminate certain extras, like red meat, dairy, sugar or too many grains. My skin is actually the first organ to notice. It feels good.

    Unfortunately, this doesn't mean everyone around me is on board.



    Last week I was feeling particularly good about my choices after a roasted beet, greens, pistachio and chia seed salad lunch. Had a blood orange for dessert followed by a cup of ginger tea. Then the phone rang. "Is it ok if we stop over for a bit?", asked J. "Of course!".

    And there I was five minutes later, faced with a pint of toasted almond gelato. I pulled out some crumble from the freezer, baked it and made everyone a nice bowl of blood orange segments, topped with almond crumble and toasted almond gelato. And what can I say, not what I had intended, but a great way to spend the afternoon nonetheless.



    Roasted Beet, Greens, Pistachio and Chia Seed Salad

    makes 1 serving

    1/2 lb. baby beets, golden and red
    2 cups mixed greens (romaine, spinach, watercress, beet greens)
    1/2 medium spring onion, thinly sliced
    1 Tbs unsalted pistachios, chopped
    1 Tbs chia seeds
    1/2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
    1 tsp grainy mustard
    2 tsp hazelnut oil
    1 Tbs olive oil

    Trim the tops of the baby beets. Wash them and toss them on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bake them in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes or until tender. Let them cool a bit and then peel them. The skin should come right off.

    Mix the greens, sliced beets, onion and pistachios in a bowl.

    Make the vinaigrette by whisking the chia seeds, salt, mustard, hazelnut oil and olive oil together. Pour over the salad and toss.

Post Title

Greens, Roasted Beets and Afternoon Gelato


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2011/01/greens-roasted-beets-and-afternoon.html


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A Sunday Trip to the Farmers Market and Eggs for Brunch



    A couple of days ago, I was thinking that if there is one single food item I could not live without, that must be eggs. I am a person of habits and my oatmeal and one egg every morning is one of those things I would not want to change.

    Fresh farm eggs are a luxury these days. Even back home where we grew up eating my grandparents' chickens' eggs, it is difficult to find someone to buy eggs from. So when I went to our farmers market a couple of weeks ago and found a stand with fresh farm eggs, I almost started to cry. I was so excited. It's crazy how our food culture has changed. The carton of eggs said "Fresh Farm Eggs - Not For Human Consumption". If this is not crazy, I don't know what is.



    I love to discover new ingredients and to talk to the farmers about their qualities and how to cook them. Farmer Sal from Varri Green Farm had the most beautiful greens I have ever seen. Yu choy sum they are called. I had never tasted them and talked to him about his favorite way to prepare them. "Sauteed in olive oil and garlic", he said.



    I was carrying M. in the front carrier so I was limited with how much food I could buy, but I came home with the eggs, yu choy sum, Sicilian eggplants, shallots, beans, tomatoes, strawberries, rainbow chard and a pot of garlic chives. Next time, I am bringing the stroller so I can use it as a grocery cart.

    I made a mid morning snack for all of us. Sauteed some of the greens with shallots and scrambled some eggs into them. Finished all with the yu choy sum flowers, garlic chives and served it on C's toasted sourdough bread. I have to tell you, the man knows how to make a good loaf of bread. Now I just have to convince him to try his hand at a gluten free version.

Post Title

A Sunday Trip to the Farmers Market and Eggs for Brunch


Post URL

https://mercymadame.blogspot.com/2010/02/sunday-trip-to-farmers-market-and-eggs.html


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