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nutty, seedy granola

March 19, 2015
sweet thang, the main event
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1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chia seeds
3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw cashews, roughly chopped
1 cup dried fruit, diced (I used chopped dates and apricots)

1. Preheat oven to 250 F.
2. In a small sauce pan, whisk together oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, and salt. Heat over medium-low heat until sugar and salt dissolve.
3. In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, and cashews.
4. Pour the oil mixture over the oat mixture and stir to coat.
5. Spread evenly on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.
7. Combine granola with dried fruit and cool, stirring occasionally to break into smaller clusters.

Notes: decrease both oil and chia seeds to 1/4 cup each. Otherwise, flavor was great and texture was what I had hoped: crunchy with some larger clusters throughout. Yum. Could probably decrease sweetness (try 1/4 cup maple syrup).

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raw broccoli and grape salad

March 9, 2014
somethin' on the side, the underwear diet
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Served alongside crispy avocado fries, and adapted from this recipe for Broccoli Carpaccio with Grapes and Watercress, from Food & Wine magazine. Bright, tangy, crisp. Got leftovers? Just stir it all together and the broccoli will soften slightly and make for a great lunch the next day.

For the dressing:
3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt (not Greek–you want it to be thin enough to drizzle)
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the salad:
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
1 cup seedless red grapes
1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower seeds

1. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients and set aside.
2. For the salad, thinly slice broccoli florets and arrange on 4 plates or a large platter.
3. Cut half of the grapes in half, and then divide among the plates, or scatter on top of the platter.
4. Sprinkle the salad with seeds, and then drizzle with the dressing.

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new year’s eve dinner

January 1, 2014
the main event, the underwear diet
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This year, since I was home alone with nowhere to go (my own choice, I swear!), I treated myself to a scallop dinner. Since I’ve been eating like a pig queen lately, I made it clean and healthy, using this recipe from Food & Wine, Scallops with Blood Orange, Fennel, and Pistachios.

1 medium bulb fennel
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 navel orange
1/3 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Scallops (I splurged on dry sea scallops, so I only bought three; this recipe could accommodate about eight large scallops)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sprig thyme
1 1/2 Tbsp capers
1 1/2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted

1. Halve the fennel lengthwise and thinly slice on a mandolin. Place on a large platter and drizzle with olive oil.
2. Remove skin and white pith from the orange and thinly slice into rounds. Layer on top of the fennel.
3. Scatter olives on top of the salad.
4. Sprinkle scallops with a little bit of salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, because the olives and capers provide most of the seasoning).
5. Heat a saute pan over high heat. Add butter and as soon as it melts, place scallops in the pan.
6. Add thyme sprig to the pan and sear the scallops, about 1 minute on the first side, 30 seconds on the flip side. Using a spoon, baste the scallops with the thyme-infused butter while they cook.
7. Remove the scallops from the pan and place directly on top of the salad.
8. Add capers to the pan and fry in the butter just until the first one pops open, about 30 seconds. Spoon on top of the salad.
9. Sprinkle the platter with pumpkin seeds and serve!

This is a great healthy entree or first course. Feel free to omit the scallops and make the salad alone; it would be a great side dish, or a perfect component of a big brunch spread.

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vegan kitchen sink salad

August 20, 2013
eat here, the main event
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A few weeks ago, I found myself in Orlando, Florida for a wedding. No, I didn’t go to Disney, and yes, I cried through the entire ceremony, and of course I danced. Ohhhh, did I dance. But I also had some fabulous vegetarian food at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. Not only was it delicious and satisfying, it was a revelation. I had one of the best salads I’ve enjoyed in a long time, and my S.S. had a killer Flutter Nutter sandwich, made with almond butter, homemade fluff and sliced bananas.

If you ever find yourself in the Orlando area, it is worth a special trip to the cafe. If you don’t, you can try my attempt at their salad, the Abundant Harvest:

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a bias
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced in a bias
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
corn kernels from 2 ears of corn
4 oz sprig mix, or other salad green
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 cups cooked quinoa
Pumpkin seeds, toasted, to garnish

1. Combine the carrots, celery, broccoli, chick peas, corn kernels, spring mix, and tomatoes.
2. Fold in the quinoa.
3. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.
4. Eat. And do me a favor–make this the main course. There’s a good deal of prep, and it’s glorious. It deserves to take center stage.

vegan kitchen sink salad

But wait! The dressing! Tune in tomorrow for my take on the Green Goddess dressing served with the Abundant Harvest at Dandelion Communitea Cafe (like what I did right there?).