POWER GREEN SALAD

Power Green Salad . Sprouted Kitchen

It was funny how similar in sentiment Hugh and my Valentine's cards were. They essentially said "I don't know how the hell we are going to pull all of this off, but I have you, and that's the only reason I believe we're capable and I won't die in the next few months." We get the keys to our house tomorrow and it's safe to say both of us are equal parts scared and excited. This apartment, my first home with Hugh, is tough to leave. I'll miss the excessive pantry space here and my favorite routine beach walk. There are quirks here that in their own weird way contribute to it feeling known and ours - like all the stray cats that hang out in the front area, especially when they're mating (it's true, we call it the cat brothel, you've never seen anything like it), or the little old lady whose kitchen window looks right into ours who I try to not make eye contact with while I am eating something standing over the sink. We made our first book here and I showed Hugh my long awaited positive pregnancy test on those front steps. I just wrangled down the Christmas lights we've had framing our front door since our first month here, which we intentionally left up year round because every once in a while it was nice to come home to a sparkly welcome. The ice cream truck that consistently makes a neighborhood round at about 6pm. I assume it's his second job with those hours. They aren't exactly prime time for street-side ice cream purchases. I wish I had bought something from him just to show support. We built a life here and established roots in our first few years of marriage. I know this home well and in the throws of change, it makes leaving the familiar that much harder. We are on to new pages of another chapter, and moving forward offers its own set of rewards I'm looking forward to knowing. My thoughtful friend posted this quote on her blog and I love it, I keep going back to it. I am a lady who likes a plan, a substantial nest egg and having a general grasp on what to expect. They're bad habits, really, when you hold on to them too tight. I think there will be some sort of freedom from releasing those safeties as this settles into my bones. 

"We think the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It's just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, room for relief, for misery, for joy." - Pema Chodron

Because this week will mostly be between places, moving and cleaning and painting and such, I tried to stock the fridge with foods that can be assembled in five minutes. Sandwich goods, granola bars, cut fruit and veggies and a salad like this one that will hold up well for a few days of quick meals. It's crunchy and filling, and while simple, is just the thing I need on hand right now. It takes about 7 minutes to put together and maybe that is the sort of time frame you're cooking in these days, as well.

It may be a little snoozy around here for the next couple weeks as we get things up and running in a new kitchen but we're excited to emerge on the other side. Until then.

Power Green Salad . Sprouted Kitchen

POWER GREEN SALAD // Serves 4

Inspired by An Edible Mosaic

This salad is pretty crunchy. I'm still eating from the bowl on day three and don't find it soggy at all. That said, it would be great for a plane ride or delivering to a new mom/sick friend etc. It's a sturdy one. I added parmesan because it holds up, but feta or goat cheese will work here too. It's pretty simple, change as you wish.

• 3 cups ribbed and chopped kale
• handful of chopped parsley
• 1 cup cooked black lentils
• 1 green apple, diced
• half an english cucumber, diced
• 1/2 cup toasted pepitas
• 1 cup shaved parmesan
• dressing
• one clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. dijon
• juice of one lemon
• 1/3 cup pumpkin seed oil or extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Power Green Salad . Sprouted Kitchen

In a large salad bowl, combine the kale, parsley, lentils, apples, cucumber, pepitas and parmesan.

For the dressing, blitz everything in a food processor or blender, with salt and pepper to taste, until the garlic is smooth.

Pour the dressing on the salad and toss well to coat. Garnish with more parmesan if you wish. The salad will keep in the fridge for a full day and slowly loose it's crunch from there.

OLIVEY CAESAR DRESSING

Olivey Caesar Dressing . Sprouted Kitchen

I work part-time at a grocery store, so I am aware of consumer buying trends based on season and weather. We sell twice as much soup when it's raining out, more pre-packaged food is sold during the week for the work crowd as opposed to weekends, we'll sell out of sea salt caramels first, without question, out of all the holiday treats, and as soon as January 1st hits, the "lettuce wall," as we call it, needs to be completely replenished every hour for the resolution setters. But don't worry, that only lasts through January and then we can bring the chip and cookie numbers back up. We are a predictable people group, I'll say. Next year when I am working off the pregnancy nachos I may be more motivated to construct a program to post here. I contributed the recipes to this article in Oprah magazine this month if you're looking for ideas until then. 

How to react to the lettuce binging? Well, it sounds like there may be a need for a flavor-packed dressing. Cooking has been simplified around here lately. If I am in the mood, I try to take full advantage and make a few things in advance while I am making the mess. Yesterday I made two dressings, washed and chopped all my salad greens, a batch of Ashley's cookie dough with almond, flax and oat flour (which while more crumbly, still taste amazing), a big batch of brown rice and lentils to add in salads, warm up under a couple poached eggs or blend up for a veggie burger base if it doesn't get consumed in a few days. Like I said, if we're cooking, we are cooooooking. I was pretty happy with this new dressing I tried from one of the cookbooks I got for Christmas and wanted to pass it on. Having a few dressings on hand is the easiest answer for me to keep out of a salad rut. I'll also use the thicker ones for sandwich or wrap spreads or drop a dollop on a hard boiled egg for a snack. Anyway, hope the new year has left you feeling hopeful and excited for new experiences. And hungry for lots of salad of course. 

Olivey Caesar Dressing . Sprouted Kitchen

Olivey Caesar Dressing . Sprouted Kitchen

OLIVEY CAESAR DRESSING // Makes 1 1/4 cups

Recipe adapted from The True Food Kitchen Cookbook

They do make vegetarian worchestershire sauce without the anchovy that can be found at health food stores or online. The printed recipe adds salt, but I felt there was enough salt in the other ingredients to contribute plenty of salinity for my taste. Adjust to your preference. 

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp. worchestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• juice of one lemon
• 1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Olivey Caesar Dressing . Sprouted Kitchen

In a blender of food processor, combine the garlic, Worcestershire, olives, Dijon, parmesan, vinegar and lemon and blend into a smooth paste. Add the parsley, pepper and olive oil and pulse a few more times to combine. 

Dressing will keep covered in the fridge for up to two weeks. 

salad // purple kale, savoy cabbage, shaved yellow beets, lentils, this dressing and a dusting of grated parmesan

pita // I stuff the above salad into a pita with a little extra dressing 

other ideas // on baked tofu spears, classic romaine salad with fresh baked croutons, pasta salad with artichoke hearts, arugula and sun dried tomatoes, a dressing for the lentil meatballs

Olivey Caesar Dressing . Sprouted Kitchen

AUTUMN SALAD WITH HORSERADISH VINAIGRETTE + NEWS!

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

I'm pregnant! We're pregnant is what you say, I suppose, but I'm the one in the stretchy pants over here. So many things to say about this, friends, but I'm at a loss for words at the same time. This may be more of a generally-emotional-lady thing, so bear with me, but you know when you feel outside of yourself? Like little crazy trolls are frantic in your head making you irritable and easily bringing you to tears. Sometimes the trolls rest, but I generally feel a little... off. I have another human in my belly and trolls in my mind and I'm in absolute amazement that our bodies make people. I still can't believe it.

I have wanted to be a mom my entire life. I have never once doubted it. I was a big sister, and I mothered my little sister the moment she came home from the hospital. I covered her whole body in diaper cream and bossed her around. I mothered my own mother, too, from time to time. I would ask if she had her purse when we left the house and remind her to get gas when the dash light went. I enjoy taking care of people, I am a nurturer, I ask questions and listen for the answer, I love a really good, meaningful hug and a good cuddle. All I know is that this baby in my tum? I have desired him/her for as long as I can remember.

I'm so excited to be doing this with Hugh. He will be so good at being a dad. That is one of the things I am most excited to watch. I'm aware we're both imperfect people, figuring things out as we go, and I'm ok raising a family without having everything together. That's something I hope our child sees in us early on - that you do the best you can to love people well. You give and listen and compromise and work hard and stay present and use good manners and be honest and soak up the worlds' beauty, but remain aware that we're fallen people just doing our best, and you are completely loved anyway. I am so freaking excited to love this person. I tear up when I think of meeting you, baby. Every time. Do you feel me rub my belly when I get up to go to the bathroom 100x through the night? I just want you to know I'm thinking of you. I giggle to myself that there will now be another person to observe our quirkyness. I hope we don't completely embarrass it, even though that sounds inevitable if I remember my teen years correctly. Hugh and I are silly and laugh a lot and we're a little bit weird, but we have the greatest time. Gah! I am so excited this little person will be joining the silly. We've been waiting for people to join our home office dance party. It's only a matter of time now, baby.

So here we are. A precious baby coming end of May. Thank you for your patience while things have been a bit slow around here. I am not getting much cooking done, unfortunately. I am currently in a bean and cheese burrito phase. This is only after we've passed through cold cereal (there are so many types!), french fries, a fruit-heavy week, and a very short (gasp) cheeseburger stint. I feel a little outside myself and somehow wonderfully confident that we are as ready as we can be for this. With full hearts... Sara, Hugh and the nugget.

P.S.

It needs to be said that getting pregnant was not easy for us. It took longer than we expected. We had some tests done, and we were told that we wouldn't be able to conceive on our own without alternative methods... which turned out not to be the case, thankfully. That season weighed heavy on my heart - something I wanted to talk about here but it didn't feel quite right. My heart is so tender for the woman who desires a child and is having a tough time getting pregnant. One month or two years of hoping, waiting and being disappointed, only to run the cycle again - not enough people talk about how that feels. Lady, huge hugs to you. You feel defeated, like your body is failing you, that it is SO EASY for everyone else. It doesn't feel any better when people tell you, "It will happen when it's supposed to happen," that just makes you feel more frustrated and want to punch them in the face. I may be on the other side for now, but I wanted to express some empathy for this group because it's a dark place to be and it feels super lonely. My suggestion to you is to find people - even when it seems easy for everyone else, I guarantee you there is someone else having a tough time or another woman who has a story. Talk about it, find a confidant, it will help keep your head above water.

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

AUTUMN SALAD WITH HORSERADISH VINAIGRETTE // Serves 6

This is a deconstruction for my sister. She had a similar salad at True Food Kitchen(side note, they have a gorgeous cookbook) and asked me to replicate it so she could bring it to Thanksgiving. The original had dried mulberries in it, and I think you could sub in cranberries or cherries, but I skipped this. I would consider the amount here a moderate addition of horseradish in the dressing. If you like a kick, want a more forward flavor, add more. There is no dairy in this salad as written, but next time, I'll be adding a generous sprinkling of parmesan on top and a dollop of creme fraiche to the dressing. 'Tis the season :) 

• 3/4 lb. brussel sprouts
• 3/4 lb. cauliflower florets
• 3 cups butternut squash, in 1/2'' cubes
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. white balsamic
• 3/4-1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• few pinches of cayenne
• 1 cup cooked white beans (great northern, cannellini etc.), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
• 2 packed cups arugula
• 1 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1/2 a shallot
• 1 tsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. each sea salt and pepper, to taste
• handful of fresh chives and/or parsley
• dollop of creme fraiche, optional

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen

Preheat the oven to 400'. Cut the brussels in half length wise, and cut the cauliflower into similar size chunks. Add both of these and the squash to a large rimmed baking tray. Drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and few pinches of cayenne and toss everything together with your hands to coat. Roast in the upper third of the oven for 35 minutes until edges are browned.

While the vegetables roast, make your dressing. In a mini blender or processor, combine the horseradish, garlic, shallot, honey, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, herbs and creme fraiche, if using. Blend everything together to mix well. taste for salt and pepper and set aside.

As soon as the hot tray is out of the oven, add the beans onto the tray and toss everything together. Allow the vegetables to cool to room temperature. Add the pom seeds, arugula and a good drizzle or the dressing and toss everything to coat. Sprinkle with a little parmesan if you please.

This salad is served at room temperature, could be served cold as well if you chill the roasted vegetables.

Autumn Salad with Horseradish Vinaigrette . Sprouted Kitchen