~ real food, balanced living ~
Well the good news is that the summer solstice is now only 5 months away.
(Right around the corner, really).
In the meantime, anyone care to join me in my flannels for this mood boosting, winter blues busting, bowl of goodness? The combination of coconut milk, ginger, lemongrass and coriander is an aromatic feast for the senses – you will love the complexity of flavor, ease of prep and beautiful warming properties as you hear the call of tropical birds singing yonder.
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It came down to putting away the Christmas decorations or making you a warming pot of butter chicken.
It wasn’t a tough choice. …
Working from home on most days means a few things: I’m on a first-name basis with all the house plants (the ones that are still living that is); I’m occasionally in my pjs until noon (mortified when the doorbell rings but apparently too comfy to do anything about it) and, I’m always on the lookout for quick and easy lunch ideas that have some yum factor.
Today’s plate is not untypical of what I might eat for lunch (except it doesn’t normally look this neat – I tried to tidy it up a bit for you) and I don’t usually have nifty spiralized beets and butternut squash either (a Whole Foods splurge leftover from Thanksgiving). Some local greens (mâche rosettes); quinoa made in our rice cooker and stored for up to 4 days; chopped fire roasted red peppers (from a jar!); salty pumpkin seeds and some jazzed up tofu that you can pull together in about 10 minutes (get to that in a sec). …
A couple of years ago when we were visiting this beautiful part of the world, one of the locals described the native diet as mostly “rice and beans”– “and” he went on to say, “when we get tired of rice and beans we eat beans and rice.”
A well-rehearsed line no doubt but one that made us all laugh. It also got me thinking about the multitude of ways this humble and satisfying food gets reinvented to make it a little different each time….
Hello friends, it feels like forever.
We’ve had an active spring filled with travel, family visits, work and play. Life has been full and generous and mostly fun with some bitter sweet moments along the way, all part of the course of life and the inescapable realities of moving our family to a different country. Living so far away hurts sometimes. …
We’ve had a slow arriving spring and a visit from the late winter flu.
Watching my son curled up in bed the other day with a warm cup of tea surrounded by tissues and the rain falling all around, I was reminded of this ultra-comforting meal that was one of his favorites growing up.
In fact, he named the dish when he was no bigger than a sprout and I think he pretty much captured the bottom line with this one. …
Just when you were ready to give up on the drab slab of soy for good, this happens.
Marinated in a base of maple and balsamic and roasted to lip-smacking deliciousness, the depth of flavor and appetizing texture of this plant protein may surprise even the most reluctant. And you don’t have to limit yourself to mock burgers either! You can dress this recipe up to elegance alongside fresh berries, soft feta and seasonal greens or enjoy it as an appetizer with a delightful spring guacamole.
I’m serving it up two ways today but first, a little background. …
You can plan things as meticulously as you like but the universe has its own sense of humor and sometimes the best thing you can do is roll over and laugh along with it. …
Today’s delightful recipe is from The Clever Cookbook, a beautiful debut work written by the talented, humorous and fun-loving Emilie Raffa.
I was first drawn to Emilie’s blog, The Clever Carrot, a number of years ago through her distinct visual artistry. If you enjoy quality food photography, or are a food blogger looking to improve your own, my advice is to pitch a tent, get installed and bring your popcorn. This girl has the magic touch — a clean at times ethereal aesthetic that will leave you breathless in its wake. Most infuriatingly, (and I mean that only in a loving way), she makes it look easy. A couple of my favorite examples are here, here and here. …
Here’s a new one.
I recently purchased two movie tickets online (so far, so normal).
My husband and I make our way to the theater and are unable to print our tickets from the dispensing machine (so far, so normal). …