Don't Worry; Its Raw

This is quickly going to become a foodie blog if I'm not careful: you have to try this Raw Broccoli Salad that I made tonight. I generally don't like raw broccoli; Jesse LOVES it. Raw broccoli is serious business for Jesse. I can't stress this enough. This is what typically happens when I cook broccoli:

Me: How do you like the broccoli, Jess?
Jesse: Meh. Its cooked.

Jesse does like Alton Brown's Oven Roasted Broccoli but that's the only exception to the raw broccoli rule. So I found and had to try the Raw Broccoli Salad recipe which comes third hand from a raw food restaurant. I used baby broccoli from the CSA and chopped it super small before soaking it in a mixture of cold pressed olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. The original recipe included coriander and cumin which I omitted this time. At the end, I mixed in a couple of tablespoons of delicious pink peppercorn goat cheese from a semi-local farm, Lively Run Goat Dairy. We both really liked it; the recipe gets added to the permanent rotation.


image via Taste Buddies

I Just Tried the Weirdest Thing

I was reading my Delicious Living magazine that came from my local whole foods store, Down to Earth, and I came across a recipe for kale chips, a quick, vegan snack that the magazine staff really liked. It sounded so weird that I had to try it. I didn't have any kale on hand but I did have some really pretty rainbow swiss chard from the CSA.
Both kale and chard are really tough, substantial greens and I thought I'd try a swap; I've been trying to figure out a good way use up the chard. So, I made the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, garlic and cayenne vinaigrette and tossed in the chard. I baked it in a single layer on a baking sheet according to the directions. They were kind of snr: dehydrated to the point that they were super-fragile and crumbled really easily so they could never be stored. The sugar in the agave nectar caramelized and tasted burned even though I closely followed the baking directions. The vinaigrette on the raw chard, however, was really delicious: sweet and spicy! I'll definitely give the recipe a try again when I have some kale; but in the mean time, Jess and I can finish up our chard in this yummy dressing!

Pretty Enough to Eat

My vegan brother-in-law, Mikus, might be coming to visit soon and I'm kind of excited about it. He and I don't know each other very well and that's part of the reason I thought it'd be nice for him to come for a visit. We had fun together when Jess and I were recently in WI for a visit and Mike enjoyed the Ithaca area when he was here for our wedding. I'm hoping he makes it out here before I get a job. Otherwise, I'm excited and think the three of us will have a great time.

The reason I mentioned Mike's veganness is because I have been thinking about things I can make for him while he's here. I came across VeganYumYum written by Lolo who introduces herself on her website:

Hello! I’m Lolo. I’m 25 and I live in Boston with my husband, Stewart, and my two kitties, Dory and Pekoe. I quit my “day job” and am now busy writing a cookbook. If you’re a publisher, send me an email! I’m not a chef, I’ve never been to culinary school, and I’m certainly not a professional photographer. I have a lot of fun pretending, though!

I am having so much fun reading her blog and recipes. Some of them look so good that my belly rumbles while I browse through her posts late at night while Jesse sleeps. She also takes stunningly beautiful pictures of her food and some of the steps involved in getting her food prepared. Check out a couple:

Chickpea Radish Hors d'Oeurves


Easy Weekend Pancakes

So pretty, huh? I can't wait to try some of Lolo's recipes. With any luck, mine will taste almost as good as hers look!