Tag Archives: beetroots

A Dinner Guest

Posted on by

7

Hey there good lookin’ (you get into the gallery through the passenger door).

Richmond’s First Friday Artwalk was last Friday, and I stopped by my professor’s opening–”Passenger Position”

The exhibition really made me think about his own experiences of things around him.
A new grain for breakfast.

I was trying to look up breakfast recipes using buckwheat groats, so I just put my own twist on this one found on the Pure2Raw blog. This was my first time actually going on the blog, and all of the recipes looked so tasty and fresh–just what I’ve been in the mood for lately. Not to mention, they seem like such an awesome duo living in harmony with each other and life’s journey.

I love how nutty they tasted.
Leftover coconut rice revamped–inspired by rice pudding.
Finally got around to using the corn kernels that have been sitting around for who knows how long.
Cooked in coconut oil, and seasoned with cinnamon and nutritional yeast.

This is such an economical and simple snack. If you’re use to buying popcorn that you heat up in a bag, I suggest just buying some corn kernels and they will last you longer + it’s not hard at all. Not to mention, you aren’t exposed to the harmful chemicals found in paper-wrapped convenience foods.

This past week, I had someone special over for a three-course dinner.
I spotted a beetroot and goat’s cheese salad in a cookbook I was browsing through at the bookstore.

We also tried the first cucumber from his garden!

I also made baked polenta with wild mushroom ragout...

And a secret ingredient–Idiazabal cheese–baked into the polenta.

The original recipe calls for pan-grilling, but since I was making the polenta in a cast-iron skillet I had the option of baking it as well. I love things roasted, baked, what have you.

Yum!

After dinner we went to take Matilda out for a nice walk. Then when we got back it was time for the last course…

A raw vegan apple crisp for dessert.

 My favorite kind of desserts are the raw vegan kind because you can just really taste the flavors. The sweetness comes from a fruit usually, and I just love how simple the ingredients are–just using things that have been around for thousands of years. You can find the recipe for the raw vegan apple crisp here.

And he brought over the creamiest ice cream made by a local creamery.
Creamy chocolate goodness–had to stop myself from eating too much since I know my tummy would have its woes otherwise.

 It was a delicious dinner, if I may say so myself, and I got to share it with someone! I’ve been so use to making single-serving dishes, or ones with leftovers, but intentionally making a meal for more than just myself is such a nice feeling. I’ve been making meals for more than just myself a lot lately though. The weeks leading up to my move from Richmond, I just wanted to spend as much time with my close friends as possible, which included lots of meal sharing.

Speaking of my move. I’m down in Florida now, but I’ll be recapping my last few days up in Richmond. Hope everyone is doing well, and staying hydrated!

Keep Cool My Babies

Posted on by

15

Boy oh boy. These past couple of weeks have been feeling very hot! I thought I’d share some things I’ve been doing to spruce up a plain old salad, since salads and cold things are what I’m gravitating towards nowadays. It’s really neat how the foods that are in season now have this amazing ability to refresh and quench our bodies’ thirst. Juicy peaches and watermelons, cooling cucumbers, and ruby red strawberries.

Actually, Matilda is the expert on this so I’m going to let her take it away!
First, make sure you’ve got a sassy fan and sunhat!

Ahem, and now back to the actual salad tips…

Adding roasted kabocha and Japanese sweet potatoes can make any salad that much more delicious.

Recently, my two favorite ways of roasting them are using these two variations of the sweetly glazed daigakumo recipe:

Version One

Version Two

Beets are also a wonderful addition to salads–not to mention they are beautiful!
You can use beetroots as well

 Separating the greens from the stems makes it easier for cooking. Here are some ideas on how to prepare them.

Roasting the root vegetables
Now do you want to try those recipes?

This reminded me of the glorious mountains of root vegetables that Kelsey usually bakes.

More fixing for salads: cannellini bean spread and beets
Admiring the beets as usual
Marinated grape tomatoes
Homemade dressings using up the last of the beer mustard and the container
Exhibit A: Tasty Salad
Yellow Split Pea Puree, fried Daigakumo, avocado, bell peppers, cucumbers all on a bed of romaine and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Exhibit B: threw in some beets, diced golden delicious apple and red bartlett pear
A sweet, savory, and truly delicious salad
Or you can just go to one of your favorite local eats
My favorite thing on the menu.

Cafe Gutenberg’s Vegan Caesar Salad… I just had to have it before I leave Richmond. I asked for their recipe, alas it’s top secret and they don’t give it out. I understand. Atleast they had someone from the kitchen tell me some tips about how they prepare the tofu (it’s the best tofu I’ve ever had).

A delicious salad and lovely company to boot!
An attempt at recreating the caesar salad and de-veganizing it with grated idiazabal cheese.
“Secret’s in the sauce”, but I haven’t figured it out yet.
I’ve shared this recipe before, and I’ve made about seven batches of it since I posted about it.

This Indian Inspired Red Lentil Rice Salad is seriously tasty. Especially if you’re in the mood for a fruitier salad with a little bit of tang from the curry yogurt dressing.

Here’s one more person vouching for it!
Watermelon to “keep cool”

It’s definitely hot when the potluck’s theme is “Keeping Cool”. So we wore clothes that kept us cool, or we thought was cool.. and of course brought cooling foods.

You can spy the flat rosemary focaccia I made, while some fruits were being muddled.
A beautiful and refreshing summer drink: lemon, strawberries, honey, and chilled prosecco.
Fresh greens from the host’s garden, and a taste of everyone’s dishes.

Happy and cool.

So when the sun goes down and the air is cooler, just open your windows and play some relaxing tunes into the night.

At the end of a hot day my feet are tired, and I’ve got a layer of grime and dried sweat on me. It may sound unpleasant, but I like feeling the length of the day  in my body. After a long day being out and about in the heat, feeling exhausted is just another cue telling me, “it’s time to relax.”

What do you do to keep cool on hot days?