Here's the thing about eating salad every day when you live alone: you have to scale down your prep or there will be a lot of leftovers, and they will spoil. Even after living alone for a little over two years, now that my nest is empty, I still make enough food for two (or four) when I cook. Before I make anything new, I must make sure these do not go bad: 2 cooked beets, a large bowl of raw mushrooms, cooked beet greens, salmon that needs to be cooked today, the rest of those beans I cooked in the slow cooker, the last serving of kale salad. On top of that, in the fridge I have: lots of carrots, too much daikon, parsley, a napa cabbage, green onions, fingerling potatoes, oranges and lemons, tofu, fresh ginger.
I will make a napa cabbage salad, and something groovy with the tofu. I have not done much cooking with tofu, so I will explore some of these marinade suggestions for baked tofu to add to my salads.
For the last two days, my breakfast has been an egg fried in olive oil. Even though I am working on losing weight (and feeling energetic from my shift to a mostly veggie diet of about 1200 calories), I need a good shot of protein in the morning, so I don't get the blood-sugar-drop shakies at 11AM.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Kale salad
Hey, I liked kale BEFORE it became hip! back when it was cheap and relegated to the unpopular greens section along with mustard greens and collard greens (which I also love). Now there are tons of yummy kale salad recipes out there. My nephew was the first to make a kale salad for me, and I was charmed by the idea that you must massage the kale. Portlandia on what it would be like to try to move celery into the same celebrity status as kale. I love this.
Here's the kale salad I'm currently eating:
--a bunch of lacinato kale, cut into ribbons. It is also known as Tuscan kale, cavolo nero, or dinosaur kale. Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello. Maybe I'll try growing it this year....
---add salt and the juice of half a lemon, and massage it to break down some of the fibers
--dress with a good olive oil and a fresh, plump shallot, minced.
--let it rest in the fridge overnight
When ready to serve, mix it up again and add "salad buddies." I've been adding raw mushrooms, because I like the contrast of textures. Since tomatoes are out of season and I refuse to pay over a dollar for an avocado, they are not present, but I have some slivered almonds to toast (could also use hazelnuts or pecans, not sure about walnuts, maybe too astringent) some thinly sliced radishes, crumbled blue cheese (or parmesan) and some shredded daikon and carrot. Probably not all at once.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Salade de carottes râpées
Salade de carottes râpées (grated carrot salad)
We got back from Spain very late Sunday night. Yesterday I went to my co-op, The Wedge, to stock up on fresh vegetables for my 2015 salad crusade. I ended up using the carrots I already had in the fridge to make the carrot salad. David Liebowitz's recipe serves a large group, but I was just making enough for me so I didn't follow his quantities. His recipe uses a little bit of sugar, but prefer to leave that out.
Mix up:
2 large carrots, preferably grown nearby, grated. Mine are from my CSA farm, Featherstone Farm, and are fat and sturdy.
parsley, chopped. I like flat-leaf parsley better than the curly stuff.
juice of half a lemon
a few glugs of some really good olive oil. I have some Koronciki oil (made in Crete from Koroneiki olives, a Greek cultivar) that I bought in Northfield at the olive oil store.
salt ("Une belle pincée de sel") and pepper
Fresh, fresh, very fresh! As Liebowitz says, don't over do the vinaigrette. It shouldn't be swimming in it, just lightly coated.
I first had this salad when I was in France for my junior year of college. The student restaurants ("Resto U") in France are very cheap and the food they serve was so incredibly good and healthy compared to the dorm food I was eating back in the States. I fell in love with this modest little salad. Variations include using orange juice instead of lemon; throwing in some raisins; adding cumin or pressed garlic to the vinaigrette. Some recipes call for chives (ciboulette) but I prefer the fresh taste of good parsley.
We got back from Spain very late Sunday night. Yesterday I went to my co-op, The Wedge, to stock up on fresh vegetables for my 2015 salad crusade. I ended up using the carrots I already had in the fridge to make the carrot salad. David Liebowitz's recipe serves a large group, but I was just making enough for me so I didn't follow his quantities. His recipe uses a little bit of sugar, but prefer to leave that out.
Mix up:
2 large carrots, preferably grown nearby, grated. Mine are from my CSA farm, Featherstone Farm, and are fat and sturdy.
parsley, chopped. I like flat-leaf parsley better than the curly stuff.
juice of half a lemon
a few glugs of some really good olive oil. I have some Koronciki oil (made in Crete from Koroneiki olives, a Greek cultivar) that I bought in Northfield at the olive oil store.
salt ("Une belle pincée de sel") and pepper
Fresh, fresh, very fresh! As Liebowitz says, don't over do the vinaigrette. It shouldn't be swimming in it, just lightly coated.
I first had this salad when I was in France for my junior year of college. The student restaurants ("Resto U") in France are very cheap and the food they serve was so incredibly good and healthy compared to the dorm food I was eating back in the States. I fell in love with this modest little salad. Variations include using orange juice instead of lemon; throwing in some raisins; adding cumin or pressed garlic to the vinaigrette. Some recipes call for chives (ciboulette) but I prefer the fresh taste of good parsley.
Monday, January 05, 2015
2015 food inspiration: more green salads!
We have been eating the best green salads every day here in Zaragoza. Nothing fancy, just good ingredients. So I'm resolved to eat a good green salad every day at home. There are lots of salads with grains or that are really what I would consider cold vegetable side dishes, but I'm craving salads that are some mix of greens, dressing and garnishes. I especially love bitter greens.
I made myself some kale salads before we came to Spain, and they are great, but there are some common mistakes to avoid and recommendations to avoid digestive overload: slice it thinly, don't tear; use an acidic dressing; massage your kale; then let it sit some to break down; give it some buddies; prefer lacinato kale.
Bookmarking these recipes and sites for green salad inspirations when we get home:
the kitchn is apartment therapy's companion site, and a site search comes up with over 6000 hits for "salads"! I would like this lemony green salad with radicchio and pepitas.
The Splendid Table, the public radio show with Lynn Rossetto Kaspar has a great salad section. This arugula salad with feta, walnuts and pomegranate combines some of my favorites.
Frisée salad with shitake bacon! from The Delicious Life, looks so good! Also Shitake Bahn Mi Salad from Isa's post-punk kitchen.
Jamie Oliver has lots of "hearty salad" recipes that look terrific, but here's his chopped salad.
David Leibowitz, a favorite food writer, has a great post on one of my favorite things from France, salade de carottes râpées (grated carrots). I first had this magical dish when I did my junior year abroad in Bordeaux, in the student restaurants, and reading his site gives me my shot of vicarious Paris living.
Finally, not a salad, but gorgeous food photography from Shutterbean for this ultimate veggie sandwich.
I made myself some kale salads before we came to Spain, and they are great, but there are some common mistakes to avoid and recommendations to avoid digestive overload: slice it thinly, don't tear; use an acidic dressing; massage your kale; then let it sit some to break down; give it some buddies; prefer lacinato kale.
Bookmarking these recipes and sites for green salad inspirations when we get home:
the kitchn is apartment therapy's companion site, and a site search comes up with over 6000 hits for "salads"! I would like this lemony green salad with radicchio and pepitas.
The Splendid Table, the public radio show with Lynn Rossetto Kaspar has a great salad section. This arugula salad with feta, walnuts and pomegranate combines some of my favorites.
Frisée salad with shitake bacon! from The Delicious Life, looks so good! Also Shitake Bahn Mi Salad from Isa's post-punk kitchen.
Jamie Oliver has lots of "hearty salad" recipes that look terrific, but here's his chopped salad.
David Leibowitz, a favorite food writer, has a great post on one of my favorite things from France, salade de carottes râpées (grated carrots). I first had this magical dish when I did my junior year abroad in Bordeaux, in the student restaurants, and reading his site gives me my shot of vicarious Paris living.
Finally, not a salad, but gorgeous food photography from Shutterbean for this ultimate veggie sandwich.
Sunday in Portalrubio
Yesterday we drove from Zaragoza to the village (Portalrubio, in this case: Spaniards say "the village" the way Minnesotans say "the lake" or "the cabin").
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image from Spanish Wikipedia: "Detalle de la localización de Portalrubio en el mapa del Reino de Aragón de Juan Bautista Labaña (1619)"
The weather was unexpectedly warm, warm enough to pull a table outside and eat in the winter sun. Black and green olives, cheese, bread, morcilla, fuet, omelettes (one with tuna and one with perejil from the garden). We strolled around the village admiring the various reconstruction projects. There was plenty of water at la fuente, the miracle of water bubbling up from an aquifer in spite of the lack of snow and rain over the last few decades; Rosemary's grandfather talks about how there used to be abundant snow every year and now it hardly snows at all, the knife edge of climate change.
On the way back home, we meandered along a back round through neighboring villages: Pancrudo, Cervera del Rincón,
We saw buitres leonados (Griffon vultures, or gyps fulvus), riding the thermal currents in a gorge where we were walking. There were maybe 15 or so, sailing, circling. Their wingspan (envergadura) can reach 2 meters. This endangered species is making a modest comeback.
We also say two groups of cabras montañesas or (capra pyrenaica, also called cabra montés, cabra hispánica or íbice ibérico) from the road. It was so unexpected to see them because they are almost invisible against the landscape, their coloring so like the rocky mountainside.
We didn't get as close as in this video, but we really enjoyed how they stared back at us before moving on:
image from Spanish Wikipedia: "Detalle de la localización de Portalrubio en el mapa del Reino de Aragón de Juan Bautista Labaña (1619)"
The weather was unexpectedly warm, warm enough to pull a table outside and eat in the winter sun. Black and green olives, cheese, bread, morcilla, fuet, omelettes (one with tuna and one with perejil from the garden). We strolled around the village admiring the various reconstruction projects. There was plenty of water at la fuente, the miracle of water bubbling up from an aquifer in spite of the lack of snow and rain over the last few decades; Rosemary's grandfather talks about how there used to be abundant snow every year and now it hardly snows at all, the knife edge of climate change.
On the way back home, we meandered along a back round through neighboring villages: Pancrudo, Cervera del Rincón,
We saw buitres leonados (Griffon vultures, or gyps fulvus), riding the thermal currents in a gorge where we were walking. There were maybe 15 or so, sailing, circling. Their wingspan (envergadura) can reach 2 meters. This endangered species is making a modest comeback.
We also say two groups of cabras montañesas or (capra pyrenaica, also called cabra montés, cabra hispánica or íbice ibérico) from the road. It was so unexpected to see them because they are almost invisible against the landscape, their coloring so like the rocky mountainside.
We didn't get as close as in this video, but we really enjoyed how they stared back at us before moving on:
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Doomtree
Miss R went to the last-ever Doomtree Blowout the other night. I'm sure it was amazing.
"Bangarang"
"Little Mercy"
"Bangarang"
"Little Mercy"
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Monday, November 10, 2014
First snow of the season today
The song is 'Snow Days' by the Minneapolis band Trip Shakespeare. I love the vocals. Bassist John Munson now plays with The New Standards, and their version of the song is also great:
I shoveled my first snow today. Here we go!
Sunday, October 05, 2014
more Soul Train lines
I wish we had these videos in higher quality, but hey.
War's "Ballero" for a classic Soul Train dance line:
the video, remixed:
"Dance With Me" Rufus and Chaka Kahn
Earth, Wind, and Fire "Mighty, Mighty"
War's "Ballero" for a classic Soul Train dance line:
the video, remixed:
"Dance With Me" Rufus and Chaka Kahn
Earth, Wind, and Fire "Mighty, Mighty"
some favorite laughs
a recent round-up of things that make me laugh:
pug in the ball pit
Kristen Bell and the sloth
Pine Nuts vs Cumberbitches (Graham Norton show)
Jimmy Fallon and the Roots Soul Train parody
pug in the ball pit
Kristen Bell and the sloth
Pine Nuts vs Cumberbitches (Graham Norton show)
Jimmy Fallon and the Roots Soul Train parody
Ramen, again
First, a visual tour of noodle dishes, a little overwhelming.
Ah, ramen! making it right takes a lot of time and attention to ingredients.
Lately I have been making ramen at home using a recipe from a magazine. Not the instant kind with the dubious flavor packets, but something quite easy using chuka-men noodles.
A visit to the Nishiyama ramen factory in Japan, where fresh noodles are made:
Recipe for home-made yakibuta ramen from Cooking With Dog, showing a simplified version of the days-long, labor-intensive ways to make everything from scratch: pork broth, dashi stock, seasoned soft-boiled eggs, etc:
The right way to eat Ramen (from the movie Tampopo)
Ah, ramen! making it right takes a lot of time and attention to ingredients.
Lately I have been making ramen at home using a recipe from a magazine. Not the instant kind with the dubious flavor packets, but something quite easy using chuka-men noodles.
A visit to the Nishiyama ramen factory in Japan, where fresh noodles are made:
Recipe for home-made yakibuta ramen from Cooking With Dog, showing a simplified version of the days-long, labor-intensive ways to make everything from scratch: pork broth, dashi stock, seasoned soft-boiled eggs, etc:
The right way to eat Ramen (from the movie Tampopo)
Some Totoro music
Composer Joe Hisaishi, frequent collaborator with Hayao Miyazaki for the soundtracks of his films, performs one of the themes for the movie Totoro, "Kaze no Torimichi" (the path of the wind). If I want a cleansing cry, his music always works.
A cockatiel covers the ending theme song "Tonari no Totoro"---so sweet! what is it about this bird that is so tender?
Sunday, September 07, 2014
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
documentary on Soul Train "The HIppest Trip"
Soul Train: The Hippest Trip, a documentary from VH1 (2010)
the quality isn't great, so here are a few clips that are highlighted in the show that I've found in somewhat better shape:
Aretha's performance:
The Soul Train line to "Rock Steady"
the quality isn't great, so here are a few clips that are highlighted in the show that I've found in somewhat better shape:
Aretha's performance:
The Soul Train line to "Rock Steady"
Soul Train stories
I'm reading Love, Peace and Soul: Behind the Scenes of America's Favorite Dance Show. Soul Train Classic Moments, by Ericka Blount Danois. Such amazing stories!
The Soul Train line inspired our dancing in Jr High and High school in the early seventies. Maybe we couldn't do all the moves, but we enthusiastically made our own lines.
Here's a great interview with the author about her book, and Soul Train's incredible story and influence.
From a Rolling Stone post about 12 amazing Soul Train performances, here are two of my favorites: a live, unrehearsed moment from Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson:
and a 1975 set from Al Green. Go to 21:50 for the amazing performance of "God Blessed Our Love." Church!
The Soul Train line starts at 33:28
The Soul Train line inspired our dancing in Jr High and High school in the early seventies. Maybe we couldn't do all the moves, but we enthusiastically made our own lines.
Here's a great interview with the author about her book, and Soul Train's incredible story and influence.
From a Rolling Stone post about 12 amazing Soul Train performances, here are two of my favorites: a live, unrehearsed moment from Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson:
and a 1975 set from Al Green. Go to 21:50 for the amazing performance of "God Blessed Our Love." Church!
The Soul Train line starts at 33:28
Thursday, August 07, 2014
funk music: a documentary
Published on Sep 25, 2013
What is Funk Music?
from the YouTube description:
Where is Funk Music?
What is The Future for Funk Music?
These questions are answered AND this genre of music is explored in:
Funk Music: A Documentary.
Interviews from members of the Funk bands Cameo, Lakeside, Slave, The Time, P-Funk All Stars, Prince's New Power Generation, Ozone, Rick James & The Stone City Band, Slapbak, Julian's Ride and many more.
Produced and Directed by Paul A. Altamirano.
Help keep The Funk alive.
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