Scott's Dish

So every once and a while I'll get an email from a friend or client telling me about their meal they made, or some fantastic recipe they found out about. I sense the enthusiasm from them as much as I feel it when I get emails like that. It satiates my Whole Foodies self, and inspires me to keep doing what it is I do! I just got one from Scott Galloway tonight, a fellow musician and friend, and this was the only text in his message:

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Short grain brown rice
Onion
Black beans
Coconut milk
Cumin
Allspice
Avocado
Grape tomatoes

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I laughed, because the recipe is exactly as I would write it, and I could tell he cooked with foods he happened to have in his fridge, using his intuition to guide him through the cooking process. Combinations become easier to put together with a little cooking experience and experimentation, and I believe Scott has matured this aspect of his cooking self. It's a way of expressing yourself. Where I would cook things one way, another person would use the same ingredients differently, or add an ingredient that I would have never thought of, or bought in the first place. This is the beauty of cooking from intuition. You express yourself, and your food resonates that energy. Recipes are a great place to work from, and learn from, but really, when it comes time to making a recipe, the final product will always have the personal touch of the cook in it! Don't be afraid to improvise - do things your way, or take an idea from a recipe and experiment with it for your own gain. At the end of the day, it's your food to eat - so cook what makes you happy! ... and then send your photos and recipes to Whole Foodies! :)

Green things that grow round

WELL.. it is a new year. Allow me to crack the freshness of the blog air with a story about my garden. By now, my frozen-over, barely visible back yard dirt patch has totally glaciated my remaining Brussels sprout plants, but amazingly they are still edible and in good shape! With a shovel and frozen fingers, I hacked it out of the snow bank and brought it indoors for thawing. Beauties. I can't believe what a yield one plant can produce, and I have two more sprout statues encased in ice in the back yard ready for harvesting.

In the mood for green (typically a spring colour, but New Year's has that energy to it anyway; rejuvenation and newness), I decided to make a green meal, or at least a tasty side dish that was hearty, gentle - and green.

Brussels sprouts and peas are BOTH high in protein, as most sprouts are. About 30% of their calories are from protein. Amazing! Since they're both green; we know they contain chlorophyll, and I'm a big fan of chlorophyll.

So. My green dish. Bring water to a boil and add the cut Brussels sprouts and peas. Add whatever herbs/spices you like; I chose fennel and cumin - my favourite! You can also add a little garlic. I wouldn't argue that garlic goes well in everything.

Cook at medium heat until soft. Remove the veggies and put them in a bowl.

Add raw apple cider vinegar (about 1 tsp), a little tamari/shoyu (soy sauce, but not the MSG kind please), and drizzle with good quality unrefined oil - ideally flax or hemp. UNREFINED!

THAT'S IT FOLKS! Piece of cake. Actually, peas and sprouts, but so simple to make!

Here's a tip! I left my cook water out over night, and then in the morning I cooked my brown rice in the water in the same pot! That way I was able to use what nutrients were left behind in the cook water, and fortified my rice! Yes... I'm so thrifty.

Here's to a green new year, and hopefully more frequent blogging!