quick cooked greens + more

First the greens.  Then the more.

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Chris and I typically eat a side salad with dinner every single night.

It’s vary basic and goes a little something like this:

• greens + carrots + cucumber + sunflower seeds + almond oil + balsamic + apple cider vinegar

If I happen to have goat cheese or goat/sheep feta that gets tossed on too.  It’s easy to throw together while the rest of dinner cooks.  I simply pour on the oil, balsamic, and vinegar from their respective bottles directly to each salad.

However.

Sometimes we like to change things up.

It still baffles me that something of THIS color can grow from the ground! 

Food is just wondrous.

So on those nights where we want something a little different, I make this.  It’s just as quick to cook as tossing together a salad and you end up eating at least double the greens.  They’re so much easier to eat in large quantity when cooked!

Print this!

Quick Cooked Greens

vegan, gluten-free // serves 2

• 1 large bunch fresh, sturdy greens [collards/chard/kale]
• 2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
• 1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/2 Tablespoon unrefined coconut oil
• *4oz mushrooms + 1 teaspoon coconut oil [opt]

1. Wash the greens, pat to dry, tear the greens away from the stem, and give a coarse chop.  If you don’t pat them dry, they will become soggy when cooked.
2. *If cooking mushrooms, wash, pat dry, and chop however you like.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1t coconut oil.  Once hot, place the mushrooms in the pan.  Stir frequently and cook for 4-6 minutes until just softening and starting to brown.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil in the pan.
4. Once hot, add the greens and cook for 4-6min, stirring frequently.  It’s really up to you how cooked you want the greens. 
5. After they are cooked to your liking, add in the tamari [or soy], rice vinegar, and mushrooms [if using].
6. Stir for 20-30sec until well combined.

notes: You can definitely chop up the stems and eat them too.  I would cook those in the pan first, for 4-6min and then add the greens.  I usually keep the stems out as they are a bit woody for my taste.

Now, on to the more!

Oprah?

Yes, Oprah!!

What about Oprah?

I have a RECIPE in the APRIL issue!!

Can you figure out which recipe belongs to me?

Most definitely the peanut butter!

I was contacted by a food editor at O Magazine back in January.  She asked if I would be interested in writing a recipe on how to make homemade peanut butter. 

Let me think about that…

YES!

3 1/2 months later, there it is!  Homemade Peanut Butter, which can be found on page 200 of the April issue.  My first magazine publication.

I’m still in a bit of shock + disbelief.

Oh yeah.  And excitement!!!

Next up we have the dogs.

They haven’t made an appearance in awhile.

Nose focus.

Left eye focus.

Sad little thing.

Granted, these were taken right after our walk and she was wiped out.  I don’t think she usually looks quite so sad.

Aaaand, she’s asleep.  Sitting up.

Let’s not forget about Kenna.  aka: Beans

Focused on her eye.

50mm : f/1.4 : ISO 400 : ss 1/60

Next!

I recently mentioned Chris was building us a raised garden bed.

Well here it is!

I cannot tell you how excited [and nervous] this makes me.  Hopefully I will be able to keep something alive.  This is my very first go at growing food [besides herbs].

Chris used the tutorial from Sunset Magazine online.  I feel like this is the go-to guide for building a raised garden bed, as I’ve seen it all over Pinterest and other blogs.

We used:

• untreated cedar wood [~$75 total - expensive, but important to use untreated wood for this purpose]
• galvanized screws [~$30 total - best to prevent rusting + deterioration]

We did not use:

• 1/4 inch metal wire mesh [expensive and we’re not too concerned about animals burrowing from underneath the bed]
• pvc pipes + galvanized tube straps [these are used so the plants can be covered, which we’re not planning on doing]

Now we just need to fill it up!

I will keep you posted on our progress.

The bed is 4x8. 

I used Dakota as a scale figure.  This is the only time she will be allowed in the garden bed!

I think that’s a wrap!

Thanks for hanging with me as I try to get the new site up to speed.  Slowly but surely all of the links will work and photos will be back in place [about 15-20 posts have missing photos from the past few months].

Ashley

tahini honey sweet potato fries

My spice tolerance has been on its way up for the past few months.  I’ve even been caught with a bottle of hot sauce in my hands on multiple occasions.  My sister in law Natalie would be so proud.  She uses cayenne pepper like I use salt.

Besides a little heat, I’m really digging the sweet + spicy combo. 

When it comes to sweet potatoes, I can’t ever decide if I want to go for a sweet or savory topping.  My sweet topping is usually coconut butter or honey + butter.  My savory topping is usually almond butter, salt + butter, or a sunny side up egg + salt.  Typically, I divide my pile of potatoes straight down the center, topping one half with a sweet combination and the other half savory.

But with this recipe there’s no need to split your pile.

What we have here is a little sweet, a little savory, and a nice kick of spice.

Do you mind if we change the subject from food to photography for one minute?  Check out the 2 photos below.

This photo was take with side light coming in from a window to the left and white matte board, used as a light bounce, to the right.

If I turn myself 90 degrees clockwise, I’m now working with front light instead of side light.  Look at the impact one small move has on the photo!  I kept the white matte board in the same position, so it was bouncing light to the back of the fries.

Print this!

Tahini Honey Sweet Potato Fries

2-3 servings

• 1 lb sweet potato, sliced ~1/4” thick
• 2 Tablespoons tahini
• 1 Tablespoon raw honey
• 1/2 Tablespoon safflower oil
• 1.5 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne [optional]

1. Preheat your oven to 375* and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper [optional].
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the tahini, honey, oil, vinegar, salt, and cayenne [if using].
3. Pour the sliced potatoes in and toss until well coated.
4. Spread in a single layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle with a little more salt.
5. Bake for about 40-45min, until golden brown.  Turn fries at 20min and toss once more towards the end.  You may also want to rotate your baking sheet [half way through] to ensure even cooking.

notes:  To make vegan, sub maple syrup instead of honey.  Natural peanut butter or cashew butter can be subbed for tahini.  Feel free to add the cayenne or not.  For best cooking results, slice or cube the potato to about 1/4” thickness.  Check this post, for a fry slicing tutorial. 

My sweet + savory problem has been solved.

Was it incredibly warm where you are this weekend?  There has been a burst of springtime over here, and we definitely soaked it up.  While I’m still hoping to get out on the snowboard at least once more, it was great to get back on our bikes for a long ride.  The indoor bike trainer was starting to become a bit monotonous.  The dogs were walked, breweries were biked to, Bezzerwizzer was played, and late night delivery was scarfed. 

Chris also built our first ever raised garden bed today.  More details on that to come!  We’re currently looking for good seed sources and deciding what all to plant.  I’m really hoping I take after my father’s green thumb!

Ashley