Many of you (all 2) will probably avert your eyes, if you haven’t already. If you’re still with me, get ready because I decided to try the infamous “peanut butter and pickles” combination.

The version tested: almond butter and Grandma’s homemade pickles (on the sweeter side) on a Wasa rye cracker.

Result: Holy Hell, batman!!! And it’s vegan, gluten free- and basically RAW if you forgo cracker for some raw bread or just try the two together! Woah!

Norwegian inspired brunch-

Sautéed leeks, pickled scape, avocado, cilantro and yolky farm fresh eggs- for building mini tacos or what-have-you with Cayanne Lefse

Went to a BBQ out here in the sticks- I knew that would entail lots of meat and dairy (sure enough: pulled pork sandwiches, classic coleslaw, potato salad and pies, oh my!)

I was happy to contribute this dish, and so was everyone else! Win, win :-) I prepared it the night before using the other half of the cabbage I’d harvested for the soup.

Slice cabbage thinner than a pencil and not too long (people need to take bites and not worry about food on the face) add a handful of cilantro, some diced jalapeño, thinly sliced apples, lime juice and a little bit of olive oil. It may have benefitted from some salt, and would be reminiscent of a Thailand staple, som tam, if one were to add roasted peanuts.

I had a head of cabbage waiting to be dismantled and with the recent snow, a soup was sounding like a fine undertaking. I’ve been hearing how “cleansing” cabbage soup is so I decided to have a go at one.

I cut up two potatoes and browned them in olive oil (about 5 min) and proceeded to toss in onion and garlic. Then came the stock- about 5 cups of water and 3/4 of a Rapunzel vege cube. Bring to a simmer then add cabbage and white beans. Continue to simmer until cabbage softens.

Taste and season if you wish- I threw in fresh thyme. On its own, a tasty light soup but when you add say…Choloula- bang bang yum yum spicy happy texture soup!

I recently found myself out in the midwest, in the middle of a SNOW STORM (in MAY!)

Suffice to say, it’s not always easy to eat well when you’re limited to Walmart as your main market :-/ but have faith! This simple salad is beyond easy to make, and gets better as it sits in the fridge.

I used Canadian Wild Rice (sent from Grandma!) black beans, cilantro, onions, and apples. I’ve made a version w dried cranberries and I bet celery would be great in here too.

For the dressing I just mixed up some Dijon, apple cider vinegar, pepper and a little bit of olive oil (coconut oil is impossible to find out here but no worries!)

Yummy, nutritious salad!

Breaks during teacher training are brief so here’s an example of a meal between practice and more practice…

Raw cacao, bee pollen, vanilla lucuma protein, maca, coconut butter, cayenne, chia seed…

Farmers Market Miso

This soup is stupid-level-easy to make.

Take a few handfuls of your favorite greens- I used arugula and osaka greens from Maggie’s Farm- they are the nicest people at the Farmer’s Market- and I love their green blends!!! And herbs!!

Also threw in some dill, cilantro, crushed garlic, chile pepper, scallion, ginger (doesn’t it look like a Scorpion or am I just a crazy obsessed Scorpio?!) blend with an avocado and water to your preference of thickness. I used a cold-pressed green juice since I was doing a “green cleanse”

I drizzled some of my special Olive Oil (from WWOOFing in Italy) and if I hadn’t dropped the jar into the sink, I would have topped with some nice, crunchy finishing salt. One can only dream.

I was shocked at how filling it turned out! I used a food processor but if you’re powerful enough to own a Vitamix, that would probably get it totally smooth. I didn’t mind the small chunks.

Lentil Stuffing

Here’s a fun one:

I accidentally began to overcook my lentils! When I got to the stove I saw some were beginning to cling to the bottom, and I ended up with a kind of mashed lentil situation. To keep it from drying any further, and in an effort to moisten up the batch, I put in about a tablespoon of coconut oil. It melted in and brought everything back to life!

I proceeded to blend in chopped Persian cucumber, onions, an array of herbs, some chile and lemon juice.

Put in the fridge so flavors could do there thing and voila! A delicious lentil salad that actually tasted like a refreshing version of STUFFING!

Sold!!!

I am responsible for Thanksgving this year! So far I know I am cooking for 6 but I will be extending invites to neighbors and such, so who knows- I think it’s going to be important I start practicing what I will be making, as I tend to be entirely improvisational when meal planning.

Here was a starting point- 3 easy dishes, two of which could be made the day before. The chili garlic greens (I used Swiss Chard) must be done just before meal-time. The baked yams can be done a day in advance, I used coconut oil to rim the baking dish, and a little coconut milk in the mash, along with ginger and topped with coconut flakes, macademia and cinnamon.

And the lentil “stuffing”- I will make it’s own post- but supa dupa easy squeezy!!! And tasted better day after day…until it was gone.

That takes care of a few meals! Any fun dishes you’re trying out this season??