Mustard and Carrots

Mustard and carrots.  It's that simple.

Yup, I eat this at least once a day. It's that good (and easy).  Now I must admit that I don't usually have such pretty carrots (The mister gave me this rainbow of carrots for my birthday) and I usually don't chop the carrots oh so nicely or have a little vessel of mustard, but I figured for the sake of a picture, you would rather see this then a picture of me standing with the fridge open, chomping on a huge unpeeled carrot, squirting mustard directly in my mouth. (that's how I usually eat most of my snacks)

Today I kept it simple with plain yellow mustard,  but I sometimes spice it up with horseradish or jalapeno mustard. Or once in a while I'll do mustard and sprinkle on (or in my mouth) some nutritional yeast, garlic powder or even red pepper flakes for a little kick. The possibilities of mustard on carrots it endless.

You might be saying to yourself that this is crazy, but really, is it any weirder then some of the things that you eat that others find kind of strange? So maybe just try it.  I promise, you won't be disappointed.

Happy Monday!

-C

SUPER SALAD!!!

For the past few days I have heard more complaining then happy. The biggest complaint…tummy issues.  A week of gorging on heavy, rich, and indulgent foods is finally catching up with people, turning them into grump asses. I can handle a little grump,  but its time to get get out of that funk and take care and stop bitching. May I make a suggestion? Eat this… You will be happy.  Your body will feel clean and nurised. Your tummy will get back on track.   It what I call satisfaction This salad is a complete meal .Chopped and shredded veggies atop a small heap of quinoa, tossed on a handful of lentils and topped with a dollop of lime avocado… Thats it and it is good. For the sake of picture-taking, I made a plate look all nice and pretty, with layers of  colors, but to be honest with you, I rather toss into a big bowl, grab a moderately large-sized fork and  food to face… and it's just as pretty.(the bowl of food is pretty, not food on my face) Quick note: the vegetables that I used here  are what I had at home. If you don't have one or two of these specific veggies, don't worry about it. Sub in something else, like pepper or spinach., Still have extra brussel sprouts, green beans or asparagus from thanksgiving? Go ahead and use those. If there is a specific veggie you know your stomach doesn't tolerate well, then maybe avoid using it. This is a happy feel good salad!A pile of vegetables is always a good start to any meal, especially these veggies.. All but the avocado came from my farm share. This is one  local organic meal of love.

Green Kale, purple cabbage, beets, red onion, carrots…I did a little shredding and some grating. I like to have different sized and textures in a salad.

Oh whats this? Diced butternut squash(from farm) sprinkle with salt and pepper waiting to be roasted. I am a huge believer in squash on salads…especially in a cold Vermont winter. A little bit of heartiness can really go along way. Quinoa.. 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water..Bring to a boil and let simmer until light and fluffy. When I make quinoa, I always make more than is going to be eaten, its great to have pre made for any meal.  Quinoa goes with everything, even a sprinkle of cinnamon and diced up apple for a nice breakfast or snack. I was making this for dinner for my mister who sometimes doesn't tolerate so many super raw veggies. So what I did and I recommend doing if you are worried about to many raw veggies at once, is to give them a really quick vinegar braise. I throw the veggie in a pan and drizzled red wine vinegar(you can use any vinegar you like) . Stuck a top on it and stuck it on the burner for a few minutes until the vinegar was gone. It just barely softens the veggies and  helps infuse the vinegar.Also a little easier for some to digest. Me, I like to eat it completely raw. Barely steamed kale, just enough to soften it. Again. raw is awesome too. Half a lime, half an avocado and a clove or two of garlic... guacamole…Call it what you will.

Salad contstruction… Quinoa. Kale. Cabbage, onion and beets.  Butternut squash. Carrots. Lentils and a nice sized scoop of avocado. But like I said, Bowl…,fork….. face. Tastes just as good. A super salad, full of flavor and healthy stuff, A salad that will  fill you up, leave you feeling full,  not gross. and is quite the looker if you ask me.

Super Salad

• 1/4 cup Quinoa
• 1/4 roasted Butternut squash
• 2-3 large Kale leaves
• 1/2 cup shredded Red Cabbage
• 1/4  grated Beet
• 1/8 cup sliced Red onion
• 1/4 cup grated Carrot
• 1/4 prepared lentils
• 1/4 of an Avocado
• 1/2 a lime
• garlic
• vinegar
• salt and pepper

This is the list of stuff that is in this salad. This is not a recipe that need to be exact.. Use more of something you like, omit whatever you don't. Just keep it simple and delicious. Dice up butternut into small pieces, place on baking sheet and roast till tender.  Add quinoa to water, bring to boil, then turn down to simmer  tip light ad fluffy. If you want steamed kale, stick kale in pot with a i/2 inch water and lid, and place on high for about 2 minutes, just until kale ha soften. The squash is roasting,(the smaller the pieces, the faster it goes)  quinoa is cooking and kale is soften,. Now grate or chop you veggies. Want them less than raw, place in pan with a bit of vinegar or just water and stick a lid on it. Medium heat for a few minutes, or until the veggies are slightly soften.. Dont over cook, you still want the veggies to have a bite and keep the good for you stuff.  Take avocado, chopped garlic and half lime and mash together.  Now everything is prepared and ready..Place strategically in a bowl or plate, quinoa, kale, squab, cabbage,beets, onion, carrots, lentils, avocado, drizzle with straight up vinegar.……..Or just throw it all together. Fork to FACE!!!