Idea sex. Today I listened to an interview with Jason Silva, short shooting philosopher de you tube, whose “shots of awe” videos, offer people a glimmer of existentialism in a 3 minute quip. He’s a passionate dude, you can tell, this is what he lives for, spreading novel ideas to help our society transcend the murky and rise to our true potential. In this particular interview, he was talking about this concept of ideas having sex and forming new creations, this is modern day creativity. We aren’t forming new ideas, we’re simply remixing old ones and making them new again. I find this to really ring true when it comes to creating recipes. Sometimes I think I need to create things which no one has done before. Isn’t it interesting that at this point in our evolution, there is less species diversity than ever before on the planet, yet, more than ever, there are also more people attempting to create new dishes that will set them apart. This is part of the reason why I’m passionate about learning wildcrafting and attaining wild meat. Just because we can drive our cars to the store and get whatever we want, doesn’t mean it isn’t wildly rewarding to know what we can eat from our local environment.
Today is just another one of those days where I really shouldn’t be on pinterest looking at any food that isn’t ‘whole 30’. For some reason all I want is a donut. I don’t even eat donuts, unless pregnant. AH! I just don’t want to eat another piece of dried fruit. There’s no sugar in the house aside from a little container of cinnamon sugar that is sounding mighty appealing. Oh dear, I hope this starts getting easier. (more…)
Yesterday was our last day of epic sunshine before a spell of rain will hit for the next week. Luckily we got to spend it playing in the sun and eating a delicious meal with wonderful friends. Giselle, (who you would never believe is a grandma until you hand her your crying baby and he chills right out) she has a pond. In that pond she has an abundance of wild watercress that someone planted there 80 years ago. It’s amazing how one ingredient can excite me so much, it’s like a high, this euphoric excitement that doesn’t dissipate until something worthy of it’s loveliness is created. The cress was all congregated in the middle of the pond impossible to get at. But you know what impossible really means? Giselle sure does, she jumped right in there, up to her waist in gunk, to harvest the coveted plant that made this salad possible. I’m possible.
So this watercress stuff, you may be able to find it at a pond near you. It grows all over the US, southern Canada, Asia most places in Europe. Be sure to only harvest from clean water sources. Here is a good video if you’d like to learn more about this water loving plant.
Watercress has a slightly spicy slightly bitter taste to it so I paired it with some savoury sweetness to mellow things out. Crunchy candied walnuts and pumpkin seeds added good contrast to the cress and red onion kept things zingy. The dressing was a puree of apricot, lemon, parsley and oregano.
5 dried apricots, rehydrated in hot water for about 10 minutes
4 Tbs olive oil
Salt & fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
In a sauce pan combine water and coconut sugar until melted, on low medium heat add nuts and seeds until all water has evaporated and they are enveloped in thick caramel. Take off heat and place onto an oiled plate to cool.
Combine watercress,dandelion,sorrel,celery,cranberries,red onion & avocado in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a blender add oregano,parsley,garlic,lemon juice,apricots, olive oil, salt & pepper and puree until smooth.
Dress salad just before serving. If you have wild violets growing around you they are edible and a beautiful garnish.
I have a real love/hate relationship with kale. Lets just say, there was a time when I overdid it, I mean kale.in.everything. It got old, I couldn’t even bear the sight of it at the end of harvest season, but waste not, want not. Yes, and it was this salad that reunited us and turned it all around. Because kale is big and bold and it needs a creamy tangy counterpart to overtake it. Or else, it can kind of overpower, especially when raw. I recommend thinly slicing the kale into little ribbons so that they are absolutely covered in the creamy caesar goodness. (more…)
Happy Days, you know the ones, where the sun comes out unexpectantly lavishing you with the warm knowing that summer is just around the corner. After a week of rain it explodes forth surprising you that it won’t actually rain forever. No more excuses to eat just roast potatoes, gravy and beef for dinner every night, oh no, the days of endless soups are now behind us. Springs greenery is just the beginning of what’s to come. Summer is culinary excitement at it’s maximum, at least in the Kootenays where the 4 seasons are very distinguished. (more…)
Hey I'm Chantelle, my alter ego would be a mermaid if I wasn't such a terrible swimmer. I love writing authentically and cooking in my pyjamas. My favourite pastimes include eating avocados, travelling the world and hanging out with a toddler.
