Eat, Move, Breathe, Love and Giggle. Also a Killer Recipe for a Salad.

28 May 2014 | Categories: Healthy | Posted by: Suzy Shulman

Last week I wrote about what it takes to make fresh food happen every week, regardless of what else is happening in your life. Many reached out and were like “can you please give me a recipe?!!!!?!!!?!” Yes, yes I can. Let me know what you think! Experiment, play with different flavors, and most of all have fun.

I have a running group of foods that I always make. Roasted Japanese and Garnet sweet potatoes in coconut oil with black volcanic salt and chili flakes, roasted cauliflower with garlic and salt, roasted carrots in either avocado oil and maple syrup or balsamic vinegar (I’m really into roasting things), and always some kind of meat, maybe duck and or, most likely, chicken.

I always have fresh greens on hand. In Winter its organic mesclun mixes from the grocery store and in Summer its tender baby kale and local greens from the Farmers market.

To keep it interesting I like to try one new recipe that either I’ve designed or that I’ve read about. About half the time these recipes work, though more often than not they’re not great. I try not to let it bother me, which is hard because I’m more sensitive than I will ever let on. I recently tried a recipe that seemed simple enough – mushrooms and asparagus cooked in vegetable broth served over polenta. Umm, well, the most I can say is that it was edible. But that doesn’t mean that this coming Sunday I won’t try again.

This week I’m thinking of THIS.

I’m gonna be honest. I have an affinity for large salads, nay, its a love affair. I like them with an array of unusual ingredients. Their easy, nutritious and delicious. I live for my ridiculously easy to make Roasted Sweet Potato and Parsnip Salad. Seriously, ask my partner, we eat several different iterations of it a week.  Its just so easy to make. Listed below you’ll find the recipe.

So if your wondering where this stream of conciseness is headed, it is this: Living a healthy life is more than just gong through the motions. You should want to create delicious things for yourself and those around you(maybe). This is not limited to cooking.

Eat, Move, Breathe, Love and Giggle. A lot.

 

 

Roasted Sweet Potato and Parsnip Salad

Ingredients

2 Garnet sweet potatos

2 Japanese white sweet potatoes

4 to 5 medium sized parsnips

Raw or roasted sunflower and pumpkin seed

Baby kale

Mesclun greens

Currants

Chèvre

Coconut oil

salt and pepper

Red chile flakes

Making it happen

Pre heat oven to 385 degrees

Wash sweet potatoes and parsnips, resist peeling either vegetable, they are so many nutrients found in the skin and they add lots of  flavor

Cube all veggies and place in a large roasting pan, warm 2 tablespoons on coconut oil in the microwave

add oil, salt, pepper and chiles to taste (roughly about teaspoon and a half of chiles)

Make sure veggies are well coated

Roast for about 45 min or until tender

In a large salad bowl, put equal parts baby kale and mesclun green, add all other ingredients and give a good toss

When sweet potatoes and parsnips have cooled add to salad  (note that this should be served almost immediately, the greens wilt quickly and start to look real ugly)

Chèvre is last and is also optional, add as little or as much you like

I often don’t put a dressing on my salads, I like being able to taste all the different flavors from the the mixture of veggies.

Try this simple and delicious dressing for an even more amazing salad

3 tablespoons Tamari (or soy sauce if gluten isn’t an issue)

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 to 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons raw unfiltered honey

1 teaspoon grated Fresh ginger

garlic powder to taste

Add all ingredients to a bowl and emulsify