carrot-beet salad

There's always room for a few more veggies. That's right, I didn't say dessert. But it's true, there should probably be room for all of us to eat a few more brightly coloured delicious foods grown in the soil or right out of it.

One of my favourite ways to change up boredom from green salads is to make a salad of grated vegetables. Coleslaw is all fine and good, but why leave it at that?


You can purchase shares in a band-aid company, or alternatively use a food processor with a grating attachment. It's definitely a life-saver on more than one front.

Perhaps I should chop the parsley a little finer, but no one was complaining. Albeit a tad rustic perhaps. Others would say lazy. I prefer colourful!


Summery Carrot-Beet Salad

2 medium beets
4 large carrots
1/2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley
juice of one lime
extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
pinch of ground cloves (optional)

1. Chop and grate the beets and carrots in a food processor, no peeling necessary. Chop the parsley as fine as you like, and combine with the grated vegetables in a medium serving bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the lime juice with the olive oil and spices.
3. Combine all ingredients in the bowl, until the vinaigrette is thoroughly distributed. Enjoy!

p.s. This is also great the next day as a "topping" for a green salad.
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roast lamb shank, spring salad, and dop mozzarella

Finally some vegetables! I don't know what has been going on, but Jeff and I have hardly been eating any vegetables at all. And we love them, but they have just been terrible in the shops, and essentially, a bit off-putting. But finally, dinner tonight had a salad. And thank goodness, a fantastic salad it was! It was simple, and just ended up to be what was in the house (always the best kinds of salads, are the impromptu ones). It did prove that I am absolutely addicted to avocados, because I admit that I craved a little avocado in each bite of the salad. Each salad had: -organic spring greens -organic broccoli sprouts - and someone tell me why I don't buy these more often!?? -1/2 an avocado -1/2 a navel orange -sliced red onion -lemon juice, and extra-virgin olive oil -a little salt We also had a yummy treat: Some Chianti Ruffina, with some d.o.p mozzarella from Campania (sorry, not local but SO good!), roma tomatoes, with extra virgin olive oil. I could eat this creamy goodness everyday. Jeff's masterpiece: Roast lamb shank with rosemary and garlic, and it was delicately falling off the bone. I realize that it looks a little "caveman-like", but there really isn't as much meat as there appears to be. You really should know that Jeff is the "expert" protein cooker in our house. This is a spin on the rack of lamb recipe he made for the first time he had me over for dinner. It was good then, and here is the evolution to the shanks. The lamb is really quite easy to make, although it does take 4+ hours in the oven! Roast Lamb Shank with Rosemary and Garlic (serves 2) 2 lamb shanks (2 1/2 lbs total weight) 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary 6 cloves of garlic, split into quarters 1 tbsp coarse sea salt extra-virgin olive oil 1. Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. 2. Take the three tablespoons of rosemary, the sea salt, and 4 tbsp of olive oil, and combine to a paste. Spread and massage the paste all over the lamb shanks. 3. In a deep-saute pan, heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil on medium. Add the quartered garlic, and reduce the heat. The recipe works best if the garlic is never browned, as it prevents it from burning. Allow the garlic to gently simmer at least 5 minutes, but if it appears it is getting too hot - add the lamb. This will cool the garlic and the oil. 4. Brown the lamb on medium-low heat, approximately 4 minutes per side. This is not a deep caramelization, and do continue to be diligent of the heat - don't let the garlic burn! 5. Cover the saute pan, and place inside the pre-heated oven. Immediately reduce the heat to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. The toughest part now is to be patient, while the fragrant aromas of rosemary and garlic call out to you. You must wait until the meat is nearly falling off the bone. Trust me, it's worth the wait! Tomorrow, I will tell you all about a very special tiramisu recipe! Obviously, it needs to rest overnight... so I can't tell what it tastes like yet, because I have no idea at all....
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a very simple salsa

I'm newly obsessed at the moment. Once I start eating this, it is difficult to stop. Luckily, it only requires a bit of chopping, a squeeze, and a pinch to prepare. It's anything but fussy, and other than the taste, that's the best part. Put it with steak, chicken, shrimp, tofu, scallops; perhaps in a warmed (semi-burnt) tortilla with a bit of chipotle, and life becomes good, very, very good. To start, find the best quality onion you can. You're going to be eating a lot of it, and it's raw. Choose an onion that is preferably a bit sweet, definitely not too overly pungent, unless you prefer it. Chop it finely, or however you see fit, to suit your needs. I prefer things a bit rustic, although I do suppose I tend to defer to loud tummy growls. Then find at least one very fresh bunch of cilantro, and crisp it up even a bit more by soaking it in ice cold water for no more than 15 minutes. Allow to dry. Finely chop, similarly to the onion. The size of cilantro bunches, tend to not equal the size of an onion or vice-versa. I like to try to have equal parts of cilantro to onion, which of course, never really works precisely - it's just one of those close enough kind of things. It's okay, trust me! The same goes for the lime, olive oil, and the salt. This is not fancy food, so I'm not going to pretend that there is anything remotely refined about it. Just add a little of this, and a little of that. If you like the end result, then it's like couture salsa just for you. Just be sure to use fresh lime, and a good quality sea salt, or kosher salt (an absolute must!) For a larger onion mixed with 2 bunches of cilantro, combine with the juice of approximately one lime, 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Do be sure to have many tortillas on hand, they don't last long!
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