Oh my oh my oh my oh MY. I just ran my fastest 5k since high school, and it's all 100%, without a doubt, absoLUTELY because I was listening to the new album by The Very Best. A collaboration between a Malawian percussionist and a Kenyan/Nigerian/Swedish/Briton producer, the influences range from Lil Wayne to Lilongwe--and the result will have you running and smiling like a damn fool. The new album is called MTMTMTK (More to Malawi Than Madonna's Kids)--download now!
My love affair with beets is no quiet romp in the hay--and with BF Kef gone for a little vacay of his own, I don't even have to hide my extracurricular activities. The beets and I have gotten hot and heavy, and this little lovechild has popped up to play.
Today we're working with golden beets, ginger, and yogurt, all of which come together to make a delicious dip with all the consistency of hummus but none of the spelling confusion. Enjoy!
Golden Beet "Hummus" Dip
Ingredients - 3 med golden beets, peeled, and chopped (without greens) - 2 tsp garam masala - 1.5 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated - 1/4-1/2 c yogurt (fage best, everything else ok) - olive oil as needed
Assembly 1. Preheat oven to 350. Toss chopped beets, ginger, with olive oil. Loosely wrap in tin foil in a single layer. Cook until beets are soft all the way through, about 20-30 minutes. 2. Allow beets to cool. Puree in a food processor with yogurt until smooth, adding olive oil to reach desired texture.
Meanwhile, back in the real world... vacations, apparently, end and every day does not include sight seeing, the beach, Greek lessons, and frappe. Needless to say, JetSet Kef and I had a great time, inspiration for future culinary creations was a plenty, and I am none too pleased to be back in the land of never-ending job applications.
The saving grace is that there are two new delicious things dictating my diet these days.
The first is frozen blueberries. Oh my sweet Lord Jesus THIS is what people mean when they say "nature's candy." I can't believe the rest of the world knew about these pebbles of frozen heaven and I didn't...can't be long until I have to change my blogger profile picture to this:
The second is a kale-chickpea-squash salad. This was the treat waiting for me as soon as I got off the plane...and what I made as an officialy vacay-detox lunch the next day... and what I made for dinner while babysitting last night...it's getting a lot of mileage. Originally a Serious Eats creation with some heat, my dear friend PortuKef evolved the recipe with Japanese flavors and sesame oil, and then I morphed it into my preferred palate with curry powder--proving that chickpeas ain't no one trick pony. The key to this chameleon salad? Be patient enough to let the chickpeas caramelize, which really brings out their buttery deliciousness.
Kale-Chickpea-Squash Salad
Ingredients
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 onion, diced
Olive oil
1 TBS curry powder/cumin/coriander/chili/or any deep-flavored spice you prefer
1/2 bunch of kale, washed and shredded off the center stem
1 med zucchini/any other summer squash, chopped
Half lemon, for juicing
Assembly 1. Heat 2-3 TBS olive oil and your choice of spice over med-high heat for about a minute. Add chickpeas, stir, and saute until chickpeas start to soften and brown, about 5-7 minutes. 2. Add onions and stir into chickpeas and spice and allow mixture to caramelize. You may need to add more olive oil. The onions will brown, and you'll know you're on the right track when the whole thing starts to smell a little sweet. Stir more frequently here to avoid getting chickpeas stuck to the bottom of your pan. This will take another 7 minutes...maybe more, maybe less. You aren't going to screw anything up by letting it cook longer. 3. Throw in the shredded kale, stir it about and let it wilt for a minute or two. I do not like raw kale, so I keep it in for the longer side. 4. Remove everything from the pan, but don't wash it. 5. Throw the zucchini into the pan and let cook through, maybe 5 minutes. I add a bit more olive oil and spice--use your judgement. 6. Combine the chickpea mixture with the squash. Serve warm or cold. Immediately before serving, squeeze lemon juice to taste.
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