Tis the season for fresh vegetables and juice cleanses. I’ve been in a “let’s get healthy” mood for a while now but, like most of my moods, it is easily overcome by a much stronger “ooh, is that cake?” mood. Well, not this time. Disclaimer: I still eat cake. My idea of healthy isn’t exactly losing weight or cutting out fat. I just like to know where my food comes from and what I’m putting in my body, even if it IS something as fattening and delicious as bacon or buttery tarts. And if I exercise along the way, well that’s okay too.
For Christmas, Nicole and Jonathan got us a gift subscription to Quinciple and our lives have permanently changed (yes, sometimes I’m dramatic). You know when you go to the farmers market and you get that self-righteous feeling as you peruse the assortment of fresh, nonradioactive produce? And if you buy something? Make sure you have a free hand to pat yourself on the back because you are so eco-fantastic, promoting the growth and distribution of earth’s goodness. Hooray for local farmers! But, if you’re like me, you probably have no idea what that weird looking vegetable(?) is. So you just buy some rugged looking carrots and call it a day. I have a weekly subscription to Quinciple and they are kind enough to tell my inexperienced vegetable eating self what to do with these foreign edibles that have made their way into my kitchen. Plus, I have that “don’t waste ANYTHING” mentality. If you have a grandma, you can relate. Some weeks, it’s a race against the clock before bacteria becomes a permanent resident on my six day old artichokes, may they rest in peace. But a little racing is good for the chef’s soul, and subsequently, our bellies. It’s forced me to make something new in the kitchen every week, one of my more attainable resolutions. I’ve more recently tried my hand at beet and parsnip latkes, polenta, rhubarb compote, ramp pesto, and roasted root vegetables. There were a few keepers in the bunch but I’m not gonna lie, most of what I’ve made was more of a one time thing. “It’s not you, vegetable, it’s me.” Regardless of the outcome, trying new things is always a positive thing.
I hope this post has inspired at least one of you to get creative in the kitchen. Food is art you can eat and anything you can eat is awesome.