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Recipe: crunchy kale salad

Our evening walks with Kaweah are getting later and later because we try to avoid taking her out when the sun is still up. She overheats easily. Thankfully, as soon as the sun drops low, the air begins to cool quickly in the mountains. You can feel the delicious streams of cool air flowing around your ankles as you hike the neighborhood trails. Wildflowers are full speed ahead and the once new spring-green aspen leaves have turned to a soothing deep, dark green.

the blur is kaweah’s wagging tail

indian paintbrush and yarrow

happily taking a rest in a field of clover

I reached down to give Kaweah a pat on the ribs as we left the trail to return to the house. Her fur was cool to the touch. She was clearly happy, lazily wagging her tail as she sniffed every.single.plant on the side of the road. I pressed my palm to my arm and was delighted that my skin felt COLD.

c’mon, let’s go!

well, there’s always time for a belly rub

Thank goodness for the evening cooldowns around here, or else I would have lost my marbles back in April. We’ve been on a busy rotation of salads because the last thing I want in summer is to cook and then eat a hot, heavy meal. I want fresh, crunchy, green things! This means I’m always on the lookout for something new. When my pal, Denise, and I checked out the Native Foods Boulder soft opening in late May, we ordered strategically so we could get as big a sampling of the menu as possible. Native Foods is a popular vegan restaurant, not because it is vegan, but because they serve some great food. That said, I am not a fan of faux meats or faux cheeses (faux food isn’t my thing). But, I absolutely fell in love with their crunchy kale salad and immediately went home and made it for Jeremy.

all you need: kale and cabbages

avocado, apple, almonds, and black currants

tahini, orange juice, maple syrup, olive oil, (not pictured: salt, lemon juice)

The salad is chock full of healthy goodies and unlike lettuce, it doesn’t wilt much if you make a large batch to enjoy over the course of a few days. That’s because it has hearty greens like kale and cabbage. The rest of the ingredients are either neutral or sweet. If you are seeking a tangy, salty salad – this is not it. But it’s a fantastic, hearty salad that is satisfying without being overly heavy.

trim the kale leaves from the stalks

shred the kale

add shredded cabbage to the bowl

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: strawberry syrup

Despite the months of faux summer we’ve been experiencing, the real thing is soon upon us. We spent the entire weekend in “spring cleaning” mode. Then with the High Park fire in Colorado burning strong to the north, we took the time to cull and update our important documents and other critical items for the evacuation bin. Always be prepared, right? It’s going to be a long summer.

we could use more rain, less lightning (although i do love the lightning)

Believe it or not, I have been waiting for summer with anticipation. Waiting for those strawberries to arrive at the markets. I don’t mean the strawberries that have to travel a thousand miles from California (or Mexico) to the grocery stores – picked too early and bred for making the long journey at the expense of flavor, sweetness, ripeness. I’m referring to the lovely local gems that are misshapen, small, imperfect, and smell like candy.

don’t mind if i do

If you have no idea what I am talking about, then you might want to try and hunt some down. If you DO know what I’m talking about… right on! I used to feel lukewarm about strawberries because most of the strawberries I’ve eaten in my life have been store-bought and not especially outstanding. On occasion I’ve enjoyed U-pick strawberries, or happened upon the Oxnard strawberry festival in southern California, or purchased a flat from a farmer on the side of the road in California’s Central Valley after a weekend backpack trip in Kings Canyon. But these little gems, these will make you a lover… an obsessed lover.

i stalked several pints last week at the boulder farmer’s market

they are almost too pretty to eat… almost

Bite into this strawberry and it bleeds red, sweet, and fragrant. The insides aren’t white, but deep red. The berries are juicy instead of having that texture of packing materials. We ate plenty of them straight – my favorite way to enjoy a proper strawberry. I also saved out a few quarts for projects despite my strong urge to shovel them all down my gullet.

small as a dime with big big flavor

My friend, Marisa, who writes the phenomenal Food in Jars, has a new cookbook out that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on for over a year. It’s a book on canning, but in small batches, which is perfect for me. I received my review copy last month and I’ll do a canning recipe in another post, but one recipe was screaming to be made: strawberry syrup.

organic, unsprayed strawberries and sugar

hull and quarter (or halve if they are small) the berries

add water to the berries

**Jump for more butter**

Recipe: grilled asparagus

A friend asked if I was planning to photograph the transit of Venus on Tuesday. In all honesty, the transit wasn’t a high priority for me because the eclipse was so bloody awesome. But I find as these events near, I am still interested in seeing them and hopefully capturing them if I’m lucky. The big lenses were rented out, I was teaching a private lesson, and the forecast was for clouds. So my expectations for the transit were zippo. Instead, I spent the day working with Ellen, the boss lady of Helliemae’s Handcrafted Caramels. [Please consider hopping over to her site, clicking on the Mission: Small Business link, and following the steps to vote for Helliemae’s so she can qualify to compete for a small business grant. Thanks!]

did i ever mention how much i love caramels?

It was still cloudy as I broke down the equipment from the lesson, but then I noticed a shadow on the ground and turned to see a fuzzy disc of glowing plasma in the sky. I couldn’t help but get my gear together and try to shoot the transit – it was time (started around 4:30 pm MDT). There was a ton of moisture in the air and always a thin cloud layer fuzzing out the details, but I managed one window of less than 30 seconds when I think the sun was as clear as it was going to get all day. It’s not as cool as a total solar eclipse, but it’s still VERY SERIOUSLY AWESOMELY COOL to see the transit of Venus. So there.

she’s got it, yeah baby she’s got it…

The days have been kinda hot lately which puts me in a bit of a mood such that I have little interest in doing anything near the oven or stove. Grilling it is! One of our favorite things to grill is asparagus. Sure you can steam them, stir-fry them, roast them, but grilled is my #1 best way to prepare asparagus. I just love those fat, sweet, juicy spears tossed in the bare minimum of seasonings and grilled until just blistering. We’ve been noshing on these for several weeks now.

fat asparagus is wonderful

salt, pepper, olive oil

washed and trimmed

I break the woody ends of the spears off with my hands. I just give a little bend starting at the base and work my way up until the stalk gives and breaks at a natural transition from tough to tender. Give them a rinse in water and pat them dry. Place the spears in a baking dish, add seasonings and oil, then toss.

drizzle some olive oil

sprinkle salt and pepper

toss to get an even coat on all of the spears

**Jump for more butter**