Eat Dance Live

I had a sudden urge for pesto when I saw some at the Wild Oat Bakery  yesterday. I've made vegan pesto a few times before, but the way I make it, it never tastes as good nor is ever worth the hassle so I usually just buy it. Immediately after I did, I figured out that I could concoct the best thing to do with kale since I discovered the joys of my  kelp noodle kale salad ! Creaminess, oh yeah... Pesto Kale Salad Yield: Serves 1 or 2. 1 head of massaged kale 1/2 to 3/4 C pesto veggies of choice (I used peppers, celery, carrots, and tomatoes) Directions:  1. Once you've massaged your kale (click here for a how-to), stir in pesto. 2. Add in chopped veggies. 3. Eat!  Yep, it's that simple! Have a great weekend!

I'm going to go out on a limb here and talk about something completely unrelated to my usual food/fitness talk, because I think it's worth sharing. [Edit: I have to add the note that all I'm trying to do here is to shed light on some blind spots on a history that few people who celebrate Saint Patrick's Day even know about. I think it's important to understand part of the origins of a day your choosing to celebrate]: The pub crawls, the shamrock stickers, the green food dyed Baileys shots, the "Kiss me I'm Irish" t-shirts... If you lived any part of your teen/adult years anywhere in North America, Ireland, or the British Isles, I can assume that you've all taken part in the St. Patrick's Day celebration madness at one time or another. However, when I first got to learn about the other side of the Saint Patrick's Day story, I haven't actively sought to take part in the partying anymore. Why? Didn't St. Patrick's Day j...

There is something wholly satisfying about growing your own food. No matter how much or how little you grow, it's always such a delight. The thing I love about having my own mini-garden is that it really gives me an appreciation for the miracle of nature. How cool is it that your plants grow from these tiny seeds with nothing more than water, sunlight, and love? I'm very pleased to say that all of my little herbs have turned into an urban jungle (well, not quite, but I hope it'll get there). My cinnamon basil has grown three extra heads, my stevia is climbing like mad, my mint is well... acting like mint, my pepper plants are flowering and producing like mad, and my thyme is quickly outgrowing its pot. And that's only the beginning! I had to do some serious pruning today before I head out again tomorrow to see my family across the sea. The amount of basil I got from my harvest was so great it was a good enough amount to make a mean pesto. I collected a little bit of eve...

I think I've found love again, not since spirulina have I had such a love affair: kelp noodles. The only opportunity I've had to have them were during a number of visits to Java Green . What is there not to love? They're seaweed and they're like pasta! Two of my greatest loves. Problem is I've never been able to find them on my own in any grocery store anywhere... However, just yesterday, they were wonderfully gifted to me . I absolutely love their texture and they made my night! To celebrate what will be the first of many dinner dates with kelp noodles, I turned them into a super tasty raw jobche. Jobche (or japchae or chapchae) is a traditional Korean dish made from cellophane noodles (no, not actual cellophane, they're made out of some bean or yam starch) stir fried with sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, and veggies typically including carrots, onions, spinach, and mushrooms. Understandably, Jobche actually means "mixed vegetables". So were mine... but...

Another day, another winner. Easter dinner last night was another delicious success: Meredith's ' Yes Please, Pesto Pasta' , and the name says it all! While we rarely eat seconds on a raw diet only because the food is so nutrient dense and filling, we didn't stop until we had two bowls this time, and my old self could have probably gone for more! I put this together by making Meredith's perfect pesto and mixing it with spiralized zucchini, diced red peppers and grape tomatoes, chopped up sun-dried tomatoes, all topped with her amazing nut cheese . What a delight! I used both the nut cheese and the pesto again today when we went for a picnic with my parents along the Washington Tidal Basin amidst our city's gorgeous cherry blossoms. My mom provided a wonderful spring salad, and I provided them with sandwiches. I made my dad a nut cheese, cornichon (the French version of pickles), cucumber, and peppered tofurky in a baguette. I made my mom a raw pesto, tomato, spi...