Potluck #3: Purple and Green Salad

This does not contain Red dye 40. All colors in this dish are completely natural.

But doesn't it sort of look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book? "I do not like purple cabbage and green asparagus. I do not like them Sam I am..." (Doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "green eggs and ham," though, does it?)

This pretty pair will get you compliments at your next potluck, not only because of the taste, but also because of it's eye catching colors. I mean, it's not everyday that you get to eat purple vegetables.

Purple is generally one of those colors that's reserved for fake foods. Things like Easter Peeps, grape-flavored fruit snacks and cheap blueberry bagels. Not exactly the most nutritious bunch.

Outside of food, purple is respected, though. It's the color of royalty, the Purple Heart...and there's this. In the music category, there's Purple Rain, Purple People Eaters and Purple Haze, which, depending on your taste in music (or cannabis), might draw you closer or repel you further from purple.

Even if you're not crazy about eating purple things, hopefully the flavor of this salad will hook you. Sauteed cabbage and asparagus make a lovely combo. Here's how it works:

Wash and rinse veggies, chop/slice asparagus, red cabbage and sweet yellow onion into 3-4 inch pieces/strips. Heat coconut or grapeseed oil in a pan on medium heat. Add onion and asparagus and saute for five minutes before adding the cabbage. Sprinkle with sea salt. Stir until desired texture of veggies is achieved (I like mine to be crunchy still). The asparagus takes longer to soften than the cabbage, so you can determine for yourself how long to saute the asparagus before adding the cabbage. Enjoy!

Speaking of purple food, have you ever seen and/or eaten purple potatoes or purple cauliflower? I can do the cabbage, but I must admit, the others scare me a little...

Potluck #2: Fennel with Green Beans

WTF. What the fennel?!

It's such a strange and random veggie, isn't it? When I first changed my diet a few months ago, I read somewhere that every time you go to the grocery store or market, you should buy at least one new vegetable that you've never cooked with, go home and look up a recipe for it. Although I haven't done this every time I've gone shopping, it's definitely helped me get over my fear of intimidating foods. I've tried and fallen in love with so many new flavors that I didn't know existed until recently: rainbow chard, jicama, bok choy, rutabega, daikon radish...fennel.

Fennel is actually pretty common in Europe, but it hasn't quite caught on in the States yet. Let's start a state-side revolution. The Fennel Revolution: Changing the world, one potluck at a time.

Sounds pretty exciting, huh. Ok, so maybe it's not the sexiest vegetable out there, but it does has a sweet and mysterious flavor. Anyone know what it is? It's subtle, so you might not be able to put your finger on it...

It's anethole! If you guessed it, I'm impressed. Most of us are more familiar with other fruits, roots and herbs that also have anethole in them like licorice, anise, stat anise. It's the distinctive flavor that you'll find in black licorice candy, some root beer, and various alcoholic drinks like absinthe, aguardiente and Jägermeister.

I love the taste of fennel, but I know it's not for everyone--it's not overpowering, though, so give it a shot even if you're not a black licorice fan. I especially like it roasted in the oven because the natural sweetness comes out so much. The salad in these pictures, however, calls for boiling and then sauteing the fennel. Combined with fresh green beans, italian parsley and sea salt, this is a winning sweet/salty salad. Bring this to your next potluck and all the guests will happily exclaim, "WTF!"

Here's how to make it:
Cut bulbs of fennel into chunks. Boil in water for 4 minutes with fresh green beans. Saute sweet yellow onion in oil or ghee (clarified butter) until the onion starts to become translucent. Add two cloves of pressed/chopped garlic. Drain fennel and green beans and run cold water over them so they don't cook anymore. Pat dry with a clean towel. Add fennel and green beans to the pan with onion and garlic, stir it all together so everything is covered with the oil/ghee. Saute for a few minutes, then transfer to a bowl and add chopped fresh parsley (I used flat leaf) and sea salt. Toss to mix.

Potluck #1: Fresh Tomato and Quinoa Salad

Does anyone else feel like they are constantly going to potlucks, or is it just me? Now, don't get me wrong, I am not complaining at all. I love sharing food. In fact, if you ever want to make my day, the next time that we're at a restaurant together, just tell me that you'd like us to order two meals and split them. I will probably flip out, give you a huge hug and not let go, and continue to overreact out of sheer joy for the remainder of our meal. Don't ask me to explain, it's just the way I am. Tapas, finger foods, hord dourves (I never remember how to spell it...) hors d'oeuvres (copied and pasted from Google), potlucks...they are all my favorite kinds of meals. Maybe it's because I don't have to make a decision about what one thing to eat...

Shoot. Yep, that's it. Indecisiveness. The truth comes out. Let's not focus on my flaw, though, let's move on to the good stuff. Like, what I'm bringing to the next potluck. 

Quinoa. Someone told me the other day that they get nervous pronouncing this word when they're around me. I'm not really sure why that person is talking about quinoa so much around me, but gosh, I hope I'm not that scary. While we're on the subject, though, it's "keen-wah". It's from South America, it's high in protein and it's so hott right now. Quinoa is the new rice. I love mixing it with all kinds of veggies and beans to make delicious salads and sides. The colorful one above is super easy to make. Here's how: 

First, before you cook quinoa, make sure that you soak or rinse it thoroughly. There's a natural coating on it called saponin that can give some people a stomachache. Most packaged quinoa sold in the States has already been soaked to remove the saponin, but rinsing it off again before cooking is still helpful. Then, cook quinoa according to package directions, but substitute vegetable or chicken broth for half of the water. Add a bit of olive oil and salt, too. Quinoa, like most grains, is a little bland on its own, but prepared with broth, oil and salt it turns out moist and flavorful. Next, add tomatoes, bell peppers, fresh cilantro, sauteed onions, lemon or lime juice, olive oil and sea salt. Toss it together. So fresh and pretty looking!

For the next few posts, I'll share some other easy sides and salads that I like to bring to potlucks. Now, for your reading enjoyment, here's a list of synonyms for the word "potluck" (none of which I suggest using in place of the word "potluck"): spread, Jacob's join, Jacob's supper, faith supper, covered dish supper, bring and share, pitch-in, carry-in, bring-a-plate, smorgasbord, dish-to-pass...