spring recipes – No Beef Here

Copy of Tempeh Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sammies

Just two weeks ago I turned 29. That felt a little weird to type or even think about. It’s odd to think I was just 18 when I started this blog. Where in the HECK did the time go? I was just a freshman in college and now I’m married thinking about kids. That provides a whole lot of perspective. I look at my blog and see how my taste in food has evolved over the years. I mean just by looking at the title of this post you can see how much I’ve decided to dip my toes into the ever expanding world of food. Nettles? Ramps? If you asked me 10 years ago what those things were I would have probably shrugged and not even know where to get them.

In true Taurus foodie fashion I welcomed my day of birth with deliciousness. An almond milk latte, avocado toast (not made by me) for brunch and a broccoli rabe pasta dish with a luscious creamy cheesy sauce garnished with slivered almonds (yea…talk about decadent af), an entire bottle of Valpolicella for dinner and a strawberry tart made by my fave french bakery for singing Happy Birthday. Simple elegance.

I decided that this year is all about simplicity, presence, playfulness and gratitude. My kitchen intentions are to continue to provide simple healthy seasonal eats as often as possible. I working out of this culinary rut, I promise. I don’t know how many freakin’ pesto recipes I have put on my blog but this one is different!!! Trust!!

Have you ever seen a nettle? Or a ramp?

Stinging Nettles (copyright Uwe H. Friese, Bremerhaven 2003)

Nettles or stinging nettles are a wild edible plant that has small sharp hairs that can actually irritate the skin. The weird part is even with that small inconvenience, it is nutrient-rich, a natural antihistamine (buh bye seasonal allergies), helps control blood sugar and a few other things (check it out here).

Wild Leeks aka Ramps (copyright dano272)

Ramps are the hot thang right now and to be honest I had NO idea what they were until last year. These wild, foraged leeks are only in season for a short period of time and if you’re not shopping at the farmer’s market can run up your grocery bill. The taste is similar to a leek that had a baby with garlic. Using it up in a pesto gives you an earthy, creamy, garlicky flavor without it being overwhelmingly garlicky.

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Tempeh Bacon Lettuce & Tomato Sammies (4)

4 months is a LONG time for a hiatus from a blog and for this I truly apologize. Winter for me was really a time of hibernation, self discovery and reevaluation. And sometimes we (am I alone here?) get stuck in a food rut. Yea. It’s the truth. It happened to me. I got stuck in the red lentil soup, pasta, quesadilla for dinner rotation for most of the winter because I was pretty tired. I work outside most days of the week and it was COLD in NYC. I really focused on ramping up my rest and self care, which ended up looking like: Netflix and chillin’ on the couch with hubs and lots AND lots of sleep.

The creative juices were a little on pause but the last few weeks have given birth to something new. To be honest (wait, when am I not!?), I really needed a mental break. But a piece of me was DEFINITELY missing. When I am not in constant creation mode, I don’t really feel like ME. This was a much needed pause so I can come back with a bang 😉

I am trying to step more fully into my cooking and try NEW things or even experiment with things I have tried outside that I want to GiMix (thanks to my friend David for this term, it’s da bomb).

I don’t know about you but this winter just made me feel puffy (compensating for the cold with a little extra puff?). I’m not big on doing smoothies in the winter (that’s just cray to me-cold in the cold?!) so I suck down hot bev’s like nobodies business. I frequented Le Pain Quotidien on some work days to grab their Honey lemon ginger tea. It’s sour, sweet, warm and just so damn cozy. But $5 for a small!? NOPE. I can make it at home for a fraction of the cost and drink it allllll day long.

The best part?

It’s delicious and the combo of lemon + ginger helps improve the metabolism, balance blood sugar, boosts the immune system while maintaining an alkaline state in the body (too much acid is no bueno).

You can make a big batch of this stuff and store in the fridge for sipping throughout the day or week. Oh and it can either be served warm or cold. I prefer it warm of course 😉