Coconut Ganache Bourbon Balls

I made Coconut Ganache Bourbon Balls for my valentine last week. These no-bake bon bons are a feast for your taste buds and a tipsy topsy good time.






xo

12 for '12: Mostly plants

Intention #5: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." I recently read Michael Pollan's Food Rules around the same time that I did my very first 3-day juice cleanse. I felt uhhhmazing at the end of the 3 days - lighter, clear-minded and more energetic than usual.

So, in 2012 I plan to maintain a plant-rich diet including stalks and stalks of...kale! I have a slight obsession with this leafy green. I love adding it to quinoa salads, burritos, pastas, etc. But lately I've been eating kale as a salad green topped with mushrooms, radishes, avocado, olive oil and lemon juice. Try it, it's so good. Know what else is good? Sweet potatoes.



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Ode to the lima bean

Lima beans don't get enough credit, so I thought I'd show this moon-shaped legume some love. They were a favorite of mine as a wee one, as my parents tell it. I love the image of chubby baby me, propped up in a high chair, clenching lima beans in each fist.

Over Thanksgiving weekend we went on a mini getaway to the Berkshires for some fresh air, lots of art, hiking, and relaxation. It was pretty dreamy. We also ate scrumptious food, the most memorable dish being a Peruvian Lima Bean Ragout with Swiss Chard, Fennel, Tomato and Pecorino at Mezze in Williamstown, MA. It was so, sooo good. And what a smart way to prepare lima beans - they were treated kind of like a pasta in a rich tomato-y sauce.

So in honor of the lovely lima, tonight for din I tried my best to recreate the Mezze dish. Here's how:

Beans
Soak 1.5 cups dried large lima beans, then bring to a boil and reduce to medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Sauce
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small - medium carrots, diced
6 baby bella mushrooms, diced
1 small shallot, minced
2 roma tomatoes, diced
a few large leaves of kale, chopped
tomato sauce (homemade or store bought)

Saute carrot, zucchini, garlic and shallot in a teaspoon of olive oil at low heat for 5 mins.

Add 1 cup tomato sauce to pan and simmer for a couple minutes.

Add tomatoes, mushrooms and kale (I like to just barely cook these ingredients, but you can add them earlier along with the other veggies too).

When limas are cooked almost all the way through, remove from water and add to the sauce pan to simmer together with sauce for another 10-15 minutes.

Sprinkle with fresh herbs, parmesan, and buon appetito!

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The most important meal of the day, Oct.11

I love breakfast. I also love lunch, dinner and snacks. But there is something so comforting about the morning ritual of breakfast and a cup of coffee. I find a similar comfort browsing simple, sweet breakfast images...


coffee + grapefruit english muffin

coffee + nut bar

coffee + figs

coffee + melon bread

coffee + banana muffin + yogurt

coffee + apple clafoutis + mango

coffee + berry pancakes

coffee + frittata

coffee + bagel

coffee + peaches + granola


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cannelle et vanille, may.11

Attending this food styling and photography workshop on the Dordogne River would be such a dream...

Hembakat ar Bast, Apr.11

Don't you love this ingredient art? Beautifully styled food by Evalina Bratelle for the IKEA cookbook "Hembakat ar Bast" or "Homemade is Best".







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turkish delight on a moonlit night, apr.11

off we go to istanbul (not constantinople) and cappadocia, turkey. this is technically my first trip to ASIA! and high on my long list of things to do, see and eat are:

hagia sophia/ayasofya
sleeping in a cave
the blue mosque
figs, nuts & honey
hot air ballooning above fairy chimneys
a boat trip down the bosphorous
turkish coffee fortune-telling
beautiful rugs (1 for us, 1 for my mama)
spice markets and bazaars

and turkish delight in a rainbow of colors...






ciao for now.

xo

eeeataly, oct.10

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i'm heading off to salerno and florence italy on friday for a 10-day work trip. it will be filled with a leather fair and tannery visits, but i'm definitely planning on squeezing in some art, pizza and gelato, gelato, gelato! if you have any recommendations, send em this-a-way.

food porn: honig, oct.10

i just discovered a sweet little gem of a food blog that i thought might make your tummy growl...

speaking of food, this is pretty drool-worthy, non?

hot fun in the summertime, july'10

aside from yesterday, the weather this summer has been sooo amazing! much better than last year's month-long downpour.

i've spent my sunny days so far eating lobster on a weekly basis, sipping rosé (has anyone else noticed this revival??), taking looong bike rides on my new beauty, tending to my herb babies, lots of bbqs and finally investing in some chaise lounges for the rooftop. maybe just a little more beach time as per the lovelies below and i'll be set.



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1/30: plant an herb garden

this has been on my list for a little while...now its too late in the season to plant baby seedlings so i'm off to the nursery for some mint, thyme, rosemary and sage plants. aka pimm's cups, lemon thyme lemonade, rosemary shortbread and crispy sage leaves. mmm mmmm

herbal essences, apr.10

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for weeks now i've been meaning to plant my herb garden. above are a few pieces of inspiration to get the ball rolling...i love the many ways in which people make use of limited outdoor space.

maybe this will be the weekend?