Sweet Potato Mango Salad

“If beef is your idea of real food for real people, you’d better live real close to a good hospital.”

— Neal Barnard, M.D.

Lately, life hasn't been permiting me time to cook up dinner. Sometimes, I forget my lunch and have to buy a teeny $4 Umpqua Oats bowl from the cafe at work (#theonlyveganoption #superbummer). More often than not, when I have to choose, I'll prioritize walking Bailey versus making a proper dinner. And occasionally, I'll get back from vacation and be precluded from squeezing in the time to make it to the store for actual dinner preparations...aka food. It's only been two weeks since we got back...a very busy two weeks.

All of these things lead me this dish. It might sound really odd, mango and sweet potatoes together in an Italian potato salad type of fashion but I'm going to need you to trust me. Your trust will be rewarded greatly. 

We have mangoes and sweet potatoes at home. That's pretty much it. No creamer, no bread, no vegan milk, no veggies, and only one (really rough looking) banana. I know, right? It's been a hectic few weeks. My stress level can be determined by how much food is in the house and how many hours I've been able to wear my nightgown. If I claimed to be living off anything other than hummus, dried figs, and vegan chocolate chips I'd be lying. It's not awful. Figs and chocolate are amazing together, seriously, you need to try it.

Things have been so dire that I spent the latter half of yesterday slinking around the clinic, seemingly casual (but actually frantic), investigating the break room tables for "please eat me" forsakens like bags of oldish bread or boxes of muffins. Half-opened candy someone didn't want in the house, shunned fruits (usually oranges, people hate oranges apparently), or a posse of pillaged chip bags from some prior festivities I wasn't privy to. I won't tell you I'm proud.

Unfortunately, my food-seeking adventures often end in a few dry spoonfuls of nutritional yeast that I have in my desk drawer. It's not ideal, but it works in a pinch. Come on, you've done it...we've all done it, right? I'll die of starvation before I spend $2.25 on a green (or conversely rotting) banana from the cafe. 

Thank goodness when I finally got home I was able to stuff my face with dried figs and chocolate chips, then start making this fantastic salad. I ate a good portion straight from the serving bowl with that big wooden spoon before I was able to shoot some photos. Cavewoman style...don't judge...

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Sweet Potato Mango Salad

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-4-2014

A delicious spin on regular potato salad. This sweet potato mango salad is studded with dried berries and dressed with lime juice and olive oil.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 large mango, diced
• ½ medium brown or red onion, sliced thinly
• 2 Tbsp. dried blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. goji berries (or other dried berries)
• small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ Tbsp. agave nectar or maple syrup
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

Instructions

Place the diced sweet potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Boil for about 5-8 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender taking care to not overcook them. Drain and place in a large serving bowl. Add the mango, onion, berries and parsley to the cooked potatoes. Toss gently to combine.In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the potato and mango mixture. Toss gently to coat. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 15 mins Yield: 4

German Word of The Day

Doctor --> Arzt (artst)

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article by Kim A. Williams, MD about how he changed to a vegan diet in 2003 to battle his rising cholesterol. Trust him, he's a doctor. Actually, he's been elected to be the next president of the American College of Cardiology. So, you really should trust him. 

Asian Glass Noodles with Tofu & Wild Greens

“Introversion - along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness, and shyness - is now a second-class personality trait, somewhere between a disappointment and a pathology.”

— Susain Cain from her book, "Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking"

Have you read the book above? It's really a very interesting exploration into introversion. As a profound introvert myself, I am learning quite a bit. It'd be impressive what an extrovert could learn from reading the book! Take my word for it and get it. Tell me what you think. Acquiring a more complete understanding of the ones you love and just everyday people in general (especially the wallflowers that often can be difficult to get to know and understand) is always a good thing. In fact, I recommended the book to my supervisor at work!

However, I haven't had much time to read lately. Nor cook, sleep, snuggle, or just in general kick back. I seem to need an uncustomary amount of the stuff. You know, just be alone. I'll decidedly lose my shit if I don't get to be by myself for just a little while within the next few days. It's been a full month of non-stopness (it's a word) and it's got to stop. Someone please put me in solitary confinement, or at least a timeout. Take me to my doctor's office so I can sit alone for two hours in that cold, tiny room while waiting for her to come in, you know what I'm talking about. Anything! I'll do anything! My battery is almost dead!

When life swings into full gear with intense social activities, triple-threat car problems, serious work changes, jury duty, and just general life quandaries...I tend to retreat into my shell of calm. Irish exits (minus any drunk insinuations) become my norm and in an effort to quiet my life, I quiet myself instead, and become almost mute. This can be misinterpreted as "grumpy" and/or "moody", so I do try to rein it in a bit. I couldn't actually be mute in real life. That probably wouldn't go over very well. Does anyone else have these problems?

Yesterday was the beautiful rehearsal dinner for my best friend's wedding. Todd and I had to eat before we dashed over there #lifeasavegan, so while he was commuting home I whipped up this scrumptious glass noodle dish and took advantage of some chickweed before the frost comes!

That, my friends, is chickweed. Which I adore with all my little heart. The flavor is devilishly earthy and green, and eating it makes me feel like a real wild woman!

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Asian Glass Noodles with Tofu & Wild Greens

by Katie @ Produce on Parade August-1-2014

This quick asian dish is infused with ginger, garlic, lime, and sweet chili. Studded with browned tofu, kale and wild greens are strewn throughout the chewy, flavorful glass noodles.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. dry glass noodles (mung bean thread noodles)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 10 oz. extra firm tofu, pressed and diced
• 2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 2 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 1 Tbsp. minced ginger
• 1 lime, juiced (scant ¼ cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Dash of crushed red pepper
• ½ bunch of kale, de-stemmed and torn
• 1 large handful of wild greens, washed well and chopped (chickpea, arugula, purslane, lamb’s quarters, spinach, etc.)
• 2 splashes of soy sauce
• sprinkling of sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Bring about 6 cups of water to boil for the glass noodles. Place the dried noodles in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water. Allow to rest about 10 minutes, then drain the noodles and set aside.Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil over medium in a large frying pan. Add the diced tofu and sauté about 8 minutes, until browned.In a small bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce through and including the crushed red pepper. Set aside.Now, add the torn kale to the tofu. Throw in a splash of soy sauce and cover. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the kale has wilted. Transfer the kale and tofu mixture to a large serving dish.Add the wild greens to the now empty frying pan along with a splash of soy sauce and sauté for one to two minutes, until wilted. Add to the tofu mixture.Pour the sauce into the frying pan and bring to a slight boil, then remove from heat.Mix the glass noodles into the tofu and greens mixture along with the sauce. Toss with tongs to combine.Serve hot with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 6

German Word of The Day

Overwhelmed --> überfordert (uber-four-dort)

Good Deed of The Day

Read this article on 30 Things You To Stop Doing To Yourself from Lifebuzz. 

Creamy Potato & Spinach Chowder

“The less people know, the more stubbornly they know it.”

— Rajneesh

I think it might almost be officially fall here in Alaska. And yes, in case you're wondering, fall in the Last Frontier starts in July. Prompt and decidedly unapologetic. I judge it's early arrival by the daybreak. It's been exceptionally cold here in the mornings, which is always the first telling.

Steam breathes up from the dirt road as soon the sun peeks above the mountain tops in the dawn. I start to see Bailey's breath on our morning walks as he quietly pads down our driveway and branches are softly nudged from a gentle, crisp breeze, encouraging little yellow leaves to float to the earth. And there's the rain. Everlasting rain. The kind of wearisome drizzle you think might never end until it turns out one evening to spontaneously decide to be snow. 

It's not all bad though. Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year. I love snuggling up in cozy sweaters and blankets and my special teacup deploys each evening for tea or cocoa. Coffee consumption surges as my wakings get a little colder, and a little darker with each passing sleep. 

I'll miss the light the most though. 

Last night, a lonely, bleak, and dreary evening indeed, beckoned for a chowder. A potato and spinach chowder. To be frank, any chowder would have sufficed, but I happened to have a bag of mixed baby fingerling potatoes and a lovely bundle of fresh spinach on hand and so it was. 

I'm not really sure what exactly constitutes a chowder and for fear of being incorrect on a technicality, I decided against Googling it. This is a chowder, dammit. A chunky and hot chowder promising couch snuggle-time while watching The Borgias on Netflix. That show is amazing by the way. 

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Creamy Potato & Spinach Chowder

by Katie @ Produce on Parade July-29-2014

This is a rich, luxurious and chunky soup laden with tender baby potatoes and fresh, silky spinach. Note: Peel the potatoes if you must, but I definitely recommend keeping the peels on. Kombu is a type of seaweed that helps with digestion and is a good source of natural iodine. It’s often used in broths. I get mine off Amazon, but it is optional for this soup.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. (about 6 cups) mixed baby fingerling potatoes, whole
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large brown onion, diced
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 12 oz. non-dairy milk (I used hazelnut)
• 1 small strip of kombu (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 bunch (10 oz.) fresh spinach leaves, washed and torn
• 1/2 diced avocado, for garnish (optional)
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds, for garnish (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Scrub the potatoes and place them in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to boil for about 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions become fragrant and begin to brown. Stir in the flour. Then, stir in the remaining ingredients excluding the spinach and garnishes. Stir often, until the soup begins to thicken. Turn to low and add the spinach leaves. Mash 2 cups of boiled potatoes and add them to the soup. Dice the remaining potatoes and add to the soup as well. Stir to combine. Add more broth or milk for a thinner soup, if desired. The kombu can be removed and discarded once softened, or diced up and added back to the soup.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 6-8

German Word of The Day

Chowder --> dicke Suppe (dick-eh Zup-eh) - dick means thick in German!

Good Deed of The Day

Ariana Grande thinks bacon is "beyond horrifying :( shocking disgusting and heartbreaking" and so do I. Here's a link to a 60 second video on how bacon is made, which is pretty pertinent information if you eat it! Apathy and ignorance doesn't do good for anyone.