Cookbook Sneak Peek!

I am so super duper excited to share this little cookbook sneak peek with you!

The photos alongside the Content and Sweets pages you see are just fillers for now. We still haven't quite settled on a name yet (it has to be perfect)! But everything is really coming together, just a few more flurried months left until it all sails off to my editor! 

Thanks for sharing in my abundant joy! I just couldn't keep the progress from you and absolutely had to share it! Thank you all, so much, for supporting me.

I already have several recipe testers but I am looking for just a few more. If you're interested, please click here to email me; first come first serve!

Hugs,                                                                                                                                                         Katie

The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon Cookbook Review & A Recipe

I've been following the blog, The Sprouted Kitchen, for quite some time and was delighted to discover that they were publishing a bowl inspired cookbook! The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon cookbook is a beautiful one, indeed; filled with gorgeous, matte photos taken by Hugh Forte, the author's husband. Sara Forte has created a lovely collection of healthy recipes devoted to consumption via just a simple bowl and a spoon. 

“...this book is a collection of recipes inspired by the marriage of flavor, color, texture, and wholesomeness that compose a dish - nestled in a bowl, in particular. ”

— Author, Sara Forte

The book is divided into Morning Bowls, Side Bowls, Big Bowls, Sweet Bowls, and Dressing and Sauces. It includes how to stock your kitchen with Sara's input on everything from rimmed baking sheets to kitchen scissors. Sara briefly touches on sweeteners, oils and fats, vinegars and salts, and lists other pantry staples she uses frequently such as flours, nuts, and noodles. The index is ordered by ingredient which is always grately appreciated. 

As far as being a vegan is concerned regarding this book, you'll have to find many alternatives to frequently included items like eggs (in every way possible!), salmon, scallops, a vast variety of different cheeses, ricotta, honey, butter, and many more. There's fish and seafood in the book, but no meat other than that. This is clearly not a vegan or even vegetarian book, but the recipes are quite healthy and can be easily adapted with vegan alternatives in many instances. A bit of creativity regarding substitutions will be necessary in some recipes. I found the differing uses of eggs; fried, boiled, poached, scrambled, etc. to be the most challenging. However, eggs can be replaced with tofu with little trouble. 

“I depend on using fresh, seasonal produce at its peak for the food to taste great in its natural state. ”

— Author, Sara Forte

I really enjoy the whole food approach to this book. You won't find any lasagna or casseroles here. It's all pretty simple with a very "fresh from the garden" sort of appeal. It was refreshing to see such a culturally wide scope of meals and such fun twists. Everything from Marrakesh Carrots to Strawberry Tabbouleh to Mixed Berry Tiramisu! However, there were a few peculiar ingredients such as Lillet, pasilla peppers, and Manchego cheese that I scratched my head at. Maybe it's just an Alaskan isolation thing?

I imagine it can be difficult to make bowl recipes feel like a genuine meal, as opposed to a side dish, but Sara does a fantastic job of it. Overall, I think this is a wonderful book filled with healthy yet quick meals that are mostly uncomplicated. If you're vegan, you might struggle to replace the vast array of cheeses in the book and other non-vegan items. However, getting a bit creative in the kitchen is always fun! I definitely recommend getting your hands on this stunning cookbook by the vastly talented, The Sprouted Kitchen. 

I decided to adapt her Emerald Greens recipe and share it with you!

Jade Greens

Recipe by Katie @ Produce On Parade

This is a wonderful little side dish and a great way to “clean the fridge”! It’s a lemony bowl that’s a great way to get in some greens! I strayed from Sara’s recipe by cutting the recipe in half and using kale instead of romanesco, onion instead of leeks, decreasing the oil, increasing the spinach and the parsley, using pepitas instead of almonds, and whisking a bit of miso into the dressing in place of feta cheese. Adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl + Spoon cookbook.

Yield: 4 as a side

Ingredients

• 2 heads (1 lb) of broccoli broccoli, chopped
• 1 bunch (8 oz) of kale, de-stemmed and chopped
• ½ medium yellow onion, sliced into half-moons
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch (4 cups) fresh spinach, chopped
• 2 tbsp - 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp miso paste (I like red)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• ¼ cup pepitas
• ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Chop the broccoli florets and peel off the fibrous outer layer of the stem to discard. Dice the remaining tender bit. Add the florets and diced stems to a large serving bowl along with the kale and onion; coat in the olive oil.
2. Transfer the mixture onto two large, rimmed baking sheets in an even layer and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through.
3. Place the spinach in the large serving bowl and set aside. Whisk the remaining ingredients, excluding the pepitas in a small liquid measuring cup or small bowl and set aside.
4. When the vegetables are done roasting pour over the spinach and allow to rest for 2 minutes so they can wilt the spinach. Then, drizzle on the dressing and add the pepitas and parsley. Stir well to evenly coat the mixture in the dressing.
5. Serve warm.

Learn more about Bowl + Spoon. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.

My Unruly Hair, Tamed - A Neuma Review

I have amazing friends in my life. Sometimes I look at myself and think, my God, would I ever be able to tackle what she has?

One friend, has lived years separated from her husband by over 3,400 miles! I don't know how she does it to be honest; she's so strong. Todd leaves to Ohio for 10 days and I'm an utter mess. Yep, I'm that person.

Another friend, a hairstylist, unhappy with the salon she was employed at uprooted and started her own hair salon business with two of her co-workers. They're in their mid-twenties! I wouldn't know the first thing about starting my own business, let alone having the guts to embark on such a daring adventure. She's one smart cookie. Oh and their salon has the best name ever, Whimsy & Beau, located in my hometown of Palmer, AK. How'd they even come up with that? It's such a perfect name! If you live in the Mat-Su Valley, Eagle River, or Anchorage, there's no better hairstylists or talented, deserving girls out there. 

The people in our lives constantly surprise us. So, it was with great pleasure that I got an email from the latter friend, Martha the hairstylist extraordinaire, asking me if I wanted to test and review a favorite hair care line that Whimsy & Beau carries, called Neuma.

She informed me that Neuma was:

• eco-friendly 
• completely vegan
• organic
• not tested on animals
• 90% post consumer recycled packaging
• paperless operation
• 100% certified wind power offsets used to used to manufacture products and bottles 

Neuma products are clean and transparent as well. They have no:

• synthetic fragrances
• sulfates
• parabens
• phthalates
• glutens
• neurotoxins
• aluminum compounds
• formaldehyde donors
• ureas
• carcinogens

I have naturally wavy hair. It's downright mussy and was once described by a co-worker, "...it feels like straw." Sad face. So, I was shocked at how soft the Neuma ReNue Shampoo and Conditioner made my hair. I wash it at night, and sleep on it wet. When I wake up, I straighten my bangs and head out the door. That's pretty much the extent of my styling. Ain't nobody got time for that! But because my hair wasn't dry and brittle like it usually is, when I woke up I had beautiful curls instead of odd kinks. Wavy hair girls, you know exactly what I mean. It looked liked I had actually lightly curled my hair as opposed to sleeping on a potato crimper.

I'm used to using a lot of shampoo. I must have a ton of suds to really feel comfortable that my hair is super squeaky clean. I know this is illogical, but it's my nature. And I only shampoo like twice per week so it's okay; that's what I tell myself anyway. The great thing about the Neuma line is that you just need a teeny bit for loads of suds. I'm a devoted Paul Mitchell gal myself, so the transition was kind of rough; I had to use an exorbitant amount of that shampoo. It was shameful, really. Maybe that's why they make the bottles so big?

“Why use essential oils instead of fragrance? The word “fragrance” covers over 5,000 known chemical substances. Only 1,500 have yet to be tested for safety – over 850 are known carcinogens, neurotoxins, asthma instigators, etc. By using only healthy essential oils, NEUMA can be truly transparent and show you every ingredient in our product.”

Another thing that I absolutely love about this shampoo and conditioner? The smell. OMG, it' is the best smelling hair product I have ever used. The ReNue line smells like peppermint and vanilla. The best part is that they don't contain any synthetic fragrances! It's delicious smell comes only from essential oils! I find that impossibly important and absolutely incredible.

I also adore their Argan oil. It makes my hair so soft and shiny. I put it in after I towel dry my hair and then brush it through. If I braid my hair or need a bit of texture, I'll run some of their styling clay through. It's great for men too; Todd usually uses a clay when his hair is on the shorter side and he loves it.

The bottom line is that I won't be searching for any other hair care products and I can't tell you how excited that makes me. You know when you're not completely satisfied or feeling good about what you're using and you can't wait until it's all gone so you can go find something else? I don't have to feel like that anymore! Huzzah!

Vegan, eco-friendly, transparent, sustainable products that are naturally and deliciously fragranced and contain no questionable ingredients is a complete win in my book. Neuma is a high quality product and perhaps on the spendy side (for someone who is frugal about that stuff), but I use so little of it compared to most other products, that it doesn't bother me at all. Neuma's tagline should be, "Get those feel-good vibes!" Be sure to check out my dear friends over at Whimsy and Beau too! 

Have you used Neuma? What's your favorite hair care line?

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.