Happy 2012, Sage Kitchen Friends!

Here's what I've decided: the very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof. What I want is so simple I almost can't say it: elementary kindness. Enough to eat, enough to go around. The possibility that kids might one day grow up to be neither the destroyers nor the destroyed. That's about it. Right now I'm living in that hope, running down its hallways and touching the walls on both sides. I can't tell you how good it feels.

Barbara Kingsolver - Animal Dreams

Juice Days

I miss you Sage Kitchen! I hope all of you are well and wonderful and healthy. I was inspired to put something on this page today because my days have been filled to the brim with thoughts and talk of health and fitness and food. All this talking and thinking made me miss the process of Sage Kitchen. The direction of my days: dreaming up menus, scouting at the market, connecting with the growers, creating, preparing, and ultimately sharing the harvest of health and joy to a circle beyond my own family. I miss knowing that I've truly nourished beyond my own kitchen and my own dining table and made someone feel healthy -- or at the very least -- better. I've been hoping that you are all out there truly nourishing yourselves and feeling great because of it.

But there are small things in every day that remind me to appreciate this place right now. Almost every day, one simple reminder is a fresh green juice. The simple work of preparing it, the moments of savoring it, a clarity that follows it, the energy that comes from it. Simple. Pure. Juice. You don't get much simpler than that. I feel like all the goodness and vitamins go straight to my cells. That's good stuff.

I'm checking in because I missed Sage Kitchen and all that it means to me today.

And I felt a need to share a little juice. 

Sending you hopes of wellness and love.  xo, b

Fare Thee Well

I've been hesitating on this post for days now, but truly, I know it's time for a change in the kitchen. The big news is that I will no longer offer my Sage Kitchen weekly menu. As bittersweet as that is for me to write, I am also happily anticipating the possibilities to come. I look forward to keeping you posted and promise that I will. Even though it's time for a change here, my commitment to health, goodness and well-being remains the same. I will continue to feed and nourish and help people eat fresh, healthy fare. It's what I love to do. That makes me happy and gives me joy. So I will still be here sharing ideas, thoughts and recipes. I'll be shopping the farmers markets and developing new tastes, and kicking around in the kitchen as I always do. Reading, planting, growing, seeking, whipping up the yum and sharing the good word, so please continue to visit me here. 

I'm grateful to each and every one of you who has supported Sage Kitchen. It literally began as a dream and I feel so incredibly fortunate to have seen hopes and vision manifest into something so nourishing not only for me, but for others. I've enjoyed your stories and loved your happy emails and phone calls. I hope you'll continue to stay in touch. Because of you, I'm full of gratitude and happy lessons learned, glad for sweet and meaningful connections to so many. All your support and encouragement is sustenance for decisions to come.

Be well. Take the very best care of yourselves.

Simply Delicious Green Juice

The combination of citrus and greens is not just limited to the salad bowl. Green juice is such a healthy, energizing and nourishing way to start your day. By removing fiber through juicing, your body doesn't have to work as hard to get all the vitamins and nutrients from the fruits and vegetables you select. Many people shy away from just the thought of green juice for fear of a bitter taste. One of my kids described the inital fear best: that it might taste like grass. But that same kid has since become an innovator of green lemonade. So I thought it would be a good idea to share a simple recipe to demonstrate just how delicious green juice can be. 

The basis of green juice is any leafy green and any other fruit or vegetable. The combinations are endless. This recipe is yet another Garcia Farm-inspired creation. Sweet like candy, but also tangy, refreshing and oh-so-good for you. You can play with the proportions to suit your taste. 

Simply Delicious Green Juice

 3 leaves of curly kale (stems & all)

1 cup spinach

2 lemons

2 Satsuma mandarins

1 lime

3 Fuji Apples (cored)

1/2 inch ginger (optional)

This juice is so easy because there's minimal peeling involved. Satsumas are extremely easy to peel. Besides removing the core of the apple, juice the the fruit whole.

Juicing 101 tip: juice your greens and harder fruits and vegetables first. I juice the citrus last because it's liquid helps move the other more fibrous ingredients through the blender.

Simple, right? It is! Another great thing about juicing in general is that kids think it's fun. When they are involved in the juicing process, they are more likely to drink it. Remember that it's best to enjoy this fresh. So do your best to enjoy it soon after it's been juiced and make sure to refrigerate it. It's best in the first 24 hours. I feel best after juicing dark leafy greens, but you don't have to start there. Romaine is a nice mellow substitute for the kale. Spinach is a great starter too. Listen to your taste buds and create your own juicy masterpiece. (Celery and apple juice is one of my all time favorites.)

If you wonder what to do with the juice pulp, you can blend it into smoothies. Another favorite of kids of all ages! We'll get to green smoothies soon too. But for now...

 It's time to get those creative juices flowing!

Garcia Farm Dinner at FIG and Creamy Citrus Kale Salad

A very exciting event is happening at FIG restaurant in Santa Monica this Wednesday, January 26 from 5:00pm – 10:00pm. The first Farm Dinner of 2011 features wonderful citrus from my favorite grower ever – Garcia Farms. I've written about our awesome visit to their farm last year and have featured their produce in several menu items (including one of this Thursday's salads). The quality of their produce is consistently exceptional. Not only are they the best, but they are the friendliest and most helpful growers at the market. Letty and Armando know most of their customers by name and Lupe is always quick with a sample, an answer to a question or a helping hand. You can visit their stand on Wednesdays and Saturdays on Arizona & the Promenade or on Sunday at the Main Street market. But this dinner is a rare treat! Call  FIG at 310.319.3111 for information and reservations. Unfortunately Letty just handed me the postcard this past Sunday. If I had known sooner, I would have put it on my calendar! I’m sad to miss this great event, but will be learning all about fermentation instead. (More on that later.) So call and make your reservation. It’s going to be delicious!

Speaking of Garcia Farms & delicious, I used their Meyer lemons and Fuerte avocados for the recipe I’m sharing with you. I also enjoyed one of their insanely yummy cocktail grapefruits (a hybrid of an orange and a grapefruit) with this salad and earlier this morning, added some Satsuma mandarins to my fresh green juice. The juice was deceptively sweet given it's green hue, and was loaded with straight up nutritious & cleansing goodness. I'll post that recipe tomorrow.

Citrus, fuerte avocados and kale are abundant at the Farmers Markets this season and this recipe is a tribute to all their healthy and tasty qualities. Lemon zest, surprisingly sweet curly kale and creamy avocados make a refreshing, tangy, healthy, satisfying salad base that’s packed with nutrients and is versatile enough to add your own creative additions.

I learned the basis of this recipe from my first-ever food prep class. I felt so good after eating a bowl of this salad that I’ve made it a point to enjoy it several times a week since. I’ve put a Sage Kitchen spin on it and encourage you to add your own flair to this basic foundation. 

Creamy Citrus Kale Salad.

4-5 leaves of curly kale removed from stem and torn to bite sized pieces

1 Fuerte avocado

1 Meyer lemon

Salt, Pepper, Cayenne to taste

½ teaspoon Bragg liquid Aminos (optional)

Sunflower seeds and/or cashews (optional)

Remove leaves of kale from stems. Tear leaves into bite sized pieces and place them in a large bowl. Save the stems. You can juice those! 

Zest the entire lemon.

 

Add ½ the zest and all the juice of the lemon to bowl of kale and avocado.  Sprinkle with salt, fresh ground black pepper, dash of cayenne, and Bragg if desired.

Now put your hands into the bowl and massage all the ingredients together until the kale is well coated and the ingredients are well mixed. Sprinkle remaining zest on salad.

Top with sunflower seeds and/or cashews for a little protein and you’ve got yourself a nutrient dense salad.

Another great thing about this salad is that you can prep it in the morning, or even the night before you want to enjoy it for lunch. It won't get soggy and the flavors meld nicely over time. Clean, fresh fuel to get you through your day or a great start to a healthy dinner. This simple salad stands well enough alone, but you can add pistachios, pinenuts, pear, apple or maybe carrots or red pepper for more color and nutrients. For the best of both raw & cooked worlds, garbanzo or kidney beans would be a great addition.

The possibilities are delicious!