just splendid

jeni's splendid ice creams, a lovely cookbook filled with artisanal ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbet recipes, crossed my desk a couple weeks ago and i had to bring it home.  the funny thing, of course, is that i am a vegan and will never eat many of these recipes myself but i can admire a good cookbook when i see one.  plus, there are a handful of vegan sorbets (such as the black plum and black currant lambic sorbet) that are very tempting.  the book is authored by jeni of jeni's ice creams based in columbus, oh, and she breaks the book into seasons with the winter season including a clever influenza rx sorbet which  promises to "clear nasal passages and soothe the body" with ingredients such as citrus juices, ginger, honey and bourbon.  too funny.

when i visited jeni's site i was really impressed with the presentation and was instantly drawn in by the wonderful food film about jeni's shop by george lange.  mmmm...see below.


Good Time from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams on Vimeo.

la domestique

last week i came across an inspiring food blog - la domestique.  each week, jess features a new seasonal ingredient.  she gives a thorough introduction on monday, 10 creative uses of the ingredient on tuesday, a featured recipe on wednesday, a "storyboard" on thursday, and final thoughts and inspirations on friday.  this week she features salad greens, and who doesn't need new salad ideas?

a few images from la domestique...

scrambled eggs and spinach

breakfast in bed

edible communities

 

if you are a fan of food and of shopping locally, you might want to check out edible communities seasonal publications which focus on local foods and recipes.   the publications cover a range of culinary communities throughout the united states and canada.

escazu artisan chocolates

escazu artisan chocolates makes delectable, handcrafted works of art. this "bean to bar" shop started in 2006 with one bar made from fine venezuelan chocolate. currently, escazu has a thriving retail shop near downtown raleigh, nc and sells to wholesale buyers from all over the country.  they offer a variety of chocolate bars, hot chocolate, and confections made with real ingredients like ginger, habanero, and peach!

you don't have to live nearby to enjoy escazu's wonderful creations.  check out this list of places to find them.  they also make a great gift!

they're almost too pretty to eat...

passion fruit, lemon ginger, mojito

NC purple sweet potato with brown sugar & cinnamon covered in dark chocolate topped with hazelnut brittle

vanilla sour cream ganache, cashew-maple syrup and white chocolate kalamata olive


all photos from escazu facebook fan page

butterflyfood blog

i love to cook (and eat), but unfortunately i have no skills with a camera.  i don't even own a half-way decent camera!  thankfully my fellow blogger juli is a master photographer.  whenever i cook something, i take it to her house for dinner and we always save a little for her to photograph the next day.  not a bad trade-off, especially with these cookies!   

i am always on the lookout for new and interesting food blogs and websites.  it is rare to find one with great recipes and great photography.  so i was thrilled when i came across ashley's butterflyfood blog, which combines wonderful recipes with beautifully styled photos, all by ashley.

check out this baked camembert.  whoa.

  
or how about the chocolate-covered maple sponge toffee???

ashley also sells her food prints via etsy!  i am a little partial to this peaches print.  i am so excited for summer and all the fresh fruits that will be available!  and i love these little turquoise bowls.

all photos by ashley greer colbourne

 

green soup with ginger

by juli

so, tracy (fellow slow life blogger) wanted to make dinner last night and i was, admittedly, a bit of a laze and wanted to dine out.  she talked me into it with this delish green soup and ginger recipe from the cookbook, "love soup" by anna thomas, found via 101cooksbooks.  tracy loves to cook and alas, i like to either photograph food or eat it.  i aspire to be a cook sometimes but my kitchen is ill-equipped and i kind of keep it that way by spending all my money dining out.
anyhow, what a great winter stew!  it is all vegan and healthy.  the only adaptation we made was to add soy sausage which added a bit of a kick with some protein.  yum.

king kale

for about 2 seconds, i wanted to major in nutrition in college. that didn't last long, but i still love to read about food and wellness. some recent favorites - in defense of food, the blue zones, and quantum wellness.

the usda just announced new dietary guidelines for americans. it seems like a good start. check out mark bittman's nytimes piece on this topic.

i am not vegan or even vegetarian, but i try to focus on plant-based dishes as much as possible. earlier this week i made a kale pesto pasta using a recipe from 101 cookbooks (thanks to juli for introducing me to this site).

photo by heidi swanson from 101cookbooks.com

nothing with goat cheese can possibly taste bad! i added some walnuts and lots of red pepper flakes to the food processor, and it turned out great! the next night, i cooked up some chicken with tomatoes and lemon juice and added it to the leftover pasta. marvelous!

i (literally) just found this blog, 365 days of kale. who knew?! every kale recipe you can imagine. i like this woman already.

read about the incredible health benefits of kale.