Feelings and a winter salad

With the knife steadily thumping against the cutting board, I chopped the ripe pomegranate into sections. Several seeds spilled out, their juices coloring the wood. I slid them into the palm of my left hand and popped the bright, bursted bits into my mouth. The tang and the sweet played on my taste buds; the seeds wedged themselves into the grooves of my back teeth. I tried to pry them out with the tip of my stained tongue. Nope. They seemed to sink deeper. Nothing more than annoyance, just an annoyance. I'll get over it. The flavor still holds me over, keeps me lifted. An annoyance is nothing. Just nothing. Right? 

~~~

I crave salads sometimes. Crunchy vegetables, juicy fruit, smooth toasted nuts, a light dressing that binds it all together. Granted, my eagerness to shovel salad into my mouth happens after a long session of pilates or a night of binging on tortilla chips and spicy salsa and catching up on The Mindy Project. (I did the latter last night.) 

The best salads are infinitely adaptable, hit all the right flavor and texture notes, and are filling. This salad does just that. It fueled the rest of my slow but productive day. 

~~~ 

Tart Winter Salad
Loosely adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 T. sour cream
2 T. mustard
1 T. grape seed oil
1 T. rice vinegar
pinch of salt
1/2 T. agave nectar

1/2 head of cabbage 

1 Granny Smith apple 

several handfuls of pomegranate seeds 

12 baby carrots 

handful of toasted walnuts 

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. 

Shred your cabbage and toss your shreds into the large bowl. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the carrots. Add that into the bowl. Slice your apple into matchsticks. Mix in with pomegranate seeds and toasted walnuts gently and enjoy! 

Snowy days and cozy breakfast

It was snowing gently. The delicate licks of ice settled on the ground, covering the exposed patches of dirt and the yellowing grass. It was a pretty sight for a Sunday morning.

But I was cold and had a rumbling, empty stomach.

So I pulled on a pair of woolen socks and took out a jar of rolled oats from the cupboard. Piping hot oatmeal with plump raisins sounded nice but warm honey granola on a creamy bed of Greek yogurt, topped with slices of strawberries, sounded even nicer.

I took my granola-yogurt-strawberry bowl and a copy of The Family Fang to the living room. I sat in the comfiest armchair, socked feet on the window ledge, in front of the frosty glass window. and I was perfectly content for the next hour or so. 

This granola has hearty chunks of almonds, crispy coconut chips, honey glazed oats, and chewy dried fruit. A killer combination of textures and flavors, the perfect fuel for Econ class, my favorite granola up-to-date. Molly says to double the recipe. I was skeptical at first. Was this granola that good? The answer is yes, a hundred times yes. (I learned to never doubt Molly.) 

~~~

Honey Granola 

Adapted from Orangette, David Lebovitz

3 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. raw almonds, chopped
3/4 c. unsweetened coconut chips
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon
pinch of salt

1/4 c. + 2 T. honey
2 T. canola oil

1/2 c. dried apricots, diced
1/2 c. toasted walnuts, chopped
1/2 c. raisins

Toss together the oats, almonds, coconut chips, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Combine honey and oil in a small saucepan. Whisk over low heat until "honey becomes loose." Pour over the oat mixture.

Spread out onto a rimmed baking sheet, lined with parchment.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden. Stir the granola after removing from the oven to prevent having a solid sheet of granola.

Once the granola is completely cooled, toss in your favorite add-ins. I love apricots, walnuts, and raisins. Chocolate chunks are good too. Store in an airtight containers and eat with yogurt, milk, or on top of plain oatmeal. (Yeah, it's a thing. For me, at least.)