6.11.2010

Discoveries

Every once in a while one of my blog favorites mentions another blog and while checking it out, I notice some others that interest me. Happens to all of us, right? Some I find are fairly new, some aren't and you wonder why you've never run across them before. When I discovered these three last week, I was totally blown away.

The first gem is Nikole at Forty-Sixth at Grace. Very minimilist layout which really appeals to me and she has an online shop I love. Thank you Lecia for steering me her way. Lots of us share Nikole's taste in her lists of "things I like" and her photographs tell the story better than words. Nikole uses words minimally as well, but you'll love the way she expresses herself. There are not tons of recipes, but when you see one, you're going to want to make it ASAP.

Then I found a marvelous blog if your focus is on really healthy eating. Be sure to visit 101 Natural.  Eleni's blog is brand new, beautifully done with a light and cheerful layout that makes you smile. Her photos are fabulous and her recipes are gourmet material but made with some surprising ingredients. Eleni will introduce you to lots of innovative ways to cook healthy with ingredients you may not have thought of. (I loved the Polenta-based Pizza. )Her dishes are so appealing, you'll want to try all sorts of new things. Great fun!

I'm saving the best for last. Let me introduce you to Sprouted Kitchen. You may already know about it because Sara's blog is a year or so old and she's garnered quite a following. There's a good reason for it: you'll love her recipes AND (once again) her photographs. I was bowled over by her presentations. Sara also tends towards healthy ingredients, but not exclusively. I found her posts fun to read and am tempted to run right to the kitchen by nearly all of them. I wish I was as talented as these women and had a more professional eye with design and with a camera. Be sure to scroll down through Sara's other recipes, it's worth the time and you'll be drooling.

Now how could anyone resist making a salad Sara calls Veggie Le Crunch? Certainly not me and you're going to love this salad, it's simple and delicious.

Veggie Le Crunch

From Sprouted Kitchen, May 27th, 2010



Ingredients for the salad:
(Sara suggests using farmers market and or organic vegetables here. She feels when you are eating them raw like this, the genuine flavor of the vegetables is important.)

6-7 radishes, depending on size
1-1/4 cup black beans, cooked and drained ( I used canned)
1 cucumber (I used an English cucumber so did not have to remove seeds)
1 cup fresh, diced pineapple
Some scallions to taste (my addition)
Handful of Fresh Basil ( I made a chiffonade)
1 head of lettuce (any soft green will do)


Ingredients for the avocado dressing:
(Sara says you could make this vegan by using 2 tbsp. olive oil and an extra tbsp. of vinegar in place of the buttermilk. )
1 avocado
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon honey (more to taste)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
juice of one lime
Splash of Cholua/Tapatio Hot Sauce
Salt/Pepper

Method:

In a small blender or in a bowl, mix the avocado, buttermilk, vinegar, lime, honey, hot sauce and salt and pepper to combine. The blender will make it smooth, but a bowl and whisk will still get you a dressing consistency.
Use a mandoline to slice the radishes thin. ( I didn't) Cut in fourths. Peel and halve the cucumber, scoop out the seeds and dice into small pieces. In a large bowl, combine the radish, cucumber, black beans, diced pineapple and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add desired amount of fresh basil.


To serve:  you can put the veggie mix in a lettuce leaf and dribble dressing on top or mix the dressing with the veggies and put them in the leaf, already dressed.

57 comments:

  1. Great blogs! Everything you've suggested I check out has been fabulous, so I'll be visiting those that are new to me shortly...

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  2. Barbara: Thank you for the heads up on the wonderful blogs. Thank you, too, for this amazing looking and sounding recipe.

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  3. You are so right... sometimes I like the title of a blog on someone else's comment's list or a picture or the comment itself and think, hmm I want to know more.
    SOme very interesting detours. Or I am looking for a specific recipe and find a wonderful blog attached to it. So we grow and learn. Thanks for the good thought and the fun new blogs!!

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  4. Thanks for sharing... I love visiting new blogs!

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  5. I'm so glad you enjoyed Nikole's work! And thanks for the other links here - I look forward to checking them out.

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  6. What a great looking dish and blog recommendations. It's like you can't be everywhere, but you sure want to be. I will check them out. Thanks.

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  7. Lovely blogs! I do that too, go blog hunting. Not that I need to, since I have over 1000 posts in google reader to work my way through!

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  8. I heart avocado dressing so much!!

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  9. A cool dish! I love the name Veggie Le Crunch and the avocado dressing sounds terrific!

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  10. Barbara, I wanted to Thank you in private... but, I could not find your email on your site... When I read my name and your wonderful words you made my heart go fast...

    Thank you so so much... I will -and hope- to always do my best at it ( I believe in what I am doing as much I believe that healthy food is as important to humans as is breathing... )

    eleni :-)

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  11. oh wow, I love how fresh and flavorful this looks!

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  12. Great looking salad! Will have to check out these blogs, thanks for the heads up!

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  13. great salad thanks for introducing us to cool new blogs love Rebecca

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  14. The salad in that lettuce leaf is precious. I love the black beans with the pineapple. A very tasty creation.
    Sam

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  15. Barbara...your post is so accurately and undeniably true about the wonderful discoveries we make when we least expect it.
    I'm a little short of six months into my culinary journey...and it's incredible how addictive it has become. All the passionately talented people are mushrooming everywhere...and it's at times somewhat difficult to keep up.
    It's great that we can all share and exchange views and discoveries together. Referances are valuable;o)
    Flavourful wishes, Claudia

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  16. I just discovered Eleni's blog as well and I can't get enough of it! What a great dish. So many beautiful veggies all in one plate!

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  17. I love discovering fantastic new blogs -- thanks for the recommendations, Barbara! Lovely salad, and I'm going to the farmer's market tomorrow...perfect timing, right? ;)

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  18. I need to check out those blogs! And those veggies look amazing!

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  19. I wish I could spend all day on the computer and check out all the blogs I want. Thanks for checking some for us. The avo dressing sounds wonderful!

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  20. Thank you so much for shairng all those wonderful blogs! I just wish I have ore time for that... However, I'll try my best to check on them ASAP. And this salad looks wonderful and really appertizing. Hope you're having a great time!
    Blessings, Kristy

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  21. Thank you for all the links Barbara. I somehow must have missed Nikole's when Lecia posted it. I found the layout of her blog, and her photography very captivating. Now I'm off to follow the other two links.

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  22. what a cool name for such a salad! lovely light and healthy salad with a wrap as cool as the name! great job!

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  23. What a fun thing to eat with an equally fun name. I am going to check out those blogs you mentioned, always love finding cool new stuff.
    Have a wonderful weekend daaaahling.
    *kisses* HH

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  24. The addition of pineapple has me both perplexed and intrigued - how did it taste?

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  25. Thanks for sharing such wonderful gems Barbara

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  26. Barbara,

    I just popped over and visited the blogs you mentioned and love them...thanks!
    Well you have shared yet another recipe that I am going to print and make, I have been looking for an avocado spread and this sounds delicious. I eat avocados many times a week and love them.
    Hope your weekend is wonderful
    Xoxo
    Bunny

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  27. Hi Barbara, thanks for the heads up on those blogs. Will check them out ASAP!

    I think I've been to the Sprouted Kitchen before. The link may even be in my bookmarks. I better go right now before I get distracted by that oh so cool "veggie crunch."

    Thanks for sharing...

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  28. I do that once in a while, but usually I check out a new blog if they have stopped by mine!

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  29. Barbara I totally agree, every once in a while I run across a fabulous blog and wonder how it's eluded me. Sometimes, I think we just run in different circles. Thanks for directing us to more talented bloggers. This salad looks absolutely beautiful. I'll be making this very soon.

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  30. Merci pour le partage. j'adore découvrir de nouvelles recettes et de nouveaux blogs.
    See soon.

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  31. wow Barbara, I love that dressing!

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  32. A very refreshing salad! I love that happy mix of fruits and veggies. Very original!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  33. this looks fabulous!

    thanks for the book tip, now grab a stack of post it notes, as you read and bumb into ANY food passage, mark it, then make it, take a pic and share at food for thought! come on, you are a big reader, you love food and take great pics, this was made for you!

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  34. Such a colorful and beautiful salad. Great for summer! I'll have to check out the blogs you mentioned in your post. Thanks!

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  35. excellent--i love finding new blogs to peruse!
    this salad looks awesome, due mostly to the tremendous dressing. i like your little package too--cute. :)

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  36. That looks like a delicious salad I must say Barbara! :D And thanks for sharing the blogs too! :)

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  37. Now, I have a few more blogs to discover. Thanks.

    A wonderful looking salad.

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  38. This is the kind of salad that I like to eat. The parcel looks so adorable!

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  39. This looks so fresh and flavorful, Barbara. I also appreciate the information on the new blogs. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  40. These are terrific blogs. I found eleni's a few weeks ago, and love it. Forty-Sixth at Grace is also a very cool blog, I like the artistic clean layout of it.

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  41. Babara, your post is yummy...
    lovely images.

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  42. http://jingleyanqiu.wordpress.com/2010/06/13/thursday-poets-rally-week-22-poetry-awards-more/

    4 gifts on bottom of the post,
    have fun!

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  43. Thanks for the new blogs! I always think I can never handle one more to keep up with but then I come across a really great one. The salad looks perfect, I'm dying to try the dressing!

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  44. Barbara, your blog is one of the blogs you were talking about in this post ... for me! what a great blog you have!
    Kristin

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  45. Oh yum! Girl this looks awesome!

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  46. Beautiful colours and it look healthy too.

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  47. It's always great to find new blogs to read. The salad looks sensational Barbara, it's so colourful! And healthy too, but it most importantly sounds very, very tasty.

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  48. I'm not generally a salad girl, but I have to admit I've been wanting them more and more as the days get hotter. They're just so cool and crisp.

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  49. The best thing about blogs is that it's always a fresh dose of inspiration. I really like the idea of a vegan dressing, especially when it's creamy!

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  50. Barbara, What a perfect comment you left on my blog.Yes, discontentment is a selfish problem , that is for sure. Ha! I agree I earened my wrinkles too. I love that.
    also, Thank you for the encouragement to write a book. I'm sure you know how much that means to me.
    Have a pretty day,
    Kristin

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  51. That salad is gorgeous and really draws you in. Thanks for pointing out the other blogs. I'm on my way to hop over and check them out:)

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  52. Hi Barbara,

    Your blog is always great to visit and I love the presentation of your recipes and the photos. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to going across to visit the other blogs.
    I love salads and avocado, so I look forward to trying this.

    Enjoy your week
    Hugs
    Carolyn

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  53. This looks so fresh and delicious. I love lettuce wraps.

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  54. I love this idea! Very cool wrapping salad in....salad!! I love it, like salad burritos :)

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  55. Thanks for the blog recommendations. I am on my way to check, at least, some of them, time permitting.

    I may make this salad for the family barbecue.

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  56. This salad looks beautiful, and the dressing looks even better!

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  57. Oh WOW, look at that color! And the dressing sounds soooooooo gooooooood. Thanks for the links, Barbara!

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