Healthy, Healing...Soup.

A few weeks ago, on a rainy afternoon after an intense spin class, my body craved a big bowl of healthy, healing...soup. That meant a a flavorful , healing broth packed with plenty of goodness to warm me up from the inside out, filled with some healthy delicious protein and delicious spring veggies.  After multiple requests for the recipe, here you go! Simple, easy and absolutely delicious.

WARM GINGER MISO BROTH + ROASTED WILD KING SALMON + BOK CHOY + SUGAR SNAP PEAS + ENGLISH PEAS + SHIITAKE MUSHROOMS

Prep Time : 15 min  |  Cooking Time : 20 min  |  Serves : 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 1/2 a small yellow onion, minced

• 1/2 small leek, thinly sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

• 2 tbsp tamari

• 4 c vegetable broth

• 2 tbsp white miso

• sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

• 2 tsp sesame oil

• 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 1 baby bok choy, trimmed and divided

• 1 c sugar snap peas, trimmed

• 1/2 c english peas, blanched

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• 2-4oz pieces wild king salmon fillet

• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

• 1 green onion, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Ginger Miso Broth: Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the onion and leek and cook for a few minutes until translucent and softened, but not browned. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1-2 minutes longer, until fragrant and softened. Stir in the tamari to meld the flavors. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Ladle 1 c of the broth into a small bowl and whisk in the miso until dissolved. Add miso broth back into pot and let simmer. Adjust seasoning with tamari or miso if desired.

2. Season salmon with salt and pepper and let sit to bring to room temperature.

3. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tsp sesame oil until shimmering. Add shiitake mushrooms in a single layer and brown on each side, until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add bok choy and sugar snap peas and cook until lightly cooked through and beginning to brown in spots. Remove from pan and set aside with mushrooms.

4. Add 1 tsp sesame oil to same pan and heat until shimmering. Add salmon fillets and cook 3-4 minutes each side, depending on thickness. Remove from heat and let rest.

5. Assemble Soup: Arrange bok choy, sugar snap peas, english peas and shiitake mushrooms in two bowls. Pour broth over the top and place salmon in center. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve warm.

A new take on adventuring

The damp, cool air of the Pacific Northwest can be just as refreshing and soul-nourishing as sunbeams soaking into my skin and bones. While I miss the daily dose of Vitamin D and my community in sunny Venice, I've discovered what makes my adventures tick with soul-boosting energy - do it with people I love and bring food, really really good food.  

Living in Seattle, we leave the bustling city that excites us on a weekly basis in search of nature, tree tops, perfect waves, expanse and quiet.  For me, there's nothing more satisfying than sitting above the clouds, perched on a mountain top sipping coffee after a heart pumping climb, camping in the middle of nowhere and whipping up hearty fare over a warm open fire, crafting a delicious spread on a sandy beach with the hum of waves as your music, or like this day, foraging in the rain for nettles and harvesting clams and oysters at dusk, knowing that a comforting meal is at the tip of your fingers. Hiking, ski touring, summiting, surfing, beaching, mountain biking, city pedaling, flower sniffing, you name it: forget the nuts and seeds, I'll carry ten extra pounds on my back to have a better-than-average picnic and be able to share that experience with friends and family, gazing over an infinite valley of dust and snow. That's what makes my soul sing.

I fully grasp that not everyone seeks adventure in this way, including my main squeeze, and that's ok.  Some get out there purely for the thrill of achievement and the pushing the edge of personal limits, getting outside in nature away from the daily woes of a desk, accomplishing climbs and rides to compare notes with friends on who completed it with a faster time, climbed a higher elevation or who envisioned something more epic than the time before. I can get on board with that, for sure, but what really awakens the adventure-seeker in me is looking at each experience as an opportunity to simultaneously impart a sense of freedom to break the rules a bit and create an eternal memory and inspired menu, no matter what we're about to do. And the most exciting part, is sharing that part of my soul with friends and family and toasting life over a majestic view. This is my canvas. What's yours?

A Sunday for Pancakes

I love Sundays for their silence.  For the morning light that creeps in through the blinds, the ability to nestle in the sheets a bit longer and regenerate and the extra time to sit with a cup(s) of coffee and make something simple, yet delicious.

I extend the last few sips of my coffee for as long as I can, which means I'm still working on the cup from breakfast this morning as I sit down to type, not to mention in a new favorite mug that has a skateboarding cat riding a path into the mountains, next to a lake surrounded by trees and under the big sunny sky. New staple mug. 

After devouring our pancakes, we kept repeating that this really was "the best pancake recipe ever" and I realized I should probably not keep those things to myself, but share them with you and let you experience their deliciousness as well. I hope you find as much joy in them as we do on a lazy and glorious simple Sunday morning. 

Best Pancake Ever

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c heavy cream, milk or nut milk

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 c all-purpose flour or gluten free all-purpose flour

• 2 tbsp coconut sugar or organic cane sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 large farm egg

• 2 tbsp melted unsalted butter

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• dash of cinnamon

• extra butter for cooking

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine heavy cream or milk and apple cider vinegar and let sit to sour.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. Add egg to heavy cream, melted butter, vanilla and cinnamon and whisk to combine.

4. Slowly combine cream into flour and gently whisk until smooth consistency.

5. Add a dab of butter to hot cast iron skillet. Once melted, using an ice cream scoop, measure one full scoop of batter and pour into center of pan and let sit. Once bubbles form, quickly flip. After 30 seconds, use the back of the spatula to gently press and cook until lightly browned on both sides.

6. Add another small dab of butter and continue with remaining batter.

7. Finish with your personal choice of powdered sugar, maple syrup, honey and yogurt, fruit compote, etc. Possibilities are endless, but I like to keep it simple and sweet.

Did you say Biscuits?

They weren't kidding..."the most achievable morning biscuit." I'm in love with Sunday Suppers and their magnificently beautiful cookbook. I woke up knowing I wanted to flour my hands and have a lazy Sunday morning in the kitchen and what better way than a soul-satifying, comforting and SIMPLE recipe of sausage and gravy over homemade biscuits.  It's not the sort of breakfast you'll have every day, but it's all about balance and enjoying the simple pleasures, right?  Couple that with a long, slow roast of coffee...that's how we do it in our house (as long as an adventure is not awaiting us). 

Homemade Biscuits with sausage and gravy

INGREDIENTS:

• Homemade Biscuits (recipe in the Sunday Suppers Cookbook)

• 1 lb organic pork breakfast sausage

• 1 tbsp Irish butter

• 1/4 c all-purpose flour, plus more

• 1 c heavy cream

• kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and break into a few large chunks. Brown each side of the pieces and then using a spatula, continue to break up the pieces as it cooks until meat is browned all over, thoroughly cooked and broken into smaller pieces. Remove meat from pan and set aside on a plate.

2. Melt butter in pan and add flour, whisking continuously, until a thick paste forms. Slowly whisk in half of the cream until it thickens and is a smooth consistency. Add more cream or flour until desired consistency and amount is achieved (you can also use additional water as a thinner).

3. Fold sausage back into pan to combine with the gravy. Season with salt and a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper.

4. Halve the biscuits and arrange desired amount of sausage and gravy over bottom half of biscuit. Add another twist of fresh cracked pepper and finish with the biscuit top. BON appetit!

A Green Breakfast

This is probably a top favorite and request of a favorite little lady I have been cooking and creating menus for over the last six years.  You've got to know that this green breakfast is jam packed with nutrients that will most definitely get you stepping out the front door with your best self shining. And the best part, you can make a big batch and keep them loaded and ready in the fridge for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack the next day! 

A GREEN BREAKFAST

Prep time: 5 mins | Total time: 7 mins  | Serves: 1-2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 an avocado

• 1/2 a small fennel bulb

• 1 large handful spinach

• 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

• 1 apple, cored and chopped

• 1/2 c pineapple, chopped

• 1 tbsp flax seeds

• 1 c nut milk

• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

• 1 tbsp almonds, chopped

• 1 tbsp walnuts, chopped

DIRECTIONS:

1. In Vitamix or high powered blender, combine all ingredients through the nut milk and blend on high until smooth. Adjust taste if desired.

2. Pour into a bowl or mason jars and top with remaining nuts and seeds when ready to eat.