Friday, June 27, 2014

Surreal Broccoli Salad

The first thing that came to mind when I ate this dish: This is not broccoli.
And what I imagined... here, I'm sharing it with you:

…My altered version of Magritte's The Treachery of Images. I remember learning about this piece in my high school art class while learning about surrealism. The painting really was meant to initiate questioning of what seems real and what is real...but that's only what my 14 year old self understood so maybe there's more to it..
The Treachery of Images
I've actually been too busy interning/dancing/exploring to cook- but in luck that my mom made this for dinner!



ANYWAYS, it looks like broccoli, but tastes TOTALLY NOT LIKE BROCCOLI! It's a reminder that different combinations bring out different flavors that are worth trying. Combining the broccoli with pineapple and mushrooms transforms it! And tossing it all into a salad is perfect.




Makes a few portions 
Ingredients: 2 cups romaine lettuce, 2 heads chopped broccoli, 16 oz diced pineapple, 22 oz baby bella mushrooms, paprika, salt, tbsp olive oil, rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 390F

2. Add mushrooms and diced pineapple along with the juice of the pineapple to a large cooking tin

3. Add the salt, paprika, olive oil, and rosemary to the tin and mix

4. Put in the oven

5. After 15 minutes add in the broccoli

6. After another 15 minutes, (total of 30 so far) take the tray out of the oven and let cool

7. Add to a salad of romaine lettuce with some balsamic vinegar, or just eat it by itself!


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Salat Michal

I'm having a great time interning in the city, and contrary to what people think, that being in the city everyday can drain you of energy, I feel that it actually fuels me! It's so exciting to find new adventures each day and to be surrounded with a bunch of people who are rushing to take on their next ventures. Not to mention, I always look forward to going to ballet class(es) after work on the upper east side, and the commute is always interesting. Running in a green flowy dress through the subway station is my favorite.....

Plus, on the way to class I found THE BEST gate to central park:


...then I got really excited about it and drew it.....and I hope to eventually live near it!

This is definitely going to be a really memorable summer, and even though I'm missing Israel (where I usually spend some of summer), there are ways for me to incorporate my Israeli habits into my American repertoire: like eating this salad at any time of the day (even breakfast, which is totally normal in Israel)!

Ingredients: 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce, diced bell pepper, juice of half a lemon, tbsp green olives, diced cucumber, hard boiled egg, tsp olive oil, dash of salt and pepper, tsp zaatar

1. Add 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce, diced bell pepper, tbsp green olives, diced cucumber, and hard boiled egg to a large salad bowl

2. Dress with juice of half a lemon, tsp olive oil, dash of salt and pepper, and a tsp zaatar

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Pelletier's Salad

One person who would definitely appreciate this salad is Pierre-Joseph Pelletier (back when he was alive, of course), the French chemist who isolated chlorophyll. Making a salad high in chlorophyll content is not usually the intention that people normally have when cooking….but recently I was inspired after a daring, bold city experience:



My friend Caraline and I went to take ballet classes and saw an interesting place called "Organic Avenue," so we went in. Tiny shot-sized bottles of different colored liquids (looked like one of my chemistry labs actually) lined the shelves of their fridge area. It took us a pretty long time to choose which to try. It was like when I was younger and my mom would allow my brother and I to each choose 4 pieces of candy from the candy store (one gummy bear equalled one piece, so the bag was maybe .00126% full when we went to weigh it…), and we were so indecisive. But this was a healthier candy store. We decided to be brave and take a shot of chlorophyll after class… Tasted very strange, but for all of the benefits (including a green mouth), it was worth it: blood cleanser and producer, maintains pH balance, protects against cancer, antioxidant rich, oxygenates cells, and so much more…

...so I made this chlorophyll-rich salad! (And red bell peppers used to be green, so that counts!)

Ingredients: 1 diced bell pepper, 1/2 cup dark red kidney beans, 1 cup romaine lettuce or mixed greens, 1 cup spinach, handful basil, juice of 1 lime, tsp sesame seeds

1. Add cup of lettuce and spinach to large salad bowl and top with diced bell pepper, kidney beans, and basil

2. Add tsp sesame seeds and lime juice to dress it