I just got off the phone with my goddaughter who lives in San Francisco and is writing a high school paper about the creative process. The conversation really got me thinking about what inspires me, and how I make choices about what to create, taste, and photograph.
I ended up telling her a story about the bowl I had made for dinner tonight, the idea for which had been brewing in my head for the past couple of days. It all started because I made a haphazard green pesto out of every herb I had in the fridge, (and it was so fricking good), and it made me want to try experimenting with some new herby dressing recipes. I started concocting this herby dressing, and I realized it had a Mediterranean flare.
All you Little Greenies know that there are certain things I recommend you to have on hand all the time to encourage you to cook healthily: a bag of cauliflower rice, a box of arugula, a red cabbage, tinned chickpeas, and add-on flavors that are easily accessible like kalamata olives and artichoke hearts.
Ah….the Mediterranean Bowl with Herby Green Dressing is born!
I told her that for me, creating recipes is about so many things: the health factor. Flavor. Color. Texture. Beauty. Ease of assembly. Sometimes the recipes evolve over time, and sometimes they come together in one try.
I had made a batch of pickled red onions earlier in the week, so the ingredients were all on hand. It was To. Die. For. Just the perfect combination of zing, and comfort, and energizing nutrients. And since Little Green is all about anti-inflammatory…I think we got it all going on with this one.
Herby Green Mediterranean Dressing
4 servings
1/4 cup parsley, leaves roughly chopped from stems
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. Himalayan pink sea salt
juice of one lemon
1 Tbsp. raw cashews
1 Tbsp. sliced almonds
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dijon mustard
Combine in blender and blend.
Mediterranean Bowl
1 serving (increase accordingly per person)
1 bag riced cauliflower
8 kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped artichoke hearts
pickled red onion
1/8 cup red cabbage, small diced
1/4 cup arugula
crispy chickpeas with paprika and sea salt
herby Mediterranean dressing
- Preheat oven to 400. Drain and dry chickpeas, sprinkle with sea salt, paprika and olive oil and roast for 15 minutes.
- Quick pickle the red onions: slice into rounds and combine with white vinegar or apple cider vinegar and a pinch of salt in your fridge in a jar for at least half an hour.
- Sauté riced cauliflower in a cast iron pan with salt, pepper, and olive oil, for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Place the riced cauliflower in the base of a deep bowl, and add other ingredients as desired, topping with the herby green dressing.
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