Arugula salad with shaved fennel, pear and slivered almonds

There's no doubt fall is here which means a new selection of local produce.  Arugula, fennel and pear are gracing the outer isles of natural markets and make a refreshing combination when paired together.  A light lemon, honey dressing adds a touch of sweetness to the peppery arugula, creating another layer of depth to this salad. 

I have never really experimented much with fresh fennel in the past because the thought of a licorice tasting bulb, just never appealed to me.  Don't get me wrong, I like licorice but tend to gravitate towards it in its sweet candy form.  

While getting some groceries at the food co-op today, a sandy blonde gentleman was restocking fresh fennel that looked like something out of a Dr. Suess book.  Its wispy vibrant green fronds, dancing in the cool air immediately caught my attention so I thought I'd buy one to experiment with and see if I liked it.  Turns out, I love it!  The licorice flavor is very mild and the bulb light and crisp.  I will definitely be using more fennel in the kitchen.  Not only is it tasty, but fennel is rich in vitamin C, dietary fiber, potassium, manganese and is an anti-inflammatory food with some very powerful antioxidants.  This recipe is a nutritional powerhouse and a great way to start any meal.  Enjoy!

Arugula salad w/ shaved fennel, pear and slivered almonds

(serves 4-6)

Salad

6 cups fresh arugula, washed

1 medium fennel bulb, shaved

1/2 medium anjou pear, shaved

1/4 cup raw slivered almonds

Dressing

1/4 cup expeller pressed olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed

1 tablespoon raw honey

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground

Make dressing

1.  In small mixing bowl whisk lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper.  Gradually whisk in olive oil until dressing is well combined.  

Assemble

1.  In large mixing bowl add arugula, fennel, pear and slivered almonds.  Drizzle dressing over salad and toss to coat.  Serve immediately

Music Mondays featuring Mazzy Star

So I missed my favorite music Monday's post yesterday but thought I'd post it anyway even though its well into Tuesday.  

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Mazzy Star concert at the Neptune theater in Seattle, WA. Remember Mazzy Star from the 90's? No...how about the song "Fade Into You"?  The song was a teenage dream, rock anthem for start crossed lovers in the 1990's, and is still to this day used in countless television shows and movies.  

Although it took Mazzy Star 17 years to release their new album Seasons of Your Day, it was well worth the wait.  The rock-alt band still has a dreamy, atmospheric sound with beautiful lulling vocals song by Hope Sandoval.  A dimly lit stage and hypnotic moving images of space, waves, and earthly elements projected in the background and set the mood.   Although they were experiencing a few sound issues last night, Mazzy Star recovered and put on a great show.  They ended up playing "Fade Into You"unto which I immediately started reminiscing of middle school crushes and a time when the only thing that mattered was boys and making mixed tapes to play on my silver Sony Walkman.  

If you were ever a fan of Mazzy Star back in the day, I highly recommend listening to their new album and checking out one of their shows if they happen to be coming to a venue near you.  I have also listed a few other albums that will be on my playlist this week.  Enjoy!!

Mazzy Star  Seasons of Your Day 2013

Phosphorescent  Muchacho 2013

Purity Ring  Shrines 2012

Tame Impala  Lonerism 2012

Fresh carrot tangerine juice

Although we gained an hour of sleep in the morning with daylight savings this weekend, I feel like I'm still playing catch up and getting into the groove of a new week.  Here in Washington, its now beginning to get dark at 4:30pm and the days seem to slip into darkness before I can fully embrace the light.

I have been working around the clock on my kickstarter campaign, reaching out to fellow bloggers, publications, social media outlets and attending various local events within the community to spread the word.  I can't believe I only have 18 days left of the campaign!  I am currently 35% funded and still need $9,963 in order to send my recipe book into print.  I have a ways to go but I'm staying positive and will continue to do everything I can to see this kickstarter campaign is successful and my first recipe book Wild Plate is able to go into print.  Thank you to all that have checked out my page and supported my dream of completing this book.  If you haven't had the chance to see my campaign here's the link http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/436582840/wild-plate-is-a-creative-culinary-adventure-in-the

Now that it's cold and flu season, I'm taking lots of preventative measures and loading my body up with a variety of nutritionally dense foods as well as fresh green smoothies and juices to stay healthy and keep my immune system strong.  

Today's recipe is an immune boosting juice with a sweet blend of organic carrots and juicy tangerines.  Both are in season and at their peak, which means vibrant colors, strong flavors and extra amounts of vitamins and minerals.  Both carrots and tangerines have vitamins A and C which are awesome for boosting immunity and a long list of other health benefits.  

One of the advantages of juicing is it's quick, easy, nutritious and when consumed alone gives your digestive system a rest from breaking down food while still absorbing loads of nutrition.  Your body will then be able to use all this extra energy for healing instead of digestion.  I love juicing and try to do it every day.  I will eventually do a whole post dedicated to juicing alone since there is so much information to share.  In the meantime enjoy this in season brilliant orange cocktail and drink to health. 

SWEET CARROT TANGERINE JUICE

Makes 32 ounces (serves 4)

2 pounds organic carrots, tops removes, un-peeled
2 pounds organic tangerines, peeled

Directions

1.  In juicer of choice add carrots and tangerines.  Pour juice into pitcher and stir.  Serve immediately