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Faeries dwell in the Twilight, between day and night, between spirit and matter, between the conscious and unconscious... where all things are possible, where the past and future meet, where we meet ourselves coming back. When we dance wit the faeries, we dance with the reflections of our true selves and the true inner self of the world.

(Brian Froud)

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Sunday morning

mind-energizing

gotu kola

for clarity of the mind, mental expansion

Awakening Gotu Truffles

 grind gotu kola into fine powder in a spice/herb grinder

mix with honey

 roll into a gotu kola truffle

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The Golden Elixir

i finally made ghee

for the first time

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i cannot get enough of its seductive nutty aroma and flavor

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Heat 1 pound unsalted organic butter on medium for 5-10 minutes.
Skim white foam off that rises to the top.
Milk solids will settle at bottom of pot.
Strain through cheesecloth into jars and allow to cool.

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Foraged Local Nettle Soup

with Coconut Milk

Spring has begun to gift us with its soft petals and pollen-scented air. I harvested a bag of fresh, young nettles last week, drying most of them for future tea and keeping the rest for immediate cooking. I just attended my first weekend of classes at The School of Traditional Western Herbalism. We held a potluck to ring in the beginning of our program, for which I put together this super simple fresh nettle soup. Rich in minerals, nettles have a characteristic deep, earthy flavor that I absolutely love. They have to be one of my favorite ingredients EVER. If you do harvest your own nettles, be sure to remember that they STING. Their sting is on the mild side, but it is best to wear gloves and be mindful of other bare skin. Their stinging property goes away once they are cooked or dried.

3 Tbsp coconut oil

1 large yellow onion

3-4 cloves garlic

2 shallots

3 yukon gold potatoes

fresh nettles (at least 2 lbs; the quantity I used

was a densely packed plastic bag-

the kind you would find in the produce section)

water to cover

salt to taste

whole organic coconut milk (for garnish)

Before starting the cooking process, make sure your nettles are trimmed and washed and ready to go. I use gloves and kitchen scissors to trim nettle leaves from the more fibrous stems (discard stems). Once trimmed, use tongs to place nettles in a large stainless steel bowl. Fill the bowl with cold water and allow nettles to soak for a few minutes, tossing them gently. Remove nettles from bowl with tongs and place in colander to strain. 

Roughly chop onion, garlic, and shallots. Place in large pot with coconut oil over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally for 5 minutes. In the meantime, slice potatoes into about 1/4" pieces. Add potatoes to pot. Cook for a few minutes, then add water to the pot, enough just to cover the vegetables. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add nettles to pot in batches (using tongs). They will immediately decrease in size as they begin to cook and you will be able to keep adding more.  Once all the nettles are in pot, top off with more water so nettles and vegetables are just covered with water. Cook for 5 more minutes. 

Blend the soup in batches, scooping from the pot to the blender until entire soup is pureed. (You can also use an immersion blender or a food processor.) Pour pureed soup back into soup pot and season with salt. Serve soup with a swirl of coconut milk. 

You can alternatively stir in desired amount of coconut milk to entire soup before serving. Toasted, crushed walnuts or almonds are a wonderful addition to the top. I also love sauteed black trumpet mushrooms for garnish. You could skip the coconut milk completely and instead top with a dollop of delicious, whole sour cream (with nuts and mushrooms!).

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endless

exploration begins

(  h e r e  )

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new city

\\\

new textures

+ + + bringing back the blender + + +

red russian kale

apple

lemon

ginger

banana

dates

aloe vera juice

almond milk

///

banana

almond butter

almond milk

dates

vanilla

maca

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fifteen minutes

and i'm in

a mossy, lush

wonderland

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it may look like a bowl of

nothing

but actually it was

the best midnight snack

warm quinoa

goji berries

coconut flakes

tahini dollop

raw pepitas

hemp seeds

crushed brazil nuts

a pinch maca powder

spoonful of honey

homemade almond milk 

tiny sprinkle sea salt

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a wedding gift

to my parents

these were coated with layers of

B L A C K

since i can remember

i recently scrubbed them

and ordered new un-broken knobs

they are now set for

a second lifetime

<< a lifetime i look forward to >>

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the best part of my recent days

has been stocking the jars in my new pantry

ready

set

go

thanks to

People's Food Co-op

The Herb Shoppe

Whole Foods

Alberta Co-op Grocery

The Woodsman Market

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thanks to my 

personal mover,

shopping assistant,

design partner,

and professional thrifter

Mister Bellmer,

i scored these mod kitchen chairs

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one era ends

and

another begins

< < <  B E G I N  > > >

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new paths

 ahead