Balkan chopped salad

mmm…salad

Originally uploaded by jaimecru

Last night after a lovely conversation with a friend who is of Hungarian descent, I was inspired to break open my new tin of paprika. Not in any way ambitious enough at the moment to rawify goulash or some other traditional paprika-laced stew, I decided to create a salad inspired by ingredients from the Balkans. The ingredients are all familiar staples in the raw pantry, but the combination was quite special. This salad was a nice deviation from traditional Mediterranean flavors, and the paprika was a sneaky little Eastern addition. I chopped all the toppings into small pieces to allow each forkful to include several flavors!

Bed of baby spinach and mixed greens
1/2 cucumber
1/8 C red onion
3 sundried tomatoes
3 Turkish apricots
handful of soaked almonds
handful Kalamata olives
1 greek pepperoncini (not quite raw, but nice)
10 basil leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
heavy-handed pour of olive oil
sea salt
big shake of Hungarian paprika

Years ago, when I was an Army gal, I spent some time serving in Bosnia. I was newly married and not too eager for a deployment. The good news was that I was able to spend about a month of that time in the heart of Budapest! What a fabulous city. Incredible architecture, super sexy accents, and exquisite food. My hubby got away from his duty station in Italy to visit me for a long weekend in Budapest. We gorged ourselves on 5-star SAD food and wine and apricot palinka. This salad is a far cry from the mad foie gras of that weekend, but a wonderful symbol of fresh beginnings. My hubby has been working out of the country for some time, and will be returning home full-time next Sunday. This salad will be a perfect celebratory meal for us…totally fresh but with a hint of warm nostalgia. Egészségedre (to your health!)

mid-day mojito

 

Originally uploaded by jaimecru

I’m totally digging this lovely beverage. I made a pitcher to share with some mama friends at lunch last week, and now I’m obsessed and drink a Vitamix-full every day! Here’s a scaled down recipe: Juice 2 limes into pitcher, add 6 mint leaves, 2 T agave or 1 packet Stevia, 2 cups water, 2 cups ice. Blend to virgin slushy perfection.

banana pancakes

banana pancakes

Originally uploaded by jaimecru

I officially started my raw food journey nearly a month ago, and now I’m wishing I would have gotten my butt in gear and documented the adventure. I know there have been ups and downs, but I honestly am unable to recollect. I originally attributed my lack of blogging motivation to the fact that I’ve been working on the landscaping at my parents’ house. (Gosh, I should blog the progress of that, as well.) However, after tonight’s impromptu food styling and shoot, I think my hesitation to post is my lack of a good photo! I’ve received professional training in video composition and some basic technical stuff, and I’ve been a professional cook. One would think, voila…and natural born food stylist. Let me tell you, I’m really struggling here. I’ve been spending a great deal of time preparing exciting and creative raw dishes, as well as eating some plain ol’ awesome, totally photo worthy produce. Where’s the evidence? OK, well I’m going to just throw it out there tonight. I whipped up some of the bananas from my yard to make Alissa Cohen’s crepes, but I spread the batter too thick. Good mistake! My home-grown bananas whipped up super frothy, and what I ended up with was the most delicate raw dish I’ve ever had. Yummy banana pancakes with fresh Georgia peach and maple hazelnut cream!