Tahini for Two

Hey kids, thank you for the words of encouragement and congratulations on my involvement at Sun In Bloom! It feels right and good to have let you in on that.

One of my biggest supporters in that regard has always been Gena, so you might not be surprised to learn that I had dined with her chez moi on Monday, just one night before the not-so-big reveal. We had a nice Chatty McChat-Chat, and when she left I felt like I had my head on just a little bit straighter.

Here is the wee spread:

(Welcome to NYC apartment living.)

Let’s zoom in a tad…

…and another tad…

Soup and salad it was indeed! The kale was just massaged with olive oil, lemon juice and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.

The soup, on the other hand, was an original. It actually ended up on top of the salad as well, for the most part.

Coconut Curry Soup (Raw, Vegan)

Ingredients:

• meat of 1 young Thai coconut
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 tsp your favorite curry powder
• 2 tsp miso paste
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 – 1 cup water, depending how thick you want it
• 1/2 inch fresh ginger, peeled
• 2 inches lemongrass stalk (optional)
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients except for oil in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth.
2. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil.
3. Pour into bowls and serve.

Serves 2-3

On the side, we dipped some juicer-pulp crackers and baby carrots into a seed pate inspired by my favorite dressing at Sun In Bloom: the signature sesame ginger!

Sesame-Ginger Pate (Raw, Vegan)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sesame seeds
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

1. Combine sesame seeds and oil in a food processor and let it run until a paste begins to form.
2. Add the rest of ingredients, except for water. Blend until fairly smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary.
3. Add water gradually, processing until the pate has reached the texture you like.

In all honesty, my pate didn’t end up tasting too very similar to the dressing that I love so much at Sun In Bloom, but it tasted good, and that’s what matters. Gingery tahini works just fine for me!

Speaking of blooms, Julie Lynn bestowed the Sunshine Award upon me last week, so it’s about time I thanked her!

The Sunshine Award is given to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspire others in the blogosphere. The rules are simple, pass the award on to 12 bloggers who fit the criteria for you and link back to the blog that nominated you for the award. 

12?! Gracious. Just the thought of trying to narrow it down like that makes my head spin, so I’m going to bend the rules selfishly and award this bit of sunshine to whoever happens to make the first comment on this post. Not because I’m trying to promote comments on my blog (though who isn’t?) but rather because I feel lucky to have received sunshine in the first place and want to send it back out into the world. Notification of a comment on this post lets me know it hit its mark. :)

Looking forward to sunny days ahead!