There is a reason I put the burnt bread with the dandelion salad. Some of you already know.

I’ve been thinking about this dandelion salad as much as I’ve thought about the lamb stew. In my last post, I prepared the Hunger Games lamb stew with dried plums because it was the most talked about dish in all three books of the Hunger Games Trilogy, a story based upon a dystopian society with all the usual oppression and suffering, pushing the reader at all times to look for that glimmer of hope in circumstance and in the heart of the people.

Katniss is only eleven years old and with a dead father and a depressed mother, she is in charge of finding food.

 “For three days, we’d had nothing but boiled water with some old dried mint leaves I’d found in the back of a cupboard.

All forms of stealing are forbidden in District 12. Punishable by death. But it crossed my mind that there might be something in the trash bins, and those were fair game. Perhaps a bone at the butcher’s or rotted vegetables at the grocer’s, something no one but my family was desperate enough to eat. Unfortunately, the bins had just been emptied. When I passed the baker’s, the smell of fresh bread was so overwhelming I felt dizzy. The ovens were in the back, and a golden glow spilled out the open kitchen door.”

Early in book, we feel the pain of  hunger in District 12, and  amidst that suffering, we get to experience the triumph of a kind heart that ensures us that the goodness in humanity can still be found.  A compassionate, if smitten, boy works in his parents bakery. In spite of facing his very unkind mother’s refuff, he burns two loaves of bread.  As Katniss is thrown a burnt loaf  she realizes not only her good fortune, but the compassion that went with it.  We feel her good fortune along with her that night and the next day as she spots some weeds in the meadow.

“I grabbed a bucket and Prim’s hand and headed to the Meadow and yes, it was dotted with the golden-headed weeds. After we’d harvested those, we scrounged along inside the fence for probably a mile until we’d filled the bucket with the dandelion greens, stems, and flowers.  That night, we gorged ourselves on dandelion salad and the rest of the bakery bread.”

Collins, Suzanne (2009). The Hunger Games (p. 50). Scholastic Books. Kindle Edition.

Katniss’s mother was a healer and had a book on herbs and plants and knew the ones that would be harmful. Dandelion was amongst the healing plants, and although in today’s world, some of us mistakenly think of dandelion greens as a mere weed, these are a super food and more than good enough to make a salad from. I am no stranger to dandelion greens and made this stunning dandelion pasta salad with feta cheese a few years ago.

I purchased organic dandelion, and in honor of Katniss, I added in blood orange and made a blood orange salad dressing.  I added in strawberries because  Katniss traded wild strawberries on the black market with the mayor, and it would have made sense for her to have these available to her.Dandelion can taste a little bitter, but keep in mind, it will be the combination of flavors from the salad dressing that will pull it together and bring a perfect balance. I’ll attest to just how good a dandelion salad can be, especially after coming off of an illness, because the body craves nutrition and dandelion is a super food. How much more  welcome the dandelion greens were so to someone who hasn’t eaten for a few days. Tell me after you’ve been sick for a while, what’s the first food you crave? Mine is always greens.

Zest blood orange, lemons into a bowl.

Prepare a teaspoon each of raspberry honey (or regular honey), fig jam, dijon mustard, lemon juice, blood orange juice and a smattering of red chili pepper.

Whisk the mustard into red wine vinegar. Add in olive oil, canola or grape seed oil and whisk to form an emulsion. Add in blood orange juice. The dressing is tangy, spicy, sweet, and tart all at the same time, and perfect over a biter green such as dandelion. Add in slices of blood orange, strawberries and serve with charred crusty bread.

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Hunger Games Dandelion Salad with Blood Orange Salad Dressing

Superfood dandelion greens deserve a tangy salad dressing made from blood oranges, olive oil and red chili pepper. Bright, tart, sweet and spicy all at the same time.

Servings 4

Ingredients

• Dandelion greens
• Dressing
• 1 teaspoon of citrus zest from a combination of blood orange and lemon
• 1 teaspoon of raspberry honey or regular honey
• 1 teaspoon of fig jam optional
• 1/8 teaspoons red chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon blood orange juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or canola oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

• Zest the citrus into a small bowl
• Whisk together dijon mustard, honey, fig jam and red wine vinegar and citrus juices.
• Slowly whisk in olive oil and grapeseed oil.
• Season with salt the pepper and taste for heat. Dressing should have a spicy zing to it, which helps to balance the bitterness of the greens.

Notes

This dressing makes enough for 1 bunch of dandelion greens.

You may also want to try this dandelion pasta salad with feta cheese.

The post Hunger Games Dandelion Salad with Blood Orange Salad Dressing appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I have wanted to make an olive oil cake for a long time. I’m not a big dessert eater. I like things “not so sweet” and I think the person this is for probably feels the same way I do. We are both food bloggers. And, we take a lot of pride in our cooking, and a bit less in our baking. I think maybe we don’t want some grand dessert overshadowing our meal, but I’ll just speak for myself on this.

This is, of course, a flavorful, moist cake that would be quite suitable to dress up for a party with fresh raspberries or perhaps include in your next brunch. Feel free to play around with the ingredients, and if you do, I would love to hear about it.

This is a perfect “get to know you with coffee” cake, or maybe even a “I’m so glad we met” cake. Now who is this for? A blogger I was getting to know prior to the food buzz festival and had hoped to get to know better in person. I got my wish. Now it’s his turn to make a wish.

Happy Birthday, Greg, of Sippity Sup, one of my favorite bloggers and friend. Here’s a toast from sparkling wine tasting at Food Buzz Festival.

Cooking Notes: I looked at several recipes and created this with the intention of using some precious Stonehouse blood orange olive oil, but you could use regular olive oil, and instead of oranges, you can certainly use lemon. You might even add some thyme or tarragon (just a small amount) as a surprise. Instead of orange juice, add 1 tablespoon orange liquor, Marsala wine, or rum. It’s the kind of cake you can play around with.

Post Note: A lot of people are worried that the olive oil would be too heavy either in taste or texture. Not so. The cake’s flavor was amazing and it is not a “oily” taste.

Recipe for Olive Oil Cake

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• zest of and juice of half of blood orange (can use any orange)
• 1/3 cup greek yogurt
• 3/4 cups blood orange olive oil *
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Be prepared to allow yogurt and eggs to sit to room temperature.
   Add zest to sugar. Use your hands to thoroughly mix.
2. Mix yogurt with juice of orange. Allow to sit to room temperature.
   In separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs, add sugar until creamy.
   Add in yogurt, olive oil.
4. Add flour mixture, until just mixed.
5. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes in deep pan that has a removable bottom.
   Allow to completely cool before removing.

*Create a flavored olive oil, by allowing the peel of a blood orange to sit in olive oil overnight.

The post Happy Birthday – I made you an Olive Oil Cake appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

The Christmas decorations were still staring at me, along with a few extra pounds and some left over fruit from all the festivities. My body was screaming for fruits and vegetables and, with several gloomy days in a row, my spirit was craving color.

Fruity, nutty carrot soup was born.

This soup is beautiful from beginning to end.

The vegetables are carrots and leeks and the fruits are blood orange, pear, and a sprinkling of pomegranate.

The pomegranates is a nice surprise, juicy and nutty, and at the same time, adding texture.

My first attempt at this soup wasn’t what I envisioned, a little too thick resembling mush. I remade the soup, using almond milk to get a thinner texture, and I added another layer of crunch with toasted sliced almonds.

My new and improved version was so good that he never got more than a spoonful. I’m not bragging. I’m just happy that I decided to remake it and that my effort paid off.

Even though I was craving the taste of carrots and fruit, I needed to cut the “sweet“ with heat and use a small dollop of hot chile sauce.

Almond milk, is a surprisingly good choice  for thinning down the soup to make it creamy, and the nice surprise was a subtle taste of the almond which led me to garnish with toasted almonds.

The result was a happy balance, as you can taste each ingredient. When I tried a spoonful, I tasted carrot, then I tasted, the pear, the leek, the almond, and a tiny bit of ginger and orange, followed by two unique textures from the pomegranate and toasted almond slices.

Pomegranates

A powerful antioxidant with many health benefits, this is possibly the most ancient fruit known to man. Many people know more about the juice, less about the fruit, because it can pose a challenge to eat. Please don’t let that stop you.

To open a pomegranate: Roll over counter with some pressure, or use meat pounder or hammer all around the fruit. You are causing the fruit inside to retract from the peel. Then, with a knife (OVER A BOWL) slice vertically and open the fruit with both hands. You may need to wear an apron your first time, as the juice can stain. The little pomegranate seeds should be easily loosened into the bowl. Only loosen what you’re going to eat. Wrap the rest. It should keep for several days.

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Fruity Nutty Carrot Soup

Vegan carrot soup made with fruit, nuts, almond milk.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots
• 1/2 blood orange (peeled, reserving rind for some zest)
• 1 large leek reserve a few slices for garnish
• few sprigs thyme or basil each work equally well
• organic vegetable broth or water
• 1 cup almond milk you can substitute regular milk or cream
• Toasted slivered almonds
• sprinkling of pomegranate
• sea salt pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chile sauce

Instructions

• Chop carrots into big chunks. Put in large dutch oven sized pot.
• Cut off stalk and end of leek, using white part only.
• Clean well: Hold vertically, run under water, squeezing dirt out. Slice, thinly.
• Peel, seed 1/2 blood orange. Squeeze juice over carrots, add remaining pulp to pot.
• Add carrots, leeks, orange to large pot, add salt and pepper.
• Cover with about 3 inches of water or vegetable broth (see recipe under notes) in large pot bring to boil and cook, just until carrots are soft.
• Use blender or emulsion blender right in the pot. Start streaming in almond milk.
• Add more broth if needed.Measure chile sauce and add. Blend thoroughly and taste. Add more as desired.
• Season to taste. Garnish with orange zest, pomegranate seeds, and toasted almonds.

Notes

Vegetable Broth
Vegetable Broth
My preference is to make my own vegetable broth. Whenever you have a little left over (uncooked vegetable) wrap, freeze and save for vegetable broth.

Organic vegetables can be expensive. Purchase when specially discounted or specially priced in bulk. The next best thing is produce from your local farmer, which may not be organic, but a great second choice.

Coarsely chop all or any mix of the following:

Veggies: carrots with tops, onions, shallots, celery with leaves, peppers,
turnips, yellow beets, yams, fennel with leaves
Herbs: basil, mint, thyme, dill, chives, sea salt, pepper

Wrap in cheesecloth, boil in water.

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