Tag Archives: produce

{exploring new produce : radicchio}

18 Mar

as you may have noticed – i like to try new things.  and there was this one particular vegetable i had been wanting to try for a while now – radicchio. i knew it had to be good for us – just look at all that colour!

saladofdiffcolour-1

when i did a little research on this interesting-looking chicory, i discovered that it may actually help insomnia.  and – as you may recall, i battle with that from time to time… eating intuitively has become such a way of life for me, that i notice i’ll crave things i need and not even realize it. how awesome is that?! our bodies are so incredible! Continue reading

{aspen-leaf swiss chard}

11 Mar

aspenchard-6

i have always thought swiss chard was so beautiful.  the colours, the intricate web-like design on the leaves, the fun “bubbly” type texture… and i thought this one was particularly cool. for one, it kind of reminds me of an aspen leaf – the shape of it.  and for two, look at the fun pink tip – it’s like a paintbrush…

nature’s paintbrush 😉

aspenchard-4aspenchard-5

how beautiful and cool is that?!  nature does it best. Continue reading

{sauteed sunchokes}

10 Mar

i have been wanting to try sunchokes {aka “jerusalem artichokes“} for a long time now. they are so interesting-looking {as most root vegetables are} and one time i bought a bag when i was doing a cleanse, but i didn’t get to cook them and unfortunately they spoiled.

so, when i was at the cutest little organic store in town the other day, i picked some up so i could fotograph and blog about them.

sunchokes-7

and of course – EAT THEM! 😀

sunchokes-1

sunchokes-2sunchokes-3 Continue reading

{foto friday – local love}

7 Mar

how happy am i to have recently been made aware of an amazing little local/organic store within biking distance of where i live!!?!??!!!?!?!?!

SO!!!!!! 😀

cherrytomatoes-1

beautiful cherry tomatoes grown within 60 miles of my home…

cherrytomatoes-2

exploding with flavour!!  i’m guessing they are hydroponically grown… which in my opinion, seems to be the most tasty way to grow tomatoes – just from personal experience, having eaten a bajillion of them over the last few years. 😉  hello, remember my san marzano obsession!?  cuz i do… Continue reading

{specialty produce : fingerling potatoes}

4 Mar

fingerlings-1

tell me you’ve tried these before?!  i’m pretty sure i’ve mentioned them at least once or twice on this here blog of mine… they are definitely a staple in my home!  what’s better than colourful carbohydrates?!

fingerlings-2

i was a little surprised and way excited when i spotted this multi-coloured pack at the market. my favourite way to prepare them is to simply drizzle them with tons of olive oil and S&P and roast them in a 400 degree oven for about a half hour…

fingerlings-3

the finished product is a sheen, tender and sweet potato ready for poppin!

fingerlings-4

they make an excellent side dish, and are also great in soups.

{nom nom, fresh pineapple}

22 Feb

after many years working in the organic food industry, i learned a lot about picking good produce.  it’s hilarious to watch me at the market – i take my time when picking out my fruit and vegetables, mostly because i know i’ll be fotographing them. and hey – aesthetics matter!  plus, food is outrageously expensive these days and i’ll be damned if i’m going to spend five dollars for a pineapple and not have it be incredible!

therefore, i browse the produce stands carefully when choosing what to buy. have you ever purchased something and it spoiled two days later or when you cut into it, the flesh was rotting or brown? not everything you pick up at the market is necessarily fresh and/or tasty at any given time – it’s another reason i prefer to buy and eat with the seasons… stuff just tastes better when it’s in season! i mean, wouldn’t you like to be picked during your prime?! 😉

pineapple-1

speaking of which, do you know how to pick a good pineapple?  the beginning of their season is just around the corner… and i’m already salivating thinking about them.

one thing to look for when picking out a pineapple – is how the leaves feel when pulled out from the top.  if they remove easily with little force, it’s a pretty sure sign your pineapple is ripe.  you also want to pay attention to the scent. i often sniff the bottom of the fruit, looking for a fresh scent that is strong enough to seep through.  and finally, you want to look for a pineapple that is a little darker in colour… not quite brown, but just golden… Continue reading

{whatever wednesday – sometimes i just take pictures of pretty vegetables…}

22 Jan

artsyasparagus-1

even though we have a ways to go yet before it’s in season…

artsyasparagus-2

i’m totally craving asparagus lately…

artsyasparagus-4

and sometimes i just take pictures of produce… in case you haven’t noticed 🙂

watching me at the grocery store in the produce section is pretty hilarious, no doubt.  i take a long time to pick out my vegetables, mostly knowing that i’ll eventually have them in front of a camera… so i like them to be pretty 😉

happy wednesday!

{foto friday – radical romanesco}

15 Nov

not quite broccoli, not quite cabbage, not quite cauliflower… romanesco is in a category all its own.

radicalromanesco-2

i’ve written a few times about romanesco… it’s one of my favourite things ever. you can probably still find romanesco at some supermarkets and specialty produce departments…

when i found this super awesome-looking and wonderfully-coloured one, i nabbed it up just so i could have a foto-session with it. i just find their fractal-nature so fascinating!!!  “roman” and i had a lot of fun with the camera… i talk to my food – so what! and i hadn’t really seen one like this before – with the variation in colour.  i am of the mentality that anything with natural colour is good for you… and the more, the better.

i just like to saute my romanesco in some yummy EVOO or butter and eat it up! it’s also really good just raw in a salad. the flavour is amazing, and i don’t know what it is about eating a “fractal”, but it just makes me happy.

radicalromanesco-28 Continue reading

{thirsty thursday : roasted volcanic garlic and a snow day!}

7 Nov

roastedvolcanicgarlic-6

i feel like i eat garlic with almost every meal.  it’s so good for you, so good for the immune system and for your joints, among a slew of other things.  in the late spring this year, i purchased this beautiful braid of volcanic garlic.  the rep from the farm suggested roasting it with olive oil in the oven, for a very unique experience and flavour.

on it! said food and foto dot com.

i have about 5 bulbs left on the braid i purchased… the guy did say, “buy this now and it will last you through the end of the year” – and here we are {6 months later} in early november and i still have some to play with – yay!

and obviously you can use any kind of garlic.  i had actually never made roasted garlic on my own, so i just had to try…

roastedvolcanicgarlic-1

and i did exactly what the farmer told me to do…. Continue reading

{whatever wednesday – cute little sacredly-geometrical cabbage}

30 Oct
artsy-fartsy cute little fibonacci cabbage

artsy-fartsy cute little fibonacci cabbage

i always buy the “unusual” looking produce, just ask anyone i used to work with.  usually it’s so i can fotograph it 😉

i found this tiny little cabbage one day and nabbed it up.  it was about the size of a softball, maybe smaller… so cute.

image

yep, pretty tiny and cute. Continue reading

{stunning red chard}

29 Oct

redchard-10

do you like chard?!  i love it!! red, rainbow, white – any colour will do 🙂

it is so beautiful, don’t you agree?

redchard-6

i’m fascinated with the texture!

redchard-7

the colour throughout reminds me of veins… and greens are good for your blood, so how cool is that! Continue reading

{my first tomato ever!}

7 Sep

terrancethetomato-1

this is terrance, my tomato plant.

i haven’t written about him much because i actually thought maybe he was dying… i only got this ONE tomato from the plant and i believe critters got to the rest of the fruit before i could…  i hadn’t seen any new life in almost 2 weeks so i was concerned… but then recently, i started seeing new growth!  i have 10 little tomatoes growing at the moment, woohoo!!

i’m not sure why it seems my terrance is a late-bloomer… most of my friends that have plants are harvesting TONS of fruit right now.  it’s just funny, it seems like everything i own takes on my energy… i’ve always said i’m a late-bloomer… 😉

earlygirl-2

this was my very first homegrown tomato – an early girl 🙂

earlygirl-1

i picked her at the beginning of august…

stay tuned for the recipe i used this yummy fruit in!

{righteous rambutan}

20 Aug

rambutan-6

have you ever seen this crazy interesting fruit?!

rambutan-7

it’s called rambutan.  and it is by far the most bizarre-looking food i’ve eaten so far. Continue reading

{specialty produce – passionfruit}

6 Aug

definitely one of the more interesting and bizarre-looking fruits i’ve eaten…

passionfruit-1

have you ever had a passionfruit?!  i bet you’ve had something with the flavour of passionfruit in it, like a drink or something… they are an interesting fruit. as they ripen, they begin to look like this foto – kind of wrinkly and you may even think it’s gone bad… but no no no! it’s just right…

when you first cut into a passionfruit, you may take a look inside and be like, “what in the world…?!”

passionfruit-2 Continue reading

{cherryfest!}

24 Jul

this foto is from the archives…

cherryfest-25

circa 2003 – captured at a farmers market in san jose, california.

{organic golden kiwi}

22 Jul

goldenkiwi-1

golden kiwis are not the same as regular green kiwis you see in the stores….. i mean, of course they aren’t, right?! – they’re being featured on food & foto 😉

originating in china, golden kiwis are now mostly from new zealand, and they blow regular kiwi out of the water!  {sorry, kiwi}

their thin skin is different from the regular kiwi – smooth and hairless with little freckles throughout.  they ripen just like regular kiwi, so look for one that slightly gives to the tender touch…

goldenkiwi-2

the flavour is similar, but the golden kiwi boasts a less-acidic quality and taste. they have almost a pineapple flavour… and i just LOVE THEM!!! Continue reading

{volcanic garlic – beautiful, incredible, delicious, nutritious…}

19 Jul

…shall i continue?!

volcanicgarlic-1

i first discovered this beautiful goodness from mudd’s harvest at the arvada farmers market

volcanicgarlic-3

i bought two small bulbs after spotting it and trying it… i fell in love with the colour! {and the outstanding flavour!} Continue reading

{healthy snack options – quick and easy kale chips}

15 Jul

easykalechips-1

one of my favourite snacks – grab a head of kale and break up into “chip” size pieces… then rinse, sprinkle on oil of your choice {i stick with EVOO, but coconut oil is great, too!} and then smother in nutritional yeast.  i use a bag and shake it up really well, then add more on top just before baking in the oven @ 350 degrees until crisp…

easykalechips-2

they don’t last long… and they are great on top of salads, soups, or just as they are!

 

{english peas}

26 Jun

englishpeas-1

their season is ending soon… so grab ’em while you still can!

englishpeas-2

i look forward to them every year!  i just love love love ’em!  and i love how they keep for a good long time in the fridge!

englishpeas-3

i do lots of things with english peas

englishpeas-4

 

i haven’t yet tried to pulverize them in a vitamix smoothie, though… but oh boy i just thought of this – i bet it would make a great spread with some garlic and hummus… mm mm, i may have to try that!

what do you like to do with your english peas?

{“fancy” french salt}

25 Jun

i love specialty foods, in case you haven’t yet discovered that about me…

frenchsaltandavocado-1

and i happen to LOVE salt – in all its varieties.

frenchsaltandavocado-2

so when a friend brought me this adorable jar of salt back from her trip to france, i was totally excited!!

frenchsaltandavocado-3

when i said to her, “ohhh i’m so excited to blog about this fancy french salt…” she was like, “wellllll – it’s just salt.  the only thing fancy about it is that i carried it all the way back home in my backpack… just for you.”

i fancy that, i say. Continue reading