Honey Badger Don't Care Raspberry Pea Shoot Salad

Ever find yourself sitting around fretting about what to do with all those pea shoots? ME TOO. Somewhere between the U.S. and Canada I found myself loaded down with a slightly embarrassing number of pea shoots (don't ask). Running out the door to the airport, I hastily threw together what turned out to be a simple and delicious way to eat your way free from pea shoot bondage. The tart sweetness of the berries combined with the creaminess of the avocado and clean crunchiness of the sprouts makes dressing unnecessary, but if dressing is a must, I'd go with a simple lime vinaigrette and a sprinkle of sea salt and call it a day.

I recommend you chop up the pea shoots before assembling the salad, unless you want an unsightly mess of unwieldy shoots sticking out your mouth as you chew... Which may or may not be what happened to me while at LGA waiting for Air Canada flight 591 to Ottawa. Sorry to all in the departures area for my honey badger don't care pea shoots attitude, and the mess that ensued, but I was really hungry.

Pea Shoots Salad
1 cup pea shoots, chopped into bits that will fit in your hungry mouth
1/2 cup raspberries (if in Baghdad, substitute sliced peaches or pears - though the pop of color won't be quite as nice so you'll have to squint your eyes and imagine raspberries as you eat)
1/2 cup avocado, diced into small pieces
1 cucumber, split lengthwise and sliced
Sprinkle of black pepper

Toss. Add a lime vinaigrette (1 tsp olive, avocado or macadamia nut oil whisked with a half teaspoon vinegar, squirt of lime, dash of agave and sprinkle of sea salt) if desired. Serves one.

Like a Gentle Breeze in Your Mouth

Tonight we hosted our first ever entirely-raw dinner party. OK. It wasn't entirely raw, but that truly wasn't our fault. Due to convoy delays and various other co-factors, things were tight at the cafeteria - aka grocery shop - the last couple days. And some ingredients, namely mushrooms and cauliflower, we will never get raw. Let's say there was nothing not raw that wouldn't have been raw if it could have been raw.

Besides our delic "save the moo-eat" from last night's Mexican extravaganza, pineapple-cucumber skewers, bok choy salad, and our clever idea to wrap everything on the table in big pieces of lettuce (thank you, sandwich bar), the dinner was Ani Phyo East Meets West, Desserts or Raw Food Essentials. She's a genius. Here's what we served:

Appetizers

Pineapple Cucumber Skewers with Ginger Dipping Sauce

Crudite Platter (carrots, celery, radish, cucumber) with "Peanut" Thai Dipping Sauce

Tomato Coconut Bisque

Main Course
Mixed Vegetables and Mango with Yellow Curry

"Save the Moo-eat" Lettuce Wraps with Corn and Tomato Garnish and Cashew Garlic Aioli

Mushroom Namul Lettuce Wraps with Mango Sauce

Bok Choy-Onion-Orange salad

Dessert
Peach Cobbler (variation of Mango Cobbler - serious YUM)

Chai Ice Cream
Coconut Ice Cream
Assorted Chocolates

The chocolates were new to me, and they were very cool - easy to make and set in a few minutes. I used our egg holder (which we have for what eggs??) as a mold and followed the ratio of two parts coconut oil to one part cocoa powder, plus a dash of agave. Before pouring the chocolate into the molds, I sprinkled cocoa nibs into each, and added goji berries or coconut to some. I also flavored some of the chocolate mint or almond. The result was delicious bites of chocolately goodness. When I find a raw caramel recipe, I'll try caramel sea salt filled chocolates. Yum.

P.S. Credit to Te for these lovely photos, and for the post title: she declared the Cashew Aioli, "like a gentle breeze in your mouth." Agreed.