Palm Saturday

Dinner was an experiment with hearts of palm. We've had it once before when a friend invited us for dinner and made a fantastic batch of Brazilian stroganoff and replaced the mushrooms with hearts of palm.

Day 307/365

We recently purchased a bottle of hearts of palm that I could have easily eaten entirely from the jar in one sitting, much like I enjoy snacking on artichokes -- they have a similar flavor, but their texture is akin to young bamboo shoots. Instead, I ate a few fingers and decided some restraint was needed, but I wanted to incorporate it into our dinner this evening.

Pasta? Not in the mood.
Stroganoff? No meat or sour cream in the house.
Salad? Yes, a light salad mixed with some warm ingredients. Now, what shall I add? Beans? Quinoa?

Components of the salad:
- spinach: cooked long enough to wilt in butter, cracked black pepper, turmeric, crushed chili peppers, and smoked salt (approximately a minute)
- asparagus and red pepper: flash fried in olive oil with cracked black pepper (few minutes)
- couscous: toasted with a small pinch of cumin seeds and oregano (several minutes), then cooked in chicken broth with a pinch of smoked salt (10 minutes)
- pine nuts: toasted (several minutes)
- hearts of palm and Cherub (cherry) tomatoes: remained in their unaltered state

Dressing was made by squeezing a Cara Cara orange, leaving some of the pulp, then adding olive oil, black pepper, and smoked salt to taste.

The dish was light yet sated us until late the next morning. Bug enjoyed it, too. Plus, he was overjoyed that he did not get the dreaded pine mouth this time!

- Cassaendra