Will Run For Pomegranate, Kale & Quinoa Salad

pomegranate, kale & quinoa salad.

Lessons that I've learned this week.  Don't casually tell people that you have a "quivery liver".  They become alarmed.  Similarly, don't tell people that you are having liver salad.  They become disgusted (unless they are my grandmother and think liver and onions are just the greatest thing).

  After a trip to the emergency room a few weeks ago and some blood work it seems that my liver isn't quite itself.  My doctor isn't quite sure why.  So until my next doctor's appointment I decided to self diagnose (with the help of google): "quivery liver". Treatment: eat lots of kale and other liver friendly foods such as beets, blueberries, etc..

Even if you aren't a kale lover this salad is worth a try because who doesn't love blueberries, pomegranate, pepitas, hemp hearts, beets, balsamic vinegar & maple syrup.  Yum!

Salad

(serves 4-6 kale lovers)

1 bunch dinosaur kale (chopped into small pieces...think Edward Scissor Hands)

1/2 C chopped fresh parsley

2 small beets shredded

1 C fresh blueberries

1 1/2 C pomegranate seeds

2 C cooked red and white quinoa (any colour will do)

1/4 C toasted pepitas

2 T hemp hearts

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. 

Dressing

1/4 C olive oil

1/4 C white balsamic vinegar

1T maple syrup

Whisk all dressing ingredients together and drizzle over kale salad.  The longer the salad sits the more delicious it becomes. 

Cuddle break for Lenore & Jeb

Will Run For Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

so many blueberries

My Granny is a master blueberry picker.  She has a hat, cowbells, a wooden basket and more importantly a log book where she's recorded picking conditions and the number of blueberries picked for over ten years.

Granny has weaselled many unsuspecting grandchildren into a day of blueberry picking with "we'll be gone just long enough to pick a basket".  Considering that we either ate our blueberries before they made it into our baskets or we spilt them all over the ground chasing after one another it was usually a pretty long day.

As far as I'm concerned blueberry picking should last just long enough to pick blueberries for Granny's blueberry cake or muffins(always served with brown sugar sauce).  How long could it possibly take to pick 1 cup of blueberries?

These muffins are moist and delicious just like Granny's but much to Granny's chagrin they include a few substitutions.

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

12 small muffins

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup soy milk (+ 2 tsp of lemon juice)

Combine rolled oats and soy milk in a small bowl and set aside. 

1 flax egg (1 T flax + 3 T water let sit)

1/4 C agave nectar (honey or maple syrup works as well)

1/4 C melted earth balance (butter or margarine works as well)

1 tsp grated lemon rind

1 1/2 tsp lemon extract 

Add flax egg, agave nectar, melted earth balance, grated lemon rind and extract to rolled oats and soy milk.

1/2 C whole wheat flour

1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking power

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 C fresh blueberries

In a separate large bowl combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and gently fold in  blueberries.  Make a well in the centre of your dry ingredients and add wet ingredients.  Mix until just combined.

Fill oiled muffin cups (I'm a big fan of silicone muffin cups).  Bake at 400 F for 15 min or until lightly brown.  Share with your  favourite blueberry hound or eat them while your hound sits pretty.

blueberry hound