One of the things I love about being a South African living in New York is that there is sooooo much amazing music, across the board, that exists in my home country and I get to share it with people from other countries who may not have been exposed to it. I'm so proud of the myriad of talented South African artists that exist, and it's such a thrill to witness people hearing and enjoying something new.
Goldfish is a duo comprising David Poole and Dominic Peters-both graduates of the SA College of Music (my alma mater) and Cape Town boys making SA proud. Here's their EPK:
Not only are they skilled jazz musicians, but they epitomise what SA, and particularly Cape Town, is all about. They're laid back, genuinely nice guys who rock matching tans year-round. They also have a knack for featuring some of the best vocalists in the country (Sakhile Moleshe, Monique Hellenberg, Emily Bruce). I consider myself so lucky to know several of Goldfish's featured singers and cannot urge you all enough to check out their work with the band. Get hooked on Goldfish! Here's their latest music video for the title track off their new album "Get Busy Living" and it features the phenomenal voice of Emily Bruce.
Now onto food....can one ever consume too much green food? I don't think so. How can something with such an incredible hue be bad for you in any way, shape or form?! I used to make a breakfast smoothie using Patrick Holford's smoothie powder. I'd throw in soy milk, the powder, a banana and frozen blueberries and marvel, every single time, at the intense violet colour of the concoction. And I would wonder, aloud, how something so screamingly purple and proud could NOT be amazing for one's health? After my audible rhetoric, my father would, being the only person in the kitchen, ask if I was consuming "anti oxidants that would eliminate the free radicals?" He can smirk all he wants, but research has shown that consuming a diet filled with varied colours is good for you.
So, recently I've been craving green foods. This is good news since I frequent phases where my chosen "food" is brown, saccharine and addictive. My usual reaction to combat these "green" cravings is to throw in a handful of spinach to everything I eat-pasta dishes, rice bowls, steamed as a side dish. It tends to maintain it's green shimmer better than avocados, or steamed broccoli or french beans. However, as you saw with my sudden grain obsession, I've been feeling adventurous and I bravely bought a clump of kale and broccoli slaw. Kale is touted as being super nutritious and good for you. Broccoli Slaw is a Trader Joe's invention and it is BRILLIANT. It's basically julienned stems of broccoli (the nicest and sweetest part of the veg) and a couple julienned pieces of carrot (I don't care much for carrot-after all, it isn't green). I also harnessed my new found courage and soaked and cooked my own chickpeas/garbanzo beans (much more delish than the canned variety but I would still happily eat the canned ones).
I've also recently rediscovered my love for leeks. Yes, leeks. Their subtle, sweet flavour and delicate, pale lime circular appearance bring me happiness that is second to none. I'm no expert at cooking kale but I do know that I don't care for it raw. And because I'm scared by it's raw appearance, which is bristly and uninviting, I like to chop it up and steam it in the microwave until it's softer and less intimidating before adding it to the dish or cooking it further.
So, without further ado...
Symphony In Green
Bunch of chopped kale
Handful of baby spinach leaves
Broccoli slaw
(for Trader Joe-less readers, take broccolini or tenderstem broccoli and finely julienne the stems)
Half a leek, finely sliced
A clove of garlic chopped up as finely as you can get it
A handful of roughly chopped coriander/cilantro
A lemon
Optional: chickpeas, lentils or any other legume
(you could also add a grain-brown rice, quinoa- for a complete meal)
Steam the kale, spinach leaves and broccoli slaw until partially cooked. Heat up some olive oil and gently cook the garlic and leeks until soft. Add the steamed green veg, season with salt and pepper, and add a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Throw in your optional add-ins and toss in the chopped coriander.
Consume while watching episodes of CBS's "The Good Wife" and you will be a green, mean, fighting machine.
May I have some steak, too, with this dish? And watch, say, old episodes of "South Park" or "Kids in the Hall?"
ReplyDeleteFor you, MShilansky, anything! :) It would go well with steak or any animal protein-I had a smaller version with grilled salmon the night before. Go wild-and that applies to your choice of TV shows too.
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