Happy Valentine’s Day cooks and eaters! For this special occasion, I’d like to share a guest post by my friend Neal Wecker (Sex Positive Activist and Educator), who offers a beautiful perspective on cooking for your beloved. Highly recommended for pampering yourself, your cherished friends and family too!
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Similar to the saying that “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”, it is my experience that the way to a woman’s openness is by feeding her well. In what it takes to prepare and serve a nutritious and beautifully presented meal, I also offer a taste of my willingness to focus on her needs. And the proof of that is in the pudding, indeed!
Julienned Vegetables with Kale and Smoked Gouda
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
- Cumin – 1 teaspoon, ground
- Coriander – 1 teaspoon, ground
- Turmeric – 1 teaspoon, ground
- Paprika – 1 teaspoon, ground
- Olive oil – 3 tablespoons
- Onions – About 1 cup, thinly sliced
- Julienned carrot – About 1 cup
- Julienned celery – About 1 cup
- Julienned turnip – About 1/2 cup
- Water – 1/4 cup
- Kale – 1 bunch kale, leaves stripped from the stem and rinsed
- Tamari sauce – 1 teaspoon
- Salt and Pepper – Salt and pepper to taste
- Smokes gouda – About 1 cup, grated
- Garnish:
- Spring onion (optional) – chopped spring onions for garnish
Instructions
- Put the spices in a large saucepan and heat them over medium-high.
- When the aroma from the spices wafts into the air, add the olive oil.
- Add the onions and toss them in the spices and olive oil. Gently shake the pan, or stir the onions with a wooden spoon, until the onions become browned, translucent and caramelized.
- Add the julienned carrot, celery and turnip to the pan, and saute for about five more minutes until they become tender. Add a splash of water to the julienned vegetables and stir again.
- Add the kale next and toss gently until it begins to wilt. Add another splash of water to help steam the greens.
- When the kale is full wilted and tossed with the vegetables, add the tamari sauce and enough salt and freshly ground pepper to your liking. Toss again and remove the pan from the heat.
- Transfer the vegetables to a serving dish and layer the smoked gouda on top with spring onions for garnish.
