Eat Like a Rock Star!

Caution: this post features the word "bunghole."

Food should be a party for your body, from your piehole to your bunghole. If there's a fight goin' on in your gut, chances are you messed with the guest list.

Today's Lunch
Warm Steamed Beet Greens with Chickpeas
Roasted Fennel Bulb
Roasted Garlic and Fresh Local Chevre (goat cheese)
Raw Beet Salad with Grated Ginger and Fennel Greens

How It All Comes Together

Roasted Fennel Root and Fresh Garlic: Grown by Poplin Farms garden deva Jill Klosterman, these veggies took the most time to prepare (40 minutes). But I have leftovers of both, and will use them in another recipe - money in the bank, ya'll. I preheated the oven to 375 degrees, trimmed the fennel and garlic (take a look at the photo for a visual), drizzled a tad of olive oil on both, sprinkled sea salt, ground pepper, and fresh dill over the lot, then baked covered for about 30 minutes, and uncovered for about 10. For a bit less crispness, add a tablespoon of water or broth to your dish while baking - not necessary, but makes for a more tender finish.

Fresh Local Chevre: Check your local farmer's market for the real deal, or buy at the grocery store if you must. All I did was put a heaping teaspoonful on the plate, add Jill's fresh roasted garlic on top, and garnish it with basil from my garden.

Chickpeas AKA Garbanzo Beans: I cooked a pot of high protein, high fiber chickpeas over the weekend for a batch of hummus. A cup or two were left over, and I've been nibbling on them all week in salads. Today I simply grabbed what was left from of the fridge and mixed them with a liberal amount of fresh lemon juice, a dash of sea salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, then added them to the warm beet greens.

Beet Greens: My garden beet patch has matured. I walked out the door, dug them up, washed them off, chopped the greens, cooked them just right (see March 2010 post, "How to Cook Greens"), and added a few drops of olive oil; see, adding a tiny bit of oil to your freshly cooked greens helps your body assimilate the nutrients. Then I added the marinated chickpeas, and all that simple seasoning seeped through to the greens.

Beets: Again, easy; washed, trimmed, and grated 4 medium beets, placed them in a bowl, and added about a tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, a large pinch of sea salt, a teaspoon or more of freshly grated ginger (I didn't measure), and a handful of chopped fennel greens. If you're a beet fan, these will make you swoon.
Rule of thumb for olive oil, sea salt, vinegar, and citrus juice: I use these four ingredients in most of my fresh dishes. Go gently and sparingly, but use them to season every layer of your food for balance, assimilation, and flavor. Alternate the balsamic and apple cider vinegars with lemon or lime juice, or combine them. Be bold! Experiment to discover your preference. You never know what surprises the house band might be cooking up during the break.