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Super Cleaning Spray

(based on Alice’s Wonder Spray)

Use for cleaning all kitchen surfaces, bathroom surfaces including sinks and tile, and as a toilet bowl cleaner, or add about 1/4 cup of mixture to a bucket of water for cleaning floors. For soap scum on bathtubs, shower walls and sinks, spray surfaces first and then sprinkle with baking soda. Let sit for 5 minutes, then scrub with a green or blue scrubbie to remove scum.

2 teaspoons borax (a natural laundry booster that you can find in the laundry section of the grocery store or Target)

1 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup mild dishsoap (I use Seventh Generation)

20 drops of your favorite essential oil (I like a combo of peppermint, sweet orange and geranium)

Add all ingredients to a 32 oz spray bottle (get an empty bottle from Home Depot or hardware store). Swirl gently to combine. Fill bottle with water slowly to top. Label bottle and use liberally wherever cleaning is needed.

I’m thrilled to announce the release of my second cookbook – nourish: spring – the second in a series of four seasonal e-cookbooks called nourish: cooking with love in four seasons available here through Amazon.

nourish: spring features recipes that are lighter for spring eating, all naturally gluten-free and nearly all of them dairy-free. The focus is very global, with many Asian and Indian inspired recipes. You’ll also find plenty of ideas for cooking from the farmers’ markets and out of a CSA share.

Enjoy this sample recipe from nourish: spring.

Kale Chop Salad

When I was first eating raw kale salads at either a raw restaurant or at home, I noticed there was a big difference between theirs and mine. Mine was scratchy and caught in my throat, while theirs was soft and chewy. The next time I made one, I put a little olive oil in there with the leaves and squeezed – and what do you know? Much better. This salad bowl is full of oh-so-good for you ingredients, plus a little sweet to balance the crucifers. Use this as a jumping off-point and change the ingredients as you like.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2 large salads

Gluten-free, Dairy-free

1/2 bunch curly, red, or dinosaur (lacinato or Italian) kale, chopped (about 4 cups)

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium carrot, shredded (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup shredded red cabbage

1 small apple, cored and diced

1 – 2 tablespoons black or golden raisins (optional)

2 tablespoons mixed raw seeds – pumpkin, sesame, or sunflower

2 tablespoons hemp or chia seeds

Put kale in a medium bowl, drizzle with olive oil and massage the leaves until they turn vivid green, soften and all of the leaves are glossy. Add the carrot, cabbage, apple, raisins and seeds to the bowl and toss to mix. Dress with Creamy Tahini-Miso Dressing or Avocado-Herb Dressing and serve immediately.

Meal planning tip: Chop enough kale for a couple of days and store in a large glass container until ready to use. Massage just before serving.

Creamy Tahini-Miso Dressing

Prep time: 8 minutes

Yield: about 1/3 cup

Gluten-free, Dairy-free

2 tablespoons raw or roasted tahini

2 tablespoons white miso

1 teaspoon grated unpeeled ginger (discard peel that separates during grating)

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1-2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2-4 tablespoons water

In a small bowl combine tahini, miso, ginger, garlic and salt to form a sticky paste. Gradually stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons water to thin to a creamy consistency. Add additional water if needed to thin, taste for salt and add more if necessary.

View of the lake from shore at Tofte Lake Center.

It’s day 5 of my 2012 Creative Space Retreat for women, held for 3 years now on the beautiful Tofte Lake outside of Ely, Minnesota. The location couldn’t be more perfect: an old fishing camp (Norm’s Fish Camp) turned into an artist’s retreat center on a quiet, Boundary Waters lake. Little cabins strung along the lake shore like little pearls, all fixed up with a woman’s thoughtful eye to comfort and coziness; secluded work spaces tucked in the trees or overlooking the quiet lake; kayaks and paddleboards sitting at the shore, ready to be used when the moment calls; loons, osprey and other critters calling to us or circling overhead. We come together for a casual morning yoga practice and meditation; we enter the day with an inspiring word, gather for breakfast and then go our separate ways to do our creative work or read, walk, swim, paddle or nap. Sometimes we call to one another to join in on an activity, and sometimes we go solo. Lunch is a drop-in affair – a kettle of hot soup ready on the stove to be eaten when hunger strikes, for example. Afternoons are similar to the mornings, and by dinner time the group gradually gathers in the kitchen to come together for an evening meal. We plan something special every evening, and tonight it will be a campfire sing-along led by one of the women playing her ukelele.

Throughout the day wonderful things are happening: paintings are being painted; songs can be heard drifting out of windows; words are being written or read and best of all, our inner spirits are being heeded as they call to be lifted away from daily city life and fall into the natural rhythms of the day.

We’re having a lovely time.  Wish you were here.

~ The ladies of Norm’s, 2012

There are so many ways to get access to some of the spectacular foods in season at the peak of summer, which is right now. Maybe you’re lucky enough to be able to walk into your garden and pick what you need for dinner. Maybe tonight’s the night you pick up your CSA share to bring home and unpack. Or maybe you’ll visit a local farmer’s market this week or weekend (see photo above).  Read more here….

A new post features some of my very favorite vendors and foods from the Saturday morning Mill City Farmers Market in downtown Minneapolis.

A new post features the best features of fresh local spinach – green, earthy and nutrient-packed.

This week’s blogpost is a mini primer on sunchokes – what they are, how to prepare them and why they’re worth checking out!