Romaine Apple Walnut Salad

This is my absolute favorite fall salad - on evenings when I'd much rather watch football than cook. And in apple season! The first time I had this was in California, ironically not in Fall - but in February visiting the husband in San Francisco (but then again, winter in california is really fall for michiganders, yes?). I'll list my version of the salad, with notes on the original salad I ate.

What you'll need for the salad:
1. Romaine hearts (chopped to 1" wide pieces approximately)
2. 1 Apple (crisp - like Braeburn, Pink Lady or Gala or Granny Smith) - cut into very very thin slices.
3. Walnuts
4. White cheddar (either crumbled or grated - Busch's or Whole Foods will have a really nice white cheddar block around Fall that is very very affordable!)
5. Dried cranberries (optional)


For the dressing:
1 tsp of olive oil
1 tsp of sherry vinegar/apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar (the original recipe used sherry vinegar, but it's too sweet for me, so I use red wine, and if I feel particularly apple-y, apple cider vinegar)
Brown sugar

1. Toast the walnuts and coat them with brown sugar (this takes about five minutes to do on the pan - be careful not to burn the sugar, I usually lose patience and turn away to find my sugar burnt).
2. Toss the romaine, apples and walnuts in dressing!

The original recipe had white cheddar (which adds the fun mild salt component) , red-wine poached apples and romaine - I tried the poached version once (and decided never to do that again).

Recipes for the epidermis

I am a big fan of sugar scrubs. My favorites so far are Sandalwood Rose and Green Tea. Here are their recipes and what they were inspired by. Best thing about sugar scrubs I think is how they can be modified based on what one has on hand.

Sandalwood Rose

3 years ago, Bath & Body Works stopped carrying one of my favorite products ever- their sandalwood & rose scrub. I was NOT gonna pay $65 for it on ebay so I just made it on my own. I find sandalwood oil to be too heavy for the face so I use this as a body scrub. Once a week or two weeks and your skin will thank you. Especially in winters.

Ingredients:

Brown Sugar- 1/2 cup

Sandalwood Oil- 2-3 Tablespoons (enough to give the scrub a pasty feel)

Rose water- 2 Tablespoon

Method: 

Mix the sugar, oil and rosewater and store in an airtight container.

You can replace the sandalwood oil and rose with anything else that appeals to you more. Lavender oil and lemon zest, Coconut oil and orange zest, whatever combination works for you.

Natural Home Facial

This is a great routine, especially for winter. I got spoiled during my time in India when I would go to the spa and get a cleansing or facial every month. I don't have the luxury to afford that here in the US. This home facial makes me feel a little less guilty about not taking enough care of my skin. The "method" of the facial is the usual steps- cleansing, scrubbing, toning and moisturizing. I don't steam my face after cleansing cos that doesn't work for my skin and causes breakouts.

Ingredients:

Cleansing- 

Any gentle face cleaner of your choice

Toner-

2 teaspoons cold rose water

Moisturizer-

2-3 drops almond oil

Green Tea Scrub- I saw this post, modified it and made a scrub that has replaced my favorite store bought face scrub (Lush's Herbalism).

1 sachet green tea with lemon

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons of white cane sugar

2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar ( I mixed white and brown sugar because I think the mix of the finer white sugar and the coarser brown sugar adds to the effectiveness of the scrub)

4 tablespoons of glycerin (I used glycerin instead of the honey because it is way more effective in my experience in rejuvenating skin, especially in winter)

Method to make the scrub:

1. Warm water in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds. The water should be warm enough to steep the green tea.

2. Open the sachet of green tea and pour the leaves into the water and let it steep for 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the sugars and glycerin and mix everything together. The scrub is ready to use. Mix well each time before using as the sugar tends to settle down.

4. The roughness of sugar can damage your facial skin if rubbed too hard. Using the pinky finger to massage the face works really well to avoid this.

Here are a few pictures of the finished product-

Citrus ginger pasta

Harvest Moon Restaurant in Charlotte was where we went for our anniversary this year - it was a farm to table restaurant, and the owner/chef had her own farm where she grew her vegetables and meat. Her version of this pasta had housemade pappardelle, which is just very broad fettucine. It absorbs a lot of sauce, so that's always a good thing! The pasta was topped with southern pickled helda beans and had no other vegetables in it. I tried to recreate a version that is way more suitable to my palate, with some heat and vegetables. Lots of vitamin D, and fiber for my rather gluten intolerant self!

What you'll need (for 1 serving):

1. Broccolini (1 bunch, substitute with broccoli florets if you can't find the tender variety)
2. Mushrooms (a few, four or five; I used baby bella today, the last time I used Inokis as an indulgence)
 3. Penne pasta or any ridged pasta of your choice (1/2 cup dry)
 4. Zest of 1 orange (~ 1.5 tsps)
5. Chilli flakes
 6. Grated ginger (~0.25 tsps)
 7. Lots of good quality olive oil (1.5 tbs)



 Here's what you need to do:

1. Boil the pasta in the salted water till it's soft (not al dente), and very well done - leave it in the pasta water till you finish everything else
2. Heat a pan, add olive oil till it's hot - add sliced mushrooms - add salt, pepper and some chilli flakes - cook the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes tossing it continuously so it's not browning, just so they're tender but keep their shape. Set aside.
3. Heat some more olive oil and add the broccolini (I always prefer butter to do this) - salt it lightly, and coat and toss for 2 minutes. You'll know your broccolini is done when it's brilliant green. Set aside with the cooked mushrooms.
4. Heat olive oil in the pan, add orange zest, grated ginger and chilli flakes - the pan will go crazy on you because of the water in the ginger and the zest, but you can turn the heat down as soon as you add them.
5. Drain and add the pasta and toss on medium heat, add the vegetables and toss till everything's coated well in the citrusy goodness. Salt.
6. I topped mine with feta this time, and it was awesome. Last time I used some dried thyme in the end, and didn't add a cheese.