Travel Journal: Israel

They say that it takes a few days to get acclimated back to "real life" and to absorb everything we saw/heard/felt/tasted/climbed/experienced on the trip. Well, its been 4 days and I can still barely piece together the various fragments that make up the whole ten days. One aspect that really stands out is the people I met. While I may not see many of these people I spent every waking moment with (which was a lot, we like, barely got to sleep) I realized that there are no boundaries for the kinds of relationships I will form in life. Friendships can form on various levels and connections can be made between even VERY seemingly different people. I now have doctor, lawyer and hedge-fund friends! That's nuts! The experience really brought clarity to my own sense of self and made me realize that our "outer identities" (our jobs, where we live etc. etc.) don't really make us who we are- we are such individualized beings and true relationships are built on a much deeper level. 

Ok, enough of the real talk and onto the food and pictures, this is a food blog after all!
All of the food throughout the trip was far beyond as delicious as I could have imagined. The meals were fresh, simple and mostly inherently vegetarian (as many places kept kosher). The vegetables were the freshest ever! I ate some of the best cucumbers and tomatoes I've ever had in my whole life because everything in the country is local and organic with no fancy labels or certifications needed, that's just the way it is! All of the "emergency snacks" I packed were not necessary although we did hike 80million miles a day in the sweltering heat and spend the rest of the time on a bus, so they were definitely put to good use. Two meals of note, probably because they were the only instances I went off from the group to eat, were in Jerusalem. 

The first place was called Village Green a vegetarian/ vegan take out place located in the center of Jaffa. It was a causal salad bar situation that charged by weight so you could mix and match food. The gluten free and vegan chocolate mouse cake still stands out to me. 

Our second day in Jerusalem they gave us some free time to wander around the market to get lunch. Initially, my friend and I ran to Village Green since it was so good, but sadly it is closed on Shabbat. We literally stumbled into this adorable little place, such a lucky accident!

The place was teeny tiny. There was some seating upstairs, but we opted for a table outdoor, literally on the street of the market place. Great people watching. 

We started off with some sage mint tea (new obsession) and this bottomless salad that we couldn't even finish between the two of us. It was super simple, but as I mentioned earlier all the vegetables were the freshest ever!

Then we ended the meal with some tomatoey brown rice with spiced lentil burger patties. For dessert, we bought an assortment of halva from one of the stands in the market. No words or pictures can suffice how freaking beautiful this country is, but I'll shut up now and give you some glimpses of what I saw...

Healthy Travels: Israel

This blog, Trail of Kale originally began as a platform to record my vegan eats while studying abroad in Ghana in the fall of 2010. You may be able to infer by the lack of posts from that time, internet was not the only thing that was sparse in that country. Grumbly stomachs aside, I learned a lot from my travels- how to prepare and how to improvise when you are completely unprepared in a foreign place. Although I've heard nothing but wonderful things about the food situation in Israel (i.e salad for breakfast!) I'm leaning towards over-preparation. Between long plane rides, hiking and generally eating in a group of 40+ people, in the worst case scenario I'll make a new friend over some dark chocolate?

L-R: 2 bars of dark chocolate (don't want to worry about hidden milk derivatives in a foreign language) various types of raw trail mixes for hikes, various food-based protein bars (Pure bars have a simple ingredient list and Macrobars are my new found on the go obsession! the coconut granola one tastes like candy!) Yogi Tea bags for morning and evening and some stomach ease thrown in there, nut butter packets and an sleepy eye mask because the best way to fight jet-lag is sleep. 

L'hitraot! (see you soon)

Yogi Lunch #3

Another wonderful weekend of yoga training! Here's what I ate:

Saturday: Leftover Tandoori cauliflower, coriander quinoa and some sauerkraut 

I really could eat that cauliflower everyday for the rest of my life and not get sick of it. 

Sunday: Ruby roasted veggies (onion, fennel, beets and sweet potato) coriander quinoa, sauerkraut, a gala apple and VERY dark chocolate

This mix of roasted veggies is quickly becoming a staple in my kitchen this winter. Both meals were wholesome, filling and really easy to make in big batches ahead of time.  

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Coriander Quinoa

I'm often asked "don't you get sick of eating vegetables all the time?!" Absolutely not! I am constantly discovering new ways to approach vegetables that I don't think I'll ever get sick of them. I've been on a roasted vegetable kick during these cold months and when I stumbled across this recipe for Whole Roasted Tandoori Cauliflower from my favorite blogging goddess, I knew I had to give it a try. On her post, Sarah goes into depth about the goodness of each spice. I created my own mix of similar spices, but it was nice to read about the benefits of each. Instead of yogurt, I used Coconut Kefir which allowed the spices to form into a thick marinade which coated the cauliflower. I let it sit overnight before roasting the whole thing. When it came out of the oven, I sliced it like a cake! 

 While I totally could have eaten the entire head of cauliflower and called it a day (or a dinner) I knew that I would want some whole grains to accompany it. Enter: coriander quinoa. In a pan, simply toast some coriander seeds (partially crushed either in a morder and pestle or with the back of a spoon). Add the quinoa to the pot and toast until it turns light brown. Add mung beans, any remaining spices (I used the leftover blend from the cauliflower) and water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat, add a pinch of salt, fluff with a fork, cover the pot and let it sit for 5 additional minutes. 

Every Day I'm Trufflling...

So, while reviewing my cart on the check-out line at Whole Foods, I picked up one of the few packaged items among the heaps of cruciferous and root veggies. It was one of may favorite treats, the 88% dark (not for amateurs!) chocolate bar by Endangered Species. It really is lovely bar/ company; all sustainably sourced ingredients, they donate 10% of net profits to wildlife preservation, not to mention (and most importantly) delicious. However, in my effort to save packaging/money/the world, I shifted my gaze to the bag of figs in my cart and remembered the huge bag of raw cacao powder in my fridge at home. And the rest is history...no, really, these truffles won't last very long!

Pink salt, coconut flakes, rose petals and love

Ingredients: (makes 14 truffles) 

1 cup almond meal (alternatively, put whole almonds in a food processor and pulse until it reaches a flour-like consistency. You can also use another kind of nut or seeds such as sunflower to make them nut-free)

2/3 cup dried fid

4 generous tablespoons raw cacao powder (I purchased a two-pack of Navitas Naturals and put one in the freezer and keep one in my fridge. It's a bit of an investment at first, but it will last...or not if I keep making truffles :)

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup water (preferably filtered)

I'm an addict. A coconut addict, that is!

Toppings:

The options are really endless as this almond/fig combo creates a very versatile base. Here are the two versions I made, by feel free to play around!

Version #1: Cinna-Sesame (sesame seeds, ground cinnamon, pinch of cayenne pepper, pinch of ground ginger)

Version #2: Salted-Coconut (dried coconut flake with course pink Himalayan sea salt mixed in) I also stuck a little dried rose petal on top, just to make them extra fancy

Other ideas: bee pollen, dried lavender or other herbs, goji berries, cacao nibs...

These taste as good as they look

Combine the almond meal, figs, cacao powder and vanilla extract in the base of a food processor.Process on high as you slowly stream the water into the running processor. It should form a sticky dough pretty quickly, but you may need to stop the machine and scrape down the sides. Using a measuring spoon, scoop out 1 TBS of the dough and roll it between your palms into a nice ball. Repeat until no dough remains. You should be able to make 14 truffles, though it will depend on the size of your balls (and also how much dough you use for each truffle. haha!) Get all your topping ingredients ready on a big plate. Have a small bowl of warm water handy to dip each truffle in before rolling the topping of choice to help it stick. I also found that coating my hands in coconut oil first prevented the dough from sticking, while simultaneously moisturizing my hands! These can be enjoyed immediately or stored in the freezer for later.