Friday Favorites with Living Antenna

I met Barbara in the winter of 2005 at our dorm in London when we were both studying abroad. She was studying fashion, I was studying design. We instantly clicked. Fast forward 7 years later, we email regularly and visit each other when we can, even though we live on separate continents (B lives in Amsterdam). Barbara's the most curious person I've ever met, always wanting to learn something new, and up for anything. We share a passion for food and design, and could (and have) talked for hours about it. Her blog, Living Antenna,  is a culmination of current trends in food, design, and sustainability. She was recently nominated for a TWOTY (Trend Watcher of the Year) award for upcoming talent. You might want to pour a cup of coffee, and curl up with Living Antenna, like you would a good book.

Barbara, what's your favorite food?

Barbara: Here's my fave food—actually any grain or couscous, mixed with lots of greens, herbs and some sort of nuts. If I could, I'd eat it everyday. But I guess the most important part of any of those dishes are herbs, I just love to mix dill with basil, use cilantro along parsil, use chervil and chives when I can.. That's why Etti's herb salad by Yotam Ottolenghi is my fave dish to serve to friends. It makes them realize that herbs are not only seasoning when dried and blended in a little jar, but rather the heart of your meal, from which you subsequently pick your veggies, and then either the proteins or carbs to top it off. 

We're off to the beach with friends for the long weekend. There won't be a post on Monday, so check back early next week. Have a great holiday!

Plenty of inspiration

Hope the holidays treated you well. I know they did for us. Now I'm trying to get back into somewhat of a routine after a long weekend offline. I've been cleaning the apartment, working a bit, running, and visiting with friends that are still in town. Since I had my fair share of heavier holiday foods, I've been eating a lot of fruit (see above) and vegetable salads this week. And this new cookbook gave me plenty of inspiration.

I received this awesome vegetarian cookbook, Plenty, for Christmas. These guys aren't vegetarians, but they know how to make delicious and beautiful vegetable dishes. I mean read this excerpt about their philosophy from their website: So in order to drag you into our world, we make a conscientious effort to renew and re-craft, to astound in looks and flavours, to open-handedly present our creations in a seductive manner, to serve it impeccably and with integrity. 

Wow, right? I read through the entire cookbook and wanted to fold down every corner of each page. Their flavor combinations are exquisite and their dishes are inspirational. Yotam Ottolenghi also writes a weekly column in the Guardian. The next time I get to London, I'll definitely include a visit to their restaurants.

I made their recipe for sweet winter slaw this week. Aren't those colors beautiful? The lime juice-maple syrup dressing gives the salad it's sweetness, and the cabbage and nuts give it texture. Instead of mangos and papayas, I used oranges. I love citrus flavors in the winter.

What are you munching on post-holidays? Are you ready for the New Year? I'll be celebrating with close friends and toasting to our health and happiness for 2012. Have a happy new year and I'll see you in 2012!