At the Table with Carol Pavlik
I'd like to introduce you to one of my favorite foodie friends, Carol Pavlik. My favorite thing about Carol is the way we can sit at the kitchen table and chew the fat for hours without missing a beat from the last time we connected. No matter the drama surrounding family life, our conversation always comes back to food. Carol is one of those fun people who accepts life's curve balls, looks up with a tilt of the head and a smile, and may utter "ooooh, that reminds me, have you ever tasted...?" at any time. Carol is a mother of four, a freelance writer whose work was featured regularly on Patch.com and in Chicago Parent. She also works part time at Elmhurst Public Library. This recipe came up on our latest chat at the kitchen table. I'm excited to try it!
Goodbye Polar Vortex, hello colorful carrot salad!
Hello Renata's Kitchen fans!
It’s been a long winter. The icy cold fingers of the past few months still have a hold on me. But I see daffodils popping up in our garden, and the sun is out, finally.
Just as spring was making her entrance, our family came down with the stomach flu and an awful chest cold. With four kids and two parents living together in close quarters, an illness making the rounds can last weeks! So we are still a bit worn out at our house. If you were to knock on my door today, I might offer you a hospital mask and say “Enter at your own risk”.
I’m tired of the sick food fare: the clear broth, plain noodles, endless glasses of juice, water, ginger ale, crackers. I need a little color in my life. It’s the perfect day to whip up something clean, fresh and healthy. Orange provides the energy of red and the happiness of yellow and gives me hope. So here is hoping that this dish brings us all back to life!
Carol’s “Bring Me Back to Life” Moroccan Carrot Salad
I love this kind of salad because there are so many ways to play with it.
You
take four basic ingredients: carrots,
raisins, chickpeas and lemon, and add what you like. It has a satisfying
crunch, and although it’s good on the first day, it’s even better on the second
day, when the flavors have soaked together. Keep a vat of this orange beauty
and watch family members play with it in their own way! Good on its own, as a
salad topping, inside a pita/wrap, or mixed into your favorite carb.In a large bowl combine:
1 lb of carrots, grated, sliced in rounds or julienned. (I grate in my food processor. It’s fast.)
1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 tsp. cumin (or more, according to taste)
1/2 tsp. paprika (or according to taste)
juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp. olive oil
sea salt
That’s it! Combine all these tasty ingredients and serve. Or chill and serve later.
Other possible add-ins/ons/unders:
-toasted cashews
-radishes
-cucumber
-scallions
-chunks of sweet red pepper
-feta cheese
-fresh cilantro, parsley, mint ... let your imagination run wild!
-rice
-quinoa
-barley
-cubed tofu
-a bed of lettuce to
lay on
-snuggled up in a
whole wheat tortilla
The main thing is you’re eating your veggies,
getting some protein from the chickpeas, and you’ve made yourself a bowl of
sunshine to grab (instead of junk food).
So eat away your sorrows! Spring
is here! The Winter of the Polar Vortex
is behind us. If we survived that, we can do anything!
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