Roasted Sweet Potato Winter Salad

“Beauty is no quality in things themselves: It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them; and each mind perceives a different beauty.” -- David Hume

Personally, I like to find beauty in the hidden niches of nature. Preferably a snippet of creation which requires a macro lens to capture. 

I had been craving a sweet potato for days, as I reached into the potato/sweet potato bin I was happily surprised by this beautiful purple slip. She's currently sitting in an itty bitty cup, with a bit of water. I'm hoping she'll continue to grow and I can harvest some sweet potatoes of my own later this year!! The rest of this beauty was roasted to be added to my winter salad

Roasted Sweet Potatoes for Winter Salad:
Peel and dice 1-2 Sweet Potatoes and place them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Gently mixed the potatoes so they are evenly coated. Then add fresh cracked sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, finely diced garlic ( 4 cloves), smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar,and a pinch of dry thyme. Bake at 450F for 15 min then reduce the heat to 375 and bake for 15-30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are cooked and begin to crisp.

While the sweet potato was roasting I washed, chopped, and filled a bowl with Artisan Lettuce (including Petite Oak, Petite Gem, and Petite Tango). To this I added Spinach and Arugula. (Told you I'm incorporate green in my life...) This was all topped off with fresh avocado, and diced mini bell peppers to add color and contrast.

Dressing:  This one is really complicated, ready??
Seasoned Rice Vinegar + Kikkoman Sweet Soy glaze + Sea salt.

I dressed it very lightly, but thats a personal preference. I'd rather enjoy the different flavors of the greens without having it overpowered by dressing.

Lastly, top the dressed salad with the roasted sweet potatoes and shaved Manchego Cheese.

So good! I chose to serve it with toasted Rye bread and I ended up piling some of the salad ( sans potato) on the toast and eating it as a tartine.... I should have taken a picture.  Another day, another time :)

The Three-Bite Rule

 Deliberate Optimism, Conscious Nutrition, and Self Respect. 

These three concepts are what I will use to guide me in the year 2013 -- a year I'm choosing to dedicate it to consciously taking care of myself.

But, in order to make these realistic life changes, I know I need realistic guidelines. Logically, I know a plant-based diet is optimal and I've toyed with Veganism and Vegetarianism in the past, not really making it past the six-month mark. We all know the mental games that begin when we tell ourselves "you can't" and " that isn't allowed" -- the very item that is prohibited suddenly becomes an insatiable craving, torturing you as you attempt to "be good."

 So, I'm trying a new approach this year, a more flexible approach: Every week I will aim for 2 days of Veganism, 2 days of Vegetarianism, and 3 days of good old omnivore. I'm not setting specific corresponding days of the week, but I am keeping a food diary. I began this on January 14, 2012. I've documented one omnivore day and one vegetarian day -- so far, so good.

Regardless of what dietary restriction I'm choosing to follow on any given day I'm still consciously choosing to incorporate green in my diet daily and stay away from empty calories. More to come on this later. 

However, I am a female -- specifically of the variety that loves good quality chocolate. Have I mentioned how picky my palate is yet???

No, brownies are not nutritious (unless that feeling of satisfaction counts as something!). But, if I am going to indulge in brownies, they will be AMAZING and conducive to my Three-Bite Rule. The rule is as simple as it sounds, if I'm craving a non-nutritious food, I get to have three bites then step away. Where does this rule stem from? There is a theory that food tastes the best during the first three bites, every bite after that tastes blander and blander. Let's admit it, we eat certain foods( brownies) for the taste, not the vitamins and not as a balanced meal ;)

These, ladies and gentlemen, are the BEST brownies I've ever made/eaten. Cutting them into bite-sized portions means I get to have three and still be "reasonable" :)

The idea/inspiration/recipe came from the Smitten Kitchen, recipe found here. 

Every time I make them, I play around with the recipe a bit:

1) Use a variety of cocoa powders
2) Substituting brown sugar
3) Adding Coffee Liquor, Amaretto, Cognac

Oh! Almost forgot! These brownies freeze beautifully, just line a tupperware with parchment paper, separating the layers of brownies with parchment paper as well. Take them out a couple hours before eating and they are as fresh as they were the day you made them.