kale & cannellini beans

Besides having my friend in town this past weekend, another highlight was taking an Italian cooking class taught by a friend of friend, a native Italian, Stefania. If you're ever in Tuscany, I highly recommend taking her class. She makes amazing, fresh and authentic dishes and combines flavors and ingredients I never would have dreamed up. I'll be sharing everything I learned here so get ready for some pretty amazing recipes. First up is a simple kale dish, full of flavor and nutrients and even vegan friendly!

Ingredients: 

One can of cannellini beans (drained), fresh kale, one large can of crushed tomatoes, 

three cloves of garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper

First, remove leafy part of the kale and throw away the stems. Roughly chop the kale. Then, in a medium pan, add olive oil and diced garlic. Once garlic is cooked, add the can of crushed tomatoes. Add the chopped kale and cover until wilted. Finally, add drained cannellini beans and set aside for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!

casa de luz

After a lot of anticipation, Casa de Luz finally opened in North Park. Located just blocks from my apartment, my friend Tim and I decided to go on a date one evening. The restaurant, which started in Austin, Texas [love] is all vegan and macrobiotic. Their menu changes three times per day to ensure the highest and freshest quality of ingredients and you can find it posted on their Facebook page. for an all natural, organic and vegan restaurant, the prices were very reasonable [about $15 a person for a salad and main course] and the atmosphere was laid back and enjoyable. The food was tasty and clearly fresh and healthy [though it was very apparent to my taste buds that I was eating vegan... which is neither a negative or a positive].

gorgeous interior

organic beer

salad bar

"sushi"

beets and other veggies

my most adorable date, tim

My advice? Whether you're into the organic, healthy eating movement or not, you should give this place a shot. The food is creative and delicious and at the very least, you'll have a filling and healthy meal at a reasonable price!

{plus, they compost all of the uneaten food!}

vegan schmegan

Since I totally cheated in my month of veganism with my pizza feast last night, I decided to create a new situation: to try to eat vegan... several times per week... a vegan-inspired lifestyle, if you will. I feel a little guilty for bailing, but, I tried and that counts for something... right? But I'm continuing on with vegan dinners with my friends and tonight, Tim made an absurdly incredible Asian feast and I had to share [recipes to come, I hope]!

tofu and veggie summer rolls

steamed rice and homemade peanut sauce

GREEN CURRY [!!!]

no really, i wanted to dunk my face in the whole thing.

{wonderful end to a stressful work day}