“Of course we taste better…”
Getting over someone sucks. It effin’ hurts. After you distract yourself with busy work, and put on all the “I’m okay” smiles to your friends, you still have to go home to an half-empty apartment, half-empty kitchen, and half-empty bed. Even on the rare occasions you have a drunken sleepover with some co-worker who likes you way more than you like them, it just makes you mad, because they don’t sleep in the bed the right way and their neck nuzzle is all wrong. You feel a little guilty, and a little like a jerk, and a lot like crying…in a grown-up way, of course.
AYINDÉ: After Ginger, I told myself I would never date an omnivore again. If they’re not vegan, no chance! But alas, no luck. That was when I really learned what I covered in the first few chapters—veganism is just one piece of the puzzle. I also want a woman who is smart, funny, quick-witted, subtly sexy, and feminine. It’s hard to find someone who is all of that, and vegan, and single, and free of major diseases, and interested in all-a-dis right here. So I did what other normal humans do: try and move on by having flings and hook-ups, not caring if they’re vegan as long as they’re down. Why? To ease the pain! Remember when I said it effin’ hurts? Well, it still does. No matter how bad the pain is, when you’re rebounding, try not to do the following things.
What not to do on the rebound
The Under-Over. The under-over, also known as the U/O, is the idea that you have to get UNDER someone new to get OVER the ex. There is no feeling for this person, and you screw like you don’t care. And you do this a couple times to get their essence all on you, and then you drop them cold. No feelings. It’s best done in a one night stand or drunken late night booty-call format. The under-over is a dirty, self-serving thing to do, you asshole. Do not do it, and if you do, it should only be used as a Hail Mary. If you’ve already tried everything your therapist told you, like all of it, then maybe the U/O is a last resort. If you have to do it, definitely avoid anyone who may potentially like you and want more. And don’t spend the night. If you start spending the night, you will get too comfy, your brain will release oxytocin, creating a love bond, and all of a sudden you’re dating someone you didn’t like in the first place, and you did it to yourself.
The Doppelbang. You’re out one night chatting up a hottie, and you realize this person looks and talks just like your ex! They even kind of smell like them! Your brain is sighing in relief. Back slowly away. And then run. If you are so hung up on your ex, just call ‘em up! Ask yourself, “Why am I about to ruin this person’s week, just because I like Libras, and I’m not over the last one?” It ain’t right! This is your mantra: “I don’t even really like you anyway!”
Okay, so now I told you two things not to do. I know what you’re saying. “But Ayindé, if I can’t have one-night stands and sleep with people who look just like my ex, what can I do?”
Well, I’ll tell you.
What you should do on the rebound
Learn how to cook! Cooking releases creative energy, and it will give you something to focus on. Without your ex, you now have all of this time on your hands, right? Why not use it to gain a skill set that will surely impress whomever comes along next? If you bought this book, you’re at least partially interested in becoming a better cook. Bonus: your friends will be more likely to listen to you complain about how the chick you met at Whole Foods smelled like a perfect wildflower, but silly you, you didn’t ask for her number, if they’re smiling and nodding with their mouths full of your great home cookin’—everybody’s happy. So be productive and creative. You always meet people when you’re elbows deep doing your thing. The perfect place to meet other vegans is in the grocery store. No meat in the basket means go for it!
Disconnect Online. It might seem like it’s not a big deal, but you can’t really break up with someone these days if you are constantly seeing them all over your timelines or mutual friends’ timelines. Ginger was never that into social media, but once we broke up, she not only unfriended me, but somehow orchestrated a total friends and family blackout. She took all her friends back, and, just like that, she was gone. Like gone, gone. After that last day in Fort Greene in Brooklyn. I don’t even know what her hair looks like these days. She was going natural, but I have no idea now. In the end, I think it was best to help get past the painful parts, but damn if that unfriended notice didn’t sting.
ZOË: After my split with Daniel and my social binge-fest, my body didn’t feel too good. I was sleeping less, which meant I was tired—too tired to make healthful eating decisions. French fries may be vegan, but they didn’t make me feel good once I licked my fingers free of ketchup and salt. Six months post-split, just as I was starting to think seriously about dating again, I realized my jeans didn’t fit anymore. I started focusing on healthier eating to get my body back into peak performance. As I did so, my sex drive had a bit of a reawakening.
Food and sex have long been correlated. Eating is sensual, after all. I remember during the first six months of dating, I was really into watching Daniel eat ice cream cones. D-d-d-dairy ice cream cones. What on earth could make a vegan girl want to watch someone eat a dairy ice cream cone? It was all in the tongue.
I’ve always been a bit of a voyeur, and watching my boyfriend tongue anything with that much interest was hot. But the feeling also came with a side of guilt. I don’t agree with eating dairy, so that felt sort of gross. Plus, since I was watching and not eating, I felt like an adult taking a child out for an ice-cream cone. This made me feel like a Humbert Humbert-style pervert, except my Lolita was not a fourteen-year-old girl, but a twenty-something man with an ice cream cone. Everyone likes a dirty girl. Right? Right!?! What I’m saying is, I had a lady boner. I sat there going, pretend it’s soy, pretend it’s soy, pretend it’s soy…
If the ice cream incident taught me anything, it’s that eating can be a sexual, sensual experience. But for two people who love to babble about food and sex, you may be surprised to learn that Ayindé and I don’t really believe in aphrodisiacs. Unless you count tequila.
While I don’t think any specific food is going to make you immediately want to take your clothes off, I do believe there are nutritional components found in certain foods that will make your body and organs perform better or worse—sex organs included. Not sure what I mean? When’s the last time you said, “That third helping of Chinese food really made me want to f*ck.” Yeah, that’s what I thought.
FOOD And SEX HAVE LOnG BEEn CORRELATED. EATInG IS SEnSUAL, AFTER ALL.
I really hate to generalize, but as a whole, vegans tend to be a healthier lot than the average American. Healthier individuals tend to have better-maintained bodily systems than their not-so-healthy counterparts, and what is your libido if not a finely tuned bodily system? Of course, “vegan” is not synonymous with “healthy,” but if you’re eating a plant-based diet rich in whole grains, legumes, and veggies, and limiting processed foods and artificial fillers, then you’re most likely having better sex than those whose bodies are weighed down by animal products. Let’s talk about why.
Those following a vegan diet tend to have…
More energy. An increase in energy is usually one of the first things people notice when they go vegan. Veganism is like crack. Healthy, inexpensive crack, without that jittery, tweaked-out feeling or the disapproving family members. I have no idea what I am talking about here; I’ve never done crack, I just watch a lot of movies. But really, you go vegan, and you feel energized. This is because those of us on plant-based, whole-foods diets are eating foods that are easier to digest, allowing us to have more energy to dedicate to other activities. Like boning.
Boosted libidos. “Libido” is just a fun label for your overall sex drive. Because we’re an instant-gratification culture, most of us falsely believe that aphrodisiacs make you want to have sex directly after eating them. The actual definition of an aphrodisiac is a food that increases your sexual desire. It’s not instantaneous, folks. Like most dietary changes, you have to keep at it to see results. I haven’t yet found a food that, upon eating, made me want to have sex. However, I have found that certain foods make me feel better, and by better, I mean, like having more sex.
Scientific research has revealed that certain foods cause a chemical reaction in the human body that can amp up our libido. Luckily for all of us grass eaters, the majority of the foods that keep your body in peak sexual condition are plant-based. We run down tons of libidinous plant-based foods later in the chapter so you can be sure to stock your arsenal with bonerific eats. In addition to our list, a good rule of thumb is to look for foods with lots of zinc and vitamin B, which supposedly elevate testosterone levels and increase desire for both genders.
Improved taste and smell. What you eat directly affects the way you taste and smell. Meat and dairy are acidic and hard for your body to digest, and this can create an acrid scent and flavor on your person. Your, ahem, entire person. Need proof? Think about what happens twenty minutes after you eat asparagus. Yep, I went there.
We worked up the gall to ask many of our friends to give us the tasty details about their past lovers, and they all had stories about the difference in flavor and scent between vegans and omnis. If that research isn’t scientific enough for ya, then chew on this: a 2006 study published in the journal Chemical Senses found body odor when on a plant-based diet was significantly more attractive and “less intense” than on an omnivorous diet.
I’m not sure what “less intense” means, but I can only imagine it means less offensive. The study directly noted that red meat consumption has a negative impact on perceived body odor. Unfortunately, the study didn’t have a taste-testing component, and we found it hard to secure a grant for that kind of research. Seriously, we asked. (No, we didn’t.) However, since our sense of taste and smell are directly correlated, well, the findings would most likely have crossed over. Mind you, it’s not just animal products that affect your flavor. Those who eat diets heavy in pungent foods like onion, garlic, chives, and leeks often have more acrid-tasting sexbits and ejaculate, as well as sharper body odor overall.
Increased natural lubrications. Many plant-based foods (see our list below for specifics) naturally increase lubrication in women. These include water-rich foods that hydrate you, as well as munchies that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help improve the overall health of skin and mucus membranes (ew, sorry, I know).
Increased blood flow. A vegan diet helps clear the plaque off your arterial walls, allowing blood to flow directly to the places it matters. Men, this means achieving and sustaining an erection will be easier. Women, this means you will find yourself stimulated faster. So the next time you have a triple round of O’s, you can roll over and say “Thank you, soluble fiber!”
Did you know that diet heavy in animal products is typically also heavy in synthetic hormones? This can lead to a reduction in sperm count! If you want healthy swimmers, go organic and plant-based. (Note: I am not suggesting a meaty diet as a form of birth control. Whew, that would be an awfully ridiculous lawsuit.)
Lower levels of stress. According to a 2012 study published in the Nutrition Journal, meat-free folks tend to be happier and less stressed than those who munch on mammals. Happier people tend to be having more sex overall. Also, polyphenols (compounds found in plant-based foods) can positively affect brain cognition, making you happier and calmer. In a nearly 10-year survey published in the Nutritional Neuroscience journal in 2012, researchers found that greater fruit and vegetable intake correlated with lower odds of mood disorders like depression and chronic anxiety. I don’t want to speak for everybody here, but heightened anxiety doesn’t usually lead to heightened orgasms…if that were the case, more of us would be having sex right before standardized tests and doctor visits. Now there’s a waiting room I would like to be in…
Boosted confidence. There isn’t any scientific evidence proving that a vegan diet enhances sexual attractiveness, since that’s all in the eye of the beholder. However, the better care we take of our bodies, the better we tend to look and feel, and the more time we want to spend naked.
Are you having sex with animals?
Even seasoned vegans often forget to check their personal products for animal ingredients before sexpressing themselves; you don’t want to be unknowingly slathering your bits and pieces with animals, do you? (Now there’s an image I bet you didn’t want.)
If you (or your partner) like it veggie-style, then this is for you. Here is a breakdown of exactly what is in those condoms and lubes that keep them from being vegan. We’ll also let you know where you can find alternatives and give you a list of our favorite Lusty Vegan-approved products that are not only good for animals and your holiest of holies, but for the planet, too! Let’s put the passion in compassion, people!
Here are some reasons your sexy stuff may not be vegan:
Latex: Latex is the sap of the rubber tree. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately not. The latex found in most condoms and some sex toys is often manufactured with casein, a milk protein. However, cruelty-free companies have been researching alternatives for years now, and have come up with a process of replacing casein with a vegetable extract from the thistle family. Thank goodness!
Lambskin condoms: Do I even need to explain here? Fine. Lambskin condoms were thought up as an alternative for those who are allergic to latex. Lambskin condoms are made from a thin layer of sheep cecum—a part of the intestine. Yum.
Oral contraceptives: This is controversial for many lady vegans who don’t want to contribute to animal testing, but also don’t want to get pregnant. Or maybe they have a health condition that is treated by oral contraceptives. Unfortunately, as of 2014, no oral birth control is vegan. As required by the FDA, they are all tested on animals. Plus, many of the pills include lactose, a milk by-product. There is an environmental issue here too. Hormonal birth control contains synthetic estrogen and progesterone, which have been shown to have an effect on aquatic animals when they are excreted into our water system. Gross, right? Just another thing to think about.
Animal testing: Just because your fave product doesn’t contain animal products (woo!), that doesn’t mean it’s cruelty-free (boo). For instance, Trojan claims their condoms are free of animal byproducts, but their manufacturers, Church & Dwight, test on animals.
Lubricants: Many personal lubes contain animal ingredients, from honey to the dairy-derived enzyme lactoperoxidase. (Say that five times fast.)
As consumers smarten up to what’s going in and on their goods, more and more conscious companies are surfacing, and that’s fantastic. Some of our favorites are Sliquid, Glyde, Sir Richard’s, Good Clean Love, and RFSU.
Hayley Marie Norman, actress, model, activist
“Veganism has impacted my romantic relationships in both a positive and negative way. Negative in the sense that it seems a lot of people tend to get intimidated when they hear that I’m vegan. They automatically assume that vegans are holier-than-thou health nuts with no vices who have no fun and take pleasure in making the other party feel guilty about their food choices. I have to say, this is probably in some ways a positive as well, because if someone is going to be intimidated by something like veganism, then they aren’t strong enough to handle me anyway, and it was never going to work. One positive impact veganism has had on dating is that it’s become a much quicker way for me to suss someone out or get a more accurate sense of their worldview. If someone scoffs at veganism or my love for the environment or animals, I know immediately that this is an individual that is most likely not capable of seeing a bigger worldview picture outside of themselves. As corny as that sounds, I know I need to be with someone who wants to leave this world a better place than they found it, and is willing to sacrifice a few creature comforts here and there for someone or something else.”
What are some of these foods that will prime your organs for optimum O’s? Let’s run down the list of a few of our feel-good faves and what they do to our bodies to keep us nice and juicy.
• The Aztecs named the avocado tree the “testicle tree,” most likely due to the fact that they grow in pairs. The heart-healthy fats in these creamy fruits keep your blood flowing to all of the right places. Plus, the monounsaturated fats can ward of heart disease, and men with heart disease are twice as likely to suffer from E.D. (yes, that dysfunction). Yikes!
• Blueberries have been said to be one of the best foods for guys suffering from E.D., because they have lots of soluble fiber, which can help clear arteries. They also can relax your uppity blood vessels and improve circulation. All of these things can lead to boners abound. How’s that for word-foreplay?
• As if you needed another reason to eat chocolate, cocoa is packed with antioxidants, which will keep you healthy all over. But it also contains phenylethylamine, which stimulates a sense of excitement and boosts your mood. If you’re opting for chocolate over raw cocoa, remember that the darker the better, as it will have less sugar and higher cocoa ratios.
• Kale, spinach, collards, and so on are blood-purifying foods that enhance circulation and can speed up stimulation. More greens, please!
• Spicy foods can speed up your metabolism and increase blood flow. And you know what I mean when I say blood flow.
• I know soy gets a bad name, but it’s actually full of phytoestrogens that keep those girly parts well-lubricated. And we all like our girly parts well-lubricated. Take that!
• All hail beta carotene! The vibrant orange of sweet potatoes is a vitamin A precursor giveaway, and vitamin A is an important generator for sex hormone production. Ladies, it also keeps the vaginal and uterine walls healthy. Carrots can do this, too, but sweet potatoes taste better with ketchup.
Okay, now that we’ve covered the do’s and don’ts and you’ve restocked your sex cabinet, you’re ready to get back in the game. But first, let’s get back in the kitchen. Remember the best way to meet people is through friends, so call up some homies and let them know that you’re single and you can cook.
Eating is sensual, after all
Pan-Seared Asparagus with Caramelized Ginger
Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Medjool Dates
Polenta Cakes with Chili-Garlic Sauce
“Vegans taste better—this I know for sure. As in, down there. Yeah, that’s right. You taste better when you don’t eat animals or their secretions. This is a scientific factoid that most vegans are clued into.” –
Pan-Seared Asparagus with Caramelized Ginger
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 7 minutes | Serves: 2 | GF, SF
I was afraid to eat asparagus when I was kid, mainly because I didn’t know how to prepare it. As an adult and professional chef, I played around with it amd I realized that asparagus is great solo, but even better when highlighted with accents of spicy ginger. The simple seasoning really brings this dish to life.
2 tablespoons grapeseed or safflower oil
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and sliced into 2-inch strips
1 pound asparagus, woody stems removed
½ teaspoon coarse sea salt or smoked salt
Ground white pepper
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and reduce the heat to medium-low until the ginger is caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the ginger from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Add the asparagus to the hot pan and cook until golden on all sides. Sprinkle the asparagus with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, and serve topped with the caramelized ginger.
Pro-tip: The smoked sea salt and white pepper give it a unique flavor, but if you don’t feel like making a trip to the store, use what you have on hand. Be fancy some other time!
Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Medjool Dates
Prep time: 8 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes | Serves 4 to 6 | GF, SF
India.Arie is a big fan of Brussels sprouts, and I am a big fan of matching flavors. The natural bitterness of the sprouts really pops when matched with the sweet creamy consistency of dates and the sharp spiciness of garlic. The complex combination makes this dish satisfying on a lot of levels. It’s a great addition to any meal as a side, and for Brussels sprouts lovers, it’s a whole meal.
1 (10-ounce) package shaved Brussels sprouts (see Pro-tip)
2 cups pitted dates, torn into quarters
3 tablespoons grapeseed or safflower oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish combine the Brussels sprouts and dates with the oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to make sure all the pieces of dates and Brussels sprouts are covered evenly. Sprinkle the garlic on top.
2. Roast for 20 minutes or until the garlic has caramelized and the dates and Brussels sprouts have browned on top.
Pro-tip: If you cannot find shaved Brussels sprouts, take the Brussels sprout and cut from top to bottom; lay flat and then slice thin shreds as if it were an onion.
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes | Serves 2 | GF, SF
My client India.Arie’s favorite green was kale, so after a year on tour, I have a pretty big kale dish list. Personally, I cannot get raw kale out of my teeth, which is annoying. Luckily, this salad is easy on the chompers and very flavorful. Enjoy!
2 tablespoons grapeseed or safflower oil
4 whole cloves garlic
4 cups kale, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon coarse salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon hemp hearts
Lemon wedges, to serve
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and sauté until brown on both sides, about 1 minute.
2. Add the kale, mixing from the bottom, and incorporating all of it into the hot oil. Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cover and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, garnish with hemp hearts, and serve with wedge of lemon.
Pro-Tip: You can easily add some oyster mushrooms to this recipe and make it a great complete meal. To do so, just toss them in with the garlic and sauté away!
WTF are hemp hearts? Hemp hearts are shelled hemp seeds. They are a superfood full of protein and essential fatty acids, good for the brain, skin, and—you guessed it—sex drive. Their nutty flavor makes them a tasty addition to most dishes, so if you buy a bag for this recipe, trust that you will be sprinkling them onto many other things, too.
Polenta Cakes with Chili-Garlic Sauce
Prep time: 8 minutes | Cook time: 10 minutes | Serves 2 | GF, SF
I love the texture of corn polenta. While creating a restaurant menu, I came up with a quinoa cake similar to this. However, I later swapped in polenta, because I find the grain to be heartier in this dish. The addition of chili-garnic sauce is guaranteed to get the blood circulating to all the right parts. Enjoy!
2 tablespoons grapeseed or safflower oil, divided
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 ½ cup water
½ cup dry corn polenta
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
Chili-garlic sauce, to serve
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for approximately 4 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent.
2. Add the rosemary, basil, garlic powder, cayenne, and red pepper flakes and sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
3. Heat the water in a medium saucepan until boiling. Add the polenta and salt, whisking to incorporate and smooth out lumps. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes. The polenta will start to thicken. Add the almond milk and mix well with a whisk. Remove from heat once the mixture has thickened. Fold the sautéed veggies into the polenta and mix until well combined.
4. Pour the mixture into a lightly oiled 8-inch square baking dish and refrigerate until firm, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Once the polenta has cooled and firmed, cut the polenta into triangles and flash-grill it in a hot skillet with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook until lightly browned on both sides, approximately 3 minutes. Serve with chili-garlic sauce.
North African Lentil Stew with Roasted Yams
Prep time: 8 minutes | Cook time: 35 to 40 minutes | Serves 2 | GF, SF
This hearty recipe was created with both male and female reproductive systems in mind. Lentils are good for men’s reproductive health, and sweet potatoes for women’s reproductive systems. Here, I combined them both with North African flavors, adding peanuts for a protein boost and a topping of fresh cilantro to round it all out.
1 medium yam or sweet potato
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grapeseed or safflower oil, divided
2 cups water
¾ cup uncooked French lentils
1 leek, white and light green parts only, cut into wheels
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ cup diced bell pepper
½ cup roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
½ teaspoon habanero or ghost pepper, minced and seeded (optional; see Note)
1 cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the yam in half lengthwise. Place the yam halves in a baking dish, cut-side up, and brush each half with ½ teaspoon of oil. Bake until fork tender and golden brown around edges, approximately 30 minutes.
2. While the yam is are baking, bring 2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the lentils and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the lentils until tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
3. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil until hot and shimmering. Add the leeks, onion, and bell pepper, and sauté until the onion becomes translucent, to 5 minutes.
4. Add the peanuts, ginger, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and habanero (if using), stirring well. Sauté for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the cooked lentils and almond milk and mix well. Reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Serve the lentil mixture hot over the yams. Garnish with cilantro.
Note: If you use these chile peppers, cut them with plastic gloves on and know that they are hot as shit. The ghost pepper is also called the king cobra of peppers, so let that inform you.
Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 18 minutes | Serves 1 to 2 | GF, SFO
Every vegan must have a great kale chip recipe, and I haven’t left you hanging. If you love kale chips and heat, these guys are guaranteed to satisfy. This is an oven recipe, but if you own a dehydrator, you can set it to 110°F and dehydrate overnight. Omit the vegan Parmesan from the seasoning mix to make these treats completely raw. This seasoning blend is also fantastic on popcorn! Use a soy-free vegan Parmesan to make this soy-free.
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons vegan Parmesan
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ cups packed kale leaves, stems removed (about 5 ounces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, combine the nutritional yeast, parmesan, smoked paprika, basil, turmeric, and cayenne. Mix well.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the kale in the olive oil. Add 3 tablespoons of seasoning mixture and toss until all the kale is evenly covered in oil and seasoning.
3. Spread the kale onto a baking sheet and bake until crispy, mixing and turning about half way through to prevent burning, 15 to 18 minutes. If your oven has hot spots, you can turn the entire tray once to prevent burning.
Pro-tip: Be sure not to leave any of the stems in the kale leaves, or you will burn your chips waiting for the stems to cook.
Arugula and Barley Pomegranate Salad
Prep time: 5 minutes | Serves: 2 to 4 | GF, SF
Just like asparagus, arugula is also a veggie that lies off the beaten path. Its subtle spice makes you either love it or put it down forever the first time you try it. This salad was used in another of my pop-ups, Gourmand in Brooklyn. The combination of the spicy arugula and tart pomegranate really pops, but you may have to chase your pom seeds around the plate. That’s just part of the experience.
DRESSING
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chickpea miso paste
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons dried basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
SALAD
1 (5-ounce) bag baby arugula
½ cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup shredded red cabbage
1. Dressing: Combine all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and use a fork or whisk to blend until smooth.
2. Salad: In a bowl, combine the arugula, pomegranate seeds, and cabbage. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Serve immediately.
