Our first week into December and there is much to be celebrated: a pleasantly warm week, a growing collection of next season seed catalogs, and holiday mode in all respects. I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t feed into the celebratory vibrations ten-fold. Although I say this of all seasons, I thrive this time of year. I am magnetized to the feeling that accompanies the end of the year. Long dog walks in the snow, jubilant bird-watching in the park, and toasty ovens and stoves. Festive dealings, darkness illuminations, rosy cheeks, and all-encompassing warmth. I love the coat of late autumn and early winter.
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I am visiting quietly this early part of the week as there is much to prepare. One of my favorite things to do is to share my head in this space. I find comfort here, and often I am able to iron out any creases or furrows in my brow once I write it out. Creation is bliss. Consciousness is our greatest gift. The combination of both allows for the deepest and purest breath. I am grateful to thrive within this piece of the world.
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One thing I would like to do today is give you the voice. It’s so beautiful to have you share this space with me, through the hot and the cold. I was recently acquainted with the lovely guys over at Mustard and Co – Bryan and Justin are doing amazing things by crafting small batch organic mustard in flavors completely delectable to the tongue. While this new-found connection is not in particular conjunction with today’s recipe, I think there’s no better time than now to stoke these amazing guys out for what they do. Their mustard is divine and that opinion is incredibly organic, of Danielle nature. In celebratory fashion I am giving away one of their mustard sets for free – I want to share this delicious nirvana with you, as well my gratitude. In the comments below just tell me what your favorite thing to do/cook/make with mustard is, and include a current e-mail address – I will pick a winner next Monday and notify you by e-mail! I wish you all the warmth and happiness, or even shorts and shades. xo
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Giveaway open to US and Canada. A winner will be picked on December 14th, 2015.
Giveaway now closed!
- 1 tbl caraway seed
- 1 lb / 2 small bunches carrots, tops removed
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- 2 cups pearled couscous
- 2 1 / 2 cups water / vegetable stock
- 2 tbl stoneground mustard
- 1 lb sunchokes
- 1 tsp grapeseed oil
- 1 bunch watercress, chopped
- 1 bunch parsley (or to taste), chopped
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 / 4 cup sunflower seeds
- preheat oven to 400 degrees. heat caraway seed in a small saute pan on low and toast until fragrant, 1-2 minutes. oil the carrots, sprinkle on the caraway seed, and roast in oven for 25 minutes on a large sheet pan.
- place couscous in a small saucepan on stove and heat over medium-high heat until toasted. add water (or stock) and bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 8-10 minutes until tender and water has been absorbed. add mustard and stir to combine.
- to prepare sunchokes: scrub in sink to release as much dirt as possible, but do not remove skins. steam on stove-top in a small pan for 5-7 minutes, just enough time to soften fibers, but not cook. heat oil in a small pan and saute sunchokes over medium-high heat to brown, 5-7 minutes.
- toss sunchokes with couscous, watercress, parsley, lemon, and sunflower seeds. serve salad atop roasted carrots.
I love adding mustard to my salads and soups gives them a little kick.
Hello Lynn! I just adore the kick that mustard gives everything. A great addition to both soup and salad. Happy weekend to you!
Beautiful food. Oh how I envy your vegetable garden. Merry Christmas x
Emma, thank you so sweetly! The garden is most definitely a gift that continues to give. ♥
Love this dish Danielle! Now I know what to do with those sunchokes!
Vy thank you so much sweet lady! It’s killer to see you on this side of things. I hope you do the sunchokes sometime soon, they are so very lovely! ♥
danielle, these photos are beyond gorgeous. i still have never had a sunchoke, but between your recipes and emilie’s over at the clever carrot, i’m feeling like it’s really time to change that!
i will tell you my most favorite thing to do with mustard — it’s an easy one and a special thing: i like to lick it right off my finger, straight from the jar (no double dips!). it’s such a zesty bite of divinity when i’m craving something salty but it’s too late for a snack. it’s immersive as an experience, and quite literally couldn’t be any easier. it’s silly and i love it.
Jaime, thank you so kindly! Sunchokes are quite the mystical creature. I definitely think completely underrated, perhaps partially due to their knobby and dirty appearance – but nothing a little love can’t feed into. happy weekend! ♥
I had to drop by to get a closer look at your gorgeous roasted carrots Danielle… I love how you’ve dressed them and enjoyed reading about how you delight in late autumn – early winter. I have to say one of the things I appreciate about Northern California is that it does get quite cold here this time of year (surprisingly to some, close to the freezing mark at night) – the evenings and early mornings are also very fresh which I relish. Perfect dog walking weather
I was not expecting the giveaway but since you ask the question, my favorite way to enjoy mustard is on baked salmon with a drizzle of honey and tarragon.
Thank you so for your comment Kelly, it means so much to me. Roasted carrots are so damn good! I have the utmost love and respect for Northern California – and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss those perfect crisp mountain mornings. ♥
I brush mustard on the bottom of pie shell when I make a quiche – it’s fantastic
Karen, that sounds so incredibly delicious! I’ve never tried that preparation! Happy weekend to you.
Sunchokes are so earthy and delicious – I can’t believe I haven’t had any yet so far this season! I’m so with you on how writing, creating, and photographing in a creative space irons out the creases in my life. It’s great to have a creative space, where you can grow and shift and change. I have already ordered some spring seed catalogs, but I am trying my best to simply soak up the beauty around me right now in this dark season. I’ll miss it, come spring. As far as mustard goes, I use it ALL the time in vinaigrettes and marinades. My favorite kinds have white wine or white wine vinegar in them – I love the ZEST! XO and happy second week of December to you, Danielle!
Oh Jayme, I share the affection for sunchokes ten-fold! I start to crave them when I haven’t had them for awhile.
And there is most definitely a fine line of relishing the current season while planning for the next – I am finding this punctuated quite boldly by the blogging world (while trying to avoid all the insanity) – this very point allowed me to blog about tomatoes in october (amongst a sea of pumpkins) – as we still had them growing happily. I share your love for each season, in true form (and most definitely the love for zest!) – happy december to you sweet lady! ♥ ♥
Such a versatile, distinctly flavorful condiment. Hard to beat mustard.
Abbie, I adore mustard as well!
I love roasting pork tenderloin smothered in mustard.