A Hopeful Moment
A Sweet New Year + A Farro Tower Salad
Birthday flowers I picked upstate last week
Happy New Year to all who celebrate 🍎
I spent yesterday in Maplewood at my parents house having a dinner to welcome in the New Year. As the person who likes to cook in the family there is always a bit of pressure to make something delicious and I think it all came together nicely.
I made a Hazelnut Apple cake by
, a layered farro salad included below and a cauliflower dish by .The week after your birthday you’d think might be challenging after so much fun and attention but this past week was actually quite exciting. On the day of my birthday we were upstate and visited Bard College and picked flowers from a U pick farm near Rhinebeck.
On Thursday I was invited to attend a dinner hosted by Matriak Foods and WhatIf Foods celebrating sustainability in food and they served a delicious Ragu made with Fable and Friday I spent time working with a branding expert to help me get clear on the future of Illuminate - stay tuned for those changes.
This week, Apple came out with their latest sustainability report but instead of making a 100 page report that few people will read or understand, they put their own spin on it and made a cute and funny video starring Octavia Spencer as Mother Nature and the premise is that the Apple team has to prove to her they are on the right track toward sustainability.
I often have a skeptical eye when it comes to corporate sustainability commitments, but watching that video was the first time I caught a glimpse of the future where we can still make and trade things, but without extracting from the environment and dependent on non-renewable resources.
Here are some of the commitments that Apple has made I find impressive:
No more leather in watch bands or accessories
No more plastic in packaging by 2025
Commitment to using renewable energy in their own facilities and down the supply chain
A vow to cut carbon emissions by 75% from 2015 levels by 2030
A new tool in the Home app called “Grid Forecast” that alerts users when green power is available
Yes their commitments and progress are not perfect, but they are leaps and bounds ahead of most other companies.
I see some articles that are criticizing them for not doing enough, but based on my experience in industry- they are doing a lot and hopefully their actions will inspire others to do the same and move us toward this magical version of a world that isn’t dying but is flourishing.
Gems of the Week
💎 Fable launched at Beatnic! If you don’t know Beatnic, it’s a plant-based chain with 6 locations in NYC and 1 in Boston. If you are looking for whole-food options to-go, definitely check them out and if you want to try Fable, its in their Chili and Burrito
💎 Jack’s Quality Garbanzo Beans from Farm to People. Better quality than the canned stuff. I made Theo lunch for school with these beans, orzo, tomatoes and feta. (use code NJLOVESLOCAL)
💎 New York City is About to Screw up Congestion Pricing - As many of you might be reading this in NY/NJ, I know little about the proposed plans but this article presents the new policies as more as an effort to raise money through tolls to pay down debt than a climate-friendly policy to substitute public transportation for private cars - thoughts?
💎 A Day in the Life of a Fast Fashion Worker from Atmos
💎 FORM. I don’t often share about my exercise routines but I have been enjoying the workouts from Sami Clarke on this platform as they are low-impact and change each week.
Farro Tower Salad
Last night for Rosh Hashanah I made this salad to add to our spread of Apricot Chicken, Cauliflower with Pistachios and Dates, T’simmes, Lentil Soup and of course Apples Dipped in Honey for a Sweet New Year.
This salad is a keeper and this is how I made it;
INGREDIENTS
1 leek
mixed greens
radicchio
farro
fresh or dried figs (optional) could substitute for plums or apricots
DRESSING
1/4 cup olive oil
squirt honey
2 Tbsp mayo
1/2 lemon
DIRECTIONS
Slice your leek into half moons and saute in oil until it starts to brown (about 20 minutes which I keep an eye on as I arranged the rest of the salad)
Cook your Farro according to the directions on the package - we happened to have the 10 minute farro from Trader Joe’s
Find a large serving plate and assemble your greens, radicchio, farro after it’s cooled and then figs
Use a whisk to blend the dressing ingredients together and then add the caramelized leeks to the dressing
Drizzle right before serving
That salad looks absolutely delicious!