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"cooking is like love. it should be entered into with abandon or not at all." - harriet van horne
alexander - a million years (listen here)
first aid kit - when i grow i up (listen)
shuggie otis - strawberry letter 23 (listen)
sam cooke - sugar dumpling (listen)
i like you better - frazey ford (listen)
madeline, karl blau & your break - i waited all day (listen)
folks, i apologize. this trail mix is not cute. it does not bear multi-colored, candy-coated bits of chocolate. it is not tied up in a gossamer bag with a fancy ribbon. i am almost embarrassed to post this picture, but you should know what you are getting into from the start. i assure you, this is no ordinary trail mix. heaped into your most massive tupperware, perched on your lap for a coastal road trip, it will make a trail mix fiend out of you. other drivers will stare in disbelief as you tear through it like a wolverine. not that i would know or anything.
i've named this trail mix the thunder & lightning track club trail mix in homage to the relay team i joined for the big sur marathon at the beginning of the month. i think my entire relay leg was fueled by three days of pretty much solely eating this trail mix and pixie tangerines from a bottomless box picked up on a route 123 detour (be still, my citrus loving heart). what makes this trail mix so special are the coconut chips. i roast them with a bit of maple syrup and olive oil until they become a sort of coconut toffee. you can also toss your chocolate chunks in with the still-warm nuts. your trail mix will be even less cute, but redeem itself in chocolate distribution. make this, but consider yourself warned.
t<c trail mix
(makes a lot of trail mix that will disappear alarmingly fast)
2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes or chips
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
1 cup raw, unsalted macadamia nuts
1 cup blanched, unsalted hazelnuts
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup golden raisins
preheat oven to 350. place the coconut chips in a large bowl. drizzle the olive oil and maple syrup over the flakes and gently toss to coat. spread the flakes out over a large, rimmed baking sheet. roast for 6-10 minutes, checking frequently (they toast quickly). give the flakes a stir in the middle of the roasting. remove from the oven and scrape the flakes into a large bowl.
spread the hazelnuts out over another large, rimmed baking sheet. roast for 6-10 minutes, also checking frequently, until golden. continue in the same fashion with the macadamia nuts and cashews. it is important to roast the nuts separately as they will all toast in different times, due to the variation in size. stay close to the oven and check frequently. when each batch of nuts is finished, scrape them into the bowl with the coconut chips. toss all of the ingredients together with the sea salt.
at this point, you can place the chocolate chunks into the mixture and toss gently. or, let the mix cool, then add the chocolate. finally, toss in the dried cherries an golden raisins.
notes
* this trail mix will keep for 1 - 1 1/2 weeks in an airtight container
* check out the big sur marathon here
do you ever stop to think about how you've never had it so good? that your life, with its ups, downs, accumulations, backlogs, and shoulda-woulda-couldas, is actually utterly fantastic (fantastic!) just as it is?
i am prey to preoccupation. i know what it is to lose track of the miraculousness of each moment and get stuck in static. at points, i'm even grateful for this fact of my being for i am also prey to being unexpectedly, gracefully jolted. when life delivers its blessings my snap to attention is really quite dramatic.
so dramatic, i sometimes say the f-word. not just for emphasis, but because sometimes my heart is seized with such wonder it actually hurts. the other night, in the middle of an order of rolled tacos and a flurry of laughter, the sun shot its gold through low purple clouds for a moment only, like a swimmer coming up for air. i fell in love with it all--the tacos to flashes of eternity--without distinction. it's the way i want to love my life.
i once found a greeting card with an illustration of a donkey chomping roses. underneath: "don't forget to stop and eat the roses." which is to say, don't get so preoccupied you miss how awesome all of this is.
and taste the roses. they are delicious.
sometimes i'm stuck on the mad hatter's tea cup ride: repetive spinning at increasing speeds! backpacks are packed, commutes endured, calls returned, sauces reduced, miles run down the coast, quesadillas griddled (again?!?), and, finally, pillows hit hard. repeat ad infinitum. this is not to say there is no beauty in this rhythm--there is. but sometimes i miss it because i travel at such an unnerving pace. when i notice this happening, i let my meals start to punctuate my routine. they are the pause: a sun-warmed mango peeled over the kitchen sink. nutty pebbles of brown rice in a favorite bowl piled with sugar snap peas and a decadent sliver of smoked salmon. i eat this with chopsticks for a forced slowness. i say thank you between bites. best yet, i crack open a cookbook and find a new recipe. something simple but peppered with strong flavors. cooking a new dish is a jolt into presence.
and so i came upon a short, sweet recipe for spicy, garlicky cashew chicken in melissa clark's new book, in the kitchen with a good appetite (buy the book, cook from it, be happy). each ingredient spoke to me: roasted cashews, garlic, cilantro, soy sauce, jalapeno, olive oil, lime juice, and the littlest bit of brown sugar whirred into a thick, fragrant paste in the food processor, then smeared over meaty, bone-in chicken legs. clark calls for grilling the chicken (which i am certain would be divine), but in the interest of ease, i tossed everything in a large roasting pan, slipped it into the oven and returned 45 minutes later to golden cashew chicken euphoria. served with a handful of fresh cilantro and a bowlful of lime wedges, it makes for a simple yet decadent weeknight meal, but i hope you love it enough to share with your friends, slowly and with laughter, until the ride stops spinning.
roasted cashew chicken
(serves 4, with some leftovers)
3-1/2 pounds bone-in, skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks (obviously organic, free-range chicken will make for a tastier dish)
1-1/2 cups roasted, salted cashews
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, and some stems, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 large cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped (deseeded if you don't want it majorly spicy)
juice from 2 limes + extra lime wedges for serving
2 teaspoons brown sugar
kosher salt & pepper
place the cashews, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, olive oil, soy sauce, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. puree until smooth (there will still be some small bits of cashews), scraping down the bowl as necessary. divide the cashew mixture in half (save one half of the mixture for serving on the side).
season the chicken drumsticks and thighs with salt and pepper. rub the cashew mixture all over the chicken, coating evenly, about 1 tablespoon of mixture per piece. use some of the reserved sauce if you don't have enough of the mixture. place the chicken in a large container or bowl, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours, or overnight. remove the chicken about an hour before you plan to roast it to allow it to come to room temperature.
preheat the oven to 425. coat the bottom of a large roasting pan with a slick of olive oil. you want a pan large enough to fit all of the chicken without overlapping. place the chicken pieces skin side up in the roasting pan. roast for about 45 minutes (more or less, depending on the size of your chicken pieces), until the top is golden, toasted in places, and the juices run clear.
remove the chicken to a serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining cilantro, and serve immediately, with lime wedges and the reserved sauce. cook's bonus: the browned bits on the bottom of your roasting pan are cashew heaven. sneak them while no one is looking.
notes
* this recipe was adpated from melissa clark. you can purchase her new book here.
* i always like to start with a bit of jalapeno and taste the sauce, then add more if it needs more kick. it is nearly impossible to de-spicyfy a sauce once it's been pureed. clark recommends splitting open your jalapeno and "licking the guts" to determine how spicy your specimen is.
* if you prefer to grill your chicken like clark, use less of the cashew mixture on each chicken piece (a lot will fall off into the grill). grill over medium heat for 20-30 minutes, turning frequently.
* if you didn't start early enough to marinate your chicken, do not fret. it will still be delicious. just coat it in the sauce and hand it to the oven.