grapefruit salad

a much prettier food picture, and more forward looking as well. i'm headed off to belize later this week (crazy, right?!) and can't wait for the tropical fruit salad breakfast to commence. in the meantime, i've been keeping myself busy with a visit from my baby brother, and in the middle of all this new-york style eating (pizza, wings, ramen, crack pie), this fresh, homemade salad looks like a beacon of the spring to come. i actually made it a couple of weeks ago, when the weather was even more dire. the bursts of grapefruit, coupled with the smoothness of the fresh goat cheese was like a burst of summer, and made my cold night seem very misplaced. oddly enough, the peak of grapefruit season is from january through april, so scoop them up while they're still good. this salad is a tasty way to reintroduce your taste buds to bright flavors after the long, dark winter, just like i'll be trying to reintroduce my skin to the concept of sun when i'm in belize. bring on the sunscreen!!

spinach salad with grapefruit

serves 4
4 1/2 cups spinach
1 whole ruby red grapefruit, peeled and cut into segments with a sharp paring knife
2 ounces fresh goat cheese (herbs optional)
sliced almonds

french vinaigrette
1 teaspoon dried herbes de Provence
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
5 tablespoons olive oil
½ small clove garlic, grated
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon salt

put all ingredients in a jar (if you're going for consistency with the french theme, those bonne maman jelly jars are great for this) and shake it up. dancing while shaking is highly encouraged too.
assemble spinach, crumble goat cheese, dole out the grapefruit, sprinkle almonds, dress with vinaigrette, and eat.

cost:
spinach: $2.50
goat cheese: $4
grapefruit: $1
sliced almonds: $2.00
total: $9.50
per serving: $2.38
for a quick trip to springtime, i'd say close to $3 isn't bad.

spring greening

my friend miguel has a great blog called "interior cathedral", where he writes about his faith and his life. one of the highlights of his blog has been reading about his spring resolution of being outdoors and "throw(ing) open the windows." he's biking, spending time at the park, and gardening.

my penpal, david, lives in canada, on acres and acres of land, which is he turning into a bird and animal sanctuary. he sends me amazing stories of owls, and seeds for planting. when he describes his life, i picture him walking in broad strokes of landscape, with wide horizons and no one but himself and some animals for miles.

most days, i spend 8 hours in a office building in downtown manhattan. i take the subway to and from work and often this can feel like i'm just moving from box to box. however, this spring, with the inspiration of my miguel, and some seeds from david, i'm trying to step outside the normal confines of city life. i've started what looks like a pretty healthy garden (so far!) on my fire escape- growing tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, baby carrots and some flowers and herbs. i'm thinking of biking to work. i want to make a summer out of flying kites, eating watermelon in the park, and bringing picnics to the beach. what are some of you (all 2 of you!) doing for a spring greening?