It’s been a hectic, hectic couple of months. The food truck is keeping us busier than either of us could have imagined. Here’s a super quick rundown of the last couple days just to give you an idea. I’ll spare you all the messy details…
Yesterday: Up at 8am to shop for produce. Stop at mechanic to see if he can fix the tail lights this week. Then straight to the kitchen to cook from 11-6:30 with a 30 min break for lunch (kind of). Load up and drive to location. Set up and sell food until midnight. Yes, midnight. Drive back to the kitchen to unload and clean up. Get home at 12:45. Asleep at 2 a.m.
Today: Wake up at 8:30. Skip breakfast to get to kitchen on time. Clean the truck until it shines because we have the health inspection today. Make some empanadas. Load up and drive to location by 11 a.m. Set up for lunch shift while nervously awaiting inspector. We pass, of course. Head back to the kitchen at 2:30 to grab our cars and go our separate ways for a quick 2-hour break (during which I can hopefully finish this blog post and put on some makeup). Head back to truck at 5 where we’ll be until 10 tonight.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

So yea, it’s a lot. Sometimes we want to drop to the floor and cry. And sometimes we do. But we always remind each other that we wouldn’t want it to be going any other way. We’re SO thankful to be making this actually happen and that the customers keep coming back! (Even if it is killing us.)

Right now we’ve got one employee helping us in the kitchen so we just need to find someone who can be on the truck a couple nights a week so we actually alternate some nights off! The ‘help wanted’ sign is going up next week so let’s keep our fingers crossed. Hiring someone to work on the truck was a tough call to make from a financial standpoint, but the idea is that if we can get some rest we can apply ourselves to growing the business in other ways. And enjoying life a little more.

It’s our first time at all this so it’s all trial and error. Any suggestions? Anyone looking for a job? Ha. Anyone else working their fingers to the bone in the food industry? Anyone else wake up with sore feet? That’s the worst part I think.

Everyone likes to ask us if we ever take days off. Those will come, I’m sure. But for now, we don’t generally work Friday or Saturday nights unless it’s a special event and we aim for either Sundays or Mondays off. Sometimes we get at least one day. And it ends up being laundry day. But hey, in the midst of all the food truck madness, we’ve managed to sneak off for both Thanksgiving and Christmas to spend some days with family – that’s one perk of being your own boss!

So there you have it. That’s why I’ve been somewhat absent from the blog the last few weeks. This blog has always been my happy place and I intend to keep it that way, which is exactly why I haven’t been too hard on myself when I can’t find the time to post a new recipe for a couple (or a few) weeks. I’m trying to remind myself that that’s okay to focus on the business right now, and that it’s better to update the blog when my mind is clear and free so that I can enjoy the process of sharing something with you all. So that’s what I’m doing! And thanks to a little break over Christmas, I was able to dedicate some time to a few recipes that I can’t wait to share in the coming weeks! Here’s the first of them…

This slaw is for all of you that like crunch. Cabbage, fennel and almonds. Crunch, crunch and crunch. It’s light and refreshing and healthy cause we use yogurt instead of mayo or cream! We’ve been serving this on the truck for a few weeks and people have been loving it. Even had a few customers say it’s the best slaw they’ve ever had. And why would they lie? Makes the 60-hour workweek worth it.

I use a handheld mandolin to shave the fennel and cabbage nice and thin. The almonds give it the just the right amount of healthy fat (instead of the fat you’d get from the mayo), which also balances the tanginess of the lemon yogurt dressing. I sweeten with honey or agave, but that’s up to you. The poppy seeds don’t add too, too much flavor wise to the slaw, but they’re a nice touch and so pretty!

I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to be able to complete this post for you! Absence does make the heart grow fonder. But seriously, as we get into a groove with the truck and get our employee thing figured out, it’ll be back to regular programming here on Honest Fare. Promise.

Thanks for sticking around. xoxo, gabi

And unlike most salads, this one gets better as the dressing soaks in, which is definitely a plus when you’re pre dressing a salad to be served later. The dressing is simple to whip up. Just olive oil, lemon juice, curry powder, paprika, maple syrup, salt, cayenne pepper, fresh parsley and a spoon of mayo. Mayo??? Yea, trust me. So good you can drink it….and I kinda did.

I used a veggie peeler to make the long slices of carrot. The fatter the carrot you use the better. I find that rotating the carrot as you go works best to keep the strips consistent. It doesn’t actually take that long to do and it’s worth it!

Graceful carrot ribbons with pear wedges and shaved almonds, tossed in a well-balanced curry vinaigrette. Oh yes. Crunchy carrots with the suppleness of ripe pears is divine. And those carrot ribbons are so much fun to spin around your fork like spaghetti!

Table linen and tray by: Fog Linen Work. Fog Linen produces a line of daily use linen products for home and clothing. Beautiful stuff, and I’m thrilled to have them as a new partner here on Honest Fare.

Peruse the Fog Linen Work online store and see what I mean…

Honeydew melon is perfect for cutting the bitterness raw kale can have, and it’s so refreshing during these hot summer days!

I like to chop the kale into pretty small pieces to make it easier to handle and so it gets as coated as possible in dressing. The dressing is just a simple combo of lemon juice, avocado oil (you can use olive oil instead), salt, pepper and agave. You’ve got to toss it all up nice and good so that the melon juices and Romano cheese complete the dressing. It’s pretty awesome!

This is a super easy one to throw together, and it’s pretty filling from the almonds and cheese. Stores well over night too!

Tangy, crunchy, earthy…oh man, I love it!

P.S. Here’s another favorite kale salad recipe.
Kale Avocado Salad.

I topped each mini empanada with thin slice of tomato before baking to give you a little something extra to feast your eyes on. You can bake on a thin slice of veggie, fruit or even some fresh herbs to go with whatever they’re filled with.

My dear friends and biz partners, Andy and Janelle of, black bean deli, taught me everything I need to know about the art of making empanadas. Together we’ve been dreaming up all kinds of fillings and testing them on our friends and at caterings. Mainly we’ve been pumping them out in such high numbers for catering gigs, but also to test recipes for a new food venture we’re developing (wink,wink…tell ya later). We’ve been making empanadas like mad lately, and as a result, have probably eaten more of them in the last few months than a 10-year-old eats bowls of cereal in a year. And we’re still not sick of them!

SO, the cool thing about empanadas is that they’re the kind of thing you can eat anytime of the day. Stuff them with a tofu or egg and cheese scramble for breakfast. Maybe spicy BBQ chicken or grilled veggies and cheese for lunch or dinner. You can even do all kinds of dessert empanadas — spiced pear, chocolate peanut butter crunch, pumpkin pie…and on and on. All the possibilities are what make them so much fun to play around with. I’ve found that an empanada with a salad or some soup is a perfect little meal.

Empanadas first appeared in a Catalan cookbook back in the 1500s and it’s believed that they originated in Spain and Portugal, and like the Italian calzone, it’s thought that empanadas were derived from Arabic meat-filled pies (samosas). Traditionally, empanadas were filled with meat (pork loin or chorizo) or fish (cod, tuna or sardines) in a tomato garlic type sauce and became popular in those medieval days because they made such great portable meals for working people and travelers. The proliferation of empanadas eventually spread to Latin America, where each country has a regionally specific take on them – different dough recipes (made with flour, corn or yuca) and various traditional fillings.

But, the fillings we’ve been working on are all but traditional. Cured ham, cheese and melon. Crab and green tomato salad. Vegetarian sausage and peppers. Roasted beets and goat cheese. Pumpkin pie. S’mores. Truffle mac and cheese! Pretty much anything across the sweet to savory spectrum goes so you can really get creative.

Like here, we did peanut butter and jelly! Scoop of peanut butter, spoonful of strawberry preserves and little pile of sliced grapes. Each one is topped each with a sliced strawberry for ultimate cuteness.

One tip I will give you, is to make sure the fillings you choose aren’t runny by nature (like certain sauces) and don’t sweat too much during cooking (like raw veggies…or certain cheeses). This is because the filling will start to seep out and mush up the dough during baking. So if you’re using cheese, just don’t go too heavy on it. And of course, when it comes to meats and such, you need to pre-cook and season them! Think of it like toppings on a pizza – certain ones will work when placed raw (like herbs and cheese) and some would be retchid (like, uh, raw chicken). Also, fillings you can scoop with a spoon tend to work best. And you want your filling to be room temperature so it holds a form when scooped and placed in the center of the dough. Oh yea, and try not to overfill or you’ll end up with a mess no matter what.

See, here I did creamed corn and roasted cherry tomatoes as mini empanadas and spinach & feta full-size ones. The creamed corn is seasoned with thyme and thickened with flour during cooking. Then it’s cooled to room temp to reach its thickest state. The spinach was cooked with red onion and seasoned with some garlic, salt/pepper, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and lemon juice. I added some feta and cottage cheese and let some of the moisture cook out before adding an egg white to help hold it all together. Also cooled to room temp, and excess moisture poured out before adding to dough.

Of course, there are all kinds of dough recipes out there too so if you’re gluten free or want whole wheat you can definitely make it work. We haven’t come upon a recipe that we like (or that reacts) better than the dough we get from a Cuban bakery we work with out of Miami, so for now we’re sticking with that…though we do plan to experiment with some whole wheat recipes in the future. Empanada dough is similar to most savory pastry doughs, and you can find a million recipes for it online. The pre-made and cut empanada dough is actually pretty good and authentic and can be found in the frozen section of most grocery stores and all Latin American supermarkets. Choose a brand with a short ingredient list (La Cubanita and Goya make good ones without all the preservatives and junk). Just check the labels to make sure you’re not getting a dough with lard in it if you’re vegetarian. Some use lard, some palm oil.

Now, you can totally just place you filling in the middle and seal the edges of the dough using a fork (that’s how most people do it at home). But, you can also find these handy little presses at Latin supermarkets and restaurant supply stores. The press we use for the mini empanadas is actually just a dumpling press, which you should be able to get at your local Asian market. The presses make the job a ton easier when you’re doing large numbers, but you won’t miss out not using one if you’re just making a few at home. You’ll want your dough close to room temp before placing the fillings and should wet the rim of the dough before closing to help seal.

Once you’ve got all your guys filled, you can lightly grease a pan and apply and even egg wash to each empanada (back and front).

Then just bake them until they’re golden and crispy along the edges.

I’m giving you the recipe for the spinach ones because they’re by far the household favorite!

My windowsill, on the other hand, is more alive than ever- with lentil sprouts galore!

Tricking yourself into thinking its springtime is one way of looking at it, but sprouting lentils is also a great way to add a super fresh, nutrient packed component to a meal or salad.

Lentils help cleanse and stimulate the kidneys and adrenal system, strengthen the heart and circulation and increase energy and vitality. When lentils are sprouted, their nutrients become more easily digestible, and after just 3-4 days of sprouting, their soluble fiber, which helps lower LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar and regulate insulin levels, increases 300 percent!

The sprouting process is super easy, and though today we’re talking about lentil sprouts, you can use this process to sprout many other seeds and beans (alfalfa, clover, mung, garbanzo, lentil, sunflower). They all have very unique and wonderful flavors, but right now it’s the peppery crunch of these little lentil guys that I can’t get enough of.

You can choose any variety of lentils you want – brown, green or red – but just make sure they are whole, not split or in “dahl” form. The first thing you’ll want to do measure out about a cup of lentils and inspect them for stones or damaged beans. Then rinse them really well in cool water and place them in a large bowl of water to soak overnight (8-12 hours).

The next morning your beans will be nice and plump. You can strain out the excess water, rinse and strain again and then transfer the seeds into a large jar, filling it no more than 1/3 of the way with seeds so that there’s adequate space for growth.

Now, cover the opening of the jar with some cheesecloth and hold it in place with a snug rubber band. For the next few days all you’ll have to do is rinse the seeds with fresh water by filling the jar and draining through the cheesecloth twice a day.

After each rinse, give the jar a few firm shakes and turns upside down to get all the water out of there. You want it moist in there, but you don’t want a puddle of water at the bottom where slime can build up and potentially spoil your sprouts. If you start to notice any slime, just give a few extra rinses and get it all out.

After 24 hours in the jar, you’ll start to see the beans split open and may even see some tails forming. Just keep monitoring the lentils growth and keep giving them the fresh rinses + draining for 4-5 days. Once that green leaf pokes out and starts to unfold, they’re ready to harvest.

You’ll notice that they’ll be very tightly packed in their jar(s) so you’ll have to use a little force to get them out. I like to use tongs and grab from as far down as possible.

Once they’re out of the jar, I like to place them in a strainer and give them one last rinse and shake. Then I line an airtight container with a couple paper towels and spread them evenly across the bottom. They’ll stay good like that in the fridge for a week or so. If you’ve sprouted way more than you can eat, just give some away in plastic baggies lined with paper towels!

There are a million ways to eat them.

Soups or salads: (lettuce, arugula, pink unripe tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, lentil sprouts)

Curries or stir-fry dishes: (lentil sprouts sautéed in sesame oil, garlic and tamari. Served with wilted spinach and wild rice and topped with sesame seeds.)

Spreads and dips…like this guacamole: (puréed avocado & lentil sprouts with lemon juice, red onion, salt, pepper, jalapeño and topped with extra sprouts and scallions.)

They’re also a fantastic crunchy element in sandwiches or even on pizza. However you choose to eat them, I think it’s worth doing if only to add a little extra green to your windowsill. Try it out and let me know how it goes!

Today’s recipe is special because it’s one I came up with for a guest post on one of my favorite food blogs,Green Kitchen Stories. Husband and wife, David and Luise are a pair of creative food lovers who, as you might have guessed by the title of their blog, keep a super healthy and fresh kitchen. They recently had a baby named Elsa (love that name!) and are currently traveling around Vietnam eating and exploring the culture. Sounds like a dream. I’m thrilled to be part of the guest series on their blog while they’re away.

I’ll be back next week with some fun stuff for you guys, but in the meantime, you can spend some time checking out all the wonderful recipes and reading my full guest post over at Green Kitchen Stories.

So I put them all together to make this fantastic salad.

I typically buy haas avocados because I love how creamy they are, but always opt for Florida avocados when/if I can get my hands on some good ones. They’re bigger, brighter green and slightly less rich than the haas, which is a nice change. I think they fall somewhere between the large California avocadoes (which tend to be watery and lighter) and the haas.

Okay, so this salad is super easy to throw together.

First, I removed the tangelo skin with a knife, getting as much white rind off as possible, and then sliced it into discs. The dressing is made up of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, shallots, tarragon, olive oil, salt and pepper.

I tossed everything (except the citrus) in the vinaigrette, some Romano cheese and red pepper flakes, and then placed it atop the sliced tangelo.

The combination of the fresh herbs and tangy heirloom tomatoes & citrus with the creamy avocado and vinaigrette is pretty darn extraordinary. Rich, yet refreshing.

If you can’t find tangelos, substitute with oranges…same goes for the avocado – a haas will just fine!

Living in the south, I was no stranger to collards, but I’m pretty sure that collard wrap was the first time I’d ever eaten them in raw form and without a side of mac and cheese and fried chicken in close proximity. I don’t remember exactly what was in it – cashew butter, beets and carrots for sure – because more than anything, I was blown away at how perfectly crafted and beautiful it was. Each green fold tucked unto the next with layers of color and texture stacked between. So masterfully put together that I had to go back and tell the dude who made it.

Then there was how great I felt after eating it. Satiated and energized, but not full. Treated, but not guilty. Oddly enough though, it was years before I had another collard wrap. (As if such a delightful thing could not exist outside the vacation bubble?) But luckily, the collard wrap found me again last year in a raw foods café in St. Augustine, and this time, I made sure to pay close attention to its construction, do some research and recreate it for myself.

It’s not that making a collard wrap is that complicated per say – it’s just that it requires a certain amount of technique and finesse. My first couple attempts were pretty pathetic, but that’s because I was doing it all wrong. Luckily, you won’t have that problem because I’m going to tell you exactly what to do.

You will require two collard leaves per wrap – the bigger the better. The ones I bought at the market on this particular day were huge!

(kitty for scale.)

After cutting off the white portion of the stalk that had no leafy greens attached to it, I soaked them in a bath of warm water and vinegar for about 10 minutes or so. This makes sure they’re nice and clean and room temp so they are more flexible for rolling later.

Now, see this big momma of a stalk that runs the length of the collard leaf? It’s got to go. Sorry, but if it doesn’t, your wrap won’t roll properly and you’ll just fold and tear things apart in vain until you end up with what looks like a dirty diaper filled with rainbow poop.

Using a sharp paring knife, shave the dense stalk down until it is more or less the same thickness as the leaf. It’ll still be a bit thicker, but the goal is to get to where it’s flexible enough be rolled up with the rest of the leaf without snapping. And be careful not to nick or cut into the actual leaf with the tip of your knife as you do this. Glide, not hacksaw.

You can fill these wraps with whichever veggies, spreads, nuts, beans, sprouts, fruits, etc. you like. However, I do find that using a spread (even hummus) helps hold everything together, and is a nice smooth contrasting texture to the crunchy collard. I went with a beet, chickpea and carrot spread that’s super easy to make. Pretty too!

Beets, chickpeas, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, agave, salt, pepper and parsley in the food processor. Blended until creamy. Then I folded in shredded carrots to give a heartier texture.

And now for the fun part…
Place two collard leaves head to foot (stalks at opposite ends) and partially overlap the leaves. Apply your pâté or spread (“the glue”) first at the center and then start piling on the other veggies. You can get quite a bit in there, but be careful not to overload.

From here, assembly is not so different than what you’d do with a regular wrap or tortilla. Flip the sides up and then tuck and roll, folding in any stray corners that pop out along the way. (And feel free to use two hands, assuming you’re not holding a camera.)

I like to cut them in half cause they’re a real handful otherwise.

P.S. These travel really well because they don’t get soggy like bread does. AND, if kept in an airtight container or baggie, prepped collard leaves stay fresh in the fridge for at least a week, so you can easily make these whenever you’re in the mood.