“What is this?” you say.
“Why is there a bag hanging on a sparkling unicorn?”
Because today is a #kaleday which is a part of #kaleweek. Two made up things I created with my oldest, dearest friend Laura. And that bag is one of our new Kale Tote creations.
Laura and I share a dark, bizarre sense of humor, 26 years of watching our mother’s redecorate their kitchens over and over again and a beautiful love affair with cooking and eating.
This strange cocktail of ingredients not only has created a wonderful friendship that has stood the test of time and two continents, but it has also led to the creation of our new kale-themed product line.
The world is a beautiful mystery, as I’ve said before.
Laura and I have been saying for years, YEARS, that we needed to collaborate creatively. And I never dreamed this would be how it would start. But low and behold, we’ve done it. What began as a bumper sticker reading “let them eat quinoa” that Laura’s sister, Chiara, spotted has turned into a much more refined and hilarious twist on Marie Antoinette’s saying paired with my watercolor illustration.
And of course, if you’re going to give a mouse a cookie twist on famous slogan, you MUST try your hand at “Keep Calm and Cary On”, the most abused saying of all time. We happen to think our version is rather surprisingly chic…
You see, as it turns out, kale happens to be the perfect one syllable word to squeeze into preexisting phrases. Kale was already amazing, making people healthy while actually tasting good, and now it turns out to have extraordinary literary skills too. What more could you want in a leafy vegetable?
So we decided it was time to create something, something new and different. Not a set of note cards. Something you could use in your daily, modern life. And if your daily modern life is anything like ours, then you probably run a lot of errands, and try to cook as healthily/interestingly as you can. So note pads for grocery lists were a must. And a shopping bag to turn the experience of toting around a recyclable bag from granola-hippy to illustration-chic. And voila, this is what we came up with.
So be sure to grab a notepad and/or tote bag before Christmas. These stocking stuffers are perfect for anyone who loves humor, eating, writing detailed lists, shopping and/or my illustrations.
You might even need a few for your self. Don’t you want to join Laura and I and become a Kale Sister? We have big things in store… starting with two delicious ways to enjoy kale.
Laura’s Kale fit for a Queen:
And Inslee’s Kale a la Quinoa:
a reasonable amount of olive oil1 small onion (diced)
1 cup white quinoa (rinsed)
you are hilarious and amazing at the same time.
Here is my FAV kale salad recipe:
1 bunch of kale, torn off from the stem
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 spoonful +/- minced garlic
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
Massage and squeeze kale and the ingredients together for a few min. You want to really squeeze the kale to soften it and take the bitter taste out. Then viola, delish! Hope you like it, let me know!
Thank you for sharing!!
Very cute and clever. And you are actually getting me to consider eating something I have never had success cooking myself!
Another play on words, ” Eat Kale and Cavy On”
A cavy is the proper name for a guinea pig, and their essential food is: who knew? KALE
I can just imagine how adorable your little cavy sketches could be!
Best wishes!
The Noel’s
Can’t wait to carry my tote! And to give them as Christmas gifts – guaranteed to bring a smile!
So cute and I love the notepads!!
Courtney- I never had success at cooking kale either until Inslee and I cooked it together in a potato and sausage soup this past October! I always thought that it was really gross until then! Trust me though, these couple of recipes will turn you into a kale convert. (Or kale konvert
). And Kim- that reminds me that my friend’s rabbit adores kale, that is such a good idea! Glad that you guys are all like this!
This is the perfect tote to carry cookie tins in to all those cookie exchange parties. And if my friends didn’t look forward to your mom’s and my brickle recipe, I would make these – and take pictures of people as they bit into them.
Kale Surprise Cookies (the surprise is that they taste good!)
1 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups kale, cooked in 1 tablespoon ghee
1/4 cup combined raisins, dried cranberries, and pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground flax seed combined with 3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons unsweetened plain yogurt (goat, cow, soy, almond, etc.)
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and grease a medium sized baking sheet with canola oil or butter (I used ghee, and my cookies didn’t stick at all!). In a mixing bowl, combine your the flour, dried fruit and seeds, nuts, baking powder, salt, ginger and kale. Stir well, making sure to thoroughly combine everything. In a separate bowl, combine the flax seed mixture with the applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Mix with the dry ingredients, stirring well. Depending on the consistency of your yogurt and applesauce, you may feel that the batter is to wet or too dry. Add a bit more flour or applesauce accordingly. I made my cookie balls the size of half a tablespoon, and rounded them a bit with my fingers as I dropped them along on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cookies begin to turn golden around the edges. Yields about 16 cookies.
Love this! The tote bags are so cute. I am going to have to try this kale recipe. I’m a big fan of kale dishes at restaurants, but have never attempted it myself.
xoxo
Mandy
Saguaros & Stilettos
i want the unicorn! where can i get one??