Have I ever told you about my love affair with nutella?

Well, get comfortable. This may take awhile. I first discovered this sweet nectar of the goddesses while backpacking through Europe in 2003.  If you don't know, Nutella and baguette are essential to traipsing through foreign countries on a budget. I blew through entire loaves, ripping and dipping to my heart's content. I felt like a Dr. Seuss book. 
I ate it on a train. I ate it on a plane. I ate it with a friend. I ate it 'til no end. 

All rhyming aside, it was like the best thing ever and today, I am banned from keeping it in the house. Left to my own devices, nutella finds it way on anything that looks remotely spreadable. Banana? Don't mind if I do! Strawberries? Duh! This savory cracker? Why not? Who cares! 

This is the kind of reckless abandon that created the "no-nutella in the house" rule. I'm just NOT allowed. I have no self-control, therefore, absence is the best form of control I can muster.  Unless, of course, I'm baking salted nutella tarts for friends. 

Then it's okay because it's "not for me". Or whatever. 

I found this recipe on one of my favorite food sites, spoonforkbacon, and for weeks, talked about making a batch. Do you ever find a recipe and then it's all you think about until you finally make them? This was me. 

I'm not sure if it was the recipe or the license to buy nutella that began the obsession. Luckily, the recipe calls for the entire jar so there were no leftovers for me although I did manage to try one. The Mister had one too.  He wanted more, but got his paws slapped. 

These little nuggets of delight sit inside a super crumbly almond butter crust as evidenced by all the crumbs and imperfections in the pictures above. The crust literally falls apart in your mouth and then there's the nutella. And the salt. And whatever else you choose to add. 

Oh, nutella. You'll always have a special place in my heart and each time I don a bikini, I'll forever remember our torrid summer love which began so long ago in Europe. 

The Mister and I were recently invited over to dinner with our friends, Laura and Jake, who just so happen to be as gracious and well-versed in the kitchen as they are good-looking. Seriously, when you meet them, it's hard not to be overwhelmed by the incredible duo of attractiveness. Even the Mister, after he met Jake for the first time, was all like, "Whoa, now that's a good-looking dude." I have never before and never again heard the Mister comment on any man's looks if that's any testament. 

Besides good genes, Laura and Jake are wicked fit and subscribe to a Paleo lifestyle which is essentially a whole-foods based diet that includes lean meats and fish, plenty of vegetables, some fruit and good fats like nuts, avocadoes and coconut oil. It is gluten-free, dairy-free (for most)and free of legumes and grains. Some call it the caveman diet and others call it rather extreme. It's actually not so far off from the diet that the Mister and I subscribe to (although more meat than I tend to eat) and it most definitely seems to be working for our friends. 

I was eager to dine in their primal kitchen.  

Suffice to say, there was not an empty belly or disappointed soul to be found after dinner that night. Before dinner, we snacked on  bacon wrapped dates, the perfect combination of sweet and salty. The bacon was nitrate-free, of course.  For the main meal, Jake made a local, grass-fed beef brisket with an amazing dry rub of cocoa, chile, coffee and cumin along with roasted purple sweet potatoes and the rock star side and reason for this post, Brussel Sprout Slaw. That shizz was soooo good. 

The recipe came out  of this book, which also happens to be bible for many die-hard Paleo folks.  It all starts with bacon which means there's really nowhere for this dish to go but up. 

See that sizzle. That becomes the love nest for our brussel sprouts. The recipe calls for a half-pound of bacon, cooked and cut into small dice, then set aside. 

A pound of mature brussel sprouts are shredded into slaw-like pieces, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. You can use the food processor, but I like to hand-cut mine. It's all zen and stuff. 

Then, the shredded sprouts are sauteed with all the sizzly leftover bacon love  until they are bright green and soft. 
Like so...

The sauteed slaw is then reunited with the diced bacon, chopped scallions and a tangy dijon-apple cider dressing. 
If the bacon is Cher, this dressing is Sonny.  

From Paleo Comfort Foods: 
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple-cider vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper (or more to taste) 

Whisk all ingredients together and pour over the slaw. 

The original recipe called for toasted pecans which I left out. Variations could be anything from the addition of crunchy apples to toasted walnuts and chunks of blue cheese (not Paleo).  If swine isn't your thing, use your favorite oil to sautee the brussel sprouts and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. 

Served warm, the combination of flavors is hard to beat.  See that bowl right there. I ate the whole thing after I took photos of it. It is definitely in my "I'll bring a dish" arsenal. Thanks to our friends Laura and Jake for sharing their home and their primal kitchen with us. It was inspiring and delicious! 

The first time I ever heard the words vegetarian and restaurant used in the same sentence it was in reference to Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, NY.  At the time, I was in middle school and the concept of having a restaurant that served vegetarian fare seemed exotic and way far out.  Of course, I was eating  Burger King Whoppers and Lucky Charms like it was going out of style too. My tastes have drastically changed and this little restaurant has since revolutionized dining and vegetarian fare in the 20th century. 

"About Moosewood Restaurant: Moosewood (named after a local maple tree) was begun in September 1972 by a group of friends who enjoyed getting together to cook and eat, and who wanted to engage in a community project. The chosen site was an old brick school building which was being converted into shops offices and dwelling units. It took four months to transform a gymnasium into a ready-to-function-restaurant. 

After the grand opening in January 1973, more friends of the original seven people joined. Moosewood is now a collectively-owned and worker-managed business with 15 members, who participate in all aspects of running the restaurant from deciding policy to planning menus to changing lightbulbs. There is no singular owner and no "boss". Any profit that accumulates is distributed among the workers or recycled back into the restaurant.

Fast forward twenty years and Moosewood sounds like my kind of place. You could imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this cookbook while visiting the estate of a recently deceased family member. I collect cookbooks and love vintage items so this gem hit on two of my most favorite things. 

The book is astounding. Not only was it published in 1977, the entire thing is illustrated and hand-lettered by founding member of the Moosewood Collective, Mollie Katzen. The pages were well worn with time and, in some instances, stained. You can see some of that in the photos I have here. 

The recipes are a collection of beloved vegetarian recipes that span the international gamut from Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Russian, Asian, German, Indian and Mexican. There are whimsical descriptions and titles such as "Celebratory Sandwich Fillings", "Cream of Summer Green" soup, "Mondo Bizarro Sauce"  and family recipes like "Montana's Mom's Dynamite Cheesecake." Everything about the book shows a true love of food and genuine enthusiasm radiates from the pages. 

There are wonderful tips like "A Good Method for Assembling a Green Leafy Salad" and "How to Make Real Corn Tortillas" as well as options galore. The book offers basic recipes and then provides a wealth of ingredients to add or variations of the recipe to try. 

For me, the book conveys the art of cooking in a way that invites the user to play and have fun with the ingredients and each illustration reminds the reader to not take oneself so seriously. Check the Beavis and Butthead-esque illustration below. 

And, cue the whimsy...

I mean, how can you NOT smile while reading a book like this! 

What blows me away is how revolutionary this type of cooking used to be.  It took me at least two decades to become educated about the food I eat and the whole-foods based diet that Moosewood has been pimping for 38 years. So much of their foodlove and business ideas revolve around an enlightened perspective that has yet to reach the majority of Americans. 

The Moosewood people are true pioneers and this book is an indication of the genuine community that exists between people and food. Modern day concepts like Kinfolk Magazine follow a trail blazed by this remarkable community of individuals. 

Ah-mazing! I love, love, love my vintage vegetarian find. Hope you do too!