I love beets! They are delicious, and rich in vitamin C and potassium.

This colorful salad has strong flavors and rich textures that make it the perfect starter to any meal.

Roasted Beet Salad with Feta and Corn

For the dressing:

Mix together 1 finely chopped shallot, ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of honey. Whisk in 1/3 cup of olive oil.

For the beets:

Peel and quarter about 6 beets. Toss the beets with just enough dressing to coat them. Reserve the rest for the salad. Sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper.

Place them on a baking sheet lined with foil and cover tightly with another piece of foil.

Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Uncover the beets, and continue roasting for another 25 minutes.

Mix together arugula, endive and radicchio in a salad bowl. Add crumbled feta cheese and about 1 cup of corn. Toss with the dressing and place the beets on top of the salad.
Enjoy!!!!

photo: Glasshouse Images

The international Fall fashion weeks have just wrapped up and they are filled with great wardrobe update ideas that you can implement now.
As the recession has forced many of us to shop our closets, it seems that old clothes sometimes resemble, well, old clothes. But this fashion week showed us lots of great ideas to rework the items we have into the ones we will covet next year.

Case in point:

Dolce & Gabbana showed great cardigans, wrapped to the side and secured with a brooch or kilt pin. Almost any old cardigan will do, as long as it is not too long. Simply wrap it instead of buttoning it, and use a decorative pin to hold it in place.

We mentioned in a previous post that socks with sandals were a big trend for Spring.

The Fall collections were filled with almost every major (and not so major) designer showing socks with pumps, or maryjanes. We have taken out some old shoes and recycled them into fabulosity with just the addition of a simple black trouser sock.

Ferragamo showed a beautiful 1970’s inspired collection featuring shorts and cable sweaters, with a big shawl thrown over it all. We took some of our out of date wool pants, cut and hemmed them and turned them into the shorts of our dreams. Worn with tights, boots and a chunky sweater with a jacket or wool wrap on top, we are rocking a new look on an old budget.

Ah, Marc! We admit that the proportions of the Marc Jacobs collection initially struck us as a tad matronly. But after several looks, reviews and a grueling week of reporting on fashion week trends, we started to see it’s beauty. Taking an old Mui Mui skirt that hits below the knee, a belted turtleneck and a knee length coat, we recreated the look with a proportion that emulated his and suited our just under 5’5’ body to a tee. We wore it with the requisite heels and socks, and felt like a million bucks!

There are so many great trends emerging that can be achieved with more ingenuity than investment. Find a look you love and see how creative you can be in pulling together an outfit that is fresh and fashionable without buying anything new.

photos: Style.com

Someone’s in the kitchen with Jonesie and I LIKE it!! I love to cook, and our large open kitchen is a hub for many of our friends to congregate, and reap the benefits of my passion.

Lately, I have been working like crazy, and juggling all of the other things that life tosses at us. Ok, I admit it….. I am tired!!!
This week, I had the great privilege to have a gentleman or two cook me dinner.
Sunday, Alex made a gourmet feast of roasted beet salad, wild mushroom risotto, Swiss chard and braised beef. On Friday evening, as I raced out of work at 8 pm (unfinished, I might add) he was in my kitchen, roasting whole Red Snapper on a bed of potatoes with a salad and carrot, apple and cumin scented soup.

Sunday rolled around again, and I had a strategy meeting with people from out of town.
And what do you know, lucky me, Peter came by and made a German meal of roasted pork, cabbage with caraway seeds and potato dumplings the size of softballs!

Cooking is something I do, to make delicious and (usually) healthy choices, and the act of preparing food can be very creative and even relaxing for me. Feeding my family and friends is something I do to nurture and appreciate them. But did I mention how TIRED I am lately?
It was such a rare and wonderful experience to be on the receiving end of someone else’s hospitality in my own home.

Thank you Alex and Peter, for feeding my body and my soul.

photo: Glasshouse Images

There is a growing line up of scientific research demonstrating the dangers of the excessive amount of sugar in the average American diet. Yet, these studies are also bringing to light the fact that health–wise, all sugars are not created equally.

The worst of the myriad forms of sugar in the marketplace is fructose, derived from natural sources, such as fruits and vegetables. Consumed in moderation, directly from the source (i.e. eating fresh fruit) it not at all unhealthy. Consumed in high quantities and processed into many of the foods on the supermarket shelf, it can be deadly.

High quantities of fructose has been found to contribute to elevated blood pressure, triglycerides and LDL cholesterol, as well as cause cardiovascular disease, liver disease, cancer and arthritis. The worst offender is high fructose corm syrup (HFCS), a derivative of corn.

Today, the average adolescent gets 73 grams of processed fructose a day, just from sweetened drinks alone; a far cry from the 15 grams humans consumed a century ago, before processed foods existed.

Currently, the average American consumes 142 pounds of sugar per year!

Our bodies need glucose, a form of sugar found in carbohydrates, to operate. Virtually every cell in our bodies relies on glucose for energy. We burn up most of it, just by functioning. By contrast, fructose is metabolized by the liver, and is turned into free fatty acids, a damaging form of cholesterol, and triglycerides, which are stored as fat.

When you eat 120 calories of glucose, less than one calorie is stored as fat. The same amount of fructose results in 40 calories being stored as fat.

In addition to adverse metabolic effects, high fructose corn syrup has been found to contain traces of mercury, arsenic, lead, chloride, and heavy metals.

While it may be unrealistic to think that Americans will give up sugar in all forms, there are some alternatives that are better for you than others. Organic cane sugar and raw honey in moderation are the best choices. The herb stevia is considered healthy, but it is still a new entrant to the market, and not much is known about it. Agave syrup, thought to be healthy is made of a very highly processed sap that is almost all fructose.

The health risks related to artificial sweeteners are even greater than those caused by processed fructose.

Our bodies were meant to run on a natural diet, rich in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. Anytime we introduce artificial ingredients, there is a risk to our health. If you want to have sweet treats, it is best to make them yourself, from the purest ingredients you can find.

Technology has given us many easy, tasty foods, but the risks to eating them in quantity out weighs the benefits. Modifying your sugar intake, especially from processed fructose, could help you live a longer, healthier life. Who doesn’t want that?

photo: Glasshouse Images

Congratulations to Alexander Mays, who began his first day of training with the Joffrey Ballet in New York City today.

You might remember Alex from our post entitled, “Balancing Time and Passion” ( 8/15/09). He is an accomplished yogi and gourmet chef,who at the ripe age of 14 has just moved to New York to persue his dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. He is well on his way, armed with a scholarship with an acclaimed ballet company and a talent and passion that will help him achieve his goal. We have already reaped the benefits of his cooking skills, and can’t wait to see him on stage soon!

Break a leg Alex, and don’t forget about us when you are famous!!!

photo: Glasshouse Images

I cheated, and used some frozen vegetables. At this time of the year, certain things are not readily available, and the frozen varieties still contain the nutrients found in the fresh versions. Experiment with different combinations of vegetables. You really can’t go wrong here!

Homemade Vegetable Soup

Saute  a large, diced onion in a little olive oil, until soft.

Add diced carrots, celery, peas, spinach, corn and tomatoes. (I used canned San Marzano diced tomatoes and added the whole thing, including the juices).

Add 1 or 2 cans of red kidney beans, and / or cannellini beans, rinsed.

Fill the pot with chicken or vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Simmer the soup for an hour or two, until the flavors begin to meld.

Serve with a dollop of pesto for extra flavor.

Enjoy!

photo: Glasshouse Images

O.N.E. / One Natural Experience is Canadian spring water, packaged in a paper box.

The tetra pack carton is BPA- free, and made mainly from natural, sustainable resources.

The profits from the sale of this product will be donated to a non- profit organization, and consumers are directed to a website to vote for the charity of their choice.

Kudos to organizers of New York Fashion Week, for giving out these great water boxes in the Bryant Park tents!

Another company doing their part for our environment and our health is Abeego.

This company has created a natural, hand crafted solution for food storage. Made from hemp/cotton fabric and coated with beeswax and plant extracts, these innovative wraps come in 3 sizes and shapes, with color coded string ties to identify the package’s contents. They are soap and cold water washable, and durable enough to be used many times.

Just by eliminating plastic water bottles, and plastic wrap from our daily use, we can dramatically cut our exposure to harmful BPA’s and help to save our environment at the same time. Not a bad deal, we think!

For more information on the harmful effects of plastic, read our post  Eliminate a Plastic Bottle a Day to Keep the Doctor Away (posted January 18,2010)

photos courtesty of O.N.E. and Abeego

Last night, we attended the Y-3 show, a collaboration between renowned Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto, and active wear giant, Addidas.

Yohji never fails to produce a spectacle, and last night was no different. The standing room only show began with a laser light show, and a parade of models sporting layers of modern, yet casual pieces. The theme was a bit dour, with prison stripes and tee shirt graphics counting days of incarceration, with text such as “33 Years with You” and “23 Years in Prison- 20 = Y-3”, all to a remix of Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”

Although the “prisoner of love” concept was a bit downbeat, the items were pure fun, with great capes, easy dresses, and the “it” pant of the year, the low crotch trouser, done for both sexes in comfy knit. In true Yohji Yamamoto style, the clothes displayed an asymmetry, unique sense of proportion, and in some cases, beautiful origami-esque draping, all with an active twist.

The finale featured a group of models wearing colorful coats, who dropped them at the end of the runway, revealing; yup, you guessed it: prison stripes! After, Yohji walked the runway, and knocked out a male model in a faux kickboxing match, and was subsequently taken down by a female model.

Yamamoto’s business has been battered around a bit in the recent economy, and last night, Yamamoto did what he has been essentially been doing all year; after getting knocked down, he picked himself up, and waved to the crowd as he triumphantly walked off stage.

All in all, interesting clothes, great theatre, and a lesson in resiliency. It’s all in a day’s work!

photos courtesy of style.com

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day !!
xoxo indigo jones

photo: Glasshouse Images

Friends Seminary has commissioned artist Derick Melander to create a textile sculpture commemorating this year’s Peace Week theme, “Beyond the Numbers: The Economics of Peace”.

The purpose of the installation is to highlight one thread of our waste consciousness: clothing.

The installation, which went up this week, encourages the average consumer to ask:
What does clothing signify in our culture?
How much of what we own do we actually use?
How much clothing do we really need?
How can we help clothe someone in need?
What are the environmental implications of discarded clothing?

The Friends Seminary community has collected more than 1500 pounds of clothing to create the sculpture. Last week, students, parents, faculty and staff folded and stacked the clothing to create the work, entitled “The Fabric of Peace”.

The installation will be dismantled at the end of February, and all of the collected items will be sent to Haiti for victims of the recent earthquake.

photo: Spencer Jones