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Welcome friends!

Thank you so much for coming by! Allow me to share a little of my backstory with you. COVA RAINE was the name of the fashion design company that my 13 year-old self created during my FashionTelevision obsession and clothing sketching phase. Though I loved it, I didn’t end up pursusing fashion as a career. Fast forward many years and multiple careers later, I wanted to create a blog that would espouse creativity, passion, purpose, joy, play, self-development and curiousity. Enter COVA RAINE, the blog.

I’m excited (and a little uncomfortable too) to share my thoughts, words, photos, ideas, and recipes with you in the virtual world.

My ultimate desire and purpose in creating this platform is to help inspire others to cultivate more joy, fun, curiousity ,and creativity in our daily lives.

After all, the present is our daily gift; we’re here to soak it all up in all ways imaginable. Let’s jump in!

Beautiful Summer Salad

Beautiful Summer Salad

Catherine Ratusny
chef yourself
incredibly easy and quick to make…fresh from the garden—so flavourful and delicious!

incredibly easy and quick to make…fresh from the garden—so flavourful and delicious!

Simple-Ass summer (or fall) salads…

Okay, now this might not seem like much of a recipe…but that is precisely the point. When you have incredible produce, no need to f*ck with it.  It’s a mouthy work of art on its own. Slight enhancements only to really ‘pop’ the flavor.

Favourite go-to items for dressing your salad— fresh lemon juice, vinegar, herbs, salt and peppercorns.

Favourite go-to items for dressing your salad— fresh lemon juice, vinegar, herbs, salt and peppercorns.

So here are my go-to friends for simple salads… fresh ground sea salt, peppercorns (you choose your colour….i’m partial to black peppercorns), apple cider or white wine vinegar, and or freshly squeezed lemon juice. I’m giving you some guideline amounts, but truly, feel free to play a little and see what you like.

Fresh from the farm produce—a summer mouthgasm!

Fresh from the farm produce—a summer mouthgasm!

This is my hands-down favourite salad for a few reasons. During harvest months, the flavours of these veg are peak and mind-blowing, so it’s simplicity and flavor is incredible. It’s also a salad my baba used to make for us in the summer when the tomatoes were ripe; right off the plant and damn, so good and reminds me of her.  I could never believe how simple and tasty it was.  Larger pickling cucs she would use and peel the skins (greater absorption of the acid).  I could eat a whole bowl of this stuff.  And lastly, both cucs and tomatoes are low on the carb index, and with their water content, make it a low-calorie, low-fat, and healthy choice.

Perfect accompaniment with grilled meats, veggie burgers

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BEAUTIFUL SUMMER SALAD RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 Fresh ripe tomatoes, cut in half, then in reasonably thin sections (4-6 sections per half)

  • 1 medium English cucumber,(field cucumber works too, peeled if skin is thick), sliced in thin coins

  • 1 small white onion, sliced thinly (whole slices are eye-catching)

  • 3-4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

  • 1 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice (bottled is not nearly as amazing, use ½ the amount if not fresh)

  • 1 tbsp. EV cold press olive oil (avoid using low quality olive oil if you can help it….taste difference is insane)

  • 2-4 tbsp. of your favourite FRESH herb, chopped med-fine (I like to use dill, basil, or parsley….cilantro works nicely also

METHOD:

(1)    Put some pleasurable music on your speaker (I always like a little bit of Cuban salsa or chill…whatever you are feeling). Make your kitchen environment a place where you can relax and enjoy your space. Pour a glass of wine if you wind that way, or a sexy seltzer with lime and fresh mint in a beautiful glass….throw on a fun or sexy apron, and get to it!

(2)    Grab a serving bowl and chop your veggies into it.  I like to wear swim goggles or sunglasses if the onions are particularly sulfuric ( I am crazy sensitive to that juice)

(3)    Evenly pour the vinegar and lemon juice over the vegetables; give it a (gentle) light toss with wooden utensils (this prevents the tomatoes from breaking down further)

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(4)    Add the fresh herbs; gently toss a few more times. Now go let it ‘rest’ for 10 minutes. This is a critical step, as the acid needs to break down the veg a little and impart its flavor. It smooths everything out and heightens the flavor. After the 10 minutes, serve immediately.  **This isn’t a salad where hours of ‘rest’ will improve it. The acid from the vinegar will break down the vegetables into eventually a wilty mess.  If you do have leftovers, immediately into the fridge, and consume within 24 hours.  And feel free to ‘drink’ the juice of the salad. It’s flipping delicious too.

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I love this salad!!!

The First Pancake Always Sucks. Embrace the Suck.

The First Pancake Always Sucks. Embrace the Suck.