This is the way I love my food.

Many of my meals look like this--ingredients on a platter.

I love it when layers and layers compliment,
contrast, soothe, get edgy,
excite and ignite each other,

when tastebuds jump up to dance,

when the MMMMMMM!!!, the OH!!, and the WOW! grab your tongue by
surprise and shake it all around,

when each bite is a depth of delight all on its own,

when there aren't words to describe the
lusciousness of the experience.

Even simple foods like vegetables can take the mouth on an adventure.

Grabbing fresh greens and other vegetables from the garden,

displaying them with an array of other delights,

creates the pallete for many one-of-a-kind tasty masterpieces.

Sweet and spicy garden onions, peppers and garlic, red onion, sweet garden candy tomatoes, oxalis, candied pecans, blue cheese, basil leaf, and fresh arugula leaves.

A little pinch of this!
And a little pinch of that!
Each selection different from the last,
experimenting with the flavors and textures to find the perfect combination.
Maybe 19 varieties of whatever moves my fancy . . .
combining them to make a whole lotta goodness.


I top it off with a dressings or sauces to make it moist and juicy,
wrapping the flavors together in a big leafy green.

I like to drizzle my dressing on in layers too,
generally with some sort of
oil (flax, sesame, olive, etc.),
liquid aminos,
tahini,
a homemade vinegar (balsamic, a squeeze of lime, a drizzle of pickle juice, etc.),
something spicy like a cayenne pepper, jalapeno, grated ginger, chopped garlic or salsa,
chimichurri sauce,
a sprinkle of fresh herbs.
The possibilities are endless.

Every bite has different ingredients
so every nibble is as exciting as the one before.

To reach a level of finesse in the kitchen, get to know your ingredients.
Make our own fresh snack including some of the things
you find in your own garden, refrigerator or cupboard.
Stack them up layer upon layer, building a unique creation for every bite.

Experiment with different greens, cheeses, fruits (dried or fresh), any nuts, seeds or something crunchy, a delightful herb, maybe something a little gooey with substance like a glob of hummus or potato salad, a pile of caramelized onions, roasted peppers, spiralized zucchini, kim chi, or whatever is within your reach.

Sprinkle on some salt and pepper and WHALLAH--

19 Things On a Leaf Covered With Sauce!!

The way to intuitive food mastery is to experiment--a LOT!! Getting to know the qualities that each food adds to a dish offers a banquet of possibilities Every bite will be a delight to savor and your culinary alchemy skills will expand with little effort. You can move away from recipes and tune into your intuition and experience instead. Not only will your skills grow, but your taste buds will become refined, and your body will be grateful.

If you enjoyed this, check out my previous post on 19 things on a leaf covered with sauce!
https://steemit.com/food/@everlove/19-things-on-a-leaf-covered-with-sauce-tuning-into-layers-of-food-alchemy