greetings from sao conrado, rio!

there was a ton of hype before we came down about the lack of safety, unfinished venues, and pollution. and while i'm not planning on swimming in the water, so far the dangers and chaos of rio seem to be completely over blown.

the city is stunning, the people are warm and helpful and the olympic venue we are frequenting is pretty stellar. 

even though we are only on our fourth full day here, it feels like we have already done so much. we've had some great meals out, attended our first two olympic games, navigated the hectic food markets, enjoyed the beach kiosks (delicious little beach bars with amazing food) and most notably, hiked up corcovado mountain to christ the reeder. 

thats right, all six of us, including my sixty+ parents hiked 2.5 hours through the jungle, using vines and roots and chain ladders to hoist ourselves to the second largest statue of christ in the world. 

even though it was a cloudy day at the top, the trek was well worth it. so worth it we are planning to go again on a sunny day for the full money shot. 

now, i'm sure you are expecting some amazing new recipe inspired by brasil. but remember, this is only my fourth day. and while we have done a fair job of navigating the markets, the harsh reality that this is not a place where i can get any ingredient i want at any moment has definitely set in. last night's chicken marsala had to be reworked to chicken with sherry and cauliflower (actually worked great as sub and the flavors were pretty spot on). 

but the thing i miss most is not having access to anything and everything. the thing i miss is walking out into my garden and picking stunning produce whose origin and growing process i'm certain of. 

so in honor of my little garden i love so much, here is a simple, quick, delicious vegan dish with a star from my garden. 

marsala mushrooms + swiss chard
serves: 2
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 4 oz baby bella or crimini mushrooms, sliced. 2 cups swiss chard leaves chopped + stems diced. 1 large shallot (or 2 small), sliced. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tbs olive oil. .25 c marsala wine. juice of .5 lemon. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper. 

in a medium pan, combine mushrooms, chard stems and shallots with the olive oil over medium high heat. season with half the salt and pepper. cook until the mushrooms are softened and the shallots are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

pour in the marsala and allow it to cook down with the veggies until most of the liquid is gone. about 2-4 minutes. 

add in the chard leaves, garlic and remaining salt and pepper. cook until the chard is wilted and the garlic fragrant. 30 seconds to 1 minute. 

drizzle the lemon juice over the veggies, stir well to combine and serve hot. 

xoxo
a

marsala mushrooms + swiss chard
serves: 2
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 4 oz baby bella or crimini mushrooms, sliced. 2 cups swiss chard leaves chopped + stems diced. 1 large shallot (or 2 small), sliced. 2 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tbs olive oil. .25 c marsala wine. juice of .5 lemon. .5 tsp salt. .25 tsp pepper.
in a medium pan, combine mushrooms, chard stems and shallots with the olive oil over medium high heat. season with half the salt and pepper. cook until the mushrooms are softened and the shallots are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
pour in the marsala and allow it to cook down with the veggies until most of the liquid is gone. about 2-4 minutes.
add in the chard leaves, garlic and remaining salt and pepper. cook until the chard is wilted and the garlic fragrant. 30 seconds to 1 minute.
drizzle the lemon juice over the veggies, stir well to combine and serve hot.