Salt by Mark Kurlansky--and roasted vegetables with pink Himalayan sea salt

Fortunes have been made and lost over salt; did you know? History is full of the intrigue and economics of salt. Except for in the last hundred years, salt has been one of the most important commodities made and traded around the world. Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky chronicles the thread of salt making, buying, and selling through the ages. I read it this month as our May Kitchen Reader selction, chosen by Stacy of Little Blue Hen. Over the course of nearly 500 pages, he covers most of the world for all of recorded history. Read this book and you will have at your fingertips salt trivia for every occasion--including some fascinating tidbits. As a starter, do you know how the word salary is related to that for salt?

lamb kebabs and pitta bread

These minted lamb kebabs convinced me that if I have to choose cuisine from just one region of the world to live on, it would have to be Middle Eastern. When Asha (from Fork Spoon Knife) announced that this month's Velveteers challenge was to make Middle Eastern street food, I was extremely happy. The fresh mint with lamb, on a soft, fresh pitta, with fresh cucumber salad and juicy tomato, topped with yogurt--it's all so fresh!

cauliflower soup: the secret recipe club

I am taking part in a wonderful new blog event: the Secret Recipe Club. Each participant is assigned another blog: this month I have received Jeanette's Healthy Living, a blog that is new to me, but has quickly become a favourite. As part of the Secret Recipe Club, I have been enjoying reading Jeanette's blog, and trying out her cauliflower soup, made with two ingenious ingredients you will never guess!

weekend links #15

Weekend Links is a way of sharing all the engrossing things I see around the internet. I publish Weekend Links approximately every two weeks. I welcome your ideas and feedback.

food reading links:
--Seven ways to eat more veggies (from Stonesoup).
--Is Sugar Toxic? (from the New York Times)
--I'm now following the cooking adventures of Minh, who is learning about his Vietnamese heritage through the kitchen.
--Chinese and Thai cooking classes (in English) by Martha Sherpa, offered in Hong Kong.

recipe links:
--The master bread recipe from the folks behind Artisian/Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day (from Kitchen Explorers).
--Chocolate cake made with aubergine (eggplant), a recipe from the book Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache by Harry Eastwood (from her blog). The book is all about baking with vegetables. Sounds great!
--Make ahead this falafel mix and pitta bread (from The Kitchn). Then shape and cook on your chosen weeknight.

off-topic links:
--I've discovered a blog called Healthy Motivation that posts pictures, mostly, that make me want to keep trying to be more healthy. Some of the bodies of the women pictured are amazing!

Five Clever Ways to Use Leftover Rice--Including Brown Rice Pie Crust

My fridge always seems to be filled with a revolving collection of leftover rice. No sooner have I managed to incorporate the remains into a new meal, the shelf refills with more. My husband loves rice so much he sometimes begs for it, and all this leads to eternal remnants. Do you have this problem? Thought so! Let's chat about ways to use up that rice!

brown rice pancakes

Perhaps tonight you will cook rice for dinner. The leftovers (there always seems to be a bit of rice left over!) will go into the fridge. Then tomorrow morning you have a craving for pancakes for breakfast. Well, you have hit the jackpot with this recipe! It uses cooked rice to make a very satisfying breakfast.

My Life from Scratch by Gesine Bullock-Prado--and whole wheat cream scones

April's Kitchen Reader selection is My Life from Scratch: A Sweet Journey of Starting Over, One Cake at a Time by Gesine Bullock-Prado, chosen by Shelley of My Little Chickadees. Although I ordered this book in the first few days of the month, delays meant that it arrived on the 28th. Fortunately, it's a slip of a book, and very easy and enjoyable reading. A few epic bus journeys later and it was finished off. My Life from Scratch is a memoir by the sister of Sandra Bullock, who found herself hating her Hollywood job in the Bullock sisters' production company. She finally decided (with her sister's blessing) to leave the glitz for small town Vermont, where she set up a pastry shop. This fascinating book had some magical portions, but also left me unsettled.

hot cross buns (whole grain baking)

While cleaning through my stored boxes in my parents' basement a couple of years ago I found this little book. My mother had found it at a thrift store and then tucked it into my boxes for me. It's a treasure. It has a selection of Easter breads from around the world, accompanied by charming line drawings, and background stories.

Broccoli Cornbread Muffins

I do love making muffins--those little bite-sized morsels. Sweet ones are good as snacks or breakfast, and savoury ones are great with soup or salad for dinner. These beautiful muffins are golden cornbread on the outside and bright green broccoli on the inside. They would be a great side dish for a luncheon; I can imagine a bit of a surprise when friends bite into them!

five ways to become a no-excuses runner

This is a picture of me after my morning run yesterday--still red-faced and wind swept. I have been inspired to begin running over the last few months and I've really been helped by other bloggers, including Tina, the food and fitness blogger at Carrots 'N' Cake. Over on my personal blog, I've written about five ways to become a no excuses runner. Please hop over and see what I've learned so far.