Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Fennel, and Carrot Salad with GF Soy Sauce and Tahini

There is something meditative about chopping and grating vegetables into thin ribbons, like bits of holiday garland ready to be strewn across your plate as edible decoration.  You have to be careful and precise, fully present there in the kitchen, one hand resting on the knife's handle, and the other partially on the vegetable, partially on the cutting board.  The goal is to chop, nimble and quick, everything as thinly as possible.  The repetition of motion paired with an external focus clears my mind.  I am fully there, I am cooking.

One of the classes that I teach to homeschoolers is titled "Adventures in Writing."  Yesterday was first time we had met since Thanksgiving, and my students were talking about the food they liked best -- cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, sweet potato casserole.  This led into a natural discussion about description.  How would you describe these foods? At first, they used words like "good" and "tasty" but then I had them really get into it -- to pretend that they were describing the food to someone who had never eaten it before.  Then they started making me hungry, as we chatted and wrote about our favorite foods. Talk of "Fluffy sweet clouds of whipped cream" now topped the sweet potato casserole, and "chewy flakes of oatmeal kissed with warm melting chocolate" had my mouth watering.  I told them about what I made for lunch, and then laughed at myself -- would I ever want to eat brussels sprouts, fennel, and carrots at this age?  Maybe if it had been described to me in detail, still slightly crunchy, and seasoned just right, I would have given it a try.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts, Fennel, and Carrot Salad with GF Soy Sauce and Tahini

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 12 Brussels Sprouts, bottoms removed and chopped into the finest pieces possible (or send through your food processor)
• 1 bulb of fennel, bottom and top removed, chopped into to 1/2 inch pieces (or again, you can use your food processor)
• 2 carrots, grated with a cheese grater
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
• 1/8 cup of water
• 2-3 tablespoons of gluten free, reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1 heaping tablespoon tahini
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch of freshly ground pepper

Heat up a stir-fry pan with the sesame oil on medium heat.  Add the veggies, and stir frequently.  Add in the ginger, water, soy sauce, vinegar, and tahini, mixing well to incorporate all of the flavors.  Cover and let the heat work its magic, for five minutes or until vegetables have just started to get tender, but still have a bit of a crunch to them.  Turn off the head, adding the ground ginger and pepper.  Stir, and the residual heat from the burner and pan do it's thing for another 5 minutes while the food cools down to an eatable level.  Enjoy with an extra drizzle of soy sauce if you desire.  Serves 2.

What's your favorite process to do in the kitchen?  
Would you have eaten this as a kid?