Squashing cravings: Butternut and Barley Lemon Pilaf

How are those resolutions coming? I re-started (for the third time) a book that suggested creating an inquiry for each month. The author gave examples for January and February as "what is holding you back?" and "how can you find a daily or weekly way to indulge?" and then said to have at the rest of the months with your own prompts.

Food-wise, for these months I have to say sugar is holding me back. Having some daily dessert tends to make for sluggish mornings. Dave is giving up processed sugar entirely for possibly a year and even suggested if I wanted to join him, that I give up high sugar fruits like berries...I adamantly said I will eat my fruit seasonally thanks, San Diego has too much variety to let that go to waste. Besides whole fruit gives you fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants-that has to offset some of that natural high sugar, right?

 I took the chocolates to work to share but my little pint of coconut mint chip "ice cream" and waffles in the freezer remain. I can't bring myself to just throw them away (dairy free and gluten free stuff is expensive, yo'...but I know, what's the price for my alertness/well-being? Logic doesn't always win still, alas.)Will attempt just to have a weekly "pig out" day. I will try not to buy any processed sugar or regular cane sugar-just coconut sugar for most things, honey, maple syrup and molasses for the oatmeal.

For a more regular weekly indulgence I'd be ever so pleased to just have a relaxed cup of coffee and cookie or baked good for breakfast, which I normally only do on vacation for whatever reason. Daily, I'd ideally like to help myself fall asleep/train my mind by getting some meditation in before bedtime even if it's only 5 minutes or less to start.

Maybe if I fill up on enough satisfying entrees I won't miss sugar so much. Usually something with sour flavor or lots of different textures helps me feel more at peace (not clamoring for crazy portions of dessert). How do you kick your sugar cravings?

This dish just might help. Butternut squash is the soft, rich, sweet taste. Barley can provide some toothsome fiber and whole-grain carbs. Try throwing in some cooked beans if you need non-meat protein. I am using black eyed peas. Plenty of flavor from the lemon juice and garlic. Today's recipe comes to you from my second CSA box, Farm Fresh to You, who pulled it from eatingwell.com. Shopping tip: If you have trouble finding barley, see if there's a Korean market near you. Otherwise, try a natural food store or one that sells grains in bulk. Please note barley is NOT gluten free. But if you need it to be try the recipe out substituting  quinoa or arborio rice.

Butternut and Barley Lemon Pilaf-

*2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
*1 med onion, chopped
1 14 oz can reduced sodium veg broth (or homemade stock)
1 3/4 cup water
1 cup pearl barley
2 cups peeled butternut squash (3/4" cubed)-this was 1 squash for me, I separated the seeds from the guts and spread out to dry to eat toasted later!
*1/3 cup chopped herb such as parsley
1 tsp lemon zest (freshly grated)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic inced
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional: add half a cup of cooked beans to each serving for extra protein.

*I omitted these items. I used about 1 tsp on onion powder instead, added near the end of cooking.

If you do have onions, heat the oil in the large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened about 2-3 minutes.

If no onions, just add broth,barley and squash to the large saucepan. Bring it to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium low to keep a simmer until the barley and squash are tender. During this time, add 1/2 cup of water at a time as needed to keep the barley from sticking and stir. Do this until the water is gone or until the dish is a desired tenderness. I like my barley a little toothsome, so this ended up being 20-25 minutes.

(Alternatively the original recipe has you adding all water at the beginning and simmering for 45 minutes. My variation is similar to risotto cooking by involving more little bits of water, more watching/stirring but had a shorter cook time.)

Take off heat and add the herb (if you have it), lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. If using beans add them now. Mix gently and serve.

Any or all of the three prompts you'd like to answer feel free, if you try to recipe or even just want to say hello-I'd love to hear from ya'!

Fall Vegetarian Comfort: Provence Style Zesty Stew

Here comes fall with preparations for the holidays ahead! At a loss for what vegetarian/vegan do for holiday meals when they dine with the omnivores if they aren't in charge of the hosting/menu? They might not admit it to a host or others bringing the food for fear of inconvenience but the making do with the meat-free dishes such as mashed potatoes, salad and picking bacon bits off the green beans does not make for satisfaction.

They'll likely fend for themselves to bring something they can enjoy, but asking others to bring a few more veggie-friendly dishes to munch on would be appreciated for certain (also giving everyone at the table extra vitamins, minerals and fiber woo hoo!) Instead of reaching for the meat-analogue Tofurkey, why not offer another filling dish with less sodium! The recipe that follows is also gluten-free (we folk who get glum being unable to have most pies and crispy-onion-topping green beans).

Province Style Tofu Stew

Adapted from Williams and Sonoma Soup cook book to be veggie friendly

For people who eat fish the original calls for 1 lb of firm white fish. A similar recipe I was given by a former mentor also added a soft cheese to her fish stew and there was no orange zest. See what's in your fridge/pantry, and play around and make this recipe your own! I added beet greens because I didn't have tomato pieces and wanted more texture/substance. Veggies rock as they tend to be very interchangable in most recipes.


Equipment: optional blender or food processor to make a less chunky soup
Prep-work: rinse and chopping and zesting, 5-10 minutes worth; optional homemade stock made fresh 2 hrs (or grab from your freezer)

3 servings

 

1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced (substitute celery if you cannot find)
1 large garlic clove, minced
2-3 tbsp of tomato paste OR 14 oz chopped tomato (fresh or canned, saving juice to use in this recipe)
2 cups of vegetable stock (may make 1 cup of red wine if on hand, I didn't have)
zest of 1-2 small oranges
12-16oz package of firm tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup dill (or another herb, original recipe calls for parsley)
2 cups thoroughly rinsed beet greens (or other greens), chopped

1. In a medium soup pot over med-high heat, warm the oil. Add the onions, stirring occasionally until lightly brown. Less than 5 minutes. Add carrots and fennel. Cook until slightly softened about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic cooking 1 more minute.

2. Add tomatoes and their juice, wine and/or vegetable stock and orange zest. Reduce the heat to medium and bring to simmer. Add the beet greens. Cover with the lid cracked open slightly for about 10 minutes, veggies should be well softened and your kitchen smelling great.

3. Blend about 1/3 of the soup to puree in the blender/processor and then return it to the pot (careful about the lid coming off due to the steam build up-let the soup cool a bit first OR if you have a stick blender go for that instead)

4. Add the tofu and heat until warmed through.

5. Put soup into bowls and top with the chopped herb.

Tastes great served alone or with some bread (yes, there's gluten free ones out there) or add 1/4 to 1/2 cup cooked grains, beans or quinoa per serving for extra belly-filling goodness. 


I attended a cardio kick-box class this week and the instructor reminded us to eat mindfully (chewing slowly to notice the tastes, the smells, the colors, the conversation being had with loved ones) and go ahead and indulge having a bit o' the "bad" stuff.

What sensations describe your Thanksgivings?

Fall Fruit and Celery Salad + Home-delivery CSA

I love my Suzie's Farm subscription, but was willing to also try out a farm that has a good variety of fruit that gets delivered. I found out my first home delivery CSA called Farm2You got sent to my old rental address (they didn't confirm before sending, boo-be aware the promoters may not convey this accurately!) since they finally got enough subscribers to deliver to my neighborhood. It seems nice because you can have them deliver every 1-4 weeks and not locked into a number of deliveries. On this one you can also log into your account and change out a fruit or vegetable of equivalent value if there is something you don't like or feel like that time. This would probably be a great CSA to start with if you are wary of getting produce you dislike (many other CSA you just have to see about trading with a friend or deal with it.)


Since last week we got our first big rain of fall, the box was sitting out on the old porch for me like a sad, soggy dog. I quickly, lovingly shoved the box into my car. At home when I could open the box, although everything seemed fresh as a daisy, I was dismayed to see celery. Very few veggies that I can't make friends with but this along with radishes are force fed. (I refuse to let them go wilty and don't have a compost still.) For future deliveries I am going to exclude celery, but for now I got inspired by a suggestion from a fellow yoga teacher, Sonja, and a recipe I saw (but could not re-locate on Food.com) with pomegranate seeds and orange juice.  Perfect that the box also came with some fall fruits-apples and pomegranates.

Fall Fruit and Celery Salad

Crunchy pops of sweetness from the fruit and the zing of mint helps tame the celery's strong flavor.
2 servings

2 celery ribs-thinly sliced moons (I did about two quarters-stacked together thick)
pomegranate seeds-half of the fruit
fresh orange juice-2 tbsp (or more to taste to taste)
pepper (to taste)
1 mint sprig, rinsed and chopped
4 tbsp chopped nuts, toasted (optional)
1 apple-sliced, quartered then cut into 1/4" pieces
2-3 cups of torn salad greens (lettuce, arugula, sprouts...whatever you've got)

Do your chopping and mining for pomegranate seeds.

Then toss to combine! May let it marinate a few hours for best flavors.



Tips: for the optional nuts, you can try different kinds and toast at about 350 a few minutes or on a pan low heat, I used macadamia.

Getting the pomegranate seeds out with less mess: cut the pomegranite in half, and then separate the seeds out in a large bowl filled with water. 

Try substituting mint with a different soft, leafy herbs. Oregano? Lemon verbena?

Are you ready for Halloween?

Good to Go Easy Seaweed and Bean salad along with product reviews for Indian Market's Priya Dosa Mix and MTR Sambar(soup) Curry Paste + "The Good Bean" dried chickpeas + Daiya Cheddar Cheese

Apologies for my lapse in weekly posts, I have been overwhelmed with end of year at work and having exams and class projects. I will do my best to make up for that by posting more consistently, possibly about:

• A bread machine gluten free recipe that rose! (this one isn't soy free however, I want to play around with using other types of non-dairy milk)
• San Diego Night Market visit
• Executing the book recipes on a bi-weekly basis (minimum)

It's been a huge morale damper to have my clients and teammates on furlough this week. In food related news, I have yet to come across any food (or other) deals for San Diegans who are furloughed except for popcorn at AMC movie theaters (not required to purchase a movie ticket). D.C. has a whole slew of places offering free meals, cupcakes, sandwiches, burgers...where's the San Diego love? We have so many military bases here!

GOOD TO GO -EASY SEAWEED-BEAN SALAD

Combo of beans and rice, something so satisfying.

School doesn't have a microwave that's easily accessible...if I heat it before I leave work it will get too cold by the time I am hungry (did not bother looking for the lunch-bag thermos type kit yet). Enter the tasty meal that does not require heating. The Seaweed Bean Salad uses Hijiki Seaweed (found it at Marukai market and love it because it doesn't have a strong ocean flavor...recall it from July with sprouted lentils?) Good source of iron (40% of daily value according to the nutrition label!), top it off with some citrus or strawberries for dessert to help absorb that non-heme iron. The recipe makes four servings at a time:

INGREDIENTS:
40 g  of dried hijiki, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and then drained)
1 large avocado (1/4 per serving) or 2 small (1/2 per serving) sliced
1 cup dried Adzuki Beans (soak overnight and cook until tender 45mins-1 hour, or give a can of rinsed kidney beans a try or pinto beans)
1 fresh lime's juice
Fresh rice 1 cup cooked

Mix ingredients together and for best taste let it marinate for a few hours. For individual portions-make up 3/4 cup combination of rice and beans, 1/4 of the seaweed, 1/4 of the avocado and 1/4 of the lime juice.


Because it's been so busy I have started stocking time-saving foodstuffs. Here's what I have tested over the last few weeks: 

WHAT: Priya Dosas Mix
WHERE I GOT IT: Namaste Market, Mira Mesa
RESULTS: Although I have a crepe pan that worked well, I should have watched this video to know that the batter needs to have more liquid (than what the package called for), use a ladle to spread it and know that it's ready to turn when the edges curl up! My dosas turned out very thick and the batter itself seemed very salty (sodium listed at 120 mg for a single dosa, but since mine were so thick, it was probably heaps more!)

WHAT: MTR Sambar Curry Paste
WHERE I GOT IT: Namaste Market, Mira Mesa
RESULTS: I'm used to a more salty/savory sambar from Annapurna restaurant. However given that I paired this with the salty Priya dosas, the sour spicy flavor worked very well. It also paired well with something a little sweet (roasted sweet potatoes)

WHAT: The Good Bean snack pouches (dried chickpea)
WHERE I GOT IT: Marshalls, Mira Mesa, check out the manufacturer's website
RESULTS: I bought the chili lime and cracked pepper flavors. It's nice to find a snack that has 6 g protein that I can take to class or could travel well for a hike. Given it was at Marshall's, I probably won't see it again (and not at $1.89 per pouch). The website lists them at $2.88 when you buy a multi-pack and free shipping over $25 order. They are a Berkeley, CA business. If you have nut allergies they also have no-nut snack bars!

WHAT:Daiya Cheddar Cheese shreds (dairy free, soy free)
WHERE I GOT IT: Fresh and Easy, Mira Mesa,
RESULTS: I had only seen the mozarella flavor before (which to me tastes nothing like real mozarella, but adds a nice buttery, salty flavor-worked great in my salmon-potato patties). This tasted exactly like mozarella to me though.

What new projects are you working on for fall?

Vegetarian Summer Series #3: Raw Curried Sprouted Lentil-Collard Greens Salad

Can't escape the heat and humidity (relatively speaking...I know we San Diegans are fickle)! Our half of the building at work is stuffy and the other side has the girls bundled up in sweaters. Then I go off to 80 degree yoga in the evenings.  I can try to do less stuff on the stove while in the kitchen at least...

I've been making a lot of veggie sandwiches this week with avocado, cucumber, sprouts, mustard and sundried tomato--and sometimes hard boiled egg. I tried out Glutino brand bread...which while tasty, sadly does not hold together (exhibit A) unless toasted  (exhibit B).

                                                EXHIBIT A:  Not a good lunch to take out.

                                                      EXHIBIT B: Solid grip! Much better!



Taste-test Summer adaptation. Try swapping dill for basil and swiss chard for spinach in a pesto recipe...pairs nicely with a white fish or I imagine awesome with chopped hard boiled eggs!

Now onto the real recipes. Two posts in a row from Rawmazing website recipes (cucumber cumin dressing over melon and beans salad last week)! Great to try raw recipes when it just feels too sticky to use the stove for much more than 10 minutes-this recipe I stuck pretty close to the original ingredients and steps and didn't even steam the veggies like last week.  This was supposed to debut at a yoga vegetarian potluck this week, but it just didn't work out to get enough people together. Ah well, more for me!

This did take some pre-planning, if you want to try your hand at sprouting your own lentils. You can also buy them this way-try health food stores or if you're in San Diego, hit up Suzie's stand at a farmer's market or the farm itself! I enjoy the slight crunch that the lentils have.

RAW CURRIED SPROUTED LENTIL-COLLARD GREENS SALAD

INGREDIENTS-only slightly modified from the original recipe at Rawmazing, using a different sprouting technique, dried coconut and changing from kale to collard greens.

• 1 cup red lentils, sprouted

• 1 cup dried, unsweetened coconut since I didn't have fresh coconut flesh
• 1/2 cup coconut water from young thai coconut (I used canned coconut juice-saved the rest to drink as a natural electrolytes replenisher)
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Braggs Liquid Aminos (or coconut aminos for soy free)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet yellow curry powder
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar or sweetener of choice*
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Himalayan Salt to taste

• 1 bunch of collard greens leaves (after rinsing and chopping it probably made about 6 cups) or any other leafy green--save the stems for another use
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• squeeze of lemon juice
• pinch Himalayan Salt 
• pepper
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews 

INSTRUCTIONS-modified sprouting method

 1. About 2 days before you want to make the salad, rinse and then soak the lentils over night. Drain the water. Place the lentils in a cheese cloth or tea towel and tie the ends together (rubber band or clip) and hang over the sink to drip for half an hour. Put the towel and lentils in a covered pot to sit at room temperature 1-2 days until the sprouts form.

Waggy happy lil' lentil tails. ARF!

2. Prepare the leafy greens by massaging it in a large bowl with the  1 tbsp olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, and pinch of salt. Let this mixture sit awhile to soften the leaves.

My roommate owns the mixing bowls and they are packed...hence using a soup pot!

3. While your leaves "cook", prepare the curry sauce. Grab the blender or food processor and add the liquids first : coconut water, garlic, lemon juice, Braggs liquid amino and olive oil. Then add the dry ingredients: shredded coconut, curry powder, sugar and salt. (Your blender will have an easier time if you do liquids near the blade) Blend until uniformly mixed. My mixture clumped up into a paste.

The coconut smells SO good.

4. Add the curry sauce and lentils to the greens, and mix to incorporate the sauce. Add the chopped cashews and tomatoes, mixing gently. Add pepper to taste.

I'll be enjoying this salad before the fireworks begin! Have a happy fourth everyone!


What's on your Fourth menu or what's your favorite no-cook recipe?

Vegetarian Summer Series Post #2 : Quick Cucumber-Melon Salad Dashed with Cumin

Happy to report that I had my first swap party this weekend! An idea which was probably found in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine that I clipped out over 3 years ago. Because we have to move next month, I was more inspired to get the event planned. Each person was to bring up to 10 items to swap. Whatever no one wanted is going to Goodwill this Friday (or in the case of Redneck Life board game..."whoever has the most teeth left at the end wins!" in a White Elephant stash).  Some of my items found new loving homes for a framed photograph I mistakenly purchased when we first moved to this house and books I finished reading (Memory Keeper's Daughter, Zookeeper's Wife, Little Altars Everywhere, While I'm Falling). Amy's puppers had a good time playing with the plush dinosaur tail that everyone tried on. I wish I had taken a photo. People tried out yoga poses from my 608 Asanas book but some were more fixated on the man's tiny shorts.

This weekend also brought me satisfaction that I got the chance to cook a meal for people who came out to swap. We had inari (fried tofu) sushi, cucumber-melon salad, and arugula and radish sprout salad with heirloom tomatoes. Also made some fancy-foo-foo water by sticking lemon verbena leaves and strawberry slices.  

Not photogenic!

CUCUMBER & MELON Salad Dashed with Cumin
Adapted from Rawmazing Jicama and Melon Salad

 
Dressing

• 1/2 cup walnuts (soft nuts don't need to be soaked overnight)
• 1 medium cucumber,  cubed
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice from 1/2 lemon (about 1 tbsp juice)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

 Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

Salad

• 3 cups melon cubed (I used one not as sweet)
• 1/2 cup onions cut thin and roasted (450 F for about 25 minutes, with 1 tsp olive oil)
• 1-2 tablespoons red pepper flakes (optional)
• 2 cups steamed green beans (1" pieces, cooked about 5 minutes)
• dressing from above

1. Place all ingredients in bowl and toss to combine. 

What kind of parties do you have coming up?

Start of Vegetarian Summer Series: Mongo Soup and Pesto Pasta & Recap of H-mart Goodies!

The 200-hour yoga teacher training to expand my practice started last weekend. Now I'm not sure if I'll enjoy teaching or even if I'll be any good but I'm excited to learn other aspects of yoga! Part of the experience includes designating at least one day a week to eat vegetarian. This week I made a Filipino soup and pesto with pasta. 

I've been vegetarian before so it won't be a huge stretch but just hoping to inspire/show some of you that vegetarian can be easy and tasty whether you want to try it for yourself to feel light and make a lighter eco-footprint or even if you have a vegetarian guest to impress. So, you can look forward to the blog testing out some (hopefully) quick to make vegetarian dishes over the next 8 weeks. :)

Being gone in AZ/UT during my CSA box pick up last weekend forced me to venture out to the grocery store to get my produce last Friday. And so I finally made it out to the Korean market, H-Mart that opened up in Mira Mesa in Fall 2012. First, if you like Costco "buffet" (aka samples) on the weekends, you will LUUUUURVE H-mart. I went on Friday and almost every row had an apron clad, plastic mouth shield wearing employee offering a sample of something tasty. Vietca told me they had a bee-ute-a-full seafood section and it was indeed clean and fresh smelling. Many of the frozen packages also list the country of origin for the fish and if it's farmed/wild-caught so that was also helpful if you're pulling out your moral compass.

Second scored a bounty for $27 : 

• 2 canary melons (Tweety yellow outside, very sweet, white flesh)
• 1 other yellow melon
• 1 pkg bunapi mushroom
  
  
  
  

• 1 pkg king trumpet mushrooms
• 3.5 lbs of fish (a white fish, listed as a good alternative on Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch)
•  a Red Pepper Paste that does not appear to have wheat 

Uhhhhh what is seed koji? Read below, I'm still not sure.

• Internet research says koji is a mold grown for the fermentation process and can be grown on grains (homegrown.org, soy info center  usually rice or soybeans)---sooooo, you may want to make your own substitute paste (I've googled recipes before but not tested) if you need to be strictly gluten free or soy free. I emailed H mart to see if they can tell me what this brand's koji is grown on, I will update if they respond.
•  a package of soft tofu
• a bag of bok choy and
•  another greens that I didn't write the name of-anyone know what this is?
  

Note to self: they have a big 3lb bag for about $4 of brown rice "powder" which looks like flour to me that's cheaper than buying the 1 lb bags at normal grocery stores. 

 Filipino Mung Bean Soup (mongo)-Veggie Style (makes enough for 4-5 servings)

adapted from Lisa's Kitchen and a video I saw on YouTube (idea for some ingredient variations)

Seems like mongo recipes really vary by what veggies you throw in-get creative!

• 1 cup dried whole mung beans-soaked over night
• 1 tsp Coconut Oil for the onions and Chinese greens and 1 tsp for the bunapi mushroom and fresh garlic cloves
•  1 tbsp garlic powder, and also 2 cloves of fresh garlic (or 6 cloves fresh)
• I added 2 shallots for 1/2 cups chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes or 2 fresh red chiles
• 1 can of tomato sauce (or 2 medium fresh tomatoes)
• juice of 2 limes (4 tablespoons)-used lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 4 cups water or veggie stock
• 3 bok choys, very bottom part cut off so leaves separate for washing out dirt (or another leafy green, Lisa called for1/2 lb (225 g) baby spinach leaves)
• stems of 6 Chinese greens (that I didn't get the name of)
• 1 pkg bunapi mushroom, cut apart and washed

1. To a larger soup pot, add the water or veggie stock. Add the soaked mung beans and cover with a lid. Heat on high until boiling, then reduce to medium with the cover on to cook at least 25-35 minutes or until mung beans are soft enough to eat.

2. While the mung beans cook, in a small sauce pan heat on medium 1 tsp of coconut oil for the mushrooms and garlic cloves. Cook them until tender. Remove these into a bowl to stop cooking.

3. Add 1 tsp coconut oil to cook over medium heat the chopped shallots and Chinese greens. Cook until browned. Then add to mung bean pot.

4. Add  the tomato sauce, garlic powder, lime juice, salt and stir into the mung bean pot. Add your bok choy and cover again for 3-5 minutes until the bok choy is crisp tender.Add the mushrooms and ladle into bowls for serving. Add red pepper flakes to taste.

 Dairy free Pesto-using mystery Chinese green leaves and walnuts- 2 servings

 

Sorry for the ugly plastic bowl, it's my lunch at work!

adapted from "The 15 Minute Single Gourmet by Paulette Mitchell"

 4 tbsp walnut pieces

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 cup of chopped greens

2 t bsp nutritional yeast

4 tsp fresh minced basil or 1 tsp dried

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/2 box of quinoa/corn pasta

1/2 cup dried (not oil packed) sundried tomato pieces

1. Prepare pasta as the package directs.

2.  While waiting for the pasta to cook, if you like, toast the walnut pieces (200 degrees in toaster oven for 2-3 minutes or can try doing in a frying pan).

3. Add first 7 ingredients to a blender or food processor. Add water by tbsp if mixture is too thick.

4. Serve pasta with pesto and top with sundried tomato.

What is the biggest thing you would like to ask for right now?

Indian spices Carrot Top "Saag"

I took my first vacation this year visiting my sis-wonderful time to catch up, soak in the hot springs water, bike ride, yoga and plow through The Memory Keeper's Daughter (great read, changes between characters like Jodi Picoult or George Martin. Seeing the ripple effect of one choice made). We happened to be at the resort during guest chef weekend so we paid and had the luxury of not needing to cook a majority of our meals. Throw the dairy ban out the window for the magical spicy chai, cheese with veggies and cream atop of the strawberry rhubarb and flourless chocolate cake, but it was worth it! Certainly got some fun ideas: potato chips on top of fish and ginger-lemonade as a natural quencher.

Getting back into dairy-free cooking once back at home, but still carrying over lingering affects of eating a little more slowly. Savoring each bite. Helps me realize when I'm full too. In the spirit of Wilbur Hot Spring's waste not (eco-friendly composting, cooking in season, solar powered grid) and in the spirit of trying new things (soaking sans bathing suit, getting a massage while lying on my side), I implore you not to toss your carrot tops next time (sure composting is nice, but maybe you don't have time to go out to the store to get more veggies).

I've mentioned it before that it's been hard to find something tasty to do with carrot tops-pesto is one thing I've repeated, but a girl like me isn't happy without variety in her diet. I read about making a tea but that won't use up much plus I'm not a big fan of the flavor of carrot top leaves. I chopped it up and added it as an herb to a lentil salad (was alright, nothing to blog about). This week I finally found something worth puffing up my feathers about! Using it in place of spinach (or other leafy greens) for an Indian inspired spicy vegetarian dish was an experiment gone good. I followed a Saag (spinach) recipe from Holy Cow! with a few tweaks.

You'll need for two servings:
1 bunches of carrot tops (about 3 cups with thick stems removed, chopped roughly and boiled in about 1/4 cup of water until tender ~3 minutes)
1/2 cup chopped onion stem (or onion bulb)
.5 tsp cumin powder
.5 tsp coriander seed powder
.25 tsp turmeric (optional)
.25 tsp chili powder or red chili flakes
1 TBSP tomato paste (recipe could be 1/2 14-oz can of diced tomatoes or 1 tomatoes, diced)
.5 tbsp ginger, grated
.5 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
.5 tbsp cornflour whisked with 1/4 cup of hemp milk (or other non-dairy milk)
Salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium.

2. Add the onion and cook till browned. While waiting mix all dry spices together in a small dish. Mix the corn flour and milk in a separatedish.

3. Add the dry spices to the onion and let cook 30 seconds to release the flavor.

4. Add the wilted carrot tops, tomato paste, ginger and pepper flakes. Cook about 10 minutes on a low simmer.

5. Add the corn flour and water mixture to thicken the dish.

I ate mine as a side to roasted celery and "nacho cheese" soup. And also cold with canned salmon flakes as a snack. 


What do you like to do to slow it down?

No-Dairy, No-Nut, No-soy Nacho Sauce and No-soy Tofu

Never one to turn down free food, I accepted a cheery red bell pepper from my friend after she and her husband treated me and Dave to a home-cooked meal (I get to dog sit for her next weekend.) She said she wouldn't be able to use it in time. Months ago I saw a nacho sauce recipe that claimed having bell pepper was a key ingredient. Naturally I was so excited, I forgot to book mark it and now can't remember which one it was.

I found a few versions online, some used cashews to make it rich (I tried No Meat Athlete's Vegan Mac N' Cheese but found I had to add lots of sriracha to make it to my liking), but like one blogger pointed out if you like to lay it on thick, a cashew based sauce may be a wee bit too high in calories for a recipe to be used more often than special occasions. The nutless ones I came across used miso...which interestingly one blogger claimed as being soy-free. Well, maybe she found the one made from chickpeas. Any way, I'm not ready to re-introduce soy into my diet to test my reaction yet and don't have time to wait to order chickpea miso or make calls trying to locate it locally. So substitution recipe for miso searching was needed. A few boards suggested using tahini or a tomato-paste/soy sauce substitution. I happened to have coconut aminos from my local Whole Foods to use instead of soy sauce/Braggs liquid amino-it's not as satisfying on my mochi and nori as soy sauce but it could just work for this recipe.I always keep a can of tomato paste in the pantry.

I'm not going to say the recipe really tastes anything like the cans of neon orange cheese, but by golly, I sure felt it was tasty and rich. I spent from about 6:40p-7:40p in the kitchen. A little prep work was done over the weekend (pepper roasting, soak beans).  I modified the recipe I found at Fo Reals Life to make it soy-free. And also tried making a soy-free tofu to put into this nacho "cheese" recipe (tofu not made from soy sounds contradictory, no? Apparently you can make tofu from other kinds of beans. And if you only have 45 minutes and chickpea flour, you're ready! I had no idea about any of this until I read this blog Triumph of the Lentil. If you enjoy legumes, I think this lady's blog is worth a gander. I hope to find some other recipes to try...maybe doing a test vegan body building month WOULD be possible without soy after all).

Here's the modifed ingredients and instruction:

NO DAIRY, NO NUT, NO SOY NACHO SAUCE

1/4 c. roasted red pepper (if making from scratch, just brush with oil, and roast at ~400F for 20 minutes, rotating 2-3 times if leaving whole so all sides get some charring. Place in a brown paper bag after for about 10 minutes to make the skin easier to peel off and pull out the seeds)
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 TBSP.sesame seeds
1 TBSP. tomato paste + 1 tbsp coconut aminos
1/4 c rice. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 oz of chickpea tofu (recipe below)-this was probably a cup of strips if you don't have a scale.
1 c.plain hemp milk
1/2 c. water

Stick all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cook over medium-high heat until nice and thick. Stir constantly to avoid a burnt bottom.

Serve it with your favorite nacho fixings. My dinner consisted of toasting some corn tortillas until crisp and piling it high with arugula, chopped olives and some kidney beans.

NO SOY TOFU
I made a half recipe of what was on the original blog since my chickpea flour reserves are low and I still have half an 8x8 pan left to make an additional 2-3 meals this week-score!

1.25 cups chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups cold water

Mix together dry ingredients, breaking up lumps.

Put dry ingredients into a pan or saucepan. Adding water a bit at a time and breaking up lumps.

Turn on the heat to medium and keep stirring until the batter thickens (my half recipe took about 4 minutes on a gas stove, the original chef says her full batch was 7 minutes on electric). 

Grease the pan and then spread the batter evenly. Allow to cool/firm up on the counter 20-30 minutes before attempting to cut. Reminds me of polenta but so much faster (no hand cramps)! And more protein!

And to think this all started with getting a free bell pepper.

What was the last free/good deal you got without knowing what you were going to do with it? What did you end up making?