Spunky Grapefruit Dressing for a Savory Salad (Veganizable, No Dairy, No soy)

As much as I had wanted a support group to do detoxing with, the yoga studio has the juicing cleanse right in the midst of my National Parks Trip. No practical way to do juicing staying in hotels and out hiking all day. So I'm going to try out a shorter, different detox from past years (Master cleanse, master cleanse + 2 juicing meals) starting tomorrow.  But first, I had to start by eating my way through items that won't keep for 8 days.

I had some defrosted shrimp to use up (checked country/method of harvesting for sustainability at store using the Monterey Bay Aquarium App-finally there are some "good alternative" options beside Oregon Pink shrimp!) and swapped that for the smoked tofu called for in Post-punk Kitchen's Vietnamese inspired Rice Noodle Salad with Grapefruit Vinegrette. It may seem an odd combination garlic, grapefruit, Sriracha (that bright red sauce at Vietnamese joints, usually with a rooster on the bottle), but give it a taste before dismissing it. Wakes me up at lunch time with it's bright, bold taste. The color chirps cheerily as well, like a sherbert! Tip for those not big on ginger: Personally felt the flavors of the dressing were 10x better the next day (ginger had time to mellow out). If you liked konnyaku from my chicken soup post, I used it again as part of the salad ingredients to give me more textures since I was omitting noodles. The Post Punk Kitchen gives even more substitution ideas for the salad ingredients.

Dressing Ingredients (for about 4-5 servings; I used about 3 tbsp each time)-barely any tweaks from me here

1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
3/4 cup fresh red yellow grapefruit juice (this was about 1.5 fruits for me)
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil  olive oil
2 tablespoons Sriracha
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon agave nectar  honey
1/4 teaspoon salt

Put all ingredients in a blender and whirl until smooth. Best served chilled.

 Salad Ingredients (one serving)-endless possibilities to use what veggies or protein forms you have on hand...if you want more of the Vietnamese influence, add some chopped mint or the purple basil, cucumbers (not in season here in SD yet), thinly sliced carrots strips, the mung bean spouts.

(this is the serving portion, but save time by cooking all your shrimp and panfried stuff at once)

-9  cooked shrimp 41/50 count (about 3-4 oz cooked weight)
-1/3 block sliced  konnyaku and 1/2 cup sliced squash strips (pan fried with coconut aminos, sesame oil and coconut sugar)
-1/4 cup or small handful sundried tomato strips
-1/2 grapefruit-cut into segments
-1.5 cups rinsed/chopped lettuce
-2 tbsp chopped fresh herb (basil was delish)
-1 tbsp "sawdust" (bonito flakes)



1. If using shrimp, you need to peel and deveine your shrimp do so first.

2. Get a pot of water boiling for the shrimp. The 41/50 count size I left in for about 3 minutes once the water boiled so it cooked but not to the point of becoming tough.  Shrimp will turn pink almost immediately, watch for it go from translucent to opaque.

3. Heat a frying pan with 1 tsp sesame oil. Rinse off and slice your konnyaku block into strips (see picture) and slice up your squash. Add strips to the pan. Add a few shakes of coconut aminos (or soy sauce if you wheat and soy) and sprinkle 1-2 tsp coconut sugar. Cook until squash is tender.

4. Mix your cooked ingredients with the grapefruit, lettuce and tomato. Top with the dressing and serve warm.


What perks you up at a mid-day slump at work? Is it food related?

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?

Shepherd's Pie Roll

After watching Brave and after winter break, we'd had an inkling to take a summer trip to Scotland/Ireland with our wonderful bay area friends. A couple months ticked by and I started firing off the messages to get the ball rolling as I always seem to (Ms. Facilitator), divided up the research after having a phone date. Then began my research with Glasgow, intrigued to find a "Crannog" center in Abernathy (5,000 year old type of dwelling), excited by walking tours  put on by the art school, yearning for Pollock Country park for hikes...and drooling over gluten-free {happy dance}afternoon tea places! But alas, less than a week later, with second thoughts about upcoming financial commitments (or looming furloughs), this trip has to be shelved.

Whether it was inspired by the future-vacation or maybe it was just because St. Patrick's Day was only a few weeks ago, I wanted something Irish/UK inspired. Shepherd's pie sounded good. And I also had plenty of cabbage from CSA. So adapted a cabbage roll recipe into Shepherd's Pie wrapped in steamed cabbage leaves. There's something that really makes my brain happy with the cabbage and potato combo. I even saw this recipe that could make a vegetarian version (use lentils instead of ground meat)

The big round cabbages work best. If your cabbage is the smaller cone or a different type of cabbage I would try chopping it, steaming and serving it as the "bed" for the potato and protein. 

POTATO FILLING-use this or your favorite mashed potato recipe. I wanted to use up carrot tops and lemons.

I made up a potato recipe: Rinsed, cut into similar sized pieces and boiled red potatoes, until a fork could pierce to the middle. While the potatoes boiled, I rinsed carrot tops and stuck them in a blender. Added about 2 tbsp of lemon juice, some smoked tomato flakes and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast and 1/4 cup (add more if needed) of water. Made for a pesto to mix with the potatoes. Because of the citrus pucker, for me, it's not a dish I would eat a big bowl-full on it's own, I'd have something mellow to balance it out. Or perhaps turn it into salmon and/or daiya cheese patties. I found the pesto to taste nice over steamed broccoli.

CABBAGE LEAVES AND TURKEY FILLING-adapted a Mediterranean cabbage rolls recipe from Cooking Light, which originally called for a smaller portion, using turkey sausage instead of plain ground and it used rice.

18 Cabbage Leaves, rinsed

1 lb Ground Turkey, 93% Lean

1 lb Ground Turkey, 99% Lean

1.5 tbsps pine nuts

2 tsp sugar 

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice 
1 tsp ground cumin

1.5 cup water

 4 tbsp tomato paste

Steam the cabbage leaves, covered, 3 minutes or until tender. Keep warm.

Cook turkey and nuts in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray or a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat 12 minutes or until the meat is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in next 4 ingredients (rice through cumin); cook for 2 minutes. Add the water and tomato paste and stir until evenly incorporated. Remove from heat. Place the mixture in a medium bowl; cool slightly.

Place 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each cabbage leaf. Add 1/4 cup of mashed potatoes. Fold in edges of leaves; roll up. Eat. If you need a little zip, dot in some Sriracha sauce.

I wish the pesto kept its bright green, I know it looks swampy-chic...but it tastes very zingy carrot-lemon fresh.

Where is your next trip and does it inspire any recipes?

20 Minute Orange-mirin Chicken

Up until today, the weather had been perking up to the point of me asking "why haven't I started planning for a garden this season?" (and the compost worm bin for that matter). The poor mint shrivelled up in the fall and is home to spiders now and basil is a lone bare twig after its leaves went yellow.

 I like the convenience of buying plants pre-grown but then I feel a little bad having no good re-use for the containers they come in. Any ideas?

WISH LIST -next time I am feeling like I have nothing to do, these little projects should fill my time. Right after that t-shirt yarn I want to make.

• tomatoes
• yellow beans (still have seeds from last year)
• things that can grow together in containers (not lettuce/leafy greens). I like the visually tasty ideas on Better Homes and Garden and Real Simple...combining veggies with edible flowers. Peppers sound lovely with "grasses" (chives and onions).  Smelling the sage on our weekly hikes has me craving that taste as well. Wondering if sweet potatoes can be grown in containers (apparently potatoes can). I found out from Valentine's dinner leftovers that I adore the fragrant combo of thyme and oregano. 

Speaking of my leftovers, that's what I'm sharing with you today. We spend a fair amount when buying herbs at the grocery store, so we better get our money's worth!

20 Minute Orange-Mirin Chicken

1/2 cup fresh squeezed OJ
1/3 cup mirin (Japanese cooking wine, pictured below)
1/4 cup fresh thyme and oregano mixed  (remove leaves from stocky stems, keep stems for soups stock..or compost, or may haps making organic looking toothpicks for your next appetizer party.)
1-1.5 lbs of chicken breast cut into 1 inch chunks

1. Squeeze the OJ and put it into a medium frying pan. Add the mirin. Bring to boil.

2. Add the uncooked chicken. Turn down the heat to medium-high. Let the chicken simmer for 5 minutes on each side.

3. While chicken is cooking, prep your herbs if you haven't already. Add the herbs after the chicken is done, mix in and keep on low heat for 1 minute more.

4. Serve the chicken with your choice of grain and veggie or go for an all veggie bowl.

 I did cauliflower leaf stems chopped and sauteed once and another with 1/2 cup cooked pearl barley + 1 cup of fennel bulb and 1 cup fronds cooked in leftover orange-mirin sauce. Sorry, again vegetarian friends, my next post will be sharing a leafy-green concoction from my very own sis-star! If you do soy, savory tempeh would probably taste great in today's sauce (based on a rosemary-orange maple syrup recipe favorite).


 In case you need help finding mirin, this is what it looks like. Usually near vinegars and oils at the Japanese markets or the ethnic section of regular grocery chains. Not sure if the alcohol content requires a driver's license check, I haven't bought it in awhile.

 A sigh of relief for a simple 4 ingredient sauce. Not the sauce for you if you are shy of carbs.

  Adding the herbs last minute seems to help                  I like the crunchy veggies to contrast
keep the flavor stronger.                                                 texturally.

Other thyme & oregano use for the week: adding these herbs to the 101 cookbooks lemon chutney. So yummy with salmon or just add to freshly steamed cauliflower. Our Valentine's dinner was a red-wine and onion stock with these herbs, simmering the flank steak in it.


Do you plan to plant anything this spring? (if so tell me about it as inspiration)

Super Bowl Leftovers & Flu Menu

This last Sunday, after you felt so stuffed, after you lost money in your office pool, after you were grossed out by Go Daddy or chuckled at the whispering Oreo war...what did you do with your leftover food? Or this year did you go out?

As a host, your cleaning and lending a place often leads to having leftovers stay over.  Sunday I was graced with a big almost full raw veggie platter...and then Tuesday I came down with a flu. This isn't about foods or supplements that will help speed recovery (I already shared my cold remedies, suppose that is different from flu), but just things I found that kept my stomach balanced. My recovery for my unsettled stomach and headache just entailed the usual rest, fluids...and otherwise lazily entertained by Spaced and reading Game of Thrones.

The "meals" I found to be safe:
1. Bowl of oatmeal-some honey, cocoa powder...left off flax for first few days (no extra fiber for stomach to contend with)
2. Fresh fruit: cut up kiwis, apple and pear
3. Smoothie using frozen banana, brown rice protein, coconut water, and hemp milk with cinnamon
4. Plain toast with a little honey (I used Gluten-free Goddess' recipe, except had to use rice flour for sorghum and add extra liquid...it came out a bit gummy but happy enough with it for now for rising like real bread. It doesn't use eggs.)
5. Leftover veggie tray saute over leftover orange-quinoa salad  (recipe follows below). This salad had a fun blend of spices. Cinnamon and orange is golden!

Orange-Quinoa Salad from Kristina's CSA, JR Organics:

• 1 cup dry Quinoa (prepare according to package directions)
• Handful chopped fresh Basil + some for garnish
• 1/2 Lemon or 1 Tbs Lemon juice
• juice from 1/2 Navel Orange (any “orange” Orange) or a few tbs Orange Juice
• Olive Oil
• Salt to taste
• 3-4 Tbs chopped Sweet Onion
• A few pinches of the following spices:
• ground Black Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Tumeric
• Toasted nuts (walnuts, pecans,pine nuts, almonds, etc.)
• Cheese (Chevre, Feta, or sliced Parmesan, Romano, Gruyere, etc.)  left off dairy for my detox and it still had zip and pow.
• 3 Blood Oranges: cut into small pieces with pith and seeds removed

Combine ingredients and serve at chilled or room temp.


Veggie Tray Saute (single serving)-rinsed already!

• 1 cup broccoli/cauliflower
• 10 grape tomato 
• 7 baby carrots cut into sixths for quick cooking 
• Handful of chopped/rinsed leafy CSA veggie (I used chard and mustard frill)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh lemon juice to taste (I did two squeezes)

Heat pan on medium heat and add oil.

Let pan warm up then add veggies when  it sizzles (test piece or water drop). Add seasoning. Cook until desired crisp-tender ratio reached. Increase the heat to medium high for last 1-2 minutes to brown the veggies

Do you have any recipes that can be transformed into other recipes? Do you have any flu remedies you rely on?

One pot meal: Wilted Greens and Chicken Risotto (Veg adaptable)

I decided to skip Restaurant Week so I wouldn't wind up paying $30-$40 to be slightly bummed about abstaining from cheese and dairy.  If it's not a month where a dress-up restaruant is going to happen,  you need to cook yourself something a little more luxurious feeling.

How about a creamy, comforting risotto? There aren't tricky preparations or special tools needed or foreign, expensive ingredients. I still have not researched to find out if it is worth using an more pricey wine to cook with or not.  Can you taste the difference using a better wine? I had no wine, and think it still came out flavorful.

I did research on whether leftover risotto can/should be frozen and the general consensus is "no" as it changes the texture-won't be as creamy or will turn mushy. If you want to try, some suggested adding broth when you reheat it. Or when you cook it, leave the part you want to freeze al dente. I think I will just try eating mine all week long-not tired of it yet!

Modified this recipe  with what I had on hand and to be dairy free.

Risotto: Escarole, Spinach, onion sprouts-Chicken - 6 to 8 servings
-arborio rice (1.5 cups uncooked)
-4 cups homemade veg stock (or premade, but watch the salt added)
-4 cups rinsed/chopped escarole
-4 cups rinsed spinach leaves
-1/2 onion sprouts box from Suzies, rinsed (prob about 3/4 cup)
-1.2 lbs chicken breasts cut into 1" chunks*
-2 Tbsp coconut oil (in place of butter)
-1 tbsp canola oil or other veg oil to cook with
-1/2 tsp herbs de Province
-1 1/4 tsp salt
-2 tbsp sundried tomato flakes (random find at Marshall's or strips if you can't find, I usually pick up at Trader Joe's.)
-1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes to substitute for the savory-flavor of cheese

*I think with all the flavor, vegetarians could substitute chicken for a flavorful, chewy veggie (maybe eggplant) or mushroom to add texture instead.

1. Put the veg stock and 4 cups of water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil and then cover, reducing heat to low.

2. Take chicken pieces and rub with 3/4 tsp salt and the 1/2 tsp of herbs de Province.

3. Melt 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add chicken. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Check for doneness  (inside of chicken is no longer pink).

4. Remove chicken from pot. Add 1 tbsp of coconut oil to the large pot on medium heat. Cook the escarole and spinach until just wilted (3-5 minutes). Remove from the pot and set aside with the chicken.

5. Add the 1 tbsp veg oil to the large pot still on medium heat. Add the rice and remaining 1/2 tsp of salt to the pot. Add 1/2 cup of the broth and stir. Add the dried mushroom pieces. When liquid is absorbed add a cup of broth and stir ocassionally. Repeat until all veg stock is used or rice is cooked to desired doneness (about 30 minutes).

6. Stir in the onion sprouts, wilted greens, sundried tomato flakes/pieces, chicken and nutritional yeast flakes

What do you do as a splurge (food or anything)?

What to do with tomatillos?

Caring for an unfamiliar produce

The small green tomato-looking orbs wrapped in papery brown husks came in my CSA box last week. A friend of a friend had made salsa for tortilla chips once, but that was all I knew of tomatillos.

My first question about new produce, "how do I store them?" I had no idea until I started buying food at farmer's market that some produce deserves better than just being thrown into the fridge drawers. Tomatoes should never go in the fridge (they get mushy) and some leafy herbs do best if you keep them in a cup of water in the fridge or wrapped loosely with a damp paper towel.  After seeing mixed reviews with trusty Googling the answer about tomatillos, I decided to just go with the leaving them loosely on the counter. They fared fine in San Diego humidity (80-ish degrees when no one is home) for about 2 weeks.

Next was "what am I supposed to do with these guys?" I found out they have a refreshing tangy flavor-in the two recipes I tested (not dairy free but may be adaptable once I do some experimenting), they get cooked in some way before consumption.


Tomatillo Recipe #1 (untested possible adaptation for non-dairy, naturally no soy!): I Googled "tomatillo mac n' cheese" as I have bleu cheese I am desperately trying to mow through so I can start my detox. Last time I ever ask Shades to pick me up a bag of cheese at Smart & Final (or as my sis fondly calls Fart n' Smile). I've been working on this cheese since spring time -it's been residing in the freezer and I think it has been breeding. Hoping I can experiment and try to vegan-ize the recipe with nutritional yeast and perhaps some toasted nuts in place of dairy-stay tuned in! Here is the original recipe at What's Cookin'

The substitutes I made were 1) 1 cup of bleu cheese and 1 cup Mexican blend cheese shredded and 2) used olive oil for half the butter. 3) I left off the tortilla chips and green chiles and instead put in probably half a cup of chopped hot assorted peppers, seeds in (depends on how hot you like it). 4) I used cornstarch in place of flour to make it gluten free. 5) Also because it's summer, I didn't want the oven on so I didn't do the baking step.  I had one serving with chicken and one vegetarian. Either way delicious! It yielded about 4 servings.

Tomatillo Recipe #2 (untested possible adaptation for non-dairy, naturally no soy)

Adaptation of Sunset Magazine's Tomatillo Salsa for Halibut
Thanks for the recipe, my Lisa!

Modifications made for tomatillo salsa: 1) still used butter but imagine for dairy free I could just use an equivalent amount of oil.  2) used mint instead of cilantro-worked well for cucumber pancakes but a little fun-kay with chicken taquitos. 3) fresh  lemon juice instead of lime  4) used greek yogurt for the sour cream (to make this dairy free eventually, I am hoping to try making a nut-based "sour cream" that I have seen on some blogs, but I need a food processor)

Served the tomatillo salsa with Cucumber pancakes (dairy-free, soy-free) from One Hot Stove's blog. They are so quick and easy-ready within the half hour! They remind me of zucchini pancakes that my mom only used to make for dinner whenever my dad was on a business trip ("breakfast is eaten for breakfast" must have been how daddy-o felt). She'd have me and my sister help grate up the squash and then we mixed it with Bisquick while she fried up some sausage links.

Since the recipe called for 2 large cucumbers, I just estimated 1.5 cups of grated cucumber would be sufficient and did half white rice flour and half brown rice flour. I got the white rice flour from Fresh & Easy and brown rice flour likely came from Sprouts, Whole Foods or Jimbo's (go SD for healthy store options).

See, I think I made my batter too thick as I had to use the ladle to spread it and it only yielded 3 pancakes instead of the 5-6 it was supposed to make.

 So next time, I will add more water and perhaps grate more cucumber so it doesn't get too thick to turn and fall apart like my second cake did. That's right, I cook just for myself so many times I don't have beautiful presentation...what is the opposite of food porn?

What  kinds of foods do you enjoy eating outside of their traditional meal times ?