Left-over red wine: Braised Root Veggies and Pioneer Woman Tomato-Chicken

Happy new year to all! We had a quiet, home-made dinner and a DVD date (very sad the "Love Actually" type "New Year's Eve" movie that came out last year was not available cheaply on any of the streaming services or Redbox kiosks. They all wanted $10. Instead Lord of the Rings second movie.) This resulted in a headache the next morning and leftover red wine since only one of us was drinking.

What to do with the wine that would clearly not be sipped in a glass? I asked my trusty fellow recipe finding friend, who shot me not one but six recipes she thought might be worthy. I chose two of these. Given it's "cold" here in San Diego (reaching the 40s at night) I wanted to use the oven. The chicken tomato entree she had tried (and that one is here!) and other is a deeply flavored, vegan pleasing dish that just worked wonderfully with the bounty of winter root veggies in the CSA box. You pair the recipes with a grain or pasta to soak up the delicious sauces. I ate them together on the same plate with  rice.

You can use whatever root veggies you have or like. Just add it up to 2lbs (strongly recommend getting a scale if you don't have one, it helps give you flexibility when you interchange vegetables for same weight or in gluten free ratio baking... but I also tried to note number of vegetables I used in case you can't get your hands on one.)

WARNING: if making these dishes together, do on an afternoon or early evening when you have plenty of time.  All together with prep and cooking, I jammed in the kitchen for 2.5 hours. Once the chicken goes in, you'll be free for an hour. I opted for something silly to kill time, the Carrie Diaries. You might be able to do the prep faster if you have a helper of course! Anyways, it's not always practical to cook this long but if you want to indulge yourself or make something nice for guests, go for this!

Wine-Braised Root Veggie from Eating Well

2lbs root veggies: It still looks like 6-8 x 1 cup servings!

2 russet potatoes

1 fennel and stems (save leaves for later use, perhaps the chicken recipe)

4 x 6” carrots

2 watermelon (milder, not as spicy) radishes-they looked about billiard ball sized

¾ cup red wine (I tried Zinfandel)

4 oz dried mushroom (I used shiitake mushrooms (about 5 x 1” diameter dried))

8 oz white mushrooms (halved if large)

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried herb* (original recipe was thyme)

½ tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground pepper

2 cups broth (couldn’t find mushroom broth called for,so using veg bouillon cube)

Tools to get out: 13 x 9 pan. Cutting board. Small pot to heat up wine and dried mushrooms.

    Preheat oven to 350

Heat the wine until steaming in the small pot. Remove from heat and add dried mushrooms.

     The original recipe notes you can peel the root veggies. I didn’t bother as I use my organic CSA box, so I just scrub the veggies to remove dirt and leave the peels on. It cooks so long the vegetables are tender even with skins. For oblong root veggies cut into 3” pieces, for round roots cut into 1” wedges. Wash the mushrooms and place them along with the roots into the 9x13 pan. 

    Strain wine into a mixing bowl/measuring cup. Set mushroom aside to chop up and add with rest of veggies. To the wine mix in and whisk oregano or other herb, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Pour over veggies. Add broth, bay leaves and garlic cloves.

Cook covered with foil at 350 for 45 minutes. Then uncover and cook 1 hr more (see steps below if making with chicken)

Pioneer Woman's Tomato Chicken over Grains/Pasta

4- 6 servings

While your root veggies cook, start on the chicken. Only a few substitutions from Pioneer Woman’s recipe. I used more olive oil instead of butter and instead of canned tomato, used fresh tomato. If you want to see some drool worthy pictures go to her website, step by step!

• 8 pieces Chicken Legs Or Thighs
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 3-4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 lbs fresh tomato (about 6 reg round tomatoes)
• 2 Tablespoons (Heaping) Tomato Paste
• Fresh herbs: gave fennel leaves a try!
• 8 cloves Garlic
• Cooked pasta (16oz) or rice or quinoa to soak up the tomato sauce
• Grated Parmesan Cheese, For Serving (optional)
• 1/2 cup White Wine (or Red Wine)

Tools: dutch oven or stir-fry pan + 2 glass baking dishes, tongs to turn chicken, 

     If you have an oven proof pan or dutch oven use this, if not grab your stir-fry sized pan and heat oil in it. I had to do my chicken in two batches so use half the oil in each batch if this is your situation too. Salt and Pepper your chicken. I had leftover Paula Deene seasoning* so I used this instead. 

   Turn on your stove top fan. While waiting for the oil to heat, peel the skin off the cloves of garlic. Begin chopping tomatoes if using fresh.

  On med-high brown the chicken on all sides (about 2 minutes). 

   While the chicken browns (btwn flips), you can continue chopping the tomatoes. Measure out your wine also.

 If not an oven proof dish, move your browned chicken into baking pans. I used 2 9x11 inch pans.

 You’re going to make the sauce now. Keep the heat on, add the wine to the pan used to brown the chicken to get the tasty scrapings. Then add the tomato paste and tomatoes to that pan. Bring to a boil

While waiting for the sauce to boil, chop up your herbs & start doing some of your dishes unless you’re lucky enough to have a helper!

 Remove tomato-wine sauce from heat. Then add to the pans of chicken. Cover with foil. 

 If making with the wine-root veggies, uncover the wine-root veggies at their 45 minute mark and kick the oven up to 400F.  Add the chicken drumsticks and bake for 1 hour. Continue to stir the root veggies periodically during the cooking.

Paula Deene seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

What kind of food/health goals do you have this year? I would like to do a 5-10 post theme, pair trying a new restaurant with looking for cool local shops and give HIIT a try to refresh my exercise routine. Dave would like to give up sugar for a year but I asked him to wait until after his birthday. Not that I HAVE to join him, but it'd be helpful to break my sweet tooth for awhile (feeling sluggish even after enough sleep). I'd have to modify and keep honey/coconut sugar/maple syrup in for my oatmeal.

What to do with Agar Agar? Make a Coconut Milk Dessert-Puckery Good Lime Bars (soy free, can be vegan)

Having fun with the camera art filter with the less than photogenic citrus dessert

Inspiration: First I purchased a package of kanten bars (or agar agar) at the Japanese market. These are very odd looking, plastic-y looking footlong, semi-translucent bars. I never thought of agar as something to eat. Agar makes me think of the science experiment I did in grade school. Dad helped me dissolve agar powder and pour it into petri dishes to serve as a growing medium for bacteria cultures. Walked around swabbing items around the house like door handles, areas of the bathroom and our pet dogs' noses. Contrary to my young intuition of what would be dirty and have more bacteria, the experiment taught me it's how much use influences the bacteria present! 

Anyway, agar agar is a good substitute for gelatin for vegetarian/vegan folk. It's made from seaweed. However, I did read a message board that suggested some teeny sea critters could be inadvertently taken in the process. Makes me think though, when we harvest veggies sometimes we lose bugs too. I don't think I know anyone that strict, but maybe you do and should be aware . Cook's Thesaurus has a lot of useful information about equivalencies in different forms of agar and other gel-ing agents. They also make notes about which types of fruits need to be cooked first so that the agar or gelatin can set. From this recipe and the other I would like to try, it's important to keep the agar warmed (but not boiling) on the stove to keep it from setting before you're ready.

Second, this month my fabulous co-worker shared a large basket of limes with us.  Dave hasn't had Corona's lately so, what to do with all 20 (hey I collected them over a week, just taking 5 at a time, don't judge!) of them other than hot water/lime juice in the morning and squeezing over stir-fried greens? 

A perfect opportunity came up to use both agar and limes as my friends were having their annual holiday potluck party and it didn't sound like many desserts were on the menu. Had to patch together a few recipes to make it work for what was on hand and to meet the gluten free desire! But the results were worth the chance taken. My changes and notes in strike out or after * This could be made vegan with a butter substitute.

Give yourself some time for this one, not an instant 1/2 hour dessert. Again apologies I don't have an estimate as I was simultaneously making the noodle salad I posted about last time and the coconut macaroons. If I had to gander maybe 1-1.5 hours for prep the filling and crust including baking. Then add 3 hours to chill. It yields a 9 x 11 pan of the dessert.   

For time saving, I am fairly certain I have seen pre-made gluten free pie crust sold at Whole Foods. I just don't have one near me (half an hour drive one way) so it was easier to make from scratch since I had everything in the pantry. Or perhaps you could just try making the filling as a custard and eating alone or serving with some store-bought gluten free crispy vanilla cookies or graham crackers (gluten free version also hard to find for me locally, only seen them at Whole Foods again.)

Don't be afraid of the coconut milk, with all that lime juice and sweetness, I could not even taste the coconut flavor. 

CRUST from Brittany Angel's Key Lime Bars-

1/2 Cup Butter at Room Temp (*note to self: try using coconut oil as a vegan option)
1/4 Cup Sugar (Refined or unrefined-a white sugar will work best- such as xylitol, or organic cane sugar)
160 Grams (1 Cup) Sweet Rice Flour   Gluten Free Flour Baking Blend (recipe below)
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 TBS Cold Water

GLUTEN FREE FLOUR BLEND from Land O'Lakes
To make flour blend, combine 2 cups rice flour, 2/3 cup potato starch, 1/3 cup tapioca flour and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Use appropriate amount for recipe; store remainder in container with tight-fitting lid. Stir before using.

FILLING from Post Punk Kitchen's Latchkey Lime Pie
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
2/3 cups fresh lime juice (*# depends how juicy your limes are, mine were heavy and I used 7)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond *hemp milk, at room temperature (*imagine any type of non-dairy milk will work)
2 tablespoons agar flakes (or two teaspoons agar powder and skip the soaking step) (*or use 1 kanten stick with the soaking method)
1 16 oz can coconut milk at room temperature
2 tablespoons tapioca flour (or try it with corn starch or arowroot – but I like tapioca best) *I did try cornstarch and had lovely results
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


1. Start out by preheating the oven to 350F. In a small sauce pan, soak the agar in milk substitute for about 15 minutes for your filling.

2. Make your gluten free flour blend for the pie crust if needed.

3. Use a food processor or you can make do using 2 blunt edged dinner knives (or if you happen to have a pastry cutter tool), by combining the first two crust ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces to blend with the sugar.

4. Add the rest of the crust ingredients and mix to incorporate evenly. You may need to use your hands if not using the food processor.  A dough should form.

5. Butter/grease your pan-I used a 9 x 11 glass baking pan and did not realize to do this as it was not in the original recipe instructions (maybe using the original sweet rice flour changes this, but my GF flour blend stuck stubbornly). Then press the dough into an even layer in the pan.

6. Bake for 30-45 minutes until the crust is lightly browned. Remove and let cool.

7. While your crust bakes,work on the filling. Grate the zest off and then juice the limes.

8. Mix together coconut milk, tapioca, sugar and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Make sure your coconut milk is at room temperature so that it doesn’t affect the agar when you add it to the pot.

9. After soaking agar, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Watch it so that it doesn’t boil over. Immediately reduce heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until agar stick (kanten) is dissolved. If using powdered it will only take about 5 minutes to dissolve. (original directions say 15 minutes for agar flakes)

10. Very slowly whisk in the coconut mixture and then the lime juice and zest.  Whisk often for about 10 minutes, until mixture has thickened. If it isn’t thickening, turn the heat up just a bit, but you don’t want it to boil.

11.  Add the filling to the crust, then let cool on the counter for about half an hour. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until fully set.


How to you plan to unwind during the holidays?

2013 Vegetarian Holiday Delights-Noodle Salad and Unconventional Sweets

I'm really surprised I hadn't shared this recipe with you, one of my old favorites from Epicurious, with a few adjustments. Inspired by hearing about how much meats were going to be dominating holiday feast this year, the lonely semi-vegetarian set out to add more veggie power. This recipe is wonderful if you receive or grow  large seemingly unmanageable amounts of dill.  It is somewhat similar to the post earlier this year about the spunky grapefruit noodles salad in that it's a refreshing, sweet-spicy salad.

Also, how surprising and embarrassing, I found out I'm saying the main spice (tumeric) in the recipe wrong! Courtesy of my friend Kelvin, learn about those foodie words we have been saying incorrectly : 

#48 TER-muh-rihk. Not tomb-er-rick.

Also the rooster sauce...SHREE-ra-cha is the right way? Oh dear. It's like telling me to call the Wild Animal Park, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It hurts.

Pineapple Noodle Salad topped with Sweet Turmeric-Tofu and Roast Cauliflower

 Serves 4-6

Apologies for no time estimate, I was also cooking molasses macaroons and a lime bar recipe at the same time...

Salad

1/2 cauliflower head (yield about 1.5-2 cups chopped)

Olive oil

1 fresh lime

4 cups of chopped lettuce (recommend 1 cup of lettuce per person)

1 pkg Saifun noodles (lists as 4 servings on package)-plan to use about 4 oz dried noodle per person. Use any thin rice based noodle for it to be gluten free.

 Tofu Marinade

14 oz package of firm tofu

2 tbsp sweet chili sauce

1 tsp tumeric

Dressing

 1/2 cup fresh dill chopped (I might increase this next time, I could not taste it that well, but this was another herb that I froze and had leftover from summer-all I had on hand. Cilantro or mint might taste nice with this too.)

 1-14 oz can pineapple rings and juice

 2 garlic cloves

2 tsp lime juice

1 tbsp sugar

1/4-1/2 cup soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Amino (to taste)

1 thai chili (I used one "ice cube" of chili I froze from the summer)

TO DO FIRST, THINGS THAT TAKE A LITTLE EXTRA TIME: 

*First, get the cauliflower (1.5-2 cups) chopped into bite sized pieces -Squeeze of half lime and toss with 2 tsp olive oil. Save the other half of the lime for the dressing below. Roast at 400F on a foil sheet for 20 minutes until you can easily pierce with a fork but is still has bite to it.

* Drain & chop 14 oz block of firm tofu into bite-sized cubes. Use 2 tbsp sweet chili garlic sauce and 1 tsp tumeric to toss with tofu in a medium mixing bowl or tupperware (just be careful, tumeric can stain plastics and woods yellow). If you have time, let marinate for 10-30 minutes.

*Get water boiling:  Boil or soak noodles-I used saifun (rice and cornstarch based) noodles and soaked them for 10 minutes, and then boiled another 3-5 minutes or until desired softness. Drain and rinse in cold water. One thing I really liked about saifun is they stayed pliable after being refrigerated. Other noodles may need re-heating to be able to be eaten with favorable soft texture.

WHILE WAITING FOR CAULIFLOWER AND TOFU:

*Chop lettuce (I used about 6 leaves-it made about 3 cups) thinly. Chop green onion or onion tops. 1/2 a cup.

*Make the dressing  in a blender: 1/2 to 1 cup fresh dill chopped,  1 can pineapple rings and juice, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tsp lime juice, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4-1/2 cup soy sauce or for gluten-free option Bragg's Liquid Amino.

* Place 1-2 tsp oil in the frying pan and heat over medium a few minutes before you want to cook the tofu. Place the tofu in the pan and let it sizzle and lock in the flavorings for at least 5 minutes.

Molasses macaroons (original posts-substitute molasses for syrup or agave)

Since I've done this Chocolate Covered Katie recipe before, just wanted to report that I substituted molasses for the original plain flavored macaroons' stevia/agave and think they are just warm and fuzzy! These were my back up desert to my vegetarian lime bars (no eggs, no gelatin. I did use butter only because it was in my freezer, am pretty sure coconut oil would taste just fine)-which I will hope to get better pictures for you and post within the next 30 days about.

FYI, macaroons are different from macarons if you read the mispronounced foodie link above.

Another fun finding: at the holiday feasting Albert showed us a new Taiwanese dessert he discovered at a street fair, he dubbed ice cream burritos. Vanilla ice cream with peanut-brittle bits and cilantro leaves wrapped in a spring roll type paper (not sure if it has a specific name, it's not the Vietnamese spring rolls that you have to soak in hot water first, you can just take these paper thin pieces right out of the bag and roll them up-though if you're looking for gluten-free/wheat free this dessert must omit the wrapper unless you make your own or find one to substitute-if such a thing exists do share!) Any how, this blog A Hungry Girl's Guide to Taipei,  shows us some pics from a vendor and the peanut brittle is actually shaved! There are soy-based ice creams or even coconut based vanilla ice creams (I have had and love the SO brand from Sprouts and now Target even carries it) if you're not doing dairy.

What's left on your holiday to do list?

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?

Sweet and Sour: Squash Soup for Fall

My car clock mistakenly changed itself early this weekend for daylight savings which reminds me to remind you to set an alarm to change your clocks Saturday Nov 2 before bed (extra hour of sleep!)

How do you welcome the change in seasons? Lots of ways to be adding some warmth in your life with fall. Perhaps doing some warm yoga to take care of yourself with the busy holiday season coming up (the studio where I did my training called Yoga80 offers multiple classes each day and is having some fabulous workshops open to the public now-Dec, should be getting some updates soon. I do teach Tuesdays at 7:15pm and every other Saturday at 9am for folks living in San Diego). Getting or making yourself a new cozy knit hat or scarf. Checking that your umbrella still opens after the months in the closet. Finding heat in your food: firing up the oven for some spiced cookies and breads. Simmering soups and spicy foods (Korean tofu soup and Southern Indian sambar are nice...you can buy powders or pastes at the ethnic grocery stores to make them lickety split if you have time restrictions, maybe be social and host a hot pot with friends) are one of my favorite ways to welcome fall.

 If you love pumpkin, you're probably in heaven right now if you visit any coffee shop, ice cream parlor or even the grocery stores. Trader Joe's  had a whole shelf when I went (check out Kirbie's Cravings pumpkin scouting trip for more details)

Your soup may be a different color, my stock was bright pink from making it with beets

 

Delicata squash (image credit: Chezpim)

Sweet and Sour Squash Soup

Time depends if you already have certain items made! Making your own soup stock will take about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Single Serving:
1 delicata squash (about 6"-8" long)-for about 3/4 cup cooked flesh
1/2 to 1 cup veggie stock
1-2 tbsp cilantro chutney

2-3 corn tortillas
1/4 avocado

1. Cut the delicate squash half lengthwise, remove the seeds (separate from guts, spread out to dry out a couple days and then toast) and place skin side up, bake at 400F for 20 minutes, until fork tender (shortcut idea: used 3/4 cup canned pumpkin)
2.  Make cilantro chutney while waiting for the squash.
3.  Scoop squash flesh out and discard skin. Add to a blender with 1/2 cup soup stock to start and 1-2 tbsp of  cilantro chutney (to taste). Blend until smooth.
4. Heat the soup on the stove on low or microwave
5. Toast a tablespoon nuts in the oven (just a few minutes at 350) or in a pan on the stove over low if desired to sprinkle on top of the soup.

Serving idea: For a more substantial meal and a counterbalance to the tangy, enjoy with the creamy flavor of warmed corn tortilla and sliced avocado on the side! Or maybe the dairy-lovers want to make a grilled cheese/quesadilla. For time saving, you could try buying canned pumpkin or buying microwave steamable bags of pre-cut butternut squash. although you could substitute it, but they do embrace orange colored produce.

Practical Question: Speaking of warming up, I saw a Groupon deal for a food warmer that you plug in and it warms to 200F, so no need to use a microwave. Anyone have experience with food warmers or thermoses they like or dislike?

Fun Question: What's going on for Halloween tomorrow? If nothing, what's your favorite seasonal fall food/beverage?

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?