Chef in my own mind

Miso in twenty. A post yoga cocktail to cure what ails you.

The seasons are changing slowly from winter into a sluggish spring.  I do not get sick often but every once in a while something grabs me.  Who knows, maybe the change in seasons made me vulnerable and I woke with aches and pains and felt tight all over.  A tightening in my chest yielded itself into a cough and underpinnings of a late winter cold.    

Homemade miso soup is one that is unique to you.  Make it with whatever you have available.

Last fall I began vinyasa yoga classes as part of a health and wellness caring of self and have worked to go three times a week.  Keeping up with my fellow yogis is no easy task and yoga is not for the faint of heart.  Yoga is hard yet the benefits are great if you stick with it long enough to feel better breathing, sleeping, flexibility and ability to focus.  Being about 75% kept me out of class most of the week much to my chagrin.  When I woke up this morning, a sunny but chilly Saturday I decided I felt well enough to head over to my yoga class at Inner Power Yoga.  The instructors have all the wisdom of the universe in their gentle and persistent teachings, encouraging us to breathe through the nose both in and out.   I wondered if I would make it through the class today and alas did, so I think I will live to yoga another day.  So to fnd the perfect fuel for post yoga class I turned to my all time Asian favorite: miso soup, homemade.

Mise en place (everything in it's place) for miso soup ala Bonnie.

The one thing that heals and fuels my body when I am under the weather is making my own miso soup.  I am not talking about those packages which would be easy but rather just going into your pantry for an assortment of health giving staples and homemade miso soup will always be the norm no matter how under you feel.  

Dried shitake & seaweeds go in the pot first with 2 cups of water.  Bring slowly to a simmer over medium heat.   You can add dried ginger too if you have that lying around.  I usually have fresh but dried is available at Penzeys so you are never out. 

I want to share it with you but before I just give a recipe (and you do not really need a recipe) let me say how making the conscious choice to eat healthy most of the time means you make that committment somewhere along the line and then bring that commitment to fruition by creating your pantry first.  Purge the processed pantry items in the freezer, fridge and pantry is more liberating than you know and it may be done in stages.  That is for another post however so here we go.  

Thinly sliced savoy cabbage.  Use any thinly sliced greens you may have like kale or spinach or chard, or even wild foraged greens (nettles) if you are a forager like me. 

 

A few ingredients make homemade miso a breeze and something that means little effort.  I came home and put it all together in about 20 minutes and had all ingredients on hand.  Twenty minutes from taking ingredients out of the pantry and fridge, setting up mise en place (cutting stuff up) and then warming it on the stove.  I had leeks and carrot so thinly sliced a few bits of each and added to the simmering pot of health-giving, immunity producing brew.

Remove the inner green part of garlic this time of year because it tends to be bitter.  Slice thinly and add to the pot.  I learned this little tip from Dorie Greenspan in her book Around My French Table. 

Dry staples include items like edible seaweeds like wakame, dulse, and kombu (take out when done) and dried shitakes.  You can't always have fresh shitake on hand but reaching into your pantry for a container of dried shitake mushrooms, you will have all kinds of quick and dirty nutrition right at your fingertips.  Most health food stores and asian markets will have these items.  If you live in outlying areas and do not have these kinds of shops closeby, consider mail order sources. I found some nice links to the ingredients mentioned in this post. Check them out for some additional education. 

 Fresh ginger is peeled first, then thinly sliced and then thinly slice the slices.  This cut is called julienne. I learned about julienne cuts in my knife skills class from my online cooking school Rouxbe.

From the fridge you might have tofu and miso paste.  Be discriminating about the miso paste you buy because some miso has MSG which you want to avoid.  I buy mine from the health sections.  It comes in different types from brown, red, yellow and white miso pastes and keeps a long time in the fridge.  There are many other uses for miso besides soup.  

One important piece to remember about miso is that it is a living fermented culture and as such should never be added to boiling liquid or you will kill the active and health-giving enzymes in the miso.  The enzymes in the miso and what make it a true health food capable of boosting immune systems with regular consumption.   You can figure on 1-2 teaspoons of miso per 8 oz of water.  Measure it out into a separate bowl, add some of the liquid from the soup and stir till combined.  Remove the soup from the heat THEN stir in the miso.  You can also portion the soup into each bowl and add the miso separately. Miso is one of the few plant sources of B-12 nutrition! 

This is red miso paste.  Do not buy miso paste with MSG.  You can find miso paste in health food sections or health food stores.  Use about 1-2 teaspoons miso per cup water or broth.  

Let's make soup:  

Take 2 cups water and put in a small saucepan. 

Add a pinch of wakame seaweed, a 2" piece of kombu and some dried shitake mushrooms.  (I added a piece of dulse which I also had in my pantry bag of dried seaweed goodies.

Thinly slice some onion or green onions, or some leek, carrot, cabbage or whatever other green vegetables you may have in the bottom drawer of the fridge.  You could add some thinly sliced broccoli.    Set the pot over medium heat and slowly bring to a simmer.  Add vegetables as you prep them.  Add a clove of sliced garlic and some fresh ginger (about 1/2 inch) julienned.  

This is an organic non-GMO extra firm tofu I found at my local Asian market.  I cubed a half inch slice and put it into the soup.  Store opened tofu in its liquid and use within a week.

One key to making a tasty soup is being able to thinly slice the vegetables so they will be easy to eat.

Most seaweeds will expand astronomically like this piece of kombu.  I rolled it up and sliced it into ribbons and added it to the soup.  It has a slightly gelatinous character when cut.  Kombu is a great source of B-12. Kombu is a bit thick and leathery.  

Kombu is the chief ingredient in dashi broth which is a component of most miso soups.  Here it is sliced thinly and added to the soup for added texture and nutrients.   

Tofu is a nice addition to miso soup and adds some welcome protein.  If you have any leftover small pieces of cooked meat, chicken, fish or shellfish, a small amount may be added.  You will not need but a tiny bit of any of these additions.  When choosing tofu, look for firm or extra firm tofu that is preferable organic and non-GMO for the best upgrades.  

Once your broth and vegetables have simmered for about ten minutes you can prepare your miso as your last addition.  Get your bowl and spoon out.  Take the soup off the heat and add the miso that you have tempered.  Serve and feel good.  

Temper your miso with some hot broth.  Never put miso in really hot liquids or you will kill the beneficial properties of fermented miso.  

Think minimalist when you make miso soup.  Small amounts are good.  Think immunity and comfort to heal your body and make it feel good.  

It has been nearly a year away from this blog and I have missed writing.  I have nearly a year's worth of new experiences to share with readers and hope they inspire you to cook and try new foods.  

In my journey to make miso soup my own inspiration came from some of these popular sources: 

101 Cookbooks

Steamy Kitchen

Dr. Andrew Weil's miso soup; great nutritional info here too

South River Miso soup This is a great brand of unique and high quality miso products.  

Natural Health Foodie: Homemade Miso soup.

Ginger-lemongrass miso soup

Broth with Tatsoi ala Ming Tsai

 

Heal.               Be well.                      Care for self.                              

Cook for those you love...every day.

OMMMMM.....

 

Bonnie

 

Ode to breakfast: Japanese breakfast

My husband Peter used to tell me about his favorite breakfast experience during his tour with the Marines in Japan back in the late 60's.  He told me that he loved the sticky rice  over which was poured a raw egg and a few drops of soy sauce.  He  quickly stirred the egg into the very hot rice mixing up all the ingredients.  The egg would begin to cook and the rice would turn a lovely glossy yellow.  You would sprinkle chopped scallion over the top and dig in.    These were his days spent as a young 20 year old during the Vietnam war only he was stationed in Okinawa.  

Today we revisit the breakfast with a few changes...

Bok choy chopped up along with a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.  

We are thinking about high nutrition to a breakfast that will give us energy till the lunch hour.   If you think about having nutritious and tasty foods available in your pantry and fridge all the time, then your family can put together great tasting food any time of day.  

Brown rice is one of these great staples.  Soak brown rice the day before if you have that luxury of time.  If you do not, build it into your routine sometime during the week.  Since it is just two of us, I soak a cup of brown rice over night.  The next day I pour off the water and add 2 1/4 cups fresh water and bring to a boil on the stove.  Turn the heat down to medium low or till there are gentle bubbles on the surface.  Let the rice cook (covered or uncovered) for about 20-30 minutes until most of the water is absorbed.  Take off the heat and let cool.  When cool put into a container and into the fridge for making breakfast.  

Cooked brown rice leftover from the fridge waiting to go into the pan.  

We are lucky in larger metropolitan areas (such as Washington, DC) to have large ethnic populations.  And with these populations comes the amentities that cater also to their needs.  I have come to love the wealth of ethnic grocery stores in our area and frequent them more than the standard grocery stores (such as Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter, etc).  The produce sections are often filled with vegetables and fruits you may have never seen or rarely see in standard stores.  Pick up some baby bok choy on your next trip.  Other items to have on hand are sometoasted sesame oil, tamari or high quality shoyu (soy sauce) and some rice wine vinegar.  [You could upgrade your vinegar by trying brown rice vinegar or even some umeboshi plum vinegar.]  

Pick up a jar of gomaisio too.  "Goma" is sesame in Japanese.  Gomaisio consists of toasted sesame seeds and sea salt and sometimes also has seaweed in the mix.  This is a healthy sprinkle for many dishes.  Gomaisio is one of those nutritious condiments that adds some micronutrients that are often not found in any other foods.  Eden foods makes this product and has several varieties.  I like the one with the seaweed for the added micronutrients. 

This is my condiment tray.  The gomasio, tamari, toasted sesame oil, and plum vinegar are all used in this breakfast saute.  (You can also use rice vinegar or even better brown rice vinegar as well as umeboshi plum vinegar.)

I leave for work very early in the AM each day so a quick and nutritious breakfast is what I seek.  Now you have your cooked brown rice, some bok choy and your condiments.  

In a small non-stick single pan heated on about medium, add a teaspoon of the toasted sesame oil.  Take one bok choy and either break off about 4 good sized leaves or cut off the end first and discard, then cut into half inch pieces.   Make sure you check for any dirt that may have accumulated in the root end of the bulb.  Add the cut greens to the pan and stir for about 2-3 minutes.  Now add half a cup of cooked brown rice (aren't you glad you already had brown rice made in the fridge?).  Add a teaspoon each of rice vinegar and shoyu sauce and toss for a minutes or two until the rice is warmed up.  Pour into your nice bowl, sprinkle with gomaisio and get some chop sticks and enjoy.  

 

You could add an egg to the finished bowl but make sure the rice and greens are hot so as to cook the egg when you quickly stir it in.    If you have leftover fish from the night before you may also add that for some additional protein.  Try this a few mornings and see what you think.  If it is good you may want to add it to your quick morning repertoire for a nice bit of energy on the way to work.  Your body will thank you too.  There are optional add-ins depending on your likes and what is available:  shitake mushrooms (immunity), scallions, shredded carrot, finely shredded cabbage, spinach.  The idea is to start your day with a good dose of fiber and protein that will keep you  going.  

Some nutrition facts things to know about brown rice:  

Brown rice is chewier in texture than white rice.  It takes longer too cook yet since the endosperm is still on each grain you have higher nutrition and fiber in each grain and that is what is best for your health.  Brown rice is a carb but also supplies a source of protein.  Soaking the grains then rinsing the soak water releases a lot of the phytic acid present in many grains and legumes.  High levels of phytic acid in the body can leach the zinc out of your system so soaking the rice is better especially if you eat a lot of brown rice.  It is just a good habit and also good to understand how to handle different ingredients so your body gets the most from them.  

 A traditional Japanese breakfast would consist of more than this simple bowl.  It would also have miso soup, a piece of fish, some pickled vegetables in addition to the rice.  For ease of having a nutritious breakfast that you can fix in 5 minutes this works well and satisfies.  If you have a piece of leftover fish from the night before, toss it into the pan towards the end just to warm it up and you will have a bite of additional protein.    

Now you can add the raw egg at the very end if you want and stir it all up while the rice is very hot.

Japanese breakfast.  Quick saute for busy working folks and really good for you too.  

Best of all it is tasty!

Fortunes mean good luck

It has been my own good fortune to meet some wonderful people in recent months.   The new year is a time for reflection on the past, present and future.  

I attended a 2 day IIN conference in NYC where over 4000 attendees listened to 2 days worth of inspiring speakers.

Fellow students all got to meet in NYC...Chris Mclain and Wendy Gonzales

and Diane Eblin & Patti Repko...

and Ann Stella Roe and Veenu Banga...

and Jana Whalen.  These new friends are my new Boomer Buddies from IIN.  I love them all and am grateful for each of them.  These are my awesome buddies.  

What are you grateful for from last year?  

I made choices a year ago to go back to school to study holistic nutrition and will graduate in about 3 weeks.    I have a wonderful husband who supports me in all that I do.

Bonnie & Peter trimming the tree and drinking special homemade eggnog.

 I am grateful our four kids are all choosing their own path and 3 of 4 will graduate this spring.  

The Deahls pose at Kusel Lake at their family reunion a few summers ago at Wild Rose, WI.

I am honored and grateful to have become president of my trade association and am serving a two year term.

Live wire demo at the MAC-ISA's inaugural Day of Safety. November 19, 2011

President's dinner for 6 at the home of Gary & Kathi Mallow in Ashby, WV.  I auctioned a dinner for 6 to any member and their friends and was willing to travel anywhere in VA, MD, DC or WV to prepare and serve a dinner for 6.  December 3, 2011  It was about deepening relationships within our membership.  

 I am grateful for both of our families near and far and that they all have their health.  

Joey was in the Homecoming court last fall and asked his dad and I to escort him on the field.  

I am grateful to have completed my 3rd two year term on the tree commission and closed a chapter of growth and learning both for me and a wonderful small town.  

Building relationships by planting trees in communities.  

I am also grateful for the people I met this past year and the ways they have touched my life.

Suvir Saran and Charlie Burd at the Silo Cooking School in New Milford, CT. They are two of the most giving souls we know.  They open their home for those to visit and give freely of their time and resources.  If only the rest of the world were like them, I wonder what the world would really be like. 

I am grateful for friends I have and times we spend together though we are far away.  These are precious times when you meet even if once a year.  

Bird banders meet in Cape May Point each fall for a week during hawk migration.  I get to cook for everyone...our week is a popular week with the gang.  

 I have my good health to be grateful for and also for the farm and farmer that supplies us weekly with all of our CSA food.  I made positive changes in how we eat that have resulted in greater energy, freer breathing and more vitality than before.

Tonight is Friday night.  It is kind of a weekly celebration night.  What do you do?  Do you go out to eat or eat in?  And how do you celebrate the end of a week?   Maybe it's a pizza night or steak and potatoes.  

Tonight will be celebrating our good fortunes by having Sally's vegetable dumplings with ginger and soy dipping sauce.  Last summer Peter and I spent an extended weekend in upstate New York at the home of noted chef Suvir Saran and his life partner Charlie Burd.    It is through them that we met Sally Longo, caterer and owner of Sally's Adirondack Kitchen creator of a local TV show Dinner at 8.

 Her recipe for vegetable dumplings with soy & ginger dipping sauce is found in Suvir and Charlie's newest book, Masala Farm.    

A blog post about Sally and her elegant and spicy ways can be read here.  Most asian dumpling recipes call for pork but these are a delightful mix of vegetables, soy sauce, peanut butter and ginger.  The development of these dumplings were a joint effort between Sally, Suvir and Charlie on a cold winter's night.   When I asked Sally about using frozen egg roll wrappers she said you could but once you make them from scratch and see how easy they are you will never want to go back.  Sally has a recipe for her pork dumplings in her book.

I will say now that I have to agree and will throw the packaged egg roll wrappers lurking in my freezer away without delay!  You will want to pick up a copy of Masala Farm and try these along with a pot of homemade Farmhouse Chai.  This chai is nothing like what you find in the stores.  It is warm, spicy, and creamy.  I make it often and so should you. 

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Sally's veggie dumplings with ginger and soy dipping sauce

adapted from Masala Farm  by Suvir Saran, Charlie Burd and Raquel Pelzel

 

Start by making some dough: 

Boil some water and in a medium sized bowl put 2 cups of all purpose flour.  Add 2/3 cup boiling water and 1/4 cup cold water.  Mix until a dough forms.  Cover with plastic and set aside to make some filling.  

In a food processor combine by pulsing to a coarse texture:

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 medium carrot, grated

1/2 cup sliced shitake mushrooms (can use dried that have been soaked in warm water)

1/4 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup thinly shredded cabbage (can use green or Savoy)

1/4 cup diced jicama (may also use water chestnuts)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 oz firm tofu (pressed between napkins to expract moisture)

1/4 cup grated fresh ginger

1 jalapeno finely minced

2 Tablespoons mirin (rice wine)

1 1/2 Tablespoons soy sauce 

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Make the dipping sauce: 

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup water

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 1/2  teaspoons each of mirin, balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar, hot chili oil

1 inch of fresh ginger, grated

1 green onion, thinly sliced, both green and white parts

Mix sauce ingredients and store in the fridge till ready to eat.

To make the dumplings, generously flour a working surface and roll out have of the dough to about 1/6 inch.  Cut into about 36 rounds using up all the dough.  Then fill each round with between 1-2 teaspoons of filling.

Dab a little water on the edges of half the circle and bring the other side over and seal the edges into a half moon shape.  Bringthe edges together so they look like a rippled edge and place on a cookie sheet.  Once all dumplings are filled place cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour.  Once they are frozen put dumplings in a container or freezer bag.  

To cook dumplings, heat 4 teaspoons of canola oil in a large pan over medium high heat.  

Add the frozen dumplings straight from the freezer to the pan.  Do not stir them for about 2-3 minutes.  Let them brown a bit on one side.  

Then lower heat to low and add 1/2 cup of water and cover to let steam for 6-7 minutes.  Enjoy with dipping sauce.  

You might as well make doubles and freeze them because they will be inhaled by your guests.  

NOTES:

The dumplings are nothing more than water and flour.  I used a 3 inch English muffin ring for cutting the 3 inch rounds out of the rolled out dough.    Let the dough sit once it comes together so the gluten can develop.  This dough is plyable and easy to roll out on a well floured surface.  

 What good fortunes have come your way?

Friday smorgasborg

An ecclectic melange of leftovers make for a feast on a Friday night.

Smorgasborg nights have to be my favorite each week.  You spend the week making dinners only to have  many little leftovers lurking in the fridge.  There is no rhyme nor reason to the choices here but that is half the fun of such a meal.  It is the diversity on a plate that satisfies.  Tonight's offerings included brown rice, kale & salmon salad with grated beets, carrots, onions and a tahini dressing.  There was mashed sweet potato with ginger,  tatsoi with asian dressing, indian peanut slaw, and some greek salad from an earlier lunch.  

Fridays are also days when I head out to the farm for our weekly food pickup.  Today's offerings yielded this beautiful, green tatsoi.  Since we are learning to eat more greens I decided to combine the tatsoi with the mustard greens that were in my bag and make a tasty asian style dressing consisting of grated ginger, sesame seeds, tamari, agave, and chili garlic paste.  

Tatsoi rosette.  This is a sturdy, yet mild flavored green that lends itself to strong flavors.  

Wash the greens to take out any sand or soil and then blanch for 1-2 minutes in boiling water.  I cut the greens from the core and washed & drained them in my salad spinner.  If you are new to adding whole foods to your diet, consider purchasing a salad spinner for your kitchen forays.  This tool makes short work of taking moisture away from washed greens.  Mine is an Oxo product which has a bowl that can be used for your salad.  

Ingredients for making the dressing for tatsoi greens.  

Boiling water for blanching greens.  Add the cleaned greens and blanch for 1-2 minutes.  Quickly pull the greens out with a slotted spoon or tongs and put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.  

Salad spinner bowl filled with ice cubes and some water, ready for the cooked greens.  

Cut the greens from the core before putting them in the water.  

Tatsoi has been in the boiling water for about a minute.  

Blanched and cooled greens on the cutting board.  Cut them into bite sized pieces.  

Grate about a tablespoon of fresh ginger into a bowl as the first step in making your dressing.  Add 2 tablespoons of tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar, half a tablespoon of agave syrup or other sweetener, and half a teaspoon of chili garlic sauce.  You can use sriracha sauce (a hot sauce) as a susbstitute.  Whisk these together, taste and then add the greens.  Top with sesame seeds or some gomaisio (toasted sesame seeds, sea salt, and seaweed).  

Finished tatsoi with dressing.  Let this marinate for about an hour or more.  The flavor improves with time.  

Try this simple recipe for sweet potatos for your Thanksgiving dinner next month:  

 

Sweet potatoes mashed with ginger

1 pound of sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1" fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 tablespoon coconut oil 

sea salt and ground black pepper for taste

 

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Place the sweet potatoes in a cookie sheet (on a sheet of foil or parchment for cleanup) and poke a few holes in each potato.  Bake for 45 minutes or an hour until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork or knife.  Take out of oven and let cool.  Peel and place in a bowl and mash with a fork or a potato masher.  

Add the other ingredients and mix well.  Season for taste.  The sweetness of the baked potatoes does not need additional sugar and is a perfect balance for other dishes that may be more sour or salty.  Seek to balance your meal by having dishes that have sweet, sour, salty, and pungent tastes.  This creates balance to your palate.  

Kale salad with sea salt, minced onion, grated carrot & beets, and topped with leftover cooked salmon.  This salad has a tahini dressing that can be made from ingredients in your pantry or by a purchased dressing.    

The cool thing about working with kale in salad preparations is to play with your kale.  Literally wash your hands with your kale.  This recipe sprinkles the chopped, cleaned kale with sea salt, then you massage the kale for about 3-4 minutes.  This action softens the kale and allows it to begin to soften from the salt added.  You can then add the other grated vegetables.  I did not have anycucumber, but that would be nice here too.  I did have beets, so I grated a peeled, raw beet into my bowl.  It is a kalaidescope of color.  I also minced red onion very finely and a green onion and diced a red pepper to add to the dish.  Mix well with your hands.  There is something satisfying about mixing with your hands.  Try it once (clean hands, of course) and see what I mean!  

You can find tahini dressing recipes all over the internet.  This one used tahini paste (ground sesame seeds).  I find my tahini in the international aisles of most grocery stores or in international food stores.  I have tried many brands of tahini paste and encourage you to do the same.  You will get a better idea of the quality of the product and can pick the one you prefer.    I started with 2 tablespoons tahini, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, grated ginger, salt and pepper to taste.  I tossed a few tablespoons of the dressing with the salad and saved some for passing around later.  I did not have much salmon for this salad but that was OK.    If you wanted to add some protein, consider adding cooked chickpeas or lentils, or some cubed tofu.  

Peanut slaw is a refreshing version to the many slaws that are laden with mayonnaise.  There is no oil or mayo in this slaw.  It is flavored with a mix of indian spice called Chaat Masala.  You can find this at indian shops that sell spices.  It is easiest to buy it there.  You may be able to find it on well stocked international aisles in grocery stores too.  

You can find this recipe for peanut slaw here.  I have tried the Masala fried chicken and it was truly fun.  I have never been a fan of macaroni & cheese, but this one looks like it could turn my head.  

So if its a Friday night or any night with quality leftovers in the fridge.  Make it a feast or better yet, always think about these smorgasborg nights when you cook each day.  They don't all have to match but you will have a variety of flavors and most of all it will be fun.  

 

 

Cool soba supper for a hot day: Book review

Black Sesame Otsu from Heidi Swanson's newest book, Super natural every day.

When I ordered Heidi Swanson's book, Super natural every day, I had no idea how many great books I would have sitting at my feet each evening awaiting my time to browse them.  I had first encountered Heidi's award winning food blog, 101 cookbooks several months ago when I first started looking at the myriad food blogs.  So many choices and only 24 hours in a day!  

Heidi Swanson has taken whole food cooking to a new level by giving whole food a sexy look and putting it right into vogue.  Today was a day for the history books with temps reaching 103 and heat indexes of 115 or more.  We both had spent our day outside at a field day so when we returned home we wanted something simple and cooling.  I read Heidi's February post on a unique soba recipe  that uses black sesame seeds. Having been intrigued ever since, today seemed like the day to try it out.  

I stopped at the store to pick up some green onions, cilantro, and sugar snap peas for the recipe.   The cilantro and sugar snaps are not called for in her recipe but I just felt like adding them..I had some organic tofu that I had opened the other night and just happened to have some black sesame seeds too.  

Soba noodles are made from buckwheat which makes them gluten free too.  They are easy to use and cook just like other pasta only more quickly.  I fellt like adding a few more vegetables to my noodle dish so added some sugar snap peas that I cut on the bias and diced red pepper in addition to the organic tofu and green onions.  

Soba noodles next to bowl of black sesame paste.  

Take time to find black sesame seeds.  You can easily find them in any grocery store that caters to asian cultures.  They come in a bag or jar and keep well.  This was a recipe that gave me a chance to use this new ingredient.  I am such a spice and herb hog anyway so it was fun to play with a new ingredient.  

I am anxious to read Heidi's first cookbook,   Super Natural Cooking where she goes into great detail on the kind of pantry you need to have to cook with whole foods.  When I started to read her blog in the natural foods section, I realized that my own pantry has taken on these qualities.  Once you build it (meaning a natural foods pantry) then cooking is going to be more fun and you won't have to go out and buy eptensive ingredients to make simple recipes.  

Black Sesame Otsu

adapted from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day

1 teaspoon pinenuts

1 teaspoon sunflower seeds

1/2 cup black sesame seeds *

1 1/2 tablespoons natural cane sugar (I used Turbinado)

1 1/2 tablespoons shoyu, tamari, or soy sauce (Bragg's aminos would work too)

1 1/2 teaspoons mirin*

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons rice vinegar (recipe calls for brown rice vinegar)

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sea salt, fine grained

12 oz buckwheat soba noodles*

Extra virgin olive oil

12 oz extra firm tofu, cubed (try organic tofu if you can find it...vastly better)

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 red pepper, seeded and diced

handful of sugar snap peas, cut on the bias

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

1. Toast pine nuts and sunflower seeds in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until lightly browned.  Add black sesame seeds and toast until they smell fragrant being careful not to let burn as this will happen quickly.  Transfer to a mortar & pestle or coffee/spice grinder and pulverize until the mixture looks like black sand.  Put mixture into a small bowl and add sugar, soy, mirin, vinegar, cayenne & sesame oil.  Mix into a paste and set aside.  

2. Boil water with generous sea salt in a large saucepan.  Add soba noodles and cook according to the package.  When done, drain, saving some of the water for lossening the paste.  Cool the noodles in cold water once they have been drained.  

3.   Drain tofu and cut into pieces and saute in oil in a pan until golden.  Season pieces with sea salt.  

Set aside while assembling dish.  

4.  Set aside a tablesoon of the sesame paste and thin the rest with about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the cooking water.  Amount of water depends on how much sauce you want in your noodles.  Pour mixture into the noodles in a large bowl and toss to combine.  Add the remaing vegetables and sauteed tofu and toss again.  Serve with a dollop of black sesame paste and enjoy.  Great cold the next day.  

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NOTES:  

Black sesame seeds can be found in asian grocery stores on online in many spice shops.  Nutritionally sesame seeds are a high source of both copper and manganese.  They have a propensity to lower cholesterol and can combat rheumatoid arthritis.  

Mirin is swetened japanese rice wine.  Try to find organic mirin if you can.  Eden Foods make the organic variety that is not sweetened with high fructose corn syrup.  Mirin is a product you will return to often in your whole foods cooking.

Buckwheat soba noodles contain 8 essential amino acids including lysine.  Keep several packages in your natural foods pantry.  

 
Heidi has another otsu soba version on her blog that you should also check out.  The sauce is similar only it adds fresh ginger, more cayenne pepper and lemon.  I cannot wait to try this also.  During these dog days of summer, a cold noodle dish seems the right kind of supper for me.  

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No respecting book review would be complete without reviewing a dessert recipe.  I decided to pick up some blackberries today at the farmer's market with the idea of making Heidi's Macaroon Tart (p. 192)  and Summer Squash Soup (p. 62).  Both are for our dinner tonight.  You might say that this week is dedicated to Heidi Swanson and her natural food way of life.  I am completely inspired after making these three flavorful recipes and, oh, I forgot to say I also made the last recipe in the book:  oven roasted cherry tomatoes.    Last weekend at the campsite we enjoyed her multi-grain pancakes with hickory syrup and blueberries.  Now what is it going to be for Sunday...maybe some yogurt muffins, homemade muesli, or Heidi's  bran muffins.  

Summer squash soup:  This lovely summer soup is flavored with thai red curry paste, garlic and coconut milk.  I had some mushrooms to use and also some very small okra that I threw into the mix.  
My message to my readers is to explore the world of whole and natural foods cooking for it is a new way for many cooks these days.  To enjoy this way of life you must build the kind of pantry that supports healthy and the tastiest of cooking.  We just have to learn some old ways with new eyes and savor the best there is.  

This is fresh pita bread made from homemade dough (European Peasant Bread dough from Zoe Francois's book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day).

And last, but not least, the delectible but not too sweet Macaroon Tart made with fresh farmer's market blackberries, organic egg whites, unsweetened dessicated coconut and pistachios.    I have purposely not put these recipes into this post so as to inspire readers to find Heidi's blog, 101 Cookbooks and her books and try something new.  You will not be disappointed!

Heidi, thank you for a wonderful week of food inspiration.  I love your book and hope to inspire others through this review.  

Cook naturally my friends, every day.  

Bonnie

Saturday summer supper:  Summer squash soup with tofu croutons, topped with roasted cherry tomatoes, served with a side of homemade pita bread.  

It doesn't gett better than this, unless you add dessert..

Cook from your favorite cookbooks daily. 

 

 

 

Kale chips for allergies?

Last week's farmer's market was held inside since it was a rainy kind of day.  I was fortunate to pick up some young, fresh kale leaves.  This is the time of year when temperatures are cool and favorable for growth of many lettuces and greens.  This time is also ripe for copious pollen which leads to all the spring allergies.  

It has been a rainy spring here in the Mid-Atlantic.  Today was a great time to try that miso soup recipe for lunch and a new kale chip recipe.    Kale is one of those greens you usually walk by in the markets (well me anyway).  Now that I am learning about the benefits and reasons kale needs to be a regular in our lives leads me back to allergies that everyone suffers with each spring.  

According to Dr. James Duke, author of The Green Pharmacy guide to Healing Foods, kale has the ability to open the sinuses along with many other cruciferous vegetables and it also has carotenoids which are reportedly associated with fewer allergy problems.  I picked up this book in a used book store a few months ago and have really enjoyed learning about the foods that boost immunity, reduce inflammatory responses in the body and that provide micronutrients seldom found in other foods we eat.  

(Bonnie having fun with her food.  She didn't even change after work!  This chick is a mess but she looks happy!)

Playing with my food has been more fun than ever especially when your hands are better at mixing than any wooden spoon!    The first kale chips I made here came from a recipe shared with me from a fellow student at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  She said she is a vegan and gave me a caution that these chips were addictive!    I agree since I have now made the same recipe 3 times!  

Watch You Tube video here where this wonderful recipe originated:

Check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb_D0G1XUBE 

Raw Food Kale Chips 

 From RenegadeHealth.com

 

Ingredients

2 bunches of Kale, washed, de ribbed and torn

¾ cup tahini

¼ cup tamari

¼ cup cider vinegar

½ cup water

2 scallions

1 clove garlic

juice of 1 lemon

¼ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup nutritional yeast

 

Preparation:

 

Place washed kale in large mixing bowl.  Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth to get a thick consistency.  May have to add more water.  Pour over kale and mix thoroughly with your hands to coat kale.  You wan this mixture to be really glued onto the kale.

 

Rawfood:  place kale on teflex sheet (on top of mesh dehydrator screen) and dehydrate for 6 hours @ 115 degrees.  Probably need at least 2 trays.  Rotate kale occasionally to dry uniformly. (I don’t dehydrate at this temp, more like 105 – 108 degrees and the kale takes longer.  You will need to be the judge of how done they or how crispy you want them….I love them CRIPSY CRUNCHY dry!)

Oven:  Bake on parchment paper lined baking tray (easy clean up!) at 400 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes (again how crispy do you want the chips to be?!! adjust cooking time accordingly!), turning once.

Now I am not a vegan or raw foodie, but appreciate the great foods enjoyed by them and encourage you to give them a try.  

A few ingredients here you may not be familiar with are nutritional yeast, tamari, and tahini.

Nutritional yeast can be found in health food sections of some grocery stores and may be found in bulk food sections also.  It has a cheesy taste and is often used in vegan recipes where a richer, cheesy flavor is desired.  I really enjoyed its mildly salty cheesy flavor.  

Tamari is naturally brewed soy sauce.  You can find it in the asian section of most grocery stores.  You may substitute soy sauce, shoyu or Bragg's Aminos.  

Tahini is nothing more than ground sesame seeds.  This product is a sesame butter and has a oily consistency.  It must be stirred well before using because it settles when it sits on the shelf.  Once you try tahini in this recipe or hummus or salad dressings you will want it to always have a place in your pantry.  It is commonly used in cuisines of the Middle East, parts of Asia and the Mediterranean.  

Raw food kale chips as they came out of the oven..

These did not make it to sundown...

I made the above recipe 3 times and thought I would diversify myself and try a different recipe with fewer ingredients...

Olive oil

Big bunch of kale

Your seasoning of choice: sea salt, cajun seasoning, curry powder, or whatever flavor you want to try.

Drizzle oil on the bunch of kale once you have pulled the hard stems off.  Using your hands rub the oil all over the leaves so that they are nicely coated.  Preheat over to 425 and put kale in a single layer on cookie sheets.  Put in oven for 5 minutes.  Turn over and cook for 5 more minutes until crisp but not burned.  Watch carefully since they can burn quickly.  

These won't last either!  

The homegrown kale leaves were of such superior quality from the bags you get at the grocery store there was no comparison!  

Got allergies?  

Kale chips will cure what ails you!  

bonnie

Play with your kale.  

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Eat healthy.             Cook simply.              Live longer.

 

 

 

Wine Kitchen rocks!

The Wine Kitchen, 7 South King Street, Leesburg Virginia.  

 

Last week I had planned to meet a friend here at the Wine Kitchen for lunch.  It was kind of a rainy Friday, so I took a seat and ordered a cup of green tea.  The place had a warm atmosphere made more so by my server, Ryan who stopped by to say hello.  I told him I was waiting for a friend.  After about 10 minutes I decided to go ahead and order my lunch thinking that my friend might have been delayed somehow.  

I really appreciate a menu that is progressive in that it offers all organic and locally grown food and wines.  What really sets this restaurant off from others is the healthy choices throughout the menu.  I recently had learned that one of the co-owner's wives graduated from the Institute where I am currently attending school and had remembered reading about this menu and its effort to bring healthy, but fun choices to the table.    I know why the menu is the way it is...In checking their website I noticed that they offer Lunch and Learn Nutrition classes by a nutrition coach. Bravo!

I had ordered the daily special which was perfect for a rainy & damp day:  beef pho in a ginger and lemongrass broth with thin noodles.  This was lovely and light.  Now I happened to have a pair of chop sticks in my purse that day so pulled them out and proceeded to enjoy my lunch.  Ryan came over and made a comment about the chop sticks saying that he was impressed I also carried them.  He said that he never goes anywhere without his own pair of cherry wood chopsticks!  

Beef pho served with a spoon...bring your own chop sticks and eat in style

That reminds me of how important it is that we focus on the food we eat and taking our time to eat and appreciate what is before us.  The noodles were light as could be and the broth was slightly sweet and aromatic with the ginger and lemongrass.  

 

For dessert I chose a passionfruit creme brulee that did not disappoint!  The brulee on top was just a light lacework of sugar, melted to a perfect state.  The creamy and slightly citrus taste of the creme completed the profile.  Served with the lightest biscotti with dried cherries was more than enough.  

Passionfruit creme brulee with dried cherry biscotti

Today's lunch was a pleasant surprise.  I had heard about Wine Kitchen, but had not stopped here.  I am proud to live near a town who has places that cater to a more discriminating public who wants higher quality and healthy choices in local food.  This is the place to come.  

If you want to try a restaurant with a local food menu, try the Wine Kitchen next time you are in Leesburg and bring your friends.  Healthy local food at its very best!

 

Variety is the spice of life

indulge in great living whenever you can...

 

 

Out of the box pantry

Getting back into the kitchen for health and well being means adding some spice and creativity to your cooking.  

My new course of study at Institute for Integrative Nutrition invites students to explore the world of ingredients we may or may not have had a chance to try.  I decided to share a few ingredients in today's post and invite you to pick maybe one of them to try for yourself this week.  

What you see before you is called a condiment tray.  In the world of healthy living and eating we are encouraged to purge parts of our refrigerated or dry store pantry to upgrade ingredients to healthier alternatives.  Now I am not saying you have to do this in a day or over a weekend, but rather begin to think about what is better for your health compared to what you already have.  

Today's condiment tray has:

    Umeboshi plum vinegar, a salty acidic element that is made from umeboshi plums.  It is salty in taste and brightens up cooked greens, homemade salad dressings, and many sauces.  Use sparingly.  This can sometimes be found in the health sections of mainstream grocery stores or a health food store.   I  have not tried this ingredient in the asian slaw below, but may give it a try and report back here.  It is salty, so you may be able to eliminate the salt from the recipe by using umeboshi vinegar.  

    Toasted sesame oil, a rich nutty sesame oil that is used as flavoring for greens and rice dishes.  You can also use regular sesame oil for sauteing.  You may find this in the international aisle in the Asian section.  I buy mine at Trader Joes.  Keep this one in the fridge to maintain freshness and to keep it from going rancid.  Antioxidant rich, toasted sesame oil is a great component to many marinades.  

    Hot chili oil, a flavoring oil that lends some heat to a dish or dressing.  I have used this oil in stir fries and asian cabbage slaw.  Find this in the international aisles at most grocery stores.  

    Seaweed gomasio, is nothing more than toasted sesame seeds, sea salt and seaweed flakes.  Try this wonderful condiment sprinkled on rice, greens, salads, veggie dishes, eggs and much much more.  Health food stores or mail order may be your best sources.  Here is a link to an informative article about the health benefits of gomasio.  Using this condiment regularly helps to de-acidify the acids in your stomach making digestion more productive.  

    Brown rice syrup, a sweetener that is found in health sections of grocery stores or health food stores.  Give it a try.  It is mildly sweet and can be used in place of white sugar which tends to spike your blood sugar (high glycemic index).  I will write about lower glycemic sweeteners in a future post.  

Other items on my tray that are not visible are tamari (brewed wheat free soy sauce), coconut oil and natural maple syrup.  I will talk about those another time.  

You will find by using these ingredients you may use less salt in your cooking.  Excess salt in our foods leads to more health problems in higher blood pressure and all the complications. Reducing salt but keeping your food tasty is a goal here.  

 

Let me share a modified recipe for asian cabbage slaw.  I vary the recipe all the time by upgrading ingredients to healthier alternatives.  This original recipe was an award winning recipe from an annual cooking contest several years ago.  It has become our family favorite (even for my 16 year old who does not like salads!).  The original recipe uses white sugar, but today we will substitute either brown rice syrup or agave nectar.  I hope you will not just read this recipe but will give it a try and if you like it or not, please come back and share your comments with all my readers.  

 

Spicy Asian Cabbage Slaw

by Bonnie Deahl

 

2 bags of shredded green cabbage (can add some red cabbage to this mix also)

    (OR shred a small to medium cabbage for this recipe)

1 large shredded carrot

1 bag of ramen noodles (any flavor)  

1/4 cup agave nectar OR brown rice syrup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

3/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup toasted sesame oil

1 1/2 TB hot chili oil (optional, but gives a nice warmth to the side)

1 cup chopped green onions

1/4 to half a cup of chopped cilantro, mint or parsley (also optional but nice if available)

1/2 to a cup of slivered almonds

1/4 cup raw sesame seeds

 

NOTE:  You can find affordable nuts and seeds in ethnic stores if you live in an area with asian populations.  I buy all my nuts and seeds in ethnic stores where turnover is high and products are fresh and higher quality.  Store nuts in the freezer in labelled bags or containers.  

 

1.  Crush the ramen noodles in the bag with a mallet till broken up into pieces.  Set aside.  

2.  Heat a small skillet over medium heat and toast both slivered almonds and raw sesame seeds together.  Watch carefully so they don't burn.  Set aside till ready to assemble dish.  These 2 steps can be done ahead of time or even a day or so before.  

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded cabbages, green onions, carrots, fresh herbs and mix well.  

4. In a small bowl combine the syrup, salt & pepper, sesame oils, & vinegar and combine well.  

Toss into the cabbage along with the crushed ramen noodles (take out the flavoring packet and discard) and combine till all cabbage is coated with dressing.  Put in fridge and marinate for at least an hour or 2.  

5. When you are ready to serve, toss in the almonds and sesame seeds and toss.  Serve as a nice side for barbeque or with any main dish.  

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Experiment with food, finding ways to upgrade old recipes to healthier ingredients.  As you rely less on processed foods or ingredients with little or no nutritional value, you will feel and live better and have more energy.  

Variety is the spice of life.  

Try condiments!