Sunday, February 28, 2010

Daikon & Beet Root Winter Rice Pullao

An Ayurvedic (classical Indian Medicine) recipe from Eyton J. Shalom and Kitchen Medicine Cooking Medicine: "Namaskaram and Bon Appetit!"
  • White Basmati Rice, about a cup
  • Water, 2 & 1/2 cups or more
  • Cinnamon Bark 4 pieces, about an inch long
  • Cumin Seed, 1-2 tsp
  • Beet root chunks, 1/2 cup, or more
  • Daikon radish chunks, 1/2 cup

Wash the rice well. (Until the wash water runs clear) Boil water. Add all the ingredients at once. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the flame to low-medium. I find the larger the pot I use, relative to the rice, the more fluffy the result. Pretty simple, huh?This is a real simple home dish. No fat. No salt. (There was salt in the side dish, but when I had the left-over by itself I added a little good sea salt).If you want to make this for guests you could sauté the spices with some onion in ghee, to bring out the flavor of the spices more.

Daikon Recipes from Full Belly Farm

http://www.fullbellyfarm.com/PDF/daikon.pdf

Garlicky Kale & Mushroom Soup

This recipe shared by WE CSA Nicole. Thanks Nicole & thanks for the delicious sample!

  • 1/2 cup wheat berries
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup (3-5 oz) shitake mushrooms, stemmed & thinly sliced
  • 10 cloves garlic, peeled & thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup ume plum, brown rice or apple cider vinegar
  • 5 cups veggie broth (homemade or no sodium)
  • 1 bunch kale, coarsely chopped

Soak wheat berries overnight in cold water. Heat oil in 2 qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, season with sea salt if desired (if using ume plum vinegar, omit salt until end as it is very salty itself). Saute mushrooms 10 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add garlic and sautee 2 minutes more. Stir in vinegar (if using ume plum or apple cider vinegar, wait until end and soup has cooled to preserve enzymes in these raw vinegars), stirring until almost evaporated & scraping browned bits from pan. Drain wheat berries and add to mushroom mixture with veggie broth. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer 20 minutes. Add kale then simmer 15 to 20 minutes more or until tender. Season with salt or pepper to taste, if desired.

Cauliflower Raw Mashed "Potatoes"

  • 1 head of Cauliflower
  • 1 clove chopped garlic or more
  • 1 TBSP Fresh Dill or more
  • 1/3 cup unrefined olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons, macadamia nut butter (or 1/3 cup pumpkin seeds)
  • unrefined sea salt to taste

Add all to food processor and blend until creamy.

Raw Cauliflower Spanish "Rice"

  • 1 head shredded cauliflower
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped finely
  • 5 green onions, sliced thinly
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 recipe of Spanish Avo Mix, below

Spanish rice avo Mix:

  • In a bowl mash 1 avocado
  • Add: 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 tablespoon basil
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1⁄2 tablespoon Agave Nectar or something sweet
  • 1 to 1⁄2 red hot pepper, chopped finely
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • 1⁄2 tea onion powder
  • 1⁄4 tea cumin

Lastly toss the cauliflower Spanish Rice with the Avo Mix.

Alabama Living Soup, or Cauliflower Crockpot Stew

Basically, use whatever veggies you have on hand!

  • 12-15 cups broth
  • 2 medium onions, chopped
  • 5 celery ribs, chopped
  • 5 turnips (or parsnips), chopped
  • 8 cups cabbage, shredded
  • 4 bell peppers, chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 10 ounces spinach
  • 10 ounces broccoli
  • 10 ounces cauliflower
  • 2-3 pieces chopped ginger root (optional)
  • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt or to taste

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Cover. Cook on low 6-8 hours. May adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

Cauliflower Coconut Curry

  • 1 large onion
  • cayenne pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons coriander
  • 1/8 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 4 peppercorns
  • 2 cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
  • 1 inch fresh ginger root
  • oil, for sauteing
  • 1 lb cauliflower
  • 14 ounces coconut milk

Combine all but the last three ingredients in a food processor; run the processor until it forms a paste. Add a little oil and/or a little water if ingredients have trouble processing. Saute in a pan with the cauliflower and oil for a few minutes until aromatic. Add the coconut milk and simmer until cauliflower reaches desired tenderness. If the curry gets too dry as it simmers, add a little water so that it finishes with a thick, gravy-like sauce.

Cauliflower, Fennel & Brussels Sprouts Salad

  • thinly sliced fennel bulb
  • thinly sliced brussels sprouts (and/or chopped broccoli or rapini)
  • 2 cups chopped cauliflower
  • 1/4-3/8 cup chopped onion or scallion
  • 1/2-1 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (soaked for 4 hours to germinate)
  • 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds (or raw)
  • 1 cup veganaise or mayonaise
  • 1/8 cup agave nectar
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Mix and eat. Now or later.

Lemon Roasted Cauliflower

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
  • Lemon juice (from 1/2 or a whole lemon)
  • Olive oil
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into florets and put in a single layer in an oven-proof baking dish. Toss in the garlic. Squeeze lemon juice over cauliflower and drizzle each piece with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If the oven hasn't reached 400°F yet, set aside until it has. Place casserole in the hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is lightly brown. Test with a fork for desired doneness. Fork tines should be able to easily pierce the cauliflower. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries and Walnuts

from rawrifficfood.wordpress.com: "This next dish was actually inspired by a recipe I found in Vegetarian Times’ Healing Foods Cookbook. I slightly changed things up. Hope you like it."
  • Brussels Sprouts (stems removed, and sliced thin)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts coarsly chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries chopped
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 T (more or less) cold pressed Hemp Oil
  • 1/2 T cold pressed Olive Oil
  • 2-3 drizzles of raw agave nectar (or to taste)

Lightly steam the Brussels Sprouts and place in a bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well. This dish is a very hearty meal. Try exchanging the walnuts for chopped pecans, or dried apple pieces and raisins in place of the dried cranberries. I think you will agree that this dish is super yummy, and makes you feel cozy too! Perfect for Winter! =)

Brussels Sprout Salad

from Heidi Swanson, 101cookbooks.com: "Shredding the sprouts on a mandoline gives them a wispiness that is harder to achieve with a knife."

  • 1 1/2 pound brussels sprouts, freshest you can find
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 - 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/3 cup fresh chives, minced
  • 2-3 big pinches of unrefined sea salt
  • 1 1/3 cups hazelnuts, smashed just a bit and toasted (preferrably soaked overnight to germinate)
  • optional: 2 ounces hard, salty, aged cheese, shaved (pecorino, dry aged jack, Parmesan, etc)

Shred the brussels sprouts whisper thin using a mandoline, or alternately, a knife. Five minutes before serving, place the shredded sprouts in a large mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, chives, salt, and hazelnuts. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice if needed, keeping in mind the cheese will bring a salty element to the salad. Add the cheese and toss once or twice to distribute it evenly throughout the salad.

Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts

from 101cookbooks.com: "This is the only way to eat cooked brussels sprouts: cut in half and cooked until deliciously tender inside and perfectly brown and crusted on the outside. Use brussels sprouts that are on the small size and tightly closed. You can finish these with many different types of cheese but I tend to go for Parmesan when the weather is good. I trade that in for heavier cheeses like gruyere or Gouda in colder weather. I finished them off with some toasted hazelnuts the other night - delicious!"

  • 24 small brussels sprouts
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing
  • fine-grain sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice

Wash the brussels sprouts well. Trim the stem ends and remove any raggy outer leaves. Cut in half from stem to top and gently rub each half with olive oil, keeping it intact (or just toss them in a bowl with a glug of olive oil). Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in your largest skillet over medium heat. Don't overheat the skillet, or the outsides of the brussels sprouts will cook too quickly. Place the brussels sprouts in the pan flat side down (single-layer), sprinkle with a couple pinches of salt, cover, and cook for roughly 5 minutes; the bottoms of the sprouts should only show a hint of browning. Cut into or taste one of the sprouts to gauge whether they're tender throughout. If not, cover and cook for a few more minutes. Once just tender, uncover, turn up the heat, and cook until the flat sides are deep brown and caramelized. Use a metal spatula to toss them once or twice to get some browning on the rounded side. Season with more salt, a few grinds of pepper, and a dusting of grated cheese. While you might be able to get away with keeping a platter of these warm in the oven for a few minutes, they are exponentially tastier if popped in your mouth immediately.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Hokkaido Squash Jam

Purée the cooked squash in a blender to obtain a smooth and relatively liquid purée. Add 2 cups sugar, 10 oz. fruit, either fresh, such as apples or pears, or dried, such as apricots, raisins or prunes, and 1 tbsp. vanilla. Return the mixture to the heat and cook for about 20 minutes more, stirring often with a wooden spoon (a metal spoon may react). The heat should be low to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Place into jars with a vanilla or a cinnamon stick and cover while still hot.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Sherri’s Kicking Raw Kale Salad

from WE CSA member Sherri Collins, Sherri is our West side's own raw food guru! You can check out Sherri's website at rawdazzle.com
  • 1 or 2 bunch of Kale – chopped (I prefer Lacinato or Russian Red)
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1 garlic – minced (optional)
  • 1 cup cilantro -chopped
  • ½ or 1 lemon juice
  • 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (chili peppers)
  • ½ avocado
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4-1/3 cup pine nuts
  • Top with raw nut cheese (optional)
Blend all in bowl and TOSS, TOSS,TOSS, TOSS!!!! Yummy-O!