Summer's End Quick & Healthy Tomato Cabbage Salad

Ingredients:

One medium green cabbage

One or two very ripe tomatoes

One or two cloves garlic

Juice of one large Meyer lemon

One or two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt to taste

 

 Method:

Finely shred the cabbage.

Chop tomatoes.

Mince garlic.

Place above in mixing bowl and toss well with lemon juice and olive oil; add sea salt to taste. 

Allow salad to rest for a few minutes to develop flavor.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Optional:  Garnish with one fire-roasted sweet red pepper, chopped.

 

Black Radish Quick Pickle

 

 Scrub two or three medium black radishes, rinse and pat dry. Cut radishes into matchsticks. Toss well with freshly minced garlic, juice from one lemon and sea salt to taste. Let sit in a bowl for a few hours; stir once or twice. Garnish with lemon peel or zest; toss and enjoy!  Store in a glass jar in fridge. 

The Three Months of Winter

 "The three months of winter

    Are called closing and storing.

   Water freezes, Earth cracks.

    No more influence from the yang.

    One goes to bed early; one gets up late.

    Everything must be done according to 

    the light of the sun.

   Exerting the will

   As if buried, as if hidden

   And taking care only of oneself,

   As if fixed on oneself, in possession of oneself.

   One must avoid the cold

   And seek the heat;

   Not let anything escape

   Through the layers of the skin,

   For fear of losing all of the qi."

 

 - From "The Way of Heaven" Neijing Suwen Chapters 1 & 2.

  Translation by Claude Larre, French sinologist, 1919- 2001.

 

   

   

Veggie of the Moment: Purple Cauliflower

 

       Purple Cauliflower: Saute, steam, roast, soup or salad!

Romanesco Soup: The Color of Spring

ROMANESCO?

Romanesco (Brassica oleracea) has been cultivated in Italy since the sixteenth century, and is currently in season at Northern California farmers markets. Its delicious nutty flavor, vibrant color and plentiful nutrients make it a perfect ingredient for a simple one- pot soup. Yield: About four cups. (For extra credit, look up "fractals" and "fibonacci numbers").

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ROMANESCO SPRINGTIME SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

 2- 3 cups Romanesco, roughly chopped

2-3 medium shallots, peeled

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 - 3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 bay leaves

fresh water to cover

1 cup + more as needed unsweetened plain almond milk or soy milk

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD:

Place vegetables and bay leaves in a soup pot; add just enough fresh water  to cover the vegetables by about one inch. 

Bring to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook gently on a medium flame until Romanesco is just tender and still bright green.  

Remove from heat. Carefully drain vegetable broth into clean glass jars. Allow cooked vegetables to cool. Remove bay leaves.

In stages, puree the vegetables in a blender, adding vegetable broth and nut milk or soy milk as needed.

For a creamier soup, use a larger proportion of nut milk than broth, adjusting the consistency to your taste.

Add sea salt and a few generous grinds of fresh black pepper.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

The flavor of this soup is enhanced if it is allowed to rest for a few minutes, but if you can't wait, reheat and serve immediately in pre-warmed ceramic bowls or mugs. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, your choice of fresh chopped herbs, or dust with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes or Hungarian paprika. Enjoy a taste of springtime!

 

 

 

 

Ginger- Lime Cabbage Salad

 

Ginger- Lime Cabbage Salad:  

This delicious, crunchy, sweet- tart salad is simple to assemble and rich in nutrients. Cabbage is a stand by staple in my fridge year- round; it keeps well and is easily transformed into an variety of cooked or raw dishes. The ingredient proportions below are approximate;  no need to measure exactly. Shred the cabbage as finely as possible to ensure optimal blending of the flavors. Yields about four servings.

Ingredients:

1/2 head green cabbage, finely shredded

1/2 head purple cabbage, finely shredded

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger root

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

juice of 1- 2  limes

1/4 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

 

Method:

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and toss very thoroughly.

Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking.

Store in clean glass jars for up to 3 days in fridge.

Flavor will improve as the ingredients merge.

 

Serving Suggestions:

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Garnish with any combination of lime slices, toasted chopped hazelnuts, toasted chopped almonds, toasted sesame seeds, red pepper flakes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Joy of Leafy Greens: Beauty, Simplicity, Health

 

Fresh produce is an essential key to health, and in this era of heightened awareness of wellness, eating dark leafy greens daily is an easy and critical practice to cultivate. Steaming is perhaps the simplest technique for preparing hearty greens and requires no special utensils.  I purchase greens weekly at my local farmers market and upon returning, I prepare several days worth of greens right away so they will be ready for eating later in the week. The method which follows is applicable to nearly every variety of dark leafy green.

PREPARATION:

1. Rinse greens and trim about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the stems. The stems are edible and nutritious and should not be discarded.

2. Put a few inches of fresh water into a pot with a well fitting lid and bring to a boil.

3. Stack the greens in the pot, pressing gently so they fit, and cover. They do not need to be immersed in the water.

4. Gently simmer just until greens wilt. The timing will vary depending on the thickness of the leaves. The rainbow chard pictured above requires about 3 minutes. Steam a little longer if you prefer more thoroughly cooked greens, but don't over cook. I usually turn the greens over once during cooking.

5. Remove greens immediately from pot and place in a colander to cool.

6. Pour the cooking water into clean glass jars and reserve for later use. 

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

It's fun to invent creative presentations for steamed greens. Here I've cut off the stems (and set them aside for snacks) and rolled up the leaves:

Drizzle with olive oil, a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  

Other delicious garnishes: 

Toasted sesame seeds

Toasted chopped almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts

Lemon or lime juice

Fresh or dried oregano, marjoram or basil 

Umeboshi vinegar 

STORAGE:

Steamed greens keep perfectly well for several days in a covered glass or stainless steel container in the fridge. 

Greens can be served at room temperature, or gently warmed in a skillet in a little olive oil.

Whole leaves can be cut up before heating; kitchen shears are a great tool which make this task effortless. Greens can also be warmed briefly in some of the reserved cooking water. Add  a peeled garlic clove to the broth if you wish.  Enjoy a cup of the broth as a quick, energizing snack.

VARIETIES  OF LEAFY GREENS:

If you have access to a farmers market you will find many varieties of dark leafy greens which are not commonly available in conventional food stores. Some of the densely nutritious greens available now in Northern California farmers markets are:

Rainbow Chard

Collards

Beet Greens

Spigarello

White Russian Kale

Italian (Lacinato) Kale

Mustard Greens

Mizuna

Bok Choy

Arugula

Watercress

NEW TASTES AND FLAVORS:

Fresh local produce is full of intense complex flavors. It may take some practice to notice and appreciate them, especially if you are not accustomed to eating simple, unprocessed foods. If fresh, simply prepared greens seem flavorless or unappealing to you, try a mini fast of sixteen or eighteen hours; a serving of greens and a cup of warm broth may be a revelation when hunger is genuine.

During this extraordinary time, when food shopping is challenging and we must make do with narrower choices, consider taking the opportunity to re-frame preexisting ideas and expectations about what food should taste like, and what a meal consists of.

Our ancestors were foragers, gatherers and hunters, who did not eat three meals a day, nor did they know about the four food groups, food pyramids, vitamins, proteins or calories. Somehow, they were strong and resilient enough to reproduce generation after generation, and to survive over thousands of years in the absence of supermarkets, fast food, take-out and restaurants. Perhaps we can be inspired today by their example.