on the menu : mock no dairy shrimp alfredo

MOCK NO DAIRY SHRIMP ALFREDO

Hands up – are you a sucker for cream-based pasta dishes??  In the US, American-Italian establishments are known for adding heavy cream to some of their most popular pasta sauces.  I think they do this partly because cream is cheaper than, say, mounds of cheese (likely more popular in Italy).

Hands up – are you a sucker for cream-based pasta dishes and looking for a way to make them leaner and better for you??  Look no further, friends!  The secret is quite simple.  If you think about non-dairy “milks,” they’re primarily nut-based, right?  Soy, almond, cashew, etc. etc.  Take that same concept and apply it to your sauce!  By puréeing nuts (pine nuts, in this case), with wet ingredients (see below), you’re able to create the base for a mock cream sauce with a whole lot more depth and flavor than cream itself AND – of course – the health factor.  Win win win.

For this dish, I’ve added a few veggies (onions + celery), herbs (parsley), spices (saffron + dried red chile), AND flax seeds.  When you blend flax seeds into the nut-based sauce, it almost acts as a bind.  Pretty cool and you won’t even know they’re in there.

INGREDIENTS:

• Celery (3 stalks)
• Parsley (Bunch)
• Pine Nuts (1/2 cup)
• Flax Seeds (1 tbsp)
• Balsamic Vinegar (2 tsp)
• Dried Red Chile (1 tbsp)
• Garlic Clove (2-3)
• Yellow Onion (1)
• Saffron (Pinch)
• Mirin (1/4 cup)
• Shrimp (Optional)
• Brown Rice Spiral Pasta (16 oz)
• Sun Dried Tomato (Optional – for topping)
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Drizzle some oil into a large sauté pan.  Cook the shrimp over medium heat (should only take a few minutes).  Spoon out the shrimp and set aside.
2. Finely chop up the yellow onion.  Add the chopped onions, turn the heat on medium low and sauté the onions with some salt + pepper.
3. As the onions start to turn glassy, add the saffron threads.  Pour in the mirin, raise the hat to medium to cook out some of the alcohol, then reduce the heat back to low.
4. Chop up the garlic cloves and add to the sauté pan.  Also add back in the shrimp and stir everything together.
5. Place in a food processor the celery, parsley, pine nuts, flax seeds, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt + pepper.  Blend until relatively smooth but not completely blended.
6. Spoon in the blended mixture to the sauté pan as you meld it into a sauce.  Use a slotted spoon to do so.  Season with salt + pepper as necessary.
7. Bring a pot of water up to a boil and salt it generously once boiled.  Cook the pasta to just under al denté.  Spoon some of the pasta cooking water into your sauté pan and mix into the sauce.  Drain the pasta and transfer directly to the sauté pan.
8. Raise the heat on the sauté pan to medium to give it once last blast, do a final seasoning (if needed), and serve immediately.

on the side : tri-color quinoa w/ almonds, oranges, + grapes

TRI-COLOR QUINOA W/ ALMONDS, ORANGES + GRAPES

I feel almost silly posting a “recipe” for this dish.  It’s literally just quinoa with a few ingredients I had on hand at the end of the week.  As you know, you can add all kinds of stuff to quinoa to make it a more substantial dish.  I went a bit more sweet over savory with this one with the addition of fruit.  Feel free to add.. well.. anything you want!  lol.

Seriously though, I’ve been a huge advocate of quinoa for years thanks to its (a) health benefits, (b) versatility, (c) quick cooking-ness, (d) yumminess.  I saw this article a few months ago on the uncertain sustainability of quinoa; the future of which could depend on diversifying where this beautiful crop is grown (i.e. outside of Bolivia).  Just some ‘food for thought’ worth sharing as we start to hear more about this topic.

INGREDIENTS:

• Tri-Color Quinoa (1 cup)
• Carrot Greens (Bunch)
• Raw Sliced Almonds (Handful)
• Red Seedless Grapes (Handful)
• Orange (1)
• Olive Oil
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the quinoa according to package.
2. Roughly chop up the carrot greens and sauté in a pan with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt + pepper.  Cook until wilted.
3. In a bowl, combine the cooked quinoa with sautéed carrot greens, raw sliced almonds, red seedless grapes, and orange slices.  Season with salt + pepper (as needed) and mix well until fully combined.

on the side : red cabbage slaw salad w/ zesty, creamy (vegan!) green dressing

RED CABBAGE SLAW SALAD W/ ZESTY, CREAMY (VEGAN!) GREEN DRESSING

First of all – HELLOOOO SPRING!  I’m taking full advantage of the beaming sunshine and warm temps.  After soaking in all of that vitamin D, I find myself yearning for something fresh and light.  Hmmm.. what to make.  What to make.

I saw a pretty red head of cabbage sitting in the fridge and my taste buds immediately told me to go with a slaw/salad.  I added some sweet (apples + raisins), texture (cashews + black sesame seeds), color and zest galore (see dressing).  The secret to my creamy yet super refreshing dressing is frozen green peas.

So easy, so delish, and leftovers the next day will be even better as the flavors fully marry into each other.

INGREDIENTS:

• Red Cabbage (1 head)
• Yellow Onion (1)
• Apple (1)
• Raw Cashews (Handful – chopped/crushed)
• Raisins (2 tbsp)
• Black Sesame Seeds (1 tbsp)
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper
• Dressing
  • Frozen Green Peas (1/2 cup)
  • Jalepeño Pepper (1/2)
  • Lime (1/2)
  • Meyer Lemon (1)
  • Honey (1 tbsp)
  • Vinegar (1 tbsp)
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt + Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Shred up red cabbage and place in a large salad bowl.
2. Finely chop up the yellow onion.
3. Drizzle some oil into a small sauté pan and add the chopped onions.  Turn the heat on medium low, season with salt + pepper, and allow the onions to caramelize.  Once done, remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, make the salad dressing by puréeing all ingredients in a food processor (remove the seeds from the jalepeño pepper prior to blending unless you’re yearning for heat).  Add a little water to thin out the consistency (your preference).
5. Cut up your apple into bite-sized pieces.  I peeled mine but feel free to leave the peel on if you so desire.  Add to the red cabbage and immediately spoon in some dressing to bring in acidity so the apples don’t turn brown.
6. Also add to the salad bowl the remaining ingredients – chopped cashews, raisins, black sesame seeds.  Toss together as you spoon in almost all of the dressing (leave a few spoonfuls for topping).

onto dessert : french macarons

FRENCH MACARONS

I know I’m all “Eat with your head first!” but I have to tell you – I have a completely unhealthy obsession with French Macarons that dates back to childhood.  They embody the perfect bite.  I could eat a whole tray full of them and still have room for more.  It doesn’t matter if I just ate a ten-course meal, if macarons are on the menu I will order them and greedily devour every last bite.  I make my friends tag along on macaron crawls on the coldest, windiest, rainiest days.

Yea, that kind of an obsession.  But an expensive obsession at that where macarons often come in at $2.50 a pop (sometimes more depending on how fancy you get).

So at some point, you have to just… learn to do this yourself.  Face this obsession in the face and kill it.  Because once you get it right, your life will be complete in ways that no one else will understand (cue eye rolls).

The other day, I finally learned the art of the French Macaron from a classically trained pastry chef.

The good thing is, ingredients are minimal.  Directions are not complicated either; they’ll stick easily after a few tries.  So why the heck do we have to pay +$2.50 for ONE little macaron?  Because.  It’s.  Tricky.  Why exactly?

1. The technique of getting the batter just right is hard.
2. The placement in the oven takes multiple tries.
3. The right combination of (a) initial temperature of the oven (b) cooking time (c) changing the temperature (d) changing the cooking time = mighty tricky.
4. The need to adjust your method based on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen that particular day.

All that said, I am determined.  I will perfect them and turn others into macaron enthusiasts.

WELL, after my baking lesson I took a stab with completely low expectations and for whatever reason – they came out great!  They’re not perfect yet; far from it.  I need to get rid of the peaks, get them smoother, add more filling… but there’s hope!  The shell was soft + chewy without sticking to the mat, and my vegan chocolate ganache was très bien.  They even tasted better the next day (phew).  I promise to post a recipe once I find one that works semi-consistently!

onto baking : no flour + no knead nut bread

NO FLOUR + NO KNEAD NUT BREAD

Have you ever walked into a bakery and closed your eyes just to marvel in the smell of freshly baked bread?  No?  Oh…  Well, I love that feeling because you immediately envision a warm loaf with the perfect crust and steaming, fluffy interior.  #carbheaven

**SPOILER ALERT** This bread is not THAT bread.  But don’t give up on me yet!  This bread is one that any non-bread monger can handle.  Seriously.  The recipe is virtually hassle-free.  And let’s talk health benefits.  Sometimes I just want a slice of bread (because I’m weird).  At that moment, it doesn’t really matter what type of bread I put in my mouth, I just have this desire to pop a slice in the toaster and munch away.  THIS bread makes for delicious toast (with jam, hummus, whatever) and the best part – completely made up of whole grains, nuts, and seeds.  In other words, you get to milk the benefits of fiber, protein.

What else can I say… it’s gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, blah blah blah.  Oh!  It’s mighty tasty 🙂

And last but not least, a big huge shout-out to fellow blogger Sarah Britton who inspired this awesomeness to begin with.

INGREDIENTS:

• Sunflower Seeds (1 cup)
• Flax Seeds (½ cup)
• Hazelnuts or Almonds (½ cup)
• GF Rolled Oats (1 ½ cups)
• Chia Seeds (2 tbsp)
• Psyllium Seed Husks (4 tbsp OR 3 tbsp if using the powder)
• Fine Grain Sea Salt (1 tsp)
• Maple Syrup or Honey (1 tbsp)
• Coconut Oil (3 tbsp melted)
• Water (1 ½ cups)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a flexible, silicon loaf pan (or non-stick loaf pan) combine all dry ingredients, stirring well.
2. Whisk together maple syrup (or honey), oil and water in a separate bowl (or straight in the measuring cup).
3. Add this whisked mixture to the dry ingredients and combine very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable).
4. Smooth out the top with the back of a spoon.
5. Let the dough sit out on your counter for at least 2 hours, all day or overnight.  To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.
6. When the dough is ready, pre-heat your oven to 350°F.
7. Place loaf pan onto the middle rack of your oven and bake for 20 minutes.
8. After 20 minutes, remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the middle rack and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
9. You’ll know the bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped.
10. Let cool completely before slicing.

(Store bread in a tightly sealed container for ~5 days or slice up and freeze)

on the side : roasted brussels sprouts w/ blood oranges + rainbow carrots

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS W/ BLOOD ORANGES + RAINBOW CARROTS

With Spring fast approaching (hard to believe, right?), you should revel in winter produce just a little bit longer.  Get good use out of your oven you’ll say good bye to once the temperatures rise.

I’ve often proclaimed my love for raw brussels sprouts which still holds true, but if you’re not feeling up to the shredding challenge, here’s a quick & easy side dish.  Just combine the ingredients below and roast away!  If you’re feeling extra lazy, you can even leave the brussels sprouts WHOLE.

Your kitchen will smell amazing and your taste buds will dance with joy.  This is the perfect side dish to get your spirits up :).

INGREDIENTS:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Blood Oranges
• Rainbow Carrots + Carrot Leaves
• Walnuts
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Maple Syrup
• Olive Oil
• Salt + Pepper

on the menu : weekly recipe round-up part… who knows?

WEEKLY RECIPE ROUND-UP PART… WHO KNOWS?

Welcome to another batch of home cooked meals, bundled up into one big post (aka I openly admit to procrastination in posting these when I made them).  Alas, enjoy :).

WASABI SHOYU RAMEN

Inspired by a semi-recent trip to Ippudo in NYC, I made a healthier version of their only vegetarian ramen – wasabi shoyu ramen.  The broth is not overbearing in wasabi heat, but has just the right amount of kick to keep you going in for more.  I used brown rice noodles instead of traditional ramen noodles, added lots of vegetables, scallions, ginger, and sesame seeds for a no-guilt “ramen” dish.

KALE SALAD W/ BAKED MUNG-A-LAFELS, APPLES, + RAISINS

My go-to detox beans – mung beans make great imitation falafels.  I sautéed some onions and mixed them into the mung bean “batter” to add another layer of flavor, but these guys taste great with just their mung bean selves.  This time around I’ve added mung-a-lafels to some nutrition-packed kale (found aplenty this time of the year), crispy apples, and raisins.  The vinaigrette with a lemon juice base plays double duty by brightening up the dish and keeping the apples from browning.  Fun, colorful, playful, forkfuls of vitamins/nutrients/minerals/etc. = add this to your dinner menu now.

LEEK MUSHROOM + SPINACH QUICHE

A gluten free, vegan, and vegetarian quiche held together by silken tofu.  You don’t taste any tofu thanks to the fragrant leeks, earthy mushrooms, and leafy spinach.  Quiche is often associated with breakfast or brunch, but I find it makes a perfectly fitting dinner as well.  Minimal prep time, leave it alone while it cooks in the oven, all sorts of deliciousness and goodness packed in each bite.

THAI BASIL COCONUT RED LENTIL CURRY

I obsess over Thai basil – it’s crazy how the aromatics in this herb almost get amplified with heat.  This curry came together with a few simple ingredients – onion, scallions, garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, bean sprouts, red lentils (which turn orange/yellow when cooked) – all dancing in a smooth coconut milk base.  This is a nice, light curry that can easily be enjoyed on its own or with a side of brown rice.

DRESSED UP DOSAS

A lover of Indian food, I took the concept of dosas but gave it my own twist.  The sauce is a purée of beets, chickpeas, and lots of spices.  To combat the heat, I made a simple cucumber and tomato salad dressed with a little lemon juice and scallions.  I used a mixture of chickpea flour and water to create the dosas and dinner turned into ‘dosa night.’  You know, kinda like taco night, but with dosas.  We live on the edge ;).

CITRUS + AVOCADO ZEN SALAD

What makes a salad ‘zen?’  Nothing… really.  It’s just a marketing ploy, but hey, got me!  The zen mixture has some Asian salad greens mixed with traditional herb greens.  Sitting atop the zen greens are some pretty winter grapefruit, oranges, avocado, and lightly toasted pine nuts.  The vinaigrette is an emulsion of the citrus juices, balsamic, a little honey, a little mustard, salt + pepper.  This is a great way to take advantage of those bulk citrus sales at your local store.  Citrus pairs beautifully with avocado and will keep them bright green.  #namaste

PASTA CON LE SARDE ALLA PALERMITANA

My guess is that many of you are not huge fans of sardines or anchovies.  I’ll admit, growing up, I associated anchovies with anchovy pizza and that’s not the most attractive means of enjoying those omega 3 and calcium-packed guys.  I highly encourage you to ease into cooking with anchovies or sardines because they’re divine.  They don’t taste as fishy as they smell, they add a natural infusion of salt, and impart a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

This pasta is an inspiration from Palermo, Italy.  Primary ingredients aside from the anchovies and sardines are fennel tops, golden raisins, onion, saffron, dried red chile, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, salt + pepper.  Super simple, right?  And so delicious.  A true Palermian party in your mouth.

on the menu : 3-course hawaii themed valentine’s dinner

3-COURSE HAWAII THEMED VALENTINE’S DINNER

This year, my husband and I stayed in for Valentine’s.  If you know me, I take advantage of any ‘special’ occasion to spend extra time in the kitchen and this night was no exception.

I had a lot of fun with this one!  All of this snow, icy rain, wind, and cold temps has me yearning for some SUN; namely that of Hawaii.  Given how much my husband and I are drawn to Hawaii, visiting each year on our anniversary, I thought it would be fitting to build a Valentine’s dinner around it.  Hence the theme.  The 3-course represents the # of years we’ve been married (I just made that up… not the years we’ve been married… the # of courses is a total coincidence).  Hope you all had a great night as well!

SEAFOOD CEVICHE W/ AVOCADO + MANGO

Appetizers are always best kept fresh, simple, clean, and refreshing.  Just enough ‘kick’ to get the taste buds going and plenty of room left for more.  So naturally, I went with a ceviche.  Aside from the seafood, I added some chopped scallions, mango, and avocado.  For this starter, I drew inspiration from the abundance of beautiful seafood, avocado & mango trees in Hawaii.

SOFT BOILED EGG OVER CRISPY BROWN RICE COCONUT CAKE ATOP POI

For our second course, I paid homage to Hawaii’s roots by creating a dish around Poi.  Poi is a traditional Hawaiian staple made by laboriously pounding down taro and mixing with water until you reach a velvety smooth texture.  I cheated and used a food processor :).  Taro is a root vegetable with all kinds of health benefits – easily digestable, low Glycemic Index, excellent source of Potassium, and filled with other minerals and nutrients (calcium, vitamins C/E/B, magnesium, manganese, copper).

Atop the Poi I have a crispy brown rice cake.  The brown rice is mixed with some coconut milk, shredded coconut, black sesame seeds, and a little soy sauce.  And finally, the entire dish comes together with a soft-boiled egg and finished with a dash of sprinkled Hawaiian salt.

MACADAMIA + COCONUT CRUSTED SALMON OVER WASABI PEA PUREE

To round out our dinner, I brought in an abundance of bright, popping island flavors.  The macadamia and coconut crust crisped up nicely while the fish remained moist.  I went with a wild-caught salmon but you could go even more Hawaii-authentic and opt for Mahi Mahi.  I garnished with edible flowers which you can find scattered around Hawaii (what don’t they have??).

The real star though is the sauce.  I puréed some sweet peas with wasabi, mint, honey, and brown rice vinegar.  The heat from the wasabi balances out the sweetness in the sauce and coconut on the fish.  Bursting tones and textures all around and plates licked clean = delightful delectable delicious success.

onto dessert : gluten free almond flour muffins

GLUTEN FREE ALMOND FLOUR MUFFINS

And my latest addition to the ‘I am not a baker’ repertoire, I introduce to you these gluten free muffins which – once refrigerated – were even more awesome than I originally envisioned.  My baking urges come in spurts; often on lazy Sunday afternoons especially during cold winter months.

This recipe is great because it takes virtually no time to prep and is hard to “fail” if you will.  In fact, I winged the ingredients so all of you more seasoned bakers can probably make this into something even better :).  I took a few simple ingredients readily stocked in my pantry, at last-minute decided to add some leftover coffee from the morning instead of just water, popped it into the oven and hoped for the best.  Success!

INGREDIENTS:

• Almond Flour (1.5 cup)
• Baking Powder (1 tsp)
• Cinnamon (Pinch)
• Salt (Pinch)
• Coconut Oil (1/3 cup)
• Honey/Sugar (2 tbsp)
• Coffee (1/3 cup)
• Eggs (2)
• Vanilla Extract (1 tsp)
• Chocolate Chips (Handful – Optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. While the oven warms, melt the coconut oil in an oven proof dish while you mix together the other ingredients.
3. Mix together dry ingredients:  flour, salt, baking powder and sugar (if using honey, add to the liquid mixture).
4. In another bowl, mix the liquid ingredients: coconut oil, eggs (adding the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one), water, honey, vanilla.
5. Combine the dry and liquid ingredients, mixing well. (Don’t worry about mixing too much, this recipe doesn’t have gluten which makes tough muffins if overmixed)
6. Spoon batter into greased or papercup lined muffin tins (I recommend using the papercup liners for this recipe)
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes
8. Remove from pan to cool on a wire rack

recipe round-up: kick start your new year with plenty of whole foods!

Welcome to a brand new year, friends!

I have been busy concocting lots of healthy, fortune-infused (read: black eyed peas), vibrant, dishes packed with whole foods.  As I enter the new year, I am reminded by the joy that my devotion to this lifestyle brings me (mentally, physically, spiritually).  Here’s to an ever-exciting 2013 filled with new opportunities and plenty of time to cook healthy and eat deliciously.

Kimchi Fried [Brown] Rice

Japanese Yam Latkes w/ Harissa Sauce

Roasted Butternut Squash + Carrot Ginger Soup

Black Eyed Pea Salad w/ Roasted Poblano + Jalepeño Vinaigrette

Japanese Yam Spinach Curry

Braised Red Cabbage Topped w/ Black Eyed Pea Salad + Apples

Wild Mushroom + Roasted Chestnut Soup

Roasted Pear + Beet Kale Salad

Kitchen Sink Red Curry

Sicilian Inspired Wild-Caught Salmon Pasta

Spinach Quinoa w/ Macerated Fennel + Cucumber and a Side of Citrus

Kimchi Soft Tofu Stew