Curried Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Collard Greens

A nice warm stew for the winter months and very simple.

Ingredients

• 1 big can of chickpeas
• 1 big can of diced tomatoes (in the summer, I’d use fresh)
• 1 small can of light coconut milk
• 1 small red onion
• 1 bunch of collard greens or kale or spinach
• 1 T curry paste

Dice the onions.  Add a small amount of the coconut milk to a big pot on medium heat.  Saute the onions for a couple minutes.

Chop the greens into small strips – like 1/2 by 2 inches.  Add that to the big pot along with the remaining ingredients and stir it up well.  Cook on medium until the greens are cooked.  This will be almost no time for spinach, and longer for kale and the collard greens.

You can also add garlic and ginger to this recipe.  Just dice those up and add when you saute the onions.

I’ve also added jalapeno, carrots, cilantro, and lime juice to this recipe (but not all at once). Experiment with it.  Yum!

Oh, and coconut milk is healthy, trust me. Or, other people. All saturated fats are not equal.

Cooking for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin

This coming weekend I’ll be cooking lunch and dinner for 30 or so people at Taliesin, which was the home and studio for Frank Lloyd Wright. This will be the second year I’ve done this and I feel a bit more prepared mentally.

I had only two constraints to work under.  First, sauerbraten was requested for dinner.  I’ve never prepared sauerbraten, but I’m OK with trying new things and constraints are always good for creativity.  Second, protein was requested for lunch.  I can deal with that.

Lunch

I’m a big fan of L’Etoile Restaurant and owner/chef Tory Miller for their approach of using local ingredients. I try to do this as much as possible myself.  So, both lunch and dinner are attempts to use vegetables from the season.

Soup

Borscht and Pumpkin soup.  Tis the season for beets and red cabbage in the Simple Borscht I often make.  The second soup option will be Pumpkin with a bit of squash and probably a red pepper mousse.

Main Course

Quiche, sweet potato “fries“, and a salad. There will be two quiches to choose from as I always offer a vegetarian option.  Roasted squash quiche with mushrooms and spinach will be the vegetarian option.  Bacon and caramelized onions for the meat lovers.  The spinach salad will include pears, although they might not still be around.  We’ll see when I get up there (I’m in FLA right now.)

I’ve been told to not prepare a dessert for lunch.  (but I might try to sneak in a pumpkin treat)

Dinner

So, I had to design something around sauerbraten and I finally settled on apples.  Taliesin has many apple trees and this seemed like a natural choice. The theme for the dinner is “Apple Celebration!”.  It’ll be fun to decorate.

The initial appetizer will be something with a local cheese and apples, I think.  I haven’t yet decided on the exact thing, but maybe something like an apple sage on cracker appetizer?

Next up will be the classic apples, walnut and chevre salad.  So good every time.

Main course will have the sauerbraten, a braised red cabbage and onion side, along with potato pancakes topped with an apple rosemary sauce.

For dessert, it’ll be something appley. My sister wants to help out and she’s pretty darn amazing with the treat baking gig, so that’ll be a surprise.

The Menu

Lunch
Borscht & Pumpkin Soup
Quiche (Roasted Vegetable and Bacon)
Sweet potato fries
Green salad with beets or pears (depends what I find)

Dinner
Apple and sage appetizer
Salad with apples, toasted walnuts, and chevre
Sauerbraten
Potato Pancakes with Rosemary Applesauce
Braised Red Cabbage with Apples
Apple dessert (pie/strudel/cake/tatin) who knows?

Summer Salads

The New York Times recently published this list of 101 Summer Salads.

I like the simplicity of these recipes.  Like this one

Mix wedges of tomatoes and peaches, add slivers of red onion, a few red-pepper flakes and cilantro. Dress with olive oil and lime or lemon juice. Astonishing.

Or this one.  God I love mango.

Chop or slice radishes (or jicama, or the ever-surprising kohlrabi) and combine with chopped or sliced unripe (i.e., still crunchy) mango, lime juice and mint or cilantro.

I could go on and on.  Just read the article and use veggies from your local farmers’ market.

Mix cooked cannellini or other white beans, chopped cherry or grape tomatoes and arugula or baby spinach. Lightly toast sliced garlic in olive oil with rosemary and red pepper flakes; cool slightly, add lemon zest or juice or both, then pour over beans.

Mango Salsa

MANGOS!!!

I dig making fruit based salsas.

LOTS of color in this salsa. Yellow and green and red if’n you want.

First things first. Don’t buy the crappy mangos you find in your local grocery store. Those big reddish things.  Buy the Ataulfo or “champange” mango.  It has a sweeter taste and smoother flesh – pictured here.

Standard Mango Salsa

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup peeled, diced cucumber
• 1  finely diced jalapeno
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 lime
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves

For me, the basic ingredients are:

• mango
• cilantro
• lime juice

Take those and add avocado for an incredibly creamy salsa.  Wow!  That mix would be this:

Avocado Mango Salsa

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1  finely diced jalapeno
• 1 lime
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves

Benefits of a paleolithic diet – better eyesight

Although I haven’t talked about it much on this blog, I try to follow a paleolithic diet as much as possible. Why? Because I’m a big believer in evolution.

I plan to write much more about why paleolithic diets are healthy and also how they are very similar to raw food diets. But later.

Here’s an article on foods that can protect your eyesight as you grow older.

Of course it talks about the benefits of dark leafy greens.

Spinach, chard, kale, broccoli and sprouts are rich sources of two important pigments – lutein and zeaxanthin – that are used by the retina at the back of the eye for clear vision.

See, more props for kale, my favorite dark leafy green.

Classic Salad Niçoise Recipe

That title is somewhat humorous to me because there is considerable debate about the actual ingredients in a Niçoise salad.

I love Salad Niçoise because it is easy to make and somewhat rare to eat (at least for the people I hang out with) which makes it a great salad to entertain with. This recipe is just one version of the Niçoise I prepare. In the future I’ll write a post about a more non-traditional Salad Niçoise I like in the summer which has more greens.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Green beans
• 5 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 C Niçoise or Kalamata olives
• 1 Can packed tuna (optional)
• 1 can artichoke hearts (or a fresh one if you can find it)
• 1 clove garlic minced
• Olive oil
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 2 T Red wine vinegar
• 1 lemon

Directions

Start with the vinaigrette. In a big bowl whisk together the red wine vinegar, juice from the lemon, and mustard. Then, slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking until you get to a good creamy look and consistency – probably about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of oil will do the trick. Then add the finely diced garlic. If you have some, add chopped parsley to the vinaigrette as well.

Next, steam the beans – if they are thin and fresh, consider not cooking them as that will retain more nutrients.

Dice the tomatoes and olives. Add these ingredients to the vinigrette and mix.

Chop up the artichoke hearts and add to the mix.

Drain the can of tuna and then flake the tuna into the big salad bowl.

Stir all these ingredients up.

Voila. A cool, colorful, and healthy salad packed with nutrients.

Borscht Redux: Easiest borscht ever

Full disclosure. I LOVE beets and beets are a super food.

This is why I love borscht.

But I don’t have a lot of time to cook. SO, I’ve attempted to reduce my borscht recipe down to the fewest ingredients possible. I think I’ve reached the limit.

This soup takes about 20 minutes to make. Fast and super healthy.

Ingredients

• 2 big beets (baseball size) or 4 medium
• 1/2 head of cabbage
• 8 oz sliced crimini mushrooms
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• fresh dill

Directions
In a soup pot, add a very small amount of water – this will keep the mushrooms from sticking to the bottom. Turn the heat on medium. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.

While the mushrooms are cooking, dice the beets into cubes about 1/2 inch. Add those to the pot along with enough water to cover everything – probably about 3-4 cups.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and stir.

While the beets are cooking, chop the cabbage into shreds no bigger than maybe 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inch. Then add to the pot.

Cook 5 or so more minutes and check the beets and the cabbage to see if they are cooked to your desired consistency. At the very end, add the apple cider vinegar.

Serve with chopped up fresh dill – it really brings out the color. And if you want, put a dollop of sour creme on top as well. The red, white, and green all contrast to make a beautiful presentation.

And that is it. Takes about 20 minutes and just a few ingredients and you have a soup packed with nutrients.

Simple Squash Curry

You may have noticed a pattern. My recipes are focused on making healthy food without a lot of prep time.

This is no exception. It’s Easy and fast.

Ingredients

• 1 big Butternut or 3-4 Delicata or 2 acorn squash.
• 1 onion diced
• 1 red pepper diced
• 1 clove garlic diced
• 2 T Thai Kitchen paste (there are others, but this brand is widely found and dependable)
• 8 oz baby spinach or more, go for it
• 1 Lime
• 1 Can (14 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
• Optional: sweet potatoes, carrots, chickpeas, green onions, thai basil

Directions
Peel the squash and cut into chunks about 3/4 inch. Here’s a youtube video on how.

In a BIG pot and some of the coconut milk, but not too much. On medium heat, add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

Next, add the onions, curry paste, squash (and carrots or sweet potatoes if using those) and the rest of the coconut milk. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer

In the meantime, dice the red pepper and make sure your spinach is rinsed and the big stems removed (if any.)

After ~15 minutes, throw in the peppers and spinach. Stir it around a bit. Cook for another 5 minutes and check the squash to make sure it is done. Squeeze in half the lime, stir and then serve.

Serve with a wedge of the lime and some diced green onion if you have them.

Notes:

• If you have access to Thai Basil, that is another great ingredient.
• I don’t use tofu. Tofu is a recent invention and not a real food, thus I never use it.
• Cilantro is another herb you can top this dish with.

Kale and Avocado

This is a quick salad and loaded with nutrients.

Ingredients

• 1 head of Kale. I usually use curly kale for this recipe.
• 1-2 avocados – depends on the size of the head of kale
• 2 tomatoes – you can also use some pico de gallo salsa
• 1 lemon

Directions
Dice the tomatoes and set aside.

Cut the kale into really small pieces. 1 inch tops.

Put the kale in a big bowl and add the avocados. Either with your hands or a spoon or masher, mash things up. Fun!

Dump in the tomatoes and the juice of the lemon. If you have a grater or micro-plane, add some of the lemon rind.

Stir it all together and serve.

Fast, healthy, and super colorful.

Kale with Tahini – The Simplest Kale Recipe Ever

This is the simplest and quickest way I know to eat kale. Kale is a super food that I try to eat several times a week. And you should too.

Kale is a dark leafy green (a cabbage) and one of the healthiest foods you can eat.

“Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals, the health benefits of this baby leaf make it one of the most nutritious green vegetables around. Cooked baby leaf curly kale provides more calcium for each 100g than milk, yogurt, cooked broccoli or cooked spinach.”

Yes, kale is a super food. There are usually 3 types of kale in your local market. Here’s what Whole Foods has to say:

“Curly kale has ruffled leaves and a fibrous stalk and is usually deep green in color. It has a lively pungent flavor with delicious bitter peppery qualities.

Ornamental kale is a more recently cultivated species that is oftentimes referred to as salad savoy. Its leaves may either be green, white or purple and its stalks coalesce to form a loosely knit head. Ornamental kale has a more mellow flavor and tender texture.

Dinosaur kale is the common name for the kale variety known as Lacinato. It features dark blue-green leaves that have an embossed texture. It has a slightly sweeter and more delicate taste than curly kale.”

You can eat kale raw, but it’s a little tough. Some people (the raw food group) massage raw kale (with their hands) to soften it up a bit. That’s cool, but I prefer to do the following.

Ingredients
1 bunch kale (whatever type)
1 big tablespoon of tahini

Directions

Get hot water ready: In a big ol pot, bring some water to a boil. You’ll need enough water to have the kale fully submerge, so don’t skimp.

Strip off the leaves: The easiest way to do this is by holding the kale leaf down on a cutting board (by the stem of one hand) and moving your fingers up the stem to strip the leaves off the stem (thumb on one side, forefinger on the other.) I probably should make a video of this because it works REALLY slick when done right and most people who don’t know this trick are kinda impressed.

Chop the leaves: I prefer them to be small, but you’ll figure out over time what you like. The purists would say you should tear the leaves, but I don’t have time and my knife is good and sharp.

Thin the Tahini: Most tahini is pretty thick, so we’ll need to thin it to help it become more like a dressing. Other recipes call for vinegar, lemon, and a bunch of other things. I’m not against that, but remember this is the world’s easiest kale recipe. So, in a big bowl put the big tablespoon of tahini. Slowly add water and stir the water into the tahini. You want to do this until the tahini has the consistency of a normal salad dressing? Or yogurt, or something in that vicinity. Don’t argue with adding water to the tahini, this just works.

“Cook” the Kale: We’re not really cooking it. Put the kale in the pot of hot water making sure to submerge all the leaves. Leave it in the water for 1 minute. Yes, that’s all that is needed to soften the kale, which is all that we’re doing. After one minute and nine seconds, dump the Kale into a colander to remove the excess water.

Finish: Once that is done, add the kale to the tahini and stir until each piece is coated. Voila. Kale with tahini. Tasty and quick. Serve as a side dish or for a quick snack.

Garnish: This is optional, but I like to sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds. You can buy toasted sesame seeds in some grocery stores – even flavored like wasabi sesame seeds! Or, it’s pretty easy to toast your own. The color of the brown toasted sesame seeds goes very nicely with the dark green of the kale – makes this dish look spectacular!

Note, Oskri Organics makes the best tahini I’ve ever had.