Tag: low carb

by Veggie Sutra

Black Bean Summer Salad with Tomato Basil Dressing

My route at the Sunnyvale Farmers Market is usually the same every week.  I have a few favorite stands I efficiently traverse while deftly dodging the gawking, ambling crowds.  One of the stands I visit carries a lot of greens through the seasons and last weekend you wouldn’t believe what I saw there!   A huge bunch of Moringa leaves.  I crushed them between my fingers and brought it up to my nose to check and yep, it was moringa.  And selling pretty cheap at a couple of dollars a bunch too.   The farmer, of Chinese origin, said they started carrying it this summer.  I didn’t have the time to stay and chat, but I was curious about when they planted it and whether they would have Moringa pods, or drumsticks, soon.  And how on earth did such a big tree grow overnight on his farm.

For those who don’t know Moringa, it is the current “superfood” fad. (Take a backseat, kale and turmeric, I guess!)  The leaves, as well as the drumsticks, are cooked and eaten in Southern India, where the tree grows widely in home gardens.  If you find it at your farmers market, grab a bunch and cook it like you would cook spinach.  Fads aside, the leaves are indeed highly nutritious.

Coming back to the salad series, this week’s salad is made exclusively with ingredients I picked up on Saturday at the farmers market.  It is amazing what a bounty summer produces.

 

 

 

Recipe for Black Bean Summer Salad with Tomato Basil Dressing

[Printable Recipe]

Serves 2 for a light meal or 4 as a side with lunch

Tomato Basil Dressing inspired by a recipe in Savour: Salads for All Seasons by Peter Gordon

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup black beans, washed thoroughly in running water and soaked overnight in warm water
  • For the dressing
    • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
    • 1 large ripe tomato, chopped roughly
    • 2 cups packed basil leaves, chopped roughly
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1/2 tsp cayenne or paprika
    • salt to taste
    • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, sliced
  • 1/2 small red cabbage head, shredded
  • 1 small red onion, sliced thin
  • 1/4 cup toasted walnuts (or any nuts or seeds you have on hand) for garnish
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

  • Drain the soaked black beans and cook in a pressure cooker.  If you are cooking it in a sauce pan add enough water to cover the beans, add a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover.   Cook on low heat and check regularly to make sure the beans do not get overcooked.  They should be well-cooked but firm.  Allow to cool.
  • Place all the ingredients for the dressing except the olive oil in a blender and blend till smooth.  Now, slowly drizzle the olive oil and emulsify.  Check salt and add more if needed.
  • Combine 1 cup of cooked black beans with the other ingredients.  (Save the remaining black beans for later or for a different recipe.)
  • Add enough dressing to taste, toss well.
  • Garnish with toasted nuts or seeds and serve.

 

 

I have never used raw tomato in a dressing but what better complements basil than tomato!   It is a very refreshing dressing for summertime, especially since basil grows so abundantly during this time of the year.

As I am going through the salad series, I am realizing that I am going to end up with a bunch of different dressings in my refrigerator.  I better start labeling them or I will lose track.

by Veggie Sutra

Watermelon Arugula Salad with Jalapeno Dressing

What better way to kick off summer and the salad series than a recipe using watermelon.  Just like I go winter-squash crazy when fall comes around, I go melon crazy once summer rolls around.  It is a great accompaniment for picnic lunches – just remove the rind and cut the melon into cubes, pack in a container with a tight lid in an icebox to enjoy as a dessert after lunch.   Or make a refreshing salad to go with lunch.

 

 

This time I went with a yellow watermelon, which I have seen in the markets before but have never tried.  I thought it tasted just as sweet as regular watermelon, but V remained opposed to what he called “a cantaloupe posing as a watermelon” and strongly suggested I go with a regular watermelon in the future, please.   If you have such reservations as well, feel free to use a regular red watermelon in this recipe.

 

 

Despite the skepticism about the oddly-colored impostor, the salad turned out to be a hit.  The combination came together beautifully – the sweetness of the melon complimented the bite in the arugula and the spiciness of the dressing which in turn was mellowed by the goat cheese.

Recipe for Watermelon -Arugula Salad with Spicy Jalapeno Dressing

Inspired by a recipe on pinchandswirl.com

[Printable Recipe]

Serves 6 as a large side salad

Ingredients:

  • For the dressing:
    • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
    • 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
    • 1/2 cup mint leaves, washed
    • 2 jalapenos, ribs and seeds removed and then diced (use 1 jalapeno if you want it mild)
    • 1/2 red onion, diced
    • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • Pinch salt & pepper
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 1 Tbsp ghee/butter or coconut oil (if vegan)
  • 1 medium watermelon, around 6 lbs,  washed, peeled and cubed
  • Around 6-8 oz fresh arugula leaves, washed and dried
  • Around 4 oz crumbled goat cheese (skip if vegan)

Method:

  • Make the dressing ahead as this will store well:  Blend all ingredients except olive oil, salt and pepper together in a blender.  Slowly incorporate the olive oil and emulsify.  Add salt and pepper to taste
  • Blanch the almonds and roast:  Soak the almonds in boiling hot water for 30 mins covered, until the skin slips off easily.  Dry on a kitchen towel.  Heat some ghee (use butter if you don’t have ghee) or coconut oil (if you are vegan).  Add the skinned almonds when the liquid is hot and roast in low heat until golden
  • Combine the cubed melon, arugula, goat cheese in a bowl
  • Just before serving drizzle the jalapeno dressing and sprinkle the almonds on top

 

 

Salad series kicked off right!   I have picked up a couple of good salad books from the library including the recently published Saladish by Ilene Rosen.  Hope to find some new exciting ideas for salads to keep the series going.

One last thing.  Save the watermelon rind if you have the patience.  It is kind of painful to remove the skin and save just the white part.  But watermelon rind has a ton of nutrients and tastes wonderful in this Watermelon Rind Curry recipe.

by Veggie Sutra

Cold asparagus soup with pan-fried asparagus heads

I read about Bea Johnson’s Zero Waste Home a while back in the New York Times and I am ashamed to admit that while I was super inspired by her waste free living, I did not follow through with it for more than a week or two perhaps.  It is hard when our lives and schedules are dictated by packaged conveniences in every walk.  This week, the Sunnyvale City invited Bea over for a talk and seeing her in person inspired me once again to try to follow her principles of waste-free living.  Bea brought the entirely of her family’s trash in a small flip-top bottle and I was blown away!

V and I are pretty good about not wasting food.  But then if that food comes in any kind of packaging it is still pretty wasteful.  We buy our staples like rice and lentils in plastic packaging, as well as other stuff like crackers, snacks, nuts and so on.  We buy some drinks like club soda in plastic bottles.  Sometimes we buy washed salad greens in clamshell plastic boxes or plastic bags.  It is really amazing to just note how much plastic we throw away each week apart from what we obsessively recycle.  We definitely will make a conscious effort to reduce our footprint and buy stuff in bulk.   And for those interested in tips and ways to live a zero waste living, do follow Bea on zerowastehome.com.

Speaking of using packaged stuff, we had a 2.2lb bag of asparagus that we got from Costco a week or so back.  Well, no point throwing it away just because we got it in plastic packaging.  Usually my go-to recipe for asparagus is to simply roast it in the oven with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper.  But the last couple of days in the Bay Area were a true anomaly with temps reaching in the high 100s.   And it did not cool off even in the evening as it typically does.  Uff!!  With climate change, I wonder if this is the new normal we need to get adjusted to.   I was loathe to turn on the oven, so I quickly prepared a cold soup early in the day and put it in the refrigerator.

 

 

Recipe for Cold Asparagus Soup with Pan-fried Asparagus Tips

[Printable Recipe]

Serves 6 for dinner with a side

Ingredients:

  • Approx. 1 kg / 2.2 lbs of asparagus spears
  • 2-3 medium potatoes
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 4-5 basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • salt and pepper as needed
  • 4 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • water as needed

Method:

  • Wash the asparagus.  Trim the tough ends of the asparagus and discard.  Save the heads from about half the asparagus and cut the rest in to bite-sized pieces
  • Wash and cube the potatoes
  • Bring water to a boil in a large pot (enough the submerge the potatoes and asparagus).  Add some salt.
  • Put the potatoes in first for about 8 mins until the potatoes can be pierced with a knife
  • Then throw in the asparagus pieces except the saved heads for about 8 mins until asparagus is soft.  Switch off the heat.  Drain the asparagus and potatoes and cool
  • While the potatoes and asparagus are cooking, peel and chop the onion roughly.  Smash the garlic, peel and chop.
  • Add about 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan and when it is hot, add the saved asparagus heads and fry until slightly browned.  Remove with a slotted spoon and save
  • Add the onion to the same pan and saute until golden brown.  Let it cool.
  • In a powerful blender, blend together the cooked potatoes and asparagus, sauted onions, raw garlic and basil leaves with milk.  Add water if needed and add salt and pepper to taste
  • Pour the soup in to serving bowl and mix in the shredded Parmesan cheese and refrigerate
  • After it has cooled, serve in bowls topped with a few of the reserved asparagus heads

 

 

On a warm day, this cold soup can be served with a side of oven-toasted crusty bread or a nice bruschetta.  Yesterday, as the mercury refused to budge even in the evening, I just prepared a simple raw radish salad with pesto dressing to supplement the soup.  As we sat outside in the backyard trying to cool off on this unusually warm Bay Area evening, climate change and resource waste definitely came up in the dinner table conversation topics.  Perhaps if we all lived a zero-waste life, we would not be feeling climate change to this extent in our life time.

by Veggie Sutra

Braised radishes

As we are wading through the dog days of summer, lethargy has set and I have not posted in a while.  Veggie Sutra’s passion for brassicas has however continued unabated, and I even baked some savory broccoli muffins to take along with us for our July 4th road trip to Truckee and North Lake Tahoe.  I clicked pictures but forgot to write down the recipe.  Well, next time!

 

 

Speaking of Tahoe, aren’t we lucky to live in California where one really does not have to go very far to get away?  Due to the enormous amount of snow we were blessed with last winter, the Sierras were absolutely gorgeous.  Year after year during the drought, my heart would sink when I saw dead brown trees all over the mountain-scape.  Within one winter of good rains, the whole place has transformed in to a beautiful lush, green forest.  As we drove past the breathtaking scenery, we saw black specks teeming on the white slopes – people skiing in 80 degree weather presumably in their shorts!

 

 

Coming back to the blog, last week I finished reading “Culinary Intelligence – The Art of Eating Healthy and Really Well” by Peter Kaminsky.  And that is what kicked me out of my lethargy / writer’s block / whatever.  The book is a tantalizing ode to all cooks everywhere, and plea to everyone to develop basic cooking skills for the sake of one’s health.

Peter Kaminsky assures us that we do not have to eat bland, unappetizing foods to stay healthy, rather with a little culinary skill and an understanding of flavors, one can eat well and live well.   I do highly recommend reading the book. Though a lot of Peter Kaminsky’s observations seem obvious (like avoiding processed foods), he peppers it with fun stories from his career as a food writer which makes those obvious facts memorable.  Once he establishes what an important role cooking plays in staying healthy, he moves on to the topic of breaking down cooking in to a very simple process, starting with getting the best ingredients.

To summarize, Culinary Common sense is listed as follows in “Culinary Intelligence”:

  1. Don’t eat processed foods.
  2. Buy the best, most full-flavored ingredients you can afford.
  3. Make those ingredients even better by cooking

Speaking of ingredients, a bunch of beautiful round radishes always makes my heart sing.  Radishes are part of the brassica family and there are a few dozen varieties of radishes, all with a distinctive characteristic and flavor, some biting, and some mellow.

 

 

Daikon radish, the most commonly found radish in the markets in California, also available pretty much year round in the farmers markets, was featured in an earlier post in an Asian-flavor inspired Daikon radish salad.  This week, I chose round red radishes because their small size lends well to braising whole or halved.  V was upset that I did not serve these beauties raw, in a salad, as I sometimes do, and instead subjected them to heat and flame.  But in the end, life is about variety and these braised radishes make a rather beautiful side dish.

 

 

Recipe for Braised Round Red Radishes

[Printable recipe]

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients:

  • 3 bunches of round red radishes with the greens
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 2 small onions / shallots, minced fine
  • water
  • Salt and white/black pepper to taste

Method:

  • Separate the greens from the radishes leaving a bit of stem on the radishes.   Wash the green thoroughly by dunking in a few changes of cold water.  Chop the greens roughly and set aside.  Snip just the tail of the radishes and scrub them.
  • If the radishes are small, you can leave them whole.  If not, half or quarter them.
  • Heat the butter in a wide saute pan.   Add the minced onion and saute for 5-10 minutes until slightly browned
  • Add the radishes to the pan and toss to coat.
  • Add about half a cup of water and bring to a simmer.   Add salt and pepper.  Then lower the heat all the way down, cover and cook for around 10-15 minutes until a knife goes through the radish easily but it is not falling apart.
  • Add the greens and cook with lid on for 3-5 mins until the greens have wilted.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon as much of the radishes, onions and greens as possible in to a serving dish, just leaving the liquid in the pan
  • Increase the heat and simmer for a few minutes until the liquid reduces to about half the quantity
  • Add a splash of apple cider vinegar optionally and pour over the radishes
  • You can serve the radishes over grains like brown rice or quinoa as well to make a complete meal

 

 

 

by Veggie Sutra

Daikon radish salad with lemongrass tofu

 

Who knew radishes were part of the brassica family?!   I certainly did not, until I read about it in the Brassicas book that V bought.  It falls in the category of root brassicas along with turnips, rutabagas and horseradish.   Out of all of them, radishes are my favorite.   There comes a season in the farmer’s market when radishes of all varieties show up – rainbow radishes, black radishes, table radishes and other colorful ones. Daikon radishes, however, seem to be available pretty much year round in Northern California.   These long white radishes with a mild flavor are used prolifically in Asian and Indian cooking.

 

 

Daikon radishes in Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese cooking are a favorite for pickling.  In fact, the inspiration for the recipe in this post came from a Banh Mi salad we had last weekend at Veggie Grill, a local vegan restaurant.  (I know Banh mi sans the bread doesn’t make any sense as Banh Mi means bread, but I guess some poetic license was used in the naming!)

In India, the Daikon radishes are more pungent and a lot smaller than the ones we get here in Northern California.  Some sources call these small pungent ones “White Icicles” instead of “Daikon”.  In any case, these long white radishes, known as mooli in Hindi and mullangi in Tamil are prepared in different ways.   They are boiled in lentil soups and stews, stuffed in to bread to make filling mooli parathas (stuffed flatbreads) and are sometimes eaten raw with a squeeze of lemon and a dash of salt and pepper.   Oh the satisfying bite of eating them raw!   The leaves of Daikon radish are equally flavorful and are added to lentil soups.

 

 

 

Yes, the world is going to hell in a hand basket due to human related activities of over polluting, over-harvesting of natural resources and utter disregard for science (I am referring to our grand gesture of withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord), but I am glad we have radishes in our hand basket.   And that’s all I will say on that topic!

This salad is inspired by Vietnamese flavors, and includes pickled radishes and carrots (called do chua) and baked lemongrass tofu.  It needs a bit of prep work for both these ingredients, but is otherwise quite simple to assemble.   I got the pickling recipe from White on Rice couple, whose recipes are always fail-proof.   The lemongrass tofu is my own concoction.

I could not resist using all the spring herbs in our garden, but one could go a little lighter on herbs, I guess.  Or not.  I always go a little crazy with herbs in springtime when copious amounts of basil and mint are ready to be harvested in the garden.  The lemongrass also is from a pot in the garden.   Lemongrass is pretty easy to grow, and unless you have a huge space, it is better to plant it in a pot as it will take over the garden like mint.

 

 

Recipe for Daikon Radish Salad with Lemongrass Tofu

[Printable recipe]

Makes 4 large lunch-sized servings

 Ingredients:

For the pickled radishes and carrots (Make at least 3 days ahead):

  • 2 cups water (slightly warm to dissolve the salt and sugar)
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1.5 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1 medium sized daikon radish (about 0.5 pounds), scrubbed, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
  • 2 small carrots (about 0.5 pounds), scrubbed, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
For Baked Lemongrass tofu (marinate overnight or at least a few hours before baking):
  • 1 tub of tofu (14 oz)
  • 2 stalks of lemongrass, tough outer layers and top stem removed and tender inside green part near the root minced
  • 6 Tbsp avocado oil or some mild vegetable/nut oil
  • 6 Tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp red chili flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
For the salad:
  • Spring green mix, about 4 large handfuls, washed and dried
  • 1 long English cucumber, peeled and sliced into rounds
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, washed, de-seeded and minced (omit if you don’t want the heat)
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • few sprigs of cilantro, washed well and chopped fine
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves, washed and julienned
  • 1/4 cup basil leaves, washed and julienned
  • few sprigs of spring onion, chopped in to small rings (optional)
  • 1/4 cup toasted almond slivers for garnish (optional)
Method:

 

  • Prepare the pickled radishes and carrots:
    • Mix the water, vinegar, salt and sugar well
    • Pour over the sliced radishes and carrots
    • Close tightly with a lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days
    • When ready to use, strain the liquid and throw it away

 

 

  • Prepare the baked lemongrass tofu:
    • Drain the water and place the tofu on a deep plate or bowl.  Place another plate over the tofu and weigh it down for at least an hour until the water is squeezed out of the tofu.  Then cut the tofu in to slabs.
    • Place the tofu slabs if possible in 1 or 2 layers in a shallow container with a lid
    • Whisk together the oil, vinegar, chili flakes, garlic, lemongrass, salt and sugar thoroughly
    • Pour over the tofu
    • Close tightly and refrigerate overnight
    • To bake the tofu:  Preheat the oven to 400F
    • Remove the tofu from the container and save the marinade.  You will use the marinade as a dressing
    • Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and place the tofu in a single layer on the foil
    • Bake for 10 – 15 minutes, flipping the tofu once mid way, until slightly golden on both sides
    • Cool and cut the baked tofu in to bite-sized pieces
  • Save the marinade for dressing:
    • Strain the minced lemon grass, garlic and chili flakes from the tofu marinade. (Press with the back of a spoon to release all flavors)
    • Add more oil and vinegar if needed
    • Taste and adjust salt and add a pinch of black pepper and whisk
  • Assemble the salad:
    • Toss together the spring green mix, pickled radishes and carrots, baked lemon grass tofu, sliced cucumber, jalapeno peppers, avocado and chopped herbs with the dressing
    • Garnish with toasted almond slivers while serving

As we sat outdoors on this beautiful spring day to enjoy our lunch salad, hummingbirds and bees buzzed around, presumably enjoying their own lunch.  This has indeed been a lovely spring with tons of flowers due to the generous winter rains.    After lunch, I sat outside here dreaming up more radish recipes to make in the days to come.

P.S.  I am submitting this recipe to Meat-free Mondays on Tinned Tomatoes!   As mentioned in the previous post, I totally believe in a “reducetarian” diet, where everyone attempts to reduce their intake of meat for our own health and the health of our planet.

by Veggie Sutra

Broccoli Frittata

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir

It has been a pretty sunshiny week and weekend after a long time!   And since Friday was V’s birthday, which he shares with John Muir (patron saint of the majestic Sierra mountains of California) it only felt appropriate to play hooky from work and hit the local hills.

 

Long Ridge Open Space Preserve, La Honda, CA

 

The rains here in Northern California have been torrential through the first part of April.  The good news is that the tiresome drought was finally declared to be over.   The other good news is that the parched trees and dry hillsides of California have been revived, and it did my eyes and soul good to see the lush greenery.  And since good news comes in threes, the third piece of good news is that my leg is progressively getting better and I am able to do short hikes which are not too strenuous.

On the food front, we are continuing to incorporate brassicas in our diet in different ways.   For V’s birthday lunch, I made a simple arugula salad to go with a vegetable sandwich stuffed with red and green bell pepper and onions and grilled with truffle oil.   And yes, arugula is indeed a brassica.

 

 

Continuing on with Veggie Sutra’s series on brassicas, the brassica of choice is the much reviled broccoli, used to make a frittata.  The recipe is adapted from the book V got me called Brassicas – Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables by Laura B. Russell.  The book has very basic recipes that are easy to make even for a weeknight dinner.

 

 

I used my trusted 12″ Lodge Cast Iron pan which I could directly pop in to the oven.   I strongly recommend getting one, even though it is a quite a workout to lift the pan in and out of the oven.   If not, you may cook the broccoli in a regular saute pan and then transfer to a approximately 13″ casserole or baking dish.

 

 

Recipe for Broccoli Frittata  (*not vegan)

Adapted from Brassicas – Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables by Laura B. Russell.

[Printable Recipe]

Makes 8 slices (8 servings)

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 5-6 cloves garlic, minced fine
  • 4 packed cups broccoli florets chopped in to bite sized pieces (save the stems to make a hearty soup)
  • 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
  • Red chili flakes (optional) for heat
  • 4 Tbsp ground flax seeds
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp whole milk
  • 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Pre-heat the oven to 400F
  • Heat the oil in the cast iron pan, add the garlic and lower the heat
  • When the garlic is fragrant, add the broccoli and saute for a few minutes
  • Sprinkle some water on the broccoli, close with a lid and let the broccoli soften for around 5 mins
  • While the broccoli is cooking, whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt, black pepper and a tablespoon of milk
  • Open the lid, sprinkle some salt, flax seed powder and red chili (if using) on the broccoli and mix
  • At this stage if you are not using an oven proof pan, transfer to a casserole or baking dish.  Lightly pat the broccoli to make an even layer at the bottom of the pan or baking dish.
  • Sprinkle the cheese on top of the broccoli
  • Pour the eggs on top and cook for around 2 minutes until the eggs start to set around the edges
  • Transfer the cast iron pan to the oven and cook for around 10 minutes, until a knife inserted in to the frittata comes out clean
  • Remove from oven, and wait for it to cool a bit
  • Slice and serve with some hot sauce

 

 

The broccoli frittata made for a very convenient, filling and healthy breakfast dish, which was super easy to  make ahead for the week.   You could also serve it as the featured dish at lunch with a green salad on the side.

by Veggie Sutra

Vegan Sauerkraut Soup

Spring is here in California!   Golden yellow poppies, the gorgeous state flower, are blooming everywhere and wildflowers are having a wild season this year due to the heavy winter rains after years of drought.   Meanwhile my leg is still healing and I have barely ventured for a walk in to my neighborhood to enjoy the burst of color in everyone’s gardens.  V has promised to take me on a drive this coming weekend.  Keeping fingers crossed for a sunny weekend, as it has started raining again.

On the kitchen front, this year has been about keeping recipes simple, and ingredient lists minimal – a direct influence of our awesome trip to Italy over the holidays.  V and I learnt to appreciate and relish each ingredient for its quality and freshness.  Keeping this in mind, we continue on with Veggie Sutra’s series on brassicas.   This time, the series features the humble cabbage, the most iconic of all cruciferous vegetables.

 

 

Sauerkraut, or sour cabbage or fermented cabbage is itself very simple to make, and a fermented staple in many parts of the world. Cabbage.  Salt.  Time.  That’s all it takes.  In our earlier series on Fermentation, we posted a foolproof recipe for making sauerkraut.   The recipe was inspired by the basic technique for fermenting any vegetable from Sandor Katz’s “The Art of Fermentation“.

Sauerkraut has become a staple in our kitchen, just like lemon pickle is a staple in any South Indian kitchen.  Aside from eating it as a side at any meal, you can stuff a sandwich with sauerkraut or even make a warm steamed broccoli salad which will totally hit the spot in this gloomy, rainy weather.   And so will the warm chunky sauerkraut soup we made last weekend.

 

 

Sauerkraut soup is popular in eastern European cuisine.  Poland, Ukraine, Slovakia and even Germany, each have their versions of sauerkraut or cabbage soup. All of them, as far as I have seen, call for adding some meat to the soup, and some heavy cream at the end (presumably to dull the sourness).  I have left the meat and the cream out to create a totally vegan version of the recipe, but feel free to add cream or coconut cream at the end.

Recipe for Vegan Sauerkraut Soup

[Printable Recipe]

Inspired by the traditional Polish recipe for “Kapusniak” gleaned from various websites

Serves 5 generously

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 medium potatoes cut in to large cubes
  • 4 medium carrots cut in to large pieces
  • 2 cups tightly packed sauerkraut (home-made or store-bought), juice reserved

Method:

  • Heat the oil in a pot and add the cumin seeds
  • When the cumin seeds are fragrant, add the onion and saute until translucent on medium heat
  • Add the minced garlic and sauce for a minute
  • Add the potatoes, and carrots and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil
  • Lower the heat, close with a lid and simmer for around 7 to 10 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are cooked
  • Add the sauerkraut and some of the reserved juice (depending on how salty/sour you want it to be)
  • Add some more water if the soup is too thick
  • Close with a lid and again simmer for around 5 minutes and turn off the heat
  • (Optionally add heavy cream or coconut cream to the soup at the end if you do not like it too sour).

 

 

 

Sauerkraut soup with some crusty bread is all you need for a hearty, healthy meal.   Heating the sauerkraut will destroy some of its probiotic benefits, but all the other wonderful nutritional benefits remain. So, ladle in to a bowl and slurp it up!

by Veggie Sutra

Roasted Cauliflower Slabs on a Bed of Cauliflower Puree with Truffle Oil

Welcome to 2017!  Yeah, it did feel like most of us got sucker-punched in the stomach towards the end of last year and it has taken a bit of time to recover from all that.   Well, we must put that behind us and soldier on, right?

So, in other news, V and I took a long-awaited trip to Italy towards the end of last year.  Rome and Florence are huge open-air museums, aren’t they?   While it tickled me to bits that I was walking on the same cobblestone pathways in Florence that Michelangelo and Da Vinci once stomped, V got quite a kick out of grand old Rome, being the history buff that he is.

And of course, the food (and drink) had quite a big role to play in rectifying our sour mood from 2016.   How could it not?  This is Italy we are talking about!  Food and wine are everything.  And then there is coffee – which is above everything!

 

 

 

Now, let me just say with all humility that it is not easy to impress a palate accustomed to the eclectic, fresh cuisine of California.  Also, the Mediterranean climate in CA yields approximately the same type of produce as the Tuscany region in Italy.   But food in Italy did reveal some secrets.

  • Ingredients in dishes are typically very few, but as fresh and seasonal as can be. Basic ingredients like olive oil and black pepper are good quality and fragrant.  Artichokes were in season when we were in Florence and the little purple beauties were different from the variety from coastal California.
  • Truffles are ugly little things with amazing flavor. Also, they are hugely pricey but totally worth it.  In fact, I have never seen V lap up a plate a pasta like he gobbled the truffle pasta in Florence.  The white truffle used for the sauce and shavings came from San Miniato in Tuscany, although different kinds of truffles grow all over Italy.
  • V and I are not in to wine, but gosh, we died for the espressos and macchiatos. You pay less than a buck to get a shot at a “bar”, you gulp it down standing at the bar (perhaps with a cantuccini to dunk) and go on your merry way.  You do not dawdle and nurse that cup until the cows come home as we do here in the States.  (Yep! Bars serve shots of coffee in Italy and cafes serve food and wine!)
  • However, you do dawdle and take your time at a meal. In fact, the check never came to our tables in restaurants until we asked for it.  We found small restaurants off the main tourist streets to grab quick, light and cheap meals.
  • And on a sweet note, the gelato, like the coffee, is to die for. In fact, my motto during our visit was not to let a day go by without a shot of espresso and a scoop of gelato!
  • And finally, we did not have any problems traveling as vegetarians.  The restaurants were willing to customize anything on their menu to accommodate us!

 

 

Back to 2017.  The year is off to a good start, weather-wise in California, yielding its fair share of winter rains and snow in the Sierras.   It has been cold unlike the past few winters which were rather temperate.   The ideal weather to turn on the oven!  So, armed with the bottle of truffle oil that we got from Florence, I switched on the oven!

 

 

Roasted Cauliflower Slabs on a Bed of Cauliflower Puree with Truffle Oil

[Printable Recipe]

Ingredients:

  • 1 head medium to large cauliflower, thoroughly rinsed under hot running water
  • 2 medium white potatoes, washed and scrubbed
  • 1½ to 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1½ to 2 Tbsp Truffle oil
  • 4-5 cloves garlic
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 375F
  • Pull the extra leaves at the base of the cauliflower, and clean up the end by slicing off a sliver, while leaving it whole. Cut the cauliflower in to slabs, including the stem, starting from the center.  You will probably get 3-4 slabs, depending on the size of the cauliflower before it starts falling apart.   Cut the rest of the cauliflower in to small florets
  • Toss the cauliflower florets with 1½ to 2 Tbsp olive oil and a tiny pinch of salt and black pepper
  • Layer it on one cookie sheet and put it in the oven
  • On another cookie sheet, place the cauliflower slabs. Brush both sides well with the truffle oil, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and put it in the oven.  Throw the garlic cloves as well, skin and all, on this sheet
  • Bake for 25 to 30 mins, turning over the slabs once in the middle
  • Bring ¼ cup water to a boil in a saucepan.
  • Cut the potatoes into small pieces, throw them in the boiling water and cook on low heat with a lid until the potatoes are done
  • Remove the roasted cauliflower florets from the oven. Remove the garlic cloves and peel.
  • In a blender, puree the potato, cauliflower and garlic with a little water if needed. Adjust salt and pepper to taste
  • Spoon some of the cauliflower puree on a plate. Dot with a few drops of truffle oil.  Place one of the cauliflower slabs on top and serve.

 

 

A simple and elegant dish inspired by the minimalist ingredient concept we encountered on our trip to Italy!   The idea behind keeping the recipe simple, especially devoid of too many aromatics, is to make sure that the dish is all about the wonderful fragrance of the truffle oil!

I am glad 2016 is behind us.   I went back and reviewed some of the eating rules I had jotted down at the beginning of last year.  Those still look great for this year!

by Veggie Sutra

Low-carb Goji Berry Energy Bars

Last week’s low-carb protein bars were so good, they disappeared within a few days.  We had them mostly for breakfast with a slice of avocado or some berries.  V declared on Friday evening that he refused to go without them for breakfast this week!  Obviously I was not going to repeat the same recipe, so I cooked up a different one.

Goji Berry Energy Bars

Also, in the meantime, I have finished reading Unprocessed: My City-Dwelling Year of Reclaiming Real Food by Megan Kimble.  I thoroughly enjoyed her very down-to-earth, funny and unpretentious tone.  She is simply writing about her dilemmas, her experiences and her learnings, not dictating what is right and wrong. There are a million experts on food and nutrition who pontificate every day only to be proven wrong the very next day.  She also has very concise takeaways for every food group at the end of each chapter which I found useful.  

Goji Berry Energy Bars

I made this week’s breakfast bars with goji berries which I have never cooked with before.  I had a Chinese colleague at work who would brew up a big mug of tea with dried goji berries and sip it all day long.  He claimed that it was very good for the eyes.  He was always willing to share a spoonful of the pretty red berries with me.  I loved the taste of the tea and eating the berries softened by the hot water at the end of the mug.
So here it is, an experimental recipe again!  Goji berry bars!  I was at Whole Foods to pick up dried blueberries but spotted the goji berries and went for it.  About 2 cups cost around $12, making this a pretty expensive ingredient.

Goji Berry Energy Bars

Recipe for Low-carb Goji Berry Energy Bars
[Printable Recipe]

Dry Ingredients:
  • 1 cup coconut flour (substitute with almond flour if desired)
  • 3 Tsp raw cacao powder
  • 1 Tbsp maca powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp raw hemp seeds
  • 1/2 cup raw sprouted pumpkin seeds
  • 2 cups dried goji berries (from the bin at Whole Foods)
  • 2 pods cardamom, seeds removed and powdered <or> 1/2 tsp cardamom powder (optional)
  • 1 tsp salt (optional)
Wet Ingredients:
  • 1 cup water to make flax-chia egg:
    • 8 Tbsp ground flax seeds 
    • 1 1/4 cup cool water
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup organic blackstrap molasses
  • 4 drops liquid stevia

Making Goji Berry Energy Bars

Method:

  • Pre-heat oven to 375C
  • Dot a 9×13 inch pan with coconut oil and line with parchment paper
  • Make the flax “egg” by mixing the ground flax seeds with 1&1/4th cup water.  Set aside for around 10-15 mins.  Add a bit more water if it thickens too much.
  • Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl.  (As my pumpkin seeds had added celtic sea salt, I did not add salt.  You may want to add some salt if you are using plain pumpkin seeds).
  • Fold in the flax egg, coconut oil and molasses until well-combined
  • Pat the mixture in to the tray and smoothen the surface with a flat spatula
  • Bake for 20 minutes
  • When it has cooled a bit, scour in to bars.  Let cool completely and store in an airtight container

Goji Berry Energy Bars

V did not super love this new recipe as much as last week’s but was still pleased that his breakfast routine remained unchanged.  I would go with almond flour and coconut sugar if I make this again. But both of us really loved the addition of the colorful red goji berries which gave a tart sweet taste to the bars!  

Goji Berry Energy Bars