GINGER CITRUS SOBA & SNOW PEAS

I realize I posted soba noodles only a few weeks ago, but I’m back with more. This time, they’re stir fried in a sweet, tangy orange-ginger soy sauce with some crunchy snow peas and edamame.

While that one was best served cold, this one is best piping hot. And aside from the tedious task of cleaning the snow peas, this comes together rather quickly.

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GINGER NOODLES WITH KALE & SHIITAKES

Our vacation was filled with two weeks of unapologetic amounts of cheese, bread, wine and pastries… so coming home, this is the kind of comforting meal I look forward to… healing asian foods… shiitake mushrooms, ginger, sesame (and kale just for kale’s sake).

This is inspired by a recipe of Heidi’s that I’ve made countless times in a variety of ways. I just love the basic flavor idea – simmering ginger broth kicked up with lime juice basil, mint, and crushed red pepper flakes. Just because vacation is over doesn’t mean it’s time to eat boring food.

I kicked up the health-factor a notch by using shiratake noodles. (If you’ve never heard of them here’s the wikipedia description). The have no carbs or calories. I know… I was scared too. I had some rice noodles waiting in the wings in case these didn’t work out but they were delicious. The key is to use them in the right application. They won’t replace al-dente pasta, so I would not recommend using them in any kind of Italian dish. But they work well in Asian soups where you’re after a more slurpy noodle anyhow.

I seared some salmon to go on top, but it would be a delicious by itself as a vegetarian meal. If you’d like some more veggie protein, add some extra edamame or seared tofu.

serves 2
broth inspired by 101 Cookbooks

INGREDIENTS:2 (7 oz) packages miracle shirataki noodles, (or kelp, soba, or noodle of your choice)
(I got mine in the refrigerated section at my Whole Foods, near the tofu)

splash of olive oil
1/2 -1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms, (cleaned gently with a towel, don’t rinse them)
1 cup thinly chopped kale (about 1/2 a bunch)
1-2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 clove minced garlic
2-3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
2-3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup edamame, shelled and thawed
1 – 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
handful of chopped basil
handful of chopped mint
a squeeze of lime juice
drizzle of toasted sesame oil
crushed red pepper flakes or a splash of sriracha, (optional)
sesame seeds for garnish
salmon (optional)

Prepare your noodles – if you’re using the shiratake noodles, they don’t need to be cooked, but first, drain and rinse them. They have sort of a funky smell, so I recommend shocking them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Then drain and rinse (again) in cold water. Set aside until you’re ready to use them.

In a large skillet (I used a stainless one where the sides of it are 4 or so inches high), splash a bit of olive oil. When it’s hot, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until they have wilted down. 5 or so minutes. Toss in kale, ginger, garlic and scallions. Stir fry for a few minutes until the kale starts to wilt down, but garlic is not burning. (turn the heat down if garlic and ginger are starting to burn).

Add broth, edamame, and noodles and simmer for a few minutes. If your veggies are soaking up all your broth, add more.

Turn off heat, stir in soy sauce, basil, mint, lime juice, and red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Ladle in to bowls and finish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Top with cooked salmon, if using.

to cook the salmon:season with salt pepper, olive oil, and press some sesame seeds on top. In a hot skillet, place salmon, sesame seed side down, and sear so a light crust forms – 2 or so minutes. (some sesame seeds will fall off, that’s ok. Flip salmon and continue cooking until it’s more (but not completely) opaque in the middle. About 4-6 more minutes. Serve on top of bowls of ginger noodles. Sprinkle with more sesame seeds if some have fallen off.

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EASY VEGETARIAN PHO

There are certain foods that I eat for dinner all the time that never make it here. My favorite thai coconut soup is a 5 minute walk from our house and a hot slurpy bowl of mushroom pho is a short distance in the opposite direction. Both have been on my “to make some day” list for a long time. Well, friends, some day has arrived and this recipe was way easier to pull off than I had anticipated.

First things first – this is not an authentic pho recipe because (aside from eating a lot of it) I’m not exactly the most experienced in Vietnamese cooking. Also, I’ve simplified things here by skipping a few steps that were in the recipes that I consulted. I would have titled this “faux pho” if Jack had not rolled his eyes and insisted that the name would make for terrible SEO.

Authenticity aside, this a deliciously spiced hot bowl of noodles with hearty shiitake mushrooms and tender baby bok choy. A new favorite around here.

This recipe makes enough to fill two very large (and very cute) bowls. Double this to serve at least four.

For leftovers, double the broth and store it in the fridge. I would suggest adding the bok choy only as you’re ready to reheat and serve in order for it to retain it’s vibrant color.

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HOMEMADE VANILLA HAZELNUT MILK LATTE

Happy Friday! I have a fun little weekend project for you – take a few extra moments to make your own hazelnut milk! It’s so delicious, I promise it’s worth the effort.

Actually, it requires very little effort, it just takes some planning ahead for the proper amount of soaking and chilling. The result is a delightfully lightly sweet & nutty milk that’s so yummy mixed with espresso or coffee. This time I made lattes with Nespresso’s Solelio & Giornio coffees which are light and medium in roast with red fruity & white floral notes respectively.

These are absolutely perfect for lazy Sunday mornings.

The hazelnut milk is lightly sweetened with maple syrup and gently spiced with vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s quick to make – blend your (soaked and rinsed) hazelnuts with filtered water (and the rest of the ingredients), strain the liquid through a nut milk bag, and voila – “milk.” Bottle and chill it overnight for the best flavor.

Jack and I have this ritual where whenever we stay at a hotel, the first thing we do is look for the Nespresso. We love that the coffee is really high quality and Jack always loves the selection. So we’re really excited to be partnering with them on their “See Mornings in a New Light” campaign. Making coffee and espresso (the same machine does both!) with the VerutoLine Evoluo machine made our weekend coffee ritual feel like we were back on vacation.

Because the days are getting warmer, I poured my coffee over ice before mixing it with the hazelnut milk. (Tip, brew some extra coffee capsules ahead of time and freeze your coffee into ice cubes to retain the full flavor of the coffee)

I also used the Aeroccino4 to make froth (you can make hot or cold froth), which made my Sunday coffee all that much fancier.

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SWEET & SPICY POPCORN

Popcorn this time of year makes me think of something that has become a bit of an American tradition – gigantic multi-gallon tins of flavored popcorn. You know the kind – they’re the size of an oil drum, separated into three sections on the inside with a literal ton of popcorn inside. It seems like a good idea – popcorn is cheap, so why not preserve it in a sticky, sugary shell to enjoy over the entire month of December? Well the reality is that I usually eat nearly half of it the first day, feel terrible, and then eventually throw out what’s left in February.

So naturally, Jeanine made her version a little bit healthier, but I can promise you that it’s every bit as addictive. It goes the sweet and spicy route, because why not? It’s sweetened with maple syrup and spiced with cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne. It makes a great gift – that is, if you can keep from eating handfuls of it before packing up. 

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BEET HUMMUS

First things first – THANK YOU for the overwhelming response to Monday’s post about our book! It’s been a secret for way too long, (and therefore a scary post to hit “publish” on!), but I just loved reading through all of your sweet comments. I hope you love it and that it finds a place in your kitchen for years to come.

And now – let’s talk about pink food!

I love the way this beet hummus tastes – it’s slightly sweet, but not too beet-ey. Jack, our resident beet-hater, was skeptical as I made this, but he ended up loving it. But what really excites me is the color. It’s so bright and vibrant – exactly what I feel like eating in the middle of winter when the days are bleak and grey. Ok, that’s an exaggeration because it’s actually super sunny here today. But if it’s grey where you are – try out this beet hummus recipe.

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HEALTHY LOADED VEGAN NACHOS

It sounds silly to say, but the first vegan “dish” I really fell hard for was nachos. It was years ago at Native Foods where the Native Nachos were a revelation to us. They weren’t a snack, they were our dinner late one night. They were piled high with taco “meat,” black beans, cashew cheese (a crazy concept at the time), salsa, and guacamole… we scarfed them down saying (with our mouths full) “how are these vegan?!”

I came home with their cookbook and every night later that week, I made nachos.

My version here is quite a bit different, but the concept is the same – pile on loads of fresh ingredients and nachos can be healthy. Or at least healthy-ish. (If you baked your own tortilla chips these would be a tad healthier).

Instead of using fake-meat products, I make a version of ground taco “meat” with walnuts, shiitake mushrooms, spices, and black beans. As for the cashew cream, it’s made with pumpkin puree which gives it the classic nacho cheese-like color. From start to finish, this recipe is a bit long, but you should definitely use a few of these components for other recipes. For example, the cashew cream here was left over from the night we ate these tacos. If you have leftover taco meat, save it for, well, tacos later in the week.

But lets get back to the healthy part – there’s kale in here! It’s thinly sliced and conveniently hidden in the middle layer so no one will notice. I also added a layer of crispy radishes because their crunch factor helps you get away with a few less tortilla chips. Top it all with diced avocado and a few generous squeezes of lime. Game on.

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RED PEPPER WHITE BEAN SPREAD

 It’s a hummus-like spread that I slathered over little toasts and topped with arugula, cucumbers and scallions.

We ate these for lunch yesterday and then the leftover spread… well, that just got eaten by the spoonful. I love pestos and spreads like this because they’re so versatile. If we didn’t devour the whole batch in one sitting (I made a half batch – big mistake) I would have kept the extra around all week to put on my eggs, spread over roasted veggies, or snack on with pita triangles.

adapted from Mark Bittman’s Food Matters

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cooked cannellini beans
2 garlic cloves
1 c. walnuts
4 roasted red bell peppers
1 c. fresh basil, optional
½ c. olive oil
juice of half a medium lemon
salt & pepper, to taste

METHOD:

In a food processor, pulse everything together except the olive oil, lemon juice and basil. Next, add olive oil, lemon, basil, and process until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.

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GRILLED VEGGIES WITH ROMESCO SAUCE

Thank you to everyone who left well wishes last week about my poor thumb, and helpful suggestions for my fighting-dog issue. I’m doing much better now. Since I was one hand down last week my wonderful husband took over and cooked this lovely meal for us.

Sunday night, I sat back and drank wine while Jack carefully peeled, chopped, prepped, and grilled. I surely did not make fun of him for how long it could possibly take one to trim a pepper and I tried hard to keep my “helpful suggestions” to a minimum.

And now about the food — romesco might just be my favorite sauce. Sweet, smoky, tangy… Serve it alongside veggies, fish or meats and don’t skimp on the grilled bread. Pop open a bottle of Cava and pretend you’re on a patio somewhere in Barcelona.

GRILLED VEGGIES:
Whatever veggies you like – toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill. We had leeks, peppers, zucchini and also grilled slices of ciabatta bread.

We also roasted some potatoes in the oven (because I thought they would take too long to grill). 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until crispy and brown on the edges.

ROMESCO SAUCE:(makes about 1.5 cups, keep leftovers in the fridge for a few days)

1 red bell pepper, roasted, skin and seeds removed (instructions here)
1 large, or 2 small slices of ciabatta, toasted with butter (or vegan butter)
1/4 cup hazelnuts, blanched & peeled (instructions here, we did them together with the almonds)
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and peeled
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons tomato paste + 3 tablespoons water (or 3-4 tomatoes, I just didn’t have any)
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
red pepper flakes, to taste
salt & pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor. Pulse until they’re well combined. Drizzle in olive oil and process until it becomes a thick paste. Taste and adjust seasonings

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GRILLED VEGGIES WITH BASIL MISO

The “summer’s not over yet” recipe theme continues. Right now Jack and I are in Seattle for a few days before we head to Japan. I feel inclined to write about how we spent the last few weekends at home savoring the last of our local late-summer produce… But seriously, it was 104 degrees when we left so I’m sure there will be plenty of summer (and it’s veggies) waiting for us when we get back.

With Japan on the brain, I’ve been in the mood for miso. Although, I realize nothing else about this recipe is remotely Japanese… the miso here is basically the salty component in this sauce that very much resembles pesto. Mediterranean miso – that’s a thing, right? (as I lose both Italian and Japanese readers at the same time).

The rest is simple – spread a few spoonfuls of sauce on a plate and pile on the grilled veggies. I had zucchini, peppers, green tomatoes and onions – but feel free to sub in whatever you like. I served this as a side dish one night, and tossed with quinoa, feta & avocado for lunch the next day.

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GREEN BEAN, POTATO & CORN SALAD

These kinds of salads have been on our table a lot lately. I’ve been craving vegetables with dijon dressing, capers… mediterranean sorts of flavors with vegetables I happen to have around. Bonus points if I don’t have to go to the store…

That’s the kind of lazy summer we’ve been having. So I’m going to keep this short. Get off the internet, go do something fun outside (or not if you live where I do and it’s way too hot). And make salad.

Recipe: Green bean potato & corn salad 

serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side.

INGREDIENTS:
2 medium sized potatoes, chopped into 1/2 inch (or so) pieces
1/2 cup green beans, blanched, sliced into approx 1 inch pieces.
1/2 cup (uncooked) israeli couscous (or quinoa if gluten free)
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/2 corn (about 1 ear), grilled and sliced off the cob, or raw
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
salt & pepper to taste
optional: add tuna, shrimp or white beans

dressing:2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar (or white wine or red wine vinegar)
1 teaspoon dijon
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon agave or honey
salt & pepper to taste

METHOD:
Roast potatoes in the oven: Drizzle with olive oil, toss with minced garlic, salt and pepper – 400 degrees for about 25-30 mins.

Whisk dressing ingredients together. Set aside.

Blanch chopped green beans for about 1 minute in boiling water. Transfer to a bowl of ice water and let them cool for a few minutes. Drain and set aside.

Boil israeli couscous in salted water for 6-8 minutes, drain and rinse. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients and toss with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve warm or at room temperature. (it would probably also be good cold, we didn’t have any leftover to test that out the next day).

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GREEN BEAN & PURPLE POTATO SALAD

If you’re at a picnic, do you go for the potato salad or the cole slaw? I’m a cole slaw person always – the really sweet mayonnaise-y kind. But potatoes smothered in mayo? No thanks. Why is cabbage in mayo better than potatoes in mayo? No clue. But while I don’t go for “potato salad,” I do like a potato salad.

Of course, what I mean is that this is a salad… with potatoes (and green beans and yellow wax beans and some other things). Instead of mayo, it’s dressed with everything that I think goes best with potatoes: olive oil, good dijon mustard, garlic capers, lemon, parsley and fresh oregano (I’ve got a ton of it growing in my backyard right now).

I couldn’t resist these pretty purple potatoes that were at the farmers market, but Yukon Golds, new potatoes, or fingerling potatoes would work just fine here.

I also couldn’t pass up these gorgeous green and yellow wax beans – a goop-y beige potato salad, this is not.

I added some cooked bulgur (that I had leftover), and soft boiled eggs to make it a meal on it’s own. But you could skip those things, toss this into a big bowl and serve it as a bbq side dish. It should sit well at room temp because, of course, there’s no mayonnaise.

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QUINOA APRICOT & ARUGULA SALAD

I’ll never get tired of salads with arugula, avocado and quinoa. I realize these are common ingredients for me, but hear me out – this one is special (although, truthfully, I think they’re all special). I made a sweet combo with dried apricots, peppery arugula, smoky cumin and fruity Arbequina Olive Oil. (I almost named this Arbequina Quinoa – but try to say that one five times fast).

So what’s Arbequina Olive Oil? It’s a light and fruity extra virgin olive oil that’s perfect for spring and summer salads like this one. Coincidentally, I’ve been buying it long before the folks at California Olive Ranch started sending it to me. Try it, I promise you’ll love it. (I usually buy mine at Whole Foods).

I made this simple moroccan-inspired salad dressing with cumin, garlic, lemon and honey. If you’re vegan (or even if you’re not), a few squeezes of orange would be a nice exchange for the honey.

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CINCO DE MANGO

I brought home muchos mangoes last weekend and mixed up this sweet & spicy salsa. Then (from the same salsa recipe), I made black bean tacos and an avocado-mango salad.

And, of course, no fiesta is complete without tequila. I made a lighter version of a margarita – a mango margarita spritzer. Cheers!

Mango Salsa:
makes about 2 cups (scale accordingly)
2 mangoes, peeled & chopped
2 limes, juice & some zest
1 roasted jalapeño, diced small (or less, depending on spice level)
1/2 cherry pepper, diced very small (optional)
1/4 chopped scallions
handful of chopped fresh cilantro
generous amount of salt
optional – chopped avocado

Mix all ingredients together. Taste and adjust. Serve chilled (best if you let it chill for at least 30 or so minutes).

Mango & Black Bean Tacos:
makes about 4 tacos
1 cup of mango salsa
1/2 cup cooked black beans
1/2 teaspoon dried cumin or chipotle
cotija or other crumbly cheese (optional)
tortillas
extra limes, for serving

Stir black beans and dried cumin or chipotle into your mango salsa. Taste and add a little salt if necessary. Let the black beans marinate in the salsa for awhile (optional, but recommended). Spoon into tortillas and serve with crumbly cheese.

Mango Avocado Salad:
serves 2-3 as a side
a few handfuls of arugula
1/2 cup mango salsa
1-2 avocados sliced
drizzle of olive oil
squeezes of lime juice
salt & pepper

Toss everything together, taste & adjust.

Mango Margarita Spritzer
serves about 2
2 mangoes, chopped & frozen (if not frozen, add ice)
4 tablespoons tequila, or more or less, to your liking
2-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste
agave syrup, to taste
sparkling water, optional, as much or little as you like

Mix everything (except the sparking water) together in a blender. Taste and adjust, pouring the sparkling water at the end.

special thanks to Whole Foods for partnering on this post

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