MoFo 2013 - Day 13 - L is for Lentils, Lebanese if You Please

If Popeye were smart, he would have eaten his spinach with lentils. Why? Because these little guys pack an additional wallop of iron. There is 37% of the RDA of iron in one cup of cooked lentils. They keep your pipes clean too with lots of fiber. They are a fantastic source of low fat protein, 18 grams per 1 cup serving.

Not only are these little guys full of all sorts of good stuff for your body, they are relatively inexpensive. Add to that the fact that they are very versatile and cook up waaaay quicker than dried beans and you have an arsenal of reasons to love them.

This fine day I decided to make a one dish meal out of them inspired by Aarti Sequeira's Lebanese Lentils, Rice and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara). I change it up slightly by adding an extra cup of water and using brown basmati rice. I had to up the cooking time about 10 more minutes for the brown rice. It didn't have enough heat for my taste, so I added a teaspoon of hot chile powder. The downside to this dish is that it has A LOT of oil. I am sure you could cut back to half and it would still be yummy. I love the caramelized onion garnish! The picture isn't super colorful, but what it lacks in good looks, it makes up in taste. I'm going to throw some chopped spinach in for a one dish meal for lunch!

Mofo 2013 - Day 12 - K is for Kick-Booty Kale Wraps with Kalamata Olives

K is for Kale. Some dub kale the new red meat, which might be a slight exaggeration. But kale is seriously good for you and packs a lot of nutrition in those beautiful emerald leaves. 1 cup of chopped kale contains a whopping 133% of the RDA of Vitamin A and 134% of Vitamin C. Amazingly it also contains 2.9 grams of protein. You get all of this for only 33 calories!!! OK maybe it isn't an exaggeration. This stuff rocks. I love to eat it raw in massaged kale salads. It's awesome to throw in soups. Oh and if you saute it with a little sesame oil, garlic, ginger and tamari, sprinkle with a little bit of raw sesame seeds you have an easy crazy healthy side dish.

Below are two varieties. The bunch on the left is regular green kale (red kale looks about the same with red ends). To the right is Dinosaur or Lacinto kale. I think this kale is the best for "beginners" to try as it has a more pleasing texture raw.

For K day, I decided to make something raw and gluten-free for those of you who are looking for more fun ways to eat that way. These pretty little rolls have lots of omega 3's thanks to the walnuts and lots of fiber and vitamins thanks to all of the fresh, fabulous veggies. Enjoy on their own or with some raw flax crackers.

Kick-Booty Kale Rolls with Kalamata Olive Flecked Walnut Meat

Makes 4 Rolls

1 cup raw walnuts, soaked overnight
8 fresh basil leaves, about 1/4 cup lightly packed
1 tablespoon chopped sun-dried tomato (oil packed)
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon shoyu (if you want all raw) or tamari
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin cold pressed olive oil
6 kalamata olives
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 large red bell pepper, julienned
1 medium sized tomato, sliced thinly
1 handful of your favorite sprouts (I prefer pea or broccoli myself)

4 large kale (I use dinosaur or Lacinto), collard or chard leaves, taking care to remove woody part of stems but leaving large part of leaf intact.

Place walnuts, basil, sun-dried tomato, garlic, shoyu, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice in bowl of food processor. Pulse together until mixture resembles a corse meal, scraping down the sides as needed. Turn processor to on and drizzle in olive oil, scraping sides between additions as needed. Once mixture is combined, add olives and pulse until olives are chopped coarsely.

If using kale leaves, spray lightly with lemon juice and lightly massage to make leaves more pliable. Place 1/4 cup walnut mixture on large end of leaf about 1 inch from the end. Top with carrots, a few slices of bell pepper, 2 slices tomato and sprouts. Roll fold in sides if leaves are large enough and roll up from large end to small end. Secure with toothpick. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve the next day.

MoFo 2013 - Day 11 - J is for Juicing

Fred agreed to guest post for today. Here he is with today's post!

 “J” is for Juice. J is a multipurposed and important letter, just like juice. It can be a meal, desert, snack, or beverage. On the stock market it would have a very good performance/expense ratio, very little time or money compared to the benefits realized. 

Most know the nutritional values of the veggies in the picture so let’s go right to some helpful tips. Put in your juice what you like, make it taste good to you. Kim usually likes green juice with a little apple and ginger. I make that first, pour a big glass for her, and then add my carrot and beet. One juicing, two juices. 

Try peeling the root veggies, especially  beets. This will make your juice sweeter and cleaner tasting. The best juicing machine is the easiest and quickest to clean, one that is hard to clean takes the fun right out of everything. In 18 years of juicing my favorite is a ‘Waring”, which is also by far one of the cheapest (under $60). I have had mine for over 8 years with no problems. 

Lastly, make your first batches easy ones like carrots and apple. Later add cucumber or celery, and then venture on to spinach or kale. Mixing one thing at a time lets you decide on portion control and what you do or don’t like. Juicing, however, will not give you fiber so it is up to you to do the balancing act with cooked and raw veggies, (too much beet will make things very unpredictable though!). 

Just think, at the very least you are drinking one of nature’s very purest forms water. Carry on “J”!

Veggies waiting for a spin in the juicer

The final product (Kim Style)

MoFo 2013 - Day 10 - I - Scream You Scream

You got it. I is for ice cream! Who doesn't love a sweet creamy bowl of rich, delicious ice cream. The first ice cream parlor in America was opened in 1776, which just happens to coincide with the birth of our nation. Seriously, it is Americana in a bowl. I'm sure most of you have some great childhood memory that involves getting all sticky from your favorite frozen treat. My personal favorites growing up were good old chocolate chip and orange sherbet. I still love the simpler flavors, but my palate has matured and I like to try some unusual flavors as well.

I've tried a few different commercial brands with mixed results, so I am experimenting with making my own. I like the idea of controlling how much and what type of sweeteners I use Fred is more the ice cream eater than I am, so he is going to be the final judge of my efforts. I do have Hannah Kaminsky's Vegan A La Mode, but the last two times I went to make something from it, I've been missing important ingredients for the ones I wanted to make. There are some exciting flavors in that book that I am excited to try like White Russian Ice Cream, Banana Pudding Ice Cream, Mouse Tracks Ice Cream to name a few.

But this time around, I decided to create my own. I'm a little pre-mature, but I am starting to dream about fall and winter flavors. The holidays will be here before we know it. Put away your rolling pin. This creation is like a frozen version of pumpkin pie without the crust.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream with Toasted Walnuts and Pecans

Makes a generous quart

2 cups soy creamer, separated
1 - 15 oz can organic pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar*
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

In a small bowl mix arrowroot and 1/4 cup soy creamer and set aside. In a heavy bottomed saucepan whisk together remaining soy creamer, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, dark brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Turn heat to medium-low and cook until mixture just starts to boil, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and whisk in arrowroot mixture. Whisk for 3-4 minute until mixture thickens slightly. Place in refrigerator and make sure to chill for a few hours until mixture is COLD. Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions. About 1 minute before it finished, pour in chopped nuts. Let go one more minute to combine. Place ice cream in airtight sealed container and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Mofo 2013 - Day 9 - H is for Hallelujah its Hatch Chile Season!

September is one of my favorite months of the year for a few reasons. This is the month that we usually start seeing cooler temperatures after a blazing hot summer (at least at night). It is also my birthday month, so there are certainly lots of dining opportunities as my friends know how much I love to celebrate with food. But perhaps the best part of September is it is the harvest time of the best chiles on the planet: New Mexico (Hatch) Green Chiles.

Don't be fooled by posers. I had heard that many of the local grocery stores in my area were selling these faux New Mexico chiles instead of the real deal. Many growers and producers claim the name "Hatch". Because of stiff competition and so many claiming to be authentic "Hatch" chiles, it is now illegal to label any green chiles as New Mexico Green Chile unless it is grown in the state of New Mexico. 

Last year for the first time, I decided to order my chiles directly from a farm in New Mexico, Diaz Farms to see if there was truly a difference. The shipping cost was no small matter, but I am here to tell you, it was totally worth the expense. There was a huge difference in the flavor of Diaz Farms chiles. This year, we heard that there was a guy in Globe, AZ who was making the drive do the farm to bring back the goods. Fred wasted no time getting up to Globe to buy our chiles. He got a little crazy and brought back something like nine - 35 pound bags of fresh chiles. The whole house smelled like piquant chiles. Fred is a generous guy and shared his bounty with a few of our good friends. We still ended up roasting 2 1/2 - 35 lb bags for ourselves. 

Here is Fred getting the roasting started in a roaster borrowed from his good friend Blue. It is super important to make sure you roast them until the skin is good and charred so the skin will come off easily. It is a true skill to make sure they are roasted long enough for the skin to come off, but not too long or the flesh will rip off with the skin.

Caution: Make sure you use rubber gloves when handling your chiles or you are likely to burn your hands and anything else you touch. When I do huge amounts, I don't always peel them before packaging and freezing. The skins come off pretty easily after freezing. 

Here is the awesome peeling crew: Jackie and Tyler. Tyler wore gloves and her hands were still burning, so make sure to take that caution note seriously. It's much more fun to roast with friends!

Even the wine glasses weren't safe from being Chilified.

We probably froze at least 80 bags of chiles! I'm excited that we won't have to ration near as much as we did last year. One of Fred's favorite ways to each his chiles is in Sweet Potato Hash. He makes it different every time, so there is no recipe to speak of, but it usually contains sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, lots of true Hatch chiles  and onions and whatever else he feels like throwing in. So there you have your "H" for today. Hatches and Hash! Hooooweeee!

MoFo 2013 - Day 8 - G is for Garlic from Gilroy

Gilroy, CA is known as the "Garlic Capital of the World". The city is located at the southern most end of Santa Clara county. The temperate climate is fantastic for growing garlic. There are a number of city parks and a couple of larger parks to enjoy nature. It is also a great place for golf lovers. They even have a couple of wineries!

The famous Gilroy Garlic Festival is held every July. Each year the organizers challenges chefs from all over the country and Canada to create their very best garlic recipes. Only 8 recipes are chosen from the many recipes submitted. The winners are invited to the festival to cook their recipes for the crowd. The winner walks away with the crown (of garlic of course) and 5K! The winner this year Karen Harris with her Carnival Style Fish Sticks with Lemony Jalapeño and Spicy Kohlrabi Slaw. I may give veganizing her recipe a shot when I get back to my own kitchen. I'm going to make it my garlicky goal (oh another G word) to submit a recipes for next year's competition!

While I missed the festival this year, I did visit Gilroy a couple of days ago. OK, I have to confess, I am writing this intro pre-trip, just in case I get busy and can't post this while on the road. I'm very excited about enjoying Gilroy's mild temperatures and beautiful scenery while I am there. I plan on updating this post with all of the garlicky details and pictures upon my return.

Mofo 2013 - Day 7 - F is for Freaking Awesome

F is for fun, which is what I am having coming up with ideas for this MoFo! This time I thought of perhaps doing some fritters, falafel, fricassee, frosted cupcakes, french onion soup, fresh fennel. All of which made me want to eat them. But what ended up happening is that I had some leftover rice in the fridge. I am famous for forgetting this kind of stuff in the fridge until it is stinky and garbage bound. I was super excited to save this batch of rice from the same fate.

The thing I love about cooking meals myself is that you can make things just how you like them. I love fried rice, but I often find that there is a lot of rice and not very many veggies. My version ups the veggie ratio and uses brown rice for added health benefits.

Fried Rice with Shiitakes and Broccoli

Makes 2 large portions

4 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, separated
2 large fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 1 cup when sliced)
pinch salt
1 1/2 cup small broccoli florets (about 1/2 inch size)
2 cups leftover long grain brown rice (I used basmati)
1 tablespoon low sodium tamari or soy sauce
1 teaspoon red or brown miso
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions, green part only

In a wok or deep sauté pan, 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil over medium low heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and sauté until they release their liquid and slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add broccoli florets and sauté until they are bright green, about 3 minutes. Add a splash of water if the pan is too dry. Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to hot pan and add rice. Saute until starts to get golden brown and slightly crunchy (just slightly). Stir in mushroom mixture, soy sauce and miso until well combined. Remove from heat and toss in green onions.

Serve immediately.

This is actually pretty darn good reheated as well!

*Can be GF if GF tamari is used.