Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
2 pounds carrots, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Chinese chili paste
6 cups water or stock of choice
2 tablespoons peanut butter (I like more…)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
a few fresh wedges of limes
Directions:
1. On a soup pot on medium heat, warm the oil and add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, and chili paste. Saute on high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the water or stock, cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the carrots are soft, about 25 minutes.
2. Stir in the peanut butter, soy sauce, and lime juice. In a blender, puree the soup in batches. Reheat if necessary.
3. Serve with the lime wedges.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
4 medium–large beets
1½ cups sweetener
1 large lemon, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
Directions:
1. Cut leaves off beets, leaving 1-inch of stems on root ends. Wash beets thoroughly. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the beets and cover. Cook until beets are easily pierced with a knife – this can be anywhere from 35-60 minutes depending on the size of the beets. Drain the beets, rise with cool water, and allow them to cool slightly before peeling. With your hands or a small paring knife. Cut into large chunks, then put them in a food processor and process until coarsely chopped, or mash by hand.
2. Transfer beets to a heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir in the sweetener. Put the lemon and ginger in the food processor and process until finely chopped, or chop them by hand. Add the lemon and ginger to the beet mixture and stir to blend. Set the pan over medium-low heat, cover, and cook, stirring often, until the marmalade has thickened a little. This will take about 2 minutes, and the marmalade will get thicker as it cools.
3. For keeping no longer than 1 month, put the hot marmalade into clean jars, cover, cool, and refrigerate. For longer preserving, pour or spoon into hot, sterilized jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace, and seal. Process in a boiling-water bath for 15 minutes.
Makes 4 cups
Victor Hirtzler, chef de cuisine, at San Francisco’s elegant St. Francis Hotel first introduced this winning salad in 1919.
Ingredients:
3 bunches celery
About 1½ cups chicken broth
Herb bouquet of 1 bay leaf, 4 fresh parsley leaves, and celery leaves (tied together)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
½ cup olive oil
Celery leaves for garnish
Directions:
1. Trim celery bunches, cutting off the outer ribs, (save them for soup), and cut each bunch in half lengthwise. (Set aside some celery leaves for garnish.) Arrange in a large saucepan and pour in enough broth to barely cover the celery. Add the herb bouquet and salt and pepper to taste, and cook until celery is barely tender, about 6 minutes. Let celery cool in the broth then remove the herb bouquet. Beat the vinegar into the olive oil. Drain the celery, pout the vinegar-and –olive oil mixture over, and chill. Serve garnished with celery leaves.
Serves 6
I just have to share another recipe for kimchi. It has such a powerhouse of probiotics which keeps out intestinal flora balanced and happy, so we feel GOOD! Hope you enjoy.
Ingredients:
1 head Napa or Savoy cabbage
¼ cup sea salt
1 cup packed, grated carrots
1 large bunch scallions, sliced into ½-inch segments
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons sweetener
1/4-1/3 cup Korean red pepper powder
Directions:
1. Halve the cabbage lengthwise, remove core and chop leaves into 2-inch pieces. Dissolve salt in 2 quarts water, stirring to mix well. Soak cabbage for 4 hours in salted water.
2. While cabbage is soaking, combine carrots, scallions, garlic, ginger, sweetener, and pepper in bowl; mix well.
3. Remove cabbage from water, and rinse thoroughly to remove salt. Using rubber gloves, combine cabbage with veggie-spice mixture, working mixture into cabbage until well combined. Pack mixture into quart jar, pressing down firmly to release juices. Liquid should just cover top of cabbage.
4. Cover jar with lid and let stand at room temperature, away from sunlight, 4-7 days. After 4 days, taste every day or so. When kimchi has reached desired level of fermentation, refrigerate. Kimchi can ferment for 3 weeks to allow flavors to fully develop.
Makes about 2 quarts
Ingredients:
16 cherry tomatoes
1¾ ounces goat cheese
1¾ ounces ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh basil
Directions:
1. Slice tops from tomatoes, hollow out and discard seeds. Turn them upside-down on paper towels and drain for a few minutes.
2. Beat together the goat cheese and ricotta until smooth. Gently fold in the basil until well incorporated. Spoon into the tomatoes and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes 16
Ingredients:
The Soup:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, white parts only, plus an inch of the green, chopped and rinsed
pinch of saffron threads (optional)
3 medium to large carrots, diced
3 potatoes, chopped
3 zucchini or other summer squash, sliced into ½-inch rounds or chunks
¾ cup green beans, tipped and tailed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 large, ripe tomatoes, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 quarts vegetable stock
1 cup dried pasta, pastini, orzo, broken spaghetti, or other shapes
The Pesto:
3 cups loosely packed basil leaves, stems removed
1 plump garlic clove, peeled
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons grated pecorino Romano
½ cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Warm the oil in a wide soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and saffron and cook gently until the leeks look glossy and translucent and saffron begins to release its aroma, about 10 minutes. Add the vegetables, including the juice from the tomatoes, the garlic, and 1 ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 5 minutes more, then add the stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until vegetables are tender, 20-30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile make the pesto. Drop the basil into boiling water for a second or two, then drain, rinse, and pat dry. Put the garlic, pine nuts and basil in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the cheeses, then slowly add the olive oil to combine.
3. Cook the pasta then add it to the hot soup. Ladle the soup into bowls and stir in a spoonful of pesto into each serving. Season with salt and pepper. The soup need not be piping hot. In fact, it’s better served a little more on the tepid side.
Makes about 10 cups
Ingredients:
8 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup Oaxacan cheese (like mozzarella)
2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves, or herb of choice, divided
½ cup onion, julienned
½ pound pardon peppers, stems removed
½ pound summer squash, cut into quarters or slices
2 teaspoons minced garlic
32 tablespoons olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl beat eggs and cream until completely incorporated. Stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, Oaxacan cheese, and half the oregano.
3. In an 8-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, and peppers, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion and peppers are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
4. Heat 1 additional tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet. Add squash, season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until golden brown. Turn off heat and return pepper and onions to the skillet, stir to combine and add garlic.
5. Pour egg mixture over vegetables, tilt pan to distribute evenly. Cover and bake until set, about 15-20 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with a garnish of fresh herb of choice.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
Topping:
3 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup flour of choice
5 teaspoons dry sweetener of choice
½ cup rolled oats
1½ tablespoons sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
1½ tablespoons black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon water
1½ tablespoons honey
Muffin:
2 cup plus 6 tablespoons flour of choice
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
4 eggs
2/3 cups sunflower oil
1 cup sweetener of choice (dry)
2 teaspoons vanilla
8 ounces carrots, grated
7 ounces pink pearl apples, grated
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2/3 cups golden raisins
2/3 cups unsweetened flaked coconut
Directions:
1. To make the topping, in a bowl, stir together the butter, flour, and sweetener. Rub with your fingertips until the butter is incorporated and you have a crumbly texture. Mix in the oats and seeds and then the water, oil, and honey. Stir everything together, resulting in a wet, sandy texture. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sweetener, vanilla, and grated carrot and apple. Gently fold in the pecans, raisins, and coconut, and then the sifted flout mixture. Do not over mix, and don’t worry if the batter is lumpy and irregular.
4. Spoon into the muffin liners and scatter the topping generously over top. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan when they are just warm and allow to cool before serving. The flavor will actually improve in a couple of hours.
Makes 10-12 muffins
Ingredients:
1-2 pound beets
scant 2/3 cups sunflower seeds
6 tablespoons maple syrup
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1¼ cups chard leaves, roughly chopped
2 ounces arugula, spinach, or chervil leaves
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the beets well and wrap in parchment paper then foil individually. Bake in the oven 40-90 minutes, depending on their size. Check each one, as cooking times can vary a lot; the beets should be tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
2. Spread sunflower seeds out in an ovenproof dish and toast in the oven alongside the beets for 8 minutes, just until lightly colored.
3. Once the beets are ready, unwrap them and peel with a small knife while still warm. Cut each into halves, quarters, then into a dice. Mix the beets with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Toss well and taste; there should be a clear sweetness balanced with enough salt. Adjust the seasoning if necessary, sprinkle with more chervil and serve.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons chili sauce or paste
2 tablespoons sesame oil
9 ounces firm tofu
1 pound broccoli
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon peanut oil
3 tablespoons cilantro leaves
sea salt
Directions:
1. First marinate the tofu. In a bowl, whisk the soy sauce, chili sauce, and sesame oil together. Cut the tofu into strips about 3/8-inch thick, mix gently (so it doesn’t break) with the marinade, and leave in the fridge for ½ hour.
2. Trim any hard leaves off the broccoli and discard. Trim the stems and cut into slices. Break the broccoli into florets. Place the broccoli in a large saucepan full of boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and run once under cold water to stop cooking. Leave to dry.
3. Scatter the sesame seeds in a nonstick pan and place it over medium heat for 5 minutes. Jiggle them around so they toast evenly, then remove from heat to a plate.
4. Place a wok or cast-iron skillet over high heat and allow to heat up well. Add the peanut oil. Lower the heat to medium to prevent the oil from spitting, then carefully add the tofu strips and leave for 2-3 minutes, until they color underneath. Using tongs, turn them over to color the other side.
5. Add any remaining marinade to the pan then add the pre-cooked broccoli. Add the cilantro and half the sesame seeds and stir together gently. Remove the pan from the heat and allow everything to come to room temperature. Taste and add more sesame oil, soy sauce, or salt, if necessary. Divide among serving plates and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.
Serves 4