WhirlwinDISH 27

Hope you’re having a fab day! The mini sweet pepper WhirlwinDISH was inspired by a couple of things: fried, cream & cheddar cheese-filled jalapeño poppers and a church cafe chicken salad. I know that sounds funny, haha! As you can see, the sun was starting its descent when I snapped the pic. I did the best I could 🙂 . I’ve been thinking about poppers for several weeks. I am limiting my cheese portions, though, and I rarely fry anything at home. I saw these sweet mini peppers, and dreams of those spicy, rich, poppers came back. I thought, why not stuff these with what I have on hand, and leave them raw? What did I have on hand to fill them with?…well, my first thought was that hummus would be an easy, inexpensive, & delish option. Then, I remembered a simple chicken salad from a church cafe in Phoenix (it came with a side of sliced bell peppers). I don’t know how many times I ordered that, but it always hit the spot! No chicken in sight, though. I did have salmon, so I decided to sub it. The jalapeño was the stuffer instead of the stuffee for these 2 fillings: Raw Sweet Pepper Poppers Filled w/ Edamame-Jalapeño Hummus & Salmon Salad w/ Jalapeño Mayo.

The Hummus Filling– Standard hummus w/ these changes: I made a roasted pistachio butter vs. tahini for the 1/2 garbanzo, 1/2 edamame hummus. And, I added a little parsley for a bit of green, jalapeño for a little kick. Totally simple.

The Salmon Salad Filling — Salmon with mayo & relish. Homemade extra-virgin olive oil mayo with egg, extra-virgin, chia seed powder, garlic powder, pinch of mustard, vinegar, s & p, jalapeño. When I started to drizzle in the oil, I thought I could use chia seed powder to thicken up the mixture. This allowed me to cut down the amount of oil used. The church cafe chicken salad didn’t have relish in it, but I decided to add some at the last minute. I diced up a few homemade sweet pickles.

I can’t believe how much I loved the mini peppers! They have a milder, sweeter flavor than when they are full grown. It’s hard to believe growing up I detested raw peppers and onion, lol! If you see any of these peppers when you are out and about, I encourage you to try filling them with whatever sounds good to you (if you are a pepper person, that is 😉 ).

Raw Tri-Color Cauliflower-Spinach Salad with Honey-Lemon Vinaigrette. Colorful cauliflower was calling for me to make a salad. I was just missing the purple variety! I had a little more light with these pics. I poured the dressing on after I took the pic and let it sit for a bit (while I checked off a few things on my “to-do” list.). This allowed the flavors to mingle for a while. Salad: tri-colored cauliflower (white, orange, and green), baby spinach, pistachios, red onion, dried cranberries, raisins, and mini red sweet peppers. Easy vin: lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil, honey, shallots, garlic, s&p.

This simple, but super colorful dish made me so happy! Sometimes, you just need a bit of color to perk you up and brighten your day. Both dishes were very satisfying, without being overly heavy. I may consider them for the next potluck I’m invited to!

Have a great weekend!

WhirlwinDISH 25

A few WhirlwinDISHes inspired by a trip to a local Asian market. So many choices at this market! Taro, ginger, green tomatoes, lemon grass, tomatillos, and chiles were some of my finds. Looking at the multitude of greens, I became a bit overwhelmed. No kale in sight, though, haha. It’s fab that kale has become so popular of late. I often find it much less expensive than other greens now. It used to be comparable in price (or even more expensive). I finally was advised by another shopper to try the Taiwan spinach. She said she preferred it to American. She picked a winner for me — love it!

1) Coconut Moscow Mule Frozen Yogurt w/ Candied Lime Peel. I made some dark chocolate chip frozen yogurt for my mom, so that got me craving some for myself. I used homemade yogurt for both, but I made hers with whole and mine with non-fat milk. I added raw coconut butter to mine for a richer mouth feel. I had some ginger beer concentrate, so this was the base flavor. I adapted it from this recipe: Ginger Beer. I used ginger, lemon grass, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cloves, chile, lemon, brown sugar, agave, cream of tartar, and a tiny bit of vanilla. I reduced the concentrate until it was a thick syrup, and then added it to the yogurt. I mixed in some lime juice, but no vodka :(. This went into my ice cream machine, and I let it ripen in the freezer a few hours. Topped with candied lime peel. It was super yummy and started to melt quickly as I was trying to take a pic. Will be making this combo again for sure.

2) After I made the ginger beer concentrate, I figured it would be great hot. So, I used the same combo to make a tea (without the cream of tartar and less sweetener). Ah, I couldn’t stop drinking it!

3) Sprouted Flour Baby Potstickers w/ Homemade Peach Horseradish Sauce. I used a blend of sprouted heirloom wheat and sprouted teff, oil, salt, and water for the dough. Filling was Taiwan spinach, taro, chile, scallions, and tofu seasoned with vinegar, garlic, and herbs (same method as this post). The lighting for the pic wasn’t very good. Some are shown from the top, and some are flipped over (where they were browned). I usually brown them on the bottom, then put a bit of water in the pan, cover & steam. I was going to make a warm soy-based sauce for this, but I decided on peach-horseradish (previously made). I think it was the right decision because I really enjoyed all of the flavors from this dish.

4) Taiwan Spinach Salad w/ Rice Noodles & Soy-Ginger Dressing. Spinach as the base with shredded red cabbage, mung bean sprouts, cold rice noodles, and baked taro chips. Dressing was simply soy sauce, ginger, white wine vin, balsamic vin, olive oil, shallots, and agave. Very simple, but you can’t go wrong with noodles :).

5) Potato Soup w/ Warm Salsa Verde. Potatoes, shallots, & fresh coconut milk. Verde: charred tomatillos, garlic, olive oil, lime zest, balsamic, agave, and a pre-blended spicy seasoning mix. My favorite part of this soup was the dried green tomato garnish. So tangy and delish!

WhirlwinDISH 24

I didn’t go too wild with my WhirlwinDISHes this time — just a few updates to some of my fave comfort foods. As I said in my last post, I have not been feeling my best this week. So, I thought a bit of rice pudding for Rosh HaShanah would cheer me up! I made it with cow’s milk sweetened with honey and traditional flavors like nutmeg and vanilla. I decided to use forbidden rice instead of my usual white or brown, then topped it with unsweetened whipped cream, fresh pom syrup, and pom seeds. The finished pudding was actually a little more purplish than the black that the pic shows (and sorry, I didn’t realize the pudding smudged a bit of the glass, making it harder to see). It was SO good and just the thing I needed. A perfect Rosh HaShanah treat!

I figured I would include a couple more fairly simple dishes (nothing fancy!) with forbidden rice this posting. I made a baked soup/casserole, as the weather has finally cooled off here in Tucson (80s & 90s vs. 100+ degrees 😀 ) — yellow split pea and forbidden rice flavored with garlic, onion, smoked paprika, s&p, and lots of cilantro. Cilantro is one of my favorite things, so I find ways to (over)use it for tons of different meals. I actually hated it when I first tried it, but it grew on me. Good thing, too — living in the Southwest, it’s in many a dish. I haven’t made a baked soup with split peas before, but I kind of think of it as a version of my typical beans and rice. The pic doesn’t look all that great, but it was pretty tasty and satisfied my need for comfort cooking (and cilantro). More cilantro: other pic is a tortilla made from whole and heirloom wheat flour with beetroot powder & juice, forbidden rice, and a fried egg. Super easy!

My New Favorite Snack: Roasted Chickpeas!

Roasted za’atar chickpeas are my new favorite snack! Even my mom likes them, and she usually goes through phases of what she wants to eat or have me prepare for her (like only popcorn, only broccoli, only bacon, eggs, and cheese, only buttermilk and cornbread, etc., haha). I found this recipe and have tinkered with it a bit. *As a side note…Also check out this recipe for colorful confetti latkes with harissa sour cream from the same site.*

So, my tinkerings: I usually turn down the oven heat pretty low and let these roast until they are fairly brown and crunchy, stirring them every now and then (no moisture left, so they are sort of like soy nuts). I have used dried and canned chickpeas, but I prefer dried — you can better control the salt content. I also Misto these instead of using the full amount of oil (to save a few cals). I have tried adding several seasonings to the za’atar, but so far my fave combo is: garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and just a little bit some sort of sweetener (like raw sugar, honey, or agave). Another combo I enjoy when I am craving something sweeter (without the za’atar) is cinnamon, cayenne, cumin, salt, and agave (or raw sugar, honey, maple, etc.).

My other pic in this post is from a pasta dish I made awhile back. I thought I would try out quinoa pasta. This one was a curly veggie version, and it was pretty good! You wouldn’t know the difference from wheat-based, in my opinion. I just added a quick tomato sauce with my butternut squash base, greens, “fried” sliced turnips, chickpeas, and green olives. I would have loved a bit of tuna in this dish, but I didn’t have any at the time. I did have some roasted chickpeas that day, so I processed some to make a breadcrumb-like topping. They are now my new breadcrumb substitute! I have also seen them replace traditional salad croutons.

Please try out the roasted chickpeas recipe if you are so inclined! The flavor combinations are endless and even a small portion is quite a filling and satisfying snack.

WhirlwinDISH 22

On my recent trip to Heirloom Farmers’s Market, I picked up Japanese komatsuna greens. I had never tried them before, so I thought I would give them a shot (on the farmer’s rec). Greens (of different varieties) have always been a family staple. Many people only see them as a side dish, though, but I often prepare them as a main (cooked or raw).

This WhirlwinDISH inspiration came to me from a meal I used to enjoy with a couple originally from Liberia. Many Sunday afternoons, my friend and her husband would invite me over for good conversation and good food. One of my favorite preparations was cassava leaves stewed with dried salty fish and palm kernel oil over a bed of steamed white rice. Last year, this dish came back to my mind when I was invited to dinner by fellow yoga teacher-training students. A dinner of vegetable stew, white rice, and ghee was prepared by a very nice gentleman from Liberia (who also happened to be a monk). I made mention of my Liberian friends and the stewed cassava leaves. He said it was a very common dish in Liberia, and his mother would spend hours smoking and drying fish. I mentioned I had not seen cassava locally, and he replied a local Asian market had just recently started to carry it (frozen).

Anyway, as I had never used komatsuna greens before, I thought perhaps I might experiment with a version of the stewed cassava. In addition to the komatsuna, I added bok choy and cauliflower leaves. I often save leaves from cauliflower and broccoli stems for dishes like this, or they can be enjoyed raw. I went with one of my fave flavor combinations for greens which involves: smokiness, garlic, chiles (also for heat), and vinegar. Dried fish is available at my local Asian market, but I took a short-cut and used kippers. No need to re-hydrate them, and they are wonderfully smoky and salty. If you’ve never tried them, they are sort of like smoky sardines. I know many people who do not care for tinned fish of any sort, but I love them. They are one of my favorite snacks! I also subbed brown rice for white.

I sautéed a small bit of garlic and the chopped bok choy stems in smoked paprika oil first, then added the greens, kippers, and s&p just until the greens wilted. Just a pinch of salt, though, as the kippers added most of the saltiness. I moistened the greens with a bit of the kipper juice/oil at the end. As I said in earlier posts, I have been canning and pickling a lot, so some of the pink pomegranate seeds from the farmers’ market got pickled (with a slightly sweet pickling juice). On a hesitant whim, these went on the greens at the end, along with a sauce from some of the red chiles they had. Many times, I will use Buffalo wing sauce for greens in a pinch. But, this day, I roasted the chiles and blended them with some of the pom pickling juice, garlic, and shallots.

I was super super pleased with this meal. Now I know what my greens have been missing: pickled pom seeds! They just explode in your mouth with the vinegary-sweetness…SO good alongside the bitter greens, smoky fish, and chiles. I will probably use different varieties of greens as I have them available, but I see myself having this meal over and over.

WhirlwinDISH 21

Corn salad inspired by my recent trip to Heirloom Farmer’s Market. I was in kind of a rush making this, though, so it’s not as cute as it could be. I was hungry!

This corn was some of the best I’ve had in a LONG time! Like I said, I was in a hurry, so I didn’t even bother to shuck it. I just plopped it in the oven on a very high heat setting, then quickly shucked after it finished cooking. It can be easier to remove the silk, though, this way. Some people put their corn in the micro for a minute or so, but I don’t have one. You just have to watch your fingers because it gets hot.

While the corn was cooking, I prepped the rest of the ingredients and a quick aioli. They had some beautiful yellow and purplish-black tomatoes, so I chose the yellow for this dish. I saw a label for lemongrass, but it was all gone…garlic chives were in its place. I tossed in the chives, a bit of shallots, and some fabulous pink pomegranate seeds.

I let the corn cool to room temp (which didn’t take very long) before combining it with the other ingredients. The dressing was just a light, creamy aioli (more garlicky-ness!) with lime juice. I gave the salad another quick hit of lime juice at the end.

This turned out pretty well! I think it would have been even better if I had let it sit for awhile to meld the flavors, but I wanted to eat already, lol! I’ve never used this combination before for a corn salad. I’m sure I would have never thought about the pom seeds if they were not at the market that day. You never know what creations the market might inspire!

 

WhirlwinDISH 20

I really wanted a big dish of greasy hash browns, but I settled for this potato pancake instead.

I prepared it the way I usually do by par boiling the potatoes, letting them completely cool in the fridge, then shredding them. This day, I used yukon and red. I always keep the skins on. I prefer this par boiling method because once cooled, the pancakes come together very easily. No need to deal with removing liquid from raw potatoes, using binders, etc. Because I eat very little meat-based protein at home, I am always looking for ways to get extra protein in my diet. So, I thought maybe I would try to combine the potato with edamame. Loved it, and it was a great way to sneak in extra protein! Other than that, I just seasoned it simply with s&p and onion. I Misto‘ed the pan (vs. using a ton of oil), let it brown a few minutes without a lid & a few minutes with, then flipped & browned again.

It’s always hard for me to decide whether I want ketchup with my potato pancake (like French fries), sour cream (like a baked potato), or to just have it plain. Finally, I went with versions of both the sour cream and ketchup. I’ve been on a canning kick with pickled this and that, plum-ginger jam, the orange-chamomile marmalade, etc….and made a spicy curry yellow tomato jam. I warmed it through (thinned out with a little water) to make a sauce and added a dollop of preserved lemon yogurt.

I have a few more jams and jellies I want to make soon…perhaps a wine or grape jelly for cluster biscuits, pear preserves…and the summer is not complete without a strawberry freezer jam. I do not recall much from my early childhood, but I do remember coming back from the strawberry fields in New York State (my home state) with baskets of fresh, sweet strawberries. The freezer jam seemed like it would take all day to prep and process. But, ah, how nice is it to have that fragrant, sticky jam on warm biscuits during the coldest of winter days? This is where my love of canning and preserving began.

Was my edamame potato pancake as terrific as greasy, fried hash browns? Heck, no! But, it was still pretty tasty nonetheless!

 

WhirlwinDISH 19

I thought I would make a simple cuke and tomato salad as I often do. As I started to prep it, I became hungry for something a tad more substantial. So, I made it a little heartier with some added grains. I had been on an infused rice kick and decided to infuse long-grain brown rice with a hibiscus rooibos. I had teff from making injera, so I infused that, as well. After the teff and rice chilled a bit in the fridge, I added the veggies, a light dressing of oil and vin, and s&p. It was a nice, light summertime salad and the first time I had used teff in this manner.

I am still experimenting with the different ways I can make use of teff. Read about teff’s nutritional value here. It’s high in calcium, Vit C, iron, and resistant starch.