deep fried kale.

comfort food queen turns whole food evangelist

Nuestras Voces: Latinas in America

A CALL to LATINAS in AMERICA: Speak your truth, share your story, show your solidarity as we express our diversity in a collection of poems in our own voices.  An academic project seeking Latinas of all ages, ethnic affiliations, socio-economic backgrounds, etc.  See link for more information.

Roasted Carrot & Chiogga Beet Salad

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Roasted sweet organic carrots & Chiogga beets make for a hearty, filling winter salad.  Mustard, caraway & celery seeds harmonize beautifully with a dill-roasted garlic vinaigrette and bed of soft spinach. It may be cold outside, but you will be loaded with energy and ready for the cold with this powerful salad!

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Ingredients:

  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and diced into large chunks
  • 3 medium sized Chiogga beets (or any kind of beet you have on hand), peeled and cut into wedges
  • 1 sweet onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
  • 3 cups spinach leaves
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
  • 2 tablespoons homemade Fire Cider or raw apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
  • 1/8 teaspoon caraway seed
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
  • salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange carrots on one cookie sheet and beets & onions on another.  Drizzle 4 tablespoons olive oil even over the two sheets.  Sprinkle with celery and caraway seeds and drizzle with 1 tablespoon maple syrup.  Sprinkle with salt and mix evenly.  Cut the end off the garlic, wrap the entire bulb in foil and set next to the beets.  Roast for 15-20 minutes or until just tender. Set aside and cool.

Remove garlic from bulb and place in food processor along with mustard seed, olive oil, dill and pinch of salt.  Process until garlic is smooth.

Once the vegetables have cooled, mix them all together, except for the spinach, in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and serve on a bed of spinach.

This salad is even tastier the next day!

 

 


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Curried Cauliflower Waldorf Salad

Cauliflower roasted with cumin and mustard seeds are the hearty backbone for this filling & flavorful Waldorf inspired salad. Chickpeas roasted with garam masala add a toothsome texture and boost of protein. A slightly spicy, yet tangy curry vinaigrette bring the whole dish together.

currycauliflower

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 cups cooked chickpeas
  • 1 apple, cubed
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 2 stalks celery, sliced on bias
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 2 tablespoons madras curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seed
  • 2 tablespoons coconut vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange cauliflower evenly on two cookie sheets and chickpeas on one cookie sheet. Sprinkle cauliflower with cumin & mustard seed and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil.  Sprinkle garam masala over the chickpeas with 1 tbsp olive oil.  Roast chickpeas for 15 minutes and cauliflower for 25 minutes, allow to cool and place both in a large bowl with the apple, celery & parsley.  Combine curry powder, honey, coconut vinegar & 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small bowl and whisk until well combined.  Drizzle over salad and toss well.  Can be served immediately, but keeps well for 3-4 days.


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Sour cream apple tart (gluten-free crust)

I am so excited!  I have been gluten-free since the summertime and haven’t been able to bake any tasty pastries because everything I attempt heads for the garbage, often after just one bite.  Gluten free baking is a whole new science.  All I know about baking doesn’t really mean anything anymore.  Couple that with the fact that I’m not a very good baker, anyway…

SO, this is why I heart Pinterest.

This, RIGHT HERE:

cherryapplegalette1

Super simple, sure-fired, quality textured pie crust, to use up my vast array of gluten-free flours & notions. Thank you, Pinterest!  And thank you to Red Shallot Kitchen for coming up with this AMAZING dough recipe.  Seriously, this dough, ROCKED! It was so durable and easy to work with, the lattice work was simple to execute with the springy texture to this dough.  I can’t wait to make some empanadas with it or mini tartlets for appetizers!

I made a few substitutions for my own version and opted for coconut oil in lieu of vegetable shortening, but still used 1 cup of Earth Balance.

I made this dough for my Christmas apple pie.  We went apple picking up at Mad Tom farm in Vermont last fall, and snagged up bushels of the most incredible apples I’ve ever tasted!  We ate ourselves silly, trying all the varieties. We came home and made crisps, cider, apple butter, apple sauce, apple jelly and a few packs of apple pie kits.  I defrosted the bag of season peak handpicked glorious goodness from the earth apples.  The luxurious pinks of the honeycrisp, the plum red of the Empire & Cortland crimson stunning through the handy-dandy freezer bag.

The execution of this tart was really simple since I’d made the pie filling ahead of time.  I baked the bottom crust for 20 minutes at 375 degrees.  Then, I artfully arranged the apple slices into the tart pan and poured in a layer of sour cream custard.  I wove in an elementary lattice top and cut star cookies out of the leftover dough, which my daughter gratefully enjoyed.
I gave everything a lacquered coat of  heavy cream before popping the whole thing into the 375 degree oven.

For the custard, you will need:

  • 1 egg
  • 8 ounces sour cream
  • 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar

Whisk the ingredients together for 10 -12 seconds.  Pour over apples like I did, or pour it in first for a rich layer underneath the apples!

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Beat the Flu! Triple Berry Parfait

We were sick in our household last week.  So, we needed to charge up our immune systems with some lip smacking berry sorbet and creamy banana-avocado purée.  It was as delicious as  ice-cream!  I LIE NOT! Perhaps, even MORE DELICIOUS! Ah, and it made us feel better.

Ingredients:

For the Flu Fighting Triple Berry sorbet

Flu boosting power of Echinacea & Elderberry in a berry sorbet with vanilla banana-avocado soft serve.

Flu boosting power of Echinacea & Elderberry in a berry sorbet with vanilla banana-avocado soft serve.

  • 1/3 cup each: frozen blueberries and strawberries
  • 1/2 cup pure unsweetened cranberry juice
  • 3-4 drops Stevia extract
  • 1 tablespoon Elderberry syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Echinacea infused raw honey

It’s rough.  You put all these ingredients in a blender and turn it on until you it looks smooth like sorbet.

Then, make the perfect counter part to this sinfully nutritious parfait, vanilla ice cream!  Ha!  It is even more creamy and delicious because it’s ALL GOOD FOR YOU! Next time, I will add chia seeds for another boost.

Home crafted Echinacea infused honey and Elderberry syrup alongside pure unsweetened cranberry juice & locally harvested frozen berries send a zing to your immune system that kicks flu to the curb!

Home crafted Echinacea infused honey and Elderberry syrup alongside pure unsweetened cranberry juice & locally harvested frozen berries send a zing to your immune system that kicks flu to the curb!

For the Vanilla “Ice Cream”

Ingredients:

  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 avocado, cubed
  • 1/2 almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch salt

Hard again.  Put it all in the blender, turn it on and make ice cream.

You can put these into the fridge for a few minutes, and they will be colder and firmer.  But, I kinda like mine semifreddo, so I eat mine right away.

Layer into a small (or large) glass and devour!

Sweet Coconut Curry with Grass-fed Beef, Sweet Potato & Peas over Cumin Roasted Cauliflower

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20121115-121532.jpgSpicy cinnamon is the only heat you’ll notice in this family friendly sweet coconut curry.  Perfect for a weekday night, this flavor packed dish cooks up in less that 30 minutes and serves a hungry crowd of 4 or 5!

One could easily serve the curry over steamed brown rice, but I was looking for an extra punch of nutrition, so I opted for cumin roasted cauliflower, which just might be my new favorite way to prepare it.

To make the cauliflower:

Ingredients:

  • 1 head cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets, stalks and leaves cut into bite size as well
  • 1/4 cup olive or coconut oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seed
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Place cauliflower onto a cookie sheet in an even layer.  Combine the oil, spices and salt in a small bowl, mix well and drizzle over cauliflower.  Toss well so that each piece is well coated in mixture.  Place in preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes, shaking pan occasionally to cook evenly.

To make the Coconut Curry:

Sweet Curry Powder

  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons ground sweet paprika
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon cardamom

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
  • 4 tablespoons sweet curry powder
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • 1 sweet potato, cut into bite size cubes
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

 

In large skillet, over medium heat melt coconut oil and add onion & saute until translucent.  Add ground beef and saute until cooked through.  Add curry powder and saute until spices smell toasty.  Add in garlic, ginger & tomato puree.  Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir in sweet potato, cover and heat 15 minutes more.  Stir in peas & coconut milk, bring back to simmer, remove from heat & serve.