One of the best ways to get minerals is to eat lots of vegetables and some fruits. If you want a mineral packed source – turn to the sea.

Sea vegetables or seaweed are actually algae and contain nearly all the minerals needed by humans. These mineral include: calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iodine, iron, zinc and numerous trace minerals. Sea vegetables also contain important vitamins: beta carotene, B1, B2, B6, niacin, vitamin C, pantothenic acid and folic acid. It also, contains varying amounts of protein depending on type with the some red algae having amounts comparable to legumes.

Common sea vegetables are brown algae: arame, hijiki, kombu (aka kelp), wakame, agar-agar; and red algae: dulse, irish moss (carrageen) nori (aka laver).

Of note hijiki contains high amounts of calcium; kelp or kombu contains high amounts of magnesium; dulse is high in B6, iron and potassium.

Health Benefits include aiding in detoxification of the body (binding to heavy metals), source of minerals, support digestion, support the immune system, beneficial for bone, anemia, aid with hormone balance, may aid with weight loss by induce fat burning, lowering cholesterol, stabilizing blood sugar, reducing blood pressure and reducing risk of metabolic syndrome.

One study showed the ability of iodine or iodine-rich seaweed to inhibit breast tumor development: Smyth PPA. The thyroid, iodine and breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res. 2003;5:235-238.

Sea vegetables are also a source of lignans (also found in flax seed) which are thought to play a role in preventing certain types of cancer, particularly breast cancer.

Here are some easy ways to incorporate sea vegetables into your diet
· Add a piece of kombu or kelp in a pot of beans, soups and stocks
· A pinch to a handful of most any sea vegetable to any long cooked dishes such as lentil & bean soups, stews, chilis, etc
· Sprinkle flaked or cut up pieces of sea vegetables on salads, over rice or other grains.
· Use flaked sea vegetable as a seasoning in place of salt
· Add a small amount into baked goods
· Add to a sandwich
· Dry into snack chips

This is a favorite soup recipe which features laver or nori:

Laver Egg Drop Soup
4 servings

3 eggs
4 cups chicken stock
4 sheets of nori, torn into small pieces
1 Tbs corn starch
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs shaoshing wine or sherry
3 scallions, sliced
¼ tsp ground white pepper
¼ tsp toasted sesame oil

Stir together 1/2 cup of chicken stock with the cornstarch, set aside.

Lighty beat eggs.

In a medium size pot, heat together remaining chicken stock with ginger,
soy sauce, pepper and wine with the nori pieces. Bring to a boil, stir in the
cornstarch slurry. Let simmer. Add the scallions.

Turn off heat. While stirring the soup in a clockwise direction, slowly
add the egg in a thin stream. Garnish with a few drops of sesame oil.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

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Broiled Miso Orange Glazed Salmon

4 – 5-6 oz filets of salmon (thick cuts are best)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Sauce
½ cup light miso
zest of 1 orange (or tangerine)
juice of half an orange
1 Tbs mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, unseasoned

Garnish
3 scallions, thinly sliced
sesame seeds, lightly toasted (optional)

Mix sauce ingredients together.

Rub salmon filets with sesame oil. Marinate the salmon with 3 Tb of the sauce. Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or up to 8 hours. If you do not have time to marinate, don’t worry – just top with the sauce and broil – the dish will still be delicious.

Preheat broiler.

Place salmon filets on a baking sheet. Top with the remaining sauce. Broil for 8-10 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. The top of the sauce should be a rich brown color.

Place salmon on serving plates and garnish with a generous sprinkle of the scallion and sesame seeds.

Notes:

Sauce can be made ahead up to a week. Sauce can also be frozen.
Substitute with your favorite fish such as halibut, bass, sable, tilapia, etc

Enjoy!

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Truffled Tofu Mushroom Burgers

1 pkg of Firm Tofu (I used organic Hinoche brand, House is also nice – use organic to avoid GMO)
1 cup of sauteed mushrooms (any combination of sliced mushrooms, probably about 1 1/2 to 2 cups raw)
1 egg
3 scallions, thinly sliced
3 Tb italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan (or romano or guryere)
2/3 cup of bread crumbs (home made is easy to make – toast slices of bread and toss into a food processor or blender…I used half a Semifreddi ciabatta roll)
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
generous pinch of ground black pepper
1 tsp or more to taste herb garlic salt or store bought
1 Tb truffle oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for frying burgers

Remove tofu from package and let sit on a double layer of a clean dish towel to soak up extra moisture.
Meanwhile, chop up mushrooms (I used a food processor . Prepare the parsley and scallion.
Take the tofu block and smash it up – use a fork or potato masher. Mix this with the mushrooms, then add the remaining ingredients – bread crumbs last. Taste for seasoning – I like the mix to be well seasoned to hold up against the bread.

Let sit for a half hour or so – the mix will firm up (you can make the day before and refrigerate). Form into patties and saute in a medium hot pan with EVOO until browned on both sides.
I used a 2″ biscuit cutter to form the patties (you can use a bigger or smaller ring so the patties fit your buns) – take ring and put on a flat surface. Spoon in enough mix to form a 1/4″-1/3″ thick patty. Use the back of the spoon to press the mix in firmly. Remove the ring carefully. Transfer to the saute pan using a thin metal spatula.

Use your favorite bun or bread with all the fixins (mustard, mayo, relish, tomato, onion, lettuce, pickles, etc…).
Yesterday we used the seeded rolls from Neldam’s Bakery in Oakland – cute 2″ egg rolls with a buttery taste. I’ve made bigger burgers and used Alvarado Baking’s Sprouted Wheat Buns (available at most grocery stores, at least in the SF Bay Area)

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Diego, Quick get the Van – Boots has been kidnapped…

It’s cupcake madness in the TDK kitchen – we want the perfect topping for the 3 year old birthday girl. This recipe is based on Billy’s Bakery Chocolate Buttercream. The original called for semisweet chocolate but I opted for bittersweet and added a pinch of sea salt.

This recipe makes about 3 cups of frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter — room temp (2 sticks)
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate — melted and cooled
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.

With mixer on low speed, add chocolate until just combined. Scrape sides of bowl as needed.

Add milk, vanilla, sea salt and half the sugar; mix until well combined. Add remaining sugar.

Mix until smooth and creamy.

Store up to 2 days at room temperature in an airtight container.

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The topic for this month is ‘Rice.’ Here is one of the recipes – albeit not the healthiest of the bunch but a mighty tasty treat.

Lemon Cinnamon Arborio Rice Pudding

2 1/2 cup water
1 qt of whole milk
pinch of sea salt
3 each cinnamon sticks
zest of 2 lemons
1 cup Arborio rice
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup organic sugar
1 t vanilla extract

Bring milk and water to a boil.  Add salt, cinnamon stick and zest.   Stir in 1 cup Arborio rice.  Stir often to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  In a small bowl, blend yolks and sugar together with a whisk.  When rice is cooked, ‘temper’ yolk sugar mixture by stirring a ½ cup of the hot rice mixture into the yolks. Then stir in this yolk mixture to the hot rice.  Stir in vanilla. Pour into individual bowls or one large bowl. Chill before serving.

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I like to make a big batch of this chili on the weekends and freeze in two portions containers. This chili with and a big salad rounds out the meal on a busy weeknight.

When shopping for ingredients try to get low sodium and organic brands.

2 cups or 1 pound of your favorite dried beans (ex. pinto, black bean, navy, kidney)
2 Tb. lemon juice or vinegar

1 lb. ground grass fed ground beef or naturally raised turkey (more or less if you like)
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained – fire roasted is nice
1 jar (16 oz.) Chunky Salsa or other favorite salsa – low sodium and no sugar added!
2 cups of water
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
sea salt to taste
Hot Sauce to taste

OVERNIGHT, SOAK beans in 5 cups of water and the 2 TB of lemon juice or vinegar. The next day, drain beans.

Brown ground meat in skillet on medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Put into the Crock Pot along with the remaining ingredients – tomatoes, salsa, water and seasonings. Stir Well.

Cook on HIGH for 5 to 6 hours or LOW for 9 to 10 hours.

Serve with optional garnishes: Shredded cheddar or jack cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, diced fresh tomatoes

To complete the meal, serve chili with a salad and steamed vegetables.

Variations:
· Use ground chicken or lamb or buffalo or vegetarian with no meat
· Any combination of beans work well – for a twist try garbanzos or black eyed peas
· Add ground chipotle chile to taste to give the chili a spicy smokiness
· The last 20-30 minutes of cooking, add a bag of frozen corn or spinach for extra nutrition

This can also be made in a 6 quart pot on the stove. Cook time would probably be an hour or two.

Enjoy!

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Wanting a little sweet – I decided to make a gluten free and egg free cookie and here is what I came up with (I made the almond version):

Peanut Butter or Almond Cookies
48 cookies

1/2 cup butter, unsalted
8 ounces peanut butter — or almond butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flax seed — ground
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla — or almond extract if making almond cookies
1 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup glutinous rice flour
1/4 cup almond meal
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup sesame seeds — to roll; optional

Cream butter and sugar. Add milk, extract and flax seed. Mix together rest of ingredients and add to butter mixture. Form into 1″ diameter balls. Roll in sesame seeds. Bake 375 for 8-10 minutes

Per Cookie: 84 Calories; 5g Fat (56.8% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 6mg Cholesterol; 89mg Sodium.

If you want to make these dairy free you can substitute the butter with coconut oil and the milk with water.

Enjoy!

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Chinese Style Roast Duck

Duck Prep:
The night before the hot bath, season the duck with salt and pepper inside and out. Refrigerate until ready to proceed with the next steps.

Make Glaze:
0.5 c cider vinegar
3 c water
0.5 tub maltose (rice malt syrup, found in Chinese grocers)
zest from 1 orange (use vegetable peeler to get wide strips)
2 – 3” cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
2 in” fresh ginger, slice into thin slices
1 t whole cloves

Simmer all together.
Thicken with 1 T water chestnut flour/starch (found in Chinese grocers) dissolved in 2 T cold water. With the glaze simmering and while stirring the glaze, pour in the chestnut flour slurry.
Bring back to a simmer, strain & cool
This can be done many days ahead of time. You can use this glaze for many ducks.

Hot Bath:
2 gal water
1T baking powder

Bring water to boil and scald duck for 2-3 minutes. The fat skin should feel soften and loosened from the body. If the fat does not feel loose you can dunk for a few more minutes. You can use this bath for many ducks.

Preparing & Drying Duck:

Dip duck in glaze. Salt & pepper inside of duck. Hang in a cool dry place with a fan blowing for at least 6 hours*. Put a tray under to catch any drippings. Roast in a preheated 350 oven on a rack for 1 hour. Turn over once to brown evenly.

Hanging – I used a wire coat hanger, hanging the duck under it’s wings. You can use some butcher’s twine to secure it if needed.

*Note and disclaimer: this method of hanging a scalded raw duck at room temperature goes against all food safety rules

The temperature danger zone is the temperature at which bacteria multiply rapidly. The temperature is from 40 degree Fahrenheit to 140 degree Fahrenheit. Foods should not be allowed to stay in this temperature zone for more than 2 hours (1 hour on a very hot day).

In other words, hanging the duck at room temperature for 6 hours can cause food poisoning so prepare using this recipe at your discretion!

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In all my turkey eating days, I have tried cheapo supermarket branded birds, Butterball and Foster Farms…
Then I became a food snob and tried Willie Bird, Diestel, Trader Joe’s Kosher, Trader Joe’s natural and a Heritage.

Hands down, I love my free range Diestel. Moist and full of good rich turkey flavor.

Willie Birds come in a very close 2nd.
Heritage – not as meaty, meat is dark and while tasty – quite pricey (boy did I hear it from Mom last year…and still).
TJ’s turkey’s are a great buy but it wasn’t as moist as the Diestel and flavor wise – I’d call it turkey lite.

Since I have to make about a gallon of gravy this year I bought a whole TJ turkey, boned out the breast and saved the thighs. The remaining carcass went into the oven until golden brown and made into a rich brown turkey stock.

On my list to try is Mary’s Free Range(they sure raise some tasty chickens) – maybe after T-day or next year.
As for the merry band of turkey’s roaming the hood…no worries guys – you’re safe from me!

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• Zucchini Crisp…say what?

• Zucchini in Filo

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• Zucchini Lasagna

Enjoy!

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