Tasty Bytes

If you ask a holistic nutritionist or a chef you will get huge protests!

But today, lets just get down to a recipe…I decided to make some flavored salt for Holiday gifts and this one is now a staple in my kitchen.

Herb Garlic Sea Salt

1 cup loosely packed fresh herbs; leaves plucked, washed and dried (you can use one or more of: dill, rosemary, basil, sage, chives, tarragon, oregano, marjarom, thyme)

I 1/4 cup Redmond sea salt, fine
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
optional: 2 tablespoons of lemon or orange zest

Whirl up all ingredients in a food processor.  Spread on a half sheet pan and dry in a warm *oven.  Stir occasionally to break up lumps. When dry (about 1 hour), cool completely before storing in airtight jars.

*a gas oven with the pilot or turn on the oven for about 15 minutes to heat up then turn off before putting in the salt to dry.

but when it comes to waffles, I will not waffle on ’scratch’ vs store bought mix.

When I was a kid, breakfast was usually cream of wheat or oatmeal. Sometimes we’d get eggs or pancakes but as a special weekend treat…my favorite (besides congee) - waffles.
We didn’t really know how to make them from ’scratch’ so we used the old standby - Bisquick. Of all the mixes out there, Mom declared this the best.

Well, it is tasty stuff but ingredient wise, it is a minefield of additives and the dreaded trans fats.

Through the years, my sister and I played around with various recipes. This year, 2008, she hit the waffle gold standard…crispy on the outside, soft and tender on the inside. She emailed me of this discovery but upon scrolling down the email - no recipe. Finally, she coughed it up and that has been our stand by recipe.

Now Mom loves her pancakes and waffles too (it’s genetic) but she can’t be bothered with making pancakes or waffles from scratch first thing in the morning. 
It’s got to be quick - she’s 70+ and she’s got things to do!

On one of my recent visits, to my horror, she had Brand B Mix sitting on her table. Of course I scanned the label and it is still laden with additives and the dreaded artery clogging trans fats.
“Oh, it’s just a little bit.” Mom always declares when I protest one of her food choices.
True, she has waffles or pancakes once a month or so…(isn’t that right Mom?) but there has to be a better mix…
“No!” she declared…she has tried them all. She definitely gets an “A” for effort.

So, I became inspired to make a better mix…I wanted:

• whole grain
• fiber
• real fat - butter
• as many organic ingredients as possible
• makes a crispy waffle
• Mom likes it better than brand B

After a bit of research here is a recipe for…

Two Sisters Waffle Mix

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups glutinous rice flour (Mochiko brand or equivalent)
1 1/4 cup all purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup buttermilk powder (Bob’s Red Mill)
1/3 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons baking powder (aluminum free)
3/4 Tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients with a mixer until the butter is thoroughly incorporated into the flours. The mix will look like a fine meal.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.
Will keep for 6 to 8 months.
Makes 7 1/2 cups of mix.

To make a waffle or pancake batter, beat 1 egg with 1/3 to 1/2 cup water and stir in 1 cup of the waffle mix.

This year Mom will be getting a bag of this mix for Christmas…I hope it passes…
I know P and I enjoyed our breakfast this morning

Happy Holidays!

I love Pot de Creme…a custard that is oh so creamy.
And if you make them in 2 ounce or so ‘pots’ it is just the right amount to satisfy (most) sweet tooths after a big meal like Thanksgiving dinner.

I’ve got a Lemon Verbena bush in the garden and have been plucking it’s leaves for a soothing cup of tea and a treat -  Lemon Verbena Pot de Creme

Here is a recipe based on Alice Water’s recipe for Vanilla Bean Pot de Creme from Simple Food.

Lemon Verbena Pot de Creme

3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup half and half
pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon verbena leaves, loosely packed (sub: zest from 3/4 of a medium lemon if you do not have lemon verbena. Strips of lemon zest from 1/4 of a medium lemon, I like to use a vegetable peeler)
4 egg yolks
3 Tablespoons + 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Boil about 2 quarts of water - set aside.

Heat cream and half & half with the pinch of sea salt, lemon verbena and lemon zest over medium heat. Heat it just until before it boils.

While the cream is heating, mix egg yolks with the sugar.

When the cream mix is hot slowly whisk in a few tablespoons of this hot mixture into the yolk mixture at a time until all the cream is mixed into the yolks.

Strain lemon in to the cream mixture and pour into 8 - 2 ounce ramekins. Put the ramekins into a pan and pour hot water into the pan until it reaches halfway up the outside of the ramekin. Seal with foil and bake in the 350F oven for 15-20 minutes.

The custards are ready when the edges around the ramekin are ’solid’ but the middle still has a little jiggle to them. Remove from pan and set on a rack to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Enjoy!

Some folks don’t like turkey…so how about the traditional

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!

Ever wonder what to do with lots of zucchini? Check out Planet Veggie Garden for some zucchini recipes:

• Zucchini Crisp…say what?

• Zucchini in Filo

• Zucchini Florentine and

• Zucchini Lasagna

Enjoy!

and what to do with a growing patch of tarragon.

I planted some French tarragon some years back - just because. A beautiful herb with thin leaves growing on each sprig with a fennel like flavor. The first year, I transplanted the tiny plant from it’s 2″ pot and watched it grow. I didn’t really have many recipes in my repertoire that required tarragon. Come Fall it started to die off and by Winter it’s little home became a barren patch of dirt. I thought it had died Spring sprang and every Spring now it grows out of control through the Summer. I make attempts to incorporate them into dishes but never enough to really feel like I am taking advantage of this delicate herb. This year I hope to use this herb a bit more so here is the first recipe…

Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Tarragon

1 cup Whole Wheat Orzo Pasta

1 bunch Asparagus, blanched; cut into 1/3 inch pieces

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

8 halves sun-dried tomato, soften in water then diced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

zest of half a lemon

4 sprigs of tarragon, remove leaves and chop

¼ cup lemon juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Cook 1 cup of orzo pasta. Drain and cool with cold water. Drain well.

Put pasta in large bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Season to taste with additional sea salt, pepper and lemon juice.

If you are not into orzo try substituting Quinoa, Faro, Bulgar, Rice, Buckwheat or any other favorite grain.
Enjoy!

My all time favorite holiday next to Chinese New Years is Thanksgiving - both holidays that revolve around traditional foods.

A few members of the family aren’t too fond of pumpkin pie and those that are seem to leave most of the crust on their plate. So I experimented last month for a cooking demo I did at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center in Oakland and came up with a Sweet Potato Flan. Not quite pumpkin I know but close enough in my book.

Here is a revised version of the recipe I demo’ed last month:

Sweet Potato Flan

1 -2 red-skinned sweet potato/ yam; about 12 ounces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ cup half and half
4 large eggs
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, grate fresh from a seed for best flavor
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
maple syrup to taste (about ¼ cup)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatos with fork; roast until tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on width of potato. Cool. The skin should be very loose - peel potato by hand and press into a measuring cup - measure out 1 1/2 cup.

Stir 1/2 cup sugar and the tablespoon of water in small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour caramel into 8-inch-diameter metal cake pan. Using pot holders, swirl cake pan, allowing caramel to coat bottom and about 1/2 inch up sides. If the caramel solidifies before you can coat the entire bottom of the pan then warm it up a bit in the oven. Be careful, the hot caramelized sugar will stick to you like molten lava and leave a nasty burn!

Use a blender (or a deep bowl and stick blender) to puree up the eggs, half and half, sea salt, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Stir in maple syrup to taste (about ¼ cup). Pour flan mixture into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Put pan on the middle rack of the oven. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until just set in center, about 1 hour. Remove flan from water. Chill until cold, about 5 hours. You can make this up to a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Run a sharp pointed knife along the inside edge of the cake pan to loosen the flan. Invert onto rimmed plate, scraping caramel in pan over flan.

If your heart is set on pumpkin go ahead and use pumpkin - either fresh roasted or canned is fine. Other winter squash would be wonderful too - try butternut, hubbard, or kabocha.

Enjoy!

Sister P really knows how to cook. Yesterday’s BBQ’d baby back ribs and chicken along with apple cherry pie were out of this world! The recipes will have to wait another day but here is a recipe for another of P’s gems. This pesto is my all time favorite - the addition of the lemon and capers really add zing. Pesto’s in general are great to add variety to weekday meals. Just make a big batch and freeze in cubes using an ice cube tray. Once frozen the cubes can then be transfered to a labeled freezer bag. The cubes will defrost quickly to make weeknight dinners a tasty snap.

Not just for pasta - Use the pesto as a coating on fish or prawns or chicken or turkey before broiling or roasting in the oven. We like a generous layer on top of fish or chicken or turkey - about 1/8″. Another idea - throw a tablespoon or so in your next tuna salad. How about a few tablespoons in a chick pea dip like hummus (minus the tahini and cumin)? Or sauteed with your favorite vegetables. Maybe as a base on pizza instead of tomato sauce. So many ideas - be creative!

Macadamia Nut Pesto

2 tablespoons macadamia nuts

2 tablespoons basil, fresh

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon sea salt

3 teaspoons capers

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pulse nuts a few times in a food processor. Add basil, pulse a few times again. Add the garlic, lemon zest, pepper, salt and capers pulse a few times. Add lemon juice and water. With the food processor turned on, slowly add the olive oil in a slow steady stream. As needed, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Makes ½ cup.

Variation - substitute basil leaves with fresh dill or Italian parsley or spinach

I’ve been a tad busy these days so am thankful for quick recipes and my stocked freezer. Like the lentil soup I had posted on previously I like to make a big batch of this turkey chili and freeze in two portion containers. During the week I’ll make a big pot of brown rice to have at the ready as a side or to make fried rice. This chili with some brown rice and a big salad rounds out the meal in less than 15 minutes! So you see, we can still eat a nutritious meal if we plan ahead.

When shopping for ingredients try to get low sodium and organic brands. This recipe is really economical if you buy the groceries at Trader Joe’s.

Three Bean Turkey Chili

3/4 lb. ground 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!
1 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) great Northern beans or white beans, drained, rinsed
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
sea salt to taste
Hot Sauce to taste
Optional: Shredded Cheddar Cheese, sliced green onions, diced fresh tomatoes

COOK ground turkey in large saucepan on medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally.

ADD tomatoes, salsa, beans and seasonings; mix well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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

Variations:

Use ground chicken or grass-fed beef or lamb or vegetarian with no meat and an extra can of beans

Any combination of beans work well - try garbanzos

Add ground chipotle chile to taste to give the chili a spicy smokiness

Add a bag of frozen corn

Enjoy!

Busy busy.

Here is a very tasty and quick thai dish I made tonight. The recipe is based on this after googling in search of a recipe for a dish we had Sunday night at a Thai restaurant in Milpitas. The dish we had was minced pork with eggplant and Thai basil. We all agreed it was the best of everything we ordered.

Since I had nearly a bunch of extra Thai basil and some ground turkey I thought I’d try to recreate the basic taste I enjoyed Sunday. No eggplant but some peppers in the crisper so I adjusted.

Enjoy!

Minced Turkey with Thai Basil

Serving Size : 4 to 6

Preparation Time :0:15

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
2 tablespoons oil
4 cloves garlic — minced
2/3 cup red and green bell pepper — 1/2″ cubes
1/4 cup onion — diced
1 pound turkey, ground
2 tablespoons chili paste — or use a few or a lot of minced fresh red thai chilis
2 tablespoons oyster sauce — I like Dragonfly brand (no added MSG)
3 tablespoons fish sauce — I’ve been using Squid Brand
2 teaspoons brown sugar — or sucanat or palm sugar
1 cup thai basil — roughly chopped

Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and saute until golden. Add peppers and onions. Saute a few more minutes.

Turn up heat and add ground turkey. Add a bit of water if contents start to get too dry. When nearly cooked through add the chili paste, oyster sauce, fish sauce and brown sugar. Stir in the sauces and reduce down until it coats the turkey. Add the chopped thai basil and cook a few more minutes.

Serve with jasmine rice and a side of stir-fried or steamed veggies

Variations:
Use pork, beef, lamb, chicken or duck
For fun, serve in lettuce cups