• 03May

    R and M invited the family over to their new house for a spring roll out. Everyone had a great time rolling up their own tasty bite.

    Here’s a Blue Print for

    Fresh Spring Rolls

    Rice Paper Wrappers (preferably a brand that has tapioca flour in it)

    Suggested fillings – use to your taste:

    Protein: tofu cut into strips, cooked shrimp split in half, strips of pork

    Noodles: rice vermicelli or mung bean noodles

    Vegetables: mung bean sprouts, lettuce cut into strips or baby lettuce mix, julienne or grated carrot, cucumber, red pepper strips

    For fun: apple, pear, jicama or mango

    Herbs: basil, thai basil, mint, cilantro

    The How To:
    Prepare proteins. Cook noodles to package instructions Prepare Vegetables & Herbs. You can keep these separate on a large tray or mix together in a big bowl.

    To make rolls: Fill a bowl with warm water. Dip one wrapper at a time into the water for a few seconds to soften. Lay the wrapper on a clean dry chopping board or dinner plate. The rice paper should become pliable within a few seconds.

    In a row across the middle, put slices of tofu or 3 prawns if using, some noodles, veggies and a few leaves of herbs. Leave about 1-1 1/2 inches on each side.

    Fold the sides inward, then start to roll tightly and firmly from the end that is near to you into a cylinder, enclosing the filling completely.

    Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately with dipping sauce(s).

    Dipping Sauces

    Nuoc Cham

    2 clove of garlic, crushed
    2 tbsp sugar
    2 tbsp lime juice
    3 tbsp fish sauce
    3 tbsp rice vinegar
    1 tsp red chili paste (Sambal)
    some chopped cilantro (optional)

    Mix all the ingredients and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Then, stir in cilantro.

    Quick Peanut Sauce

    1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
    2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
    2 tsp tamari
    1 tsp red chile paste (Sambal)
    1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
    1/2 cup water

    In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, tamari, hoisin sauce, chile paste and garlic until well mixed. Gradually whisk in water until smooth and creamy.

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  • 29Mar

    Spring has sprung up like a green goddess…

    A month or so ago I ran across a Basil Green Goddess Dressing from Ina Garten aka the Barefoot Contessa. Yum Yum. Of course I had to make a few adjustments to the recipe – I just can’t help myself.

    This is a great recipe that is very versatile so you can take advantage of times when you have an over abundance of fresh green herbs – the recipe calls for a whole cup!

    Today, I decided to use the fresh tender sprigs of French Tarragon that is sprouting up rather than the basil called for in the recipe. I thought that other herbs could stand in for the Basil as well. A mix of herbs – oregano, chives, mint, fennel fronds are all possibilites.

    Here is the recipe:

    Tarragon Green Goddess Dressing

    1/2 cup mayonnaise …or better yet – half a large avocado
    1 cup chopped scallions (about 6)
    1 cup tarragon or basil leaves
    1 teaspoon of lemon zest
    1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, (about 1-2)
    2 cloves garlic
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    1 1/2 cup whole milk Greek style yogurt

    Put all ingredients except the yogurt in a blender and whirl up until smooth. Whisk in the yogurt. Adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

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  • 22Feb

    Many of us have or suspect we have food sensitivites. Many of the symptoms we experience do not seem to be related to ingestion of a particular food. For instance, a rash or eczema, joint pain, headaches, foggy brain… And then the symptoms that we may associate with something we have eaten: nausea, intestinal distress. In my case, I suspect egg protein is causing a small patch of eczema. I’ll eliminate egg from my diet for a month or so and see if the patch clears.

    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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  • 21Dec

    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.

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  • 20Dec

    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!

     

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  • 23Nov

    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!

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  • 20Nov

    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!

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  • 24Aug

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

    Enjoy!

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  • 14Apr

    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!

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  • 14Nov

    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!

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