Super quick lunch: Black Bean and Rice Soup

I don't know about you, but I'm a busy mom who usually takes care of her own needs last. Also, if I don't eat properly and at regular intervals I get super grouchy and irrational. So here's one of my quick lunch ideas for crazy days.

I bought some cartons of soup the other day in the natural section of my local grocery just to keep on hand. (Mine is made by Pacific Natural Foods). One of them was a spicy black bean that just plain looked good. I had some left over rice from dinner the night before, and a lightbulb went on. Rice in bowl, top with soup. Hm... Looks kind of bland. Maybe add some dairy free shreds, avocado, cilantro leaves, sliced green onion, and a drizzle of a spicy taco sauce! Much better.

Obviously if you eat dairy you can go wild! Pepper jack, sour cream, shoot, chop up some olives and crush some corn chips while you're at it!

I would say just check your soup labels and make sure there's no MSG in it. MSG is evil and goes by many different names: yeast extract, autolyzed yeast, textured protein... please please educate yourself on this topic. It's an excitatory neurotransmitter, and does occur in natural forms- HOWEVER, the manufactured version can cause a lot of problems especially in children who are far more sensitive to it. Many people will suffer headaches, migraines, upset stomachs, ADD, and some information is linking MSG to obesity. I read an article the other day about MSG sort of turning off our body's signal that makes us feel and recognize that we are full! Fascinating and scary all at the same time. So read your labels, and know what you're putting in your body as well as your children's!

There. Off my soap box. Enjoy!

Dairy Free Review

I'm creating this post on my phone, so let's see how she goes.

Of all the things I've cut out of my diet on the quest to find out what is wrong, cheese is what I miss the most. Dill Havarti, Fontina, Smoked Gouda....

But there are some alternatives out there. Not all of them are great, and some are downright disappointing. In my case, I am not able to have the soy or almond cheeses that contain casein. This narrows my options down even further! Thank heavens for Daiya. Made from tapioca, arrowroot, and various other ingredients, this is a great alternative for us former cheese lovers. It melts and lends that creaminess to your tacos, pasta, and soups! It's also completely vegan and comes in mozzarella, cheddar, and pepper jack forms. The only drawback is that it's missing that cheesy tang to it. This tastes more like American cheese no matter which package you grab. That being said, it's still my favorite to date and I'm so glad even my local grocery carries it! You can find this at New Seasons and Whole Foods in your area.

Chicken and Rice Noodles with Gai Lan

   

   I've found these delicious fresh rice noodles in the refrigerated section of my local Asian market- they are to DIE for! I buy them in a folded-whole-sheet configuration if that makes any sense, and then cut them myself to whatever thickness I'm feeling like that day. Usually I'll stir fry them with some GF tamari until they're nice and soft and have some slight caramelization on them.

   Oyster sauce is also another good idea, and there are also GF versions available of this tasty treat. Wok Mei seems to make quite a few whole food Asian style sauces, and so far they've all been pretty good! Just drizzle a bit of sauce on your cooking noodles, and toss to coat. Sometimes the noodles stick together while cooking, so I just take 2 chopsticks and work them apart- takes a little while, but it's worth the effort.

   Also to be found in the Asian market is Chinese broccoli or gai lan. This slightly bitter green is absolutely delicious, and really is a cross in my mind between kale greens with asparagus stems. It's a great source of vitamins A, C, and K. Also a good source of Iron if, like me, you tend to be a bit deficient in that area. You can stir fry this with some minced garlic, ginger, and tamari- or soy sauce if you don't have issues with gluten.

   On to the recipe!
  
   For the Chicken:
   2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
   1T Corn Starch
   2t.Tamari (or soy sauce)
   1T Dry Sherry or Shaohsing Rice Wine
   1t. Sesame Oil
   Pinch of Black Pepper 
  
   Oyster Sauce
   Sweet Chili sauce or Garlic Chili sauce (found in the Asian section of your grocery store) to taste
   
   Veggies:
   1 bunch Gai Lan rinsed and chopped into 1" sections crosswise
   1-2 cloves Garlic, minced
   1t. fresh Ginger, grated
   1-2t. Tamari
   Sliced shiitake mushrooms if you like
  
   Noodles:
   1 package fresh Rice Noodles cut to your desired thickness.
   1-2T. Tamari
   Oyster Sauce
   *toss the cut noodles and tamari in a bowl or plate to coat before cooking*

   Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat. Let marinade while you chop up any veggies you may be using in your dish. You can also toss your noodles in the tamari at this point as well.

  Heat your wok on high till just smoking, add about 1T of any kind of oil with a high smoke point. Typically this would be peanut oil, but you could use grape seed oil or canola oil, and I'd be interested to try avocado oil. Swirl this around your wok and place on the high heat. You should see a slight shimmer in the oil- this means your wok is hot and you're ready to rock!

   Add in 1/2 your chicken and spread around the wok. Let it sit on the hot wok to get a good sear and develop that slightly crisp delicious coating for about a minute or so. THEN stir the chicken with a wok spatula to turn- again letting it sear and brown. Stir again more frequently now until the meat is no longer pink, and is done in the center. Set aside on a covered plate and repeat. As the second batch nears the 'done' point, add in your first batch of chicken along with a good drizzle of your oyster and chili sauces. Maybe a couple of tablespoons each. (I do a lot of cooking by sight and feel, so please forgive my approximations!) Set the sauced-up chickies to the side and get on with your veggies!

  Usually I'll rinse and scrub my wok in hot water between stages. This just reduces any sticking and prevents any sauce residue from burning. Once you've rinsed and scrubbed, set your wok back on high heat to dry it and bring it up to temp BEFORE adding your fresh oil.

  Add your oil to your hot, dry wok- swirl to coat. Take your gai lan and add it not to the center of the wok, but sort of slide it down the edge toward the center- less chance of oil splattering this way. Stir fry to start the greens wilting, then add in your garlic and ginger. Stir again and let cook just a little bit before adding in the tamari. Toss to coat, and set aside.

  You can rinse your wok again, but I probably would just plug along as is at this point. Add just a smidge more oil to your hot wok and add in your marinated rice noodles. These can take a little while to soften up, so be patient. I'll turn the little bricks of noodles every so often and when I start seeing some slight caramelization on the noodles I know I can start breaking them apart. Basically I just take my two chopsticks and work them apart creating separations in the noodles wherever I can. Stir and repeat on any clumps. Sometimes I'm lazy and leave some clumps together- these wind up being my favorite bites! Once the noodles are softened and slightly browned on the edges, it's time to eat!

  Layer the noodles in your bowl, top with the gai lan and chicken. You can make this as fancy as you want- add more sesame oil, bean sprouts, sesame seeds, peanuts, tofu, whatever you like. Go find a quiet place to hide from your kids, because they'll want some too. (At least mine always do!)

*Again, I know this seems like a lot of steps, but like so many things I PROMISE it gets easier and faster with practice. Ready? GO!*
  

Congee

  AKA: Jook is more common in Asian countries and consumed mainly at breakfast. It basically consists of a small amount of rice cooked in a large amount of liquid. What you end up with is this lovely sort of savory hot rice cereal. I don't like the word porridge, so I will refrain from using it. I cannot sing the praises of this dish loud enough (and trust me when I say Me + Singing = Bad News, Honey!) Very allergy friendly and you get to choose your own toppings!

   Start with a good chicken stock. I am in love with Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking. In it she has this awesome recipe for a rich Chinese chicken stock, and I've adapted it to suit my schedule.

1 (3lb) Whole Chicken, neck and all. (Check the cavity for any packaging though!)
8-10 cups of water
10 Green Onions, cut in half crosswise
10 Ginger Slices
1 Red Onion, cut in chunks
10 Garlic Cloves, smashed

Basically I plunk everything in my slow cooker and let it cook on low for about 6 hours.

THEN...

   Pull the chicken out of the pot, and set to cool. Fish out all the veggies that have lent their goodness to the stock. I put these on a plate also and let them drain for a bit, adding back to the pot any juices that have collected. Discard the veg. Strain the stock through a sieve- you can line it with cheesecloth if you feel the need to catch the finer bits that may be floating around. You can usually find cheesecloth in any grocery store in the baking aisle. Usually I will refrigerate the stock overnight to let the fat solidify on top. I scrape this off before making the congee.

   Start pulling apart your chicken, discard the skin and bones. I give some of the more unsavory bits to my cat, and he loves me for it! Save the meat for your completed dish.

When you are ready to make the congee....

8-10 cups of Stock
1 cup of Rice- I use Calrose or Glutinous Rice
Salt to taste

   Just bring the stock to a simmer if it's been in the fridge. Add the rice and let it simmer away- usually for an hour or so, stirring occasionally. It will be thick and sort of like a slightly runny oatmeal. (Probably you could do this in the crock too, but I haven't tried it yet.)

Now for the FUN part!

   In the picture above, I have ladled the congee in the bottom of my bowl, some of my cold chicken with tamari on top, then stir fried a few different things and arranged them around the bowl. Today I had some tofu and Chinese eggplant that I stir fried with some black bean sauce and a touch of a garlic chili paste. Then I chopped some miscellaneous mushrooms that I had; some cremini, shiitake, and chantrelle. I stir fried those with some fresh spinach and a Sichuan pepper and salt mixture. The garnish is made of some pea shoots and bean sprouts that I washed really really well in cold running water. I drizzled some sweet chili sauce on top as well as a good toasted sesame oil. Some peanuts and fried green onion and voila!

   It sounds like a lot, but it's SO worth it- and stir frying is quick and easy. This will keep in the fridge for a few days. I just prep all my goodies ahead of time so all I have to do is warm my congee then assemble the lovelies on top when I'm ready to eat. Serve with a nice cup of tea and enjoy!

*Remember*

   You can choose your own toppings- use what you like!

  

Roasted Beets with Garlic and Herbs

Long time no see- seems I've got some catching up to do!

A while back I got my grubby mitts on some really good looking organic beets. I bought golden and your typical red sort. Gosh, I love beets. Especially pickled... but I digress. I remember my mom always boiling them in a big pot. Boooring! So I did some searching online to see what else I could do with them, and stumbled upon a suggestion to roast them in the oven in a foil packet. Genius! Roasted veg always seems to come out wonderfully sweet and slightly caramelized. So get you-

1 bunch of organic beets. (About 3-4 beets- I did 2 bunches above) The golden sort are slightly milder than their earthier brothers.

Olive Oil
Garlic Cloves
Sea Salt
Pepper
Fresh Herbs from your garden. I used Oregano and Marjoram.
Tin Foil

Cut the tops off your beets, but leave the root "tail" on. You can cook the beet greens, but mine were quite wilted by the time I got to them. Make sure you scrub these babies really well. I have a designated brush in the kitchen for my root veggies.

Start fashioning your tinfoil packet. Lay a sheet of tinfoil down with your beets in the center and slightly curl the edges up. Add in your garlic cloves. You can smash them slightly before hand, or leave them whole- it's up to you. Sprinkle over the salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat.

Seal up your packet, using a second sheet of foil to cover the top if needed. Plunk this in a preheated 425 degree oven until the beets are soft- about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size. You may require additional cooking time if you've got some big boys cooking away.

Once these guys are fork tender, you can take them out of the oven and let them cool a bit. You are going to have to peel them, so make sure they're cool enough to handle. Some of my beets I could just use my hands and sort of slough the skins right off. A few of them I had to resort to using a small paring knife to get the job done. The juice will stain, so use a cutting board that you don't really care about. I cut the peeled beets into cubes for adding to salads and generally snacking on (also reserving the roasted garlic- SO GOOD.), but you could slice these thinly and serve with cottage cheese (my favorite!) or as a side with a little vinnaigrette, in a sandwich- whatever tickles your fancy.

Be warned- I've been guilty of eating so many beets that I've been (how to say this delicately?) surprised in the loo. Do not fear- you are not dying, and it's not armageddon. It's simply the natural pigment in the veg. They've dyed wool with the stuff for heaven's sake.

Potato Salad

I just cain't STAND it anymore! Here in the Pacific Northwest we are being cheated. Cheated I tell you! Where is summer? Where is the SUN, the heat, the backyard parties with kids running through sprinklers and adults sipping their dripping beverages under the shade of an umbrella? Humbug. I'm not waiting any longer. Give me BBQ, and baked beans, and...


Potato Salad (original recipe by Tyler Florence)

Sorry, Mr. Florence, but I tinkered with this just a smidge.

2lbs. small Yukon gold potatoes (I used BIG ones because they were available. Just allow more cooking time.)
2 large eggs
Kosher salt
1/2 bunch sliced scallions, white and green parts
1c. mayonnaise (Mr F. calls for two. I disagree.)
1c. Greek yogurt (just DO it- because I said so.)
1-2T honey (also because I said so... and local is best)
2T drained capers (I didn't have any, so I didn't use any.)
1/4c. Dijon mustard
1/4c. finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4c. pickle juice
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2T flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh dill, chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
fresh ground black pepper
extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

Put the potatoes and eggs together in a big saucepan full of cold salted water. Bring to a simmer. After 12 minutes, remove the eggs, run under cold water, and peel. Continue cooking potatoes until they are tender when pierced with a knife. Drain potatoes and let them cool.

Reserve some capers (if using) and scallions for garnish. Stir together mayo, yogurt, 1T. honey, mustard,  pickles, juices, onion, scallion, capers, parsley, and dill in a large mixing bowl. Check for seasoning. ALWAYS check for seasoning. Maybe you want that second tablespoon of honey, and maybe you don't! Maybe your great-grandma Fanny always used paprika. Do what feels right. Finely chop the egg and add in. Cut up the cool(er) potatoes and toss them in the dressing. Check for seasoning again. Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours (or even overnight!) in order for those flavors to really come to life.

GF Caramelized Onion Buns

Got this awesome book that I LOVE from the library called Cooking for Isaiah by Silvana Nardone. In it are gluten and dairy free recipes that are family (and mom) friendly, mouth watering pictures... need I say more?

Anyhoo, We have this awesome chipotle chicken sandwich planned for tomorrow night's dinner, and I was in need of a bun on which to place said chipotle chicken. Enter: Bialy Bread Slabs. They look like little ciabatta buns, only flecked with glorious caramelized onions... I left the poppy seeds out only because (well, really because I didn't have any, but also) I don't really care for them. They get stuck in your teeth, and you don't realize it, so you go around town talking to all your friends with a silly seedy grin until ten o'clock at night when you finally go to brush your teeth... oh, for pity's sake.

Bialy Bread Slabs (tweaked version)

3T Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Yellow onion, chopped
(Here is where the author would say 1T poppy seeds. I say don't bother.)

Salt- I use Kosher.

2c. GF All purpose flour mix. Plus more for dusting (The author uses her own mix, I used Pamela's bread mix)
1 (1/4oz) packet (or 2 1/4t. bulk) Active dry east
1t. Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar (honey would be good!)
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4c. warm water

In a skillet, heat 1T olive oil over medium low heat. Cook the onions until caramelized- this may take some time, don't rush it! Nobody likes the flavor of burnt onion. (Here is where you would stir in the poppy seeds if using) along with a pinch of salt.

In a large bowl, mix flour, yeast, 1t. salt, and sugar. Whisk together. Add egg white, 2T olive oil, caramelized onions, and water. Stir until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of lightly floured parchment paper (12 inches or more). Lightly flour the top
of your dough, and press into a rectangle shape about 3/4in in thickness. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes. Cut in to 4 equal pieces.

Place your oven rack in the bottom position with your baking stone on top. Mine has handles, but if yours doesn't, consider using a cookie sheet (per author) to help pull the stone out of the oven. Preheat oven to 450. Brush each piece of bread with olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Slide the bread- parchment and all- on to the preheated stone. My parchment had to be folded under to reduce the likelyhood of an oven fire. Bake until golden brown about 10 minutes. Remove from stone and let cool on a wire rack.

These delightful little buns are truly delicious. I had one lightly toasted with just some buttery spread on, and it was really just like a gluten free comfort food. Can't wait to try more recipes from this book- especially the Toasted Ham and Tomato Cornbread Sandwiches with Jalapeno Mayo. Have you seen the picture? You should! Why do these pages not come in scratch and sniff?!?

After note: the chipotle chicken that I wound up placing on this wonderful bun was quite simple. My husband and I marinated 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (that he had skillfully cut in half) in a mixture of:

3T. olive oil
1T. lime juice
1/2t. chipotle chili powder 

for about an hour. Then Scott sprinkled them with salt, and grilled them up! (Okay. Truthfully, we doubled the recipe.)

We had regular ciabatta buns for our gluten eating friends, and I used the GF buns for myself. We topped the sammy with lettuce, tomato, avocado, some pepper jack, mayo... Hubby even caramelized some onions and garlic for some extra oomph. We agreed the sammy could use a little extra personal touch. Maybe some cilantro or basil or??? You're the boss.  

Baked Oatmeal

I got this great book- Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson. She does vegetarian whole food cooking, and her photography is really inspiring. This is our collective effort (Eli was helping me) on the baked oatmeal. We switched out some ingredients (berries and nuts) that we didn't have for some that we did. This was really tasty and only slightly sweet which I have come to prefer as opposed to a blatant sugary-hit.

Baked Oatmeal (Eli and Jeni style)

2c. rolled oats (GF if you like)
1/2c. pecans, chopped
1/3c. natural cane sugar, maple syrup, or honey
1t. baking powder
1 1/2t. ground cinnamon
1/2t. kosher salt
2c. milk
1 egg
3T unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2t. vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, cut into rounds
1 1/2c. frozen mixed berries

Preheat oven to 375.

Butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish.

Mix the oats, half the nuts, sugar (if using) baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another dish, mix the syrup or honey (if using) milk, egg, half the butter, and vanilla.

Arrange the banana rounds on the bottom of the buttered dish. Sprinkle two thirds of the berries on top. Top with the oatmeal mixture, and slowly drizzle the wet ingredients over the oats. Top with remaining berries and nuts.

Bake 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden. Drizzle remaining butter on top. Serve with more maple syrup or sugar if you like, or not if you don't.

I might even add in some orange zest next time... maybe some dried apricot chunks... you know, mix it up!

                                           I can't wait to try her recipe for Muesli and granola!

Culinary Around the World in a Day (well, almost.)

I love Indian food. Anyone who knows me, knows this about me. BONUS; a large variety of dishes are gluten and dairy free! SCORE! However. I have this weakness, this soft spot in my heart... for naan. Naan, glorious naan. Sauce sopping, curry scooping, edible little spoon... I love you. It's that chewy texture that gets me every time. Whoops! I just drooled a little, excuse me.  Enter- a gluten-free naan recipe! I found it on the web, and it is SPECTACULAR! It's from artisanbreadinfive.com. Truly, truly delicious and a keeper in my book. I can't thank them enough! I did slightly change the recipe as I usually do- I cooked the naan in coconut oil instead of ghee. I used cetrifugated oil which retains that lovely coco-nutty-ness. As opposed to the expeller pressed which really doesn't have much of a flavor at all. You can find the technique and link to the dough recipe here:

http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/2010/01/18/gluten-free-naan-and-an-update-on-freezing-the-dough


Masoor Dal Recipe

This is my own sort of fusion between two different recipes, a standard masoor dal recipe, and a Gujarati dal recipe.

2c. masoor dal (small red -though really more orange in color- lentil found in the bulk foods section)
1/3c. oil
1t. mustard seeds
1/4-1/2t. red chili flake
a pinch asafetida (hing)
7-8 curry leaves
2t. garam masala
1t. ground coriander
1/2t. turmeric powder
1t. salt
2t. organic evaporated cane juice
1 onion, chopped
1 (1 inch piece) ginger root, grated
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 handful fresh coriander (cilantro), washed and roughly chopped

Rinse the dal thoroughly. In a pot bring 1 quart of water to the boil, add the dal. Cook for about 10-15 minutes.

In a high sided pan (with a lid) over medium heat, add oil and mustard seeds. The mustard seeds will pop and sputter.

Once this has stopped, add the chili flake, asafetida, curry leaves, onion, ginger, ground coriander, masala, turmeric, salt and sugar. Stir well and let cook until onions are softened.

Add tomatoes and cook until softening and breaking down a little.

Add in the cooked dal, stir to combine the flavors.

Test for flavoring, adding more salt if needed.

Top with fresh coriander, serve with gluten-free (or regular) naan bread. Enjoy!

On the very same day I tried my hand at a Moroccan Chicken Tagine. Now normally I wouldn't tax myself quite so much all at once, but for some reason this was calling my name. The tagine itself did not wind up being particularly blog-worthy, but the sauce was really good.

2/3c. orange juice
1/4c. honey
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1 lemon, quartered

I don't know why, but I could just see this reduced down into a syrupy glaze. Something about this demands further investigation. And I intend to. I'll keep ya posted.

Experimentation

I've recently been on a cleanse and back again. The reason for this was to figure out why in the world I was feeling so crummy most of the time. So with some help from my acupuncturess (half acupuncture, half goddess) I cut out all the naughty stuff. No sugar, caffeine, red meat, dairy, gluten, alcohol... you get the picture. For twenty-one DAYS. The result was shocking. I felt great! Better than I had in years. Now I've been toying with my diet, adding things back in to try and find my 'trigger'- those one or two things that I didn't know my body couldn't handle. So far sugar, gluten, and milk seem to be the culprits. So with my inherited stubborness (this goes back generations with the women in my family) I am seeking out how to best duplicate the foods that I love without returning to icky, awful, painful Square One in Tummyville.