Coconut Chutney

I learned the basics of this recipe from my dear friend Rahul when we were in grad school. This is a great topping for vegetable biryani, or baked fish (or even chicken). For a special meal, I often top halibut steaks with this chutney and bake in parchment paper. You may leave the peppers out entirely if you do not enjoy spicy food.

1 cup unsweetened grated coconut (you can easily purchase this from an Indian grocer)
2-3 jalepeno peppers
zest and juice from 1-2 lime (you need 2-3 T depending on how moist the other ingredients are)
1 inch fresh ginger root, peeled and minced or finely grated
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, large stems
1/4 cup sofrito
1T toasted cumin
2-4 T extra virgin olive oil

I often make the chutney completely by hand, so it is very possible to make a great chutney even if you do not have access to a food processor or blender, grate the coconut and mince and/or chop the ingredients finely. Mix by hand. In this case, you will want the mixture to sit for at least an hour so the flavors may be nicely blended.

-or-

In a food processor or blender, combine the coconut, peppers, lime, ginger, cilantro and cumin. Once well blended, continue to blend gently and stream in olive oil until it the mixture is a texture you like (perhaps more course for vegetable toppings; you might like it more smooth for baking with meat or protein).

Basic and Simple Vinaigrette Dressing

This is the very basic. Add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl.

1T dijon mustard (works as an emulsifier to add body to the dressing)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup sherry vinegar (balsamic or red wine vinegar make great dressings, too)
small pinch of course sea salt and pepper to taste
if you prefer a sweeter dressing, 1/2 - 1T honey (an emulsifier)

Wisk the mustard [and honey] until they are are suspended thoroughly in the vinegar. Add the oil and wisk again. Add the salt and wisk. I prefer sea salt and usually use grey salt in this very simple vinaigrette, but what you have on hand will do just fine. Taste the dressing for balance. (Remember that it will have to compliment the salad you prepare and will seem much more strong by itself).

If it's too tart, add a bit more honey and/or olive oil. If it's too sweet, add a bit more vinegar and/or mustard. Once balanced, add pepper to taste.
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Other additions you might consider:
   minced garlic
   hot sauce
   horseradish
   fresh lemon or lime juice (replacing some of the vinegar)
   mashed and strained berries
   blood orange juice and ginger
..--..--..--..--..--..--..--
The possibilities are endless...

101 Simple Salads for the Season (thanks NY Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html?_r=2&hp

Potato Salad, My Style

This potato salad is a non-mayo based version that is loved by my mayonnaise-loving friends.

Dressing

1 cup of plain, non-fat yogurt, strained for 1/2 hour

2 T sweet onion (I use cippolini when I can find them) VERY FINELY minced (or grated or pulped in a food processor and drained)

1 T dijon mustard

1 T honey (your local variety)

1 T extra virgin olive oil

2 T minced fennel fronds
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Veggies

6-8 medium red potatoes, diced (or those of your choice)

4 hard boiled eggs, sliced (you can omit yolks)

5-6 radishes, thinly sliced

1-2 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Set the yogurt in a coffee filter lined sieve over an empty bowl to drain. Dice the potatoes and boil. Once cooked, drain and place in large bowl. Cool them to room temperature.

While the potatoes are cooling, mix the remaining dressing ingredients together. Make sure you are using very finely minced onion because you just want the sweetness and taste of the onion to be subtle. If you have to mechanically pulp them, be sure to drain excess water off. Once mixed, taste the dressing to ensure it balanced to your liking. If it's too sweet, add mustard; if it's too tart, add a bit of honey and olive oil. You may add salt and pepper to taste.

Once at room temperature (or refrigerator cooled to below room temp), add the remaining salad ingredients in layers. Pour the dressing over the top and mix thoroughly, but gently.  It's best to do with your bare hands, as with most pre-dressed salads.

I love to serve this at room temperature, but it is great cooled.

My Favorite Yogurt Sauce

This is a very good sauce for spicy dishes...it replaces a dollop of sour cream and is more refreshing.

1 C plain or fat free yogurt (I only use organic dairy)

1 lime; zest and juice

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

pepper to taste

Place a metal sieve that can hold your yogurt over a bowl. Insert a cheesecloth, large flat coffee filter or a couple of paper towels over the sieve. Put the yogurt on top of the cloth to drain, refrigerated, for at least 1/2 hour.

Zest and juice a lime, making certain to strain out any seeds. With a mortar and pestle, grind the coriander seeds. The grindings don't have to be very fine; what you have the patience to do is okay. Mince the cilantro if you plan to add it.

Once the yogurt is strained (and anything really between unstrained and overnight is good depending on your preferred thickness and application), discard the residual liquid. Use a spoon or silicone spatula to transfer the thick yogurt to a bowl. Add your lime juice and spices and mix thoroughly. Add freshly ground pepper to the top and fold in.

Enjoy this on chili, Mexican rice, fish tacos, biryani, or any other dish that you would like a cooling influence.

Greek Variation (Tsatsiki)

Tsatsiki is often used as a condiment for gyros and other spicy Greek dishes, and includes:

1 cup yogurt

1/4 cup shredded cucumber, drained

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/8 cup fresh mint leaves, minced

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Indian Variation (Raita)

1/2 seeded, towel dried and diced cucumber

1/2 tablespoon toasted cumin seeds

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves (mint or italian parsley are fine if you don't prefer cilantro)

Quick & Simple Marinara Sauce

This marinara sauce is so easy that it can be finished by the time you boil water for pasta. It keeps well in the refrigerator and is a great homemade choice for lasagna, eggplant parmesan or anything similar.

Ingredients:

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1 medium sweet yellow onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 28-0z can of whole tomatoes

1 6-oz can of tomato paste

1T dried basil

1T raw sugar

1T balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)

crushed red pepper to taste

Add the olive oil to a saucepan on medium low heat. Add the chopped onions and allow to slowly cook, stirring often enough to keep them from browning. Once the onions have cooked through, add the garlic. Quickly crush the tomatoes (I like to do it with my hands) and add them to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients and stir between each addition.

When the sauce begins to simmer, it is finished. If it is too thick for your liking, you may add a bit of the pasta water.

Spicy Seafood Stew

(Don't let the length of the recipe dissuade you. This is one of my absolute favorites and it just came to me serendipitously.  No other recipes were used as the basis for the creation of this dish, but honors Emeril's "2 beer rule." ) BAM!!

Ingredients…
Part One: The Roux (30-40 minutes)
2-3 T butter; 1 T olive oil
1/3 c flour

Part Two: The Trinity (20 minutes)
1 large white onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
1 1/2 – 2 bell peppers, a combination of red, yellow, or orange, diced
pinch of salt

Part Three: The Stew (30 minutes)
2-3 bay leaves
1 T fresh thyme, chopped
3/4 t cayenne pepper, ground
¼ t cocoa powder (Dutch processed)
1/8 – ¼ t cinnamon
3 cloves garlic
1 carrot, diced
1 box organic vegetable broth
zest of 1 lemon
2 small Yukon gold potatoes, diced (optional)
28 oz can diced tomatoes
black pepper and crushed red pepper to taste

Part Four: The Seafood (8-10 minutes)
1 lb bay scallops
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb salmon, no skin
(or 3 pounds of your favorite sturdy seafood)
fresh lemon juice or red wine
pinch of salt, pepper to taste

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Cooking Instructions

TO AVOID BURNING THE ROUX, START BY PREPARING THE TRINITY -- DICE THE ONION, BELL PEPPER AND CELERY AND SET TO THE SIDE OF THE POT. NO KIDDING. YOU CAN DICE EVERYTHING ELSE LATER WHILE YOU ARE COOKING, BUT YOU MUST CONSTANTLY STIR THE ROUX AND SHOULD NOT BE TAKING A BREAK OR TURNING DOWN THE HEAT TO CHOP. (and, yes, I am "yelling at you" here)

PART ONE – THE ROUX
Bring a heavy bottomed large stock pot to medium temperature. If you don’t have a cast iron (either plain or enameled pot) or a high quality stainless pot (something like All-Clad) you will need to lower the heat and the roux will take a bit longer to cook. Add the butter, oil, and flour and whisk into a paste. Heat and stir continuously and watch the color change…use the “two beer rule” – you should be stirring gently for about 30-40 minutes as the mixture changes from blonde, to almond, to chocolate, to brick colored. Use common sense and turn the heat up or down to cook the roux without burning it. You burn it, you start over. However, if you are easily amused and patient about cooking, you will absolutely love this...

Have a nice beverage or two to drink, good music and good company and the time will pass quickly. This step is immensely worth the effort. I’ve made lighter roux with whole wheat flour, and it may work for a dark roux, but I’m not sure. You do NEED a darker roux here. You can move forward with a minimum of a brick red roux, but a dark chocolate color is by far the best. To my amazement, these roux proportions become nice and liquid as they are cooked – don’t worry about that.

PART TWO – THE TRINITY
Once your roux is to color, add the trinity and a big pinch of salt. Pinch with all of your fingertips. This is about 1 teaspoon or so, but the food will taste better if you get your hands (clean, of course) into it. The salt causes the veggies to weep, which has two important effects – blending the flavors and adding to the volume (and the vegetable flavor) of the cooking liquid.

You may increase the heat if you feel you should. If you are using a heavy pot, you probably have enough thermal mass and therefore enough heat; if you are using a typical pot, you will most likely need to increase your heat a level or two.

A typical soup base is onion, celery, and carrots. In French cooking, this is called a mirpois. In Cajun cooking, “the Trinity” is onion (2 parts), celery (1 part); bell pepper (1 part). You may add the carrots along with the standard Trinity, but be gentle or you will have too much sweetness.

PART THREE – THE STEW
After the diced vegetables of the trinity have softened (maybe 10 minutes), add the spices, remaining chopped veggies, liquids and seasonings to the pot. Increase the heat and bring to a simmer. Everything should simmer together for about ½ hour.

PART FOUR – THE SEAFOOD
By this time, you or your sous chef should have prepared your fresh seafood for cooking. You may need to peel and devein your shrimp, remove skin from the salmon, take the foot off sea scallops…You may add a tiny bit of salt, black pepper or crushed red pepper to the raw fish. Be gentle with the salt. I don’t add any at this point.

Don’t bother searing bay scallops; they’re too small. Sear fish and shrimp or large scallops. Of course, you won’t sear mussels or clams or something in a shell. Fish in shells will cook in the stew. You can tell they’re done when they open. You wouldn’t sear crab, either.

Heat a skillet or grill pan to searing hot. Yes, I mean heat it to searing hot before you put any food in it; maybe you want a tiny bit of oil, but it’s not really needed. Place the shrimp and fish n the skillet to briefly sear the seafood. Don’t crowd it; cook it in batches. Once the first side is slightly seared, turn each piece over and sear the other side. Each side should take about 30 seconds or so for the shellfish – you’ll see the color start to change; two minutes for salmon. Pile the partially cooked, but seared seafood on a plate as you go. Once you have finished the last batch, squeeze ½ of a fresh lemon and/or a little red wine into the pan to deglaze it and scrape all of the remaining bits loose from the pan.

After searing all of the seafood, dump all of your seafood (seared and other) and the pan juices into the simmering stew, cover and let simmer for 4 minutes…no more; no less.

YOU MAY SKIP SEARING ALL TOGETHER – in that case, add the fish, about 4 minutes later, add the shellfish and squeeze ½ lemon into the stew. And cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Your spicy seafood stew is DONE!! Serve and enjoy with friends. (2-3 hours)

Fruit on the Bottom

1/2-2/3 cup plain organic non-fat yogurt

1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1 T honey

1/4 t vanilla extract (optional)

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

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Mash raspberries in the bottom of the serving dish. Add honey and yogurt; mix thoroughly. Although honey isn't necessary to sweeten this and the vanilla extract if you have it on hand, it is great for the immune system and adds a wonderful earthiness to the dish.

Add a little freshly ground black pepper and mix through for a wonderful light and healthy breakfast or snack. Great with granola, flax seed, or any grain you prefer to add.

Mexican Rice with Salsa Fresca

Red Rice

2 T canola oil (or other high heat oil)

1T annato (achiote) seeds

1 sweet yellow onion (diced)

2/3 cup brown rice

Salsa Fresca

1.5 -2 cups diced fresh tomatoes (whichever variety look best t you)

4 scallions, sliced

1/2 cucumber, seeded and sliced

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

2-3 hot peppers, finely minced (option: if you cannot eat spicy food, mince 1/2 red pepper)

2 T cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

pepper to taste

Garnish

Very thin lemon slices

Avocado slices

sharp cheddar cheese

The Rice

In a small sauce pan (the smallest one you own) add the oil and annato on medium high heat. You do want the oil to be deep. Add a bit more, need be. Watch carefully as the oil turns a very dark bright red, but doesn't burn. After about 5-7 minutes of cooking, it will be done. Take the mixture off the heat and carefully strain the annato out of the oil through a small metal sieve into a pyrex measuring cup.

Once drained, transfer the very red oil into a saucepan big enough to cook the rice. It can be the same saucepan you used before. On medium heat add the diced onion. Once cooked, add the rice and turn the heat up to high. Continuously stir and sear the rice for 3-5 minutes. Add two cups of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat and set aside until room temperature.

The salsa

Chop tomato, cucumber and onion and place in a big bowl. Add a pinch of salt and mix thoroughly. Salt will cause this vegetables to weep and create a beautiful liquid. Add the remaining ingredients and mix at each addition. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour if you have time or allow to sit at room temperature depending on your preference.

Place the rice into a casserole dish or large bowl. Add the salsa and mix through. Top with your favorite garnish.

For a complete protein, add a can of black beans or a cup of reconstituted dried black beans to the rice.

Yogurt Coriander Sauce

Strain 1 cup of yogurt through a coffee filter for 1/2 hour. Add the zest and juice from 1 lime. Add 1 tablespoon of freshly crushed coriander seed. Top this or any chili, indian or mexican style dish with this yogurt sauce.

Mediterranean Vegetable & Bean Bowl

Ingredients
Start With
1-2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 Italian style sausages (I use Fields vegetarian, but you can use traditional or turkey sausage)
1 14 oz can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 T lemon zest (zest of 1 lemon)

Add Vegetables
1/2 cup kale or spinach, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
8-10 unmarinated artichoke hearts, sliced in half (frozen or in water)
1 14 oz can garbanzo or cannelloni beans, rinsed well; dried and soaked are fine here
1/4 orzo, cooked

Herbs and Spices
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, basil (2 tablespoons fresh), crushed red pepper
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Assembly
Heat oil in large saute pan until it is hot. Slice sausages into 1/2" thick rounds and sear on each side in the hot oil. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup of water and sliced garlic. Slicing the garlic gives it a more mild flavor than mincing, but increases it's heat. Add lemon zest.

Bring water to a boil for the orzo. Add 1/4 cup orzo to the boiling water and allow to cook in a rolling boil for 5 minutes. Add the herbs and spices, then the remaining vegetable ingredients. Of course, feel free to choose; whatever you have on hand. (My basic go-to for this are beans and artichoke hearts).

Drain and transfer the orzo to the sauce to finish cooking. Simmer everything together for 5 or 10 minutes. You may top lightly with your favorite hard cheese.

Optional Change: For a nice pasta dish, omit the orzo and serve over whole wheat linguine.

Tofu Smoothies - YUM!

A favorite of mine... Simple, takes 5 minutes, high protein, and sooo yummy!

8 oz soft tofu, dump into blender

8 oz full fat vanilla yogurt (I prefer Trader Joe's brand)

1 mango, skinned and diced

1 ripe banana

10 strawberries, hulled and sliced

1 tsp honey (if you have a sweet tooth - not really necessary)

ice

Blend in blender for at least 30 seconds. Enjoy.

Tofu/Veggie Mexican Scramble

aka "Scrambled Eggs"

1 Tbsp oil

8 oz extra firm tofu, pressed and drained

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tomato, chopped

feta, to taste

salt/pepper to taste

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp turmeric

avocado

salsa

cilantro

Heat oil, cook onion until starting to brown. Add garlic powder, cumin, turmeric, paprika, and stir vigorously (you may wish to add oil more oil at this time). Add green pepper and crumble tofu in hands before dropping it into the pan. Continually stir, coating the tofu with spices. Any excess water will sweat out, and you can drain the pan if you need to. When tofu seems cooked, add tomatoes, feta and salt/pepper. Serve garnished with avocado slices, salsa, and cilantro (I like to serve it in a toasted pita).

Cauliflower with fennel and mustard seeds

Cauliflower has long been one of my favorite vegetables and it is very good for people with stomach issues. One of the most important things about cooking good cauliflower is the preparation of it:

Preparation & Ingredients:

1 small cauliflower head
5 T extra virgin oil (you can use safflower or canola)
2 teaspoons mustard seed (I prefer dark, but either will work)
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1T garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon madras curry powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 - 1/3 cup water

Cut the cauliflower head into bite sized florets and soak in cold water for a minimum of 1/2 hour. This removes the gasses and prepares it for crisp cooking. Drain the cauliflower and set aside.

Cooking Instructions

In a large skillet, fry pan or sautee pan (preferably one for which you have a lid) add the oil over medium heat.

Once hot, toss the seeds into the oil. As soon as the seeds begin to pop, add the garlic, stirring fairly constantly. As the garlic begins to brown on the edges, add the tumeric, curry powder, and cayenne pepper. Mix through and add the cauliflower, water and a pinch of salt.

Stir the ingredients to mix thoroughly and cook for about 8 minutes. The cauliflower may be slightly browned, but should be crisp yet cooked through. Add small amounts of water if needed. If your dish is not cooked thoroughly enough for your taste, leave the pot covered during the last 2-3 minutes of cooking and another 2-3 minutes of cooking after you turn the heat off.

Variations

You might enjoy adding garam masala rather than curry powder. You may leave both out altogether.

Italian variation: Omit the mustard seed, tumeric, curry powder and cayenne. Increase the amount of garlic. Instead, add about 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano. Consider adding a bit of chopped fennel root with the cauliflower. Steam in about a cup and a half of diced tomatoes (I use canned for all cooked application except when the tomatoes are freshly picked because they are generally better quality and higher in nutrients than out of season fresh).

Casserole variation: Add 2-3 egg yolks to a cup of heavy cream to make a custard. Stir thoroughly. Place cooked cauliflower in a casserole dish and cover with the custard mixture. Mix throoughly and top with a sprinkling of cheese mixed with bread crumbs or panko (parmesan, cheddar, swiss, whatever you like). Bake in a 350 oven for 1/2 hour.

Vegetable Biryani

2 Tbsp light olive oil

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 carrot, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1 tsp turmeric

3/4 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup uncooked Basmati rice

2 cups water

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup raisins

salt to taste

3/4 cup whole roasted, salted cashews

In a 3-quart saucepan, saute the onion, carorot and bell pepper in the oil until tender. Reduce heat to low. Add the garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and cayenne. Saute for 2 more minutes. Add rice and water. On medium high heat, bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Add peas and raisins. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Garnish with cashews.

Muttar "Paneer" for the Vegan Set

My favorite Indian dish - with tofu instead of cheese!

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 bay leaf

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 piece (1/2 inch) ginger root, finely grated

1.5 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp chili powder or to taste

1/2 tsp salt

2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup water

1/2 pound extra firm tofu cut into 1 inch cubes

cilantro to taste

Heat oil in a heavy skillet. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf, cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onions and ginger. Cook, stirring, until onions are golden, about 5 minutes.

Add coriander, turmeric, garam masala, chili powder and salt. Sprinkle with a little water; cook over low heat until the oil starts to separate, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until the oil starts to separate again. Add the peas, cook 1 minute. Add 1 cup of water. Cook until the peas are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the tofu and simmer until the sauce becomes thick. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve over rice.

Hint - add more tomatoes if you really like the sauce.

Avocado Dipping Sauce for Steamed Artichoke

For those of you who love steamed artichoke, this is a great alternative to the standard hollandaise sauce, butter and garlic, or a simple vinaigrette...

1/2 ripe avocado
juice and zest from one lemon
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 rounded teaspoon dijon mustard
pinch of salt
black pepper for taste

Bring a few inches of water to a rolling boil in large saucepan or stockpot. Trim two artichokes; slice in half lengthwise. Place the artichoke halves in about an inch or two of boiling water and add the juice from 1/2 lemon to the water to help the artichokes maintain good color. Don't worry about straining the seeds; you can do that when the artichoke is cooked. Steam covered until leaves are easily removed from the artichoke (about 20 minutes). Watch the water to make sure it doesn't boil dry and burn the artichokes. Strain and set aside to cool.

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In a bowl, mash the flesh of 1/2 an avocado. Add the lemon and olive oil and continue mashing. Add the remainder of ingredients and taste. If the mixture is too tart, add a bit more oil; if it's too oily, add a bit more vinegar or dijon mustard depending on the desired thickness or your personal taste.

Let the artichoke cool so that it is easy to handle, and enjoy!

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[olive bar] Tapenade

Here's a neat recipe to bring you to the olive bar at your favorite grocer. It is high in salt and omega-3 fatty acids, so be mindful of how much you eat.

Choose a pint of olives from the olive bar of your choice. I like to get mostly the darker olives to a 3:1 ration with green olives. You might also like to get a half-pint or so of roasted red pepper, marinated mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, roasted garlic, etc...whatever you like.

Olive oil, 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, maybe a small minced shallot...

Mince the olives (garlic, shallot and the other marinated veggies) and place in a small saucepan with 1 tablespoons of olive oil and 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Heat gently over a low flame until the mixture is heated through. If needed, add water to bring to reasonable thickness.

This is absolutely wonderful as a dressing for whole wheat linguine lightly tossed with lemon and olive oil. For a vegetarian option consider adding cannoli beans and artichoke heart. For a meat choice, I love adding seared fresh tuna that is thinly sliced.

My favorite Cleveland crepe shop would make a spinach, tomato and brie crepe topped with a similar tapenade accompanied by a mixed baby green salad. Be sure to chiffonade the spinach for this (and in my opinion) and cooked spinach dish.

Tahini Lime Slaw -- a vegan cole slaw

This is an excellent summer Asian inspired slaw for those who cannot eat mayonnaise. You may substitute green bell pepper for the jalapeno if you prefer.  Shown here with a sliced boiled egg and a bit of cracked pepper.

1 heaping tablespoon tahini
juice from 1/2 lime
1/8 cup mirin
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon oil (vegetable, canola, olive, safflower are all fine)
a few drops sesame oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
pinch of [grey] sea salt
pepper to taste

1/2 finely minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 medium cabbage, julienned
1 medium carrot, grated

In a large bowl, mix the tahini and lime juice until smooth. Add the mirin and vinegar and whisk thoroughly. Add the remaining dressing ingredients one at a time, thoroughly blending each into the mixture.

Place the pepper, cabbage and carrot on top of the dressing. Using tongs, mix thoroughly. If it seems you need more dressing, sprinkle the top of the veggies with rice wine vinegar and mirin. Continue to mix.

Refrigerate for at least an hour before eating!

(This ould be delicious with seared shrimp or tofu, crab or any whitefish, mixed in for a complete meal).

Light Japanese Morning Broth

This is a great light way to start your morning or end your day. I like fruit, coffee and yogurt in the morning, so I eat this at the end of the day. Japanese tradition would have this in the morning.

Add the following to a saucepan:
2 cups water
1/2 inch ginger root, peeled
1-2 garlic cloves peeled
1/2 cup spinach, kale or other tough leafy green
1/2 cup chopped mushroom
1/8 cup quinoa
3'' square of whitefish (cod, tilapia) or firm tofu cubes
1/8 t tumeric
salt/pepper to taste

Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes (until desired tenderness and to infuse the broth with flavor). Remove the ginger and garlic; garnish with cilantro, chives, mirin and/or rice vinegar to taste.

Kale & Parsley Salad

This is a delicious salad in the early fall when the ingredients are in season.  If you have only seen kale and parsley as garnishes before, you will be surprised at how delicious they can be.  I recommend using the most tender kale you can find and curly parsley.  Curly parsley stands up to this treatment better than the more subtle Italian (flat leaf) parsley. The older, tougher kale is great in soups and stews.

1 cup kale, rinsed and stemmed
1 cup curly parsley, trimmed and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped tomato (heirloom if you can find it)
1/2 cup granny smith apple, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/8 cup pepitas
~1T ground cumin
~2T sherry or cider vinegar
[optional] a sprinkling of crumbled gorgonzola or other blue-veined cheese

Once rinsed, shake the water off the kale and parsley.  Then remove the long stems from the parsley and the center vein from the kale.  Break the kale into bite sized pieces and place the greens in a large mixing bowl. Add the tomato, apple, dried cranberries and nuts and combine them through the greens.

Now, sprinkle enough ground cumin over the salad to coat the leaves and using your squeaky clean hands, blend the cumin thoroughly through the salad until you do not feel any clumps of the spice.  It is very important to use your hands to feel that there are no clumps of cumin hiding in the greens.  Then, repeat the process with your vinegar, using just enough to coat the leaves and have the cumin disappear into the mixture.

You will be absolutely amazed at how delicious this salad is and it's so terrific for you.   If you must have some cheese, the only possible thing to stand up to this salad is a sprinkling of gorgonzola (otherwise, don't bother).  Mix a light sprinkling of gorgonzola gently through the salad after dressing with cumin and vinegar.  This recipe makes about 2 main course servings and stores without getting to soggy for a day.