Toast your sesame seeds in a dry fry pan

I put my gomasio in a shaker and sprinkle it on many foods to give a toasty, nutty crunch and a giant wallop of nutrition.  More sesame in your diet means more calcium. More seaweed means more fine minerals in your blood.  Simply toast brown sesame seeds with a strip of kelp or kombu, let cool, put in a shaker and use.  Here’s the recipe:  Continue reading →

One 16 oz can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/4 cup liquid from can of chickpeas
Juice of one lemon (depending on taste)
1 – 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1 teaspoon sea salt
A shake of coarse ground black pepper
A shake of cumin powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 red pepper chopped
4 slices of pickled jalapeno

Preparation:  Drain chickpeas and set liquid aside for later. Combine remaining ingredients in blender or food processor, with red pepper and jalapeno near the blades. Add 1/4 cup of liquid from chickpeas. Blend for 3-5 minutes on low until thoroughly mixed and as smooth and thick as you prefer it.

These days I no longer use butter or cream in recipes but I make substitutions.  This is the Carraba’s recipes page and to the right are links to copycat recipes for other restaurants. http://carrabbasathome.blogspot.com/

2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 daikon radish, peeled and julienned
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup palm sugar
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/4 tsp chile garlic sauce
Juice of 1 lime
Garnish with chopped scallion and black sesame seeds.

Having it chopped ahead of time makes it easy to make jars of salad for picnics

I do my best to have fresh produce in the fridge, washed and cut up in containers for easy use in cooking or for hand snacking. It’s especially easy to make salads this way. To the right are some individual salads you can pre-make and have ready to grab. Sometimes for dinner I’ll just toss a handful of veggies and cut up potato into a big freezer bag with a half tsp each of dried basil, mustard seed, fennel seed, coriander seed and tarragon with fresh springs of thyme and rosemary and 1-2 tbsps oil and scrunch it all together, then bake at 450 for 15-20 mins. By the time I make a salad and set the table, dinner is done. And by “set the table.” I mean dump everything into one giant bowl and eat it on the couch with chopsticks.

RELATED: Herb spiced veggies roasted in the convection oven

Serve with tortilla chips

This basic soup gets its smoke from a smoky paprika and some heat from Louisiana Hot Sauce. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add all spices and cook 2-3 minutes to release the oils. Add vegetables and garlic. Cook, stirring until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in broth, beans, tomatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce to  simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add Louisiana Hot Sauce to taste. If you’d like it soupier, add vegetable broth to dilute. Here’s the recipe:   Continue reading →

My foodie friends will be horrified. I just made a taco soup using a package of taco seasoning mix. i usually use my own spice combination but not this time.  I first sauteed a diced red pepper, a yellow pepper and an onion in a little coconut oil, along with a chopped yellow squash, chopped zucchini and handful of fresh chopped green beans. I poured the package of seasoning on top, browned it in together, added 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 cups crushed tomatoes and simmered 20 minutes. I also like adding raisins to this soup, like 1/2 cup or more. Here’s the recipe for my natural taco seasoning blend… Continue reading →

Parboiling the sprouts for just 30 seconds takes away their crunch and their bitterness, leaving you with a vegetable that is softened, mellowed, and ready for action. Then comes the good stuff: Your sprouts lie face down in a hot, thin slick of oil until they turn almost-black. They’re best quartered, as more surface area means more flavor. You add a lot of salt.  Next, you push your brussels sprouts aside and add diced onions to the pan. It sounds like an afterthought, but keeps the onions from burning and turns them into soft, sweet bits that commingle nicely with the sprouts; they cling to each other once finally stirred together. A squeeze of lemon brightens everything up. You’re left with a vegetable which is soft, sweet, salty, and crisped in oil, but has not lost its identity. Continue reading →

A note on using nonfat milk, skim milk, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk: The flavors that make spices taste delicious are all aromatic compounds. Aromatic compounds are made of molecules that contain a structure known as a benzene ring, meaning they dissolve best in alcohols or fats. You may have noticed this when making drinks, that adding a twist of lemon to a martini adds significantly more flavor in a shorter amount of time than adding a twist of flavor to a glass of water. Similarly, if you make this chai with a non-fat milk, you won’t extract as many flavors from the spices as if you make it with a milk that has some fat. Coconut milk might be a vegan alternative, as it contains relatively high fat.

I decided to make small sweet peppers for Christmas Eve supper. I stuffed them with wild rice, black beans, corn, and soy cheese and served fresh green beans on the side. Jalapeno gives the Mexican style rice and beans a kick. Continue reading →