Beet & Carrot Salad with Agave Nectar & Ginger Vinaigrette

Sometimes as a starter, sometimes as a snack, sometimes as a meal in itself. Sometimes layered and drizzled with freshly made vinaigrette, sometimes well-tossed with a rich creamy dressing... anywhichway we make it, we love salads.

This Beet and Carrot salad with Spring Greens is one of our favorites: the combination of freshly grated beets and carrots, plus the simple vinaigrette on the slightly sweet side enhancing the beet and carrot flavors seems to make this almost addictive.

Pictured here is this salad served with a small sandwich made of: home-made buckwheat buns (recipe to come) toasted with some Swiss cheese, black bean burger (made very much like the Mock Kibbeh recipe but with black beans instead of chickpeas), some pepperoncini, onions and sun-dried tomatoes.

Ingredients
Salad:
Organic Baby Spring Greens
Raw Carrots and Beets, finely grated or shredded
Onion or Alfalfa Sprouts
Toasted Sunflower Seeds

Agave Nectar, Ginger, Chili Vinaigrette:
50 ml raspberry or pomegranate red wine vinegar; or plain red wine vinegar
50 ml Agave nectar
25 ml Sambal Oelek or any favorite Chili paste
150 ml Hazelnut Oil or Olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely grated or crushed
1 - 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger, to taste
¼ tsp each salt and black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine the dressing ingredients and whisk or beat well, adjust flavors to taste
2. Layer the salad items, top with sunflower seeds, drizzle some dressing

Alternately, use Romaine hearts or any favorite greens, julienne the carrots and finely grate the beets, garnish with avacado if preferred, sprinkle slivered almonds instead of sunflower seeds... this is a flexible and versatile salad with the agave-nectar-ginger vinaigrette pulling the elements together :)

Orange Chicken

Just like my Kung Pao Chicken , this is a favorite with the rest of the family. And, very much like Kung Pao chicken recipe, this Orange Chicken starts out the same way, with only variation in the sauce ingredients to get the characteristic orange flavor.

Ingredients
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
4 Tbsp canola oil

coating: seasoned ¼ cup cornstarch + ¼ cup rice flour

marinade: soy sauce + red wine vinegar

Orange Chicken sauce:
2-3 medium shallots, finely diced
6-8 garlic cloves, finely diced
1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger (or 1 Tbsp dry ginger powder)
¼ cup light soy sauce
¼ cup kecap manis
¼ cup plain distilled vinegar
¼ cup sambal oelek (or, any favorite hot chili sauce)
1 tsp Orange essence
orange zest and juice of 1 large orange
a few drops of yellow food color
cornstarch as needed for thickening the sauce

garnish: Spring onions and cilantro

Preparation

1. Marinate the chicken pieces in the marinade for about 15-20 minutes while assembling the other items
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan and sauté the shallots, garlic, ginger, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients (except orange essence) to the saucepan and simmer gently over medium low heat; add the essence (and food coloring) at the end, adjusting to taste
3. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a pan, drain the chicken pieces, pat dry, and dredge with the seasoned coating, shake off excess, and add them to the hot oil in the pan; allow to form a seared coating at the bottom, then turn over and do the same; cook the chicken till done
4. Add a bit of cornstarch dissolved in water to thicken the sauce if needed, or alternately, add a bit of water to make the sauce thinner to suit your tastes; Turn off the heat for the sauce
5. Slowly add the sauce to the chicken, a little at a time, stirring gently to coat the chicken well, off heat
6. Serve warm with hot jasmine rice

Carbon neutral blogging

As we drive around getting to places we need to be, doing the things that need to be done, and making the best of our time and energy, it does seem hard to look at the big picture at times... and, every once in a while, we do what we can so our children need not grow up in a world that gets progressively hostile, stifling their existence, making even the basic function tedious...

Towards that end, we make small positive changes in our lives today, hoping the Snowball effect or the Butterfly effect will take care of making it better for our children.

Well, rather than rambling about it, here is one step which seems easy to do, thanks to an initiative by kaufDA. In their own words:

Our goal is to contribute our part in reducing the carbon footprint by raising awareness of the severe environmental damage caused by carbon emissions. One of our activities is to raise awareness of the carbon emissions resulting from the use of the internet - specifically of blogs. A blog with 15,000 visits a month has a yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 8lb. To neutralise these emissions we have created "My blog is carbon neutral" buttons so bloggers can demonstrate that they care about the environment and the carbon footprint of their blogs. We present them a small but nontheless worthy solution to contribute to environmental issues. Our idea is to show possibilities to make a contribution to protect the environment.

To find out how you can participate please visit http://www.kaufda.de/umwelt/carbon-neutral/how-you-can-join

And how do we actually neutralize your blog's carbon footprint? We are planting trees in cooperation with the Arbor Day Foundation in Plumas National Forest in Northern California for our project to neutralize the carbon footprint of blogs. Thousands of wildfires burned down many national forests over the past ten years and 88.000 acres of Plumas' were destroyed by two fires in 2007. To help replanting we need the support of bloggers all over the world! For every participating blog we plant a tree. One blog - one tree.

Why do we do this? We are a German based company called kaufDA, which provides advertisement brochures of local stores online to help consumers search for specific products and find good deals in their neighborhood. This reduces the amount of brochures printed and so the project helps the environment by reducing unnecessary paper in mailboxes. An American on average receives 41 pounds of junk mail per year. This has the same carbon footprint as burning six gallons of gasoline.

We'd be glad to plant your tree! Help us and show that you care! Every tree counts!

Adzuki Beans, Asparagus, and Bulgur Salad

High in iron, protein, soluble fiber, and folate, and low in fat, Adzuki beans is believed to benefit reproductive and kidney function, by speeding up removal of waste from the body and promoting regularity.

Ever since I "discovered" it in the local Asian market and read up on its health benefits, I have been incorporating it more in my cooking over the last year or so. I can't quite tell the difference between the basic Atzuki beans and the Hokkaido variety yet unless I read the label, but, considering that about half a cup per week is all that is prescribed for getting its benefits, it seems hard not to take advantage of its nutritional value.

There are many ways to present these beans, just like any other beans: As bean burgers, as bean soup, in salads and stews, in tacos, in rice, even as plain Adzuki bean soup. Or, just toss a handful into whatever meal I have planned for the night...

Since fusion cuisine is my personal slant, this Adzuki Beans, Asparagus, and Bulgur Salad, has a MediterrAsian feel with Bulgur from the Mediterranean and Adzuki beans and the dressing from Asian cuisine. Roasted asparagus is optional. I had some leftover from previous meal so it was nice to use it up. Serve at room temperature (or slightly chill, if preferred).

Leftover dressing can be saved for up to a week in a cool dark place and used for other salads and sauces, or even as a home-made spring roll dip.

Maybe one of these days I will get around to listing the frequently used spices and condiments in my cupboard, by cuisine. Just like I restock organic ketchup and stone ground mustard, I restock kecap manis and sambal oelek... and since basically "anything goes" in my kitchen, I seem to use them all up at almost the same rate.


Ingredients
2 cups loosely packed fresh baby spinach leaves
1 cup cooked Adzuki beans
1 lb of fresh asparagus, cut, and roasted
1½ cup cooked medium-ground bulgur
¼ cup chopped dry apricots
¼ cup coarsely broken toasted walnuts
spring onions and cilantro, chopped

Dressing/marinade:
¼ cup light soy sauce
2 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp kecap manis
1 Tbsp sambal oelek
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Preparation

1. Combine the dressing ingredients, stir well, adjust to taste, keep handy
2. Toss together bulgur and adzuki beans; add the dressing a little at a time to desired sogginess and set aside for 20-30 minutes to overnight (in fridge)
3. When ready to serve, place a bed of spinach leaves, pile the salad, top with apricots and walnuts, and garnish with spring onions and cilantro

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Fingerling potatoes are a heritage variety of potatoes that are usually small, oblong, about the size of a largish finger. And, when in season, they are aplenty and fairly inexpensive. Well, not inexpensive compared to sturdy old Idahos, but, reasonable enough , let's say :)

Fingerlings are not new potatoes which are just baby potatoes (like we dig up from our garden early winter), and are usually roundish. There are quite a few varieties of fingerling potatoes in the market and so far the ones I've tried have all been good - Ruby Crescent, French Fingerling, Russian Banana.

Some are best steamed, some are best roasted, usually cooked with the skin on. This is a simple recipe for roasted Ruby Crescent Fingerling potatoes (400°F oven, about 20 minutes), with herbs and light seasoning. Somehow, it seems like rosemary and potatoes are made for each other :)

Fresh rosemary from the garden, with a touch of olive oil and some salt makes this one of our favorite sides, and was especially good with Blood Orange, Beets and Black Plum salad.

Blood Orange, Beets and Black Plum Salad

Blood oranges, ruby grapefruits, tangelos, navel oranges, clementines, kumquats... it's been a citrus fiesta for the last couple of months in our house.

While the adults enjoy a fresh grapefruit as breakfast or as dessert, the kids don't seem to care for it, except in blended fruit smoothies.

The deep red flesh (thanks to anthocyanin) and the sweet mellow taste makes blood oranges a special treat. That, and the fact that other than this season it is unaffordable in my budget :) While grapefruit feels quite a bit harshly acidic, bothering my teeth, blood orange seems pretty mild in comparison. The Moro oranges grown in the U.S. are deep red, almost burgundy, and happens to be our favorite.



As I was browsing for interesting ways to present blood orange, this Roasted Beet and Blood Orange Salad recipe caught my attention and inspired me to present my version of it for a weeknight dinner, along with some roasted fingerling potatoes.

Salads are very much a favorite first course or even a whole meal on some weeknights, especially in summer when we get fresh greens and tomatoes from our garden. Now, the dressing/vinaigrette is what makes the salad for me. I have been meaning to post a compilation of my favorite dressings here... maybe soon. Sometimes it is just a quick vinaigrette thrown together with no thought, at other times it is based on a special craving, a special flavor to bring out the salad's strength...

Anyway, the ginger-soy hot-and-sweet vinaigrette for this salad is one of our favorites. But, a light red wine vinaigrette or sherry vinaigrette would be good too.

Ingredients
1 blood orange
1 navel orange
1 small black plum
1 can whole beets
4-6 cups baby spinach

Hot-and-Sweet Ginger-Soy Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp sambal oelek
2 Tbsp kecap manis
4 Tbsp cup blood orange juice, or plain orange juice
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp light soy sauce
¼ cup canola oil (more or less)
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Blend the ingredients together, adjusting flavors as desired.

Preparation

1. Cut the canned whole beets into chunks and pan roast them with some canola oil and sambal oelek. Sambal oelek is optional, can use cayenne pepper instead; or leave it out. I like the way the heat of the sambal oelek complements the natural sweetness of the beets as they roast together
2. Cut chunks of flesh from the oranges, toss together with baby spinach, plums, and pan-roasted beets, adding just enough vinaigrette to suit your taste

Fresh Spring Rolls with Rutabaga, Turnip, Zucchini filling

Thanks to a wide array of ready-made wrappers, making spring rolls seems like something my 4 year-old sous chef can handle easily these days. Wonderful as an afternoon snack washed down with green tea, or as an appetizer, spring rolls have become a staple at home, nothing to be excited about.

Some weekends, I just make a big batch in the morning, along with dipping sauces, and arrange it on the table like hors d'oeuvres to be munched on and off as we go about our business. On such days, typically, we end up not having any major meals as the spring rolls turn out very satisfying.

As I was sorting through my posts, I realized I haven't shared a recipe for fresh spring rolls, just a version of deep fried and pan-fried spring rolls.

As always, the filling changes each time depending on vegetables of the season, my mood, availability etc. This particular version is D's favorite, thanks to the rather unconventional filling.

Ingredients
For the filling:
1 rutabaga, grated
1 turnip, grated
2 medium carrots, grated
1 zucchini, grated
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
½ medium onion, sliced thin
3-4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
2 Tbsp grated ginger
2 Tbsp kecap manis
1 Tbsp sambal oelek
1 Tbsp coconut vinegar (or seasoned rice vinegar)
1 Tbsp sesame oil or canola oil
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Dry rice paper (Vietnamese), reconstituted/moistened with damp cloth, for wrappers

Preparation

1. Filling: heat the oil in a pan, add the grated ginger and sliced garlic, sauté a bit and then add the onion, sauté some more; then add the rest of the veggies, seasonings, cover and cook till slightly soft but not mushy; finish off cooking without the lid; allow to cool
2. Add the filling into each soft fresh spring roll wrapper, roll per package directions or like a burrito
3. Serve with home-made peanut sauce and (canned) plum sauce

Welsh Cakes

Dydd Gwyl Dewi hapus!

I didn't want St.David's Day, to go uncommemorated. So, I decided to make some Welsh cakes and some Leek-and-Potato soup to make D feel right at home. Sort of.

Not having visited Wales, I haven't really tasted the native specialty, but the Welsh Cakes recipe at BBC site is a fairly standard one as far as I gather.

However, having the chronic inability to follow a recipe to the letter, and an inherent resistance to using too much butter, I usually make a substitution or two so I can polish off a plateful fairly guilt-free:)

Now, on a medium-hot non-stick griddle it comes out nice and golden brown, but the hot cast iron griddle gives it that extra flavor plus the dark exterior. I like the cast iron griddle so, these cakes turn out moist and soft on the inside but a bit dark on the outside.

Without further ado, in honor of St.David's Day, here is a version of Welsh cakes. It tastes sort of like a cross between sweet fluffy pancake and buttery soft cookie.

Ingredients
1¼ cup flour (more or less)
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup Smart Balance Omega butter (light)
2/3 cup sugar (or less if using Castor sugar for dusting)
1 egg
¼ cup sultanas/raisins
round cookie-cutter or canning ring to cut shapes
optional: Castor sugar for dusting

Preparation

1. Sift the flour and baking powder together; work it into the butter to form coarse breadcrumbs
2. Add the sugar, eggs and raisins and knead to cookie-dough-like consistency
3. Dust a work surface and roll it flat to about ¼ inch thick and cut out small rounds
4. Cook in a hot cast iron griddle till golden brown on each side and cooked through
5. Dust with Castor sugar if preferred