Tag Archives: Honey

Spring-y Spring Rolls with Carrot Ginger Miso Sauce

April 9, 2012

When I start a copywriting assignment with a new client, the most important question I ask to get to know them is “where are you, what are you doing, and who are you with when you most feel like yourself?” They often smile, get a little quiet, and start to tell a story. Somewhere they visited, Saturday rituals at home… little details that reveal their personality and perspective. It’s more anthropological experimentation than it is helpful writing tool. Often, how they answer this question is entirely different than the manner in which they answer all the others. They haven’t prepared for this sort of prompt, so they have a chance to share in their sincerest form. How interesting is it that?

Using the exercise on myself, I become overwhelmed with a deep and exhilarating sense of peace and understanding as I am instantly transported to a time and space where things were just as they should be. When I find myself drifting off course or am sorting through serious life decisions, I try to practice this mediation. It has a funny way of bringing my head and heart back into alignment when the wires get crossed or cut. I’ve recently come to think of it as my “happiness compass.”  Ultimately, when we are able to live out the truest, most authentic versions of ourselves, we can be the most happy.

I think so often we get caught up in creating an idea of happiness that we look too far outward, forward to things and elaborate ideas that will slingshot us out of a current state of fatigue, frustration, fear, etc. While I totally think happiness is something you can and should work to manifest, in times of uncertainty, it is best guided by the reminders living inside us all. Memories can’t provide direct answers for our troubles, but the process of remembering may lull the voices, our own and otherwise, that may be pulling/pushing us into a direction that leaves us feeling unsettled. It creates space for us to truly consider all that we know to be true, trust all that is yet to be taught, and go forward with a sense of empowerment to just be. It brings everything back to center. There may be chaos, there may be distraction, there may be consternation… but in our own answer, there can be stillness. And that is enough.  

So I ask you this question, today…

Where are you, what are you doing, and who are you with when you most feel like yourself?” 

Close your eyes. Listen. Let those places, people, spaces wash over you and fill you with love and light.

Feel free to shred, julienne, or dice anything your heart desires for these guys — spring rolls are incredibly versatile. I’ve mixed soft greens, crisp cabbage, and creamy avocado to diversify the texture. Add or subtract herbs as desired. Play with the sauce to your liking too, I spotted it in the magazine and knew it had potential.

And… get this: Happyolks has a free app for iPhone. Um, What!? Speaking of things that remind us who we really are, my incredible/handsome/kind little brother spent the semester in one of his engineering courses developing it for us. Hugs to Austin for his hard work. Download it from the App Store and check for updates and new features as the year progresses.

Spring-y Spring Rolls 

  • 1 dozen medium rice paper sheets
  • 1 head napa cabbage, shredded
  • 3 cups escarole (or soft lettuce), shredded
  • 2 cups micro basil
  • 2 cups whole mint leaves
  • 3 avocados, segmented

Carrot Ginger Miso Sauce - adapted from Bon Appetit

  • 2 tbsp miso paste
  • 1/4 cup minced spring onion
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 2-3 tbsp finely grated carrot
  • 2-3 tbsp finely grated ginger
  • 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
  • t tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey (brown rice syrup for vegans)
  • juice of one lemon
  • sprinkle of salt

Submerge a single spring roll wrapper in a bowl of hot water until completely pliable, about 15 seconds. Remove, and gently set on a flat surface. Layer with cabbage, escarole, avocado, and herbs. Construct a roll like a burrito; start with the bottom and cover the horizontal line of veggies. Fold in both sides and press to seal. Roll up tightly to the top and seal the edge. Set aside. Repeat.

For the sauce “Place all ingredients plus 1/4 cup water in a resealable container. Cover and shake vigorously until well combined.”

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A Seat at the Table

November 27, 2011

My parents never arranged a separate kid’s table and a grown-ups table during holiday meals. The youngsters ate what the adults ate and participated in the same rituals of passing the biscuits, hoarding the gravy, and holding each others warm, eager hands in gratitude for another meal, another year in good health and humor.

Such a simple act of inclusion, a seat at the table. An act of affirmation, really… You, yes you, young one, have a unique and important way of looking at the world.  There is so much to be grateful for during the holidays, but a seat at the table has been a gift I’ve probably undervalued until lately.

Respect was a reciprocal value in my house growing up – give respect, receive respect. Our opinions and perspectives were encouraged but more importantly, my parents invited us to the table and then they listened. They had enough respect to sit with us and walk alongside us in our crazy ideas. I know better now, as I’ve aged, that some people never get a seat at the table, no matter how old they are. I get it now. I’ve been on the outside, I’ve seen and felt what it’s like for youth to be dismissed as naïveté. Even now when I don’t get “a seat at the table” (figuratively speaking) I remember this. I give thanks for this. What a gift it is to for people to take us seriously.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but the table is there at every moment of each day to sit, stand, walk beside someone and give them room and respect to speak their truth. Through the rest of the year who will you invite to a seat at the table? Invite them. Just sit there. Really look at them. Hear their story. Reach out to the younger folk in your clan too – see them, affirm them. They’ll remember.

This turned out to be much more festive than I first anticipated while wandering the aisles at the market today. I imagine it would make a great holiday side, but an even better weeknight meal turned sack-lunch. If kale isn’t your idea of a party dish, try spinach instead.

Pomegranate + Kale + Pearl Onion Orzo 

  • 1 large bunch of kale (or two, if you’re a go-getter)
  • 2 pomegranates
  • 2 cups pearl onions
  • 2 shallot bulbs
  • 2 1/2 cups orzo

Olive Oil + Orange + Honey Dressing

  • 1/3 cup good olive oil
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • juice of 1/2 an orange
  • 1 tsp raw honey

Bring 2 medium-large pots to a boil with a bit of salt. In the first pot, boil pearl onions for 7-10 minutes. Remove, allow to cool, then remove skins. Set aside. For the second pot, boil orzo with a splash of olive oil for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Remove, strain, but do not rinse.

Break open pomegranates one at a time, massaging out the seeds into a large bowl. Pick out the little white fibrous bits as you go along. This  can be a bit messy for the first time pomegranate handler, wear an apron! Alternatively, you could purchase pom. seeds in the produce section of your grocery. Once finished, return to the onions. to remove skins, cut off the bottom stem portion and peel the rest with your fingers. Cut in half and toss with the seeds in the big bowl. Finely dice the shallots and stir with the seeds and onions.

Rinse out the onion pot and bring another bit of water to heat. Remove kale leaves from the tough spine and chop until very small bits. Not quite a mince, but a good chop. When the water is almost to a boil, immerse the kale and blanch for no more than 1 minute. Remove, strain the water, and toss with the pomegranate, onions, and so forth.

Slowly stir in cooked orzo, 1 cup at a time. Prepare the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, salt, orange juice (a little pulp is great too), and the honey. Pour over the entire bowl and stir again to coat. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

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Good Ju Ju

August 12, 2011

Ju Ju means energy; the experience of positive and negative forces all around us that charge our lives and shape each unique day on this planet. You know Ju Ju. It’s that thing when you enter a space and get that “off” feeling in your gut telling you it’s time to leave, it’s the woman who smiled at you when you were crossing the street yesterday, the long, warm embrace of your loved ones, the sensation of sand between your toes walking on the shore. It’s the powerful stuff that we pick up on everywhere when we let our intuition take the reigns.

We can give it, receive it, create it, share it, leave it behind, pass it on; you can even give Ju Ju a good kneading like homemade yeast bread. We need good Ju Ju. We need bad Ju Ju too though. The polar forces help guide our decisions, steer our relationships, and challenge us to think about life in new, interesting ways. It’s a balancing act; I think the potential for both kinds of ju ju live in us at once and can be used to direct people when we least expect it. Some people call it vibe, at yoga you’ve probably heard it referred to as Prana… but whatever name you give it, you know that it’s some powerful stuff.

Despite the fact that each day I generally rise to the blessings of good health, supportive relationships, and an intentional purpose; my Ju Ju reserves can still get a little low from time to time. Life gets messy, our heads get fuzzy, and the spark within us can grow dim. When I need good Ju Ju, I call my Mom. She shares her wisdom and light and helps re-ignite my own to honor and pass on to others.

This week my Mom was flanked with a host of givers. I received more good Ju Ju than I knew how to process all at once. Surprise coverage from The Kitchn, Food52, FoodieCrush Magazine, Food In Jars, an interview feature with Kaileen Elise, and the positive affirmations from readers and friends have been a needed nudge. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your energy with me this week. If I could bottle it, seal it with wax, and send it right back to each of you ten-fold I would.

Too often we disregard the profound impact that our simple words, actions, and intentions can have on the world and one another. Don’t. Seriously. We carry each other; everyday we take turns by sharing our Ju Ju. Give it away and watch it grow.

 Chickpea Fritters with Tomato Jam 

Slightly adapted from Whole Food by Jude Blearau

Tomato Jam 

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 cup crushed ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 5-6 large heirloom tomatoes, chopped and most of the seeds removed
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over gentle heat. Add ginger and garlic and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the vinegar and cinnamon sticks and cook until reduced by half. Add tomatoes, sugar, cumin, and cloves. Cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes over gentle heat. Remove lid, increase heat, and stir for 5-8 minutes to thicken. Reduce heat again and let simmer until thick.

 

Chickpea Fritters 
  • 1 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for at least 8 hours
  • 1 small sweet onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • pepper to taste
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 handful of parsley, chopped
  • 1 handful cilantro, chopped
  • 4 tbsp mint, chopped
  • 2 tbsp chickpea flour
  • olive oil, for frying
Pour soaked chickpeas into a strainer, rinse and drain. Put soaked chickpeas in a food processor with minced garlic. Pulse for about a minute. Add the spices and pulse for another minute until finely ground, then place in a large mixing bowl. Add chopped onion, herbs, and flour and eggs and use your hands to combine. Form the mixture into small patties about 1/2″ thick. I started out thinking these would be chickpea burgers, but with half a loaf of bread on hand and no intention of running to the store, these became open faced sandwiches. Oops.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan, just enough to cover the bottom well. Place patties in the pan and cook over medium heat (with a gentle sizzle) for 5-7 minutes on each side. Jude warns “don’t rush the process, the insides take a while to cook.” Serve with grilled olive oil bread and tomato jam.

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Strawberry Sweet Potato Crumble

July 20, 2010

Another full weekend has come and passed. I attended my first Padres game with the most beautiful kids from the IRC’s First Things First program and watched anxiously (and amusingly) at how cotton candy, ice cream, peanuts, and soda take charge in a tiny 40 pound body. But it was their first time experiencing the Padres too, any professional US sporting event for that matter, so it wasn’t really the time for a nutrition lesson. I think (well, I hope) that little binges like those for excited attendees across the stadium are rendered harmless  by the joy, laughter, and companionship of those that joined them. Padres won handily, and I think I’m finally starting to enjoy the sport and the pursuit of the season. I’m a homegrown NBA fan (thanks, dad), but I think my previous conceptions of the in-athleticism of MLB are being softened by Shaun’s love of the Rockies and my desire to root for something again. Plus, as frivolous as the stadiums and the jerseys and the salaries of the players are, the games spread good ‘ju-ju’ which always gets a thumbs up in my book.

I’ve been seeing so many Strawberry Shortcake recipes floating across the food-blog world, and I thought I’d throw something a little different into the ring. Strawberries are still a’flowin in SD, so I thought I’d get creative with a crumble and hope for the best. I must say, I was a little apprehensive if this concoction would be as nutritious and sweet as I imagined, but the smell of maple and oats crystallizing in the oven abated those doubts. The amount of sweet potato I used was not measured, so use your best judgment based on the notes I jotted while in the baking process.

Middle:

  • 2 medium-ish sweet potatoes, shredded (approx 6 cups)
  • 3 1/2 – 4 cups strawberries, halved
  • A scant 1/4 cup raw cane sugar
  • 1 tbsp tapioca flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg

Crisp:

  • 1 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups teff flour
  • 3 tbsp cane sugar
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/8 cup olive oil
  • 2 pinches of salt
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • a good sprinkle of ground flax

In a large bowl combine the shredded potatoes, strawberries, sugar, tap. flour, and spices -coat, then let rest. In a medium bowl, combine and stir the dry ingredients first: oats, teff flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and flax. Add the wet ingredients and mix vigorously, adding orange juice or almond milk if your consistency is too dry for your liking. Fill a nice deep dish with the strawberry mixture first, then cover evenly with your crumble crust.

After the oven has pre-heated to 400′, place the baking dish on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy warm, or at room temperature. The crumble is sweet enough for my taste, but I’m sure a little vanilla ice cream would be lovely.

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