Winter Beet Borscht

Coming upon a May, 2009 Martha Stewart magazine I happened to find a recipe for Ukranian Borscht. Upon closer look the recipe called for short ribs, tomato paste and dry white wine. Planning to use this recipe for an upcoming Body Rejuvenation Cleanse session I did a quick recipe re-do and created this vegetarian version that won serious kudos from my students.

By simply bringing the peeled beets to a boil and letting them soften in the hot water you will have a delicious broth that can be made the night before or early in the day and left to cool on the stove. The lemon and vinegar gives the soup a nice tang, which complements the sweetness of the beets, carrots and cabbage. A perfect choice for those times when sweet cravings are overwhelming. Instead have a warm cup of soup. If you are not cleansing, and so inclined, add a dollop of plain sheep's yogurt to your final creation than a sprinkle of parsley and you've created a work of art.

 Winter Beet Borscht

Serves 6 to 8.

2 large beets, scrubbed well, trimmed and peeled

8 cups water 

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

3 cups Chinese cabbage, chopped 

juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

2 tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish

1.Place the peeled beets in a large, heavy saucepan filled with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat and let sit until cool. Remove beets from water and grate on a box grater, set aside. (This can be done ahead of time or even day before) 

2. Bring the beet cooking water to a boil and add the carrots and cabbage, reduce heat and simmer. 

3. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet sauté the onion, garlic and celery in oil until tender, about 3 minutes. When done, add to the soup, making sure to wash out the skillet with beet stock and return to the soup mixture. 

4. Cook for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender, than add the grated beets, lemon juice and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer another 10-15 minutes before serving garnished with chopped parsley.

Broccoli Rabe Spelt Crust Pizza

  

Found myself with a spelt pizza crust from Berlin Bakery, a big bunch of fresh broccoli rabe and a bag of pecans, so I made this delicious pizza, vegan version. You can always grate some Romano cheese over the top once it is out of the oven or throw some crumbled goats milk feta on top before baking. Both additions would compliment the flavors of this dish.

Serve with a salad of baby arugula, sprouted fresh lentils, avocado and a sharp golden balsamic vinaigrette. Nothing speaks love like feeding yourself and others great food.

Broccoli Rabe Pizza

Serves 8

1 Berlin Bakery Spelt pizza crust

1 bunch broccoli rabe, ends trimmed and leaves washed

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of Braggs Aminos or sea salt to taste

1/3 cup pecans, chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F.

2. Pour a half inch of water into a large skillet and place the broccoli rabe in the skillet.

Cover and simmer until tender, about 7- 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cool water to stop the cooking. Squeeze liquid from rabe, set on a cutting board and chop.

3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet and saute the onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and toss in the rabe, mixing well to combine the flavors. Add the Braggs Aminos or salt to taste,

4. Distribute the remaining oil around the top of the pizza crust especially around the outer edges. Place the rabe on top the crust and finally the pecans.

5. Bake for 12 minutes or until crust is crisp and edges browned.

Curried Cabbage and Arame

Two Cleanse sessions back to back on Saturday and Sunday. Everyone returned from two weeks on the Transition Phase with stories to tell and color beginning to return to their winter cheeks. A lot of cooking for me, and I am always trying new recipes to introduce sea vegetables into peoples diet. I know it takes time to try new foods, but when you know how beneficial they are you are motivated to explore them in recipes.

 

You’ve probably seen nori at sushi restaurants, and it’s just one of a variety of sea vegetables that can enhance the flavor of your favorite foods and boost your thyroid function. Sea vegetables should be at the top of your list for feeding your thyroid. They contain iodine and have high levels of trace minerals, vitamins, healthy proteins and fats. Our soils are depleted of minerals, plus we drink coffee, soft drinks and alcohol, live under constant stress, and eat refined, acidic foods, which only make sea vegetables such as: arame, dulse, hijiki, wakame, nori and kombu a MUST in your weekly menu plan. The Japanese eat some at every meal and we would be wise to follow them. 

So, for the introduction meal to the Cleanse Phase of the Body Rejuvenation Cleanse, I cooked up some spicy lentils (which I have previously posted this recipe), a pressed salad and  this delicious combination of tastes using cabbage and arame blended with fennel seeds and curry. The sweetness of the cabbage balances the pungency of the spice and served alone the next day it was even better.

Curried Cabbage and Arame

2 tablespoons coconut or Grapeseed oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, diced

1" piece fresh ginger, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon curry powder

2 tablespoons dried Arame, soaked for 10 minutes and drained

½ head green cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups)

1 cup water

2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut cream (optional)

Salt to taste

Fresh cilantro

Toasted pumpkin seeds

1. In a large skillet heat the oil over medium high and sauté the onion and ginger until tender, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the garlic and fennel seeds and cook another few minutes or until fennel begins to brown. Add the curry powder, stirring well to coat the onion, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let cook while you arrange the Arame and cabbage.

3. Remove lid and add the Arame stirring well to combine. Add the chopped cabbage and stir well.

Pour in the water and stir to remove any curry residue on the bottom of the pan. Stir in coconut cream and more water if needed, salt to taste, then cover and allow to simmer until cabbage is tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Serve on individual plates and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and pumpkin seeds.

 

           

The Perfect Winter Salad

Winter is the time to store energy and strengthen reserves. The floating energy of Water symbolizes winter. The kidneys control the mineral/salt-water balance in the body. Salt is the essential taste for winter cooking. The minerals not excreted are concentrated in the blood. This mineralized blood is condensed into bone marrow, which serves as a reservoir when more blood is needed. In this way the kidneys nourish the bones. Foods to nourish kidneys include: buckwheat, adzuki beans, sea salt, miso, tamari soy sauce, and sea vegetables.

Excerpted from Cooking For Regeneration, by Cecile Tovah Levin

For a recent Macrobiotic cooking class I made a pressed salad. For this method you are actually cooking the vegetables with salt, pressure and time, and to do so you can use a Japanese pickle press (visit the StillPoint Schoolhouse store) or layer all the ingredients in a bowl and apply a weight, such as a large can or jar of beans, as pressure. Either way the results yield a crisp, crunchy, delicious salad.

The dressing you use can be salty and pungent as with the Wasabi Dressing or sweet and sour as the more traditional Honey Mustard Dressing demonstrates. However, one of the best things about a pressed salad is that it needs no dressing to taste great. Make enough salad for a few meals plus both dressings so you can change the taste for lunch the next day. Serve with a hearty bowl of winter stew and a warm cup of Kukicha tea.

Winter Pressed Salad

2 broccoli stalks, peeled, sliced into thin rounds

2 celery stalks, sliced thin

¼ red onion, sliced thin half moons

¼ Granny Smith apple, sliced thin

1 small head Romaine lettuce, washed and sliced thin

2-3 leaves of radicchio, washed and sliced thin

½ avocado, sliced thin

Toasted black sesame seeds

Sesame dressing or Honey mustard dressing.

Wasabi Dressing: 2 Tablespoons wasabi or to taste * 2 Tablespoons Mirin * 2 Tablespoons tamari soy sauce * 2 Tablespoons Brown Rice Vinegar * 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Sesame Oil * a pinch of Sea Salt * toasted sesame seeds to decorate

Honey Mustard Dressing: 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil * 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard * 1 teaspoon agave or rice syrup * 2 tablespoons golden balsamic vinegar * few drops of Ume Plum vinegar

1. Place all vegetables, except avocado, in a stainless steel or glass-mixing bowl. Add the salt and mix well.

2. Place a plate over the vegetables and press down or use a Japanese pickle press. Weight the plate with a 2-pound can, jug of water or other heavy object.

3. Press vegetables for 1 hour. Remove plate, and squeeze out excess liquid. If the salad is too salty, rinse with cool water and dry thoroughly. Toss with dressing and serve.

Serves 6

PROTEIN RECIPES: LIFE'S BUILDING BLOCKS

Thinking of strong protein meals that support your weight loss and cleansing programs I put on the soundtrack to Mama Mia, turned it up high, my dancing shoes tied on tight and managed a few fancy moves while I prepped and prepared these two recipes. Maybe it was the dancing or just the fact that the recipes are good, because the lentils turned out to be some of the best I have ever made, possibly ever tasted; and the Lima Bean soup was a wonder to behold.

For the meal I paired the lentil soup with a fresh green salad of red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens, red clover sprouts, and blanched broccoli, topped with minced parsley, green onion and a tart dressing of fresh lemon juice, olive oil and minced garlic. A great liver cleansing salad.

The Lima Bean soup is very simple to make once you have soaked the beans overnight. You literally place half a peeled onion into the pot with beans and water/stock (no need to chop it) and a whole head of garlic, first layer of skin removed and washed well. The garlic cooks in its skin and when the beans are tender you remove the garlic to cool before slicing off the end and squeezing out the treasures within.

Serve the lentils over a bed of red and white quinoa, with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. It was a meal that put a smile on my face with enough protein to satisfy my daily allotment.

I post the two recipes here for your enjoyment. As always pass the word around to your friends and family so they can experience some delicious, healthy food as well. Probably the best gift you will ever give them, this promise of good health and happiness.

Spicy Winter Lentils

Yield: 6-8 servings

2 cups French lentils, rinsed

4 cups water

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 red pepper, ceded and chopped

3 clove garlic, minced

2” piece ginger, peeled and minced

1 red chili or cayenne pepper, minced

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seed

salt to taste

Fresh cilantro minced

1. Combine lentils, water, carrots and celery in a soup pot and bring to a boil.

2. Remove from heat and spoon into a crock pot set to HIGH.

3. Meanwhile, roast the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds in a small skillet.

4. Remove from heat when they release their aroma. Place in a mort and pestle and grind to a powder.

5. In a medium skillet heat the coconut oil and sauté the onion, pepper, ginger, chili pepper and garlic until tender, about 3-4 minutes.

6. Add the ground seeds, stir well, and cook another 3 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and stir onion mixture into the lentils. Pour ¼ cup of water into the skillet and dissolve any remaining herbs and oil. Pour this water into the lentils.

8. Cover the lentils, reduce the heat to LOW, and cook for 4 hours. 15 minutes before serving adjust seasonings and salt to taste.

9. Serve topped with minced cilantro and a dollop of fresh yogurt if desired.

Lima Bean Soup

Yield: 6 servings

2 cups dried lima beans

1 cup vegetable stock

4 cups water

1/2 onion

1 whole head garlic (one layer of skin removed)

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 tablespoons minced green onion

1 teaspoon toasted pumpkin seeds per bowl

Sprinkle of cayenne (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak the beans overnight in a medium size soup pot or Dutch oven. Drain the water and add the stock and fresh water to the beans.

2. Add the whole ½ onion and the head of garlic to the beans.

3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour. (You can also bring to a boil, then pour into a crock pot set on LOW. Cover and cook about 4-5 hours)

4. When beans are tender remove the head of garlic and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle squeeze the garlic out of the casings and back into the soup. Discard the skin and casings.

5. Using a hand blender, purée the soup until tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. Serve topped with the minced parsley, pumpkin seeds and green onion.

 

Breakfast Like a King

With the winter upon us and the cold as chill as an arctic wind your morning meal should be warming, balancing and enough to fill the belly comfortably. It has been said that one should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner as a pauper; meaning to have your more substantial meals earlier in the day and a light, vegetarian dinner before retiring for the night.

The difficulty is that most people are in such a hurry to get to work in the morning that a cup of coffee and a bagel is all there is time to grab and eat. This just causes a rise in blood sugar with the eventual crash within a few hours, right about the time you had to finish up that important report or stand before your peers and present your findings. Then CRASH, down comes your blood sugar and your energy seeps out to lie like a puddle on the floor at your feet.

You should have had a breakfast that will sustain you throughout the morning until lunch time rolls around. And to that end I present a number of recipes for your breakfasting pleasure. For the soft grains a 1.5 quart crockpot is necessary, but relatively inexpensive to purchase at your local supermarket.

Maple Quinoa Pudding

Serves 2

3/4 cup uncooked quinoa * 1 cup coconut milk * 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, or to taste * 1 tablespoon vanilla extract * 1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped and soaked * ¼ cup roasted peanuts

1. Heat 2 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling, and stir in quinoa.

2. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook until quinoa turns translucent, for about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the coconut milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract together in a bowl.

4. Stir the coconut milk into the quinoa and blend well.

5. Spoon quinoa into a bowl and top with apricots and some of the apricot juice, then the peanuts. Serve warm.    

Tempeh Bacon 

Makes 24 slices

8-oz pkg. tempeh, sliced into 24 very thin slices * 1 teaspoon Ume Plum vinegar * 1/4 cup tamari soy sauce * 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar * 1 teaspoon dark agave syrup * ¼ cup water * 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin * 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

1. Lay tempeh slices in 2 13- x 9-inch baking dishes. Bring soy sauce, vinegar, agave syrup, cumin, and ½ cup water to a boil in small saucepan.

2. Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat. Pour over tempeh slices. Let cool, then cover and chill 2 hours, or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Carefully transfer tempeh slices to prepared baking sheet, and discard marinade.

4. Brush slices with grapeseed oil, and sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, or until beginning to brown. Flip tempeh slices; brush with oil, and bake 5 to 7 minutes more, or until crisp and dark brown.    

Eggs McMochi

Serves 2

4 slices cinnamon raison or plain mochi * 2 cups cooked kale * 2 eggs over easy or to your liking.

1. Heat up the waffle maker. Slice the mochi and lay it in the waffle iron. Cook until done.

2. Meanwhile, cook your eggs as you like them.

3. Lightly butter the mochi, then layer the kale and eggs on top. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve warm.

 

Grain Congee Variations

I. 1/2 cup short grain brown rice * 1/2 cup barley * 1/4 cup hijiki, soaked * ½ teaspoon sea salt * 5 cups water.

II. 1 cup whole oat groats * 1/3 cup raisins * 5 cups water

Place ingredients in a small crock-pot and cook overnight or throughout the day on low heat. You can also soak ingredients covered overnight in a heavy saucepan. In the morning bring to a low boil, reduce heat and stirring often, simmer until water is absorbed.

Serve with:

1.            A variety of cooked greens such as kale, spinach, collard greens, or Swiss chard.

2.            Cooked beans, fried tempeh or tofu.

3.            Roasted pumpkin seeds and/or sesame seeds.

4.            Sea vegetables.

5.            Sautéed onions, ginger and garlic.

6.            Baked sweet squash.    

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup raw, shelled pumpkin seeds * tamari soy sauce.

1. Heat a small, heavy skillet over medium high heat and add the pumpkin seeds.

2. Shake or stir often and cook until evenly browned.

3. Spoon into a bowl and add a few drops of tamari soy sauce. Stir well to evaporate the liquid and coat the seeds. Set aside to cool.    

Sesame Tahini Sauce

2 cloves raw or roasted garlic * ½ cup Tahini * 3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce * 2 teaspoons maple or agave syrup * 1 tablespoon brown rice or apple cider vinegar * ½ cup green or kukicha tea * 1 teaspoon chili oil (optional) * 3 green onions, sliced.

1.            In a small food processor combine the garlic, Tahini, tamari, maple syrup, vinegar and tea.

2.            Puree until smooth, adding more tea as needed for consistency.

 

Cassoulet On A Winters Day

It is winter on this Saturday in the northeastern United States, and today the earth is covered in a blanket of snow. Fog has settled in over the mountain ridge and the lightness of day is gone by three-thirty. The fire is anxiously burning in the wood stove, but the kitchen still carries a slight chill. It is a good time to turn on the oven and bake something aromatic and satisfying for dinner. It has been a productive day. I have managed to shovel the snow from the long brick walkway, pushed a wheelbarrow full of firewood across an acre of yard and stacked them on the front porch. I have written three pages of dialogue between two central characters in the novel I am attempting to write and found a bottle of 2001 Reserva, Marques de Caceres stored in the basement; a blood red Spanish wine perfect for my current mood.

I open the wine and set it aside to breathe while I see to my beans and vegetables. I have a pot of black beans simmering on the stove and have added a few diced carrots. Two winter leeks are cut into half moons and soak in a bowl of water to extract any residue of sand and dirt. Meanwhile, I mince the garlic and sauté three chicken sausages, each sliced in half lengthwise. I remove from the freezer fresh basil, rosemary and thyme harvested from my garden as the late summer days spilled into autumn. The herbal leaves were tenderly plucked from their stems and placed in bags and then into the freezer. Yesterday, before the snowfall, I wandered into my garden and found the rosemary still vital and alive lifting up through the snow. All else in the substantial plot had succumbed to the frost and freezing temperatures.

Rosemary, for remembrance, is a strong, powerful herb symbolizing loyalty and friendship. Hamlet's Ophelia offers rosemary to the memory of her father as she goes mad with grief and sorrow. Eventually she drowns her sad self, but I suspect she would have reconsidered had she smelled my kitchen just before the cassoulet emerged from the oven. If rosemary is the herb of remembrance than it stands to reason that our ancestors used it medicinally to improve the memory. It is also a carminative, meaning an herb that soothes the digestive tract, and will help to relieve the flatulence causing properties of the beans I am cooking. I have combined black turtle beans with leeks, garlic, bay leaf, basil, rosemary, and thyme, all cooked in a deep, rich olive oil that was first used to sauté the chicken sausage. I have then topped this mixture with a cornmeal crust to seal in the flavors and absorb any surface juice.

I remove the cassoulet from the oven and I am stunned by its perfection. The crust seems to float atop the beans, sausage and vegetables, simmering in a red ceramic cassoulet dish. The design of this cooking pot is one of perfection, with its oval form and five inch depth. I had soaked it right along with my beans, to ensure an even and faithful distribution of heat. With a pot like this, one could achieve culinary fame and fortune; perhaps ending ones days on QVC selling ceramic cassoulet dishes to those who will use them only to decorate their massive country style kitchens. Then again, those culinary wannabe's may be inspired enough to discover the true purpose of their lovely Tuscan knick-knack with this recipe.

I have already gone back for seconds! The rich broth and complex flavors call to my very heart. The cornmeal crust is just thick enough to cushion the strength of the beans and sausage simmering for an hour in miso, herbs and kudzu root. The miso is sweet mellow white and the kudzu brings some thickness to the water used to cook the beans and carrots. I justify this gluttony with the memory of plowing through four inches of snow pushing a wheelbarrow filled with old logs; plus the fact that it tastes so good paired with the Marques de Caceres. I am content to end my day of winter labor indulging my senses before plunging into a week of promise.

For those of you reluctant chefs or for those who think this recipe will take to long to prepare, consider that you are presently home bound by the snow with nowhere to go and little to do that can bring you such pleasure. Rather than attempt to complete the recipe in one go, do a little at a time as you move through the kitchen in the course of your afternoon. In this way the whole process of preparing your evening meal will receive the time and respect it deserves, slowly cooked with love and anticipation and savored on a cold winters night in front of a roaring fire.

Black Bean and Sausage Cassoulet
1 1/2 cups dried black beans
3 cups water
2 carrots, halved and chopped
3 Italian chicken sausages
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 leeks, white part, chopped in half moons
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 leaves fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 stalk fresh rosemary
3 stems fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
3 small bay leaves
1 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbs. mellow white miso
1 Tbs. kudzu root
½ tsp. sea salt

Topping
½ cup corn meal
2/3 cups spelt (or whole wheat) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 cup grated Romano cheese or soy parmesan
2/3 cup non-dairy or dairy milk
2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 egg or egg replacer

1. Once you have soaked the beans and chopped the carrots, drain the beans and return to the pot with 4 cups water and the chopped carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.
2. While the beans are cooking chop and soak the leeks, mince the garlic and gather your herbs together. Slice the chicken sausage lengthwise; heat the oil in a heavy skillet and sauté the sausage until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate.
3. Add the strained leeks to the oil and cook until tender, then add the garlic and herbs, stirring well to combine.
4. Remove a cup of cooking liquid from the beans and set aside. Add the leek and herb mixture to the beans then pour the bean liquid into the skillet to collect any remaining oil and herbs. Return this liquid to the bean mixture and stir well.
5. Soak the cassoulet pot for 15 minutes in water, drain and have the pan warmed and ready, then pour the black bean mixture into the pot. Cover and place into a pre-heated 375-degree oven and cook for 30 minutes. While the beans are cooking prepare the top crust.
6. In a medium size bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, Romano cheese, baking powder and sea salt. Whisk together the milk, oil and egg and stir it into the flour mixture, combining well. Set aside.
7. Dissolve the miso and kudzu in a half cup of water.
8. When the beans are done remove from oven and uncover carefully. Stir in the miso/kudzu mixture and a half-teaspoon of sea salt. Slowly pour the cornmeal mixture over the top of the black beans and return, uncovered, to the oven. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and allow to bake for another 30 minutes or until the crust is cooked.
9. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

I suggest you invite some friends over so you don't end up eating it all at one sitting.