Superhero Carrot-Ginger Bowl

This dish is very simple to make and so yummy to eat! I probably wouldn't make it for company, but it's a great simple lunch or dinner in under 30 minutes. There are 5 components to this bowl. Each one is yummy on its own, but together they create a powerhouse of deliciousness! Perfectly steamed vegetables meet meaty mushrooms paired with nutty sauteed tempeh, and it's all topped off with a sauce bursting with the flavors of ginger, sesame, miso, and carrot. 

Can we just talk for a second about the other cool things this has going on? You've got macro- and micro-nutrients, vitamins, phytochemicals, probiotics, fiber, and other goodies your body needs. Usually “health food” leaves me feeling...well, hungry, and unhealthy food renders me fit for nothing but napping. This is neither--it'll make you feel full, energized, and ready to take on the world! I'm not saying it'll give you superhuman abilities to charge through your day...but I'm not saying it won't either! Without further ado, here's how it's made: 

Superhero Carrot-Ginger Bowl Recipe

Makes: 4 servings

What really makes it is the Carrot-Ginger Dressing

Ingredients:

·         ½ lb sliced carrots (I buy mine pre-sliced from the store)

·         1 clove garlic, whole with skin removed

·         2 tablespoons chopped white onion (4-5 slices will do)

·         2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (you can totally buy this pre-minced in a jar, and it’ll save you so much headache. I use Christopher’s)

·         ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (juice of about ½ to 1 lime)

·         ¼ cup filtered water (plus a few splashes if needed)

·         1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

·         2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

·         2 tablespoons red or white miso paste (this is one of the awesome micronutrients, don’t skip it!)

·         1 teaspoon agave nectar

·         A pinch or two salt

Directions:

1.       Boil the carrots and garlic by adding them to about 2 quarts boiling water for about 10 minutes, then drain, reserving about 1 inch of the hot water.

2.       Place the carrots, garlic, and all other ingredients in a blender, and blend until very smooth. You can add a little more water if it’s hard to blend or if you’d like your dressing a little thinner.

This dressing has SO MUCH flavor! It tastes kind of like the salad dressing at Japanese restaurants.  I’ve never made that, but I have a feeling it contains similar ingredients.

Tempeh and Mushrooms:

We’ll use the same marinade on both the tempeh and the mushrooms, which is handy. It tastes completely different on each one, which is exciting!

3.       To start, in a gallon-size zip-top bag, combine the marinade ingredients:

·         4 tablespoons tamari

·         3 tablespoons olive oil

·         10 drops liquid smoke

·         ¼ teaspoon each: garlic powder, onion powder, coriander

4.       Zip it up, and mix it around to ensure all ingredients are well-combined, then add:

·         8 oz multigrain tempeh, cut in ½ inch cubes

5.       Zip it up and swirl it around again, making sure that the tempeh is thoroughly coated, then remove the tempeh to a skillet over medium heat, using a slotted spoon, to ensure that as much marinade as possible stays in the bag.

6.       Once all the tempeh is in the skillet, add to the bag of marinade:

·         12 oz sliced mushrooms (I used cremini, but button shiitake, or another variety would work equally well)

·         2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (Optional)

7.       Shake the bag around again, and then just let the mushrooms marinate while you prepare and assemble the rest of the dish!

Veggies:

1 lb vegetable, fresh or frozen (It’s great on broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, sugar snap peas, green beans, peppers, and pretty much everything!)

We’re going to steam the veggies. You can use the same hot water from boiling your carrots, pour some out until you have about 1-2 inches in your pot, then put the steamer in the pot, add the veggies, cover, and steam for about 5 minutes or until bright and just barely tender. When veggies are no longer frozen in center, remove from steamer and set aside to cool.

To Assemble:

Think of your bowl divided into four quarters. Fill one quarter with the tempeh, one quarter with the mushrooms, and the other two quarters with the veggies. Dollop a couple of nice big spoonfuls of that luscious Carrot-Ginger Dressing right in the middle and viola, you have a beautiful healthy balanced meal! 

Enjoy! 

Tasty Cheese and Chard Bites

I’m visiting family in Tennessee and it’s been snowing all day! We’re warm and cozy with the fireplace blazing, curled up reading books and watching movies. Despite the weather, I've been staying active without leaving the house by doing these awesome holiday Crossfit-style workouts from the Ascent Blog (Thanks, Claire!), and they've really been kicking me into shape! When I started to get hungry this evening, I wanted something that would keep me on my path toward my fitness goals while indulging my craving for some hearty comfort food that felt right for this snowy wintery day. And so, I came up with these cheese and chard bites.

They’re pretty cool because you can make them as a homey, filling main course almost reminiscent of scalloped potatoes, or you can make them an elegant canapé-style hors d’oeuvre. If you don't like Swiss chard, another green, like kale or spinach, could be easily substituted. The yellow-flesh Japanese sweet potato is perfect here because it holds up really well--no falling apart while you're flipping or transferring! 

Cheese and Chard Bites

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as an entrée

Ingredients:

• 1 medium Japanese sweet potato (if unavailable, substitute 1 Russet or 2 Yukon Gold potato)
• Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pans
• 2 tablespoons high quality extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• ½ lb (about ¾ cup) fat-free or low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 large bunch (about 10 leaves or ½ lb) Swiss chard, washed
• 4 tablespoons salsa verde (I use Dan’s Guacamole Green Salsa), more if you make the appetizer version
• Sliced roasted almonds (optional)

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Slice potato very thinly, using a mandolin or food processor if possible. Grease two cookie sheets with butter or nonstick spray, and arrange potatoes on pans in one layer, then drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with one clove minced garlic, and salt & pepper to taste. Roast for 10 minutes, remove from oven and flip each slice with tongs, then return to oven and roast 8 more minutes.

3. While potatoes are roasting, chop chard into bite sized pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add one tablespoon olive oil and one clove minced garlic. Sautee 3 minutes, stirring frequently, then add chard and salt and pepper to taste. Sautee a few minutes, until chard is wilted and bright green, then remove to a large bowl.

4. In a medium bowl, mix ricotta with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

           Now, here’s where the two options diverge.

          *To make the main course, do this:

In each bowl, add a layer of potatoes, cover with half the chard then a nice big dollop of cheese & spread it out over the greens, then top with a couple tablespoons of the salsa verde, and then almonds if you like. Enjoy!

          *To make the appetizer, do this:

Arrange potato slices in one layer on serving dish, then top each with a spoonful of the greens then the cheese, and drizzle a little salsa verde over the very top. Serve and enjoy!

Soft Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cookies

These Chocolate Chip Gingerbread cookies really have it all! They embody exactly what I want in a Christmas cookie (or any cookie!) The texture is perfectly soft and easy to sink your teeth into, yet they’re slightly chewy and hold up well, plus chocolate chips, and a burst of old-fashioned gingerbread flavor from the fresh ginger, molasses, and spices that’ll transport you back in time to grandma’s house.

When I visit my family in Tennessee, I like to make a big batch of these in my mom's kitchen, and bring them to family and friends near and far. 


Soft Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Cookies

Yield: Makes 2 dozen (unless you eat half the batter, don’t say I didn’t warn you!)

This recipe is based on one by the lady you can always count on, Martha Stewart.

Ingredients

·         1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached White Wheat Flour

·         1 teaspoon baking soda

·         1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

·         1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

·         1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

·         8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

·         1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

·         1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed

·         1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

·         7 ounces (about 1/2 cup) best-quality milk chocolate chips

·         1/2 cup demarara or turbinado (large grain) sugar

Directions

1.     Line two baking sheets with parchment. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

2.     In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.

3.     Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Roll dough into a 1 1/2 inch thick cylinder  seal with wrap; refrigerate on top shelf for at least 20 minutes or up to a few days.

4.     Heat oven to 325 degrees. Slice dough 1/2- inch thick, and stud top of each with 3 chocolate the roll in sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.


Note: To make vegan, substitute Earth Balance buttery sticks for butter and dark chocolate for milk chocolate

I just love making these for friends and family. I know a lady in Mississippi who bakes coconut cakes for everyone she knows. My mom always makes Chex Mix with plenty of nuts, worchestershire sauce.  What are your favorite dishes your family has a tradition of making every year? 

3 Luscious Lasagna Ideas

A lot of lasagna recipes ask you to separately pre-cook heaps veggies or ground beef, or worse both, in addition to boiling the lasagna noodles and mixing the cheeses together, and blah blah blah - it never ends! ...I don’t know about you, but this girl has other dishes to make and other things to do, so I’m bringing you three ideas for cutting down the work but keeping all the goodness!

•         On my other blog, I wrote about my Magic Spinach and Cheese Lasagna
  Is it magic because it disappears in no time? Is it magic because it makes itself? Follow the link and find out!) In the recipe, I give you extra veggies without the extra work but putting carrots and onions straight into the tomato sauce, which you simmer on the stovetop before the whole thing goes into the oven.

·          

•       Old Fashioned Lasagna
  Sounds like more work, right? Turns out it's not! The secret is you don’t pre-cook ANYTHING. Use a jar of your favorite tomato sauce, and whatever veggies you have on hand, no-boil noodles or no noodles, and it all goes straight into your greased baking dish. You have to keep it in the oven about an hour compared to half an hour if you had pre-cooked everything, but you would have spent an extra half hour standing over the stove pre-cooking everything, and this way you can spend that time doing whatever you need to do, like cooking another dish, taking a shower, mastering the French horn, teaching your dog how to do laundry, you know, whatever’s on your list. Let me know in the comments if you want the specific recipe and I’ll post it later.

•          Hot ‘N Cold Lasagna
  I love Love LOVE making and eating this! Assemble your favorite lasagna recipe--I like to add chunks of eggplant, carrots, zucchini, and/or onion with sauce and noodles--but leave out all the cheese (I know, this sounds like blasphemy, but trust me). When it's done, take the lasagna out of the oven, and while still hot, transfer to serving dishes, then dollop 2 tablespoons of ricotta cheese onto each serving. The hot lasagna, the melt-in-your-mouth, fall-apart-tender veggies, tangy rich olive oil and tomato sauce with the cold creamy ricotta cheese are an out-of-this-world way-too-darn-good combination. 

NEXT UP!

Coming your way are recipes for

• shiitake mushrooms with brown rice, 
• spaghetti squash with basil and extra virgin olive oil, and 
• some gorgeous gingerbread cookies made originally by Martha, and made more wholesome by me—which do you want first??

I’ll just leave you with this one photo of the cookies...

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

I’m a huge fan of frozen treats, whether you call it ice cream, helado, gelato, sorbeto, sherbet, or any other name. 

Since I’m traveling to Nashville, TN this week, I took the opportunity to get out of the kitchen and try Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (1892 Eastland Ave). I have to say I was not disappointed! This is one of those special places that you walk into as if you’re walking into a fairy tale. You want to just stop in the doorway, make a fist, pump your arm, and say ‘YES!’ – because you have arrived. This the kind of ice cream shop I daydream about. 

After sampling flavors like Mango Lassi, Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk, and Root Beer Float, we settled on a scoop of Pistachio & Honey and one of Goat Cheese with Cognac Figs, a surprisingly good combination! As if that wasn't enough ice cream, I absolutely had to try one of their macaroon ice cream sandwiches, the idea was way WAY too good to pass up. I ordered the cutie pie hazelnut chocolate one below. 

How in the heck are you passing this off as healthy, Kendall, you ask? 

Well, I'm glad you asked, because I have an excellent answer for you--every now and then it's essential to indulge in the things we love! What do you love that you indulge in frequently or infrequently?