red kale and barley salad

February 23, 2014
somethin' on the side, the main event, the underwear diet
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I know, I know: another kale salad, but I just had to do it! I made this, along with hard-boiled eggs and fresh fruit, as part of a healthy brunch spread. Did I mention, there were also lots and lots of mixed berry mimosas. Not the most traditional brunch, but paired with good company and conversation, it was perfect.

1 bunch red kale, stems removed, torn into bite-size pieces
Juice of 2 limes (or 1 large lime)
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 avocado, diced
3/4 cup cooked hull-less barley

1. In a large bowl, massage kale leaves with lime juice, oil, salt, and black pepper until they become wilted and tender.
2. Add avocado and barley and toss to combine.

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sardine salad

February 14, 2014
the main event, the underwear diet
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This is an attempt to recreate a recipe from my old job. It’s ridiculously good.

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 stalks celery, small dice
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, rough chop
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, rough chop
1/4 cup fresh dill, rough chop
Juice of 2 large limes
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 3.75-oz cans sardines packed in water, drained

1. Combine all ingredients except for the sardines.
2. Spoon the salad into two shallow bowls and top each with sardine fillets.

Serves 2 as a light entree.

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pork larb

February 13, 2014
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I used this recipe from Bon Appetit for Thai Larb. Here is how I adapted it:

1 small onion, rough dice
1 jalapeno, thin slice
2 cloves garlic, thin slice
2 1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Zest of 2 limes, thin slice
3 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 3/4 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
8 leaves butter, romaine, or iceberg lettuce leaves
Cilantro, for garnish

For the sauce:
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce

1. In a food processor, place onion, jalapeno, garlic, fish sauce, salt, lime zest, and 1 Tbsp of the oil. Pulse until finely chopped.
2. Add the pork to the food processor and pulse until it is very finely chopped.
3. In a pan, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp oil over medium heat. Add the pork mixture and cook, breaking it apart with the back of a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
4. Make the sauce: combine the ingredients and stir.
5. Arrange lettuce leaves on a plate and fill each leaf with larb. Drizzle with sauce and garnish with cilantro.

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Leftovers were piled into a container and layered with kimchi. YUM.

pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

February 3, 2014
yup. i bake now.
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Here’s a spin on these Pumpkin Chocolate Cranberry Muffins, sans cranberries. I doubled the recipe and froze half to send to my brother, who is serving in Afghanistan in the USAF; the other half I froze and will send with my boyfriend, who will be away in DC for a month of lectures.

I used whole wheat pastry flour, which will boost the fiber and nutrient content, but still yield a tender crumb. I also used less honey than the previous recipe. Note: I didn’t have buttermilk, so I combined skim milk with 1 Tbsp of white vinegar.

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup honey
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, spice, and salt and whisk.
3. In a small bowl, combine honey, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and egg and whisk.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups (standard 12).
6. Bake for 14-17 minutes, rotating halfway, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

Notes: Unfortunately, the sides and bottoms got too brown. Next time: reduce heat to 350 F. Also, increase honey back to 1/2 cup. Though I don’t want an overly sweet muffin (nice excuse to have it for breakfast), I feel like it needed a boost. Maybe not. Needs more work!

broccoli cheeze soup

January 26, 2014
the main event
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Lots of the recipes I found for vegan broccoli cheddar soup used milk alternatives, nuts, flour, cornstarch, and/or vegan cheese. I was looking for something simpler.

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, medium dice
2 stalks celery, medium dice
1 medium sweet potato, small dice
2 cloves garlic, thin slice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups arugula
1 small head broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, celery, sweet potato, and garlic to the pot. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Saute, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes.
4. Pour water into the pot and cover the vegetables by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Stir in arugula and cook for another minute. Puree with an immersion blender.
6. Add broccoli florets and nutritional yeast and simmer for another 15-20 minutes, or until the broccoli is soft.
7. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.

Notes: yum. Love the color the sweet potato lends to the soup, which mimics traditional broccoli cheddar soup. The nutritional yeast is a powerhouse, giving the finished product a rich, cheesy, almost fermented flavor. The arugula simply boosts the nutrition profile, but is not essential; it can be omitted, or substituted with nearly any other type of green leafy vegetable.

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