Vegan Kale Pesto

Vegan Kale Pesto Recipe:

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup pistachios
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup kale leaves 
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast 
• salt & pepper to taste

Asian Sesame Chicken (or tofu) Salad

This Asian Sesame Dressing is super versatile and makes a delicious cold appetizer dish with either shredded chicken or tofu.

Ingredients:

• 2 stalks green onion, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (Chinese cooking wine) or Sherry wine
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon brown rice vinegar

Mix all the ingredients together. 

For Asian Sesame Chicken Salad, layer cucumbers at the bottom, add Instant Pot shredded chicken, drizzle Asian Sesame Dressing and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Mix well and serve.

For Asian Sesame Tofu Avocado Salad, layer cucumbers at the bottom, add tofu and avocado on top, pour in Asian Sesame Dressing, garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro and serve.

A Summer Dinner

What are you eating in this heat?

Here is my simple summer dinner - boiled corn, sauted broccoli rabe, cold soba noodles (100% gluten free buckwheat noodles) and no-cook tofu avocado salad.

The beauty of this dinner is I used the same dressing for the soba noodles and tofu salad. I sprinkled sesame seeds and furikake after I tossed in the dressing. Super coolicious!

Here is the recipe for the dressing:

• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons tamari
• 1 Tablespoon mirin
• 1 Tablespoon brown rice vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Falling Leaves Salad

This hearty salad reminds me of the deep vibrant colors of the Fall season. Delicious and beautiful to look at!!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 head small red cabbage
• 1 raw beet, scrubbed
• 1 or 2 carrots
• 1 pear
• salad greens (preferably arugula)
• toasted walnuts and pistachios
• fresh pomegranates, dried cranberries or raisins

Method:

1. Julienne red cabbage, beets, carrots and pears.
2. Combine with greens, walnuts and pomegranates or dried fruits.
3. To make the dressing, whisk together 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 Tbs apple cider vinegar, 1/8 cup umeboshi vinegar, 1 Tbs tamari and 1 Tbs maple syrup.
4. Toss salad with dressing and serve.

Fingerling Potato with dill and lemon-saffron vinaigrette

This is another Lemonade recipe of classic potato salad with dill and a mimic of French mayonnaise mix. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup lemon-saffron vinaigrette
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh dill
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced

Ingredients for the lemon-saffron vinaigrette:

• large pinch of saffron threads
• 2 Tbs hot water
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Put the potatoes in a large baking pan. Drizzle with oil. Coat evenly and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes till golden on the outside and tender when pierced with a knife. Shake the pan from time to time. When done, set the potatoes aside to cool. Potatoes can be prepared in advance and refrigerated.
3. In a small bowl, combine saffron with hot water. Allow it to sit for a few minutes.
4. In a blender, combine egg yolk, mustard, lemon, turmeric, saffron (with the water), salt and pepper. Blend on medium speed for a few seconds, then reduce to low. Slowly add the oil until emulsified. Add a Tbs of water to thin out if needed.
5. Slice the potatoes into 1/2 inch pieces and put into a mixing bowl. Add the vinaigrette, yogurt, dill and shallot. Toss to evenly combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chilled or warm.
6. Keep leftover vinaigrette in an airtight jar and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

I used the leftover vinaigrette to make an egg salad and tossed it into cooked quinoa with a little scallion. It works beautifully!

Cauliflower with almond, raisin and curry vinaigrette

I had this delicious dish from Lemonade and was determined to try making it myself soon as I could get to a kitchen. To make the curry vinaigrette, there are more steps than I'd like for every day cooking, but once you've made a batch, you can put it in quinoa or practically anything that can soak up it's rich flavor. 

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup toasted almonds
• 1/4 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup Curry Vinaigrette 

Ingredients for the Curry Vinaigrette:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 granny smith apple, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 Tbs turmeric
• 1 Tbs curry powder
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbs honey or maple syrup
• 2 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 Tbs orange juice
• salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 - 450 degrees F. ( I like my cauliflower slightly charred so I prefer 450.) Put the cauliflower in a large baking pan, drizzle with oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes till charred and tender. Turn the cauliflower once or twice. 

To prepare the curry oil, put a small pot over medium-low heat and coat with 2 Tbs of oil. When the oil is hot, add apple and onion. Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add turmeric and curry powder and cook for about a minute or 2, till the spices begin to darken but not burn.

Pour the remaining oil and stir everything together. Increase the heat to medium and bring the oil to a boil. Boil for 1 minute , then remove the oil from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Strain the oil into a container and discard the pieces of apple and onion.

To prepare the vinaigrette, in a mixing bowl, combine the mustard, honey, vinegar, lemon and orange juices. Gently blend with a whisk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the curry oil, lightly whisk until the ingredients just come together.

Put the roasted cauliflower in a mixing bowl. Add the almonds, raisins or dried cranberries. 

Toss with the curry vinaigrette to coat evenly. Serve warm or cold. 

Keep any leftover vinaigrette in an airtight jar and refrigerate for up to a week. Shake it up just before you are ready to use it.

Kelp Noodles

I have been obsessing with kelp noodles lately. They are called noodles but are actually not noodles at all! They are made from kelp, a sea vegetable instead of a grain. They are clear, crunchy and tasteless, much like the Chinese glass noodles.

You can use kelp noodles to substitute for any noodle or pasta dishes or in a variety of salads with different dressings. I also love to saute them with ginger, shitaki mushrooms, cabbage and whatever veggies on hand to make a delicious stir fry dish.

Depending on whether you desire a raw, crunchy or soft texture, you can soak them either in warm water or boil them for 10-20 minutes. Cut them with a pair of scissors to break them apart as they tend to be quite long. Rinse and dry.

To make a salad, julienne some fresh veggies like carrots, red bell peppers, scallions or cilantro. Add them to the kelp noodles.

Make a dressing, toss in with the noodle and veggie mix.  The dressing will soften the noodle further if you let it sit for a while. Here are my 2 favorite dressings that go really well with a kelp noodle salad.

Almond Miso Dressing

• 3 Tbl. smooth almond butter
• 1 tsp. miso paste
• 1 Tbl. sesame oil
• 1/2-inch chunk of fresh ginger, grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
• water to thin out dressing if needed

Walnut Miso Dressing

• 1/4 cup miso
• 1 cup toasted walnuts
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup olive or sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Combine ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

Salad Jars

If you want to move away from processed food and gain control over what you put in your mouth, packing lunch to work is the way to go. But who wants to wash and chop veggies in the morning when you are half awake and barely have time to even eat breakfast?

Here is the solution - PLANNING, if you want to win in the kitchen. Make 3 or 5 of these on Sunday night and you'll have lunch the rest of the week. How about too tired to make dinner at night when you come back from work? Pop open one of these and you get something way better than a mediocre take-out.

Will the salad get gross after a few days? Honestly.... I've tried up to 3 days, even the avocados stay fresh in these air-tight jars!

But there is a technique in layering. I am giving you more of a formula than a  recipe. Be creative with your combinations!

Use a quart size mason jar, layer in this order from bottom to top - dressing, hard veggies, protein, grains, soft veggies or fruit, nuts, seeds and greens.  When you are ready to eat the salad, shake and toss and empty content in a bowl. 

Jar Recipe 1:

• Creamy basil dressing*
• Radish
• Carrots
• Celery
• Red Bell peppers
• Cucumbers
• White beans / chickpeas
• Avocado
• Arugula mix / spinach mix
• Pumpkin seeds / walnuts

*Blend 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of tahini, 3 cups of fresh basil leaves, 2 tsp of ground ginger, 2 tsp of garlic powder, juice form 2-3 lemons, 1 1/2 tsp of salt.

Jar Recipe 2:

• Thai peanut dressing*
• Cucumbers
• Radish
• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Cooked cabbage
• Cooked quinoa
• Tofu
• Spinach leaves
• Sesame seeds

*Combine 6 Tbsp of almond or peanut butter, juice of 1 lime, 2 Tbsp of tamari, 3 Tbsp of sesame oil, 3 Tbsp of water.

Jar Recipe 3:

• Ranch dressing* (Dairy Free)
• Beets
• Carrots
• Radish
• Celery
• Cucumbers
• Steamed broccoli
• Avocado
• Cooked lentils
• Baby kale leaves
• Walnuts

*Blend 1 cup of raw cashews, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 Tbsp of dried parsley, 1 1/2 Tbsp of dried dill, 2 tsp of onion powder, 1 1/2 tsp of salt.

Dress down your veggies

Too busy? No time to make your own dressings and marinades? You can still "dress up" your vegetables by dressing them down with good, clean ingredients.

I was at the McGolrick Park's Farmers Market in Greenpoint yesterday and found these wonderful dips, oils and dressings. They are all delicious, made from fresh, real ingredients, crafted with love right here in Brooklyn.

Apple miso and shiso dressing from Momo Dressing

Za'atar and sumac in olive oil from Sohha