Fingerling Potato with dill and lemon-saffron vinaigrette

August 26, 2014 Mary Chan

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:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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.
In a small bowl, combine saffron with hot water. Allow it to sit for a few minutes.
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.
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.
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

August 25, 2014 Mary Chan

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.

Why I love Lemonade

August 25, 2014 Mary Chan

I was in Los Angeles when a close family friend suggested going to Lemonade for lunch. He said, "you would like this place!" I could see out of the corner of my eye, how my teenage nephew winced at the idea of going to a "healthy", "girly" restaurant to eat.

Lemonade is a healthy version of fast food deli with multiple locations in LA (even at the airport). It is a self-service cafeteria where you order food by the scoops - $2.75 per scoop on a sliding scale, the more scoops you order, the less per scoop costs. When we arrived at the Lemonade Cafeteria in Pasedena, the line of customers was already all the way to the exit.

I started scooping around. Ummmm, interesting.....there were at least a dozen vegetable items in the first food station, from kale salad to curried cauliflower to roasted beets and sugar snap peas, not meat. Then there were other items like seared tuna summer rolls, halved avocados with tuna and grilled salmon. Then there was a whole range of meat and chicken stews, sandwiches and soups. Finally, desserts and lemonades! Surprisingly (because it's a chain), everything looked exceptionally fresh and well presented! After I greedily ordered my 4 scoops of veggies, I bought the cookbook at checkout without even tasting the food!

Stepping into Lemonade was love at first sight, like connecting to a culinary soulmate. The core of the Lemonade philosophy is making vegetables fun, yummy and accessible to the general public, that eating vegetables should not be a "punishment". They call their veggies "market place vegetables", not salads, because they want to showcase each vegetable as more than a few lettuce or a side dish - a dish complete in itself with flavors, colors, textures and style.

In fact, they don't even label their food healthy, or organic or sustainable, it is simply "Southern Californian comfort food". They call their cuisine "vegetable-centric", not vegetarian.

This is exactly the diet I am propagating to my clients : Meat is not necessarily bad, but veggies and more veggies please! At least 1/2 a plate of veggies for every meal with a little meat accent if you care for it. A combination of raw veggies, steamed veggies, baked veggies, sautéed veggies, veggies in soups, in stews, a happy medley all in one meal, so veggies take the lead and not play the supporting role.

Lemonade is making a bold statement to support this claim!

This is how I'd like my plate to look on any given day.....

Small bowl of dal and purple rice, steamed broccoli with sesame oil, curried cauliflower and quinoa, salad with baby kale, carrots and boiled egg, avocado and heirloom tomatoes drizzled with lime-infused olive oil and lavender balsamic vinegar.

What does yours look like?

A Real Vacation

August 25, 2014 Mary Chan

To me, a real vacation is one that makes you feel rested, energized and rejuvenated afterwards, one that doesn't require aftermath cleaning up efforts to put you back on the right path. As we all know, when our every day routine is taken away from us during vacation time, we have less control over our healthy habits - the food we eat, the company we keep, the amount of sleep and exercise time we have etc. This might not be so bad for those who do not have healthy habits to begin with, but for those (like myself) who really care about what to eat, where the food comes from and how it affects our general being, traveling could be challenging. So how do we have fun and manage to stay on track at the same time?

I just came back from an amazing month long vacation in California. No post-vacation weight gain, no sluggishness or intoxicated feelings I used to have after many long vacations. Ok, the destination matters. I was lucky that I was in California where the sun always shines and the quality of food is superb. But I also had a few home court habits that protected me from post-vacation blues.

HOME COURT HABIT 1 : HOMECOOKING

I cook or pack food whenever I can. Having access to the kitchen is always a challenge when you are traveling. Instead of hotels, I am staying almost exclusively in vacation rentals, airb'n'b type accommodations these days where I can make my own meals. If you are lucky enough to be in a place like Santa Barbara where the Farmer's Market is out of this world, there is extra incentive to sample the local produce, make something extraordinary and share with all the people around you! So home-cooking is still the number 1 rule to stay healthy on or off the road.

When I can't cook, I pack. I must look really nutty to my family because I literally travel with a ziplock bag of nuts and seeds in my pocketbook! When I order oatmeal from the hotel where it comes only with brown sugar and raisins, I reach for my pumpkin seeds, almonds, chia and flax from under the table and turn my oatmeal into a nutritionally balanced meal!

HOME COURT HABIT 2 : MAKING INFORMED CHOICES

I seek out healthy eat-out options. This might sound intuitive because when we travel, we always look for fun, local places to eat anyway. However if you are traveling with family or friends who have different eating habits, it could be quite challenging to choose a restaurant that caters to everyone's tastes. I find it helpful to be proactive. I google, do all the research, make suggestions and back up the restaurants of my choice with good reviews and recommendations. My enthusiasm pays off every time!

When I was in Los Angeles, I visited two restaurants I found absolutely inspiring! The first one is Lemonade - a fast-food deli chain that has multiple locations but serves unbelievably fresh "market place vegetables" by the scoops at a reasonable price.

The other place is Cafe Gratitude - hands down the best 100% organic and vegan restaurant I've ever been to, apparently the current hottest spot in Venice, LA, right next to the Yoga Collective. When you order food, the waiter entertains you with "mindfulness" comments like "just think about what is the most important thing to you at this moment" (seriously!) Ummm....am I doing a downward dog or just ordering brussels sprouts?

More beautiful restaurant food.

HOME COURT HABIT 3 : STAYING ACTIVE

I stay active and move whenever I can. Whether you're in California or Cancun, there is a lot you can manipulate to make your vacation more active and less sedentary. I jogged almost daily with my friends in the Santa Barbara hills before we got our occasional morning coffee (did I say coffee?) I jogged from Venice Beach to Santa Monica before everyone else was awake. I ran around the suburban grid in Seal Beach when I was staying at my in-laws' house. I did my infrequent yoga practice on the patio. I walked to get to the local Whole Foods. I hiked to Montecito Peak and the Nevada Falls. I influenced the itinerary by voting hikes, and more hikes!

HOME COURT HABIT 4 : HAVING FUN

Alright, I must admit I also drank way too much good Californian wine and had way more fun than otherwise, but all in all, I feel pretty good coming back!

Refreshing Real Vitamin Water

June 23, 2014 Mary Chan

If you ever get tired of quenching your thirst with water alone in the hot summer months to come, hydrate with these refreshing fruit-flavored "real" vitamin waters.

Some ideas:

Cucumber, Lime, Mint
Pineapple, Orange, Lime
Orange, Blueberries
Cucumber, Water Melon, Rosemary
Strawberries, Mango, Lemon

Keep the jars in the fridge and let the content sit in the water for up to a day.
Be creative with your fruit and herb combos!

Overnight Oat Jars

June 23, 2014 Mary Chan

Looking for the best rush-out-the-door summer breakfast? Try these make ahead oatmeal jars. As a fan of batch cooking, I assemble a few at a time so during the hectic moments in the morning, all you need to do is to open the fridge door and grab a jar. You can even eat it while you are dressing, on your way to work or when you are settled at your desk. Leftovers make a good afternoon snack!

A lot of my recipes are really formulas that you can customize to your liking. This is how it goes.

Choose an unsweetened, plain yogurt, coconut yogurt, cow or goat milk kefir. My favorite brands these days are Anita's Coconut Yogurt, Green Valley Organics lactose free kefir and Redwood Hill Farm goat milk kefir. I want to emphasize PLAIN and UNSWEETENED because most yogurt products out there contain 15-30 grams of sugar easily per 8 oz. serving.

Mix together 6 oz. of yogurt / kefir of your choice with 1/3 cup of rolled oats and 1 tsp. of chia seeds. Kefir tends to be runny but if you are using a yogurt that is too thick, add a little nut milk to create your desired consistency. Taste the mixture for sweetness. Add a handful of shredded coconut and / or 1/2 tsp. of maple syrup / honey if necessary.

Put half the yogurt / oats mixture into the jar. Layer with mixed berries and chopped nuts. Repeat 1 more time.

Close the jar and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 or 4 nights.

Mix well and enjoy a no fuss breakfast the next morning!

Kelp Noodles

May 22, 2014 Mary Chan

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.

A Sensible Approach to eat sugar

May 21, 2014 Mary Chan

Sugar is a confusing concept. We all need it, some are addicted to it, most of us try to stay away from it.

I hear this a lot, "I'm cutting out all sugars!"

Really, is that possible? If you're cutting out all sugars, you will be eliminating all plant foods because sugars, starches and fibers, as we know are naturally occurring carbohydrates in plants.

What we need to clarify is, what are sugars really?

Remember all the words that end in "ose"s? Glucose, fructose, lactose, sucrose and dextrose? They are sugars, or carbohydrates that are made up of chains of sugar molecules, from a single molecule like glucose (blood sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar) to two molecules like sucrose (table sugar) to hundreds of them (like a vegetable).

Every bite of carbohydrates, whether it’s rice, bagels, cupcakes, fruits or vegetables will eventually be broken down by our digestive system from more complex chains to simple sugar units. They all end up as glucose in the blood either after direct secretion from the small intestine or after a little visit to the liver for glucose conversion or storage.

We cannot cut them out from our diet because they provide a vital energy source for our body cells.

So what are the "bad" sugars?

The sugars that are processed, refined and concentrated - when whole grains are turned into flour products, sugar cane is turned into white sugar and fruits are turned into dried fruits. In other words, instead of letting our body's digestive system to do the work, complex chains of sugars are artificially broken down and concentrated during the refining process, causing rapid glucose absorption into the blood stream, blood sugar spikes, stress on insulin production and creating chaos in our body!

Bread and pasta made from whole grains are healthy, right?

Yes and no. Whole grains consist of minerals, vitamins, fiber, fats and protein that refined grains do not have. But every time a grain is pulverized (white or brown) and turned into flour to make flour products like bread and pasta, the sugars in them still enter rapidly into the bloodstream causing sugar spikes.

Maybe just stay away from "added sugars" then?

Not that easy! Unless you scrutinize every label or cut out all foods that come in packagings, chances are some amounts of added sugar will be sneaked into the food products. Watch out for seemingly healthy foods like breads, soups, salad dressings, crackers, cereals, yogurts, sauces, energy bars and sports drinks.

How about using natural sweeteners or the non-caloric, sugar-free stuff?

Honey, maple syrup and blackstrap molasses contain more nutrients than white sugar, but they are still concentrated sugars. Non-caloric sweeteners, whether it's Sweet n' Low or Stevia, are often sweeter than real sugar. They perpetuate our cravings for sugar by sending a sweet taste to the brain but never delivering any real energy. They hijack our taste buds and dull our senses to make real food taste really bland. Natural or artificial, caloric or non-caloric, use in moderation.

Here is a more sensible approach to eat sugar:

Eat naturally occurring and unprocessed sugars that are high in fiber and low in glycemic index- vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.

Cut down on processed sugars that are low in fiber and high in glycemic index- flour products like bread and pasta, concentrated sugars like juices and all sweeteners, and most of all, junk foods.

Guilt and Grain Free Banana Bread

May 16, 2014 Mary Chan

I never got into baking because I cringe every time a recipe calls for sugar, 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup at a time. My hand is frozen and wouldn't pour the crystals into the batter.

I am finally learning to make treats with no "added" sugar. This banana bread is sweetened only by dates and well....bananas. I think it is absolutely delicious. But I don't like too much sweet to start with. If you are used to loads of sweets, your taste buds might require more to feel satisfied. If you start cutting down your sugar consumption, you might in time be sensitive enough to taste the subtle sweetness of this bread.

Wet Ingredients:

5 Medjool dates (pitted)
5 Tbl. warm water
3 very ripe large bananas
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil
3 eggs

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups almond flour
1 Tbl. coconut flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Unsweetened coconut flakes for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a bread pan with parchment paper.
In a food processor, combine dates with warm water (make sure dates are pitted). Process until you have a nice date paste. Add bananas, vanilla and process until just combined.
Add coconut oils and eggs. Process until evenly distributed.
In a large bowl, put in almond flour, coconut flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
Combine processed wet ingredients with dry ingredients.
Pour batter into the bread pan and sprinkle coconut flakes on top for garnish.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until edges have browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Cut and serve.