Good Luck Soup!

This soup is amazing...there is no other way for me to describe my love for soups like this aside from the fact that I could eat them every day, perhaps even for breakfast!  This hearty soup combines three (yes, 3) lucky foods, black-eyed peas, collard greens, and bacon with vegetables. Enjoy on New Year's Day, or any day, for a satisfying, warming meal. If you prefer your soup to have a thicker consistency, mash some of the cooked peas against the side of the pot, then stir them back into the broth before adding the collard greens and carrots.  Enjoy!

BLACK EYED PEA SOUP WITH COLLARD GREENS AND BACON

Ingredients
2 cups dried black-eyed peas
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound nitrate free bacon, cut into small slivers
1 organic sweet potato, cut into 1/8 inch pieces
3 carrots, chopped
1 bunch collard greens, tough stems and ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
8+ cups water
2 T apple cider vinegar
½ inch Cayenne or Ancho chile pepper powder (to taste)
1-2 tsp. Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Method
Carefully pick through peas to remove any debris or small stones and rinse well. Transfer to a large bowl, cover by 3 inches with water, cover and set aside at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight; drain and rinse well.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add bacon and cook until brown.  Remove bacon from pot with slotted spoon, to plate lined with paper towels.  Remove all but 2 T. bacon oil in bottom of pan (I use a paper towel to do this).  Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, 5 to 8 minutes.  Add carrots and yam/sweet potatoes and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes.  Add peas and enough water to cover vegetable/pea mixture by 1-2 inches (should be over 8 cups of water).  Bring to a boil and skim off and discard any foam on the surface. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until peas are tender, about 1 hour. Add collard greens and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with salt, pepper, chile powder, and apple cider vinegar.  Serve into bowls and add reserved bacon bits as a topper.

Per serving (18oz serving): 310 calories (150 from fat), 16g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 17g protein, 27g total carbohydrate (8g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 20mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium Read more...

Delicious White Bean and Dandelion Green Saute with Lemon Mustard Sauce

Granted the title doesn't sound too exciting, but this dish will knock your socks off...Hence there is no picture because it didn't last long enough to be photoed!  The nutrition of the dandelion greens, garlic, and white beans is enough to kick any health issues aside.  The flavor will make you an addict and convert anyone who didn't like dandelion greens before to look at them a little different (possibly even the L word) next time they see them.  The small amount of fresh garlic makes it fantastically aromatic while the white beans create a creaminess that balances the bite of the dandelion greens.

2 T. good quality olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 bunch organic dandelion greens, rinsed and leaves coarsely chopped
2 cups white beans, preferably cooked at home rather than from the can
1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
juice of 1 organic lemon

In large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat until hot.  Add garlic and saute for a minute until aromatic.  Add salt and pepper and give a good stir.  Add dandelion greens and a small amount of cooking liquid from beans or water.  Stir, reduce heat, and cook with lid on for approximately 5 minutes.  In small ramekin, stir mustard and lemon juice together until smooth.  Remove lid of pan and add mustard/lemon juice.  If it looks more like soup than a saute, give it a couple more minutes of cooking with the lid off to release and reduce the moisture.  Serves 4 or 2 if you are hungry and can't resist. Read more...

New Year's Resolutions and The Perfect Cookie

Happy New Year! Oh, to a new chapter...I have felt in year's past each new year represents a page, in a chapter, in my Book of Life.  This year, however, is a whole, new exciting chapter full of change.  Whomever stated that the only thing that stays the same is change itself was brilliant.  As for New Year's Resolutions?  The combination of sticking up for myself more and contributing more...ending up somewhere in the middle, probably adding to laugh more (especially at myself) while lightening up!  I do have a bit of a pet peeve that I would like to improve on and it does have to do with food.  I am resolving to minimize the amount I stand while eating.  It works for some, but for me, not so much.  End up feeling rushed and ultimately (for me), feel it is a bit disrespectful, Yes, disrespectful to the food I am eating.  

And, with that, there comes the most perfect cookie I can remember eating in a really long time.  I recently checked out Baked, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito (famous for their Baked bakery in Brooklyn) from the library to see if it is worthy of purchasing.  It gets the big two thumbs up in my book and, I haven't been a huge baker lately, but just one recipe got me hooked.  It was a lovely picture of a peanut butter, oatmeal cookie with their custom orange M&M's dotting the top...Here is my wheat free version (with gluten-free notes included)...As always, the better the quality of the ingredients, the better the end result.  These really rocked our (cookie) world.  For those who resolved to eating better, well, kind of...

Wheat-Free Version of Baked Monster Cookies

1/2 cup gluten-free baking mix, or rice flour, or GF oat flour

1 T. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

6 cups of rolled oats (gluten free oats if needed)

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

5 large eggs

1/4 tsp corn syrup (I used golden syrup because it was all I had on hand and it worked great)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups creamy peanut butter (I highly recommend Mirantha PB for this)

1 cup M&M's (I used Sunspire's healthy version of M&M's at the "health food" store)

In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and airy (and pale in color).  Ad the sugars and beat until thoroughly incorporated.  Scrape down bowl and add eggs, one at a time (really!), and scraping down the bowl after each addition.  Add the corn (or golden) syrup and vanilla and beat until thoroughly incorporated.  Scrape down bowl and add peanut butter, mixing until thoroughly combined. 

In a separate (medium-sized) bowl, whisk the GF flour mix (or whatever type GF flour you are using), baking soda, and salt together.  Add oats and mix thoroughly.  

Add the oat mixture to the creamed butter mixture, and mix until fully incorporated.  Fold in M&M's.  Cover the bowl and either freeze for 3 hours or refrigerate for 5 hours (resist from eating all of dough!)  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment (or aluminum) paper.  Use an ice cream scoop or large tablespoons to scoop dough in 2-Tablespoon balls onto bakins sheets, 2 inches apart.  Bake for 15 minutes, checking on the first batch to see how fast they are cooking.  Remove when just turning golden brown on edges and look (slightly) firm in middle.  Let cool on pans for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling racks (or desired eating plate).  ENJOY and let your world be rocked!

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GF Persimmon Cookies with Walnuts and Raisins

FOR COOKIES:
1 1/2 cups GF flour mix
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup organic raisins
1 cup organic walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup persimmon pulp, pureed in food processor
1 tsp. vanilla

FOR GLAZE:
3 T. unsalted butter, melted (and hot)
3/4 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or grease thin layer of butter.
Sift together the GF flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, coves, and salt in mixing bowl.  In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy (approximately 3-5 minutes).  Add eggs, one at a time, then add persimmon puree and vanilla.  Beat until well combined.  Add dry ingredient mixture, finishing with walnuts and raisins.  The batter should be quite thick.  Drop the batter onto prepared sheets by heaping tablespoonfuls, leaving 1-2 inches per cookie.  Bake cookies for approximately 15 minutes.  Remove the baked cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

To make the glaze, add powdered sugar to hot butter and whisk well.  If glaze is too thick, add a little water or (any type of) milk.  Drizzle glaze over cooled cookies (if cookies aren't cool enough, glaze will run right off and not glaze at all).  Glaze will harden as it cools.  Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to a week.

Enjoy! Read more...

New Mexican Pork and Green Chile Stew

(Served in a Pumpkin Bowl)

FOR THE STEW:
3 large pasilla/poblano peppers
2 T. + 1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, cut into ½- inch dice
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T. each cumin and oregano
1-2 tsp. chile powder (look for chipotle or ancho chile powder)
1 tsp. coriander
2 large heirloom tomatoes
1 cup lager-style beer
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 lbs. natural pork shoulder or butt, chopped into 1 inch pieces, rubbed with 1 tsp. kosher salt
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup green onions, finely minced
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste and freshly ground black pepper
 5 lb. edible-type pumpkin
½ cup Queso Fresco (cheese), crumbled
3-4 T. chopped fresh cilantro and green onions

Preheat oven to 350degrees.  Blacken pasilla peppers either over direct flame, bbq, or broiler.  Place blackened pepper in paper bag, wrap thoroughly and let cool for 10 minutes.  Peel off blackened skin, core, and seed them.  Cut into ¼ inch dice and set aside.  In a large dutch oven or stew pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onion, garlic, cumin, chile powder, oregano, and coriander.  Cook for 5-10 minutes until onion is translucent and spices are aromatic.  Add tomatoes, stir, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes (it’s good if you get a little sticking on the bottom as this adds flavor and releases into the stew later).  Add beer and boil for 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth and bring to boil.  Meanwhile in large cast iron pan, brown pork in hot pan for 2-3 minutes per side (might need to do this in 2 batches so there isn’t any crowding).  Remove pork from cast iron to stew pot as it finishes browning.  Add cilantro and green onions to stew and with final addition of pork, bring stew to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 2 hrs.  Add apple cider vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Rinse pumpkin, cut top out, remove innards, place in oven on strong cookie sheet and roast for 1 hr.  Remove from oven and carefully ladle stew into pumpkin.  Return to oven and cook for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, ladle stew (with chunks of the roasted pumpkin scraped out with stew) into bowls.  Garnish with cilantro, green onions, and queso fresco. Serves 4 in a hearty way. Read more...

The Kinda Kinky Salad

The Kinda Kinky Salad

There is no other way to explain this salad. It is vibrant, vivacious, while having a calming effect when you eat it. The colors pop and to this day it still blows my mind how vibrant nature’s own colors can be in our fruits and vegetables. The disclaimer for this salad will be that I got to go to Farmer’s Market in Baywood Park today and it was full of life. Abundance was everywhere. We walked away with some beautiful heads of both green and red leaf lettuce, beets (and their tops), fresh dates, summer squash, and some of the most amazing organic concord grapes. I wasn’t really hungry when I returned home but I just cannot let fresh lettuce not be eaten immediately. This is how it went…

2 beets, scrubbed, ends trimmed and grated
Juice of one orange
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp of sugar or 1 T of honey
1 T mayo
2 T olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of fresh ground pepper

Lightly toss in bottom of salad bowl and let sit while preparing remaining ingredients.

½ head red leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
½ head green leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
Greens of two beets, finely chopped
1 cup or 1 bunch concord grapes
½ cup fresh dates, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped

Add above ingredients to bowl and mix well. Serve onto plates and top with fresh pistachios and some good sheep gorgonzola or Roquefort…Really knock their socks off.

This salad will knock your socks off. Lots of textures that require ample time to sit down and slow down. Read more...