Beet and Orange Soup, garnished with Sour Cream and Orange Peel
I love bold colors and I am not afraid to use them!
We had our rooms painted deep orange, buttercup yellow, brick red and silver metallic long before colorful walls became chic in California. My pre-kids car was of a dazzlingly crimson hue and my husband’s yellow Z3 stood out in traffic jams. Peek into my closet; I promise you won’t find too many beiges, pastels or grays in there.
When it comes to cooking and finding new recipes, I am always drawn to the most vibrant ones. Orange appetizers, emerald salads, maroon main courses… Today’s Beet and Orange Soup recipe is no exception; it is luscious in color and bold in flavor. I serve it often and every time it shows up on the table, it gets complimented on its rich colors… and I always get asked for a recipe.
Garnish: sour cream, chevre or Kefir and chopped chives
Directions
Boil the beets for about an hour, or until easily pierced with knife and set aside to cool
Heat the olive oil in a pot; add chopped onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper
Sauté for 10 minutes and in the meantime peel and roughly chop the beets
Plunk the beets in the pot; add balsamic vinegar, orange juice, zest and stock
Simmer for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a blender or food processor and purée
Garnished with a dollop of sour cream, spoonful of chevre or Kefir and chopped chives
Beet and Orange Soup, served with crunchy dry bread rings
Note
For a vegan, diary-free variation, omit the sour cream
Wine Pairing
I’ll admit it, finding a wine match for this dish was a bit tricky. Tartness in the soup competes with the acidity of most wines that I tried. After some experimentation, I found Smith Sauvignon Blanc 2008 to be most fitting for this recipe. Fruity and lively, it compliments rather than interferes with the citrusy character of the soup.
Common culinary wisdom holds that you are either a baker or a cook. I hate to admit it but I am NOT a baker!
Baking does not come naturally to me at all; nothing in baking makes sense. First time I ever made cookies, the directions called for “creaming butter.” I almost felt like Amelia Bedelia and had to consult my cooking bible to figure out what “creaming butter” really means!
In addition to my lack of baking experience, I also face other unconventional challenges. Baking without eggs and nuts is almost like painting without the brushes – let’s say that it is a “creative” process. Figuring out whether to use apple sauce, chick pea flour, or a magic wand to bind the ingredients is an exploration in and of itself. And trying to keep recipes Cucee-healthy on top of that is challenging no less.
I’m opening this holiday season with an eggless, nut-less, and low in sugar Apricot cake. As healthy as it sounds, it keeps my kids happy and me guilt-free about feeding them a desert.
*A note of encouragement to all the inexperienced bakers like myself — this recipe is very forgiving, so if you get easily intimidated by all things flour, you will find this to be an excellent project to jump start your baking career.
In a small bowl, sift together flour and baking soda.
Beat together Canola oil, kefir, jam and agave with an electric mixer at medium speed for 2-3 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture.
Pour into a baking dish
Bake cake in the middle of oven for 30 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool to warm or room temperature.
Healthy Apricot Cake
Tea Pairing
I have discovered that a small slice cake topped with vanilla yogurt and sliced peaches, a good cup of Oolong tea and good company is a perfect way to end the day. My most favorite choice of tea pairing is Pomegranate Oolong. It is not too sweet and not too fruity and stands up to the subtle flavors of the apricot in the cake.
Hot Mezze Hummus served with with Falafel and Brussels Sprouts
It is not rocket science that eating healthy is a lot harder when you are traveling. Finding Michelin-rated restaurants that serve healthy five-star dishes is often “mission impossible.” Especially if you are dining outside of California.
Coming back from vacations is somewhat bitter-sweet for me. A flight home is often accompanied by nostalgia… and a huge tummy ache.
Last week, when I was in Boston, my healthy eating was compromised. The food in Boston was absolutely spectacular … but very VERY rich. After a week of gnocchi, canollis and bellyache, I started dreaming of Quinoa, Brussels Sprouts and Hummus.
Our first family dinner at home was veggies with Mezze Hummus. A silky smooth dip with a lemony tang instantaneously cured all of my travel-related tummy ache… Comforting, creamy, luscious, with a little bit of “bite,” this Greek adaptation of a popular Mediterranean staple is also healthy and filling.
A couple of pointers. I suggest starting out with dried garbanzo beans and boil them yourself. Yes, it takes time to soak and cook them but you end up with beans that contain no added salt or preservatives. Plus, when you begin with warm, freshly cooked chickpeas, you end up with a much tastier hummus. The reason is that the steam helps cut the acidity of the garlic to allow all the flavors to combine.
Cook the chickpeas (see recipe below) or use 4 cups cooked/canned beans.
Preheat over to 400F
Transfer chickpeas to a food processor and process with the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, tahini and yogurt. If you aren’t using Vitamix, you may need to process in batches. Add the garlic, spices, salt and pepper and process until well mixed and smooth.
Spoon the hummus into a shallow oven safe dish
Quickly toast the almonds and sesame seeds in a dry pan until just brown, then add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the sumac.
Pour the nut and sumac mixture over the hummus evenly.
Bake for 25 minutes or until most of the butter has been absorbed.
Squeeze over the lemon juice. Serve with plenty of flatbread for scooping up the creamy hummus
Cooking Garbanzo Beans
Recipe yields 6 cups of cooked chickpeas
Ingredients
1 lb chickpeas
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Soak chickpeas in a large pot with 10 cups water for 8 hours or overnight.
Drain, rinse and drain again.
Place in large pot with 10 fresh cups water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer 60 minutes.
Add baking soda and simmer for 30 more minutes.
Remove from heat, cover pot and let stand 30 minutes.
Skim off any chickpeas that have floated to top, drain and reserve a little bit of warm liquid for hummus (in case you will need it.)
Hot Mezze Hummus
Wine Pairing
Pairing wine with hummus is not a task for the weak! I’ve tried Gewürztraminer and Fumé Blanc, but neither felt like a perfect match. Parducci Pinot Gris seemed like the most fitting choice as white wine pairing while ONEHOPE North Coast Reserve Pinot Noir was a perfect red.
Hot Mezze Hummus served with with Falafel and Brussels Sprouts
Comfort food is that special dish that your mom made you when you were sick. The dish that helped you get over a bad breakup. The dish that got you through your finals in college.
It’s your grandma’s matzo-ball soup. Mom’s mac-and-cheese. Crispy grilled-cheese sandwich. Hearty bowl of stew. Vanilla gelato with chocolate chip cookie crumbles.
Comfort food… It warms up the soul as it destroys the liver; it satisfies food cravings as it clogs up the arteries. It is notoriously rich, heavy, high in fat, salt and sugar. But, believe me, it does not have to be.
Introducing… Guilt-free comfort food, with all the soul-comforting benefits and none of the health-damaging side effects. Flavorful, creamy and light, Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad, Cucee family’s ultimate comfort food.
Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa SaladRoasted Vegetable and Quinoa Salad
To roast the garlic, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a knife, cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of garlic, exposing the individual cloves. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed. Set aside to cool, then squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.
Combine the garlic, balsamic wine vinegar, honey, salt, lemon juice and mustard in a blender and puree until smooth.
With the motor running, slowly add the oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.
Salad
To cook quinoa, bring vegetable broth to boil. Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed. The cooked germ looks like a tiny curl. Remove from heat and let it stand for about 3 minutes.
To roast bell peppers, remove the stem from the peppers. Drizzle with Olive Oil. Slice into 1/2 or 1/4 pieces. Transfer to an oven safe dish and roast for 20~25 minutes at 350F.
To saute mushrooms, heat the butter or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently to help any liquid the mushrooms give off evaporate quickly. Sprinkle with mushrooms with salt and keep cooking until mushrooms are tender and browned, about 5 minutes.
To saute tofu, cut tofu into one-inch pieces. Drizzle with honey. Saute for 5 minutes or until lightly brown. Turn, saute for a few minutes longer
To make the salad, in a medium salad bowl, combine peppers and mushrooms. You can also use any other roasted vegetables here (eggplant works great.) Toss with the dressing.
Apparently, couscous doesn’t only come in a box…It even has it’s own dedicated pot.
Rita's couscoussier
A short while ago, after I posted a recipe for Vareniki (a dish I grew up eating), a friend told me a story about a comfort food from her childhood – handmade couscous. Rita’s Italian family has been making their own handmade couscous together on special occasions for as long as she could remember.
I never thought of couscous-making as a “process,” and definitely not a social affair. For me, couscous was always a quick-to-prepare straight-out-of-the-box side dish, pulled together on the days when I was too tired to cook. So, when Rita invited me to a couscous-making dinner get-together at her house, I was both excited and intrigued.
It turns out that couscous is a Southern Italian diet staple. Made by hand, Italian couscous (Fregola Sarda) tastes subtler, nuttier and way more flavorful than the boxed Middle-Eastern alternative. I also found it to be prettier and more elegant looking, for its grains are a little larger and more pebbly. Homemade couscous also has a higher content of resistant starch, a dietary fiber that helps maintain blood sugar and improve digestion — a nice nutritional bonus, in my opinion.
Rolling couscous was easy, even therapeutic, once we got it down. The goal was to add just the right amount of salted water to the golden colored, sandy-textured semolina flour to create the perfect texture. Just like a sand castle, if you add too much water, it turns to mush; if you add too little it stays, well, sand. But when you get it right, the very delicate circular motion of your fingertips creates the most imperfectly perfect grains of couscous. Different shapes and sizes abound. And you can only imagine what the not so delicate touch of our children produced: it ranged from semolina soup to couscous the size of ping pong balls. Semolina flour flying everywhere, bodies covered in “golden sand” and laughter all around.
We steamed the couscous in a classic double-boiler pot, called couscoussier, with some chopped onion, bay leaves, chicken stock, and served it with Julia Child’s famous Ratatouille and Union Square’s Braised Lamb Shanks with Herbs. Rita’s husband, Bill, preceded the main course with an appetizer of warm Figs in a Port Wine Reduction with local Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese and Aged Balsamic Vinegar. The figs’ sweetness provided an interesting counterpoint to the rich wholesome entrée. Paired with St. Francis Kings Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, the combination was simply delicious.
The whole day of food preparation, cooking, and feasting until late in the evening took on a very festive air as we told jokes, listened to music, and watched the kids make a huge mess. There really is nothing quite like honoring the home cooking of our ancestors with friends… Our grandparents would be proud. Now, every time a recipe calls for couscous, I will try to think outside the box.
Homemade Couscous with Braised Lamb Shanks with Herbs and Ratatouille
Homemade Couscous with Union Square’s Braised Lamb Shanks with Herbs and Julia Child’s Ratatouille
Mix warm water and salt to combine. Combine the semolina and flour in a bowl.
Use a rounded plate to roll the semolina. Take a small handful of flour and place on the plate. Add one teaspoon of salted water. Use fingertips to lightly roll the semolina/water in tiny pebble shaped grains. Adjust liquid as necessary. Repeat this until all of the flour is rolled. You may use more salted water as necessary.
Use either chicken stock on the bottom of a double steamer. Place 1/3 of the couscous in the top of the steamer. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the onions, bay leaves, a touch of salt and ground black pepper. Repeat this step two more times. Steam the mixture for approximately 20 minutes.
Return couscous to a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Remove bay leaves. Add oil and mix. You may add water to moisten the couscous if it feels too dry. Return to steamer and steam for another 20 minutes.
Serve with spiced vegetables, rich tomato sauce, curry or braised lamb or veal.
Note
You can always boil couscous in water if you don’t want to invest in a new pot but I promise you that steamed couscous tastes 100 times better!
Rolling couscousThe perfect texture all aroundChopping up onionsSeasoning couscousSeasoning and fluffing couscousCouscous is ready to be steamedServing couscousWarm Figs in a Port Wine Reduction with local Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese and Aged Balsamic VinegarWarm Figs in a Port Wine Reduction with local Pt. Reyes Blue Cheese and Aged Balsamic Vinegar
Wine pairing
2004 St. Francis Kings Ridge Cabarnet Sauvignon helped balance the natural flavors in this dish. Check St. Francis winery or your local wine shop for availability.
No more tofu masquerading as meat, pretending to be cheese or camouflaging as scrambled egg! Forget all the cliché vegetarian dishes, often published as an afterthought in cookbooks or listed as menu addendums in restaurants. Meet a vegetarian appetizer that is so original that it will amaze and surprise you. It will awaken your vegetarian soul and will force you to ask yourself one question: “Why do I not make vegetarian food more often?”
A stunning presentation, this Chile-Roasted Feta and Watermelon Slab is as imaginative and exotic as a modern vegetarian dish should be. Sweet watermelon, paired with salty warm feta, drizzled with bold oregano dressing; this appetizer presents a bouquet of unexpected flavors and inspires me to search for other adventurous vegetarian dishes.
Cut a large piece of foil and put it on a baking sheet. Place each piece of feta on top, drizzle each piece with olive oil and sprinkle with a few chile flakes. Put another piece of foil on top and fold the foil edges together to form a loose parcel. (You can season and wrap the feta in advance but if you take it straight from the fridge you will need to double the cooking time.) Place in the oven and bake for 8 minutes, by which time the feta will be soft and warm.
Remove from the oven and assemble immediately: Snip the cilantro and shiso sprouts and mix with the baby lettuce leaves and pine almonds. Dress with a little of the Raising and Oregano Dressing and pile neatly on top of the chilled watermelon slabs.
Open the foil parcel and place the roasted feta on top of the salad. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.
The birthday season has officially been kicked off at our house. My hubby opened it with his yesterday and I will close it with mine in January.
In our family, birthday parties are loud, with lots of friends, wine and food. But this year, the birthday boy was feeling melancholic and asked for a more private celebration. No loud toasts, no ear-splitting music, no days of prep work… Just a simple meal with his clan.
I did not have to think twice about the menu! Knowing how much hubby likes Japanese food, I decided to surprise him with a home-made raw sashimi bar consisting of a few sashimi creations from The Complete Book of Sushi and various kid-friendly vegetable rolls and condiments.
I made his day :)
Happy Birthday, honey! May this year bring you a lot more sashimi and pickled ginger.
The sashimi bar is coming togetherA few of the Japanese delicaciesSushi for the kidsSashimi for adultsDelicaciesTuna sashimiMore tuna sashimi
Salmon Sashimi with Blue Cheese and White Miso Puree
Place fillet on board. Starting from the left of the fillet, gently chop into bite-size pieces.
In a small bow, whisk together blue cheese, sour cream and white miso. I used my ever mighty Magic Bullet blender for that. Add mirin and light soy sauce. If you don’t have mirin on hand, mix sake and sugar (2 to 1 ratio).
Softly mix the fish with the sauce.
Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with pepper and sesame seeds.
Wine pairing
Subtly fruity and beautifully balanced, ONEHOPE California Brut Sparkling is sushi’s BFF and an ideal accompaniment to the bold blue cheese sashimi.
Yep, I make my very own milk Kefir (Кефир.) An Eastern European-style yogurt, Kefir is loaded with lots and lots of tummy-friendly bacteria.
Not to brag, but I also curdle farmers cheese (Творог): a creamier, smoother, and milder form of cottage cheese. Surprisingly, fermenting dairy products at home is super easy, fast and fun!
A co-worker introduced me to the mysterious world of food fermentation and I got hooked. As much as I enjoy changing the molecular structure of food by the process of heating, I equally enjoy creating natural partnerships between food and lactic acid bacteria, using the process of fermentation. It is almost like playing a mad scientist, who is growing a microbial Frankenstein in his lab… OK, maybe not that dramatic, but still fun.
I take a real pleasure in creating that perfect batch of Kefir. No, I am not trying to compete with Lifeway Foods. In fact I buy their delicious drinkable dairy beverages on weekly basis. But I favor the homemade alternative for its tarter deeper flavor and fizzy texture. When fermented correctly, its consistency resembles that of Greek yogurt. My favorite way to eat it is with toasted granola and honey.
My next physics experiments – Sauerkraut and Pickled Fruit.
Kefir-making: let the experiment beginKefir-making: 12 hours later. The whey is starting to separateKefir-making: 24 hours later. Ready for the finishing touchesKefir-making: using the strainer to drain the Kefir. You can stop here and eat it with a spoonKefir-making: or you can blend Kefir for a smoother consistency
Pour fresh milk into a large jar. Leave up to 2 inch of space
Add live kefir grains
Cover with lid, but not airtight to allow the gas buildup to escape
Leave for 1-3 days at room temperature. I usually peak into the jar every 12 hours to make sure the fermentation is going according to plan. During hot summer days, it takes no more than 24 hrs to get to the right consistency. Generally, the longer you ferment kefir, the more sour it gets
Cover the strainer with paper town. Pour Kefir into the strainer to separate the liquid (this is now your kefir), from the grains. Use the strainer as well the spoon to strain the kefir into a bowl
Move the recovered kefir grains into a small jar and save until next time
If you want a smoother lighter kefir, blend it for a few minutes in your blender. For a thicker chunkier alternative, transfer to plate and enjoy.
Granny Smith Apple And Yam Soup with Glazed Slivered Almonds and Pomegranate seedsKids-approved variationAn alternate presentation: with a little hot sauce and sliced green grapes
Silky and warming with a hint of ginger and curry, this soup is perfect for a chilly fall night.
Granny Smith Apple And Yam Soup with Glazed Slivered Almonds
Stir agave nectar and almonds constantly in a heavy skillet until they are light caramel color.
Spread on greased cookie sheet to crisp and cool.
For the soup
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the carrot, celery, leek, garlic, ginger, and curry powder; cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the vegetable stock, sweet potato, apples, and wine. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes.
In several batches, purée the soup in a blender until smooth. Pour the soup into the pan and reheat to serving temperature. Season to taste.
Garnish each serving with a sprinkling of almonds and pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries.
Wine Pairing
Fruity and elegant, this lively Paul Dolan Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc has a strong body to complement the boldness of the soup
It was already 7pm and I was still at work, struggling over another design. Feeling hungry, I went into the office lunch room to check out what was ordered for dinner that night — it was sandwiches. To my disappointment, all of my hardworking colleagues had already made their sandwich selections and were back at their desks, working hard on their code. Remaining two options seemed equally unattractive — a very smelly tuna melt double-decker and a wimpy-looking PBJ sandwich. What’s a girl, with a preconceived rejection of peanut butter and revulsion towards anything odor-reeking, to do in this case? I poured myself a cup of tea and went for the healthier option.
Before I even had a chance to swallow my first byte, I went from a theoretical nut-butter hater to a true enthusiast. As I sunk my teeth into this all-American masterpiece, the following thoughts ran through my mind:
What planet had I been inhabiting prior to this experience?
Should I reconsider my circle of friends, since none of them had ever told me about what I had been missing?
With my son’s severe peanut allergies, how will I facilitate my new-found romantic relationship with peanut butter?
Sad, I returned home and poured my soul to an unimpressed and puzzled husband. See, he did not even know that I have never tried this American delicacy until now.
So, with peanuts permanently banned from our house, I started coming up with my own healthy alternatives by experimenting with various nut butters, healthy breads and seasonal fruits. My favorite as of now is (drum rolls please…) — a whole wheat pita pocket, smeared with almond butter, stuffed with pears or bananas, sprinkled with cranberries or candied almond slivers, and drizzled with honey.
Almond Butter Berry, Grapes, Pear and Honey variation
½ tablespoon cranberries, raisins or grapes sliced in half
Directions
Spread a thin layer of almond butter onto each pita half
Top with honey
Layer the sliced pear
Sprinkle with dry fruit or grapes
Heat a the Panini grill (or a regular griddle pan) and grill for 1 min on one side (or until grill marks appear,) turn and grill for another minute . Serve warm.
