< on a kick >

It seems I'm on a bit of a chia seed kick lately. But honestly, I just use them a lot, and love finding new and exciting ways to eat them. This past week at my grocery store, blackberries were on super sale, so I bought several crates and froze a bunch, ate a bunch, and set the rest aside for jam. My husband thinks freezer jam is the sustenance of life, so whenever berries are cheap, I buy as much as I can and make several batches. But it's not something I really love to do for a couple of reasons. First of all, it's kind of a messy, big project. Sure, it's easy, but blackberries in particular stain anything they touch, and crushing them squirts juice all over the place. If you use a food processor (my preferred method) and make as large of a batch as I do, you have a lot of scraping and measuring to do. And all of that to add a bunch of refined sugar and pectin to an otherwise idealistically healthy food. Just never settled quite right with me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it. And we use it on everything. But knowing how fast my family goes through this stuff, I wanted to try an alternative. And chia seeds were my magical answer. With chia seeds, you don't have to use any added pectin, and guess what! No refined sugar. No sugar at all, if the berries you are using are plenty sweet. Unfortunately, blackberries are a little less predictable than, say, the perfect batch of Summer strawberries freshly picked from a u-pick farm. (Unless you live in glorious Oregon where they grow wild and are luscious, sweet, juicy little morsels without the slightest hint of bitterness ... not the case for store bought ones. Especially store bought ones in the middle of February) So I did use some honey. And loved it. Jam made with 3 super health foods and no other ingredients? I can live with that. And you know what else is awesome? You can totally freeze it just like any other freezer jam. Thaws like nothing happened.

Go ahead and research the health benefits of blackberries, honey, and I've already told you about chia seeds. I think you'll agree that this is a great way to go. Maybe along side a few jars of traditional freezer jam:)

Chia seed blackberry jam
makes about 4 cups

4 (ish) cups blackberries (or any other berry you want to use), gently washed and dried
2 tablespoons chia seeds
small pinch of fine sea salt, optional
honey or any sweetener of choice to taste, optional

1. Place all of your blackberries and salt (if using) into the bowl of the food processor or a high speed blender and pulse a few times. Add the chia seeds and sweetener to taste. Let the machine run for a few seconds until the desired consistency is reached. Distribute the jam into clean, freezer-safe containers (if planning to freeze), and let rest in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. (this allows the chia seeds to combine and gel with the liquid from the blackberries and get the right jammy consistency) At this point you can freeze them. Thaw completely before using.

< Find something you're passionate about >

Hi friends. I hope you've missed me half as much as I've missed being on here. It's really hard for me to articulate the reason for my very long absence, but let me just sum it up by saying I've been going through a lot of changes and research and honestly, a lack of inspiration. I'm not exactly sure where it all began or how I found myself in it. But during my new "self-discovery" (for lack of a better term), I came across a quote from the wise and charming Julia Child:

"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it."

And it occurred to me that even our passions deserve care and attention and ... well, work. And I think I've been riding on my passion to create it's own creativity and inspiration instead of working hard for it sometimes. And this last year or so I've been working hard. In a different way. I've been in my kitchen rediscovering what food means to me. I don't think my philosophy has changed, except that I feel it with greater strength. Each meal I prepare means more to me because I put more thought into it.

You know that magical friendship where you might not talk to each other for months or even years and when you finally pick up the phone or go out to lunch, you can pick up right where you left off? Let's be those friends. I'm back. And we're still besties:)

One of the big changes our family has gone through in the past year is that we eat a lot less meat. We're not vegetarians by any stretch of the imagination, and if I claimed to be, I think I would be insulting the discipline and life choices of the admirable people who choose to live their lives that way. But we do eat a lot less meat. And the meat we do eat, we avoid (or have eliminated as much as we can control) CAFO meats. And the produce we eat is mostly organic. So when you read my recipes just know that I'm using free-range meats and mostly organic produce, and of course you don't have to. I won't write it in my recipes unless it could comprise the integrity of the dish. And it's probably no surprise to anyone that a person like myself that feels so strongly about knowing what's in my food and therefore cooks mostly from scratch would make that change. I don't tell you this to get on a soapbox or to belittle anyone else's choices. It's just me being transparent. I think the more I research health, the more I realize that there's no umbrella magical answer for health. We all need to find our own path to optimum health. For some that's the choice to eat a completely plant-based diet, for some a paleo diet, for some gluten-free, for some dairy-free, soy-free, whole grains, from scratch, growing a home garden, and the list goes on. But I think the one thing we can all agree on is that we need to be eating more vegetables. So let's start there, shall we?

I have a good friend, Jill, who is a vegetarian. She is one of those people that is real and down to earth, but is so on top of life. And she gets that she can't do everything, but she does everything she can with her whole heart. And she's a foodie. So we can sit and talk food and health for hours and run out of time. And since meeting Jill, I've been on a quest to invent a vegetarian Bolognese sauce. It's one of my absolute favorite things, a real comfort food for me. But coming up with a meat-free version that is just as hearty and rich in umami flavors is hard to accomplish. But I came across a post from a favorite food blogger of mine that explains how to make vegetarian "ground meat" using tofu and I decided to give it a shot. And it's pretty much changed my life. As long as you season it well with aromatics and umami packed foods like mushrooms, you'd be surprised how much you won't miss the meat. You won't even notice. I tested it on a couple of manly men including my husband yesterday, and they had no clue and raved about it. I think that says it all. So if you're joining the Meatless Monday movement, or if you just want some variation, give it a try. Just keep in mind because of freezing and thawing time for the tofu, this will take a couple of days of not-hands-on time.

Meatless Bolognese Sauce
makes enough for 1 9x13 lasagne or 1 lb of pasta plus lots of leftovers for a rainy day

updated 3.1.2014: I just made this for the hundredth time for dinner and discovered a couple of minor adjustments that helped develop even richer flavor. I added that in this color.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into large chunks
2 stalks of celery, cleaned and cut into large pieces
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz cremini mushrooms
4 oz shiitake mushrooms
3 28oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes
1 14oz package firm or extra firm organic or Non-GMO verified* tofu
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of basil, separated
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter, separated
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, separated
depending on the tomatoes you use, you may need some honey to taste (if you stick with San Marzano tomatoes, which I recommend, you most likely won't need to sweeten your sauce, but some canned tomatoes are very tart)

*soybeans are one of the most commonly genetically modified foods on the market, so it's best to stick with organic or non-GMO verified products.

1. 3 days before you plan to make the sauce, place your tofu (still in the package) in the freezer and let freeze completely. 24 or so hours before you plan to use it, pull the tofu out of the freezer and let thaw completely in the refrigerator. Once completely thawed, place a colander in a clean sink, and while holding the block of tofu in between your two flat hands (in order to maintain the shape), press gently under cool, running water. The more you rinse, the more of the "soybean" smell you'll get out, so rinse and squeeze several times. Once you've sufficiently rinsed the tofu, squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible, crumble into little pieces, and let rest in the colander to drain some more while preparing the other ingredients.
2. Place onion, carrot, and celery in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chopped very fine. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times.
3. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 1 tablespoon each of the butter and olive oil over medium heat until butter is barely melted. Add the chopped vegetables, season lightly with salt, and sauté until liquid begins to release. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates. 
4. Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms. Using a damp paper towel, thoroughly wipe the mushrooms clean. (Don't immerse mushrooms in water. Mushrooms are like sponges, and they will get water-logged, which will result in slimy mushrooms) Remove the stems, chop into medium pieces, then pulse in the food processor until chopped medium-fine. You don't want the mushrooms to turn into a paste, so just pulse a few times until it resembles the rubber on a running track. (nice image for food, huh? Sorry, I couldn't come up with something more appetizing that would describe it quite right)
5. Once the liquid has evaporated from the mirepoix, you want to keep an eye on it, stirring frequently. The vegetables will start to stick together and get some nice color. Keep stirring and scraping up browned bits off of the bottom of the pot, until a nice, dark brown.
6. Add the mushrooms and garlic and stir frequently. It will also release a lot of liquid so stir occasionally until the liquid has evaporated. Remove the mushroom-mirepoix mixture from the pan. Add the remaining butter and olive oil, add the crumbled tofu and season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Continue to stir, breaking up big clumps of tofu, until the tofu gets some color. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add the mushroom mixture back to the pot and stir to combine.
7. Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and carefully crush with clean hands until large pieces are broken up. Add to the pot. Stir to combine. Pick off the basil leaves and tear into smaller pieces Add the thyme, bay leaf, and half of the basil. Let simmer for 1~2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the remaining basil leaves and honey, if using. Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve with hot pasta.

"Let food be thy medicine ..."

" ... and medicine be thy food." -Hypocrites

I've always been interested in this concept. And really, that's where my cooking-from-scratch journey began. I wanted to understand the process that my food went through, and eliminate as much synthetic processing that went into it as possible.

See, when I was a kid, I just loved to eat. I was 5'9" by the time I was in 8th grade, and "big boned" (except I am quite literally ...) and I thought there was something wrong with me. I felt like food was my enemy and also my best friend. And then when I was a newlywed, I was so excited to cook for someone (not to mention he loved being cooked for ...) so I cooked delicious food--not paying attention to the cost. Which was my weight. Then I had babies. And when I have babies I gain weight. I'm sure my friends reading this chuckle to themselves because they know exactly what I mean when I say I gain weight. Almost every pregnant woman gains some weight. Not me. I gain SERIOUS weight. And like I mentioned, I wasn't petite to begin with.

But I've always had otherwise healthy pregnancies and deliveries and recoveries, and thank goodness I've lost all of the weight fairly easily. And really, I've always had pretty good overall health, which I think is a blessing and miracle considering what little I knew about nutrition. But I guess with each child my concern for health became bigger.  I started to realize that weight is only a symptom of health, not the definition. And with 2 little girls to raise, I had to figure that out fast before the world told them otherwise. As a foodie I am determined to teach my children to respect food. I want them to learn to love and appreciate delicate and robust flavors alike, to recognize them, to cherish them, to savor them. But I also wanted to provide them with wholesome, nutritious food. I want them to live long, healthy lives. And I think it's my duty to start that process right for them.

So how does this food-addict do that? I had to re-teach myself what food meant to me first. Sure, it's a beautiful source of joy and comfort. If it wasn't, I wouldn't be me. And I wouldn't feel human. But I've slowly started to realize that health and flavor don't have to disagree with each other. That's not to say I don't enjoy a decadent dessert once in a while (you know, the kind that has absolutely no nutritional value to speak of?), but I actually have learned to ENJOY it. And then stop while I'm still wanting. And don't bother when I don't enjoy it. It's like Anton Ego says in the Disney movie Ratatouille: "If I don't love it, I don't swallow." (Of course there are circumstances where manners come into play, but you get my point.)

Some of my research has led me to sprouting. It's fun, easy, my kids can help, and packed with nutrition. (here and here and here you'll find good links to explain why sprouting is so good for you) So it was a good place to experiment. We made raw, sprouted chickpea hummus. And devoured it. And made it again and again.

I'm not saying I'm suddenly a nutritionist, but this has been a journey for me. I don't think I'll ever stop loving a good buttery dinner roll or sweet and rich panna cotta, but I'm really enjoying the challenge of coming up with delicious food that my body (and my family members bodies) will thank me for.

Raw, Sprouted Chickpea Hummus
makes about 2 cups

* keep in mind that this is including soaking and sprouting time, so it'll take up to 4 days from start to finish. But once the beans are sprouted, it really only takes about 15 seconds to pull together
** I also recommend splurging a little and getting the highest quality ingredients that you can afford. This recipe relies so much on the depth of flavor of each individual ingredient because there are so few. So don't skimp!
*** You'll need either a sprouting jar and lid or some way to rinse and strain the beans while sprouting. I bought these lids for a standard wide mouth canning jar at my local food co-op for $3.50 total, but you can also find good deals elsewhere. I've seen people use their usual metal canning jar rings and cut a piece of metal netting to fit inside. Or you could use a double layer of cheesecloth and just put a rubber band around it. (But for simplicity's sake, I'm going to describe the process using a simple caning jar and sprouting lid I purchased) Be creative, do your research, it's so easy to start!

1.5 cups dried (preferably organic) chickpeas (a.k.a. garbanzo beans)
2~3 tablespoons tahini
juice of 1/2 lemon (keep the other half handy just in case)
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/2 t coarse salt (or more to taste)
4~5 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil

1. spread the dried chickpeas on a large flat surface and pick through for any tiny rocks or debris. Then place the beans in a large canning jar, big enough to hold at least double the size of the beans. Fill the jar with cool, filtered water. Let soak for 8-12 hours.
2. Once the beans look plumped and no longer dry and hard, put your sprouting lid on and drain the water out. Let the jar rest upside-down at about a 45° angle out of direct sunlight. Rinse and drain 3-4 times a day until you start to see sprouts. This will take a couple of days. I usually stop growing them when the sprouts are still quite short. Use immediately or refrigerate and use within a few days. (if refrigerating, you'll want to rinse them once a day still)
3. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and salt and pulse to combine. Add the chickpeas and let run until it starts to clump up. Add some clean water, 1 tablespoon at a time just until the beans no longer clump up. They will not be smooth yet. With the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Continue to let the food processor run until the hummus is smooth. This may take a while because these beans are not cooked. If you need to, add a little bit more water, a little bit at a time. Add more salt or lemon to taste.
4. Serve with crisp vegetables, pita, feta, and herbs. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

We started the year at church, with a special Sunday brunch in the morning. My sister taught me this recipe for waffles a while back, and I've tweaked it a little here and there and added our new favorite topping to the mix. A little rich, maybe, but why not start the year with deliciousness, right? We did, after all, practically detox on all Japanese food for the following week. Japanese food is good for that.

And speaking of Japan and the New Year, one of my new year's resolutions is to be on here at least once a week. And at least one Japanese recipe a month. Hopefully more often, but gotta start somewhere when somehow I've lost some steam. I blame the pregnancy, but it's hard to use that as an excuse when I've been cooking a lot since the second trimester. Let's blame the major lack of sunlight in the Winter months instead.

I have a passion of my culture and food is so central to it. So why not explore it more and share it with you, my dear friends? So hopefully I still have supporters and followers and please continue to have faith in me. I'm back for real this time, so please frequent this humble little space on your interesting-things-online hunting from time to time.

Our favorite wafffle/pancake/french toast topping is a banana caramel sauce. I got the idea from a book I bought on clearance at TJMaxx one day--purely an impulse purchase. But not one I regret. The dark, rich caramel sauce coating each piece of banana is divine on top of a rich breakfast staple like waffles. And these oatmeal waffles are buttery and tender but crisp and that comforting oat flavor goes so well with it. So when you're feeling decadent and in need of an indulgence, have fun with this easy, probably mostly pantry ingredients waffles recipe.

Oatmeal waffles

makes about 6 large waffles, depending on the size of your waffle iron

1.5 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup quick oats
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1.5 cups milk
1/2 c melted butter, cooled slightly
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and sugar.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla until combined.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until just combined. 
4. Preheat the oven to the lowest setting with a cooling rack resting over a baking sheet. Grease a preheated waffle iron and pour about 1/3~1/2 cup of the batter into it. Close and cook to manufacturer's directions. Place the waffle on the cooling rack in the oven to stay warm while you cook the rest.
5. Serve with banana caramel sauce (recipe follows), lightly sweetened whipped cream (to soft peaks), your favorite jam, pure maple syrup, apple butter, or fresh fruit.

banana caramel sauce

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 bananas, peeled and sliced thick
3 tablespoons heavy cream

1. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan. Once melted, add the honey and sugar and stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer on medium-low until the sugar dissolves and starts to darken a little, 3~5 minutes. Add the heavy cream and bananas and stir until all of the banana slices are coated. Pour into your serving and let cool slightly before serving. (The starches from the banana will thicken the sauce as it cools so don't worry if it seems a little runny when you pour it out of the pan)

secret ingredient

I started college during Summer term back in 2002, about a week after I graduated from high school. That very first semester in college, I had a roommate from Mexico. She was one of the kindest, most sincerely generous people I've ever met. There were 6 of us girls in the same apartment, and she was basically our mommy. And she showed her love through food. That was one thing I loved about her. Not only because I got to eat that delicious food, but because she really put so much of herself into it. She had such a passion for the food and for the people she was serving it to. And whenever people talk about love being the secret ingredient in good food, I think of Alejandra. She did just that.

She inspired my obsession with cilantro, admittedly and ingredient I had never used before I met her. I'd eaten it, but definitely had never purchased it. And now, I can't live without it. I grow it in my garden, and still have to buy more at the store by mid-Summer. And thanks to her, I can make a mean salsa. Still somehow not as good as when she made it, but it's still pretty darn good. And I always have to credit her.

I've made a few alterations since, and let me tell you why. It's not out of disrespect, I promise. They are by no means improvements, just alterations. That's the beauty of this recipe. It's SO versatile. She always made it with avocados, but they can very easily be omitted for a simple fresh salsa. My sister once added fresh sautéed corn and black beans, and it was AMAZING.

 But then, several years after I lost touch with Alejandra, the choir I was a part of got to travel to San Antonio, Texas. The heart of Tex Mex. I know, I know, I shouldn't mix the two. Alejandra made Mexican food, Tex Mex is it's own beautiful thing. And mixing Asian food is so not my thing, so I realize I'm being a complete hypocrite. But when you learn what I learned, I think you'll forgive me. My friend who is a total foodie and also a member of my choir went to a restaurant that I missed out on. He said their salsa was just like mine, but added the juice of 1/4 of an orange to it also. I was so curious that I had to try it. And there was no turning back. That tiny bit of sweet acidity added to the lime is a miracle!

And so, out of respect for Alejandra, there is no substitute for her secret ingredient, but I found one that made me feel a little closer to the perfect flavor she got out of her ingredients.

basic secret ingredient salsa

juice of 1~2 limes, depending on acidity and juiciness of the limes
juice of 1/4 navel orange, again depending on the juiciness of that particular orange
2 lbs sweet, quality tomatoes, diced (this time I used a combination of red and yellow cherry tomatoes)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped very fine
1/2 vidalia onion, diced small (or for color I'll use a red onion. But make sure you chop it ahead and soak it in cold water, replacing the water 2~3 times, for at least 30 minutes, to remove that pungent raw onion flavor)
kosher salt to taste

1. combine all ingredients into bowl. Season with salt to taste.

variation additions:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups fresh sauteed corn
2~3 large hass avocadoes, diced

a fresh start

If you're here, that means you've followed me through a long journey of discovering myself, and discovering an even deeper respect for food than I thought I had. Thank you.

Let's begin.

We're starting with pancakes. Everyone loves pancakes, and they can be so simple! And this version is full of texture, delicious, easy, and really good for you. And with my blackberry kiwi sauce on top with a little dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream, you won't be going back to a box mix again.

 This recipe is based on a basic pancake recipe, which is inspired by Japanese-style hot cakes. Japanese hot cakes are thick and sweet and fluffy, with lots of vanilla fragrance. They're often eaten as an afternoon snack instead of breakfast. In our house, we eat them for pretty much any meal of the day.

This version, though, has things like wheat germ and cornmeal and yogurt that make you feel pretty good about letting yourself take another one. And with some fresh fruit sauce on top, you might even be ok with adding a little dollop of whipped cream. This is my kind of mid-week breakfast. Easy, tasty, and good for you.

Multi-grain pancakes with blackberry-kiwi sauce

for the pancakes:
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey (or agave nectar or maple syrup)
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt
1/2 cup low fat milk
2 tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil (or other light tasting oil--or butter, of course)
1 large egg
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F; have an oven proof platter ready in the oven to keep cooked pancakes warm while you finish your batch. In a small bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal, wheat germ, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, yogurt, milk, oil, and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix).
3. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Using a paper towel folded and moistened with canola oil, rub the griddle with very light coat of oil.
4. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of batter onto the oiled griddle, using the back of a spoon to spread the batter into a round. (*hint: if you spray the back of the spoon with cooking spray, it won't stick to the batter)
5. Cook until surface of the pancakes have some bubbles. Flip over and cook until the other side is lightly browned, 1 to 2 more minutes. Transfer to the platter in the oven. Serve warm.

for the sauce:
8~10 oz fresh blackberries, washed
4 kiwi, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon agave nectar or honey

1. In a medium saucepan, add all of the ingredients. Place saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, until fruit begins to break down and soften, about 5 minutes. Break fruit pieces with the wooden spoon as you stir. (*hint: using a potato masher will make this job a lot easier and faster)
2. Turn the heat to medium-low, and let the fruit mixture thicken. (At this point, you want to taste it to make sure it's the right sweetness. Depending on how in-season the fruit is, you might want to add some more agave nectar for sweetness or a little squeeze of citrus for brightness) Once it reaches the desired thickness, take off heat and let cool slightly. Serve over hot pancakes.