Asian Grocery Tour & Coconut Black Rice Pudding Recipe! May 25, 2011

Brown rice is classic- but have you heard of black rice?

It not only contains an outer layer of cholesterol lowering bran- it also contains anthocyanins,the purple pigment found in blueberries, grapes and acai fruit. According to research at Louisiana State University, these compounds decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, and chronic inflammatory diseases. Cook it as you would with brown rice for dinner or enjoy it as a delicious and satisfying dessert (and dare I suggest you enjoy the leftovers for breakfast..that’s what I did!)

Wondering where the inspiration came from to make this exotic Bali inspired dessert? A couple of weeks ago I went to an Asian grocery store in the Cote de Neiges area of Montreal and stumbled on a million interesting things- it had a Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai and Chinese section…I was literally walking through the aisles for hours, because I just couldn’t get enough. The few places I can get lost in for hours are: health food stores, book stores,vintage stores..and apparently Asian grocery stores!

There were so many Asian green vegetables I had never tried, and an abundance of grains and sauces to chose from! (Many of them were made with MSG- so I stuck to the simple ingredient lists)- I was looking for Ponzu sauce (a citrus sauce) and Kimchi (Korean fermented spicy bok choy)- but unfortunately they only had MSG laden Kimchi..

I realized that having a tour guide in an Asian grocery store would be so key to getting people to eat these healthy and delicious foods! So send me an email myrite@gmail.com if you would be interested in gathering for a tour, followed by a cooking class. I have a friend from Bali who can help me out with this pet project of mine

So here’s what I went home with: soba noodles: made from buckwheat flour- 3 packages for only $2!; shredded tofu (As I said, I don’t eat much tofu, but was inspired by a veggie “pulled pork” (VPP) sandwich at a cafe called Depanneur Le Pickup (one of my fave places to take out of towners); Square rice paper rolls for Vietnamese spring rolls- since the round ones tend to be harder to fold; mini bok choys so tiny and cute, and a bunch of purple eggplant which I used in a Thai curry; goji berries; I also got kaffir lime leaves which I love to throw into soups, dahl or curries. Lastly- I bought black rice! I was so excited about this purchase, because I remember enjoying a rice pudding at a restaurant in NYC I love called Cafe Asean.

Here are some more pics of some interesting foods I found in the Asian grocery store.. have you tried any of them before? Wondering about that juice…there were so many interesting ones to chose from.

The coconut black rice pudding recipe is posted at the bottom!

Coconut Black Rice Pudding

It is real easy, very few ingredients and you can flavor it to your liking. I used maple syrup instead of the sugar in the recipe, and I topped it with some coconut milk and a sliced lime for serving.

It would also be great with sliced mango on top!

Here is what black rice looks like:

Ingredients:

1 cup black rice

4 cups water

pinch salt

vanilla extract or ideally one vanilla pod

1/4 cup maple syrup or 1/2 cup palm sugar

coconut milk

optional: shredded coconut, sliced mango or peaches

Soak rice in 4 cups water overnight or for 5-6 hours. Drain water and rinse. In medium size pot add rice and 4 cups of new water. Add pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Once water starts bubbling, leave on high for 15 minutes with the pot uncovered and then cover the pot and turn heat to low simmer for 35 minutes (you can set timer).

Add sweetener of your choice and stir.

Serve with drizzle of coconut milk, shredded coconut and sliced mango!

Enjoy!

Summer Plum Crisp May 18, 2011

This recipe was inspired by Heidi Swanson from 101cookbooks.com, one of my faves!!

Fruit:
1 pound ripe apples
1 pound ripe peaches or plums
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch

a scant 1/2 teaspoon

orange blossom water (optional)

Crisp:
3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
big pinch of salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup yogurt
Special equipment: 8×8 square baking dish or equivalent
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Cut the fruit into bite-sized, 1-inch pieces. I cut relatively chubby slices and then cut them again in quarters or thirds. Place the chopped fruit in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate small bowl whisk together the 1/4 cup sugar and the arrowroot. Sprinkle over the fruit, toss gently (but well), add the orange blossom water (optional), toss again, and transfer the fruit to an 8-inch square baking dish (or your favorite equivalent-sized, deep-sided, solid-bottomed tart pan).
To make the topping combine the oats, flour, sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Stir in the butter, and then the yogurt and mix until everything comes together in a dough-like texture. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the plum and peach mixture.
Place the baking dish in the oven, middle rack, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the topping is golden. Sprinkle a bit more sugar on top as it comes out of the ovens, and if you have a lemon on hand, grate a bit of zest on top (optional). Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Smokey Maple Tempeh “Bacon” February 7, 2011

8 ounces tempeh
3 tablespoons soy sauce (I prefer shoyu sauce)
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon powdered chipotle or diced canned chipotle peppers (this will give it the smokyness!)

Cut the tempeh diagonally into 4 triangles. If possible, thin those triangles out by slicing each in half horizontally – 8 triangles total. Set the tempeh aside while you make the maple marinade by combining the soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar, garlic, and chipotle powder in a small bowl. Reserve a few tablespoons of the marinade to use later as a drizzle.

Place the pieces of tempeh flat in a large baking dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the tempeh. Make sure the tops and bottoms are coated and marinate for anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 days, flipping occasionally.

Grill the tempeh on a medium hot grill for a few minutes on each side – Brushing all the while with the marinade remaining in the bottom of the baking dish. When the tempeh is a toasted, deep, maple-y, golden brown remove and enjoy on a sandwich, with a side of scrambled eggs, over a bed of greens or rice.

My personal favourite way to eat it is in a sandwich with dijon mustard, tomatoes, lettuce, and fermented cabbage. Be creative and enjoy!

*Recipe adapted from Heidi Swanson

Lentil Burger

Vegetarian Lentil Burgers

You can store shaped, ready-to-cook patties in the refrigerator for a week, or freeze them for later.

3 cups cooked black lentils
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup toasted fine (whole-grain) bread crumbs
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, canola oil (or clarified butter)

Combine the lentils, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a runny yet textured hummus – it’s o.k. if many of the lentils remain whole. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the onion. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a very moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2-inch-thick patties. You can always add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm up the dough if need be. Conversely, a bit of water or more egg can be used to moisten the batter.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings, and enjoy immediately. Makes 12 mini burgers

Virgin Chef October 21, 2008

I am working on a cookbook- and wanted to hear your feedback. Basically, the way I view cooking- it needs to be an organic process. I mean, sometimes you can use whatever you have lying in the fridge- leftovers into do-over creations, sometimes it means not looking at a recipe and seeing where your heart and tummy take you. I find most of my clients are soooo scared of even being in the kitchen. They often lack the essential tools needed for most meals ..ie knives, sieves, pots, pans… so my personal philosophy is to keep it reaaal simple. Simple still means tasty and delicious and healthy! imagine all that…

We got to get the fear out of failure- wow I think I just came up with that one on the spot! meaning- its ok to burn the rice or overcook it into a soggy mess..its ok to make crunchy kale chips – a little too brown..the important part, is that you can laugh at yourself!!! and try again, and never say that you hate cooking.

Cooking is part of self- care, it means that you care enough to provide yummy food in your belly that you made for yourself, based on what you feel like eating. It means taking the time out of your busy schedule to nourish yourself for gods sake! While I was doing house work, I decided to put some ingredients in a pot that I could leave to their own devices to cook and marinade while I wasn’t there stirring the pot. This is a really good technique when you are feeling lazy and dont want to Potchkee around (yiddish term) in the kitchen.. so today- on this lovely cold, gloomy and rainy day, I said “By golly I feel like some hearty and delicious soup…” you know that story Stone Soup? where someone puts in rocks, and buttons into the soup, but it still tastes delicious..that sorta what it felt like I was doing..just using ingredients I had on hand. Feel free to use whatever veggies you have and replace it with mine…so this is what I did….

Soul Soup

6 carrots peeled and cut up

5 sweet/potatoes peeled and chopped into square blocks

3 onions

1 squash peeled and chopped as much as you can.. (it will soften so no worries)

1 cup yellow or brown lentils

4 tbs natural soup mix

3 garlic cloves

salt/pepper to taste

10 cups of boiling water..approx (fill the pot)

basically get big pot, peel all your veggies. put a little olive oil in pot and add just onions and garlic until soft and brown (ie. carmelizes) then add the boiling water and all thte other ingredients…move away from the pot and put on high for 15 minutes, then lower to medium heat for 45min-hour…keep on the stove and serve when you are done running around the house!

When eating: put out a placemat, or tablecloth, set aside napkin and spoon. light candle, put on music. enjoy spoon by spoon…

optionally: you can blend it when you are done, and you can add a little maple syrup, rice milk and cinnamon..mmmmmm