Soy Ginger Ramen with greens

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I know whenever I go visit my family back in my hometown, there will usually be two events I can count on….first we will at some point eat my childhood comfort food of packaged ramen and we go to a Japanese Teppanyaki steakhouse with the whole gang and watch the cook/entertainer make volcanoes out of onions and throw shrimp in our mouths to catch like zoo animals. If you have ever been to one of these types of joints, you may have encountered the ginger dressing they serve on usually plain old iceberg. I love the stuff! Continue reading “Soy Ginger Ramen with greens”

California Walnuts’ Virtual Salad Party and a Cook Book Giveaway!

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I was recently invited to participate in California Walnuts’ virtual salad party! I got to choose from several different entree salad recipes and I chose this one from Aida Mollenkamp. The recipe is Baby Beet Salad With Chevre And Savory Caraway-Walnut Granola and the reason I chose this one is because of the ingenious savory granola element added to a classic mix of stuff my family and I love. Continue reading “California Walnuts’ Virtual Salad Party and a Cook Book Giveaway!”

Portland Caprese

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Summer..Summer…Summertime….let’s just sit back and unwind (In the style of DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince (before Scientology). Ah the delights of Summer! All kinds of seasonal produce is hitting the farmer’s market right now, so why not make a 5 minute recipe? First thing’s first I AM IN NO WAY STATING that this is Portland’s “Only” caprese cuz I know one of the 10 people reading this is gonna be all “This is not “Portland’s Caprese” I had it at (insert local place here) and it totes magoats has kale and veggie shreds”….this is MY version of the famed overly put on restaurant menus all over the country salad ok? Kinda like when Depeche Mode talks about one having “Your own personal Jesus” purely perspective based, nothing to be made doctrine of…just a damn good salad. Now that that disclaimer is out of the way we should talk ingredients. Continue reading “Portland Caprese”

Grecian bowl of yummy!

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So I love me some “Buddah Bowl” which is basically a big bowl of healthy vegetarian stuff topped with tahini dressing and eaten with good conscious. There are some great options here and even carts dedicated to the art of “The Bowl”. I love eating this way and it feels substantial and healthy. Continue reading “Grecian bowl of yummy!”

Easter egg radishes sashimi style

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This recipe is a fun lil’ play on Japanese sashimi, I used “Easter egg” radishes a bit of ponzu, lemon zest, and dill. I like to prepare produce like you would animal protein and the result is quite tasty. I would serve this like any salad along side a protein and starch. I used a mandolin to get the radishes nearly paper thin and it gives a nice mouth feel with a bit of crunch.
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Tahini Noodles

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I really love this recipe, like it in a unhealthy almost obsessed way….why? Because it so damn tasty! If you bring this to a potluck, I promise there will be nothing left over! With a few things that stay great in your fridge or pantry and a few items I bet you already have on hand, you are 20 minutes away from tasty! Did I mention it’s vegan? Well it is and it is tasty enough to show off for company with the ease of buying all the items in a decently stocked grocery store.
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Roasted asparagus and beet panzanella

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The best cooks in the world know how to get the most bang for their buck. Italian panzanella is a prime example of repurposing ingredients. Panzanella utilizes leftover, even stale bread and makes it a showstopping salad.
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Ghostly roasted beets with whipped feta and pepitas

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Halloween is only three days away and I wanted to make sure I got another “spooky” food idea up before the season is over. I love beets, I have many a post dedicated to them and here is one for Halloween. Fun enough for the kids and still sophisticated enough for adults this recipe is a win, win. I got some amazing loose beets from Chuck’s over the weekend, they were huge, local, red beets the size of a softball! I roasted mine whole, which ended up taking about three hours! You can easily roast your beets ahead of time and refrigerate so you they will be ready whenever you need them. Aside from the roasting time this recipe is super fast and simple.

You will need:
1 large beet (softball sized) you could use two smaller ones but they might be a little harder to decorate.
4 oz. crumbled feta cheese
1/4 Cup cottage cheese
a few handfuls of salad greens, arugula, spring mix, whatever you like.
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
a handful of pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Heat your oven to 375 degrees, stab beet a few times with a fork and wrap whole in aluminum foil, roast about three hours or until easily pierced with a fork. Cool a while then peel, while beet cools, in a blender place feta with cottage cheese and blend until smooth and whipped up, refrigerate until ready to assemble. Slice beet into four slices, in a bowl whisk olive oil and vinegar together, add greens, salt, and pepper. Distribute dressed salad evenly over four plates, top each with a slice of beet, and using a ziplock bag with a hole cut on one end or piping bar, pipe ghosts on and top with pepitas for faces. Enjoy your Halloween with this fun salad!

Romanesco cauliflower with lemon and herb dressing

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Went to a great store in Vancouver today, it called “Chuck’s” and it is on a whole different level of awesome then what I am used to. Not only is the help friendly and attentive, but they are locally owned and apparently have great relationships with the local farms. I found the most amazing romanesco cauliflower today that was locally grown and sixty nine cents a pound! Romanesco is a beautiful variety of cauliflower having a strange and almost “other world” fractal shape, it can be used the same way as you would your run of the mill cauliflower and is full of nutritious vitamins and fiber. I love it and it is in season right now! I chose to keep it simple, blanching the romanesco and then dressing it with a light lemon and olive oil dressing with tons of fresh herbs and nutritional yeast. This dish is great warm, cold, or room temperature!

You will need:

1 head romanesco cauliflower cut into florets (about two pounds)
2 oz extra virgin olive oil
juice of one lemon
1 T capers
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 T nutritional yeast flakes
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 T fresh dill, roughly chopped
1 T flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot boil three cups of salted water, add cauliflower, cook 5 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water (helps retain bright color). Combine the oil, lemon, and garlic in blender, pulse a few times add yeast, capers, and red pepper flakes, pulse. Toss cauliflower with dressing, add herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Easy and delicious way to try out this seasonal gem!