Pomegranate Kale Salad

I whipped this up one day when trying to figure something out for vegetables. I had the kale, which I shredded. There was pomegranate in the fridge which I though would add some nice color and sweet tartness to the mix. A loose carrot "peeled" into the salad gave additional color and flavor. Considering kale was on the nuttier bitter side, I thought a sweeter salad with the pomegranate and carrot would be nice. Then I added the seeds and nuts for protein.

Pomegranate seeds
Baby kale leaves
Carrot shreds
Chia seeds
Hemp hearts
Pine nuts

Dressing :
Tahini
Garlic
Cider vinegar
Maple syrup
Grainy mustard

It was the second time I tried using tahini to make a dressing. The first time failed because I tried to thin it with oil...but it caused the mixture to break up and get really goopy. This time, it's thinned with vinegar or water, which worked out really well. Overall, I really enjoyed this combo for a tahini dressing...will be definitely repeated!

And Ta-da....a nice bright'n colorful'n tasty side.

And with that, here's to a happy and healthy New Year in 2014!! Keep cooking, experimenting and creating. God bless!

Christmas Steak

And just like that, Christmas is upon us! This isn't Christmas dinner, but it's close.

Boneless rib steak:
Montreal Steak Spice
Chopped cilantro
Olive Oil

Mushrooms:
Garlic
Paprika
Cumin
S&P

Salad:
Baby Kale
Chick Peas
Pomegranate
Avocado

Dressing:
Tahini
Grainy Mustard
Maple Syrup
Lime juice

Everything was delicious. The steak was eaten with a wedge of lime for a nice citrus note. And, the vitamin C from the lime helps your body absorb the iron better from the red meat. Just FYI.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones. 

The Love, Joy and Peace of Christ be upon your household. 

And may every good and perfect gift find its way to you in the New Year!

Beet & Brussels Sprouts Salad

There are SO MANY ways to do a good meal-worthy salad. I personally believe that raw nutrients are better than cooked stuff...even if the calories and vitamin/minerals are reportedly the same whether cooked or raw. Being Asian, I still eat a lot of COOKED vegetables....but I'm exploring the raw side now. I'm used to eating raw spinach salad....but beets and brussel sprouts were always consumed cooked. After seeing a few recipes for eating these items raw, I came up with this salad to see how it goes:

Beets - peeled and cut into matchsticks
Brussels sprouts - sliced very thinly, like slaw
Apple - thin slices
Spinach
Pine nuts
 
Dressing:
Mustard
Garlic
Tahini
Apple cider vinegar
Maple syrup

The dressing was completely eye-balled and adjusted to taste....but I really really liked the dressing. And when tossed with the salad...I thought it was a very tasty, earthy, hearty salad. My husband mostly agrees...until he realized I used raw brussel sprouts. "No wonder!! Something tasted off. I don't like that earthy bitter taste." Well, to each their own. Maybe next time I'll blanche the sprouts first?

Cold Noodle Salad

This is perfect for a summer meal. And it can cover nearly all the food groups at once.

Zucchini cut into thin strands
Boiled eggs
Tomatoes
Cooked, cooled Asian noodles
Turkey bacon
Chopped green onion
Dash of chili flakes
Goddess Dressing (from Trader Joes)

Summer Apple Salad

Whenever I think of apples in salad, I usually remember the creamy potato fruit salads my grandma would make. But now I've got a beet salad to change up the taste and color of an apple-y salad, and today, a fresh citrus seasoned apple salad. It's got barley mixed in so I feel it could replace the carb option in a meal.

Sliced Apple
Shredded carrots
Sliced celery and its leaves
Barley
(I may have one more vegetable ingredient but I can't remember for the life of me.)

Dressing is my go to:
Grainy Mustard
Lemon juice
Olive Oil
Stevia drops (sugarless sweetener)...instead of honey

Also pictured, a nice med rare stake and some grilled broccoli.

Veal Flank Stew and Spring Salad

I bought some veal flank meat and thought a stew would be nice....but as Spring is here, pairing it with a fresh salad would be even nicer.

Stew:
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Veal flank
Onion
Garlic
Cumin
Paprika
Sugar
Sriracha
BBQ Sauce
Ketchup
Tomato Paste
Various herbs that seemed to smell good together

Salad:
Spring Greens
Naval Orange cut to bite sizes
Chopped Almonds

Dressing:
Olive Oil
Grainy mustard
Honey
Lemon Juice

Fennel Broccoli and Orange Salad

It's not quite Spring...but we wanted something fresh and summery to brighten all the gloominess of Winter. So...threw together a yummy salad to enjoy:

Fennel
Broccoli
Orange
Cilantro
Pine nuts

Dressing:
Olive Oil
Honey
Wine vinegar
Grainy mustard

Veggie Quiche & Broccoli Salad

The Salmon & Swiss Chard quiche turned out so well I wanted to try again. This time with tomatoes replacing the salmon. A true Meatless Monday meal. Oh wait....I have eggs...

Quiche filling:
Onion
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes
Marble Cheese
Eggs
Almond Milk
S&P

I think I failed to mention last time that the eggs:milk ratio is 3 eggs: 1 cup of milk. I think the almond milk gives it an extra layer of depth in flavor....the magic for aromatic, fluffy goodness!

Broccoli salad:
Broccoli
Raisins
Pumpkin Seeds
Flax Seeds
Cilantro

Dressing:
Mayo
Mustard
Vinegar
Sugar

Blueberry Corn Salad

I think this is my new favorite summer salad...I'll take a picture the next time I make it.

BBQ'd corn niblets (after cutting the niblets off the cob, save it for sweetening soup stock!)
Blueberries
Arugula
Spinach
BBQ'd meat (steak, ribs, chicken, whatever)

(I would've loved some shredded mint or basil tossed in as well...but my basil plant is still tiny in its pot.)

Drizzle with this citrus-y lime vinaigrette goodness:
Lime juice
Olive Oil
Mustard
Sugar
Vinegar
Salt

The citrus dressing cuts through the rich smokey fats of the BBQ'd meat. The blueberries add a tangy sweetness. It's all very yummy.

Soy Lime Mackerel

Part of trying to eat healthier is also trying to eat more organic and sustainable products. Wild mackerel is one of those products. These smaller fishes grow fast and reach sexual maturity quickly, making them sustainable compared to, say, tuna....which also stores high levels of mercury in its flesh. Another bonus is how the mackerel is scale-less. I hate de-scaling fishes...but I love eating the skin! The darker layer of flesh right under the skin is supposed to be rich in omega oils too.
I trimmed off the head and tail, and filleted it so that it can be opened flat. I left the backbone in so that it wouldn't curl when I panfried it. Then I marinated the fish, skin-side up.

Marinade:
Soy Sauce
Sugar
Vinegar
(can also add chili flakes)

The mackerel was served over a bed of spinach and arugula leaves and the dressing for both the fish and salad was drizzled on top. I had leftover corn so the niblets were tossed into the salad as well.

Dressing:
Lime juice
Olive Oil
Sugar
Ginger root (finely chopped)
Soy Sauce

And it was good! Not fishy in taste at all. =)
Again, sorry no picture...ate it before I remembered.

Red Cabbage Slaw #2

Last time I only used half a head of cabbage...so I made a slaw again with the remaining half. Slight variances made but still light, crunchy and yummy.

Slaw:
Half red cabbage
Granny Smith apple
Carrot
One shallot
Raisins
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Chia seeds

Dressing:
Orange juice
Olive Oil
Honey dijon mustard
Salt
Honey

The dressing wasn't bad, but it wasn't the greatest...I think I needed more acidity in the taste. The Lemon dressing is still my favorite. What would you recommend adding instead?

Next time.

Summer Dressing

Summer is a time for salads. My husband and I are trying to cut, if not drastically reduce, processed foods that come into our house. It's easy enough to avoid canned foods, but have you read the ingredients for all the sauces and condiments we use?? Yikes. Especially the ones that have artificial coloring or artificial flavoring...and where half their ingredients have four or more syllables and are unpronounceable.

So, we're trying to make our own dressings...which is largely experimentation coupled with what I've heard/read that works together.

My current favorite summer dressing:

Lemon juice
Honey
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Garlic (minced)
Honey Dijon
Salt & Pepper to taste

I put the ingredients into a small glass bottle then shake the dickens out of it. It gets used up in a day or two and then I make a fresh batch with a new ingredient variation. So fresh. So yum.