Salads as Performance Art

Hey,

I have been writing but chicken (or tofu) about posting.  Mostly because my posts have been more about medicine and less about food and I'm more confident about my cooking!  I won't even "go there" how busy things have been and the demands of the hospital.  It'll always be there and I need to work on balance.  Lame.

However, I did make an amazing salad the other day I actually took a photo of before I ate it.  I thought to myself, "I kinda feel bad for eating this good when the rest of my coworkers are eating fried chicken sandwiches and limp fries for lunch from the cafeteria."  Meanwhile, I snuck outside in the 75 degree sunshine and sat on the steps of a green space area watching joggers near a river and bathed my tired body in some fresh air.  It was a welcomed relief from a hectic, long day.  And my belly appreciated the nourishing, tasty food.

Salads are a perfect venue for produce performance art.  I call this a "Found Object" salad, because I think the best salads come from objects you find around your refrigerator (assuming you have more than pickles and mayonnaise in there!).  If you approach a salad only expecting to have lettuce, cucumber and tomato then you will only "see" those things in your fridge.  Worse, you will overlook other produce-assets in your fridge and run out to the store and get what you expect a salad to have.  If you approach salad making instead as elements of color, texture, flavor and nothing else, then you are free to create whatever you want.

 Of course, you also have to think of nutrition.  I do believe than most salads need to have fat and protein (consider nuts, cheese, beans, etc.) or else you will be hungry in an hour (to put on my doctor hat, this is actually a physiologic fact: fat and protein empty slowly out of the tummy but carbs, which is what a salad is will be gone from the belly in 1-2 hours tops).

True, I do like to start with some kind of green (my painter's palate if you will--though this is not a hard and fast rule), that's about the only "rule" I have.  The particular salad that inspired this post had something creamy, acid, sweet, colorful, crunchy, fatty, high in protein.  Don't think of a cucumber as a cumber, think of it as "white crunchy cool." Make a haiku salad!  Then, you work on presentation (cutting your veggies or fruit on a diagonal or very very small, toasting nuts, etc.).  The only limit is your mind.

I'm not going to post the recipe, that just goes against what I wrote in the previous text.  But I will post a photo.  Then, inspire yourself with your own produce performance art.  Making food and eating should always be this much fun.

Dino-mite Dinosaur Kale Winter Salad

Kale.

So, there's an annual resident poster put out each year at the hospital with resident photos and training year listed. Since the crisply minted posters were hung in July, the photos on the poster hanging in the ICU work room, where hours get long and people get a little bored sometimes, have been slowly defaced.  For example, my fellow residents who otherwise look professional in suits, ties, and white coats in this poster have pirate eye patches, Mexican sombreros, and lieberhausen.  Above my photo is drawn a thought bubble that reads: "Eat more kale."

Apparently my reputation precedes me.  But can you blame me?

I hosted a dinner party this weekend with a delectable menu, if I do say so myself.  I love weekends off!  The salad was a hit, and of course it had kale.  We ate the remainder for breakfast.  This salad does best made a few hours ahead of time as it enables the flavors to combine and the kale to tenderize--since the kale is a sturdy green it doesn't get limp.

Dino-mite Dinosaur Kale Winter Salad
2 bunches Dinosaur Kale
1 cup shredded turnip
1-2 carrots, shredded
6 small beets, peeled, roasted and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 green onions, chopped into fine pieces
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
juice of half a lemon
zest of half a lemon
2 Tablespoons soy sauce or liquid aminos
2 Tablespoons honey
1/2 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Chop kale into very thin ribbons (1/8 inch thick), excluding the tough stems.  Combine the kale, vinegar, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, and salt in large bowl.  Coat well and let rest (this helps tenderize the kale).  In a small bowl, combine the remaining olive oil, lemon and lemon zest, soy sauce, honey, and green onions.  Mix well.  Add to kale mixture.  Just before serving, add shredded turnip, carrots, and beets.  Refrigerate.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6

Diamonds and Pearled...Barley for breakfast

Pearled barley is something hearty and wintery for me to explore and enjoy.  It is February after all.  My mother used to make beef barley soup when I was a kid.  She said my grandfather loved it.  I never met him, as he died when my mom was just 17.  However, it's a fond "non-memory" I do have of my grandfather, coming in from downtown having worked all day at the office, brushing off snow from his overcoat as he hung it up in the entryway-- pipe and fedora in hand. Then, he'd sit down to some piping hot soup as my mother ran around the house in a little red jumper.  It's funny how you learn to know and admire or even love your ancestors through stories and particularly through foods.

My mom never cooked barley outside of soups and I have to say, she was missing out.  It seems to be the love child of rice and oats and it's a good alternative to both.

I have used barley interchangeably with numerous recipes this winter.  I have even eaten it instead of rice with stir fry (gasp!).  However, in this installment of the blog I will contain myself to breakfast.

One of the nice things about pearled barley is when you cook a large batch and then refrigerate it, the grains don't congeal as much as steal-cut oats.  Result: chewier texture (less slurping).  In this recipe, I suggest you make a large batch of barley ahead of time and then heat and eat on the stove top or microwave as desired.  Keeps in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.  You can always find other ways to use the barley if you don't do it all for "Diamonds and Pearleds"...like stir fry! :-)

Pearled Barley
1 cup Pearled Barley
2 cups water

Cook on "white rice setting" in rice cooker.  Alternative, simmer on low heat stirring occasionally until all the water is absorbed, 25-30 minutes.  Scoop the cooked barley in a container and throw it in the fridge until ready to use.  Makes 4 servings.


Diamonds and Pearled Barley for Breakfast (aka "Diamonds and Pearleds")
1/2 cup pre-cooked Pearled Barley
3 Tablespoons Chia seeds
2 Tablespoons shaved coconut (unsweetened)
3 Tablespoons golden raisins (these are the "diamonds")
1 cup soy (or whatever your favorite source of milk might be: dairy, almond, etc.)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
maple syrup, to taste

Throw all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl with high walls (cleaning up a microwave in the morning is no fun).  Cook on high for about 1:30-2 minutes, depending on strength of machine.  Stir half-way through.  Alternatively, combine ingredients in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until bubbling.  Add maple syrup to taste.  Makes 1 serving.

Note: It gets a little more soupy with a whole cup of milk.  If you don't like it like that, add less of course.  However, I like the combination of warm cereal/milk with the chewy barley and sweet raisins.  Chia gives you some fat and protein.  Coconut gives you fat and flavor.  "It Sticks to your ribs."  That's what my mom would say.  Perhaps my grandfather would say that, too.

Chicks Please

Nah...this isn't a line from, "Old School."  But you might be wanting seconds.  High marks for the effort to flavor ratio.  The sweet potatoes are a must here.  If you don't have sweet potato, I would recommend butternut squash or carrot.  "It really ties the dish together."

I made my own "Chicks Please" from the dried variety by soaking them during the day while I was at the hospital then cooking them on low for an hour and a half while I was at the gym.  Once I got home, dinner was ready in about 20 minutes.

My husband, who thinks chickpeas are hippy-fodder and likes to add ground beef to all things to prove his manhood, dropped the Birkenstock jokes.  He didn't help himself to seconds.  I take this as a complement because the dish was filling--something he complains about with meat free food.  Thank you, coconut milk (the secret ingredient to easy, tasty cooking).

Chicks Please with a Coconut Splash
3 cups Garbanzo beans (or chickpeas--or about 1 and 1/2 cans--you can use 2--I won't tell)
1 bunch spinach, washed, torn, with stems removed
1 can coconut milk ("reduced fat" just means you are paying for water, people--go all out)
1/2 lemon, zested and squeezed
1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and diced (or grated)
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, soaked briefly in a little boiling water to reconstitute (packed in oil ok, too)
1-2 sweet potatoes, roasted and peeled*
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
several shakes Red Pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Brown or white rice made in your trusty rice cooker

Sautee the onion, garlic, ginger, lemon zest, red pepper flakes in oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook until onions are wilted and browning, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the sun dried tomatoes, sweet potatoes  and chickpeas.  Stir until warmed.  Add the can of coconut milk, lemon.  Simmer for about 5-7 minutes.  Stir in the spinach a handful at a time.  Cook about 3-4 minutes until the spinach is wilted.  Season with salt and remaining red pepper flakes.   Serve with rice.

For the lazy crowd, this could easily be assembled in the slow cooker.  Just throw everything in except the spinach.  Hit, "make my dinner" button (slow cook on my rice cooker) and return in about an hour or so (go for a run!).  Add the spinach before you take your shower and by the time you dry your hair and set the table, dinner is ready!

* If you don't have roasted sweet potatoes on hand (roast them in the skin and peeling is a cinch), peel the potatoes like a carrot, slice them thinly, pile them in a microwave safe dish and pop them in the microwave for a few (3-4) minutes with a little water sprinkled on top.  This will precook them enough so that they'll finish cooking with the rest of the food.  If you don't have a microwave, do the same thing with the saucepan and water, but it'll take longer.  If you don't have sweet potatoes, use carrots.  The sweet veggie in this recipe is a must.

Ok, Lentils again, but it's so good, you'll forgive me

Baby: it's (finally) cold outside.

My stomach is so grateful for the pots of nourishing, filling yumminess that I've been throwing together the past few weeks.  Peeking back at my last post, this recipe is similar yet different and you will love it.  I told my husband this particular version could win a cook-off, especially in the category of "Featuring vegetables you didn't know you loved" (beets, rutabaga, kale).  The sweet potatoes and beets make the broth slightly sweet.  Why does chili get all the glory?  Then again, I made that too, this week (this was better...or shall I say "beeter").

Lean-on-Me Lentil Stew 
1 cup lentils (I mixed French and orange, but you can use whatever's on hand)
1 cup yellow split peas
1 medium rutabaga, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
3 smallish red beets peeled and cut into long strips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and sliced into bite-sized pieces
2 ribs celery chopped (I prefer organic, because I think it is about five thousand times less bitter than conventional)
1/2 bunch Dino Kale, roughly chopped
2 veggie broth cubes
8 cups water

1tsp thyme
1/2 tsp tarragon
1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne (depending on your regional/tastebud/family preference)
1/4 tsp cinnamon (trust me)
salt and pepper to taste

In a rice cooker: Throw all ingredients besides the spices into the cooking vessel.  Cook on "slow cooker" mode for 2.5 to 3 hours.  I'm sure you can do this in your conventional slow cooker, too with similar cook time.  Add the spices at the end.  Season to taste.

On the stove top: In a large stock pot, bring the broth cubes and water to a boil, add the lentils/split peas.  Reduce heat, cover loosely with lid and simmer for 25-30 minutes.  Add the veggies.  Simmer for another 30-45 minutes. Add the spices at the end.  Season to taste.

Keeps for several days in your fridge.  Freeze for a lunchtime delight.  When you take it out of the freezer in the morning, it'll double as a lunchbox cooler for the rest of your goodies!

Lentils 'Round the Clock

Just because it's been holiday time doesn't mean I get a break from either working or being hungry for some good and filling lunches.  Yet, time has been even more limited due to all the holiday travel, etc.  There's only one way to solve this midwinter complication: overnight soup.

While I sleep, my rice cooker cooks for me.  I throw some ingredients in before I go to bed, hit the timer (incidentally giving the beans/lentils time to soak) and by morning (or 5am, if you consider that morning), my meal is complete.

I was so tired the other night I didn't even crack open my two "new-to-me" used cookbooks to inspire: I just threw in whatever I saw in the fridge/cupboard and hoped for the best.  It actually turned out great!  Obviously, cooking the soup on the stove or a slow-cooker would work just as well.  It also does well as a cook-through-the-afternoon-for-supper soup.

Lentils 'Round the Clock
1.5 cup French Lentils
1/2 cup Adzuki Beans
1/2 bunch Dinosaur kale, chopped
1 med-large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup rice or barley (dry)
2 golden beets, peeled and chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 vegetable bouillon cubes
1/2 15oz can coconut milk
 6 cups water

1tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1/4-1 tsp cayenne (to taste)
salt/pepper to taste

Throw all ingredients into rice cooker except for thyme, parsley and cayenne.  Make sure liquid ingredients covers or almost covers all the dry ingredients.  Cook on "porridge" mode of rice cooker and use timer setting (if available) to accommodate when you'd like the soup to finish.  Season with the dried herbs.  Add salt & pepper to taste.

Serve immediately or package individually for yummy and warming lunch.