Archive for August 27th, 2012
Posted on: August 27, 2012
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I watched some being cooked when I was 4 and it traumatized me. I thought the sound of the steam escaping from their shells was the lobster screaming. so I went without dinner that night.
I have never been able to eat lobster or crabs since then.
or oysters since they are consumed alive.
it’s to cringy to me
Meatless Mondays – Mexistyle
Posted on: August 27, 2012
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Meatless Monday Mexican-Style by Maria Russo in Recipes, August 27th, 2012
If your usual Mexican dinner spread includes everyday veggie tacos or cheese quesadillas, try experimenting with chiles rellenos instead to add a new twist of flavor to your dinner. Traditional versions of this Mexican classic feature a soft cheese-stuffed poblano pepper that’s quickly deep-fried and bathed in tomato sauce. Marcela Valladolid, Food Network’s own queen of Mexican cuisine, has prepared her version of this authentic favorite. Check out how Marcela makes chiles rellenos below, and find easy-to-make side dishes to serve with her flavor-packed meal.
Just like traditional recipes, Marcela’s Chiles Rellenos (pictured above) boasts an oregano-Monterey Jack cheese mixture that fills warm, charred poblanos. She whips a light, airy egg-based batter to coat the peppers before frying them until they’re golden and crispy. Top each stuffed poblano with a smooth blended tomato sauce flavored with a touch of garlic and onion. Flip through this step-by-step gallery to see how Marcela prepares this authentic dish.
Round out the meal with a scoop of Marcela’s Foolproof Mexican Rice, a highest-rated recipe that combines fresh carrots and onions with tender rice that’s been cooked in a serrano chile-laced tomato broth. Before serving, finish the rice with a handful of bright, crunchy peas to add both flavor and texture. When boiling the rice, be sure to swap in vegetable broth for chicken in order to maintain a meatless meal.
Of course no Mexican fiesta is complete without a bowl of creamy guacamole, and Marcela’s Simple Guacamole can be made in just five quick minutes. To prepare, she mashes ripe avocados with fresh cilantro, lime juice and a touch of onion until the mixture is combined. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips or fresh veggies for easy, delicious dunking.
Meatless Monday, an international movement, encourages people everywhere to cut meat one day a week for personal and planetary health. Browse more Meatless Monday recipes.
source site: Food Network Blog
Tomato and Nectarine Salad with a Korean Dressing – Recipe
Tomato and Nectarine Salad with a Korean Dressing
Here’s a simple, delicious and surprising salad. Oh, one thing – it is only worth doing if you have spectacular heirloom tomatoes and nectarines. It will be completely tasteless and sad if you make it with hard pink tomatoes and underripe, sour nectarines. You’l be very on trend if you make it; I’ve seen variations of stone fruit & tomato salads on a bunch of great restaurant menus lately.
Quick aside: if you live in Seattle or are planning a visit, I’m giving away three copies of my Seattle Foodie Guide App. Jump on over to Facebook to enter!
Tomato season really has two halves. The first half is “don’t waste my time”, and the second half “good lord that is delicious”. I like to celebrate the latter by eating as many great tomatoes as humanly possible, almost all without any cooking at all. Pairing them with fruit is an interesting way to play on the fact that tomatoes are, of course, a fruit and not a vegetable. It tends to emphasize the sweetness and complex flavors and make you not take them for granted.
The idea for this dressing was based on wanting to find a simple first course to serve before these icy cold Korean noodles (jjolmyeon). It uses fine gochugaru, a Korean chili powder. The one I have is fruity/sour and not particularly spicy. Taste yours first and dial it back if it is too hot. If you don’t have gochugaru, you could try ancho chili powder as a substitute, or just use a pinch of cayenne and not worry about it. But I would recommend picking up gochugaru if you can, I’ve fallen in love with it and will be showing you other ways to use it soon.
Oh, and don’t feel like you have to plate this salad all fancy like in the top photo. Your guests will enjoy it just as much if you do it family style.
Tomato and Nectarine Salad with a Korean Dressing
Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free
Serves 4
For the dressing
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil or other neutral vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted (Asian) sesame oil – not the pale colored raw stuff
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1 teaspoon fine ground gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (in a pinch, rice vinegar)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the grapeseed oil, sesame oil, salt and gochugaru (start with the smaller amount). Whisking continuously, drizzle in the sherry vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- 2 – 3 large, perfectly ripe heirloom tomatoes, at room temperature – kind of nice if they are different varieties
- 3 perfectly ripe, sweet nectarines, at room temperature (or peaches) – preferably a freestone variety
- A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved (could skip these for the family-style plate)
- Baby arugula (just a few leaves if plating fancy; a couple cups worth if doing family style)
- A few paper thin slices of sweet onion (such as Walla Walla) (cut on a mandoline if possible)
- Flaky sea salt (Maldon, preferably)
- Core the tomatoes and cut them into wedges.
- Cut the nectarines into segments. If they are clingstones, you are going to lose some of the flesh, but you can gnaw on the pit for a cook’s treat.
- Plate the salad as you see in either of the two photographs. Give the dressing a whisk and drizzle it over the top, being careful not to overdress. Finish with a few scattered flakes of sea salt and serve.
Vegan Creamy Potato Salad
Posted on: August 27, 2012
reposted from Livvy at 86lemons.com
RECIPE:
Vegan Creamy Potato Salad
ADAPTED VERY SLIGHTLY FROM:
The Blender Girl at www.healthyblenderrecipes.com
So I was in the grocery store last week when I remembered I needed to make potato salad for a meal I was bringing to a friend (she’s battling cancer and has a hubby and three little ones). I googled “vegan potato salad” on my iPhone and found this recipe. I was in a hurry, so I missed a few ingredients on the list. No harm done. It was still absolutely delicious. And – bonus! – I discovered a very helpful website with tons of great vegan recipes. You can search Tess Masters’ “Healthy Blender Recipes” website for easy vegan, vegetarian, raw and gluten-free recipes which can all be made in a blender, mixer or food processor. When you ‘like’ her Facebook page and sign up for her email list, you will get a link to download her free eBook, “Best of Healthy Blender Recipes.com.” Sweet, right?!
Back to the potato salad. This one is creamy, crunchy and full of flavor. You would never guess that it’s vegan. Hubs (who is not vegan) only eats potato salad that doesn’t have egg in it (he hates eggs). And he can be a bit of a potato salad snob. Fortunately, he loved what little was left of this one (I gave most of it to our friends).
You will need a 3 lb. bag of red skin potatoes. Cut the potatoes into large cubes.
Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water.
Add 2 Tbsp of sea salt to the water and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until just done. (While potatoes are simmering, cut up your veggies – see below.)
Rinse potatoes with cold water and drain thoroughly.
1 cup (about one bunch) green onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup (about 4 large stalks) celery, finely chopped
1 cup broccoli stalk, finely chopped*
½ cup red onion, finely chopped*
1 cup parsley (or dill) finely chopped* (You will add this at the very end.)
*NOTES
I didn’t have any broccoli stalks, so I used extra celery. But the salad didn’t need the extra. In my opinion, you only need the celery or the broccoli stalks, not both (or use half the amount of each). I forgot to buy red onion, so I skipped it. I felt like there was plenty of onion flavor already with the green onions. Again, I think you could use either one (you don’t really need both). I’m not a huge parsley fan, so I used fresh dill instead. And I think you can get away with much less than a cup. It just depends on your personal taste.
Combine the potatoes and chopped veggies (except for the parsley).
For the dressing, you will need:
1 cup of vegan mayonnaise* (I used this one.)
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
½ tsp. apple cider vinegar
Combine these three ingredients using a blender.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix thoroughly.
Stir in the chopped parsley (or dill), then season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.
*NOTES
The original recipe calls for one batch of The Blender Girl’s Vegan Mayonnaise, but I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. So I cheated with vegenaise (and it still tasted great). Next time, I’ll try it the real way.
Chill or serve at room temperature.
It’s a good thing I was making this for our friends because I might have eaten the whole bowl if left to my own devices. It’s that good.
Enjoy!
Karmic Ponderings
Posted on: August 27, 2012
Posted on: August 27, 2012
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it’s interesting to re-read poems and see how differently they feel
this one remains very joyful
and it feels like a reminder about the needfulness of colour
in our lives and how all the workaday stressors and our depression responses really rob us all of that
grinding our emotions into a grey sludge, but rainbows remind us that things are separate and blending, parts and a sum
depression literally means seeing less colour, tasting fewer flavours and smelling a narrower range of smells.
but sound and light becomes overwhelming
recovery is about getting your senses, your sense of perspective and your sense of self restored and self sustaining.
but all of that requires connections to other people who are supportive and understanding.
too often that’s the hardest part to everyone on the outside. they can’t know what it’s like for the person in need of help and the help needing person can’t explain because there is too great a disconnect.
it’s not so much falling through the cracks. as being slowly chipped away and shoved down them.
but with a good support network, it’s possible to stop the fall, claw or crawl or stand your way back up and assess and repair all the cracks and chips.
because when you see all the colours of the rainbow, that’s ………
sunshine is the best sanitizer and rain is cleansing tears
and rainbow is nature’s way of celebrating the full spectrum of light
it’s like a glimpse of love from the universe
for those who will look up and see the rainbow and marvel that they can only be seen from one side and the ends of the rainbow never touch the ground
Posted on: August 27, 2012
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Word: unconditional
May I just be near you,
sit at your feet, gaze
into your eyes, breathe
your fragrance? May I
love you without demand,
happy to be made whole by the
merging of our souls?
May I cheer you when you are
sad, rejoice when you are glad;
love you from afar or as close
as you are? For what is this
thing called, “love,” if not
this passion that I feel just
knowing you exist in this world
though we’ve not yet met? It
does not matter for my heart is
yours and always has been.
Eros and Love
Posted on: August 27, 2012
Living Well 