Greens, Groins and Guest Granola

Courtesy of Alison, inspired by many of my family members requesting her homemade granola recipe.

Hello, Health-Nuts! I'm one of Jessica's dearest friends, and shockingly also a consumer of medium-rare meat, white pasta and copious amounts of dairy products. However since I've had the opportunity to live with our chef in close quarters, I have come to love body-and-mind-conscious cooking (some of my faves being: Cotes du Rhone, Brussels Sprouts and Salmon with lemon and bread crumbs). This holiday season I was looking for something small I could make and package to give to my co-workers that would show my dedication to wellness living (a contrast to last year's gift of blocks of fudge). I stumbled upon this lovely blog with this lovely recipe:

Now, if you're like me and blow this up to full size, you will see some of the measurements are rather hard to read. This might lead to putting in double the amount of honey and double the amount of brown sugar. Some people call these "happy accidents." The only thing that really happens is you come out with more of a granola bar with sticky fingers rather than granola you sprinkle in your non-fat greek yogurt.

So, ed note for sprinkely granola:
1/4 cup of honey
3/4-ish cup brown sugar
1/3-ish cup of the add-ins

I omitted the dried cherries and substituted them with dark chocolate chips (some habits never die). I also used a plastic spatula instead of a metal one (it's a recession).

Everyone at work seemed to love it, claiming they ate "half the bag before lunch!" (it was a snack sized bag, c'mon). I tested both versions out in the Berkshires, in oatmeal and on my couch, and I have to say it proved delicious in all scenarios. Here's to snacking!

Greens Day: Collards

Here at G+G, we're a little bit Jewish, a little bit Southern Rock. So it's hard for me to believe I have thus far neglected one of the core greens that exist on God's earth and in my home: collards.

Traditionally collard greens are a staple of southern cuisine, stewed in a vat with ham hock and served with black eyed peas and corn bread ala Paula Dean. But here's where the Jewish part comes in--ain't no way we making anything with ham hock. Esther has been making vegetarian collard greens since all you's were stars in heaven. And she ain't stoppin' now.

The method used to cook collards is similar to our old friend kale, but the difference is that collards need longer too cook and we add onions. Collards are more flat, less leafy. However like kale, collards are packed with nutrients including B6 and C, carotenes, chlorophyll, and manganese. One cup of collard greens provides more than 70 percent of the RDA for vitamin C (according to my source on the web).

When making collards, first I get a bunch, wash them and cut them in thick chiffonade style.

Then I chop 3-4 cloves of garlic and 1 small onion.

Then I add about 2-3 tables spoons of olive oil to a pan on medium heat.

Add onions and garlic. Let cook for about 5 minutes.

THEN add collards:

COVER and let cook for at least 10 minutes, checking often. They'll cook down. While you wait, check out my Gator-themed Hannukah candles:


Now, after 10 minutes, add:
-2 tablespoons Braggs or soy sauce
-1 1/2 tablespoons dry sherry
-a few splashes of plum wine vinegar
-black pepper to taste
-(whatever other seasonings you feel like)

Mix, cover and turn to low. Let steam for another 5 minutes. Should look like this when done (notice the green is a little deeper and duller as compared when you first put them in the pot. This is the color of 'done.' Try a bite just to make sure it's not chewy) :



Should look like this on your plate with a sweet potato latke:

Happy Hannukah, y'all.

Back to Basics: Tofu Stir-Steam

I realize readers haven't had a new recipe in weeks, and with all the crap we're eating during holiday season, wouldn't it be great to have a nice clean, warm dish to get us through the winter? I think so.
So here's my tofu stir-steam. It's not really a stir fry because I don't use a wok, I use very little oil and I cover the pot so the veggies steam more than fry. Stir fries are so easy, but sometimes you forget about them in a pinch for dinner ideas. Here's what I used:

1 TBS olive oil
1 small onion chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic chopped or minced
1 package button mushrooms rinsed, chopped
1 package broccoli florets
2 stalks celery chopped diagonally
2 carrots chopped diagonally
1 package of extra firm tofu diced to your liking
1/4 cup of Bragg's Amino acids (or 1/8 cup soy sauce to taste)
1/4 cup dry sherry
black pepper to taste
1 TBS sesame seeds (0ptional)
dry parsley to taste (optional)
1/2 lemon (optional)

Prep:

This is pretty easy. Put the oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Saute onions and garlic for about 3 minutes or until onions are slightly transparent. Add broccoli, celery, carrots. Cover and steam for about 5-8 minutes, tossing often. When veggies are sweating, add tofu and mushrooms. Add Braggs, sherry, black pepper. Toss a lot and cover again for another 5 minutes. Keep checking and tossing to make sure its getting cooked evenly. Here's what it looks like in the pan before it cooks down:

These guys said they were integral in this recipe and didn't want to be left out:

Add sesame seeds, lemon, parsley and whatever other spices you have hiding. Finally, serve over brown Basmati rice that's been cooked in coconut oil, add a lemon wedge and a slice of avocado for good measure:

Wedding recipes

When my dearest Tiney got married this past February, Wolison and I put our heads together to come up with something a little creative to include in her gift along with the kitchen items we picked off her registry. Because the couple was going to Singapore for the honeymoon, we decided to include 3-4 recipes of that region they could make with their new kitchen tools. Wolison expertly designed little recipe cards on her company's time, and the whole thing was real cute.

For the most recent wedding I attended, I was flying solo, so I had to come up with something with my rudimentary design skills and photoshop 7 (circa 1998). This is a couple I also love, and who both love to cook; I wanted to do recipes to reflected their relationship. They originally met in high school in South Florida, started dating in Gainesville, have lived in Boston for the past five years and are honeymooning in Spain. So, I found four recipes I thought were appropriate:

• For South Florida, Lilly's Kasha (of course)

• For Gainesville, Sage Lentil Loaf from local restaurant The Book Lover's Cafe (which also has a cookbook that I happen to own).
  

• For Boston, New England Clam Chowder (naturally) from SlipJacks's in Boston, which I plucked off of epicurious.
  

• And for Spain, a Grilled Cheese sandwich with Manchego (also appropriate because their gift from me was a Panini grill)--recipe also from Epicurious.*{Ed note: G+G does not condone the Serrano Jamon part of this recipe, but when in Spain... Also, this would make a delicious vegetarian grilled cheese.}
  

It looked like this, but bound together with ribbon. Click to make larger and steal the recipes.

I hope they enjoy!

Quick update

Greetings readers! I'm back from the birthday/Thanksgiving/tailgate/wedding haze with a belly full of complex carbs. Remember that time in October when I read that great New York Times article my Aunt Rhonda sent me, and then tried to be vegetarian? Yeah, that didn't stick. But holidays are time for family and indulgence, and I'm going to estimate that 50% of my food intake has been appropriate for this blog. First, let me show you my Thanksgiving feast:


While you were stuffing your face with turkey, I was stuffing my face with turkey AND sushi AND edamame AND spring rolls. Made by real Japanese people from Japan. Also on deck was my mom's most delicious eggplant casserole with melted cheese on top.

Then, I went to Gainesville for the weekend and drank beer at 10:30 am with this guy:


THEN I went to a lovely wedding and did my hair myself:

And finally, I ate Filet Mignon (no picture necessary. I think you know what shame looks like).

Next post will share a great, personal idea for a wedding gift involving new recipes...

Holy Mung Beans

Well I'm home in Florida for Thanksgiving, and what do I find? Esther is sprouting Mung Beans:


That clutter in the back? No special effects.

Mung beans are holy in ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine, they originate in India and Pakistan, and contain dietary fiber, thiamin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper. Also a good source of folate, for those looking to get pregnant.

And a bit of trivia: Where do you think bean sprouts that you get from Chinese restaurants come from, smarty pants? Mung beans. So if you like the taste of those, these are just a little bit nuttier.

The Gordons traditionally put them in salad, but I saw this little creation yesterday and thought I would share:


Those are French lentils, grape tomatoes sliced in half and mung beans. Add to this a little salad dressing OR salt, pepper, lemon juice and a small bit of olive oil. Pretty, pretty good.

Update: Kasha Visual

Here's what it looks like. New post this week.

Lillie's Kasha

Today would have been my Grandma Lillie's 101st birthday.

She was the first child born to Austrian immigrants on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1908 (two brothers and a sister would follow). The family of six lived in a tenement, where the bathtub was in the kitchen, and when it was nice outside, the kids slept on the fire escape.

While health food was in no way a priority during her youth, she was not closed-minded to her vegetarian daughter-in-law and unconventional machatainisteh**.

Although she spent most of her life being kosher, once she tried shrimp cocktail in her 70s, she never looked back. In her 80s, she started the ritual of making fresh vegetable juice every day. At Halloween, she always made me share with her my good chocolate. And if not for her, the word "pulkies" (as it relates to both chicken and childrens' thighs) would not be part of my vernacular.

Food--and getting you, and you, and you to eat it--was one of the most important things in her life. So in honor of her birthday, I will share her recipe for Kasha wit da bowtie pastas (fah you, my giddilies).

Kasha--big in Eastern European cuisines--is actually buckwheat groats (and if that doesn't sound healthy enough, I don't know what to tell you). It contains all kinds of dietary fiber, and I hear they call it Jewish soul food. Here's my grandma's recipe told to me over the phone by Esther:


Kasha with Varnishkes

• 5 onions chopped
• 1/2 cup of vegetable or olive oil
• 1 box of coarse buckwheat groats (2 cups)
  
• 2 eggs
• a box of bowtie pasta cooked and drained
  
• 4 cups water
• 1 tsp salt
  

In a large pan, saute onions in a LOT of oil. (Esther says: "I remember several times saying 'You don't have to put so much oil in!' but she did anyway, and that's what makes it so moist.) Cook until almost brown, put them aside.

In a large pot, empty box of buckwheat. Crack two eggs into the pot and stir to coat. THEN turn on medium heat and keep stirring until kasha is what Esther calls "flaky." (DO NOT TURN ON HEAT UNTIL AFTER EGGS ARE COATED) Add salt.

Add boiling water to the pot and simmer for 9 minutes.

In a third pot, you should have your varnishkas (bowtie pasta).

Mix the three parts (onions, kasha, bowties) together and serve with a smile.


(I'd like to point out two things about this image: 1. the fist full of chocolate cake that nevah woulda happened had that been my mom holding me. Unless it was carrot cake. But generally, it was my grandma's goal in life to fatten me up. And 2. my nails were done in red, which--I think for a two-year-old--was a pretty advanced devotion to beauty. Click to enlarge.)

**Machatainisteh: (mach-uh-tain-nist-ah) Any female relative related by marriage, but usually used to mean your son or daughter's mother-in-law; your grandchildren's OTHER grandmother. Yiddish is one of the few languages with a word for this relationships. Source.

Fall=Vegan Mushroom Soup

Inspired by the recent cold weather and Le Pain Quotidien's daily vegan soup specials ($5.50 a cup), I decided to make an entire pot of my own. And because I was feeling really radical, I did not consult a recipe. So here it go:

Vegan Mushroom Soup (almost as good as Le Pain's)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 leak, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 packages of mushrooms washed, chopped (I used Crimini and white button, but feel free to get more exotic fungi)
1/4 wine of your choice
3 cups vegetable stock (heed my warning--DON'T get low-sodium)
3 cups water
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tablespoon parsley (dried or fresh)
Lots of black pepper and salt
A blender

In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil, then leeks, garlic and celery. Let them sweat, but not burn (Think The Standard Miami's steamroom). Once softened (about 4 minutes) add potatoes, wine, salt, pepper and toss with a wooden spoon. Cover for about 3-4 minutes. Then add mushrooms--the whole mess of them--and toss again.

Let sit for a minute or two, then add liquids. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling (shrooms should shrink considerably), lower heat to low. Take slotted spoon and remove two cups of the vegetables, leaving liquid and other half of the veggies. Take the liquid half and puree in a blender.

NOW--this did not make the thick puree I had hoped. I think more potatoes will get you a thicker soup. Nevertheless, a thinner broth never hurt anyone with the remnants of swine flu. So we carry on...

Once blended, place liquids back in pot, and return your veggies to the pot. Bring heat back up, and add sage, rosemary, parsley, LOTS of pepper and salt. If you're like me and bought low-sodium vegetable broth, you will also want to add soy sauce. Otherwise, salt should do.

Now let sit over low heat for about 10 minutes, whilst you set the table for your sweetie--or in my case--your 70-year-old second cousin. Dish it out, and a star is born:


Add some more parsley to the top for garnish.

*Disclaimer: this soup is vegan, but it is not award-winning. It could use a little oomph, so if you make it and have ideas for spices or dairy-free thickeners, i'm all ears.

How I shook Swine Flu (I think)

Let me not speak too soon, but last Friday, I was feeling--how you say--like shit. Achy, shaky, swollen glands and weak. Here's what worked for me.

First, I drank water. Then a lot of hot tea (green in the morning, something herbal at night).

Then I took this:
My friend Vani told me this is from France and the French have the best medicine in the world. She was right, it's the #1 flu medicine of Francs. I told her that Larry Gordon has been trying to make me take this for years, at the first sign of a throat tickle. This time, I spent $15.99 on the stuff because I was really scared I got the swine.

I took 2 doses. After the first, I felt no change. After the second, I felt considerably better.

Then I got sleep, no less than 8.5 hours every night for at least four nights. And finally, I took this echinacea with golden seal for three days, twice a day:

Some things I avoided:
dairy
sugar
Alcohol (in excess)*
Fried food**

*i had to drink two beers on Saturday for the Gator game because I'd made a $25 donation to the all-you-can-drink Gator club, and it was, ahem, all-you-can-drink. Also, Wolison and I made hot apple cider with rum one day.

**except for that basket of free french fries I ate half of, and the fish taco the next day at the Brooklyn Flea, where I saw Martha Stewart in the flesh.

But I digress. Warm liquids, lots of sleep, some oscillo and echinacea with golden seal, and knock on wood one more time, I feel completely fine.

Oven Quickie: Baked Sweet Potato Spears

Peel two sweet potatoes, cut them length-wise and arrange on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Drizzle olive oil, salt to taste. Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. Halfway through baking, flip them and rearrange.

Bring it to the next level with a dipping sauce of plain yogurt, dried dill and black pepper.

Bad news for soda drinkers

I heard this news story in a drowsy haze at 5:30 am this morning on NPR:

"This study that we did with UCLA showed that regardless of income or ethnicity, adults who drink one or more soda a day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese," Goldstein says.

One or more. That means one. So you can bet I jumped out of my skivvies and into a mad rage at soda manufacturers for making this country obese. Now--this article does not address diet soda, but I think we all know how I feel about sugar substitutes (hint: I loathe them).

As alternative, I LOVE Fizzy Izze. They are refreshing, bubbly and have no artificial sweeteners (only sweetened with fruit juice). I think the grapefruit is my favorite.


And if there's no Izze in the house and I'm feeling really zany, I'll mix three parts club soda to one part grape, apple or (Esther's creation) grape+orange juices.

Add vodka for a real treat. But not at work. Unless you work where I work.

Sardiney Pasta

Here's something you can make when you have almost nothing in the fridge, AND when you're watching the Gator Game at home alone on a Saturday night.

Sardiny pasta:



Don't give me that face, Sardines are so good for you. To quote this article, which quotes a different article: "In a 1984 issue of the Town & Country magazine, James Villas wrote an article entitled 'The Unsung Sardine' in which he said that 'ounce for ounce, sardines provide more calcium and phosphorus than milk, more protein than steak, more potassium than bananas, and more iron than cooked spinach.'"

I'll often toast a piece of rye bread, open a can of sardines and put them together with tons of lemon juice and thinly sliced onions. But this pasta is my newest creation. Here's what's in it:

1 can of bonesless, skinless sardines in olive oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large tomatoes diced
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 cup of red wine (optional)
the juice of half a lemon
black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water
1/8 cup of bread crumbs (eyeball it)
8-10 Kalamata olives chopped
Parmesan cheese
Half a box of angel hair or linguini*

*For optimum health, make it whole wheat or quinoa. But as I mentioned above, I was home alone on a Saturday night watching a Gator game. Alone. So I went for the full-on, enriched, WHITE pasta. I'm not proud.

First, boil the pasta in a large pot. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Throw in the garlic, let it sizzle, but not burn for about 3 minutes.

Add tomatoes and let them cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the red wine (aw yeah). Let it cook about 4-5 more minutes. If the tomatoes start to stick to the bottom, add the water. Let it all simmer until you get something resembling a sauce. It doesn't have to be super liquidy, just so that the tomatoes are stewed. Add salt and pepper.

Next, open the can of sardines and break them up into the sauce. If some of the oil gets in, that's fine. Fold the sauce to heat the fish. Throw in the olives, bread crumbs and about a palmful of Parmesan. Toss everything until its heated.

By now, your pasta should be cooked. Drain, rinse it, add a little olive oil and toss it with the sauce. Put lemon juice on top and make sure the sauce gets all through the pasta. Plate it, add some more Parmesan to the top, and Voila! A pasta dish packed with protein.

Have something minty for dessert.

Ask Esther: Tofu/Cancer Link?

Mum, what's the link between the soy in tofu and breast cancer?
E: "You should look on the Web under 'soy beans.' It's very interesting."

OK, can you give me anything more?
E: "Most soy beans are...what do you call that? ...chemically...what's the word? I don't remember. Don't ask Esther on that one."

(enter Larry in the background) "GENETICALLY MODIFIED!" (Larry talks in all caps, all the time)

E: "Oh yeah, genetically modified."

L: "BECAUSE SOY INCREASES ESTROGEN RECEPTORS!"

E: "Yeah, too much estrogen leads to breast cancer."

L: "JUST DON'T OVERDO IT!"

Why is tempeh better than tofu?
E:"Tempeh is better because it's fermented soy and it digests better." (It's also less processed.)
.
L: "SEITAN IS ALSO VERY GOOD!" (no, it isn't). "IT'S A WHEAT ALTERNATIVE! IT'S A VERY GOOD ALTERNATIVE FOR ANYONE WHO IS VEGETARIAN IF THEY'RE NOT ALLERGIC TO WHEAT! IT TASTES LIKE STEAK!" (no, it doesn't.)

What about Edamame (soybeans)?
E: "Yeah, they're ok." (Caution: this is an uneducated guess)

L: "TOFU IS OK AS LONG AS YOU DON'T EAT IT ON A REGULAR BASIS! EAT TOFU IN MODERATION!"

I think the lesson here is to limit all soy, including soy milk, soy beans and tofu. It doesn't mean never eat it, just keep it on light rotation. I got a yummy, pre-seasoned tofu from TJ's the other day, and put it in a stir fry with broccoli, carrots and cauliflower--all over brown rice. Easy and satisfying.

Something to Bragg about.

BaHaHa hahah...did you get that? Bragg? HA!

This product--Bragg Liquid Aminos--has been used in my family for generations and I invite you to use it in yours. Lemme tell y'all--it tastes almost EXACTLY like soy sauce, and perfectly salts up almost any recipe. Really, there's no weird aftertaste. I use it in stir frys, greens, with beans and sometimes I get real crazy and dip sushi in it.

Why would you replace soy sauce with Amino Acids? First of all, Amino Acids are critical to life, people. I read it on wikipedia, so it must be true. Also, the FAQ section of Bragg's website says:

"Amino Acids are the building blocks of all our organs and tissues. They are also the building blocks from which different food proteins are constructed. When we eat a protein food, such as meat or soybeans, the natural hydrochloric acid in the stomach digests the protein, releasing the Amino Acids. They are the link between the food we eat and assimilation for our body tissue. Lack of adequate Amino Acids may make it impossible for the vitamins and minerals to perform their specific duties."

They help you ABSORB nutrients! And if all that wasn't enough to convince you fat-content-watchers, Bragg Amino Acids has 0 grams of fat. Buleeve it.

[Ed's note:] You can't find this at Trader Joe's (i've tried)--you'll have to go to Whole Foods or your local health food store, but it will be worth it.

Food from my homeland.

I visited Palm Beach Gardens this weekend and had a great time!

And while I'm not complaining, I'd like to state that on my first night home in six months, here's what was for dinner:

A. it was leftovers
B. my dad made it
C. the day before

From L-R, that's leftover French lentils, leftover Basmati rice and a leftover concoction I like to call "everything-but-the-50-inch-TV-screen Tempeh." If you ask what's in it, it's a little different every time, but the basis of the dish is Tempeh sauteed in coconut oil, kale (naturally), garlic, fresh ginger, Braggs Amino Acids, dry Sherry, Basil, Oregano, and anything else my dad can find in the spice cabinet. Truthfully, it tastes better than it looks, and I'd be happy to get you the somewhat exact recipe if you so desire.

After celebrating the head of the Jewish New Year at a cousin's with Sun-dried tomato brisket (yes, I ate it and yes, it was damn good), and having one too many Vodka-cranapples ('one too many' being one), I got to meet this little Brazilian cutie:

Only four months old, and a full head of perfectly-styled side part. I think he has a future in Brooklyn.

Then, on Saturday night, Esther redeemed herself with...

Mini Soufflés!!

Basically, these are mini baked omelets with leeks, mushrooms, peas, fresh Basil and feta, courtesy of Ivy Larson (who babysat me as a wee child). Recipe here (scroll down to find it). Tomatoes on top were a Gordon addition.

Almost as adorable and yummy as those pulkes above.

Stay tuned for more items from the Gordon Fridge of Life...

Greens Day: Escarole

I just made a soup that's going to knock your socks off.

First though, a little personal history about escarole.


Picture it: Palm Beach Gardens, 1993. Me, a recalcitrant preteen. Unfulfilled by the tedium of middle school. Unhappy with the home life of an only child. Yet, one of the few things that made me happy (besides Jordan Catalano): the escarole at Classico's, my favorite Italian restaurant. It was garlicky and crunchy and delicious, and I haven't forgotten about it. This is where my love of the Italian green began.

Years later, another escarole of note piqued my palette: the side they serve at Babbo (for $7, mind you). I'm sure some readers can recall my general hesitance and irritability of eating at such an expensive/heavily hyped restaurant during the summer of 2007. However, that meal at Babbo lives in my memory as one of the top 10 restaurant experiences of my life. Nay, top 5. The service is impecable, as were the greens.

So onto this soup (which I think is pretty classic Italian). I found the recipe online, tweaked it a little and made it work with escarole (originally it was spinach). This is my rendition.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 (16 ounce) cans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 18 ounces of chicken broth (I bought the box they have at TJs and used about 2/3rds. Vegetarians can certainly go with vegetable broth.)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (I used more)
  
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
  
• 2 cups water
• 1 bunch fresh escarole, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 1 lemon
  
  Heat oil in a large pot. Cook onion and celery in oil for 5 to 8 minutes, or until tender.
  
  Add garlic, and cook for 30 seconds, continually stirring. Stir in beans, chicken broth, pepper, thyme and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer for 15 minutes.
  
  With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups of the bean and vegetable mixture from soup and set aside.
  
  This is where the magic happens: In blender at low speed, blend remaining soup in small batches until smooth, (remove the center piece of the blender lid so steam can escape.) Once blended, pour soup back into stock pot and stir in reserved beans. It's so creamy.
  
  Bring to a boil, occasionally stirring. Stir in escarole and cook about 4 minutes or until wilted. Squeeze half the lemon and remove from heat.
  
  Don't even THINK about serving this without grated Parmesan cheese on top and a lemon wedge. Also some extra black pepper never hurt anyone.

It was good.

Organic Virgin Mojito

...with ginger and mint infusion from Le Pain Quotidien.


Muddled lime, ginger, mint, club soda and sweetened with (supposedly) organic simple syrup.

Now that's Goddamn refreshing.

And if they tell me it's organic, to quote Wolf Parade, "I'll believe in anything." Because if I may say something about Le Pain--the experience of going there for me is right up there with bike riding in Palm Beach or a day at the spa. Maybe it's the communal wood tables or artisanal bread display or the agave-sweetened desserts or the little bowls of coffee, but the whole thing is a real French treat. I know it's a chain, but they got me.

Greens Day: Brussels Sprouts (did you know there was an 's' on the end?)

When I was a wee pre-schooler, one of my favorite games was to pretend I fell asleep in the car on the way home from school. It was a real hoot when I got home and tricked my parents (I'm an only child, don't judge me. I also stuffed beads up my nose on occasion).

One particular afternoon, I asked my mom to go along with my ruse of deep sleep, and trick my dad when we arrived at the house. We pulled into the garage, and my parents made small talk about their day when my mom came across some Brussels sprouts leftover from her lunch. Not wanting to throw them away or bring them back in the house, she started stuffing cold Brussels sprouts in my 4-year-old mouth. What was I to do? Ruin my plan? Not eat them? No, I chewed them up and swallowed, still pretending to be asleep. They both thought it was real funny.

Maybe it was the was the marinated flavors of garlic and soy sauce, maybe it was the memory of my father's white Saab parked in the driveway, but to this day, I love Brussels sprouts. And I've been making them often. They're actually mini cabbages (so watch out for gas), and they're loaded with vitamin C, Folic acid, potassium and more protein than most veggies.

Here's what I do:

Trim off the stem and outer leaves, and cut each sprout into two or three pieces.


Then, I do my regular greens routine: Olive oil in a pan on a medium high heat. Garlic in the bottom (sizzle, but don't burn it). Throw those little suckers in. Toss them around. Let them steam for a couple minutes (add 1/4 cup of water if necessary).

Then add soy sauce, lots of black pepper, I had red wine so I put that in. And let them steam a bit longer. Cover as well. Should cook for about 12-14 minutes. You may need more salt. And add any other seasonings you enjoy. Sesame seeds would be good. Here's what they look like when finished:



I made salmon and corn on the cob with it:

Bon appetit.

My Mujadara is the bomb diggity.

My family in Michigan knows the best Middle Eastern restaurants, and every summer when I visit, we gotta go. We're particularly in it for the Mujadara, which is a dish with lentils, caramelized onions and Yogur (i leave off the 't' for effect).

So this is my version of Mujadara, starring one of Trader Joe's best products to date (MAYBE top 3 in my opinion), the vacuum-packed steamed lentils. This is what they look like:

Lentils are a great source of protein and fiber, plus they contain other vitamins and minerals.

Here's what I use to make them:
above package
1 medium sized sweet yellow onion, chopped thin
1 tbsp olive oil
black pepper
2-3 tbsp soy sauce or braggs amino acids
1 tsp cumin (a must)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or chili pepper (or both, if you like it hot)
any other middle eastern or indian spices that strike your fancy to taste

First, I heat a pan on medium-high and saute the onions. This takes a while because you want them really soft and sweet. I'd say 10 minutes. If they burn a little, that's OK. You can turn the heat down a bit to medium.

When the onions are done, transfer them to a separate dish, add a little more olive oil to the pan and put it on medium. Now, put the lentils in the pan.
NOTE: The package says to boil the whole thing in water. I don't. I just cut open the plastic, and let those little suckers roam free. They're very stuck together, so break them up with the back of a wooden spoon.

Toss them in the pan until they're separated and evenly heated (about 5 minutes). Then add soy sauce, black pepper, cumin, cayenne and other spices. Mix again.

When everything is mixed and heated, add the onions back to the pan and toss again. Should take another 3 minutes, but just eyeball it. Taste it to see what you think. Add more spices if necessary.

I like to serve it with rice pilaf...ahem BASMATI rice pilaf. And then you can put some plain Yogur on top. It really cools it down and makes it the bomb.

Ask Esther: The Goods on Grains

So Mom, what kind of rice should I buy?
Short or long grain brown rice is good; Brown Basmati rice has a delicious aroma that smells like popcorn. And wild rice is the absolute healthiest, but you have to soak it overnight.

What rice should i not buy?
White rice.
(ed: shocker. nothing white lives in the Gordon household, except maybe tennis shoes.)

What about Quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wah) ?
Ohh, quinoa is great. That's the grain with the most protein; you can even get quinoa pasta and the texture is very similar to regular pasta. If you get the quinoa grain, you can make it for breakfast in the morning and mix it with fruit and almond milk.

(this is where Esther takes control of the interview)

You know what I just got? It's called Crispy Brown Rice, made by Erewhon. The only things in it are: organic brown rice, organic barley malt and sea salt. It's crunchy and delicious and only has 1 gram of sugar. You should get that.

Ok Mom, let's end this on a nostalgic note. Give us a story about grains from your childhood:
When I was in the Isle of Pines, Cuba as a kid (back when tourism was big there) they cooked rice in coconut milk, and it was so good. I sometimes put coconut oil and sea salt in rice when I cook it now. Try that, it's absolutely delicious. Also try mixing rices.

Greens Day: Bok Choy, Boyyy

On many a Sunday afternoon in 2006/07, when you were leisurely sipping on iced tea, I was getting dragged around Chinatown by my ex-boyfriend. It made me want to be airlifted anywhere else in the world; a Wal-Mart in Topeka, Kansas would have been more appealing, less fishy and much cleaner. However, the one redeeming quality about Chinatown (and main reason for our trips there) was the abundantly cheap Bok Choy.

The choy is actually less a green and more a Chinese cabbage; I love it because it cooks quickly and is super crunchy. Health benefits include: vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, calcium and dietary fiber. So tonight, I made some. I bought it like this from Whole Foods:

Total cost? $5.11. Rip off? yes.

I separated, washed and cut off the ends:


Then, I put about a tablespoon olive oil in a big pan on medium heat, and minced up 2 cloves of garlic to go in it. (This cooking method is not hugely different from the one I use for Kale.) When the garlic is sizzling, add the Choy and keep rotating it with tongs until it's soft. You may need a bit of water but it actually condensates (is that a word?) a lot. In short, it gets pretty watery.

Then I added a tablespoon or two of soy sauce (or Bragg's Amino Acids which I'll post about soon), 1 tsp powdered ginger and a roll around the pan of plum wine vinegar or sherry. Also, black pepper is a must. Kept rotating it with tongs (all in all, 8 to 10 minutes) and then try a bite to see if it's cooked through, yet crunchy. It should be. I made shrimps with it (wild, jumbo, frozen at Trader Joe's for $10.99):



And rice pilaf:


The end.