Karina's Greens and Garden Rolls...

So in my last post, I told of my recent visit to Santa Cruz where I visited my sister Alia's garden. Here's the booty I snuck away with:




And here is what I did with it:



Already I had in my produce drawer an onion, thyme, basil and mushrooms- so I sauteed them up together with some olive oil, braggs, salt and pepper.



I soaked some sunflower seeds and cashews in water for a half hour and then drained them and threw them in the food processor with the mushroom/onion saute.


I added a half of an avocado that I had, a spoonful of tahini, some braggs, lemon juice, agave, curry, cayenne, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cumin. It reached a wonderful texture and taste- thick and almost meaty. Dynamic, deep flavors with both spice and sweetness. YUM! I set this aside.


I cut up the rest of my onion and all my garden produce (zucchini, yellow baby squash, eggplant and Pablano peppers) into long strips like I would use with sushi. I sauteed these in olive oil and lightly spiced.


Simultaneously , I had been steaming the garden kale until cooked yet not completely soft and wilted, and drained it to cool down. I placed it in a large bowl and added fresh lime juice, agave and braggs.


I had scored bag of my sister's cherry plums from her tree, so I cut these up to add to the kale, deciding to make cold salad.


I cut up the fresh squash blossoms we had picked off her squash plants and added them raw.



I added raw sunflower and sesame seeds.



Lastly, I finished with carrots I had and the cucumber from her garden. I set my salad aside once it was tossed in some light olive oil and more lime.



Back to the mushroom/nut "pate"...



I found some nori sheets in my cabinet and quickly decided these where the perfect vessel for my improvised pate.



I spread a thick layer of pate over 3/4 of the nori sheet like I would with rice for sushi.



I lined up stripes of my sauteed veggies in the middle of my spread...



And rolled and sliced the same as sushi.




My roommate Annie and I ate and ate until we could eat no more...



And even though we were beyond full, it felt so light and clean it kept me energized and stoked all day long! I seriously could eat this 5 times a week and not get bored or sick of it!

ariel's making ... scallops with mushrooms

when karina and i were in bi-rite last week, i got some scallops too! i love love love love scallops -- they're so flavorful and creamy and all around amazing! i didn't want to do much to them, so i decided to go super simple with just some garlic and mushrooms.


to make these you'll need:

8 scallops
6 organic mushrooms
2 cloves organic garlic, minced
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 organic lemon
1 sprig organic parsley

seafood is rather tricky these days ... our waters are being way over fished and you also have to be really careful about what you eat since our oceans are (sadly) very polluted these days. to learn about what are sustainable options when it comes to seafood ... check out this site.



first i heated the oil in the pan and added the garlic and mushrooms. i sauteed them for about 5 minutes until they were nicely browned. then i removed them and placed my precious scallops on the hot pan. ok -- these babies only need a few minutes! don't over cook them! 2-3 minutes on each side until they're seared -- and they're done! i plated them with the mushrooms and added a little lemon and parsley on top. ta-da!


we were celebrating chef sam finishing a big presentation that afternoon ... and these scallops were perfect for our celebratory feast! and sooo yummy!

happy searing darlings! (remember: only 2 minutes on each side!)

kisses,

ariel

ariel's making ... caraway shitake tofu burgers

since our "b for burgers" episode, i've been wanting to make tofu burgers. we were having my parents over for dinner so i thought i'd try whipping up a batch.


for these burgers you'll need:

1/2 lb. organic firm tofu
1/2 organic onion, finely chopped
5 organic shitake mushrooms, finely chopped after soaking for about 1 hour, 'til soft
1/2 c. organic rolled oats
1/2 c. organic whole wheat flour
1 T. organic caraway seeds
1 c. water (use the water from the soaked shitakes for extra flavor!)



dice your tofu into small pieces and then mash 'em up. add everything else and mix with your hands. you may need more or less water than i suggested. try forming it into patties as you go -- and eventually you'll get the right texture so that they stay together.


heat some organic extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan at medium heat and cook the patties 'til they're golden brown.


this recipe makes about 10 nice sized small patties.



i made some oven baked fries and a green salad and my parents brought over some lima beans and a slaw salad -- and boy did we have a feast!

happy easter everyone!

kisses,

ariel

Karina makes garden dogs!

I took a little trip down to Santa Cruz last weekend to visit my big sis, Alia. One of my favorite parts of my SC visits with her, besides the obvious proximity to the beach and her lovely company, is her luscious garden out front...

I was informed right away that my job was to prepare dinner that night, so I immediately went to see what I had to work with. CHARD. Lots and lots of chard. (I'm still so amazed that California offers such beautiful produce even in February!)

I thought of all the ways I've used chard in the past and realized I haven't been incredibly creative besides steaming or sauteing it with other veggies or in soups. I wanted to find a way to keep the fullness of the leaf, almost using it as a wrap, but didn't want the toughness or bitterness that would have dominated the dish if I had left them raw. So I decided to marinate them with a mixture of olive oil, brags, lemon, salt and pepper and set them aside to bake in hopes of reaching a crispy, almost nori-like wrap or "taco-shell."

I have experimented with veggie burgers before, but with the long slender shape of my chard wraps, I decided to try "veggie dogs" to fill the dish.

I bought some delicious, fresh organic beets and boiled them until soft.

I put my beets, a boiled sweet potato, sauteed crimini mushrooms, shallots, and a handful of dates in a blender.

I then added in black beans and gluten-free rice bread.

I continued to experiment and add ingredients to thicken the texture and perfect the taste. I added corn flake crumbs, peanuts, quinoa, corn, salt, pepper, cayenne, avocado, and lemon. When the mixture stopped falling apart and sticking to my fingers completely, I formed four hot dog shapes.

I heated up olive oil on the stove and grilled each side until thick and dark brown on all sides.

I prepared a salsa of my leftover chopped chard stems, avocado, carrots, peanuts, and apples and flavored with lemon, olive oil, agave, chili powder, curry, salt and pepper.

I turned the oven on at 400* and baked the chard leafs for 5-10 minutes on each side until crispy and sturdy but not burnt. They turned out exactly as I hoped, almost like nori, and were incredibly delicious. I prepared a quinoa on the stove and added sweet corn, green chili, salt and cayenne to it once it was cooked.

I put together our garden dogs and we feasted away...The wraps weren't necessarily able to "wrap" around the heavy dogs with out cracking into smaller pieces but they were so amazing we didn't care.

I think I would definitely go to more baseball games if these were the dogs they were offering up! Yum!

Karina throws a sushi party!

People often tell me they're intimidated with the idea of making sushi or think you need special rollers or equipment, so I wanted to share just how easy it is to do it by hand!
First you want to buy a bunch of your favorite seasonal fruits and veggies, sushi rice, nori paper, and anything else you might want to add to your rolls. You want to wash your sushi rice until clear water streams through and put it in a big pot with cold water (1 cup rice to every 1 1/4 cup water- I was cooking for about ten so I did a little over 3 cups rice). Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until rice is fluffy and soft and water is gone. Cool a bit and sprinkle with sugar and rice vinegar to make it sticky for later!

Once my fruits and veggies were cut and cooked and my station was complete with a bowl of water for my hands, I pulled the first sheet out and went to rolling town. I always face the shiny side of the paper face down. I wet my hands, grab a good-sized handful of rice, and place it in the center of the bottom half of the sheet. I use my hands to spread, flatten and level out the rice to fill the bottom four sections on the nori sheet.

I always cut my ingredients into the longest, skinniest strips possible making it perfect for rolling a tight, even roll. Line your ingredients next to and on top of each other in the middle of your rice plain length wise. Often I'll start with a strip of almond butter or wasabi down the center to add a dynamic and surprising twist.

I get as much extra rice out of the way as possible, reach both hands under the bottom corners, and fold the bottom over all of the fillings as tightly as possible, tucking it in with my fingers. Once I start to have a secure tucking, I continue to roll it up, taking time to tighten and even it. Wetting your hands often makes it easier to both clean off the loose sticking rice and seal the nori to itself. You want to use water to seal the end of the sheet to the roll to make sure it stays together.

This is my favorite part because you can make every roll completely different. I love to add unusual ingredients such as dates, kiwis, pears, beets- whatever you dare. Just try and think about giving the bite a balance of textures and colors as well as flavors. Like I said, adding almond butter (or peanut butter!) is always a huge hit and has aided in many of my favorite rolls.


Simply use a good, clean knife and slice it into delicious pieces! It helps to get the knife wet throughout the process to have clean cuts.

These rolls were made up of organic mango, avocado, carrot, cucumber, gold kiwi, red pear, roasted asparagus, pumpkin (that I roasted with home-made wasabi oil!),sauteed portobello mushrooms, roasted zucchini and of course, almond butter.

So easy and even more delicious!