Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips and Kale Salad... Little Bites to Soothe The Soul

This has been an amazing week in both good and bad ways. At my age I should know that when people start to attack and provoke me out of the blue, then something good is brewing in the universe for me, and they sense that. My spirit has been both deflated and elated this week. But what kept me centered is that I know my worth , value , and talent. And no one , no matter how well meaning  they think they are,can take that away from me, especially as they have no bearing or impact on my future what so ever. Besides having a healthy, yet sensitive sense of self, these little recipes brought me joy in the kitchen this week. Some other things that have brought me joy are hearing from dear old friends from long ago, and a new part time job , in a professional kitchen. I auditioned and got hired hired at a  caterer not far from the house. African American owned and primarily serving an upscale clientele of movers and shakers . My first night I looked up from my cutting board of quartering potatoes and see Mayor Richard Daley walking through the kitchens on a tour as a fundraiser was being held. I love this job and love working with the executive chef who I get to speak some french with.So you see everything turns around in the end for the best.
I always love the pickled pink vegetables that are served with my Middle Eastern takeouts both here and in Europe. I never really knew what I was crunching on but I loved them. Come to find out they were pickled turnips with the addition of beets to give the color. I searched the web for a recipe and most seemed to not rather simple not requiring process, just sitting in a jar for a few days. I really wanted to use my Weck Jars and decided to alter the recipe a bit. I processed mine in a water bath. While a little softer, they are just as refreshing and tangy as I remembered. Next time I will decrease my water bath to 10 minutes as opposed to 20. These turnips make a great addition to salads, grilled chicken, lamb, or beef.



Middle Eastern Pickled Turnips
makes 5  1/4 L  jars
1 large turnip or 3-4 small ones peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch strips
2  small beets
4-5 cloves of garlic sliced into slivers
Celery leaves( 2-3 sprigs per jar)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons sea salt

Sterilize your jars and lids.

Boil your beets with skin for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool. Peel and quarter. Set aside.
Blanch the peeled and sliced turnips in  boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and drain. Allow to cool.


Pack each jar with  2 pieces of quartered beet, turnips, garlic, and celery leaves.
In a saucepan boil vinegar and water with the salt. Pour the hot vinegar solution over the turnips . Seal and process in a water batch for 10 minutes. Remove from water and allow to cool on a rack for 24 hours.

 Kale Salad really doesnt require a formal recipe. I thought the concept of a kale salad was strange at first. But one bite and you feel the healthy leafy green energizing your body. I can imagine many variations for this salad, but I kept it simple with items most of us have on hand. I have found  the  key is to massage your bite size kale pieces with the oil of your choice to soften it.
Kale Salad
Wash and dry your kale. Remove large center stem and tear the kale into bite size pieces. With your hands , massage the kale with olive  oil for a few minutes. Add carrots, tomatoes, garlic,slivered onion, and finish with Balsamic Vinegar. Chill and serve. Can keep for about 2-3 days in the refrigerator.

 Both of these recipes are suitable additions  for Meatless Mondays.

Enjoy.

Spicy Cauliflower Pate for Meatless Mondays

In our household its spring cleaning time. We are literally tearing down and cleaning up, to make  and transform my condo into a joint expression of us. It's hard to let go of some things, and fun to transform and refurbish others. It's a long process with our joint schedules , but we are getting there, gradually. The Main room which houses the kitchen, living , and and dining room is now painted completely. Next task is to move all the furniture back, and declutter. I am actually selling some stuff on Ebay, so its fun to make a little cash while cleaning up.One thing I will not let go are my books! So while moving the large bookcases  and bookstore paint the final long wall, I found an cookbook I have been looking for for two years!I's that bad.Certain Someone says I collect, and don't read books. I read them all.He's just not here to see me do so most of the time, and when he is here I don't have time to read.The cookbooks are endless source of reference for me. The long lost book was a bargain basement find of which I have never seen anything else like  it.Terrines and Pates from the Brockhampton Healthy Home Cooking series. Filled with lots of old world type beautiful terrines in Aspic, it also has  many ideas for light vegetable pates and terrines and desserts. Spicy Cauliflower Pate was a recipe I found I could manage without a trip to the store. I still lacked some ingredients, so I made some twists and variations for delicious dish. We ate this as starters for a normal  Sunday dinner with meat (Lamb breast with the Rhubarb Onion Sauce from the previous post). However on Meatless Monday , it will be my lunch. I served it with some frozen whole wheat pizza dough I had, which I grilled in some oil,( seasoned with dried onion, herbs, and salt),to replicate a Naan style of bread. Again, using what I had with little fuss.Enjoy this flavorful starter. The ginger gives it a zesty bite.

Spicy Cauliflower Pate

 inspired and adapted from Terrines and Pates 

Brockhampton Healthy Home Cooking Series

* I changed some ingredients and proportions. 

1 tablespoon Grape seed or Vegetable Oil

1/2 onion , diced

7 sun dried tomato pieces( in oil)

 2 plum tomatoes  chopped

4 garlic cloves chopped

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp paprika

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

1/4 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp salt

1  cauliflower broken into small florets

1 inch ginger minced

Heat oil in a skillet on high. Add chopped onion, reduce heat to medium, and saute for 1 minute. Add chopped tomatoes, garlic, cumin, turmeric, chili powder, paprika , and garam masala ,dried minced onion, and salt.Continue to cook the mixture on medium until the tomatoes soften  for the next five minutes.At this point the cauliflower florets and cover pan. Cook on medium low until softened for 15-20 minutes. You may need to add a bit of water so it doesn't stick. Add minced ginger at the last few minutes of cooking.
  Puree the cooled mixture wither in a food processor or use and immersion blender until a smooth paste ios formed. Transfer to serving dish and place in the refrigerator for 15  minutes. Serve at room temp ( allow to to come to). Garnish with Paprika. Serve with crackers, Naan, or Pita.

Curried Chickpeas and Onions with Roti , Fresh Juices...Meatless Monday Ideas

 I'm in love my juicer again and having a ball. What's propelling me ,among  good health, is an opportunity I'm exploring involving a portable juice stand this summer on Saturdays at a Farmers Market in the area. It's not set yet, but I'm thinking about it hard. When my Mother had cancer she loved a nice simple glass of carrot juice.  For some reason I shied away from it, preferring to use my juicer for apples, and citrus. I've been missing out! One of my favorite go to morning drinks  to sip on at work is a chilled carrot and apple juice. It's so delicious and surprisingly filling.

Apple Juice helps aides Obesity, Diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidneys,liver, gallstones, colitis, gout and dysentery. 

Carrot Juice improves vision, aides recovery after physical or mental stress to body. Fights cancer, anemia, and tuberculosis. Its also increases appetite and strengthens immunity.

Source Great Home Remedies/  Benefits of Juices

  The fun is playing around with your own proportions and mixes. The key to great  tasting juice is allowing it to chill but consume within a that day.

If you cant find or afford Organic Produce try this recipe I found on Tipnut.

Homemade Vegetable Wash

1 cup water
1 cup vinegar
2 TBS baking soda
2 TBS lemon juice 

Mix ingredients then pour in clean spray bottle. Spray fresh vegetables & fruit generously. Sit for 5 minutes then rinse off well.

Note: Make sure to first mix ingredients in deep container since there will be some fizzing from the baking soda & vinegar.

Carrot Apple Juice

4 small- medium organic apples

4  organic Carrots

I don't bother peeling the apples but I do skin the carrots.

Cut into manageable pieces and extract in juicer.

Carrot and Sweet Lime Juice

I found these sweet limes in the Latin Market. Popular in India, they are more sweeter, and less acidic than limes. They are known to help upset stomachs and used as throat remedies.The taste reminds me of a mild sweeter grapefruit .

3 sweet limes either pressed in citrus juicer or peeled and cut into wedges to extract juice

4  small to medium carrots.

 

As you know if you read this blog Certain Someone is a Carnivore. I find myself using the times he's away on business or working late , to indulge in lighter , meat free recipes. He does loves curry as a spice however. Maybe acquired from eating the fabulous curry wursts in Germany growing up. So when he flew in late on Meatless Monday  night and wanted to know what the good  scent was that filled the hallways of the condo. I said it was my dinner and he probably would not like it ,as it had no meat. I save some leftover and served it to him later on in the week as a side dish. He totally liked it. You can eat this a side or just an main course. I used frozen Roti, an Indian pan fried flat bread which is unleavened as compared to Naan. Either or can be used, but this is a good option for those searching for unleavened  foods. I found in the Asian stores. But check your local grocer ad these items are showing up in  more mainstream markets.

* Note: You can add the shredded carrot puree from juicer to this dish as well.

Curried Chickpeas and Onions  with Roti

serves 2

 1 can or jar of Chickpeas/ Garbanzo beans rinsed. 

( I will always advocate for fresh/dried but these will work in a pinch for time)

1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tbs vegtable oil

1 tbs curry powder

1 tsp Fenugreek powder ( optional)

1 tsp Tumeric

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp white pepper

1/8 tsp sugar

salt to taste

1/2 cup water

Rinse and drain chickpeas. Set aside.

In a skillet heat vegetable oil and add  curry, fenugreek ,chili,turmeric, white peeper . Stir around until fragrant and add onions. Reduce heat to medium and saute until softened, about a few minutes. Add chickpeas, and saute until coated in spice and oil mixture. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for  5 minutes .Taste and adjust with sugar and salt.

Prepare Roti according to package instructions and serve with curried Chickpeas. I use two Roti's per person.

Meatless Monday Ideas

A few weeks ago I mentioned I'm trying to get into the whole Meatless Monday Movement.  I have committed to devoting a few posts per month towards this. For my this weeks post I want to revisit some published and not published ideas and recipes here on Coco Cooks.

Salad and Parmesan Crisps

. OK, not quite vegan, but its meatless and tasty. Try a quick and easy salad with crusty bread and Parmesan crisps. Take a parchment lined baking sheet and add shredded Parmesan Cheese.  Bake at 375 for a few minutes until melted and slightly crispy. Don't burn. Remove and let cool.

 Sweet or Savory Buckwheat Crepes 

 I love these and find you can make a big batch of them to freeze and use for either breakfast, lunch , or dinner. Fill with sauteed mushrooms and spinach with cream, or a fried egg. Be creative. Fruits , yogurt,and Nutella spreads, butter,sugar, and rum taste divine on them too. Added benefit is Buckwheat is  good for you. Click here for the recipe.

And here are some others I have published before. 

Main Meals

 Roasted Balsamic Vegetables and Penne

Singapore "Carrot Cake"

Warm Roasted Veg Salad wit Israeli Cous Cous

Warm BBQ Crispy BBQ Tofu and Buckwheat Soba

Beet and Apple Slaw

Pumpkin and Coconut Samosas

Carrot and Tamarind Relish

Tropic Kale Smoothie

Red Pepper Spinach Mushroom and Asparagus Terrine

Sides

Turnip Puree with Feta 
Roasted Sweet and Spicy Kabocha Squash Recipe

Roasted sweet winter squash. Skin is edible. This comes in at about 82 calories a serving. I love munching on these wedges that are both filling and sweet.

Ingredients

1 1/4	lb Japanese Pumpkin
1/2	tsp cinnamon
1	tbsp Olive oil
1	tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
1/8	tsp cayenne pepper
1	pinch of salt
1	pinch of black pepper

Directions

Cut and slice the Kabocha Squash into small wedges. Arrange on parchment a lined baking sheet. Toss the squash in all the remaining ingredients to be sure the pieces are covered in the oil. Roast at 450 for about 15 minutes or until caramelized and crispy.

Warm Roasted Veg and Bean Salad with Israeli Couscous and Toasted Sesame Seeds

With being sick for the past two weeks, not working out as a consequence, the abundance of Stir It 28 food, and Chicago Restaurant Week, my body is screaming mercy!!! This Monday I managed my first work out without collapsing. I had brought some leftovers from the event Sunday for lunch, but after that workout my body craved salad. Then for dinner I wasn’t that hungry, but Certain Someone wanted something quick, like sausages. I honestly couldn’t stomach the though of eating meat, which I love, but couldn’t handle that day. So I looked in the refrigerator and saw some leftover cooked red beans, sliced red peppers, onions, green bell peppers, fresh asparagus, parsley, and zucchini. I had also purchased some of that large luscious looking Israeli Couscous earlier. Marie, Proud Italian Cook, had gifted me some lemon infused olive oil, which I love. So an idea for a salad started to form while Certain Someone’s sausages were cooking away. Maybe it was subliminal with the many Meatless Monday tweets I see, or all the talk about Lenten sacrifices. But I listen to my body and felt quite satisfied with the wonderful salad I put together. I even brought some for lunch the following day.

If you don’t know, John Hopkins School of Public Health has out together a wonderful program to promote your personal good health and the health of the planet. By pledging to give up meat and its by products on Mondays, the ‘start’ of the week, we reduce our changes of diseases linked to obesity as well as help the planet.

Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Our goal is to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet.

We provide the information and recipes you need to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives.

Presidents Wilson, Truman and Roosevelt galvanized the nation with voluntary meatless days during both world wars.

By reviving this American tradition we can help address the challenges we face today. We can improve our health, reduce our carbon footprint and lead the world in the race to mitigate climate change.

I doubt I can get Certain Someone on board with Meatless Mondays, but maybe ease him into this. But , I , for one will start. Being a good cooks, I know that one can eat some exciting creative foods adhering to the vegan rule. Its just one day!

Warm Roasted Veg and Bean Salad with Israeli Couscous and Toasted Sesame Seeds

*please note you make many variations on this salad based on your preferences. So use this guide.

1 cup Israeli Couscous

1 cube vegetable bouillon

1 bunch Asparagus Spears chopped

1 half red pepper sliced

1 half green bell pepper sliced

1 zucchini sliced

1 /2 white onion sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Dried Italian Seasoning

1 cup cooked red kidney beans (I made mine from scratch but you can use canned, drained and rinsed)

1 bunch parsley chopped

½ cup lemon infused olive oil

½ cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 tbsp sesame seeds

In a small pot with lid add ¼ cup boiling water and vegetable bouillon. Dissolve cube. Add Couscous and cover with lid for several minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Line a baking sheet with a rim with parchment paper. Add the vegetables and toss with the olive oil on the sheet. Season with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Bake at 450 F for 10-15 min until they start to brown and are tender. Remove and set aside.

In a large bowl, add chopped parsley, Couscous, red kidney beans, vegetables, and the remaining ½ cups each of lemon infused olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. Toss all ingredients and set aside.

In a dry skillet lightly toast the sesame seeds, and add some to salad ad on top as garnish.

 Serve at room temperature.