Green Juice

by onevanillabean

green juice

One day I was grocery shopping and pineapples were on sale. I brought home two pineapples and I suddenly realized there was no way I was going to get through both of them before they were too overripe.

I toyed with the idea of making juice. I bought a juicer years ago, and only used it a handful of times. I never really got into juicing because getting it out, and the clean up after use was just too much for me. But extra pineapple could be easily used up in a juice, so I dusted off the juicer and found a more accessible place to store it.

I opened my refrigerator to see what else could be added to the juice. I found clementines, kale, apples, parsley, and lemon. This is how I first made this juice. It was so good that I made it every day until I ran out of ingredients.

I had never juiced kale before, and I was surprised to find that it was not as bitter as I expected it to be. I actually find that it has less of a “green” taste when compared to spinach.

add lemon juice

I hope you give juicing a shot. I’ve been juicing more regularly, and can’t wait to share other recipes with you.

A few juicing tips:
• Try to use organic produce, especially for fruits/vegetables that can be high in pesticides.
• Try to drink it as soon as possible after making it. That said, sometimes I make a big batch and drink it over 2-3 days. I can hear the juicing community screaming Sacrilege! This is not ideal, but can make things easier until you get into the habit of juicing or if you don’t have much time in the morning. If I know I won’t be drinking the juice right away, I always add lemon juice (it is a natural preservative), I use cold fruit, and I place the juice in a mason jar that has been chilled in the freezer while I make the juice. Sometimes I even put it in half pint mason jars with plastic lids so that I can take it with me in the morning and drink it on my way to work.
• If you don’t have a juicer, place all the ingredients (cut them into smaller pieces) in a blender and process until all ingredients are well blended. You may need to add a little bit of cold water. Then simply strain through a mesh sieve.

green juice ingredients 2

Green Juice
(makes about 16 ounces)
• 3 small clementines, peeled
• 3 leaves lacinato kale
• 3 parsley sprigs
• 3 cups pineapple cubes
• 1 small apple, cut in half
• Juice of ½ a lemon
Juice the clementines, kale and parsley, pineapple, and apple. Add the juice of ½ lemon to juice.

DIY: Alfalfa Sprouts

by onevanillabean

Sprouts

Have you ever tried growing your own sprouts? I was successful with my very first attempt and am delighted with the results. You can purchase seeds at garden centers, hardware stores, and some groceries stores. Whole Foods usually carries them. You can even do the same process with whole lentils.

You need:
• 1 quart wide mouth caning jar (32 ounces) or similar glass jar
• 1.5 tablespoons alfalfa seeds or about ½ cup whole lentils
• Cheesecloth or a piece of stocking
• Lid ring for the jar or a rubber band
• Bleach (optional)

1. Disinfect: It is recommended that you disinfect the seeds prior to sprouting them, in order to eliminate any risk of E. coli. Add 1 cup hot tap water to jar. Then add 1 teaspoon bleach. Then add 1.5 tablespoon seeds. Let the seeds soak in this solution for 15 minutes. Rinse, and drain well. Rinse and drain several times. You can skip the disinfecting step with the lentils.
2. Soak: The seeds should now be disinfected and still inside the jar. Attach the cheesecloth to the mouth of the jar with a ring or a rubber band. Add about 2 inches of water above the seeds, and let them soak overnight. The next morning, remove the water and rinse a couple of times.
3. Rinse and Drain: Gently shake the jar so that the seeds are evenly distributed on two sides of the jar. Then place the jar tilted on its side inside a bowl. This will allow for the water to continue draining out. You will repeat this procedure once a day, every day, for 4-6 days. Sprouts are ready when they are about 2 inches long.
4. Green: On the fourth day of sprouting, you want to leave your jar out in a spot where there is indirect sunlight. You will notice that your sprouts get greener.
5. Once the sprouts are ready, rinse them well in a large bowl with cold water. You want to remove as many of the hulls from the sprouts as possible. The hulls are edible, but they tend to retain moisture. Moisture will cause your sprouts to spoil and will shorten their shelf life.
6. Place sprouts in a colander and allow them to drain for 8-12 hours, or overnight. Letting the sprouts completely dry out before refrigerating will prolong their shelf life. Alternatively, you can spin the sprouts in a salad spinner until completely dry.
7. Store: Store sprouts in a container in the crisper section of your refrigerator for 4-7 days.

I like alfalfa sprouts in sandwiches and salads. The first thing I made was this chicken, smoked Gouda, tomato, avocado, & sprout sandwich with homemade honey mustard dressing.

Sandwich with Alfalfa Sprouts

Resources:
Botanical Interests Alfalfa Sprouts
Special Sprouting Lid
1 Quart Wide Mouth Canning Jars Sometimes hardware store sell these by the unit.
Want to grow more than one quart at a time? You can get a tray sprouter.

Take a 5 minute break

by onevanillabean

It is always nice to take a break. Even if I can only take five minutes, whether it is mid-morning, mid-afternoon, or when I get home from work in the evening. Just 5 minutes to sit quietly and contemplate. No social media, no magazines, no emails to bombard me with information.

I find that making a cup of tea often does the trick. And these past couple of days I’ve been even more excited about my 5 minute breaks because I had new teas to sample.  I was happy to see that this month’s Birchbox contained two Kusmi Tea samples: Sweet Love and Euphoria. Sweet love is a blend of black tea, liquorice root, guarana seed, pink peppercorn, and spices.  Euphoria is a mix of roasted mate, chocolate, and orange.

Sweet Love Kusmi Tea Linzer Cookies

Of course, I had to pair each of these teas with a treat. Sweet love is spicy and aromatic and went very well with jam filled linzer cookies. Euphoria is sweet and decadent, and paired well with my home-made creamy/custardy caneles.

Euphoria Kusmi Tea Canele

Another favorite is the Cherry Blossom Rose Organic Green Tea from local store Capital Teas. I got the chance to sample this superb tea thanks to @artandsoul who generously provided a sample in one of their giftbags. It has a hint of sweetnessand a flowery aroma. I enjoyed it with a straberry jam tea cake. And living in DC, I love anything related to Cherry Blossoms!

Capital Tea Cherry Blossom Rose Green Tea

Do you have a favorite way to take a break from everyday stress?

Root Beer Braised Short Ribs

by onevanillabean

Root Beer Braised Short Ribs witl Polenta

Sometimes things happen for a reason. It’s simple serendipity. I walked into the grocery store one afternoon to pick up one pineapple. I’ve been really into juicing lately. Pineapple, clementine, kale, and parsley juice has become an early morning ritual.

After picking up the pineapple, I walked past the meat counter and waved at the butcher, whom I’ve become acquainted with because of my frequent pork belly orders. He calls me over and says he has just gotten a gorgeous side of pork belly in: even in thickness, meaty, and already skinned. Then he shows me thick short ribs that he just finished cutting into large, even pieces. To make a long story short: I left with 8 pounds of pork belly, 5 pounds of short ribs, and one pineapple. The pork belly was destined for sweet cured bacon, the pineapple for juice… but what to do with the short ribs?

Meaty Short Ribs

I asked for ideas on twitter and @ElyssaK suggested a recipe for root beer-braised short ribs. She said it was “seriously, insanely good.”

I love root beer and jumped at the chance of trying something new. I adapted the recipe, since it was meant to be made in a slow cooker. The root beer is aromatic and sweet and really helps build an extra layer of flavor. The truth is that you could use any liquid you want. I used a total of 6 cups of liquid: a combination of root beer, wine, and beef broth. You just need enough liquid to barely cover the meat in the pot.

This can easily be my new favorite comfort food: tender short ribs in a savory and aromatic sauce over creamy polenta. It’s a meat lover’s dream. Elyssa was completely right: seriously, insanely good short ribs. Now, be careful who you make this for. It will set the bar high, and you might get requests for more.

Root Beer Braised Short Ribs
Serves 6

Ingredients:
• 5 pounds bone-in short ribs
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
• 5 ribs of celery, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 cups red wine (I used Zinfandel)
• 1 ½ cups root beer (12 ounces)
• 3 cups beef broth
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• Salt and pepper
• Parsley for garnish

Procedure:
1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
2. Dry the short ribs with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Coat in flour, shaking off excess.

Short Ribs Coated with Flour

3. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Brown the short ribs on all sides.

Browned Short Ribs

4. Remove short ribs to a platter and remove most of the oil. Leave only about 1 tablespoon in the Dutch oven.
5. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sautee for about 3 minutes. Add wine, root beer, broth, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Add short ribs and cover.
6. Transfer pot to the oven. Braise short ribs for about 4 hours, or until meat is very tender.
7. Remove pot from the oven. Remove the short ribs and place on a platter. Strain the liquid into a bowl. Reserve the liquid and discard the solids. Add the short ribs back into the pot. Skim the liquid of most of the fat.
8. At this point you can let this cool, transfer to a container, and refrigerate. It is good to make this in advance. As the liquid cools in the refrigerator, all the fat will harden at the top and you will be able to easily remove it with a slotted spoon.
9. When you are ready to serve, heat the liquid in a pot, bring it to a simmer, and let it reduce by about ¼. Add the short ribs back in. I like to remove the bones before adding them to the pot and also remove any fatty connective tissue that may remain. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve over polenta. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Mushroom and Herb Polenta

by onevanillabean

Mushroom and Herb Polenta 1

A couple of months ago a few friends and I got together to start a monthly cookbook dinner party. Four of us got together at Olga’s place for the very first one, showcasing recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty.

We made the cucumber salad with smashed garlic and ginger, the zucchini and hazelnut salad, the surprise tatin, and this amazing mushroom and herb polenta. Since Plenty doesn’t really have dessert, we served pistachio and orange water meringues from Ottolenghi, pistachio ice cream, and lemon bars. The mushroom polenta was our favorite by far.

The problem with vegetarian dishes is that they often taste like just a side dish. That is not the case with this recipe. The polenta is filling and the mushrooms stand in for meat. This combination of textures makes for a rich, comforting and satisfying dish.

Mushroom and Herb Polental 2

Mushroom and Herb Polenta
(Adapted from Plenty)

Ingredients:
• 8 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 cups mixed mushrooms
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tarragon
• 2 tablespoons thyme
• 2 tablespoons truffle oil ( I prefer black over white
• 4 ½ cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup polenta (instant or traditional, try de la Estancia brand)
• 6 ounces Parmesan, grated; plus 4 tablespoons
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons rosemary, finely chopped
• 8 ounces Taleggio, rind removed, cut into ¼ inch slices
• Salt and pepper
Procedure:
1. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet and set over medium-high heat.
2. Add the mushrooms, and cook until brown. Do this in batches if necessary and do not overcrowd the skillet, otherwise the mushrooms will steam instead of browning. Once all the mushrooms have been cooked, transfer them back to the skillet and add the garlic, tarragon, thyme, truffle oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot, add the polenta, reduce the heat to medium and stir constantly with a spoon until the polenta starts to pull away from the sides of the pan. Instant polenta will take 5-10 minutes; traditional polenta can take up to 45-50 minutes. Once the polenta has reached the appropriate consistency, add 6 ounces grated Parmesan, rosemary, and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread the polenta over a heat-proof dish, top with Taleggio, and place under broiler for a couple of minutes until the cheese starts to bubble. Remove from the broiler, and scatter the mushrooms over the cheese, including any juice that might have accumulated. Sprinkle the 4 tablespoons Parmesan. Return dish to the broiler to warm through.

Mushroom and Herb Polenta 3