Brussels Sprouts; From Yuck to Yum

As a child, brussels sprouts seriously made me gag. I remember being forced to eat "at least two bites" and hearing how "good they are for you". Y-u-c-k! I did not care if they were the antedote to snake venom. They were gross.

Turns out that I was fed frozen Brussels sprouts. They are nasty bitter and they got soggy too. There was no amount of sauce or spice that could mask that fact. Mom couldn't possibly hide them in a casserole without my gag reflex finding out. Blech!

So, fast forward to 2009 and a cooking class I took in South Carolina. The chef sauteed fresh Brussels sprouts in butter, salt and pepper. That was it. Simple. When I bit into it, I was so pleasantly surprised by the flavor and even more so by the fact that I couldn't stop eating them! No gagging. No joke.

Tonight, I sauteed up some of those little cruciferous cabbages in olive oil, salt and pepper. I like to let the pan get nice and hot while I cut the sprouts in half. I then add the olive oil (about 2 tablespoons).

I drop them sizzling loudly as they hit the skillet. What a great sound. Music, really. I then add salt and pepper using my eyes and my intuition to determine the amount. I stay with them, stirring them, watching their color change to a bright, hot green. They get a little brown. A sign of flavor on the plate.

Ultimately, I like them salty and crunchy. I don't cook them long. I add a little water if the pan gets overheated to prevent burn. Too much water makes them soggy. Too little and it splatters. Just right and it will cook down and steam the outer leaves.

Pretty green half cabbages on a plate and I can't stop eating them. Yum. We have arrived.

A bag, already washed is only $1.99 at Trader Joe's - just so you know . . .

A Kumquat Healing

I bit into a kumquat from my Grandmother's tree. I was twelve years old. I remember the sundress I wore - a red, white and blue flower print with a tube top and spaghetti straps that tied at the shoulders.

It was a dramatic culinary moment the details of which became seared in my mind. I bit into the tiny teardrop shaped orange. Both bitter and pungent, it exploded in my mouth for less than a second before it hit the ground. I would not try a kumquat again for another thirty years.

I know I prattle on about kale more than any other thing I put in my mouth. But, it was this, my favorite veggie, that provided the vehicle to heal my relationship with kumquats.

A week or so ago, I ate out at one of my favorite eateries, Lemonade on Beverly Blvd. in West Hollywood. Since I try kale salad pretty much everywhere it is offered, I asked for the kumquat kale salad as one of my portions in this unique gourmet deli style eatery.

This kale salad was sweet, spicy, a little bit bitter, pungent and man it was delicious! This time, as I bit into the kumquat, I had a mini revelation about that moment in my Grandmother's yard; kumquats need to be ripe, I mean really ripe in order to eat them. When ripe, they are sweet, pungent and only slightly bitter.

The balance of flavor and nutrition in kumquats is brilliant. High in fiber, essential oils, carotonoids, antioxidants, vitamins B,C and E, kumquats - peel and all - are no slouch in the nutricious food world.

Nagami Kumquats are found most often in the U.S. Their latin name is Margarita Fortunella. I love that! My given name is Margaret. And fortunately, this Margaret, gave kumquats another chance.

The Best Raw Snacks Ever!

I was in the kitchen at Whole Foods Market in West Hollywood, California preparing to teach a class when an angel floated in. She bestowed two huge bags full of her culinary gifts for me to sample, gave me a heartfelt hug and left. I was excited. I love food and presents and she had delivered both!

The angel in the kitchen was Susan O'Brien, the owner of Hail Merry raw food products. It's a Dallas, Texas based company with some of the best products I have ever tasted in the gluten free, raw, vegan world of foodstuffs.

Her "Grawnola" is scrumptious! She dehydrates the nuts (after soaking them in filtered water to release the enzymes), seeds and gluten free oats then mixes them with pure cane sugar and cinnamon. This is a great morning cereal or snack to take with you where ever you go.

Other treats she provided included gluten free macaroons, chili spiced pecans and lemon thyme pecans. All were extremely well balanced in their flavors. She certainly knows what she is doing in the kitchen!

The most impressive of all her gifts to me were her gluten and dairy free Merry's Miracle Chocolate Tarts. I have had numerous raw food chocolate desserts and have made many of them myself. These were, by far, the best I have tried. In fact, her tart won in the Natural Foods Expo West for best new product out of, are you ready for this? - thirty six hundred entries! Yeah, they are that good!

Now available in most Whole Foods Markets around the country, you can get her delicious treats too. Or, order online by clicking here.

Many thanks to Susan O'Brien and her angelic treats. Even if you are not into raw foods, try them. They are far better than most cooked foods I have had!

Spicy Raw Kale Salad

Spicy Raw Kale Salad

1 bunch kale
1 lemon juiced
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Bragg’s Amino Acids or Gluten Free Tamari
2 Cloves fresh garlic minced
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ teaspoon season all spice mix (7 Seasons, Emeril’s Original Essence)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

Directions:

Spine the kale by running a chef’s knife along the stem to separate the leaves from the stem, then chop the kale to desired size. (Some people prefer to tear the kale from the stem. Suggested method is faster). Take the remaining ingredients and place them on washed kale. You can adjust any of the spices to your taste so don’t be afraid to add or subtract or to try other spices. Toss well and eat. Add raisins, dried cranberries, pinenuts, walnuts – whatever you would like. This salad gets better as it sits for a day or two in the refrigerator. Spread kale on a cookie sheet and dry in a 170 degree oven (or dehydrator) until crispy to make kale chips.

Many thanks and much love to Stephanie and Michael Garcia for sharing this incredible recipe.

Trader Joe's Prepares and bags kale for you now. Check it out.

Kale Chips

In an earlier blog, I gave you a recipe for raw, spicy kale salad. What I did not tell you is that you can make a simple delicious snack out this raw salad - kale chips!

Once you have made the salad, all you have to do is spread the raw, marinated kale on cookie sheets and place them in a dehydrator or dry them out in the oven on a low setting - say, 170 degrees.

If you use the oven, check the drying kale about every 20 minutes to see how it is doing. You don't want to burn the kale unless you like that smokey burned flavor (some people do!) If it is mostly dried but not all the way, you can turn the oven off and let the chips finish drying in the oven overnight.

When dried, place the chips in a bowl and leave them out. The refrigerator is not necessary. The thing is, they are so good (they strangely taste a little like cheese!) they will disappear in no time flat.

To read about the benefits of kale - and boy are there! Click here.

If You're Going to Steal My Bank Card, Why Would You Eat There???

I got a call from the fraud department of my bank today. I thought they were freaked out that I pulled a bunch of money out of my savings the other day but, no. That was not it.

The chipper gal at the bank informed me that some "unusual activity" had been encountered. She said; "Fifty cents was used at a Red Lobster in Florida." I burst out laughing and said; "Honey, I am a chef and I admit a food snob at that. I don't eat there on my own accord."

She went on to say; "Another twenty five was spent at a Sizzler Steak House in Orlando." More laughter spilled out of me. I said; "The least they could have done on my dime was eat at a Ruth's Chris Steak House." This time we both laughed hard.

Hi jacking a bank card is not laughing matter. For that matter, neither is eating at Sizzler or Red Lobster. I am just grateful that was all it was.

If you do want a delicious flank steak with pomme frittes and a side of sauteed garlic spinach from a mostly organic place with great wine, delicious food and fun decor, try one of my favorite Los Angeles Hang outs by clicking here.

The moral of the story is; Eat well, no matter whose dime it's on :)

Product Review - Pamela's GF& DF Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I have tried many, many, gluten and dairy free cookies in my sixteen years of not being able to eat wheat flour and cow's milk based products. Back in those days, Pamela's Cookies were about the only gluten free game in town. I liked her cookies but did not love them so I began the process of making up my own recipes. I then loved mine so much that I rarely bought cookies off the shelves.

The other night, a dear friend was visiting me. She bought these cookies with her and, in my desperation for a midnight snack, I opened the box and began eating. Love at first bite! That's what happened.

The texture of this cookie is perfect. It does not have that grainy, rice flour feel. With 89% organic ingredients, these cookies are gluten and dairy free although, they do have a disclaimer that states, "May contain traces of milk." Due to shared equipment, that is.

The flavor is my favorite part. They are rich, dark and super delicious with a great balance of sweetness to chocolate. They are soft as well and I love a soft cookie. The chunks of chocolate are big and tasty and do not detract from the cake of the cookie.

So, now, I have a cookie I can buy if I do not feel like making them. The best part is I like them as much as my own!

To find Pamela's Cookies at a store near you, see their website here.