tea + time. appreciation. a recipe shared.

today I'm grateful for the recipe elizabeth shared with me for dandelion root tea. i'm learning to be rooted in the practice of sharing my appreciation, and thus i am mindfully sharing my thanks with others.  i believe in sharing my appreciation here, it sends that beautiful ripple into the world that you end up carrying.  with these words and images you find yourself sipping dandelion root tea with me, deeply appreciative for the tea drinkers and recipe sharers in your life. 

when there's appreciation for something, i try to soak it in.  

breathe deeply.  and exhale love.  

then i believe. 

i believe it reaches out into the world.  ripples to others.  

is caught in their breath.  voice.  touch.  

and apprecation.  deep apprecation.  

lighthearted appreciation.  

all of it. 

makes a beautiful difference.  

dandelion root tea: steep 2 bags of dandelion root tea.  ((i steep 15 minutes.)) 

add 60 oz. water plus 1/4 c. straight cranberry juice and the juice of 2-3 lemons.  ((i use limes, too.))

from the kitchen: thai noodle bowl.

here's a go at my favorite noodle bowl salad that i'm very often having for lunch and posting pictures of on instagram. love, love, love this salad.  truly, i eat this most every day in some form.  

we modeled this after our favorite noodle bowl from a fantastic resturant in town: MeKong. a fav!  I'll chop a lot of veg one day and assemble our lunches each morning or night before. yum! 

layer in your salad bowl from bottom up: 

((omit what you don't like or don't have. 

create amounts of each according to your taste.

my bowl above does not have noodles.))

chopped cabbage
spring mix or spinach ((kale works, too!))
carrots cut into matchsticks
cucumber cut into matchsticks
vermicelli rice noodles*
bean sprouts
pork, chicken, shrimp, tofu or beef ((whatever your flavor or none.  grilled chicken is pictured above))
peanuts ((i keep these on the side until i dress the salad.))

sauce/dressing:
1 tsp. demura sugar ((natural/raw sugar))
2 Tbsps. warm water
mix these together so the sugar dissolves.

2 Tbsp. fish sauce*
4 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice

2 garlic cloves diced
1/4 c. fresh chilantro chopped
1-2 dried thai chilies chopped ((remove seeds, but you can toss one or two seeds in according to heat preferred.))

If you're making a bunch of sauce, here's my general guide:
sugar about the same. 1 - 2 tsp.
1 part water
1 part fish sauce
2 parts lime juice

and double the fresh yummies. we love garlic, so i don't skimp.

hope you enjoy!

*available at your local asian market or for Richmonders: Tan A market on Broad Street

good food: creamy wild rice soup ((reposted.))

since i'm making this soup for our family tonight, i thought i'd share the recipe with you today.  as these days move into fall weather, a hearty bowl of this goodness is just what the body craves.  enjoy! 

creamy wild rice soup with fresh croutons
adapted from heidi swanson's Super Natural Cooking.

2 T. coconut oil
3 t. red curry paste (less if you don't like the spice)
1-2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 white (or yellow) onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. wild rice, rinsed
6 cups water
1 sweet potato, peeled & diced into 1/4 inch cubes
sea salt
2 1/2 t. turmeric
1 T. natural cane sugar
1 T. shoyu sauce (or good quality soy sauce)
1 (14 oz. can) coconut milk
squeeze of lemon juice (lime if you have it)

Heat 1 T. coconut oil in heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste, garlic, shallot, and onion. Saute' for 3 or 4 minutes, until onion begins to soften. Make sure the curry paste is evenly distributed.

Stir in the wild rice and 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and cook, covered, for about 40 minutes or until the rice starts to soften, split, and show its fluffy insides. Taste it.

Prepare your croutons. Here you see sliced daily bread of ours, but I also used Heidi's suggested sweet potato croutons for the other half of this soup. To make: heat the other 1 T. coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cubed potatoes (or bread) and toss with a pinch or two of sea salt to coat with oil. Cook a few minutes, turn, cook until the sides have been browned. When cooked through and crunchy, place on your silpat or on a paper towel.

When the rice is tender, stir in the turmeric, sugar, shoyu, coconut milk, the remaining cup of water, and 1 t. salt. Stir, return to a simmer, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. 

Remove and finish with your squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Taste for salt.

To serve, top with a lovely mound of croutons. Delicious.

*I think adding a leafy green like kale would be a nice addition. I'll try further variations on additional batches, as this is a new favorite.

good food: creamy wild rice soup

creamy wild rice soup with fresh croutons
adapted from heidi swanson's Super Natural Cooking.

2 T. coconut oil
3 t. red curry paste (less if you don't like the spice)
1-2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 white (or yellow) onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. wild rice, rinsed
6 cups water
1 sweet potato, peeled & diced into 1/4 inch cubes
sea salt
2 1/2 t. turmeric
1 T. natural cane sugar
1 T. shoyu sauce (or good quality soy sauce)
1 (14 oz. can) coconut milk
squeeze of lemon juice (lime if you have it)

Heat 1 T. coconut oil in heavy soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste, garlic, shallot, and onion. Saute' for 3 or 4 minutes, until onion begins to soften. Make sure the curry paste is evenly distributed.

Stir in the wild rice and 5 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat, and cook, covered, for about 40 minutes or until the rice starts to soften, split, and show its fluffy insides. Taste it.

Prepare your croutons. Here you see sliced daily bread of ours, but I also used Heidi's suggested sweet potato croutons for the other half of this soup. To make: heat the other 1 T. coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cubed potatoes (or bread) and toss with a pinch or two of sea salt to coat with oil. Cook a few minutes, turn, cook until the sides have been browned. When cooked through and crunchy, place on your silpat or on a paper towel.

When the rice is tender, stir in the turmeric, sugar, shoyu, coconut milk, the remaining cup of water, and 1 t. salt. Stir, return to a simmer, and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Remove and finish with your squeeze of lemon or lime juice. Taste for salt.

To serve, top with a lovely mound of croutons. Delicious.

*I think adding a leafy green like kale would be a nice addition. I'll try further variations on additional batches, as this is a new favorite.

life stories: play dough

we love making our own play dough.  don't get me wrong, though.  this is not the play dough in the yellow tub with the colorful lid.  each have their own place.  i love home made play dough and will always make my own.  the other can come in and out of the house, too, and we'll reuse some of those containers for a variety of uses.  

along our summer together in our cozy home, we enjoy the art of making and pretend baking with play dough.  we create long snakes, skinny worms and other imaginary pets.  this morning it was a hand shaped pancake with designs on top, made by the sweet son.  

today has been such a sweet day of decorating the space at church for this week's vacation bible school and a good reflective day from worship this morning (more to come as i ponder the themes presented).  i wanted to give you something of life here that you could carry with you in your life journey.  now for the sharing!  listed for you below is the play dough recipe i've used ever since working in the MC lab school through college & grad school.  source unknown.  it's safe to bet that this recipe is like many others out there, but it's a never-fail recipe in my dough making experience over the past decade.

Cooked Play Dough

1 c. flour

1 T. oil

1 c. water

1/2 c. salt

2 t. cream of tartar

food coloring (i use icing coloring and mix with the water before adding to the other ingredients)

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan or electric skillet.  Mix well and cook over medium heat.  Stir constantly until mixture forms a ball.  Remove from the pan and let the dough cool a bit on a clean surface.  Knead until smooth.  Store in an airtight storage container after it's completely cooled.

Be warned:  if you use red, pink, and some purple icing colors, your hands may reflect a tinge of pink.  Wash immediately or use gloves if you're concerned about semi-dyed hands.  

summer staple: noodle bowl

Vietnamese Noodle Bowl

the recipe you see here is based on personal preferences and taste.  yum.  we've tinkered with the dish, and enjoy these bowls so much, we could eat this once or twice a week.  seriously good.  

bowl:

1 cucumber, julianne (about 1/4 - 1/2 c. per bowl)

1-2 carrots, julianne (about 1/4 - 1/2 c. per bowl)

lettuce or spring mix (small handful per bowl)

bean sprouts (about 2 T. per bowl)*

3 T. peanuts, chopped (roasted for extra flavor)

1/2 lb. shrimp, pork, beef, or chicken, grilled  (we like shrimp & pork best) or substitute with tofu, cooked to your preference. 

vermicelli rice noodles, cooked according to directions as pasta.  drain.  rinse with cool water. leave draining.   (we use 1/2 a box and have enough for 4 servings)

dressing: 

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 thai chilies, crushed (remove & add seeds according to the heat you desire.  we use the chili and a few seeds to add a hint of heat)

1 tsp. natural brown sugar

2 T. warm water

2 T. fish sauce

2 limes, juiced (about 4 T. lime juice)

2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

To a small bowl or container, add warm water and sugar.  Mix until sugar is dissolved.  Add remaining ingredients and stir.  (I like one part water, one part fish sauce, and two parts lime juice.)  This same dressing tops broken rice dishes.   We love those as well!  

Allow the dressing to sit a few moments before using.   You can make ahead and it will be great!

Prepare the ingredients and keep separate.  Once all is prepared, you're ready to assemble your bowl.  In the base of your bowl (1 bowl per person) stack:  carrots, cucumbers, lettuce or spring mix, noodles, sprouts, chopped peanuts, grilled meat, shrimp, or fried tofu.  If serving, provide the dressing for others to top before eating. 

These noodle bowls are great for outdoor music/theater venues, picnics, backyard eating, or dinner with friends.  Very satisfying.  If you know ahead of time that you want to make this or have on hand, you can make all the parts and keep in the fridge.  This is good room temp or cold. Enjoy!

*we substituted sweet peas from the garden for this week's batch.  haven't started growing the sprouts yet.  we didn't use peanuts this batch or lettuce (as we only have arugula available).

whole foods, super natural foods

food creativity.  food thoughts.  we've been incorporate more grains into our diet as well as eating as many whole foods as possible.  our CSA is amazing and inspiring and aids in our quest.  we love the foods we're given and want to use them to the best of their potential.  a friend in st. louis has been a guide over the years in this pursuit, as she's living a healthy whole-foods lifestyle.  one of my favorite cookbooks, super natural foods, came from her christmas 2008 and i'm just now really getting into the recipes.  recipes from that book forthcoming.

because i miss my classes throwing clay, i find a good substitute in baking and making pasta by hand.  yum.  each batch is better than the last, which is encouraging.  fresh spinach & ricotta ravioli like those we cooked on our trip to italy is a must.  the kneading in making bread & pasta certainly connects to my clay work.  my goal is to bake bread once a week, or make the grilled bread we love or fresh pizza dough.  crackers are next on the agenda this week, and i'll tell you how that goes.  a special treat that we made for a few friends last week: oatmeal fruit cookies (mostly organic & whole foods), from the cookbook i recommend below.  

since the recipe below fits into the scheme of our CSA & garden and is so good and comforting, I wanted to share it with you.  we've enjoyed making this over the last year or so.  so good.  so good.

Sausage & Greens Soup adapted from Simply in Season:  Recipes that celebrate fresh, local foods in the spirit of More-with-Less.  Herald Press.  The unadapted version can be found on our CSA's blog.  You can also adapt the recipe to be a meatless sausage or some other creative protein.  

1/2 lb bulk sausage (we had amish sausage on hand, with virtually no fat, so i added 1 T. olive oil)
  Brown in soup pot and drain all but a spoonful of fat. Remove meat.  (though sometimes i forget to remove the meat.  works well either way)

Add: 
1 cup onion, green onion, chives (we love using green onions from the garden)

garlic scapes to taste or 1 clove garlic, minced

  Saute in reserve fat until soft.  Return sausage to pot, if you removed it.  

Add:  
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup potatoes, diced
1/2 cup turnips, cut into sixths (my addition)

sea salt and fresh pepper to taste
  Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes are soft, about 10-15 minutes.

Add: 
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1-3 cups of fresh spinach, kale, chard, watercress, or any other young tender greens or combination of greens, chopped
parsley to taste.  (A must!)

  Cook until tender.  
  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan or other hard cheese and enjoy!  Great with toast & garlic butter. 

Enjoy!

muffins make me happy

Banana Nut Muffins
(adapted from Bake or Break)

1 ¼ c. wheat flour
¾ c. all purpose flour (unbleached)
¼ c. wheat germ
2 t. soda
1 t. salt
¾ to 1 c. raw sugar (depending on sweetness of bananas)
½ t. cinnamon
3 ripe bananas, mashed
½ c. applesauce
¼ c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
¼ c. milk (omit & add additional oil if non-dairy)
½ c. walnuts (omit if desired)

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients - beginning with the bananas through the milk.  Add dry ingredients to wet and mix, stirring from the outside of the bowl in.  Add walnuts (or other favorite nut--pecans work well, too).  Mix until incorporated.  Don’t over mix.

Fill your baking cups 2/3 full and bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes (about 6 minutes longer for large muffins).  Enjoy!  Best warm with a hot cup of tea and a smidgen of butter.

yes.  muffins make me happy, especially when shared with someone! the latest batch featured a portion with chocolate chips.  yum!  be creative!  

 

promises made

should be promises kept.  Here's the recipe, for Alice & Black Betty , but for all of you to enjoy!

Grilled Bread with Herb-Infused Oil Topping

a.k.a. Pizza Bread, Communion Bread, and just plain Yummy Bread!

From Simply In Season : A World Community Cookbook.  Herald Press:  Scottsdale, Pennsylvania. 2005.

For Bread:  

1 1/4 c. / 300 ml warm water

1 t. active dry yeast

  Combine water & yeast in a mixing bowl, stirring until dissolved.

1 1/2 c. / 375 ml bread flour

1 1/2 c. / 375 ml whole wheat bread flour

2 T. olive oil 

1 t. salt

Add and stir until a stiff dough forms, adding more water or flour  as needed.  On a floured surface, knead 10 minutes or until smooth.  Place in a bowl greased with olive oil, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.  Rising time can be cut shorter or dough may rise in refrigerator 6-8 hours.  

Start a medium hot charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill to the maximum.  Divide dough into equal pieces and form into flat rounds.  Let the rounds rest a few minutes.  Roll or lightly press as thin as desired, lightly flouring the work surface and dough as necessary.  Brush tops of several rounds with olive oil.  Place on hot grill, oiled side down.  Brush top lightly with oil.  Move bread rounds around the grill to avoid burning the bottom and cook 1-6 minutes, depending on grill temperature.  Turn and brush again with oil or add herb infused olive oil (below)

For Topping:  (double if you want to have some on hand for cooking)

5 T. fresh herbs:  basil, parsley, oregano, or your favorite(s)

1 t. minced garlic

1/2 t. freshly ground pepper

4 T. olive oil

Mix and let mellow.  You can blend this as well, but I like to see the beautiful textures!  With a spoon, generously spread on top of each bread round as it's finishing up on the grill.  Makes a great topping!  

For Pizza:  Add pesto or tomato sauce + cheese & your favorite toppings for a great grilled pizza.  We use this as a grilled pizza (and another printed in bon appetite').  

As a Side:  We also use this bread as a companion to our mediterranean meals in lieu of pita.  

And for those minister-types, I have used this as a communion bread.  In one service I had the children help me to create a fresh batch, then roll out a previously prepared batch as a part of the service.  The grills were outside and we had communion outdoors using the bread.  It was a lot of fun.  Oh, it was also World Communion Sunday.