sesame soy cabbage

Here's one for the cabbage lovers our there, maybe even the haters as well. (I don't understand those people, cabbage is king in my stomach). I really believe that a good bit of cabbage can really change a persons perspective on the humble cruciferous vegetable, maybe even the world. To far? Maybe but what I always say is, "When in doubt try it out!" Either way, this bit of cabbage is vey very good good.  

A quick little warm up in a skillet with some sesame soy flavor and crunch and you got yourself a A plus little salad. It hits all the right notes for when a) its winter and fresh greens are more sparse (which it currently is and they currently are) b) its cold out (again currently because it's winter) and c) when you only have a head of cabbage in the fridge (was the case but I have sense remedied that). 

Chop it, toss, it, eat it. Quick and easy good food. Get on it.

The stuff. Cabbage (I used savoy but you can use any cabbage you want) soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, olive oil, and a lemon. The lemon is optional, but a little acid is alway welcome in my mouth. 

Chop the cabbage. Unless  you are making this for more then 2 people, you probably only need half a head. However much you use, chop in up into 1-2 inch peices. You could  also shreds it if you want, but I like the bigger pieces. 

Toss the cabbage into a hot skillet that has been drizzled with a little olive oil and toss the soy sauce in with it too. 

Cook on medium high heat until the cabbage has slightly soften. 

While the skillet is still hot, drizzle in a touch of toasted sesame oil and a good amount of sesame seeds. Give it a toss. Taste and add more toasted sesame oil if you want.

Pile it Into a bowl and that's that. Serve with a wedge of lemon or lime if you like the addition of the acid. 

-C

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Sesame Soy Cabbage

serves 1-2 people

• 1/2 of a head of cabbage (green savoy, or red work)
• 1 tablespoon soy or tamari 
• 1/2-1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• sesame seeds
• lemon or lime (optional)

Preheat a large skillet to medium high with the olive oil. While its getting hot, chop the cabbage into 1- 2 inch pieces. When the skillet is hot, dump the cabbage in and toss around with the soy sauce. Let cook for 4-5 minutes, giving it a toss a few times, until the cabbage starts to soften. Depending on your preference you can stop cooking it now, or keep cooking until it reaches you preferred doneness. (I like it with a little crunch so I cook it for 5-6 minutes) Once it's done but the skillet is still hot, drizzle in the toasted sesame oil and toss in the sesame seeds. Taste for flavor and add more toasted sesame oil if needed. 

Serve right away although cold left overs are also fantastic. A wedge of lemon or lime is a well received addition. 

Roasted Cranberry Parsnips

I am spicing up my snack time these day, going an extra step and actually preparing a little something rather then just eating a pound of carrots. Yes yes, a pound of carrots is a great snack, but there are so many other fantastic veggies awaiting my belly and I can only accommodate  so much at once. So today the carrots had to wait, it's time for the parsnips. 

After I made this and was eating it with all smiles and glee, I had the mr take a taste to see what he thought. What I learned is that If you do not like parsnips then you will not like this dish. But if you are awesome and do like parsnips, well then you will like this. But I guess if you like parsnips but don't like cranberries then you might actually not like this either.

So what I guess I am saying is if you like parsnips and cranberries, you will freaking love this. And this, these cranberry roasted parsnips, are great as a snack or as  a fantastic accompaniment to any meal that you will be serving anytime soon. It's quick and easy and delivers in all sorts of good ways, if you like cranberries and parsnips. 

The stuff. Parsnip. fresh (or frozen) cranberries, a little maple syrup, olive oil, and salt and pepper. 

Keeping it simple and just chopping the parsnip up into mouth sized pieces. If you are a peeler, go ahead and peel those parsnips first. Me, never a peeler. 

A little trick I have learned when roasting veggies is to roast them in a really hot cast iron pan. What I usually do is preheat the oven and while I am doing that I preheat the pan on the stove top. It gets hot fast and the veggies roast better when tossed into a hot pan. You can also preheat whatever dish you are using in the oven while it preheating. Whatever works for you. 

So parsnips Into a cast iron pan (or any oven safe dish) tossed with just a touch of olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Parsnips cook pretty fast so after about 15 minutes check for doneness. Once they are for tender and browning, toss the cranberries into the pan and keeping roasting.

Once the cranberries are all roasted and bursted and nice, remove the pan from the oven and immediately drizzle with a touch of maple (just a touch or else it will be too sweet) 

There you go. Simple, fast, and oh so delicious. 

Have an awesome weekend! 🥋🤾🏻‍♀️🎄☃️ (interrupt those any way you see fit)

-C

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Roasted Cranberry Parsnips

serves about 4 as a side dish  or makes for 2 good snack bowls

• 3-4 large  parsnips (but really as many as you want)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon maple syrup (the more the sweeter it will be)
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425

Grab whatever pan or oven safe dish you are using and  preheat either place it in the oven while its preheating of if you can place it on the stove, get it really hot on a high flame.

Grab your parsnips and chop into about an inch sized pieces (or a good size that will fit into you mouth. Feel free to peel the parsnips first if you want to. Once the oven and pan are preheated, drizzle the parsnips with a tiny bit of olive oil and toss with salt and pepper. Place onto really hot pan and stick into oven.  Roast for about 15-20 minutes or until the parsnips are golden brown and fork tender. Remove form oven and toss in the cranberries. Place back into oven for about another 10 minutes or until the cranberries start to burst and get soft. Remove again and drizzle with a teaspoon of maple syrup (or more if you like it sweeter) 

Serve right away. 

Watermelon Tomato and Cucumber Salad

I made this salad about a week ago right before the mr and I left town for the weekend. I had just gotten 2 very large canary watermelons from the farm, and had a million cucumbers and a trillion tomatoes from the garden. If a trillion tomatoes seems like a lot it is. But that is how many I had, and still do (this years garden just won't quit) And with counters of all the fruit and veggies that I could possible want at one given time, we needed to eat some up before we left. But I really wanted watermelon and felt guilty about cutting into one when I would be fine left for a while and there were a million ripe and ready tomatoes to eat that would not last the weekend fresh. But guess what, went for it anyway and cut up a watermelon because damn it, I really wanted watermelon.

So a bazillion tomatoes (notice how the number keeps getting bigger, that's because it's truth) a million cucumbers, and now a watermelon that needs to be eaten. Salad it will be. (I had the littles over to eat the rest of the watermelon, they will always help a lady out)

A big ass fruity, citrus-y, crispy, tangy salad. A party of all these fresh fantastic flavors all up in your mouth. The first time I made this, I thought there was a chance the mr might not like it, but as it turns out he like it very very much, enough to eat the whole entire big ass bowl of it. (I got a few measly little bits) I have since made this salad two other times and know well enough to save myself a bowl of my own. The mr forgets to share.

The stuff. Watermelon (I used a canary but a red watermelon works too) onion, cucumber and tomatoes. A jalapeno for a little heat, fresh basil and mint, a lemon and salt and pepper.

First the watermelon. You probably don't want to eat the rind so remove that and chop up the fruit into mouth sized pieces. IF you have a really seedy melon, just remove what you can see and save them for roasting later (yes roast the seeds.. they are fantastic)

Now the cucumber, onion and jalapeno get their turn to be chopped up. Cucumber into smallish pieces. Onion thin and small pieces and jalapeno into very tiny little pieces. After those go into bowl, it's tomato time. Just cut up into into mouth sided pieces and into the bowl too.

Red, yellow, and green tomatoes. The colors are so PRETTY!

Mint and bail minces up nice .

Topped with all the fresh herbs, salt and pepper, and lemon juice.

A thing of beauty and tastes better then it looks. A salad worth making over and over and lots of it too.

Make sure to save yourself a bowl if sharing, you might not get any otherwise.

Have a great weekend

-C

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Watermelon Tomato and Cucumber Salad

serves between 2-4 people

• 1/4 of a canary watermelon (around 3 cups cubed)
• 1 cucumber
• 2-3 tomatoes of any variety
• 1/2 of an onion (red or sweet white)
• handful of fresh basil and mint
• 1 small jalapeno
• 1 lemon
• salt and pepper

Take watermelon and remove rind then cut the melon into mouth sized chunks. If you melon has seeds, remove what you can (save for later to roast) and place into a large bowl. Grab cucumbers and cut into mouth sized chunks. Thinly slice onion into long thin ribbons then into smaller pieces and then cut up jalapeno.  To cut the jalapeno, remove stem, cut in half length wise, then scrap the seeds and ribs from the inside out. Dice the pepper into very small pieces and toss everything you just cut up into the bowl with the melon.  Tomatoes now get cut into chunks and those go into the bowl too. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and the juice of the lemon. Cut or chop fresh basil and mint up and add on in. Mix it all up and that's that.

Summer Bounty with Lentils Salad

All at once is how it goes. The garden is all star fantastic and just won't quit.  I find myself picking 4-6 cucumbers and the same in squash every morning. The tomatoes plant are a freaking jungle and there are so so so many tomatoes, all just about to ripen. The kale is doing it's thing, growing big and green and I pick a few handfuls a day. And then there are all the beets and carrots and cabbage,chard, and kidney beans. It's big, and prolific and amazing. I am much proud of myself for growing a shit load of awesomeness.

And then there is the farm share. I get all my garden stuff times 10. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, kale. Not to mention the corn, onion, carrots, and herbs and all the flowers. The food keeps on coming.  I live in a house, with a big kitchen, with lots of counter and a full sized fridge, yet I still don't have a place for it all. The squash overflow has now made it's way to the dinning room. But I am not complaining.

The new rule that I have instated in the house. Every meal must contain at least two tomatoes, a cucumber, and some kale. Want a snack, grab a zucchini. You thirsty? well eat a cucumber. No joke. I get a little stressed out about how much food is around that needs to be eaten or canned, but that is good stress. I am on the lookout for a chest freezer to help with the stress. I promised myself that I would have one by now so I need to get on that asap.

Summer harvest. This is the time of year that I gain a few pounds. It's a zucchini tomato belly for sure.

And this salad. I am a huge fan of the B.A.S (big ass salad). A big ass bowl of all the goodness from farm and garden plus some lentil protein and a little good avocado fat. Fresh and clean and delicious. Makes you feel all good when you eat it.  So go for it. Eat yourself a B.A.S. you wont regret it.

The stuff. Cucumbers (that is a white cucumber and it's really tasty) tomatoes, some kale, parsley, and cilantro. Also need some onion, cooked lentils, and at least half an avocado. Salt. pepper, and red wine vinegar for the finish.

Kale. parsley, and cilantro get a good rough chop and then tossed into a big ass bowl.

Cucumber, onion, and tomatoes get their turn next and chopped into mouth sized pieces. Into the bowl as well.

Top it all with cooked lentil, some avocado, and a glug glug of vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss it all around.

Now all you need is a fork.

All the summertime in a bowl. Here's to summer bellies!

-C

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Summer Bounty with Lentils Salad

• 2 cucumbers
• 2 small or 1 large tomato
• 1/2 of an onion
• 1 cup cooked lentil
• 1/2 an avocado
• 3-4 large kale leaves
• handful fresh cilantro
• handful fresh parsley
• red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper

First off, grab a really big bowl. Take herbs and kale and chop into small pieces. Place in bowl. Next dice up you onion, tomato, and cucumbers into mouth sized pieces and toss those into bowl. Dump the cooked lentils on top of that and dice the avocado (I used half but you can use whole one) into little pieces and through that on too. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and a glug (about a table spoon or two) of vinegar.

Now mix until all combines. Taste and if needed, add more salt, pepper, and/or vinegar.

Now its done. Grab a fork and eat to your face.

Balsamic Corn Tomato Kale Salad

I got my first few ears or corn from the farm share this week which is exciting because I wait until we get corn from the farm to eat it. I figure that we get so much from the farm that there is no freaking way I am going to buy it and plus I know that that corn was picked a few hours before I got it. If you are going to eat corn, it needs to be fresh (life lesson).

Have I told you that the mr hates corn? I am pretty sure I have. I also have a theory that he really doesn't hate it so I just go ahead and make food with corn in it. Then he eats it, likes it, and I am all like" AHA, you like corn be-otch! I win!" (not sure what I win). But then the next time I mention we have fresh corn and how would he like it he is all like, I hate corn.  It's a game we keep on playing. 

So I got fresh corn, lots of tomatoes, and the kale is growing strong out back. I figured I would give the mr a break from all the zucchini for the night and make he a nice warm summer salad with the corn that he "hates".

The mr ate it all and didn't even mention corn so now I am thinking that he just hates the word corn and if I don't say the word then there will be no problem. HA HA, I am a genius.

The stuff. A tomato, a ear of corn, some kale, a little balsamic vinegar, oil, and salt and pepper.

Chop the tomato and remove the corn from the cob.

Toss into an oven safe skillet with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt.

Now stick it into the oven

After about 10 minutes the tomato has fallen apart and the corn is all nice and tender.

While the skillet is still hot the vinegar goes in and the (chopped) kale goes in. Mix it all around until the kale wilts. And be careful, the pan is hot.

Dump it into a bowl, sprinkle with pepper, grab a fork, and you are on.

Happy eating.

-C

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Balsamic Corn Tomato Kale Salad

makes a salad for one or two small side salads

• 1 medium tasty tomato
• 1 ear of corn
• like 4-5 good sized kale leaves
• 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
•  oil of choice (i used avocado oil)
• salt and pepper

You can cook this in or on the stove. I did it in the stove because I was baking anyway

Preheat oven to 425

Remove corn from cob and chop tomato into medium sized chunks. Toss into a oven safe skillet with a drizzle of oil and a little pinch of salt. Stick in oven and cook until the corn is tender and the tomatoes have fallen apart, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and mix in vinegar. Chop kale into mouth sized pieces and toss into hot skillet. Mix around until kale starts to wilt. And it's done. Serve with a pinch of pepper.