dissertation cabbage

i admit, this is a truly strange title for a blog entry... almost as if i was trying to scare my readers (the few that there are) away.  but don't fear! this post will not have anything to do with the subject of my dissertation.  it does, however, have something to do with the process of writing it...

a couple of days ago, someone commented on my panzanella post (on facebook) by suggesting that it must take a lot of time to prepare my food.  in reply, i assured this person that most food i prepare is not very labour intensive.  admitedly, i have no idea why i was feeling a bit defensive about taking more time than necessary out of my very busy dissertation writing schedule to make nutritious meals... first, i don't take more time than necessary (or do i?); second, i happen to think that all this nutritious food will fuel my writing, right?

well, i admit, i did feel a bit defensive nonetheless, so i decided to show my readers, that good, tasty food, really does not have to take a lot of time.  hence, this dish.  its hardly a recipe and it involves cabbage which may scare some people off.  but i happen to think cabbage is fantastic and i am sure that you will like it too!  but the main point here, is that this meal takes NO TIME to make.  it took 10 minutes to prepare! now, that is NOT a lot of time to procrastinate, is it? hence, it is the first of my "dissertation meals" series:  good brain fuel that takes no time from your writing! of course, to make this a more filling MEAL, you'd have to serve it on some rice or quinoa, which would add a bit of time to the preparation unless you have made some ahead of time.  but if you just want a to quick, light lunch or dinner, you are 10 minutes away from some really yummy cabbage stir fry!

"dissertation cabbage"

(red cabbage fennel stir fry, with mint lemon "pesto" and tamari)

1 small head of cabbage
1/2 head of fennel
1 red onion
4 cloves garlic
splash of tamari sauce
1/2 cup of mint lemon pesto
1T olive oil or sesame oil

mint lemon pesto
1 bunch of mint
juice of 1 lemon
splash of rice vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup almonds
process all these ingredients in a food processor or a blender.  here is your mint lemon pesto.

for the stir fry: cut the cabbage and the fennel into bite size, longish pieces.  slice the onion. mince the garlic.  heat 1T olive oil in a wok or a deep frying pan.  saute the onions and garlic for about 1 minute.  add the cabbage and fennel and stir fry for 5 minutes.  add the tamari, stir for another minute.  add 1/2 cup of the mint lemon pesto, stir, serve, eat.  NOW, get back to whatever you were doing!

use up your leftover bread: say panzanella!

panzanella: a classic italian salad made of stale bread and tomatoes.  mine used half a loaf of crusty spelt bread, 3 large red tomatoes and a handful of yellow cherry and other hairloom tomato varieties, 1T of capers, lots of basil, two generous cloves of garlic (minced), a dash of coarse salt, and a generous portion of olive oil (3T).  

the spelt bread i used was quite dense so even though too stale for other consumption, i had to dry it out a little more for this salad.  to do that, i cut it into large cubes, tossed with some olive oil and baked/dried it out in the oven at 250F for 25mins.  in the meantime, i cut the tomatoes into large chunks, julienned the basil and diced the garlic.  i mixed those with some coarse salt, capers and olive oil.  i then added the dried bread and tossed together.  i let it stand, covered, on the counter for about an hour for the flavours to integrate.  before serving, i threw in a couple of handfuls of fresh arugula.

a delicious, filling salad that tastes like summer! and so easy!

i heart corinader!

coriander, and its green incarnation, cilantro, take the center stage in this recipe for seared spiced tofu steaks with mango coriander salsa.   served over zucchini-yam fritters or a salad, these delicious tofu steaks are a wonderful, colorful meal for a hot summer evening, though the comfort factor of this meal would hit all the right notes on an autumn or winter night just the same. versatile and colorful, this meal will engage all of your senses! 

the key to making delicious tofu "steaks" is the marinade.  the longer they get to "soak", the more flavorful they will be when you sear or grill them. the marinade in this recipe features toasted coriander seeds, mustard seeds and cumin (in a little oil), fresh grated ginger, lime juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, agave nectar and a a little coconut milk.  see recipe below.

finally, the mango corinader salsa is a quick and tasty addition to these steaks.  use one mango, half a bell pepper and a little finely chopped red onion, combine with toasted coriander seeds (in a little oil to release the flavor), fresh lime juice, a little sea salt and fresh, chopped cilantro.  let the mixture chill in the fridge for a couple of hours to get the flavors nicely integrated. 

from market finds to fresh summer meals

for freshness, i love my community farmers' market! well, for time being, its really the next best thing to having my own patch of land to cultivate. and it keeps the resources within the community!  here are a couple of lovely salads - one earthy, one fresh, both made from local, seasonal produce that i found at the market over the last couple of saturdays. enjoy!

 

greens with fresh rainbow radish, sprouts, grilled baby beets and fennel steaks

 

minted lemony zucchini ribbons