Cauliflower and potato sabzi and germinated brown rice with azuki beans

Photo by bodhilens

I used to know only one way to eat cauliflower: baked cauliflower with cheesy white sauce. I did not like it very much, so I rarely ate cauliflower. However, since I learned about the high nutritional value of cauliflower, I have been trying out different recipes. This cauliflower and potato stir-fly is called "aloo gobhi sabzi" by Indian people. It is simple but flavorful with spices. 

When brown rice is germinated (called "hatsuga genmai" in Japanese), it is tastier (because starch and protein are converted into sugar and "umami"), easier for our bodies to digest (because the hard cell gets broken, and phytic acid is reduced), and more nutritious (because some nutrients, including GABA, increase in amount or become more readily available to our bodies, and additional nutrients are developed). Azuki beans help to activate even more enzymes in this rice dish called "hatsuga koso genmai (germinated enzyme-enriched brown rice)," one of the nutritionally near-perfect foods about which Japanese people rave.

Cauliflower and potato sabzi

Ingredient (for 6 servings):

1 head of cauliflower

2 medium-size or 3 small-size potatoes

1 small-size onion

1 TBSP of coconut oil (ghee, butter, or olive oil)*

2 TBSP of fresh ginger

2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp of tarmelic

1 tsp of cumin

1 tsp of natural salt

1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

Directions: 

1. Grate ginger and garlic and chop onion finely.

2. Heat oil in a frying pan and stir-fry #1 until onion looks transparent. 

3. Wash and cut potatoes and cauliflower into small cubes/florets. 

4. Add potato cubes in the pan and stir-fry and steam-cook them with a lid until they are almost fully cooked.

5. Add cauliflower florets in the pan and stir-fry and steam-cook them with a lid until they are almost fully cooked. (By this time, potatoes should be golden brown and soft.)

6. Add all seasonings in the pan, mix everything well, and continue to cook until cauliflower is done. 

*Ghee is tasty and is often used for Indian dishes, but coconut oil (organic, extra virgin, and cold-pressed) is the healthiest when being cooked in high heat. Olive oil (organic, extra virgin, and cold-pressed) loses its health benefits when being cooked in high heat, so it is better saved for salad dressing, drizzling over pasta, or dipping bread in. Here is a great fat debate online, if you are interested. 

Germinated brown rice with azuki beans

Ingredients (for 6 servings):

3 cups of brown rice (preferably organic)

1/2 cup of azuki beans (preferably organic)

1/2 tsp of natural salt

Filtered water

Need a strainer, a large bowl, a whisk, and a rice cooker.

Directions (to serve for supper next day):

1. On the previous night, quickly rinse brown rice and azuki beans in running water (If not organic, wash them more thoroughly). 

2. Put the rice and beans in a large bowl, and add filtered water until the rice and beans are submerged in water. 

3. With a whisk, beat the rice and beans slowly for several minutes until the water gets cloudy.

4. Boil a cup of filtered water and add it slowly to the bowl until the water in the bowl gets lukewarm. Soak the rice and beans in lukewarm filtered water for 24 hours (Lukewarm water accelerates their germination processes). 

5. Drain and air-dry the rice and beans for a while. (Just leave them wet in bowl for several hours, which further facilitates their germination processes. You do not see them sprouting, but the germ of brown rice may look more plump and white, and azuki beans should also look more plump and lighter in color.)

6. Put the germinated rice and azuki beans in a rice cooker, pour filtered water up to the water measurement line for 4 cups of rice, and start cooking. 

7. After the cooking time is up, keep the lid on for 15 more minutes for some steaming effect. After 15 minutes, open the lid and stir up the cooked germinated brown rice with azuki beans well, and put the lid back and keep it warm until it is served.*

*Some people suggest that the longer you let this germinated brown rice with azuki beans rest in a keep-warm setting, the more enzymes it develops (because it begins to ferment) and the tastier it gets. I am not sure about the biochemistry of enzymes, but in my experience, it tasted best after being kept warm no longer than an hour or so. 

Raw granola

Raw granola (Photo by bodhilens)

I've been trying to incorporate more raw food into our diet to replenish enzymes in our bodies. This is one of our favorite raw food dishes, a super-nutritious and tasty alternative for cereal. I learned a lot of interesting and helpful information from raw foodists on YouTube. Sprouted grains and seeds are so alive that they give us extra boost of energy.

Ingredients (for 8-10 servings):

1 cup of hulled buckwheat

1 cup of oat groats

1 cup of hulled sunflower seeds

1 cup of  raw almonds

1 cup of shredded coconuts

1 cup of dry fruits (e.g., cranberries)

1/2 TBSP of cinnamon powder

1 pinch of natural salt

1/2 tsp of vanilla essence

2-3 TBSP of raw honey

2-3 TBSP of coconut oil (or melted butter)

1/2 cup of yogurt and 1 tsp of fruit spread/jam for garnishing a small bowl of raw granola

Directions:

1. To sprout grains and seeds, put them in separate bowls/containers and wash them well, soak them in water for a few hours to overnight (e.g., buckwheat and sunflower seeds for a few hours, oat groats and almonds overnight), strain water and leave them wet in the bowls, rinse them with water again and strain water twice a day until they germinate/sprout. Buckwheat gets slimy when soaked in water, so rinse them a few times after soaking. When it's warm, buckwheat and sunflower seeds sprout in a day or two (i.e., tiny white tails grow visibly). It's hard to tell when oat groats and almonds germinate, but I consider them ready for use around the time when buckwheat and sunflower seeds sprout. 

2. When all grains and seeds are ready for use, rinse them with water again and spread them on a cloth to air-dry them for an hour or so. 

3. Crush oat groats, almonds, and dry fruits in a blender. 

4. Mix #3 with the rest of the ingredients in a big bowl. 

5. This raw granola goes well with yogurt and fruit spread. 

You can dehydrate this raw granola if you like it crispy and crunchy and want to store it in room temperature. I don't bother to dehydrate it. I keep it in fridge, and it will stay fresh for several days. 

Black beans, avocado, corn, and bell pepper salsa

Black beans, corn, and avocado salsa (Photo by bodhilens)

This is a nutritious, easy-to-make, super-tasty salsa for main dish. 

Ingredients (for 4 servings as main dish):

3 cups of cooked black beans (about 2 cans)

1 cup of cooked corn kernels (about 1/2 can)

1 ripe avocado

1 red bell pepper and/or green bell pepper

1 can of diced tomato (with Mexican seasonings or add a pinch of cayenne pepper) 

Juice of 1 lime or lemon

A handful of cilantro (or 1 TBSP of cilantro paste*)

1-2 stems of green onion

1/4 cup of olive oil

1-2 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp of natural salt

For garnishing:

Whole milk yogurt (or sour cream)

Shredded cheese

BBQ sauce

Directions:

1. Chop avocado, bell pepper, cilantro, and green onion into small pieces. 

2. Cut lime into half and squeeze juice. Grate garlic. Mix them with the rest of seasonings. 

3. Mix 1 and 2 with black beans and corn kernels, and let the mixture rest in fridge for a while.

4. Garnish salsa with yogurt, shredded cheese, and/or BBQ sauce. Serve with tortilla or rice. 

*To make cilantro paste, get a bunch of cilantro, wash and dry it, put it in blender along with 1 clove of garlic, 1 TBSP of olive oil, and a pinch of natural salt, and run the blender until the mixture becomes paste. Spread cilantro paste thin in a ziploc. Store it in freezer. Break it into pieces and use a piece or two as you need. 

"Ganmodoki" (Japanese tofu fritter) and steamed broccoli and scrambled egg with oyster-mayonnaise sauce

Photo by bodhilens

"Ganmodoki" means pseudo-goose in Japanese. I've heard that Japanese Buddhist monks invented it for poultry substitute. Traditionally it's deep-fried, but this oven-baked version turned out to be yummy and easier to make. Also, whoever first thought of mixing oyster sauce and Japanese mayonnaise is genius, I think. The sauce amazingly goes well with steamed broccoli and scrambled egg. 

Ingredients for ganmodoki (for about 16 pieces):

1 large or 2 small packs of firm tofu (14 oz)

1/3 pack of dry "hijiki" seaweed

2 carrots

5 "shiitake" mushroom (or any other mushrooms)

5 "ao-jiso" leaves (green perilla) (or green onion)

1 egg

3 TBSP of "katakuriko" (potato starch)

1 TBSP of cooking rice wine (or any white cooking wine)

2 tsp of soy sauce

1/2 tsp of sea salt

Sesame oil (for brushing)

"Ponzu" (citrus soy sauce, for dipping)

Directions:

1. Strain water from tofu by wrapping it with a cotton cloth or paper towel and heating it in microwave for a few minutes.

2. Wash and soak hijiki in water, while grating carrots, chopping mushrooms and ao-jiso. 

3. Squeeze water out of hijiki, and crush tofu.

4. Mix all and add seasonings (except for sesame oil). If the mixture is too loose, add more katakuriko until it clumps. 

5. Preheat oven at 400F. 

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take 2 TBSP of the mixture, make a small patty, and put in on the paper. Brush all patties with sesame oil.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the patties turn golden blown. 

8. Serve ganmodoki with ponzu. 

Ingredients for steamed broccoli and scrambled egg with oyster-mayonnaise sauce (for 2 people):

1/2 bunch of broccoli floret

1 egg

2 TBSP of oyster sauce

2 TBSP of Japanese mayonnaise

1-2 smidgens of stevia

Directions:

1. Cut broccoli floret into a bite size and steam them. 

2. Make scrambled egg

3. Mix #1 and #2 with the seasonings.

Roasted dandelion roots (and roasted barley) for a coffee substitute

I've been learning a lot to enjoy eating dandelions this year. In late spring, I infused mature leaves and young roots in apple cider vinegar, and I've been using the mineral-rich, less acidic vinegar for a salad dressing (dandelion leaf and root vinegar tastes milder than apple cider vinegar itself due to a lot of calcium in the leaves and starch-like inulin in the roots extracted by vinegar). In early fall, I harvested re-emerged young leaves as salad greens, which was surprisingly tasty, like arugula. Now I'm harvesting a lot of thick tap roots to roast for a caffeine-free coffee substitute. Here are my steps:

1. Wash harvested dandelion roots well, air-dry and chop them up.
2. Roast the roots in the oven at between 200F and 250F (with the oven door slightly open) for a few hours until they turn dark brown with chocolaty aroma.
3. Grind the roasted roots in the blender.
4. Make decoction (boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes) with 3 teaspoonful of ground roasted roots in a mug-cupful of water.

Roasted dandelion root decoction tastes like weak but bitter coffee, so I usually add a smidgen of stevia and 1 teaspoonful of heavy cream to make it taste like cafe ole. To make it even more flavorful, I roast barley (preferably germinated for a few days) in a frying pan (about 20-30 minutes in low heat) and mix it with roasted dandelion roots (about 2:1 ratio). Roasted barley seems to add boldness and sweetness. I plan to grow chicory next year. Hope I will be able to harvest the chicory roots to add to the mix by this time next year.

Roasted dandelion roots mixed with roasted barley

Ground roasted dandelion roots and barley

Roasted dandelion roots and barley cafe ole with a curious cockatiel

Sharing dill and parsley with black swallowtail caterpillars

A very acrobatic black swallowtail caterpillar by bodhilens

The black swallowtail we saw in July must have laid a lot of eggs in our yard. We found two caterpillars on dill in a pot in August. They ate up all fresh leaves and left (or captured by other creatures). We enjoyed watching them eating and growing happily, and I had already harvested some leaves and seeds, so it was all good, except that their sudden disappearance was disappointing. Then, in September, half a dozen caterpillars showed up on parsley in a pot. I divided the plant and transplanted some from the pot to the ground, hoping to save some leaves for me to harvest for a little longer. That was a good idea. Parsley in the ground grew well and spread quite a bit. I also took two caterpillars in the house and went to a store to buy a bunch of parsley to feed them, hoping to see them metamorphosing into butterflies. That was a big mistake. I was saddened to find them dead in the following morning. I learned that they could not tolerate a trace of pesticides on store-bought non-organic parsley, though I rinsed it thoroughly before feeding it to them. I felt really bad about killing two caterpillars and decided to give all parsley in our yard to their siblings. Two caterpillars were on the parsley in the ground until a few days ago, but now they are gone. I hope that they left to be chrysalises somewhere else and will show up as butterflies in our yard next spring.

Dill flowers with a bee by bodhilens

Echinacea infusion

Echinacea infusion

This summer I tried echinacea infusion for sore throat and ear ache. According to botanists/herbalists, the medicinal properties of echinacea are concentrated on its roots, but I did not want to cut a piece of roots from blooming echinacea, so I harvested some flower tops, leaves, and stems. Also, experts suggest that echinacea should be taken as tincture (of fresh root) or tea (of dried flower tops, leaves, and stems) for herbal remedy, but I had neither form of echinacea handy, so I made infusion of fresh flower tops, leaves, and stems. The below is my notes for the experiment and the results. 

1. Rinsed harvested herb with water. Put 3 flower tops and 2 cups of chopped leaves and stems in a quart mason jar, poured boiling water over the herb until it filled up to the top of the jar, and closed the jar with a lid. 

2. Waited for 2 hours or so until the infusion turned golden brown. Sipped a teacupful, warm. It's hard to describe the flavor. Reminded me of Japanese twig tea. It's not bitter. 

3. Let the rest of the infusion sit for another 2 hours or so. Sipped another teacupful, lukewarm. Began feeling some positive effects on me. Took out the herb from the jar and stored the rest in fridge. 

4. Sipped 2 more cups, chilled, over several hours. 

After drinking the quart of echinacea infusion, I noticed some positive effects on me, so I made another quart and sipped a teacupful at a time throughout a day. Within 2 days, my sore throat and ear ache were totally gone. I never expected herbal infusion to be noticeably effective because no commercial herbal/medicinal tea bags have ever worked well on me. As a back-story, I gave echinacea in my yard extra attention and care this spring because the young shoots were chewed up by flee beetles and the growth was stunted. I felt as if the echinacea shared her loving and healing energy with me in return when I needed it this summer.