Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Butternut Squash Stir-fry with Shredded Chicken, Red Peppers, Mango, and Cashews

Perhaps an unexpected combination of vegetables, this salad dances the line between sweet, savory, and sour. Hitting all notes perfectly. The chopped red cabbage provides crunch and a slight bitterness which pairs perfectly with the sweet butternut squash, and bright, juicy mango. In addition, the red pepper creates the slightest bit of spice and further sweetness. It’s all capped off with oodles of crunchy cashews. Of course feel free to make this vegetarian by skipping the chicken, or add any protein you wish.

The unexpected star of this dish is really the red cabbage. Sadly, this is one of the most over-looked vegetables, and is really only eaten in the form of coleslaw often swimming in pools of mayonnaise.  But, its nutritional benefits are great and shouldn’t be dismissed. Part of the cruciferous family of vegetables, (think broccoli, cauliflower) it’s thought to help cleanse and protect the body. Similar to blueberries, red cabbage contains polyphenols which provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits to the body.

This stir-fry is truly better than anything you could buy pre-packaged and is exponentially better for you, feeding your body with nutrients it wants and needs. I have to say, this combination is a bit addictive, especially with the addition of the light sweet and sour dressing.  Serve this atop rice noodles.

Crunch, nibble, and happily slurp away!

Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Butternut Squash Stir-fry with Shredded Chicken, Mango, and Cashews
Adapted from The New York Times
Yields: 4 servings

• 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari
• 1 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• Heavy pinch ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 pound butternut squash, cut in 1/2-inch dice
• 1 cup red bell pepper, julienned
• Salt to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds red cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• Flesh of one large mango, diced
• 1/2  cup toasted cashews
• Rice noodles for serving

In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the tamari, the rice wine vinegar, honey, sesame oil and cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sauté until cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the pan, and season to taste with 1 tablespoon of tamari. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken.

Add the remaining oil to the pan. When it is hot, add the butternut squash. Stir-fry until it begins to color, five to eight minutes. Add the bell pepper and sauté for two minutes or until it begins to soften. Add salt to taste, and the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for about 30 seconds, and add the cabbage. Stir-fry until the squash is tender and the cabbage is crisp-tender, about six minutes, adding about 1/4 cup water to the pan from time to time if the vegetables begin to stick. Return the chicken pieces to the pan.

Stir the sweet and sour dressing, and add to the vegetables. Stir just for a few seconds until they are glazed. Remove from the heat and serve atop rice noodles. Top the stir-fry with mango and cashews.

My Farmers’ Market: The Only Shopping I Actually Enjoy

Woke up a wee bit late today and made it to my farmers’ market just in time to grab what I needed for the week.  The upside to arriving late to a farmers’ market is…lower prices.  The farmers are beginning to pack up and want to get rid of as much produce as possible.  They are looking to make deals!  Sweet!

Inside my market tote: Eggplant, heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, rainbow chard, carrots, poblano pepper, peaches, apples, mint, spinach, lettuces, whole wheat sourdough bread

The stand at Boujikian Farms

Some winter squashes are beginning to make their appearance, but by all accounts, it’s still summer in southern California.  Lots of heirloom tomatoes, berries, corn and peaches.  Lovely.

Eggplant for Caponata I plan to make later this week

Here’s the link to my favorite Caponata recipe–It’s incredibly easy.  It just takes a bit of time to chop all the veggies.  I love it paired with grilled bread and fresh mozzarella, as it’s done in this Giada recipe.  Perfect!

Here are some more gorgeous pics of the farm stand produce.  Hopefully it will inspire you to create something delicious and healthy this week.

Purple-speckled Dragon Tongue Beans from Weiser Family Farms.

Michael Pollan would approve.  Go eat some greens!

Now go eat your veggies!

At the Farmers’ Market: Figs

Figs. Delicious, honey-ed, sweet figs.  I love them.  I don’t know what it is about these little guys—perhaps it’s because they remind me of Dutch still-life paintings, or Thanksgiving table centerpieces, or the sun-drenched Mediterranean where they grow in abundance.  While I don’t live in the Mediterranean,  I am lucky enough to live in California, where 98% of the nation’s fresh figs are grown, and Black Mission Figs (my favorite!) are beginning to show themselves at the farmers market.  There are so many ways to enjoy this sweet treat—quarter them and wrap in slices of prosciutto, stuff them with goat cheese and broil in the oven, or just pop them in your mouth.

For breakfast today I decided to top my plain goat’s milk yogurt with figs and strawberries, drizzled with honey.  The tang of the goat’s milk was the perfect complement to the honey-like sweetness of the figs.  Yum!

Here’s some pics of my gorgeous and delicious breakfast—plus some recipes to get you inspired about using figs in the kitchen.

Honey-Drizzled Figs and Strawberries over Goat Milk Yogurt

• Frisée Salad with Prosciutto, Roasted Figs, and Walnuts http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Frisee-Salad-with-Prosciutto-Roasted-Figs-and-Walnuts-105668

• Chicken with Figs in Ras-el-Hanout and Couscous (Try to find organic, pastured chicken, if possible) http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-with-Figs-in-Ras-el-Hanout-and-Couscous-354852

• Pork Loin with Fig and Port Sauce (Look for good quality, all-natural pork, such as Niman Ranch) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/pork-loin-with-fig-and-port-sauce-recipe/index.html

• Cornmeal and Fig Cake with Pine Nuts http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cornmeal-and-Fig-Cake-with-Pine-Nuts-232103

• Grilled Honey-Orange Figs with Mascarpone and Pistachios http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-honey-orange-figs-with-mascarpone-and-pistachios-recipe/index.html

Did you know: The fig tree is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world?   Traces of cultivated fig trees dating to over 11,000 years have been found in several parts of the Mediterranean.

Protein Powerhouse: Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad

After dying in yoga this morning (thank you, Elizabeth!) I was craving protein.  What I really wanted was a tuna salad sandwich, but with all that mayonnaise and added saturated fat I knew I should eat something a bit lighter and healthier.  Something that would feed my body better.  So, I looked in my cupboard and found a can of cannellini beans and a can of tuna, a classic Italian combination.  Here is the result: Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad

Ingredients

1- Can of tuna packed in water and drained (I prefer to buy a brand that is MSC certified and pole-caught, such as American Tuna or Wild Planet – better quality tuna and better for the planet, too!)

½ Cup cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 Teaspoon fresh dill, chopped

1 Teaspoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 Tablespoon lemon zest

Juice from half a lemon

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

*Feel free to change the herbs.  I used dill and parsley because that’s what I had on-hand.  But fresh basil would be delicious, too.

 

Tuna and Cannellini Bean Salad with Fresh Spinach

 

Directions

Mix together the drained tuna and cannellini beans.  Add the fresh herbs, lemon zest and juice and mix.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over a mixed green salad or fresh spinach with lemon vinaigrette.  Drizzle the greens and tuna with a little extra olive oil.  Enjoy!

 

So Good!

 

 

 

What Exactly is Sustainable Food?

This trendy concept is a bit difficult to define.  Recently The Atlantic  devoted an entire article about the inability to officially define this increasingly popular idea.  But, there does seems to be a broad consensus among experts that sustainable food/eating is a system in which farmer/animal/food/consumer/environment/ are inextricably linked.  One always affects the other.  For better or worse.  Personally, I would like it to be for the better, and I’m sure you would too (you’re already reading this blog, aren’t you?).  And honestly, it seems simple enough to put into practice. Here are some of my simple rules that not only help me think about what I buy (because we, as consumers, have an extremely powerful vote every time we make a purchase) but, also, how it feeds my body and affects the environment:

1. Shop at your local farmers’ markets. (To me, this is the most important and fundamental idea to eating responsibly and healthily.)

Summer Corn at my Weekend Farmers Market

Choose to support your local farmer.  By shopping at farmers’ markets, instead of the big-box supermarket you support and contribute to independent family farms.  You are making the conscious decision, through your elective buying power, to buy and eat food that is picked at its peak of ripeness (more flavor! more nutrients!).  You are forced to eat seasonally—think tomatoes so juicy they burst with sweetness, tender asparagus that is just begging for a drizzle of good olive oil, winter squashes that make you think of curling up by the fire on a chilly autumn night.

Also, by putting yourself closer to the farmer you inevitably lessen the environmental impact that your food has on the world around you.  Less carbon dioxide from shipping, less soil erosion, less pesticides (chances are, the farmers at your local farmers’ market are small enough that their land is diversified.  Meaning, they are not a single crop operation.  A larger variety of crops means less pesticides, richer soil and more nutritious produce.)

2.  Try to Buy Organic Whenever Possible.

Spicy wild arugula

I say this with a caveat, however.  I urge you to seek out organic, because yes, when eating organic food you are getting more nutrients and eating a product that is not laden with chemical pesticides.  But, organic sodas, cakes and cookies do not count.  In fact, they hardly count as food.  Come on, who are you trying to fool?  Choose to buy organic whole foods:

Meat (poultry, beef—preferably pastured raised, meaning they lived on a diet of grass, not corn which is difficult for cows to digest.)

Fish (try to find sustainable fish, choose wild caught—not farmed—for the most nutritional benefit.  Also seek out fish that is lower on the food-chain, meaning, they’re the fish that other, bigger fish eat.  So, whenever possible choose smaller fish, such as wild-caught salmon, mackerel, sardines.  Even better, try to find seafood that is MSC certified, meaning the Marine Stewardship Council has given their stamp of approval.

Eggs (again pasture-raised will offer the most nutrients.  Since the chickens eat a nutritious diet of grass, their diet directly affects the quality and nutrition of the egg.  If you cannot find eggs from pastured chickens, then at the very least, look for organic.

Produce (fruits and vegetables without the addition of chemical pesticides which can, over time, harm the body)

*A Side Note:

Although I say try to buy organic, in truth, many small independent family farms cannot afford to be certified organic by the US government.  This does not mean that they use chemical pesticides, or that their products aren’t treated with respect and care.  They may still operate on a system that takes the welfare of the animal into consideration and their produce production does not utilize harmful pesticides.  When buying from local farmers, talk to them, create a dialogue and learn about their products.  This side note, brings me back to Rule Number 1. Whenever possible, shop at your local farmers’ market.

Gorgeous Heirloom Tomatoes at my weekend Farmers  Market

3. Eat Less Meat

That’s it.  This rule is pretty straightforward.  By choosing to eat less meat your impact on the environment decreases.  The production of animal products (meat, dairy, eggs) produces 40% more pollution than all three methods of transportation combined.

There are many other “rules” I could include, but to me, these are the most basic.  But, perhaps the best “rule” I could give is the most time-honored and practical.  Educate yourself.  Learn about what you eat.  Because meat doesn’t come in Styrofoam packages and tomatoes don’t grow in winter.

Reference:

Pollan, Michael. In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. (New York: Penguin Books,  2008).

The Kindling Trust. August 29, 2011. http://kindling.org.uk/sustainable-food-definition