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Kimchi Success!

After three failed attempts, I finally made a yummy batch of kimchi. There are so many recipes on the web, and such variety of ingredients and method. Finally, though, with these instructions that my friend gave me, I got it right.

http://www.traditionaltx.us/Heidi's%20kimchi%20recipe.pdf

What I liked about this recipe is that there are pictures. And the author encourages a lot of flexibility in the spices that you add. For example, I cut out the hot spices and garlic and focused more on the ginger. I also switched out the Napa cabbage for basic cabbage, because in my previous batches, the Napa went too limp. It was probably my fault, but even so, I had much better luck with the regular cabbage, and plus it's cheaper!

Kimchi is addictive, in case you've never had any.  Being fermented, it smells a little weird. However, onnce you've had even just a little bit, you just want more! You feel good after you eat it. Happy tummy!

 

My Favorite Kitchen Gadget

Without a doubt, my favorite kitchen gadget is a tofu press. It is such a mess-free and effective way of draining water from tofu. The tofu comes out so dense and easy to slice and marinate. Before then, I'd used paper towels (lots of them!) to soak up the water. It was almost not worth the time and trouble. When I saw the tofu press price tag ($40!), it was a little shocking for something that has only one single purpose, but I went ahead and took the plunge.

In the photo at left, I've been pressing the liquid out for about an hour. Notice all the liquid! 

I got it on Amazon. Just search on TofuXpress.

As far as my favorite ways of making tofu: by far, it's plain-old fried tofu. It gives it the best texture. But, I'm always looking for good recipes to shake things up a bit.

Tastes like grape juice

Cycles Gladiator Syrah is an absolutely delicious wine. So smooth, and it doesn't have that initial shock to your system that some stronger wines have when you take the first few sips. Cycles Gladiator is fairly cheap too, at about $7.00 a bottle. This wonderful discovery came to me thanks to Susan, the wine lady at Kroger, who recommended it when I asked her where the Shiraz was. She explained to me that the grape in Syrah is the same grape as in Shiraz (which is my favorite type of red wine). THe difference is that Shiraz denotes the grape is from Australia wherease Syrah means it's from any where else. In this case, California. So, basically if you like Shiraz, you'll also like Syrah. And, Cycles Gladiator is one Syrah that you need to try.

I can't explain the weird brand name of "Cycles Gladiator." What's up with that?

Well, anyway, Cycles Gladiator Syrah goes deliciously with a nice broth-based soup and a toasty roll. In fact, that's what we're having for supper tonight.

Yummy kale salad

After being turned off to greens pretty much my whole life, it's official: I'm now a huge fan of kale. According to the signs at Whole Foods, kale is one of the healthiest foods that you can eat. Tons of vitamin K, A and C and some anti-cancer properties as well. In case you've never seen it, kale is a fairly thick leafy green with a hearty stem. You can find it in produce not too far from the broccoli.

Here's a very simple and highly addictive recipe for kale salad.

1 bunch of kale
1.5 T lemon juice (I use the stuff in the bottle.)
2 T of olive oil - or more (!)
a sprinkling of salt

Wash and rinse the kale. Tear into small pieces. I don't like the stems, so those get discarded. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and mix very well with your two hands. This is called "massaging the kale". See picture above. Massage with gusto! This removes some bitterness from the kale. Let the salad sit for a while; and it will taste even better. Unlike wimpier salads, it will not wilt.

Variations:

• You can add garlic, but if you do, make sure the salad sits for a while so that the lemon juice can cook the garlic a bit
• You can add anything crunchy; my favorite is bacon bits. I also like sunflower seeds and pine nuts.

This is just yummy. I make this at least 3 times a week. My husband even likes this salad.

My new favorite tea

Have you tried Bigelow Chai Spice decaf tea? It's such a rich tea that smells so good while brewing and sipping, and the taste is almost decadent, at least as far as teas go. Is it the real chai tea that you'd get in India? Well, probably not, but for the convenience and money, it's a darn good alternative.

The authentic way to drink chai tea is with milk and sugar. I skip the milk and go for sugar alone, about a teaspoon full.

The downside of chai tea is that it is black tea, which doesn't have the healthy reputation that green and white teas enjoy. It made me curious as to whether black tea has any benefits at all? One website indicates that black tea contains anti-oxidants. Chai also has a lot of spices, which are supposed to be good for you: ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon and pepper... yes, pepper!I guess the bottom line is that there are a lot more healthful teas available in green, white and red. However, if you want a yummy drink, you could do a LOT worse than chai tea.

I wonder how chai tea tastes in the summer when the weather is so hot. Chai may be best in the winter when it's so cold out.

A good idea for supper

My struggle with cooking supper is meat... and working late! Typically, I'll buy meat and intend to cook it up, but then 2 or 3 days of working late and being too tired to cook and then wondering whether the meat is still good: well, I just end up throwing the meat away!

I tried something tonight that may be my answer: frozen packages of chicken breasts. (See picture to the left.) These are from Target, of all places. They are "all natural" and they are very easy to cook: Just stick in the oven at 375 for about 40 minutes. I coated them in my usual mixture of dijon mustard, parmesan cheese and English muffin crumbs, and they tasted really good! I asked Charles if he could tell the difference, and my sweet husband said they were delicious!

This solves a big problem for me.

My new favorite dessert

Have you tried Publix brand PeachMangoPassion sherbet? It is dee-licious! This tri-flavored sherbet is very creamy, it's pretty and the calories are decent, especially for such a rich-tasting experience. So far, I've just eaten it plain, but it would be good on a slice of angel food cake or with a couple of sugar cookies. Something like this would be perfect at a bridal or baby shower because it's so refreshing and the colors are so festive.

As far as the price? I don't remember, but it didn't seem inexpensive at the time.

I like the sherbet package because it's plastic and holds up better than cardboard packaging. (And, to appease the green people out there: I do plan to re-use the container!)

Give your tastebuds a lift!

Cucumbers weigh a lot!

I had a hankering for one of my favorite salads today at lunch: iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and ranch dressing. Yum!

Sticker shock hit me though at the checkout when I set my salad on the scale. The total came to $5.25. This was not a huge salad either; it probably would have fit on a medium-sized paper plate. I was surprised but too hungry to return it for something cheaper. The cashier explained, "Yeah, those cucumbers will cost you..." Who knew that cucumbers weighed so much!

A good snack

A good afternoon snack can be challenging! Anything sweet, and I completely lose my appetite for supper. I usually end up grabbing a hand full of smoked almonds about 4:30 in the afternoon. They are yummy, but even I who loves salt thinks they are a bit salty. Yesterday, on a whim, after I grabbed my little portion of almonds, I also added some raisins to the mix. Yum! It is delicious! The salty almonds combined with the chewy raisins will really perk up your taste buds! After several experiments, I've determined that one smoked almond with two raisins is the perfect ratio.

What about you? What is your perfect afternoon snack?

Yummy Arugula

I'm a fan of Arugula lettuce! A medium green color and very delicate looking, it makes a delicious salad and the leaves are a good size that don't require much cutting up. Add feta cheese, some sliced almonds and it's just a perfect lunch. My preferred dressing is an olive oil / red wine vinegar dressing that I first had at my friend Virginia's.

Believe it or not, if I have them on hand, I add Bacon Bits... the artificial kind. Did you know that they are actually quite healthy, being made primarily from soy? The crunch is their best part!

Do you like salads too? What are some good "extras" that you like to add to salad?