Slightly Sweet!

In my eagerness for a good deal at the grocery store I found myself with several bags of Cuties. You know, those cute little mandarin oranges that peel super easy and have no seeds. After a week of eating them 4 at a time I still have an over abundance so I thought, dressing! I wanted something slightly sweet to offset the strength of the kale and the tangy granny smith apple but would also do well with the creaminess of avocado.

The dressing isn't overly thick but has sticking power on the kale and other ingredients. I think it would be nice drizzled over any greens or even roasted broccoli. I may play with this a bit and see if it can be adapted to stand up to some Brussels sprouts. 

Mandarin Coriander Dressing

4 Mandarin oranges, peeled and separated
1/4 c. grape seed oil
1/2 t. ground coriander
pinch of sea salt

Combine mandarin oranges, coriander and pinch of salt in blender. Cover and start on low setting. While on low setting drizzle grape seed oil into mixture. When all the oil has been added, turn on high speed and blend for 2 minutes.

For the kale salad I used:
3 cups of kale, torn into bite size pieces
1/2 granny smith apple, diced
1/4 avocado, diced
1/4 c. grape tomatoes,halved
scant handful of raw almonds, rough chop

Notes: I used Cuties brand for the Mandarins. Super sweet and delicious all with out seeds to make it a little easier. Toss what ever you like in your salad - other ideas I kicked around were carrots, edamame, thinly sliced red cabbage - the possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!

Almond Vegetables in Brown Sauce

Sometimes you start out making one thing and for various reasons something better happens. What was going to be a cashew vegetable recipe turned into almond vegetables with a rich brown sauce. Cooking the mushrooms seperately and in a dry non-stick skillet helps them retain a meaty texture.

Almond Vegetables in Brown Sauce

 

16 oz. Button mushrooms, sliced
2/3 C. Slivered almonds
1 T. Canola or peanut oil
3 c. broccoli florets
1 medium onion, cut into ½” pieces
1 medium red pepper, cut into ½” pieces
1 medium zucchini, diced into ½” pieces
1 medium yellow squash, diced into ½” pieces
1 c. water
1 ½ t. cornstarch
2 T. soy sauce
½ t. Sesame oil
1 T. Rice Wine Vinegar
½ T. Raw sugar
1/8 t. ground ginger
Salt to taste


In a dry large skillet, toast the slivered almonds over medium heat, stirring frequently. Set aside. In same skillet add mushrooms and cook over medium heat until water has evaporated and they begin to wrinkle and brown. Set aside.


Add canola or peanut oil to skillet and broccoli florets, stir fry over medium-high heat until semi-tender (about 5 minutes), remove from skillet and set aside. Add onion and red peppers and stir fry until onion is translucent, and then add zucchini and yellow squash. Reduce heat to medium and stir fry until soft and squash shrinks a bit (about 5 minutes). Remove all veggies and set aside with broccoli. Remove skillet from heat.


In a container with a leak proof lid, add water, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, sugar, and ground ginger. Shake well to dissolve the cornstarch into the liquids. Add the liquid, carefully, into the hot skillet, place back on heat and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat and let liquid reduce for 3 minutes. You will see the color of the sauce getting darker. Add the broccoli mixture back into the pan and stir until sauce reduces to desired thickness and all veggies are coated.

Top with mushrooms and toasted almonds and enjoy!

Notes: Toasting nuts hardly takes any time, so watch them carefully, I tend to stir them the entire time to prevent burning. Use any veggies you like for this dish, cook the denser heavier ones first as they take longer to soften up.

Health Bars or Cookies???

I get tired of paying between $2-3 for various 'bars' at the grocery store just so I can have a quick fix when I need it.  So I decided to make my own.  After reading too many labels to count I decided to keep it simple for a first try and I think these are pretty darn good.  Almonds, Medjool dates, coco powder, dried cherries and vanilla are it...super simple. You can use any dried fruit to make your own!

 

Almond Date Bars

15 Medjol dates, pitted

1 c. raw almonds

1/2 c. dried cherries

1/8 c. cocoa powder

2 t. vanilla extract

Place almonds in food processor and start by pulsing.  Run for a minute until finely chopped, not butter. Add the pitted dates, dried cherries, cocoa powder and vanilla extract.  Run the processor for approximately 3 minutes until chopped and blended well.

Line a 9' x 9' pan with parchment paper and pour the date mixture into the pan. Press down firmly. Cover with more parchment paper and place in refrigerator until cool. Pull entire square out of pan by edges of parchment paper and cut with a sharp knife into desired size bars.

I carry them around for a snack in those brown wax paper bags you can find at most stores.