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Green Cabbage Kimchi

4/7/2024

 
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This kimchi is an essentialist simplification of kimchi. Green cabbage is arguably available everywhere, and even organic cabbage is widely available. It also lasts a long time in the fridge or on the counter. 
This recipe can even be reduced further so that the result is sauerkraut. 
Note on salt: use plain table salt or pickling salt. Do not use mineralized salt. 
1 whole green cabbage (can usually fit into a half gallon mason jar, if you really stuff it!)
Jar(s)
Salt

1 tbs Korean chili flakes or gojuchang paste (use less if you’re unsure about spicy level. Use more more for more spicy.)
(Optional) Gloves, to keep chili off of your hands 


Optional: Flavorings
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Fish sauce
Soy sauce 
1-3 teaspoons of sugar (brown sugar is good too)
Garlic - you can go crazy here, they can go in whole or you can mince them, or do whatever. All good.


Bonus veggies: 
Radish, sliced into matchsticks or quarter moons
Dandelion greens- just rip them up and put them in
Onion - any kind, slice them up or keep them chunky
Apple or pear, sliced
Carrot
Kale
Raw oysters (I know, crazy)
Anything that is about to go bad, that is fibrous. No spinach.



Directions
Reserve several large cabbage leaves.
Cut cabbage into quarters, top to bottom. This makes the cabbage workable. Decide what shape you want the cabbage in, do you want think shreds or quarts or rectangles? Shreds will ferment quicker because of the larger surface area. Discard the tough stem - or be adventurous and consciously add it to your ferment. 
Put the chopped cabbage in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt, like you’re seasoning a salad. You don’t want it too salty or too bland. 
Rough up the salted cabbage with your hands, squishing and crunching it. You’re breaking down the cell walls so it’s easier for fermentation to start. (Add bonus veggies here)
Let sit, so water starts to sweat out of the cabbage. 
Add chili flakes or gojuchang paste and incorporate. 
Optional: more flavorings.
If you’re wanting to add soy sauce or fish sauce, rinse off some of the salt from the cabbage. Taste the cabbage before you put it in the jar. You still want it seasoned with an appropriate amount of salt. 

Now stuff - really stuff- your glass jar. If I’m using a jar with a big enough mouth, I use my hand to press the cabbage down as much as possible, so there are no gaps in the cabbage. Fill it very close to the top, and pour any liquid from the bowl into the jar. 
Take the reserved cabbage leaf and cover the kimchi, tucking it in around the edge of the jar. The goal here is to create a water lock, where air does not touch the kimchi. If there is enough liquid from the bowl to cover the cabbage, perfect, if not, top up the jar with some purified water. Cover the jar with a cheese cloth or parchment paper, secured with a rubber band or the jar ring. The fermentation will rust a lid, so you need to have something else in place. You just want something in between the contents of the jar and the lid. Do not fully close a lid, since there will be gas forming in the jar. You do NOT want exploding kimchi. I’m speaking from experience. Nothing like a 6 foot geyser of kimchi juice. Just saying. 

Fermentation time! 
Let it sit on the counter for a few days. You’ll start to see bubbles form in the jar after a few hours, depending on how warm it is. 
Start tasting it after a day, so you can start to understand the process and the funkiness of it. After tasing, make sure all the cabbage is still submerged. When it starts to taste like you like it, move it in the fridge to slow the fermentation process, or just start eating it with every meal because it’s so good and you’re going to eat the whole giant jar in a few days anyway, lol. (Kimchi lasts a good three weeks on the counter with no refrigeration. If you start to see any mold, scoop it out) If the kimchi starts to get soft, and it’s not as pleasant to eat on it’s own, make kimchi pancakes/latkes. They’re sooo good, even served with applesauce and or sour cream. 

Enjoy!
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Sweet peppers and onions

5/30/2021

 
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This is a very forgiving recipe. You can cook it for 20 to 40minutes, seriously. It’s very tasty whether it cooks for a short or long time. It’s also good hot or cold. It’s a winner. 

Ingredients
  • 1 onion
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 yellow or orange pepper

Directions
  1. Cut off the top and bottom of the onion. Cut in half from top to bottom. Remove outer layer. Slide as seen above. 
  2. Add onions and peppers to pan at medium-high heat, with a 1 tbs of olive oil in the pan. Sprinkle with salt. Stir occasionally. Serve after cooking for 20 or more minutes. 

Rack of lamb with sweet peppers and pita

5/28/2021

 
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This is a surprisingly tasty recipe for how easy it is. Below is the recipe for the lamb. Here is the recipe for the peppers. Swap out pita for buckwheat, or lentils to lower the glycemic index of this meal. 

Ingredients
  • Rack of lamb, 5-6 bones
  • Pita
  • 1/2 an onion
  • 6 cloves of garlic

Directions
  1. Salt lamb ~two hours before cooking. This means heavily sprinkling salt on the whole lamb
  2. Bring pan to medium high heat. Add olive oil, smashed garlic cloves, and onion. Begin to sear the sides of the lamb. For 5-6 ribs, I hand to cut them in half for them to fit better. While you’re doing this, make sure to move around the garlic and onion. They’re going to get super delicious and caramelized. Searing means that you cook on medium high heat until one side of the meat starts to get brown, then you move to another part, until all parts are browned. But it’s not cooked all the way on the inside! This is good. Keeping it generously pink in the middle is the most delicious. You can actually taste the meat. Pull the onion and garlic out when they’re dark, I mean DARK, and still edible. 
  3. Remove the meat from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes: put it on a plate or cutting board (make sure the juice can’t drip off). Put a plate on top, or a foil tent, to keep the heat in. 
  4. Cut the meat into individual sections. The meat is done! 

Start the peppers the same time as you start the meat. Artistically place the lamb on top of the peppers. Serve with pita. Level up by adding a dollop of yogurt to the plate. 

Keep it simple: spinach pasta, Adele’s andouille sausage, and arugula salad

5/28/2021

 
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An easy meal when the world is crazy around you. 

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No-cook grocery store meal: Lobster/seafood party in Florida

5/28/2021

 
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Cooked seafood: Lobster, shrimp
Basic salad of kale with lemon, olive oil with salt
Kimchi
Avocado
Lemon + olive oil dipping sauce for seafood
Seafood salad (yes, seafood with mayo and Cajun seasoning)

Bison meatballs

5/25/2021

 
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I got some ground bison from a farmer’s market in Ybor City in Tampa, Florida. The harissa was on the sale table at the Publix and the inspiration for this meal. This meal is flavor-filled and gluten free. 

Sides are arugula and cucumber salad with a lemon and sesame oil dressing, and Korean carrots (which is actually a Russian recipe). 

The recipe below is just for the meatballs.

Ingredients
  • One pound ground bison
  • Two strips of prosciutto
  • one egg
  • pinch of salt
  • handfull of chopped parsley
  • 1/2 onion

Directions
  1. Chop onion and add to pan with 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Cook 10 minutes.
  2. While onion is cooking, prepare the meatball mixture: combine egg, parsley, pinch of salt. Chop prosciutto into little pieces and add to the mixture, making sure that the piece don’t stick together. 
  3. Add cooked onion and mix thoroughly. 
  4. Add 1 tbs of oil to the pan, over medium heat. 
  5. Roll out 1-inch meatballs and put in pan. Cook for 5 minutes then check to see if the meatballs are releasing from the pan. (I’m still getting used to this pan, it took longer than expected for them to release from the pan.) Once the meatballs release from the pan, flip them. You want them to be just cooked.. a little color on at least two sides. Enjoy!



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Chicken arugula salad with miso yogurt dressing

5/23/2021

 
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Ingredients (For a meal for 2 people)
  • Cooked chicken, two boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • optional: 1/2cup cooked buckwheat
  • Two big handfuls of arugula
  • 1/2 cup non-fat yogurt
  • 1 packet instant miso, or one tablespoon miso paste
  • 1 tbs chopped onion
  • optional: handful of cranberries on top

Directions
  1. Chop chicken into bite size pieces. Chicken should be room temperature or warmer.
  2. Mix yogurt and miso together in big bowl. Combine all ingredients, making sure the yogurt dressing coats all of the arugula. Serve.




Red lentil dal

5/23/2021

 
The lentils should be saucy but not soupy. Remove the cloves and the cardamom pods (they're edible, though) before serving. 

Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated (3 cloves yield ~1 1/2 Tbsp)
  • 1 tsp grated ginger
  • 3 cloves and/or cardamom (smash the cardamom), whole - Remove these before serving
  • 1 teaspoon salt or chicken bouillon

Directions
Add oil to the pan, along with garlic and ginger. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add red lentils, salt/bouillon, and water to cover the lentils 1/2 inch. Add cloves or cardamom. Bring to boil and cook for 20-30 minutes... test the lentils to make sure they’re done, meaning that the center of the lentil is no longer hard.

Poached/brothy fish with onions, tomatoes and mushrooms, over red lentils

5/23/2021

 
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This recipe takes about 20 minutes. It’s a fast and fresh dinner than works in every season. 
​
Ingredients
  • ​1-1.5 lbs of fresh, never frozen, fish
  • 1/2 of a yellow or white onion
  • 1 tomato
  • 1/4 cup mushrooms, fresh or preserved
  • Chicken stock (I use Better than Bouillon in water)
  • 1 tbs olive oil for pan

Directions
  1. Slice onion into strips from top to bottom of the onion.
  2. Bring pan to medium heat, add olive oil, and sauté onion for 5 minutes.
  3. add chicken stock so it’s 1/4-1/2in deep in the pan. Bring to boil. Add mushrooms to the pan.  If using fresh mushrooms, allow them to cook for 5 minutes, then add sliced tomatoes. Allow it all to cook together for a minute, then add fish. Lay fish flat in the pan. If it’s a big piece and some of it rides up on the side of the pan, that’s ok. 
  4. Cover the pan and cook. If it’s a thin piece of fish, 4 minutes will be plenty. If it’s a thicker, meatier fish, then check to see if the fish is done by taking a look at the thickest section of the fish. If it’s still translucent, it’s not done. Fish is best just-cooked. Overcooked fish tends to be smellier and less tender. Err on the side of less-done fish, since the residual heat of the pan and broth will continue to cook the fish. 
  5. ​Serve over red lentils.

Bright, crunchy chicken or shrimp salad recipe

5/23/2021

 
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This salad serves as a full meal. It’s easy to make, and fast, because there aren’t too many ingredients, yet it’s so very delicious. The crunch of the cabbage pairs well with the savory chicken or shrimp. The dressing is a simplified Vietnamese nuoc cham. 

Ingredients
  • Cabbage, sliced onto thin strips, or purchase pre-shredded slaw
  • Cooked protein: Chicken or shrimp
  • A handful of cashews/person
  • Cilantro
  • Green onion
  • For the dressing: 1 tbs fish sauce, 1 tbs lime juice, 2 tablespoons water. Optional: 1 tbs of sugar

Directions
Combine all ingredients, coating everything in the dressing. Enjoy.
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