General Tsao Tofu Stir-fry with Broccoli Rabe and brown rice #GardenCuizine

General Tsao Tofu Stir-fry

with Broccoli Rabe 

served over Brown Rice

Ingredients
1 bunch Broccoli Rabe
1 pkg Nasoya extra firm tofu (tofuplus has added vitamins)
Garlic - generous portion minced
Vegetable oil (we use sesame oil or peanut oil)
General Tsao's bottled Stir-fry Sauce (a blend of soy sauce, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, onion, garlic, spices; select whatever brand you prefer; available in most supermarkets; we select bottled sauces with natural ingredients) 

Prepare Broccoli Rabe
Rinse broccoli rabe; cut off thick ends; chop bunch into thirds; set aside in colander. Bring pot of water to boil. Add broccoli rabe and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and save the cooking liquid for other recipes (can use greens liquid when making quinoa, rice or soup). Set aside greens.

Stir Fry Tofu
Open package extra firm tofu, drain liquid. Line a pie plate with a clean dish towel and place the tofu in the center. Cover with the towel and place a few small cast iron skillets or other heavy weights on top as a press. Let excess water drain into towel for at least 30-minutes. Cut into bite-sized pieces.

In a large wok, on high heat, add a few tablespoons sesame oil. When hot, add tofu. Stir-fry until slightly brown. Remove and set aside cooked tofu.

Stir Fry Broccoli Rabe
Add a little more oil to wok if needed. On high heat, stir-fry prepared broccoli rabe. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until broccoli rabe is tender. Push greens up the side of wok, away from direct heat. Add chopped garlic to the center for 1 minute and then stir together with the greens.

Add the cooked tofu back in and add a small amount of General Tsao's stir-fry sauce. (Read the label; bottled sauces are usually high in sodium, so use sparingly.) Serve over brown rice. Enjoy!

Brown Rice:
1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon minced hot pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch salt and black pepper

Cook rice in a rice cooker or on stovetop in a pot with a lid (we use 4-inch deep Corning-ware) saute onion in olive oil. Add 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, stir. Stir in brown rice. Add water and pinch salt and pepper - bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer until all water is evaporated. 
Blog post and photos Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Quick and Easy Wok Stir Fry Sauce #recipe #GardenCuizine

Quick and Easy Wok Stir Fry Sauce

Ingredients
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon minced ginger
 
Putting it all together

• Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. 
• Stir fry whatever protein you plan to use - such as chicken, shrimp, pork or tofu - in a blend of hot sesame oil and peanut oil; remove from wok. 
• Add whatever veggies you plan on wok cooking. We often stir fry onions and zucchini slices and then add in partially cooked (steamed) carrots and broccoli. 
• Near the end of cooking, move the veggies to the side; add the Stir Fry Sauce to the middle of the Wok. Heat to boiling then stir and add your protein back to the wok; reduce heat and stir until all is coated with a light glaze and heated through.
• Serve over brown rice, quinoa, or noodles.

Enjoy!
Blog post and recipe Copyright (C)Wind. All rights reserved.

Zucchini and Onion veggie side dish #GardenCuizine

Zucchini and Onion 
veggie side dish

Stir fried zucchini and onion direct from your garden or your local market makes a quick cooked vegetable that is easy to prepare and can be on the table in less than 20 minutes. This is one of our favorite veggie side dishes for dinner. We served it tonight with sea bass and freekeh.

Serves 3-4
Ingredients
2 medium zucchini
1/2 large onion
2 tablespoons canola, peanut or olive oil
a few drops hot sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Putting it all together
Simply rinse and slice the zucchini in 1/4-inch rounds. Peel and slice the onion. Heat oil in a wok or skillet; add zucchini. Stir fry for a few minutes, then add the onion. Stir until the veggies begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper. Push the veggies to the outer edges of the pan or wok and add the garlic and ginger. Stir to cook and incorporate flavors.

For a complete meal, serve hot with 3 to 4 ounces low fat protein and a serving of whole grain, such as freekeh, rice or quinoa.

Buon appetito!
Related Links
Zucchini: A Growing Guide
Photos and recipe blog post Copyright ©2014 Wind. All rights reserved.

Sautéed Kale with roasted Tahini Sauce #GardenCuizine favorite!

Nutrient Dense

Sautéed Kale
with roasted Tahini Sauce

Back in the day, a favorite staple at my health food restaurant was Kale drizzled with tahini sauce. This was 15-25 years ago when Kale was not even popular in the main stream. Our health conscious customers would eat their kale and always comment "What was on the greens?" We sold many bottles of Helen's Pure Foods Michele's Sesame Tahini dressing back then. Michele's dressing is still available in the Philadelphia area if you want to check it out. Tahini dressing is high in fat*, so use it sparingly. *heart healthy monounsaturated fat from the pureed sesame seeds. You can whip up your own sesame tahini sauce at home too. All you need is some roasted tahini.

Many sesame tahini brands are on the market; look for roasted versus raw for best flavor. I often use Joyva brand. Having the highest oil content of any seed, sesame tahini will have a layer of oil on top even more than what you see with pure, natural peanut butter. It takes a little patience initially to cut into the settled brick of nut paste. Slowly cut and mix it to an emulsified consistency; it will be liquidy and much thinner than peanut butter. After mixing, store sesame tahini in the refrigerator and use as needed. Tahini adds flavor to homemade hummus recipes too.

Nutrient Dense Kale
Cruciferous vegetables include kale, cabbage, kohlrabi, cauliflower, collards, arugula, mustard greens, horseradish, broccoli, bok choy, watercress and Brussels sprouts. They are all cole crop members of the botanical genus Brassica. Kale (Brassica oleracea) has a long history and has been cultivated in kitchen gardens for over 2,000 years. 

Brassica veggies provide a wealth of nutrition and health benefits. Beneficial compounds may help prevent cancer. Boiling may decrease the bioavailability of beneficial glucosinolates, so steaming or sautéing is recommended as a preferable cooking method. Eat more of these vegetables as part of your healthy diet. To make Kale with roasted tahini dressing here's what you will need:

Serves 4 (with plenty of extra dressing to save for another time)
Ingredients
bunch Kale - from your garden or from the market - organic preferably
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon dried hot pepper - optional
 
Tahini dressing:
4 tablespoons roasted sesame tahini
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
splash low sodium soy sauce
splash hot chili sesame oil

Putting it all together

• Rinse kale; no need to use a salad spinner to dry kale; any water on the leaves will help cook the kale
• Pull kale off stems and break into bite size pieces using your hands; set aside in a strainer
• chop the kale stems into small pieces
• chop the onion
• Mince garlic and if desired, pinch dried hot pepper from your garden

In a small bowl, combine tahini dressing ingredients and gently whisk until well blended. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste; add more or less water to desired consistency. Set aside.  

In a wok or large skillet, heat olive oil - sauté chopped onion and kale stems until onion is transparent and kale bits are tender. Add garlic, stir. Add kale and stir. Add a little (1-3 tablespoons) water, cover and simmer until tender.

Serve kale drizzled with tahini dressing and enjoy!

Grow your own Kale
Seeds are available from many providers. Look for heirlooms.

• Italian Lacinato Nero di Toscana 
• Dwarf Blue curled Scotch Kale
• Red Russian Kale 
• Redbor

GardenCuizine Kale Nutrition Data:  approximately 2 cup raw/ 1 cup sautéed Kale (not including other ingredients)
Excellent source: Vitamin A, vitamin C, Vitamin K, Copper, Manganese, Isothiocyanates
Good source: dietary Fiber, Thiamin, Riboflavin, vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Potassium

Dietary Fiber 2.6g (10% DV); Protein 4.4g (8% DV); omega 3 fatty acids 242 mg; Vitamin A 20,604 IU (412% DV WOW!);  Vitamin C 160mg (268% DV); Vitamin K 1,094 mcg (1,368% DV); Thiamin 0.2mg (10% DV); Riboflavin 0.2mg (10% DV); Vitamin B6 0.4mg (18% DV); Folate 38mcg (10% DV); Calcium 181mg (18% DV); Potassium 598mg (18% DV); Copper 0.4mg (20% DV); Manganese 1.0mg (52% DV)

Related Links
Growing Cole Crops 
Crispy Kale Chips
Eat More Kale - but Make Sure it's Edible Kale
Photo collage and blog post Copyright (C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.

Daikon never looked so good! #GardenCuizine @EatRight

Japanese Daikon Radish

Chefs add the crisp, mild flavor of Japanese daikon radish to salads, stir-fries, sushi and recipes - often sliced thin and marinated. The salad shown above was served at Lambertville Station in Lambertville, NJ - featuring Lobster​ claw, colossal crab, baby watercress, chopped plum tomato, topped with daikon radish and scallions on a bed of boston bibb lettuce. Orange peppercorn vinaigrette complimented the salad.  

Try Daikon sliced raw or pickled. Combine daikon radish with carrots for a winning combination. Grow Daikon radish (Raphanus sativus) in your garden: direct sow; prefers full sun. The thick white roots grow 2 to 3-inches wide and up to 24-inches long. Daikon greens are edible too. Harvest in late fall or early winter. We plan to grow daikon and burdock root this year. 

• Enjoy Daikon radish as a good source of Vitamin C

Related Links
Daikon Radish Nutrition 
Photo and blog post Copyright(C)2013 Wind. All rights reserved.

GardenCuizine Recipe: Chicken Veggie Wok Stir-fry over Ginger Brown Rice

Chicken Veggie Wok Stir-fryover Ginger Brown Rice

Wok vegetable Stir-fries are nutritious, quick and easy. They make delicious side dishes, without protein, or can easily become a main dish by adding poultry, meat, vegetarian tofu or tempeh, served over rice.

Wok cooking is best over high heat. High heat Wok cooking enables the food to be cooked quickly with little oil, sealing in the vitamins and nutrients. In addition, Wok cooking brings out fantastic flavors in the vegetables by caramelizing some of their natural sugars.

We use whatever veggies are in season from the garden and/or whatever is on hand. The oil used for a stir-fry should have a medium-high smoke point. Once cooking has begun, it is important to keep an eye on your Wok. You want the oil to heat up, but not get so hot that it smokes. At that point carcinogens are going into the air and free radicals into the oil.* The GardenCuizine recipe below uses hot Sesame oil and Canola, both have medium-high smoke points.
Yields 637g Serves: 3
This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled

Ingredients:
Protein of your choice. We used poultry, it could have been beef, pork, vegetarian tofu, seitan or tempeh.

• 1 full boneless, skinless chicken breast (2 half breasts) (ttl wgt 236g)
• 1 Tablespoon (28g) hot Sesame oil

Assorted Veggies of your choice and availability. We used:

• 1 medium Carrot (61g)
• 10 florets Broccoli (110g)
• 1 small Onion (70g)
• 1 small Zucchini (118g)
• 1 Tablespoon Canola oil
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Lite Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• fresh parsley or shiso leaves, chopped
  

Putting it all together:
Prep all your foods first. Stir-fry cooking goes pretty fast.

Cut the raw chicken into bite size pieces, set aside.

Wash hands and sanitize your work area.
Cut up all the vegetables into bite size slices and florets.

Carrots and broccoli will not cook enough just by stir-frying; precook them first in the microwave or by heating a little water in the Wok to boiling, add veggies and cook them halfway. Do not use too much water or the water soluble vitamins will be lost when you pour the excess down the drain. Remove the carrots and broccoli, set aside. Drain the excess liquid (or you can save it for soup stock or for use when cooking rice and grains).

Cook the protein: heat the Wok on medium-high to dry thoroughly. Add the sesame oil. Stir-fry the chicken (or other protein) being careful not to overcook as the protein will get added back to the dish before serving to reheat. Using a spatula or tongs, remove the chicken to a plate and set aside. Do not wash the Wok.

Stir-fry the vegetables: add a small amount of Canola oil* to the wok over high heat, as soon as it heats up add the garlic and ginger. When cooked, push the veggies up the side of the Wok, making a well in the center for the chicken.

Add the chicken. Gently stir the chicken to heat, then stir all ingredients together to combine.
Serve over brown rice.
Garnish with a generous sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley or shiso leaves.

GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis: calculated from USDA nutrient values
Chicken Veggie Stir-fry, 1/3 of recipe
Good source: Potassium, Riboflavin, Folate, Magnesium
Excellent source: Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Phosphorus, Selenium
 
Serving size: 212g, Calories: 242, Calories from Fat: 132, Total Fat 15g (23%DV), Saturated Fat: 2g(10%DV), Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 46mg (15%DV), Sodium 138mg (6%DV), Potassium: 526mg (15%DV), Total Carbohydrate: 8g (3%DV), Dietary Fiber: 1g (6%DV), Protein: 20g (40%DV), Vitamin A: 4593IU (92%DV), Vitamin C: 45mg (75%DV), Riboflavin: 0.2mg (11%DV), Niacin: 9.5mg (47%DV), Vitamin B6: 0.6mg (32%DV), Folate: 49mcg (12%DV), Phosphorus 208mg (21%DV), Magnesium: 43mg (11%DV), Selenium: 15mcg (22%DV)

***

Ginger Brown Rice: two parts water to one part rice (2:1 water to rice ratio)
Yields 692g, Serves 3-4

2 cups water (veggie broth or chicken broth)1 cup brown rice
2 Tablespoons onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
Seasonings: your choice: We vary what we use -- always omitting or using very little salt and usually adding one hot chiltepin pepper along w/fresh ground black pepper

In a Corningware pot or pot with a tight fitting lid, saute onion in oil until it becomes translucent not brown, add the ginger, rice and seasoning (chiltepin pepper, black pepper, curry powder, coriander or whatever herbs and spices you like to cook with). Stir to combine. Add the water, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed.

GardenCuizine Nutrition Analysis: calculated from USDA nutrient values
Brown Rice, no salt
Source: Dietary Fiber
Good source: Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, and Selenium
Excellent source: Manganese

Serving size 1/4 recipe (173g), Calories:203 (10%DV), Calories from Fat:41, Total Fat:5g(7%DV), Saturated Fat: 1g(4%DV), Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 8mg (0%DV), Total Carbohydrate 36g (12%DV), Dietary Fiber 2g (7%DV), Calcium: 15mg (2%DV), Iron: (4%DV), Thiamin 0.2mg (13%DV), Niacin: 2.4mg (12%DV), Vitamin B6: 0.2mg (12%DV), Magnesium 68mg (17%DV), Manganese: 1.7mg (87%DV), Selenium: 11mcg (15%DV)

Percent Daily Values (%DV) are based on a caloric intake of 2,000 calories for adults and children age 4 or older

*Related Links:
Kitchen Guide about Smoke points and Oils
The New York Times Wok Recipes


Photos and recipe Copyright (c) 2009 Wind. All rights reserved.

Healthy Wok Cooking

Healthy Wok Cooking

The evolution of cookware has taken us from turtle shells, clay cooking baskets, earthenware pottery and Celtic myths of magical cauldrons...to real cauldrons, spits, (common in medieval kitchens) and onto the metal and nonmetal cookware of today.
 
Metals in Cookware
Today’s cookware for the stovetop (with the exception of Corningware, a favorite of mine, made from glass ceramic) is made primarily from metals: cast iron, aluminum, steel, copper and stainless steel. Both cast iron and carbon steel cookware must be seasoned before using (see below link for how to season a Wok). Once seasoned, over time the cookware lining will get increasingly darker and serve as a nonstick surface. Carbon steel and cast Iron are the most common for Woks. And unlike what you may be thinking about the cast iron -- cast Iron Woks made in China are surprisingly not heavier than steel Woks.

Carbon steel seems to be the most popular among Asian cooks and is our personal favorite too. Similar to cast iron, carbon steel is reactive to acidic foods, therefore is not a good choice for cooking with wine, citrus juice or tomatoes. Carbon steel is steel derived from Metallic Iron and is a combination of Iron with a small amount of Carbon. The metallic form of iron (Fe) is not found in nature and must be derived from iron ore.

Although Carbon steel does not conduct heat as well as other metals, it can be rolled and hammered into very thin, strong sheets with high heat resistance. This is an advantage in Wok cooking. Wok Stir-fry cooking is a healthy cooking method because the high bottom heat quickly sears in the water soluble nutrients in the food. Also over cooking can be avoided by moving the food up the sides of the Wok where there is less heat, controlling the cooking.
 
Wok Styles
Types of Woks come in various styles, primarily: Cantonese (round bottomed with two metal handles), Northern-Style (a long, hollow metal handle and round bottom), and Shanghainese (like the Cantonese with two metal handles, but with a slightly rounder and deeper), and a flat-bottomed Wok (with two wooden handles) created specifically for use on residential electric ranges. We prefer the Northern-Style, round bottom with a long single handle and find it is best for cooking on our gas cooktop.

We have two well used and seasoned Woks, one large 16-inch and one average size 14-inch. Both are good sizes for home use. We often use the lid from the smaller wok to cover food when we cook in the larger wok (as shown in the photo). Also, we always use a circular metal ring “collar” as the base over the gas burner to raise up the wok and avoid damage to the heat element. The collar makes a nice, stable stand for the Wok too. Collars were introduced to Western world markets as an innovative accompaniment to the Wok in the1960’s.
 
What to Wok cook?
Many foods lend themselves to wok cookery, especially vegetables and proteins such as poultry, meats or tofu. Stir-fries are the most common use, but woks can also be used for many other cooking methods, such as braising, deep-frying, boiling, and steaming.

Wok History

Woks have been used for cooking around the world and in Chinese cooking for more than 2000 years, mainly because of their versatility and ability to cook large quantities of food quickly at high temperatures, using little fuel expenditure.

In the late 1970’s -- woks -- a once culinary staple cookware, started being replaced with modern cookware of the times influenced by Western society. Sensing this change in Chinese cuisine and culture, Grace Young and photographer Alan Richardson collected woks across the United States and China. Their work resulted in a fall exhibit in 2004 at New York University’s Asian/Pacific/American Institute, New York, NY called, the “Wok Hay” exhibit. The exhibit showcased Woks collected from the US and China by Young and Richardson. Their collaboration also resulted in a book, The Breath of a Wok: Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking through Recipes and Lore (Simon & Schuster).

Some regions refer to woks or similar cookware by different names. ‘Karahi’ is the name for similar cookware in India, ‘Penggorengan’ in Indonesia, ‘Kuali’ or ‘Kawa’ (small or large wok) in Malaysia, and in Japan, woks are called Chinese pots ‘Chukanabe’.

Time to get cooking!
GardenCuizine Healthy Vegetable Stir-fry recipe to follow
Related Links:
Cookware Materials
How to Season a Carbon Steel Wok
How to Clean a Carbon Steel Wok
Blog article and photos Copyright (c) 2009 Wind. All rights reserved. rev 3/4/11