Cilantro Chutney (an herb sauce)

Some yeas ago, Edward Hamann, a culinary expert on food from the Asian subcontinent and a wonderful cooking instructor who is now at Sur La Table, taught a small group of us how to make his fabulous Fresh Cilantro Chutney (Dhaniya ki Chatni ).  I started with his amazing recipe, added turmeric, black pepper, and made a few other minor changes, and that’s how this Cilantro Sauce recipe came to be.

This delicious sauce transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary – and it’s easy to make. We love it! For a while this sauce was the new “ketchup” at our house. I served it with everything from scrambled eggs to pan fried fish, and, of course, curries. In fact, it was this Cilantro Chutney that made me want to learn more about herb sauces and led me to create the other herb/vegetable sauces on this blog: Charmoula, Arugula Pesto, and Artichoke Lemon Pesto.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
¾ cup chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon peeled and roughly chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves peeled garlic
2 Serrano peppers, stemmed and roughly chopped, including some of the seeds
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ – ½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
3 bunches (about 7/8 pound) fresh cilantro, including all but the very ends of the stems

Note: I like to add dry ground or finely chopped fresh turmeric (and freshly ground black pepper) wherever I can get away with it. It’s so healthy! Adding 2 teaspoons of ground turmeric to this recipe does not negatively affect the taste, in fact you hardly even notice the turmeric, so why not add it?!

DIRECTIONS

Food processor

Add all the ingredients to the food processor fitted with the metal blade and process to desired consistency.

Blender

Place the ingredients into a blender – in the order given above — but do not put all of the cilantro into the blender at one time. Blend and then add more cilantro and blend again. If needed, stop the blender; push the cilantro down toward the blade; then place the cover on the blender and blend until a lovely smooth sauce results.

HOW TO STORE

• Store in the refrigerator for a few days

• Freeze in 100% food grade silicone muffin pans. When frozen, just pop the frozen “muffins” out, and place them in a plastic freezer bag; store in the  freezer for use anytime.

A FEW OF THE MANY WAYS YOU CAN USE THIS CHUTNEY (SAUCE)…

• Use as a condiment to liven up almost everything, including fish, chicken, eggs, or tofu.
• Use as a hot or cold sauce to go with almost everything.
• Mix with ripe avocado to make a lovely dip or spread. I just put some of this Cilantro Sauce-avocado mixture on slices of daikon and it was fabulous. The next time I need to bring an appetizer to someone’s party, this is what I plan to bring – it’s delicious and a great conversation starter too!
• Sauté any vegetable in olive oil and mix some of this sauce in at the end.
• By the way, I just mixed some of this sauce with some sautéed greens. Superb!
• Add to soups — bean soups, chicken soups, vegetable soups, fish soups.
• Add olive oil to make this sauce into a salad dressing!

Chopped Salad and Sardines

My lunch often consists of a large chopped salad and some canned sardines that have been rinsed with water and splashed with lemon juice (so no one at work can smell the sardines)! I love chopped fresh veggies, and I often prepare enough for a few days and store it in the refrigerator at work. Especially in the summer – but anytime of the year as well – I enjoy this healthy and low-carbohydrate lunch!

For more information on what I put into one of my favorite chopped salads and why I chose these veggies, see the short video/podcast that I did with my sister – who was kind enough to agree to participate without any notice at all. In fact, as soon as I called her on her cell phone to ask if she would work with me on this, she pulled over in her car and we did this video/podcast with her on her cell phone and me on my regular speakerphone.  So this video/podcast is totally unrehearsed, and yet I think it came out really well! I’m still amazed!

Since we did this podcast, I have come up with another idea I want to share with you. If you do not like sardines that much, you can get used to eating this very healthy fish, gradually. For example, you could bake a mild fish like Dover sole; let it cool; and then mix it in with the sardines. Over time, you can add more sardines and less sole. I made this half-half mixture and added LOTS of chopped fresh dill, and it was great!

Kitchen tips on how to do some of the things mentioned in the video:

Zest lemons or limes (and freeze the fresh juice in small quantities for use later)

One way to cut a ripe avocado into chunks and another way to cut a ripe avocado into chunks

Note: Wash the avocado before you cut into it!

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Lebanese-Style Lentil Soup with Kale and Spinach

The calendar says fall and the abundance of summer veggies has tapered off…so it’s time to start making hearty soups again! Yesterday my husband and I had lunch at the Lebanese Taverna where they serve a wonderful Lentil Soup (Shorba Addas) that’s rich in greens (spinach?) and spiced with lemon, garlic, and cilantro. With this soup on my brain today, I picked out a Food and Wine recipe to make a lentil soup like the Lebanese Taverna’s.

But instead of making the recipe as shown, I made the soup using Monamifood Garlic Flavors Cubes, Cilantro Sauce Flavor Cubes, and Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes – which meant I didn’t have to run to the store for any ingredients; just open my freezer! It made it easier and faster to whip up this soup for a Sunday lunch…and, if you ask me, it made this wonderful soup even more delicious than it was when I made it by following the Food and Wine recipe!

This recipe makes a LOT of soup, so you will have plenty left over to give to friends or freeze – or both!

Ingredients

2 cups small green lentils, picked over and rinsed

* Small (really tiny) green lentils are available in our Whole Foods store in the bulk section. But this variety of lentils is not essential. I have used brown lentils before, with good results.

16 cups water (yes, 16 cups!)

3 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base (or Vegetarian No Chicken Base)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 very large onions, diced

2 pinches of crushed red pepper

4 Monamifood Smooth and Mild Garlic Flavor Cubes

4 Monamifood Cilantro Sauce flavor cubes

1 Monamifood Zesty Citrus Flavor Cube

1 bunch organic kale (curly variety), stemmed and torn into small pieces

2/3 of a 16-0uncd bag of frozen chopped organic spinach

Directions

In a large stockpot, place the lentils, water, and Better Than Bouillon Chicken (or No Chicken) Base. Partially cover and cook over medium heat until the lentils are barely tender – about 25 minutes. (Do not over cook the lentils or they will split and the soup will be grainy!)

Note: Unless you have two, large (11-inch diameter), non-stick saute/frying pans, you will need to saute the onions in two batches. If you were to put all the onions in one pan, they would steam rather than saute.

While the lentils are cooking, heat 1 ½ tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large 11-inch non-stick skillet. When the oil is hot, add half of the diced onions and one pinch of the crushed red pepper; saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to get lightly browned. Remove the onions from the pan and set them aside.

Cook the remaining onions with a pinch of crushed red pepper in the same 11-inch non-stick skillet. When the second batch of onions start to get lightly browned, add these onions — and also the reserved onions — to the pot with the lentils. Stir to mix.

Continue to cook the soup over medium heat. Add the cubes (Garlic, Cilantro Sauce, and Citrus) and stir the soup while the cubes melt. Taste and add a little more Better Than Bouillon Base, if desired.

Add the chopped fresh kale and cook for about 3 minutes. It will soften and turn a lovely deep green color. Then add the frozen spinach and simmer for another minute or two.

Individually season the soup at the table

Individually season the soup at the table! Just pass a small pouring container (creamer, perhaps) containing a few defrosted Monamifood Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes and a small bowl with a few defrosted Monamifood Cilantro Sauce Flavor Cubes.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Baby Romaine and Arugula with Tomatoes, Blueberries and Mango

Did you know that…

• Baby romaine lettuce comes in absolutely gorgeous deep red and green leaves?
• Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable and therefore has the same anti-cancer properties as broccoli and cabbage?

This salad of Baby Romaine and Arugula with Tomatoes, Blueberries and Mango is stunningly pretty, absolutely delicious, and wonderfully HEALTHY — a great way to enjoy summer’s bounty.

BABY ROMAINE and ARUGULA with Tomatoes, Blueberries and Mango

For each serving of salad

1. Fill a dinner plate with a couple handfuls of Olivia’s Organics Baby Romaine (absolutely gorgeous green and red leaves) and one handful of Olivia’s Organics Baby Arugula.
2. Scatter 1/2 cup of each of the following over the salad greens on the plate:

• bite-size chunks of tomato
• bite-size chunks of peeled mango (I used a champagne mango.)
• fresh blueberries

3. Scatter 1 tablespoon of chopped walnuts over the salad greens.

4. Scatter 2 teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves over the salad greens. (See tips about fresh thyme leaves below.)

5. If desired, sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of Fresh Lime Salad Dressing (see recipe below) over each serving.

Ingredients – Fresh Lime Salad Dressing

To make 1 serving (about 2 tablespoons):

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To make 4 servings (about 2 tablespoons per serving):

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions – Fresh Lime Salad Dressing

Place the salad dressing ingredients into a little bowl and mix with a fork or a little whisk until fully mixed.

TIPs: Fresh thyme leaves

1. If the thyme  is very tender and you are using the tips of the plant, then you really do not need to take the leaves off the stems. Just use a pair of kitchen scissors and cut the stems and the leaves into small pieces.
2. If the thyme is not that tender, then you will want to take the leaves off the woody stems. Here’s a nice trick for doing that easily!

• Wash the fresh thyme and spin dry it.
• Place the spun-dry thyme into a quart-size plastic bag for the freezer and freeze.
• When the thyme has frozen, remove the bag with the thyme from the freezer, and without opening the bag, take hold of the sprigs of thyme and rub them vigorously against each other. Very soon, almost all of the leaves of thyme will fall off the stems and end up in the bottom of the freezer bag!
• Now when you need a teaspoon of fresh thyme, just spoon it out of the freezer bag!
• Note: To be kind to the environment, re-use the plastic bag — without washing it. When you’ve used up all the thyme leaves and only the stems remain in the bag, keep the stems for your next pot of soup. Also keep the empty plastic bag, as is, in the freezer until you have some more fresh thyme to put into it.

Enjoy and be healthy!

~Leni

Why citrus fruits?

Why citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, grapefruit)? –

As mentioned in Anti-Cancer (page 127) citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, tangerines and grapefruit) “contain antiinflammatory flavonoids. They also stimulate the detoxification of carcinogenics by the liver.”

“It has even been shown that flavonoids in the skin of tangerines – tangeritin and nobiletin—penetrate brain cancer cells, facilitate their death by apoptosis, and lower their potential for invading neighboring tissues.”

In addition as reported by the Sunkist Nutrition Bureau:

“Lemon, orange and grapefruit peel are loaded with d-limonene, which studies show has cancer-protecting activity against a variety of cancers. A recent study from University of Arizona concluded that consuming citrus peel can reduce the risk of skin cancer by 30%. ‘As little as one tablespoon of citrus zest per week is enough to make a significant difference in preventing skin cancer,’ said Iman A. Hakim, M.D., Ph.D., University of Arizona College of Public Health and Arizona Cancer Center. (One tablespoon of zest is equivalent to the peel of approximately one orange or lemon, depending on the size of the fruit and how finely or coarsely the zest is grated.)”

IMPORTANT note of caution re grapefruit and grapefruit juice:

Before you consume grapefruit or grapefruit juice (or possibly even grapefruit peel), check with your doctor and/or pharmacist regarding possible adverse (and very serious) drug-food interactions. Read more about this at Science Daily.

CITRUS: Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes

ZESTY CITRUS FLAVOR CUBES (mini muffins)

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know I love to create flavor cubes (mini muffins)! And…so here’s my latest flavor cube creation – one that will do three good things for you:

1. Add a lovely citrus flavor to your tea.
2. Instantly bring the temperature of the water you boiled (for making your tea) down to a reasonable temperature for steeping green tea (about 160 degrees F). For more on making green tea at the best temperature to avoid the bitter flavor, see Monamifood Green Tea – Part I and Part II.
3. Increase your body’s ability to absorb the healthy components of green tea as explained at Monamifood Green Tea & Citrus.

Ingredients

8 medium size organic oranges

• Why oranges and other citrus fruits? How do they help to prevent cancer?
• I used organic oranges so that the peel would be pesticide free.
• Eight oranges was enough for me to make 12 ice cubes (in an ice cube tray) AND 12 mini muffins (“cubes”) in a silicone mini muffin pan.

Directions

• Wash the organic oranges and rub them dry.
• Use a microplane (for food) to zest the oranges. Collect the zest on a plate or on a small piece of waxed paper.
  • Tip for using a microplane to zest oranges or lemons: Cut each orange or lemon in half; lay the cut side down on the cutting board. Holding the cut half at the top with a few fingers of one hand, press down. Holding the microplane in the other hand, zest the fruit. (I find that zesting in this way makes it hard for me to zest my own skin!)
• When you have removed the zest from all of the oranges, cut each orange in half (horizontally) and juice each half.

• I used an electric citrus juicer that that I bought years ago for no more than $25.  But you could juice the oranges by hand if you like.

Pour the orange juice into the ice cube compartments of the ice cube tray or into the mini muffin compartments of the silicone mini muffin pan.

• Note: Since the silicone mini muffin pan is very flexible, be sure to put a piece of cardboard or another firm support underneath the pan so that you can hold onto the cardboard when you move the pan and then slide the pan off the cardboard into the freezer.

Sprinkle a little orange zest into each of the compartments that you already filled with orange juice. (Use up all of the zest.)

Put your filled ice cube tray or mini muffin pan into the freezer.

When frozen, remove your ZESTY CITRUS FLAVOR CUBES (or mini muffins) from the freezer; let them sit out at room temperature for a minute or so (to slightly defrost around the edges). Then pop them out of the muffin pan and into a plastic bag designed for the freezer. Store in the freezer for use the next time you make a cup of tea, a salad dressing, or anything that could use a little citrus tang!

Variations

Of course, organic lemon, lime and tangerine peels mixed with lemon, lime and tangerine juices would work great too.

Or, if you like, freeze the citrus juice in the mini muffin pan without the peel and freeze the peel separately in wax paper (like in an enevelope). Then whenever you want some fresh lemon juice just defrost one of your lemon juice flavor “cubes” and when you want a hint of citrus zest in a receipe, just sprinkle on some of the zest you’ve previously frozen.

When the slightly sweeter and very juicy Meyer Lemons are in season (check your local area for the season), you might want to stock up on them and make Meyer Lemon flavor “cubes” to use throughout the year.  I was reminded of this last night by my foodie friend Claire who just got back from Price Costco with a boatload of Meyer Lemons that’s she’s planning to juice. Next year when these lovely lemons are in season, I’ll do the same.

Unfortunately, most stores do not carry organic Meyer Lemons. But you can mail order organic Meyer Lemons from the Lemon Ladies.

Besides tea, you can also use these Zesty Citrus Flavor Cubes in lots of other dishes. Why not try…

• Tossing a few into  your wok (instead of chicken broth) when making a Chinese stir-fry.
• Adding them to soups. The lemon/lemon zest cubes would be great in chicken soups; the orange/orange zest ones would be wonderful in squash soups.
• Adding them to the mix of ingredients for smoothies.
• I’m sure there are plenty of other ways you will find to use these handy dandy cubes! I hope you’ll share your ideas in a comment or two!

Enjoy and be healthy,

Leni

P.S. GREEN TEA & CITRUS

In doing some research today on green tea, I learned that adding lemon or orange juice to green tea appears to significantly increase the body’s ability to absorb the antioxidants in green tea:

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/11/14/citrus-greentea.html

http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2007b/071113FerruzziTea.html

Nutrient absorption is critically important, because if the body can’t absorb a nutrient (or much of a nutrient), it can’t do you any good (or not that much good).

To my to my knowledge, the beneficial effect of citrus (and vitamin C itself) on the absorption of antioxidants in green tea has been shown in just the one study mentioned on the links above. More research to confirm — or not confirm — this effect is needed.

Meanwhile, it can’t hurt to add a little orange, lemon or grapefruit juice to your green tea! And if you prefer your tea “straight,” just have a small glass of orange or grapefruit juice – or an orange or grapefruit — with your meal.

And by the way, you don’t have to obsess about it…green tea without any citrus — in it or with it — is good for you. After all, green tea has more nutritional benefits than just antioxidants.

For more information on green tea – its anti-cancer properties and lots of practical information, see my earlier posts, Green Tea – Part I and Green Tea Part II.

Enjoy and be healthy!

Leni