Sweetie Pie

Perky Pickles

 
Here are two easy pickle recipes for beginners.  I am new to making pickles, but am quickly developing a pickle problem.  I've made four batches of pickles this week and only stopped because I ran out of jars.  When it's so hot and humid outside that you get sticky with sweat just sitting in the shade, nothing is better than a crunchy, tart and salty pickle.  These two recipes are for refrigerator pickles, so there's no canning involved.  Just assemble the ingredients and enjoy.
I grew cucumbers and fresh dill in my garden.  I think the intense flavor of the dill straight from the summer sunshine makes this simple recipe shine.  All you need is cucumbers, dill, garlic, vinegar, and salt.  Yum.  Vinegar and salt.

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar or white distilled vinegar

2 cups water

1 0r 2 cloves garlic

fresh dill or dried dill and seeds

1 tablespoon salt (kosher or pickling salt only)

cracked black pepper

cucumbers - cut into spears, slices, or whole if they are very small (If you buy your cukes at the grocery store, look for UNwaxed.)

Clean and dry 2 glass pint jars or one large quart jar.  You can reuse any glass jar for these recipes since they are refrigerator pickles and don't need to be canned or sealed.  When you're cutting up the cucumbers, cut off the blossom end (one end has the stem, the other usually smaller end is where the flower used to be - the blossom end) because it has an enzyme that can cause limp pickles - yuck!  Put as many cucumbers as you can into the jar(s) along with a clove or two of garlic, some dill and cracked pepper.  You can vary the amount of garlic, dill, and pepper according to your taste.  Place the vinegar and salt in a saucepan and heat to a boil.  Spoon the hot brine over the veggies until the jar is full and the cucumbers are submerged.  Put the lids on and let the pickles cool to room temperature.  Move them to the refrigerator and enjoy after 24 hours.  The inspiration for this recipe came from Urban Preserving.

These pickles crunch and snap with each mouthwatering bite. 

The next recipe is both sweet and sour and comes directly from the White On Rice Couple blog.  They have lots of fantastic recipes so you should click through and see for yourself.   For this recipe you'll need some fresh ginger, sugar, fennel seeds, and of course the vegetables you want to pickle.  Although cucumbers are by far the most common vegetable to be brined, you can pickle just about anything.  This recipe recommends using snap peas or asparagus, but I didn't have any so I used the veggies I had left over from another recipe (yes, another pickle recipe). 

Quick Ginger Pickles

1 clean pint jar or 2 jelly jars

1/3 cup white distilled vinegar

1/2 cup water

zest and juice of 1 lemon

3 or 4 sprigs fresh tarragon or dill

2 Tablespoons sugar

A 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, julienned (cut into very thin matchsticks)

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 teaspoon dill seeds ( I didn't have any, so I added extra fresh dill.)

1 teaspoon salt - use kosher or pickling salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 pound snap peas, asparagus, cucumbers, or other vegetables

1/2 medium red onion thinly sliced

Combine everything except the veggies and mix well to dissolve the salt and sugar.  I heated the mixture just a bit to get it to dissolve.  Now, scoop out the solids (lemon zest, seeds, dill...) and divide it evenly between your jars.  Next, put your vegetables into the jars and press down a little.  Pour the brine over it all and refrigerate.  Viola!  A lovely sweet and sour and most importantly, very gingery pickle. 

Surfer Smoothies

This is a surfer at Sunset Beach on Oahu.  

This is me, falling off a baby wave on my big ass beginner board. 

What do we athletes eat for breakfast before a day of catching waves and looking awesome?  We need to start the morning off right with lots of energy for busting moves without weighing us down.  We need surfer smoothies. 

You too can fuel up for whatever your day holds with a big healthy and super delicious smoothie bowl.  Here's how:

Surfer Smoothie Bowls

1 frozen banana

1/2 cup frozen strawberries or other fruit

1 cup milk ( I like to use almond milk)

1 cup yogurt or kefir

a few ice cubes

1 fresh banana

granola, coconut, fresh berries and honey to sprinkle on top

The secret ingredient in a creamy smoothie is a frozen banana.  When you freeze a ripe banana and blend it up it becomes smooth and rich and lends the perfect texture to low fat frozen treats. 

Place all the frozen ingredients and liquids in a blender and blend until smooth.  If it's too thin, add more frozen fruit.  If it's too thick, add more milk.  These measurements are just approximate.  You can vary the ingredients and proportions to your liking, but this is my favorite combination.  Pour your blended smoothie into a bowl and top with a little granola, a sliced up banana, sliced almonds, fresh berries, coconut, maybe a drizzle of honey.... whatever you like. 
This breakfast is very filling without being heavy and will give you energy all morning whether you're catching waves, chasing children, or facing a long day at work. 

The inspiration for this recipe come from Lanikai Juice in Kailua, Oahu.

 

Welcome Summer

 

 

Crisp vegetables

Sticky heat and thunderstorms

I welcome summer.

 

Sesame Baked Tofu with Snow Peas and Almonds

This time of year I start to crave fresh, healthy food.  I check on my garden frequently, willing the veggies to grow faster.  Tired of those earthy winter vegetables like potatoes, this recipe caught my eye because it calls for my favorite green vegetable, snow peas.  This is the type of pea you typically see in Asian cuisine.  You eat the pod and all and they are sweet and crunchy when they're fresh.  They are also very easy to grow and I plant them every year but never get enough.

For this recipe you want to buy extra firm tofu.  You need to let it drain by putting it in a sieve or colander and weighting it down for about 20 minutes, then turn it over and let it drain on the other side for 20 minutes.  This will get out some of the water so that you can achieve those crispy edges which are so nice.  Be gentle with it or you'll end up with messy crumbles.  I like this recipe because you can put the tofu in the oven and then work on the rest of the recipe without babysitting a skillet the whole time.

This recipe is taken directly from the book The Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden by David Hirsch.  There are a few ingredients here that you might not have on hand but are well worth trying.  I don't think this recipe would be very good at all if you do too many substitutions.  Fresh ginger can be found in the produce section at your grocery store.  Buy a small piece that looks plump and juicy, take it home and wash it and peel it before using it.  The fresh scallions make a huge difference in this recipe as well.

Sesame Baked Tofu with Snow Peas and Almonds

1 12 ounce block extra firm tofu

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup whole raw almonds

2 cups snow peas

1 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons sesame oil

2 Tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1 teaspoon honey or brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup thinly sliced scallion for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes and place in a singe layer on a baking sheet.  Mix the 2T sesame oil and 2T soy sauce together and pour over the tofu.  Bake for 30 minutes.

While this is baking, bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch the snow peas for 30 seconds, then drain.  To blanch just means to drop them into the water for a very quick boil, the vegetables should have a bright color and still be crunchy when you pull them out.  I used half sugar snap peas and half carrots because of course I didn't have enough peas.  You could substitue other fresh vegetables as well, but I wouldn't recommend anything frozen.

Now, set a timer for 5 minutes and bake the almonds on a separate sheet in the oven.  When the timer goes off, take out the nuts and let them cool.  Pull the tofu out also and gently turn it all over with a spatula and put it back in the oven. Do this twice more before it's done so that all sides get browned and crispy.

I served this over rice, so I got that going while the tofu was baking as well. 

The rest of the ingredients are for the dressing.  Combine the vegetable oil, 2t sesame oil, rice vinegar, fresh ginger, coriander, honey and salt in a bowl and mix well.  When the tofu is crisp enough for your liking, take it out of the oven and gently toss it with the snow peas, almonds and dressing.  Garnish with scallions and serve alone as a side dish or over rice for a very healthy meal.  I consider it a success when my husband and child willingly eat tofu, and this recipe meets their approval.