For the love of Produce...
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I've done tagine-inspired dishes and put them on chopped cauliflower (steamed) in lieu of rice. Or, you could just add the chopped cauliflower in the dish.
I also often do pasta with a sauce (or topping) made of whatever is on hand. It's often something like zucchini, cauliflower, mushrooms, black olives, and smoked salmon (or regular salmon or shrimp or whatever meat you like). The veg is cooked by sauteeing in olive olive (not too much) with some garlic. Given all the ingredients I don't think the cauliflower should seem too cabbage-y (although I like cauliflower so might not be the best judge).3 -
Now that you mention pasta, cauliflower mac'n'cheese can be quite nice. Can be nutrient/calorie sensible when going with a version with smaller amounts of cheese, potentially red lentil or similar pasta, some nonfat Greek yogurt; a calorie efficient cheese or two in reasonable amounts (chevre, ricotta, parm or bleu in small amounts because tasty - whatever); I'd maybe add one or more of roasted smashed Winter squash, fresh sage, white miso, caramelized onions, roasted elephant garlic . . . ? Some soft tofu hides in there pretty nicely for extra protein, possibly, also. Ditto lasagna.3
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I made roast radishes for the first time tonight. Really great. Have only ever eaten them raw before.
https://therealfooddietitians.com/garlic-roasted-radishes/7 -
a while back I asked how & if I can saute veggies without using oil/fat & ya'll said I can use broth. I want to thank you, I've been doing that & the red chard is especially delicious6
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I made roast radishes for the first time tonight. Really great. Have only ever eaten them raw before.
https://therealfooddietitians.com/garlic-roasted-radishes/
I keep meaning to try that, but I keep eating up all the radishes raw before I get around to it. 🤣 (As is so often the case, clearly I need more self-discipline!).2 -
Today was the day.
The sauerkraut was supposed to be done on Monday according to the calendar. It has been cool, and it seemed to still be bubbling along, so I let it go until today.
The kimchi usually goes only about three days. By day three it was just barely fermenting. Well, today was the day.
I got three (33 ounces each) jars of kraut and almost two full jars of kimchi. I packed some up for neighbors in a jar they gave me some of their last kimchi in. I am leaving the jars of kimchi out of the fridge another couple of days, but it's ready to enjoy now. Kraut is a good batch. I still have a little less than a pint of the last batch I made back in May and have been doling out waiting for cool weather so I could make more.
I might add some odd vegetables to the next batch of kimchi, like cauliflower or something. I added carrots this time which I usually don't. Since it's such a fast ferment, I can make small batches often. Makes the house smell wonderful. It's an acquired appreciation though. Carrot and caraway seem to now be my standard for kraut. It's kind of a traditional addition. I haven't added apple yet, and I probably won't. I do add chunks of garlic which are definitely NOT traditional.
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I made roast radishes for the first time tonight. Really great. Have only ever eaten them raw before.
https://therealfooddietitians.com/garlic-roasted-radishes/
I was resistant to trying that for a long time since I love them raw so much, but was a convert to eating them roasted also once I finally tried it.3 -
Some background: I hate applesauce. I hate the grainy, fibrous texture (and I think my hatred of watermelon stems from the same ideal). Well a year-ish ago, when my daughter was much smaller and into applesauce, we bought a brand (Vermont?) that I tasted and really enjoyed; it was super smooth with no gritty texture. Didn’t really get it again after that.
Cut to a couple days ago and I bought 4 apples for $1 from my store’s produce discount shelf, and originally was going to make a crisp or something when out of ACTUAL nowhere I thought “Well, maybe I can recreate that applesauce I liked?”
So I cut the apples into chunks after cutting away the bruised parts (it was 2 green and 2 assorted reds, like Fuji or etc), cooked them in about 1.5 cup of water with a splash of bourbon until they were mush, then blended them in my Vitamix with a touch of salt and a healthy dose of pumpkin pie spice until they were velvety smooth.
Guys. It is SO GOOD. No sugar at all. I do admit it’s probably more of a ‘dressing’ than applesauce, but I don’t even care. It’s like the inside of an apple pie.
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I have been making sorbets by combining tinned fruit and fruit waste. This one was a tin of peaches in juice, a couple of overripe bananas, an overripe pear that had gone grainy, and some underwhelming supermarket nectarines. Peel and stone the fruit, blitz in a food processor and sweeten to taste keeping in mind that sugar is key to prevent the mixture from freezing too solid, and also that once frozen the sorbet will taste less sweet. Add optional vodka or liqueur which also prevents the mixture from freezing too solid. Freeze, mashing every 40 minutes or so with a fork to prevent large ice crystals from forming. If it freezes too hard, run it through the food processor with an egg white and freeze again. I made a float with diet 7-Up.
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I bought a couple acorn squashes and a spaghetti squash at the store on Friday; for some reason my toddler is now fascinated with the acorn squash and the idea of mama making squash soup, so I think I’ll make a small batch tomorrow for us (daddy won’t eat it; he hates winter squash for some psychotic reason)3
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Breakfast salad
Purple local yams, broiled with avo oil, spices, micro grated good parm.
Dressed with hummus cut with lemon and vinegar and fancied up a bit.5 -
I stopped by the produce store today, and they had two kinds of persimmons. I've always been curious to know how they taste, so I bought one of each. But how do you eat them? Just bite in, or is some other preparation needed?
I also got 2 big mangoes, 5 big avocadoes and 5 Granny Smith apples, which are my favourite kind. I love that store! I always want to buy some of everything!1 -
My first attempt at kimchi. Not bad, i left it to ferment for a couple of days only because i was worried that it's too warm. I've read that ideal temperature is 65-70 degrees, and my house won't get that cool ever, maybe few days a year. Usually it's 80 during the day, 74 at night. So i tried anyways. It's in the refrigerator already. I forgot to put scallions and only added them to the little Tupperware container that held what didn't fit into jars. And i like the taste of that much better than the jarred kimchi. So is it the scallions? Or the fact that in the plastic container it wasn't packed so tightly? Idk. Should i empty it out and add scallions now? Advice would be much appreciated. I have lots of experience with sauerkraut, none with kimchi. I know some of you, my fellow produce lovers, make it. So feel free to offer insight, please!
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Is it crunchy? Sure looks good. I wonder if the plastic container might not have fermented as much. My friend made a batch before it cooled off and it wasn't as crisp. It's also possible his Napa had some flowers on it. That can have enzymes that don't let it stay crisp. Although he made a great sauce with no-heat habaneros. I don't make a traditional sauce, just several kinds of chilies. Some fresh and some dried.
Did you ferment in the small jars? I usually use a gallon jar then transfer to the correct number of smaller jars after the ferment.
My most recent batch is not as good as normal. It didn't ferment fully, and that's because too much salt. It was a salt BOMB. I still ate some, but I also pulled the jars back out and let them ferment a little more. The carrot chunks soaked up a little more of the salt. I will probably toss them back in the fridge today, and I should start another batch. I'm reticent to start more kraut since I still have three quart jars left. The kraut is a very good batch. I add garlic to my kraut, and lately also a little carrot and caraway. Mmmm.
Actually, I just got a head of cauliflower. I might try to make cauli-kimchi!
Edit to add:
The most recent jars of kraut and kimchi. You can SEE that the kimchi wasn't fully fermented at that time.
And a sample of old and new kraut and kimchi with and without some of the leftover "sauce" from my friend. I thought that would be fun.
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Is it crunchy? Sure looks good. I wonder if the plastic container might not have fermented as much. My friend made a batch before it cooled off and it wasn't as crisp. It's also possible his Napa had some flowers on it. That can have enzymes that don't let it stay crisp. Although he made a great sauce with no-heat habaneros. I don't make a traditional sauce, just several kinds of chilies. Some fresh and some dried.
Did you ferment in the small jars? I usually use a gallon jar then transfer to the correct number of smaller jars after the ferment.
My most recent batch is not as good as normal. It didn't ferment fully, and that's because too much salt. It was a salt BOMB. I still ate some, but I also pulled the jars back out and let them ferment a little more. The carrot chunks soaked up a little more of the salt. I will probably toss them back in the fridge today, and I should start another batch. I'm reticent to start more kraut since I still have three quart jars left. The kraut is a very good batch. I add garlic to my kraut, and lately also a little carrot and caraway. Mmmm.
Actually, I just got a head of cauliflower. I might try to make cauli-kimchi!
Edit to add:
The most recent jars of kraut and kimchi. You can SEE that the kimchi wasn't fully fermented at that time.
And a sample of old and new kraut and kimchi with and without some of the leftover "sauce" from my friend. I thought that would be fun.
Yes, it's nice and crunchy. I guess i will just leave it without the scallions this time. My large jars are taken with kombucha, so i fermented in smaller, quarter gallon jars. How can you tell from looking at the jar that it wasn't fermented long enough, not too many bubbles? I'm too new for that! Thank you! Sample spread looks good!
Edit to add: your kraut is so colorful, sounds so interesting and delicious!1 -
Yes, it's nice and crunchy. I guess i will just leave it without the scallions this time. My large jars are taken with kombucha, so i fermented in smaller, quarter gallon jars. How can you tell from looking at the jar that it wasn't fermented long enough, not too many bubbles? I'm too new for that! Thank you! Sample spread looks good!
The cabbage and chilies still have too vivid of a fresh color. Maybe I'll send a picture of what it looks like after another week of ferment.
And... I have five pounds of cabbage shredded and salted. I have a few grated carrots and a lot of peeled whole garlic cloves waiting to go in after I massage it a few more times.
And... I have a 4.5 pound Napa cabbage, a lot more garlic, a bunch of ginger, a variety of chilies, some fish sauce, and some carrots that will go into a ferment; I'll start that as soon as I get the kraut in the jar. I need the big bowl. The Napa will need to soak for a few hours in salt water before I assemble. Maybe I'll play disc golf in the rain or go for a run or cook some fish or.... The daikon were all HUGE so I skipped them. Maybe I will just add some of that cauliflower into the mix instead or just make it with carrot for now and maybe go pick up a smaller daikon later this afternoon.
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OK, time to take a break.
This is the same kimchi that looked so "fresh" in the earlier picture. Extra fermentation time subdued the colors.
I got a big head of green cabbage, about five pounds. It's going to go rest for three weeks now....
The Napa cabbage is soaking in brine. I have prepped the other ingredients that I'll add in a few more hours when I rinse off the salt.
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New batch now sealed up and resting in a bucket away from light and ideally more protected from temperature swings.
Whew!
Funny how five pounds can fit in HALF of a gallon jar. That's fine. It means when done I can stuff it in a half-gallon jar in the fridge.3 -
SuzanneC1l9zz wrote: »I stopped by the produce store today, and they had two kinds of persimmons. I've always been curious to know how they taste, so I bought one of each. But how do you eat them? Just bite in, or is some other preparation needed?
I also got 2 big mangoes, 5 big avocadoes and 5 Granny Smith apples, which are my favourite kind. I love that store! I always want to buy some of everything!
I love persimmon. I just slice into wedges and eat. The important thing to remember is that underripe persimmons are disgusting. There is a weird astringency that makes your mouth pucker. Leave them out of the fridge until they are as soft as a tomato before attempting to eat. I remember reading a Chinese author who had memories of persimmons ripening on a window ledge in Bejing. I just leave mine in the fruit bowl which is in a rather dark corner of my kitchen and it works fine.4 -
SuzanneC1l9zz wrote: »I stopped by the produce store today, and they had two kinds of persimmons. I've always been curious to know how they taste, so I bought one of each. But how do you eat them? Just bite in, or is some other preparation needed?
I also got 2 big mangoes, 5 big avocadoes and 5 Granny Smith apples, which are my favourite kind. I love that store! I always want to buy some of everything!
I love persimmon. I just slice into wedges and eat. The important thing to remember is that underripe persimmons are disgusting. There is a weird astringency that makes your mouth pucker. Leave them out of the fridge until they are as soft as a tomato before attempting to eat. I remember reading a Chinese author who had memories of persimmons ripening on a window ledge in Bejing. I just leave mine in the fruit bowl which is in a rather dark corner of my kitchen and it works fine.
I think it matters what type of persimmon they are?
Here in stores in my part of the US, we most commonly see Fuyu or Hachiya types. Fuyu are kind of a squat shape, while Hachiya are more elongated. The Fuyu are pretty sweet even when firm (as long as nicely orange), but the Hachiyas are astringent until very soft-ripe.
I know other varieties exist, and the astringent vs. non-astringent categorization seems to apply more broadly to other varieties, but I don't have experience with others specifically.5
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