I use plenty of fresh citrus juice in my cooking, preferring it to bottled juice any day.
Warm lemons, limes or oranges for a little while and you’ll find it easier to squeeze them and you’ll get more juice out of the fruits.

Three ways to warm these fruits:
1. If the oven is on I’ll pop a lemon, lime or orange in just for a few minutes to warm it.
2. Put them in the microwave for a few seconds (I don’t have a microwave so you’ll have to figure out just how long to put it in).
3. Put them into a pot of hot water for a few minutes.

Then use a reamer or citrus squeezer to get the juice out.
If using a reamer, do it over a fine mesh strainer sitting in a bowl to catch the seeds.
Using a hand held squeezer will catch the seeds so you can squeeze the citrus right into the sauce/dish/dressing. (Unless you’re like me and you decide to turn it upside down after squeezing the citrus – then you get all those lovely seeds in whatever it is you’re making.)

You’ll be surprised how much more juice will come out of those babies.

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!
Marilyn

The post Tip Tuesday: Get More Juice from Citrus Fruits appeared first on The Nourishing Well.

Marilyn’s Cheater Roasted Garlic

Well, this is what my intern Carol calls it.
With it’s delicious rich, sweet taste, I love adding roasted garlic to many dishes, sauces and spreads, but roasting the whole bulb with the skin on and then trying to scoop it out of the papery skins is a royal pain.

Here’s what I do instead:
Preheat the oven to 400°
Peel 1 bulb of garlic and put it into a ramekin.
Cover with olive oil.
Put the ramekin with the garlic and olive oil onto a sheet pan and place in the oven.
The cookie sheet bit is kinda important. You don’t want to try and pull a hot ramekin filled with oil out of the oven on it’s own. Kinda dangerous. It’s guaranteed to spill on you.
Set the timer for 4 minutes. When 4 minutes is up check to see if the oil is bubbling.
No bubbling? Give it another minute or so. Yes bubbling? Take the sheet pan with the ramekin of garlic and oil out of the oven and allow the garlic and oil to cool enough to handle it.
To use the roasted garlic, use a small spoon to remove it from the oil then smash the garlic cloves using the flat side of your knife.
You now also have some delicious garlicky oil to use also. But this is not oil that you can store for a while. You can refrigerate it but use it in a few days.

I’ve come to love this roasted garlic in my pesto, mashed cauliflower and mashed potatoes to name just a few dishes.

Happy Cooking!
Marilyn

The post Tip Tuesday: Marilyn’s Cheater Roasted Garlic appeared first on The Nourishing Well.

Burdock – This is a vegetable I learned about many years ago, when I was studying with my Japanese macrobiotic teachers.

In traditional Japanese healing it’s called a “blood purifier”, meaning it helps to clean the bloodstream of toxins. It’s a diuretic and can help eliminate excess water. Herbal preparations of burdock have been used in traditional healing as a topical remedy for skin problems such as eczema, acne and psoriasis.

Burdock contains inulin, which is a natural dietary fiber and is called a “prebiotic” in that it helps the body create it’s own healthy gut bacteria. It’s also a good antioxidant.

Burdock grows wild and I’m sure you’ve seen it growing by the roadside and in parks with it’s huge leaves, and in the second year of growth it’s burrs. You know those awful things that get stuck on you or your dog as you wander about in the woods. Burdock’s burrs were the inspiration for velcro and if you’ve ever had it stuck on you, you know why (I’ve had ’em in my hair. Ugh!)

Since I’ve seen burdock regularly in my local health food store, Mom’s Organic Market, I thought it well worth mentioning. Even though I don’t follow a macrobiotic diet any longer, I do cook with burdock as often as I can find it.

Try this recipe and enjoy a new, healthy, delicious addition to your diet!

Sautéed Carrot and Burdock with Baby Arugula and Toasted Sesame Seeds

The post What’s That Vegetable? Burdock appeared first on The Nourishing Well.

Spring is the season for so many delicious vegetables. Especially these wonderful Hakurei Japanese turnips.

For the turnip haters among you, don’t be afraid of these. They don’t have that bitter twang that the purple top turnips can have.

If you shop at a local farmer’s market you’ll be sure to find some there.

How do you cook them?
Make sure to use the greens as well as the turnip roots. The greens can be pretty dirty. Chop the greens off from the root and wash in cool water, checking one leaf at a time, running your finger down the stem to remove any dirt or sand.

I usually peel the turnip root, since the skin can still be slightly bitter and sometimes they have yellowish marks. But the skin of these mild turnips is nothing like purple top turnips, which must be peeled to be tasty. If you don’t mind the flavor in these white turnips, don’t worry about peeling them.

The greens are delicious steamed, sautéed with garlic and lemon, or steamed and mixed with my lemony sesame sauce.
The turnips – I love them simply steamed with a little lemon. But they are also great roasted, grilled, or baked and served with my sweet miso sauce.
I enjoy having the greens and the roots in the same dish – with only a squeeze of lemon and some toasted sesame seeds, my lemony sesame sauce or sweet miso sauce.
They are also nice raw and added to a salad: slice finely, marinate with my all purpose orange marinade and added to a salad.

Happy Cooking!
Marilyn

The post What’s That Vegetable? Hakurei Japanese Turnips appeared first on The Nourishing Well.

okay – yea, not a great photo. We’re working on that over here. Some days when I’m cooking for my clients I just don’t have time to do a great looking professional photo. But these stuffed peppers are so delicious, I had to get them on the site asap.

Vegetable Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Avocado Sauce

Makes 6 stuffed poblano peppers

Ingredients

Roasted tomatoes – get your tomatoes roasting before you prep the other ingredients
6 medium tomatoes, 3/4” dice
sea salt to taste
splash of olive oil
splash of balsamic
small handful (about 2 to 3 tablespoons) Herbs d’Provence or Italian herb blend

6 poblano peppers – tops cut off, keep whole but scoop out seeds.
While the pepper itself isn’t hot, the seeds are. You might want to put on a kitchen glove if you’re using your hands to get some of the seeds out. Or just scrape them out with a spoon. I make sure to get all the seeds out if I’m cooking for someone who doesn’t like a lot of heat.

Sautéed veggies
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, small dice
sea salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ lbs cremini mushrooms
You can either dice these pretty small, which will most likely take a while or quarter them then pop half of them in a food processor at a time and pulse. They will come out much finer in the food processor but it will cut the time to nothing.
splash of either balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos, gluten-free tamari or shoyu
sea salt – to taste
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
½ to 1 teaspoon Zocalo brand organic Aji Limo chili paste
1 small box organic baby spinach

Avocado Dressing
2 ripe avocados
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only
Juice of 1 lime
Water – at least 2/3 cup, but possibly more depending on how thin you would like it.
sea salt – to taste

Directions

Heat the oven to 375º F

Roast the tomatoes
Put the tomatoes on a sheet pan, season with sea salt, balsamic, olive oil and the dried herbs.
Roast for at least 45 minutes, checking every 20 minutes or so to turn, using a flat metal spatula (not the rubber ones used for scraping out jars!). Depending on how watery your tomatoes are this could take a little longer.

Roast the poblanos
Place the seeded poblano peppers on a sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. Some people then peel the peppers, but not me. The skins should look a bit wrinkly when they are done, but the peppers shouldn’t be browning.
When done leave them on the pan, but set to the side.

When the poblanos and tomatoes are done reduce the oven heat to 350° F.

Sauté the veggies
Using a 12 inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil till it shimmers, then add the onions with a little bit of salt. Sauté the onions for up to 15 minutes, until they are rich and creamy, stirring regularly and adding small amounts of water as needed to prevent burning. It’s cooking the onions for a while that helps to make this dish so delicious.

When onions are well cooked add the garlic and cook till you have that lovely garlicky aroma.

Now add the cremini mushrooms, a little more sea salt and a splash of either balsamic vinegar, coconut aminos, gluten-free tamari or organic shoyu.

While the mushrooms are cooking, which will take 10 to 20 minutes, add 1tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon dried oregano and ½ to 1 teaspoon aji limo chili paste (if you like a lot of heat go for the 1 teaspoon). Stir the mushrooms regularly while they are cooking.

When your tomatoes are done – they will be shriveled, wrinkly and shouldn’t have too much liquid left in them, add them to the mushroom mixture. Continue to cook on a medium heat until almost all the liquid is gone. I tend to get impatient here and bump the heat up to high but then you have to stay over it stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Stir in the baby spinach and cook till it wilts.

When the veggie mixture has cooled enough for you to work with it without burning yourself stuff the peppers using a large spoon, placing them back on the sheet pan when stuffed

Bake the stuffed peppers
Place the peppers back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. I like the poblanos to still have a little tooth to them – ie: not mushy.
While the stuffed peppers are baking make the avocado dressing.

Avocado Sauce
I’ve found I like this sauce simple and easy. I’ve tried it with garlic and spices but since the peppers are so flavorful I’m happy with the sauce being simple.

Cut the avocados open, remove pit and scrape into a food processor.
Add the cilantro leaves, juice of 1 lime and a little sea salt. Put the lid on and turn on the food processor. While it’s blending, slowly add the water to give you the consistency you would like. Start with 2/3 cup but you might need a bit more.

Serve
Serve the peppers with a bit of the sauce on top and have extra on the side.

Variations on a theme
Don’t feel like taking the time to roast the tomatoes (although it’s well worth the effort)?
Soak 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in hot water then dice up once they are soft and add to the cooking mushrooms. The soaking liquid is full of flavor so either save it for another dish or add it to the veggies, but it will add to the cooking time to reduce the extra liquid.
Or add a 16 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes to the onions and shrooms. But the roasted tomatoes are really the tastiest.

This dish was created for a client of mine who isn’t able to eat dairy, meat, beans or grains. I wanted to create a savory delicious dish for her that would be amazingly satisfying.

However, if you can eat beans, cheese and/or grains add some to this dish when the veggies are done. The beans and grains have to be cooked of course. Remember, if you’re adding those ingredients you will need to reduce the amount of veggies accordingly.

Happy Cooking!
Marilyn

Print this Recipe! 

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An Easy Tip to Keep your Cutting Board from Slipping and Sliding

Here you are, getting ready to make a yummy salad, and your cutting board is sliding all over the place! Especially if you have granite counters like you see here in the photo. A cutting board that isn’t staying in place can be a bit dangerous. Slipping cutting boards → can lead to slipping knives → can lead to a nasty cut.

Having the time to cook is hard enough, but when your kitchen tools are working against you it makes it even harder.

There’s a very simple technique to stop the board from sliding.

In professional kitchens they often place a damp towel under the cutting board which will create a grip between the cutting board and your counter top. While that works well, a few years ago I started using rug gripper pads. I found all the wet towels were a pain to deal with, while the rug pads rarely get wet, and if they do get a bit wet they’re just a little damp and dry quickly. No need for extra laundry to do from the wet towels.

After doing a little research I discovered that many rug grips are made with PVC, not something I want to have around since it’s linked to all sorts of toxic issues. So, I looked for a healthier substitute for rug pads and found these Natural Rubber Rug Pads made by Nature’s Grip. You can order the size of your choice (since it’s for cutting boards you don’t need something too big), they will cut it to size for you. Then when you get it, cut it to fit under your cutting board. A 2′ x 3′ rug grip gives me plenty of pads for under my boards. Too many – even for someone who runs a professional kitchen. Give ’em away to friends who cook. Impress them with your cleverness

And of course, if you have area rugs that are slipping and sliding, this company has several healthy, non-toxic, no-off gassing solutions. It’s a known fact that for most of us our indoor air quality is worse than outdoor air quality. Off-gassing is one of the big issues in our homes. These natural rug grips don’t off-gas.  Good to know.

Don’t know what off-gassing is? Check out this blog post: by CustomMade.

To find out how to choose a cutting board check out my post here: How to Purchase a Cutting Board
To learn how to take care of your cutting board check out this post: How to Take Care of Your Cutting Board

Happy Cooking!

Marilyn

The post Tip Tuesday: Stop your cutting boards from slipping and sliding! appeared first on The Nourishing Well.

Last week I took a test on the Philadelphia Recycling Site and I was surprised to find out that these things aren’t recyclable. I had no idea!

Now, I have to say  (and excuse me for giving myself a little pat on the back here) I rarely use any of these items.
Apparently the fibers in paper napkins and paper towels are too short to be able to properly go through the recycling process so they should just be trashed.
I only use paper napkins when I have a party. Paper towels are only used when I have to dry raw poultry or meat before prepping it for cooking.
Since I use a composting service, those items can be put into my compost. If you don’t use a composting service it’s hard to get these things to break down in a home compost pile, and if you have paper towels with poultry or meat on it you don’t want to put that into a home compost pile for sure!

These other two items are really an issue since they are neither recyclable or compostable: the to-go coffee cup and freezer food packaged in boxes. Both are lined with wax, both cannot be recycled.

I rarely get coffee or tea out – usually only on trips, and in the past year I’ve remembered more often than not to bring my travel mug with me (giving myself another pat here). But I often have friends come over who have just stopped at the local coffee shop and come in with coffee or tea in one of these cups. Everyone knows they better not bring a plastic water bottle into my house – I’m such a pain in the ass. But now I guess I’m going to be a pain in the ass about the to-go cups. Especially for my staff of assistants and interns. They are coming here to learn so I get to play the little eco – teacher/dictator (and they do love me – at least I like to think they do, they keep coming back). And maybe my friends are going to be getting travel mugs for the holidays. I can see them rolling their eyes and humoring me as I write this – they’ve already gotten bamboo travel utensils from To-Go Ware. They said they wanted it. Really, they did!

Ok – so here goes:

I have some lovely organic cloth napkins that I use all the time. Umm – they do wrinkle, but no one, especially me, seems to mind. I’m definitely not spending time ironing cloth napkins! Not when there’s gardening, or knitting, or blogging or anything else other than ironing that needs to be done~

I save my old tea towels (ie: dish towels) and use them for rags to clean up messy spills then pop them into the wash with the rest of my towels.

If you’re anything like me you may need to have several of these. I have to keep a few in my car since I sometimes forget to bring them with me when I go out.
I’m getting better though. It takes time to build new habits. I used to forget my reusable bags, now it’s second nature. Bringing travel mugs with me is also becoming second nature.

Most of us need to have something tucked away in the freezer for a quick meal sometimes. Try cooking dishes in bulk at home that you can put in the freezer in a reusable container. Much, much better nutrition for you; much, much better for our environment.
(ps – frozen waffles are just gross. if I want a waffle it’s going to be the real thing!)

It’s all about walkin’ the talk. Get yourself a-walkin’!

The post Did you know these aren’t recyclable? appeared first on The Nourishing Well.

There are a few essentials in every cook’s kitchen, one of which is a cutting board.

Take good care of it and it will last a lifetime.

My choice is always wood for a cutting board. Plastic cutting boards have been proven to hold more bacteria in them than wood. And who wants plastic anyhow!

If you’re Jonesin’ for a cool cutting board go to
CuttingBoard.com. They have some real beauties there. And of course there are the many high-end kitchenware stores that will carry beautiful, special boards.

But I’m always looking for a workhorse. Something that’s going to tolerate a daily beating, and I don’t want to spend $150 or $200 on a cutting board. $25 to $35 is my price range and you can find cutting boards for that price if you search the right places. Discount stores, restaurant supply stores, sales at department stores. They’re out there.

The first thing you want to do with a cutting board is  oil it on a regular basis. But what oil to choose? Very often mineral oil is recommended, but did you know what is sold as “mineral oil” is actually a petroleum by-product? Yup, it is. Even though it is “food grade” I prefer not to use that on my cutting boards.

There are new, refined coconut oils on the market. I’ve tried a variety of them – both oils and waxes, and my current favorite is Bartow and Sons Vegan Cutting Board Oil  This oil has lemon in it which aids in keeping the board bacteria free.

Often the first time you season a new cutting board it really soaks up the oil. I drench it as soon as I get it and then maybe again at the end of the week.
You’ll know when your board needs to be oiled again when you see the color going lighter, usually in the middle of the board where it’s used the most. Here in The Nourishing Well Kitchen, that can be every other week, for the average home cook it’ll be every few months.

Keep in mind, when you oil your cutting board you’re going to need someplace to keep the greasy thing while the oil soaks in. A large cookie sheet works.

If you don’t keep the board oiled it will start to crack in time and those cracks will harbor bacteria. YUCK!

To clean the cutting board just wash it with warm soapy water. Don’t put it in the dishwasher. That’s a great way to ruin it for sure!

After washing your cutting board stand it up on one side so it can dry well. Put it someplace where it won’t get knocked over.

Tucking a wet cutting board into a cubby, drawer or closet will help it get moldy – there’s a reason I know this!!!!! Due to the nature of my work as a cooking instructor and personal chef I have numerous cutting boards. I found a cool metal rack (which I think is a self-standing lid rack) that my boards fit into perfectly. It sits on a counter and at the end of my day I slide the damp, clean boards into the rack where they can dry till I use them the next time.

The post How to: Take Care of Your Cutting Boards appeared first on The Nourishing Well.

Marinated Beet and Cabbage Salad

Makes 6 to 8 servings

I found this recipe on Bon Appetit’s website a few years ago and have tweaked it just a bit.

You’re making two salads independently then combining them. When plating, my preference is to make a ring of the cabbage mixed with spring mix, then put the beets in the center of the plate so the beets don’t bleed all over the cabbage.

This salad is best if the veggies are allowed to sit for a few hours up to overnight.

As usual, choose organic whenever possible.
For the beets:
3 large raw beets, washed, peeled then coarsely grated.
If you have a good processor with the shredding disk that’s the best way to grate the beets.
Beets are difficult and a mess to grate on a box grater, needless to say what your hands look like from holding all those beets.
When using the food processor, make sure to cut the beets to fit into the small shoot. Easy breezy.
Remove the grated beets from food processor and put into a bowl.

Marinade for the beets
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (no sherry vinegar – any ol’ vinegar will be nice in this)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons good olive oil
sea salt to taste

For the cabbage:
1 small head cabbage or ½ large head cabbage, quartered, cored and shredded and put into a bowl
A handful or two of spring mix mixed in to the cabbage after it’s marinated.

Marinade for the cabbage
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon liquid sweetener of your choice: either agave syrup or coconut nectar
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or mint (optional)
sea salt to taste

Directions
Beets
In a small bowl, whisk together the 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons olive oil and salt to taste. Mix with the beets. I use tongs to mix the marinade with the beets so my hands don’t look well, all bloody.

Cabbage
Mix the marinade in a bowl: ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon either agave or coconut nectar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the mint or dill. Mint or dill is optional but they do add a little extra something, something to the flavor or the dish.
Toss the marinade with the cabbage and allow to sit for a few hours.

Stir the separate salads
About every 20 minutes or so give the beets and cabbage a stir, using two separate pairs of tongs, one for the beets, one for the cabbage, so you don’t get the red beet color all over the cabbage.

To serve:
Toss the cabbage salad with a handful or two of baby salad greens.
Put the cabbage salad on the plate first and top with the beets.

Variations on a theme:
• Spice the salad up with a bit of cayenne or chipotle powder in the marinades. Or maybe a hit of shiricha.
• Try using some toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil. Makes it incredibly yummy.
• Do the beet part with red beets and gold beets: but these will need to marinate separately or the red
bleeds into the gold beets. Then when you plate them have a ring of cabbage, then either red beets then
gold beets.  It’s beautiful!
• I often add some sweet pea shoots to the salad at the end.

Print this Recipe! 

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How to pick a cutting board.

Even though this photo I found is cool, I wouldn’t use any of these.

Here’s why:  Those boards with the handles on them…. they take up much needed space on my counter and just get in the way. The one shaped like a pear, that might be nice for serving something on but it’s just a little too impractical for me. I don’t need cute, I need efficient. The one in the center – waaayyyy toooooo small. Round – useless. Put a bowl of fruit on it and it’ll look nice.

Give me a nice, rectangular cutting board. When I need a new cutting board here’s what I look for and where I go:

First – the cutting board must be wood or bamboo. These have been proven to be the safest surface to work on, bacteria wise.

Second –  walk into Home Goods. If you don’t have a Home Goods near you, then TJ Maxx or Marshalls (all three of these are owned by the same company), any place that gets lot ends (but you know it can be hit or miss). See what they have. Or if you have a restaurant supply place near you that can be a good place to get reasonably priced cutting boards.

Pick the cutting board that suits the space, but not one that’s too small. Something around 16 x 24 generally works well. I really like the bamboo cutting boards that are available these days. Bamboo is a great, quick growing, renewable resource.

There are some absolutely beautiful cutting boards like Boos, but they are just outside my budget.

You’ll find some cutting boards have a groove about an inch or so in from the edge. This is for catching the juices of foods that, well, are juicy. Meat and poultry have plenty of juice that will get all over your counter without a board like this. Not good!  Tofu or seitan can be a bit drippy too (but not full of bacteria so no worries on that end).

You don’t want these plastic cutting boards! →

• One, because they’re plastic. We already have too much plastic in our lives, and it’s toxic and I always wonder if little, unnoticeable bits of plastic get into the food somehow.
• Two, because these plastic cutting boards get deep grooves in them when you cut on them. Those deep grooves hold bacteria.
• And three – I’m convinced they dull a knife faster than a wooden cutting board.

However, see that rack the boards are standing in. You could use one of those. I got mine at, ummm, Home Goods (these guys should be giving me a stipend! They’re not, no worries). You want one of those racks so you can stand the cutting board up to dry after you clean it at the end of your work day, or work hour, or work minute. I guess for me it’s a work day (I’m a personal chef), but not for most of you. You don’t want to tuck a damp cutting board into a cupboard or closet. It’ll start to mold if it doesn’t get a chance to dry. Yuck! If you don’t have the space for a rack like this then just stand the board up on end and lean it against a wall where it won’t fall or get knocked into. Once it’s thoroughly dry then you can tuck it away in a closet or drawer.

Oh, I forgot to mention glass cutting boards. I have no idea who ever invented those. Nobody who cooks. I always know if I’m in the home of someone with one of these they definitely don’t cook. Maybe you can cut a bagel on them. Glass cutting boards are dangerous since the knife can slip on them and they dull a knife faster than anything. Put a plant on it. It’ll look pretty.

I have several cutting boards, some that I use only for meat, poultry and fish and the others are specifically for plant-based foods. Is that necessary? Probably not. But it keeps me happy to know they are kept separate. And my vegan clients like to know that too.

To clean your cutting board just use some warm soapy water. If you want to disinfect it, which I do immediately after prepping any sort of animal foods on my board, I rinse the board off in an empty sink and then spray it with a natural disinfecting spray or simply white vinegar or diluted tea tree oil. I also wash the sink with hot soapy water, then spray the sink with a natural antibacterial cleaner.

Don’t – let me repeat – DON’T put your cutting boards in the dishwasher. Great way to ruin them.

There are other things you should know – like how to oil a cutting board so it doesn’t crack so you can keep it for a lifetime and how to keep the cutting board from slipping around on your table or counter top. I’ll be blogging about those things in the near future. Keep an eye out for those

Happy Cooking!

Marilyn

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