Organic – Page 14 – morestomach

summer salsa

Published on August 20, 2015August 19, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach7 Comments

we haven’t turned on the oven or stove much this summer
save for the quick pasta salad fixes
or soft boiled eggs
or slow roasting tomatoes
we’re also training –
me for the half (WHO AM I?)
he for the full (HE’S CRAY)
all i want to do most nights is throw things in a pile
douse in olive oil + balsamic vinegar
and top on toast or crackers.
so that’s what we do.

this salsa is a deviation from that,
using lime juice instead
and tortilla chips are the vehicle to bring
summer’s deliciousness to your mouth.

summer salsa

*note: depending on the liquid seasoning that you use, this can be either a salsa or bruschetta topping. in parenthesis i’ll add in what alternative ingredients you can use to make it a rustic, summery toast topper.

1 large just ripe peach, pitted and diced
1 half red onion, diced
2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
2 ears of corn, sliced as close from the cob as possible
2 large tomatoes
juice of two limes (drizzle of olive oil + balsamic vinegar)
bunch of cilantro, rough chopped, leaves + stems (bunch of torn basil leaves)
salt + pepper, to taste

this is not rocket science, slice and dice to your hearts content. depending on how sweet your peaches or how tart you like your salsa, season to your taste.
mix in a bowl.

allow to mix and mingle for a few hours, ideally overnight.
serve with tortilla chips.

BAM!

1 year ago: peach ginger scones – vegan
2 years ago: vietnamese pickled carrots + daikon

other dips or toppers:
mango pomegranate guacamole
za’atar socca + middle eastern smashed avocado
roasted bone marrow

thai popsicles

Published on August 12, 2015August 20, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach15 Comments

it’s august,
it’s hot
i’m still obsessed with my
popsicle mold
i’ve made three flavors,
this one being dw’s favorite
and because anything the man loves
i want to recreate for him,
so i’m journaling it here.
for next blueberry season.
hoping your summer’s been loverly.

thai pops
makes 10

*note: if you can’t get your hands on Kaffir lime leaves, use organic lime rind, using as little of the bitter white pith as possible. it’s not exactly the same but it’ll still give you that bright citrus-y hint.

3 cups blueberries
10 Kaffir lime leaves
2 lemongrass sticks, gently bruised
1 can of full fat coconut milk
generous knob of ginger, peeled
sweetener of choice, like agave, sugar, honey, maple syrup, completely optional

you’ll be using two saucepans:

in first saucepan, gently simmer the blueberries with lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves. it’ll thicken and bubble, let it hang out and infuse. if you think about it, using a fork squish the berries. simmer for about 15 minutes and allow to cool. i left it rough textured, but if you want it smooth, discard the lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves and zip in vitamix or blender.

in 2nd saucepan, gently simmer coconut milk with ginger. if you want, you can sweeten with whatever sweetener of choice. the goal is to infuse the milk with just the hint of ginger, should take about 20-30 minutes on low. allow to cool. discard ginger knob.

pour into pop molds, alternating between flavors. there is no science to it, and it should be enough for all molds but as you can see, it’s entirely up to you how strong you want the flavors to be and how full you want the molds to be.

freeze at least 3 hours. to unmold, run under warm water and gently pull out.

BAM!

1 year ago: blueberry pie smoothie – vegan
2 years ago: vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl

other blueberry recipes:
blueberry breakfast cookies – vegan
blueberry clafoutis – dairy free
blueberry jam danishes – vegan
blueberry pie smoothie – vegan
blueberry swirl macaroons – gluten free, dairy free
blueberry swirl muffins – dairy free

popcorn

Published on August 4, 2015August 3, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach3 Comments

today we are four days deep into August.
at last count, since may,
we’ve been to the movies 10 times
actually, 11,
we saw Jurassic World twice, with the nephews.
oh wait.
i saw Pitch Perfect with the girls
sans dw.
so we like going to the cinema
me more than dw,
but he really likes popcorn.
thrice while on vacation
he went to the island theater to get popcorn,
but didn’t stay for the show.

it makes sense that we make it at home
i can’t say that i care for popcorn
but damn if i don’t reach for a few handfuls.

dw’s method is straight forward
he keeps it quick, five minutes tops.
he lightly salts it
and when we’re feeling fancy
he might do kettle corn
if i’m feeling fancy,
i might make vegan coconut caramel
to drizzle on top.

this latest version
is simple to the point
and so delicious.

popcorn – dw style

1/2 cup kernels (organic arrowhead mills)
2 TBL canola oil (or anything neutral with high smoke point, like grapeseed or sunflower seed)
generous pinch of saera’s seasoning salt, regular salt is fine but this seasoning has bite to it

pop on stovetop in a whirly pop.

heat up oil at medium temp, throw in a few kernels & wait for them to pop.
that’s when the oil is hot enough.
add the rest of the kernels and shake to coat.
crank the hand crank and let it happen.

this shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes, cold pan to fully popped and done.

sprinkle with blueridge blends’ saera’s seasoning salt to your heart’s content.
BAM!

this post is sponsored by blueridge blends. all opinions are my own.

1 year ago: homemade bánh cướn chay
2 years ago: chocolate + coconut macaroons

meringue cups + mango curd

Published on June 24, 2015June 23, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

growing up i never had dessert after dinner,
maybe an apple or orange slices.
sugar and sweets were for
Special Occasions,
they were not on the forefront of
gma’s menu planning for the week.
now that i’m ~~a grown up~~ in charge of my diet
dessert is a must.
on the evenings we don’t have
anything sweet to nibble on
i feel a loss,
like,
bereft.
my waistline has suffered
my sweet tooth is more ferocious
i don’t know which was worse –
with or without!
just kidding,
that’s a no brainer.

meringue cups + mango curd
gluten free, lactose free

*note: it was super hot and muggy the days i made these. if i were to serve this at a party, i’d make the morning of and pipe just before serving. you want the meringues to be light and crispy with just a touch of chew. doing it the way i did it allowed the meringues to be a little on the chewy side and not enough of the crisp. the winter, when the air is chill and dry, would be best for the over night method i used this time.

5 egg whites, at room temp
1/4 -1/2 cup sugar, sweetness level entirely up to you, depending on how sweet the curd is
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

preheat oven to 300F. prepare baking sheet with parchment paper.

in a clean mixing bowl using a the whisk attachment, mix the egg whites for about a minute. add the cream of tartar and then incrementally add the sugar. you’re going for stiff peaks, this could take up to 15 minutes. take your time, scrape the bowl to ensure you get all the sugar. you’re done when you’re able to turn the bowl over and nothing falls on your face.

fill piping bag, if you’re feeling fancy add a tip, though i don’t think it’s necessary. on the prepared baking sheet, pipe a base and then stick to the edge of the base and work your way up to make a cup/nest. keep going until done, i think i ended up with about 40.

bake for 20 minutes, lower heat to 250F and bake further 15 minutes. turn off off, ignore overnight.

mango curd
lactose free

1-2 mangos, depending on size, ending up with about 1 cup mango puree
1/8 – 1/4 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want it to be
pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lime
4 TBL ghee
juice of half lemon

in a sauce pan, mix the mango puree with the egg yolk on low heat. whisk steadily until warmed through, you don’t want to scramble the yolk. add in the flavors: sugar, salt, zests and lemon juice. raise heat to medium and keep whisking until further thickened. turn off the heat and add in the ghee, mixing thoroughly.

set aside to cool, if needed, strain through a fine mesh sieve.

allow to cool and then fridge. will keep for about a week.

to assemble:
you can be fancy and pipe the curd into the meringue cups, or you can be lazy like me and use a small spoon to fill the curd in.

BAM!

1 year ago: 3 veggies dumplings in spicy sauce
2 years: baked yeast s’mores donuts

other curd and/or meringue desserts:
citrus curd mille feuilles – dairy free
meyer lemon bars – lactose free
chocolate meringue kisses – gluten free, dairy free
strawberries + cream pavlovas – gluten free

pulled pork taco

Published on June 16, 2015June 25, 2015 by Lan | MoreStomach14 Comments

tacos are having a moment in our lives right now
(and it’s not just because i’m featuring a recipe today)
it’s an easy meal to put together
each person gets to choose what goes in and doesn’t
it’s a meal that can repeat
but doesn’t feel repetitious
due to the change in seasonal staples:
shredded cabbage or leafy kale or spicy arugula?
crunchy radish or cooling cukes?
fatty cheese or luxurious avocado?
ALL OF IT!

lime spritz — SOOC shots. dw makes the best hand model

pulled pork
recipe for the preparation of the pork only. the filling/filler is entirely up to you!

*note: we buy our tortillas, chips and salsa at a local mexican restaurant. we purchase our pork from a local farmer, Farmer Steve, who used to do poultry and is now in the pork business.

*note: as stated before, how you stuff/top your tacos is up to you. i’ve seen fruit (think mango) salsa as a topper, you can add cheese (try queso fresco), do a cabbage slaw, but may i suggest stick to the season. whatever is fresh and new at your farmer’s stand is best. what we eat in our tacos in june is different from what our tacos look like in january.

1 bottle of ginger beer (this is flexible, we had a spare bottle in the fridge, beer would’ve been fine, or stock)
4-5 lb fresh ham roast (whatever hunk of pork you want to use), fat trimmed
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 onion rough chopped
3 TBL alton brown’s #19 taco potion

rub pork with the taco seasoning.

put the seasoned pork into the crock pot and fashion the onions and garlic cloves around it.

pour the bottle of ginger beer. (85% of the meat was covered)

cover, set on low and ignore for 4-6 hours.

shred the meat using two forks.

assemble your tacos to your heart’s content!

BAM!