Recipe of the week: Cranberry-Walnut Salad and a Sweet Stir Fry

I did a full day sit at my zendo this past Saturday. Mindfulness and meditation from 9am-5pm. I very much enjoy these extended sits, although they can be challenging. One of the great things about such prolonged mindfulness is my heightened appreciation of food. Of course, during this time we do have to take some time to eat. When we do, we eat in silence, paying close attention to the action of eating. It’s amazing how the taste of food can actually seem different. It’s no wonder that I always eat healthier foods at this time. Last Saturday we were told to bring our own lunch. I took a sandwich with organic peanut butter and a pineapple-mango jam. It’s amazing how during these sits, the taste of a pb & j sandwich is just wonderful. Combined with the savory vegetable chips I ate, it hit the spot.

No matter how long I sit, whether it’s 40 minutes or throughout an 8 hour period, my mind wanders to food at some point. While I try to use my practice and let thoughts come and go, I usually take a few minutes to entertain my thoughts about what I will be eating afterward (I do this in yoga too). Not exactly the ideal practice, but I just really like food! Anyway, last Saturday I thought about making a yummy dinner that was influenced by my practice. I decided on two dishes that were not entirely fancy or new, but met my desires at the time.

Cranberry-Walnut Salad
There’s something about dressing covered lettuce after a day in the refrigerator, making leftovers even better.
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce, chopped
½ can of walnuts
½ package craisins
1 avocado, sliced
¼ small red onion, sliced
A few teaspoons of your favorite vinaigrette

Toss all ingredients in a bowl until it is lightly covered with the dressing.
(This will make about 3-4 small servings)

Sweet Stir Fry
½ lb chicken breast, cubed
¼ small red onion
1 small can green beans
4-5 tablespoons store-bought marinade, I used a peach-apricot marinade
2 servings, cooked brown rice

Mix 1-2 tablespoons marinade and raw chicken in a sandwich bag for a few minutes. Brown the chicken and sauté red onion in a skillet. Add the green beans and remaining marinade to skillet and cook for about 5-10 minutes.

Eat the marinade mixture over brown rice. (This made 2 servings for me, yea leftovers!)

A nice glass of a French Syrah was a great pairing for this tasty dinner. Okay, this might not have been the best observance of my practice, but it went so well with the dinner. Actually, wine tastes so much better to me after zazen or yoga. I am much more receptive to all of the intricate flavors.

Wine of Choice: Syrah/Shiraz

I have been known to enjoy a good Shiraz. No, it is not the high alcohol content (although it doesn't hurt), but the spicy plumpness of the wine.

Syrah/Shiraz (pronounced just like they’re spelled) are Red Wines.

Where it’s from:

The Syrah originated in the Rhone Valley of France. The grapes are called Syrah in the US, France and just about every country other than Australia. Shiraz is the name for the same grape in Australia. It’s the most popular grape down under. The Petite Syrah is a wine from an entirely different grape.

The different soil conditions and climate in Australia produce a somewhat different character from the French version.

Australian winemakers often blend Shiraz with Cabernet Sauvignon.

What it tastes like:

Shiraz can be described as spicy blackberry, plum, and peppery, as well as a big, fat, juicy, in-your-face, modern wine. Shiraz can range from medium-bodied wines with strawberry flavors to darker wines.

Syrah is more spicy than fruity, also peppery with roasty, smokey, jammy and/or blackberry flavors.

Both tend to be high in alcohol.

What to eat it with:

Hearty or spicy foods.

New Wine Terminology:

Varietal - A wine made mostly from one type of grape. So when they say, “Syrah can lose varietal character when even slightly overripe”, they mean that the characters that define that grape can be lost when they are overripe. Ie don’t let those delicious Syrah grapes go to waste!

Food of the week: Mango

Food of the week: Mango

Looking back on the foods of the week to date, I’ve noticed the lack of fruit. I thought to myself, I need fruit! I’ve always been more of a vegetable kind of gal, but I’m trying to open myself up to more fruits. And the very first fruit of the week is…duh, duh, duh, duh…the Mango!

Tropical, colorful, and sweet, the mango has it all. Ooh, la, la, it’s exotic!

Benefits:

• “Excellent source” of vitamins A & C, good for strong bones and vision, as well as a healthy immune system, respectively.


• Low in fat and high in fiber, a combination that helps prevent certain types of cancers.


• Excellent for weight loss.


• Help prevent anemia, because the vitamin C helps in the absorption of Iron.
  

Drawbacks:

• The skin is inedible and can irritate your skin.


• “When there are mangoes in the markets there is madness in the streets.” At least in Australia.
  

Ways to eat mangos:

• I must admit, I’m new to the mango. I don’t have too many ideas (most are things I’ve had at restaurants and haven’t made at home). If you know of any good recipes, please let me know!


• My friend Elizabeth made this killer mango salsa! I don’t remember what all was in it, probably tomatoes, green onions and some other things. There are plenty of mango salsa recipes available online, but maybe I can get Elizabeth to share her recipe with me…


• Mango chicken stir fry! Yummy!
  
• I used to have this mango-strawberry sorbet at Tsampa, one of my fave NYC restaurants. They stopped serving it though – boo!
  
• Mango Lassi’s are a lovely Indian treat. It basically contains yogurt, mango and sugar, but there are many variations online. Here’s an example.
  
• I tried to come up with my own creation the other night – green beans, mangos, red onions and red wine vinegar. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. I’m convinced that I can play around with it and make it a bit more superb. If anyone has any ideas…

In case you were wondering:

How to choose a mango

How to cut a mango

Little known facts:

The mango dates back to 4000 BCE in Hindu scripture.

Mangos and Mangoes are both correct spellings of the fruit in its plural form.

Tasty lunch

I decide every few weeks to make a menu of meals for myself for the upcoming week. I'd like to say I do it every week, but it's not true. Life gets a little crazy and the next thing I know I'm heading for the building cafeteria for lunch every day. So, this week, I had the forethought of planning my meals. While I was making the dinner I had planned for last night, I also made my lunch for today. And I just want to say, it was deeeelicious! So delicious, in fact, that I had to share it.

My lunch for today was a tuna salad wrap. Not just any tuna salad wrap, or it would not be worthy of a whole blog entry. I added chopped red onions, cumin ('Nessa - you'll love this) and celery salt to the mayo, mustard, tuna mix. In addition, I layered carrot matchsticks (for some crunchy texture) and shavings of this cheddar cheese I got from the grocery store last weekend (it has dill, garlic and pepper in it!). Wrap it up and YUMMMMM!!!! I rounded out the meal by eating some vegetable chips with it.

You may be thinking to yourself, "man she is crazy! this does not sound that exciting". And perhaps it's not. But, I've been playing around with food lately and sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not (last night, for instance, my green bean, mango, onion, red wine vinegar mixture was not particularly great). And when it is good, I'm super excited!

Recipe of the week: Hummus

My sister makes a very yummy hummus and was cool enough to give it to me for my blog. Yea hummus!

Hummus
1 - 15oz can chick peas/garbanzo beans
1 ¼ tsp salt (I use Kosher)
2 ¼-2 ½ tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
Hot sauce (as much as you like…I put in several dashes/shakes)
1 head roasted garlic
½ cup Tahini
Water – I use warm/hot water and put in enough to make it the consistency I like (between ½ & ¾ cup)

Combine it all and then add the water, until it’s the consistency you want.
Make it thinner for a veggie dip.

Yes, that's right, it calls for 1 whole head of garlic! (But it's roasted, so it's a little less pungent)

Wine of Choice: Sauvignon Blanc

It's time to add a new regular feature to the Accidental Epicure. In recent years I have been growing a fondness for wine. Although I like to go to wine tastings I really do not know much about the wines I drink. So, in an effort to educate myself and to divulge more in the wonderful world of vino, I will write about a Wine of Choice on a weekly basis. This will include a little background and suggestions for certain types of wines. Since I am not that schooled in wine, I will begin with some of my favorites and move on to new types. I hope you enjoy as we become educated about wine together!


My first Wine of Choice will be Sauvignon Blanc.

Sauvignon Blanc (pronouned SOH-vihn-yohn BLAHNGK) is a white wine.

Where it’s from:
The Sauvignon Blanc grapes originated in the Loire Valley in France. Today they are grown and produced in France, California, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, and, to lesser degrees in Washington State, Australia, and Italy.

New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc and California's Fumé Blanc are of noted exception.


What it tastes like:
Like all wines, Sauvignon Blanc's flavor varies depending on where it comes from and how it is fermented. In general, Sauvignon Blanc is tangy, tart, nervy, racy, or zesty. But it can also be intense, aromatic, dry, medium-full bodied, crisp, elegant, bold, pungent, and refreshing.


Sauvignon Blanc from cooler climates and fertile soils are known for herbaceous smells and flavors, while in warmer regions the flavors of melon, citrus, and passion fruit aromas emerge.




What to eat it with:
Sauvignon Blanc is very versatile. You can eat with tomatoes, bell peppers, cilantro, raw garlic, or smoked cheeses. Or Shellfish and Caesar salad to fried chicken and aged Jarlsberg cheese.

Sauvignon Blanc can make a good Sangria!

Food of the week: Garlic

Food of the week: Garlic

I recently saw a show on the Food Network that showed garlic from the farm to the food we eat, and I thought, yes! That’s it! Garlic will be the food of the week.

Much like bacon, garlic is something people to tend to love or hate. (How can anyone hate garlic?) And this time vegetarians can be involved in the craze. There is little more satiating then the smell of garlic. When you first cut into a clove of garlic, the pungent smell releases into the air and you are wisked away to a magical place.

Back on earth, garlic is widely used by many cultures, Mediterranean, Indian, Tibetan, and the list goes on.

Benefits: (from the linked source unless otherwise noted)

• Good source of vitamins B6, C and selenium.


• Garlic contains compounds that inhibit lipoxygenase and cyclooxygenase, which help to reduce inflammation.


• Prevents weight gain.


• Garlic may lower your risk of several common cancers
  
  

  Study participants consuming the most garlic had a 39% reduced risk for cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx, 57% reduced risk for esophageal cancer, 26% reduced risk for colorectal cancer, 44% reduced risk for laryngeal cancer, 10% reduced risk for breast cancer, 22% reduced risk for ovarian cancer, 19%reduced risk for prostate cancer, and 31% reduced risk for renal cell cancer, compared to those eating the least garlic.



• May help prevent atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, as well as reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke


• Clinical studies are being conducted to verify significant medicinal qualities in garlic.


• Wards off vampires! Or does it?

Drawbacks:

• Stinky breath!


• Heartburn, upset stomach, and allergic reactions


• Garlic interferes with the effectiveness of saquinavir, a drug used for HIV.


• Garlic thins the blood, which can be dangerous if you have surgery or problems with blood not clotting.

Ways to eat garlic:

• In pasta, stir fry, or casserole. Anything really.


• I’ve heard about people eating a garlic sandwich (cloves on bread). I think that’s a bit too much for me.


• Garlic bread!

Little known fact:

Garlic can repel insects (What? Insects have no taste!)

"A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat." - Old New York Yiddish Saying