Natural Living Cuisine

Shiitake Mushrooms

Ingrid — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:44:11 -0500

[Lentinula edodes]

I adore mushrooms. I like the texture of mushrooms and they taste delicious. Even as a child I eat them without complaint. The mushrooms I grew up with were the white button mushrooms. Later, through the pages of Bon Appetite and Gourmet magazines, I discovered brown mushrooms and from there a whole world of mushrooms.

Have you ever foraged for mushrooms? It’s great fun. It is a popular pastime in Europe, in fact, the countryside of France is where I first foraged for mushrooms, with friend who knew which ones to pick. Now when I forage for mushrooms, it’s either at an open market or the produce section of a grocery store.

Most mushrooms I enjoy, but one inparticular is my favorite. It is revered both as a food and medicinal herb, it’s the valuable Shiitake, pronounced - she-TAH-kay. This member of the fungi family of edible mushrooms also goes by the names black forest mushroom, Chinese black mushroom and fragrant mushroom.

Nutritional Profile

Raw foodists, vegans, and vegetarian benefit greatly from shiitake, as it is one of the few non-animal sources of vitamin B12, and is one of a few known natural sources of vegan and kosher vitamin D (vitamin D2). Other bonuses, shiitake is low in calories, high in vegetable proteins, fat free, very low in sodium, contain both essential and non-essential amino acids, vitamins & minerals.

Shiitake mushrooms contain:

Selecting

Shiitake are available year-round and are sold fresh and dried at farmer’s markets, Whole Foods stores, and in Asian markets. They range in color from tan to dark brown and the shiitake caps have a soft, spongy meaty texture.

Fresh shiitake ~ look for firm, spongy caps that are dry. Avoid mushrooms that are withered, with bruises, pits, or feel or look slimy. If possible, give them a sniff test. They should smell pleasant and earthy.

Dried shiitake ~ commonly sold in preserved packages. You may also consider drying your own mushrooms with a dehydrator.

Storing

Fresh shiitake mushrooms can keep for up to 14 days when stored in the refrigerator in its container or in a paper bag.

Store unopened packages of dried shiitakes [or any type of dried mushrooms] or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry area away from light exposure.

Preparing

Consider investing in a soft mushroom brush to brush away any clinging growing medium from fresh mushrooms, otherwise simply wipe them with a damp paper towel.

To reconstitute dried mushrooms, soak them in water for 20 – 30 minutes.

Culinary Tips

After reconstituting dried mushrooms, don’t throw out the water! Reserve it to use in soups, to enhance sauces, or use other ways in other recipes.
Equivalents: 1 pound fresh mushrooms = 3 ounces dried.
Dried shiitakes have more of an intense flavor than fresh shiitakes.
Do not soak fresh mushrooms, they are extremely porous and soak up water like a sponge.
Salt release the water in mushrooms.
Avoid using a lot of salt or soy sauce when using shiitake mushrooms. Shiitake is rich in glutamates so they are naturally enhanced with sodium.
To preserves any dried mushrooms, use several not too old bay leaves to retard and/or eliminate spore development.
Substitutes for Shiitake in recipes: crimini mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, straw mushrooms, chanterelles, porcini mushrooms, white mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, baby bella, or a combination.

Prickly Pear Cactus Juice

Ingrid — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:13:39 -0500

On the heels of my last post Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit, I’ve learned a little more about this desert fruit. Its outer skin range in color from light green to purple-red, and its flesh ranges from a light yellow-green, to deep golden, to red.

Also, I’d like to share a tip from Naomi, one of my readers, who left a comment on the Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit post suggesting an ease way peel prickly cactus pear safely. Thanks for the tip!

Cut off ends a little less than a centimeter in. Then make a slice from one end to the other only going through the top layer/peel as if you were going through the skin of an orange. Now dig your fingers between the slice and peel down around the fruit. The fruit will separate pretty easily from the peel. Once you get the hang of this it’s pretty easy to avoid the clusters of globins (we call em “picas” cause it picas your hands like spicy jalapenos).

Using gloves is another option to avoid getting pricked by the pear and when handling it.

The recipe is simple to make, has an absolutely beautiful color, is subtle in taste, and refreshing. The inside of a prickly pear is scattered with black seeds. When making this drink, I peeled the pear cactus and roughly cut it into big chunks, then added the chunks, seeds included, to the blender. However, you could de-seed it first, otherwise blend and strain the juice through a strainer to catch all the seeds and seed particles.

Prickly Pear Cactus Juice

Double or triple this recipe to make a punch bowl or pitcher of this refreshing drink.

2 red prickly pear cactus, washed, peeled, cut into large chunks (with seeds)
1 1/2 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh squeezed
2 tablespoons agave, or to taste

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Pour the juice through a strainer to remove any seeds and seed particles.

Serve at room temperature or chilled. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Serves 2

Back to Top ⇑

Prickly Pear Cactus Fruit

Ingrid — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:11:14 -0500

Prickly pear might be considered an “exotic” fruit to some folks, but where I live, it is commonly available. This plant, Opuntia ficus-indica grows wild throughout the American southwest and I’m also a stones throw away from Mexico, where it has been a staple of their diet for thousands of years. I find prickly pear, especially at this time of year, readily available in grocery stores, health food stores, and at farmer’s markets from farmer’s who grow them, and for the first time, I finally tried this noteworthy fruit. It was a learning experience in every sense of the word.

During one of my shopping excursions, I picked through a pile of this cacti, examining and holding them in my hands, all the while asking questions and chatting about them with the produce guys. One of the guys offered to give us a sample and wandered off to get a knife. Meantime Peter was concerned that I was handling these cacti so freely and warned me to be careful. I didn’t feel anything sticking me, the skin looked smooth and free of any dreadful thorns or what-not, so I didn’t think much of it and said it was okay. Well, I paid for it later.

The produce guy returned with a knife and cut open a prickly pear. The insides revealed a beautiful vibrant red color flesh. He handed us each a slice - me, Peter, the other produce guy, and a curious shopper – and we all had a taste. I couldn’t quite put a label on the flavor at first, but after really tasting it, the closest comparative flavor would be to a watermelon, but more subtle, almost bland, yet sweet. My trusted produce informants explained that the flavor depends on the variety of prickly pear cactus, and that the range of flavors can be similar to strawberries, watermelons, citrus, figs, bananas, honeydew melons, and kiwifruit, with a much less acidity. Prickly pear is full of seeds, and I’m told these seeds have use, more on that later. Needless to say, a few of these prickly fruits ended up in my shopping cart.

On the way home, I felt the first couple of prickly stickers poking from my hand. I didn’t know what to call those nearly invisible pokey things until I did a Google search and found they are called “globins”. Throughout the day, I would get pricked with yet another globin in another area of my hand. Tweezer surgery was very necessary to rid myself of those annoying globins. On that note, be careful when handling these pretty prickly fruits. Next time I shop for them, I’ll try using one of those plastic bags to handle the fruit. They don’t call them prickly for nothing.

Prickly pear cactus is like a fruit and vegetable rolled up into one plant. It has two different edible sections, the pad and the pear. The pad of the cactus, or nopal, is considered the vegetable part, and the prickly pear, also known as tuna, Indian fig, or cactus pear, is like a fruit. The prickly pear grows from the cactus pad, it is first a flower blossom that protrudes from the pad (nopal), and when the blossom fades, it produces the edible fruit.

Depending on the variety, this fruit is available from early spring through late fall, but September through November is the best harvest time for eating fresh ripen cactus pears.

Prickly Pear Cactus Fruits, photography by Stevetoearth.

Nutritional Profile and Benefits of Prickly Pear Cactus

Even since the time of the Aztecs, before the spanish people came to conquer Mexico, they said prickly pear was good for any kind of disease. - Dr. Maria L. Fernandez

The fruit, like other cacti, is a succulent and is mostly composed of water. Prickly pear provides essential nutrients. It is a source of carbohydrates and is an excellent source of antioxidants, having substantial amounts of vitamin C. Also, I found in comparison that prickly pear and aloe vera have a lot in common.

Some of the health benefits associated with prickly pear:

Immune support
Diabetes
Obesity
Helps manage cholesterol

Some of the nutrients found in prickly pear cactus:

Flavonoids | Pectin | Vitamin A | Vitamin B | Vitamin C

Selecting and Storing Prickly Pear Cactus

If you plan to harvest any part of the cacti, the fruit or the pad, please wear heavy-duty protective gloves.

Choose prickly pear cactus that is firm with a bright red skin. When the fruit is ripe, it is best to store it in a refrigerator.

How to Handle and Peel Prickly Pear Cactus

Have a bowl of cold water, tongs, paper towels, and a vegetable peeler handy.

Place the prickly pear cactus in a bowl of water to clean, and this also help remove some of the spines.
Remove the fruit with tongs.
Use the towels to hold the fruit while peeling it with a vegetable peeler.

Serving Suggestions

Prickly pear pulp can be pushed or mashed through a strainer to make a fresh sauce, a puree, or vinaigrette.
Use to make a drink or in smoothies by placing the peeled fruit in a food processor or blender with filtered water, process/blend and pour through a strainer to remove any seeds.
Make a prickly pear sorbet or popsicles.

How To Use The Seeds From Prickly Pear Cactus

The seeds can be dried and ground into flour, interesting. I love the versatility of natural foods. I haven’t tried this yet, but I’ll soon pick up more cactus pears, save the seeds, dehydrate them, and see what happens. I’ll keep you posted.

Back to Top ⇑

Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes

Ingrid — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:21:25 -0500

I love all types of tomatoes, but this season I made it a point to become more familiar with heirloom tomatoes. The variety of colors is spectacular, and some even have patterns, like these [pictured above] I used for this recipe. These tomatoes make a pretty presentation.

Here I used a nut-based mixture but the sky is the limit for making a delicious mixture to stuff tomatoes. For easy entertaining, make a platter full of stuffed grape or cherry tomatoes to serve as an appetizer, or use medium to large tomatoes – like I did – to make a meal of it.

Stuffed Heirloom Tomatoes

4 large heirloom tomatoes, washed, tops cut off, and center carved out
2 cups cashew nuts, soaked and rinsed
2 cups kale, washed and torn into small pieces
1 cup fresh parsley, washed
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
¼ cup onions, peeled and roughly chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Season the inside of each tomato with a pinch of salt and pepper, and set aside. In a food processor, add all the remaining ingredients [cashews, kale, parsley, garlic, onions, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and pepper] and process until thoroughly combined. Stuff each tomato with the cashew-kale mixture.

Serve garnished with fresh parsley leaves.

This recipe can be made a day in advance, cover and store in a refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.

back to top ⇑

Summer Tomatoes

Ingrid — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:33:56 -0500

I thought I was a rare bird, one who gets excited about fresh produce, but my husband gets just as excited, which makes grocery shopping together a lot of fun.

Both of us love tomatoes, especially Peter, he likes to eat them every day with practically every meal. We were eager to grow our own so we could enjoy fresh-from-the-garden summer tomatoes right from our own backyard. We dug up the earth and buried seeds against the advise from those who claimed tomatoes don’t grow well here. They were right it seems. Our tomato plants didn’t do well at all. We only had a few half-way decent tomatoes and many tiny cherry tomatoes. Maybe we’ll have better luck next year.

So our tomato fix comes from famer’s markets, Whole Foods store, our local health food store, and the organic section of the grocery store near us. We’re like two wide-eyed kids when we see all the gorgeous varieties of tomatoes on display.

A tomato is not just a tomato; it is something special and has magnificence. I love the way the Europeans romanticize tomatoes through the name they give it. In Peter’s country, the Hungarians call tomatoes paradicsom meaning paradise, the French call it pomme d’amour, meaning love apple, and the Italians call it pomodoro meaning golden apple. Americans, well, we certainly aren’t as lyrical, but depending on what part of the country you’re from, one might say tuh-MA-to, and another tuh-MAH-to.

Varieties of Tomatoes

There are more than 1,000 varieties of tomatoes grown in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Sizes and shapes vary from small cherry tomatoes to big beautiful heirloom tomatoes. You’ll find a colorful assortment from shades of red, green, orange, yellow, purple, and there are even stripped tomatoes too. As for flavor, they generally have a subtle sweetness mixed with a subtle bitter-acidic taste, though some tomatoes are much sweeter than others.

Some varieties of tomatoes

Cherry – tasty little one-inch tomatoes come in a variety of colors.
Cluster – red, yellow, orange tomatoes [5-6] solid on the vine.
Heirloom - cultivars of tomatoes handed down from generation that come in many varieties.
Roma - firm smooth-skinned, pink to red in color.

Nutritional Profile and Benefits of Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a delicious and health-giving food that is extremely rich in antioxidants, especially beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin C, and vitamin E, making the beneficial fruits for the cardiovascular system, and some form of cancer. It is rich in potassium and contains low levels of sodium, which makes it helpful with high blood pressure and fluid retention issues.

Nutrients found in tomatoes

Selecting and Storing Summer Tomatoes

As a general rule and depending in variety, the best tomatoes have a bright or deep rich color, are well shaped, plump, have a sweet fragrance, smooth skin, and yield to slight pressure, with no soft spots, wrinkles, bruises, cracks, or decay marks.

Store tomatoes at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Depending on how ripe they are, they should keep in this condition up to a week.

If you need unripe or not ripe enough tomatoes to ripen quickly, place them in a paper bag with a banana or apple. The ethylene gas emitted from these fruits helps speed up ripening the tomato.

If you have overripe tomatoes, store them anywhere in the door compartment of a refrigerator. When ready to use allow the tomato to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This helps to regain the tomatoes maximum flavor and juiciness.

Tomatoes in any form [whole, chopped, or pureed] freeze well.

Serving Suggestions And Recipes

Stuff cherry tomatoes to make as an appetizer.
Make a tomato platter with sliced tomatoes topped shredded basil, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkled with pine nuts.
Puree tomatoes in a blender to make a soup.
Sprinkle dice tomatoes in soups and salads.
Add a tomato to your next vegetable drink or make fresh home-made tomato juice.
Make a big batch of tomato salsa

Recipes To Try - Featuring Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Curry Tarragon Pate

Soup for Supper

Sun Dried Tomato Bread

Tomato Dressing

Back to Top ⇑

Green and Gold Kiwi Sorbet

Ingrid — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 16:43:59 -0500

I don’t own an ice cream maker, though I did consider purchasing one this summer, I decided to pass on the idea (maybe next year) and continue using a simple technique to make ice cream and sorbet that has so far worked for me. The technique? Prep and cut the fruit into small pieces, freeze it, and then process the frozen fruit pieces in a food processor with any other ingredients the recipe calls for, and serve or refreeze. That’s it! The food processor does the churning work for me.

Both of these sorbets are a light and refreshing treat to enjoy anytime and are so good and healthy, and loaded with vitamin C. Green kiwifruit has a tangy tartness while the golden kiwifruit has a sugary sweetness. I prefer my sorbet lightly sweetened, if at all. I used just enough agave nectar to do the job, though feel free to use more agave if you like yours on the sweeter side. I like the bit of crunch and the attractive appearance the black seeds give each scoop.

Green Kiwifruit Sorbet

I used the tangy tart citrus flavor of lime juice to compliment the tart flavor of the green kiwifruit and used lime zest to harmonize with the natural color of this sorbet.

6 green kiwifruit [about 2 ½ - 3 cups], ends cut, peeled, chopped
¼ cup agave
¼ cup fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon lime zest

Wash, peel, and cut kiwifruit into small pieces. Spread chopped kiwifruit pieces on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until frozen. Place frozen kiwifruit pieces, agave nectar, lime juice and lime zest in a food processor and process until creamy. At this point you can serve immediately as a soft-serve sorbet or pour the sorbet into a container with lid and return to the freezer for about an hour or so to firm up or until ready to serve.

Serves 4

Golden Kiwifruit Sorbet

Citrusy lemon compliments and balances the natural sweetness of golden kiwi and the yellow sprinkles of lemon zest blend nicely with the pretty golden pastel color of this sorbet.

6 golden kiwifruit [about 2 ½ - 3 cups], ends cut, peeled, chopped
¼ cup agave
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest

Wash, peel, and cut kiwifruit into small pieces. Spread chopped kiwifruit pieces on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until frozen. Place frozen kiwifruit pieces, agave nectar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a food processor and process until creamy. At this point you can serve immediately as a soft-serve sorbet or pour the sorbet into a container with lid and return to the freezer for about an hour or so to firm up or until ready to serve.

Serves 4

* * *

Note: For those of you who own an ice cream maker, wash, peel, and cut the kiwifruit into small pieces and puree, along with any other ingredients called for in the recipe, in a food processor. Pour the kiwifruit puree into the ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a freezer friendly container, cover, and freeze until solid, at least 3 hours. Allow the sorbet to soften at room temperature about 30 minutes before serving.

Back to Top ⇑

Kiwifruit

Ingrid — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 18:58:00 -0500

A close look at the inside of a green kiwifruit, isn’t it stunning…

… and the golden kiwifruit is just as gorgeous.

Photography from WikiMedia Commons

… and look, another intriguing kiwifruit! This one is new to me and I’ll definitely be on the look out for this gem. Have you heard of red kiwifruit?

If a green and a golden kiwifruit were side-by-side, would you be able to distinguish the two? It is easy to tell them apart, see the photo above to help illustrate the difference. The green kiwifruit is fuzzier and symmetrically oval and wider while the golden kiwifruit has smoother skin, an elongated oval, or teardrop shaped, with a pointed nub on one end.

They both have their own delicious flavor. Golden kiwifruit is much sweeter and softer in texture in comparison to the green kiwifruit, which is tart with a firmer texture.

Varieties of Kiwifruit

Hayward is the most common kiwifruit variety found in the produce section and grown in backyard gardens. Here is a list of various varieties of kiwifruit.

Abbott
Allison
Dexter
Elmwood
Hardy
Hayward
Jenny
Monty
Silvervine
Tewi
Vincent

… and the list goes on.

Nutritional Profile and Benefits of Kiwifruit

The whole kiwifruit, skin included, is a treasure trove of nutrients, fiber, antioxidants, and contains the following vitamins and minerals:

Kiwifruit is an amazing health promoter that benefits the heart, eyes, colon, and contributes to our health in many other wonderful ways.

Selecting and Storing Kiwifruit

Select unblemished kiwifruit that is firm to the touch. Test its ripeness by holding the fruit between your thumb and forefinger and give it a light squeeze, it should yield to the pressure.

Store kiwifruits at room temperature anywhere from 2 days to a week. For prolonged storage, keep in the refrigerator. To soften or speed up ripening, place kiwifruits in a bag with an apple, banana, pear, or other ethylene-producing fruits for about a week or until ripened.

Freezing Kiwifruit

Here are three ways to freeze kiwi for later use.

1) The whole kiwifruit can be frozen, but first you’ll want to remove the fuzzy hair by rubbing it off. Remove the kiwifruit from the freezer and peel the skin while the fruit is still frozen.

2) Slice the kiwifruit to desired thickness, arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and freeze. Once frozen, place slices in an airtight freezer friendly container. Remove the amount of slices you need, allow to thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

3) Puree the kiwifruit along with 1 tablespoon each of agave and fresh lemon juice, in a blender. Pour the fruit puree through a large sieve to remove any seeds, pour the strained puree into a freezer friendly container, and freeze. This is an excellent way to store kiwi puree for later use in making drinks, desserts or fruit sauces.

Remember to date and label those containers.

Serving Suggestions

One of the simplest ways to enjoy kiwifruit is to cut it in half and scoop out the delicious pulp with a spoon. If you plan to do a little more with it, there are a number of ways to prepare this wonderful fruit.

Anyway you chop, dice, quarter, or slice it, kiwifruit is delicious. Remember the entire fruit is edible, so if you want the maximum nutritional benefits, rinse it and bite in. You may find the golden kiwifruit more palatable than the green because it has far less fuzzy hair, if any at all. If you like green kiwifruit but aren’t keen on the fuzz, simply rub it off and enjoy.

You can prepare kiwi in any number of ways, either as a sweet treat or in a savory dish. I love the idea of making kiwi into a savory dish so I’ll be experimenting in the kitchen. I hope to have a new and tasty recipe to share in my next post but until then, eat your kiwifruit.

Back to Top ⇑

Natural Living Cuisine’s One Year Blog Anniversary!

Ingrid — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 18:52:55 -0500

Photography: Fireworks 04 by Jeremy Stockwell

It is hard to believe an entire year has passed and on this day, one year ago, Natural Living Cuisine launched. Looking back on a good 365 days of blogging, it truly amazes me what I have learned, discovered, and gained, and how embracing a raw vegan lifestyle has impacted my life in significant ways.

I am incredibly grateful to all of you who have subscribed to this blog, shared your comments, best wishes, helpful links, and spread the word. Through this blog, I have discovered many wonderful blogs and websites, and had the great pleasure of connecting with fellow bloggers and other interesting folks, which I feel fortunate and proud to call my friends.

Year two begins and during the course of the months ahead, I look forward to continuing the journey, expanding my knowledge and appreciation for healthy natural foods, finding delicious ways to enjoy them, and sharing it all with you.