New Year, New Flat!

SO I've finally arrived back in Switzerland a few weeks ago, this time in the center of town with a new place and flatmate. I have to pinch myself: the place is really cool, as is she!! It made all the goodbyes somewhat easier. In fact this 'trendy' part of town is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Zürich. Exploring has been fun, with loads of restaurants, bars, and in walking distance the clubs :) Of course eating out here is incredibly expensive compared to New York. A nice Thai restaurant across the street charges 20 francs for soup. And the other day I had a buffet salad to go with my cappuccino to the tune of 18. I can't complain though, the quality is always excellent.

I've also explored the various ethnic markets - picking up labneh at the Turkish market, pakora snacks at the Sri Lankan grocer - as well as the local farmer's markets. I finally found the German word for kale at an organic vegetable stall at the Helvetia market Tuesday morning (Federkohl). This inspired me to get back into cooking by making a nutritious lunch...

Sautéed Kale with Broccoli & Red Beans

200g kale
1/2 small head of broccoli
1/2 red onion
1 clove garlic
1 T olive oil
1 T Bragg's liquid aminos (or tamari sauce)
ginger
salt
pepper
1 small can red beans (or any!)

• Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 5 minutes, still firm and bright green. Drain and set aside.
• Chop the red onion into slivers and dice the garlic finely. Sautée in the olive oil for five minutes, then add the garlic and spices (ginger, salt and pepper to taste).
• Rinse the kale and chop or rip leaves into medium pieces, discarding stalks. Add to the pan.
• Add the Bragg's (or tamari or soy sauce) and cover pan, letting the kale cook for about 10 minutes.
• Add the broccoli and stir fry for a couple of minutes, then remove from heat.
• Serve in a bowl topped with the beans...mmm.

Much more to say about my arrival back in Züri...forthcoming!

Discovering Italian Vegetables...

When I moved to Switzerland I tried to find a German translation for kale, my favorite leafy green. Googling did not help. When shopping I spotted a prickly green that looked a lot like dinosaur kale, called Wirz. I took it home, cooked it up happily, but noted the texture seemed a little tougher almost like collards....because it's not kale. It's actually savoy cabbage, popular in Italy and one of several new veggies that have become a staple for me.

The second was even more eye-catching - the beautiful geometric wonder of Romanesco broccoli. Also from Italy, it is in the broccoli/cauliflower family and in fact also referred to as Roman cauliflower. Sort of broccoli and cauliflowers gorgeous love child :) and so tender it's perfectly crunchy raw or lightly blanched.

Savoy Salad w/ Fried Shiitake Mushrooms and Toasted Seeds
















1.5 cups of savoy cabbage or kale
3-4 large fresh heads of shiitake mushrooms
1 small red onion
1 - 2 T seeds and/or nuts (I used walnuts and pumpkin seeds)
2 T + 1 t olive oil
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 drop Stevia liquid (optional)
dry mustard powder
sea salt

• Wash the cabbage (or kale if using), squeeze, and cut into strips. Then whisk together about 1.5 T of the olive oil with the vinegar, Stevia, mustard and salt. Set aside.


• Slice the mushrooms medium/thin and dice the red onions.


• Heat a medium pan and add seeds, toasting for a few minutes. Remove from heat.


• In the same pan, warm remaining oil (or a pat of butter if you like!) and add the onions and mushrooms. Sautée for roughly 5 minutes before removing from heat.


• Toss together the cabbage, onions, mushrooms, seeds and vinegraitte. The warm/cool contrast is what makes this great.
  

Romanesco Broccoli & Savoy Slaw
















1.5 cups of savoy cabbage
1 head of Romanesco broccoli
1 small red onion
1 small clove of garlic, minced (optional)
2 T plain yogurt
1 T homemade mayonnaise
1 t apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 t dry mustard powder
1/4 t garlic salt (or plain sea salt if using fresh garlic)

• Blanch the cabbage for 1-2 minutes in boiling water. Remove to ice water to cool, and blanch the Romanesco for 3 minutes. Remove to ice water.
• While the vegetables blanch, mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard powder, lemon juice or vinegar, and salt. Chill.
• Dice the red onion, and wring excess water from cooled cabbage.
• Toss it all together and enjoy!
  

Superfoods: Avocado & Black Bean Salsa

I've began to notice my foodie habits are on the increase. As delighted as I was to find that bookshop in Bern with a large English section, 2/3 of my purchases were cookbooks. I've also managed to find an English language cooking class in Zürich (only a couple of times a year!) which I'll be attending on Tuesday. I generally cook in the privacy of my flat so I'll update on how it goes ;)

In fact, I've decided to shift a majority of my eating/snacking from complex carbs to monosaturated fats (almonds and other nuts, olive oil, and the humble avocado). One of the books I purchased, entitled Best Salads Ever, has some helpful recipes to do so despite the hyperbolic name :) I took my own spin on a salsa using the superfood that is avocado.

Avocado & Black Bean Salsa w/ Green Salad
(click to enlarge)

Salsa
1 small cucumber/gherkin
1/4 cup of leeks, chopped
1/2 small garlic clove
1/2 avocado
1/2 can of black beans (or ~1/3 cup dry beans, soaked overnight and cooked)
squeeze of lemon or lime juice

Salad
1 cup of mixed greens (I used spinach, arugula and red lettuce mix)
1 T olive oil
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 - 2 drops of Liquid Stevia (or a ~1/4 teaspoon of Stevia powder)
salt and pepper
grated cheese (optional but delicious, I used Vacherin/Gruyére)

• Julienne the cucumber, halve the chop leeks, and finely mince the garlic.
• Mix the vegetables with the black beans and about 1 T of the cooking liquid. Mix in the lemon/lime juice.
• Carefully cube the avocado and fold it in with the salsa. Allow to sit in th refrigerator so the garlic and flavors marinate.
• Meanwhile, mix the dressing for the green salad by whisking the olive oil with the vinegar and adding Stevia, salt and pepper to taste.
• Toss the dressing with the greens, and sprinkle with the cheese if using (it adds a robust flavor with the bean salsa, just go light on the salt).
• Serve chilled salsa on top of salad, as they go great together, or enjoy on the side.

This recipe makes one serving so you'll want to multiply to serve more. The avocado and the beans both provide satiety and are terrific for heart health. And the green salad and apple cider vinegraitte is a nice side with any dish. Stay healthy.

Black Quinoa with Toasted Chickpeas

The past two weeks I was graced with wonderful visitors and an amazing wedding, per my previous post. The downside was, I thrashed any form of balanced eating hardcore...two words: German bakery. Predictably, the less I cooked or prepared my own meals the worse I felt. Attempting to restore the damage, I did what always works - threw away the instant stuff, bought fresh products, and started again. OK, in some cases I just finished the instant stuff :) Anyway, in the end it worked.

In a random local shop that wasn't sure what it wanted to be - part trinkets, parth clothes, part...health food?! - I happened upon some black quinoa (as if this grain weren't protein and fiber-ful enough). In order to substitute without missing any of the junk, I also wanted to make some tasty snacks á la toasted chickpeas. Lastly I was craving a satisfying spread akin to mayo but without sugar or vinegar. Luckily in all the shades of healthier dairy and cheese available here in Switzerland (quark, yogurt, creme fraiche, fromage frais, ricotta, cottage cheese), I found a couple of recipes for 'mayonnaise' with my new favorite, fromage blanc or blanc battu. Playing with a combination of these led to a super dish.

Black Quinoa with Toasted Chickpeas

Quinoa & chickpea salad (2 servings ):

1/3 cup of black quinoa

2/3 cup of water

1/2 head of cauliflower

1/2 cup of chickpeas, soaked overnight

2 T olive oil

1 t sea salt

Blanc battu dressing:

1/2 cup of blanc battu* (or fromage blanc or greek yogurt)

1-2 T olive oil (or canola)

1 T apple cider vinegar

cumin

coriander

garlic powder

1 t herbs de provence

salt & pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven to a high temperature (I had mine at 250 C) and mix the chickpeas and with 1 T of the oil and just under 1/2 t of salt. Simultaneously mix the cauliflower with the remaining oil and salt. Roast them in separate baking dishes until the cauliflower begins to brown and the chickpeas are toasted, but not quite crunchy. Set aside.


• Meanwhile prepare the quinoa by simmering it in the water until soft (when all the water is absorbed and it 'pops'), about 20 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking, and fluff with a fork when done.


• While the vegetables roast and the quinoa simmers, combine all of the ingredients to make the blanc battu dressing. Add the spices and herbs to your tastes. It would also go wonderfully with fresh dill or basil.


• Allow the roasted vegetables to cool, and then combine with the black quinoa and dressing. Bon app!

I'm really looking forward to making this again, and will double the recipe and share :) I'd also like to continue experimenting with variations to the dressing (FYI the mayo substitute also included half an egg yolk and more oil, but I found the texture of this mix was just right). Lastly, I'll be keeping a stash of herbed, toasted chickpeas on hand whenever possible! They are unbelievably good.

Too Good to be Salad?

OK, so some of you may say salad can always be good, and I agree! It's just that I often still associate salads with iceberg lettuce and a couple of limp tomatoes. Possibly because the typical U.S. (and of course many other) restaurants will offer something green in the form of a) a thin sheath of lettuce under a bun, bread and a 1/2 lb. of meat or b) as a small accompaniment to some other protein and potatoes. In any case, I recall that I used to eat the latter covered with something called French dressing (read: mayo).

Of course I've caught up with hopefully the rest of the universe in understanding that anything can be incorporated into a great salad! It doesn't even have to be cold; my favorite whole grain dish to make, passed to me by two good friends, is the Red Rice Salad from Heather's 101 Cookbooks. Since I've been in Switzerland, I've really been using vegetables that were fairly obscure to me half a year ago such as fennel and different species of cabbage :) Tonight I made a really f-in awesome borlotti bean salad and had to share that as well!

Zucchini Bean Salad with Basil-Avocado Dressing

Salad

1/2 cup dried white beans (I used borlotti)

1 small shallot

1 T olive oil

1/4 t sugar

1/4 t salt

1/2 zucchini/cucumber, julienned

1/2 cup of shredded carrots

Dressing

1/2 avocado

1-2 T fresh basil

1 small garlic clove

1 T lemon juice

1 T tahini

1 t apple cider vinegar

salt to taste

1/4 - 1/2 cup of water

• Soak the beans in water at least 4 hours or overnight. Rinse and then place in a saucepan with the olive oil, shallot (chopped), sugar, salt and enough water to cover and cook until water is nearly evaporated, about 45 minutes to an hour. Don't overcook as you want the beans to remain firm! Chill in the refrigerator.




• Chop the zucchini/cucumber (I julienned mine but whatever you prefer) and shred carrots - or use pre-shredded - and chill with the beans.




• Peel the avocado and cut into slices (if not ripe) before adding to a food processor or blender.



• Add remaining ingredients - the basil, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, apple cider vinegar, salt and water and blend until you have the consistency of dressing. Add more water if needed.
  



• In a large bowl combine the beans, zucchini, and carrots with the basil-avocado dressing and toss to coat. Add more veggies if you end up with more dressing.



• Try to stop eating from this bowl. I seriously had to put half of it away immediately, it was SO good.

Voilá! This salad as proportioned makes 2 generous side portions. The beans are yum and filling, and the dressing is creamy while maintaining the integrity of the avocado. Also no mayo or oil. The next day I had some with a slice of socca (chickpea crepe)....Enjoy!!! ~c*x