Valentine's Day Rejuvenating Beverage

This is a variation on the Rejuvenating Refreshing Beverage I posted in December. It’s a fabulous color pink so I decided to post it for Valentine’s Day. :)

The color comes from blood oranges which are in season this time of year. They are a beautiful red-orange color (reddish pink when blended in this drink) and have a slight floral flavor. Reminder to purchase a bitter-free aloe juice; we love George’s Always Active Aloe, available at Vitamin Shoppe, health food stores, etc.

Ingredients:

2 large blood oranges

½ cup aloe juice

½ cup water

juice of one lime

agave nectar or honey to taste

variations: add ½ large or one small peeled and chopped cucumber, fresh mint or parsley

If you don’t have a blender or don’t want a thick smoothie texture, you can simply squeeze the juice out of the oranges. You could use a juicer for the optional cucumber and herbs as well. If you want to use the blender, just peel the oranges completely, separate them into sections, and then add all the other ingredients. Blend until smooth. (You could also pour the juice through a strainer to get a thinner consistency.)

For a Valentine’s kick add some flavored vodka or tequila.

Winter Citrus Salad Dressing

Simple and refreshing, this is a satisfying change for a winter diet. In California we have delicious salad greens of all kinds in the winter. If you are living east of the Rockies, you might have to spend a bit to purchase some nice lettuce, but it will be worth it. It’s a taste of sunshine in the winter.

The lemon infused olive oil provides a different kind of flavor than just lemon juice or rind. The oil allows a strong essence of lemon to cling to the salad without being too powerful. Our favorite is Big Paw Grub’s Lemon Oil, you can buy it online: http://bigpawgrub.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=204

Ingredients:

Fresh grated orange rind

Juice from an orange

Lemon infused extra virgin olive oil (cold-pressed)

Lemon juice (Meyer lemons are wonderful)

Fresh parsley, cilantro, and/or dill, finely minced

Salt and pepper to taste

I didn’t provide measurements because I like to pour everything directly onto the salad and mix it up. I can provide ratios, though -- 2:1 citrus juices to oil. If your lemons are particularly sour, start with a small amount of juice but be more generous with the orange juice. When I’m using Meyer lemons, I probably mix about a 1:1 ratio because the Meyers are sweet. You don’t want too much orange rind – perhaps grate ½ a small orange for one large serving of salad (remember not to grate the white pith). Dice up just enough herbs to evenly spread through all the salad, you don’t want just clumps of herbs.

The rule of thumb when making dressing right on a salad is to have just enough liquid to coat the lettuce without weighing it down. If you are uncertain, start with less and add more later. One method is to start with a very small amount of oil and toss the salad. The salad should be very gently covered with oil. Then add all the other ingredients, toss, and taste. Add more of whatever you like. For this salad I confess I don’t mind a bit of fresh juice leftover at the bottom of my bowl; drink it up!

I like this on a salad of fresh mixed greens and red leaf lettuce. A few julienne English cucumbers and some pine nuts are nice too. You can get creative with this salad. Grated or julienne jicama would be fun (find it in a Mexican food store or in season at the farmer’s market), avocado, etc.

Veggie Noodles with Peanut Sauce

This took about 20 minutes to make, and it’s great for leftovers or to bring with you to work the next day (pack sauce and raw veggies separately). Instead of seitan, use sautéed tempeh, marinated tofu, boiled or roasted chicken, poached shrimp, or even slices of boiled egg on top.

The idea for the peanut sauce began with a dipping sauce I make with pot stickers or Asian dumplings. The dipping sauce is soy sauce, hot sauce, fresh grated ginger, rice vinegar, and sesame oil whisked together. Go light on the vinegar, oil, and hot sauce (unless you are my brother, then go heavy on the hot sauce) – taste it and add more of whatever you like. For this dish I omitted the sesame oil (but used it to cook the veggies) and added peanut butter and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.

I have to make a plug here for Ohsawa Nama Shoyu – it is expensive, raw unpasteurized soy sauce, rich in enzymes and good bacteria. I bought it originally when I was experimenting with raw food un-cooking :) but quickly discovered that it’s the best tasting soy sauce I’ve ever found. It’s easy to buy online or at health food stores. It makes a big difference in the taste of the food, worth the price if you love savoring flavors.

Ingredients:

½ head of green cabbage, finely chopped or shredded

1 whole baby leek, chopped (or green onion)

2-3 carrots, sliced

1 large celery stalk, sliced

1 package white wave seitan strips, chopped

4 T grated ginger

1 12 oz. pkg Thai rice noodles (you can use brown rice or multi grain noodles)

sesame oil

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup natural peanut butter

1 T rice vinegar (approximately)

1 tsp hot sauce, or to taste

¼ - ½ cup warm water

squeeze of lemon or lime juice

½ red pepper, thinly sliced

½ cucumber, julienne

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables.

Mix the sauce: whisk 1 T ginger with the soy sauce, vinegar, peanut butter and hot sauce. Add enough hot water to make it easy to whisk and add lemon or lime juice to taste. Taste the sauce and adjust flavors as needed. It should be strong, flavorful, salty sauce; it’s the only seasoning in the dish.

Drain the noodles (rinse if the package recommends it). In the same pot you used to cook the noodles, heat 1-2 T of sesame oil on medium high heat. Add the cabbage and leeks. Stir for about a minute until you notice the cabbage just barely begins to wilt. Add the carrots, celery, 3 T of ginger, and the seitan. Stir quickly and cook for just 2-3 minutes. Add ¼ cup of hot water to steam the vegetables. Cook for another minute or two and remove from the heat. The vegetables will be crunchy but warm.

Place the noodles in serving bowls, add the vegetables and sauce on top. Garnish with the red peppers and cucumbers. It’s like a warm noodles plus salad in a bowl! Gingery, creamy, and salty, this might become one of your newest favorite comfort foods.