Fresh Cabbage Kimchi, by Diane

 

I took a cooking class in Seoul, South Korea and we learned to make four types of kimchi. This was a new type for me and I was obsessed with the flavor!! Unlike fermented kimchi, it has more crunch and is tossed with just a bit of sesame oil for an unreal flavor. If you leave it in the fridge at a few days-1 week it begins to get those gut healthy probiotics from fermentation too. Yum!

Ingredients:

1 large napa cabbage

7 stalks scallions, green parts only, sliced into 1/3's

1/4 large white onion, sliced into slivers

4 cloves garlic, minced

Coarse salt

Water

3 tbsp gochujaru (Korean red chili powder- you cannot sub regular chili powder or flakes here!)

1 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 tbsp preserved shrimps

1 tbsp white sugar

1 tsp crushed sesame seeds (or 1 tbsp whole sesame seeds)

1 tbsp sesame oil (use high quality if possible)

Directions:

1. Cut the cabbage in two parts separating the leafy from the stem for each leaf. For the leafy green parts, cut into bite size pieces and set in one large bowl. For the white stems, slice into bite size pieces at a diagonal (instead of straight down, cut diagonally out to expose more of the stem to marinate), set in another bowl. 

2. For the stems, add 1/2 tbsp coarse salt and 1 tbsp water, mix well with your hands and let sit 15 min. For the leaves, add 1/2 tbsp coarse salt, mix well with your hands and let sit 15 min. 

3. While the cabbage sits, mix the seasoning ingredients together (green onion, white onion, gochujaru, fish sauce, shrimps, sugar and garlic) in a small bowl and cover in the fridge.

4. Rinse each bowl of cabbage well with running water, drain, and repeat 2-3 times to get all the salt water off. Then combine the cabbage in a strainer and let sit for one hour.

5. After the hour is up, combine cabbage and seasoning in a large bowl and mix well with your hands (do not touch your eyes or use kitchen safe gloves). Add sesame oil and sesame seeds and mix gently, coating each piece.

6. Kimchi is ready to eat, or it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.

Fish Taco Bowls 2.0, by Diane

 

This weekend I was at the beach and got some blackened bass with peach salsa, with a side of corn and coleslaw. I don't know what possessed me to do this, but I decided to mix it all up into a bowl and it was soooo good I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since! I decided to create my own version with cod and mango salsa and it was so great! Plus it was a great meal prep recipe as it got better in the fridge each day, and was a cold dish to eat on hot days. Yum!

(I saw there was another recipe on the blog for fish taco bowls, so these are titled 2.0!)

Ingredients:

Fish (I chose frozen cod filets that I defrosted, next time I'd use fresh)

Seasoning (I used garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, cumin and merken from Chile but you could use chili powder instead)

Avocado spray oil

Salsa: 2 mangos diced, 2 tomatoes diced, 1 can black beans, 1 can corn, 1 red onion diced, 1 bunch cilantro chopped, 1 lime juiced, salt

Red cabbage shredded

Dressing: 1 cup greek yogurt plain, 1 bunch cilantro with stems, 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper, 1 lime juiced

Directions:

1. Make the salsa and dressings ahead of time and let them marry in the fridge. I did mine the night before. They get better this way!

2. Season the fish and spray with avocado oil on each side, then air fry at 350 for 15 min or until the fish is 145 internally and flaky. 

3. Serve in a bowl with cabbage, salsa, fish and dressing!

Roasted Asian Cabbage Salad, by Diane

 

I saw this recipe on @starinfinitefood and she makes really creative salads. I tried this and added rotisserie chicken to make it a meal. Overall, this was really good! I like the flavors, they tasted way better through the week, and it was good cold during this heatwave. The only changes I would make are roasting the carrots with the cabbage, and roasting the chickpeas longer because mine weren't dried out and then became chewy. Otherwise I loved this and would make it again!

Ingredients:

For the Cabbage:

1 medium cabbage, chopped

3 tbsp EVOO

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp pepper

For the dressing:

6 tbsp chopped peanuts

6 tbsp EVOO

1 tsp sesame oil

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

2 cloves diced garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes

For the chickpeas:

1 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed drained and patted dry

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tbsp EVOO

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp sesame seeds

For the Salad:

3/4 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 cup scallions, white and green parts sliced

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 and add the cabbage and all cabbage ingredients to toss (I would add carrots too). Roast for 30-35 minutes, tossing again halfway.

2. Add just the chickpeas to a dry pan and roast with the cabbage on a separate tray for 20 minutes or until dry (I'd go longer). 

3. While these roast, add the salad ingredients and set aside, make the dressing and set aside, and make the chickpea sauce with the remaining ingredients and set aside.

4. Add the chickpea sauce to the chickpeas and cook another 8 min or until carmelized.

5. Toss the roasted cabbage mixture into the salad bowl and mix well with dressing. Top with crunchy chickpeas.

Spicy Shrimp Egg Roll Bowl, by Cheryl

What a delicious dish this was from Paleo Running Momma! This is a great way to get in a lot protein and veggies without feeling like it's too heavy. The aioli sauce was perfect on it and the leftovers were good the next day. Yum!

Ingredients:

Spicy aioli:

1/2 cup mayo or Whole 30 mayo

2 cloves minced garlic

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1.5 tsp lemon or lime juice

3 tsps hot sauce

Shrimp stir fry:

1 lb shrimp, peeled with tails off

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

6 cups slaw mix

3 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp hot sauce

1 bunch scallions thinly sliced, white and green part separated

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsps minced or grated ginger

Directions:

1) Aioli: Whisk all the ingredients together. Refrigerate until use. 

2) Stir fry shrimp and veggies: Heat a pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and pepper. 

3) Once the skillet is hot add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook, turning once or twice for about two minutes. Set aside on a plate and cover. 

4) Lower heat to medium and at 1 tbsp olive oil and the veggie mix. Cook and stir for about a minute. Then add the white part of the scallions and the minced garlic and ginger. 

5) Cook another minute then add the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and hot sauce. Stir. Lower the heat, add the shrimp back in, and stir. Remove from heat and garnish with the green onion. 

6) Serve in bowls drizzled with the aioli. 

Chicken and Cabbage Spring Rolls, by Diane

 

My family and I made these for the superbowl and these were such a hit! They are another recipe from Kristina Cho, and this is her mom's recipe but in a baked version. We used the air fryer, and could only find egg roll wrappers, but both of these changes made them taste crispy, crunchy and amazing! I had them for lunch and for dinner today too! You can literally fill these with anything and they were SO easy to make- they really tasted quite like egg rolls in Chinese restaurants except with less grease. Next time we want to try a classic version with pork, shrimp, and carrots, but these were a big hit as is! Rolling instructions and photos here.

Ingredients:

1 package spring roll wrappers (we used egg roll and whoa this made it so crunchy!)

1.5 lbs chicken breast, diced small

1 tbsp oil plus more for cooking

4 tbsp oyster sauce, divided

1 heaping tbsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp white pepper, divided

1 small head green cabbage, shredded

3 stalks green onion, sliced (both green and white parts)

2 tsp sesame oil

1 bundle bean thread noodles

1/4 cup each water and flour (we didn't need this for the egg roll wrappers)

Cooking spray

Spring roll sauce for serving

Directions:

1. Mix chicken breast, 1 tsp oil, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper. Marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.

2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a skillet over medium high, cook cabbage 5 min until wilted, spread on a baking tray to cool.

3. Add 2 tbsp oil to the same skillet and cook the chicken until browned and mostly cooked through. Transfer to the baking sheet with the cabbage.

4. Bring a pot of water to boiling and submerge noodles for 2-3 minutes, drain, then cut with scissors to bite size pieces. Add to the baking tray to cool.

5. Once cooled, mix together in a bowl with green onion, remaining 2 tbsp oyster sauce, remaining 1/4 tsps of salt and pepper, and sesame oil.

6. If using spring roll wrappers, mix flour and water into a paste for sealing (no need to do this step for the egg roll wrappers). For both wrappers, place it in front of you like a diamond and place the filling in the bottom 1/3 closest to you. Roll the bottom corner over tightly, roll in the sides careful not to leave any gaps, then roll tightly to close. Place seam side down on a baking tray until ready to cook.

7. Cook in the air fryer at 350 for 15 minutes, spraying the tops and flipping halfway then spraying the tops again. Serve with spring roll sauce.

Cilantro Lime Shrimp Bowls, by Cheryl

I was looking for a quick Whole30 bowl to make for dinner and I happened to have almost all of these ingredients on hand! They were easy to make, but I felt like they were just okay. Jon actually really liked them, but I was meh. Maybe if I had the cauliflower rice that I thought I had! The flavor of the shrimp was pretty good, not great. I added peppers and onions since I like that in a bowl. I don't think they were bad at all, but I probably won't be rushing to make them again. I think it needed a different sauce that wasn't so mayonnaise like. Then it would be Yum!

Ingredients:

1 lb large shrimp, deveined and peeled
2 tbsp avocado oil, divided
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 lime juice and zest
sea salt and pepper

Sauce:

Compliant mayo
1 tbsp hot sauce

For the rest of the bowls:

4 cups cauliflower rice (I thought I had this and didn't)
1 tbsp avocado oil
sea salt and pepper
shredded cabbage
2 avocados
Optional: lime wedges, jalapeno

Directions:

1) Chop cilantro and juice and zest lime. Set aside. Make the sauce.

2) Heat a skillet with 1 tbsp avocado oil and the cauliflower rice. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

3) Heat a large skillet over medium heat with 1 tbsp oil. Add shrimp to pan and cook undisturbed for two minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and add 1 tbsp avocado oil, cilantro, and lime juice and zest. Toss to coat shrimp.

4) Put your bowls together, starting with a bed of cauliflower rice, cabbage, shrimp, cilantro, avocado, etc.

Kimchi Beef Cauliflower Fried "Rice", by Diane

YUM- this was amazing!!! If you love Korean food and kimchi this is the recipe for you! I saw this on @thedefineddish's Instagram, and it was perfect for my whole 30 dinners this week. The original recipe was made with a fried runny egg on top, but I just mixed the rest of the eggs in since I was batch cooking for the week. The other corrections I made were just for flavor since I thought the cauliflower absorbed a good bit of the seasonings and the final result needed more. This recipe was cooked exactly how I cooked things when taking classes in Asia- instead of removing things from the pan as they cooked and setting them aside to add them in at the end, you instead push the cooked ingredients to a side of the pan and keep cooking. I loved the way this turned out- this one is a keeper!!


Ingredients:

1 lb. skirt or flap steak (I used chuck tender roasts bc the other cuts were pricey), cut into 1/4 inch cubes
Oil of choice (I used coconut)
1/2 cup finely diced white onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 large eggs, whisked
1 cup kimchi roughly chopped (I used closer to 2 bc it needed more flavor after the cauliflower)
1 bunch scallions, chopped, green and white parts
4 cups raw riced cauliflower
2 tbsp. coconut aminos (I used 4)
1 tsp fish sauce (I used 2)

Directions:

1. Heat oil of choice in a large pan over medium high heat (you'll need a large one for when the cauliflower is added). When the oil is hot, add steak, onion, salt, pepper, and chili flakes and cook until beef is golden brown on all sides (abt 8 min).

2. Push the beef mixture aside and pour the eggs into other half of the pan so they can cook omelet style for 2 min. Chop the egg mixture and push it to the side with the beef.

3. Add the kimchi and scallions, cook with sesame oil for 2 minutes, stirring often.

4. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and cook just until the cauliflower is tender, about 4 min.

Egg Roll in a Bowl, by Diane

Finally, after a long hiatus I'm back to making new recipes! This recipe is a combo of what I've seen on the internet, and it was easy and really really good! Looking forward to lunches this week already...


Ingredients:

Sesame oil
1 lb ground chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 medium yellow onion, sliced in thin rings
1.5 cups matchstick carrots
1 bunch scallions, chopped (green and white parts!)
1 box sliced mushrooms (I used shitake)
1 large head green cabbage, cut into strips
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp hoisin sauce


Directions:

1. Heat a large pan on medium high and put appox. 1 tbsp of sesame oil in. Cook the chicken, crumbling with a spoon into smaller pieces, until fully cooked through and set aside in a large bowl after draining.

2. Add another 2 tbsp sesame oil into the pan, and add in the garlic, ginger, and onions. Cook until browned and fragrant. Add in the carrots, scallions, and mushrooms, and cook until softened. Add into the bowl with the chicken and set aside. If you have a big enough pan, you can add the cabbage in at this step and cook with the other ingredients. I didn't- hence step 3!

3. Add 2 tbsp more sesame oil into the pan, add the cabbage and salt, and cover. Uncover and stir until the cabbage is softened and brown. Add the cabbage to the bowl.

4. Add the soy sauce and hoisin sauce into the bowl and mix well. Enjoy!

Thai Crunch Salad with Peanut Dressing, by Diane

At our recent healthy potluck for work, a coworker brought this amazing salad recipe. It was an instant hit, and strangely addicting for a salad. I have eaten this salad for about 3 weeks straight since the party, and each time it is so good that I get to the bottom of the bowl before remembering that I need to take a photo of it for the blog! And, Cheryl and I know what happens when you take a photo at the very bottom of the bowl!!! The above photo is just about the 104th time I've eaten this salad since I made the draft of this blog entry, but I was finally successful in remembering to document it before diving in!

My favorite combo of ingredients in here include cabbage, radishes, carrots, green onions, cilantro, avocado, and green beans. But the original ingredients as posted below are really great (plus avocados!). It goes really well with chicken too! The dressing, which is the key to this addictive dish, would be amazing on just about anything so I'm going to experiment with uses for that as well!

Ingredients:
  
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, from one lime
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1-inch square piece fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
4 cups chopped Napa cabbage, shredded red cabbage, or shredded coleslaw mix

1 cup prepared shredded carrots

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 small English cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cup cooked and shelled edamame
2 medium scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. For the dressing, combine all of the ingredients except for the cilantro in a blender and process until completely smooth. Add the cilantro and blend for a few seconds until the cilantro is finely chopped. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. For the salad, combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. If serving right away, drizzle the peanut dressing over top and toss; otherwise, serve the dressing on the side so the salad doesn't get soggy.

Black Bean, Shrimp, & Quinoa Bowl, by Cheryl

This recipe comes from Eating Well magazine. It's really easy to make and is very healthy! This is a great filling too if you want tortillas with it... I had it plain as the bowl, but Jon had it with the tortillas. I made a few adjustments: I added shrimp to make it a little more filling for dinner, and avocado because I can't have a Mexican inspired meal without avocado! I wasn't sure how the cabbage would tie in, but it added a nice flavor and crunch! Yum!

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
1 teaspoon ground cumin
olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (I found this to be too much)
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 medium poblano pepper, chopped
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup salsa

Directions (original recipe):

1) Cook quinoa according to package directions. Fluff with fork and stir in cumin. Partially cover and set aside.

2) Whisk rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add cabbage and onion. Toss to coat.

3) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add the poblano pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in beans and chili powder and cook for about 2 more minutes.

4) To serve, layer in each bowl: 3/4 cup quinoa, 1/2 cup bean mixture, and 1/4 cup cheese. Top each portion with cabbage mixture and salsa.

5) I marinated the shrimp in lemon juice, red pepper flakes, and salt, and then cooked in a pan.

Cabbage Wrapped Pork Dumplings, by Diane

I love Asian dumplings, and this recipe fit exactly what I was looking for on a sugar detox cleanse (no sugar, flour, rice, or dairy). My favorite part about this recipe is that as impressive as these dumplings look, they were incredibly quick to make and even quicker to assemble. I would definitely use these cabbage leaves over rice paper or wonton wrappers again for the speed alone! I created the filling with all my favorite Asian flavors, and made a quick dipping sauce to go with it. If I were eating sugar this week, a peanut sauce would have been excellent, or even oyster sauce as an addition to the sauce I made. Another plus about this recipe is that I didn't have a steamer, so I cooked the filing and leaves completely before assembling them, which made things less messy for me.

Note: If you do have a steamer and want to cook the dumplings that way, blanch the cabbage leaves first so they become pliable. Then fill with the uncooked mixture and steam until cooked through.


Ingredients:

1 large head savoy cabbage
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
4 large carrots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced
6 tbsp soy sauce
1.5 tbsp fresh ground peanut butter
2 tbsp white miso
1 tsp chinese five spice powder
Fresh cracked black or white pepper
1 lb ground pork
1 tsp fish sauce


Directions:

1. Bring a large soup pot filled 1/3 way with salted water to boil.

2. Separate the cabbage into leaves, flipping upside down and rolling towards the base so as not to break them. Peel about 1/2 of the cabbage and shred the rest for the filling.

3. Drop the cabbage leaves into the boiling water, pushing them down so they are completely covered, and cook for 5 minutes until the leaves soften. Drain and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan to medium high heat and add sesame oil into the pan. When the pan is hot, add in carrots, garlic, ginger, scallions, and 2 tbsp of soy sauce. Stir well, then add peanut butter, 1.5 tbsp of miso, five spice powder, and pepper. Stir until the carrots are softened, the cabbage is wilted, and the peanut butter and miso are mixed through. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

5. In the same pan, add the ground pork and cook until browned. Drain and add to the bowl with the carrot mixture.

6. Fill the dumplings: Lay one cabbage leaf curl side up and fill with about 1/4 cup of the filling. Wrap by folding the base of the leaf by the stem in, then the two sides in on top of the base, and then fold over so that the top of the leaf covers the whole thing and the folds are now facing down. They should now look like they do in the photo. Store like this so that the leaves mold in this shape and the dumplings don't fall apart when you pick it up.

7. To make the sauce: Mix 4 tbsp of soy sauce, fish sauce, and 1/2 tbsp of miso until combined.

Red Cabbage and Sweet Potato Chicken Stir Fry, by Diane

This week for lunches I discovered the most colorful stir fry to try. It's non-traditional ingredients give it a huge anti-inflammatory kick, and the combo tastes and looks amazing! Very filling, and pretty easy to make- I will definitely make this again!

Recipe from: http://www.thingsimadetoday.com/2014/08/07/red-cabbage-sweet-potato-chicken-stir-fry/

Ingredients:

2 tbsp sesame oil
3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1.5 lbs chicken breast, cubed
1 bunch scallions, sliced (green and white parts)
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red cabbage, shredded
1 cup cilantro, rough chopped
1/3-1/2 cup hoisin sauce


Directions:

1. Saute sweet potatoes, covered, in a pan with sesame oil until cooked through. Set aside in a large bowl.

2. Cook the chicken until cooked through, drain most of the liquid from the pan. Add in scallions, ginger, and garlic and cook until the scallions soften.

3. Add in the cabbage and cilantro and cook until the cabbage is just soft (1-2 minutes, you want it to retain some crunch).

4. Add pan ingredients into the large bowl with the sweet potatoes. Add in hoisin sauce and mix well.

Garlic Rubbed Roasted Cabbage Steaks, by Diane

This recipe is part 2/4 of my vegan lunch buffet experience for the week (along with Rosemary Chili Roasted Cauliflower, Spicy Jicama Salad, and Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup with Roasted Portobello Topping). The photo is a combination from several baking trays, hence why some look browned and some just look cooked! The reason for this- I would suggest roasting these babies at 350 not 400, lest you want to set off your smoke alarms and throw away your first batch before you even get halfway into your cooking time! I would also suggest placing the extra pieces that don't stay intact with the 'steaks' underneath them or just tossing them, as these will be the first to blacken and burn!

The second time around was a charm- and these things were amazing!!! The recipe promised to turn anyone into a cabbage lover, and it was easy to see why. The roasted garlic and olive oil combo on the softened and crispy cabbage was quickly addicting and I became very sad that I lost my first batch...

Recipe from: http://www.everydaymaven.com/2012/garlic-rubbed-roasted-cabbage-steaks/


Ingredients:

1 (approx 2lb) head of organic green cabbage, cut into 1″ thick slices
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
2 to 3 large garlic cloves, smashed
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
spray olive oil OR non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F and spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Pull outer leaf off cabbage and cut into 1" thick slices (top to bottom).

2. Rub both sides of cabbage with smashed garlic, salt and pepper, and EVOO.

3. Roast on middle rack for 30 minutes, flip and roast for an additional 30 until edges are brown and crispy.