Sick Soup

The day's assignment: a simple loop run at training pace; longer but not exceptionally fast.

Along with the regular group I set out for the run.

After each step, I found myself sliding my tongue over my teeth.  After each mile, I noticed.   After each half way mark, I questioned myself: your breathing is good, your muscle's are fine, are you hungry?

As each stride became a fight, I struggle to form the logic behind the excuse: my face hurts.

It was my first sinus infection and to me it made no sense, but hundreds of tooth-achey steps later I've developed a punch packed all natural team:  ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, ACV, and (of course) netti pot.

Oh, and soup, lots and lots of soup.

Like this one that helped me survive my first cold of the season.  A turmeric and ginger boosted base that will help raise your immune system while fighting inflammation, the warming cayenne in the broth will help melt your nose off your face, and the silken tofu will help keep you full while giving you an energy boost - so you can lace up your shoes a little tighter and keep striding!

Silk Soup with Ginger and Turmeric

Ingredients

• 3 c veggie broth
• 2 T grated ginger
• 2 t turmeric
• 3 cl garlic, minced
• 1/2 t cayenne powder
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 1/4 T rice vinegar
• 1 block silken tofu
• 2 servings rice noodles
• 2 c mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1/4 c parsley or cilantro
• 1/4 c scallions
• 1-2 limes, juiced and zested

Combine

1. Bring the broth, ginger, turmeric, garlic, cayenne, and soy sauce to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Crumble the tofu into the pot and continue to boil for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for another 15 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms, carrot, and rice noodles and boil for another 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the parsley, scallions, and lime.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Fused

From the other side of a move this dish is almost too good of a fit for the moment; a picture perfect feel if you will.

In retrospect, it never seemed as if all these weeks dominated by the first real, thus stereo-typically nightmarish, NYC move were leading to this equally stereotypical, but wonderful, post-move nesting moment.

And yet, the universe came through.

Somehow from brokers equivalent the devil, to flower filled windows equivalent the garden hosting a dove's nest, we made it.

Maybe being filled with these homey feels laid way for these little nesting bowls to be, but moving or not, they are something you want on your dinner table (read: stack of cardboard boxes for those of you who are moving).

Nesting Bowls

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

• 1 lb ground chicken, turkey, or pork
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 T shallot, finely minced
• 2 t ginger, grated
• coriander
• cayenne
• clove
• cinnamon
• oil

For the nest:

• daikon
• rice vinegar
• vermicilli rice noodles
• lime, zested and juiced
• coconut oil
• salt
• mint leaves
• basil, chiffonade
• spinach
• cucumber, diced
• red pepper flakes, if desired

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Peel the daikon then chop it into little sticks.  Stir together some rice vinegar and salt until the crystals are dissolved then submerge the daikon in the bowl, adding more vinegar if needed.  Set aside.
3. Mince the garlic, shallot, and ginger.  Sprinkle the ground meat with the seasonings and gently fold together until well incorporated but not over-mixed.  Roll the mixture into one to two inch sized balls, toss in a little coconut oil, and place on the sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked, stopping to turn the pieces over and rotate the baking sheet halfway through.
4. Bring slightly salted water to a boil in a small pot.  Add the vermicelli noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Dump into a strainer and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
5. Stir together the lime juice and zest, coconut oil, and salt in a large mixing bowl.  Toss the mint, basil, and large handfuls of spinach with the dressing until well coated.
6. Add servings of greens to bowls then add servings of noodles.  Top with daikon, extra vinegar, and cucumber.  Top with meatballs.
7. Sprinkle with extra herbs or red pepper flakes and enjoy!

Jerk

Sometimes life throws a curve ball your way, causing you to lose a few steps backwards, to lose endless hours of sleep, and to take too many deep breaths to count.

Sometimes life is a jerk.

Lately, this is what life feels like: a series of extreme days, nights, and weeks, most of which seem to be countered by some strange and equally extreme blessings, but nonetheless, riding out a chunk of life on a roller coaster will most definitely earn you some grey hairs.

Although I'm not usually one to count my blessings, nor to dwell on my spites with life, getting dragged through the muck lately has lent cause for reminiscing on equally stressful but blessed times, like these same weeks last year, when I picked up life as I knew it, pulled out half my hair, and stumbled my way to a little Caribbean neighborhood in New York that instantly became second home.

Maybe it's because atop the list of life's latest stresses is the fact that I'm once again leaving the nest, but this jerk salmon dream bowl seemed like the perfect fit for a time like this.

It's not because I grew up eating jerk anything, it's because this is a small ode to what made Brooklyn taste as familiar as home - a plate full of flavor, texture, and freshness.

So soak some jalapeno in pineapple juice to kill it's kick, use whatever sauce spice level you can tolerate, let the jerky moments go, and absorb a little taste of what I call home.

Jerk Salmon With Green Rice and Pineapple Pico

Ingredients

For the pico:

• 1/2 c pineapple, diced, with extra juice from cutting board
• 1/2 jalapeno, minced
• 1 T shallot, minced
• salt, just a pinch

For the salmon:

• Salmon (2-4 portions), skin on or off
• Jerk marinade
• 2 T coconut oil
• a pinch of salt

For the rice:

• 3-5 T coconut oil
• 3 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T shallot, minced
• 1 c short-medium grain rice
• 1/2-1 t salt
• 1-2 lemons or limes, 1 juiced, 1 sliced (optional)
• Warm water as needed
• 1 c basil, finely chopped
• 2 c parsley, finely chopped
• 2 c spinach, finely chopped
• 1/4 c coconut milk, shaken well

Combine

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Combine the ingredients for the salsa in a small bowl and set aside for at least 20 minutes.
3. Stir the jerk, oil, and salt together in a separate bowl, then add the salmon to the dish and gently toss it so it is well covered in sauce, adding more if needed.  Let marinate while refrigerated for 30 minutes.
4. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until just shimmering.
5. Add the garlic and shallot and saute for 1-2 minutes, stirring semi-often to avoid burning.
6. Add the rice and salt and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently but well so the grains are well coated in oil.
7. Add the citrus juice, and citrus slices if using, cook until the juice is evaporated then turn the heat up to high and add 1 cup of water.
8. 
   
• Stir continuously as the water bubbles off, then add half a cup of water.  Continue this process for about 40 minutes.  Each time the water cooks off you'll notice that the water seems "thicker" as the starch from the rice meddles with it.  When the rice is ready it will be soft enough to eat but firm enough to not fall apart, and there should be enough "sauce" to hold the ingredients together.
• After you add two or three half-cups of water, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  This usually takes 10 minutes, after which you should place the salmon on the sheet and bake for 20 minutes - this is roughly how long it will take the rice to finish cooking.
9. Add 2 tablespoons of water, the coconut milk, and the greens, stirring as the water cooks off.
10. Add a large scoop of rice to a bowl, top with a piece of salmon, and a spoonful of salsa.
11. Enjoy!

I know, We know

I know, I know; we know meat is not so great for you and we're all tired of hearing about it.

As part of that we, I'm tired of hearing about it too.  As an ex-veg-head I'm especially tired of it, of constantly re-discovering that fact and feeling a pang of guilt over my decision to cross back over to the omnivore life.  It's not that I regret the decision, re-discovering meat has opened so many doors in my kitchen and made a noticeably physical difference in how I recover from my workouts, it's just that, when it comes down to it meat is bad for you.

The worst part is, it's so delicious, it's such a common part of American life, it's literally everywhere: so you forget about this reality of it.

Then it happens, your Seamless-ed company lunches have all become meat, for once you're finding yourself craving a giant bowl of green because it's been that long since you've had just that, and you hear yourself asking out loud "is meat bad for you?" right before turning bright red because yes, of course it is.

I'll spare you the bowl of raw-kale detox because even your meat-overload recovery should be delicious.

Like this bowl filled with super deliciousness in the forms of steamed bok choy and edamame, pickled shallots, zested rice, baked pressed tofu, and of course some avocado, which comes in perfectly handy when you need an enjoyable distraction from meat!

BK Buri Bowls

Ingredients

For the tofu:

• 1/4 c rice vinegar or ACV
• 1/4 c low sodium soy sauce
• 1 clementine, juiced
• 1/4 t coriander
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/2 t chili
• 1 T sesame oil
• 1 T chili oil or hot sauce of choice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 block firm tofu, pressed and sliced into 4-6 pieces

For the bowls:

• 1 c short or medium grain rice
• 2 t lime zest
• 2 T coconut oil
• water as needed
• 1-2 shallots
• vinegar
• salt
• 1 c edamame
• 3 bunches of baby bok choy or 1 very large full bunch
• lime wedges
• avocado
• sesame seeds
• 1-2 sheets of nori, chopped

Combine
Prep the tofu:

1. Place the block of tofu between to dinner plates and place something heavy (like your largest cookbook) on top of it.  After 10-15 minutes water should be collecting on the bottom plate - dump this out.
2. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.  Cut the tofu into 4-6 pieces, place in the bowl, cover completely with marinade, and let sit for 20 minutes.

Prep the other ingredients:

1. While you wait for the tofu to soak, wash the bok choy, zest the lime, chop your shallots, avocado, and nori.
2. In a small bowl, cover the shallots with vinegar and a pinch of salt and set aside.

Cook the tofu, rice, and veggies:

1. Stir the rice, lime zest, coconut oil, and 2 cups of water into a small pot over high heat and bring to a boil.  Once the rice boils, reduce the heat to low and cover it with a lid.
2. As the rice boils, pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the marinated tofu on the baking sheet and put in the center of the hottest rack of your oven.  This will need about 20 minutes total, I usually flip the pieces over after 10 minutes.
3. While you wait cook the edamame and bok choy.  For the edamame you can do this in several ways: follow directions for microwaving the edamame, or bring water to a boil in a pot and add the edamame for 5 minutes, or add to the steamer with the bok choy.
4. For the bok choy: add 1 inch of water to a large pot, place a steamer over the water, add the bok choy, and cover the pot with a lid.  Bring the water a boil over medium heat for 2-5 minutes - you may need to rotate the bok choy with tongs half way through the cook time.

Bowl it:

1. Use tongs to transfer the bok choy to a bowl and sprinkle with lots of fresh lime juice.  Spoon rice onto and sprinkle with sesame seeds and nori.  Top with tofu, shallots, edamame, and avocado.
2. Enjoy!

Keeping it weird

The best 5 minute dinner hack is to rub your meat of choice with your favorite spices of the moment, add some sides, and call it a meal.

Of course, the best spice blends are full of flavor and border on a little weird, because life is too short to have a boring dinner!

This particular blend is like a mole cheat in which a cocoa base is blended with herbs and heat to create warm, intricate layers of flavor that wrap around the chicken as it bakes.


If you're nervous about how well chocolate and spice go with chicken, don't worry, it's not as different as it sounds!  The cocoa flavor is really mild and acts as a blanket to help the spices stand out, but isn't overwhelming in the recipe.  Top it with mango pico and quick-pickled onions, and serve with some cheesy, chile polenta for the perfect week-night meal when you're looking for a delicious sort of different.

Recipe notes:  This was a one tissue meal for me, but if you don't have a high spice tolerance try reducing the chipotle to 1/2 a teaspoon, adding 1 1/2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, and omitting the cayenne completely.  For the chile polenta, cooking the chiles a little longer will ensure that their heat is reduced keeping it enjoyable.

Chocolate Blackened Chicken

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1.5 lbs of chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 T light, unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 t onion powder
• 2 t chipotle, see notes.
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t chili
• 1/2 t cumin
• 1/4 t cayenne, see notes.
• 1/4 t coriander
• 1 T olive oil
• Salt as needed

For the salsa:

• 1 mango, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 c cilantro leaves
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 lime, juiced

For the pickled shallots:

• 3 small shallots, thinly sliced
• White vinegar to cover
• 1 t salt
• boiling water

For the polenta:

• 2 small poblano peppers
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 3/4 c polenta
• 2  T oil
• 3 T cotija
• 1 can of red beans, rinsed well

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Bring water to a boil.  Put the shallots in a small glass container with the salt, cover with vinegar, then add about 1/2 cup of boiling water and set aside.
3. Toss together the ingredients for the salsa and set aside.
4. Stir together the spices for the chicken.  Clean the chicken, drizzle with just enough oil to lightly coat, sprinkle with a little salt on each side, then coat liberally with the spice mix.
5. Bake the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes until the internal temperature is 155 degrees Fahrenheit, then remove from the oven and let sit for 1-2 minutes.
6. While the chicken cooks, heat the oil in a small pot with tall sides until in shimmers then add the garlic and peppers and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the polenta to the pot and 3 cups of water, bring to a boil while whisking constantly then reduce to a simmer until most of the water is absorbed.  Stir in the cheese and continue whisking until cooked through adding more water if needed.  Note: the raw polenta will look distinctly spotted, when it is done cooking it will be more uniform in texture and color.
7. Plate a scoop of the polenta, top with red beans, top with a piece of chicken, garnish with mango salsa and pickled onions, and enjoy!

The Only Chicken You'll Ever Want to Eat

This recipe is SO good it's a struggle to not reach for this spice mix every time I make chicken.

As with most of the recipes I make this is super easy to put together so it's great for weeknights as a post-work, post-gym, protein-based meal.  I usually eat it over a bed of greens or with rice but this side of fresh mango added a nice complementary sweetness.

Note: the amounts of spice listed below create a medium spicy rub.  If you don't like spice just omit the red pepper flakes and you can still enjoy the overall product, or if you have a high spice tolerance you can try increasing it!

Paprika Chicken

Ingredients (2-4 s)

• 1 pound chicken breasts, cleaned
• 2 1/2 t smoked paprika
• 1 t pure onion powder
• 1 t pure garlic powder
• 1 t oregano or basil, dried
• 1/4 - 1/2 t crushed red pepper, leave out if you don't like spicy
• 1/4 t cumin
• 1/8 t coriander
• 1/8 t nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T olive oil

Optional Sides

• 1 mango, diced
• 4 leaves of chopped kale
• 1 T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• lime, garnish

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the spices in a small mixing bowl.
3. Rub the chicken with 2 tablespoons of oil so it is lightly covered, then coat with spice rub.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken is 160 degrees internally.
5. While waiting for the chicken to bake, lightly saute the kale with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper, and dice up a mango.
6. Serve with a squeeze of lime and enjoy!