Bok Choy, Kohlrabi, and Apple Slaw

You may have noticed that things have been pretty quiet around here lately. We just moved, and I simply couldn't keep up with a blog and a move at the same time. But we are now more or less settled and I'm hoping you'll see a little more of me. I'm writing now from the blissful peace of a coffee shop; my husband is giving me some much needed "me time" after a very busy month!

We are a part of a CSA again this year, and we're loving it! Fresh, local, organic veggies, a great community of people, a farm that cares about urban renewal (one of their locations is an abandoned outlet mall parking lot!). So much to love! There is only one thing I'm not loving: bok choy. It's good in stir fry or fried rice, but I'm not in love with it enough to do that multiple times per week. And I'm the only one who likes it in our family, which means I'm really on bok choy overload.

I've been scouring the internet for ideas, and this one inspired me. I added some kohlrabi that was also lingering in the fridge, and it added a nice crunch. It may not be apple season, but I'm totally okay splurging on some out-of-season organic apples to round out this mostly-seasonal dish.

And it got husband approval. Win!

Bok Choy, Kohlrabi, and Apple Slaw

Ingredients:

1/2 a large head of bok choy, thinly sliced

1 medium kohlrabi, peeled and julienned

1 apple, cored and julienned

1/4 c. sliced green onions (white and green parts)

1/2 cup of plain, whole milk yogurt

1/4 cup of sour cream

2 T. white wine vinegar

1 T. honey

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. unrefined sea salt

black pepper to taste

1 T. poppy seeds

Combine vegetables in a large bowl. Whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Toss dressing with vegetables. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before serving.

(Note: Carrot and celery would be a great addition, as in the original recipe. I didn't have any but I might add some next time.)

What do you like to do with Bok Choy?

**This is part of Wellness Wednesday! **

Like what you just read? Subscribe so you don't miss a thing!

How to Make an Awesome Smoothie

If you want to learn more about delicious, nourishing, real food without the guilt trip for everything you're not doing right, hit that "like" button on the right, and subscribe to my posts by e-mail or reader feed so you don't miss anything. Thanks for stopping by!

Strawberry, Banana & Peach Smoothie

I think my smoothie-making has reached new heights lately. My non-smoothie-loving husband has even been enjoying them, which is quite an accomplishment in my mind. I've finally found a method that produces a delicious smoothie every time. Want to know how?

Tips for Making Awesome Smoothies

 

1. Use frozen fruit. Using fresh fruit, or even a mixture of fresh and frozen, results in a thinner, more liquid smoothie. My favorites are strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and peaches. When those fruits are in season locally I buy a bunch at the farmer's market or u-pick farm and freeze them. (My next post at Modern Alternative Kitchen is on Lazy Freezing Techniques. Subscribe over there so you don't miss it!) Then I have enough for smoothies year-round!

You can freeze strawberries whole with tops for smoothies!

2. Banana is key. The creamy sweetness of a banana can't be beat! Next time you have some slightly over-ripe ones, cut them into chunks and throw them in the freezer. (You can sometimes find over-ripe bananas for a reduced price. This is an excellent use for them!)

3. Add greens...sparingly.  Greens such as spinach or kale add a lot of nutrition to your smoothie, provided they are lightly cooked first. See this post for how to prepare greens for smoothies (scroll down to the smoothie section), or do it the easy way: buy a bag of frozen spinach. Make sure you get the kind that is not all in one solid clump. Add a couple tablespoons to your smoothie right from the bag. They are already cooked before freezing, so you don't have to worry about the raw greens problem. Don't add too much, or the taste may be overpowering. Experiment and see what works best for you!

See the little green flecks?

4. Start with just a little liquid, and add more as necessary. I use whole raw milk in my smoothies. Full-fat coconut milk is a good alternative if you can't tolerate dairy. I start with just a little, which I add after I put the fruit into the blender. Then when the blender gets stuck because it needs more liquid, I stream more milk in through the top while it's running.  I add just enough to get it going.

5. Season your smoothie. I like to add a pinch of salt, a splash of vanilla extract, and sometimes a little honey if it's too tart. It's amazing what a difference it makes in enhancing the flavor. Don't forget to taste it before you pour it out to see if it needs anything.

6. Use plain, full-fat yogurt. This goes a long way in making the smoothie satisfying. Greek yogurt guarantees an even thicker product, but make sure you buy full-fat! I can only find full-fat Greek yogurt at the health food store.

7. Include coconut oil.  I love the subtle flavor that coconut oil adds, and it's a healthy fat. Read more about it here. In the past I've melted it first, but lately I just throw it in solid. As long as you follow the next tip, it will be okay.

8. Blend it thoroughly. It's no fun to run into chunks of un-blended fruit. Don't be shy, let that blender do it's thing until you're sure it's all blended! This also makes the smoothie....frothy. Frothy is good.

Strawberry Orange Julius

If you're afraid to make a smoothie without a recipe, you can find recipes all over the internet. Use your judgement and use only real ingredients! And if you want to try something a little different, try my Strawberry Orange Julius. It's a refreshing treat any time of year!

What's your favorite smoothie? Share your smoothie-making tips in the comments!

This is part of: Hearth and Soul Blog Hop, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Healthy2Day Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday. Keep it Real Thursday, the seasonal recipe round up for berries at Gnowfglins, Monday Mania

Real Food Cook-Out Menu

Garlic Herb Potato Salad - my favorite summer side dish!

I'm spending several days at my parents house while my husband is at a big long conference. I'm not doing much cooking while I'm here (what a nice break!), but yesterday my extended family got together for a cook-out, and I just HAD to share with you what we ate. It was so delicious and healthy and real!

Our Family Cook-out Menu

Grass-fed Hamburgers
Applegate Farms Organic Hot Dogs
Trader Joe's 100% Whole Wheat Buns
Garlic-Herb Potato Salad
Green Beans with Goat Cheese and Pine Nuts
Grilled Broccoli with lemon and thyme
Fruit Salad
Gluten-Free cupcakes (for the gluten-intolerant family members, but tasty enough for everyone to enjoy!)
"Bars" (a very unhealthy but totally delicious bar cookie that my family has been making for ages. I'm totally okay with compromising on this one because they are so darn good and it's a once in awhile kind of thing!)

What does your family like to eat at cook-outs? Have any easy and healthy ideas to share?

 This is part of Real Food Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, and Simple Lives Thursday.

Strawberry Orange Julius

I had a craving for that dreamcicle-like flavor of an Orange Julius from my childhood. [Apparently Orange Julius is still around, but I haven't seen one in a long time. Then again I don't go to shopping malls often.] I'm not sure what is so magical about the orange-vanilla combination, but this smoothie-of-a-bygone-era certainly left an impact on my childhood. And how could it not, when it's loaded with so many healthful ingredients?

Here are the ingredients of the Original Orange Julius from the company's website:

Flavor Enhancer: Modified Whey Solids, Maltodextrin, Egg White Solids, Sugar, Karaya Gum, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Corn Syrup Solids, Guar Gum, Modified Food Starch, Dipotassium Phosphate, Xanthan Gum, Standardized with Dextrose.
Orange Juice
Orange Julius Sweetener:  High fructose corn syrup, water, citric acid, sodium benzoate.
Ew. Gross. So how about a healthy, made at home version? Can it be done? Yes, it can. I started with this recipe. In an attempt to get even more vitamin C into our bodies (we were fighting colds at the time), I decided to make a strawberry version. I used whole strawberries - tops and all - that I picked and froze myself. Some blenders might not be able to handle the whole frozen strawberries, in which case it would be fine to use sliced ones. If they are in season, you're welcome to use fresh ones, but your smoothie won't be quite as thick and creamy. (I like a smoothie that requires a spoon, if you know what I mean.) Note: I'm not a huge fan of juice as a regular part of the diet, but I do think that freshly squeezed juice has its place in a balanced diet. Fresh juice from organic oranges would be ideal here, but in this busy and exhausted season of my pregnant life, last time I made this I decided to compromise and buy some organic orange juice. It is important to buy organic juice, because if the fruit is sprayed with pesticides the juice has a much higher concentration of them than if you were just eating fruit. Also, orange juice apparently has some nasty chemicals designed to keep the flavor consistent no matter what season or where it's coming from. (They don't put them on the label because somewhere down the line before being chemically altered, they came from oranges. Supposedly.) I'm hoping they leave those out of the organic stuff... Actually Good-for-You Strawberry Orange Julius Ingredients: 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, or organic store-bought orange juice 1 cup of frozen strawberries 3/4 c. plain yogurt 1/2 t. vanilla raw milk, to thin to desired consistency honey to taste (perhaps about a teaspoon) Method: A few hours (or days) before you want to make your smoothie, freeze 1/2 cup of the orange juice in an ice cube tray. Combine all ingredients in the blender, using the frozen juice cubes and the remaining 1/2 c. of orange juice. Taste and add more honey or vanilla if you want. Mmmmm good. The toddler likes it too...and check out that bedhead! I recommend Tilty Sippy Cups with Smoothie lids for mess-free smoothie enjoyment!
This is part of Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, and Simple Lives Thursday.

Peach Coffeecake Muffins

I have some peaches in my freezer from 2009. I think. I froze a ton of them after going u-picking and just haven't gotten around to using all of them. Then I froze some more last summer. I just couldn't help myself.

So last week I made some of these:

They are a variation on this recipe that I posted last June. I can't decide if I like it better with peach or with rhubarb! I thought I'd post this peach-muffin version, even though it's February, for those of you who have some ancient frozen peaches that you'd like to get out of your freezer. I still have one more large container of the old ones, in addition to the newer ones...so I might be making it again soon. :)

Peach Coffeecake Muffins

(Adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking)

Soaking step:

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 c. buttermilk, sour milk, yogurt, or kefir

The next day:

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. unrefined sea salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

2/3 c. sucanat (an unrefined cane sugar)

1 large egg

1 1/2 t. vanilla

2 c. chopped, peeled peaches (thawed and drained if frozen)

Topping:

2 T. butter, softened

1/3 c. sucanat

1 T. unbleached all-purpose flour

1 T. cinnamon

Method:

To soak, combine the whole wheat flour with cultured dairy and stir until evenly moistened. Cover with a damp towel and a plate and put in a warm place for 7-24 hours.

When you are ready to bake the muffins, preheat the oven to 350 and grease two muffin tins or line with paper liners. (Or make two 8 or 9 inch round coffeecakes.)

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl), cream together the butter and sucanat. It won't be as light and fluffy as you're used to with white/brown sugar.

Add the egg and beat to combine.

Add the soaked dough back and mix until there are no chunks of dough left. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the buttermilk.

Stir together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and add, mixing just until combined.

Add the peaches and stir to distribute. Fill the prepared pans, filling muffin cups 3/4 full. 

Prepare your topping: Mix together the softened butter, sucanat, flour, and cinnamon until evenly combined. Sprinkle over the batter. (It's very moist and doesn't "sprinkle" very well. Just drop little globs evenly over the muffins.

Bake for 15-25 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Don't be alarmed if the topping sinks into the batter as they bake. There will be bits of cinnamony goodness inside the muffin that way, which is almost better than on top. :)

I made some into a coffeecake, too. Yum!

This is part of Fight Back Friday.