Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls and Beet Salad

I knew I had a head of cabbage and half of another on the fridge so I was pondering that and struck on this idea.

I’m gonna give a shout out to a couple of my favorite brands here—just because the products are always here.

Penzey’s Revolution. I used this in the cabbage

Eden Organica Kimchi Sauerkraut I used this in the cabbage.

Stonehouse Olive Oil OMG spice This was perfect on the beets

Butler Soy Curls

This is 1/2 bag of soy curls soaking in water for 10-20 minutes

The rest is brand neutral.

This is most of the mise en place..

Beets

  • Beets, I had five small baby beets that I roasted and peeled at 350 for like 30 minutes
  • Carrot, radish, daikon…I thought I had carrot for the cabbage but instead had three small daikon so the salad got half and the cabbage got the other half—about 1/2 cup
  • Onions, 1/2 small onion chopped
  • Garlic, 3-4 cloves chopped
  • Pickles, Dill, 2 Tablespoons chopped
  • Olive oil, about 1/2 tablespoon
  • Vinegar, just a splash
  • Pickle juice, about 2 Tablespoons
  • OMG spice liberally – so you can add a mix of similar types of seasonings
  • Dill, chopped to serve

Just mix it all up!!

Cabbage

  • Cabbage, 1/2 head
  • Protein—hamburger, soy curls, tvp. I used 1/2 bag of butlers soy curls.
  • Carrot, 1/2-3/4 cup. I subbed daikon
  • Celery, 1/2-3/4 cup.
  • Tomatoes, 1 can chopped
  • Sauerkraut, 1/2 cup. I used kimchi kraut
  • Penzey’s Revolution, liberal shaking
  • Garlic, about 5 chopped cloves
  • Worcestershire, splash on soy curls
  • Smoked paprika, to help add some Smokey meatiness. Just a few shakes
  • Chives, chopped to garnish for serving. Mine looked bad so I used micro greens
  • Sour cream for serving

Sauté the soy curls in two swirls of olive oil just to fry out a bit and then add feelers garlic onions and carrots

Once it’s softening up some add the can of tomatoes

Let that cook a bit and add the cabbage

That cooks until everything is not raw crisp and the juice has been released. Then I add the sauerkraut and turn off the heat so it gets incorporated and heated but you don’t kill the probiotics.

Serve it with a dollop sour cream.

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Tomato pie…

I had planned a tomato tart but somehow i googled tomato pie and got buried with recipes. This one is a hybrid of all those i saw.

Im also working in more omega threes so you will see a cucumber dill salad with some anchovy filets….

The pie absolutely used a frozen gluten free crust…i hate making gf pie or pizza dough.

Return to the Santa Monica Farmers Market

Finally back to the market after nearly 4 months…we tried two weeks ago but protests had it closed down (the same neighborhood had had looters)…there are still lots of boarded up windows:

But the market was busy even though its way spread out for distancing:

On of the prizes and purposes for the trip was mara des bois…from Harrys Berries

Pricey but he loves them.

I went for tomatoes and they finally are debuting:

Also found were lemon cucumbers and german butterballs.

And our first goat cheese in a long while.

This is the closest to normal i have felt in a while even with masks and spacing. I needed a brief moment to be happy….

Recent food finds

I am constantly taking pictures of food that i see and i have fallen so far behind in sharing lately.   Im going to try and do a catch up of the last couple weeks of things that I thought were fun enough to share.  Passionflowers are blooming, figs and squash are in season.   We are like a week or two away from the Southern California summer cornucopia of ridiculous bounty.

My neighbor at the community garden has a full on passionflower wall growing.  I have never had the fruit.   I was planning to trellis one in my backyard this year but a young plant wont survive our july vaca so after we return.

The van nuys german deli is sooo close to my house:


Usually i will get two smoked brats, 2 swiss and 2 neurenberger for the 2 of us and simmer in saurkraut and wine…

Head cheese anyone?


Does everyone know that i love marzipan!   British cadbury chocolate and marzipan enrobed in dark chocolate are two wonderful things. 

Gooseberries!

If you zoom in, you will notice flavors of soy sauce in this chinese whisky

Fresh almonds

Dragonfruit

Banana blossoms


No name whiskey shots for your carry on bag

I thoroughly enjoy stroopwafel and if you have had an am flight on United, you have been gifted with a stroopwafel…not sure of the cocktail i would make with this

Last weekend was a roadtrip to the BH branch of Laduree to get the much coveted Barbie box

And of course view the special promo display dolls

Macaron!!!!!  

Its fig season!   I have some in the fridge waiting to be covered with cheese and balsamic

Its still peach season

Jim is scoping out his fav variety of strawberry



Tomatoes are breaking in.  Next week will be full blown tomato explosion

Look close…bok choi and cress flowers

The aquash in unstoppable now.


So that updates like 2 weeks of non restaurant/non home cooking pics….home tou saw something fun or unique.

Blt salad inspired by bon appetit email

Okay….this got posted incomplete!!!

Here is my mise en place for this email inspired idea…romaine, parmesan, homemade dressing, smoked blue cheese, tomato, avocado, bacon, garlic, radish, shishito (that i grew!), cucumber….i took like 4 pictures because this has the red pepper that i removed but didnt have the egg i added, etc


Grilled romaine…yep, i flipped and grilled again


Grilling avocado. They made nice grill marks


This is my first try at a grilled chopped blt salad.

It was good:-)


Tonights cocktail was bubbly rose with some Pama splashed in it.

Gluten free mushroom grilled cheese with sauteed mushrooms

Im so so so behind…busy and sick and here i am (plus then i managed to clog the sink in the kitchen and that had to wait for the plumber since i failed at non invasive treatments!)

So with a counter full of goo and my sink back in operation i went simple.. Grilled cheese.

 I didnt catch pics of the bread label or the cheese (its my usual from northern california)…the bread is a new brand ive been trying out—this week the long cut was on sale.

  Mushrooms sautee with some olive oil, tamari, and worcesthire

  

  

  Nice hydroponic lettice leaves

  Butter beans with penzeys greek blend and olive oil with red wine vinegar