Comfort Food: Pulled Pork Sliders for Laura's Superbowl Party

My friend Laura went looking on the blog for a dish I have served a few times at potlucks. Pulled pork sliders are a crowd favorite--and easy to make. She will be hosting a Super-Bowl party, and wanted to serve these. They are easiest made in a crockpot--but since I don't have one--I bake them in a dutch oven on low heat for most of the day. The smell is heavenly. I put a basket of mini-brioche rolls (or mini potato roll slider buns) onto the table with a big bowl of cole slaw and a party is made. So for Laura and all looking for a great party food--here you go:

Pulled Pork (for sliders)

4 pounds boneless pork shoulder-trimmed of fat

1 onion sliced thin

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon salt

Using a large dutch oven (or 6 quart crockpot), place trimmed roast, onion, ketchup, water, vinegar, brown sugar and seasonings. Cover and cook at 275 degrees for 6 to 8 hours, stirring sauce occasionally and basting the roast. To check done-ness--try shredding an area of the meat with a fork. If it shreds easily, remove onto a platter, and shred with a fork. Return to sauce and stir over low heat on the stovetop--taste and correct seasoning. Serve with mini rolls and cole slaw (recipe follows)

Cole Slaw

3-4 cups shredded green cabbage

1 medium red onion, sliced thin

1 cup shredded carrots

1 /4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup seasoned sushi rice vinegar

1/4 cup neutral oil (canola or grapeseed)

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all vegetable ingredients together. Whisk oil, vinegar salt and pepper together. Stir into cole slaw mixture and turn to mix well.

Healing Foods: Persimmon Orange Salad and He Can Cook, Too!

I have often invited my husband to join me in the kitchen to cook. A dashing French gastronome, he has introduced me to many lovely dishes in our years (and travels) together. In the past couple of years, as we both try to take control of our health, he has become a wonderful partner as we peruse recipes, shop for ingredients and discover dishes that are both delicious and nutrient filled.

For Thanksgiving, he came across a recipe in the New York Times that he thought would be a great pairing with our “lighter than years past” meal with friends. It is delicious, and so worth sharing. The refreshing, sweet persimmons and the citrusy sweet/tart oranges are a great combination, and the peppery watercress is a great juxtaposition to fruit’s textures and flavors. We have made it a few times since Thanksgiving, and it is a welcome addition at any dinner. And although making this delicious salad isn't exactly cooking...it is a treat to have my handsome man joining me in the kitchen!

1 small shallot, minced

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper

4 tablespoons fruity olive oil

4 navel oranges

4 Fuyu persimmons

1 bunch watercress, optional

Put the shallot and vinegar in a small bowl and macerate 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and a little pepper. Whisk in the olive oil.

With a serrated knife, peel the oranges, then slice into 1/2-inch rounds. Arrange the orange slices on a platter. Peel the persimmons, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices or wedges and arrange over the oranges.

The salad can be covered and refrigerated up to 3 hours. Just before serving, whisk the dressing again and drizzle over the fruit. Garnish with watercress sprigs.

Healing Foods: Asian Inspired Slaw and Cooking Chinese with Marilyn

It has become a bit of a custom for my friend Marilyn and I to combine ingredients from each of our kitchens to cook (and eat!) dinner together with our families. We did that on Sunday, in order to make the spring rolls that Marilyn’s Chinese mother-in-law makes from scratch. I would love to write about Mrs. Lee’s spring rolls, which are delicious. But Marilyn’s husband broke the news to us that our attempt was not at all authentic—so we need to keep perfecting our technique.

We did, however, create a lovely Asian inspired slaw to go with our dinner, and I am happy to share the recipe. It is a salad of shredded cabbage and carrots, with chopped broccoli, mung beans, scallions and cilantro tossed with a vinaigrette of seasoned rice vinegar, sesame oil, grapeseed oil and toasted sesame seeds. It is refreshing, light, super healthy and easy—and it goes great with the spring rolls made by a nice Jewish girl from Long Island and a nice Irish Catholic girl from Grove City, Ohio.

Loaded with fiber, vitamins and nutritional goodness, this slaw is a great accompaniment to many main courses. It is packed with vitamins C, K and A, is a good source of protein, potassium, and heart healthy and cholesterol lowering enzymes.

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup shredded carrots

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 cup mung beans

½ cup chopped scallions

½ cup chopped cilantro

¼ cup seasoned rice vinegar

¼ cup sesame oil

¼ cup grapeseed oil or other neutral oil

1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl. Adjust the seasoning (may want to add more seasoned rice vinegar, pepper or salt)

Healing Foods: Seared Sea-Scallop Salad with Spinach Pesto Vinaigrette

On Sunday, we had dinner with our wonderful foodie friends. I told them I was trying a new recipe—part of our 2011 eating healthier plan. My friend Berett was dubious. In our more than 20-year friendship, Berett and I have had a mutual love affair with food. Our friendship has included many wonderful, funny and heart warming stories---all involving good food and drink. We even decided to diet together to support each other (more than a few times), and have blossomed together too—so linked is our foodie friendship and love for one another.

I was making a fish stew as the main course (see Omega 3 For All…posted in May 2010), so I decided to showcase the beautiful scallops I found at the fish market as the appetizer. The scallops were sprinkled with salt and pepper, and seared quickly on each side in clarified butter. Once they were cooked, I placed them on a bed of fresh spinach and arugula leaves, topped with a spinach pesto vinaigrette and served with garlic crostini. The combination is delicious, and the scallop and spinach salad combination is both low fat and nutrient packed. And it is quick and easy to prepare.

I had been reading about the nutrient density of sea-scallops, a shellfish I happen to love for its delicate flavor and versatility. In addition to their delectable taste, scallops contain a variety of nutrients that promote cardiovascular health, and provide protection against colon cancer. Sea-scallops are an excellent source of vitamin-B12. In addition to their B12, they're a very good source of omega-3 fatty acids and a good source of magnesium and potassium, three other nutrients that provide significant benefits for the cardiovascular system.

So, in honor of my friend Berett, who has loved me through thick and thin (literally!), I offer this healthy recipe to all…

Seared Sea-Scallop Salad with Spinach Pesto Vinaigrette

12 large sea scallops, salted and peppered

3 tablespoons clarified butter

Heat large skillet over high heat. Add clarified butter and allow to heat for 30 seconds. Add scallops (gently) to the skillet, searing on each side for about 45 seconds. Remove from skillet to plate.

On each of four salad plates, place a mound of spinach/arugula leaves. Top with 3 seared scallops. Sprinkle spinach pesto vinaigrette (recipe below) over salad leaves, and a small dot on each scallop. Garnish with chives.

Spinach Pesto Vinaigrette

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

2 cloves garlic

¼ cup shredded parmesan

½ cup to ¾ cup olive oil

salt and pepper

juice of ½ lemon

In a food processor, process garlic. Add spinach and parmesan cheese. Pour in olive oil, a little at a time –about ½ cup for thicker pesto, ¾ for thinner pesto (I prefer thinner pesto—so more olive oil). Add the juice of ½ lemon to make vinaigrette.

Healing Foods: Crusted Tuna Steaks with Quinoa Salad and the Facts on Flax

I have tried to maintain my healthy juicing and eating in 2011, even as I went through my 50^th birthday bender—a series of dinners and parties to celebrate my launch into a new decade. It’s been fun—but I am definitely craving the energy level that my healthy eating and juicing have given me after all the champagne drinking and cake eating of the last several weeks.

My daughter and I have been trying to get more flax into our diet, sprinkling flax seeds into salads and using flax seed oil in our dressings to give ourselves more of the powerful healing agents flax contains. According to my research, flax is rich in lignans, powerful antioxidants that help prevent many types of cancer. Flax is also a natural food that is the richest source of essential fatty acids (Omega 3’s and alphalinolenic acid). It is packed with fiber, and helps in fighting cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, constipation, menopausal symptoms and heart disease. It is also an immune system booster and powerful anti-inflammatory. Why wouldn’t we want more of that in our daily diet?

So, in order to test some flax recipes I created, I invited my favorite food critics and friends, the Lee family, to try a flax-inspired dinner. I made flax seed and sesame crusted tuna steaks, and paired it with an Asian inspired quinoa vegetable salad with cucumber, crunchy sweet peppers, shallots and cilantro. To satisfy my friend John’s love of spice, I made a dipping sauce to accompany the tuna with tamarind sauce, sushi vinegar and Korean red pepper paste. Marilyn added delicious garlic sautéed broccoli and a yummy green salad to the healthy mix, and we had a lovely weeknight meal. They assured me that the tuna and quinoa were blog-worthy, so I am inviting my friends to get on the flax wagon and try some recipes of their own with flax seed and flax seed oil. Here are mine…I hope you enjoy them!

Flax and Sesame Crusted Tuna

3 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil

2 tuna steaks (about 1-1 ½ inches thick

¼ cup black and white sesame seeds

¼ cup flax seeds

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon chili pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mix all dry ingredients on a shallow bowl or plate. Dredge steaks on each side to crust with seed/spice mixture. Heat oil on high heat in a shallow skillet. When hot, add steaks. Cook for 3 minutes each side for medium rare steaks (less if you like them rare). Allow to cool for 5 minutes, slice into ½ inch thick slices and serve.

Quinoa Salad with Vegetables

1 cup dried organic quinoa

2 cups water

1 tablespoon flaxseed oil

1 shallot, chopped fine

1 small yellow pepper, chopped fine

1 small red pepper, chopped fine

½ cup chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons sushi vinegar (seasoned rice vinegar)

4 tablespoons flaxseed oil

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp flax seeds (optional)

Put quinoa, water and 1 tbsp.oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When it begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cook for about 15-20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Cool slightly.

Stir shallots, peppers, cilantro, vinegar and oil together. Add quinoa. Season to taste with salt, pepper and flax seeds.

Spicy Dipping Sauce

¼ cup organic tamarind sauce

1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

1 generous teaspoon Korean red pepper paste

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve with tuna steaks

Healing Foods: Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Toasted Pine Nuts

With no big chill in the weather in sight, I continue to mull over my “uncooking” options in the kitchen. At the farmer’s market, the mounds of fresh zucchini got me thinking about salad options. When I hit the herb stand and then the cheese stand, it all started coming together! My daughters love to take strands of grated carrots, zucchini and cucumber as I am peeling them, and eat the strands like spaghetti. I am all for peeling vegetables into ribbons if it makes them eat their vegetables—and zucchini ribbons with the just picked farmer’s market fare became the main inspiration to my uncooked dinner. I added some fresh herbs to my basket, and some aged parmesan, and went home to experiment with a new salad idea.

The nutrients provided by zucchini are impressive. Summer squash is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C and a very good source of magnesium, vitamin A (notably through its concentration of carotenoids, including beta-carotene), fiber, potassium, folate, copper, riboflavin, and phosphorus---nutrients shown in studies to be helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. Zucchini’s magnesium has been shown to be helpful for reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Together with the potassium in summer squash, magnesium is also helpful for reducing high blood pressure. The vitamin C and beta-carotene found in summer squash can help to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. (see more about zucchini health benefits at www.whfoods.org)

So, with inspiration from my favorite farmers market, I share with you our zucchini ribbon salad with toasted pine nuts, flat leaf parsley and shaved parmesan. Uncooked as a delicious salad or tossed with penne or your favorite pasta—it’s a refreshing summer treat.

Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Toasted Pinenuts

4 small zucchini

½ cup flatleaf Italian parsley, chopped

½ cup pine nuts, toasted in a skillet over low heat until browned, cooled

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

½ cup shaved parmesan (or more if you like it cheesy)

sea salt and cracked black pepper

Peel green skin from zucchini. Begin shaving zucchini lengthwise, with a vegetable peeler into long ribbons. Place ribbons in a large salad bowl, toss in parsley and pine nuts. Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss with zucchini. Add parmesan shavings and serve.

Healing Foods: Cool As A Cucumber…Unless You Sear the Salmon or Tuna!

This week, I think I have finally come to understand the term “the salad days of summer”. It’s just way too hot to cook. So, while researching foods for my friend Gabrielle that were cool and refreshing, the cucumber came to mind. I love cucumber salads year round—but now that there is such an abundant crop of fresh and local cucumbers at the farmer’s markets, it is a great time to be eating them.

Cucumbers are primarily composed of water but also contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid, both of which help soothe skin irritations and reduce swelling. Cucumbers' hard skin is rich in fiber and contains a variety of beneficial minerals including silica, potassium and magnesium.

When paired with seaweed in a salad, you get a great vitamin and mineral infusion as well. Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine and vitamin K, a very good source of the B-vitamin folate, and magnesium, and a good source of iron and calcium, and the B-vitamins riboflavin and pantothenic acid. In addition, sea vegetables contain good amounts of lignans, plant compounds with cancer-protective properties. (Please see more about sea vegetables at www.whfoods.org).

This cucumber hijiki salad is refreshing, delicious, and soothing. The added crunch of chopped celery also brings a calming touch, since celery contains phthalides, which aid in relaxation (and help lower cholesterol!). The seasoned rice vinegar dressing is a perfect sweet/tart complement. So if you are looking for something cool on a day like this one, this is the recipe for you. Serve with baked tofu, seared salmon or sesame crusted tuna (recipes for salmon and tuna below--if your kitchen is air-conditioned!)

Cucumber Hijiki Seaweed Salad

Two cucumbers, peeled, sliced lengthwise, seeded and sliced into half moon slices

Two stalks celery, trimmed and sliced.

1 cup hijiki seaweed, soaked in water for 20 minutes, drained and press to remove water

4 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon sake

1 tablespoon mirin (rice wine)

8 tablespoons grapeseed oil or other neutral oil

sea salt

Place sliced cucumbers, sliced celery and hijiki in a salad bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, sugar, sake, mirin and oil. Add to salad. Adjust to taste with sea salt, vinegar and oil.

Seared Salmon Steaks

2 salmon steaks

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Rinse salmon steaks and pat dry with paper towels. On a shallow plate, mix cumin, salt and pepper. Dip steaks, one side at a time, into spice mixture to coat each side. Heat skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and let heat. Add steaks to skillet, searing about 2-3 minutes on each side (a little less if you like your salmon rare in the middle). Remove from heat and serve.

Sesame Crusted Tuna

Two tuna steaks, about 1 ½ inches thick

½ cup sesame seeds (I use a combination of black and white sesame seeds)

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon cracked black pepper

¼ teaspoon shichimi (Japanese 7 flavor chili pepper, available at Japanese markets)

Rinse tuna steaks and pat dry with paper towels. On a shallow plate, mix sesame seeds, salt, pepper and shichimi. Dip steaks, one side at a time, into sesame/spice mixture to coat each side. Heat skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and let heat. Add tuna steaks to skillet, searing about 2-3 minutes on each side (a little less if you like your salmon rare in the middle--which is how I prefer it). Remove from heat and slice. Serve with cucumber seaweed salad.

Healing Foods: Lentil Salad

My friend Gabs is preparing for chemo. In addition to a healthy dose of mental and emotional preparation, this also means eating strengthening, nutrient rich foods to help her through the after effects of the treatment. A few of us gathered to cook for her last night, and made some protein dense foods that are packed with the vitamins needed to keep her strong and to add a little more love and comfort to her healing process. The menu included seared salmon steaks crusted with cumin, sesame seeds, sea salt and pepper; a salad of cucumber, celery, hijiki seaweed and a vinagrette of rice vinegar, mirin and sake with grapeseed oil; and a tabouleh salad with fresh herbs, tomatoes and scallions. She will graze on those today while we prepare more superfoods for the weekend.

One of the superfoods on the menu is a lentil salad. This high fiber, protein rich food is loaded with B vitamins, and 6 important minerals (including folate and magnesium). It is a natural, cholesterol lowering legume with no fat. And this salad is a tasty, comforting dish with myriad flavors. It has been in our family for a long time, and since it is a French recipe originally, it has cream added at the end to make a creamy walnut and balsamic dressing. It is just as tasty without the fat—so feel free to omit the cream.

This salad is a delicious main course, but pairs well with seared salmon, roasted chicken or your favorite protein. So good and so good for you too….

Lentil Salad

2 cups lentils (I prefer French lentils, which are smaller in size and a deeper green color)

1 bay leaf

1/2cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped shallots

2 carrots, chopped into very small dice

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp walnut oil (more to taste)

½ cup heavy cream (optional)

sea salt/cracked black pepper

Cover lentils with water. Add bay leaf. Bring lentils to a boil and cook for 20 minutes (lentils should be firm, not mushy). In the last 5 minutes, add chopped carrots. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process.

When lentils are cooled to room temperature, add parsley, shallots, sea salt and pepper. Whisk together vinegar and walnut oil, add to salad. Adjust seasoning, vinegar and oil to taste. Add ¼ cup whipping cream for creamier consistency (this can also be left out and the salad is just as delicious and less caloric!)

Healing and Comfort Food: Broccoli Salad with Bacon

Summertime is salad time. It’s so refreshing to indulge in the many fruits and vegetables of the season in their crisp, raw form. It is also the best way to get all of the healing and nutrient properties from them. Since I am always trying to get my children to eat more of that fabulous superfood broccoli, I am always happy to find tasty and inventive ways to serve it.

While home in Ohio for a family reunion, my mother served this broccoli salad at lunch. It is a nice juxtaposition of sweet and sour, crunchy and creamy, and it includes one of my favorite foods of all time---bacon. Bacon—smoky, salty, and crispy--has long been one of my favorite comfort foods. While not virtuous, when paired with the broccoli, which is loaded with vitamins C, K and A, protein and potassium in healthy doses (and many other nutrients in smaller helpings), this salad is a delicious, satisfying and vitamin charged combination. I like to pair it with a BLT—another great comfort food of mine. After a lunch like that, all is right with the universe….

3 cups broccoli-chopped into small, bit size pieces

1 red onion, chopped

½ cup golden raisins

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

6 slices bacon, crumbled

1 cup light mayonnaise

2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar and set aside. Combine broccoli, onion, raisins, cheese, bacon and mix. Stir in vinaigrette mixture. Serve chilled.