Green is good: Kale bowl

Back from my amazing trip from Portugal, I was blessed with a few more days off and decided to go home home. Home is the place I rest my head in Dublin. Home home is at my parents' place, an hour out of the city and a million miles away from the frantic and often times stressful pace of the big smoke.
I had the house, dogs, bike and garden to myself. The sun shone on for those few days and I lay out in the garden soaking up the last rays of summer and saying goodbye to my favourite season of the year. September is bitter sweet for me. The days are long enough to enjoy being outdoors. If I wear a warm scarf, I can pretend it's still toasty while I cycle my bike and the temperature drops each week with cooler gusts of air whipping my hair around. Harvest time gives me goosebumps with the sheer abundance that nature lands at our feet. Sloes, blackberries, rosehips, hawthorns, mushrooms. The list goes on. It's the last part of nature's business before it all slows down.

That's the part I find most difficult. Summer is a flurry of events in the sun. Socializing outside is the order of the day. Taking off your shoes in the park is common sense and the beautiful, grounding feeling of the souls of your feet being tickled by the soothing fresh grass is bliss. Warm shoulders and softened muscles. Spontaneous barbeques and outdoor cinemas. It's a busy time, our Irish summers but it's free. September holds on but October whips up storms and rainy spells that cast shadows over the open parks and trees and fields and all the other places we took time to sit and just be, right under the sun. I'm usually not one for transitioning all that well. This Autumn, it turns out that I'm sick too. Resting, reducing activity and exercises, working less hours, and generally slowing down to just above the minimum is what the doctor has ordered. Guess what? I don't take well to slowing down and just being, not in Winter. Winter, for me, is a time to keep busy until summer is finished with.

So here I am. Hence the kale bowl. I can sleep, resist the gym's temptation for a while and not go out as much but the main thing that really gets me in winter is that normally I rest in the garden, surrounded by lucious greens and colours and sweet-smelling, visually soothing plants. Harvest is nearly over. This weekend will be the last of the herbs. All the veggies are finished. If greens and fresh fruit and veg and colours are meant to improve my health, how am I going to do that in winter?

This kale bowl is the answer. Salads are great for all their freshness but they are honestly the last thing I feel like when there is a gale outside and the window panes are lashed with rain torrents. The kale is still uncooked but by massaging it, it softens slightly and the heat of the freshly cooked rice heats it through easily. Almonds, coconut oil, turmeric and chilli flakes all provide heat to kick the body into warmth. Kale, fresh and raw is a complete superfood but cooked turns into a pathetic mush of dark green. Sitting eating my green bowl of goodness, I couldn't help but feel soothed and warmed and cared for as I looked out at that crisp wind sneaking into people's jackets as they wrapped their coats around tighter.

Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup of short grain brown rice
4 large handfuls of fresh black kale (cavolo nero)
1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp each turmeric, chilli flakes
2 tsp soy sauce
10 whole almonds (lightly toasted or soaked overnight in water)

Optional topping:
Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
Sprouts: Brocolli, radish or alfalfa work great

Method:
The night before if you can, soak your almonds in cold water. This reactivates them and they are more nutritious. Alternatively, you can toast them on an oven tray at 120 degrees C for about 5-10 minutes, until golden brown.
In a small pot, measure out 1 cup of rice and just over 2 cups of cold water. Place on small heat and once the water comes to a boil simmer for 40 minutes or until cooked through.
Meanwhile, trim your kale by folding each leaf in half and slicing out the stalk. Shred the leaves roughly and place in a bowl. Add spices and coconut oil and mix/massage with your hands for a few minutes until the leaves are coated and softened. Once cooked, add the rice to the kale and stir through with the soy sauce. Top with almonds and sprouts if you prefer.

I served this with simply roasted squash but serving it with fish, soup or other veg would be great even though it is incredibly yummy on its own.

Make sure to look after yourself and keep those greens going to keep you healthy.

Enjoy!

Soothing seas and Kale herb couscous

Everytime I go to the sea, I feel alive again. The salty air, the repetition of the waves, whether ripples or torrents of white wash bashing the shore, soothe me. Everything is ok again once I'm near the sea. For someone who grew up in the midlands, this has always seemed strange. I could never explain it. No one really understood. While the term sea-sick usually means getting ill, for me, it was similar to homesickness; if too long a time period had gone by without a visit to the sea, to breathe in the refreshing gusts of air or to immerse myself completely in its magical waters, I would become seasick.

The feeling has never left. When I took up surfing, it was the ultimate sea experience. Usually during summertime, going to the sea on holidays was liberating relaxation of momentous proportions. I would dive under, swim, stall, float on my back and drift around. Complete freedom. Bliss. Surfing brought a new element to my life, a new connection to the water. Surfing made me realize just how much my depressed mind needed to be calmed. When you dive headfirst with your board in tow, every worry, doubt, fear, anxiety and stress is instantly washed away. When I finish each surf, whether I caught any waves or not, I feel renewed and light.

In Dublin, there is no surf but there is the sea and it's close by. Sometimes, I forget that fact but in light of renewed focus on healthy habits and nourishment of the soul, I cycled out there today. I was instantly reminded of when I first moved to Dublin and became overwhelmed and a loving manfriend calmly brought me out there to remind me that the sea was in Dublin. He lovingly reminded me that all I needed to do was stick my feet in the sand and breath. It was a gusty, temperamental  sort of afternoon, whipping wind all around. As soon as I got there, though, I realized just how essential it is when you're feeling blue or low on energy to get outside, switch off the phones and interact with the real world around us.

Toes in the sand. People, bird, wave and dog watching, all in the shadow of the Ringsend chimneys and the busy city not so far away. Leaving, I felt hungry and calm, like my mind had been shook up and all the useless thoughts and worries were carried out to sea and dispersed in the salty wind.

When you feel yourself getting caught up in your head and there's a worry that the sinking thinking is about to start, detach from the mechanics of your busy life and head outside. Whether you've got a sea, a park, a garden or a stream, get out there and breathe.

Hungry and eager to make something quick and tasty, I came up with this delicious Kale couscous.
Using Dennis Healy's black kale from Wicklow, some couscous from the press and a few other easy ingredients, I cooked up this in a record 10 minutes. It's tasty, warming and bursting full of greens, the mood booster. Leafy greens contain folate, an essential nutrient which helps develop neurotransmitters that balance your mood. The queen of greens has a bad reputation as not being tasty. I'm hoping this recipe will change your mind.

Feeds 2 for dinner or if you are like Me, Myself and I, dinner and lunch for the following day.

Ingredients:
One bunch of kale: approx. 10 leaves
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/4 can chickpeas
2 Tbs mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
salt and pepper
1 handful of mixed fresh herbs (I used mint and parsley from the garden)

1/2 cup of couscous
1 cup of boiling water/boiling veggie stock

2 Tbs apple cider vinegard
2 Tbs soy sauce

Soaked sprouts (optional)

Method:
Measure your couscous into a bowl and pour boiling water/stock over. Cover bowl with lid/plate and let sit for 10 minutes to absorb.
In a frying pan, add thinly sliced garlic and fry until softened (2-3 mins). Cut off the stalk parts of each of the leaves and slice thinly. Fry with the garlic, seeds and chickpeas. Season with salt and pepper and fry until chickpeas get toasty and seeds are browned. Slice the kale leaves into thick strips and quickly fry with the rest of the ingredients in the pan.

Chop herbs finely and stir through the couscous then stir the frying pan ingredients through. Dress with the vinegar and soy sauce and mix thoroughly. Serve with soaked sprouts if you like.
Enjoy!

Happy Sunday X

5 minute asian fish soup

Many foods in Asian cuisine inspire me greatly. Growing up, my best friend at school, Asako, was Japanese. When I'd call over to her house, there would be foods in jars, wrappers and packages of all shapes and sizes containing food that I had no idea how to begin thinking how it would taste, how you would go about cooking it or where it's key components even orginated from. Despite this complete lack of knowledge, I would stand transfixed as Asako or her mum opened the fridge or a press door and in a matter of minutes would have something unusually delicious ready to eat.

I remember her explaining tapioca pearl pudding to me, the different dipping sauces and which thickness of noodle went with each sauce. I have a funny feeling my interest in non-traditional preserves came from that house too since I couldn't get enough of pickled ginger slivers and soy plum preserve.

What initially looked like watery soup with a few noodles and greens thrown in, transformed once I tasted it into an aromatic, flavourful stock with exactly the right type of noodle for the type of fish or meat or vegetable that went in with it. Whenever I asked Asako "what the hell did you put into this to make it so good?", she'd always look surprised and answer with a few simple ingredients. I was hooked. When I went to visit her in Tokyo after I finished college, I went on a Japanese noodle soup binge and loved every minute of it, trying out new foods everyday. I grew up in a family that always experimented with food and would always ask if I wanted to try a new ingredient or dish when I was a kid. I am so thankful for that background of trying things out, especially when it came to food. I wasn't afraid of any of the 'strange' foods Asako presented me with when we were still at school, then came the Japan trip and I said yes to all foods, just to try. I was always happily surprised.

The weather in Ireland last week was amazing. 25 degrees, sunshine and blue skies. I was never happier and after the longest winter in the world, it was a welcome change for my body to want fresh salads, juices and smoothies rather than curries, wholegrains and roasted vegetables. This week, the weather gods have changed their mind and at 13 degrees, a salad wasn't going to cut it today. I wanted a warming soup that would warm my little soul up so that I could keep going throughout the day, despite the miserable weather.

It was then that I remembered the soups Asako would make. I was craving greens and a noodle salad but also some type of warm broth. Also, since I am temporarily back at the parent's house as I'm moving to the big smoke again, I miss the sea massively so some fish was definitely on the cards. Freshness and multipurpose of ingredients is paramount in Asian cooking. This recipe for my fish soup is inspired by the desire for sunshine, healthy eating that nourishes the soul and to hold onto that memory of Asako and our food adventures.

For those who are confused or even sceptical that a full meal for one can be made in 5 mins, be confused no more. Not only is this very nourishing but the freshness of the fish makes the soup into a stock. Fresh greens are only mildly cooked by the heat of the soup once you dish it up and any greens from silver beet to cabbage, leeks, kale and spinach can be used. I also topped mine up with some sprouts. The addition of dilisk seaweed is very beneficial for health sodium intake as well as iron while the fish and the stock soup it makes is a mineral rich cocktail. I could go on about the other nutrients and benefits of all the miso, soy sauce, mushrooms and sprouts but basically, it's all very good for you.

Most importantly, it's very very tasty. This soup has so many things going for it. Freshness, comforting warmth, nutritious broth, nourishing meaty fish, vibrant greens and melting garlic and ginger fragrance. It's become a staple of mine. Hopefully you'll be encouraged after making it to make it a staple in your own home.

I invested in a garlic plate at Christmas after breaking too many garlic crushers. It has been a godsend and I recommend you get one. It turns garlic and ginger into a paste-perfect for curries, dressings and sauces and is the easiest thing in the world to clean. Good buy pain in the arse garlic crushers! Have a look here.

This recipe feeds one for dinner but adding a greater portion of fish and another portion of noodles with some extra water will double the quantity easy-thankfully, it's not rocket science.

Ingredients:
1 clove of garlic (double if doubling recipe)
1 chunk of fresh ginger, about the size of your thumb nail
2 tbs miso paste
100g fresh to wok noodles, I prefer thick udon for this
1 portion of fresh white fish (hake or trout are best, with skin on)
3 tbs soy sauce
4/5 strands of seaweed (dillisk works well hear but kombu or nori would work too)
10 small dried mushrooms/fresh mushrooms thinly sliced
1 large handful of greens, washed and drained.
5 cups boiling water.

Method:
Peel garlic and ginger and grate to a paste
Add to medium pot with miso paste and soy sauce
Pour in water and noodles, mushrooms and seaweed and bring to the boil (1 minute)
Turn heat down to simmer and place fish gently, skin side up into soup.
Cover with lid and set timer for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, wash and rinse greens and cut/pull to size you like and place in large soup boul
After 5 minutes, check fish. If it is opaque and falling slightly apart then it is done.
Using fork/chopsticks, take out noodles and place onto greens, then pour over your stock.
Place fish on top, dress with herbs/chives/sprouts or leave as is.
You can peel the fish skin off at this point but I love to eat it as it's been scraped by my fishmonger already and tastes great!

 

 

That's it. I timed myself for cheekiness sake and the soup took 5 mins to cook while it took 4 minutes to prep, 2 to serve and about 5 minutes of arsing around with my new camera to take the photos I was happy with.

Hope you enjoy it.
In the next few posts, I'll be making food for the festival season! Body and Soul is a week away and I have homemade almond butter, hemp
energy bars, bliss balls and banana bread to get through so visit again and please tell me what you think of the blog, the recipes and your food likes.

Thanks!
Grace :)