Nori Bon Bons- Guest Blog from Mom!

Elyse-mom here....so honored to be guest blogging again. Seaweed is my favorite superfood, and always a crowd pleaser. Versatile, gorgeous, and fun to work with, I fell in love with seaweed long before the sushi craze of this millennium.

Obsessed with the many varieties, all colors, shapes, and sizes, I started buying packaged seaweed in local Asian food markets and Essene in center city Philadelphia back in the 70s. I love long, thick sheets of kombu, useful for making broth (dashi, the chicken stock of Japan), translucent but sturdy wakame leaves or thin sweet-tasting arame strands, soaked and seasoned with roasted sesame oil and rice wine vinegar for a delicious seaweed salad, and tangles of kelp, a great gluten-free pasta substitute.

Nori sheets, dark emerald green and shiny, are a delicious snack and fabulous wrap for other foods (e.g. sushi). In this recipe, I use them to wrap balls of sticky rice, as a snack, appetizer, or party food.

What makes seaweed a superfood, in addition to its extraordinary antioxidant properties, is the fact that it contains all the minerals required by the human body....calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, iodine, and zinc. Any kind of rice can be used, although high starch varieties (basmati, short grain, or sushi rice) will hold together best and make the neatest and prettiest bon bons.

While I seasoned my purple sticky rice (from the Whole Foods bin) with only sea salt, feel free to add a bit of oil (sesame or coconut are particularly delicious), vinegar (white or rice wine recommended), or fresh lemon or lime juice. I garnished my bon bons with fresh lemon zest, but sesame seeds or finely chopped nuts would also lend a beautiful finish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 package roasted nori seaweed (I use Trade Joe Seaweed Snack, $.99 per package

1 cup uncooked rice (brown or white Basmati or purple sticky rice are my favorites)

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 t. sea salt

lemon zest for garnish

Directions:

1) Rinse rice in three changes of water, and cook in salted water until tender (20 minutes for white or purple rice, 40 minutes for brown rice). 

2) Let rice cool slightly, then form into small balls and wrap in nori sheets. 

3) Garnish as desired.

*Recipe makes about 25 bon bons

Turkey and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

I always thought stuffed peppers were super fancy and therefore difficult to make. Since then I've attempted 3 or 4 different recipes for stuffed peppers and was thrilled to find out that they're actually really easy to prepare!

You can use any color bell pepper you want in this recipe- yellow, green, orange, or red like me. I personally find red to be the sweetest bell pepper and easiest to digest which is why I chose to use it.

You can also switch up pretty much everything else in this recipe as well. Feel free to use ground beef or pork instead of turkey, or veggie ground meat if you're a vegetarian. You can also use a different grain such as brown or white rice, couscous, or bulgur wheat. If you're not a big fan of cilantro feel free to use basil or parsley. Lastly, if you're dairy-free simply omit the cheese. Have fun with this recipe and make it your own!

There are a couple things I would change for next time in this recipe. I added the shredded cheese at the end instead of stirring it through the whole mixture. Next time I make this I think I'll do both so it's super cheesy! Additionally, I totally made too much of the filling so I'd either half it or use 8 bell peppers and freeze the leftovers. 

My superfood this week is bell peppers. Bell peppers contain Vitamin A which is essential to good eye health. They also contain Vitamin C which helps the immune system ward off disease. Lastly, bell peppers contain beta-carotene and lycopene which can help prevent certain cancers.

Ingredients

4-8 bell peppers (depending on whether you want filling left over)

1 pound ground turkey (I used 93% fat free)

1 cup quinoa

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1.5 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce

1 tbsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

1/4 cup cilantro

1.5-3 cups chicken or veggie stock (use 1.5 for 4 peppers, use 3 for 8 peppers)

1/4-1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used 2% milk fat)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2) Cook quinoa according to package directions. (I added 2 cups water, brought it to a boil and then simmered for 20 minutes)

3) Cut top off peppers and remove ribs. (You may need to trim the bottom of the peppers so they stand up straight)

4) Heat chicken stock and pour in bottom of a 9x13 pan

5) Dice onions and mince garlic

6) Saute onions and ground turkey over medium high heat until brown (about 10 minutes)

6) Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes

7) Cook for 2 more minutes then add tomato sauce and cilantro

8) Turn heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes

9) Add cooked quinoa to turkey mixture and stir to combine

10) Place peppers in chicken stock lined pan and fill with turkey mixture pressing down.

 11) Cover pan with foil and cook for 35 minutes

12) Remove foil, add cheese (about 1 tbsp. a pepper) and bake for another 5 minutes. (You can also broil for 2-3 minutes too if you want bubbly cheese)

Salmon with Creamy Dijon and Panko Crust

I belong to a CSA (community supported agriculture) nearby where I participate in the produce farm share as well as the local New England Fish share. I was thrilled this past week to find that the local fish was wild salmon. I've blogged a salmon recipe before so I think you all know how much I love cooking this delicious fish. For this recipe, I decided to use ingredients I had on hand so I didn't have to make an extra trip to the grocery store.

I want to highlight in this recipe that you can really change around all of the ingredients to make it work for you and what's available in YOUR kitchen. I used both mayo and creme fraishe in my creamy dijon sauce but you could substitute sour cream or even Greek yogurt. I also used fresh chives that I happened to have from the farmer's market, but you could always substitute diced onions, scallions or even dried chives. 

Lastly, I got basil in my produce share this week so I used that on top of the fish to give it some brightness. If you don't have basil- don't worry! Use any herb you have on hand- parsley, tarragon, cilantro- whatever. 

The bottom line is- this recipe is SO easy and SO versatile. Don't go to the market to buy specific ingredients, use what you have and I'll betcha it'll be super delicious!

Salmon is bursting with nutritional value. It's loaded with omega 3's which are said to reduce the risk of heart disease and possibly prevent certain cancers. One of the omega 3's salmon contains is DHA which helps improve cognitive functions. Lastly, salmon provides bioactive protein molecules which can help reduce inflammation in the body and promote join health.

Ingredients:

1 pound wild salmon (or farm raised if you can't find wild)

3 tbsp. finely chopped chives

1 tbsp. olive oil mayo (or light mayo)

1 tbsp. creme fraishe 

1 tbsp. grainy dijon mustard (regular dijon is fine too)

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 lemon zested and cut into wedges

6-10 basil leaves

cooking spray

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2) Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray

3) Pat salmon dry and place on baking sheet

4) Mix 2 tbsp of the chives, mayo, creme fraishe, and mustard in a bowl

5) Place mixture on top of fish until evenly coated

6) Add panko to the top of coated fish and press with a spoon to adhere

7) Spray top with non-stick baking spray

8) Bake for 22-28 minutes or until cooked through

9) Meanwhile zest the lemon and cut it into wedges.

10)Chiffonade basil and set aside- How to Chiffonade Basil

11) When salmon is cooked through add zested lemon, basil, and remaining chives and garnish with lemon wedges

12) Enjoy!!