The most delicious and clean tacos ever! Sweet Potato with Greens and Plantain Tortillas, Paleo, Vegan and Awesome

Today is Cinco de Mayo (yay!) it is also the middle of a strict springtime vegan-paleo goal for me. So what to do. I looooove Mexican foods, it will be one of my favorite cuisines ever and always. My eyes were first opened to mind blowing vegan Mexican food at Gracias Madre in SF. I was lucky to eat there many times, but it was a taco plate when I first fell in love. There were piles of cooked leafy greens, spiced sweet potatoes, and all the crunchy toppings. I think there were beans and loads of their wonderful freshly made tortillas. This today is my homage to them.  The tortilla making is easy as pie, but if you love corn tortillas-by all means use those!

Paleo Plantain Tortillas 
with
Chili Sweet Potato, Leafy Greens, and Avocado

Tortillas:
Makes about 14 tortillas (taco "corn-tortilla" sized)

• 4 green plantains
• 1/4 cup hot water (or more)

Leafy Greens:

• 1 bunch collards, swiss chard, or kale
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt

Sweet Potatoes:

• 4 sweet potatoes
• 1-2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• salt

Also: 

• Avocado
• Cabbage
• Raddishes
• Cilantro
• Salsa

For these tortillas I want a savory or neutral sort of flavor so we use the unripe or green plantains. Peeling them can be a little bit of a chore, here is a link to my earlier instructions how to do this quickly. The plantains need to be peeled and sliced into chunks before boiling for 20 minutes. You will see the raw plantain is a very pale yellow color, once it has cooked in the boiling water there's a much deeper yellow color to the flesh. 

When the plantains are fork tender drain into a colander in the sink. Wait 5 minutes so they cool a bit. Place plantains in the bowl of a standing mixer, mix on low for about 5-8 minutes. If you have the plastic guard that keeps things from jumping out the sides of the bowl now is the time to use it. If not you can hold a tea towel around the top of the bowl until pieces stop trying to jump out. 

At first it may seem very dry and crumbly, but there is a nice point when everything comes dough like. Depending on your plantains and how ripe and cooked they are this may take more time than you expect just keep the mixer on. If everything is looking very dry, which happens due to moisture escaping through the steam, add a splash of hot water until you have a consistency like cookie dough. 

With our plantain massa ready we can move onto shaping and cooking the tortillas:

You will need a tortilla press or two rigid cutting boards. Parchment paper folded in half or a plastic bag cut into two pieces.Some coconut oil or other oil of your choice. A hot griddle or frypan. 

1. Heat the griddle.
2. Apply a tiny bit of coconut oil to the inside spots of the full department where you will flatten the dough. 
3. Roll a ball of the dough in your hands.
4. Place in between the two sheets of parchment or plastic
5. Position this parchment sandwich in between your two cutting board or tortilla press. 
6. Press straight down, with all your bodyweight. 
7. Remove the top cutting board and check your tortilla. 
8. Peel off the parchment carefully, this is easier than you imagine.
9. Move the tortilla in hand directly to the griddle.
10. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes. They will look dry, pale, with not much color. The edges will turn out just a bit. 

Repeat until the dough is all used up! 

Cut a bunch of collards or Swiss chard into thin ribbons. Cook on the stove with two cloves of minced garlic, salt, a teaspoon of cumin, and a 1/2 cup of water. Simmer and sauté until the water has about braided and your greens are tender and bright. 

Cube your sweet potatoes into roughly half inch pieces. Toss to coat with olive oil  and 1 to 2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder. Spread on a sheet pan in one layer. Bake roast at 350° for about 30 minutes, until they're tender. There is no need to stir the sweet potatoes while they are roasting see you can just forget about them until the timer beeps!

Clearly, tacos should be assembled right as you are going to eat them. Place a small bed of greens as a base on the tortilla, followed by sweet potatoes, then topped off with thin slices of avocado, radish, cabbage and cilantro. salsa or hot sauce is always a good idea in my book.

 Enjoy!
***The tortillas will keep for a few days in the fridge kept sealed up in a bag. Very good just microwaved for 20 seconds to warm them up again. Or even better, throw on a hot dry pan till warm.

The Brussels Sprouts Recipe Everyone Wants

I have had many requests for this recipe, from people who ate the brussels sprouts, ones who heard about it, and some who read by thanksgiving post.  December is here, and we all return to work, but know that the holiday season has really started, and wish we could make cookies and play with ribbon all day long. Or more to the point, as a British friend said yesterday, December is all about alcoholic fruit and booze and cake. I think she included cake on the list, the Brits would need something to absorb all the boozy fruit. (Note: upcoming post, I will figure out what British boozy fruit is.)

December is here and brussels sprouts are among the few things still in season. These are incredibly savory and briny. A welcome change to the palate. The dressing is incredibly different than our usual heavy holiday season flavors or spice and sweetness.

It went around and around out holiday table, so that is worth something. People were like, "please pass the brussels sprouts" and "where did those amazing brussels sprouts go?" and "oh YES! There are still some left!" (Read thanksgiving Part1 and Part2.)

Simple enough to make up part of an every day dinner. Be sure to make extra because you will want the leftovers!

Notes on anchovies: many people are scared of the poor little fish. (Like my husband, who thinks he doesn't like them, but when I put them in food and does not tell him, he loves it!) They are super salty and little mashed fish is...whatever they are delicious. If you don't like them much, buy the European type in a tube, it is a paste and so easy to work with in the kitchen. Unscrew the top, squeeze into a dressing, screw back on the top, and back into the fridge for very easy storage. Don't skip them, they really make this dish sing.


Savory Brussels Sprouts with Capers and Walnuts

ROASTING:
3 lbs brussels sprouts, quartered
1/4 cup olive oil
salt
1 cup walnuts

DRESSING:
2 garlic cloves
2 shallots
1/2 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon grainy mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons capers (rinsed if in salt)
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon anchovy paste (or one 2 oz tin, drained and minced)
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°. Quarter each brussels sprout into 4 wedges. Place on 2 baking sheets, toss with olive oil and salt. Roast in the oven for 20 to 40 minutes. (Sprouts and ovens vary so.) Stir or shake once midway. The sprouts should have some charred black spots and crispy bits. The insides will be tender. Remove from the oven and transfer into a large bowl.

Toast the walnuts, spread them in an oven proof pan, roast in the oven for  about 8 minutes. The walnuts will be a warm brown and smell toasty and fragrant.

Make the dressing. If you have a food processor, fit it with the chopping blade. Peel garlic and shallots, chop into bits in the food processor. (Or mince with a knife.) The entire dressing can be made in the food processor, or a mason jar with a tight fitting lid works very well. Add the vinegars, olive oil, mustard, honey, capers, pepper, and some or all of the anchovy paste. Blend or shake the dressing well. Taste the dressing on a brussels sprout, add additional salt only if needed.

Pour the dressing over the still warm brussels sprouts (they absorb more flavor this way.) Serve warm or at room temperature.  Keeps for 4 days in the fridge.

*Adapted from Food and Wine, Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts, Capers and Anchovies (2011).

Kale Salad and a Secret Skill that will wow your friends

 The other day, I made kale salad three times! Firstly, for my husband to bring to work for his lunch (he is very close to finishing this degree, I am maximizing his study time by doling out lunches and dinners).

Secondly, for lunch while at my friend's home.

Finally, for myself for dinner, because the fridge was full of kale and that was the smart thing to do.

I could have made one big batch if I knew. I best like kale salad after it has sat in the fridge for 6 hours or so, the citrus in the dressing marinates the leaves, it is very nice.








Most of us have made kale salad (right?) So I am going to start right out with this 
Secret Kitchen Skill which will WOW your friends:
Most people have never seen this. Unless you have worked in restaurant kitchens, then maybe you have.

I learned it while working at a bakery in SF where needed to do cases of greens to cook into our quiches.

Do YOU enjoy TOUGH chewy FIBROUS stems in your kale dishes? Do you like carefully cutting the stems out of collard greens? NO, of course not, neither do I.

This is the fastest and easiest way to strip leafy greens from the stems. This works with kale,  swiss chard, collards, and most other vitamin filled leafy greens you could ever find.

Grab your bunch of farmers market kale, four fingers (two on each hand) and here is a (WOW) movie of my kale technique to explain it all better than my words will.

If you are right handed: take the base of the stem firmly in you left hand, and pinch with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand right at the place where the leaf begins on the stem. Keep pinching firmly, and rapidly pull your hands in opposite directions.

Watch your friends' jaws drop open. They will say, with quizzical looks "Whaa, how did you...do that again!"

Collect the leafy greens in a pile and sent the stems into the juicer or compost pile.

*Disclaimer: If your kale is old as the hills, near dead and limp, this technique wont work. Get yourself to the market and buy some new vegetables.

Now that you have a beautiful pile of stem-less kale lets daydream about all the wonderful things you can do with it. saute, lasagna, chips...

I'm still on the salad. When the kale is super fresh, straight from the farm, it is sinful not to eat it raw! The fresh leaves is have such a great crunch. They are still full of water and life.

I like dinosaur (lacinato) kale, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch ribbons.

I also like the crinkly green kale, like the one in these photos, if it is young and tender. Just ripped off the stems, like I just showed you, and torn into a few smaller pieces.

Lemon or lime, sometimes a bit of apple cider vinegar and plenty of good olive oil makes the perfect dressing. And dont forget the sea salt, very important to generously salt the salad.

After that, it is all about what is around in the pantry. My favorite topping is toasted pumpkin seeds. Goat cheese or avocado, if I have one. Cold boiled potatoes are also really good in there.

For those craving animal protein, hard boiled eggs, sardines, or tuna fish turn it into a hearty meal.

Kale Salad with Pumpkin Seeds

a bunch of kale leaves
juice of lemon or lime
olive oil
pinch of salt
handfull of pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Remove tough stems for kale with fantastic method mentioned above. Tear or slice leaves into bite sized pieces. Put into a bowl.

Squeeze citrus juice over the leaves (about 1/2 a lime per serving, 1/2 a lemon for 2 servings.) Drizzle olive oil on and a hearty pinch of sea salt.


With one (clean) hand, massage the kale. This is a important step if you cant wait around 6 hours for it to marinate. Just squeeze it and let it go, squeeze it again, like you are trying to wring out a sponge. Take about a minute massaging the salad.
Yup.
Now taste a piece, is it good? Does it need more salt? If you pucker from the sour citrus, add more olive oil. Yup.
Now you can wash your hands.

Put the pumpkin seeds into a small dry fry pan. Turn the heat on, in a minute or two they will begin to toast on the bottom and puff up. Shake the pan around a few times. When they are overall, toasted and puffed, turn off the heat and tip them on top of your salad.

toasting pumpkin seeds

If your eyes were bigger than your stomach, it does keep very well for a day or two (covered & in the fridge.) Bring it for lunch to work and you can brag about your new kale prepping skill.

If you try it, send me a comment, will this change how you prep leafy greens in the future?

Kale salad with toasted pumpkin seeds and peppered goat cheese

Roast Sweets and Scapes

Garlic scapes roasted along with sweet potatoes become a veggie dish with infused flavor and nuance.

Fresh garlic scapes

Roasting with oil caramelizes the flavor of garlic scapes. They softened, as did the garlicy bite.

The flower bulbs transformed into amazing creations. The outside crispy and salty, the inside soft, succulent, pungent and nearly sweet.

I find, when roasting sweet potatoes, olive oil tastes the best, but other higher temperature oils like sunflower or peanut oil will crisp and color up the outsides better. I drizzle on some of each for the best of both worlds.

garlic scapes and sweet potatoes ready to roast

Sweet potatoes and garlic scapes

Roast Sweets and Scapes


5 garlic scapes
4 medium sweet potatoes
olive oil
peanut oil (or sunflower)
sea salt


Dice sweet potatoes into 1 inch chunks.
slice garlic scapes into 1/4" pieces. Leave the top bulb intact.

Roast Sweets and Scapes

Place potatoes and scapes onto a roasting tray.

Drizzle equally generous amounts of olive oil and peanut oil on the tray. Sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Toss it all by hand to coat in oil.

Cook in a 350° oven for 30 minutes, or until the sweet potato has softened through.  Toss the potatoes once towards the end of cooking to crisp all sides.

Enjoy hot or at room temperature. 4-6 servings as a side dish.

Nettle, Sorrel and Pumpkin Seed Pesto

More adventures with stinging nettles. With an enormous bunch of sorrel and some nettles I ended up with 2 cups of lemony tangy complex pesto. Sorrel has prominent lemony taste, it goes really nice with fish for this reason, but is too sour for me to eat a pile of it. It is a very unusual green, and you should pick some up if you find it at the market. By pureeing it with olive oil the sorrel becomes more gentle, sort of poetic. 

Toasting pumpkin seeds

Toasted pumpkin seeds give a nutty depth to any pesto. I use them instead of pine nuts which can be so expensive. Pumpkin seeds or pepitas are sold shelled and green. And they are chock full of good minerals and viamins like zinc and magnesium. We should all eat more seeds I think. Put them in a dry pan and cook on the stove or in the oven till they puff and turn a little brown. They are really good on salads too.

Nettle, Sorrel and Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Nettle Sorrel and Pumpkin Seed Pesto

about 4 cups fresh sorrel
equal or less of nettle tops
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
about 1/2 cup olive oil
salt

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet on medium heat. Stir them so they toast evenly. When there are spots of toasty brown and the seeds have puffed they are ready.

The nettles need to be cooked to remove the sting. Put a cup of water in the bottom of a pot, bring to a boil on high heat. Put the nettles into a steamer basket and place over the boiling water. Cover. Seam the nettles for about 7 minutes. When they are thoroughly wilted the sting will be gone. Remove them from the heat to cool a bit.

Pack the sorrel leaves into the bowl of a food processor with a good glug of olive oil to help in the mixing. Process it down to a puree.

Add the steamed nettles, pumpkin seeds, more olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Process for a minute so it all becomes pesto. Add olive oil as needed to make the consistency spoon-able. As the blade goes around the pesto should whirlpool around, if it is too dry pour in more oil, its really good for you. Take a taste and add more salt if necessary. 

I served it on quinoa pasta with just picked dandelion flowers. And maybe you can see the sardine fillets peaking out under the petals. The sardines were so good with the sorrel pesto, the lemon flavor from the greens balanced the oily fish. I'm not sure that dandelion flowers are good for anything but they are just so fun and pretty.

Sorrel, Nettle Pesto with Sardines and Dandelions

Green Nettle Soup

Green garlic, Sorrel, Nettle

Early spring greens at Farmer's Markets feel like rare treasures after the gray winter. Nearly neon nettles, sorrel and garlicky bits. They are full of nutrients, good for waking up our bodies after months of seeming hibernation. Bright new green screams spring!

We ran into an early spring market on a Sunday Mother's day walk. Oh happy me when I spotted the nettles first thing. I would have to walk around with them all afternoon, but I had to have them! I am into wild food, and finding it myself is fun. People say nettles grow EVERYWHERE. But they don't seem to grow where I live, so I was happy to purchase them. With sorrel and green garlic we would have a week of spring green dishes to be ready for the season.

Stinging Nettle warning

When handling stinging nettles, people say you shouldn't. The thoughtful farmers put a sticker on the nettle bag in case it was new news to somebody. Using tongs or wearing gloves is a good idea. Personally, I don't often get stung by the nettles. I find that when picked up gently by the underside of the leaf I don't need to wear gloves. The stingy parts are on the stems, and top of the leaf. Try at your own risk, although it helps to go at them with confidence and a light touch.

When cooked, they loose all the sting and turn into an edible green which is much better than spinach. They can be boiled, blanched, sauteed...when I worked at Tartine we would pick nettle leaves off the stems and sink the fresh tender leaves into deep quiches to cook inside the beaten egg and cream. I steamed some nettle to make a pesto. And the remainder of it was used to make this soup.

Green Nettle soup in blender

It is a unbelievably green soup and delicious. It tastes as bright as it looks and I felt positively pure and healthy after eating it. A lot of people like to add cream to their nettle soup, which you could do. I like it pure and plain









Green Nettle Soup

3 green garlic stalks
1 yellow onion
drizzle of olive oil
1 pint water or vegetable stock
nettles
1/2 tsp salt
4 or 5 sorrel leaves (or juice from half a lemon)

Slice the green garlic and onion, cook on medium heat with the olive oil in a soup pot. When softened pour in the water and bring to a boil. It is difficult to measure how many nettles are needed, I added enough nettles to fill the water, so they were submerged but dense. Simmer the nettles for 7 to 10 minutes, thicker stalks will need the longer cooking time.

Ladle the entire soup contents into a blender. Add salt and sorrel leaves or lemon juice. Blend the soup to a puree, this may take the blender a minute or two. It is amazingly green and mine was a nice consistency right away. Check the seasoning and add salt or more lemon if it is bland.

Pour into soup dishes and enjoy.