I have kept this vinaigrette salad dressing recipe that I created a long time ago as a secret. My friends try to guess the ingredients and beg me for the recipe. I once gave it to my friend Michelle for her fiftieth birthday, handwritten on an elegant card with azure blue ink from my fountain pen and presented in an envelope lined with gold paper. She was beyond thrilled and said this was a thoughtful and priceless gift.
Once you taste this not-so-secret-anymore recipe because I’m giving it to you, the salad dressing you buy at the grocery store will pale in comparison. I buy high-quality vinegars and oils instead of buying store bought dressing. It takes just a few minutes to whip this up and the extraordinary sensory pleasure you’ll get from eating this makes the time spent worthwhile.
½ cup vinegar (l like aged-sherry, champagne, white, and red balsamic) 1 tablespoon sugar (I use raw cane or demerara) 1 tablespoon mustard (favorites are stone ground, Dijon and spicy brown) Pinch of salt (any kind but iodized. It tastes terrible!) 1 shallot (if you don’t have one, use about two tablespoons diced any kind of onion) 1 clove garlic 1 ½ cups oil (my favorites are olive, walnut, rice bran)
Puree the first six ingredients in a blender. Then slowly add the 1½ cups of oil and blend some more. Pour into a glass bottle. This salad dressing will keep for up to two months in the fridge.
Lately my favorite version of this is made with aged sherry vinegar and half olive/half walnut oil and stone ground mustard. In the past I’ve used blood orange champagne vinegar. White wine vinegars are better with neutral oils, like rice bran oil or grapeseed. Dark vinegars are better with olive oil. What’s nice about this recipe is you can mix and match the ingredients to suit your tastes. I call these kinds of recipes “un-recipes’.
My favorite oil to use in this recipe is rice bran oil which you probably haven’t seen since it’s not commonly available in most grocery stores; the exception to this is Asian markets. Most restaurant supply wholesalers do sell it because its high smoke point makes it ideal for frying. It’s quite versatile and is excellent for baking. This oil behaves differently than other light oils; it’s difficult to explain.
Now you have a little gift from me to you – Isabel’s salad dressing. Look at what you have on hand and whip up a batch! Maybe you can keep it a secret and give it to a friend someday.
Have you ever heard of white balsamic vinegar? I hadn’t until a friend gave me some as a present a few years ago. Being unfamiliar with this, I experimented with the vinegar and made one of the best salads I had ever eaten. It was so delicious that I named it “Out-of-This-World Salad,” made of chicory (an unusual leafy green similar to romaine), Comice pears, kiwi fruit, blueberries, walnuts, a sprinkling of blue cheese, white balsamic vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. That’s all. Simple!
I have an “un-recipe” for it, which means that you use the ingredients I suggest and make it according to your own tastes. Think flex salad. You can make this salad to accompany a main meal or beef it up a bit to make it a meal itself. You may not think of a salad as a wintertime dinner entrée, but it is surprisingly refreshing. This salad takes just a few minutes to assemble so it’s good for those nights when you don’t want to stand in front of the stove. The main ingredients are salad greens, fruit, olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. The secret here to extraordinary deliciousness is to pair the white balsamic vinegar with some fruit. The tart and tangy flavor of the vinegar mixes with the sweetness of the fruit and it becomes a third thing all its own and it’s, well, out of this world.
My favorite combinations are: baby greens or butter lettuce, oranges, radishes and a small amount of minced red onion. Or butter lettuce, pears, blue cheese. Romaine with kiwi and blueberries. The dressing is always one part white balsamic vinegar to three parts extra virgin olive oil. I tend to use one tablespoon vinegar to three tablespoons oil. Add in a few nuts and/or seeds and you’ll have a salad substantial enough to make the salad into a light meal. I use chopped pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts. A few tablespoons of hemp seeds add a delightful texture and some protein too (13 grams per ¼ cup). Those are my favorite combinations; use your imagination to discover your own.
If you’d like a roasted vegetable to go from ordinary to extraordinary without having to expend much effort, melt some butter and add some white balsamic vinegar using the three to one ratio. Using a pastry brush, spread an even coat on the vegetables a few minutes before the vegetables are finished cooking and then sprinkle them with coarse sea salt.
Next time you need a present for that cook who seems to have everything, consider white balsamic vinegar. You can buy it from $5.99 to $30.
When I was a young child, the only salt available to home cooks was Morton’s, the one in the round blue container with the girl and the yellow umbrella on it. Their slogan was “When it rains, it pours”. I didn’t quite understand what that had to do with salt, but I still remember the words. Then when I was a teenager, the health food movement had begun and with it came “sea salt”, but it was typically generic and sold bulk in clear plastic bags.
Fast forward to now. Salt is definitely a “thing” and there are so many varieties it can make your head spin. Salt from the coast of Normandy, the Himalayas, salt from . . . Salt Lake. Black salt, pink salt, yellow salt, red salt, smoked salt. Plain ol’ salt has indeed become quite fancy as if it’s all dressed up in party clothes.
Over time, I have tried many of them. I became somewhat of a salt fiend. The subtle differences in flavor mystified me. After all, salt is just sodium chloride. Why the differences in flavor then? I’m not sure, but overtime, one in particular stood out and became my “go to salt”, the one I put on or in almost everything. It’s Maldon Sea Salt Flakes, from the southeast coast of England and made by a family that has been in the business for 140 years.
Why is this one different? It seems to not only have a taste, but a feeling too. This is very difficult to describe but the closest I can get is “completeness”. Sprinkle this on and the food goes into full bloom. Somehow it unifies and magnifies all the flavors as if they spin around and whoosh the taste comes out just right. Food goes from good to great to fabulous to joy. And it does this without tasting overly salty.
Not only does it have magical ability in the flavor department, it also adds texture. The salt is made of little pyramids, small chunks that go crunch when you eat them (this salt is a finishing salt, for use on or in food after it is cooked). Just a tiny pinch can make a huge difference. Try sprinkling some on chocolate chip cookies just a few minutes before they are done baking and you’ll see what I mean.
Just the other day I examined the box and noticed the Royal Warrant of the Queen of England on it. That’s it! This salt is the Queen of Salt. Try some Maldon Sea Salt Flakes and be amazed with the flavors of your creations. You too will discover the taste difference.
Many kitchens are full of single purpose, occasional use gadgets that tend to reside in the dark corners of cupboards and drawers. They are forgotten about until you look for something else and then . . . there it is. You use it once or twice and then back it goes into hiding. Oftentimes, the gadget is flimsy, rattles loudly, shakes then falls apart. Maybe it is difficult to clean or complicated to setup and in the end you don’t save any time. Perhaps it is large and takes up too much storage space. Whatever the reason, these items can end up as clutter.
There is, however, one gadget worth owning: the Vidalia Chop Wizard. It’s sturdy, well designed, and easy to clean; just use a toothbrush. A little effort produces a gigantic result. This gadget truly saves time and makes the task of chopping much easier. It chops or dices onions, peppers, celery, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, apples, and other firm vegetables and fruits (nuts and eggs too) into perfect little cubes of uniform size. This uniformity makes your creations look as if you are a talented professional chef who has superb knife skills.
This gadget seems more like a toy than a utilitarian workhorse. It’s FUN to use! You put pieces of the fruit or vegetable on the cutting surface, then slam the top down and it makes this very satisfying loud “womp” sound, and then – abracadabra! The thing just got chopped as if by magic. These little moments of perfection where everything is just right, even for fleeting half second, are quite precious and add so much delight to life.
My little friend Katie, age 6, loved to help me in the kitchen. I taught her how to use the Chop Wizard. She would stand on the stool next to me and cut up vegetables, place them on the grid, and with both hands and the full force of her tiny body slam the top down. Wham! And then she would get a very smug and satisfied look on her face that was cute beyond words.
Efficient as this gadget is, it does take a bit of practice to get the hang of it. It works best when the pieces are extra-large bite size. It helps to stand on a footstool to get additional leverage. This would be the perfect gift for a cook who has everything, including a cupboard full of single purpose, occasional use gadgets. Take a look . . . www.chopwizard .com, $27.95, including shipping. Or, for $32.95 get the Chop Wizard Pro Max that also slices potatoes into fries.
Do you have a favorite time-saving gadget? If so, I’d love to hear about it.
Who likes sweet potato fries? I think of these as regular French fries on steroids. Sweet potatoes are delicious and filling and they are a superfood too, loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. They act as a time-release fuel because they are slower to digest than regular potatoes and will evenly sustain your energy throughout the day or evening.
You can easily make these at home without any gadgets. No deep-fat fryer or air fryer is required. All you need is a baking sheet or jelly roll pan and a piece of foil or parchment paper.
Here is what you need:
2 pounds sweet potatoes 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt (I like kosher) Optional spices: chili powder or paprika and garlic powder
Here is what you do:
Preheat the oven to 400⁰. Peel the sweet potatoes, or, leave the skins on. Cut in half lengthwise down the middle. Then lay the halves on the flat side and cut lengthwise several times again in ¼ or ½ inch thickness, depending on how thick you like them. Lay them flat again and slice them lengthwise a couple more times. They will be slightly different sizes but don’t fret, they will cook uniformly. Place tin foil or parchment paper on the pan. Pour the olive oil, spices and salt onto the pan and toss to coat. Spread them evenly in a single layer; you may need two pans. Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until soft.
Sweet potatoes are a long-lasting storage vegetable and it’s easy to keep these on hand. They are best stored in a cool room or cupboard. I put mine in a basket that has a lid. This encourages air circulation which prevents the accumulation of moisture which leads to spoilage. I just read that if you wrap them in brown paper or newspaper and put them in a cardboard box, they will last six months. I am going to try this as an experiment; I’ll get back to you in May to let you know how it goes.
True story: a friend gave me a Cinderella pumpkin in the fall. I put it on the cold floor of the pantry. I finally got around to baking it for the Fourth of July. The pumpkin had dried out a bit but was still surprisingly good. I made a pumpkin pie for a party. The pie looked quite out of place sitting next to all the berry pies, quite funny! If a pumpkin lasts that long, maybe a sweet potato can too and you can enjoy these all year long.
Another one of my favorite three/four ingredient recipes is a German pancake. It’s a cross between a crepe and a pancake, only it’s baked in the oven not cooked on a griddle. This simple recipe is easy to make, has an impressive presentation, and is elegant enough to serve to guests on a special occasion. I’ve made it many times yet still gasp with delight every time I open the oven and see it big and puffy and golden brown on the edges. This recipe also makes a fast breakfast for dinner when you are too tired to eat, let alone cook. Here is what you need, per pancake:
2 eggs ½ cup dairy or non-dairy milk ½ cup high-quality bleached or unbleached flour 2 tablespoons of butter
Toppings: powdered sugar, lemon, syrup or honey A 9” or 10” skillet that you can put in an oven or a glass or ceramic pie plate
Here’s what you do:
Preheat the oven to 450⁰ and put the skillet or pie plate in the oven while it is preheating. Mix the batter. Take the skillet or pie plate out of the oven when it is done preheating. Add the butter and put the pan back into the oven until the butter is melted. Remove it and swirl the butter around the sides of the pan. Add the batter and bake for 12 minutes until the edges are golden brown and it has risen above the sides of the pan. Loosen the pancake from the sides of the pan and slide it out onto a plate. Squeeze ½ lemon and put some syrup or honey on it, sprinkle with powdered sugar. To make the sugar look like snow, put the sugar in a fine mesh strainer and use a spoon to dust it.
I get the best result in a cast iron skillet; it holds the heat and makes the edges nice and crispy. The secret to this recipe is getting the pan very hot before adding the batter.
A berry syrup is a lovely flavor with lemon. It’s utterly divine when served with bacon, made with bacon fat instead of butter, and doused with real maple syrup. This is my favorite version.
When I was growing up, my family made this pancake for a quick and elegant Christmas breakfast. This could become a family tradition for you, too. Or, a quick and favorite breakfast or dinner anytime.
In the wintertime, a lovely afternoon treat is to make a gingerbread cake. But I can hear you saying “Yeah, right. Like I’m going to drop everything in the middle of the day to bake a cake”. Yes, you can. Here is how: you cheat!
Here’s your cheat sheet:
One box gingerbread cake mix One 15 ounce can of pumpkin or 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree One egg One tablespoon molasses (light or dark, depending on how dark you like it) 1 tablespoon ginger
When using pumpkin, the moisture content can vary in consistency, so I recommend adding a tablespoon of water to the mixture. If it seems too dry, add another tablespoon or two.
You can also add other spices: cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, or cardamom. I use a tablespoon of cinnamon and a generous ½ teaspoon of the others. Cardamom is expensive so I buy the seeds in bulk and grind them myself (a heaping teaspoon of cardamom in a pot of black tea is utterly delicious).
Mix all ingredients together with a fork, an electric mixer, or even your hands – think playdough. Put the batter in an oiled or buttered 8 x 8 pan or muffin tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 350⁰. Muffins will take about 35 minutes and a pan about 40. Ovens vary in temperature so yours may take a longer or shorter time than mine.
How will you know it’s done? A few cracks will appear on the top and it will start to pull away from the sides and when you insert a knife, no batter will be on it. And, you will smell the aroma. The fragrance will suddenly fill the room, as if the cake is shouting “I’m done!”
I like it best served warm. You can fancy this up by topping it with whipped cream and crystalized ginger. I like to sweeten the whipped cream with honey and vanilla (whipped cream sweetened with honey will stay whipped for several days). Or simply pour some cream directly on top of the cake. When topped with chopped crystalized ginger, it becomes special occasion food. Oh, you’re not having a special occasion? Sure you are, even if you are by yourself you can have a party for one. Think of something to celebrate and savor every bite. Crystalized ginger stores for years when kept in an airtight container.
Sometimes cheating is okay, especially if it warms your tummy. Using the cake mix saves you time but more importantly it inspires you to get in the kitchen. When you bake something on a cold winter day, this warms the kitchen and the aroma fills the house and your spirit.
Do you have a recipe for doctoring up a cake mix? If you’d like to share it, please send it to me at Isabel@plentymethod.org
I can make an extraordinarily delicious tomato soup in three minutes with three main ingredients and three things to wash. My friends and family often tell me it’s the best tomato soup they have ever eaten.
You will need:
28 ounces of canned tomatoes, either whole, stewed or cut. That is one big can or two 14 ounce cans. One onion, yellow or sweet Four ounces (one stick) of butter (I like the Irish butter Kerrygold, made from the milk of grass fed cows. I am fairly certain that the reason this butter is so good is that the cows are tended by leprechauns). Splash of vinegar (any kind except white distilled)
A slow cooker, pressure cooker or a saucepan.
Open the can and pour the tomatoes and the juice into a pot. Peel the onion and cut it into very large chunks (for those inclined to be accurate, cut it into sixteenths). Cut the butter into pieces then give the mixture a quick swirl.
If you use a slow cooker, cook it on high for about three hours. On a stove, simmer it for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. If you use a pressure cooker, 12 minutes should do it.
After it’s finished cooking, blend the soup. I use an immersion blender. If you use a standard blender, cool the soup, so it’s not steaming. If the soup is hot, when you remove the lid it will explode. The soup will go all over the place – the ceiling, walls, cupboards, the floor, your face, apron, and jeans. I should know – I have done this twice (and years later, there is still some soup on the ceiling; a friend pointed this out to me recently).
After blending, stir in a splash of vinegar. My favorite is white balsamic. White balsamic vinegar is also excellent on green salads that contain fruit. Aged sherry vinegar works well too. Other additions can be a tablespoon or so of Grand Mariner liqueur which adds a subtle orange flavor, or basil, either fresh or dried.
Add a grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread and you have a quick and easy meal that has a comfort food feel on a chilly central Oregon night.
Do you have a simple three-ingredient recipe you’d like to share? If so, please send it to me at Isabel@plentymethod.org
Parsley: For many people, it’s just a garnish on a dinner plate. Some people probably don’t even know they can eat it. But did you know that parsley is an under-rated nutrient-dense superfood, packed with many vitamins and anti-oxidants that promote enhanced immune function? Building up your immune system is vitally important now to shield us from a variety viruses and diseases.
Instead of focusing on what you don’t want to happen to your health, try focusing instead on what you can do to create vibrant health and aliveness. Eating parsley can fortify your body so it becomes strong and resilient. Our bodies have self-healing abilities, and are capable of defending against sickness. Sometimes we forget that.
If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, a bunch of parsley can keep two doctors at bay. How can you eat that much parsley and enjoy it enough to drink a glass several times a week? Easy, use a blender.
Start by getting a bunch of parsley and using scissors, cut it up over the opening of the blender. Cut up an apple and a banana, add some water and give it a whirl. The banana masks the taste of the greens, whether those are parsley, kale, spinach or watercress. If you’d like it sweeter, add a tablespoon or so of frozen orange juice or any other kind of juice.
Pour the drink into a clear glass so you can enjoy the vibrant green color as you sip your way to health. If you can’t drink it all, make sure you put it in an airtight container and drink it within a day.
I buy several bunches of parsley and freeze them in Ziploc bags. This way you will always have an ample supply on hand. I find the psychological benefit of drinking this several times a week is huge, because whenever the thought of sickness crosses my mind I remind myself “I ate my parsley. I am healthy, strong and resilient.” Not only is parsley good for your health and mind, it can make your complexion glow too.
Think of this green elixir as low cost inner peace and protection in a glass. The best part of making this parsley drink is you can you make it the way you like it. You can add kiwi, grapes, cucumber or celery too. Next time you are at a restaurant, don’t forget to eat the parsley!
By now, you may have heard the news that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested 21 oat-based foods and they all tested positive for the Roundup/glyphosate pesticide. The real tragedy of this is that many of these foods are fed to children whose detoxification systems are not yet fully developed so the health effects are much worse for them than adults.
The EPA responded a day later to the EWG’s findings, but they left out some important parts of the story. I wrote what they aren’t telling the public in brackets. Here is their statement:
“EPA has established a tolerance (maximum legal residue level) for residues of glyphosate in oats at 30 parts per million (ppm) or 30,000 parts per billion (ppb). The EWG samples listed in the linked article are all well below the EPA tolerance. Residues of glyphosate on any food or feed item are safe for consumers if they are below the established tolerances. The presence of a detectable pesticide residue does not mean the residue is at an unsafe level.” [Never mind that the EPA has raised the glyphosate tolerance level allowed on oats to now be 300 times higher than it was in 1993.]
“Due
to its widespread use, trace amounts of glyphosate residues may be found in
various fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other food and beverage
commodities. However, these trace amounts are not of concern for the consumer.”
[New scientific studies show that even trace amounts of glyphosate can
disrupt the endocrine system and gut microbiome, and is strongly linked to
fatty liver disease and diabetes, just to name a few.]
“If residues are found above the established tolerance level, the commodity will be subject to seizure by the government.” [But they only test four foods! The USDA and the FDA are the regulatory agencies responsible for monitoring the pesticide residues in our food. The FDA conducts tests for the residues of hundreds of pesticides via its Pesticide Residue Monitoring Program. But prior to 2016, the FDA didn’t test for glyphosate residues (and only then due to enormous public pressure).[1] In the most current report (2016) only corn, soy, milk and eggs were tested. The USDA annually tests hundreds of foods for pesticide residues through their Pesticide Data Program. But as of 2017, they do not test foods for glyphosate residues, a notable omission.[2] That’s why organizations in the private and non-profit sectors are now testing foods for glyphosate residues, to fill in the gap. Here is the link to the FDA’s explanation about why they did not test for glyphosate prior to 2016: https://www.fda.gov/food/pesticides/questions-and-answers-glyphosate]
“EPA has concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans. EPA considered a significantly more extensive and relevant data set than the International Agency on the Research for Cancer (IARC). EPA’s database includes studies submitted to support registration of glyphosate and studies EPA identified in the open literature.” [Most of those additional studies were funded by the chemical companies and were not available to the public. Studies paid for by the agricultural chemical companies are fundamentally biased. The IARC used only publicly available, peer-reviewed studies conducted by independent experts who are free from vested interests.[3]]
“EPA’s
cancer classification is consistent with other international expert panels and
regulatory authorities, including the Canadian Pest Management Regulatory
Agency, Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority, European Food
Safety Authority, European Chemicals Agency, German Federal Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, New Zealand Environmental Protection Authority,
and the Food Safety Commission of Japan.” [Regulatory
agencies are often infiltrated by high level executives who were once employed
by the agricultural chemical companies. These executives can then make the rules,
such as 1) not monitoring Roundup/glyphosate residues in food and 2) raising
the allowable limits. These rules allow the chemical companies to declare that
the public is safe from health impacts even in the face of increasing evidence
that public’s health is at risk.]
If you doubt the truth of what I am saying here, please read the paper, “Supercide Me”, free and downloadable on our website: https://www.isabelmontclaire.com/books/supercide-me/. My physician, Steven Rotter, MD and I explain the untold part of the Roundup/glyphosate story and include links to credible primary source documents. And I highly suggest you open and scan the links to the FDA and USDA reports included here, to get a general idea of the huge number of pesticides applied to our food. These will make for good reading in the morning while you eat your oat-based breakfast cereal. Just suggestin’.
The EPA raises the amount of Roundup/glyphosate allowed on our food as the amounts farmer’s use rises. The vertical red lines denote the rise in the allowable amounts since 1993 and the yellow background shows the rise in the amount of glyphosate that farmers use. Chart created by Politico Pro.
