The Best Miso Glaze, Ever

This is not hyperbole.  Honestly, this miso recipe is the best I've ever made.  It's perfect on steamed or roasted vegetables, tossed with rice and tofu or served as a dip for summer rolls.  Don't even get me started on that.  I'm dreaming of those crispy and crunchy summer rolls as we speak (well...as I type).  

Ingredients for 2 servings:
2 tsp red or white miso paste*
1 tsp tahini
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil 
1-2 tsp soy sauce (for those salt sensitive folks, you may prefer 1 tsp) 
1 tsp ponzu 
1 tsp garlic, minced through a garlic press (if you don't have one, just mince it as finely as you can)
1 tsp ginger, minced through a garlic press (if you don't have one, just mince it as finely as you can)

*white miso is milder than red, and I much prefer its sweet, mellow flavor. 

Directions:
1. Combine first two ingredients 
2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients
3. Refrigerate or serve immediately 

what you'll need

mixed and ready

with summer rolls

served with a rice bowl

drizzled over a vegetable and herb bowl

mixed into a shaved vegetable bowl 

Have you ever cooked with miso? It's great with eggplant and fish, too!  I'd love to hear how you like this recipe if you try it.  Hope you enjoy...

xx,
Mrs. Wolf

Garlic Rosemary Butternut Squash

My mother is responsible for my obsession with squash.  We always blame Mum!! Just kidding, my mum is #1, and this is a good blame. Even as a little girl, my favorite dish on Thanksgiving was her butternut squash.  Oh, and her whole-berry, tart cranberry sauce.  Oh, and her cornbread stuffing.  Okay, I have a lot of favorites.  But really, the butternut squash is beyond.  Creamy and sweet.  

And now, I can't stop making this version of butternut squash!  It is so good on its own, and in other dishes.  Hot. Cold. Room temperature. Scorching your tongue because you can't wait for it to come out of the oven.  All perfectly acceptable methods of consumption.  And it screams hearty comfort.  It's a big bear hug kind of food.  Plus, it's so much work to clean the squash, it's totally appropriate to count the prep work as cardio.  Hallelujah!

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, peeled, cored and diced

5-7 cloves garlic, minced

4 sprigs rosemary, minced

1 tbsp olive oil 

salt and pepper 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet

2. In a food processor, pulse garlic and rosemary until well chopped*

3. Toss butternut squash with garlic, rosemary and sea salt, spread in one layer over a baking sheet

4. Bake for 25 minutes, flip and bake another 20 minutes or until the butternut squash is cooked (tender on the inside)

*this can, of course, be done by hand...but why? you just put in so much time at "the gym". 

Smells like Christmas: 

Into the oven:

Our finished product:

Served in a romaine salad with cipollini onions and blue cheese: 

How do you prepare butternut squash?  Hope you enjoy...

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Kale + Shrimp + Beets

Everything that is good in this world was in this meal.  OK, that might be an exaggeration.  Where are the diamonds?  Where is the Chanel?  The Celine luggage tote?  The Louboutin platform pumps? The Reese's peanut butter cups? Just kidding...

I put a lot of goodness into this meal - but these are some of my favorite things, and items we had at home.  You may choose to swap out one ingredient for another.  That is, of course, just fine.  

Have you heard of volume eating?  The basic principle centers upon eating more for less by incorporating large or bulky foods into your diet (fruits and vegetables are perfect examples).  In other words - more foods, fewer calories.  Sounds good, right?  Right! I am big on volume eating - which means I prepared a lot of kale as a large base for my salad.  If you do not want such a big salad, you can keep all of the other measurements the same and reduce the amount of kale.  This will make for a bigger bite - taste wise!

Ingredients for one portion:

3C kale, washed and dried, then torn into bite sized pieces

5oz green beans, washed and dried, edges trimmed

4.5 oz shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined (if you need a shrimp refresher, check here)

2 small beets, cooked, peeled and diced (I used Trader Joe's pre-cooked beets)

2 tsp olive oil, portioned as follows: one 1tsp and two 1/2tsp

1 lime, juiced

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp blackened cajun spice (I used Whole Foods brand)

2 tbsp scallions, chopped

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

salt + pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Wash, dry and tear kale then wash, dry and trim green beans

3. If using frozen shrimp, thaw in the sink with a footed colander*

4. Marinate shrimp in 1/2tsp olive oil, lime juice, scallions, cajun spice, garlic, salt + pepper to taste 

5. Coat green beans in 1/2tsp of olive oil, season with salt + pepper to taste, place in oven for 20 minutes

6. Season kale with salt + pepper to taste, then massage with 1tsp of olive oil 

7. Chop cilantro and beets, add to kale

8. Cook shrimp for 10 minutes in an aluminum foil tent, then turn on broiler and cook with tent open for another 2 minutes 

9. Remove shrimp from the oven, leaving the green beans in (if they are getting too charred for your liking, take them out), place on a small plate

10. Place shrimp sauce into a small non-stick pan and reduce (this will help to concentrate flavors and further cook the garlic)

11. Return shrimp to the reduced sauce and stir to coat

12. Remove shrimp from heat, toss with kale and beets either whole or chopped

*A helpful note: If you only have one colander (as in, you do not hoard kitchen supplies) just be aware of the order in which you are washing your food - in this case, if you are using frozen shrimp for the recipe, be sure you wash your kale and green beans first then your shrimp second.  No one wants raw-shrimp scented kale.  Unless Morimoto makes it.  I will eat anything he makes. 

Nutrition information per serving:

390 calories, 40 g carbohydrates, 13 g fat, 33 g protein, 10 g fiber

Can you see the salt + pepper on the greens pre-massage?  This is key.  Bobby Flay told me:

Tented aluminum foil:

 

 Open tented shrimp:

Kale and beets:

Kale, beets and shrimp (I diced mine):

Finished salad and green beans:

What's your favorite way to make shrimp?  What are your favorite volume foods?  Hope you enjoy...

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

How To Master The Garbage Salad

If you've been reading since the beginning of the blog, you'll remember when I introduced you to garbage bowls.  Today for lunch I had a garbage salad.  This post will be very picture heavy - I apologize in advance if that's not your thing.

If garbage salads were human, they would be my best friends, my biddies, my BFFLs (best friend for life)...you get the picture.  I love them.  Just like garbage bowls, garbage salads are perfect for using up produce and leftovers.  Also, for someone who hates to throw out food, it helps me get through massive amounts of vegetables.  Have you ever used roasted vegetables in a salad the next day?  Do it.  It is so good.  Okay, back to the important things in life...

You really can add anything to these salads, so if what I included is not to your liking, or you plain don't have it in your fridge, feel free to swap for other ingredients. 

Ingredients:

4c raw spinach or any greens you like

3oz extra firm tofu, pressed with a paper towel to removed excess liquid and diced

1/2 orange pepper, sliced

1/2c cherry tomatoes, sliced

1/2c canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/8c walnuts, chopped

1 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

sprinkle truffle salt

Directions:

1. Place spinach or greens in a large bowl (this will be your base) and season with truffle salt 

2. Assemble your garbage (read: vegetables, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt)

3. Chop the pepper and walnuts, slice the cherry tomatoes, drain and rinse the chickpeas, dice the tofu, then arrange on a cutting board or plate

4. Begin to build your garbage salad - add the tofu, peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas, and walnuts

5. Dress the salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar 

6. Toss or chop as you wish, then plate

Here is a picture of the base:

 Garbage chopped and ready to go:

Almost ready to be mixed:

 Finished product:

Nutrition information per serving:

315 calories, 36 g carbohydrates, 19 g fat, 20 g protein, 12 g fiber

I hope you aren't thinking "19g of fat in a salad?!" because really, the fat in here is healthy, good for you, the kind you want to eat.  Plus, fat helps your body to slow stomach emptying - this means you'll feel full well after eating!  Healthful, filling, and colorful.  Ahh, the many joys of a garbage salad. 

What's your favorite garbage to put in a salad?  If you make this, or a version of it, I would love to hear from you!  Hope you enjoy. 

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf