If you’ve been following along this week, then you know that today’s post is a photo tutorial on how to make pour-over coffee. First things first, put a kettle of water on to boil. I use an electric kettle, as they’re fast and convenient.

Now it’s time to grind your coffee beans.

I use a Hario Skerton burr grinder, on a recommendation from a savvy barista at Fourbarrel

Measure out 20 grams of beans into your burr grinder, then grind them on a medium-ish setting. Too course and you’ll end up with weak coffee, too fine and your filter won’t work as well, resulting in a bitter brew.

kitchen scales are a great tool for consistent brewing results

Now, take your coffee filter and fold it according to the directions on the box.

Chemex filters come unfolded. A little fussy, but they do work well!

Place the filter in the coffee maker like so.

. . . yeah I got nothin'.

Next, pour your coffee grounds into the filter.

action shot

At this point, your water should be nice and hot. Measure 12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) of boiling water into a pour-over kettle.

another opportunity to use your trusty kitchen scale.

Next, pour a small amount of water over the grounds, just enough to get them evenly dampened. Let the grounds sit for about 30 seconds. This step is called “blooming” the coffee, and it allows the coffee to release some CO2 before brewing.

just enough water to wet the grounds evenly

You’ll see bubbles come up to the surface of the coffee.

see those bubbles? the coffee is ready to brew.

Now it’s time to add the rest of your water. With a steady hand, slowly pour the water in circles over the coffee grounds, taking care not to pour water down the sides of the filter. Continue pouring at a steady rate until the water is used up.

easy does it.

Now, wait for the rest of the water to filter through the grounds.

this will only take a minute or two.

If you’ve done a good job with your pour-over technique, you’ll see grounds clinging to the sides of the filter evenly from top to bottom.

see how the grounds cling to the sides of the filter?

Serve your coffee while it’s nice and hot.

fuzzy robe optional

Add some steamed milk if you please (I do).

I use a Krups XL2000 Milk Frother. It's pricey, but awesome.

Et voila! A perfect cup of pour-over coffee.

Philz Ambrosia blend, a.k.a. nectar of the gods

As usual, I can’t resist adding a couple final notes. Here are my last two cents:

1. If you want, you can pour boiling water over the filter before you add any grounds. True pour-over-philes believe that this produces a better cup of coffee. I have brewed coffee with a pre-wetted filter and without, and I have not noticed a difference in the flavor of the resulting coffee. To each his own.

2. Great coffee depends on great coffee beans. Buy yours from your favorite local roaster, and always use them fresh, within a couple weeks of purchase. Store them in an air-tight container if you can, too.

. . . and that wraps up this week’s two-part series on pour-over coffee! Thanks for tuning in.

In my breakfast post last week, I mentioned that I start nearly every morning with a mug of pour-over coffee. Brewing coffee at home is a ritual I look forward to at the start of each day, and I daresay I’ve got a method down that produces a deliciously smooth brew.

There are many ways to brew coffee at home. There are french presses, which are great if you like coffee with a little texture — some of the grinds invariably end up at the bottom of the cup, providing a silty surprise if you choose to take a final sip. Automatic drip coffee makers are convenient, but I haven’t yet found one that produces coffee to my liking — more often than not, drip coffee is bitter and over-extracted. There’s a plastic contraption called an AeroPress that many of my friends rave about, which presses a fairly concentrated cup of coffee, something between espresso and a regular drip. Many AeroPress users add hot water to the final brew, similar to making an Americano if you’re using an espresso machine. While I’ve heard great things about the AeroPress, I’m not too keen on pouring boiling water over plastic.

I like to go a little more old-school. I brew my coffee with a Chemex brand coffee maker, just like the one my dad used in the 70s. Consisting of no more than a scientific-looking glass flask with a stay-cool wood collar, it’s an entirely unplugged method of making coffee.

Before it’s time to start brewing the coffee, you’ve got to grind your beans. Freshly ground coffee beans produce the most aromatic and delicious cup of coffee. It’s just like grinding your spices fresh — think about the aroma of a jar of ground nutmeg, then compare that to the cloud of perfume produced when you microplane your own from a whole nutmeg seed. Coffee behaves in a similar fashion.

I like to grind my beans with a ceramic burr grinder. While blade grinders are much cheaper, they cut the beans randomly, producing unevenly-sized grounds that make a silty and bitter cup of coffee. Burr grinders produce a much more even grind, which in turn produces a smooth brew. They’re also infinitely adjustable, so you can tweak the coarseness of the grind. If you’re serious about your at-home set-up, go with a burr grinder. Ceramic ones are best, and they come in both manual and electric models. I use a manual grinder, which takes a little more elbow grease but costs about half as much.

I use a couple other pieces of equipment when brewing coffee — one is a Hario kettle, which is standard equipment for hand-made coffee enthusiasts. The small spout allows for a focused, easy-to-control flow of water, making for a painless pour-over experience. While not entirely necessary, it certainly adds to the enjoyment of the process. Rest assured that if you don’t want to drop fifty bucks for a Hario kettle, you can pour your hot water from a regular tea kettle to produce a comparable cup of coffee.

I also like to use a kitchen scale for brewing my coffee — I find that 20 grams of beans produces a perfect brew when combined with 12 ounces of water. This is another slightly unnecessary piece of equipment — If you prefer not to weigh your ingredients, use a scant 1/4 cup of beans and 1 1/2 cups of water your first time out, then adjust for your personal taste.

And finally, there are the coffee beans. Their flavor and quality depends on many variables. For one, coffee beans are roasted in a variety of shades, from light to dark. Light roasts are the highest in caffeine, and also tend to have the most acidic kick. Medium roasts are a bit mellower, often having nutty or caramelly undertones. Dark roasts are the lowest in caffeine, but can be bitter if taken too far.

Another variable is the variety of coffee bean, since each species has its own flavor profile. Growing locale matters too — regional differences in soil and climate produce differently-flavored beans.

I prefer medium-roasted beans, and I like to try all kinds of different varieties. My neighborhood is home to some amazing roasters, and each is passionate about the quality of their product. Ritual, Philz, FourBarrel, and Blue Bottle beans are some of my favorites. There is no “right” coffee to use — your personal taste is the most important factor when choosing coffee beans. Go ahead and try different ones to find your favorite variety. Any good coffee roaster will sell you beans in half-pound or quarter-pound quantities, so you can experiment with small amounts instead of committing to a whole pound.

There you have it — a summary of what goes into a quality cup of pour-over coffee. This Friday, I’ll be posting a full photo tutorial of how to brew the perfect cup.

Eating a gluten-free diet can really make you miss a good sandwich. Despite what many will tell you, gluten-free sandwich bread usually isn’t that great. It never exactly approximates wheat-y bread, usually suffering from a gritty texture, brick-like density, or a bland, white rice-y flavor. Many GF folks forego sandwiches entirely, preferring to eat foods that are naturally gluten-free. After all, it’s a better bet to eat something you know will be delicious, rather than a fake-y pretender that will never be as good as the real thing.

Enter arepas. This delicious, corn-based flatbread manages an uncommon feat in the gluten-free world — arepas allow you to make a delicious sandwich without suffering the pitfalls of gluten-free sandwich bread. A Venezuelan specialty, they’re made from arepa flour, a specially-processed corn flour available in Hispanic markets and online. When cooked, arepas look and act much like English muffins. They’re wonderful served piping hot straight out of the oven, split down the middle, and filled with your sandwich ingredients of choice. Crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside, their texture is irresistible. Furthermore, their mildly corn-y flavor pairs well with ingredients from a variety of cuisines. I’d venture a guess that a hot, melty arepa pb&j would be out of this world. Let me know if you try it!

Today I went a pretty traditional route, filling my arepas with leftover cooked, sliced chicken breast, avocado, cheddar cheese, and a sprinkling of green onions and cilantro. The combination was fantastic, and a little salsa on the side didn’t hurt things either. I’ve listed quantities for my fillings below, but you can eat your arepas with any filling you like! From butter and jam to ham and swiss, arepas are endlessly adaptable.

Arepas 

makes 6 arepas

for the dough:

2 1/2 C. (20 oz.) lukewarm water

1 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

2 cups (330 g.) P.A.N. arepa flour

1 Tbsp. olive oil (for cooking)

for the filling:

1/2 lb. cooked chicken breast

1 medium avocado, sliced thinly

3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated on a coarse microplane

2 green onions, sliced thinly

2 sprigs cilantro, chopped

1/2 C. salsa (on the side)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the water, 1 tsp. olive oil, and salt. Stir until the salt is dissolved.

3. Pouring the cornmeal into the mixing bowl with the other ingredients in a slow, even stream, mixing with a dough whisk as you pour.

4. When all of the cornmeal has been incorporated into the water, continue to knead with the dough whisk for an additional 5 minutes.

5. Cover a large cutting board with plastic wrap. Set aside.

6. Divide the kneaded dough into even six pieces (about 150 g. each). The dough will be a bit sticky — wet your hands to make it easier to handle. Use your hands to shape each piece into a flat disk, about half an inch thick and 5″ in diameter. As you shape the disks, place them on the plastic wrap-covered cutting board. This will make it easy to transfer them to the skillet.

6. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet over medium heat. Gently place the arepas in the pan and cook them for five minutes on each side (10 minutes total). When the arepas are golden brown on both sides, transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

7. Bake the arepas for 35-40 minutes, or until they sound hollow when tapped.

8. Serve arepas immediately. Split them in half while still hot out of the oven, then fill with desired fillings. Serve with salsa.

Next, it’s time to make some kasha for breakfast. To most people, kasha means buckwheat groats, but in actuality, the term refers to porridge in general. It can be made with wheat, barley, oats, millet, rye, or pretty much any grain you please. I make myself some sort of kasha nearly every morning — a bowlful of hot cereal really hits the spot, and it’s one of the few meals sure to carry me through to lunchtime.

One of my favorite grains to use for kasha is amaranth. It’s actually a pseudocereal like quinoa, with a similarly grassy aroma. Prepared as a porridge, amaranth seeds retain their chew while also releasing a fair amount of starch, which makes for a great consistency for hot cereal.

I like to serve my amaranth kasha with a drizzle of clover honey and a sprinkle of roasted pumpkin seeds. Just a tablespoon of honey contributes plenty of sweetness, and the pepitas provide a perfectly salty, crunchy counterpoint.

Amaranth Kasha with Pepitas and Honey

serves 2

1/2 C. (100g) amaranth seeds

1 1/2 C. water

2 Tbsp. toasted salted pepitas

2 Tbsp. clover honey

1. In a 1 1/2-quart saucepan, combine the amaranth and water.

2. Heat the saucepan over a medium flame until the water just begins to boil. Turn down to low, cover, and let simmer for 25 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat, and let the saucepan sit on the burner for another 10 minutes.

4. Stir, then pour the cooked amaranth into bowls. Top with the pepitas and honey.

Tomales Bay

Last weekend, GF Boy and I celebrated my birthday in style, heading north of San Francisco to Tomales Bay. We spent a couple of nights in a charming bed and breakfast, spending our days foraging and hiking in the woods, watching sunsets on the beach, and picnicking on freshly shucked oysters and grilled mushrooms. It was a perfect place to celebrate turning 20-something (see what I did there?) — Tomales Bay is breathtakingly beautiful, and the winter weather felt more like autumn, sunny and temperate. If you’d like to see pictures of our trip, head over to my Flickr and check ‘em out!

my favorite photo of the trip, sarcoscypha coccinea a.k.a. red cup fungus

I’d be lying if I said that it was so beautiful, we never wanted to leave. Real talk — hedonistic eating behavior is only fun for so long. Saturday night’s dinner at the Olema Inn was amazing, and far richer than our usual fare. Then on Sunday afternoon, we ate so many oysters that we felt pretty darned nauseous. After a last hike in the woods and a final beach sunset, GF Boy and I looked forward to getting back to our regular routine of healthy, balanced eating.

Last night, I finally hit my stride with healthy cooking in 2012. For dinner, we sat down to a big spinach salad, along with some kabocha squash and cauliflower which I’d roasted with tamari and garlic-infused olive oil. A big pile of vegetables, simply prepared, truly hit the spot. I woke up this morning feeling more refreshed than I have in a few days, ready to tackle my to-do list with vigor and vim.

To conclude this post, I’d like to share last night’s spinach salad recipe. It’s a well-balanced melange of California’s winter produce, dressed simply with oil and lemon juice and topped with some crumbled feta cheese.

Spinach Salad with Orange, Avocado, and Feta

serves 2

6 C. baby spinach leaves, loosely packed

2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium-sized navel orange, peeled and sliced into rounds

1 medium-sized avocado, halved, peeled and sliced on the bias

3 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese

1. In a salad bowl, toss the spinach with the lemon juice and olive oil.

2. Arrange the dressed spinach on a serving plate. Top with orange, avocado, and feta cheese.

If you’ve ever spent any measure of time with Russians, Uzbeks, or Kazakhs, you’ve probably eaten a dish of plov. It’s a one-pot meal of the best kind, combining tender chunks of cumin-scented lamb with fluffy rice.

There are a handful of plov recipes on the internet, each appended with a string of comments and criticisms from plov connoisseurs. Most agree on the necessary ingredients (lamb, onions, carrots, and rice), but cooking techniques vary widely.

Based on my readings, I have come up with a few plov maxims I’d like to share with you.

1. DO NOT LET THE PLOV BURN. This one’s obvious enough, but it can be difficult to get the amount of liquid exactly right, so that the rice is fully cooked by the time all of the simmering liquid has just evaporated. A tight-lidded cooking vessel and moderate stove heat will help a lot with this one. Since cooking vessels and stove heats vary, you may follow a recipe to a T and still end up needing to add more water as your plov simmers. If this is the case, poke a few holes in the rice, carefully pour some water in, and close the pot as quickly as you can to continue cooking.

2. JULIENNE, DON’T GRATE THE CARROTS. Ideally, the carrots will still have some texture by the time your plov has finished cooking. If you grate them, they will disappear into nothingness. I used a julienne slicer to prepare my carrots, which worked fairly well, but I would venture to say that a hand-cut, slightly larger julienne (1/8-inch by 1 1/2 inches or so) would be even better.

3. DO NOT STIR THE PLOV. The magical combo of fluffy rice and long-cooked lamb is only possible because the rice steams *on top* of the lamb. The simmering meat/vegetable mixture on the bottom is called the zirvak, and it must be developed before you even begin to think about putting rice into the mix. If you stir the zirvak into the rice during cooking, you’ll end up with a gloppy mess. Don’t do it. Furthermore, plov is best served by first scooping the rice off the top onto a large serving platter, then topping it with the lamb, which has been simmering on the bottom of the pot.

From what I can tell, these are the cardinal rules of successful plov-making. Beyond these basic three, you’ll find all sorts of other helpful hints and methodologies hidden in the comments sections of plov recipes online. Some people gather the rice into a mound on top of the zirvak (either during cooking, or when most of the liquid has evaporated, but before turning the heat off), and some spread it out into an even layer. From what I can tell, the most “authentic” way to cook plov is to  1. make the zirvak, 2. spread out the rice over it, 3. leave it uncovered over medium heat until the water evaporates but the zirvak hasn’t burned, then finally 4. mound the rice into a cone, poke holes into it, add more water, cover, and simmer 15-20 minutes. But many people cover their plov for the entire cooking time, too.

As for seasonings, some cooks flavor their plov with just garlic, salt, and pepper, and some add more spices such as cumin, barberries (soaked first, then added at the end of cooking only!), coriander, paprika, and even saffron.

The rice is a source of contention, too. Most cooks soak the rice before cooking, sometimes in tap water, sometimes in salted water. Some do not soak the rice at all. Varieties of recommended rice vary too, from basmati to arborio, though nearly all agree that a long-grained variety is best.

Oh, and here are a couple other curveballs, in case your head isn’t spinning already — a few very discerning cooks insist that you must use alya, rendered fat from a fat-tailed sheep’s rump, to brown the meat. And some insist that without the fabled yellow carrots of Tashkent, a plov isn’t authentic at all.

And then there are the myriad comments from curmudgeonly plov-o-philes who offer no suggestions at all, carefully guarding their own esoteric knowledge and stating that a recipe is inauthentic and not worth making. Gotta love ‘em.

As for my recipe, I don’t make any claims on its being authentic or traditional. While it is common to add whole bulbs of garlic to the pot along with the rice, I stirred in a heaping spoonful of Garlic Gold nuggets instead. Oh, and the picture you see above is of the next-day leftovers. I shaped 1/3-cup portions of the rice and lamb into cakes, then pan-fried them in a little bit of olive oil. Served with lemon zest and cilantro on top, a lemony pile of mixed greens, and a dollop of Narsai’s nectarine chutney on the side, they made for a great lunch. 

Plov 

serves 6

2 C. long-grain rice

1.5 lbs. bone-in lamb shoulder pieces

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. whole cumin seeds

2 medium yellow onions, halved and sliced 1/8″ thick

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 large carrots, julienned

2 C. boiling water

1 Tbsp. Garlic Gold nuggets

1 C. boiling water

1. Put the rice in a medium mixing bowl, and cover it with cold water by about 3 inches. Let soak for 1 hour, then rinse and drain thoroughly in a mesh strainer. Set aside.

2. Trim whatever meat you can from the lamb shoulder bones, trimming off the fat and setting aside, along with the bones. Cut the meat into 1-inch pieces.

3. Heat the olive oil in a medium (5-quart) dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the pieces of lamb fat, rendering for about five minutes.

4. Turn the heat up to medium. Add the bones to the dutch oven with the oil and fat, browning for another 10 minutes, turning once or twice during browning.

5. Remove the bones and any other solids from the dutch oven and set aside, leaving the rendered fat and olive oil in the dutch oven.

6. Add the cumin seeds, sliced onions, and salt to the dutch oven. Stir, to mix everything evenly, then cover for 10 minutes. Remove lid, stir, and saute uncovered for another five minutes, until onions are limp and just begin to brown.

7. Add the carrots and boiling water to the dutch oven, along with the reserved browned lamb bones and meat. Cover, bring up to a boil, then turn down to low heat and let simmer for 1 hour.

8. Uncover the dutch oven, and stir in the Garlic Gold nuggets.

9. Pour the rice into the dutch oven, taking care not to stir it in. Spread it out in an even layer on top of the other ingredients.

10. Carefully pour the boiling water over the rice. Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes, checking after a half-hour to make sure there is still liquid in the bottom of the pot. If all the liquid has evaporated, make a few holes in the rice and carefully pour in another half-cup of boiling water, close, and continue cooking.

11. Turn off the heat and let sit an additional 15 minutes before serving.

In deciding how to begin this year of posts, I looked to last January 1st’s entry for inspiration. At the start of 2011, I found myself newly single and ready to tackle the year with a healthy outlook on all fronts, especially cooking. I wanted to get away from the idea that, to be healthy, we have to deprive ourselves. To kick things off, I made a tasty brown rice dish, studded with root vegetables and napped in a spicy miso sauce. Served with slices of pomelo, avocado, and kabocha squash, it was a funky bowl of hippie-inspired goodness. I was eager to start the new year with a clean slate and a healthy, hearty meal under my belt.

last year's miso rice

Since then, so much has happened in my life. Five and a half months into 2011 I graduated from school, received my Master of Music degree, and joined the ranks of “real people” in the “real world.” It’s been a bit of a bumpy ride, but I’m starting to find my groove. I’ve discovered that I am a creature of many divergent passions, and in order to stay happy, I’ve got to keep a lot of balls in the air! I’m simultaneously pursuing my loves of writing, cooking, fitness, performing, and teaching, all while attempting to make some kind of sustainable income. It’s all coming together, slowly but surely.

I spent the end of 2011 in Canada, flying up with GF Boy to visit his family and friends for the holidays. We had a whirlwind vacation, celebrating the birthdays of a cousin and a grandma, embarking on a ski trip to the Okanogan, attending New Years celebrations with family and friends, then finally making a two-day drive back down to San Francisco, stopping for a night along the way to visit a friend in Portland, Oregon.

a view out the car window on the way to Big White

Yesterday was our first day back at home, and I certainly didn’t have my land legs yet — I left my house keys at my parents’ place and ended up spending the whole afternoon stranded at my brother’s office in the SOMA. In a half-asleep and fuzzy state, I organized my thoughts for 2012 over an enormous chef’s salad (order the small size, it is not small. I promise. Oh, and ask for avocado.), sitting at a shared workspace (a.k.a. ping-pong table) with some industrious and hip self-starters. It really wasn’t a bad way to start the New Year, but I was awfully frustrated to be away from my apartment on our first day back! I had wanted to cook something amazing to share with all of you, something as healthy and tasty as last year’s bowl of miso rice.

Mount Shasta says hi

So here we are, on January 4th, and Opera Girl has not Cooked a single thing. Whoops.

Rest assured, Dear Readers, I’ve got a few things up my fuzzy, plaid sleeve. It’s good to be back, and I look forward to sharing some more recipes with you this week!

Best,

Coco a.k.a. Opera Girl

Braised chicken legs are my go-to cold weather meal for two. They’re often the least expensive part of the bird, which is key when you’re buying well-raised chicken, and they pair very well with hearty ingredients like red wine and tomatoes. The dark meat turns fall-apart tender and adds rich, savory flavor to the braising liquid as it simmers, absorbing the flavors of the sauce as well. While this dish does take a while to cook (about an hour and 15 minutes from start to finish), the last hour is entirely unattended, and braised dishes make the house smell amazing as they bubble away on the stove. For a wintertime meal, nothing is better than a braise.

This particular chicken dish doesn’t really belong to any specific cuisine. It has a bit of a Provençal bent to it, including two kinds of French olives (oil-cured and Picholine), thyme, and rosemary. A splash of Burgundy wine adds delicious complexity to the sauce, and a pinch of Turkish Aleppo pepper brightens things up with just a little bit of heat. Come to think of it, a Greek-inspired showering of lemon zest and chopped parsley at the end of cooking wouldn’t hurt either. I’ll leave it to you to add that flourish if you please.

This is my last post before the new year, and so I’d like to wish you all a happy holiday season!

See you in 2012,

Coco a.k.a. Opera Girl

Braised Chicken with Tomatoes, Olives, and Red Wine 

serves 2

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. Garlic Gold oil

2 whole chicken legs (leg and thigh attached)

1/2 medium yellow onion, sliced into 1/8″ half moons

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/4 tsp. aleppo pepper

1 C. dry red wine

1/4 C. water

1 1/2 C. jarred strained tomatoes (I like the Bionaturae brand)

1/3 C. oil-cured black olives

1/4 C. Picholine olives

1. In a large (12-inch) non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil and Garlic Gold oil over a medium flame.

2. Place the chicken thighs gently into the skillet, browning them for about 4 minutes on one side.

3. Turn the chicken over, and nudge the pieces to one side of the skillet. On the other side of the skillet, add the onion, thyme, rosemary, and aleppo pepper. Sautee for about five minutes, until the onions are softened and a little bit browned.

4. Add the wine, water, tomatoes, and olives to the skillet. Stir everything around a bit, cover, and bring up to a simmer.

5. Turn the heat down to low, and let simmer for an hour.

6. Serve over rice or pasta.

If you’re looking to make a meal that’s both fast to prepare and good for you, you might not immediately think of Indian cuisine. After all, Indian recipes are notorious for long lists of ingredients, which can be off-putting when you just want to throw something together. Furthermore, most people don’t keep the requisite arsenal of spices in their pantry, and pre-ground spice blends tend to get stale when they sit around for more than a few months. And so, Indian cooking gets relegated to the “special projects” category of cooking, set aside for weekends when playing around in the kitchen is the end-goal and time is of less concern.

This does not have to be the case. For my Indian-inspired home cooking, I use panch phoron, a spice blend that’s comprised of whole spices rather than ground ones. It keeps in the pantry for much longer than ground up spice blends — whole spices stay fresh for two or three years, rather than six months. Panch phoron doesn’t need to be ground before you use it, either — the whole seeds pop between your teeth as you eat the dish, adding dynamic elements of flavor and texture to what would otherwise be a basic vegetable stew. And so, you can avoid the problems of stale, ground spices, as well as long ingredient lists. Instead of assembling a pantry’s worth of seasonings, I use a spoonful or two of panch phoron for instant complex flavor. You can buy it at an Indian grocery store, or order it online.

If you can manage to prepare a stir-fry on a weeknight, a healthy Indian meal is within your reach. The method is very simple, and there’s a kind of kitchen ballet that is oddly fun to execute — First, you’ll put a pot of rice on to boil, then while it simmers you’ll get the vegetable dish going, and while *that* simmers, you’ll chop up some cucumbers and mix them with yogurt and salt to taste. Not a minute is wasted, and everything is ready at the same time, in about a half hour if you’re ace at chopping vegetables. Like magic, you’ll have fluffy rice, hot curry, and a cool, tangy yogurt sauce to tie everything together.

You can use a rice cooker to make things even easier. And if you’re feeling fancy (but really not that fancy!), jazz up the rice by adding a sprinkle of whole cumin seeds, a pat of butter, and a pinch of salt.

Oh, and by the way, this recipe isn’t authentic in any sense of the word. I’m a born-and-bred Northern Californian with Eastern European heritage, which makes me far from an authority on Indian cuisine! That being said, deliciousness crosses all borders. If you like healthy food inspired by the flavors of Indian and Bangladeshi cooking, go ahead and try this dish!

One last note before the recipe — this curry is extremely adaptable to whatever produce is in season. For the fall-to-winter version below, I used butternut squash and cabbage. You can also throw in potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin, brussels sprouts, okra, kale or other greens, or even frozen vegetables if you’re not in a chopping mood.

Butternut Squash and Cabbage Curry with Cumin Rice and Yogurt Sauce

Cumin Rice

serves 3

1 C. basmati rice

1 1/4 C. water

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

1. Combine all ingredients in a small (1-quart) saucepan over a medium flame. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and cover. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Turn off the heat, leaving pot covered on the stove for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (Raita) 

serves 3

3/4 C. plain lowfat yogurt

half of a medium-sized English cucumber, diced small

1 tsp. Garlic Gold oil

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

1. Combine ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Stir until evenly mixed.

Indian Vegetable Curry

serves 3

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1.5 Tbsp. panch phoron

1/2 large yellow onion, diced

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 (14.5-ounce) can fire-roasted or regular diced tomatoes

1/4 C. water

About 4 C. of seasonal vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces. For example:

1/2 of a small (1.5 lb.) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks

1/2 of a small (1.5 lb.) green cabbage, quartered and sliced thinly

1. Heat up a couple tablespoons of oil in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.

2. Add the panch phoron, simmering it for a couple minutes until the seeds begin to pop.

3. Add your diced onions to the skillet, along with the salt, and sautee for about 10 minutes. This step is important – you want to get some decent color on your onions, as they’ll add a key layer of caramelized flavor to the finished dish.

4. Once the onions are wilted and have begun to brown nicely, it’s time for the rest of the vegetables to go in the pan. I always add in a can of diced tomatoes at this point, along with a splash of water — this creates a sort of sauce for the other vegetables to simmer in. Fire-roasted tomatoes adds a nice layer of charred flavor, but the plain variety works great, too. Besides the tomatoes, I add whatever is in season and happens to be in my produce bin. Today, it was butternut squash and green cabbage.

5. Give the vegetables a quick stir, making sure everything is coated in tomatoes and spices. Cover the skillet, let it come up to a simmer, then turn down to low and leave it to simmer for about 20 minutes.

I hope this holiday season is treating you well so far! Thanksgiving turkeys have long since been devoured, and now begins the onslaught of wintertime festivities, complete with lots of delicious, traditional eats.

At this time of year, I get a little overwhelmed with all of the sweets and rich food. While it’s fun to indulge once in a while (sharing a slice of cheesecake before lugging home your Hanukkah bush? Sure, why not?), eating that kind of stuff on a regular basis makes me feel not-so-great. This year I’m trying to get through the holidays in a healthy way, compensating at home with nutritious, restorative dinners.

Last night was no exception. After a trip to my favorite grocery store, I threw together a pot of soup, tossing in every vegetable in close proximity. In the mix were:

- one small shallot

- three cloves garlic

- four ribs celery

- one large carrot

- 1/4 of a small red kuri squash

- one medium-sized Japanese sweet potato

- two medium-sized Chioggia beets

- 3 large green cabbage leaves, cut into 1″ pieces

- 1 (14-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes

- leaves from a few sprigs of thyme, chopped coarsely

After I sauteed the shallots, garlic, and celery in a tablespoon of olive oil, I threw in all the other ingredients, added salt to taste and enough water to cover the ingredients by about an inch, then let the soup simmer until GF Boy came home. He spooned a small dollop of sour cream onto each serving, which added just enough body and flavor to transform the soup from an exercise in asceticism to something you’d actually want to eat for dinner.

On the side, we had some pickles and herring, purchased from a local Russian grocery store. Dessert was fresh fruit and big mugs of tea. It was a balanced and tasty winter meal, and I’m looking forward to a big bowl of leftover soup for lunch today.

Readers, I’d love to know what sorts of healthy choices you make during the holidays to balance out all of the indulgent party food. Do you start the mornings with a spinach-spiked green monster? Add a couple miles to your exercise routine? Leave a comment if you’re so inclined!

Take care, Happy Holidays,

Coco a.k.a. Opera Girl