This was twenty years ago, so why I thought of this now is a mystery.
I was visiting some friends from Denmark, and dinner time was getting close. I saw a bowl of cooked and chilled tiny little salad shrimp; always an unusual sight outside of a Denny's. I looked for the bottle of Thousand Island, but there was none to be seen.
"What are you making?" I asked.
"You'll see," he teased.
I watched as some tomato was diced. Soon, a bowl of chilled white rice was pulled from the fridge, along with a jar of mayonnaise. ...and the layering began.
They looked at me expectantly.
"What?" I asked.
"It's American Salad!"
"Really?"
"We thought since you're coming, you'd probably enjoy some American Salad again!" They continued to spoon the stuff into it's three layers: white rice, shrimp and mayo, and tomatoes. Again?
I ate it, of course, but it's pretty close to an Addams Family combination of ingredients, and certainly not what I would call "American Salad." We scraped the bowl clean. They, likely nostalgic as they ate the American Salad that they loved back in Denmark, and I, now marveling in this newly discovered combination of textures and flavors!
If there was an American Salad–which there isn't–it should be the Cobb Salad. That's a salad to be proud of! On the tongue in cheek end, I'd say an American Salad could be iceberg, shredded red cabbage and carrots, topped with a couple of cherry tomatoes and Ranch dressing. Just because all those ingredients can come from a bag, box, and bottle in the fridge.
I'm sure every country or culture has foods that aren't theirs; they either don't exist as a dish or simply aren't called by that name. German Chocolate Cake and Black Forest Cake in Germany, Chop Suey and fortune cookies in China, etc. I'm sure the list goes on.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Summer salad
Mark Sisson's got his BAS (Big Ass Salad), which is awesome for those people who love greens, but I'm not one of them; I'm just not a huge fan of greens. If they are there, I'll eat them, but that's about the size of it.
What to do when you think a BAS is a good strategy for getting in your veggies on a hot summer day? How much volume of non-leafy-greens can one eat? Not a lot. However, because of the crisp, crunchiness of the superior-to-greens-veggies, a BAS without them can be surprisingly small, and still feel big.
Another thing I love about salads of nothing but raw veggies is that they don't really need a dressing. If you want it, do it, but otherwise enjoy the flavor of the fresh juices, brought to the forefront by a little salt!
Summer salad
Note that you can use any combination and ratio of veggies in this salad and still have a winner, This is just what I had handy.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 thin skinned cucumbers, like Persian, Armenian, or pickling cucumbers
1 cup cherry tomatoes or 1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
1 cup chopped sweet peppers, like colorful bell peppers or something more exotic if you can find it
juice of 1/2 of a lime
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
Directions
Chop all the vegetables, and sprinkle with salt. The salt will help to break the cell structure of the veggies, releasing the juices. Stir in the lime juice and olive oil (if using).
If you can wait, allow it to sit at room temperature for a while before eating.
Enjoy!
What to do when you think a BAS is a good strategy for getting in your veggies on a hot summer day? How much volume of non-leafy-greens can one eat? Not a lot. However, because of the crisp, crunchiness of the superior-to-greens-veggies, a BAS without them can be surprisingly small, and still feel big.
Another thing I love about salads of nothing but raw veggies is that they don't really need a dressing. If you want it, do it, but otherwise enjoy the flavor of the fresh juices, brought to the forefront by a little salt!
Summer salad
Note that you can use any combination and ratio of veggies in this salad and still have a winner, This is just what I had handy.
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 thin skinned cucumbers, like Persian, Armenian, or pickling cucumbers
1 cup cherry tomatoes or 1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
1 cup chopped sweet peppers, like colorful bell peppers or something more exotic if you can find it
juice of 1/2 of a lime
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil (optional)
Directions
Chop all the vegetables, and sprinkle with salt. The salt will help to break the cell structure of the veggies, releasing the juices. Stir in the lime juice and olive oil (if using).
If you can wait, allow it to sit at room temperature for a while before eating.
Enjoy!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
cheesecake in a jar
The other day, Gal made pie in a jar, so I decided to make my own little treats; cheesecake in a jar. I love to make single serving desserts, as people (I) tend to be more satisfied with a good looking but small dessert, rather than just one slice of a larger one. Plus, it's hard to go back for more if there's just enough.
Why make cheesecake in jar?
What does my cheesecake have going for it?
Cheesecake in a jar
Makes 4 cheesecakes in jars
Ingredients
2 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
4 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1 inch vanilla bean (scraped) or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter or coconut oil
8 tbsp sliced, slivered, or chopped almonds
4 8oz or 16oz wide mouth jars
1 cup sour cream (optional)
1-2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)
2-3 cardamom pods worth of seeds (even more optional)
Directions
In a large mixing bowl or mixer, cream the cream cheese and honey together. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Beat by hand or with a mixer until it is relatively lump free. Some lumps are fine. Who's going to know?
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter or coconut oil and the almonds. Toast the almonds, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and distribute the nuts on the bottom of each of the four jars.
Using a small measuring cup or scoop, distribute the cheese mixture evenly into the four jars. Wipe the jar rims clean of any batter using a paper towel.
Bake the cheesecakes for approximately 30 minutes (a toothpick or knife should come out clean).
The cheesecakes will puff up dramatically. Allow them this one chance to show their pride...
Remove them from the oven and set aside. Eventually, they will settle down. Let them.
You can use cold sour cream and/or blueberries for a simple little topping. The cold sour cream is easy. Stir it up until smooth and spoon it into the jars.
If using the blueberries, heat them in a saucepan until they start to burst. If desired, grind the cardamom seeds and stir them into the blueberries.
After the cheesecakes have settled, you can spoon the berries into the jars, whether their is sour cream in their or not.
Enjoy!
Where could I have gone wrong?
Why make cheesecake in jar?
- single servings
- a finite ending without the temptation of going for another slice
- less cleanup
- cute
- pie in a jar is all the rage and cheesecake is quite pie-esq
What does my cheesecake have going for it?
- all natural
- high fat
- minimal added sugar
- mostly healthy ingredients
- gluten free
- quasi-paleo, semi-primal, uber-vegetarian, and 100% clean damn eating!
Cheesecake in a jar
Makes 4 cheesecakes in jars
Ingredients
2 8oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
4 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1 inch vanilla bean (scraped) or 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp butter or coconut oil
8 tbsp sliced, slivered, or chopped almonds
4 8oz or 16oz wide mouth jars
1 cup sour cream (optional)
1-2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (optional)
2-3 cardamom pods worth of seeds (even more optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter or coconut oil and the almonds. Toast the almonds, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and distribute the nuts on the bottom of each of the four jars.
Using a small measuring cup or scoop, distribute the cheese mixture evenly into the four jars. Wipe the jar rims clean of any batter using a paper towel.
Bake the cheesecakes for approximately 30 minutes (a toothpick or knife should come out clean).
The cheesecakes will puff up dramatically. Allow them this one chance to show their pride...
Remove them from the oven and set aside. Eventually, they will settle down. Let them.
You can use cold sour cream and/or blueberries for a simple little topping. The cold sour cream is easy. Stir it up until smooth and spoon it into the jars.
If using the blueberries, heat them in a saucepan until they start to burst. If desired, grind the cardamom seeds and stir them into the blueberries.
After the cheesecakes have settled, you can spoon the berries into the jars, whether their is sour cream in their or not.
Enjoy!
Where could I have gone wrong?
- they came out a little brown looking
- the blueberries look like olives
- despite only 1 tbsp of honey per jar, someone – who shall remain nameless – said they were a little too sweet
- it could use more crust, which is allowed, but "ups" the calories. ...and as we know, calories are delicious, fattening, and addicting
- if the jars were taller, there would have been more room for toppings like strawberries, bananas, kiwis, and more!
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