Toasted Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds
Liz's Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette
This is the fun part. You can rely on the simple goodness of whole grains, beans and vegetables to provide nourishment and basic flavor. If you want some ideas of how to dress it up, consider one or more of the following condiments and sauces.
Creating your own dressings is just about the most creative and important part of cooking. Plus it has the added health benefit of a high quality, uncooked oil.
A good rule of thumb is to cook your food with water instead of oil, and if desired, add an oil-based sauce.
Gomasio : (also known as sesame salt)
- Take a half-cup of sesame seeds and put them in a heavy, dry skillet.
- Roast them over low heat until they smell nutty, or until they start popping.
- The next step is to grind them up with a tiny pinch of salt, although this is optional if you are watching your salt.
- You may use your blender, spice grinder or a Japanese mortar and pestle called a suribachi.
- Store the gomasio in the refrigerator, and use it to sprinkle on grains, vegetables or salads.
- If you add a little olive oil to the gomasio, you can make a spread for crackers or a sandwich.
- Sesame seeds are rich in calcium.
Toasted Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds
- Toast seeds in a dry skillet.
- It is especially important to toast pumpkin seeds before eating for health reasons.
- After the seeds are toasted and are cooling down, sprinkle a tiny amount of shoyu on them for a salty flavor.
- Almonds are my favorite nut, because they stay fresher longer and have the most stable oil.
- Always make sure your nuts pass the smell test and avoid them if there is any question of their freshness.
- Nuts and seeds are mostly composed of fats that can easily become rancid when exposed to heat or oxygen.
- Store them in a cool place or the refrigerator.
- To use as a condiment, chop or grind them up and sprinkle on food.
- Toasting nuts can bring out flavor, but also alters the oil.
- Dulse is a favorite for adding a slightly salty flavor to food.
- Try sprinkling some quinoa with dulse flakes and a bit of olive oil.
We tend to use dressing only on green salad. It can also be used on a rice and vegetable "salad". In a sauce, you want to balance the flavors of salty, sour, pungent, and perhaps, sweet.
To make a cup of dressing
- Start with 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
- The QUALITY of the oil is very important. It is important to use unrefined oil, because the process of refining usually involves heat and possibly chemical solvents.
- "Extra virgin" denotes the first pressing of the olives without heat or solvents.
- Other quality oils include a blend of flax, pumpkin and primrose.
- Then choose a vinegar or citrus fruit such as lime or lemon.
- Add up to ¼ cup of vinegar or juice to the oil. Add more according to taste.
- Another sour flavor is whole-grain mustard, which gives the sauce a creamy texture and adds a salty flavor. Use sparingly. Add one teaspoon to start.
- Whisk these ingredients together with salt and pepper to taste.
Other possible ingredients each lend their own special taste.
Some of the flavors you can work with are:
- Salty: sea salt, umeboshi vinegar, shoyu, and miso. Use salt sparingly.
- Sour: lemon, lime and orange juice, mustard and a multitude of vinegars. Brown rice vinegar, balsamic vinegar and raspberry vinegar are my favorites.
- Pungent: crushed or chopped garlic, grated ginger and roasted peppers.
- Sweet: mirin, barley malt, brown rice syrup or maple syrup.
- Herbs: basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, dill, and tarragon. Fresh herbs are wonderful, and dried herbs work well too.
- Spices: curry and chili
The most important thing to remember when you make a sauce is that you want to achieve a balance of flavors. First balance the combination of oil, sour and salt. The sour and salty flavors balance each other, while the oil provides the base for the flavors. Once you are happy with your basic sauce, then move on to add other flavors. Garlic is a favorite, but note that it takes a couple of hours to truly infuse its flavor to the dressing.
Liz's Basil-Balsamic Vinaigrette
¾ cup of extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard, 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil) and salt and pepper to taste.