Recipe: Sweet Potato Rice Crust Pizza

Tomato season is over, but that doesn't mean you still can't enjoy a pizza with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

This recipe was another creation by Swati, my resident sweet potato expert. I was delighted by how good it turned out. The Parmesan cheese complements the sweet potatoes well, without overwhelming them. And the fresh herbs make you want to devour this pizza the moment it comes out of the oven.

You can find a brown rice pizza crust at most natural foods stores. We purchased one made by Nature's Hilights, which makes a thin crispy crust using only brown rice and potatoes. Regardless if you are gluten free or not, I think it serves this pizza well.

Serves 2

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 brown rice pizza crust
1 small onion, chopped
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
fresh thyme or rosemary
salt and pepper
olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350. Toss the sweet potato with olive oil, half of the chopped onions, salt and pepper. Place in the mix in a roasting pan and put in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Remove from oven and raise the temperature to 450 degrees.

Prepare the pizza crust based on the instructions on the box. Spread the roasted sweet potatoes, the remaining onions, thyme, salt and pepper on the top of the crust. Toss or grate some Parmesan cheese directly over the toppings. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and serve.

Creative gift ideas for the food lover

Want to do something a little different this holiday season? Here are some ideas to please the foodie in your household.

• A private in-home 'intuitive' cooking session (led by me!): We cook with with whatever is on hand. No recipes. A three hour session for $135. Available for New York City residents only. Contact me for more information.
  

• A good knife: It can make all the difference in the kitchen. Recommended: Wusthof Santoku knife.

• A coupon book good for home-cooked meals: Need ideas on what to prepare? Consider enrolling in my upcoming group class. More details on my website.
  

• New cookbook: A full list at the Rice of Life Amazon.com store. My top pick: The Candle Cafe Cookbook

• Chocolate. Seriously. You can't go wrong here. My fave: Equal Exchange Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs.

• Japanese rice cooker. One of the best gifts I received in the last year. Use the timer and have freshly cooked brown rice ready when you get home. Recommended: Zojirushi or Panasonic rice cooker
  

• A personal health consultation with me: Give the gift of a healthy YOU. Get your questions answered. Take advantage of my free offer. Contact me today.

It's cold. Gimme some beans.

I'm someone who strongly believes you need to listen to your cravings. And this weekend my tummy was loud and clear. It wanted beans.

It may have been the result of an 'intuitive' cooking session I led for a new client, Tamlin, last Tuesday. We met at her home in Park Slope and cooked only with what she had on hand. We did an inventory and brainstormed some possibilities, eventually deciding on a three bean chili, using the canned beans and canned tomatoes in her pantry as well as some fresh vegetables (celery, carrots, green pepper, onions, green beans) she had available. It came out so delicious that I was craving it all week.

But I think a lot of this craving also has to deal with the weather. And with the temperature in the twenties, my body starts to demand earthy, protein-rich foods like beans. And not just any kind of bean - the slow cooked kind, over a hot stove.

So on Saturday morning I decided to start cooking a fresh pot of beans, which I had soaked the previous night. I added plenty of water to the beans, brought them to a boil, and then cooked them slowly throughout the day. I'd check on them every 40 minutes or so. Maybe adding some aromatics (like onion, garlic, thyme, cumin). A bit of olive oil and Bragg's Liquid Aminos. I really had no plan.

Usually I'd cook beans for no more than an hour or two. This time I had my beans cook for almost five hours, only stopping because all the water had evaporated! It was truly amazing to taste these beans. They had become softer, richer, and more complex in taste. For the first time they tasted like beans I'd find in tacquerias and less like those from a can.

They were so good that by mid-afternoon I found myself having an early dinner of beans and rice. I couldn't wait! And on Sunday, influenced by the leftover beans I had cooked up, I made a black bean mushroom chili.

What a weekend!

New group class in Brooklyn

Attention frustrated New York home cooks:

I will be leading a fun, new group class in Brooklyn entitled "Get of your rut: Get into the kitchen" starting in late January. It will be upbeat and interactive with a focus on creative, health-supportive cooking.

For more information, please visit my website.

Dairy I do. Dairy I don't.

Why do I love cheese? And yet find my stomach cringing when I indulge in some festive eggnog this holiday season? As my body seems to be telling me, it's all about lactose - the sugar naturally found in milk that some people are able to digest and some are not.

We all have varying degrees of sensitivity to the white stuff. According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a medical group that advocates a vegan diet, 95% of Asian Americans, 70% of African Americans, and 53% of Mexican Americans are lactose intolerant. This compares to 15% of Caucasians.

Some dairy products, like milk and eggnog, are higher in lactose than others. While some products contain far lower levels of lactose (e.g. butter, hard cheese, ghee, yogurt). Each individual has a different level of sensitivity.

Why is this? A lot has to do with the way it's been processed. Hard cheese, through its fermentation process loses much of the lactose. Yogurt with live probiotics contains the enzyme lactase which aids in digestion. And ghee, clarified butter used in India, is stripped of lactose (or milk solids) in its processing.

I made the personal choice to add moderate amounts of dairy to my diet, because it is one of the few foods that contain fat. Other than nuts and oils, there aren't many other sources of fat in the plant kingdom. And fat, is an essential nutrient in diet. We often are taught to shun it, because most of us eat too much of it. But there are also others (notably vegetarians and vegans) who often don't get enough. Fat is essential to healthy skin, hair, nails, and a well functioning reproductive system.

It is also said in ancient Ayurvedic wisdom, that 'saatvic' foods like dairy help make us more calm and peaceful.

Think about all the happy people you know who enjoy cheese. There must be something to this! But when it comes to eggnog, I think I'll opt for the Silk Nog.

Recipe: Tilapia Fish Tacos

You might say I'm obsessed with fish tacos. After moving to New York from California three years ago, I've searched far and wide for some good fish taco joints. With the exception of a few places (notably Miracle Grill and Mercadito) I have been somewhat disappointed.

There is something about eating this dish in a fine dining establishment that rubs me the wrong way. In Southern California, fish tacos are almost like a fast food item. Being sold at places like Rubio's and Wahoo's, rather inexpensively.

Until Monday, I never attempted to recreate this dish in my own kitchen. Perhaps I thought this could only be prepared in the kitchen by Mexicans or on the soil of the Golden State. Boy was I wrong.

I was truly amazed by how easy these were to prepare. All it took was some corn tortillas, tilapia, guacamole, and some "house-made" chipotle mayo (a little Vegenaise and Chipotle Tabasco Sauce).

You probably won't see this dish in food magazines this time of year, as it is a classic summer item. Yet, I found a way to make it more December-friendly - adding a colorful radish, broiling instead of grilling, and serving with some roasted sweet potatoes.

I think the key is to find some good corn tortillas. I like the ones at Trader Joes (now in Brooklyn) and by Hot Bread Kitchen (a pretty cool social enterprise that employs local, immigrant bakers).

Here is my recipe. Try for yourself and save the trip to Baja.

Serves 2

Guacamole
1 avocado
3 tbsp salsa
1/8 red onion, diced
A few springs of cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
Juice from 1/4 lemon

In a medium bowl mash avocado with other ingredients.

Chipotle Mayo
3 tbsp Vegenaise
a bit of Chipotle Tabasco Sauce

In a small bowl, mix together until slight red color from Tabasco sauce. Add more/less depending on taste.

Tacos
4 corn tortillas
8 oz tilapia, patted dry
1 radish, sliced
1/3 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
juice of 1/4 lemon

Preheat the broiler. While heating, drizzle the lemon juice over the fish and sprinkle the chili powder, paprika, oregano, and salt on both sides. Place the whole fish on the broiler rack and leave in oven for 6-10 minutes. Check on fish and make sure it is fully cooked. Transfer to platter and cut up into one-inch-thick strips. Turn off broiler.

Wrap stack of tortillas in foil and place in the oven for a couple minutes (the residual heat should be enough to warm these). Top tortillas with chipotle mayo, broiled fish, guacamole, and sliced radish.

Serve with a lemon or lime wedge. Enjoy!

Photo essay: Thanksgiving in Virginia

A colorful vegetarian Thanksgiving
Featuring Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Wild Rice with Cranberries,
Gluten-Free Macaroni and Cheese, Sauteed Kale with Garlic

Roasted chestnuts for soup

The final product - pureed goodness

Pumpkin bread with almond meal, walnuts, raisins, agave nectar.
A little dense, but delicious.

Grateful diners (Swati, Mom, Dad)

For recipes, and commentary see previous post My Thanksgiving Menu