Cabbage – Nicole Peyrafitte

Menus & Video for Jean & Renée

This blog is in French because it is for my parents who keep asking me about low glycemic menus.
Below a first set of menu & a video for my coleslaw recipe, all in French. Though the coleslaw recipe in English is here.

Idées de menus avec index glycémique bas pour Jean & Renée Peyrafitte

Tout les jours au réveil:
1 verre d’eau tiède avec quelques gouttes de citron bio

LUNDI

Déjeuner
-Côtelettes grillées ou poêlées avec lentilles
Faire sauter légèrement oignons, céleri, ail, persil, un anchois ou deux hachés, et ajouter sel poivre et lentilles et eau bien sûr! Cuire. Au moment de servir, ajouter un filet d’huile d’olive et du persil frais.
-Yaourt Nature avec cannelle moulue
de préférence chèvre ou brebis avec graines de courges, tournesol, lin. Les faire sauter séparément dans une poêle chaude — attention les graines sautent!

Dîner
-Soupe de légumes
suggestions: pas de pommes de terre (index glycémique très élevé) ), en hiver oignons, chou, champignons, poireaux, 1 petite carotte, 1 panais, navet, citrouille, topinambours, blettes, ail , persil… en été seulement: tomates, courgettes.
Pour y donner de l’épaisseur y ajouter soit: des graines de Chia, de l’orge, de l’avoine entière, du seigle entier ou du sarrasin entier; ces graines donneront de l’épaisseur et bon goût! On peut aussi rajouter haricots adzuki qui n’ont pas besoin de tremper.

-Salade Composée
Exemples:
Varier la verdure: roquette, laitue, romaine, endives
Ajouter: oignons, céleri, radis, persil, avocat, oeuf dur, thon, haricots, lentilles, pois chiches
Varier les vinaigrettes
-huile d’olive et citron
-vinaigrette aux anchois
-vinaigrette asiatique avec gingembre, sauce soja, vinaigre de riz, ail, huile de sesame
-vinaigrette au roquefort pour salade d’endives
Varier les huiles: Huile de Sésame, d’Olive, de Colza. et toujours bio pressées à froid
-Fromage des Pyrénées avec une demi Pomme non pelée

MARDI

Déjeuner
-Sardines avec rondelles d’oignons
-Omelette au Fromage/ ou Oeufs cocotte/ ou Oeufs aux plat
-Epinards vapeur au beurre frais
-Poire

Dîner
-Soupe de Lundi
-Chou Cru en Salade ( voir video)
-Tranche de Jambon d’York naturel ( sans conservateur)
-Yaourt

MERCREDI

Déjeuner
-Poisson poché ou à la poêle
-Purée de pois chiches ou de haricots
Après les avoir fait tremper, faire cuire des pois chiches ou haricots nature (préparez-en beaucoup à la fois — ça se congèle très bien).
Faites blondir des oignons, du poireau, du céleri, du thym, du persil, rajouter assez de liquide pour faire chauffer et passer à la moulinette pour une consistance de purée.
Servir avec herbes fraîches et oignons crus ciselés en garniture et un filet de très bonne huile d’olive et quelques olives kalamata si ce sont des haricots blancs
-Pomme Verte (avec peau) avec un morceau de Fromage

Dîner
-Potage de potiron maison ou soupe de lentilles avec les restes de lundi
-Salade composée (voir suggestion de lundi)
Pudding de graine de chia (recette à venir! en attendant mangez un yaourt!)

JEUDI

Déjeuner
-Poulet Rôti
-Chou Fleur Sauté ou chou de Bruxelles ou topinambours et champignons sautés
-Compote de pomme maison cuite sans sucre et avec la peau!

Dîner
-Viande froide
-Salade composée
-Yaourt

VENDREDI

Déjeuner
-Poisson poché, à la poêle ou au four
-Chou de Bruxelles ou haricots verts avec une noix de beurre frais bio
-Fromage avec pomme

Dîner
-Soupe avec restes de la carcasse de Poulet
-Salade Composée
-Yaourt

SAMEDI

Déjeuner
-Avocat vinaigrette
-Rôti de veau avec haricots blancs ou rouges ou noirs (faire une variation de mercredi)
-Kiwi

Dîner
-Soupe de pois cassés
-Carottes râpées assaisonnées au citron, ail, huile d’olive
-Yaourt

DIMANCHE

Déjeuner
-Radis beurre
-Morue aux Poireaux et Topinambours
Acheter de la très bonne morue et la dessaler 12 heures et changer l’eau souvent.
Mettez la morue dans une grande casserole et recouvrez-la d’eau froide (non salée, bien sûr). Portez à ébullition très doucement; retirez la casserole du feu dès le premier frémissement, couvrez et laissez pocher 10 minutes. Égouttez. Faire revenir les poireaux et des oignons dans de l’huile d’olive avec un peu de beurre.
Couper les topinambours en cubes. S’ils sont frais pas besoin de les peler; les gratter avec une brosse dure.
Dans un plat à gratin beurré, mélanger morue, topinambours, poireaux, oignons. Ajouter de la bonne crème fraîche, bien poivrer, bien mélanger et cuire au four environ 1 heure. S’il y a des restes: Rajouter de l’eau et/ou un peu de lait, mouliner et voilà un potage délicieux! Servir avec du persil frais en garniture.
-Poire avec un morceau de très bon camembert ou brie

Dîner
-Soupe de légumes au miso et aux algues
Faire revenir légèrement de l’oignon, du chou haché fin, du céleri, de l’ail, du gingembre frais haché. Rajouter l’eau et 1/2 tasse d’algues Wakamé que vous aurez fait tremper quelques minutes dans le d’eau, 1 cuillère (ou 2) à soupe de sauce soja.
Ne pas cuire très longtemps, 20 minutes suffisent. Au dernier moment y rajouter la pâte miso et bien remuer. Ne jamais faire bouillir le miso, il perdrait toute valeur nutritive.
– Quinoa avec beurre frais (on peut aussi l’ajouter à la soupe)
– Pudding de graine de chia (recette à venir! en attendant mangez du Fromage blanc!)
Si vous avez des suggestions et/ou des questions merci de laisser un commentaire ci-dessous et en attendant:
Bon appétit!

Low Glycemic Dunch Deluxe

I am getting the hang of cooking low glycemic index meals —more on that coming up, since it will be the focus of my cooking for a few months. The menu featured today is my best so far. It happens to be vegetarian but I can assure you that it will satisfy even the staunchest meat eater. The delicate flavors & the filling qualities provide total satisfaction.

Fragrant Chickpeas, Veggie & Shitake Stew & Turmeric Slaw

Sauté 1/2 onion finely chopped in organic Olive Oil
add the following chopped vegetables:
2 leeks
2 celery ribs w/ tops
1 red bell pepper
2 Jerusalem artichokes
1 cup of shitake mushrooms
2 cloves of grated garlic
1 bunch of fresh coriander
1 1/2 cup of soaked & pre-cooked chickpeas (soaked over night, boiled once and let sit for one hour before use in stew)

Turmeric Slaw

If you have read the previous post you know that I have beautiful turmeric from Hawaï. This coleslaw recipe is a low glycemic slaw variation that work quite beautifully with the Fragrant Chickpea Veggie & Shitake Stew. It is only slightly different than the one featured in Passion Cabbage.

Ingredients:
Finely chopped green cabbage/onion/celery/fennel bulb/ cilantro/
Dressing:
Fresh grated ginger / turmeric /1 clove of garlic
juice of 1 Mayer lemon
soy sauce
mostly sesame oil
a little olive oil
flax seeds

Tamarind Tofu Pudding with Minty Blueberry Purée

Finally a tofu pudding that is really good! I have been trying for months & at last here is one worth sharing. First I made tamarind paste with wet seedless (not totally!) tamarind. Tamarind doesn’t have a super low glycemic index but first, little is used & second, it is supposed to be very good for the liver. The process is a little tedious but worth the effort since it can be used in many other dishes —e.i: simply add to goat milk yogurt, morning cereals or to make the famous Pad Thai.

Tamarind paste process:
Soak one 14oz package in equal amount of warm water. Let it sit for a few hours. Once rehydrated work it with your hands to remove veins & seeds. Blend in food processor until smooth; keep in a glass jar in the fridge. For our purpose you will need only one or two tablespoons.

Pudding:
Put the desired amount of tamarind in a small pan, add a little water, heat to medium heat & add 1/2 package of plain gelatine; let it sit.
Meanwhile, in the food processor add:
1 package of organic silken tofu (1lb)
1 sunlime juice (this is a new kind of lemon that appeared at the ParkSlope foodcoop, if you don’t find it mix lemon & lime juice . The sunlime looks and tastes like an hybrid of the 2)
Freshly ground cinnamon & nutmeg
Few drops of stevia (careful — too much gives it a terrible taste)
Add the tamarind mixture to the tofu mixture and blend thoroughly.
Pour in glass ramequin & let it set in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Serve with fresh blueberry mint puree (blend fresh blueberry & fresh mint in food processor, strain and pour over the set pudding)

Bon appetit & keep healthy!

Passion Cabbage

I am very passionate about cabbage and a few years back I dedicated two blogs to it.
Cabbage: a winner for the winter (I)
Cabbage: a winner for the winter (II)

Today I came up with an other version of cole slaw. So bright, so crisp, so healthy that I can assure you, this dish will make you smile on the dreariest foggiest winter days.
Try it!
Ingredients:
Finely chopped green cabbage/onion/ celery/ apple/ parsley
add fresh pomegranate & satsuma
Dressing:
Fresh grated ginger & clove of garlic
juice of 1 Mayer lemon
rice vinegar
soy sauce
mostly sesame oil
a little olive oil

Hara Chana or Green Garbanzos

Until then I had seen them only naked, brown and dry; but on Saturday I got to see them dressed, green and fresh! How on earth did I miss seeing fresh chickpeas in their full regalia until that day? I am a little embarrassed to admit to it, but as the French saying goes: un moment de honte est vite passé —a moment of shame is soon over! & the excitement makes up for the embarrassment!

We had planned to meet our BlogoBung friends Larry Litt and Eleanor Heartney for a food tour in Jackson Heights, Queens —their neighborhood for 10 years, and often called one of the most exotic places in New York City. After a delightful & tasty two hour aperitif of talking, munching — on Larry’s appetizing homemade Hummus & Salmon patés — & sipping Lillet at their house we went out for a wonderful Indian meal at Mehfil a Gujurati style restaurant.

Dhal

I had Dhal Makhini —creamy black lentils sautéed in butter with freshly ground spices— a restorative dish full of flavors with wonderful fresh coriander overtones that helped me get over my jet-lag. I got a taste of Eleanor and Larry’s delicate Tandoori Salmon & of Pierre’s rather bland Lamb Pasanda. Then we went for a walk and stopped at Patel Brothers —37-27 74th Street, (718) 898-3445 —“the granddaddy” of Indian groceries as quoted by the New York Times. That is where I discovered the fresh chickpeas. First, I saw them in the freezer, I grabbed a bag as I had never seen them green before, but Larry said “Wait! they’ll have them fresh in the produce section”. Larry knows the store like the palm of his hand and sure enough, here were the little green pods of hara chana —green chickpeas.

repackaged

I filled up half a bag while Pierre, guided by Larry’s expertise, selected Garam Masala & Curry powders. We also got mustard seeds, fresh turmeric, black lentils & Arrow Root flour—I like it to make beurre manié, it is much lighter than wheat flour and gives the sauce a smoother consistency (a good option for my friend Anne B.!). Anyhow we took leave of our friends, our minds —and stomachs— filled with colors & scents.
Tuesday I finally got around to shell the peas for lunch. I am glad Pierre assisted me because unlike any other shell beans I know of, chickpeas have one pea per pod, only very occasionally two! A time consuming task that I would recommend doing while watching a good documentary or hire your guests while having aperitifs! (the fresh chick peas take no time to cook at all)

Once shelled, it turned out to be a small quantity so I decided to improvise a version of a Hara Chana (green chickpeas), Aloo (potato), Patha gobi (cabbage) and Gajar (carrots) curry that turned out to be best vegetable stew I ever made. I think I was still very inspired by the tastes of the lentil dish I had. The fresh chickpeas are very tender with a subtle nutty flavor and a very smooth texture. Enhanced by the fragrant –medium hot—spices, this combination brings up a remarkable and specific savor. Once again I have to say that the decision of what to put in was made by default! Except for the chickpeas and the spices I literally gathered what was left over in the fridge and that was:

Vegetable

½ onion, diced
1 big carrot , diced
¼ cabbage, cut thick julienne
1 potato, diced
2 garlic cloves, slivered
½ bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
1 small piece of fresh turmeric, minced),
1 small piece of fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon of Garam Masala
1 tablespoon of Curry powder
Salt/Black pepper /Water or vegetable broth.
Coat a skillet with olive oil —ghee would have been better but I didn’t have enough butter in my fridge to make clarified butter,— and under medium heat sauté the onions until soft.
Add all the vegetables including turmeric, ginger and garlic, sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add the garam Masala & Curry powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and add water to barely cover the veggies.
Once the liquid starts boiling, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for 15/20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
I served it with brown rice —Indian style rice would be obviously better, but that is what I had available— and garnish with fresh cilantro. Namasté to Larry Eleanor!

Purple Cabbage & Gromperen Plaâ

When we took off for France in mid-July I left a purple cabbage (red cabbage is actually never “red”) in the fridge. I was pretty confident it would keep until our return. It was a beautiful purple cabbage from our CSA share and I actually wrote a post and took pictures about that particular share — click here for details. It was a very firm, bright, shiny and freshly picked purple cabbage. I must say I was a little surprised to find it in the CSA box so early in the season. When we returned mid-August, the cabbage was holding great, no obvious signs of aging. It was not wrapped, or in the crisper, but just decorating the middle shelf of the fridge. I still was not ready to eat it; summer veggies were still plentiful and I assimilate cabbage more with a fall/winter food. I became so used to see it in the fridge that I almost forgot to eat it. But a few nights ago I pulled it out of the near empty fridge to accompany Pierre’s Bay Ridge version of a Luxembourgish dish: the Gromperen plaâ. Only the first layer of the cabbage leaves where a little limp, the rest was still crisp. Before I tell you a little more about the Gromperen plaâ this is how I made the cabbage salad:
1/2 red/purple cabbage head sliced thinly
1 diced onion
1 diced apple
1 diced celery rib
Chopped walnuts and/or almonds

Moisten all the ingredients with olive oil. Drizzle with vinegar — it can be: apple cider, or rice or light wine vinegar. Add a dash of sesame oil —very little, the goal is to use it to outline the ingredients not to really taste it (do you know what I mean?). Then add fresh chopped Italian parsley, salt & pepper to taste.

Pierre was supposed to give me the detailed recipe of the Gromperen plaâ but as you can check on his blog he is not home very much these days. In Luxembourgish Gromper means potato & plaâ means dish —plat in French. This is the first dish Pierre’s sister Michou makes when we visit. All the ingredients go into a terrine or a lasagna type dish. As I indicated I don’t have an exact recipe but I think I am right to say that Pierre never really follows one either. This is the kind of dish that is adjustable to what you have and how you feel. I personally encourage this kind of cooking and would like to have the guts to write such a cook book! Now here are the indications for you to make your own potato dish:

Butter the bottom of the pan.
Line with one layer of sliced parboiled potatoes.
Sprinkle with diced sautéed onions.
Cut slices of Mettwurscht —the “national” sausage of Luxembourg.
In Bay Ridge we don’t have Mettwurscht so Pierre decided to make the Gromperen plaâ with the Turkish sausage sujuk— a beef sausage usually spiced with cumin, sumac, garlic, paprika and other red pepper —we always get it at Aunt Halime’s Halal Meat Market on 3rd avenue and Ovington in Bay Ridge.
Repeat layers until there is no more room in the dish.
Then fill the dish with seasoned heavy cream—with salt, pepper and a touch of freshly grated nutmeg— until the top of the pan is barely covered.
Top with a generous layer of shredded cheese – can be Swiss , Emmental , Gruyère or even cheddar!
The result was superb; I had forgotten to take a picture of the dish before we started digging into it and next thing we knew is that the three diners around the table cleaned it up in a flash! The combination of the textures and tastes were perfect. Thanks Pierre and this menu is a keeper! The only disappointment Pierre had is that he thought he was going to have some left over for lunch. Sorry!

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Category: Cabbage