Me Chinese, Me Play Joke...

OK so that title is terrible, but it is not meant in poor taste, but merely a hearkening back to the past when jokes were...well, stupid. The real purpose behind the title is a reference to the fact that with no recipe at all I whipped up my very first batch of egg rolls, and they turned out quite well without any genetic heritage. My best friend in high school was Chinese and her mom owned a fantastic restaurant and she would make me Lo Mien just how I liked it--no vegetables at all ( I really have come a long way, haven't I? Mothers, no need to worry about your children..) I'm not sure what Cindy's mom would think of my recipe. Would she think it was some modern American fusion trying too hard? Or would she think about exchanging those stupid water chestnuts in exchange for broccoli, sugar snap peas, and tofu? (I just can't get into those darned water chestnuts, really what's the point?)

But back to the process of the egg roll composition. I saw this enticing

napa cabbage at our local coop and knew I had to have it. But a four pound cabbage at $1.29 per pound is hard to justify. I didn't buy. Over at a friends house later that night I was investigating a book entitled, "Good Morning Kim Chi" showing innumerable versions of the tasty fermented Korean condiment (not meaning to belittle it by implying it has any relationship to ketchup but to imply that the spicy concoction can, and does, go on anything). In "Good Morning Kim Chi" there are numerous recipes detailing the use of whole napa cabbages. It was destiny. Even more so when I had such an intense, practically pregnant, craving for egg rolls. Further confirmed by the fact that Mr. Sprout had inadvertently purchased egg roll wrappers at our international grocers when I had asked for spring roll wraps. That was that. I drove straight over to the coop and got that cabbage.

Cabbage, as we know, is a cruciferous vegetable. Cruciferous vegetables are like the cross they are named after, a miracle. Saving lives. A natural cure for cancer, Nappa Cabbage, sometimes known as Chinese Cabbage, is a little different than other cabbages. Slightly resembling a bok choy and romaine lettuce baby on steroids the nappa variety is pumped full of vitamins: 200 times more vitamin A than common cabbage, high in vitamin C, calcium and phosphorous, and contains notable amounts of iron, magnesium, phosphorous and vitamin B.* But more important than this is the flavor. The Chinese poet Fan Chengda of the Song Dynasty wrote that the flavor was more delectable than a lotus.

And even more important than that is the recipe..

Egg rolls!!!

1/2 a giant nappa cabbage, shredded

5 green onions, sliced

1 head of broccoli, chopped

1 portabella mushroom, sliced into thin strips

2 carrots, julienned

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 can of baby corns (couldn't resist)

2 handfuls sugar snap peas

4 NM green chilies, roasted

1 tub tofu, cut to fit egg rolls

Egg roll wraps

Braggs

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Garlic Chili Oil

Sesame Oil

Canola Oil (For frying)

DO NOTE: You do not need to have all of these vegetables on hand. They are what I had around (minus the baby corns and cabbage) and therefore made the cut. Use your own discretion.

Begin roasting the chilies on your stove top (assuming you have a gas range...if you do not you can roast them in the oven on broil) turning frequently. Place tofu in a frying pan on medium with some sesame oil, garlic chili oil and braggs. Cook until all sides are brown and crisp. While cooking the tofu and roasting chilies chop your veggies. Throw them all into a large frying pan with mostly braggs and a little bit of sesame oil. There will be plenty of oil in frying so don't overdo it when cooking your veggies. Cook for about ten minutes until the veggies are almost done but still crisp. Begin heating the oil (I put about a 1/2" into a 10" frying pan). Place 1/4 cup of the vegetable mix with one strip of tofu in the egg roll wrap. Roll it up on the diagonal. Place in oil and fry to a golden hue. Enjoy with a sauce made of the Thai Kitchen Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce mixed with the garlic chili oil.

*This is a huge side note and will make me sound like a hippy-dippy freak but...I sort of have this notion that the body craves what it needs. I have never, ever, had a craving for nappa cabbage and have never in my life bought it, it just looked so good staring at me, practically glowing under the grocery store fluorescence. In retrospect as I review the nutrients it contains these are the some of the same nutrients one loses during menstruation. Hmmm...no wonder this hippy-dippy girl NEEDED that cabbage!

Sun Tea

One of my favorite things about the warming spring into summer days is making sun tea. I try to have it on hand at all times, chilled and ready in the fridge for the chance guest. I love friends who knock on my door unannounced; to show them my love I share my tea. Typically my sun teas have hibiscus. It makes the tea a bright pink that is reminiscent of kool-aid and is ornamentally attractive in the mid-day sun, especially after a long day in the garden. The usual blend for me is a loose green tea or yerba mate and hibiscus sweetened with stevia leaf extract.

I am not the only one to find the color of hibiscus enchanting. The history and origin of hibiscus is surprisingly hard to ascertain probably because the beautiful, enchanting flower enjoys notoriety and cultivation in almost all corners of the globe. As far as I can deduce the plant is of Asiatic descent, though not China nor Egypt or Hawaii as one might assume. Regardless of where it hails, it has been widely researched that hibiscus tea ingested on a regular basis is as effective as medications in lowering cholesterol and high blood pressure. It is also said to aid in weight loss and increase immunity (mostly due to the high proportions of vitamin C).

Stevia leaf too is of interest here: although used as a sweetener, it does not contain sugar compounds. This means that we can all enjoy it without guilt, without calories, and without spiking our blood sugar! Hallelujah! Watch out and don't use too much though, it has the tendency to taste like NutraSweet or the many array

of low to no-calorie sweeteners. Clearly it is beneficial for weight loss and diabetics but are there negative side effects? Apparently there is some controversy in the research. Some studies that just happened to have positive results were funded by Cargill, a corporation interested in creating a sugar substitute from Stevia. For instance the sweeteners "Truvia" and "PureVia" are both Stevia based no-calorie sweeteners that are being used in mainstream products. The FDA has apparently not approved Stevia for sale unless labeled as a supplement, but in the case of these Stevia based mass produced sweeteners it has issued a "no objection" declaration. Go figure.

As far as health benefits of Stevia go we can either trust the natives of Brazil and Paraguay who have been drinking it medicinally for centuries or we can look at the varied research being done here in the states. One study showed that Stevia stimulated carcinogens and could potentially cause cancer while subsequent studies have taken this one to war claiming that Stevia is an antioxidant and thereby prevents cancer. Apparently there is controversy and it is unclear as to whom the players in this are and what they stand to gain. Personally, I trust nature.

Sun Tea

1/4 cup green tea or yerba mate

1/8 cup hibiscus

2 Quart clear glass jar full of water

1 dropper full of stevia leaf extract (I use "Sweet Leaf" brand)

Combine first three ingredients and set outside at night in what will be a sunny spot. Let sit overnight and bring inside the next evening. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the Stevia. Chill in fridge and enjoy over ice with friends.

Garlic Lovers Only

Everyone knows that eating garlic wards off vampires but maybe you weren't privy to the fact that it can also repel mosquitoes? Garlic is surrounded by legends and lore purporting its miraculous healing properties: cure for acne, the common cold, the plague, high cholesterol...the list goes on. Modern science has backed some of this up in various clinical trials and studies supporting most of the alleged claims that garlic, particularly the medicinal compound "allacin", acts as a natural antibiotic and is loaded with antioxidants (which if you need a reminder, ward off cancer). As common sense would beg, you shouldn't eat too much garlic, it can mess up your digestion, potentially interact with some medications, and maybe in severe cases of over consumption, cause a state known as "friendlessness". A not-so-secret culinary ingredient that can make most mouths water and most meals a step closer to epicurean, garlic deserves our adoration. Here is a recipe I invented today with a healthy serving of raw garlic (not for the dabbler).

Red Chile Mango Salsa

1 mango, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

1 handful cilantro, chopped fine

2 teaspoons red chile powder (the stuff from NM, not cayenne)

1 tablespoon honey

1 orange, juiced

sea salt to taste

3 cloves garlic, pressed

Mix it all together and let it sit overnight or as long as you can stand. Enjoy with tortilla chips, on burritos, quesadillas or anything else you can top with mango salsa.

*On a side note I saw a movie about garlic that I highly recommend to everyone: Garlic is as Good as Ten Mothers by Les Blank. I happened to see this movie at a showing at Chispas Farm here in the Albuquerque South Valley. As it turns out Chispas Farms is like a living museum for garlic, growing almost all the varietals of garlic in order to keep the heirloom seed strains vital. Lucky us in ABQ!!

**Pictures to follow when I make another batch. That one is long gone..