Risotto that Makes You Glow

What is the best thing to do at 2PM on a Tuesday afternoon? Make an Edamame and Shiitake Mushroom Risotto with Elizabeth Johnson, a food, cooking and wellness role model for anyone doing anything with food education, natural foods, and sustainable cooking.

When it comes to food and taste, I trust Elizabeth completely. If she wants to add more lemon juice, as she always does, I say go for it. If she wants to use bay leaves when the recipe is Japanese in nature, I nod my head YES! I respect her and her way of moving around a kitchen so much that when we cooked together earlier this week, I found myself stepping back and observing as she led the orchestra. And since people have said that as soon as I step into a kitchen I make it mine, this was a new experience for me. I found myself washing and stirring while she tasted and flavored. Only twice did she assume the tiresome task of stirring the risotto. I told her I was sick of stirring so she took the spoon and said, "I'll stir, I don't want your bad energy to ruin the food."

And the food turned out perfectly. (How can something dairy- and cheese-free be so creamy!?) While the risotto and nicely dressed salad (olive oil, balsalmic, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper) were both delicious, this meal was not just about the pleasures of eating. Sometimes a meal is an experience, making it impossible to separate the food from the farmers from the chefs from the company from the conversation from of course the wine. Elizabeth, being who she is, acknowledged this when she took my hands into her hands and asked me to share a few words before the meal. Sadly it was a first for me. While each meal with my mother involves putting our hands in prayer position and saying a few words to ourselves to thank the Buddha (yes, we do this even at Soup Plantation), it is rare I take the time to appreciate and give thanks when I am with my friends. Somewhat unprepared I said to Elizabeth, hands in hands, "I'm happy you're here, and I'm so excited to eat!" Elizabeth, who has more experience in the art of public grace, thanked everyone and everything who had a part in the meal, from the farmers to the cooks to the earth and soil that grew the food.

Afterwards we both sat around smiling and glowing. This is when you know you have had a good meal.

THIS IS Edamame and Shiitake Mushroom Risotto with dried, wild mushrooms, minced garlic, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, tarragon, and parsley.

Deep-Fried Chinese New Year!

Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Chinese New Year is about spending time with your family and friends and celebrating another year. And if you're a kid (which is defined as unmarried) then it's also about collecting some cold, hard, cash in a hong bao, little red envelopes that in recent years are adorned with not only gold embossed lotus flowers, but advertisements for HSBC bank and Cognac Hennessy. But it's not all about the money. It's also about eating. A lot. And if you spend it with Liana's family like I did, this entails comparing how much fried food you ate and whether you have the capacity to eat more, all while wearing red clothing.

This is my second year spending the holiday with Liana's family, my surrogate family here in NYC. These dishes are made by Liana's grandmother who moved to Chinatown many decades ago. Last year when I hadn't yet reintroduced animal into my diet, she graciously made vegetarian tang yuan using water instead of chicken broth, even though she said it was both impossible and absurd.

THIS IS tang yuan, a pasta-like ball made from rice flour and water, with shrimp, daikon radish, and homemade shrimp and fish balls. The fried crescent moons are gauk. The white gauk is savory with ground pork and shrimp while the sweet is stuffed with red beans and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Both are deep fried and both are really tasty. I had two savories and three sweets, a comparable amount to the rest of the clanswomen.

Ellen's Banana Larabar Bash

About two months ago I became a bar junkie. Larabar that is! Larbars are raw, gluten free, wheat free, sugar free, dairy free, vegan, kosher snack bars made from only two or three ingredients, usually dates and nuts with another unsweeted dried fruit. Sounds boring and bland, but they're actually very good. My favorites are Cashew Cookie, Chocolate Coconut, and Cherry Pie, although Cocoa Mole and Ginger Snap aren't bad either. Their sister brand, the Maya bar, isn't as promising. (Why would they say they're as good as brownies? Why go there?) However, an insider with the company, no joke, told me those are being phased out.

So, bar addiction + habit of eating spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter + food intolerance of sugar cane and fruit within eight hours of each other + lactose intolerance, and you'll understand why I didn't just go to Veniero's for one of their ultra sweet, heavenly canolis or buy a bag of Uncle Eddie's vegan peanut butter chocolate chip cookies (a former addiction). Now this is how I must satisfy my sweet tooth.

And it's exciting! Dietary restrictions never feel restrictive -- they just encourage me to think more creatively. South Beach Diet? No problem! Raw foodist? Sounds fun! Diabetic? High Five!

THIS IS sliced banana topped with creamy peanut butter, Massachusettes honey, and sheep's milk yogurt with ground flax meal and sliced chocolate coconut Larabar.

Kombu Ginger Noodle Soup & Mahi Mahi Galore

For me, meals are brief. I can slave away all day in the kitchen julienning carrots and wrapping dumplings, but once everything is cooked and served, ingestion is quick. There are a few people I admire solely for their ability to eat slowly. My cousin Bonny takes about two and a half times as long as I do to finish the same bowl of fried rice, which means I either end up helping myself to seconds (or thirds...) or just watching her eat. With chopsticks, she assembles each bite with delicate, pale hands. But unlike me, she never talks as she chews her food. Bonny can tell an entire story about how a young gentleman she met at the Phoenix airport on a brief layover called her ceaselessy for a week straight and, seeking advice (or simply bored), she shared this story with her aunt (my mother), who suggested why don't we invite him over for dinner and I'll tell you whether you should date him... all while her food patiently waits for her attention and I give it mine.

This is probably why for the second year in a row my new year's resolution is "chew more and eat slower." Change is slow but I've accepted this 412 days after resoluting to eat mindfully.

It goes like this: sometimes I get so excited after the shopping, planning, washing, cutting, preparing, cooking, plating and of course photographing that when I finally do eat, I shovel it in, burn my tongue (I heal quick), and stop talking. A frequent dinner companion and eater of my home cooking laughs when I put my fork down to say to her with complete sincerity, "I need to breathe." Laugh if you like Melissa B. Smith, but I suspect by the pace of your own eating (akin to mine), you too could benefit from taking a few, slow, deep breaths. That goes for most of my eating companions, and dare I say in this world of microwaves and drive thrus, and especially in NYC (fried chicken on the subway?), we could all stand to chew more and eat slower.

One reason I enjoy wheat and gluten free bread is because the texture forces you to chew thoroughly. From the first chew to the last swallow of the same bite, I can experience a range of flavors and textures, from crunchy and toasty to chewy and sticky; from nutty and fragrant to sweet and subtle. Allowing yourself to chew until food is thoroughly masticated is not only healthier, but tastier; it can be an entirely new culinary experience. Please remind me I think this come dinner.


THIS IS Coriander Seed encrusted Mahi Mahi with fresh scallions and cilantro served with a warm, fresh noodle soup in kombu seaweed and ginger broth with dandelion greens, daikon radish, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms. I admit that I burnt my tongue with the first bite.

Rosemary Chicken Bliss

I always thought I should have a food blog, and now I do.

The first dish I'd like to present is Tuesday's lunch. On my days off I like to really get into my cooking. There are two things that allow my mind to stop wandering and to focus on the present moment: yoga and cooking. Both are my meditation, and both make me very hungry.

THIS IS potato, onion and garlic clove roasted with a rosemary chicken, stuffed with a pierced lemon and seasoned with sea salt, ground black pepper and a dash of truffle salt. I served it with a side of broccoli raab and white mushroom cooked with sweet onion and homemade sun-dried tomato and garlic infused olive oil. I accompanied it with quinoa and chopped fresh basil.

I call this Rosemary Chicken Bliss, because it is.