There will also probably be a fair amount of questions to anybody reading this about what's best for my Etsy store - I'm sure I'll be needing a great deal of advice there!
I'm gonna jump right in on this snowy day with a recipe that's a favorite of mine: Kimchi with Kale! Some people are put off by the smell of kimchi, but I really wish they'd give it a chance. I was first made a kimchi convert when I tried kimchi fried-rice with a fried egg at an H-Mart (a Korean grocery that can be found around the DC area). It was so, sososo good - salty, spicy, warm, and roundly savory, with a slightly sour, deliciously "fermenty" taste. When they sautéed the kimchi, it took on an almost meaty savoriness that was VERY delicious. I've loved it ever since and I actually dream about the fried rice occasionally (maybe more than occasionally).
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/SuperHMartHoustonTX.JPG
Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish of different varieties of cabbage, along with carrots, radishes,
green onions, and more - depending on the chef that's making it. The vegetables are soaked in a salt-water bath to be wilted before being thoroughly rinsed and jarred with seafood stock, garlic, ginger, salt, fish sauce, and sugar, before being left out at room temperature for 1-5 days. During this time, the natural (beneficial!) bacteria in the jar feed off of the sugar that you've added as well as some natural sugars in the vegetables, multiplying their bacteria goodness, while the salt brine keeps the unwanted bacteria at bay.
What you're left with is a jar of gut goodness in the form of tasty-spicy-briny-umami deliciousness that has the added benefit of being packed full of lactobacillus, which is a species of bacteria that is terrific for your insides. The average American diet today is sadly lacking in fermented foods, while many of the foods that we DO eat and the medicines that we take (like antibiotics) destroy the delicate balance of our digestive system. The result of this is that we then react negatively to a whole host of foods that we would ordinarily be able to digest no problem, becoming bloated and gross (among other effects that are less than ideal).
When we destroy the good bacteria in our intestines, it also allows undesirables to flourish, like the fungus Candida Albicans. Candida will overgrow to the point that it can cover the insides of your intestines, decreasing nutrient absorption and affecting your digestion. It can even lead to symptoms like acne, which nobody likes.
All this is to say that when I eat kimchi with kale I feel like I'm doing something good for my body. Even though I play hard (i.e. I eat a buttload of sugar), I play hard too (I eat a buttload of healthy foods). That evens it out, right?
Kimchi with Kale
This recipe is so simple it really shouldn't even be called a recipe, more of a series of steps. It makes enough for two people (if you're sharing), or one person (if you're really hungry, like me).
- 1 large pan with a tight-fitting lid
- 1 cup of kimchi (can be made at home or purchased at most Asian grocers, or online)
- 5-7 cups of fresh raw kale, cut into relatively large pieces (will cook down)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 eggs (optional)
1. In the LARGE pan, add the olive oil and heat to medium-high. When the pan is heated through, add in the kimchi.
2. Cook kimchi until browned on the bottom and it smells like delicious crazy good (you'll know). This should take about 10 minutes, but keep an eye on the pan.
3. Add the kale and toss to coat with oil and kimchi bits. Cover with the lid, reduce heat to medium, and cook about 5 minutes, until the kale is steamed through.
4. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium high or high, and allow the kale to brown slightly on the bottom, about 5 minutes.
5. You can eat it now, or you can fry up a couple of eggs to go on top - keep the yolks a little runny, so when you eat it, it can all mix together and get tasty and delicious!
