Kim Chee Recipe

More organic gratitude in California

When I first heard that the Bay Area's famed raw-friendly restaurant planned to open up a spot in L.A., I vowed to be first in line to dine at the place -- and have stopped by a half dozen times since it opened its doors in March. Though known as a raw restaurant, Cafe Gratitude does also offer dishes with cooked brown rice and quinoa -- making the casual spot a good choice whether you crave an all-raw meal or desire a warm rice bowl. For a refreshing but rich starter, try the creamy Thai Coconut Soup -- often available as the live soup of the day. KCET's The Public Kitchen has the recipe, if you'd like to try blending it yourself at home. Mediterranean food lovers can go for the "I am Complete" raw mediterranean plate (top photo), which comes with a delicious almond hummus, tangy olive tapenade, and cool mint tzaziki sauce -- all fresh and tasty live versions of the traditional bites. I did find the live falafels a bit too dry and nutty for my liking, but enjoyed the rest of the dish. Prefer to drink your veggies? Cafe Gratitude offers not just one, but two green juices -- the all-veggie "I am Healthy" (below) for the sugar-avoidant and the beet-and-apple sweeted "I am Worthy." Plus, you can get liquid elixirs ranging from wheatgrass shots to rich cacao-hazelnut. Sip them at the bar for a quick pick me up -- or get the drinks to go. Cafe Gratitude is one restaurant where organic is de rigeur. In contast to the ever-growing number of restaurants that hedge by saying they buy organic "whenever possible," Cafe Gratitude's bold green menu announces that its ingredients are organic, period -- conventional produce simply won't be served at this casual eatery. The restaurant also sources its food as locally as possible and avoids plastic packaging both at the front and back of the restaurant, making the spot a hot spot for eco-foodies.

vegetarian kimchi recipe: too much of a good thing? | little blue hen

The feedback on my blogoversary + giveaway post is amazing! Have you entered yet?

I promised Korean food, and Korean food you shall have ! What better introduction to Korean food is there than kimchi ?

Kimchi (also spelled “kimchee”) is often referred to as “Korean sauerkraut.” Sauerkraut: a smelly mystery jar always lurking in the door of my childhood refrigerator. Kimchi: something I had never tried until recently.

They are similar in that both are cabbage-based, fermented foods. There is no single “right” way to make kimchi; recipes can vary dramatically. Some types of kimchi are not cabbage-centric, but I will generalize for now.

Many commercial varieties contain fish sauce or shrimp, so they are not vegetarian and can even contain gluten. Making it at home is cheaper and ensures a minimum of controlled ingredients.

The most well-known version of kimchi starts with an item I had in abundance, Napa cabbage .

Chopped cabbage is salted for 4-6 hours to draw out moisture. That may seem like a long time, but it gives you ample opportunity to prepare the rest of the ingredients, and even watch a few episodes of Dexter with your hubby. Because you’re salting and rinsing the cabbage, you don’t even have to wash it first. Score!

One of the key ingredients is Korean hot pepper powder .

You can probably use Korean pepper paste (gochujang), but I was able to find this at my local Asian grocery . It was in the spice aisle in a one pound bag, not to be confused with red pepper flakes . I found various brands on different Asian grocery sites, but this is what my red pepper powder looks like:

I can’t even say “hello” in Korean, but I can .

I consulted the recipe again. The recipe I had started using over 4 hours ago. The recipe that was one of many I had viewed earlier that day. The recipe that called for one head of Napa cabbage (about one pound).

The reason I was making kimchi, of course, was to use up the monster Napa cabbage we had from the CSA. A four-pound behemoth .

Oops.

So I mixed up more pepper paste, added in more garlic and ginger, and pureed another apple. I was a little skimpy with the pepper because it looked so threateningly spicy, something I regretted later. I added more pepper to the jars a few days afterward and didn’t notice any deleterious effects.