Kale and Jicama Stir-Fry

Two nights before our wedding, DFJ and I made dinner for his parents and our friends. We wanted to make some lemon chicken that is a favorite of DFJ’s family and a vegetable stir-fry, which is my cooking signature, and some rice to go with the whole meal. I didn’t really have a set plan for what vegetable dish I wanted to make. As far as I’m concerned, all vegetables, when thrown together in some olive oil, salt, and pepper over heat, pretty much turns out wonderful.

Since our wedding was pretty much a one-week affair at the charming, Lake Chelan, we didn’t want leftover produce to go to waste in our fridge at home. So, we took what we had in a cooler and brought it to the lake. The veggie dish that I made turned out so good that I knew I had to remake it at home and share it with you all. So, here it is almost three months later.

You will need the standard garlic and onion. To me, these two ingredients are the essential bases for any stir-fry. Throw in some mushrooms for some earthy flavoring, carrots for some nice crunch, and bell pepper slices for some sweet and juicy bites. In my first dish, I didn’t add any corn because it wasn’t in season. For this one, however, I couldn’t resist tossing in some kernels, they’re too sweet and pretty to be excluded. Of course, the main actors of the dish are the kale and jicama. What can I say? I LOVE KALE. I used Italian kale (otherwise known as dinosaur kale, Tuscan kale, Cavolo nero, Lacinato kale, etc.) for this one, but really you can use any kale variety. The regular variety can be slightly bitter and earthy, which I love and which I used the first time I made this recipe. Italian kale, however, is milder in flavor but is in no way less delicious. Either kind is good, promise! The other main star, jicama, is an ingredient that I have recently gotten to know and love. Jicama is like a tougher and less sweet version of an Asian pear. It tends to be starchy when raw, but it renders its true flavors when cooked.

This dish is simply seasoned with salt and pepper… fresh ingredients need nothing more than that. Although, a little splash of soy sauce and/or rice wine vinegar wouldn’t hurt either, if you do this, just cut back on the salt. This is a truly vibrant stir-fry that embodies the taste of summer, health, and goodness!     

  

Kale and Jicama Stir-Fry

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion (about 13 oz), diced

a couple of cremini mushrooms (5 oz), chopped

1 jicama (13 oz), chopped into ½ inch sticks

2 carrots (oz), chopped into half moons

corn kernels from 1 ear of corn

1 bunch Italian kale (13 oz), chopped into thin ribbons

1 large bell pepper (8.5 oz), sliced into 1 inch sticks

salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large, deep skillet. When the oil is hot but not smoking, sauté the garlic for about a minute, until golden brown and fragrant. Add the onions and let cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until shiny and translucent. Toss in the mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, until soft and spongy. Add the jicama and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add ½ teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper to flavor the first couple of ingredients.

Stir in the corn kernels and let cook for about 2 minutes until they become plump. Add the kale in two batches. Stir in the first batch with the other hot ingredients until they are slightly wilted, then season with ¼ teaspoon salt.  Add the rest of the kale and cook until they wilt. The total cooking time for all the kale should be about 4 minutes. Toss in the bell pepper sticks and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often. Season with another ¼ teaspoon salt and some freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Recommendations:

I recommend serving this warm over brown rice (or any rice you prefer). This dish serves well as a main entrée or a side. It also makes for a great fried rice leftover. Simply cook leftover cooked rice in garlic and olive oil, toss in the leftover stir-fry, scramble in an egg or two, splash with some soy sauce or rice wine vinegar, some frozen peas, and perhaps some minced chives or spring onions.      

ENJOY!

Summer Vacation Has Begun!

We got back from our ten-day East Coast trip on Sunday night. The trip was a mixture of joyful reunions, fun, relaxation, and work all in one. Somehow, it left me feeling happy, anxious, and exhausted. These jumble of emotions are still cycling inside me but somehow I find one particular emotion that keeps coming up, anticipation of the unknown. Not knowing if I can find a teaching job after we move to Maryland opens up a world of possibilities… I could blog full time, go through yoga teacher training, become a baker, become an apprentice at Les Petits Bisous! (seriously, I'm in love), find a boring 9-5 job, what have you!        

salted caramel macaron from Les Petits Bisous!,
 after I gobbled the green tea white chocolate one (no picture)

Today, I am taking some time off from contemplating about my future and just reliving our whirlwind trip. We went to a lovely wedding in Pennsylvania where I got to meet DFJ’s friends from high school and danced until my feet hurt. Two days were spent area scoping and house hunting in Maryland. After a dinner of sushi and spicy Korean noodle soup in Baltimore, we got soaked from head to toe during a torrential downpour on our way back to the hotel. I clutched DFJ’s waist like my life depended on it and ducked under our broken umbrella, squealing and laughing the whole time. DFJ, on the other hand, didn’t revel as much in the comedy of the situation. At the end of house hunting, day two, we gave up on the conquest and drove to Long Beach Island in New Jersey instead to enjoy some peace and much needed rest.

 

 

A family friend of DFJ’s offered to let us stay at her family’s LBI beach house as a wedding present and we gratefully took her up on that. Her house was lovely and only a hundred footsteps away from the beach. Wednesday was DFJ’s birthday and we spent the day eating a leisurely breakfast, drinking coffee and reading books in the back patio, and sun bathing. We lay on the beach, sunk our toes in the hot sand, walked along the seashore, and dipped in the cold water when we got too hot. Sun kissing my skin + taste of salt water on my lips = pure bliss! That night, we celebrated DFJ’s birthday with a delicious dinner at Pinzimminio’s (if you happen to be in Long Beach Island, do yourselves a favor and dine there, they know how to make food!). Then we went home and played Risk for hours. The next day was stormy, so we burrowed in the house with our books, pastries, and tea until the sun came out again. We explored the southern part of the island until the rain forced us to take shelter in a coffee shop with some decadent cake and hot coffee. We eventually drove back to the beach house, where we had a dinner of leftovers, asparagus, and corn, and capped the night with another round of Risk.

 

 

 

 

We headed back to Pennsylvania on Friday for some family time with DFJ’s family and then to New Jersey to see my Aunt and her family. Living closer to our families is definitely one of the best things about moving to the East Coast. When we said our goodbyes, there was not a hint of sadness on both sides, only excitement about being in the same time zone and a mere hundred or so miles of distance between one another.

Now that we’re back home, I’m slowly trying to get into the swing of things. On my first free day, I was feeling indolent, but somehow mustered up the strength to go to a yoga class and do a bit of grocery shopping. I cooked again after days of not making my own food and it felt so good… it felt like home. More on that in the next post!   

Taking a Break

French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon

Events have unfolded… I need to take a deep breath and accept things as they happen one day at a time. DFJ got a job in Maryland and we are moving. Yes, moving thousands of miles away from a place we now consider home. I took one big luggage with me halfway around the world 6 years ago and stepped into a new country with no idea what life here would be like and everything turned out well. In fact, it was even better than what I had ever dreamed of. I was taken care of by the most gracious and loving host parents, made good friends who helped me feel at home, worked with really awesome people, and recently got married to the most amazing man I know. Moving across the country should not be a big deal, right? There are good people everywhere and the biggest consolation is that I will not be moving alone this time.

But… it’s still sad and I feel the need to honor this sadness. I am also scared of stepping into yet another unknown. After this school year, I will not have a job and will be pretty much dependent on my husband until something comes up. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Last Sunday, as I anticipated DFJ’s return from Maryland, I baked the morning away. It was a lovely experience… I did not feel compelled to rush the process and just took my time measuring ingredients, whisking and mixing everything, gently stirring the batter, and cleaning up the mess. All of it was a familiar ritual that soothed my nerves as I was nervous and excited for this job opportunity that DFJ might get. The weirdest part was that, I was even keen about moving and toyed with the idea of starting over in a new place as a newly married couple. When DFJ got the job offer this week, I was genuinely happy for him. However, when the reality of what moving away from our life here would entail, all that excitement dissipated in an instant. That means I will have to say goodbye to the best job ever and my wonderful students, the people who have been my family here, our good friends, and our great community.

 

 The rollercoaster of emotions that my little heart has gone through in the past couple of days was calmed and comforted by this cake. Thank goodness I took the time to bake it last Sunday! This cake was at the centerpiece of our conversations as we pondered on what the next few months will look like. We sat at the dining table and talked about moving, summer getaways, and responsibilities until the sun disappeared, all the while digging our forks and eating bite after bite of this cake right off the platter.  

This cake is simply delicious. It is soft and moist with some heft from the spelt flour. The sweetness is gentle with surprise bursts of tartness from the lemon syrup. The olive oil gives it a roundness of flavor and the lemony tang is like a ray of sunshine in each bite.

A humble cake that celebrates both good and bittersweet moments in life.

French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon

Adapted from A Homemade Life, by Molly Wizenberg
 
Cake
1½ cups spelt flour (190 g or 6½ oz)
2 teaspoons baking powder (8 g or ¼ oz)
pinch of salt
3 teaspoons lemon zest
½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt (120 g or 4¼ oz), well-stirred
¾ cup sugar (150 g or 5¼ oz)
3 large eggs
½ cup olive oil (100 g or 3 5/8 oz)
 
Syrup
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup powdered sugar
 
a tad of butter for greasing the pan
 

Move an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pat dots of butter all over a 9-inch, round cake pan. Use your fingers to spread the butter all over the inner surface of the pan, including the sides.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt well together. Add the lemon zest and whisk well until the clumps are spread out evenly in the dry mixture.

In another large bowl, mix the yogurt, sugar, and eggs with a fork. Stir everything well together until smooth. Add in the flour mixture and gently stir until just combined. There should be a few traces of dry ingredients left. Pour in the olive oil and stir well. Don’t fret if it seems like the batter will never absorb the oil. Just keep stirring until all the oil is incorporated and you are left with a silky smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Move the pan into the oven and bake for 26-30 minutes. Your cake is done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. The sides will also turn into a nice, golden brown and will slightly pull away from the pan.

Place the cake pan on a wire rack and let it cool for 15 minutes. Run a flat, plastic spatula along the sides of the cake to help it loosen up, place a plate over the cake pan, and invert the cake onto the plate. Place the cooling rack over the cake bottom and invert the cake once more so that the cake is now resting on the rack, with the top facing up. Set the rack over your serving platter and place the platter on a rimmed, baking sheet. The purpose of this baking sheet is to prevent lemon syrup spillage from going everywhere on your counter.

In a small, glass bowl, whisk well together the lemon juice and powdered sugar until all the sugar clumps disappear and the syrup is smooth. Using a spoon, pour the syrup on top of the warm cake. Some of the syrup will run down the sides. No big deal, that’s what the baking sheet is for.

Very gently slide the cake off the cooling rack onto the serving platter. Serve immediately or wait until the cake has completely cooled. It is lovely either way.