Cucumber Kimchi

Oh-ee  "Oh-Eee" which is cucumber in Korean..... kimchi.
Basically it is cucumbers  stuffed with similar ingredients
that go into Kimchi- (the spicy fermented Korean cabbage.)

First, you want to start off with some Kirby cucumbers.
Kirbys are good b/c they are smaller than the regular
long cucumbers and there aren't as many seeds.

After washing them, you want to cut 2 slits almost all the way down 

the cucumber. You want 4 pieces and the cucumber still in tact 

because you will be stuffing the Kirbys. 

--cut all the way down leaving about an inch--- something like this.

You want to take the cucumbers, put them into a large bowl
and add some coarse salt, with a little water-
to soften and more or less infuse the cucumbers a little.

After roughly 20-30 minutes, rinse the salt off with water.

You'll need some cut chives,  hot pepper flakes
(not the seeded type of pepper flakes), shredded carrots,
a tablespoon of fish sauce
or soy sauce and some minced garlic. (2-3 cloves or to your liking)

What's great about certain Asian-style knives is that they are flat

on the bottom end of the knife. You might think.. 

who cares what the bottom looks like?  They are great because 

after you smash garlic cloves with the side of your knife...

you can just mince the garlic with the bottom of your knife.  

Yes, double-duty!

The stuffing of the cucumbers is a simple mixture of shredded carrots 

(pretty much for the color and to add a little natural sweetness), 

the cut chives into about 2 inch pieces,  

1 tablespoon of fish oil 

2-3 minced garlic cloves and 

hot pepper flakes to your liking of spiciness.

​
'Chop it like it's hot',  Let's Cultivate Food

​

Pre-packaged meals delivered...

Pre-packaged meals in bento-style boxes are becoming more
and more popular these days with everyone
having busy schedules with work AND just every day life.

Luckily... Let's Cultivate Food can assist in providing
healthy and nutritious meals for anyone.
Whether it's a family member, friend or co-worker
who is feeling under the weather,
who is recovering from surgery,
who just doesn't have the time to cook,
or just doesn't know how to or feel like cooking.

We use as much organic ingredients as possible
and when available.  The boxes are coated in wax
for easy re-heating and storing in the refrigerator.

The boxes are made from 100% recycled materials.
Prepared meals are large portioned meals
and are $13 per box.  They are filled with a protein
and hearty vegetables.  We cater to ALL special diets.


Below are just a few pictures of  today's
bento-style meals ready to go.

Click  'to BOOK'  to schedule your first food delivery of prepared meals!

​
'Lettuce Turnip the Beet,  Let's Cultivate Food

Crab Rangoons

Crab Rangoons kinda night!?

The recipe is below.
8 oz of cream cheese (softened)
4 oz of imitation crab meat
2 scallions
1 clove of garlic minced fine
1 teas of Worchestershire sauce
1 teas of soy sauce
1 teas of sugar

for the sauce:
1/2 cup of dijon mustard
1/4 of rice vinegar
1/4 of warm or hot water (not boiling)
1 TBSP of sweetener
1 teas of sesame oil

Once your cream cheese is softened
(you can just leave it on your kitchen counter for 15-20 min.)
fold in the rest of the ingredients
and fold into your favorite shape with wonton wrappers.
Deep fry on medium high heat until the wrapper is golden.


​
Whip it good,  Let's Cultivate Food

Chicken Coconut Curry

Curry is a favorited comfort food for many.
Curry is common in many south Asian countries.

A very easy go to curry dish I like to show people
how to make is coconut curry.
You can use Masaman curry which is a medium spice level.
You can also use green curry and if your palate is
craving a spicy kick- you can use red curry paste as well.

I would use 1 heaping teaspoon of either curry paste that
you prefer and add to your liking little by little.

below is a basic recipe you can start with and then add to your liking.

Coconut curry with chicken

3/4 - 1 can of coconut cream

1 heaping teaspoon of Masaman curry 

1 chicken breast cut into cubes or chicken thighs

2 large potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes

1 head of cauliflower florets (about 1 inch)

3 cloves of garlic minced up or sliced (to your liking)

1 inch of ginger grated

1-2 onions diced small

It's best to cook for 45 minutes to an hour. 

The longer the better as everything with

infuse together.  Curry is best eaten on a bed of

Basmati rice (with celery seed) or coconut rice.  

For a topping or garnish- you can place thin slices 

of red bell pepper and scallions sliced thin.

Chop It Like It's Hot,  Let's Cultivate Food

How to tell if your eggs are fresh.

When did you buy your eggs?  Last weekend or the weekend before?
All egg cartons have a sell by date on the side of the carton aka an
expiration date.  You definitely want to look at that sell by date
BUT more importantly-  you want to look at the number above.
Look at the egg carton I purchased this morning.
(Today's date is January 21st, 2016)

The number above the month (FEB) in this case is "005".  

This number indicates that these eggs were packaged on January 5th.  

The number goes all the way up to... 365.  Yup, you guessed correctly! 

The number of days that are in a single year.  The eggs NEXT to these eggs 

(not pictured)  were on sale for 2 dozen eggs for $3.00.

The number on the eggs on sale were 360 meaning they were packaged

on December 26th, 2015.  Yikes!  Those 360 numbered eggs are pretty old.

Keep in mind that prior to packaging more often than not eggs 

are also stored up to one week.  As long as eggs are stored in 

temperatures of 33-40 degrees when raw- they will be ok.

The consecutive dates of the year from 1-365 on egg cartons are called 

the Julian Date. Don't worry if your Julian Date is 20 days over or even 25 days. 

 As long as fresh shelled eggs that are raw are stored in appropriate 

temperatures-  most eggs are ok  4-5 weeks beyond the Julian date.

So then what's the point of the expiration date then... you ask!?

Again, as long as un-cooked eggs are stored in temperatures up to 

40-45 degrees they are good but as the expiration date gets closer-

the egg will lose some quality ie: if you are baking-

the cake might not rise as high as expected or the whipped consistency 

in  a meringue might not be as fluffy etc. You get the idea.

Always read labels in your food.  You can eat healthy and fresher

sometimes simply just by looking at parts of a label or stamping.

Whip it Good,  Let's Cultivate Food

​​​​Aromatic GIFT CERTIFICATES that simmer...

Purchase a Gift Certificate as a aromatic gift
that will simmer in your recipient's heart forever!

To purchase your Gift Certificate ---
please click tab above titled 'to BOOK'
and select the Gift Certificate option.

coming soon!