cilantr-oh!

(that's what she said.)

as of late i have been experimenting with homemade hummus. this isn't the first time i've thrown beans in the food processor and seen what happens (for a fava been blast from the past, click here). last week, i used a combination of chickpeas and fava beens with sea salt, fresh lemon juice, garlic, cumin and turmeric. delicious. and it inspired me to see in what directions i can take this super simple standard...and so the bird hit the berkeley bowl to get some chickpeas and some ideas. i returned home with 2 hummus plans - one a hummus based on cilantro and the other a hummus flavored with tamarind. this afternoon i made the cilantro hummus. this recipe is a keeper.

but, before we get to that, let's take a moment and show cilantro a little love and attention. i'm gonna go ahead and start at the very beginning, i've heard it's a pretty good place to start. cilantro is the leaves of the coriander plant, which grows wild in south east europe and has been cultivated in egypt, india and china for, well, a very long time. thousands of years. it gets shout outs in sanskrit texts. cilantro was introduced to mexico and peru by spanish conquistadores, where it has gone on to become a staple in their cuisine. on the folklore/who-knows-if-it's-true front, coriander and cilantro have long been thought of as aphrodisiacs. (hey, no! that is not why i used it, the bird doesn't need any aphrodisiacs...but if that compels you to pick up a bunch and whip this up, by all means go for it, and i hope, in turn, you have a very good night. wink wink.) on the why is this so darn good for me front, well, this little herb is extremely high in vitamins a & k, a being good for mucus membranes and vision and k being good for the bones. overall, cilantro has quite an impressive % of rda (recommended daily amounts) profile:

15% of folates

11% of vitamin b-6

45% of vitamin c

225% of vitamin a

258% of vitamin k

22% of iron

18% of manganese

so, go ahead, use cilantro. and, hopefully, it will get you lucky. but, at the very least, it will help you be healthy. so you either win win or you just win. not too shabby.

cilantro garlic hummus

1 can chickpeas, drained and liquid reserved

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped finely

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp chili flakes

2 fresh limes

put chickpeas, cilantro, garlic and spices in food processor. (a blender will also suffice) squeeze lime juice on top. blend until smooth, adding reserved liquid from chickpeas as needed.

enjoy.

the mighty miso.

miso. little word. big possibilities.

although miso has become more and more common in our american food vernacular, expanding its appearances in grocery stores across our great nation, for most americans, the ignorance and fear factor remain at an all time high. the color descriptions of miso - red, yellow and white - might as well be levels of security alert. for most of us, miso is little more than the freebie soup that comes with dinner at a japanese restaurant. we're not really sure what makes miso soup "miso soup". we're not sure what fermented soybean paste is. and we tend to not know what to do with it if we ever take the leap and buy a jar at the store and throw it in our fridge. okay so i have a tub of miso. now what? and the basic miso soup recipe calls for a tablespoon or two? if we figure out how to make the dashi broth that is the foundation of miso soup and actually make some from scratch, we still have most of a tub of miso. so, really, now what?

first things first. think of miso as a condiment. use it in soup, use it in salad dressings, marinades and spreads. it adds flavor and texture and a whole lot of healthy benefits.

okay, so what is miso? miso is a fermented paste made from rice, barley or soybeans. the taste and color will vary based on what grain is used and the fermentation process. this is why there are so many types of miso, some are very tangy and very salty, some are far milder, some even taste slightly sweet. experiment, find the miso that suits your palette best.

alright, why is miso so good for you?

first of all, miso contains all essential amino acids, making it a complete protein

it is a powerful digestive aid - it stimulates the secretion of digestive fluids, restores probiotics to the intestines, and aids in the digestion and stimulation of food in the intestines

miso is a good source of b vitamins and high in antioxidants, it strengthens the immune system and lowers LDL cholesterol

miso can protect against radiation

most importantly, miso has been shown to help prevent against breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers

so, everyone should have a little miso in their lives. or a lot of miso. and it's pretty darn easy to make that happen. miso soups can be far more than just some tofu and scallions floating in a salty, cloudy broth. here is a little soup i came up with using vegetables that were in season at the market:

miso soup with leeks, chinese mustard greens and sunburst squash

4 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1/2 cup hijiki seaweed (dried)

1 small bunch of leeks, cleaned and sliced

1/2 bunch chinese mustard greens, cleaned and chopped

2 small sunburst squash, sliced

1/2 cup white miso (you can use more or less depending on your taste)

fill a large pot with 6 cups of water. add garlic and hijiki, bring to a boil.

add leeks, greens and squash, return to a boil, then simmer about 10 minutes.

add miso, one tablespoon at a time, let it dissolve, allow soup to simmer for just a minute or two.*

remove from heat and enjoy.

*the key to miso soup is not allowing the miso to boil - it will compromise both the flavor and the nutritional and healing properties of the miso