Ingredients

2 chili peppers, cleaned and julienned
6-7 cm ginger root, peeled and juiced
the juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon agave syrup
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
1 small spring onion, cleaned and sliced
150 g thai rice
1 broccoli head, divided into florets
4-5 champignons, cleaned
2 handfuls peanuts, toasted and salted
1 tablespoon mirin
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon rice miso
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Place the chili peppers in a jar, add the ginger juice, lemon juice, agave syrup and salt, mix and secure with the lid. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Remove form the firdge, add the spring onion, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and until almost ready to serve. Cook the rice. In the meantime, blanch the broccoli florets in boling salted water until bright green and slightly softened. Drain and set aside. Separate the chili and onion from the juice, transfer them into a bowl and set aside. Keep the juice in the jar and stir in the mirin, rice vinegar, rice malt syrup, rice miso, toasted sesame oil and ginger powder. Seal with the lid and shake to combine. Slice the champignons and drizzle with a little lemon juice. As soon as the rice is cooked al dente (it should have absorbed all the water, if not, drain it), divide it into the individual serving plates or bowls, add the broccoli, the mushrooms, the peanuts, the chili and onion and pour the lemon-ginger-miso sauce on top. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

For the tofu

the juice of half a lemon
3 tablespoons shoyu
2 tablespoons apple vinegar
half a teaspoon powdered ginger
the juice of about 6 cm fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
50 ml sesame oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
200-250 g organic, firm tofu, cut into cubes

For the peppers

2 cm fresh ginger root, peeled and julienned
1 garlic clove, peeled and cut into halves
3 tablespoons apple vinegar
the juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons rice malt syrup
a few pinches of whole sea salt
half a red pepper, cleaned and blanched in boiling water then rinsed under cold running water and peeled
half a yellow pepper, cleaned and blanched in boiling water then rinsed under cold running water and peeled

To complete

black sesame seeds, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

In a bowl or jar mix the lemon juice, shoyu, apple vinegar, ginger powder and ginger juice, sesame oil and toasted sesame oil and maple syrup. Place the tofu cubes in a bowl, pour the marinade over, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, tossing occasionally. The longer the marinade time, the tastier the tofu. In a glass jar, combine the ginger, garlic, apple vinegar, lemon juice, rice malt syrup and salt. Cut the peppers into strips and place them in the jar. Secure with the lid and refrigerate for at least 5-6 hours. Remove the peppers from the fridge around half an hour before serving. Once the tofu has marinated, heat some marinade in a wok or large heavy-bottomed frying pan and cook the tofu over medium heat until golden on all sides. Serve the tofu and the peppers with some of the left-over tofu marinade and the sesame seeds.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

The pepper marinade can be reused at least once to marinate other peppers or different vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots, radishes, zucchini -which will all pick up a peppery flavour.

Ingredients

2-3 handfuls lentil sprouts
2-3 handfuls radish sprouts
half a cucumber (or 1 small), cleaned and julienned
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
1-2 tablespoons dulse flakes
the juice of half a lemon
1 tablespoon apple vinegar
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
toasted sesame oil, to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

In a salad bowl, combine the lentil and radish sprouts, cucumber, sesame and dulse and toss. Add the lemon juice, apple vinegar, olive oil and sesame oil, season with salt. toss again and serve.

Ingredients

half a pink grapefruit
extra virgin olive oil, to taste
toasted sesame oil, just enough to taste
a teaspoon rice malt syrup
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
2 large handfuls rocket, cleaned
a handful of dulse seaweeds, soaked in filtered water for about 15 minutes then rinsed well and drained
a handful of lentil sprouts
sesame seeds, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Squeeze the grapefruit juice into a clean jar and add twice the amount of olive oil. Add the sesame oil, rice malt syrup and season with salt and pepper, secure with the lid and shake to emulsify.
In a salad bowl, combine rocket, dulse and lentil sprouts and toss. Drizzle over some vinaigrette, sprinkle some sesame seeds and serve.

Ingredients

1 small white beetroot, cleaned and cut into matchsticks
half a red beetroot, cleaned and cut into matchsticks
half a small white cabbage, cleaned and finely shaved
the juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice malt syrup
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
black sesame seeds, to taste
pumpkin seeds (raw or toasted), to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Combine the beetroots and cabbage in a salad bowl and toss gently. In a separate small bowl or glass mix the orange juice, sesame oil, rice vinegar, rice malt syrup and salt and whisk. Divide the vegetables into individual serving plates, pour some of the vinaigrette over the salad then sprinkle the sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds on top and serve.

Ingredients

70-80 g semi-whole long grain rice
70-80 black venere rice
juice of half a lemon
4-5 handfuls of fresh peas (out of pod), cooked in boiling and slightly salted water for 5-7 minutes, drained, rinsed under cold running water and set aside to cool
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 zucchini, cleaned and diced
2 small handfuls of pumpkin seeds
pickled ginger (sushi ginger), chopped, to taste
sesame oil, to taste
a pinch of whole sea salt
nori flakes, to taste
fresh chives, cleaned and chopped, to taste

Makes 2 servings.

Directions

Cook the long grain rice in plenty of boiling, slightly salted water. Cook the black venere rice the same way in a separate pan. Make sure the rice is still al dente when you drain it. Rinse it under cold running water and transfer it into a salad bowl. Add the lemon juice and some sesame oil and refrigerate until it’s completely cold. To assemble your rice salad, take out the rice from the fridge and add all the vegetables, the ginger, some more sesame oil, the  salt, the nori flakes and toss. Top with the chives and serve cool.

Ingredients

half a small head of cooked Romanesco broccoli (which should be about 180-200 g)
215 g cooked whole Baldo rice (which is about 150-170 g uncooked), preferably al dente
1-2 tablespoons raw sesame oil
1 tablespoons tahin
half a teaspoon powdered coriander seeds
half a teaspoon powdered cumin
half a teaspoon dried ginger powder
freshly ground black pepper, just enough to taste
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
a small handful of parsley leaves, preferably fresh, cleaned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon cleaned and chopped chives, preferably fresh
2 tablespoons white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons ground white sesame seeds (you can grind them yourself in a spice or coffee grinder)

To complete

3 handfuls of peeled almonds
1 tablespoon flakes of nutritional yeast

Makes 16-18 balls.

Directions

Using a potato masher or fork, mash the broccoli until no large pieces remain. Transfer the broccoli mash into a large bowl, add the cooked rice, sesame oil, tahin, spices, salt, parsley, chives and sesame seeds (whole and ground) and stir well to combine all ingredients. To shape the balls, wet your hands with a little water to prevent the mixture from sticking. They should be slightly smaller than a golf ball. Set the balls aside on a sheet of parchment paper or a tray. In a coffee grinder, finely grind the almonds with the nutritional yeast. Roll the rice balls in the almond-yeast powder and serve at room temperature.

Ingredients

For the salad

1 cup whole barley (hulled)
3 cups filtered water
a pinch of whole sea salt
a piece of kombu (2 cm long), soaked
pumpkin seeds (a good handful), lightly toasted
1 cup daikon sprouts
fresh basil leaves for garnish (optional)

For the dressing

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
the juice of 1 lemon
1 pinch whole sea salt
1 teaspoon barley malt syrup

Makes 4-6 servings. 

Cooking the barley

Wash the barley and soak it in the filtered water for about 8 hours. Place the barley and the water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the kombu and salt, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until most of the water has been absorbed, without stirring as you don’t want to alter the cooking process. The barley should get tender in about 50-60 minutes (if you are using a pressure cooker, cooking time will reduce to 30 minutes). Remove the kombu. Drain if necessary (there should be no water left in the saucepan), transfer into a baking pan or tray and let cool.

The dressing

Pour the olive oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, lemon juice and malt syrup in a cup and whisk all ingredients together. Season with salt.

Assembling the barley salad

Transfer the barley in a salad bowl, add the daikon sprouts and the pumpkin seeds, sprinkle with the dressing and mix thoroughly.

Tips, thoughts, ideas

You can grow your own daikon sprouts at home, which is a very simple process that usually takes about 5 days (sprouting time can vary a lot according to humidity and temperature conditions). Daikon sprouts, just as daikon radishes, have amazing detoxing properties, helping us to digest fats and dissolve deposits that are accumulated in the body (in fact, they act as a diuretic). Barley has also been always considered for its purifying properties. Both daikon and barley help lower high blood pressure. Being very refreshing and cleansing, this dish is most appropriate for spring and summer consumption.

This salad is definitely a celebration of summer. It’s very refreshing and perfect as an appetizer or light lunch break. Although winter is almost here, I’m sure some readers around the world can still get hold of watermelons.

Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients:

the pulp of ¼ watermelon (seeds removed), cut into bite-sized pieces

4 cups fresh rocket

1 cup leek sprouts

1 cup fresh coriander leaves

4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (toasted)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

the juice of 1 lemon

1 pinch whole sea salt

freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

In a large salad bowl, combine the rocket, the watermelon (which you will have previously cut into bite-sized pieces), the leek sprouts, and the pumpkin seeds (don’t forget to toast them!). Add the lemon juice, drizzle with the olive oil, sesame oil and rice vinegar, then sprinkle with whole sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste. Toss well and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve chilled.