Jus Nanas (Pineapple Juice)

Sometimes the last thing I want to eat is a heavy dessert.  Unfortunately, after scouring the internet for the best Indonesian desserts, it started to look as though everything was either deep fried or gushy, two of my least favorite culinary traits.  Luckily, though, I finally landed on a recipe for a soothing after-dinner treat: jus nanas or pineapple juice.  Simple, to the point and without any frills, it was the easiest dessert I've ever made.  A wise man once said that simplicity is where the best things in life are found.  Honestly, and especially after tasting this drink, I think no truer words were ever spoken!

Ingredients:

• 1 small, fresh ripe pineapple
• Sugar, mixed with a little water
• Pinch of salt
• Ice cubes, crushed

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients together in a blender and puree until smooth.

(The original recipe came from this website: http://www.tasty-indonesian-food.com/jus-nanas.html.)

Gado Gado (Salad with Peanut Dressing)

Peanuts are a wonderful thing.  If I were ever to meet George Washington Carver in some sort of surreal other dimension, he and I would be able to converse for hours on the matter.  They have so many culinary uses (not to mention other non-foodie uses: i.e. their ability to remove chewing gum from fabric, etc.); but, my favorite application (aside from the ever-holy Reese's Peanut Butter Cup) would have to be peanut dressing used in Asian salads.  I have often eaten the Thai version, though it would only make sense that the Indonesians would have their own derivation.

As our family's more healthful new year had begun, salads became a typical nightly meal for our household.  One way to make the drugery of salad seem less intense was to make this dressing.  Perhaps not a low-cal or low-fat topping, it was inspiring in its own right - even if it wasn't the healthiest option.  We chose to find health in other avenues, such as adding more tomatoes or boosting the bean sprouts.  We would do anything, except cut the peanuts - those beautiful peanuts, without whom our world would never be the same.

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 small head of lettuce
• 2-3 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 green onions
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 fresh red chili

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 4 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1 tsp. ground chili paste
• 2 tsp. dark brown sugar
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp. minced ginger
• 1/2 tsp. minced lemon grass root
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable or coconut oil

Instructions:

1. Rinse the lettuce in cold water, drain well and shake or wipe dry.  Arrange on a wide platter or in a large salad bowl. 
2. Thinly slice tomatoes and onion.  Trim green onions and cut into shreds.  Peel the cucumber and cut into cubes, discarding the seeds.  Slit the chilies and scrape out the seeds, cut the flesh into fine shreds.
3. To make the dressing, mix the soy sauce, lemon juice, peanut butter, chili paste and sugar together in a small saucepan.  Add the coconut milk.  Heat, stirring, almost to the boiling point.
4. Saute the garlic, ginger and lemon grass root in the oil for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.  Pour into the sauce and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until sauce is very thick.  Allow to cool.  Pour into a dish or pitcher and serve with salad.

(The original recipe came from "Asia: The Beautiful Cookbook" by Jacki Passmore.)

Israeli Chopped Vegetable Salad

As is common with most mothers/home-cooks, I'm always looking for something easy, nutritious and tasty for my family to eat.  Admittedly, salads are typically little more than bland and boring side dishes that are added to a meal as an after-thought; a harried addition to a more appealing dinner.  Usually they only comprise a little spinach or romaine lettuce, a chopped tomato, a sprinkling of croutons and a splash (or, some days, a tidal surge) of dressing.  And then, voila - a salad.  Nothing original or particularly noteworthy.  Just a salad.  Thank goodness the Israelis can do better than me! 

Possibly due to generations of Jewish grandmothers and their incessant need for children to eat nutritious food, those in Israel have become well versed in the ways of a tasty and healthy vegetable salad.  Especially when some or all of the vegetables and herbs have come fresh from the garden, the taste just seems to blossom in a richness that has before been unmet in our home.  This is definitely a dish that I will look forward to making in the future.  And, a bonus note for the leftovers - they can be folded into some tomato sauce and used to make a super healthy pasta or pizza sauce!

Ingredients:

• 1 red, green or yellow (bell) pepper, seeded
• 1 carrot
• 1 cucumber
• 6 tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• 1 hot fresh chili, chopped
• 3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Using a sharp knife, finely dice the peppers, carrot, cucumber and tomatoes, and place them into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the garlic, scallions, cilantro, dill, parsley, mint and chili to the chopped vegetables and toss together to combine.
3. Pour the olive oil and lemon juice over the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and toss together.  Chill before serving.

(The original recipe came from "Jewish Cooking" by Marlena Spieler.)