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| Zyliss Easy Pull Food Processor |
(By the way, when I list a store, I am not necessarily recommending that store, but just identifying a place where you can see or learn more about the item. )
(Also, if you buy this, note that you remove the blade guard by first pulling off the bottom "paddle" (it's a little tight but it does come right down off the central column by pulling down) so the blade cover can slip right off that column. Then just replace the bottom paddle and it's ready to use! There were many complaints on Amazon about the company providing no instructions for this and it took me a while to figure it out!)
This is a great little chopper that uses a "pull cord" (like some of the lettuce dryers for example). This can be useful if you don't have an electric outlet nearby, and it also makes this much smaller and lighter and easier to clean.
I chopped just one ingredient at a time because each requires a different number of "pulls" to get the sizes I wanted. It made the receipe below with it's many chopped ingredients quickly and easily, and I think I'll use it a LOT in the future, especially for meals for myself.
Below is the RECIPE I made using this. It is called "Carrot Salad with Lemon Turmeric Vinaigrette," but as you will see I made some changes to make it "Essy Compliant" as well as for my own personal taste.
This recipe was in a Chicago Tribune article that appeared Wednesday, March 15, 2017 in the Food and Dining Section. The article was about Turmeric -- quite a long article that said not one word about the health benefits of that wonderful spice. This conforms with what appears -- to me at least -- to be the unfortunate Chicago Tribune policy of avoiding discussion of health considerations in the Food and Dining Section!
I've posted the recipe below. In ITALICS I've added the changes I made to make it better for my needs and also Essy-Compliant!
1 pound long, thin carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds.
I used four long thin carrots, very coarsely chopped before putting in the processor.
1/3 Cup Virgin Olive oil plus extra for drizzling!
OMITTED! But I broke the rules a bit and shook in a few drops, less than a teaspoon, of toasted sesame oil for "mouth feel" and a bit of flavor. This could be omitted.
1/2 C bulgur
I need to be gluten free so I used Quinoa that I cooked quickly in my little rice cooker!
1/4 C lemon juice
I used the juice of one large lemon and one lime - because I like it!
I think a wedge of lemon when serving would "pop" up the flavor nicely as well!
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
I used a generous amount of Love That Spice Anti-Inflammation seasoning which I love and which has lots of turmeric in it. To learn more see https://www.lovethatspice.com
1 large garlic clove, pressed
I didn't have any on hand :-( so I shook in a little garlic powder.
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
It would be nice to roast seeds but I just added some cumin powder.
1/2 tsp salt
I used a little sea salt, considerably less than in the recipe.
2 cups chopped red cabbage
I used about half a small red cabbage, chopped into coarse chunks to put into the processor.
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
I cooked my garbanzo beans from dried beans in the rice cooker a few days ago, adding fresh jalapeño peppers to the water.
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley.
I chopped curly parsley very coarsely and then used the processor.
2 green onions sliced
I chopped these coarsely and then used the processor.
4 ounces feta cheese
OMITTED! I'm strictly dairy free!
PLUS, I used a few big chunks of fresh fennel because I had it and I like it!
And I added a few shakes of dulse flakes for a bit of iodine in our "goiter belt" midwest!
In the future I think celery stalks and/or leaves chopped with the above processor would add a nice flavor touch, as would some pomegranate seeds! No end of variations on this theme or it's uses.
I think adding some fermented veggies would also pop up the flavor and may try this next time!
Instructions:
Directions call for cooking the bulgur (which, as noted, I didn't use) and the carrots.
I cooked the quinoa in my little rice cooker but left the carrots raw.
Next it calls for all ingredients to be tossed in a large bowl, and notes you can make this 2 days in advance.
When you are ready to eat, you might want to "pop up" the somewhat bland flavor a bit with a squeeze of fresh lemon and/or lime juice, and even a small grind of sea salt. (The salt on the "surface" of a food will taste a lot "saltier" than the salt mixed into the food, so you will use a LOT less that way!)
I ran each ingredient requiring it through the Zyliss Easy Pull Food Processor one by one to get the consistency I wanted. It handled the raw carrots and cabbage, parsley, green onions and fennel quite well and quickly as long as I coarse chopped them first into medium large chunks. I did one ingredient after another this way -- no need to rinse the bowl in between as they were all winding up in the same dish.
You could use this as a sandwich filling mixed with a little hummus to hold it together, or perhaps incorporated into a salad dressing. It could even be heated up in some veggie broth for a quick soup. If you use a commercial plant based salt-free broth (as opposed to one you make and season yourself) consider adding to the flavor with just a few drops of a savory commercial sauce.
I have enjoyed the Sky Valley line of organic, gluten-free, non-GMO products. Sriracha, Korean BBQ, Sweet Chili, Thai Peanut Sauce, and others. I especially like their "nozzle" tops that let you add these sauces by the drop! Whole Foods also has some nice 365 products. These are fairly high in sodium if you use the amounts often used in their labeling, but most of the time a few drops will not add much sodium and can add a lot of flavor!
I'm not including the nutritional information but this is obviously a colorful, low fat, high plant-protein, high fiber dish, and I think the little Zyliss Easy-Pull Food Processor will be handy for many uses!
