salty girl cooks

Salty Girl Has Moved!

2008-12-20T04:22:00.001-08:00

Salty Girl Cooks has a sparkling, new website!

Please visit www.saltygirlcooks.com and bookmark it for future visits! Thanks, Salty Girl

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Dijon Dressing

2008-12-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

This is off-topic, but that's what you get on a Friday: I have a big, ugly vacuum-sealed package of tempeh sitting in my fridge right now. Every time I open the refrigerator door, it sneers at me, and then tells me to fold the laundry, do the dishes, and otherwise lectures me in a condescending voice.

Just kidding about that! The tempeh does NOT talk to me. But it does look rather smug, and I have no clue what to do with it. For some reason the past month has been unkind to me in the non-meat-eating sense.

Perhaps it's the cold weather, and my genetic obligation to put on a layer of fat during the winter, but I sure could go for a steak. A happy, grass-fed, lived-a-good-life steak, but a steak all the same. But, I fear it's a slippery slope from there to wings at the corner bar, so for now, it's tempeh time. Does anyone have any ideas?

These lovely Brussels sprouts came from the farmer's market. They didn't talk back to me, and so were quickly snapped up out of the fridge and lovingly prepared (what do you think about that, tempeh?).

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon Dijon Dressing

1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1-2 TB Dijon mustard
1 TB olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
cooking spray
1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved

Preparation:

Combine first four ingredients with a fork in a small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Place sprouts on a baking sheet lined with foil that you have sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle sprouts with salt and pepper, and lightly spray with cooking spray. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, or until bottoms are browning. Flip sprouts, and roast for another 10 minutes or until browned.

Allow sprouts to cool slightly, then toss in dressing. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Spicy Chickpeas and Winter Vegetables

2008-12-08T13:34:00.000-08:00

In anticipation of the travel adventure that the Husband and I will soon be embarking on, I spent a bitterly cold day yesterday transacting commerce in suburbia. It was the kind of day that makes you recoil when you step outside. The wind never died down and people ran from their cars to where they were going.

Yes. I complain about the cold all the time, so I lack credibility. I know this. But yesterday was different. Yesterday I was literally moved to tears when I saw a man at an intersection.

I was waiting to turn right, and he was standing in the median by the left lane. He was dressed for the weather. He had on thick canvas coveralls, a hooded sweatshirt, workboots and ski gloves. He looked to be about 65. There was a duffel bag on the ground near him, and he held a big, creased cardboard sign: Hard Worker.

[Heavy Sigh.] So many people are struggling this year to survive, just as the weather is getting dangerously cold. At dinner last night, I hoped that the hard worker had somewhere warm to go home to.

Spicy Chickpeas and Winter Vegetables

Ingredients:

1 TB vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 leeks, white and light green parts chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp whole cloves

3 c lower sodium vegetable broth

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

4 dried red chilies

2 carrots, chopped

2 small (or 1 large) heads of cauliflower, chopped into florets

1/2 lb assorted mushrooms

10 oz kale, stems trimmed, roughly chopped

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice or red wine vinegar (optional)

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, leeks garlic, and cloves and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes, scraping bottom of pan to remove any browned bits.

Add the remainder of the ingredients (excluding salt, pepper and lemon/vinegar), and bring to a simmer. Cook with lid on for about 30 minutes, or until cauliflower and carrots are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Remove chilies prior to serving. Add a splash or lemon juice or red wine vinegar to each bowl prior to serving if desired. Serve with couscous or rice. Serves 6-8.

Pasta with Creamy Egg and Squash Sauce

2008-12-05T10:13:00.000-08:00

Do you know when you reach that point where you just can not eat any more squash? That's the time in my household where we forge boldly ahead, and yep, keep eating it. We like to tempt fate.

This pasta turned out delicious-creamy and nutmeg-scented. Very comforting. Good with finely grated wisps of cheese on top. Gruyere perhaps?

In other news, we ate last night at Founding Farmer's restaurant. Have you heard of this place? It just opened two months ago and sources all of its ingredients from local farmers. Rad idea, and excellent execution.

There are some aspects of the restaurant that are a little too cutesy. (I like the shape of the ice cubes, but could have done without hearing how they recall ice-blocks being chipped out of Lake Huron...) But overall, a great dinner nestled in a booth, surrounded by vegetables canned in large, clear jars.

Pasta with Creamy Egg and Squash Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pasta
2 eggs
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 TB water
1 lb butternut or delicata squash, roasted, peeled and cut into roughly 1 inch chunks(I used a combination of squash)
1/2 cup grated cheese (I like either Gruyere or Parmigianno- Reggiano)
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to directions in salted water.

Combine next 5 ingredients (through water) in a bowl using a fork. Set aside.

In another bowl, gently mash 1/2 of the roasted squash using the back of a wooden spoon.

When pasta is done cooking, use tongs to transfer it to a large bowl. Reserve 1 c cooking water. Slowly pour egg mixture over pasta, using tongs to thoroughly combine mixture and pasta.

Add mashed squash to pasta, and combine. Use pasta water to achieve desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each portion with chunks of squash. Serve with grated cheese. Serves 4.

Oat-Crusted Pecan Pie (from Cooking Light)

2008-11-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

Some things are better when you don't know all the specifics, don't you think? Many things benefit from a little mystery, and pecan pie is right up there.

I managed to pull off my first vegetarian thanksgiving (OK, not completely veg.- my mom brought over a turkey... I didn't want people to riot) and this dessert was what waited at the end.

I am a diehard pecan pie fan, but this version left me a little deflated. Could it have been the knowledge that huge glugs of corn syrup were what made the pie so gooey? Quite possibly.

The recipe comes from Cooking Light. More and more I appreciate their recipes as a starting point, rather than an actual directive. If only I knew more about baking, I could have seen the flaws in this pie in advance... and fixed them. As made, the pie was a bit cloying and flat. More spices would probably have helped that problem.

Also, nobody wants a pecan pie with no pecans, dammit. That wouldn't be my first place to try to cut calories, Cooking Light. (I added about 1/2 c more pecans than the recipe called for.)

In the magazine, the pie is paired with 'fresh cranberry sauce', which just seems bizarre. Even the food stylist must have thought so: in the photo, the sauce is lurking in a ramekin yards behind the pie, looking sullen. I didn't attempt the sauce.

I do have nice things to say about the crust, however. Easy to make, and with all that oatmeal ( if you ignore the butter), healthy!

Oat- Crusted Pecan Pie (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 3/4 c old fashioned rolled oats

3 TB granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 TB cold butter, cut into small pieces

1 TB ice water

cooking spray

Filling:

3/4 c packed light brown sugar

2/3 c light colored corn syrup

3 TB all purpose flour

3 TB molasses

1 TB melted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 large egg white

2/3 c pecan halves

Preparation:

To prepare crust, place the first 3 ingredients in a food processor, and process until finely ground (about 30 seconds). Add butter, and pulse 5 times, or until combined. Add 1 TB ice water; pulse just until combined (mixture will be crumbly). Press oat mixture into the bottom and up sides of a 9 inch deep-dish pie plate coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack.

Reduce oven to 350. Combine brown sugar, and next 8 ingredients (through egg white) in a medium bowl, stirring well. Stir in pecan halves. Spoon filling into prepared crust. Bake at 350 for 48 minutes, or until center is set. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Serves 12.

Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil (from Gourmet Magazine)

2008-11-23T12:25:00.002-08:00

This was another item on the FPD (fall dinner party, I'm a dork, what do you want?) menu. Maybe I should back up and let you know the big picture. Dinner was cauliflower gratin, these artichokes, roasted acorn squash stuffed with mushrooms, and for dessert, a pecan pie.

High maintenance vegetable alert! Preparing these artichokes just really made me feel like I should have stripes on and a big old cuff and ball around my ankle. Serious work-camp sensations came over me as I prepped artichoke 6 of 8 and wondered if I would ever have free will again.

I'm not going to say the end result wasn't delicious-- because it was. The braising liquid of lemon, olive oil, fennel and coriander was aromatic and lovely, and the final presentation was quite satisfying. But so is having an extra three hours in the day, that you gained by not having made this recipe.

One note- I used a bit less olive oil than called for, because 1/2 c seemed gratuitous. Nothing bad happened.

Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil

Ingredients:

1 lemon, halved

8 medium artichokes

3 small shallots, sliced into thin rings

1 carrot, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/2 c water

3 strips lemon zest

1/4 c fresh lemon juice, divided

2 TB coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

Preparation:

To trim artichokes into hearts: add lemon halves to a large bowl of cold water, squeezing to release juice. Cut off top inch of 1 artichoke and bend back outer leaves until they snap off close to base (keep stem attached). Discard several more layers of leaves in same manner until you reach pale yellow leaves.

Peel sides of stem down to pale inner core. Put in lemon water while preparing remaining artichokes.

Cook shallots, carrot, garlic and seeds in 1/4 c olive oil in a 4-5 qt heavy pot (pot should be wide enough to hold artichokes in 1 layer with stems pointing upward) over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Add water, zest, and 3 TB lemon juice and bring to a simmer. Stand artichokes in pot and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cover artichokes with wax paper, then a lid, and simmer over medium-low heat until bases are just tender when pierced with a knife, 20-30 minutes.

Transfer artichokes to a dish and reserve cooking liquid. When artichokes are cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise. Scoop out and discard inner choke (fuzzy center and any sharp leaves).

Heat 2 TB oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown cut sides of artichokes in 2 batches, about 2 minutes per batch, transferring to a serving dish. Add reserved cooking liquid to skillet along with remaining 1 TB lemon juice and remaining 2 TB oil. Boil vigorously 3 minutes, then stir in parsley and pour over artichokes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8 (first course or side dish)

Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyere (from Cooking Light)

2008-11-23T12:25:00.001-08:00

This, right here, and right now is one of my ideal ways to spend a Sunday: it's freezing outside, and I'm inside, surveying the scene. There are dishes everywhere, leftovers crammed into the fridge, and folding chairs scattered across the living room. Recovering from a dinner party is divine.

Last night was my first all vegetarian dinner party... if you don't count my several forays into pasta making last fall. I used two recipes out of magazines, which has its drawbacks. I find that when I cook with a recipe, which is almost never, I totally lose perspective on what I am actually doing.

Without the pressure of having to think on my feet, I become sort of a cooking automaton, and don't think about what I'm trying to achieve. Additionally, for some reason, when I cook to a recipe it takes me for_ever. I think it's this sense that the recipe writer is lurking somewhere, waiting to see if I miss a step.

You can imagine that I enjoy cooking quite a bit more if it's done without a recipe.

That said, a lot of the food I cook I consider too homey for a dinner party. So, out came the cauliflower gratin recipe.

Besides being intrigued by how well 2% milk thickens up in a sauce, I can't recommend this recipe. It could have used some spice- a touch of nutmeg, or clove even. As written, I found it to be a bit flat and lacking in depth. For 8 people (as a side), I prepared 1 1/2 times this recipe.... and we barely had leftovers.

Additionally, I used probably twice the recommended amount of cheese. Otherwise, the dish would have felt a little bit light, shall we say. Finally, be sure to roast the cauliflower just short of done. Too long and you're left with some mighty limp cruciferae.

Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyere (from Cooking Light)

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into florets (about 2 lbs)

cooking spray

1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided

2 tsp butter

1/3 c Panko

2 TB finely chopped fresh chives

1/2 c (2 oz) shredded Gruyere, divided

1/2 c finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

3 TB all purpose flour

2 c 2% reduced-fat milk

3 TB chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400. Place cauliflower in a 2 qt broiler safe baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray; coat cauliflower with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp salt; toss. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until almost tender. Cool 5 minutes.

Preheat broiler. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Stir in Panko. Stir in 1/4 c cheese and chives.

Heat medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; saute 4 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Add garlic; saute 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 c cheese, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, parsley, and pepper. Pour milk mixture over cauliflower mixture; toss. Top evenly with cheese mixture. Broil 3 minutes or until golden brown and thoroughly heated. Serves 6.

Trust me, I'm a Mom?

2008-11-20T13:54:00.000-08:00

“The only obstacle between kids and their french fries: Mom. So here is Debra DeMuth, global nutrition director [for McDonald's], mounting a spirited defense of fries to five mothers of young children at a McDonald's in Baltimore.”

Through the haze of sleep, I was hoping I’d accidentally picked up The Onion. But upon closer inspection, no, still the Washington Post. And the Washington Post was telling me about how McDonald’s is enlisting mothers to chat up how healthy and nutritious their food is. Whhaaaa?

McDonald’s is an easy target for high and mighty people like me, isn’t it? But they deserve it.

This idea of moms as “fast food emissaries” is offensive not only because it feels like McDonald’s thumbing its corporate nose at peoples’ (correct) instinct that, hey, this food is NOT healthy, but also because of the chosen information vehicle. Moms? Really? Have you no shame?

Black Bean and Kale Soup

2008-11-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Happiness is a warm bowl of soup, to paraphrase Linus. Speaking of Linus, I heard on NPR last week (OH NO. Stop me now. Starting sentences with "I heard on NPR..." ranks right up there with, "One time, in band camp...").

So I'm afraid, due to self-censorship, we'll never learn what the story was I heard on NPR, but take heart. I have other ideas.

I love love love soup, and am trying to cut back on salt (how ironic, I know) ever since I learned that excessive sodium intake can interfere with calcium absorption. Sort of a drag, but it just means that I am being driven further from the canned sodium bombs that the grocery store offers.

Speaking of canned soup, want to hear something evil? I thought so. Progresso makes this soup in their vegetable classics line. That's vegetable classics, mind you, not pork-lovers classics. Anyway, the soup is split pea. Sounds good so far, right? Wrong. In teeny, tiny .9 font under the name it says, snarkily, in italics that you need a bionic eye to read, "with bacon".

Thanks a lot, Progresso. Screw you, too.

Hence, I've been making a lot more of my own soups. I know the food blog universe is flooded with kale love this time of year, but I'll add my valentine.

Black Bean and Kale Soup

Ingredients:

1 TB olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp thyme

4 c vegetable stock

4 c water

2 bay leaves

10 c kale

1 14 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

salt and pepper to taste

juice of 1/4 lemon

Preparation:

Heat oil over medium-high heat in skillet. Add onion, carrot, thyme, and cumin and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until onion is soft. Set aside.

Put 1/2 c of black beans in blender with 2 TB water. Blend until creamy. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring stock,water and bay leaves to a boil in a large stock pot. Add kale, and turn heat down to medium. Cook, with lid on, until kale begins to soften, about 7-9 minutes.

Add onion mixture, beans, and tomatoes with juice to pot. Cook, with lid on, for about 10 minutes. When kale is soft, but still has some bite to it, remove soup from heat. Add bean puree and stir to combine. Remove bay leaves and discard. Add lemon immediately prior to serving. Serve with grated cheese if desired. Serves 6-8.

Roasted Cauliflower

2008-11-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, if the fog is just right, and the rain has just brought fall leaves out of the trees....the world smells like maple syrup. My favorite.

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

cooking spray
1 tsp olive oil
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp TB cumin
1 tsp salt
pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, and mix using hands. Spread cauliflower on baking sheet, and roast for about 15 minutes. Using tongs, flip cauliflower on sheet, and roast for another 20-25 minutes, or until brown. Serves 4, as a side dish.

Eggplant Curry with Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Tofu

2008-11-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

I am positively drowning in un-posted posts right now! Ack! Here's my effort at chipping away at the backlog...

As I recently emailed a friend, my brain does this funny thing annually where it totally hits delete on the misery that is late fall / all of winter as soon as warm weather rolls around.

Consequently, here we are at late fall, and suddenly, cruelly suddenly, I am caught off guard by how very dreary it all is. It truly must be some sort of evolutionary amnesia that I'm programmed with that serves to prevent me from cliff-jumping around late October.

The whole getting dark at 2:15 in the afternoon thing feels like being ripped out of bed on a freezing cold morning and then being told that someone just ate the last pancake. Every day.

Oh, I am a dramatic one, aren't I?

Here's some curry to pour into the wound.

Ingredients:

1 TB vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1 white onion, chopped
1 TB fresh ginger, chopped finely
1/2 TB turmeric
1/2 TB garam masala
1/2 TB curry powder (your blend of choice)
1/2 c vegetable stock
2-3 eggplants, cut into roughly 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 red pepper, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 roasted sweet potatoes, cut into roughly 1 inch chunks
1 block extra firm tofu, pressed, thoroughly drained, and prepared as described here

Preparation:

Heat oil in large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mustard and coriander seeds, and stir to coat in oil. Put lid on dutch oven and cook seeds until they begin to pop, about two minutes.

Remove lid, and add onion, ginger, turmeric, garam masala and curry powder to pot. Cook over medium heat until onions soften, about five minutes. Add vegetable stock, and stir to loosen any browned bits from bottom of pan.

Turn heat to medium-low and add eggplant and pepper. Stir to combine all ingredients. Cook with lid on for about thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove lid and cook until sauce has reduced to desired degree, about ten minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, put approximately 1/2 c sweet potato and 1/2 c tofu in each bowl. Top with curry mixture. Serves 4-6.

Pan-Fried Tofu with Mushrooms, Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Rice

2008-11-08T05:06:00.000-08:00

I feel like singing, and trust me, I have an awful, awful voice. The cause of the joy-overload? I just went running in Rock Creek and it was amazing... the leaves are at their absolute peak and I feel marinated in fall. Bizarre image, good feeling.

I've already started trying to overdose on squash, no sense in pacing myself through the season, right? I can't get enough. The Husband loves squash, too, but that's probably due to his secret love of babyfood. And, no, we don't have a baby.

If people didn't look at him really strangely, he and a really wee spoon could probably even be spotted in public, scraping the last bits of pureed banana out of a jar with a kid's face on it.

Pan Fried Tofu with Mushrooms

Ingredients:

cooking spray (I like high-heat spray)

2 blocks of extra firm tofu, pressed and thoroughly drained

1TB olive oil

6-8 spring onions, white and half of green parts, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

water

1.5 lbs assorted mushrooms

1/2 TB thyme

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Slice each block of tofu lengthwise into four equal slabs. Then slice each slab into four triangles. Season tofu generously with salt and pepper. Spray nonstick pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Pan fry tofu in batches, cooking for about ten minutes per side, or until well browned. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute until softened. Add small amounts of water as needed to prevent onions and garlic from sticking. Turn heat down to medium-low and add mushrooms and thyme. Stir mixture to coat mushrooms in oil. Stir occasionally, and allow mushrooms to cook until they have released all but about 2TB of their liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, top tofu triangles with mushroom sauce. Serves four.

Roasted Acorn Squash stuffed with Wild Rice

Ingredients:

cooking spray

2 acorn squash

1TB butter

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked wild rice

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.

Cut acorn squash in half crosswise. (Note: to make cutting easier, try microwaving squash for 2-3 minutes to soften it prior to cutting.) Scoop seeds out and discard. Place squash flesh side down on baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes, or until outside of squash feels soft to the touch.

To serve, divide butter between four squash halves, and place in well of squash. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 c of wild rice to each squash. Serves four.

Mimi's Apple Cake

2008-11-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

I am still in shock about Tuesday; maybe I didn't have enough faith in this country. After Obama's acceptance speech, we all walked down to the White House, where a huge crowd was gathered. The energy was amazing, and it was so cool to be a part of it. And, it was Husband's first time voting in the US- not a bad first race!

This is another recipe that we made with the seniors' nutrition class that I am an assistant for. Honestly, spending time with them on a Friday afternoon is the best way to wrap up the week.

This cake comes courtesy of "Chef Jenny" who works at Sticky Fingers Bakery, among other places. The recipe a healthified version of a cake her grandma used to make. I am anti sugary sweet breakfast breads, so I only use about 1/4- 1/2 c of sugar when I make them.

Mimi's Apple Cake

Ingredients:

1 c white flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c sugar (original recipe calls for 1 c sugar + 1/2 c brown sugar)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground allspice (not called for in original recipe)

1 c applesauce

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 c peeled, chopped apple

1 c chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Mix all of the wet ingredients well, reserving apples and nuts, if using. Add dry ingredients to wet, and mix until just combined. Fold in apples and nuts. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in bread comes out clean.

Spaghetti Squash & Mushroom Enchiladas

2008-11-02T12:35:00.000-08:00

I got the idea for these enchiladas from the nutrition/cooking class that I am an assistant to. I just started assisting a chef and a nutritionist in teaching the group of low-income seniors a few weeks ago, and I am in love. They are the spunkiest, funniest, most perverted group of sixty and seventy year olds you could ask for. What more could you ever want?

For a group that are living in senior housing, many of whom have trouble getting around and some suffering from chronic conditions, they talk about sex an awful lot. There's no way around it. But it is very life affirming- these are not people who are sitting around waiting to die.

Oh no. They are waiting for the Friday night dance, to see who's making the moves on who. It is awesome.

We are teaching basic nutrition and healthy cooking skills, and I am happy to say I feel like they are embracing a lot of the principles. Sure, people might always prefer to make a sweet potato pie rather than bake some sweet potato fries, but at least we are offering new ideas.

Last week we made spaghetti squash, which a few people had never seen before. It is one of nature's wackier veggies, isn't it?

I was inspired to make these enchiladas, which do best when complimented by sides of refried bean, rice and salsa. They are protein-less when eaten solo, so do add some bean somewhere to the dish. But they are surprisingly filling, and quite healthy.

Spaghetti Squash & Mushroom Enchiladas

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas, softened in a heated skillet (30 seconds per side)

1 TB olive oil

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely minced

jalapeno, or other pepper, to taste

1 lb assorted mushrooms

3 c spaghetti squash*

salt and pepper to taste

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1 14 oz can green enchilada sauce

1/2 c shredded mozzarella cheese

* to prepare spaghetti squash, split squash lengthwise in half. Scoop seeds out of squash with a spoon or your hand. Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray foil with cooking spray. Place squash flesh down and bake in a 450 oven for about 30-40 minutes. When finished cooking, use a spoon or fork to scoop out flesh.

Preparation:

Spray a 13x9 inch pan with cooking spray, and set aside. Preheat oven to 400.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and garlic and saute until softened. Add jalapeno (or other pepper) and saute until softened. Turn heat down to low, and add mushrooms to skillet. Cook until mushrooms have release most of their liquid, about five to seven minutes. Remove mixture from heat.

In a large bowl, combine mushroom mixture and spaghetti squash. Allow mixture to cool ten-fifteen minutes.

Pour tomatoes into 13x19 inch pan. Spread evenly. Take one tortilla, and lay on counter. Spread 3-4 TB of mushroom mixture across center of tortilla. Roll tortilla up, and place seam down in enchilada pan. Continue preparing tortillas; there will be two rows of six tortilla rolls.

Once all tortilla rolls are in pan, pour enchilada sauce over middle of each roll, and down sides of pan. Top rolls with cheese. Bake at 4oo degrees for about 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is golden. Serves 6.

Almost Vegan Alfredo

2008-10-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

I'm intrigued by vegans, but at the same time I think I would weep daily if I could never eat brie again. That said, like any dietary restriction, it does force you to be creative. My love of cooking definitely accelerated when I stopped eating meat and realized the world beyond meat.starch.veg.

This recipe is better if you don't think about it as being alfredo, actually. It is a creamy sauce that coats the pasta, and it does taste surprisingly rich, but it's thousands of calories and millions of fat grams from being in the alfredo ballpark. And it's good for you!

Yes, yes, I realize this is also quite far from really being a vegan recipe... I sort of blew it with the use of egg-based pasta... but the sauce could easily be veganized (sounds industrial, no?).

OK, to summarize: this recipe is neither vegan, nor alfredo. Discuss.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb fresh spinach fettucine

2 TB olive oil

7 garlic cloves, finely minced

1lb assorted mushrooms

1 (140z) block silken tofu

1 TB cream cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to directions in salted water. Drain, reserving 1/2 c cooking liquid, and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute garlic until softened. Remove 1/2 of the garlic from skillet for use in tofu sauce. Set aside.

Add mushrooms to remaining garlic in skillet, and cook over medium heat. While mushrooms are cooking, remove 1/2 c mushroom liquid for use in tofu sauce. Set aside.

Cook mushrooms until softened and all liquid has been released, about ten minutes. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine tofu, cream cheese, reserved mushroom juice and reserved garlic until creamy. Add some pasta water if needed to adjust consistency.

Combine pasta, tofu sauce and mushrooms prior to serving. Serves 4.

Spiced Cauliflower, Spinach, and Chickpeas

2008-10-30T16:32:00.000-07:00

Brrrr... it's gotten chilly here lately. Or is that just the ghost of John McCain running through my house?

Whatever the case, a big bowl of warm veggies is the cure.

Ingredients:

2 TB vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 TB curry

1 TB garam masala

1 TB cumin

1/2 TB coriander

1/2 TB hungarian paprika

1/2 TB turmeric

2 TB tomato paste

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 15 oz can chickpeas, with juice

2 small (or 1 large) heads of cauliflower, chopped into florets

10 oz fresh spinach

salt and pepper to taste

lemon juice (optional)

Preparation:

In large dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute until softened. Add spices and tomato paste, and stir to combine. Add canned tomatoes, chickpeas and cauliflower. Put lid on oven, and bring cauliflower mixture to a low simmer.

Take lid off, and let mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Add spinach once cauliflower has softened, and cook until spinach softens. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice. Add a small amount of lemon juice to each bowl prior to serving if desired. Serves 6-8.

Lentil Soup

2008-10-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

This was a welcome home soup, something I made to provide a bit of comfort against the cold, cold work week. The hint of rosemary and a splash of lemon at the end really brightened up the flavor. As with all soups, it got better each day.

Ingredients:

2 TB olive oil
1 white onion, chopped
2 carrots, thinly sliced into discs
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced into discs
8 c low sodium vegetable stock
1.5 c dried lentils
1.5 TB cumin
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp Hungarian paprika
salt and pepper to taste
4 c fresh spinach
juice from ½ lemon

Preparation:

Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a large stock pot. Add lentils, and turn heat down to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onions, and sautee until softened. Add carrots and celery to skillet, and stir to coat with oil. Add onion mixture to stockpot, and season soup with cumin, rosemary, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer soup for an additional 10-25 minutes, until lentils are soft on inside. (If using spinach, add during last five minutes of cooking.)

Immediately prior to serving, add lemon juice. Serve soup with grated cheese on side. Serves 6-8.

Salty Girl does California

2008-10-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

I’m back! We spent the past 10 days in California… beginning in Los Angeles and ending in Calistoga. A fabulous trip eating and otherwise.

While I do feel a little bit like I drank the Cali Kool-Aid in terms of how fresh and fabulous all the food was, I’m still putting my eggs in the east coast basket for now. For now.

After stumbling off the plane in LA at 10am Saturday, we drove to Santa Monica and had lunch at Urth, a lovely organic café with a fun patio and great people watching. Then it was off to REI for some last minute supplies for our backpacking trip. Dinner was at Brasserie Anisette. I highly recommend it if you are in Santa Monica… great vibe and perfect for a Saturday night.

We got up the next morning and drove to the Matilija wilderness area in Los Padres National Forest for a few days of back to nature. As anyone who hikes knows, you could barbeque a sock after a long day on the trail and it would probably rock your world. We kept it simple, and had strange noodle concoctions in the evenings, including buckwheat noodles one night that basically turned into glue. Alarming! Yet tasty!

We reemerged from the woods and headed to Santa Barbara. We spent the afternoon ogling produce at the Farmer's Market- which puts any others I've seen to shame.

Then it was off to my cousin’s house in Santa Barbara, where she made a fabulous roasted yam and sweet potato soup. I’ll definitely be trying to recreate it this winter. Her partner whipped up sourdough French toast in the morning, and sent us on our way to Monterey.

We stopped for lunch at a little café that overlooked the Pacific, and were told that fires closed the road up ahead on highway one. Veggie sandwich eaten, I climbed back into the car for what would be a full day in the car. But, a beautiful one nonetheless. We were rewarded with dinner at Passionfish, a restaurant in Pacific Grove that features all sustainable seafood. It totally lived up to the rave reviews, and was an easy walk from our lovely inn.

The next day we ventured to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for some starfish touching and tuna feeding and had lovely seafood salads for lunch after.

One of the coolest things at the Aquarium was the “Real Cost Café”, an exhibit set up to look like a lunch counter. It's part of the Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program, designed as a teaching tool. Behind a lunch counter there are videos that describe the perils of various food choices (e.g. tuna, shrimp, etc.). It really drove the point home and was a popular exhibit.

Thursday night we went to the San Francisco culinary temple that is Zuni. I had an amazing oven-baked halibut couscous seasoned with anise, cinnamon and garlic and served with charmoula and harissa. Amazaing. The house cured olives were also delicious, with hints of citrus and fennel. I probably ate an entire loaf of their bread myself, and I'm proud of it.

We waddled out of San Francisco Friday to drive up to Calistoga for a wedding. We stopped along the way in Napa to attempt a tandem roadbike (Never again! We didn’t make it out of the parking lot). We traded it in for normal roadbikes and had a laughably short ride to the closest vineyard we could find from Healdsburg. Quivira turned out to be a very cool biodynamic vineyard which provided a perfect place to picnic. We wobbled back into town, and completed the weekend in Calistoga, with great brunches and even better dinners.

Before flying home we had dinner at the Slanted Door. It's as amazing as everyone says. The baby octopus was unbelievable, as was the grilled Arctic char. Even the mint tea was sublime. Definitely worth a visit.

I’m sad to be back at work, but full of ideas for fall cooking. Stay tuned!

Kidney Bean Cakes

2008-10-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

OK, the joke's up. You can tell me now. I feel certain I am in some sort of a social experiment that involves a gnome, or other sprightly, jesting creature, who tears off the calendar days while I sleep, unknowing that whole weeks are flying by. That's the case, isn't it?

I have not been cooking very much that is presentable these past two weeks, with little explanation. It could be the confusion of the WDC 'is it hot? or is it cold?' weather. I am ready to start making things that go in the oven- possibly for extended periods of time- but the 75 degree weather is telling me that's not a good idea. Ditto with soups. It just feels too sweaty.

I still cook for myself, sure, but no one really wants to look at some of my scary dinner concoctions. Trust me. We'll wait for the cold weather, and the recipes and photos will start flowing again.

Next week we're off on an adventure to California, which promises to provide very good food, and more weather confusion. I can't wait!

On an unrelated note, did you see this article? Eggs have become a daily thing for me since I stopped eating meat, and truly, sorting out what kind to buy-- unless you're buying right off the local, environmentally responsible, animal-loving farm-- is a challenge. Something I learned from this article-- hens like to eat grubs and other animals. So, claims on egg cartons that hens are fed vegetarian diets takes on a whole new twist. Sorta seems like feeding a cow corn, even though their stomachs and entire bodies are made for grass. What kind of eggs do you eat, readers?

Here's a recipe for the bean-lover in you. I was craving the beautiful, dark red of kidney beans a few days ago, and whipped these up. On a per serving basis, these are ridiculously cheap. If more people had access to cooking and nutrition education, they too could appreciate how easy and cheap it can be to eat well. We would all be that much healthier for it.

These have a bit of kick to them, and would go well with sauteed onions. Try them on a bun, with tortillas, or with rice.

Kidney Bean Cakes

Ingredients:

2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 small white onion

1/2 carrot

handful parsley

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg, beaten

1/2 c panko

cooking spray

Preparation:

In a food processor, process beans, onion, carrot and parsley until some chunks of beans remain. Spoon mixture into bowl. Add spices, and salt and pepper to taste. Add egg, and combine mixture with your hands. Add up to 1/2 c of panko crumbs to mixture, until mixture can be formed into cakes. Shape bean mixture into 6 cakes, and refrigerate for about an hour.

Cook cakes 3 at a time over medium-high heat in a large skillet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Serves 4, with left-overs.

Old Burger

2008-10-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

Husband's email to me was titled, "Old Burger". I was intrigued... and then equal parts horrified and full of self-satisfying smugness. I don't normally include stuff like this here, but this is pretty amazing.

I think the link speaks for itself, don't you?

Pasta with Spicy Garlic Shrimp

2008-09-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

September, I hardly knew you. Where have you gone? But no worries, I'll be fine without you. In fact, I've already moved on, to something orangier and redder. Something that offers the promise of... candy corn! Yes, it's my old/new love: October. My skin just fits better in October, the world feels right. It's without a doubt my favorite time of the year. (Geez, August, don't get bent out of shape. I love you, too, it's just that October smells so nice...)

I've planted some arugula in the garden, and am pulling my cardigans out of boxes. Life doesn't get much better. Sure, the country's collective net worth is $.98, but thoughts of October's intoxicating blend of pumpkins and apples make me forget my worries.

Pasta with Spicy Garlic Shrimp

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pasta

2 TB olive oil

5-7 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped or grated

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined

3 TB tomato paste

1/2 c pureed tomatoes

1 tsp (or more) red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

handful of parsley, roughly chopped

fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to directions, in salted water.

Meanwhile, add olive oil to a skillet that has been heated over medium-low heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions and garlic to a bowl, leaving oil in skillet.

Turn skillet to medium-high, and add shrimp. Cook for about 1 minute per side, or until just pink. Turn heat off, and add onions, garlic, tomato paste, tomato puree, and red pepper flakes to skillet. Stir to combine.

Using tongs, remove pasta from pasta water, and put in skillet. Some pasta water is necessary to achieve desired consistency, so there is no need to drain pasta. Reserve 1/2 c pasta water before emptying pasta pot.

Combine pasta with shrimp mixture using tongs. Add more red pepper flakes if desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add more pasta water if desired to achieve a thinner sauce. Immediately prior to serving, mix in parsley. Top each plate with a dash of lemon juice. Serves 4.

Lentil Loaf

2008-09-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

Like so many vegetarian entrees that I am coming to love, this one will not win any beauty contests. And there is something very satisfying about that-- food as substance rather than form. I have never been a fan of food that's prettier than it tastes. I'd rather go to a restaurant that pays attention to procuring fresh, healthy and sustainable ingredients instead of slavishly arranging sub-par ingredients on the plate.

Probably part of the challenge of helping vegetarian food reach the masses is making it look more appealing. Fresh ingredients are beautiful, and finding way to entice people shouldn't be too big of a challenge. That being said, the photo of this loaf is probably not going to drive people to put their steak knife down. But the flavor was spot on, and eaten with rice it provides a complete protein via complementary protein sources.

Granted, there is still some confusion as to whether vegetarians need to eat certain combinations of food in the same meal, or if it's sufficient just to generally eat a varied diet. The creator of the idea of complementary proteins now believes that a varied diet will provide sufficient protein, as do the vast majority of nutritionists. But, still, you can't go wrong with rice and beans.

Equally as important, this is an affordable meal to make. So often, eating healthy food seems out of reach, but beans are an inexpensive way to eat well. I used fresh mushrooms, which takes the cost up, but canned mushrooms would be a fine stand-in, especially since all the ingredients are being cooked anyway.

Lentil Loaf

Ingredients:

cooking spray

1 1/2 c dried lentils

2 carrots, sliced finely into disks

1 TB vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely chopped or grated

16 oz mushrooms (I used a mix of cremini and white)

1/2 c chopped roasted red pepper

1 TB thyme

1TB cumin

2 TB Worcestershire

1 egg, beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside. Preheat oven to 450.

Place lentils in a pot with water to cover by an inch. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down and allows lentils to simmer for about 30 minutes. Add carrots, and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes. Drain well, and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Saute onions for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add mushrooms, and saute until mushrooms have released all their liquid and mushrooms almost stick to pan. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine lentil mixture with onions and mushrooms and red pepper. Season with thyme, cumin, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Add egg, and combine all ingredients. Spoon mixture into loaf pan. Bake at 450 for 30 minute, or until loaf starts to pull away from sides of pan. Serves 4.

Oven Crisped Fish

2008-09-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

What was your favorite moment in Thursday's presidential debate? I have two: one when poor Barack (his hair looks much more grey than when the campaign began, don't you agree?) called John "Tom". The other would have to be when John/Tom (aka man-who-looks-he-is-stuffed-with-iron-filings) was talking about health care. Rather than say individuals and their family 'members' he started to say individuals and their 'deceased'. Klassy, John/Tom, way to convey that soft, human side that has been so elusive thus far.

Debate dinner was crispy fish. I used tilapia, but any flat fish would do the trick. Leftovers would be great in a pita with a tangy tartar sauce and shaved green cabbage.

Oven Crisped Fish

Ingredients:

cooking spray

1 lb flat fish (such as tilapia), patted dry with paper towels

4TB whole wheat flour

1 egg beaten

1 c panko bread crumbs

1/2 c finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450. Place a baking rack on a baking sheet, and spray rack with cooking spray. Set aside.

Set up three large, shallow bowls. Place the flour in the first bowl, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Pour the beaten egg into the second bowl. Place the panko in the last bowl. Place bowls side by side.

Take each fish filet and dust both sides with flour, then place in egg mixture, then dredge in panko to coat thoroughly. Place on baking sheet, and sprinkle with cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. For a very crispy outside, turn oven to broil for last 3-4 minutes. Serves 4.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

2008-09-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't found the answer to this eternal question yet: how many irregularly shaped muffins does it take to erase the memory of a really bad day at work? But I am getting closer.

After (unsuccessfully) chasing my cat around the living room with an overgrown zucchini-- (Me: "Come on Simone, it's a photo-op! You love having your picture taken! And! The zucchini is bigger than you!" Cat: "For the love of all things normal, please stop that, Mommy. I will not submit to your absurd still-life idea. I am insulted that you think that a picture of me would be enhanced by the presence of a huge, probably tasteless squash. Unbelievable.")-- I was too dejected to even use the zucchini in the muffins.

So blueberry banana, it was. I used very ripe bananas that I had previously stashed in the freezer, as well as a handful of fresh blueberries I had frozen as well. I thawed them out, and they were ready to go. This recipe is based loosely on Mark Bittman's basic muffin recipe, although I made quite a few changes.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

cooking spray

1c whole wheat flour

1c white flour

1/4 c sugar

3 TB baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

1/2 tsp ginger

pinch allspice

1/2 c soy milk

3 TB canola oil

1 egg

3 very ripe bananas

1 c blueberries

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 12 muffin tray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl (through allspice). Set aside. Combine all wet ingredients, except blueberries, in a separate bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredient bowl, and pour in the wet ingredients.

Mix gently with a wooden spoon, stopping when ingredients are combined. Add more soy milk if needed. Batter should be thick, lumpy and moist. Carefully fold in blueberries.

Spoon mixture into muffin tray. Bake for about 20-25 minutes. Check muffins for doneness with a wooden toothpick. Makes 12.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

2008-09-10T15:08:00.001-07:00

My mom warned me: some time this past month her grape tomatoes had gone from sugary sweet to sassily tart. Maybe they got bitter about the end of summer? Something gave these little orbs an attitude. I decided the only fitting treatment for them was Hansel & Gretel style: into the oven, my pretties.

I seasoned them with salt and pepper and put them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. They cooked for about an hour at 400 degrees, and then I turned the oven off and left them to roast some more in the cooling oven.

They taste, as husband said, not unlike a tomato craisin, if such a thing existed. Slightly caramelized, and quite tart, almost like a sundried tomato. They'll be lovely in an omelet, sandwich or with fish. Thanks, Mom!

Spinach Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Topped with Pan Fried Anchovy Tofu

2008-09-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

I think I have been cramping my own style, so to speak. Uugggh someone put that sentence out of its misery. 1) Cramping my style = gross; 2) So to speak = land o' cliches.

But anyway, the bottom line is (more business speak, good gravy!), my current self-proclaimed mandate that all the recipes on salty girl must come from my own head turns out to be pretty draconion. It's affecting what I'm cooking: or rather, what I'm not cooking. I love hunting for recipes, but the fun is definitely tempered if you know you'll never use the recipe.

Time to break free! I still aspire to keep creating recipes- it's one of my favorite things about cooking. In the beginning, I wasn't even aware of the convention of listing the ingredients in the order they are used in the recipe (makes sense). So, I've learned a lot from the process. But re-inventing the wheel (hello, it's still cliche day on planet salt) isn't rewarding, so I'm giving my self permission to go back to cooking other people's recipes once in a while.

This recipe is an original (as far as I know). It was eaten after a fairly hideous 60 mile bike ride. Pain! Joy! You get the picture.

Spinach Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Topped with Pan Fried Anchovy Tofu

Ingredients: (Tofu)

1 + 1 TB olive oil

salt and pepper

2 blocks drained extra-firm tofu, sliced into thirds, and then thirds again

1/2 white onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tin anchovies, with oil (the kind wrapped around a caper if you can find it)

splash of lemon juice

Ingredients: ( Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing)

Juice of 1 lemon

2 TB olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

10 oz fresh baby spinach

Lemon wedges

Preparation:

In a large skillet, heat 1TB oil over medium-high heat. Pat tofu with paper towel to remove any remaining water before placing in skillet. Season both sides of tofu with salt and pepper. Pan fry tofu on all sides, until brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Add remaining oil to skillet, and heat over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sautee until soft. Add anchovies to mixture, and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, and add tofu. Combine ingredients, and add a splash of lemon. Season to taste. Set aside.

Combine ingredients for vinaigrette, and toss spinach in dressing. Serve spinach topped with tofu and a wedge of lemon. Serves 4.

Oven Roasted Tilapia with Baby Portobello Sauce

2008-09-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

Sweet 31. Yeah, I've never cared much for my birthday, but the reality is, damn. I am in my 30s now. And not so fired up about it. Before you go concluding that I am a vain, crazed woman, please allow me to clarify. It's not a fear of wrinkles. It's just that I have so much crap I want to do in my life that I am a bit panicked by the prospect of cramming it all into the next 60 years. How is one lifetime ever enough??

Sigh. But, at least things are pretty amazing while you are trying to cram it all in.

This was breakfast one day on our break from the world. Divine. Not too much cooking occurred while we were away, because honestly, how much can you cook white wine and Cambozola ?

While I was busy not cooking, I read a lot, and also watched copious amounts of Robert DeNiro movies. That wasn't so much by design, more just what the Netflix overlord decreed for the week. Consequently, by mid-week, my tough guy accent was pretty appalling. Husband was a good sport about it. The accent and me waking up at five a.m. expecting a home invasion.

I arrived back home to find the garden in somewhat of a stage of mutiny. My god forsaken tomatoes seem to have taken the summer off. The beans and eggplant however luckily got the memo that their only job in life is to grow, and have been complying.

Here are some very festive squash:

Oven Roasted Tilapia with Baby Portobello Sauce

Ingredients:

cooking spray

1 lb Tilapia

1TB olive oil

1/4 white onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 lb baby portobello mushrooms, quartered

1 TB tomato paste

red wine vinegar

red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Season both sides of tilapia filets with salt and pepper. Spray a foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray and then arrange the tilapia on the sheet. Roast tilapia in a preheated 450 oven for about 8 minutes, or until fish flakes easily. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute until soft. Turn heat down to medium-low and add mushrooms to skillet. Saute for five-ten minutes, until mushrooms have released liquid and are soft. If needed, add small amounts of water to mushroom mixture to prevent it from sticking to skillet while sauteing.

Remove skillet from heat. Add tomato paste and a splash of red wine vinegar to the mixture and stir to combine. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste. Serve tilapia with mushroom sauce on top. Serves 2.

Into the Sunset...

2008-08-23T04:29:00.001-07:00

But back soon! Have a great week, everyone.

Italian Salsa Verde

2008-08-20T14:14:00.001-07:00

A confession: watching the Olympic track events gets me really fired up. Husband has been a little taken aback by my enthusiasm, hearing me being raucous in the next room, shouting encouragement, or just as often, giving advice. ‘Cuz you know, I have any idea about running in the Olympics, and I am sure I have a lot to contribute to their races.

A sort of hilarious side effect of all of this track-watching has been a definite change in my tempo when I’ve been running this past week. I mean, what, do I think I’m going to qualify for 2012? Only if there’s suddenly a special division for 34 year olds who eat a lot of Yogato and drink a lot of Pinot Grigio. Otherwise, I am not likely to make it. But, in the meantime, I am zipping through Rock Creek. Look out!

Of course, I have to eat a lot to compensate for all that speed. Yes, my mile pace is now a blistering 10 minutes, as opposed to the previously languid 10:15; bring on the calories.

To fuel my new blazing speed, I made roasted tilapia with a velvety Italian salsa verde. This sauce is perfect for summer: minimal ingredients, yet very flavorful. It's a cold sauce that's ready in seconds.

With the tilapia we had couscous with basil and mint, and roasted squash, onions, peppers and eggplant. Dinner was enjoyed outside, in the company of great friends. I hope summer never ends.

Italian Salsa Verde

Ingredients:

2-3 c Italian flat leaf parsley

3 garlic cloves

6 anchovy filets, plus oil

2 TB capers, plus juice

1 TB olive oil

2-4 TB red wine vinegar

Preparation:

Combine first five ingredients in a food processor. Add red wine vinegar slowly, until sauce has reached desired consistency. Add more of any ingredient to adjust flavor balance. Serves 4.

_________________

This recipe is my submission to the Weekend Herb Blogging contest, hosted this week by Cooking 4 All Seasons, and created by Kayln's Kitchen.

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

2008-08-15T13:07:00.001-07:00

Crikey! Salty girl found these pickles to be WAY too salty. Aren't they pretty, though? The reward for trying to follow a recipe is never certain. Sometimes there are stand-outs, and sometimes, sit-downs. With about half the amount of salt, these will be divine next time. The spice combination that I threw together worked really well, I'll be keeping that. I'll post the amended recipe, rather than waste your time with something I know will taste like it should have been eaten on the Mayflower.

I didn't can these... not bold enough yet. But I'm working up my nerve. I want to be ready to make cases and cases of spaghetti sauce when the tomatoes all come in. Then, I'll be halfway to fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming Strega Nona. Wah ha ha....

The recipe below was based on Mary's Spicy Garlic Pickles, from the Liz Crain Collection.

Quick Refrigerator Pickles

Ingredients:

10 1-qt. mason jars

1 qt. distilled white vinegar

3 qts water

1/2- 3/4 c non-iodized salt*

3TB spices per jar (I used the following combination for my 8 jars: 3TB caraway seeds, 8 TB coriander, 5 TB peppercorn mix, 1 TB all black peppercorn, 3 TB cloves, 2 TB fennel, 1 TB red pepper flakes, 1 TB allspice berries) other possibilities are juniper berries, mustard seeds, etc.

Bunch of dill

Vegetables: cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, etc. for pickling (one medium-large cucumber per jar; 6-10 small pickling cucumbers per jar; 2-3 lemon cucumbers per jar; 1-2 c cherry tomatoes per jar; the possibilities are endless.) Slice all vegetables to desired size and shape: discs, spears, wedges, etc. Leave cherry tomatoes whole.

Preparation:

In a nonreactive pot, bring vinegar, water, and salt to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and set aside.

Put 3TB of spice mix in each mason jar, along with some dill. Pack vegetables into each jar, until jar is about 3/4 full. Pour hot vinegar mixture into each jar, up to about 1/2 inch from the top. Wait until the jars are cool, then put lids on jars. Refrigerate jars. Pickles will be ready in about 3-4 days. Makes 10 quarts.

* The major change I would make from the recipe I worked off of was a reduction in salt. The cup of salt the original recipe called for was excessive: I suspect 3/4 c would be sufficient.

Pasta with Eggplant, Cherry Tomato and Olive Sauce

2008-08-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sunday was another one of those magical WDC days, in my book. There was something about the air pressure that almost defeated my I-had-too-much-fun-last-night-and-am-now-suffering feeling. Almost.

My husband assured me that what I really needed to get rid of that feeling was a fifty mile bike ride, naturally. We set out obnoxiously later than planned (I wouldn’t trade a night with out-of-town friends for an early start, don’t get me wrong) and it took about 30 miles to feel like I wasn’t going to fall off of the bike. But what a gorgeous ride. We made it almost to Sugarloaf , but turned around just short of it.

In hindsight, it’s sort of hilarious how self-assured I was feeling at mile 45. Because at mile 46 I was ready to vote Republican if it would have made the ride end any sooner (OK, OK, it wasn’t that bad...).

We slurped ourselves home and tried to sort out dinner. We had had plans to go out, to enjoy the oddly cool evening weather, but we were not ready for prime time. I think I was drooling on myself, and husband was not much better.

Having raided my parent’s garden earlier in the day, I had handfuls of cherry tomatoes at my disposal. This sauce was easy, and tasted even better the next day.

Pasta with Eggplant and Cherry Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

½ lb pasta
1 TB olive oil
½ onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggplants, chopped into roughly 1 inch pieces
2-3 c cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1-2 c water
¼ c Kalamata olives, chopped
2 TB tomato paste
1 TB balsamic vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 handful basil
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to directions, in salted water. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, add olive oil to a skillet that has been heated over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, about four minutes.

Add eggplant and about 1 c water to skillet. Combine well. Cook covered, over medium heat, until eggplant is softened. Stir periodically to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom. Add more water as needed.

Uncover, and add tomatoes to mixture and cook until tomatoes are softened, about 3 minutes. Add olives, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar and red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Prior to serving, add basil. Heat from sauce will wilt basil. Serve with cheese on the side. Serves 4.

Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

2008-08-10T18:48:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was pretty close to an ideal day for me. The weather was sublime, and I knew that at the end of the day a cooking session and some close friends were waiting for me.

To up the fun-stakes even more, in the middle of the day my friend, (we'll call her "the hostess", shall we?) brought me some bounty from her CSA on her way out of town. I desperately want to make pickled everything, but am terrified of losing a limb or a nose in the process. Canning seems so savage, so frontier, so Little House on the Prairie. Which is of course why I am attracted to it. Just haven't gotten up the spine or the implements to try it out. These lemon cucumbers are so festive though, they cry out for preservation. What would you do with them?

In any event, Saturday's menu was fish tacos with a cabbage slaw. I served the tacos with a spinach salad and corn on the cob. Simple, seasonal, and very satisfying.

The fish part of the tacos was farm-raised tilapia that I had marinated in lime juice, cumin and chopped serrano peppers. If you marinate the fish for too long, it starts to cook in the acid of the juice. About 20 minutes is adequate. I threw the fish on a grill pan, and that was that.

The tacos themselves were corn tortillas, warmed in a skillet until blistering slightly. They can then be set aside and wrapped in a napkin while they wait their turn. If you're not a fan of spicy food, please reduce the chile in the recipe or you may find yourself with a seared palate.

Cabbage Slaw

Ingredients:

3/4 head purple cabbage, sliced thinly using a mandoline

1/2 head green cabbage, sliced thinly using a mandoline

1 serrano chile, seeds removed, finely chopped

8 spring onions, white and some green parts, chopped

juice of 2 limes

1- 1 1/2 cups yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine purple and green cabbage, chile, onion and lime juice in a large bowl. Add yogurt, and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least an hour before eating to allow flavors to combine. Prior to serving*, season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

* Add the salt immediately prior to serving. If you salt the slaw before that, it will draw water out of the cabbage and your lovely salad will become a soup.

Chickpea Zucchini "Patties"

2008-08-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

There's no way to sugarcoat the situation: this was not a photogenic dinner. This is the "before cooking" picture, which trust me, was better than the after picture. One of the exciting things about cooking without a recipe is the satisfaction of feeling like you've created something. The obvious peril is that your creation might be sort of a disaster. This wasn't a total disaster: it tasted great. But the texture was suspect, at best.

I'll post the ingredient list so that others can learn from my brazen silliness of trying to make a patty that would hold up in a skillet out of nothing but vegetables. It did not work my friend, do not be as arrogant as I was. Use egg, use chickpea flour, use breadcrumbs, use a glue-stick for goodness' sake-- anything to get these to bind together better.

Let's call it what it is, shall we. This was a veggie scramble. Ingredients were: 1 can drained chickpeas, 1 grated zucchini, 1/4 white onion, 2TB tomato paste, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, cumin and salt and pepper. Delicious, if you want a scramble, but this was no patty in the end. I was able to get them into the skillet in patty form, but was not zen enough to flip them without destroying them. If you are more sage than I, you may be able to do it. Let me know.

Curried Tofu Salad & Tomato Blueberry Salsa

2008-08-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

The weather in Washington lately has been sublime, almost early fall-like. That combined with the fact that the city has begun its annual emptying-out has left this lady one un-salty girl.

Also, I have these new sunglasses that literally make the world look like a nicer place. I am not kidding! Driving over the Delaware Memorial Bridge recently with them on was practically a religious experience. The tilt of the bridge, the sugariness of the clouds and the sea foam (don't pretend like that wasn't the best Crayola crayon color) glint of the painted steel sent me swooning. Thank you, Sisley, for making colors seems just Photo-Shopped enough that I've become convinced I am in my own Pixar movie. Divine.

Every August, the slowing down of the city is a pleasant surprise. (Thank you, amnesia, apparently). Every year I become convinced that life here doesn't have to feel hectic, and that just maybe Washingtonians understand that there's more to life than politics. Restaurants aren't as busy, there's less traffic, people seem more easy-going. I know from experience that it won't last, but I do love this incarnation of the city.

For dinner Thursday I made curried tofu salad. I also made a tasty salsa, that didn't go with the salad at all, it turns out. But it was refreshing in its own right. The tofu salad was very satisfying and perfect for a weeknight dinner.

As always, I intend for my recipes to be a starting point, rather than a commandment. The addition of a few chopped hard boiled eggs would be welcome as well, although definitely not necessary. Feel free as well to use full fat or low-fat yogurt rather than nonfat. Whatever grade of dairy product pleases you, pleases me. Enjoy!

Curried Tofu Salad

Ingredients:

1 TB olive oil

2 blocks extra firm tofu, well drained, and sliced into thirds lengthwise

6-8 celery ribs, finely chopped

4 scallions, white and some green part finely chopped

handful of Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 TB chopped jalapeno (use more or less to taste)

1 c nonfat yogurt

1TB curry (or more to taste)

1/2 TB turmeric

juice of 1/2- 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking spray or olive oil to coat skillet. Pan fry tofu until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Cool slabs of tofu on a wire rack until cool enough to handle. Cube tofu and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine celery, scallions, parsley and jalapeno. Add yogurt, curry, turmeric and tofu to bowl. Using your hands, gently combine all ingredients until tofu is thoroughly coated with yogurt. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

Tomato Blueberry Salsa

Ingredients:

2 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 c blueberries, chopped

1/4 red onion, very finely chopped

small handful of Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Refrigerate for at least a half hour to allow flavors to combine. Serves 4.

Pasta with Garden Vegetable Sauce

2008-08-02T14:18:00.001-07:00

I do apologize for being so out of touch! I've been by the sea, and other fun fabulous locales. This lazy summer afternoon finds me at the Cocoa Bar in Brooklyn- I highly recommend it. Lovely garden behind the shop and very tasty iced coffee. Perfect.

In my absence, my trusty garden has been hard at work. I overcame my doubts and finally plucked my one eggplant. Now I know how only children must feel- so much pressure. Anyway, the eggplant shined, it was only my heavy-handedness in picking it that caused the jewel distress. The stems of eggplants are very reedy and woody, and apparently snap if you twist them. Who knew! So, the plant did sustain some trauma (the branch the eggplant was on split in two) but hopefully, it will knit itself back together.

Thank you now for indulging in my cheesy vegetable-scape:

These were all the veggies I found waiting for me when I returned from my eastern seaboard adventure. Those vaguely albino looking fellows are yellow peppers. And the squash in front is a mutant pattypan, grown beyond all reason.

With these vegetables, I made a lovely pasta sauce:

Pasta with Garden Vegetable Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 lb pasta

1 TB olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large eggplant, cubed

2 peppers, any color, chopped

2 lbs assorted squash, cubed

1/2 c water

2 TB tomato paste

2 TB capers

1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives

Freshly ground black pepper

salt to taste

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to directions, in salted water. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until soft, about four minutes. Add eggplant, peppers, and squash to pan. Turn vegetables to coat with onions and garlic. Saute for two minutes, stirring often.

Turn heat to low, and add 1/4 cup water to skillet, and cover. Add more water periodically as needed to prevent vegetables from sticking to bottom of pan. Cook until vegetables are soft, about five- seven minutes.

Uncover mixture and add tomato paste, olives and capers. Combine thoroughly and cook over low heat for two minutes to allow flavors to combine. Season with pepper. Season with salt to taste. (Note: salt may not be necessary as the olives and capers bring much saltiness to the sauce.)

To serve, top portions of pasta with sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Serves four.

Another Use for Parsley- in Pizza Dough

2008-07-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I keep talking about how hot it is in DC, and then I go and crank up the oven to make pizza. You don't feel sorry for me anymore, I understand.

My love of pizza transcends the weather, what can I say. This was an eggplant, red onion and olive pizza. With a few pieces of pieces of prosciutto tossed onto husband's side for good measure.

To avoid having the pizza become a watercolor lake scene, I sliced the eggplant, salted it heavily, and let it drain in a colander for about an hour before putting it on the pizza. Rinse the salt off thoroughly, and the eggplant is ready to go. The salting process draws out the moisture before you put it in the oven, avoiding the creation of a swampy mess on your pizza.

By the way, I am still carefully monitoring the progress of the one eggplant I have growing so far in the garden. I feel like I should build it a house, or give it shoes or something, given how much time I spend worrying about it. It's progressed from the size of a large grape to roughly the size of a soda can. When do I pick it?? I am racked with indecision. Who knows the answer?? Will it taste better if I pick it earlier?? Crazy city dweller, stressed about when to pick an eggplant, I know.

Instead of eggplant bounty, I have more flat leaf Italian parsley growing in my garden than any reasonable person could safely incorporate into their dishes in a lifetime. So, I've had to get stealthy. I chopped several handfuls of parsley (and basil) and added them to the dough before baking. The result was lovely. The dough had a great texture, and the herbs made the whole pizza taste very fresh.

Summer Salads

2008-07-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

This was another one of those dinners that had to stand in for what I really wanted: an ice bath.

I do love summer, I do, I do! But this summer my love is being tested, for the first time really. I know I'll come out the other side OK. I would never forsake the refreshing afternoon thundershowers, insanely lush landscape and long nights for a cooler climate. Never, summer, OK? You're safe.

These salads are all quite simple. The beet salad was my way of using up the last of my beets from the garden. I lovingly swaddled them one by one in tinfoil... and then delivered them to a 500 degree oven. They roasted for about an hour, because they weren't the hugest beets. If you are working with bigger beets, just roast them until they feel tender when pricked with a fork. After removing the foil the skins slide off easily.

I quartered the beets, and combined them with a healthy amount of dill, allspice berries, red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Optimally they should be refrigerated overnight to allow the flavors to combine, but chilling them just until they are cool is OK too.

Next on the plate clockwise is a simple tomato, basil, cucumber, red onion and parsley salad. I combined those ingredients with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Clean and comforting.

Finally, I made a hot zucchini, eggplant, and onion salad. I simply sauteed chunks of the vegetables in a bit of olive oil, and then seasoned. Voila! It was quite good cold the next day, as well, but someone in my house (not naming names husband) has a real thing for hot food, even when it's so hot out that people's faces are warping. So, hot salad it was.

With the salads we had toasted pita and pureed white bean dip. This dinner was fairly virtuous, dietarily speaking, but still very satisfying, perfect for enjoying a summer evening.

Offering of Beets

2008-07-18T12:12:00.000-07:00

Here are the last of the beets from the garden... what to do with them?

Summer Supper: Polenta, Spiced Black Beans with Sauteed Poblano, and Tomato and Corn Salad

2008-07-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

It is so hot here in DC that the usually surly population has officially gone off the charts. In "only in Washington" fashion, I observed a character this week, who I'll call "ridiculously hostile watermelon pusher man", or WP, for short.

I had seen him a few weeks prior, camped out on the same corner, a few blocks from DuPont Circle. He'd set up his shop of meanness outside of what was presumably his residence. (Note: if you ever "work" where you live, try not to be a jerk. People know how to find you.) The first time I saw him, I thought it had to be some sort of performance art. Sadly, that was not the case.

What was he peddling, in the 100 degree heat? Slices of cold watermelon. Sounds refreshing, right?

Wrong.

WP's brilliant, and yet maniacal business plan, surely one not honed at Wharton, was to give the slices away. That's right, free of charge. Gratis. Equipped with a blue cooler, lawn chair, and cardboard sign, WP set about trying to foist free produce on the unsuspecting masses.

But like all good city dwellers, the intended beneficiaries were highly suspicious. Not many souls were brave enough to accept the free fruit.

How did WP deal with this? By mocking and ridiculing anyone within earshot. As in, "What the hell is wrong with people in this city?" "What, are you scared? You're scared, aren't you? Scaredy cat!" and, my favorite, "Don't be a loser, eat some freaking watermelon!"

Further proof that the heat makes people crazy, and that no allegedly good deed goes unpunished.

Good deed = no punishment; meanness = people avoid you. Think about it, WP.

The heat has also resulted in me avoiding the oven, and even the stove, whenever possible.

Tonight's dinner was a simple combination of polenta, black beans, and tomatoes and corn. I served it with a big spinach salad. Perfectly summer.

The recipes were so simple as to not really be worth mentioning. For the polenta, I used a 50/50 mix of finely and coarsely ground corn, which I find to produce the best consistency. The black beans were already prepared for me: I bought a can of seasoned beans. To the beans, I added sauteed diced poblano and few garlic cloves. The corn and tomato salad featured fresh corn, cut off the cob, and San Marzano tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are worth the extra cost-- they are so sweet, perfect with summer corn. I added salt, pepper, sugar, and fresh basil.

Very few of the ingredients had to be purchased; most were ingredients I had at home. Just a couple of seasonal ingredients can really make dinner special.

This concludes my Martha Stewart Moment for the day. Thank you.

Linguini with Anchovies, Parsley and Capers

2008-07-13T16:37:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you realize that you've lived near a major city for your whole life. Times like when you see an eggplant growing, and are surprised that it's actually purple. For some reason, I was pretty convinced they started out white. Like how some kids' eyes start out blue, and then turn darker. Anyway, turns out even baby eggplants are purple.

Here's the baby picture:

It's about the size of a large grape right now. Hopefully it'll make it out of infancy so I can eat it. While the garden incubates eggplant, it's turning out parsley in alarming quantities.

Hence, this quick and easy pasta features parsley. This is great for a weeknight, or any other time you're cooking from your pantry and have some fresh herbs to toss in the mix.

Linguini with Anchovies, Parsley and Capers

Ingredients:

1/2 lb linguini

8-10 anchovies in oil, oil reserved

1/4 onion, chopped

6 garlic cloves, finely minced

red pepper flakes

2 TB capers

1 TB caper juice

2 c chopped parsley

1TB lemon zest

freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Cook linguini, according to directions in salted water. Reserve 1c of cooking water, then drain, and set pasta aside.

In large skillet, heat anchovy oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and sautee until soft. Turn heat to low-medium and add anchovies to skillet and sautee another 3-4 minutes, using spoon to break up the fish. Add capers, caper juice, and parsley and sautee for about a minute. Remove mixture from heat.

Combine anchovy mixture and pasta in skillet. Add pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency. Stir in lemon zest. Season liberally with freshly ground pepper. Serves 4.

Pasta Salad with Eggplant and Red Peppers tossed in Chickpea Sauce

2008-07-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

This salad was made for a bbq, that turned out to be less bbq, and more inside air conditioned affair. I have a sadistic love of the heat in DC, so I was disappointed. Everyone else was quite comfortable.

I pulled this salad together on Saturday morning, in my wee kitchen, my hulking figure hunched over the stove. OK, so I'm not Godzilla, but sometimes I like to think of myself as a big action figure in a small doll house. It makes city living seem more reasonable. Otherwise, why the heck would two people and a cat voluntarily share so few square feet?? Must be for the entertainment factor.

After salad making was done (note: sadly, no offers to turn the adventure into a comic strip have come in), husband (he's still unnamed; shall we have a contest?) and I went for a bike ride, again taking advantage of the 95 degree weather. All was fine, even fabulous, until about mile 30. At that point, I abruptly abandoned my new road bike and sprinted in the direction of a suburban sprinkler system, prepared to roll around in their lawn, if need be.

The passers-by in their air conditioned cars looked horrified, but I was downright gleeful. Unfortunately, even after a good soaking, I was still speaking jiberish and threatening to completely jump ship if my head didn't cool off a little.

We biked a few more miles to a grocery store, where husband announced that what I needed in life at that very moment was a banana. I haven't had a banana in probably a year, because they always seem like such a commitment. And it's so easy for the texture to feel like pureed cardboard. But the reunion was sweeter than I ever could have imagined.

The banana was the perfect temperature (grocery store cool) and ripeness-- bright yellow, with no green, but also no brown. For about ten minutes, I communed with this fabulous fruit, and we had an earnest conversation, the banana and I. I promised to eat more in the future. My sanity having been restored, we continued the ride back into the city. I'd like to dedicate Saturday to that banana; it was so humble, yet so heavenly.

Moral of the story: dehydration makes you loopy. Even salty girl's salt balances get out of whack from time to time. Eat bananas, be happy.

Pasta Salad with Eggplant and Red Peppers tossed in Chickpea Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 lb shaped pasta

2TB olive oil

1/4 white onion, chopped finely

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly into 1 inch strips

1 medium eggplant, cubed

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

1.5 c chickpeas

1 TB ricotta

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 c Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation:

Cook pasta in salted water. Remove pasta and drain when quite al dente. Reserve 1 c of cooking liquid. Run pasta under cold water for several minutes to stop cooking. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until soft. Add garlic, and red peppers saute an additional 3-4 minutes. Add eggplant, stirring to coat in oil. Add red pepper flakes, and stir to combine.

Turn heat down to low-medium, and add a few tablespoons of water to skillet. Stir well, and cover skillet. Cook covered, stirring frequently, until eggplant softens. Take mixture off of heat before eggplant begins to fall apart. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside, and allow to cool.

To prepare sauce, add chickpeas and ricotta to food processor, and combine. Add pasta water slowly, until sauce is consistency of tomato sauce.

To prepare salad, combine pasta, eggplant mixture, and chick-pea sauce in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and parsley to mixture. Serve room temperature, or refrigerate for an hour prior to serving. Serves 4.

Salmon with Lemon Basil Dressing

2008-07-12T06:50:00.001-07:00

I never thought I'd be saying this so soon after my lovely friend fell ill, but she is doing tremendously. I feel incredibly blessed. Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts and emails!

Life continues. This salmon was a kick-off to the weekend, otherwise known as Thursday in my house. Don't get hostile on me, it's only on occasion, with my flex schedule. And this Friday (like most) I did have to work. (I know, shed a teeny, tiny tear for me. )

Salmon can break the bank if you're buying the more environmentally friendly and sustainable wild-caught versions, but it's so tasty. I generally lean towards a sharp dijon sauce to cut the substantial fat content in salmon, but my garden is growing basil like its life depends on it. So, basil with lemon dressing it was.

Simply grill or pan grill the salmon filets, to the doneness that you desire. Heat a pan that you've sprayed with nonstick spray over medium-high heat. There's no need to use extra oil when cooking salmon, unless you prefer to. Season the non-skin side, and cook skin side down for about 3-5 minutes. Flip salmon and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

I like to take it off the stove while it's still a little translucent and pink in the center, and let it finish cooking on the plate. Salmon is very forgiving-- it's hard to overcook because it's so fatty. But a perfectly cooked piece of salmon is sublime, in my book. Total cooking time for 1-inch thick filets is normally 6-10 minutes.

This very simple dressing would also be delicious on salads, tofu or more mild fish.

Lemon Basil Dressing

Ingredients:

2 handfuls of basil

juice of 1 lemon

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a food processor, chop basil until coursely chopped. Add lemon juice and olive oil, and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over salmon before serving. Sauce serves 4 portions of salmon.

Tofu Caprese

2008-07-06T20:24:00.000-07:00

Tofu Caprese

Ingredients:

3 TB extra virgin olive oil

(2)14 oz blocks extra firm tofu, each block well drained, sliced into quarters lengthwise, and seasoned generously with salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, pressed

2 dry pints grape tomatoes, sliced in half

1/4 c pitted Kalamata olives, chopped

2 TB balsamic vinegar

8 oz fresh mozzeralla, sliced into 1 oz slices

2 large handfuls basil

salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat 1TB olive oil in large skillet. When skillet is heated, add tofu slices, and cook for about 6 minutes per side over medium-high heat, or until tofu is crispy. Try not to move tofu while cooking, so as to allow tofu to crisp. Once tofu is done cooking, set aside.

In a smaller skillet, heat 1TB olive oil. When oil is heated, add garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes, over very low heat. Add grape tomatoes to skillet. Mix together well, and turn heat to medium. Cover mixture, and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tomatoes begin to soften and release juices.

Uncover, and add olives and balsamic vinegar. Mix well, and cook uncovered over medium heat for 3-4 additional minutes, stirring occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve dish, layer once slice of crispy tofu, and then two slices of mozzeralla. Generously spoon tomato olive mixture on top. Add several basil leaves, and top with another layer of crispy tofu. Finish with several spoonfuls of tomato olive mixture on top of stack. Drizzle remaining olive oil on the four stacks. Serves 4.

Rigatoni with Pesto,Yellow Squash Ribbons, and Grilled Grape Tomatoes

2008-07-03T08:20:00.001-07:00

Rigatoni with Pesto, Yellow Squash Ribbons, and Grilled Grape Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1/3 c toasted almonds

3-4 handfuls basil leaves

4 TB extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb. Rigatoni

1 dry pint grape tomatoes

2 squash, peeled into ribbons using Y peeler (discard center, seeded part of squash)

1/3 c grated parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In food processor, combine almonds and basil. Drizzle olive oil in (reserving 2tsp), and combine. Remove mixture from food processor, and mix in parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Cook pasta according to directions in salted water. Reserve about a cup of cooking water prior to draining.

Meanwhile, drizzle 2tsp olive oil in a grill pan, and heat. When oil is almost smoking, add grape tomatoes. Grill, turning occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Return pasta to empty pot. Add pesto and squash ribbons. Add pasta water and cheese until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper. Top with grilled tomatoes before serving. Serves 4.

Before and After

2008-07-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

Readers, my dearest friend fell seriously ill last Friday. She survived a cardiac arrest, and is recovering slowly, but surely. I will continue posting recipes; however, I can't gaurantee too much wit or commentary beyond that for the timebeing. One of the reasons I love food is because it brings people together, in all kinds of times. This is the craziest time I've ever had in my life, and I plan to cook through it. Cheers to dear Kate!

Lime Vinaigrette Salad with Rice Noodles, Marinated Tofu, and Peanuts

2008-06-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning found me staring, longingly, across the breakfast table as my husband enjoyed pork dumplings. Alas, our Safeway (variously called the Soviet Safeway, and other flattering nicknames) was out of the veggie ones.

The good that came out of this torture was that the sauce he had concocted to go with the dumplings was so delicious that it inspired dinner. It was a simple mixture of soy sauce, red vinegar, and sesame oil, laced with sliced garlic. It was perfectly balanced, and very summery.

If you are not a lettuce fan, this dinner would also work served hot, without the salad. But as a salad, it is refreshing and satisfying. Feel free to add shrimp if you like, (I grilled about ½ a pound and marinated it with the tofu) but it’s certainly not necessary.

Lime Vinaigrette Salad with Rice Noodles, Marinated Tofu, and Peanuts

Ingredients:

14 oz extra firm tofu, well drained and cubed
8 oz rice noodles, cooked, drained, and rinsed thoroughly with cold water to stop cooking process
About 15 oz romaine lettuce, chopped
2 thinly sliced carrots
Handful of basil, sliced
½ cup dry roasted peanuts

Tofu Marinade

Ingredients:

3TB soy sauce
2 TB red wine vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil
¼- ½ jalapeno, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced

Lime Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

Juice of one lime
1TB olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a shallow covered dish or pan, combine tofu marinade and tofu. Let marinate for about an hour. Meanwhile, to make salad, toss romaine with lime vinaigrette. To assemble dish, place about 4 c salad mixture on each plate. Top with 2 oz of noodles. Place about 3-4 oz tofu mixture on top of noodles. Finish by sprinkling carrots, basil and peanuts on top of each plate. Serves 4.

_________

In other news, my beans rock the party. Literally. Something that I love about my husband is his unequivicol willingness to be really bootleg when need be. Hence, we made our climbing bean pole trellis with bamboo stakes (normal) and... speaker wire (not so). Come on out & get your groove on, little beans.

Finally, a lovely piece of summer. My friend, the consummate hostess, made this delicious drink this weekend. The drink featured cucumber, thyme, lime & other favorite flavors. It even made me reconsider (for like 5 seconds) my lifetime ban on gin. That is a seriously good drink.

Spaghetti with Anchovies, Zucchini, Pine Nuts and Red Pepper Flakes

2008-06-20T12:13:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days where you eat your lunch on the way to work? And you go to work at like 8:30? And you had breakfast already at like 7? Um, yeah, me neither. Today was definitely not like that...

I am not quite sure where the midieval-girl-will-eat-anything-not-affixed-to-surface hunger came from this morning, because we had a lovely dinner last night. Thursday nights seem to find me making pasta often, since it's so simple and comforting. A sign the weekend is almost there.

I ventured boldly into the world of tinned fish: anchovies. I was honestly surprised by what I found. They are boney little suckers! I reserved the oil, and then rinsed the fish thoroughly using a mesh strainer. I am not entirely sure if I should have tried to pick out all of the little splinter sized pieces of cartilage, but they seemed so thin, and I wanted to eat dinner before next week, so I said what the heck. We didn't notice them at all.

What do you do with your anchovies? I guess cartilage doesn't exactly melt, but they were undetectable. I will definitely cook with anchovies again-- they lent a lot of depth to the dish.

Spaghetti with Anchovies, Zucchini, Pine Nuts and Red Pepper Flakes

Ingredients:

6-7 anchovies, oil reserved, rinsed and picked over

1TB olive oil

2 zucchini, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 c toasted pine nuts

2tsp lemon zest

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Salt and Pepper to taste

handful of Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/2 lb spaghetti

Preparation:

Cook pasta according to directions, drain, and reserve 1c pasta water. Meanwhile, heat anchovy oil and olive oil in large skillet. Add anchovies, and saute over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute over medium-low heat for another 3 minutes. When garlic is soft, add zucchini to skillet, and combine ingredients with spoon. Saute over medium heat until zucchini softens and becomes translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Season to taste.

Take mixture off of heat. Add pine nuts, parsley, lemon zest and cooked pasta to mixture in skillet. Combine thoroughly. Add cooking water as needed, until desired consistency is reached. Serves 4.

Jalapeno and Lime Black Bean Burgers

2008-06-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Maybe it’s summer, or maybe it’s the lurking, vanquished carnivore in me, but bunned foods are sounding mighty tasty these days. I’ve been on quite the veggie burger kick lately. Not only do they fulfill my need to apply condiments to anything that will sit still for long enough, but they are healthy and quick to prepare at home. They are also fun to sample out at restaurants, since no two are the same.

This past week I’ve been on a little promenade up the east coast, visiting my people. I realized that 3 out of the 6 nights I was away, I had veggie burgers. Mmm mmm.

The first stop was in NYC, at a vegetarian place called Counter that my meat-eating friends thoughtfully slected. The burger had great flavor, but the consistency was all wrong; something akin to clotted yogurt. I suspect it was too heavy on the mushrooms, with nothing to bind it all together. Next stop was in Brooklyn at a cute little place called Siggy’s. This burger was everything I had hoped for- great flavor and texture, and served on brioche--a nice twist. I rounded out the tour at Café Heaven in Provincetown. My last vacation dinner was a giant, oversized veggie burger, served with not one but two types of mustard!! Halleluja. And it was again served on brioche. Maybe the elf I take on vacation with me phoned ahead to notify the locals?

Today’s photo isn’t much to look at, but it was delish (oh god – out, out, damn Rachel Ray). I didn’t use any egg to bind it together, and it worked out fine. As long as you allow the mixture to sit in the fridge for a bit before forming the burgers, they will hold togther with no problem.

Jalapeno and Lime Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

2 c black beans, rinsed and drained
½-1 chopped jalapeno, deseeded
½ onion, roughly chopped
1-2 TB tomato paste

Juice of ½- 1 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
½- 1 c panko crumbs

1TB vegetable oil

Preparation:

To a food processor bowl, add beans, jalapeno, onion, tomato paste, lime juice and parsley. Process until mixture is a thick paste, with some chunks of bean remaining. Spoon into another bowl. Season to taste. Fold panko crumbs into mixture. Refridgerate mixture for about an hour.

Form bean mixture into patties. Meanwhile, in skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium heat. Place patties in skillet. In order to ensure a crust on the patties, do not move them once they are placed in skillet, except to flip. Cook patties for about 4 minutes on each side over medium heat. Flip carefully, using a fork. Serve on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato and onion and your favorite condiment. Serves 4-5.

Broccoli-Garlic Scape Pesto with Linguini

2008-06-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

I know. I'm the 700th person to write about garlic scape pesto. I can't help it! It's so lovely, and I just discovered it. After staring down the scapes when we got home from the farmer's market, they still didn't tell me which end of them to use. A quick taste provided the answer: before using the scape, lop off the end with the bud. The rest of the veg can be used.

I've seen many great recipes on other blogs for scape pesto... but they seemed so... garlicky. Even though I am a huge garlic fan, I was a little daunted by the prospect of a sauce of purely raw, unadulterated garlic. Hence the addition of broccoli.

Pestos are traditionally uncooked sauces, which make them perfect for the summer. The standard pesto usually involves basil, nuts (usually pine or walnut), olive oil, and parmesan cheese. I did steam the broccoli before running it through the food processor, but besides that, this sauce is incredibly quick and easy.

Broccoli-Garlic Scape Pesto with Linguini

Ingredients:

2-3 c steamed broccoli (run 1 c under cold water to cool)

1 c chopped garlic scapes (from about 7-9 strands)

2-4 TB olive oil

1/3 c toasted almonds

1/3 c grated parmesan

salt and pepper

1/4 lemon

1/2 lb linguini

Preparation:

In food processor, combine almonds, garlic scape, and 1c cooled, steamed broccoli. Drizzle olive oil in, and combine. Remove mixture from food processor, and mix in parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook linguini in well salted water. Reserve at least a cup of water from pot before draining. Drain pasta. Return pasta to pot, and mix with pesto, and 2 c steamed, chopped broccoli florets. Add pasta water to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle with lemon juice, and serve with additional parmesan cheese. Serves 4.

Salad with Chickpeas, Couscous and Soft Boiled Egg

2008-06-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hello, God, are you there? It's me, Salty Girl. And I'm really, really hot. Not like, go on with my bad self hot, but like sweaty, salty, filmy and swampy hot. I know I'm just a grain of salt down here, but I just wanted to remind you that it's only the first week of June.... and it's ONE HUNDRED DEGREES HERE IN DC. Thank you, that is all.

Times like this call for a nice, clean, satisfying salad. Luckily, before going outside here felt like walking on the surface of the sun, there was a nice period of ark-necessitating weather. Hence, the lettuce in the garden is going bonkers. Bonkers, I tell you! And lettuce is a use or lose type of produce. I mean, what are you going to do, freeze it? Not likely. So my family is eating a lot of salad these days.

This week we had a lovely salad with some colorful vegetables (and even some fruit). I used arugula, red lettuce, and a few other types of lettuces. In an effort to make eating salad for dinner less, um, emasculating, I topped each portion with warm chickpeas with onions, garlic and red pepper, some couscous, and a soft boiled egg. A lot of components, but very easy, and tasty. It's no manwich, but it'll do the trick.

Salad with Chickpeas, Couscous and Soft Boiled Egg

Ingredients:

1/2 Granny Smith apple, thinly sliced

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced into strips

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 white or yellow onion, diced

1/8 red onion, thinly sliced

6-8 radishes, thinly sliced

10-15 ounces lettuce of your choice

1TB olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper

1/2 c water

1 c chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 c prepared couscous

2 soft boiled eggs (recipe follows)

Dijon vinaigrette dressing

Ingredients:

1TB Dijon mustard

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 TB extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

Preparation:

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for Dijon vinaigrette dressing. Mix with a fork or whisk, set aside.

In a large bowl, place apple, red pepper strips, red onion, radishes, and lettuce. Add dressing. Toss to combine. Set aside.

In a medium sized skillet, heat olive oil. Add white or yellow onion dice, garlic, and red pepper dice. Saute over medium heat for about 7 minutes, until all ingredients are soft. Add chickpeas to skillet, and saute for about a minute. Then add about 1/4 cup water. Stir to combine, and cover. Cook over low-medium heat for about ten minutes. Check mixture periodically, and add more water if needed. Chickpeas should be slightly softened, and water cooked away when you serve them.

To plate salad: put about 4 cups of salad mixture on each plate. Place 1 c of couscous, and 1/2 c chickpea mixture on top of salad. Top with a soft boiled egg. Serves 2.

2 Soft boiled eggs:

Preparation:

In a small saucepan, boil enough water to cover 2 eggs. Add eggs to boiling water, taking care not to crack them. Use a large spoon to lower them into water if necessary. Cook eggs in gently boiling water for 4 minutes. Remove using a large spoon, and run under cold water for a minute. Use a spoon to crack eggshell, and peel. Serve immediately.

What's for lunch?

2008-06-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

When the answer just has to be: powdered baby formula, a nice watermelon fondant cake, Diet Tangerine Sierra Mist, a four pack of chocolate "muffins", and some Light Apple juice to wash it all down, stop by my workplace. Mmm mmm good.

Is there anything at all people won't eat that they find in an office kitchen?! In my almost all-female office, I'm going to say no. In the past week alone, I've seen people devour cases of Slim Jims, chocolate twizzlers, and splinter-sized, plastic wrapped Weight Watchers carrot cakes. It's truly impressive.

What's the most questionable thing your collective workplace appetite has consumed recently?

Margherita Pizza

2008-06-01T14:57:00.001-07:00

And now, a tale. Don't worry lovely readers, it has a happy ending.

Once upon a time there lived a princess in a wee, wee apartment. It was so wee that two people cooking simultaneously in the kitchen was only, well, a fairy tale. The princess did not mind; she enjoyed her solitary time with the vegetables and spices.

Before moving into the castle, er, the wee, wee apartment, the prince had been very clever and suggested that they have a window cut into the wall that separated the living room/dining room and the kitchen. This ensured that the princess could always have an eye on what was going on in the rest of the kingdom. However, the prince, lacking magical powers, was unable to conjure up more kitchen space.

One day, there arose a dire situation. The princess, who was most fond of making pizza had declared that particular day as the singular day when the prince and the princess would christen their pizza stone. The pizza stone had been received along with other wedding bounty and had as yet gone untouched. It sat in the dungeon with the winter clothes, patiently waiting to destroy the couple's happy marriage.

What's that you say? How could a piece of cooking equipment really have it in for someone? Oh believe me, fine readers, if there was ever an evil piece of kitchenry, it is surely the pizza stone. Only a sadist would have designed an implement meant to be fired in a stove to the tune of 500 degrees, empty, while the item to be cooked stands by.

Perhaps the prince was too kind to the implement, and gave the pizza stone the wrong idea from the beginning. Before giving it to the princess, he brought the stone upstairs, oiled it and baked it for a few hours, so to ensure it would be on its best behavior. Could this loving treatment have created the impudence we are about to hear about? We will never know.

With the stone heating away in the inferno, the princess set about making the pizza. On a cutting board, with nothing under it, she stretched the dough, and placed the toppings. It looks delicious, cried the prince. Indeed, said the princess.

Now, how to get the pizza into the inferno, and onto the pizza stone....without removing the 500 degree stone from the 500 degree oven. You see, the creators of the Divorce Stone, as it now referred to in the princess's house, said explicitly not to remove the stone from the furnace before it cooled down or it might crack.

Not waiting a cracked stone, the princess and the prince wedged themselves into their tiny kitchen. Neither have insignificant backsides, and it was quite something for the princess to wedge herself into the corner, where the oven is located, while the prince opened the inferno and tried to wield the thirty ton cutting board. Alas! The pizza would not slide off of the cutting board. It refused to budge.

With the heat from the oven becoming unbearable, the princess began to say some rather unroyal things. Hotter and hotter the small kitchen grew as the prince and princess tried to relocate the floppy, topping laden pizza onto a 500 degree slab of rock from a cutting board that weighed an unreasonable amount. Finally, the princess, dripping in sweat, and exhausted from swearing, veritably dumped the pizza onto the stone, slammed the oven shut, and swore to never, ever use the pizza stone again. Kitchen appliances should never drive a princess to be so undignified, she thought.

When the pizza came out, the crust was indeed fabulous, but in the end, her marriage was more important than a super crispy crust. From that day on, the princess returned to a regular baking sheet. She found that if you didn't line the sheet with anything, the resulting pizza was as good, if not better than if it had been made on a divorce stone. The prince and princess continued to enjoy pizza often, and eventually, some months later, were able to laugh politely about the stone. The end.

Pizza dough

Ingredients:

1 c warm water

1 packet quick rising yeast

pinch sugar of dash of honey

3 c unbleached, all purpose, white flour, plus more for counter

1 tsp salt

1 TB extra virgin oil

1 tsp salt

1 c whole wheat flour

Preparation:

Place water in large mixing bowl. Add packet of yeast, and either sugar or honey. Stir. Let mixture sit for five minutes. Add 2 1/2 c white flour, salt, and olive oil to bowl and mix using a wooden spoon or metal fork. When mixture is holding some form, turn out onto well floured surface. Slowly add remaining white flour, kneading mixture with hands. Add whole wheat flour slowly, until dough is no longer sticky while being kneaded. Amount of flour needed will vary; total will be between 3-4 c. Avoid adding too much flour, as dough will become stiff.

Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about five-ten minutes. Place in well-oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Put bowl in a non-drafty location, and allow dough to rise. After about an hour, punch dough down to remove air pockets. Dough can now be used. However, if time allows, let dough rise again for at least an hour, and punch down again before using. Roll dough out or use hands to stretch dough into an oiled baking sheet. Top pizza, and cook for 15-20 minutes at 500 degrees. Makes enough dough for 1 large pizza, or 2 small.

Barbeque Tofu with Sauteed Red Onions

2008-05-31T11:51:00.001-07:00

While I feel very virtuous when making barbeque tofu, part of me really wants to sort of mock the sad little white blocks while I am preparing it. Sort of really tell it how I feel, because you know, taking tofu down a peg makes me feel better.

My main issue with tofu is that is makes me think of things I used to eat with barbeque sauce... things that would get crackly and crispy and sear properly, dammit, is that so much to ask for?? I'd always been pretty content to let other people do the tofu eating before I stopped eating meat.

But now, it's the brave new world of pale, flaccid meat proxies! Yeah! In all seriousness though, this tofu did turn out quite well.

The key to getting tofu to behave, er, to brown is to remove some of the water. Tofu comes water logged, which is not an ideal situation when trying to get color on anything. I've taken to pressing my tofu blocks using a flat-bottomed tea kettle (not hot, mind you!) full of water. If you don't have a kettle, you can used anything that has some heft to it, like foil covered bricks.

Simply put the kettle on tofu that has been sandwiched in between stacks of paper towels, and voila! You'll be amazed at our much water drains out. You can repeat with dry stacks of towels until you lose patience and just want to eat already. Usually the draining takes about 15- 20 minutes.

I served this tofu with sauteed red onions, corn on the cob and a light salad of sliced radishes, snow peas and peeled carrots that had a dressing of rice vinegar and oil. Tasty!

Barbeque Tofu with Sauteed Red Onions

Ingredients:

2 blocks extra firm tofu, pressed to remove water (see above for instructions)

2 c barbeque sauce, plus more for serving

2TB vegetable oil

1 red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rings

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Slice each tofu block into thirds horizontally. Place in a bowl with two cups of barbeque sauce. Turn to coat each piece. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

In a medium skillet, heat 1TB oil. When oil is heated, add onion rings, season with salt and pepper, and cook on low-medium heat until rings are soft, about 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1TB oil in large skillet. Prior to placing each piece of tofu in skillet, remove excess sauce with a spatula. When oil is hot, place 2 tofu pieces at a time in skillet, leaving space between pieces. Brown on each side for 3-4 minutes. Remove to plate. Repeat with remaining pieces.

Serve tofu with additional sauce and onion rings. Serves 4.

Farmer's Market

2008-05-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Today we went to the local Farmer's Market to poke around. It was fabulous as always; I wanted to roll around in the piles of lettuce, but restrained myself.

On a more serious note, I am always cheered to see signs that vegetables are being made more accessible to people. Above, is a sign a farmer had out that indicated that he accepts WIC.

After doing some digging around, I learned that my city has participated in the Farmer's Market Nutrition Program since 1994. Sadly though, it appears that the current maximum seasonal benefit is $25-- five allotments of $5.

It's certainly better than nothing, but it does seem a bit stingy, no? Some day soon when I have more time on my hands, I'll revisit the topic of WIC. It's not an uncontroversial program, and it merits discussion.

For now though, enjoy the mountain of lettuce, tinged red by the tent:

Summer vegetables put in their place

2008-05-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

After picking out the wee vegetable plants, we went to the garden to put them in their place. My husband is so hip that he gardens in a straw fedora. Check this out:

Among the rows of lettuce which will be retreating in the next six weeks or so, we planted a variety of tomato, pepper, squash, cucumber and eggplant plants. Eggplant plants. haha. Anyway, we also planted lavender, mint, watercress and basil.

There seems to be some debate as to whether seeds or plants are the way to go with gardening. I am in the dark. The only trend I can decipher is that it seems that cooler, more experienced gardeners use seeds, and folks like me go with plants. I'm not sure why/if I should aspire to be a seed-head. If anyone has advice, I'd love to hear it. Also, has anyone ever planted eggplant? I'm having trouble picturing how much room it's going to take up. But, too late now! They're all in the ground, patiently waiting for their moment to shine.

Romesco

2008-05-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Is not the same as Romanesco. Googling Romanesco will not lead you to the type of red pepper, almond and bread based Spanish sauce that you want to make. If you also have the inept form of the internet that does not read your mind, Google Romeso for recipes. Romanesco, by the by, is a sassy kind of cauliflower that looks like a flower. Intriguing, but no Romesco.

Friday night we had roasted farm raised tilapia with Romesco, and a side of roasted potatoes, fennel and string beans for good measure. It was enjoyed by all.

In the face of the Whole Paycheck fish counter, I often become sort of debilitated. I try to bring my chart of which fish is OK to eat if you don't want to be a bad citizen of earth, but even with that as a guide, buying raw materials for dinner is occasionally daunting. I saw several kinds of fish that weren't on the chart... butterfish being one. It looked gorgeous-- firm and lush, but clearly from a large fish. Since returning from the store, I've spent about 20 minutes trying to figure out whether or not butterfish is sustainably fished... to no avail. Does anyone have more information than I do?

In addition to butterfish, there was wild Pacific Halibut. I know that Atlantic Halibut is a no-no, but my chart didn't say whether all Pacific Halibut was OK, or just wild-caught, or just farmed.... etc. So I came home with farmed tilapia. For the record, I now know that wild Pacific Halibut is a safe choice.

Turning our attention to the Romesco! It was divine. Very fresh and clean. We were having a pregnant guest, so I wanted to give baby lots of vegetables. Online, I found oodles of recipes, and then sort of made my own. Here it is:

Romesco

Ingredients:

8-10 garlic cloves

1 piece day(s)-old white or french bread, roughly chopped

1 c raw almonds

1-2 red peppers, chopped

1 large roasted red pepper, in oil or water, chopped

1 can crushed tomatoes, well drained

3 TB olive oil

Splash of soy sauce

1 TB sweet paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Toast garlic, bread, and almonds. Combine in food processor until the crumbs are small. Do not over-process. Add all remaining ingredients to food processor. Pulse until roughly combined, leaving the sauce fairly chunky. Enjoy! (Note: the sauce is even better the next day, so consider making it a day in advance). Enough for 4 servings.

Farm Bill survives veto

2008-05-23T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's very easy to rail against farm bills. And there are a lot of terse words I'd have for it, too, if it walked into my living room. But the reality it, it's complicated. The 2007 farm bill that just overrid (is that a word? overrided?) W's veto is no exception. It garnered the support of many progressive social groups that desperately needed funding. (OK, true, pretty much all progressive social groups desperately need funding.)

This year many of the beneficiaries of the farm bill (including nutrition programs, farm worker groups, anti-poverty activists, organic growers) needed help more than ever. Extremely high food prices, caused by shortage of basic commodities like wheat and corn (thanks ethanol), have stressed virtually every sector of our economy, and our humanity.

Unfortunately, some of the relief this year is coming in the form of a bill that will also continue to unfairly support huge agribusiness and provide subsidies of comical proportions to megafarms. But it's hard to say "no" when you're truly in need.

The 2006 US Census found that 11.4% of US households are food-insecure while an astonishing 17% of households with children are food insecure. (Food security is defined by the USDA as access at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members). According to a 2007 USDA report, about one-third of food insecure households (4.0 percent of all U.S. households) had very low food security—meaning that the food intake of one or more adults was reduced and their eating patterns were disrupted at times during the year because the household lacked money and other resources for food. fn1

Arrives the knight on the white horse: a little more than 66% of the 2007 farm bill will fund domestic nutrition programs and food stamps.

Here is an interesting fact sheet prepared by the House Committee on Agriculture on the nutrition title of the farm bill. The center on Budget on Budget and Policy Priorities has also analyzed the nutrition section of the conferenced bill, and given it a stamp of approval.

It's just hard to swallow the fact that these desperately needed benefits are coming along with commodity subsidies that will continue to make it difficult for people to make good nutritional choices by maintaining the US's status quo love-affair with high fructose corn syrup.

I admit that I'm simplifying the equation a bit. But I wish law makers had the backbone to demand things that their constituents truly need (fresh food, air, soil) rather than be content with cutting the holes out of a rotten apple.

fn1: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err49/, Household Food Security in the United States, 2006, by Mark Nord, Margaret Andrews, and Steven Carlson.

Washington Post series on childhood obesity

2008-05-20T08:19:00.001-07:00

The rain continues! It feels very spongy here... I'm loving it. Good for the garden.

In other news....this week The Washington Post is doing a (much overdue) five-part series on childhood obesity.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/health/childhoodobesity/index.html

Today's installment focused on the fact that both suburban and urban children struggle with obesity, but for different reasons. My first instinct with the epidemic of overweight children is to blame the advent of Big Corn and cheap, fake food.

But it’s obviously so much more complicated than that. I do think at some level, it all roots back to a disconnect from the source of food. However, even that problem is made worse by the fact the kids in urban settings have so few opportunities to be outside and play safely. Hard to develop an appreciation for nature when you are worried about being shot at.

If the issue at hand were adult obesity, I would feel more comfortable delving into the intersection of personal choices and obesity. But we are talking about children, and many of their choices are framed by those older than them.

There are some really great community garden initiatives in my city, but I wish there were more. I think that combined with hands-on nutrition and cooking education in schools would be a revelation.

In the meantime, here are some of the more surprising factoids from the articles in the Washington Post:

For 32 years, the U.S. Women, Infants and Children program subsidized eggs and cheese for poor children, but no vegetables. In 2007, vegetables, fruits and whole grains were added.
A quarter of teens drink an average of four colas a day, the equivalent of an extra meal.
A study of 200 neighborhoods showed that white neighborhoods have four times as many supermarkets as African-American ones.
McDonald's advertised on report cards in Seminole County, Fla., until the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood objected in December.
A majority of 1- to 2-year-olds eat a sweet a day; only 1 in 10 eat a dark-green vegetable.

What is your community doing to help prevent childhood obesity?

Spaghetti with Fava Beans

2008-05-16T22:15:00.001-07:00

Tonight we made spaghetti with fava beans, which no one told us was going to be sort of punishment-like, only not really that bad. I'm just dramatic. But, if anyone has better ideas about how to shells favas, I'd love to hear them.

We blanched them for @ 40 seconds, shocked them in a cold bath (you've been naughty little beans) and then peeled them. I guess I was expecting them to leap out of their shells like bears out of their winter caves in May... but alas. However, the manual labor was worth it.

A nice al dente spaghetti with enough garlic to kill the evil + basil + onions + parmesan cheese, you can't really go wrong. I did turn up the heat a little too high with the red pepper flakes, because I have a problem with red pepper flakes .. eg...I am obsessed. Sorry to just "e.g." you. Must work harder to banish lawyer sprite living in my brain. Be gone with you!

I must say though, the fava beans weren't the most exciting part of dinner. Lettuce from the garden was! Oh my goodness. I went today after work to snip some of the lovelies and it was really such an unexpectedly emotional process. It's my first garden of my own, and my first time eating things that I have grown. Harvesting was a powerful experience. One that I wish I could share with more people. My veggies (radishes, carrots, lettuces, etc) haven't been overly tended to, it's more just that they grew at all that blew my mind.

Here are some radishes from the garden.... quite spicy.

Spaghetti with Fava Beans

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. spaghetti

2 lb fresh fava beans (about 2 c shelled)

3 TB olive oil

1/2 white onion, chopped finely

4 garlic cloves, minced

red pepper flakes to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp)

salt and pepper to taste

handful of basil, sliced
grated parmesan
juice of 1/4 lemon

Preparation:

To prepare fava beans: Boil large pot of salted water. Prepare ice bath for beans. Remove beans from outer shell. Put fava beans in pot, boil for about a minute. Strain, and place beans in cold bath. Remove hulls. Yield will be about 1.5- 2 cups. Set beans aside.

Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to directions. Strain cooked pasta, and reserve about a cup of cooking liquid. Set aside.

To prepare pasta: Heat olive oil in large pan. Add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute until soft, about seven minutes.

Add cooked pasta, basil and fava beans to large pan, combine. Add parmesan and cooking liquid until desired consistency is achieved. Season with salt and pepper. Add basil, and drizzle fresh lemon juice on pasta right before serving. Serves 4.