Radicchio: Garden Series Part X

This will likely wrap up my 2013 garden series, which I'm happy to report was ten posts in total.

I finally made it out to the garden to clean it up a couple weeks ago, before the real winter weather rolled in. Under the mass of dried and dead tomato vines and the pole bean hedge, I found that I still had plenty of Swiss chard, sage, parsley, and thyme (no rosemary).  And radicchio!  What a beauty!

In standard store-bought salad mixes, I am not a huge fan of the thick, bitter leaves.  And although Italian eat radicchio regularly (hence its Italian name- and those are hard Cs there), I totally grew this one for its looks and it didn't disappoint.  It starts out as a hardy green that forms a head.  At one point, I tried sautéing these green leaves with salt and olive oil, but the dish was too bitter to eat - so much so, I started to wonder if the plant is actually poisonous at this stage.

Then I left the plants to themselves and they started turning their famous deep purple at the veins and edges. Quite beautiful, really.  I decided that once they turned full purple, I would try grilling or braising them... something to get some char on the cut side and to be served with vinaigrette.  It worked.

SIMPLE RADICCHIO, BROWNED AND DRESSED

• 1 small head radicchio (or endive or romaine hearts)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup balsamic or apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 t. dijon mustard
• More salt and pepper, to taste
• Parmesan cheese, to garnish (optional)
• Polenta-No Burns, No Mess (optional serving suggestion)

Peel outer leaves off of the radicchio until you reach the clean, tight inner leaves.  Trim stem end and slice lengthwise in half.

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet (this skillet should have a lid that fits it for later) over medium-high heat.  Once hot, place the radicchio in the skillet, cut sides down.  Allow to sizzle for a minute, reduce heat to medium-low and cover.  Allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes and turn off heat. The radicchio will release a lot of moisture, so to avoid oil splatter, you can leave the skillet covered until sizzling subsides.

Meanwhile, put 1/4 cup olive oil and vinegar into a Mason jar or similar container. Add mustard, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.  Seal jar and shake well.

Remove the radicchio from skillet using tongs and place on top of polenta (or by itself on a plate). Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with vinaigrette (you'll have plenty leftover for future salads), and top with parmesan. The radicchio will still be slightly bitter, but should be balanced with the vinaigrette and have some nice, crispy edges from the browning.  Enjoy!

The Best Beets

Beets are one of those vegetables that make people think, "Oh, do I have to?"

While I've never disliked beets and have always been in love with their color, I was never really into them until I had this salad.  Beets and walnuts make such a lovely combination!  The tender beets, toasted nuts, and bright vinaigrette may just change beets for you, too.

Growing up, my experience with beets was mostly limited to my mom's "Blender Borscht," a chilled, smooth, and hot pink soup we would have alongside knaidlach.  This is also a very good way to eat beets, but it's not my go-to. The reason is not that I don't like it, because I do, but just that I forget about it.  It does require a blender and since I didn't have one for a long time, the borscht made a permanent home in the back of my mind...kind of like how I ignore recipes that require a microwave. However, I have a blender now and that borscht would make beautiful photos for this blog!

But back to the excellent salad...

BEET SALAD

• 1# beets, with their greens
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 2 T. apple cider vinegar
• 3 T. olive oil (or combination with walnut oil, if you have it)
• 1 t. salt
• 1/4 cup parsley
• Fresh baby spinach or mixed greens, for serving
• Blue cheese, chèvre, or feta, to top

Remove greens and scrub beets well. Place them in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Wash a few of the greens, chop and set aside.  Bring the beets to a boil and cook for about an hour, until tender.  You can cover the pan if there is enough space between the water level and the top, or keep an eye on the pot and add water as the beets are exposed.

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts over low heat, allow to cool, chop coarsely, and set aside in a large bowl. In a small bowl (or measuring cup), combine vinegars, oil(s), and salt.  Set aside. 

Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and parboil onions until just translucent, about two or three minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse well with cold water - even the extra-pungent onion I had smelled sweet and fresh and almost floral after parboiling!  Add the well drained onions to the vinaigrette.  While this is not absolutely necessary, I found that in the vinaigrette was a convenient place to keep the onions while waiting for the beets. They also picked up a little extra tartness from the vinegar, which was so nice.

Chop the parsley and add to the bowl with the walnuts, along with the chopped beet greens.

When the beets are fork tender, strain in a colander and run them under cold water.  Peel the beets and chop into large dice.  You could also do slices, but as I have mentioned before, I do not like unwieldy bites of messy foods. Respect your diner (even if that's you)!

Add the beets to the large bowl with the walnuts and greens.  Pour over the vinaigrette and onions and stir to combine well.  Allow to sit for about a half hour, to allow flavors to meld, but you can skip this step if you're hungry and need to get dinner on the table.

Serve over a bed of mixed greens and top with your choice of cheese.  I used blue cheese here, but feta is really great.  The supermarket closest to me only had dry, mediocre feta. Boo.  I love chèvre on pretty much everything. Enjoy your delicious beets!

*Oh, and remember that you had beets later on when you have to pee. (*Sighs with relief.*)

Japanese Pickled Ginger and Sushi at Home. Sort of...

Like many, one of my favorite meals out is sushi.  I have made (vegetarian) sushi at home, too, which is a lot of fun, but also an event.

When I'm wanting the flavor of sushi without the cost of going out or all the work, I make "Sushi Salad."  It satisfies my craving and is fairly easy to make.  It does call for a few specialty ingredients, like the pickled ginger that is a standard at sushi bars, which I tried making at home recently with very good results.

If you have a mandoline (I'm absolutely loving my new one!), Japanese Pickled Ginger is quite simple. Slicing the ginger paper thin is definitely the most difficult and time-consuming part, but it's certainly worth the effort.

I bought about a pound of ginger a few weeks ago at the Asian market with the intention of making the condiment, and I was lucky enough to find very fresh, young ginger at a good price.  I made a double recipe, which is a couple pints, and the ginger will keep for months in the refrigerator.

So, basically, I have a lot of home sushi projects to complete in the coming year.  For now, I will settle for my simple sushi salad.  The flavor and texture of the pickled ginger is so nice, though, and I may dream up other ways to use it.  At the very least, it make for a great pick-me-up and cook's snack while other ingredients are being prepped.

JAPANESE PICKLED GINGER
(adapted from The Joy of Pickling, by Linda Zeidrich)

• 8 oz. fresh, peeled ginger, very thinly sliced
• 1 t. sea salt (or pickling salt), plus more for sprinkling
• 1 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
• 3 T. sugar
• 1 t. soy sauce

Bring a saucepan with about a quart of water to a boil.   Add ginger and return to boil.  Boil ginger for a few seconds and drain well in a colander.  Place ginger in a bowl and sprinkle very lightly with salt.  Toss to coat and pack into one pint or two half-pint jars.  These are quick fridge pickles and a loose pack will be fine.

In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar, one teaspoon salt, sugar, and soy sauce to a simmer.  Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar.  Pour hot mixture over ginger and cap the jars.  Store them in the refrigerator for at least two days before using. Ginger will keep for several months.

Of course, you can also find pickled ginger at an Asian grocery, but it will likely have MSG and pink food dye.  I won't judge you.

SUSHI SALAD

• 1 1/2 cup rice - I like brown rice in this application
• 1/4 cup plus 3 T. rice vinegar (again, unseasoned)
• 3 T. sugar
• 1 1/2 t. salt
• 2 T. sesame seeds (I like the black ones for this, but I'm out of them at the moment)
• 3 T. vegetable oil
• 2 T. Japanese Pickled Ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup carrots, julienned (or fine dice)
• 1 cucumber, seeded and julienned (or fine dice)
• 1 avocado, sliced thin
• 2 t. wasabi powder
• 3 T. water
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. ginger pickling brine
• 1-2 sheets nori

Cook rice according to type and transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool.  Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and stir until sugar and salt is dissolved.  Stir into cooked rice along with sesame seeds.  Stir in three tablespoons vinegar, oil, ginger, carrots, and cucumber.  Set aside.

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine wasabi powder, water, soy sauce, and pickling brine. Set aside.

In serving bowl, place rice mixture and top with avocado.  Drizzle with wasabi mixture and strips of nori.  With the nori, I like to cut a sheet in thirds with kitchen shears, roll lengthwise, and cut crosswise with the shears over the salad.  Enjoy!

Pad Thai at Home...with Bacon!

I've heard that orders for Pad Thai in Thai restaurants outpaces every other dish on the menu by a landslide. In me, this triggers the response of ordering something different when I go out for Thai (and I highly suggest the Pad See Ew at Thai Monkey Club in Denver) .  But I do love Pad Thai.

There are a couple of issues with making my favorite recipe for Pad Thai at home, however.  Namely, it calls for shrimp and that means I'd have to make a special trip to the store and spend more than I'm willing for sustainable seafood on a weeknight.  Same with the tamarind puree.  And just where does one find "sweet" radishes?  But since I am still reaping the benefits of my shopping trip to H-Mart, I do have plenty of rice noodles and at the time, I had lots of shiitakes.

A couple of impulse buys and substitutions later, and Bacon Pad Thai is on.  At home.  So I traded brown sugar for palm sugar, ketchup for tamarind puree, cucumber for sweet radish, and a lovely combo of bacon and shiitakes for shrimp.  I think that's enough to call a recipe my own, don't you?

Also, this is a good recipe for mise en place, as there is some knife work and a few different parts that come together quickly. Consciously shifting the time spent on cooking to prep work allowed me to focus on neatly chopped and julienned vegetables. Aren't they pretty?

And then it really is a snap to put together. I did have a head start because I had purchased bacon as a reward for completing the food sensitivity thing and had pre-cooked half the package for another meal. Okay, just BLTs my way, which will hopefully be another post soon.

Also, mise en place cooking results in many photos, in my case.  I hope you are inspired to try out the recipe and make your own substitutions to make it work for you. For example, you could sub extra tofu and mushrooms for bacon and watered-down soy sauce for the fish sauce if you're a vegetarian. Or if you do keep shrimp stocked at home, you can go back to the standard.  So, settle in for some knife skills practice and enjoy your restaurant meal at home.

BACON PAD THAI

• 8 oz. rice noodles (medium width)

• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1 T. ketchup
• 2 T. fish sauce
• 1 T. lime juice
• 2 T. white vinegar
• 1 t. paprika
• 1/2 t. cayenne, or to taste
• 1 t. salt

• 3 T. vegetable oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. onion, minced
• 2 T. cucumber, seeded and minced
• 2 T. carrot, julienned (optional)
• 1/4 cup tofu, julienned
• 3-4 strips cooked bacon, chopped finely
• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts, plus more to garnish
• lime wedges, to garnish
• chopped cilantro, to garnish (optional)

Soak noodles in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes, as you begin to prep the rest of the ingredients. Then drain and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, ketchup, fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Set aside.  This might be a good time to beat the eggs in another small bowl and set aside, as well.

Heat oil in a large (non-stick) skillet over medium-high heat.  Add garlic, onion, cucumber, carrot, tofu, and bacon. Toss gently in the oil and cook until vegetables soften.  It will smell really, really good.  Push vegetables to the side of the pan and allow the oil to re-coat the pan.  Pour in beaten eggs.  As the eggs set, push in edges with a spatula and continue until eggs are cooked through and separated into pieces.

Mix everything back together and add the softened noodles.  Pour in the water and reduce the heat to medium. Allow the steam to cook the noodles for two or three minutes.  Then add the sauce and sprouts and stir to coat. Continue to cook for about five minutes, allowing the noodles to absorb the sauce and the pan to become almost dry.

Place into serving bowls and top with peanuts, lime, and cilantro.  Enjoy!

Ratatouille on the Stovetop

Plus, a trick for making polenta without burning your arms!

It's October tomorrow and we have a possible freeze coming later this week.  That's about right for Colorado, although our actual First Frost Dates seem to be inching later and later into the fall.  Not so long ago, and possible in the future, first snows would come about this time of year - and already have in the higher elevations.

So, it's final harvesting time.  I will not have much in the way of "putting up" this year, as my tomato harvest was rather small and it was a low-production year for the rest of my garden, too.  I think my soil is becoming depleted, despite my efforts to rotate crops where I can and incorporate as much compost as I can make and afford each year.

Aside from the slight disappointment, I certainly have lots to enjoy!  And a great thing about stir-fry and ratatouille and just about any mixed-vegetable side is that you can use a little of a lot of varieties to make something delicious.  And then put some basil on it.

I gathered up anything and everything that sounded good for a ratatouille and I was off!  Yes, tomatillos are rare (er, non-existent) in French-ish food, but they were good in the dish and I have hundreds of them on the plants. Since my last post on tomatillos, I have made an excellent batch of enchiladas suizas and a roasted tomatillo-garlic-serrano salsa and am developing a plan for canning them.  I'm really liking tomatillos!  I think that if you happen to be growing them, go ahead and toss them into anything that includes other Nightshade family members and you'll be good to go.

I was weary of posting another tomato and pasta dish and went directly to polenta.  This time, I am posting the instructions, because I figured out how to make great polenta without the burn hazard (!).  And it makes a great base for something like ratatouille...which is rich in flavor because it is usually slow-cooked in a moderate oven for a long time.  This one is made on the stovetop so you can eat earlier than 9:00pm on a work night.  Yay!


POLENTA

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup course cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Slowly add cornmeal and whisk to break up any clumps.  Return to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Continue to whisk for about one to two minutes, until thickened, but not so thick that it's popping and splattering.  Cover and reduce heat to the lowest setting.  Set timer for 8 minutes.

Turn off heat, remove lid and whisk.  Replace cover and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes, or until you are ready to serve.*  Stir in butter and keep pan covered to stay warm.  You can add cheese at this point if you would like - I like to put in on top instead, so I can really taste it.

*I always cook on my gas stove.  You may have to remove the pan from the burner if you are using an electric range.  If I were you, I would also look into getting a new (gas) stove.

STOVETOP RATATOUILLE

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 chile (serrano or jalapeno are great), minced
• 1-2 eggplant, chopped
• 1-2 zucchini, chopped
• 2-4 tomatillos, chopped (optional)
• 4-6 plum tomatoes, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• basil to garnish, in chiffonade
• shredded parmesan, to top

While the polenta is simmering or sitting, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Add the onions and cook until softened, a couple minutes.  Add in garlic and chile and stir to combine and cook until fragrant. Continue to add in vegetables one at a time, in order of cooking time (how they are written above).  I like to add each as I finish chopping them.

The goal here is to cook everything down to concentrate flavor, so in the end everything is very well cooked and you can't really go wrong.  Do add the tomatoes last, though, when all other vegetable have a good start on cooking - they're acid can slow the cooking process down.  Add a little salt with each vegetable, too, if you feel confident about not adding too much.  The salt helps break down the cell walls of each vegetable, which in turn helps release the juices and develop flavor.

Continue to cook everything together on medium-low while the polenta is sitting and absorbing the water (without boiling and popping and burning you!).  Cook until the tomatoes are thickened and check for seasoning.

Spoon the polenta into each serving bowl (it will be soft until slightly cooled), top with ratatouille, cheese, and the pretty ribbons of basil, and eat.  Wasn't that quick and painless? Literally?

*For any leftover polenta: spread on a plate and allow to cool.  Cut cooled, firm polenta into wedges. To reheat and eat, set a dry, non-stick skillet over medium heat and cook wedges until any moisture has evaporated.  Add in oil to the skillet and lightly brown and crisp-up each side of the polenta wedges.

Soup and Bread for a Rainy Day

As I'm watching the Seattle v. San Francisco game after a long weather delay, we in Colorado are experiencing our fifth or sixth day in a row of rain.  Seattle and the rest of the non-Mountain States might wonder at our insane flooding and general inability to deal with a few days of rain.  But we normally live in a constant state of drought and have received an entire year's worth of rain in the past few days. I've heard that if this was winter, Boulder and some areas of Denver would be buried under ten to twelve feet of snow.

In case you don't actually know me or live in Colorado, I am safe and dry inside my undamaged home. However, my friends a few blocks away had to bail our their basement and pretty much everyone I know in Boulder has been getting around in waders and canoes.  Also, if you don't live in an area with forest fires, you may not realize that burn scars make flash flooding that much more intense and dangerous. It's bad combination and it's a really, really bad situation.

Food-wise, it's the first time in months that my apartment has been in the seventies and will serve as an opportunity for reacclimatizing before the first frost.  In other words, it's pleasant to be in a warm kitchen and soup is on the menu.  Plus, it's football Sunday as I'm writing and cooking, so I thought an American classic - Broccoli Cheese Soup - sounded especially good.  It was.

A couple of notes about the soup I made:

- Turmeric is completely optional.  I have some in the crisper and I like the trompe-l'œil of the yellow hue without having used yellow cheese.  If you're cheese is yellow, that's fine, too.

- I actually did not eat bread with my soup, despite the title of the post. I had some to eat with the soup, but it tasted off.  I replaced it with rye crackers, which I'm really getting into these days.

- After I finished making the soup, I remembered that I have a really good ale in the fridge and I should have used it as an ingredient.  If that sounds good to you, increase the milk to 2 1/2 cups and replace the water with a bottle of medium-dark beer.  I know much more about wine than beer, but I suggest a red or brown ale.

- For my extra-pungent cheese, I used Beehive's Barely Buzzed cheese.  It is a sharp cow's milk cheese with a coffee-lavender rub.  It is very good.  I decided to use the last couple ounces I had for the soup because I have already had a homemade cheese plate and wine for dinner one and a half times in the past three days.

- Please don't leave giant chunks of things in your soups (maybe unless it's ramen or pho).  It's just not nice to have to cut up things in a bowl of soup.  Or bite into chunks of things while they are dripping broth, which is rather unbecoming.

BROCCOLI CHEESE SOUP

• Large head of broccoli
• 2 T. butter
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 inch piece of turmeric, grated
• 2 T. flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups water or broth
• 2 oz. extra-sharp, hard cheese of choice (see note), grated
• 6 oz. sharp, melty cheese of choice (like cheddar or Monterey jack), grated
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Good bread or rye crackers

Carefully chop broccoli into a mix of small dice and bite-sized pieces (see note).

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Once hot, add onion and grate in turmeric with a microplane. Stir occasionally until onion is soft.  Stir in broccoli and let sit for a couple of minutes, to encourage a little browning.  Stir a few times, cooking until just soft.  Add in olive oil.

Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir until absorbed.  It's okay if it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan and brown.  That's flavor.  While stirring, add in milk bit by bit.  Once fully incorporate, add water or beer.  Once the soup just reaches a boil, add cheese and stir until fully melted and incorporated.  Heat until just reaching a boil and turn off heat.

Because the cheeses and broth can really vary in saltiness, season with anywhere from a half teaspoon to two teaspoons salt.  Grind in lots of black pepper.

Serve with bread or crackers to dip into the soup.  Feel cozy.

Serves 4 to 6.

Eating Well

Well, maybe.  We humans can't quite figure out this very basic survival instinct, can we?

Having read multiple books and watched documentaries and listened to lectures and so on, it seems that we are very confused what how to eat well.  No matter how much we praise things like flax today, tomorrow it will be deemed over-estrogenic and out out out!  And it is generally well-known these days that low-fat diets lead to weight instability (and inhibit healthy brain function) and that once-vilified butter is way better for you than trans-fatty margarine. It seems to me that keeping it simple is the way to go.

Of course, I'm not the first person to notice this (thank you Michael Pollan, personal idol).

And I mean simple in a variety of ways.  Unless we have diagnosed health problems, our nutrition should not be so complex that we cannot figure it out for ourselves - after learning the basics, of course. It should also not be so strict that we can never indulge.  I call this the Mental Happiness-Body Forgiveness Principle (actually, I don't and just made up that term right now).  If I don't feel like a bad person for enjoying a slice of birthday cake or poorly planning my day's food plan, I will probably feel good and healthy afterwards.

And our food should generally be simple, too.  Limiting pre-packaged and processed foods makes a huge difference, which throws a wrench into the simplicity of planning meals. Now, understand that I make complicated foods at home, like gumdrops and marshmallows.  Each of these require a couple of processed ingredients that I wouldn't suggest eating all of the time, like carageenan gel and boxed pectin, and well, sugar, albeit organic and fair trade.

People tend to make the assumption that I have a sugar addiction, which is not true.  Sure, I enjoy sugary treats, but for me candy works perfectly. If I want something sweet, a couple of pieces of candy quenches the desire and I'm done with it.  I understand that having candy around doesn't work like that for everyone, though.

So why am I offering this diatribe?

I just finished with the main phase of testing my food sensitivities.  And speaking of simplicity, this was an inordinately complex process. Each day started with a large glass of water and liver-support tea before eating anything.  And before coffee.  I also tend to skip breakfast normally, so I had to get on schedule.  Breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner were all planned and balanced and, thankfully, good.  But I did have to make and pack all of my food, every day.

Water is calculated on individual body weight, daily weather, and activity level.  It's a normal amount of water, but I needed to drink steadily throughout the day and not save it all for the evening like I tend to do.

I also needed to take a probiotics supplement.  I should start by stating that I feel weird about supplements - or anything that is expensive and takes weeks to work, if it does at all, and offers no proof of success. And the whole Butter-Margarine-Butter Problem (also just made that up), in which a wonderful new supplement is considered poison a year later (fish oil, I'm looking at you).  But probiotics are awesome.

Without getting too detailed, taking a program of probiotics does wonders if your systematic yeast is off.  I will try to keep this short, especially if you've seen Gentlemen Broncos and would rather never hear the word "yeast" again. Basically, because I've taken antibiotics a couple of times in the past year, my bacterial balance was thrown off.  I cannot believe how much better I feel after the probiotics.  It worked within two weeks and now I'm done with them until the next time I notice symptoms.


Anyway, I felt great for the duration of this process.  I'm currently taking a three day break to enjoy the holiday weekend and eat some treats, but now I have a common sense plan to go back to.  Here it is:

• Eat three meals a day, plus a snack and a small dessert.
• Lunch and dinner should be mostly vegetables, some cooked and some raw.  Don't eat anything raw that doesn't sound appealing raw.  (That's my takeaway, since raw zucchini sounded gross and it was gross and it made me feel gross.)
• Remember to include protein. Fat, too, but I was already on board with that.
• Remember to eat fruit (I'm notoriously bad about actually eating fruit).
• Stop drinking water a few hours before going to bed.
• Stick to olive oil and butter for cooking fats.
• Weigh oneself every morning to collect data on weight gain.  This is for checking water retention (read: inflammation), not actual weight.
• Keep track of other negative responses to food, like upset stomach, increase in seemingly-unrelated health issues, traditional allergic reactions, or skin irritation.
• Continue to make meals look appealing and attractive and enjoy them.
• Don't worry about it.

These guidelines allow me to feel well and determine if a new food is something I react to.  Or that something that is commonly reactive is fine for me, like wheat or dairy (YES!).

So here's a balanced meal that makes me feel good.  Hopefully it makes you feel good, too.


A BALANCED VEGETARIAN DINNER

• olive oil
• onion, sliced hull-to-hull
• carrots, diced
• beet (here I used a candy-stripe or "chioggia" beet), diced
• zucchini, diced
• 2-4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• kale, chopped
• handful of mixed greens per serving
• apple, diced
• 2 ounces cheese, diced (I used blue cheese) (optional)
• 1 ounce goat cheese, per serving (or 2-3 ounces if not using other cheese)
• balsamic vinegar
• dried cherries or cranberries, handful per serving (optional)
• pepitas or sunflower seeds, handful per serving
• salt and pepper to taste

Heat a tablespoon-ish of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and sauté until softened, then add carrots and beets.  Once softened, add zucchini and shiitakes.  Continue to sauté until all vegetables are cooked through and slightly browned on the edges.  Season with salt and pepper, toss, and add kale.  Stir in gently and cook until kale is bright green.  Put about half of this on a plate and top with goat cheese and seeds.

Place mixed greens in a bowl and  top with apple, cheese, and dried fruit.  In a jar, pour in equal amounts balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Add a pinch of salt, cover, and shake to emulsify and pour over salad.

Depending on  your opinions about combining apples and dried fruit with everything, you may want to stick with just goat cheese and mix half of the cooked veg directly into the salad.  Top with the goat cheese, vinaigrette, and seeds and dig in.

(About 2 servings)

And finally, don't forget to enjoy these last few weeks of summer!

The Plan, or "Dieting"

I will be the first to tell you, I don't diet.

I'm of healthy weight and like to eat.  General concepts like "everything in moderation" and "eat food, not too much, mostly plants" work better for me than psyllium husks; non-fat, food-like products; and fake sugar.  I find the forced limitations of dieting to be damaging in more ways than beneficial.  Not to mention that the latest new thing will be negated in a few days or years and replaced by the next, with equal and exhausting enthusiasm.

On the other hand, I'm not too fond of my poor complexion or dry eyes or other discomforts that bother me from time to time.  And I have allowed myself to be convinced that if I find which foods might be causing these reactions in my body, I might just be able to clear them up.  How great would that be?

Well, perhaps not so great if it is determined that I react negatively to foods I love.  Like any member of the nightshade family or mushrooms or dairy.  Or wheat.  But, I already do not eat the foods I dislike, so I suppose that the culprits must be ones I enjoy.

Taking in all the factors, I have decided to complete a three-week regimen that is something like a modified elimination diet.  I repeat, I am not interested in losing weight.  I want to reiterate this fact, because I do not have a weight problem and have shocked at least four (well-rounded, intelligent, open-minded) people by stating that I do not have an innate "female" desire to be über-thin and consequentially well-liked by all.  I simply want to be healthy and feel good.

Luckily, the food I am eating throughout the regimen is satisfying.  Whole and low-reactive foods can still be delicious and, well, pretty!  Making my meals look good makes a huge difference when I'm missing lattes and pastries.  Or any of the celebratory LaMar Donuts that my coworkers brought into work last week (they're so good!).  It also helps that if I feel fine after eating wheat and dairy products this week, lattes and pastries are in my near future.  Woo-hoo!

It is somehow comforting that I did not feel fine after eating copious amounts of flax seeds last week.  Ugh.  I am supposed to start my day with a bowlful of "flax granola" (above), which is a morning routine I quickly came to dread...even the prettiness of it couldn't save that one for me.  Then I realized that me practically gagging on the stuff was some sort of a negative reaction and that I should probably eliminate this "fabulous" health food.  Since cutting this part out and replacing it with tasty things, like fruit and Silk Coconut milk, I feel so much better emotionally about breakfast that I feel better physically, too.  Yay!  First "diet" lesson learned.

Everything else has been satisfying and fulfilling.  It feels wonderful to have eaten 99% whole foods for several days, but to also feel full and eat good-tasting meals. It's nice to discover that recipes that sound boring, like julienned carrots and a shredded raw beet (above, with a candy stripe beet from my garden), are actually really great.

I'm learning to put together common-sense, balanced meals and am looking forward to the end of the trial period, when I can start developing my own recipes that are based on a solid, balanced theory of eating.  I think it will lead to some brand-new, delicious recipes for Omnivora!

Most importantly, figuring out what doesn't really work for me doesn't mean that anything is out of my life forever.  I can learn how to manage problematic foods in a way that allows me to enjoy them if I love them.  And that is what eating well is all about, right?



MANGO CUCUMBER SALSA
Adapted from The Plan, by Lyn-Genet Recitas*

• 1 mango, small dice
• 1 pickling or English cucumber, small dice
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 jalapeño
• sea salt
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)

If you have a gas range (and I hope you do!), roast jalapeño over open flame, until well-blistered.  Set aside to cool.

Combine mango, cucumber, and lime juice in a bowl.  Mince jalapeño and stir into salsa, along with cilantro, if using.  Salt to taste and serve with anything you can think of...like fish or other meat, or tortilla chips, or broiled tofu.  It's delicious and you will love it.  I will be making it for an upcoming salsa party.


*The dietary plan I am following is The Plan, by Lyn-Genet Recitas.  I really am having a great time with it and I hope to learn about the foods I don't handle well.  The book is an interesting read, but could use a cookbook editor - planning for The Plan can get out of control.  The website offers shopping lists and alternate menu plans, based on previously held dietary restrictions.  It definitely helps if you like to make spreadsheets and are generally analytical like I am.

Garden Series, Part VI: Solanaceae, or The Nightshades

Tomatoes! Tomatillos! Chiles! Eggplant! Potatoes! And basically everything good!

My favorites of the garden are starting to come into season.  There is a strong tomato focus to my garden and I have recently discovered that eggplants are quite beautiful. If you know me, you may know that I'm not a fan of bell peppers (blech!), but I do love the spicy kind, and chiles also make for pretty plants.  This year, I gave Purple de Milpa tomatillos another chance, and while they are not ready yet, there may be hundreds in a week or two.

It turns out that the members of the Night Shade family make great cooking companions.  Most of my gardening and cooking energy goes to the tomatoes, as I can them and freeze them and use them throughout the year.  As if I'm a pioneer.  Or a survivalist.  (I'm neither, but that's beside the point.)  But other than a potential jar of pickled jalapeños, the non-tomato night shades get consumed right away.  We'll see about using up those tomatillos...

It also turns out that mixing together tomatoes, eggplant, and chiles makes for a great puttanesca sauce.  Well, at least with the addition of some pantry ingredients, like capers and pickled peperoncini (American-style, not the strict Italian translation). Olives would be great, too, but I'm out. It's also entertaining to me that "night shades" make up the sauce that was for "ladies of the night." But I love a little wordplay and I'm aware that I'm kinda nerdy and cerebral. 



I was a little worried about posting too many pasta recipes, and then realized that pasta can almost always be replaced by pouring the sauce over polenta.  I thought of this as I was eating and found myself wishing I had done this in the first place.  So, if you're not into pasta, think about polenta.


PUTTANESCA

• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 hot chile, sliced
• 1 small eggplant, chopped
• 4-5 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 T. capers
• 2-3 peperoncini, sliced (American-style)
• salt and black pepper
• handful of basil
• parmesan, to garnish
• chèvre, to top
• 1/2 pound penne OR POLENTA

Start water for the pasta, or prepare polenta.  While heating and cooking, prepare the sauce.

In a medium cold skillet, pour in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Add garlic and set heat to medium.  Once the garlic begins to sizzle, stir a few times and allow to cook for about 30 seconds, depending on the heat of the stove. Add chile slices, give a couple stirs, and then add the eggplant.  After about a minute, add the tomatoes, capers, and peperoncini.  Allow the ingredients to cook and release their juices.  After about five to ten minutes, they will come together as a nicely textured sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.

If using pasta, reserve a little pasta cooking water, drain, and toss directly into the sauce.  Loosen with pasta water as necessary.  Chop basil at the last minute and toss along with the pasta and sauce. Serve topped with parmesan and some good, solid chunks of goat cheese.

If using polenta, ladle the polenta into bowls.  Toss freshly-chopped basil into the sauce and pour over the polenta.  Garnish with parmesan and goat cheese.  Enjoy outside on the patio overlooking the garden.  Perfect.

Get Out of Town!

This past weekend I hightailed it out of the city for some peace and quiet.  And good food.

After my very city weekend last week, I felt the need for balance by having a follow-up rural weekend. Right after work on Saturday, I packed up and went south to my family home to spend time with my mom and to get away from it all.  No sirens, no street lights, no night clubs, no pollution, no arguments with the landlord, no cell phone reception... no gang fights down the block.  Just the mountains, fresh air, rain, and wholesome food.

I've credited my mother for my appreciation of cooking and food in previous posts.  What I may not have mentioned is that she is practically a self-taught nutritionist. I have learned from her more than I even realize about what we eat. When a friend exclaims to me how great it is that bananas are full of potassium or that flax seeds should be ground or soaked for better absorption in the body, I'm surprised that not everyone already knows these things.  In other words, I am very lucky for my food education I received from my mother.  Once again.

So what did we make for dinner?  Seasonal quiche, of course.  Gluten-free, with any and all fresh garden produce we felt like throwing in.  It's lighter than the traditional kind and wide open to adaptation, so it's one of those dishes that is self-contained like a casserole, but not boring.

This time, we used beautiful forbidden rice and white cheddar for the base/crust.  The turnips were from my garden, sweetened and balanced with carrots.  Swiss chard from someone else's local garden topped out our veg. We garnished with a perfect avocado and a slice from the first Japanese Black Trifele heirloom tomato to ripen on the vine.  We ate on the porch overlooking the mountains, enjoying the petrichor after a day of showers.  We did well for ourselves and we ate our vegetables.  And protein.


HIGH COUNTRY QUICHE

• 2 cups cooked rice or quinoa (your choice of variety)
• 4 oz. shredded cheese (cheddar or Monterey Jack are great)
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cups root vegetables, chopped, like turnips
• 3 cups greens, trimmed and chopped
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• salt and pepper
• avocado, optional

Press rice or quinoa into the bottom of a quiche dish or deep pie plate (grease it first!).  Sprinkle cheese over it evenly and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put olive oil and minced garlic in a cold sauté pan and set to medium heat.  When the garlic barely starts to sizzle, add onions and stir a few times.  Add root vegetables and allow to cook for several minutes.  Add salt to season and to draw out some of the moisture.  Do not stir too frequently, in order to get some browning on the vegetables.  When the roots are almost cooked, toss in the greens and cook everything down until you start to see a little caramelization and sticking. This means that enough moisture has cooked out of the vegetables and your quiche won't be waterlogged.

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs and milk.  Add a pinch of salt and few grinds of pepper for good measure.  When the vegetables are cooked, scoop them into the prepared quiche dish and pour over the egg mixture.  Bake for about 45 minutes, until center is set.

Serve with slices of avocado.  And heirloom tomato slices, if you have them.  Next time, switch up your veg, swap out the cheese, and try a different grain.  I love options and renewal...which is the whole theme of a weekend away.

Garden Series Part V: Green Beans & Chiles

This week the garden has been neglected.  It was not intentional, but for once I was busy doing more traditional thirty-somethings' pass times.  If you live in the Denver area, you may be aware of the UMS (Underground Music Showcase) and that it can take up a lot of your time.

It was fun and I saw some long-overdue shows.  I saw many friends and had many drinks.  I happened upon Residual Kid, and holy shit, they were awesome.  But if I'm being honest, I normally tend towards the nerdier of hobbies.  Like this poor garden, overgrown with runner beans and turnips and dill.  And wilting in the July sun.

Most of the time, friends are surprised about the gardening habit.  I'm not sure they are more surprised that I actually have a back yard in the city or that I would willingly do all the work.   I usually meet the astonishment with confusion, because I see it as more than rewarding for not much work at all. Sure, digging up 300 square feet of compacted soil by hand is serious labor, but I only had to do that once four years ago and there is machinery available for that sort of thing.  And I don't mind working when I'm properly compensated.

If you really want to know about why I do it, it's not just about the produce or eating off the land.  It's not about making any and all guests take my garden tour (which is pretty high on the things-I-love-about-gardening list). Although I am concerned about the food industry and I like to know where my food comes from, I'm not even trying to reach some high level of local eating.  It's mostly because I find the entire process endlessly fascinating. Every summer I am shocked to see what I get from a handful of seeds in March.  I am enamored with the hundreds of heirloom and unusual varieties that you just never see at the grocery store.  I consider getting some sort of advanced degree in botany.

Plus, I'm growing quinoa this year.  Quinoa, guys!

As for my other nerdy interests, like cooking and sewing and learning about things...uh, I'm not much of a camper or an athlete. Ahem, but when the world ends and we sink into survivalist indecency, I will have clothing and food and a warm quilt and I will know stuff.*  And I share.

Oh.  How about a recipe?

BLISTERED & SPICY GREEN BEANS

• Large handful green beans, trimmed
• Splash olive oil
• 1 hot chile, sliced thinly
• Salt to taste
• Sesame oil

Set a medium pot of salted water to boil and meanwhile prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Once at a boil, blanch green beans for about 2-3 minutes.  Strain through a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.  Drain well and blot them with a towel to dry before adding them to hot oil.  Ouch.

Put olive oil in a medium sauté pan and heat to medium-high.  Toss in chile and allow to sizzle.  Once hot, add the blanched green beans and toss to coat.  Stirring or flipping the pan only a few times, allow the beans to cook until blistered on all sides.  Season with salt and plate them up.

Drizzle a very small amount of sesame oil over the top.  Pretty delicious.



*I'm feeling a little ornery this time.

**The purple beans in the first picture are Trionfo Violettos.  They turn dark green when cooked.  The purple chile is a 5-Color Chinese Chile.  These make for such beautiful plants - the chiles start purple, then turn white, yellow, orange, and red.  The purple stage is quite spicy enough.

Garden Series Part IV: Peas in a Pod

Peas are a given when you have a garden.  But what can we actually do with them when they come into season?

If you're not very careful, they are easy to miss in a mass of tendrils and stalks.  They are very good at hiding and turn from sweet peas into starchy seeds in what seems like a matter of minutes.  When I am harvesting them, it's customary for me to stand there in the garden and eat all the ones I can find before they make the long trek to the kitchen counter.

However, this summer has provided an extended season (believe it or not, this summer has been cooler than the last couple).  My new location for peas seems to be favorable, as well, growing right up the side of a privacy fence.  That, combined with the determination to make something out of the peas, has led to a whole post with an actual recipe.

Okay, okay, so there are not pounds of peas here.  I made a reduced recipe and ate my soup all in one sitting.  But it was the right amount of peas for spending some time on the back patio shelling them and enjoying a cool morning and some peace (no homophone intended).  The soup itself took about fifteen minutes and not too much laboring over a hot stove.

I'm keeping in mind this year to use my favorite cookbook: Tender, by Nigel Slater.  Not only is the book perfect for vegetable gardeners, as it is organized by vegetable, it is beautifully written and worth reading on its own. Slater writes about each vegetable with a sort of honest reverence, without ever tipping the balance to the over-sentimental.  There is also good advice for each vegetable, like which simple ingredients pair well, gardening tips, and the names of many wonderful heirloom varieties.  And he offered me new ways to think about the humble garden pea.


FRESH PEA SOUP
Adapted from "A Green Soup for a Summer's Day;" Tender, by Nigel Slater

• Large head of lettuce (14 oz.), chopped roughly
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped finely
• 1 lb. peas (after shelling)
• 1 quart vegetable broth (or water)
• Handful of herbs
• Salt and pepper
• Heavy cream, to garnish
• Sumac, to garnish

As Nigel warns, wash lettuce thoroughly.  Grit ruins everything when it come to lettuce.

Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot.  Stir in onion, and cook until softened and fragrant.  Add the lettuce and stir until wilted.  Add peas along with broth and herbs and bring to a simmer.  I used lemon balm and thyme, because that's what I have.  Mint is a good idea, but I forgot to grow it this year.

Allow mixture to simmer for about 5-10 minutes, until peas are cooked.  Season with salt and pepper and puree in a blender until very smooth.  Remember to remove the center of the blender lid to allow for heat ventilation - I don't want you to have to clean soup off of the ceiling.

Pour into bowls (3 or 4) and drizzle a tablespoon or so of heavy cream over each serving.  Sprinkle with sumac. While the soup does not need to be chilled, I found that room temperature was nice.  Especially for summer.

Side note: Do NOT underestimate the value of making your own food look nice.  Presentation means a lot when you are dining out, and it can bring some cheer to your home cooked meals, too.  Initially, the sumac was just for prettiness, but it ended up adding the perfect touch of tartness and earthiness to the soup.