I love Ice Cubes

Stuff that I freeze!



Radish tops & Pistachio Pesto

Cilantro & Walnut Pesto

Herb & Flower Garlic Butter

Lemon Juice

Lemon Juice w Strawberry & Mint

Coconut Carrot Ginger Soup

1 large onion
about 20 or so carrots
1-2 cans coconut milk
1-2 inches ginger
1 coconut
salt

This recipe starts like so many others... Heat oil in the pot & add onion! The onion/carrot ratio is about 1 small onion to every dozen carrots. I probably used about 20 carrots in this soup.

So, we are cookin the onion. Once it it good and delicious add the chopped carrots. Cover with the lid, then once they are good and soft add 1 can coconut milk. Bring to a simmer. Puree the carrots with the meat & water of one coconut & an inch of ginger (or more to taste.) If you need more liquid, add more coconut milk or water.
Add it back to the pot. Bring to a simmer.. adjust seasonings as needed i.e. ginger, salt, coconut.

Creamy Zucchini Soup

This is a very simple, delicious way to prepare the bounty of squash this season!
You could make this soup with asparagus too & it would be sooo yummy!

7small zucchini/yellow squash
onion & garlic
2 c flavorful broth/your fave bouillon
almond milk (or whatever milk you use!)
1 T vinegar (white wine/apple cider/rice wine)
salt & pepper
basil or cilantro
parmesan

Heat olive oil in a large pot.. add onion and cook for several minutes until it is transparent. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Then add all the zucchini.. stir often until the zucchini is soft & delicious. Put it in a blender and slowly add almond milk.. about a cup, or more if you need too. Add it back to the pot. Stir in more milk/water until you reach your desired consistensy.. add 1-2 servings of bouillon and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt & pepper then garnish with parm & fresh herbs.

Potato Soup

Zucchini Pasta

I use the Spirooli "spiralizer" to make these zucchini pasta strands. They are delicious!

diced onion & garlic
olive oil
zucchini noodles
eggplant
morel mushrooms
spinach
parmesan
salt & red pepper flakes

There are lots of different directions you could take this dish. Whatever you've got in the fridge, freezer, pantry.. use it up. Thats what I did!
I keep roasted eggplant in my freezer, so that I have it on hand for quick dishes. This dish probably took 15 min to make, with prep time.

Heat up a little olive oil in a pan, add the onion, once it cooks for a few minutes add the garlic and cook an additional minute. Add the zucchini, it should cook pretty quickly since its sliced so thin. The eggplant I used also cooks real quick because it was pre-roasted & living in my freezer. Chop it up & throw it in. Add the morels.. once the eggplant & morels are cooked through and the zucc is good and wilted add the spinach until it wilts as well. Garnish with parm salt & red pepper... Enjoy!

Smoothie Time! Thank You Vitamix

Honeydew Grape Blueberry Kiwi Kale Spinach Smoothie!!
Mango Parsley Strawberry Sprout Kale Peach Smoothie!!

Lemon Pesto Risotto

Have you made risotto before? Its easy! It does take some technique, but depending where you are in the world will determine which technique you learn.
When I took the risotto class at school I learned a completely different process from any I had heard of before. I'll tell you how I prefer to make it.

For the risotto:
3 c hot broth simmering in a pot (you may not need all of this)
1 c arborio or carnaroli rice
1/3 c dry white wine
pesto to taste, about 4 T
1/2 lemon
onion &garlic
olive oil
spicy olive salad for garnish

For the shrimp:
1/2 c almond meal
1/2 c hazelnut meal
1 egg


Start by heating the olive oil, and add the onions. Cook for a few minutes until soft, then add the garlic & rice. Stir for a couple minutes until the rice gets lightly toasted. This is a good time to add the wine. Let it simmer down, then begin to add your hot broth, one ladle (about 1/4 c) at a time.
Stir stir stir, always stir your risotto. A wooden spoon is considered best. Once the liquid cooks into the rice, add more. Continue doing this until you have the creamy risotto texture that you want. The ideal texture is al dente.
Towards the end of the cooking process, add your pesto to taste. The amount that you use will depend on the salt content of your pesto. They can be pretty salty, which is why this recipe doesnt call for any. I keep pesto frozen in ice cube trays, I used 3 ice cubes here. To finish the dish, squeeze on some lemon juice & top with the olive salad.

Lucky me, at Central Market we have a variety of nut meals, and arborio rice in the bulk department!
The shrimp come together pretty quickly. I just tossed together the nut meal, dipped a shrimp into the meal, then into egg, then back into the meal. Then it goes directly into hot oil until it is cooked through & both sides are golden & crispy.

I think I'm going to be making risotto more often, it was soooo good!!!

RAW "pasta alfredo"

This recipe is dairy-free, un-cooked, nutrient packed, and friggin delicious. I ain't kiddin. I understand the skepticism, but by now you should all trust my tastebuds!!

So there is a Raw revolution happening in this country. Many people have no idea what this means, and many more are very skeptical. I am not endorsing an all-raw all-year lifestyle, but I firmly believe that having at least a 50% raw diet will help you feel and look much much better.
When you cook food the minerals stay, but many of the vitamins leave... food for thought.

Raw "alfredo sauce"
1 c cashews
1/2 c pinenuts
1 1/2 c water
garlic
thyme (or oregano, parsley, basil)
red pepper flakes
sun dried tomatoes
salt
1-2 T lemon juice

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor.

This is a pretty standard recipe among raw foodists. Buy the nuts from your grocer's bulk section to save money. Dont buy them toasted or salted.

The noodles are made from zucchini. If you dont have a fancy spiral slicer like me, you can just slice thin strips off your squash with a peeler.

You could also top this with marinated mushrooms, steamed broccoli, bell peppers, tomatoes, etc.

Strawberry Salsa

FRESH LOCAL STRAWBERRIES ARE HERE!!!
We have already gone through several pints! Most fruits can be turned into delicious salsa, I also love to use fresh cherries, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, peaches... yeah!

This recipe has standard salsa ingredients, plus strawberries

1pint strawberries
1 small tomato
few T finely chopped red onion
cilantro
olive oil (just a drizzle)
2t balsamic (or to taste)
1-2 jalapenos
salt
lime juice

you could do variations on this.. add kiwi, orange juice, or garlic, or bell peppers, or agave nectar/honey... Enjoy!

Herb Fest 2011

top row: dill, bay leaves, tarragon, unknown, thyme, chives and chervil
bottom row: spearmint, peppermint, lemon thyme, sage, rosemary, marjoram, oregano & summer savory

chopping up garlic to add to the herb butter
a salad with organic edible flowers

herb & flower butter


Its Herb Fest at work.. which doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot. I mean, it isn't a "festival" like one would imagine. We are just selling more varieties of herbs and products featuring herbs this week. But there was one perk.. I got to bring home all these glorious herbs and find ways to use them!! The Foodies were given several BOXES of herbs to demonstrate uses for, in the store, but we couldn't possibly use them all. Thank goodness.



Herb & Flower Butter
-1 tub Earth Balance Buttery Spread
-tarragon
-dill
-marjoram
-summer savory
-sage
-rosemary
-thyme
-chervil
-chives
-garlic
-lemon juice
-salt

I am going to freeze this in an ice cube tray, or else I'm afraid it will get yucky. I'll thaw out one at a time and use it as needed. You wouldn't friggin believe how good it is. I gave Anna a little bit on a cracker, and the first thing she said was, "you should bottle it and sell it."

LOTS MORE HERB RECIPES COMING SOON

Morels & Squash Blossoms

Morel Mushrooms. If you've ever had these, chances are you're mouth is watering right now. They're pricey.. Ive seen them range from 20$/lb to 70$/lb. They are extremely seasonal, and the best way to find them is in the woods with friends, rather than the store!
Squash Blossoms. These beauties usually get fried, stuffed, or lightly sauteed. Tonight we're frying.
Soaking Morels to remove any dirt.. or bugs

frying breaded morels in high heat oil


Fried Morels, Fried Squash Blossoms, roasted potatoes with butternut gravy & roasted asparagus


The Roasted Potatoes & Gravy Recipe can be found on the previous post.

Make sure that you soak Morels, if you can find them, because they sometimes contain dirt and bugs!!
I made a gluten free "breading" for these suckers by cleaning out my cabinet and throwing all my old tortilla chips into the food processor. yay!! It was a very pretty breading because Anna and I always keep several bags of Food Should Taste Good chips on hand, and the chips come in different colors, natural coloring of course. Click on the pic of the morels frying and you'll get a close up of the pretty colors.
If you are making your own breading from scratch it is always a good idea to season it, at least with a little salt.

morels
squash blossoms
crumbs +salt
eggwash
frying oil

So, all I did was soak em. Then made an eggwash, 1 egg beat with a little almond milk.
I dipped morels & blossoms into the eggwash, into the cumbs and into the HOT oil. When frying it is crucial to get the oil hot before putting anything into the pan.. or else you will end up soggy rather than crisp.

The asparagus was rolled in olive oil, salt & pepper then stuck under the broiler until it was slightly crisp & bendy. Then I drizzled on a bit of balsamic vinegar. People often overcook their asparagus into mush... don't do it!!

Roasted Potatoes & Butternut Gravy

Red and Yukon Potatoes Roasted with garlic, spring onions and herbs

Sauteing onions and garlic in olive oil, agave nectar and thyme

melting butternut squash broth ice cubes that I saved from soup-making last month


whisking the broth into the onions & garlic

You can make gravy with any stock, broth, water, milk... etc. All you really need is a thickener, usually a roux, but in this case arrowroot powder.

I love to freeze leftovers in ice cube trays. I reserved squash cooking liquid from several weeks ago, knowing that I love to make this gravy. For a quicker version, just make some broth with a bouillon cube/paste & some water.

Gravy
12 butternut squash broth ice cubes, melted
1/4 of an onion finely minced
2 cloves garlic
a couple drops agave nectar (or any sweetener)
thyme
olive oil
arrowroot powder (kudzu & cornstarch work too)

heat oil and saute onion until translucent & soft. Add garllic, thyme & agave & continue to cook for another minute. Stir in broth, but reserve 2 T. Mix the 2T broth with 1 T arrowroot and whisk in this mixture. Continue to whisk until the gravy thickens.

Serve over Roasted Potatoes & Onions. or whatever!
Make sure to slice the onions very thick so that they cook evenly with the potatoes.

Stuff that I make

Straining the Green Onion Oil through a fine mesh seive
Green onion oil in a pan.. ready for potatoes! We used to drizzle it on Pizzas @ Broadway Brewery
Fresh Strawberry Sauce & Green Onion Oil

Fresh Strawberry Sauce on Nada Moo Coconut Ice Cream



Fresh Strawberry Sauce
-1 pint strawberries
-agave nectar
-balsamic vinegar
-lemon juice

Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend the ingredients so that there is still a somewhat chunky consistency.

I would use this with breakfast or dessert!

Green Onion Oil
-Tops of 2 Spring Onions or 1/2 bunch scallions
-1 c high heat oil (Safflower, Canola, Grapeseed..)

Place onion tops & oil into a blender or food processor & puree until smooth. Then press through a fine mesh seive to separate the flavored oil from plant fiber.

I would use this to re-heat roasted root vegetables, on a salad, in a dressing, potato salad, on a pizza, in pesto, drizzle over.. well, most things savory!

1st CSA Box

CSA- Community Supported Agriculture

A CSA is usually run by a farm, or by a group of farms to bring local people fresh seasonal produce. Members will pay weekly, monthly, or annually depending on the CSA, and recieve a box of whatever is growing that week. Prices range from 25-50$ per box.

I worked for a CSA in Columbia, Missouri, run by the Root Cellar. Chances are there is one or more near you!
Anna and I recently joined Farmhouse Delivery in Austin Texas. YES!!!

The first box included:
4 oranges
1 bag mixed greens
1 bunch purple radishes
1 bunch beets
2 bunches mustard greens
2 bunches kale
1 bunch spinach
asparagus
2 pints strawberries
4 spring onions

Tempeh Reuben

If you live in Columbia, MO and are reading this post, there is a good chance that this sandwich sounds familiar. This is a slightly different version of an item on Main Squeeze's menu on 9th st.
If you are in town, GO GET THIS SANDWICH. I worked there for one year, but ate there for many, and this was my favorite menu item. Honestly, mine wasn't as good as theirs.

RECIPE COMING SOON

Sandwich Sauce
Ketchup
Mayonaise
Pickles

Sandwich layers
Sauce
Tempeh
Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
Sweet Onion
Sprouts
Sauerkraut

I bought the sauerkraut and the sprouts at the Austin Farmers Market.
If you have never had Tempeh before, do not be afraid. I am serious. It sounds scary.. depending who you are.. it is fermented soy beans, which forms into a thick cake.. so it kind of looks like a whole bean cake.
You eat lots of fermented foods. Fermented foods contain a living bacteria (culture.) Cheese, yogurt, sauerkraut, meade, European style butter, and sourdough bread are some examples.
I did a demonstration of using tempeh on a sandwich at Central Market. Many many "normal" people, Texans infact, enjoyed it very much. In fact, at least 100 people tried it, and I got no complaints! So do not be afraid, I bet you'll love it!

Brussel Sprouts & Roasted Garlic Polenta

Local Brussel Sprouts, picked this morning!
Covered in oil, salt & pepper

Stirring plenty of roasted garlic into the polenta

mmm


I had never made brussel sprouts before. So, before getting started I briefed a chef at work about the process. He said that most people don't like brussel sprouts because they aren't prepared properly and are often overcooked. The problem is that the stem-end is tougher than the blossom end. So he told me to slice off as little as possible, just the tiniest tip of the stem end.. barely an 1/8 of an inch. Then take the knife and carefully slice a cross-section in that end, like an X into the stem, that way the entire brussel sprout will cook more evenly. At this point, you can leave them whole or cut em in half.

I tossed them in oil and roasted them until they looked, smelled and felt done. Meanwhile I was roasting garlic and making polenta. I added an entire head of roasted garlic into my polenta. Polenta is basically a blank canvas and can be sweet (ex. oranges, vanilla & marscapone) for breakfast and savory for any time. You can also enjoy it plain, simply seasoned with salt & pepper. I generally like mine creamy, but you can add more cornmeal/less liquid if you want it solid. It hardens in the fridge, but is still quite tender. You can even use cookie cutters to make fun shapes!

1 c fine cornmeal
3-5 cups liquid (water, stock, milk)
salt pepper
roasted garlic
oil/butter

Heat the liquid and just before it boils, start whisking in the cornmeal in a steady stream. For the next 15-20 minutes whisk frequently. You can add more cornmeal or water to reach your desired consistency. For thick cornmeal continue whisking/cooking until the polenta starts to pull away from the sides of the pot. Season to taste & stir in roasted garlic and butter/oil. Then scrape into container to let cool/harden. For creamy polenta, cook until it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Pineapple Fried Rice

1 3/4 dry jasmine rice (makes about 5.5 cups cooked rice)
1 carrot
1/3 sweet onion
2 dry red chilies
1 c frozen peas
2 eggs
1 1/2 c chopped pineapple
1/3 c dry currants
3 cloves garlic
1 T minced ginger
1/3 c chopped macadamia nuts or cashews
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 spring onions
cilantro
fish sauce (optional)
soy sauce
dash rice wine vinegar
sesame oil

Indian Korma Curry

Ground nuts in a few seconds from my Vitamix! You can use a food processor as well.


starting at the top and moving clockwise: garlic, cloves, coconut, cumin, coriander, dry chilies, peeled ginger, and a stick of cinnamon in the center


Cooking the paste, with some added water

Simmer the sauce with the grapes and vegetables


I am very intrigued by Indian cuisine. The aromatic combinations they use are incredible. The styles across India are very diverse and I would probably have to spend quite a bit of time living there and studying before I could really speak with much knowledge on the subject.
At my work, like at Whole Foods and some Schnucks stores, we offer cooking classes to the public. As a Foodie (my job title) I get payed to attend some of the classes. I pick out all the vegetarian classes and go to those. Last week I attended a class called 660 curries, named after a book written by the teacher, Raghavan Iyer. He was extremely informative, and actually gives culinary tours of regions in India! Someday I would love to send myself on all kinds of "culinary vacations."

A curry is just a sauce. It doesnt have to have anything in it to make it a curry.. it is just an Indian sauce. I used to think that curry needed coconut milk, or tumeric, or cumin & coriander... Wrong!

So, learning to prepare Indian food is like learning to cook all over again. Recently I ate at a local restaurant called Clay Pit and ordered a curry, called Korma, and was described as a "sinfully rich cashew almond pistachio cream sauce." To most Americans cream sauce means milk, butter, and/or cream.. but none of these were present. the creaminess was from the nuts. I was mesmerized. I have looked through several books since then, searching for something that comes close. I bought the book 660 curries, but none of them reflected my memory of that sauce. Eventually I came across a recipe in a book I borrowed from a friend. Here is the sauce that I made. The book is called Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Savan, and the recipe is called "coconut chicken with cashews." I am going to put *asterisk* by my additions to the sauce, obviously I did not add the chicken.

1 c raw cashews
1/4 c raw pistashios * (mix the 2 together, then separate 1c from 1/4c, as you'll need 1/4c mixed nuts at the very end of the recipe.)
4 whole dry red chili peppers
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
3 T coriander seeds
2 t cumin seeds
1 medium onion, coarsley chopped
8 garlic cloves
a 2inch peice fresh ginger, peeled & sliced
1/2 c unsweetened coconut
1/3 c canola oil
1t ground black pepper
2 c water
1 t salt, or to taste
1 zucchini *
couple handfuls of green grapes*
1 red bell pepper*
half a head of cauliflower*
chopped cilantro*

I read through the instructions quickly, and assumed that I knew what to do. Mistake. I need to follow Indian recipes more carefully, since they are new to me. The recipe says to process the nuts until they are crumbs then dry toast all the ingredients from the cashews (just 1 cup) through the coconut. I just assumed that I would cook them all in oil. Wrong. I was supposed to dry toast everything (on the stovetop) until the coconut turns a golden toasty brown, then make a paste (puree) then cook the puree in the oil.
So. I cooked everything in oil, then pureed it in my Vitamix. I am sure it didn't make a huge difference, I loved my sauce, ah well. I was very proud of my Vitamix for pureeing the cinnamon stick amongst the other ingredients. A spice grinder would work too, those run about $20-$40 (but dont last as long as a Vitamix).
Moving on. I made the puree then put it back in the pan and cooked it for a few minutes, stirring continuously and adding water so that it didn't stick to the pan. After a few minutes, I added the rest of the water and continued to stir to incorporate. When it stated to simmer, I added my grapes and veggies and cooked em with the lid slightly on until they were tender. At the end I stirred in the other 1/4 c of ground nuts and served it with naan (Indian flat bread) and jasmine rice. I got rave reviews from Anna and my friend Sabrina, who had dinner with us this night. Awesome! It made quite a bit too, so I got to eat it a couple days for lunch.

Jicama Slaw

jicama is pronounced (pick-a-mah)
It is the root of a plant, and has a potato like peel. Sometimes they are covered in a thick wax to preserve the freshness. It tastes moist and sweet, with the flavor of a subtle pear and the texture of a water chestnut. The root is the only edible part of the jicama plant, the rest is very poisonous! cool!

This makes an enormous batch, so eat it with friends, or have it for lunch/dinner/snack for a couple days. It really hits the spot now that the seasons are changing, as it is light, cool and crisp.

1 head nappa cabbage
1 colored bell pepper
2 apples
1 pear
1 cucumber, seeded
1/4 sweet onion sliced
4-5 scallions
1 smallish jiacama
cilantro
sunflower seeds
ramen noodles (optional)

dressing
2 parts neutral oil (grapeseed, canola)
1 part sesame oil (lots of flavor!)
1 part rice vinegar
1 part mirin (japanese sweet rice wine)
.5 part soy sauce
lime juice
1 clove garlic
1 small piece ginger

Basically, slice all of the salad ingredients up and toss them together. The ramen I bought didn't have the crunch I was going for. I bought organic ramen, and it tasted too... raw. It just wasnt something you'd want to find in your salad, it would have been like buying some spaghetti off the shelf , breaking it up and tossing that in.. not good
Put the dressing ingredients into a blender and puree. Taste it, if you want it sweeter add more mirin. Basically season it to your tastes, this is just an outline to work with. Anna is crazy about this dressing though.
If you are going to keep the salad around for a few days, keep the dressing in a separate container and dress as you go.