Yay!
Two of my favorite things, eggplant with Chinese 5 spice and soba noodles,
rolled into one dish. I have been wanting to try this for a while and finally
got around to it, and I am really glad I did. You could probably also add
other veggies to this like roasted peppers, chopped spinach, and-or steamed
bok choy, for example, to give it more dimension, but I love it like this,
just simple and straightforward. Enjoy!
Every year the artichoke root
system in our garden pops out an abundance of fresh artichokes. For the first
few years this is really fun and rewarding, but after a while, one yearns for
some new ideas and ways to gobble up all those artichokes, without adding a
lot of prep time. This recipe for slow cooker artichokes is super easy,
with just about 15 minutes or less of prep time. Then you just set the
cooker, get on with your day, and return to a crock pot full of tender, moist
artichokes loaded with flavor. Read More
Socca, in my opinion, is one of
the best kept little secret gems in the world of gluten free cooking and
healthier options. Socca is a street food from the South of France, that is
so simple to make it is almost mind blowing, consisting of just chickpea
flour, olive oil, water, and seasoning. It makes a healthy crepe for
breakfast, lunch, or a light dinner, or it can be made a little thicker, and
cooked longer for a pizza crust or flatbread effect. The trick is in not
trying to flip it over, but instead, letting it cook through from one
side.
If you raise basil on a regular
basis, you will encounter those times when you get busy and kind of ignore
the basil for a few days, and while you are busy doing other stuff, the basil
goes nuts and produces an abundance of flower stalks and leaves. This
happened to me the other day and in my rush to prune it all back, I ended up
with a giant pile of basil. So, since autumn is just around the corner, I
decided to do a variation of pesto using raw pepitas (pumpkinseeds). There
is something about the pumpkinseeds’ earthiness and association with the
impending fall season that just made it all seem right.
I am still getting some glorious heirloom tomatoes, although that
season is nearly over, so I put together this sort of “summer-fall”
transitional salad that is vegan, yet packed with high quality, raw protein
and healthy fats. This vegan pesto is very versatile and I have been using it
in a variety of ways beyond this salad. This recipe is definitely a keeper
and a healthier alternative to traditional pesto.
Okay, I know it is always
amusing when Los Angeles people start complaining about the weather…but, we
DID have a little heat wave the other day, and it was
really hot outside! It
was one of those dog days when you can’t imagine doing anything besides
climbing into a walk-in freezer at a nearby restaurant and locking the door
behind you. This didn’t stop a gorgeous vine ripened tomato from calling out
to me from the garden. Before I knew it I had some fresh salsa cruda with
stunning fragrant basil. To keep it moving in the direction of a minimally
cooked, not heat producing dinner, I decided to whip this up. I have featured
the “raw” portobello before (softened by dehydration at a low
temperature). This is another example of how versatile the “raw”
portobello can be. This is super simple and sure to refresh, and nourish you
on a hot summer day.
A
couple weeks ago I picked up a gorgeous pine nut cheese from Blode Kuh, one of my
favorite vendors at the Farmers Market. This cheese was screaming to be
made into some version of a caprese salad. Voila! Most times, the
simplest stuff using ingredients made with love, make the brightest and most
tasty dishes.
Warning: Fig season is here!
Which means that I may post more than one recipe with figs over the next
week or two. Since figs are one of those fruits that you simply can’t find
when they’re out of season, just enjoy and soak it up while you can!
I’ll start with this easy mid-week salad that can practically serve as a
weeknight meal, a lunch, or a side dish with something off the back yard
grill. These figs were given to me by my neighbor, artist Bill
Wheeler. The roasted yams and onions seem to give
the figs and kale a nice caramelized hug…yes I said hug!! You can even
roast the yams on your barbecue if you want, for some extra smoky flavor.
Read More
Are you a pesto-file? Always
looking at different ways to make pesto? Here is one you quite possibly have
not tried yet, and it is very versatile. A couple weeks ago, I taught a
workshop on edible common garden flowers at Fig
Earth Supply, the edible nursery in my neighborhood. And, it got me
thinking of all the delightful, delicious ways we can get the most
nutritional bang from our outdoor spaces. Enter nasturtium
pesto!
