With gluten free this, avoid that, and whatever else we are adding to the “avoid list” lately, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of calling something what it actually isn’t. For example, a “cauliflower” is commonly being called a “steak,” and no one seems to mind at all. Are we finally losing it as a society? Well, I guess, keeping it all in perspective, it’s cool to get creative with naming some healthy substitutes. It’s just a word anyway, right? I just want whatever I am eating to satiate and hit the spot on whatever my mind and my appetite have conspired to enjoy together. Whenever that happens to be cold tomato basil noodles, this recipe does the trick. For the sake of avoiding the faux food naming pattern, we’re going to call these babies “zoodles”. Whatever you do call it, get ready for “yummy” sounding words and noises when you serve it. Oh, and it’s raw too!
Moroccan Spiced Eggplant & Tomato with Tahini
I love cooking outdoors! One of
the highlights of my summer has always been firing up my electric smoker, or
using my Texas barrel as a “wood oven.” I have cooked just about
everything imaginable outdoors, from pizza to smoked peaches. Grilling,
smoking, and barbecuing doesn’t have to be reserved for meat. There are
a lot of plant foods that do extremely well on the grill. This recipe for
grilled eggplant is my favorite way to just grab an eggplant from my garden
and quickly turn it into a featured grill item. If you can mix a few spices
together, you can easily prepare this dish. The buttery flavor from the
natural oils of the roasted eggplant along with tomato and the tahini is
heaven when eaten! You can even prepare this on your stovetop griddle or in a
grill pan. Read More
Riced Cauliflower Salad with Tomato, Basil & Garlic
I’m having a
“mini-series” of riced cauliflower in my kitchen! Riced cauliflower
is great as a raw salad, because cauliflower florets are already slightly
tender and porous to start with, so, when mixed with other salad ingredients
it makes a great base! So, a while, back, I tried using it as you would pasta
in a classic “TBG” (tomato, basil, garlic) salad, and the results
were delicious.
Black Bean Rotini Salad
I thought I would squeeze in a
4th of July recipe this morning! Here is a gluten free pasta salad that
is packed with summertime garden goodness, contains all the comfort and zesty
flavors of the holiday, but won’t leave your body starving for awesome
nutrition. I named it “L.A. Summer” because it contains all the
stuff that you might find growing in one of L.A.’s back yards or urban farms,
like nopales, cucumber, tomatoes, and peppers, and it has some hints of
Mexico and the Southwest in it’s flavor profile, two prominent cuisines in
the area. Enjoy, and happy Independence Day!
Read More
“Raw” Portobello Mushroom Bruschetta
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.
Vegan Caprese with Pine Nut Cheese & Roasted Pepper Dressing
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.