spicy kale and white bean soup

Soup is one of the easiest genres of food to throw together - maybe that's not really true (salads, anyone?). Sometimes I use another recipe as a guide, but once you pick up the concepts, it's pretty easy to rummage around the fridge and pantry and come up with a soup.

This was a bit of a rummage - kale, carrots, and squash? I always have garlic and onions in the pantry and broth in the freezer .. I was out of white beans so when I went to the store I picked up a couple of pounds. When I was at the store I picked up a loaf of fresh organic bread - always a great accompaniment to soup.

Kale and white bean soup:

olive oil

1 onion, sliced

garlic - lots, whole or large chop

1 c. chopped carrots

1 lb. white beans, soaked and cooked

6-8 c. vegetable stock

1 bunch kale, washed and chopped

1 med yellow squash, sliced

salt & pepper, to taste

1+ T. chili powder

Heat olive oil over medium heat and add onion. Cooked until translucent and add carrots and garlic. Cover and sweat the carrots for 10 minutes. Add white beans and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Add kale. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until it is tender. Add the squash and spices (as desired). Add more stock/water as needed.

Serve with red pepper flakes or jalapeno cheese. Enjoy!

salad lunch

beet green pasta

As a kid, if anyone asked me what I wanted for dinner I had one answer: spaghetti. We always made it with red sauce, usually with hamburger, always with copious amounts of dried oregano and scoops of dried parmesan. Once I got a bit older my palette matured and I realized pasta could be served with something other than marinara (thanks Gabby!) and I was introduced to real, fresh parmesan.

Every two weeks when I get my CSA box (or the weekend before when I get the contents list) I make a quick assessment about what I must eat in the next couple of days and what can wait. On the top of the eat soon list are a variety of greens. Not usually lettuce, that keeps for a bit, but things like chard, kale, carrot tops and beet greens. My box this week contains kale, carrot tops, and beets. First on the eat list are the beet greens - they have the shortest shelf life. The beets keep uncooked for a while but the tops will wilt immediately. I usually go ahead and roast the beat (I prefer to eat them cold, so they are ready in the fridge for eating). I also remove the carrot tops and prep them by washing and either immediately make pesto (which is my fail-safe) or keep them in the spinner in the fridge for a day until I have time to use them.

Beet Green Pasta

onion, sliced

garlic, peeled

basil, fresh

olive oil

beet greens, tops of 3 small beats washed, dried and chopped

salt & pepper, to taste

whole wheat pasta

parmesan

Slowly saute the onion with olive oil over med-low heat until they are well browned. Add the cloves of garlic and the beet greens. Add salt, pepper, and more olive oil as desired/needed. Cover than cook slowly until greens are limp. Add basil. Meanwhile cook pasta in boiling water to al dente. When pasta is done, drain and add to sauce pan. Stir. Cook for another minute. Serve with parmesan. Yield: 2 large portions

pumpkin bread

This week it's quite a bit cooler and reminiscent of fall. I'm not ready for a northwest fall, but I've enjoyed vegetable soup almost everyday and thought it's time to pull out some cooler weather favorites (looks summer-y next week!). Upon searching for something in the freezer I came across about 1 c.* of roasted pumpkin puree leftover from a white pumpkin I bought last October. My solution was to make pumpkin bread! In the process I finished the molasses and dried cranberries. I feel such satisfaction and accomplishment when I use up infrequently used items, such as molasses and pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin Molasses Bread

1 c. oil

2 c. brown sugar

1 c. blackstrap molasses

2 eggs

2 c. pumpkin

1 c. dates/nuts/raisins

3 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. nutmeg

1 t. cloves

2 t. soda

3 1/2 t. cinnamon

oats (optional)

3 T. dark rum (optional)

Mix all ingredients together (except the oats) and pour into pans. Sprinkle oats over tops. Bake at 350 deg. F for 1 hour in greased pans. Yield 3 small loaves or 2 medium loaves or 8 tiny loaves (like above) or lots of muffins.

*I made 1/2 this recipe and baked in 3 tiny loaf pans, that's why it overflowed - start checking at 50 min for doneness.

air guitar

Jack Ziegler (The New Yorker, August 10, 2009 issue)

organic dinner

My dinner last night was delicious and couldn't help but share it with you. Also it was all organic - with the exception of the cilantro, wine, and salt n' pepper (can salt qualify as organic?). I had scrambled eggs with cilantro and sauteed onions, steamed green beans, and steamed fingerling potatoes. The veggies were dressed with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt and pepper. I drank a red wine left at my birthday party (2007 Chariot Gypsy, $5 at Trader Joe's) and some water. Yum!

Gidget burped her praises for her dinner as she had her 2nd raw meal (we're trying to see if she likes - yes - and if it will help some of her skin issues - tbd).

is it organic? is it genetically modified?

Doing a little light nutritional reading yesterday I discovered a fascinating tidbit. Every wonder what those annoying produce stickers really mean? Aside from giving the code when you're checking out at the grocer's they also tell you how the produce was grown. You can identify conventional, organic, and genetically modified produce.

All codes start with 4-digits. For example, #4046 means avocado the world over. It is an internationally recognized code. If it is just those 4 numbers then you know it was conventionally grown (what conventional is might vary by country, of course). If this 4-digit number is preceded by a '9', such as #94046, then it is organic. If it is preceded by an '8', such as #84046 then it is genetically modified (GMO or GE).

I prefer to eat organic (not always possible on my budget) but now I can definitely steer clear of GMO crops. Also use the code to confirm that what the bin label says is actually what is in the bin.

taco salad

When I saw the forecast leading up to this heat wave I started to think about food. Cooking is the last thing I want to do when it's hot. I also don't have a grill so everything must be done in the kitchen. I instantly decided taco salad, yogurt, and cabbage salad were the answers... I went ahead and prepared some more cabbage salad (I soak the cabbage in some hot water - the only 'cooking' involved) and started working on the taco salad. The only preparations I had were soaking and cooking the beans (red) and sautéing the onion and red pepper. And the only thing I needed to buy was salsa...

Taco salad:

1-2 handfuls of corn chips

1 c. beans (red, black, pinto..)

1-2 forkfuls of sautéed onions & peppers

gratings of cheese (colby, cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack ...)

microwave for 1-2 minutes to melt cheese (if desired)

large serving of fresh greens

couple of large globs of salsa (acts as a dressing)

1 t. soar cream

fresh tomatoes, cilantro, or cooked corn etc.

staying cool

If you follow the news then you probably heard that the pacific northwest is in an all-sorts-of-record-breaking heat wave. It's HOT! This morning we set the warmest low ever (73 deg - 4 deg warmer than the previous record) and today we're expected to break the warmest ever high record (of 100 deg).

To try to keep cool(er) I have spent the early mornings and evenings on my porch - although technically may not be cooler than my apartment the warm breeze feels nice. I take some reading, a cooling glass of water, iced tea, or sangria and bring the fan to heighten that breeze. In the evenings I pull a lamp near so I can continue to read after sunset. It's kinda noisy (busy street) and I can hear everyone else on their porches (talking on cell phones) but still it's a break from the indoor sauna that is my apartment.

Why not go somewhere cooler??? I might break down today, but in general I don't know where to go. I would head to the library with my laptop, but I can't take my pooch and it's seems cruel to leave her behind.

Tips to keep cool:

1. drink cold beverages

2. drink hot beverages (this works by making you sweat and then you feel cooler)

3. eat spicy food (same as #2)

4. read escapist literature (maybe it's time to pull out the Anne books?)

5. take COLD showers - I'm also giving my dog daily cold showers to help cool her down (when she starts panting you know it is time for that shower)

6. plug fan into extension cord so you can easily pull it around the apartment after you

7. dig through sweater box to find those tank tops you know you have somewhere

8. put fitted sheet on [futon] sofa because it's cooler to the touch than the upholstery

9. eat salads, popsicles, and fruit

10. wrap ice with a bandana and place on nape of neck or forehead for instant cool

11. close windows and shades when outdoors surpasses the interior temp (84 presently)

12....

preserved lemons

A while back I posted a cous cous salad that calls for preserved lemons. Preserved lemons are a staple of moroccan and middle eastern cuisine and frequently found in meat dishes. They are available in many arab markets in the US, however, if you don't have an arab market nearby they are also very easy to make. The one caveat is they must rest for a month before eating.

Preserved lemons:

large jar

lemons

salt (copious amounts)

lemon juice and/or boiling water

1. Quarter lemons into nearly 4 pieces (keep attached at one end).

2. Stuff with salt.

3. Stuff lemons into jar. Close jar.

4. Let jar rest on counter. Once a day shake jar a bit. After a week cover lemons with lemon juice and/or boiling water.

5. Seal jar and place in refrigerator. After one month lemons are ready for use.

6. When using preserved lemons, fish out of jar and rinse well. Remove pulp and discard (if desired). Use peel as recipe calls - usually sliced or diced.

Lemons will keep for several months (a year??) in the fridge. I use them primarily in the summer and make a few at a time. I've read that you can keep adding lemons to the brine and reuse the brine, although I've never done this.

world of tomorrow

"You had only to look at other advertisements to see it--the ones for refrigerators that could freeze things into the shapes of your desire, stoves that did the cooking and washing machines that did the ironing while you went to the motion pictures and relaxed and enjoyed the finer things of life, radios that did not squawk, prefabricated homes C.O.D. anywhere, furniture all colors of the rainbow made out of soybeans, sawdust, corn husks, and perhaps a little milk and water, runless stockings made out of glass, roach powders that would kill anything unpleasant, penicillin and all those vitamins." John P. Marquand B.F.'s Daughter (p374-5)

hot tamale!

My birthday was last Thursday followed by a game night party on Friday. A good friend brought me a container of fresh, homemade tamales. I decided to pair this with a cabbage salad and iced tea. A delicious lunch!

cous cous

There was a time when I said I didn't like cous cous, but that has changed. I love cous cous salads with cheese and garbanzo, roasted red peppers and preserved lemons. They are delicious fresh cooked or straight out of the fridge.

apple tart

Another father's day brunch treat! My recipe makes two, so I had a second pastry waiting and I decided it would be a tasty independence day treat. The one fault with this logic is it is a French style tart, most commonly called tarte tartin, however I justified it because without French financial support, the patriots would not have been able to afford the war that led to our independence.

The recipe is very simple: start with a delectable pastry recipe. I suggest a pate brisse. The pastry becomes ever so more important in this application than in a pie. Roll pastry into a rectangle (one which will fit onto a cookie sheet) and let rest in fridge for 20 minutes. Meanwhile core, slice, and peel apples. I used 2 varieties -a tart and a sweet- which I alternated in the layering (about 4 medium apples). I have an apple corer/slicer/peeler which gives me these consistently thin slices. The peeler leaves some peel on, but that's okay with me. Stack slices in rows, like seen above, alternating varieties, if desired. Sprinkle top with sugar. Bake in a 375 deg. F oven for 45 minutes. While baking set a pot to boil with 1 c. water, 1 c. sugar, and leftover apple bits (cores & peels). Boil down to a concentrated glaze. When tart is done baking, brush lightly with the glaze (don't layer it on thickly because it will become a sheet of sticky candy). Let cool, cut into squares and enjoy!

rainier cherries

We are in the midst of cherry season and local growers are counting on a big crop this year. Aside from the standard bing cherries, keep your eye out for the Rainier's - they are the cream of the cherry crop.