Roast squash

I love all the little squash that appear at the Hollywood Farmers Market in fall and winter. I work hard not to carry home armfuls of them each week. There are so many varieties to enjoy.

I used to just wash them and throw them in a 350 degree oven until they were soft. Then they are easy to cut and seed and serve as a side with a bean stew.

But now I have an even better way to cook them. It requires cutting them when they're raw, which is a little hazardous, but use a big sharp knife and keep your fingers out of the way. Then brush the wedges with olive oil, toss them in aromatic spices, and roast until tender. Wow.

Roast squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/8 tsp salt
1 small winter squash

Warm the oil in a small frypan. Add the cumin and chili and let heat until fragrant. Add the salt, stir well and remove from the heat to infuse a little.

Wash the squash with dish soap and water. (You do use environmentally-friendly coconut-based dish soap, right? If not, use a veggie wash. The peel might end up so delicious you want to eat it.)

Cut the squash in half, then into wedges a couple of inches wide. Scrape the seeds and membranes off each piece.

Rub the cut edges of each wedge in the oil and spices and then place on a lightly oiled rimmed cookie sheet. Pour the remaining oil and spices over the squash.

Bake at 375°F about 30 minutes until tender.

Serves 2.

(This same method is also great with cauliflower - cut it into 2" florets, toss in the spiced oil, and cook in the same way.)

Pain aux Noix

Here's another of my occasional posts on baking my way through Bernard Clayton, Jr.'s excellent book, The Breads of France and How to Make Them in Your Own Kitchen (Bobbs Merrill 1978).

I'm not going to share the recipe with you - this is not a baking blog - but if you like to bake, I recommend you track this book down and give the recipes a try.

These are Pain aux Noix - and they came out looking just like the picture in the book!

They are made with whole wheat flour, additional bran, and a half pound of walnuts in the three one-pound loaves.

They are dense and delicious, full of nutty whole-wheat flavor. They make great cheesey toast, and cheese sandwiches.

I think I have to go eat a slice now.

P.S. I used this bread to make cheese sandwiches to take on the plane when visiting my mother in Montreal. The sandwiches were great, but we didn't need to eat them all. The next day I put the remains of a sandwich on my mother's snowy verandah railing for the birds. This squirrel found it, devoured it, and spent the next day waiting hopefully for us to hand out more sandwiches. (This bread has a lot of walnuts!)

Sweet Potatoes with Kaffir Lime Leaves

Living in Southern California, it's hard to restrain myself when admiring citrus trees in local nurseries. Sometimes they just have to come home with me.

We have a lemon and orange which were in the garden when we moved in. Now we also have a tangelo and a meyer lemon in pots, a meiwa kumkuat (latest addition - see it here), and a kaffir lime.

Interestingly, although the kaffir lime does have fruit -- which looks like regular limes but bumpy -- it's the leaves that are most often used in cooking.

They are tough, like bay leaves, so I prefer not to actually eat them. But they do impart a spritely citrus note to the foods they're cooked with.

I have found that they combine well with sweet potatoes. The mild citrus and floral notes of the lime leaves lighten the earthiness of the sweet potatoes, and also cut some of their innate sweetness. Altogether a successful dish.

If you don't have a kaffir lime, skip the leaves and use the juice of a regular lime. It will still be a good dish, just less floral. (The leaves of a regular lime tree just smell of leaves, so don't bother using them.)

I keep roasted poblanos in the freezer, easy to whip out and add to a dish like this. If you don't have a stash of your own, you can remedy that next fall. In the meantime, you should be able to find them year round at Mexican markets.

Sweet Potatoes with Kaffir Lime Leaves
2 sweet potatoes (roughly 1 1/2 lbs total)
1 tbsp vegetable oil
juice of 1/2 lime
sprinkle of hot pepper flakes
4 fresh kaffir lime leaves
1 poblano chile
1 tbsp fresh cilantro (optional)

Scrub the sweet potatoes, but don't peel them. Chop into 1-inch chunks. Toss the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet with the oil, 2 tsp lime juice, a sprinkling of salt, and the hot pepper flakes. Tear the lime leaves and scatter over top. (The potatoes should be in a single layer.)

Roast in a 375° oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, roast, peel and seed the poblano. (Click here for instructions.)

Add the poblano to the sweet potatoes and cook another 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and lightly browned. Transfer to a serving bowl.

Remove the tough stems from the kaffir lime leaves and slice the leaves into thin shreds. Toss the potatoes with the lime leaves, cilantro, salt and lime juice to taste.

The leaves are edible, but a little goes a long way, so let your guests know it's fine to leave them on the side of the plate.

Serves 2

Three Years Today!

Three years ago today, I launched this blog.

The first post was about the benefits of starting the day with fresh fruit, especially grapefruits in the winter because of their stress-busting and immune-boosting benefits. (You can read it here.)

I started writing because I was frustrated that my clients were depending on pills not food to get their daily nutrition. "Eating real food can be simple," I wanted to shout from the roof tops. "Plus it's the most important thing you can do for your health."

It didn't occur to me that three years later I'd still have things to write about.

But I do.

And I thank you for tuning in to read them.

I hope my endless enthusiasm for vegetables and whole grains and beans inspires you to add more of them into your daily life.

Because while Turbo Tonic (and other supplements) is a fine addition to a diet, the actual food we eat is the primary contributor to our health.

Watercress and Tangerine Salad

The watercress is flourishing on our patio. The banana plant collapsed in the icy weather, the bird baths froze over, and the watercress kept on growing.

It will die out in the heat of summer, but for now we have spicy homegrown greens for our salads.

The other night I tossed some watercress with a tangerine for a great combination of heat and sweet.

Watercress and Tangerine Salad
6 almonds
1 tangerine
2 cups watercress
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
salt

Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toss with salt and let cool.

Peel and section the tangerine.

Rinse and dry the watercress. Remove any thick stems.

Combine the almonds, tangerine and watercress. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Add to the salad and toss gently. Season to taste.

Serves 2

The hummingbird was unamused when the fountain froze over.
The watercress seemed to enjoy the frosty weather.

Purple Mustard Greens

Purple mustard greens are back at the Hollywood Farmers Market!

I don't know what it is about these greens, but just the sight of them makes me happy.

(Mustard greens are a cruciferous vegetable, and so have the the anti-cancer benefits of this whole group of cabbage-like veg. But I think it's the purple color that makes me smile.)

I cooked up a big bunch of them the other night. It always amazes me how a big pot of greens shrinks down to almost nothing.

I sautéed half an onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until tender. I stirred in a few chile flakes, and then added the chopped mustard greens, still damp from the water I washed them in. I sprinkled some salt over the top, and then stirred the greens top to bottom to make sure all the leaves were covered with oil and salt which helps them wilt down more quickly.

I covered the pot and let them cook, stirring once or twice, for 10 minutes until they were very soft and tender. I turned off the heat and let them sit until the rest of the meal was cooked.

They were a great addition to a meal of farro and butternut squash, Mexican beans, fried cipollini onions, and a celeriac and beet salad.

Simple Carrot Salad

I think I'm very observant as I power through the Hollywood Farmers Market on Sunday mornings. But it turns out I miss a lot.

I've been buying apples regularly from Ha's Apple Farm at the south end of the market - he's had varieties I've never heard of, all of which have been delicious.

Last week I was buying apples, and I noticed a bottle of apple cider vinegar. I asked if that was new, and he assured me that no, he's been making and selling it for a long time. I just never noticed it before.

Of course I bought a bottle. Larry drinks apple cider vinegar every morning (you can see his post about it here) and I thought it would be nice to have vinegar made by someone we know.

Then I was inspired to make this simple carrot salad of grated carrots tossed with apple cider vinegar. It's so simple I'm almost embarrassed to describe it. But it tastes good, so I encourage you to try it too. So often carrot salads have mayonnaise and/or capers. This version has a cleaner taste, and the vinegar encourages digestion so it's a good addition to any meal.

The mild acidity of the vinegar enhanced the sweetness of the carrots, plus it kept them bright orange for a few days. I was able to put a large spoonful on the salads I packed for our lunches. (I like anything that makes that morning salad-making easier.)

Simple Carrot Salad
1/2 lb (3-4) carrots
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp salt

Grate the carrots. Toss with vinegar and salt. Taste and add more vinegar or salt to taste.

Serves 2-4