Sunday Shopping

The newsstand on Cahuenga near Hollywood Blvd. has reopened - new ownership, new paint job, new lay-out, new cashier. Sadly, the old grittiness and colorful characters have gone.

Fortunately, we see our share of characters and grit as we stroll through the Hollywood Farmers Market. This morning set a record for self-talking, crazy-looking rough sleepers shambling among the stalls.

The stone fruit and melons were fragrant, the greens vibrant, and Tutti Frutti had the first organic corn on the cob of the season.

We came home weighted down with awesome food. Here's what we bought:

5 pink lady apples, 3 grapefruit, 3 clementines, parsley, 2 onions, 3 ears of corn, 10 small red potatoes, 2 bunches spring onions, cherry tomatoes, red sails lettuce, red butter lettuce, ginger root, 5 early girl tomatoes, 1 bunch asparagus, arugula, 3 small haas avocados, 4 purple plums, 1 green plum (emerald something), 4 nectarines, 1 peach, 1 dozen eggs, 1 white melon (I forget the variety), 1 muskmelon, strawberries, 4 blenheim apricots, 2 gi-normous artichokes, 2 lbs mixed mushrooms (cremini, wood ear and shiitake), 1 quart plain St. Benoit yogurt, 25 oranges (yes this made a gallon of o.j. and we still have some left over, but 5 for $1! I couldn't resist.)

The wood ear mushrooms are on the left

Spicy Greens

The other day I picked collard greens and the first jalapeño of the year from our garden, and combined them with the leaves of young beets and turnips from the Hollywood Farmers Market for a nutritious and yummy side dish.

Cooking greens breaks down some of the fiber in their cell walls so we can more easily absorb the bone-boosting nutrients. I suppose chewing would do the same thing, but who wants to chew as much as a cow or a rabbit? Twenty times seems to be my max, even though the theory is we should chew each mouthful 30 times minimum.

So I eat cooked greens a few times a week to give my bones the nutrients they need in a form that is easy for my body to absorb.

Here's what I did the other night:

Spicy Greens
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
8 cups greens, washed and torn in bite-sized pieces

In a large pot, combine 1 1/2 cups water, the jalapeño, garlic and olive oil. Bring to a boil, add the greens, stir well. Cover the pot and cook the greens until they are tender, usually about 7-8 minutes, depending on your greens. Lift the greens out with a slotted spoon if necessary. Any liquid left in the pan can be added to soup or the chef can drink it as an extra yummy boost of nutrition.

Serves 2-3

Annual Dirty Dozen List

The Environmental Working Group has again published its lists of the U.S.-available non-organic produce with the most pesticide residue (Dirty Dozen) and with minimal pesticide residue (Clean Fifteen).

They report that 2/3 of the produce samples in recent government tests had pesticide residues. In light of research into pesticides and the brain - not a good combination - it's worth the effort to find food grown organically, especially if you're buying the produce listed below in the Dirty Dozen.

Organic produce has no pesticide residue because it is grown without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

I'd like to point out that they're measuring pesticide residue on the parts of the plant we eat, not the amount of pesticides applied to the plant as it grows in the ground. All pesticides are harmful to the eco-systems of the earth. That doesn't mean they should never be used, but that farmers should use them as a last resort; just like we should take care of our own intestinal flora and not poison it with antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. We keep our immune systems strong so our bodies can ward off viruses. Keeping the soil microbially healthy helps the plants we eat grow strong and vigorous.

I emphasize, however, that it is always better to eat fresh fruit and vegetables - organic or non-organic -  than fast food or prepared food, or anything containing additives, preservatives or flavorings. Human bodies prefer food to chemicals.

Dirty Dozen: (don't eat unless organic)
apples
strawberries
grapes
celery
peaches
sweet bell peppers
imported nectarines
cucumbers
cherry tomatoes
imported snap peas
potatoes
hot peppers
kale and collard greens

Clean Fifteen: (minimal pesticide residue if non-organic)
avocados
sweet corn (although it could be genetically modified)
pineapples
cabbage
frozen peas
onions
asparagus
mangoes
papayas
kiwi
eggplant
grapefruit
cantaloupe
cauliflower
sweet potatoes

Get the handy shopping guide from EWG, and donate money to support their excellent work, at their website.

Shopping for the Week

There was minimal marine layer this morning, and the fruit and vegetables at the Hollywood Farmers Market glowed in the early morning (well, 8 a.m.) sun. Everything looked even more beautiful and appetizing than usual. Larry took lots of photos, and I used them to update the Hollywood Farmers Market slideshow on the right side of this blog.

With considerable restraint, I limited our purchasing of this gorgeous produce to what we can actually eat in one week. Here's what we brought home:

spring onions

1/2 lb cremini mushrooms

2 bunches tiny carrots

16 small red potatoes

3 grapefruit

1 pomelo

red butter lettuce

collards

eggs

2 zucchini

asparagus

wax beans

strawberries

tarragon

cilantro

1 quart and 3 cups plain yogurt from St. Benoit Dairy

smoked jack cheese from Springhill Dairy

1 lb Mixteca coffee from Cafecito Organico

Spaghetti Squash with Rapini

I know, now you're thinking I'm really crazy. Who the heck would serve the twin weirdnesses of spaghetti squash and rapini together, in one dish? Well, I did it, and Larry actually enjoyed it.

The key, once again, is garlic.

I served this dish with browned asparagus the other night, a combination that intrigued the taste buds and made for an enjoyable meal.

If you don't have rapini, use arugula or beet greens or even kale. Just make sure to cook the greens until they're soft, so they make a nice contrast to the al dente spaghetti squash strands.

Because it's just the two of us, I buy very small spaghetti squashes when I see them. They fit in the toaster oven easily, and cook in about half an hour. If you have a larger spaghetti squash, adjust the timing accordingly. I recently read that spaghetti squash cooks well in the slow cooker - taking 5-6 hours. I haven't tried that yet, but maybe in the heat of summer that will be a good way to get my spaghetti squash fix.

Spaghetti Squash with Rapini
1 small spaghetti squash
1 bunch rapini
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Wash the spaghetti squash with non-toxic, fragrance-free dish soap and bake it at 375°F until tender, 30-60 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Squeeze it gently to see if it's done. Let it cool a little, then cut it in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and guts, and then fork the strands of flesh out into a bowl.

Wash the rapini and cut off the toughest stems. Stack the leaves in a pile and cut them crosswise in rough 1" pieces.

Warm the garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it smells good, add the rapini, toss well with salt and pepper, and let it cook until soft.

Stir in the spaghetti squash strands, and let cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2-4 depending on the size of your spaghetti squash

Skillet Asparagus

Asparagus, like most vegetables, is especially succulent when roasted. The slight charring accentuates the flavor.

I often cook asparagus on a cookie sheet in the toaster oven, but the other day I didn't feel like that much heat in the kitchen, so I turned to my trusty cast iron fry pan instead.

Best asparagus ever!

Skillet Asparagus
1 tbsp butter
1 bunch asparagus (about 3/4 lb)
salt and pepper

Wash the asparagus and break off the tough bottom sections. Dry it by rolling it in a clean cotton kitchen towel.

Select a cast iron skillet that will hold all the asparagus in a single layer and that you can cover with a lid. Warm it over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt. Place the asparagus in the skillet in one layer. Cover and cook until tender-crisp, about 5-7 minutes depending on the size and age of your asparagus.

Remove the cover, raise the heat a little, and keep cooking, shaking the pan occasionally, until the asparagus is lightly browned, another 3-4 minutes.

Serve immediately. Serves 2.

Sunday Morning Hash

After the morning rush of driving the crazy freeways to the Hollywood Farmers Market (yes, the freeways are crazy early on Sunday mornings - speed racers weave in and out, every couple of months we pass accidents, especially in the rainy season), buying the week's groceries, then braving the traffic home, we are ready to relax with a leisurely breakfast.

Yesterday, I went for simplicity. While Larry squeezed the o.j., I tossed diced potatoes and sweet potato in olive oil and cooked them in the toaster oven. I diced them small enough that they cooked quickly and became the perfect foil for simple fried eggs. Fresh blueberries and strawberries rounded out the meal.

(You might remember that Larry is not a fan of the sweet potato, but he really enjoyed this potato dish - the sweet potatoes, shallots and mushrooms mix with the red potatoes to make a hash that is fun to eat.)

A word about vocabulary: When we ate breakfast at Kitchen 24 on Cahuenga a couple of Sundays ago, the waiter explained to us the difference between hash browns, home fries and breakfast potatoes. My eyes glazed over, so I'm not sure what the technical term is for diced potatoes cooked in the toaster oven.  I'm calling it hash.

Sunday Morning Hash
5 oz cremini mushrooms
3 1/2 oz sweet potato
8 oz red potatoes
1 small shallot
1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Wipe the mushrooms clean and cut them in 1/2 inch pieces. Peel the sweet potato and red potatoes and cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice. Peel, half and thinly slice the shallot.

Toss the mushrooms, sweet potato, potatoes, shallot and oil together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and cook for 18-20 minutes, stirring at 10 minutes and 15 minutes, until tender and golden brown.

Serves 2-3

This Week's Shopping

You can tell it's stone-fruit season at the Hollywood Farmers Market because there are far more people there at 7:45 a.m. before the market opens.

At the top of the market (Hollywood and Ivar) it was less crowded, and we found a stand selling organic California-grown brown rice and dried beans.  Koda Farms is a family farming business that has been organically growing rice and beans in the San Joaquin Valley since 1910. I bought a large bag of brown rice and some chickpeas. I hadn't seen the stand before, but the salesperson said they would be at the market once a month. I'll keep my eyes open for them.

Here's what we brought home with us today:
chard
2 leeks
haas avocado
4 small plain yogurt
1 big artichoke
arugula
1/4 lb cremini mushrooms
5 pink lady apples
green beans
wax beans
2 onions
albion strawberries
small cantaloupe (1st of the year!)
3 grapefruit
1 small sweet potato
12 small red potatoes
snap peas
radishes
eggs
5 golden nugget tangerines
20 oranges
radicchio
pistachios
5 lb Kokohu Rose brown rice
2lbs chickpeas from Koda Farms

I grew cantaloupes from seed this year - our first melon is still green.
Fortunately the farmers are better at this than I am!

This Week's Granola

I think I ate commercial granola once, back in the 80s when there was something called Harvest Crunch which was supposed to be healthy but word was it was high fat and high calorie because of all the nuts and fruit.

As you can tell, it didn't impress me much. It tasted like sweet crunchy lumps. So I learned how to make my own. It's not difficult. Toast some grains and seeds and nuts, add some dried fruit, store in a jar.

By making it myself, I can ensure that all the ingredients are organic, and that they really are food. I use differing amounts of sweetener depending on how I feel. This one, which we're eating this week, has brown sugar and honey in addition to the fruit. The sugar and honey keep the grains soft and sweet - if you are trying to convert your family from sugary cereals, this will help. I use raw honey even though I'm not sure it has any live enzymes left after being baked for half an hour.

This is healthy food, and it is very nutrient-dense. The nuts, grains and seeds provide protein, cholesterol-lowering fiber, immune-boosting beta glucan, antioxidants, heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, and more. The dates provide slow-burning sugar, antioxidants, fiber, B vitamins and other vitamins and minerals.

Homemade granola is a great way to start the day. I eat mine with plain yogurt (unsweetened, made by St. Benoit Creamery from the milk of grass-fed Jersey cows in Sonoma County), brewers yeast (good source of B vitamins), ground flaxseeds (omega-3 fatty acids) and almond milk. Larry prefers his straight with milk. There's no bad way to eat granola.

Nutty Granola
4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup chopped pistachios
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
1/2 cup dried figs
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup deglet noor dates
1/2 cup dried pears
1/2 cup dried mangoes

In at large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, oil and honey. Spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 325°F for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's lightly golden.

Meanwhile, cut the dried fruit into bite-sized pieces. Stir it into the cooked oats. Let cool completely. Store in large glass jars at room temperature for up to a few weeks (but it won't last that long).

Black Bean and Corn Salad

Beans are one of the healthiest foods we can eat - full of fiber, protein, antioxidants, B vitamins, iron - plus they're inexpensive, and they travel well in the lunch box.

A bean salad and a green salad combine to make an excellent portable meal.

I make one or two bean salads a week for our lunches. The variety is infinite - beans never have to be boring. Here's the colorful salad we're eating this week.

Black beans cook quickly in boiling water - usually in under two hours without soaking. You want them to be tender, but not mushy. If you prefer to use canned beans, 3 to 4 14-oz cans will do.

I still have some of last year's poblanos in the freezer. (You can see how I froze them here.) If you are not so lucky, substitute a red or green pepper, or a jalapeño if you'd like a little heat. Or skip the pepper completely. Make sure you use organic celery - the non-organic kind is one of the most heavily pesticided vegetables. Fortunately, safe celery is becoming easier to find in the organic section of grocery stores. Also, pick up a couple of extra limes - it's nice to squeeze a little more lime juice over the salad before serving or packing in a lunch box.

Black Bean and Corn Salad
1 1/4 cups dried black beans (turtle beans)
10 oz packet frozen corn kernels (about 2 cups)
1 poblano, roasted and peeled, seeded
3 stalks celery
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup slivered red onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup olive oil

Pick over the beans, discarding any small stones or clumps of dirt. Wash them well, then cook them in plenty of boiling water, partially covered, until they are tender - 90-140 minutes depending on the beans. Drain and put in a large bowl.

Cook the corn in a small amount of boiling water until tender - 2-3 minutes. Chop the poblano and celery into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the beans along with the corn, grape tomatoes, and red onion.

Whisk the salt, cumin and lime juice together. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Dress the salad and let it sit at room temperature for half an hour for the flavors to meld.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a few days. Serves 6-8

Sunday Brunch

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that the newsstand on Cahuenga where for a decade we have been buying our Sunday NY Times after shopping at the Hollywood Farmers Market was closing. Now we have to buy the paper at Starbucks, standing in line while people order their double-shot half-caf, mocha soy whatevers.

Yesterday, however, we had a hard time finding the Sunday NY Times. We stopped at the Gower Gulch Starbucks on our way to the market. Larry stood patiently in line only to find the papers had not yet been delivered. After the market, I ran into the Starbucks on Hollywood Blvd. The place was full of zombies, but I was able to get the attention of a barrista who told me the papers had all sold out. Back to Gower Gulch where they still had no papers. Frustrated, we left Hollywood and headed to the Starbucks in South Pasadena, where they had the paper we wanted. While Larry picked it up, I ran in to Orchard for a couple of hanging baskets. When I opened the trunk to put them in, I was surprised to see our bags of groceries in the car. I had completely forgotten we hadn't yet had breakfast! It felt like the day was half gone.

Fortunately, we arrived home with our groceries, our papers (the LA Times had been delivered), and enough energy to make brunch.

Larry squeezed Jorge's tangelos for juice while I cooked Jared's red potatoes (see my skillet potato recipe here). I picked some blueberries from our garden to go with the Finley Farm strawberries. And I made omelets with the eggs from Ha's Apple Farm (chickens raised in an orchard produce delicious eggs), bloomsbury spinach (Finley), red onion (Jared) and cremini mushrooms (I don't think I've ever seen the name on the mushroom stand I frequent).

After what felt like an endless morning of shopping, it was nice to slow down and eat fresh, locally-produced food while reading the Sunday papers.

Sunday Shopping

It's stone-fruit season at the Hollywood Farmers Market: peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, apricots. The variety is amazing.

But I'm not sure most of them are at their best yet, except for the apricots which tend to be early-season fruit. I bought some beautiful Blenheim apricots at Flora Bella - sweet and crisp and they actually taste like apricot.

Here's what we came home with:
red sails lettuce
red onion
4 cremini mushrooms
10 blenheim apricots
1 quart and 4 cups plain yogurt
5 pink lady apples
carrots
turnips with greens
beets with greens
avocado
strawberries
cilantro
4 grapefruit
16 tangelos
5 small red potatoes
dried bartlett pears
6 limes

Tofu Coconut Milk Stir-Fry

Sometimes I get a craving for tofu, so I stir some up with coconut milk, greens and red thai curry paste for a simple stew I serve over brown rice.

Coconut milk had a bad name for many years because it is high in saturated fat, but now scientists are finding that most of the fat in coconuts is actually good for us. The medium chain saturated fatty acids are rapidly metabolized into energy in the liver, and are thought to be more rapidly used by the body than other saturated fats, and therefore less likely to be stored as fat. More importantly, coconut milk contains lauric acid, which is converted in the body into an antiviral and antibacterial compound. It seems that consuming coconut milk may help protect the body from infections and viruses.

I like the simplicity with which coconut milk becomes a sauce that is yummy when poured over rice. Here's my standard recipe.

Tofu Coconut Milk Stir-Fry

1 tbsp oil

14 oz firm tofu, drained and diced in 1/2 inch cubes

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp minced ginger

1/2 cup chopped shallots

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp red thai curry paste

14 oz can coconut milk

8 cherry tomatoes, halved

4 large handfuls spinach, washed and chopped into bite-sized pieces

Fry the tofu, garlic, ginger and shallots in the oil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned. They'll probably stick to the pan a little, but you can scrape the bottom more thoroughly once the coconut milk has been added.

Add the soy sauce and curry paste, mushing the paste against the sides of the pan to start breaking it down. Add the coconut milk, and stir everything together well. Let it simmer for a while with the lid off. Toss in the cherry tomatoes and baby spinach, and cook a couple more minutes.

Serve over brown rice.

Serves 3-4

Spinach Salad

I wanted a vibrant crunchy salad to serve with a vegetable stew the other day, and this spinach salad  fit the bill perfectly.

I tossed crinkly bloomsbury spinach with diced red onion and walnuts. A simple fat-free dressing of tangerine juice and red wine vinegar with a little coarse-grain mustard added gave the salad an extra burst of flavor.

If you don't have a tangerine, squeeze an orange instead - drink the extra juice as a perk.

Spinach Salad
4 cups spinach
2 tbsp diced red onion
2 tbsp walnuts, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp tangerine juice (about 1 tangerine)
3 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp coarse-grain mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Wash the spinach well, spin it dry, tear out any tough stems, and rip the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Put in the salad bowl along with the red onion and walnuts.

Whisk together the tangerine juice, vinegar and mustard. Season with salt and pepper, and add more vinegar if the dressing tastes too sweet. (Dip a spinach leaf in it to see if you like the taste.)

Toss the salad with half the dressing and serve the remainder on the side.

Serves 2

Sunday Shopping

We power-walked through the Hollywood Farmers' Market this morning.

Here's a list of what we picked up on our way through:

Finley Farms: red sails lettuce, 3-pack strawberries, young kohlrabi
Flora Bella: rapini
Mud Creek Ranch: 3 shasta gold tangerines and 3 pixie tangerines
Ha's Apple Farm: 4 pink lady apples
Jorge was back at the market after three weeks away, so we loaded up on 6 grapefruit, an avocado and 3 pomelos