Watercress and Avocado Sandwich

I placed the chicken wire over the pot to
keep the squirrels from digging up the earth.

Our watercress is growing well on the patio. It wilted in the recent ridiculously hot weather, but it bounced back with cooler (70s) weather.

I picked some spicy sprigs the other day and added them to a sandwich with an excellent avocado on Alvarado St. sprouted wheat bread.

There's nothing like fresh-picked greens to make a meal special.

But even if you have to buy your watercress at the market, you can have a delicious sandwich. (Although I recommend sprinkling some seeds on a pot of earth and seeing what you can grow.)

Before the top piece of bread is added.

Watercress and Avocado Sandwich

whole grain bread
avocado
watercress
lime
salt and pepper

Peel and slice the avocado. Put slices on one piece of bread. Squeeze lime juice over it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Mash a couple of slices on another piece of bread. Place watercress over the mashed avocado.

Put the two pieces on top of each other. Enjoy.

Five Years!

It was five years today that I published my first post on this blog. Amazing. It doesn't feel like I've been writing for that long, but it also feels like I've been doing it forever.

I celebrated by giving a talk at the Natural Agriculture Conference at the Shumei Center in Pasadena. My topic was Food: an Appreciation. I talked about food and life force - two of my favorite topics!

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the beautiful array of produce I took with me. But if you've been reading this blog for a while, you know how great it looked.

Celery Salad

The other night I wanted a crisp crunchy side dish to go with a buckwheat casserole, and this celery salad fit the bill beautifully.

Best of all, the leftovers were excellent for lunch the next day. I love a recipe that goes above and beyond.

I combined the celery with a tart Granny Smith apple, then tossed it in a full-flavored honey mustard vinaigrette. Some toasted walnuts rounded out the dish.

It's a good winter salad. Just remember that celery is a heavily-pesticided vegetable, so only eat it if it's certified organic.

Celery Salad
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/3 cup olive oil
6 large stalks celery
1 granny smith apple
1/3 cup walnuts

Whisk together lemon juice, mustard and honey. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.

Wash celery. Separate stems from leaves. Slice the stems in long thin diagonal slices. Mince leaves to make about half a cup. Cut apple in quarters, remove the cores, then slice crosswise into thin triangular pieces.

Toast the walnuts over medium heat until aromatic, about 3 minutes. Chop coarsely.

Combine the celery stems and leaves, apple and walnuts. Toss with dressing to taste. Serve extra dressing on the side.

Serves 3-4

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

It's been warm in southern California, but it's still winter, which is brassica season. I remember a Montreal winter where I ate broccoli until it was coming out of my ears - but that's another story.

I have recovered from broccoli overdose, and now look forward to adding it to our dinner table. Broccoli, along with the other brassicas, are essential for colon and breast health. Eat them regularly.

This salad makes it easy, because not only does it contain both broccoli and cauliflower, but it lasts well for a few days in the fridge, making it possible to eat a lot of in a week.

We first ate it as a crunchy side with a dinner of chili and rice, and then as a simple salad with the next few meals.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp dried crushed chiles
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large red onion, halved and slivered
6 cups broccoli florets
6 cups cauliflower florets

Warm oil and chilies in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until the oil begins to bubble around the edges, about 1 minute. Pour into large bowl and cool to lukewarm. Then whisk in the vinegar and garlic. Stir in the onion and let sit at least one hour, tossing occasionally.

Steam the broccoli and cauliflower until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well and add to the large bowl of dressing. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6

Sunday Shopping

Today I started preparing for the talk I'll be giving at the Natural Agriculture Conference  n Pasadena on Sunday, Feb. 15th. I'll be talking about my favorite topics: food and life force. And I'll be taking props: squash, beans and greens. Today at the Hollywood Farmers Market I started stockpiling squash. (I love an excuse to buy beautiful squashes!)

Here's what we came home with today: 1 red onion, 5 blood oranges, 2 onions, broccoli, carrots, 3 tangelos, cilantro, cheddar, 3 bartlett pears, 1 red butter lettuce, cremini mushrooms, blueberries, 1 pomelo cauliflower, red sails lettuce, 1 arkansas black apple, 2 red delicious apples, 1 cameo apple, 1 butternut squash, 5 golden nugget tangerines, 1 murcott mandarin, 1 cara cara navel orange, 2 delicata squash, 1 spaghetti squash, 1 japanese heirloom pumpkin, 1 kabocha squash, 1 small banana squash, 1 moroccan squash, 16 valencia oranges, 1 red russian kale

Broccoli Tofu Stir-Fry

Sometimes a speedy dinner is called for, so I turn to tofu and vegetables for a simple meal that goes well with brown rice or can even be eaten alone if I'm really pressed for time.

I've been making this tofu stir-fry for years. I vary the proportions based on what's in the fridge - sometimes carrots or red peppers get thrown in. Sometimes I use curry paste in place of the curry powder. It's always been good.

I thicken the sauce with cornstarch. Make sure to get organic (or at least non-gmo) cornstarch. Rapunzel is a brand that is commonly available at health food stores. I have made this with arrowroot in place of cornstarch - if you try this, make sure not to boil the liquid after adding the arrowroot or it breaks down and won't thicken again.

Broccoli Tofu Stir-Fry
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, sliced across and rings separated
1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
2-3 cups broccoli florets
2 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp chopped or grated ginger root
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 lb firm tofu, diced
16 cherry tomatoes, halved

Warm oil in heavy skillet. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the mushrooms and broccoli and cook about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle in the curry powder and ginger root. Pour the 1/2 cup water over, stir well, cover and bring to a boil. Let cook until the broccoli is tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.

In a small cup, stir together the tamari, cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Add to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Stir in the tofu. Cover and warm through. Add the cherry tomatoes, toss well and serve.

Serves 4