Arugula Salad with Balsamic Dressing

What greens are in this salad, Larry asked. Homegrown arugula, I said. Yes, but what other greens are in it, he persisted. Just arugula, I replied. Wow, he said in a surprised tone of voice, it's really good.

I understood his amazement because our arugula is exceptionally peppery. I usually add a few leaves to a green salad as a flavor boost or cook it with other greens.

But for our Memorial Day barbecue, I tossed handfuls of the leaves with a hearty balsamic vinaigrette that complemented their heat without overpowering it. With the sweetness of tomato and grilled red onion and the salty umami of a little shaved parmesan, the salad was a huge success.

The extra dressing lasts well in the fridge, ready to be poured over grilled vegetables or hearty grain salads.

Arugula Salad with Balsamic Dressing
3 slices red onion
olive oil
1 tomato
2-3 cups arugula leaves, tough stems removed
wedge of parmesan

Push toothpicks into the slices of onion so they hold together on the grill. Brush them with olive oil and grill over a medium-hot fire until they are soft and well-browned (not black and crispy), 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from heat, remove toothpicks, and cut in quarters.

Cut the tomato into bite-sized pieces.

Toss the arugula, onion and tomato together with just enough dressing to lightly moisten. Use a potato peeler to shave a few pieces of parmesan over the salad. Serve with extra dressing on the side.

Serves 2-3


Balsamic Dressing
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
1/4 cup mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Purée olives, mustard and garlic in blender. With the rotors running, gradually add the olive oil until it emulsifies. Add the balsamic and basil. Purée until mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 1 1/4 cups

Black Beans

Long-time readers know that Larry prefers to eat his barbecue hamburger with black beans on the side. While I think that's weird, I never turn down an opportunity to eat beans. I cooked our standard go-to black beans for our Memorial Day barbecue on Sunday. They are easy to cook and always get rave reviews.

They also freeze and defrost well, ensuring excellent feasts in the future.

I used a roasted poblano from my freezer. I usually use a chopped green pepper when they are in season — a couple of months away yet. Also, the birds / slugs have eaten my parsley to stalks. Otherwise I would have added 1/3 cup chopped parsley with the cilantro.

Black Beans

2 cups black beans

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1 roasted, peeled poblano, seeded and chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled

3/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano

2 tsp salt

pepper

1/2 cup white wine

Soak beans in water to cover by 2 inches for 3 hours. Drain. Put the beans in a large pot with the onion, pepper, and water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour. Turn off the heat and set aside. Do not drain the beans.

Warm the olive oil in a small frypan over medium heat. Add the garlic, cilantro, sugar, cumin, oregano, salt and a dozen grindings of pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden, about 10 minutes. Add the white wine. Simmer over high heat until the wine is reduced by a quarter, about 5 minute.

Stir the contents of the frypan into the beans. Cook over medium heat, uncovered, until the liquid has evaporated and the beans are yummy, about 15 minutes.

Serves 6

Memorial Day Barbecue

We had a wonderful Memorial Day barbecue on Sunday. Larry grilled a portabello mushroom to perfection (apparently his burger was pretty good too), and he grilled a couple of slices of red onion for our arugula salad.

It was a simple meal: grilled burger / portabello, black beans, potato salad, and homegrown arugula salad. Dessert was our first ripe blackberries and blueberries on homemade peach ice cream.

The mushroom benefitted from being brushed with a zesty marinade while it was cooking. It was juicy and flavorful. It would probably have been good on a bun, but I enjoyed eating it with a knife and fork.

Here's how we made it.

Grilled Portabello Mushroom
3 oz olive oil
juice of 2 limes
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 shallot, peeled and minced

Combine all the ingredients. This is enough marinade for 4 portabellos. Leftovers last well in the fridge and make a good salad dressing.

Remove the stem from the portabello. Brush off any dirt.

Put it on a grill over high heat. Brush with the marinade. Grill a few minutes, turning and brushing often. Larry's secret is he pours a little of his beer on it as well during the cooking.

Serve immediately.

I sometimes add a tsp of fresh chopped rosemary to the marinade, which adds a little more depth of flavor.

Sunday Shopping

We were uncertain how many farmers would be at the Hollywood Farmers Market this Memorial Day Sunday, but we headed there early in hopes of beating the rush. And almost everyone was there so we were able to load up on food for the grill.

We also stopped at Logan's plant stand to buy more basil, dill and cilantro plants. The birds (or slugs?) have been decimating mine, but I'm optimistically going to plant some more.

This is the delicious organic food we brought home with us:
romaine lettuce, red onions, cilantro, snap peas, a bunch of small red onions, portabello mushroom, pomelos, radishes, eggs, strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, black beans, whole wheat sourdough baguette, plums, tomatoes, cucumber

Fusilli with Arugula and Tomatoes and Feta

Our arugula is starting to flower, so I harvested a bunch of the leaves and flowers the other night to try to encourage it to get bushy again. Once I discarded the tough stems, I had about 3 cups of peppery leaves and flowers. I tossed them with hot pasta, tomatoes and feta for a quick flavorful dinner.

It's a simple dish that can be varied in many ways. Cherry or grape tomatoes can substitute for the plum tomatoes. I used leaves from our homegrown Egyptian walking onions, but scallions are a good substitute.

This is fresh fast food at its best.

Fusilli with Tomatoes and Feta
8 oz fusilli or other pasta
3 tbsp olive oil plus more to drizzle
1 shallot, peeled and diced
3 Egyptian walking onion leaves, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 3/4 lb roma tomatoes
3 cups chopped arugula leaves
4 oz feta, diced

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until it's al dente.

Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the shallot, onion leaves, garlic and tomatoes. Sauté about 7 minutes until the tomatoes soften. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta and return it to its pot. Stir in the tomato mixture and arugula. Drizzle in a little extra olive oil to make it all meld together. Stir in the feta and serve.

Serves 2-4

Morning Fruit

Every morning I cut up some seasonal organic fruit for our breakfast. Even here in Southern California we have seasons, which are sometimes easier to discern through our local produce than through the daily temperatures.

This week we're eating grapefruit, strawberries and blueberries.

Hopefully, next week we'll be eating our own blueberries and blackberries.

Cooking in the Time of Drought

I love my pressure cooker. It allows me to make dinner with nutritious beans in less than an hour.

My grandmother, who preferred to be vegan, gave me my pressure cooker on my 18th birthday. Many years later, it's still going strong. (I have replaced the seal a couple of times.) I used to bring down the pressure by running water over it. Now that I treasure every drop coming out of the faucet, I have learned to bring down the pressure quickly, but without water.

I put the sorted and rinsed beans in the pressure cooker, add cold water to cover by at least 4 inches, then cover and put on high heat until the pressure comes up to full. I turn down the heat until it's just simmering. Most beans take about 15 minutes; chickpeas take 22 minutes and soybeans would take even longer. When the timer goes off, I put the pot on the counter, aim the steam release in a direction where it will do no harm, and open it up. Steam flies. (I like to think it's steam cleaning my kitchen.) When the steam finishes, the lid unlocks and I can open it. I make sure to lift the lid away from me, because it's still mighty hot.

When the steam stops rising, I take out a bean and cut it with a knife to see if it's cooked through. If not, I put the lid back on, put the pot back on the burner, and let it simmer — not under pressure — another 3-4 minutes and then test another bean. They'll be done soon.

Then I drain the beans over my trusty pyrex jug. When the water cools I pour it on my plants.

Good beans, cooked quickly, with no water wasted.

Fast Food

Larry made dinner on Saturday night: defrosted red lentil burgers, baked potatoes, cooked carrots, and our own green/purple/yellow beans.

The burgers defrosted beautifully in the toaster oven. They were light, not too salty, and nicely spiced. Far better than the pre-made patties at Whole Foods or the hockey pucks in the freezer department.

I love it when we can eat our own fast food.

Greens

We have a variety of greens growing in our garden: kohlrabi, beet, chard, arugula, watercress and mustard. The other night I picked a few leaves of each and stirred them together for a great side with Teriyaki Tofu Steaks and brown rice.

Greens are full of nutrients but need a little salt and oil to break down the cell membranes so we can absorb them. (Unless you want to chew as much as rabbits or cows.)

This is my standard go-to greens recipe. We never get tired of it, probably in part because the greens change each time I make it.

Greens
large bunch of greens
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, slivered

Wash the greens well. Remove any tough stems and discard. Chop the leaves and soft stems into rough 2 inch pieces.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until it's soft. Stir in the greens, making sure to get them coated in oil. Sprinkle a little salt over them and stir that in. Cover the skillet and let the greens cook over medium-low heat until they are soft and tender.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2 greens-lovers

Tofu Teriyaki Steaks

When I want a simple nutritious meal, I turn to tofu, brown rice, and cooked greens. This never fails to satisfy.

The other night I whipped up a quick teriyaki sauce to baste the tofu steaks with. It was also great drizzled over the rice and greens.

To give the sauce its glossiness, I added a little sugar to sherry and tamari. Normally I don't use sugar in my cooking, but I figured the fiber in the brown rice would balance it out.

And it sure tasted good.

Tofu Teriyaki Steaks
1/4 cup tamari (soy sauce)
1/2 cup sherry
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp cornstarch
3 tsp lemon juice
vegetable oil
1 lb block firm tofu

Combine the tamari, sherry, sugar and lemon zest in a small pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat about 5 minutes until fragrant.

Put the cornstarch in a very small bowl, add the lemon juice and stir to dissolve the cornstarch. Whisk this into the sauce in the pot and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat about 1 minute, stirring. Let it cool.

Warm a grill pan. (Or light a barbecue.) Lightly oil it.

Drain the tofu and pat it dry. Cut it in half horizontally. Brush one side with the teriyaki sauce, and place the pieces sauce side down in the hot grill pan. Cook it over medium heat, basting with the teriyaki sauce. Turn it after about 6 minutes and baste the other side. Cook until it's browned but not crisp. Don't use all the sauce.

Serve the tofu with the extra sauce on the side.

Serves 2

Sunday Shopping

It's peach season, which means we need to get to the Hollywood Farmers Market extra early to avoid the crowds. Fortunately the farmers were ready for us.

We chatted with Jimmy and Logan while we bought some eggplant plants for our vegetable garden. (I did not have good germination with my seeds this year, but fortunately Logan did.)

And Larry talked to a fruit-grower about how the crackdown on illegal immigrants has affected his orchards. He currently doesn't have enough labor to pick all his trees.

It always goes back to money, doesn't it? Fair wages for backbreaking seasonal work means the price of food rises, yet in this country we expect food to be inexpensive — or at least a minimal part of the weekly budget. It's a knotty problem. In the meantime, I gratefully put cash in the hands of small organic farmers.

Here's a list of the organic produce we brought home with us:
oranges, strawberries, beets, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, shallots, broccoli, red butter lettuce, eggs, pink lady apples, avocados, nectarines, peaches, mushrooms

Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad with Marjoram and Feta

I usually make this salad in the summer with fresh corn and sun-ripened tomatoes, but the knotted marjoram in our garden is about to flower and there are good cherry tomatoes at my local grocery store, organic corn in the freezer and feta in the fridge.

How could I resist making it to go with the Red Lentil Burgers we had for dinner the other night?

Marjoram adds a wonderful base note to the sweetness of the corn and the saltiness of the feta. It's worth growing this aromatic herb for this salad alone.

Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad with Marjoram and Feta

10 oz package frozen organic corn
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup diced feta
1 tbsp chopped fresh marjoram

Cook corn briefly according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool.

Whisk together olive oil and red wine vinegar. Stir in cooled corn, tomatoes, feta and marjoram.

Serves 2-3

Red Lentil Veggie Burgers

I love having veggie burgers in the freezer — not the hockey pucks found in supermarket freezers, but ones I make myself and then freeze. They defrost well for a quick nutritious dinner.

Sometimes I make them with leftover lentil loaf, sometimes with chickpeas. The other day I made them with quick-cooking red lentils and curry spices. Panko breadcrumbs made them light and airy, and eggs ensured they held together.

I served them with a Corn and Tomato Salad, and our homegrown bush beans.

Best of all, most of them are now carefully stored in the freezer, ready for when I need a quick dinner.

Red Lentil Veggie Burgers
1 1/2 cups red lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped finely (3/4 cup)
4 medium carrots, finely diced (1 1/3 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
3/4 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Pick over the lentil and remove any small stones or debris. Rinse them well, then put in a large pot with cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a fine-meshed strainer. Set aside still in the strainer so they can continue to drain.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes. And the carrots and garlic. Cook until the carrots start to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cayenne. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the broiler.

Put the lentils in a large bowl. Add the contents of the skillet, the breadcrumbs, eggs, salt and pepper. Stir to blend.

Scoop out 1/4 cup at a time and put on 2 baking sheets lined either with sil-pats or aluminum foil. Gently pat into burger shape. You'll get 16-18 burgers.

Put one tray of burgers under the broiler for 6 minutes. Take it out and put the other tray in for 6 minutes while you flip the first lot of burgers. Repeat until all burgers have been cooked on both sides.

Serve warm.

Purple and Gold Beans

I planted some bush beans in early February, protected them with chicken wire, and crossed my fingers.

This week we ate our first harvest of purple, gold and green beans. Sadly, the purple ones turn green when they're cooked, so we end up with just yellow and green on our plates. But really, there is nothing better than freshly-picked beans.

I cooked them briefly in a little boiling water, and we ate them au naturel — they were so tender we didn't even need butter or salt and pepper. Yum!

Salad with Parmesan and Balsamic

I don't think I've ever bought a bottle of salad dressing. When I was a student I was too cheap to spend the extra money when I could just toss olive oil and vinegar on a salad. Then I started looking at the ingredients and realized a whole lot of stabilizers and emulsifiers are needed to make commercial salad dressing. So I continue to make my own.

I always have a bottle of my homemade honey-balsamic dressing in the fridge. Larry likes it on the salads he takes for lunch. (He carries a little in a small container and adds it to his salad when he's ready to eat.)

For my favorite simple side salad I make the dressing right on the salad. The balsamic and parmesan make it great with Italian food, and I served it the other night with the Whole Wheat Linguine with Broccoli and Chickpeas. It was a great match.

I used red butter lettuce because it has extra carotenoids from the red pigments. However, when coated with balsamic vinegar, it looks a little brown at the edges in low light. That's okay, it tastes great.

Here is the beyond-easy recipe, no emulsifiers or stabilizers required.

Salad with Parmesan and Balsamic
Butter lettuce for 2 people
wedge of parmesan cheese
1/2 tbsp balsamic
1 tbsp olive oil

Wash the lettuce and dry it completely. Tear it into a bowl. Use a vegetable peeler to sliver 3-4 thin pieces of parmesan onto the lettuce. Sprinkle the vinegar over the lettuce along with a dash of salt. Toss well. Drizzle the olive oil over the salad and toss again.

Serves immediately.

Serves 2

Cooking in the Time of Drought

I pour cooking water into the pyrex jug, and
when it cools I use it to water our plants.

We're still in a drought here in Southern California. Yes, we had 18 inches of rain last winter, and the snow pack is looking good, but the reality of low-water living is setting in.

We put plastic bottles in our toilet tanks to lower the amount of water used with each flush, learned to enjoy 3-minute showers, and bought a low-water washing machine.

However, I am still watering my garden. I use a drip system, started a rain farm, mulch a lot, and encourage my plants to grow long roots deep down into the cool earth and away from the hot sun.

I also started saving my kitchen water to put on my plants.

Ideally, we would have a grey water set-up where I could flick a switch at the kitchen sink and run the waste water directly into our garden. Unfortunately, we haven't yet figured out how to do this. So I've started small with a jug that I pour our cooking water into and then carry outside to water the plants.

The amount of water adds up. The kumquat gets at least a quart a day just from our morning boiled eggs. Plus it gets extra nutrients from the water I've cooked beans or vegetables in.

Whether rinsing greens or scrubbing carrots and potatoes, I used to take that clean water pouring out of the tap for granted. But it's actually a valuable resource. So I now catch the water in my large pyrex jug and reap   more benefit from each drop — first in the kitchen, and then in the garden.

Whole Wheat Linguine with Broccoli and Chickpeas

We don't eat pasta very often, so I tend to buy organic Italian durum wheat (white flour) noodles. After all, if it's a splurge, we might as well go all out and eat white flour.

However, the other day I felt organic whole wheat linguine would be a better fit with the robust flavors of broccoli, chick peas, smoked chili peppers and lots of garlic. I was right — the whole wheat added a nuttiness that contributed beautifully to the overall dish.

Canned chickpeas are a time-saver, but I so prefer home cooked beans. The flavor and texture are nuttier, and there's no need to rinse off the tinniness. Fortunately, they cook in 22 minutes in the pressure cooker — no pre-soaking needed. I cooked the chickpeas a couple of hours ahead, drained them, and left them on the counter until it was time to throw dinner together. They were great.

The smoked chili flakes add another dimension of flavor. (Probably carnivores would add bacon instead.) I buy mine from Mountain Rose Herbs. You can substitute un-smoked chili flakes if that's what you have. It will still be an awesome dish.

Whole Wheat Linguine with Broccoli and Chickpeas

1/3 cup chickpeas (or 1 can, drained)

1 1/4 lbs broccoli

4 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup chopped garlic (8-10 cloves)

1/2 tsp smoked chili flakes

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 lb whole wheat linguine

Pick over the chickpeas to remove any stones or debris. Rinse. Either cook in plenty of water until tender, 2-3 hours, or cook in a pressure cooker covered by at least 2 inches of water and time for 22 minutes once pressure is reached. Let the pressure cooker cool by opening the vent — keep away from the steam! — then carefully open and check the texture of the chickpeas. If they're tender, drain them and set aside. If they're not quite cooked, replace the lid and simmer another 5 minutes before testing again. Drain the chickpeas and set aside.

Cut the broccoli florets into large bite-size pieces. Peel the tough stems down to the pale green center and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and chili flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about a minute. Add the broccoli and salt, stir well, add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed, until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas and cook until they are warm.

Meanwhile, cook the linguine in lots of salted water according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the linguine to the broccoli. Toss well, adding the reserved water if needed. Keep tossing over medium heat until all is warm and well-mixed.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle on some grated parmesan if desired.

Serves 3-4

Sunday Shopping

It was cold and windy at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning. And busy. Early-morning shoppers multiply during peach and berry season.

We stopped by Logan's stall to buy a couple of tomato plants. He always has unusual heirloom varieties, and we came home with Big Zebra and Omar Red. They should keep us entertained (and hopefully well-fed) over the summer.

Then we stopped by the pupusa stand. We took a few home for breakfast with fried eggs and Larry's fresh-squeezed orange juice. It's a great brunch for a busy Sunday.

Here's what else we came home with:
eggs, avocado, red butter lettuce, broccoli, feta, shallots, beets, fresh white onions, spinach, oranges, pomelo, grapefruit, strawberries, cherries, pink lady apples, garlic, blueberries, tangerines.

Fava Beans and Tomatoes

We have been eating wonderful fava beans this spring, another example of how the farmers at the Hollywood Farmers Market bail me out of my dilemmas. You see, I forgot to plant our fava bean seeds last fall. I don't know why. I had carefully saved the seeds from the end of last year's crop, but somehow I forgot about them until February, when it was far to late to plant them.

I'll try again this fall. In the meantime, I'm happy the professionals are on top of things.

The other night I served left-over sweet potato-chipotle chili and brown rice. One of the great things about left-overs is that while they reheat I am able to spend more time messing around with the accompanying vegetables.

First I cooked a quick tomato sauce. Then I briefly cooked the fava beans but did not do the second peel that makes them bright green. I decided this was an evening for texture — the tangy pop of the fava bean skin against the soft green of the inner bean. After they were cooked, I sautéed them in olive oil. I was going to cook them until they were golden — which I hear is excellent — but I wimped out and just cooked them until the outer skin was taut but still green. Then I stirred in the tomato sauce and a little basil.

It was a wonderful combination of textures and tastes — the slight bitterness of the fava bean skins contrasted with the sweetness of the tomatoes and basil. However, I think it would also have been great without the fava bean skins. (See here for instructions on peeling fava beans.)

Fava Beans and Tomatoes
1 1/2 lbs fava beans (shelled equals 2 cups)
2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1 shallot, peeled and minced, about 2 tbsp
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp chopped basil

Take the fava beans out of their pods. Cook them in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Warm half the olive oil over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the shallot and let cook until aromatic. Stir in the tomatoes. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're broken down. Scrape them into a bowl, and add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Put in the fava beans and cook until golden, or at least until the skins are taut, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let warm through and serve.

Serves 2-3

Fava beans in their pods 

Warm Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Lime

It's rare for me to buy fresh tomatoes out of season. Cherry tomatoes seem to travel better so I buy organic cherry tomatoes (grown in Mexico) for Larry's lunch salads all winter. They seem to taste okay, especially when dowsed in honey-balsamic salad dressing.

But the other day my local grocery store had organic vine-ripened tomatoes and I bought a few to stir into this warm salad of quinoa and black beans. The zest of the limes made the dish interesting, and the tomatoes added juiciness and color. I then went outside to encourage my tomato seedlings to grow faster — I'm ready for homegrown tomatoes.

Quinoa is a much-hyped high-protein grain. It's also really bitter, which is why I rinse it three times — the first time with boiling water. There's melted butter in the vinaigrette, which also helps soften the taste.

I came in from the garden and threw some black beans in the pressure cooker. While they were cooking (15 minutes once up to pressure), I cooked asparagus for our side dish, started the quinoa cooking, and whisked together the vinaigrettes for the asparagus and the quinoa salad. It took a little over 30 minutes to put dinner on the table, not too bad for a healthy meal made from scratch.

Warm Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Lime
1/3 cup dry black beans (or 1 can)
1 cup quinoa
2 limes
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 shallot, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Pick over the beans to remove any stones or debris. Rinse them, then cook in boiling water until tender (about 2 hours) or pressure cook for 15 minutes. (If they're still a little hard when you reduce the pressure, put the lid back on and let them simmer until they're tender. Don't overcook them — you want them to hold their shape.) Drain the beans and set aside. (Or open the can of beans, rinse well and drain.)

Put the quinoa in a sieve and pour boiling water over it. Drain well, then pour cold water over it twice. This thorough rinsing will wash off the bitter saponins. Cook the quinoa in a pot of lightly salted water for about 10 minutes until tender but not soft — al dente if you will. Drain it, return it to the pot, and leave it covered, off the heat, to rest 5 minutes or so until you're ready to use it. It will absorb any remaining water and become fluffy and dry.

Grate the limes to make 2 tsp of zest. Squeeze 2 tbsp of lime juice into a large bowl. Add the zest, melted butter and vegetable oil. Whisk in 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Add the black beans and stir well. If necessary, let the beans rest in the vinaigrette until the remaining ingredients are ready. Then toss in the quinoa, tomatoes, shallot and cilantro. Season with extra salt and pepper if needed.

Serves 4

Chilled Asparagus

It's time for me to figure out how to take photos in a dark kitchen, because I really want to share this asparagus recipe with you, but the photo is not the most attractive.

The asparagus tasted delicious, however. It's Larry's favorite way of eating it. And it's very simple to make. Cooked asparagus, chilled, tossed in a vinaigrette, then served with chopped hard boiled egg on top. A half pound of asparagus disappears quickly when served like this.

Chilled Asparagus
1/2 lb asparagus
1 egg
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dry mustard or 1 tsp regular mustard
1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
salt and pepper

Cut the tough stems off the bottom of the asparagus and rinse it well in cold water. Bring water to a boil in a pot wide enough for the asparagus to lie in, add the asparagus, cover and simmer for 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain the asparagus and put it in the fridge to chill.

Pierce a small hole in the egg with a safety pin and gently add it to a pot of boiling salted water. Cook 10 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water. Let sit until cool enough to handle, then peel and chop. Set aside.

Whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic. Add a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Set aside.

When ready to serve, toss the asparagus in the vinaigrette and put on a plate. Sprinkle the egg over top, and serve.

Serves 2

Spring Seasoning

Our mint is thriving and the lemon tree has more lemons than leaves. Combining the two makes one of my favorite seasonings for plain cooked grains. I like it with barley and brown rice, and the other night I made it with oat groats.

Oat groats are the whole grain of the oat - they look very similar to brown rice. Although we most often think of oats for breakfast, I sometimes cook them for dinner as a change. They have a little inherent sweetness, but the lemon and mint override it.

I served these oats the other night with Balsamic Bean Stew and steamed broccoli.

Oats with Mint and Lemon

2/3 cup whole oat groats

1 1/3 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

scant sprinkle of turmeric

2 tbsp chopped mint

1 tbsp chopped shallot

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp whole cumin seeds, toasted

Combine the oats, water, salt and turmeric in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, bring to the boil, and simmer over low heat about 40 minutes until the oats are tender. Stir occasionally to make sure the groats are not sticking to the bottom of the pan. All the water should be absorbed. When they're cooked, remove from the heat and let sit, covered 5 minutes.

Stir the mint, shallot, lemon juice and cumin seeds into the oats. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4

Balsamic Bean Stew

Starting with plain old dried beans, an enormous variety of dishes can be created. Adding tomatoes or herbs, puréeing the beans, serving them hot or cold. It is impossible to get bored with beans.

Last night, I used balsamic vinegar as the sauce for some large white beans. While it's not the most attractive dish to photograph (a sprinkle of parsley would have helped), it was wonderfully zesty. Roasted red pepper added sweetness and radishes gave a nice crunch. It was a tasty meal along with Oat Groats with Mint and Lemon and steamed broccoli.

(The balsamic makes these very tangy. Make sure to serve over a grain to soften the intensity.)

Balsamic Bean Stew
2 cups large white dried beans (like limas or gigantes)
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp celery salt
1 roasted red pepper, peeled and diced
8 small radishes, topped and tailed, and sliced in thirds

Pick over the white beans and discard any debris. Rinse them, then put in a large pot with water to cover by at least 2 inches. Add the diced onion. Cover, bring to a boil, and then lower the heat so the beans simmer gently until they are tender, about 2 hours. Drain the beans and stir in the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, some salt and pepper, and celery salt to taste. Add the red pepper and radishes.

Serve warm.

Serves 6

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili

I love our slow cooker. I put food into it and then go outside and putter in the garden until I'm hungry. Miraculously, dinner is ready! And I don't have to worry about it burning if I've spent longer outside than I intended.

My go-to slow cooker book is Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson. Her chipotle sweet potato chili is sweet, smoky and colorful, and it has quite a kick.

We enjoyed it over a mound of brown rice with gently-steamed snap peas on the side. Best of all, there will be leftovers for later in the week.

I started the kidney beans cooking in boiling water on the stove, then assembled the rest of the stew and started it cooking. I drained the kidney beans when they were just tender and stirred them in. They were able to pick up good flavors even in the shorter cooking time.

Although I like a good spicy kick to offset the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, you can add less chipotles if you prefer. Also, I used a roasted red pepper from my freezer. You can use a fresh one if you prefer - just seed and chop it and throw it in the sauté pan. No need to roast and peel.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chili
2/3 cup kidney beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tbsp chili powder
4 small sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp canned chipotle in adobo, chopped

Pick over the kidney beans and remove any small stones or debris. Rinse them, put in a pot with enough cold water to cover the beans by at least 2 inches. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer gently until the beans are tender but still hold their shape, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in 1/2 inch chunks.

Warm the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion, red pepper and garlic. Cover and cook gently until the onions are tender. Stir in chili powder and cook, stirring, about 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in sweet potatoes until they are covered in spices.

Scrape this all into a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Pour in the canned tomatoes with their juice, the cooked kidney beans, and 1 1/2 cups water. Season with salt, about 1 tsp or to taste. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Stir in the chipotle. Taste and add more chipotles or salt to taste.

Serves 6-8

Sunday Shopping

It was a chilly morning at the Hollywood Farmers Market today. Thunder storms are forecast. We shopped quickly and then had a leisurely breakfast at K24 on Cahuenga before heading home to work in our vegetable garden. We're hoping to grow some of our own food this summer, but in the meantime we're happily dependent on the organic farmers who work hard so we can eat well.

Here's what we'll be eating this week:
sweet potatoes, red butter lettuce, cilantro, snap peas, strawberries, eggs, asparagus, pink lady apples, fava beans, broccoli, limes, radishes, fennel, blueberries, tangerines, cremini mushrooms, smoked gouda, kidney beans, and cauliflower.