Adapting Recipes

Bert Greene, in his wonderful book Greene on Greens, confesses to his need to tinker with any recipe that comes his way. That's his creative genius at work.

I play with recipes, not because I have creative genius, but because I place limits on the ingredients I use, and have to alter most recipes accordingly.

For instance, you might have noticed that red peppers don't show up often on this blog. That's because organic red peppers only appear in the markets in the fall, so that's the only time I use them.

When substituting ingredients, think of how the one you're leaving out contributes to the dish - with texture, color or flavor - and think what would be a good replacement. Parmesan cheese can almost always be replaced by extra salt (no, not if you're a purist, but if you're a vegan it's better than fake cheese).

I don't use bacon, so if I want a smoky flavor I use chipotles, smoked cheese, smoked paprika or soy sauce.

This is not a new pastime for me. Some of my cookbooks have 20-year-old notes on my attempts to substitute honey for sugar and whole wheat flour for white in baked goods. (Some of these experiments were more successful than others.)

I am also a rare vegetarian who does not miss the taste of meat. Asian vegetarian restaurants with fake meat dishes - yuk. I like the taste of vegetables. Occasionally tofu. But not tofu that tastes like chicken. If I wanted chicken, I would eat chicken.

And don't even start me on tofu hot dogs and all that pseudo-meat made with processed soy and chemicals.

However I'll eat some cheese and dairy products. White rice and pasta. Many of the taboos of the health movement are okay by me in moderation.

So my recipe-adapting is completely according to my beliefs. Seasonal. Organic. Chemical-free. Delicious.

And of course, it's up to you to tinker with my recipes so they suit you and your family.

Greens and Tofu

Every now and then I get a craving for tofu.

Not tofu dogs or tofu made to taste like meat - just plain firm tofu fried until it's a little crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Served with greens and peanut sauce, as in the recipe below, it is fantastic.

This dish comes from Thai Vegetarian Cooking by Vatcharin Bhumichitr. I don't eat a lot of Thai food because of the prevalence of fish sauce. However this author found vegetarian Thai recipes that don't just substitute soy sauce for fish sauce but focus on the good flavor of grains and vegetables.

To be authentic, this dish would be made with a Thai green called morning glory, but I used chard. Any mild green would work fine.

Thai Kitchen red curry paste is widely available. Use natural smooth or chunky peanut butter - the sugar and additives in the fake stuff will distort the flavor. The peanuts should be raw and unsalted. Grind them in a spice grinder or blender.

If you have a 1-lb block of tofu, cut it in half and store the extra in water in a covered container in the fridge. Change the water daily, and use within a week.

The recipe called for an additional 1/2 tsp of salt, but I found it too salty. Larry didn't, and if you're used to fish sauce you might enjoy the extra salt too. Taste and see what you think.

Serve with brown rice for a hearty, healthy meal.

Greens and Tofu
1 bunch chard
1/2 lb firm tofu
2-3 tbsp oil
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 heaping tsp peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup raw peanuts, ground

Stem the chard, wash the leaves well, and put them in a large covered pot with just the water that clings to them. Place over medium heat and let cook a few minutes, then stir and replace the lid. Cook until soft, checking every few minutes to make sure they're not browning. Chop and set aside.

Slice the tofu into 6 pieces about 1/4-inch thick and pat dry. Warm 2 tbsp oil in a 9-inch cast-iron fry pan (or a wok) over medium heat. Carefully add the tofu - it will splatter. Let cook on one side until it's golden brown (about 5 minutes), adding more oil if necessary so it doesn't stick. Turn over and cook the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside on doubled paper towel to drain.

Put the garlic in the leftover oil in the fry pan and cook until golden brown. Add the curry paste and stir briefly. Add the soy sauce, peanut butter, water and peanuts. Whisk together until it makes a sauce.

Arrange the slices of tofu on the greens. Pour the sauce over the top. Serve with brown rice.

Serves two.

Eggs poached in tomato sauce

On a recent Sunday morning I picked fresh tomatoes and chiles in our garden and made this simple dish. It was like eating summer for breakfast.

It's similar to huevos rancheros or ratatouille with poached eggs. Best of all, it's quick to make and uses only one pan.

Use chiles to your taste. I used a mild banana, medium anaheim and spicy serrano, mainly because those were ready to pick. Leave the seeds in to make it hotter. Or use green pepper for a mild dish. A little basil added at the end would be nice.

Serve with warm buttered baguette to sop up all the delicious tomato sauce.

Don't feel like eggs? This bright simple sauce would be great on pasta or spooned over potatoes or rice.

Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
small clove garlic, minced
3 chiles, seeded and diced
1 1/2 cups diced tomato
salt and pepper
4 eggs

Warm the olive oil in an eight-inch skillet with raised sides.

Sauté the diced onion until it is soft. Add the garlic and peppers and cook another 3 minutes until the peppers are soft and the onions are lightly golden. Stir in the tomato, season with salt and pepper, and let the sauce cook down until it is thick. Depending on how juicy your tomatoes are, this could take 5-10 minutes.

Make four holes in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. (You would be wise to crack the eggs into a small bowl first, but I never do.) The yolk will stay in the hole but the white will spread into the tomato sauce a little. Cover with a lid and let cook 3 minutes before you peek. I like the white fully cooked but the yolk runny, which takes about 7 minutes, depending on the freshness of the egg.

When they're the way you like them, spoon the eggs onto plates and surround with the remaining sauce.

Serves 2.

Summer Chickpea Stew

Sometimes the vegetable garden takes a little break and production slows for a few days. The harvest might be limited to one tomato, a zucchini and some herbs. Don't despair. Add some canned beans for a simple home-cooked stew that tastes of summer.

Spoon it over brown rice for a satisfying supper for two, or serve it as a vegetable side-dish for four. Even people who think they don't like beans will enjoy this meal.

This recipe works fine with canned chickpeas (also called garbanzos), just rinse them well before you use them.

Dry chickpeas seem to take longer to cook than other dried beans, so I use the quick-soak method. Put them in a pan of water, bring to a boil, and simmer 10 minutes. Then turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the beans sit in the water for an hour. The chickpeas will have expanded a lot. Drain them, then cook in boiling water until tender, probably another 45 minutes to an hour. For this stew you want them cooked through but still firm. Drain and use fresh, or freeze until you need them.

Summer Chickpea Stew
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick
3 mushrooms, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
1 can chickpeas (or 1/3 cup dry, cooked)
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 tomato, chopped

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté oregano and garlic one minute. Add zucchini, mushrooms and chickpeas, stirring well to coat with oil and herbs. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender, under 10 minutes. Add the fresh tomato and mint and cook another five minutes. Add a little water at any time to prevent sticking. Serve warm.

Egg Scares

The egg recall reminds me why I eat locally and organically.

The salmonella scare was caused by two egg factories (interesting word but appropriate to their scale of operations) who buy their chickens and feed from the same supplier. It has affected hundreds of thousands of people.

Not me. I buy my eggs from a farmer near Joshua Tree. His chickens work on the farm, picking insects in the orchard so he does not have to spray chemicals. He has a variety of chickens, so the eggs vary in color and size.

The chickens live outside and eat insects, so they're less likely to get sick than chickens who live mainly inside and eat "chicken food." (Mad Cow spread through England because they used ground up chicken parts as "cow food" and “chicken food.”) Even if there was a problem, it would affect hundreds of people, not thousands.

Small is beautiful.

Alexis Koefoed raises chickens and eggs that are served in restaurants like Chez Panisse. Chefs say they taste better than factory-farmed products. She's done the math on her small farm, and says that eggs should cost $8 a dozen for farmers to make a living wage.

Even at that price (eight times the 99 cent store price!), it works out to less than one dollar per egg, incredibly cheap for a good-quality protein, practically a meal in itself. I almost feel bad paying a mere $5 for my dozen eggs.

On Splendid Table recently, Michael Pollan explained how all progressive social movements start among the wealthy who have the time and resources to devote to them. He mentioned the abolitionists and suffragettes, and said the movement toward real food is heading the same way.

I think he's right. I think it's up to all of us who can afford it to put our money into the hands of farmers who grow our food locally and organically. The more we support these farmers, the more others will move into sustainable farming instead of factory farming (of plants and animals).

Best of all, paying our local organic farmers directly lets us feel ethically virtuous and progressive, while eating the freshest most delicious food. It's a win-win situation.

Corn Risotto

Corn, tomatoes and fresh basil are a classic summer combination. I made this risotto with organic corn from Finley Farms and heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil from our garden.

You could stir in a spoonful of pesto in place of the basil for a more intense flavor hit. Use a good vegetable stock. Wine adds to the complex flavor but you can omit it.

If you don't eat butter, use all olive oil. If you don't like the occasional roll of tomato skin, peel the tomatoes.

Although risotto has a reputation as time-consuming, it only takes about 30 minutes. It needs regular but not non-stop stirring. You can make a salad, cook some side dishes, or have a good kitchen conversation while cooking risotto.

Corn Risotto
2-3 cups vegetable stock
kernels from 2 ears of corn
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup onion, in 1/4 to 1/2 inch dice
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup sauvignon blanc or other crisp white wine
1 lb tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Put the stock in a pot on the back burner. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs, and add the cobs to the stock to give it extra flavor. Bring to a simmer.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Stir in the onion and cook gently until soft but not brown. Add the arborio rice and stir until it is well-coated with butter. Pour in the white wine, stir, and let simmer until it is evaporated.

Now start adding the hot stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring after each addition. When the stock is fully absorbed, add more. After about 10 minutes, the rice will be partially cooked. Now add the corn kernels and diced tomatoes. Stir well. Add a sprinkling of salt and a few grindings of pepper. Keep adding stock. The amount you will need depends on the juiciness of the corn and tomatoes. If you run out, add boiling water from the kettle.

The risotto is cooked when the rice has a creamy quality and just a slight chewiness. Stir in the chopped basil, and season to taste.

Serve in shallow bowls sprinkled with more basil or parmesan. Should serve 4 but might not.

Goat Cheese Pesto Appetizer

I like good strong flavors, especially in my cheese. As the French know, a small piece of flavorful cheese is more satisfying than a large amount of tasteless cottage or string cheese.

I'd been toying with the idea of a goat cheese and pesto spread, but all the recipes I found included cream cheese or mascarpone. This seemed to miss the point of the intense base note of the goat cheese contrasted with the piquant heat of the pesto.

So I tried it this way. I bought Sonoma Valley fresh goat cheese from Trader Joe's. It's a little crumbly with a good deep flavor. I layered it with fresh pesto and served it with organic crackers.

It was great. The flavors burst in the mouth, the crackers added a bland crunch, and a few bites were very satisfying. No one spoiled their dinner by overdoing the appetizer.

Best of all, it lasted a couple of weeks in the fridge. The last tablespoon was the finishing touch in a garden risotto.

Goat Cheese Pesto Appetizer
6 oz goat cheese
1/4 cup pesto

Line a one-cup container with plastic wrap. (I know, but it won't be heated. Use wrap made from recycled plastic - available at health food stores.) Spread half the goat cheese in the bottom. Using a bent-angle spatula, spread the pesto on top. Then pat in the remaining goat cheese. Press it down firmly, cover with the wrap, and refrigerate for a couple of hours or days. At serving time, unmold onto a small plate and remove the plastic wrap. Serve with plain crackers.

Serves 4-6

Eggplant Dip

Last year I planted a variety of eggplants: Thai, Italian, African, Chinese - and all produced like mad. I called it the International Year of the Eggplant.

We ate them in ratatouille, on the barbecue, in spaghetti sauce and stir-fries.

Larry did his best to be appreciative but he was happy to see the season come to an end. This spicy-sweet dip, however, was gobbled up rapidly even in the waning days of eggplant season.

It is from Sarah Leah Chase's Cold Weather Comforts. She based it on a Chinese dish called Strange Flavor Eggplant.

Serve it with pita chips. (Sarah's recipe to make your own: cut 4 large pitas horizontally into 2 rounds, brush them with a combination of 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 1 tbsp roasted sesame oil, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cut into irregular bite-sized triangles and bake at 350° 7-9 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool and store in an airtight container. Warning: these are addictive.)

Use whatever eggplant you have: small round white ones, big purple ones, or anything in between. The roasted sesame oil is essential - you can find it and brown rice vinegar at your local independent health food store.

Eggplant Dip
1 1/2 lbs eggplant
3 tbsp vegetable oil (or less)
2 tsp roasted sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
3 scallions, trimmed and minced
1/4 tsp dried red pepper flakes
3 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp light brown sugar (or less)
1 tbsp brown rice vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Prick the eggplants in several places with a fork and coat them with a little oil. Roast, turning once during cooking, until very soft, 20-40 minutes depending on the size of the eggplant. Let rest until cool enough to handle.

Peel and stem the eggplant. Process in food processor until smooth, or dice it very fine and mash it a little.

Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar and vinegar until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

Warm 2 tbsp vegetable oil and 2 tsp roasted sesame oil in a medium-size pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, scallions and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, one minute. Whisk soy sauce mixture again and add to pan. Bring to a boil. Stir in the eggplant and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and optional cilantro.

Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled, accompanied by toasted pita chips.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

Surplus tomatoes

If your tomatoes are bursting off the vine faster than you can eat them, put some aside to use over the winter in soups and stews.

You could can them in preserving jars, but who needs all that hot work in these lazy days of August?

Instead, wash and dry them and throw them in a zip-loc bag in the freezer. (Plastic is food-safe as long as you don't use it for liquids or hot foods.)

The tomatoes will change texture in the freezer, so they won't be good in salads, but in any cooked use they will be great. They will taste better than canned tomatoes with no worries about preservatives. And when you defrost them the peel will slip right off.

It's a great way to preserve your home-grown tomatoes without a lot of work.

Beets and Mint

When you see fresh young beets with their greens attached, take them home with you. They are nutrition powerhouses, and simple to cook and enjoy.

Sometimes I think that beets are the ultimate health food. From lowering blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides to boosting iron in the blood and enhancing cancer-fighting cells, beets are good for the body.

Use the greens in Wilted Greens or Luscious Lemon Greens. Or just steam them, toss them with walnut oil or balsamic vinegar, and serve as a side dish.

Roast the roots in the toaster oven so you don't have to heat the kitchen too much. If you don't think you like beets, roasting will surprise you. It deepens their flavor, and makes them an excellent foil for the lemon and mint.

(A word on roasting - a lot of recipes suggest wrapping the beets in aluminum foil to roast, but I don't recommend cooking in aluminum, especially if you're consuming any form of fluoride -- toothpaste, bottled sodas or drinks, tap water in some municipalities. Fluoride helps aluminum cross the protective blood-brain barrier into the brain. I guess the jury is still out on the aluminum-Alzheimer's link, but I'm not risking my brain.)

Beets and Mint
2 bunches of small beets
1/2 lemon
handful fresh mint, chopped

Cut the greens from the beets and save for another recipe. Scrub the roots but leave them intact. Put them in a covered dish in a 350° oven for 20 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife. Allow them to cool until you can touch them, then cut off the tops and tails and peel off the skin. (Or leave the skin on if you prefer, just trimming off the stem ends.) Dice into 1-inch cubes and toss with the lemon juice and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This is good warm, cold or at room temperature.

Organic dairy farming

As more of us turn to organic dairy products, small farmers are rising up to meet the demand.

The New York Times ran a story recently about a farmer in Mississippi who had always wanted to raise cattle but was struggling to make ends meet.

Then he found organic milk at his local grocery store - and was amazed that it came from a dairy 1000 miles away and was flying off the shelves. So he moved into the milk business. He now has 12 cows and the residents of Oxford, Miss., are proud as punch to use his milk.

There is something heart-warming about knowing that your food is supporting a real local family. My favorite stalls at the Hollywood Farmers Market are manned by the farmers and their families, and I enjoy putting my food dollars directly into their hard-working hands.

Barbecue Corn

We had a good dinner Sunday night.

Larry barbecued the organic corn to perfection. That, with baked potatoes and a tomato salad made with a fresh-picked Brandywine from the garden, made for a great summer supper.

I had pulled back the husks on the corn and removed the silk. Then I replaced the husks and tied them with a piece of string. Normally I would have soaked them for 20 minutes while Larry lit the coals, but I was talking to my mother on the phone and Larry started dinner without me.

And he did great.

He placed the unsoaked corn directly on the grill, and every few minutes he picked an ear up with tongs and sprayed it with water. This prevented the string from catching fire and stopped the husks from getting too burned.

Meanwhile, inside the husks, the heat was concentrating the flavor of the corn kernels. After about 20 minutes, we shucked the corn and ate it straight - no butter or seasoning. Mmmmmm.

Perfect Popcorn

Although Joy does most of the cooking, I occasionally take a spin in the kitchen. A few years ago, we realized that I have a knack for the P-Foods. I was exposed at an early age to potato chips and pretzels, and I also learned how to order pizza (see post of March 8, 2010).

But I can also cook a mean pot pie, as I am an inheritor and keeper of my Mom Mom Daniels’ famous chicken pot pie recipe. I may share that recipe with you someday, if you are lucky.

My other claim to fame is that I make the best popcorn in the world. It’s part culinary science and part spiritual practice. I can’t guarantee that this will work on an electric stove. If you have a gas stove, however, you are ready to rock and roll:

First – find a 3-quart saucepan or pot with a lid. If you have several, choose the one that gives the best popcorn vibes.

Second – buy organic popcorn and olive oil, along with sea salt.

Third – collect a few of the old fashioned, handle-less paper bags from a supermarket. (I use Vons.)

Cover the saucepan with a thin coating of olive oil and place four kernels of corn in the bottom – spread out, not bunched. The oil should cover about ¾ of the corn kernels. Turn flame to medium-high.

When the fourth kernel has popped, immediately cover the bottom of the saucepan with corn. Place the lid on. The popping will start soon. I recommend occasionally turning the pot, but it’s not always necessary. You’ll soon learn how level your range burners are.

When the popping passes the top of the Bell Curve and starts to slow, you can turn the flame down to medium low. If you’ve correctly measured the corn, it might begin to nudge the lip upward as it finishes.

Leave the lid on for the last few pops. Shake the pot a few times.

Now pour the exquisitely popped popcorn into the paper bag, add some salt, and then close the bag and shake, using your hips. Place the bag on the counter for a few minutes to absorb any extra oil.

If you’ve done this right, you won’t have any un-popped kernels, and there won’t be very much oil left in the pot.

Wipe out the pot without burning yourself, and repeat. Let this second batch cool and store it in an airtight container - you'll want another bowl later in the week.

Fresh Corn on the Cob

Corn on the cob is the epitome of summer. But I didn't eat it for years because I could not find it organically-grown.

I'll buy a lot of produce from no-spray farmers, but not corn. No-spray farmers commit to not using chemicals on their plants, but they can start with non-organic seed. Organic farmers must use organic seed, and I want corn that is grown from organic seed, not genetically-modified seed. I don't want to put one dime into Monsanto's pocket. Apart from the disturbing health effects, there's something wrong with eating seeds that have been genetically modified to be all alike.

(Democracy Now reported in Jan. 2010 that a study in the International Journal of Biological Sciences found that Monsanto's genetically-modified corn helped cause organ damage in rats. The study’s author called Monsanto’s GM methods "a very serious mistake, dramatic for public health.")

My mother told me recently about a series on CBC radio by David Suzuki called The Bottom Line. The episode that got her attention included an interview with a seed-saver in India. Vandana Shiva said there used to be more than 300 varieties of rice. Different seeds grew in different conditions. One even grew in salt water. After the 2004 tsunami, a lot of land was salinated, and the genetically-modified rice could not grow in it. However, this seed-saving eco-activist sent the farmers rice seeds that thrive in the salty soil. Feeding the hungry: science can't do it, nature can.

That's why I only eat organic corn on the cob. I believe in diversity in all its forms. Organic has it. GMOs don't.

Last week Finley Farms at the Hollywood Farmers Market had organic corn. I bought six ears and we have relished them. Later I'll use fresh corn in cooked dishes like risotto and bean stews, but the first ears are saved for pure corn-on-the-cob enjoyment. Boiled for seven minutes, they don't even need butter, salt or pepper.

This weekend, if Larry lights the barbecue, I'll peel back the husks to rip out the silks, layer the husks back on the kernels and tie them with string, then soak them for 20 minutes or so while he's heating the coals. Then he'll cook them in their husks over the coals (about 20 minutes) for an even more intense fresh corn flavor.

But only if Finley Farms has more of that great organic corn.

Chickpea Cilantro Salad

On these hot summer days, I’m reluctant to heat up the kitchen, but we still need good meals. This is where bean salads come in handy. Just open a couple of cans of beans, add some diced vegetables, fresh herbs from the garden, and some salad dressing, and you have a nutritious dinner.

Chickpeas (also called garbanzos) are a great salad bean because they have a good texture and slightly nutty flavor.

Besides being a good source of fat-free protein, chickpeas contain fiber that lowers cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar levels. They're high in magnesium and folate which are good for the heart. Study after study shows their health benefits.

I take containers of bean salad and green salad to work most days. At lunch time I combine the two so the dressing from the bean salad covers the greens as well. Followed by an apple, this simple meal gets me through the afternoon without an energy dip.

All beans are health-promoting, so feel free to use whatever varieties you like in this recipe, which is one of Larry's favorites. You can make it more colorful by using half chickpeas and half kidney beans.

It will last in the fridge for 4-5 days. Let it come to room temperature before eating.

Chickpea Salad
2 14-oz cans chickpeas (or 1/2 lb or 1 cup dry, cooked)
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 scallions, sliced (some diced onion is fine instead)
salt and pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp olive oil

Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

Combine in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients. Toss well.

Serves 4-6.

Summer Peaches

A ripe peach tastes like summer.

For a few fleeting but delicious weeks I feast on peaches, nectarines and plums, and then that's it until next year.

Let me remind you that conventionally-grown peaches, nectarines and strawberries contain higher levels of pesticide residue than is considered safe, so don't eat them. (Click here for the full list of non-organic produce to avoid.)

You are more likely to find good peaches and nectarines at the farmers market than the grocery store, because they are less likely to have been chilled before you buy them. Refrigerating ripe peaches keeps them at that state of perfection for a couple of days. Refrigerating under-ripe ones gives them a dull flavor.

It is an art to serve perfectly ripe stone-fruit. And yes, you have to ripen it yourself. Even at the farmer's market, it is rare to find ripe fruit. A ripe peach bruises easily and goes off quickly, so farmers pick it almost-ripe, and leave us to finish the ripening at home. Select fruit which smells good, but is still firm. The people at the farmstand can select good ones for you.

At home I put the peaches, plums and nectarines in a shallow bowl on the kitchen counter. I inspect each piece of fruit daily. If it is soft and fragrant, I either slice it into our morning fruit or store it in a bag in the fridge. This daily check is imperative, especially in this hot weather. Once one peach goes off, it spreads quickly and you can lose them all. If a peach has a small bad spot, I chop it out and then use the good parts immediately (tasting first to make sure it's still good). A bad peach won't harm you, but why have a bad taste experience? If a peach is soft and particularly fragrant, serve it or refrigerate it.

On a recent Saturday evening I served donut peaches (pictured) from Joshua Tree along with orange almond cookies for dessert. The peaches were the hit of the evening - beautifully ripe and fragrant.

Ahhh, there's nothing like summer.

Pesto

Now the basil is flourishing in my garden, I have rediscovered my addiction to pesto, the simple blended sauce of basil, olive oil and garlic.

While pesto is traditionally a pasta sauce, I like it on vegetables too. I toss it with steamed carrots and green beans. And I find it particularly attractive spread on yellow patty pan squash. I slice the squash in half, brush it with a little oil, and bake it in the toaster oven at 350° until it's tender. Then I spread some pesto on top, cook it a little longer, and serve. It's pretty on the plate and delicious to eat. If you have a jar of pesto in the fridge, it's fast to make too.

Like all plants, basil has health-promoting properties, including bioflavanoids that protect chromosomes from radiation damage and cells from oxidation. Its volatile oils (that make it smell good) have anti-bacterial qualities and might prevent against bacterial infections in the intestines. It's good for the heart because it is high in magnesium and carotenoids that prevent oxidation of cholesterol. It also contains compounds that fight inflammation in similar ways to NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories).

Eating basil is a great way to let food be your medicine. Throw some leaves in your spaghetti sauce, chop some into your salad, and enjoy pesto.

The following is my basic pesto recipe, but I sometimes change things up in ways that purists will disavow. I often skip the parmesan cheese, and just add extra salt to taste. (Vegan pesto.) I sometimes add water instead of all the oil - it makes a lighter pesto that doesn't store as well in the fridge but spreads well over pasta. I can rarely find organic pine nuts, so I substitute walnuts.

I keep pesto in a jar in the fridge, covered with a little olive oil to keep it green. I also freeze a few small containers of it to get me through the grey winter months. But really, there's nothing like freshly-made pesto with basil straight from the garden.

Pesto
2 cups basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (optional)
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
salt to taste

Combine the basil, garlic, parmesan and nuts in a blender and buzz a few times until well chopped. Slowly add the olive oil with the machine running. You might need to scrape the pesto out of the blender blades a few times. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand a few minutes for the flavors to blend before using.

Makes about 1 cup.

Storage: Scoop it into a small jar, pour olive oil over the top to cover it, and store in the fridge for at least a week or the freezer for longer.

Quick summer dinner

On these hot summer nights, it's so easy to default to a dinner of cheese and crackers, or chips and salsa. After all, who wants to cook?

But with some fresh greens in the fridge, a light but nutrition-packed supper is only minutes away.

The other night I came home late from work and put some leftover Beans with Fresh Sage to warm on the stove.

Then I pulled some malabar spinach from the fridge. This is a crinkly spinach with thick leaves about 4 inches long. We got it from Finley Farms at the Hollywood Farmers Market. Earlier in the year Tutti Frutti and the South Central Farmers Cooperative have grown it. If you see some, grab it. It's great as a spinach salad with mushrooms and balsamic vinaigrette. And it doesn't get slimy in the fridge the way those bags of baby spinach leaves do.

We had washed some Friday night, dried it in the salad spinner, wrapped it in paper towels and put it in a plastic bag in the fridge. The following Thursday it was still good. I piled leaves on top of each other, sliced them into one-inch ribbons, and cooked them with some onion and a couple of tomatoes from our garden.

We put the cooked greens in the bottom of our bowls, spooned some of the warm beans on top, and took our simple yet delicious dinner out into the cooling night.

Quick Greens
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 red onion
2 tomatoes
salt and pepper
4-5 cups malabar spinach or other greens

Warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Cut the onion in 1/4 inch dice and add to the pan. Cook gently until soft. Cut the tomatoes in eighths and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, and cook gently for about five minutes until the tomatoes start to disintegrate. Cut the spinach into 1/2 inch ribbons and stir into the tomatoes. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring every few minutes. When the spinach is soft (about 5 minutes), taste and season as needed.

Serves 2.

Luscious Lemon Greens

I served these greens to friends on Saturday night, along with a zucchini casserole and Beans with Fresh Sage.

I don't think people eat enough green leafy vegetables, so I make sure to serve them to guests. Greens are a great source of absorbable minerals and calcium, and taste far better than the daily calcium pill so many people inflict on themselves. (Read my article Strong Bones for other ways to get calcium into your bones.)

In this recipe, I cook the greens ahead, and then reheat them with the spicy lemon oil just before serving. Cooking greens in oil helps to break down the cell walls to make the bioflavanoids more available to our body. The quick blanching does remove some nutrients from the greens. My grandmother, who was a health-conscious vegetarian before I was born, saved her vegetable water in a container in the fridge and drank it as a vegetable cocktail or added it to soups.

I used dinosaur kale on Saturday, one of my favorites. I left the stems in to add texture, but the dish will be silkier if you leave them out. I also added some beet greens I had in the fridge. You can use any greens you have on hand. I recommend a base of chard if you are not used to greens or if you are feeding children, because it gets very soft and sweet when cooked.

(You could probably use frozen spinach in this recipe - thaw it and squeeze out the moisture.)

The lemon oil makes enough for 2 lbs of greens. It lasts a few days in the fridge, and is good in salad dressings or poured over steamed vegetables. (I used it last night to sauté some peppers, tomatoes and green beans from our garden.)

Luscious Lemon Greens
1/2 cup olive oil
zest of 1 lemon (not grated -- use a zester that makes thin strips of peel)
3/4 tsp whole cumin seeds
1/2 tsp crushed red chile flakes

Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until the lemon zest curls and sizzles, 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep at least one hour. Strain and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

1 lb mixed leafy greens
salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 whole clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup spicy lemon oil (above recipe)

Bring a large pot of lightly-salted water to the boil.

Wash the greens and remove stems if desired. Cook one variety at a time in the boiling water until bright green, 2-7 minutes, then remove with tongs to a strainer to drain and cool.

When the greens are cool enough to handle, squeeze out all the liquid and then chop them finely. They can rest for a couple of hours at this point.

Warm olive oil and garlic over medium-low heat until you can smell the garlic, 3-5 minutes. Add the chopped greens and cook, stirring, until no liquid remains in the skillet, 3-4 minutes. Add spicy lemon oil 1 tbsp at a time and cook, stirring, until each tablespoon is absorbed. Continue cooking until greens are very soft, about 5-10 minutes.

Season to taste with salt. Discard the garlic clove, and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.

The benefits of cabbages

The cabbage family (cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, broccoli, red and green cabbage, etc.) are important foods in these days of hormone-altering pollutants.

Cabbages contain a chemical that helps our bodies process estrogen in healthy ways. (It's called dim - diindolylmethane - you might be taking it in supplement form.)

It's not only women who need be concerned about the estrogen in their bodies. Many plastics contain estrogen-mimicking chemicals. The World Wildlife Fund did studies 20 years ago that found that there were so many synthetic estrogens in the environment that male animals (crocodiles in Florida, fish in the Great Lakes) were being born with both male and female characteristics, presumably caused by the hormone-disrupting pollutants in the water they lived in.

Hormone-disruptors (found in plastics, pharmaceuticals, and chemical pesticides and fertilizers among other places) are chemicals that change the way hormones work in the body. Small amounts have adverse affects. The challenge is that we don't yet know the long-term effects. We can see, however, that hormone-induced cancers are on the rise.

This is where the cabbage family comes in.

To put it simply, estrogen (along with the synthetic estrogens from plastics and pharmaceuticals and the phyto-estrogens from soy) can promote bone density, youthful skin, heart health and more. Or it can metabolize in ways that lead to cancer.

Eating cabbages helps it be used for good.

Kind of amazing, eh?

To learn more about the benefits of cabbages, click here.

I'm sharing the following recipe for Cauliflower Curry because I think cauliflower too often gets overlooked as a bland vegetable to be draped in cheese sauce. Yet it goes really well with coconut milk (also full of health-promoting properties). The tumeric turns it an eye-catching yellow, and is a potent anti-inflammatory.

If you like a mild curry, use one serrano pepper. If you don't like tofu, omit it and cut back the coconut milk to one cup (store the remainder in the freezer until you need it).

Make sure your spices are fragrant. Ideally, buy the cumin and coriander whole and grind them in a spice grinder.

Serve the curry over brown rice, maybe with some greens on the side for a stunning color contrast. It will be a vibrant and healthy meal. And you won't look at cauliflower in the same way again.

Cauliflower Curry
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-inch piece fresh gingerroot, finely chopped or grated
3 serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp black or yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 small cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (about 3/4 lb after trimming)
1 cup coconut milk
1 lb firm tofu, diced 3/4 inch thick
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut in 1/2 inch chunks
1 tbsp lemon juice, optional

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and when it's hot add the onion and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Stir in garlic, ginger and serranos and cook 2 minutes more. Add coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, mustard seeds and salt. Stir until very fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add cauliflower and toss to cover with the spices. Add coconut milk, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes. Add tofu and zucchini and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 more minutes. Squirt in lemon juice at the end, if desired.

Serves 4.