Cheese and Tomato Sandwich

Our tomato plants are doing great this year.

The other day we celebrated with our first cheese and tomato sandwich of the season.

I defrosted a loaf of Hawaiian bread to commemorate the event.

I'm not sure I would go out of my way to eat coconut and tomato together, but the hazelnuts in the bread were great with the cheese, and the whole sandwich was pretty darned good, especially with the fresh basil - the extra touch that took it over the top.

Veggie Burgers on the Grill

Usually when Larry barbecues a burger, he grills a portobello mushroom for me.

Today will be no exception.

It will be a noisy day in our neighborhood - fireworks, M80s, firecrackers and other loud bangs will start before 10 a.m. and go on until after midnight.

With all that sound stress, we need an easy meal which we can eat while manning the fire hoses. So we'll have our traditional barbecue dinner of burger / mushroom, potato salad, green salad and black beans. (You can read about a previous holiday barbecue and get my excellent black bean recipe here.)

On Memorial Day weekend, however, Larry stretched his grilling prowess and barbecued a homemade veggie burger for me. Usually I fry these on the stove or bake them in the oven because they tend to fall apart.

But it was the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, a relaxing day, and Larry said he was up for the challenge.

(On Memorial Day Monday, we had Tracie over for a Mediterranean-inspired cookout. You can read about it here.)

I sat quietly (and, I like to think, supportively) reading the Sunday papers while Larry grilled the burgers. I did not hear a lot of cussing, which I took as a good sign. But he did have to keep squishing the burger together in order to stop pieces falling off into the fire.

It looked a little messy open-faced on the bun, but it tasted great. I've put the 3 other burgers into the freezer for another day when Larry is up for a barbecue challenge.

Mushroom Carrot Burger
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
3 cups mushrooms
3 large carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
3 oz feta
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Chop the onion and garlic in the food processor - they need to be very fine. Empty them into a bowl and chop the mushrooms. Put the mushrooms in another bowl and grate the carrots.

Sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft but not brown, 3-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook another 5 minutes. Drain off any accumulated liquid, but don't squeeze the mushrooms dry.

Place the grated carrots and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Crumble in the feta. Add the mushroom mixture, basil and thyme. Stir well and season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the eggs.

Shape the mixture into 4 burgers the size of hamburger buns. They will look huge. It's okay.

Brush the grill rack with olive oil, and cook the burgers over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes, turning often, until they are golden.

Alternatively, you can bake them in a 350°F oven for 20 minutes, or fry them in a little oil on the stove.

The burgers can be frozen uncooked. Thaw before cooking.

Makes 4 large burgers.

Kamut Pilaf with Basil

Last week I served Larry kamut for the first time.

He thought the dish was good, but was a little uncertain about the kamut itself.

You see, although kamut looks like brown rice, it has more of the munchy pop of wheat kernels. Which makes sense, since kamut is an ancient form of wheat.

Once you get used to the texture, it's a great substitute for brown rice in any pilaf. And it is a highly nutritious grain, containing more protein, vitamins and minerals than wheat.

You can buy whole kamut at any health food store.

This is a fresh-tasting recipe to try it with.

Kamut Pilaf with Basil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, diced in 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup whole kamut
2" sprig rosemary
3 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Sauté onions, carrots and garlic in olive oil until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in kamut and rosemary sprig. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until kamut is tender and stock is absorbed, 40-60 minutes. Stir in green onions and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve sprinkled with a little extra basil.

Serves 4

Scalloped Potatoes and Kale

I am always looking for new ways to serve kale.

Kale is one of those foods that is exceptionally healthy. It is an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, heart-healthy, cholesterol-lowering power food. Cooked or raw.

In this recipe, I serve it cooked with potatoes, to make a family-friendly meal that your body will love.

I used the curly green kale because I wanted some texture. I added some lacinato kale which cooks very soft, because I didn't want too much texture. Balance is all, especially with greens. This would work with mustard greens or chard or collard greens - experiment. If you're brave you could try hiding dandelion greens in here. But add something softer like kale or chard so there isn't too much bite.

And as you're enjoying this delicious meal, think of how you are boosting all the cells in your body with powerful nutrients.

Scalloped Potatoes and Kale
1 1/2 lb potatoes
1 lb kale
1 cup basil
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup grated cheddar
1 1/4 cups milk

Wash and stem the kale and slice it coarsely into ribbons. Wash and chop the basil and garlic.

Place the kale in a covered saucepan with the water still sticking to its leaves and a sprinkling of salt, and cook over medium heat until it has wilted down a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure it's not burning on the bottom.

Peel the potatoes and slice them thin. Arrange half in a shallow 2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Stir the basil and garlic into the greens, and pile them onto the potatoes. Press down if necessary.

Arrange the remaining potato slices on top of the greens. Then distribute the grated cheddar over the potatoes.

Carefully pour the milk over the cheese. It will filter down into the potatoes and greens.

Bake at 425°F for about 50 minutes until the potatoes are tender when you poke a knife in. Cover for the last few minutes if they're getting too dark. Let the gratin sit for 10 minutes when you take it out of the oven to let any juices settle in.

Serves 4-6.

Fava Bean Risotto

We grew our own fava beans this year.

In the garden I corralled them in a cage of stakes and string and they pretty much took care of themselves.

In the kitchen, however, they are more complicated. First they have to be removed from their pods, and then the hard skins over the individual beans (peas?) slipped off. It's even more work than shelling peas.

But the flavor is lovely - so spring-like. The other day I picked a few beans and turned them into this lovely spring-like risotto.

Fava beans are great in risotto because they keep their color, and you don't need a lot of them to make a good impact.

(I suggest 1-2 lbs in this recipe, which I know is vague but it depends on how big the beans are inside the pod and what percentage of bean to rice you like. If you blanch more fava beans than you want to add to your risotto, refrigerate them overnight and then warm them in a little butter in a skillet. Add a little chopped mint and you have a simple side dish.)

I use my basic risotto recipe, and stir the blanched fava beans in at the end to warm through. If you don't have fava beans, you can use 3/4 cup of defrosted baby limas or peas instead.

As in all risottos, it's important to use a well-flavored vegetable stock. You can find my favorite here.

Leftover risotto can be formed into burgers, dredged in bread crumbs and gently fried in a little olive oil. It's almost better than the original dish, so it's always worth making more risotto than you will need.

Fava Bean Risotto
1-2 lbs fava beans in their pods
1 small onion or shallot, finely diced
1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup white wine
4-5 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
parmesan (optional)
mint for garnish

Pop the fava beans out of their pods. Blanch the beans (peas?) in boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and plunge into ice water. When they are cool, peel the thick outer white layer off each bean, revealing the bright green inside. This is the part that will go in the risotto.

Heat the stock in a covered pot on the back burner. Keep it at a simmer while you're cooking the rice.

Melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently until it's translucent.

Stir in the arborio rice, letting it toast slightly but not brown. Stir in a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until it is evaporated.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the hot stock. Stir. Let it cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is evaporated. Add more stock as needed until the rice is tender. If you run out of stock, use hot water from the kettle. The rice should be toothsome and quite liquid-y. Not like ordinary rice. More soupy, but not too watery. Experiment until you like it.

When the rice is almost perfect, stir in the bright green fava beans. Season with a little more salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with shredded mint leaves.

Pass parmesan on the side.

Serves 2-3

Beets - roots and greens

At this time of year when spring beets with their fresh greens are at the market, I like to cook them separately, then reunite them in this colorful dish that is flavorful without being too "beet-y".

When you get beets and their greens home from the market, cut the tops off and store them separately. Otherwise the roots will draw the liquid out of the greens and they will wilt.

Stored in the fridge, they will last a few days until you are ready to cook them.

This is a very simple recipe, suitable for these long spring evenings when you'd rather be out in the garden than in the kitchen.

And it's highly nutritious. Beets are full of iron and other minerals, they are good for the colon, the gall bladder, the kidneys, the eyes and heart -- well, actually they're good for the whole body.

(But then so are all vegetables. It makes for repetitive reading, but a true diversity of eating. We eat different vegetables every day, and still I look longingly at the varieties I have to leave behind at the market stalls.)

Anyway, beets are great. I hope you enjoy this colorful dish.

(If your beets don't have enough greens to make a decent dish - greens do shrink to practically nothing when they're cooked - then add any other green you like. Chard, spinach, kale, mustard greens, collard greens - they'd all be great in this dish.)

Beets - roots and greens
1 bunch beets with greens
1 tsp olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
olive oil and salt and pepper to taste

Cut the greens from the beets.

Scrub the roots, place them in a covered casserole, and bake at 350°F until tender, 25-60 minutes depending on their size. Let cool until you can handle them, then peel and dice, and toss with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, wash the greens well. Cut the stems at the base of the leaves, and then chop the stems into small pieces. Chop the leaves coarsely.

Warm the shallot in the olive oil. Add the beet stems and let cook a couple of minutes until soft. Stir in the greens along with any water remaining on their leaves. (If they're completely dry, add a tablespoon of water.) Stir well, then cover the pot. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the greens are completely soft. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Spread the greens on a serving plate. Pile the roots in the middle.

Let each diner add olive oil or balsamic vinegar to taste.

Serves 2-3 depending on the size of the beets.

Pasta with Arugula

Flora Bella Farms had the most beautiful young arugula last week, and I knew exactly what to do with it.

I picked up a 6oz container of crimini mushrooms (the brown ones that turn into portabellos if they get big), and a 5oz container of crumbled gorgonzola, picked a couple of tomatoes from the garden, and made a meal which I think comes pretty darned close to heaven.

(My body does too. Arugula is a cruciferous vegetable, so it has the cancer-fighting properties of broccoli. It's high in minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. And in this dish the arugula is lightly cooked in a little olive oil, which helps the body absorb the nutrients. Healthy and heavenly. Aren't vegetables great?)

The kick of the arugula comes through in this dish, but is tamed by the richness of the mushrooms and cheese. A few grindings of pepper, and you have a vigorous pasta dish that is not for the faint of heart. But boy, it's hard to stop at one serving.

Pasta with Arugula and Gorgonzola
8 oz penne
2 tbsp olive oil
6 oz mushrooms
2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch arugula
5 oz crumbled gorgonzola
freshly-ground pepper

Cook the penne according to the directions on the packet. (You are using organic pasta, right?)

Warm the olive oil in a large skillet. Wipe the mushrooms clean and cut them in quarters or sixths depending on the size. Add to the skillet and cook about 5 minutes. Wash the arugula, discarding any yellowed leaves. Cut off the long stems at the bottom if they are tough. Chop the leaves coarsely (no need to rip out the stems if they're soft).

Add the tomatoes and arugula to the skillet, turn in the olive oil and let cook a couple of minutes until the arugula is wilted. Tip into a serving bowl. Stir in the gorgonzola.

Drain the pasta and add to the bowl. The tomatoes and mushrooms should have released enough juice that it is a moist dish, but add some of the pasta cooking water if needed.

Season with lots of pepper.

Toss well and serve hot.

Serves 4 in theory.

Snaps and carrots

The snap peas have been so delicious this year!

It's almost a shame to cook them, because they taste so good raw. But combined with cooked carrots, they make a fast and colorful side dish that complements any meal.

The snap peas need to be rinsed before cooking. Then I trim off the pointy tip of each end, pulling at the string that runs down one or both sides of the pod.

I slice the carrots in thick rounds, and cook them in a little boiling water until they are almost tender. Then I put the snap peas on top of the carrots, cover the pot, and let them steam for a couple of minutes until they're bright and tender-crisp.

I drain it all and put it in a serving dish. We add butter or salt and pepper to taste at the table.

Sometimes the simplest things are the best.

Almost healthy comfort food

I came home from work the other day wanting comfort food.

But we had a cabbage in the fridge - an ace food for preventing colon cancer and balancing hormones. How could I turn health food into comfort food?

Well, I cooked it and stirred it into pasta with tomato sauce and baked it in the oven. Like baked ziti but with cabbage added. And to make it healthier, I used organic brown rice pasta spirals.

While it tasted and looked like comfort food, I felt good knowing that we were getting the health-protective nutrients of cabbage.

If your family is reluctant to eat cabbage, this is a great way to sneak it into their diets.

Pasta Cabbage Casserole
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion
1 1/2 lbs green cabbage
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
14-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 lb brown rice spirals
4 oz cheddar, sliced thin

Peel and quarter the onion, then slice thinly. Sauté in olive oil over medium-low heat until soft, about 5 minutes.

Wedge the cabbage and slice it thinly. Discard the hard core.

Stir cabbage into onion, cover and cook about 10 minutes until the cabbage is soft. Stir occasionally. Stir in tomato sauce and red wine vinegar. Cook another 10 minutes, covered partially, until cabbage is very tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package. Cook until still slightly chewy - it will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta and add it to the cabbage. Season with lots of salt and pepper to taste.

Grease a shallow 7x12 casserole. Pour in the cabbage mixture. Place thin slices of cheddar over the top. Cover the casserole and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and bake another few minutes to toast the cheese. Serve immediately.

Serves 6. Makes great leftovers.

Memorial Day Cookout

We invited Tracie to join us for a cookout on Memorial Day. I wrestled the barbecue away from Larry and instead of the traditional burgers, beans and potato salad, I served up a Mediterranean-inspired lunch.

I grilled tomatoes, garlic, zucchini, onions, peppers, fennel, asparagus, mushrooms - everything I could get my hands on.

And I am proud to say that unlike most barbecued vegetables, these were not burned on the outside and raw on the inside.

Instead, they were delectably juicy and smoky.

The key to barbecuing vegetables is to boost their fat content with marinades and basting sauces. It's the fat in meat that makes it cook so well. (Compare the shoe-leather quality of  extra-lean hamburger to the juiciness of fattier meat.)

Because vegetables are naturally fat-free, they need a little help.

Also, because some vegetables are crunchy, I parboiled them ahead of time and then marinated them so they would cook quickly over high heat. (I measure heat by holding my hand 5 inches over the coals. If I can keep it there 4-6 seconds, it's medium heat. 2-3 seconds is hot - the best for getting grill marks and smokiness.)

In my experience, barbecuing does not stick to a rigid timetable. So I planned a leisurely meal with non-barbecue appetizers to sustain us while the vegetables cooked to perfection. A raw vegetable platter, some good organic mixed olives, and a piece of rosemary-olive oil infused asiago cheese eased the hunger pangs, which grew more intense as the aroma of roasting garlic wafted through the air.

The main course was grilled vegetables served as they came off the grill, a roasted tomato and white bean salad, a green salad with citrus dressing, and a fresh foccaccia (way too easy to make, could become addictive).

Everyone groaned when I brought out dessert - strawberry shortcake complete with fresh blueberries from our garden. It was great for breakfast the next day.

Here's what I barbecued and how. The basic marinade is olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. It should be oily but also tangy. Toss the vegetables in and leave for a couple of hours before cooking so they soak up some oil and flavor.

Garlic: I sprinkled a head of garlic with olive oil, then wrapped it in foil and tucked it among the flames for 15-20 minutes. When it was squishy when I squeezed it with the tongs, I passed it to Trace to peel. Hot and messy. But wow, it was great in a salad of white beans and barbecued tomatoes.

Asparagus: blanched for 3 minutes in boiling water, then plunged into ice water. Tossed in the marinade and refrigerated for a couple of hours. Barbecued for 2 minutes over high heat.

Fennel: blanched until tender, about 10 minutes, then plunged into ice water and drained. Marinated a couple of hours. Barbecued 8-10 minutes on high until soft.

Zucchini: Cut lengthwise into 2-3 pieces each. Marinated a couple of hours. Cooked 10-12 minutes on medium or high.

Portobello mushrooms: cleaned and stemmed (so they balance better on the barbecue). Marinated in a mixture of balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and a little dry sherry stirred into a base of olive oil. Let stand one hour before cooking. Basted while cooking 10-12 minutes on medium-high. I sliced these into wedges before serving.

Onion: Sliced crosswise in thick rings. Brushed with leftover marinade while cooking 8-10 minutes over high heat.

Tomatoes: Placed whole on the coals. Cooked about 10 minutes with the cover on. Let cool a little before peeling. They were very mushy, which was fine because I put them in a white bean salad along with the mushy roasted garlic and some fresh basil.

Peppers: Cut in half and removed cores and seeds. Brushed with marinade and cooked 6-8 minutes on high. Cut in wedges to serve.

Hazelnut Coconut Bread

This is the first bread I've made from The Breads of France, and it is a winner.

The author, Bernard Clayton, Jr., says it sells at Fauchon, the Paris food emporium, under the name of Pain Hawaiien (Hawaiian bread). Instead of macadamia nuts, the French use hazelnuts, which go surprisingly well with coconut.

The recipe made 4 small loaves. I couldn't find small enough pans, so I used the cardboard loaf pans usually used for baking loaf cakes as gifts. Unfortunately the cardboard is not very thick, and the pans burned and turned black in the oven. Fortunately the bread was not damaged, just a little dark on the bottom.

It's a fine-crumb bread, and the coconut and hazelnuts give it a munchy texture. It goes well with cheddar, and makes great toast.

Clayton is a proponent of freezing fresh bread. He says even if you bake a loaf early in the week to eat on the weekend, you should freeze it and then defrost it the day you intend to eat it.

I'm not sure my bread palate is that refined, but we'll definitely be eating this bread out of the freezer in a few weeks.

Roast Potatoes with Fennel

Plain roast potatoes are wonderful. But the other night I thought I would dress them up a bit.

The main course was chard with chickpeas and feta, so I added more Mediterranean flavors to the meal by roasting the potatoes with fennel and then stirring in black olives and basil.

I buy fennel at the Hollywood Farmers Market. It's a small bulb with 2 feet of stalk and leaf fronds. Only the bulb is edible. And that needs to have the outer layer or two peeled off, and then the center core cut out. So one fennel bulb does not bring a lot of food. But even that small amount makes a huge flavor pop.

Roast Potatoes with Fennel
2 tbsp olive oil
10 oz potatoes
2 small fennel bulbs
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
6 kalamata olives
2 tbsp fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Scrub potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Place on oiled baking sheet in a single layer.

Discard stems of fennel. Cut bulbs in half lengthwise and cut out the tough triangular core at the base of each half. Cut the bulb into 1/2 inch wide wedges. Arrange among the potatoes.

Sprinkle the vegetables with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over top. Roast 30-40 minutes until they are golden and are tender when pierced with a knife.

Transfer to a serving bowl.

Pit and sliver the olives. Stir them into the potatoes. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary. Sprinkle chopped basil over top.

Serves 2-3

Chard and Feta Bake

Our chard is growing vigorously. I picked a couple of pounds the other day to make this excellent casserole.

The cheese and chickpeas provide protein. Chard is chock-full of vitamins and minerals, and is receiving attention for its balancing effects on blood sugar levels. So this is a very healthy one-dish dinner.

Chard and Feta Bake
2 lbs chard
2 tbsp olive oil, divided use
1 stem green garlic or 1 clove regular, sliced
2 spring onions, sliced
1/4 cup basil, coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained (or 1/3 cup dry, cooked)
4 oz feta, diced

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Strip the chard stems from the leaves. Cut the stems in 1 inch or smaller pieces. Coarsely chop the leaves.

Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot. Add the stems, garlic and onion and sauté until the stems are tender. Stir in the chard leaves and basil, cover and let cook until all is soft.

Drain the greens, squeezing out some of the excess water. Toss them with 2 tbsp olive oil, chickpeas, and salt and pepper to taste.

Oil a shallow 2-quart casserole. Spoon in the greens. Sprinkle the feta over top, pushing it into the greens.

Bake 15-20 minutes until sizzling hot. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6. Great as leftovers too.

Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad

Sweet potatoes go really well with citrus and tropical flavors. This shouldn't be surprising since they originate in central and south America.

This salad, which I adapted from Sensational Salads by Barbara Scott Goodman, tastes bright and looks colorful.

The roasted sweet potatoes have a similar texture to the cooked black beans. The red onion gives crunch and bite. And the citrus dressing gives a fruity tang.

Even Larry, who tries to discourage my sweet potato experiments, enjoyed this salad in his lunch box.

Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
2 cups dried black beans
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
3 sweet potatoes, about 1 1/2 lbs
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 red onion, diced

Dressing:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice (from one juicy orange)
2 tbsp lime juice (one juicy lime)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
pepper

Cover beans by about 2 inches with cold water. Soak overnight or 6-8 hours. (If you don't have time to soak them, they will take longer to cook.)

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them lengthwise into 3 or 4 pieces. Cut each piece in half lengthwise and then across in 1/2 inch pieces. Toss them in olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Bake at 350°F, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside to cool.

Drain the beans and put them in a large pot with 6 cups of water. Chop the onion, carrot and celery in large chunks and add to the pot. They are just there to flavor the cooking water, and will be discarded once the beans are cooked. Bring to a boil and simmer 45-50 minutes until the beans are tender but not mushy. Drain the beans and discard the onion, carrot and celery.

In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, orange and lime juice, cumin and chili powder. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in the warm beans. Let stand at room temperature until cool, then add the sweet potatoes and red onion. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and extra lime juice if more tang is needed.

This salad stores well and travels well. Makes 8-10 servings.

Collard Greens

There are many excellent greens, so this is a hard statement to make, but collard greens might be my favorites.

They combine the nutritional qualities of cabbage (anti-cancer, good estrogen pathways, excellent for colons) with the ease of preparation of all leafy greens.

And they have a wonderful texture when cooked. They hold their shape yet become soft, unlike spinach and chard and mustard greens which dissolve into green mush.

Larry likes collards because they are sweeter than other greens. (It's subtle, but give it a try and see what you think.)

We grew collard greens in our winter garden, but I let them flower because white-crowned sparrows enjoy nibbling their yellow flowers, and I wanted the sparrows occupied so they would not nibble my alyssum and other flowers. It was a partially successful experiment.

So I buy our collard greens at the Hollywood Farmers Market. This is the simple way I cooked collard greens the other night. I served them with leftover rice and zucchini. It was a filling and healthy meal.

Collard Greens
1 bunch collards (3/4 lb)
1 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp water
salt and pepper

Wash the collard greens and tear out and discard any woody stems.

Cut the leaves in this way: stack a few leaves, roll them into long cylinders, then cut crosswise into 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Sauté the garlic 30 seconds until lightly browned. Add the collard greens, stirring constantly. If there are too many for your pan, cover the lid and let them cook down a little before adding more. Pour the water over top, cover, and cook 2 more minutes. They will be tender but will still hold their shape.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2-3

Smashed Zucchini Spread

We had a great full moon dinner by the fireplace last weekend, starting with this smashed zucchini spread on fresh baguette.

I had found green garlic at the farmers market. It looks just like green onions, but the leaves are flat whereas the leaves of green onions (scallions) are round. (I know this because the farmer pointed it out to me when I picked up a bunch of garlic thinking it was onions.)

The green garlic is a little milder than the regular kind, and has not formed into cloves. I used a whole bulb of the garlic in place of a clove of the regular dried kind.

I consider this spread healthy because it is mostly zucchini with a little spicy kick from the chiles and mint. Cut back on the chiles for a milder spread.

I made it a few hours ahead and let it sit on the counter until dinner time. The top got a little dried-out looking, but I stirred it in and it tasted fine. It would have been good served warm out of the pan as well.

Smashed Zucchini Dip
1 scant tbsp olive oil
1 bulb green garlic or 1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes
1/2 lb zucchini, sliced (2 small)
salt and pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
squeeze lemon juice

Green garlic and green onions

Warm garlic and chiles in oil over moderately high heat, stirring until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in zucchini. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until very tender, about 25 minutes. It will stick on the bottom, but the brown bits add to the flavor, and the steam will release them from the bottom. Use a potato masher to smash it into a lumpy spread. A little texture adds character. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the mint and lemon juice, and season to taste.

Serve warm or at room temperature with sliced baguette. Drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with mint if desired.

Serves 2 hungry people.

Grazing the Garden

I went out to the garden before lunch the other day, and harvested some salad ingredients.

Our lettuces are too small to make a good-sized green salad, so I used a butter lettuce from Finley Farms as a base. To this soft sweet lettuce, I added the following:

tender leaves:
young lettuce
various mesclun

spicy leaves:
wild arugula
nasturtium leaves
watercress

flowers:
nasturtiums - just the petals
arugula
watercress

herbs:
marjoram
thyme
oregano

I felt good sharing this bounty with my family. Unfortunately, by the time the salad was dressed with honey balsamic vinaigrette, the flavors were muted. That might have been a good thing, because I was not feeding adventurous eaters.

And I wanted them to eat this dish. A diversity of plants gives us a diversity of nutrients, so this was one healthy salad.

Spring Beets

Tracie came up for lunch last week. Unfortunately the season for her favorite vegetable, kohlrabi, is over. I hoped these beets would make her forget kohlrabi.

I call this dish Spring Beets because it is made with mint, which grows vigorously at this time of year. The lemon juice adds to the sprightly spring flavor.

I had big beets, so I roasted them in a covered casserole dish at 400°F until they were tender, about 40 minutes. Roasted beets are great. They are sweet and earthy, a great foil for the lemony mint dressing.

If you can find small beets - up to 2 inches in diameter - steam them until they are tender, about 30 minutes. Let them cool, peel, and toss with the dressing. (You can roast them too, but keep an eye on them so they don't burn.)

Tracie raved about the beets, even though she had purple fingers from peeling them. (You think I let her sit back while I do all the work?!)

Even Larry allowed as how they were pretty on the plate next to the zucchini casserole and salad with honey balsamic vinaigrette. It was a lovely spring lunch.

Spring Beets
2 lbs beets, scrubbed
juice of 1/2 lemon (or more to taste)
1/2 cup mint leaves
salt to taste

Steam or roast the beets until tender. Let them cool, then peel if desired. (The peel is edible, but it can look a little faded.) Chop the beets if they are large.

Squeeze the lemon juice into a large bowl. Toss in the mint leaves, tearing them with your hands as your throw them in. Sprinkle with a little salt and stir it all together.

Add the cooked beets, stir gently to dress them well. Taste a beet and add lemon juice or salt as needed.

Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate and serve cold.

Serves 4

                     Vigorous spring mint in our garden

I'm back!!!!

I've been experiencing writer's block.

Descriptions of the great food we've been eating are lodged in my throat behind my frustration at recent news stories on food production.

I don't want this to turn into Angry Eater Blog. I want to share my love and excitement for real food with you, not bore you with my venting. (I don't write well when I'm angry.)

So I think I've found a solution. I will continue to write about great grains and vegetables, sharing recipes and nutritional information.

And when necessary I will write a rant. Hopefully short. Hopefully not too often. But it will clearly be a rant, so you can skip it if you want and not miss any good food.

Because boy we've eaten some great stuff in the last six weeks, and I've missed telling you about it.

Tune in Wednesday for some good food.

But today, I'm undoing my writer's block with a good rant.

My incredulity started with an illustration in The NY Times Sunday Review section of a chicken with a stalk of broccoli for a head. Gross. It took me a long time to be able to look past the picture and glance at the article, which was on ways to ease the suffering of factory animals. One way is to remove the cerebral cortex, the part of the brain which feels and holds consciousness, pretty much turning the chicken into a vegetable so humans feel less guilt about the inhumane conditions their dinner lived in. Unbelievable.

A few days later, I read about a study that found that dietary cadmium (a heavy metal found in chemical fertilizers and sewage sludge) is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. The reporters wondered if that meant women should eat fewer vegetables and whole grains to reduce their cadmium intake. Really. The scientists who did the research said no, actually eating real food is very good for women and outweighs the possible damage from the cadmium. But no one said anything about how organic produce is not grown with chemical fertilizers or sewage sludge so women can eat it worry-free.

Next up was a report that a fumigant has been withdrawn from the US market amid concerns that it increases cancer, brain damage and miscarriages among the workers who apply it, plus it can leach into groundwater. Some California strawberry growers are concerned that farmers in the eight other countries (including Mexico) where this toxic chemical is still used will have an advantage over US farmers. An advantage? I would say the advantage is not having workers with cancers, brain damage and miscarriages. And not having toxic fumigants in the groundwater. Yet another reason to buy from organic farmers.

Speaking of organic, the online journal Nature published a McGill University study that found that good organic farmers can have almost as high (83%) a crop yield as chemical-dependent farmers.  A Washington State University researcher has found that organically-grown strawberries contain more nutrition than chemical ones.

I just can't believe we're still wondering if organically-grown food is better.

Vegan Chili

I made this delicious chili Sunday night. It's a simple dish which requires time simmering on the stove, but not constant attention.

I served it with fingerling potatoes, which I thought was an excellent combination - like baked potato with baked beans. Larry preferred to eat saltines with his bowl of chili. Rice or cornbread would also be good side dishes.

The beans I used are called barbecue beans - they're a little larger than navy beans and have a slightly green tinge. Kidney beans work well too. The green lentils make the chili thick, so you don't need to use ground beef substitutes made of chemically-flavored soy beans.

The chili improves for a few days in the fridge, and can be frozen for longer storage.

Vegan Chili
1 cup barbecue beans
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
1/4 cup oil
1 cup green lentils
4 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp paprika
14-oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt

Cook the beans until almost cooked but still a little crunchy. Drain and set aside.

Sauté onion, garlic and carrot in oil until soft, about 8 minutes. Add cooked beans, raw lentils, chili powder, coriander, paprika, tomatoes with the juice, and 2 cups water. Stir. Bring to the boil and simmer 1 hour, adding more water if necessary. Stir in the soy sauce and simmer another 30-60 minutes. Stir in salt to taste.

Serves 6-8