Another reason to eat organic

There was one of those ridiculous articles in the LA Times last week - the ones where the benefits of organic food are questioned. In this one, a columnist asked shoppers if organic food was worth the price. Most said no, of course, because we're used to cheap food in this country.

But what made it really sad was that on the front page of the same newspaper was a report on the oil spill in the ocean off Santa Barbara.

What's the connection? Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are made from petroleum. (As are plastics, dishwashing soap and countless other things one wouldn't suspect.)

Non-organic farmers use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. So if you're eating non-organically grown food, you're giving money to the petrochemical industry that devastates our natural environment.

That alone is reason enough to switch to organic food, even without the health benefits (organic produce has been found to be higher in nutrients than non-organically grown produce) and the environmental benefits (run-off from chemical-using farms pollutes rivers, groundwater and wells, and the soil).

Yes, organic produce is more expensive than non-organic. But it's worth it. If we are what we eat, wouldn't you rather be solar-powered than oil-powered?

(By the way, now is a good time to switch from petrochemical-based dishwashing soap to one made with coconut surfactants. Read the label to make sure - Planet and Seventh Generation are good brands. If your dishwashing liquid does not list its ingredients, it most likely is made with petroleum. Gross, eh?)

Asparagus Frittata

It was cool and overcast Sunday morning, so I made this sunny asparagus frittata to brighten us up. I served it with simple fried potatoes and a bowl of strawberries and pomelo. 

The frittata is beautiful. If I'd used a non-stick pan, I could have tipped it out onto a plate to serve. But I prefer my trusty old cast iron, even if eggs do seem to stick to it. (Maybe I need to re-season it.)

The asparagus to egg ratio is high, so this very healthy dish would also make a great light lunch. In fact I plan to serve leftovers for Memorial Day lunch.

Asparagus Frittata

1 lb asparagus

2 tbsp olive oil

3 shallots, diced (about 1 cup)

7 medium eggs (or 6 large)

1/2 cup parmesan

1/4 cup chopped basil leaves

Bring an inch of water to a boil in a saucepan large enough to hold the asparagus. Rinse the asparagus and snap off the ends. Cook, covered, in the water for 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain, refresh with cold water, and drain again. Chop into one-inch pieces and set aside.

Warm the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet with an ovenproof handle. Add the shallots and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add asparagus and warm through.

Lightly whisk together the eggs, parmesan, basil and a little pepper. (I find the parmesan is salty enough, but add more salt if you're used to eating restaurant food.)

Pour the eggs into the pan and stir gently to mix the eggs with the vegetables. Cook over medium-low heat until the sides of the frittata and most of the top is set, about 10 minutes, making sure not to let it burn on the bottom.

Preheat the broiler to high. Put the skillet under the broiler and cook until the top is golden brown and set, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature and serve in wedges.

Serves 4

Strawberries and pomelo wedges

Sunday Shopping

It was cool and overcast at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning - good weather for hauling a lot of heavy vegetables home. I bought a beautiful green cabbage from Finley Farms which probably weighs 5 pounds. Fortunately it will last well in the fridge as we munch our way through it over the next couple of weeks. Also, we needed the black beans without which Larry's Memorial Day barbecue is not complete. (See his favorite bean recipe here.) They come in 2-pound bags, and there's a discount if you buy two bags of beans, so I bought a 2-pound bag of white beans as well. You can never have too many beans.

Here's what we brought home with us:
2 heads garlic, 6 shallots, 7 potatoes (some for brunch and some for potato salad), a bag of spinach, 7 pink lady apples, 1 portabello mushroom (my burger choice for the barbecue), 8 oz cremini mushrooms, 2 bunches of asparagus which I made into a frittata for brunch, 2 lbs white lima beans, 2 lbs black beans, 1 yellow zucchini, 1 green zucchini, a 3-pack of strawberries, 2 dozen eggs, a bunch of red onions, broccoli, a small cauliflower, 3 small plain St. Benoit yogurts, 18 oranges for juice with brunch, basil, parsley, green cabbage, kale, 1 pomelo, red butter lettuce, 4 plums.

Also, Russ sharpened a knife for us while we shopped. And I bought a beautiful buddleia for the garden.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

It's been chilly in LA this week - in the high 60s - great gardening weather. And in the cool evenings, the warmth of this baked lentil casserole has been welcome.

Green lentils are a good substitute for ground meat in chili - they add a similar texture. In this version of shepherd's pie they replace the ground lamb (or whatever meat is generally used). This is a filling casserole that is even better the second day.

Feel free to vary it by adding corn (traditional in the French Canadian version inexplicably called Pâté Chinois) or other vegetables. And if the mashed potato topping is your favorite part, double the number of potatoes you use. Add chiles or hot pepper (or serve hot sauce on the side) if you'd like a dish with a little kick.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie
1 cup green or brown lentils
4 medium potatoes
1 large onion
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
14-oz can tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce)
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp chopped parsley
paprika
2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes (Bragg's is a good brand)

Pick over lentils, discarding any small stones or clumps of dirt. Rinse them, then add to a pot with at least 3 cups of boiling water. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep them well covered. Drain and set aside.

Peel and chop potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with cold water and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes depending on the size of the potato chunks. Drain and mash. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Chop onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Warm olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the vegetables for a few minutes until the onion is starting to get translucent. Add a splash of water, cover the skillet, and let the vegetables simmer until tender, another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tomato sauce, soy sauce, parsley and cooked lentils. Put in a 2-quart casserole.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the lentil mixture. Pat down with a fork - making a decorative pattern if you like. Sprinkle with paprika and nutritional yeast.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling.

Serves 6-8

Grilled Zucchini Sandwich

Continuing the theme of thank goodness there are farmers to grow my food for me, I planted zucchini seeds in our vegetable garden this afternoon and then served a simple supper of grilled vegetable sandwiches made with zucchini from Finley Farms. I am optimistic that in a couple of months I will be serving home-grown zucchini, but in the meantime we won't starve.

These sandwiches taste of summer - tomato, basil, arugula for kick, and the grilled zucchini adding substance. It's best to serve these on whole wheat sandwich bread that you can squeeze together so the filling doesn't slide out. I have used Whole Foods rosemary boule before, which adds more flavor but also more difficulty in handling the finished sandwich. Toothpicks are helpful.

I was happy to find first-of-the-season organic tomatoes at the Givens Farmstand. While the arugula adds enough interest that flavorful midsummer tomatoes are not necessary, this sandwich won't taste good with a flavorless winter tomato.

I served the sandwich with potato salad and iced tea - a true summer meal in mid-May. Kind of amazing.

Grilled Zucchini Sandwich
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp minced basil
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
2 slices red onion, about 1/4 inch thick
4 slices bread
1 cup arugula, thick stems removed
1 tomato, thinly sliced

Combine mayonnaise, basil and lemon zest. Set aside. (This is more than you will need for the sandwiches, but it's good on pretty much anything you would use mayonnaise for.)

Warm a grill pan over high heat. Brush zucchini and onion with oil and grill until tender but still slightly crunchy, 3-4 minutes per side.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread mayonnaise on the slices of bread. Top two with zucchini, onion, arugula then tomato. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the the remaining bread slices.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Potatoes with Rosemary and Sage

Eggs and potatoes are a Sunday staple around here. The eggs from the happy hens at Ha's Apple Farm are so delicious that even simply poached they taste better than any eggs we've eaten in restaurants.

Yesterday I served them with these Mediterranean-inspired herb-roasted potatoes. Whenever I eat these I remember that their pungent herbal flavor would be great for dinner too - with a crisp salad and an omelet, or a bean burger. Or even with a lentil stew.

The potatoes are flavored with rosemary, sage and bay - which, if you live in Southern California and have even a small patch of sun, you can grow. They are drought tolerant and can be snipped year-round for an extra pop of flavor in whatever you're cooking. Rosemary and sage can be overpowering, so a little goes a long way. (The plants grow in winter-y climates too - the sage will go dormant outside, but the rosemary and bay will need to be taken in as house plants before the first frost.)

Fresh eggs, freshly-squeezed orange juice, and potatoes aromatic with herbs from the garden: there is nothing like good simple food to start the day off right.

Potatoes with Rosemary and Sage
3/4 lb potatoes (2 medium)
1 heaping tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 bay leaf

Peel the potatoes and place in cold salted water for 15-20 minutes. This reduces the amount they will stick to the pan when you roast them.

Preheat toaster oven to 500°F.

Drain the potatoes and cut them in 3/4 inch cubes. Place on a baking dish and toss with the oil, garlic, rosemary, sage and bay leaf. Spread the potatoes in a single layer and bake 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Lower the heat to 375°F and cook until tender, about 10 minutes longer. Turn them occasionally while they cook.

Serve hot.

Serves 2

Sunday Shopping

It was cool and moist at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning - I'm looking forward to a week in the 60s - good gardening weather.

But in the meantime, I had to buy food to eat while my garden grows. (The fava beans are excellent, but slugs ate the lettuce seedlings, and my peppers and eggplants are still very tiny.)

Fortunately, there are professional farmers who produce masses of produce to feed me. Here's what we bought from them this week:

15 oranges, 2 tangelos, 14 potatoes, 2 red onions, a bag of baby arugula and a bunch of big arugula, scallions, red butter lettuce, 2 small zucchini, 1 pomelo, 1 dozen eggs, 4 small plain yogurt, 4 tomatoes, asparagus, 1 avocado, raisins, 7 pink lady apples, 8 satsuma tangerines, carrots and a cucumber.

Braised Beets

It's so easy to toss beets in the toaster oven to bake that I rarely cook them any other way.

But I recently tried pan-braising them in a little water and oil, and was so impressed I'll be doing it more often, especially in the summer when it's too hot to turn on the toaster oven.

I did peel and chop them before I cooked them, which was messy, but the red stains on my fingers wore off eventually, and the finished beets were really beautiful.

I contrasted them with an easy pistachio pesto that stayed bright green for days. I'm not sure why because it was my regular pesto recipe with pistachios instead of pine nuts. I guess the nuts helped the basil stay a bright spring green.

This dish served four and left them wanting more.

Braised Beets

2 bunches beets, roots only

2 tbsp olive oil, divided use

Scrub the roots and peel off any rough spots at the stem end. Chop into quarters (or 1/2 inch rounds if the beets are large). Place them in a heavy saucepan with 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp oil. Place on medium-low heat and cook, covered, until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the pan is getting dry. But if they're young beets they'll release a surprising amount of water while cooking. When they are tender, toss them with the other tbsp of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter.

Pistachio Pesto

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup basil

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp parmesan

Toast the pistachios lightly in a heavy skillet. Pour them into the food processor and add the garlic, salt and basil. Grind coarsely. Add the oil and purée until relatively smooth. It will be a thick paste. Stir in the parmesan.

Arrange the beets on a platter and dollop the pesto on them.

Serves 4

Millet and Arugula

I got in from the garden this evening completely uninspired about cooking dinner. But I opened the pantry cupboard and saw millet, and remembered I had arugula in the fridge, and suddenly dinner became easy.

Arugula is a zesty green that adds spice to even boring millet. This recipe can be made with other greens like chard or purple mustard greens, but arugula really is the best.

Lightly toasting the millet before cooking it helps the grains stay separate. Millet is faster to cook than brown rice, so it makes a quick and easy dinner after a busy day.

Millet and Arugula
1 bunch arugula (about 3/4 lb)
3/4 cup millet
1 tbsp oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)

Wash the arugula and chop it coarsely. Set aside.

Toast the millet in a heavy skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. The grains will start to pop slightly as they cook. Remove from heat.

Sauté the onion in the oil for a minute, then add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, another 5 minutes or so.

Stir the arugula and salt into the onion and cook, covered, 5 minutes. Add the millet along with 1 1/2 cups water and the tamari. Stir well, then cover and cook over medium-low heat until the millet is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Serves 3-4

Roast Cauliflower

"Cauliflower steaks" seem to be popular at the moment, so when I saw organic cauliflower at the Hollywood Farmers Market, I picked one up to make into "steaks".

I used the oven-roasting technique Marie Simmons describes in her book Fresh & Fast Vegetarian. It's still cool in the evening these days, so turning on the oven felt good.

The "steaks" are actually thick slices of cauliflower. This only works in the center section of the cauliflower. The outer florets fell off and got put back in the fridge to be steamed another day as a side dish.

Roasting the cauliflower until tender, then seasoning with lemon juice and mint from the garden, made for a really delicious side dish. I served it along with roast asparagus alongside a dish of millet and arugula. Vegetables are great!

Roast Cauliflower
1 medium cauliflower (about 1 lb)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1/2 lemon

Place a cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 450°F for 10 minutes.

Rinse the cauliflower and place it, stem side down, on a cutting board. Cut straight down into 1/2 inch slices. The edges will probably crumble into florets. That's okay - save them for another dish. I got three good steaks out of my cauliflower. Brush the steaks on each side with olive oil.

Remove the hot cookie sheet from the oven and place the cauliflower steaks on it. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast until the cauliflower is getting golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Turn it over carefully using a wide spatula, and bake another 10 minutes until golden on the other side and tender.

Put the cauliflower on a serving dish. Sprinkle with mint and lemon juice.

Serves 2-3

Sunday Shopping

The spring sunlight slanted through the Hollywood Farmers Market at 8 a.m.. The produce glowed and beckoned. This is what we brought home:

snap peas and slender carrots from Finley Farms
4 pink lady apples and a dozen eggs from Ha's Apple Farm
5 small containers of plain St. Benoit yogurt
3 limes, 1 pomelo, 3 tangelos, 4 grapefruit and 1 haas avocado from Jorge
1 bunch of radishes from Flora Bella
a kabocha squash, parsley, 2 onions and 1 sweet potato rounded out the load

Russ sharpened two knives for me while we shopped

Greens and Rice

There is nothing better than looking in the fridge and seeing a container of cooked brown rice. Stirred up with some greens, it makes an easy dish for dinner.

The other day I cooked up a bunch of purple mustard greens along with the greens from a bunch of red radishes, then stirred in some cooked brown rice to dampen the heat a little.

It's a simple technique that can work for any cooked grain and any greens you have in your fridge.

Greens and Rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 bunch purple mustard greens
greens from 1 bunch red radishes
2 cups cooked brown rice

Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes.

Wash the greens and cut into one-inch strips. Add to the pan, sprinkle on some salt, stir well and cover the pan. Let cook 5-10 minutes until the greens are soft and tender. (The time will depend on the type of green you are using.) Stir in the brown rice, cover and cook until the rice is hot and the flavors are blended.

Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice or hot sauce to taste.

Serves 2-3

Poached Eggs

One of my goals for 2014 was to learn to poach eggs.

I've tried a few times over the years - swirling the simmering water in a pan, adding a splash of vinegar to keep the egg intact, gently sliding in the egg - but I always ended up losing half the eggwhite in the water.

However, I was determined to master this technique because I really enjoy poached eggs. I often order them when we eat breakfast out, and I was aggravated that I couldn't eat them at home.

Then I found these nifty little egg poachers. They're ceramic non-stick dishes that keep the eggs intact while they cook in the water. I suppose technically the eggs are steamed, not poached, but the result is close enough for me.

First I butter the little pods, then crack in the eggs, I place them in a skillet of simmering water and cover with a lid. I check the eggs after 5 minutes - trying to remember that the whites will continue cooking after the eggs are removed from the pan.

We've enjoyed these poached eggs on toast, on cooked greens, on a bowl of rice, and on roasted root vegetables.

Very satisfying. I'll check that goal off my list.

Sunday Shopping

Vegetables, tulips and seedlings of peppers and tomatoes.

Spring has sprung at the Hollywood Farmers Market. Snap peas, asparagus, and more greens than I can name: It was tough to limit myself at the market today.

Larry would say I didn't - many pounds of produce came home with us. This is what we bought:

From Finley Farms I bought excellent heirloom spinach (to be used this week in stir-fries and salads), snap peas, tiny zucchinis and slender carrots (excellent for the lunch box) and 3 fennel bulbs.

Ha's Apple Farm had fragrant Pink Lady apples - I bought seven along with a dozen eggs (the picture at his stall of the hens eating their vegetables is priceless - we need to remember that chickens eat greens, not just corn, and that the more greens they eat the better the eggs are for our bodies). And Mr. Ha gave me an Easter gift of a bunch of lilacs that remind me of spring (May/June) in Montreal where they grow in hedges of scented purpleness. Our garden doesn't get enough chill for lilacs - Ha's farm is in the mountains where they get the chill they need to flourish. The bunch is on our hall table - sweetly scenting our whole house.

From Jared we bought a red onion, a yellow onion and 2 potatoes.

From Jorge we bought 16 oranges which made the most delicious juice ever for our brunch, 2 pomelos (including a really gnarly one which should provide me many ripe seeds for my future pomelo plantation) and 3 grapefruit for our breakfasts this week.

We bought 5 organic tangerines for Larry's lunches this week.

From Flora Bella in Three Rivers we bought beautiful bunches of chard and purple mustard greens.

South Central Farmers Cooperative had enormous bunches of curly kale that Larry had a hard time fitting into our cloth bags.

Two bunches of asparagus from Lompoc, a cabbage and small cauliflower, and a bunch of radishes rounded out the produce.

We also bought pistachios and walnuts. The walnuts are from a farm in Santa Rosa that has been growing walnuts since the 1800s. You might have heard we're in a drought. The biggest water consumers (farm-wise) are almond farmers - many of which have recently planted trees hoping to sell their nuts overseas for big bucks. Young trees are water hogs. Older ones have sent their roots deep into the earth and can handle drought better. So I try to buy nuts from old established orchards. I'm not sure about our pistachio supplier though. This eco-responsible thing is tough.

(Did you know residential - indoor and landscape - water use accounts for less than 10% of the water used in California?)

We also bought a loaf of bread so we could have toast under our Easter brunch poached eggs. And hot cross buns. Not healthy, but delicious.

And Russ sharpened three pairs of scissors for us while we shopped.

It was a good day at the Hollywood Farmers Market.

Watercress and Avocado Sandwich

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

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

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

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

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

Before the top piece of bread is added.

Watercress and Avocado Sandwich

whole grain bread
avocado
watercress
lime
salt and pepper

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

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

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

Five Years!

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

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

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

Celery Salad

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Serves 3-4

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Serves 4-6

Sunday Shopping

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

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

Broccoli Tofu Stir-Fry

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Serves 4