Peach and Walnut Buttermilk Pancakes

Sometimes you just want good old fashioned traditional food. When that happens to me, if it is not a craving for garlic bread, it will be for pancakes. Buttermilk pancakes, of course. With some fruit in them. Blueberries are divine, of course. But so are peaches and nectarines, both of which are in abundance this time of year here in Southern California. These pancakes just makes me think of camping with my parents in Maine. I don't know why, because that was blueberry pancakes. Wild blueberries, to be precise. But maybe it's the comfort of a great space, seriously good maple syrup, and family. Pancakes are just not something to be made for one. That's the beauty of them. Making pancakes always means there are people around to share your morning cup of coffee with.


Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 large peach, diced small
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Butter as needed
Maple Syrup


Directions
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the peaches and walnuts to this bowl and toss to coat. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, stirring just enough to blend.

Heat a heavy pan over medium heat. Once the pan is warm enough that water simmers when splattered on the pan, melt 1/2 teaspoon of butter into the pan and spread to coat the surface. By the 1/4 cup full, pour the pancake batter onto the pan. I could do 2 at a time in my skillet. Once bubbles start to form in the center of the pancakes and the edges have solid rims, flip. (You might have to adjust the heat as you go, if the bottoms get to dark before bubbles form - every stove and pan combination is different.) Repeat until all the batter is used up (you can use less butter each time).

If I'm not going to eat them immediately (I'm cooking them all first and then serving the pancakes all at once) I heat the oven to 200 and put a plate inside that I place the pancakes on as the next round cooks.

Serve with maple syrup or a sprinkling of brown sugar.

Vegetarian Pho

Around here, Pho is something you get for lunch or dinner. Apparently it's meant to be a breakfast food. The things you learn. I had no idea! I started snooping around for the origins of Pho, and I didn't find much, except that although it is Vietnamese, it carries with it distinct French and Chinese influences. One of the main cross-cultural features is the french onion soup tradition of charring the onions to both add a sweet flavor and brown color to the broth, something that is different than other Asian noodle soups. Also, the name Pho, though no one seems to know where it came from exactly, could quite possibly be french. Pho as in 'feu' (fire, from pot-au-feu), pronounced almost identically.

So, with this new knowledge I decided to take on the challenge of making Pho. The soup as a whole is easy, rice noodles that just need to be soaked, gently steamed or sauteed vegetables, lots of lime and chile garlic sauces that can regularly be found in my fridge. The base - and hard part - is the broth. The important detail seems to be the charring of onions, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise. As garnish, the mint, basil, and lime were frequent ingredients. The rest all varied by recipe. I'm sure this is not properly traditional, but what I put together sure made me very very happy.

Being a breakfast food, I decided to add egg. I did that japanese style with a sliced omelet. I need to look up if that's normally an option in Pho for breakfast or if that is simply me blending my food cultures.


Ingredients
(for 2)

For Broth:
1 sweet onion, quartered
4 garlic cloves, whole
4 star anise pods
4 cloves
4 green onions, cleaned
1 cinnamon stick
1 one inch fat piece of ginger, thickly sliced
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce
4 cups water or mild vegetable broth (here I didn't use my normal boullion since it is herbed)

For Soup:
rice noodles (one handful per person)
2 tsp grapeseed oil
2 eggs
2 tbsp scalllions, chopped
1 zucchini thinly sliced
1 carrot thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped bitter green (like dandelion green)
1/4 cup basil and mint leaves, fresh
1 lime, sliced into quarters
bean sprouts (I didn't have any but I would use them next time)
chili paste, such as sriracha

Directions
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the rice noodles in a metal or ceramic bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let sit for 15 minutes (or less, following the instructions on your noodle package). Drain.


In a thick bottomed medium pan, char the first 7 broth ingredients over medium high heat, stirring occasionally as they turn dark brown, about 5 minutes. Once well charred, add the remaining broth ingredients, bring to a boil and then turn the broth down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Strain solids out of broth (tossing the solids, keeping the liquid - some mornings I need this spelled out for me!).


While the broth is simmering, make the omelet. Heat 1 tsp oil in an omelet skillet over medium high heat. Add scallions and gently wilt for 30 seconds. In a bowl, whisk eggs together and then pour over the scallions. Cook for 2 minutes until the edges become solid enough to put a spatula below. Flip over and cook top half for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and slice into 1cm thick slices.


Take the carrots and zucchini and saute in 1 tsp oil until they begin to get tender. Remove from heat.


Assemble the soup. Place noodles in the bottom of 2 large bowls. Spoon broth over the noodles. Portion out the remaining ingredients between the two bowls, laying each in their own section above the noodles. Squirt lime juice and chili paste over top.

Cornbread Salad with Buttermilk Dressing

I made cornbread the other night. Fresh cornbread, right out of the oven with the butter still slightly bubbly and drizzled with honey is simply a transcendent experience for the taste buds. However, once cornbread is 3 days old, it looses it's excitement. So, the other night I went looking around for what to do with leftover cornbread that wasn't a dessert. I found my answer at smittenkitchen.com (my favorite foodblog that I'm a little scared to share, since it is so incredible and well done). She made croutons out of cornbread and paired it with a buttermilk-lime dressing over a salad. I did my own salad base, but followed her notes on how to crisp the cornbread and dressing. And it turned out as one of the best salads I've ever had.

Ingredients
(for 2)

For the salad:
2 large slices of cornbread, cut into 1 inch cubes.
1 small head green leaf lettuce, washed and ripped into bite size pieces
1 handful dandelion greens, thinly sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
2 small zucchini or summer squash
1 roasted red bell pepper, thinly sliced

For the dressing:
1/2 cup buttermilk
Juice of two limes
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp finely minced fresh basil
2 tbsp finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp cup finely minced green onions
1/2 teaspoon salt


Directions

Make the croutons:

Preheat the oven to 450F. Spread out the cut pieces of cornbread on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Make the dressing:
Mix together all of these ingredients. Shake well. Refrigerate until use.

Make the salad:

Over medium high heat, saute the yellow squash, stirring frequently, until the sides are golden, about 10 minutes. While sauteing, assemble the rest of the salad. Add squash on top of the other vegetables. Add croutons. Dress as you like. I used a lot more dressing than normal here. But at the same time, I was so flavor satisfied at the end, that I didn't need to each anything more.

Green Tonic Soup

Modified from spring tonic soup in The Savory Way (one of my favorite cookbooks).

I've been craving nettles. Yes, those things that sting. That plant I was taught to avoid in my grandparents farm fields. In The Netherlands, it is a common edible green. Nettle Gouda (oh, so yummy). Nettle soup, the endless cause of many of my cravings. Yet, it is not easy to find around here. So I started to look for soup recipes that might have the same kind of flavor and I worked my way into this one. It was super easy and exactly satisfied the craving. I recommend working with a bitter as well as savory greens (the list I've included is based on the greens in the original recipe - I used dandelion and beet greens for this soup). I didn't have any sweet greens in my fridge tonight, but I'm sure it would be goo, too. Don't be shy with the garlic and make sure to add that splash of sour dairy - I added about 2 tbsp of buttermilk to my soup (if you use cream, be sure to add the vinegar - it's not as needed if the dairy is already sour).

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 leeks, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
5 garlic cloves, peeled, smooshed with the side of a knife.
1 bunch flat leaf parsely, chopped
2 cups chard leaves chopped (chop and reserve stems)
Greens to select from: beet greens, watercress, mustard greens, broccoli rabe, escarole, arugula, dandelion greens, radish greens
2 quarts vegetable stock
cracked pepper
white wine vinegar
buttermilk, cream, or sour cream to garnish

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, leeks, chard stems, parsley and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add 6 cups of any of the greens. Once well wilted add broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Once all cooked, transfer to a blender and puree. Serve with a splash of cracked pepper, white wine vinegar, and cream.

Fresh Tomato-Basil Pasta

This is a simple summer dish I've been doing for a long time. I'm still amazed that years later I've yet to tire from it. Which is good, since tomatoes are an overabundance right now. The best part is, it offers such an aesthetic presentation that it makes for a great dish to prepare for guests. the proportions really are based on likes. I've estimated what I do for 2 people here.

Ingredients:

1 pint grape tomatoes or one very large heirloom tomato, room temperature
(grape or heirlooms are the best so that they have extra flavor)
2 tbsps pine nuts
1/4 cup sliced fresh basil
1 tsp olive or avocado oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to garnish
2 handfuls whole wheat penne

Directions:

Bring water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, slice the tomatoes and divide between 2 bowls.
Add garlic, basil, nuts, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to tomatoes and toss together.
Add cooked pasta and toss together.
Serve with parmesan to taste.
It's that easy.

Raspberries with sour creme custard

Berry Heaven. I love it when berries are on sale at the store for super cheap. I can't help by buy up more than I can eat. Then I face the challenge of what do to (other than just throw them in the freezer and use them to bake in the winter). There is always breakfast with yogurt. Or a tart. But what else? I remembered my aunt once made me a nectarine and blackberry pie with slightly sweetened sour cream instead of whipped cream. I loved the extra depth of flavor the sour cream added to the berries. So, here's my attempt at a variation on a theme.

Ingredients:
8-10 oz raspberries
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg yoke
2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450F.
Spread the berries evenly between 4 3-inch ramekins.
Mix together the sour cream, yoke, and honey until smooth.
Poor over top of the raspberries.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the custard begins to delicately brown.
Serve warm.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I woke up way to early this morning after a night of poor slept. In my haze, I tried to figure out what to do with myself so that I could either jump start my system or put me back to sleep. As I stared at my fridge looking for an early morning snack to get things going, all I really could see in there were veggies. Specifically, zucchini. lots and lots of zucchini. So, to zucchini bread it was. Or, did I want chocolate zucchini cake? I couldn't decide. In the end, I decided to take the cocoa powder and add it to the bread (as well as some cocoa nibs, since I had them but no chocolate chips in my pantry).

Some of the best loaves I've ever made emerged from my oven. The zucchini was bright green specks in caramel colored loaves. The chocolate was a balancing accent to the zucchini; tastable but in no way overpowering. This recipe needed to be written down. I sure hope I can repeat it.

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup whole wheat white flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup ground flax seed

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

3 cups grated zucchini

1/2-1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/4 cup cocoa nibs (optional)

3 eggs

2/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup yogurt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Butter and flour 2 bread pans.

Sift together the dry ingredients.

Stir in the zucchini until it is well coated and mixed in.

Stir in the optional ingredients and mix well.

Mix together the wet ingredients and add to dry, mixing just enough to moisten everything.

Scoop into the bread pans.

Bake 50-60 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Morning Coffee

Sometimes, all a gray morning needs is a beautiful cup of coffee. Caffe Calabria in North Park never lets me down. They make a viennese latte that is just divine -- a normal (properly proportioned) latte which is a rarity in this town with a touch of honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I swear they have the best coffee in all of San Diego. Never bitter. Never acidic. Always perfect. Only problem is they often close at 3. But I guess, then, it is no longer my morning coffee, so that's OK.

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Another vegetable that I get too much of in my vegetable box in the summer are fresh beets. But roasted every so simply and paired with goat cheese, these are delicious little critters.

Ingredients:

3 beets
olive oil
salt
pepper
walnuts
honey
1 log goat cheese
lettuce (mix baby is the best)
avocado oil


Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Scrub beets. Do not peel, but simply slice them into 1/4 inch thick slices. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes, until the surfaces of the beets begin to wrinkle and absorb the oil. (make sure they are soft enough that you can slice on with a fork before you call them done). Remove and let cool.

While the beets are baking, make some candied walnuts. At least, this is the cheat that I use. In a pan, toast the walnuts on medium high heat until you begin to smell the oils. Pour just enough honey over the walnuts to lightly coat them. Stir for another couple minutes until the honey begins to harden. Put aside to let cool.

Assemble the salad with the remaining ingredients. I dressed it simply with avocado oil, but you can use any oil or very simply oil and vinegar dressing (there is enough flavor in the iingredients that you don't want to complicate the palate.

Summer Vegetables, French Tian Style

Summer means lots of zucchini, eggplant and tomatoes. Lots. Bags and bags of them. They make for a great challenge as I try to figure out what to do with them beyond the typical marinate and roast or zucchini bread. Here's one idea I had. This is a baked summer dish. It does require kitchen heat, sadly. I ended up baking it late at night once the day's heat had subsided. But it is worth it. The layered yumminess of vegetables flavors mixed together is good hot right out of the oven or cold the next day for lunch.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
3 zucchini, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
1 onion or 2 leeks (including greens), sliced into very thin rounds
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smooshed
1/4 cup walnuts
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Grated parmesan
Herbs de provence (fresh is best, but there is enough moisture to use dried)


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Lay the eggplant on it. Generously drizzle with salt and vinegar. Bake for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, heat enough oil over low heat in a thick skillet to cover the base. Slowly saute the onions with the garlic until their sugars start to turn brown. If you've got time to properly caramelize, that would be even better.

Take a bread pan and spread the onions along the base. Now, layer the eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes on top of each other. With each set of 3, sprinkle walnuts, herbs, and grated parmesan. For the top layer, alternate everything to make stripes of color. After it has baked for 25 minutes, top with a little more parmesan, herbs, and walnuts. Continue to bake until the cheese begins to become golden.

Bake for a total of 30-40 minutes.

Vegetable Smiles

I love my weekly vegetable box. Some weeks it amuses me more than others. This was one of the very amusing weeks. Look what I got. He was waiting to greet me as I pulled him out of the paper bag.

Nicoise Salad

It's been too long since I've posted. Somehow summer involves less cooking than normal. Especially in the heat wave we've been having here. However, what that does mean is a lot more salads and cold soups and simple foods. A favorite one of these is this simple salad. It does involve a very small amount of cooking - but not enough to either make the meal a hot meal or heat up the kitchen. So perfect for when you are sick of everything raw but still don't want to be near anything hot. And it's SO flexible.

Ingredients:

Thin slices of tuna (preferably sushi grade so you can leave the core raw) - One per person
One hard boiled egg per person
Lettuce
Grape tomatoes
Oil cured olives - both green and black
Green beans, stemmed
New potatoes, the tinier the better (if larger than an inch in diameter, cut them in half)
Fresh fava beans or edmame beans - shelled and cooked
Red onion, thinly sliced
Radishes, thinly sliced
Handful of fresh basil
Nice olive oil for cooking tuna and drizzling
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Steam the Green Beans until just barely cooked and still a little crunchy - about 5 minutes. Since the size of green beans is so variable, I always just test and watch them rather than set a timer. Run under cold water to cool and stop the cooking.

Boil the potatoes until they can be pierced by a fork. Run under cold water to cool.

Heat olive oil in a thick pan on high heat (if you've got an iron skillet, use it!). Sprinkle Salt and Pepper onto both sides of the Tuna Sear the Tuna for one minute on both sides (2 minutes if not using sushi grade tuna).

Spread Lettuce on the plate. Place remaining salad ingredients around the plate, each in their own part. Place Tuna in center. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Variations:
Play around with the ingredients as you'd like. The core is the tuna, olives, green beans, and Potatoes. Really, after that, it's all game. Add artichoke hearts or garlic cloves. use no lettuce. substitute red pepper for radishes. Just have fun with the combination of fresh, crunchy, raw, cooked, sweet, bitter, salty.

Fig and Almond Tart

I was recently in San Francisco and went to a farmer's market with one of my friends. We went looking for seven fresh vegetables for a Moroccan stew (which we found, oh so yum!) but before anything found baskets of the softest freshest black mission figs for real cheap. So we bought two. And out of those two came a lovely tart. I made it up as I went, but it was fantastic with a touch of vanilla bean ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 pie crust (substituting vanilla for water)
1-2 baskets fresh black mission figs, sliced in half
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tbsp flour


Directions:

Preheat oven to 450.
Roll out tart crust, press into a buttered and floured tart pan.
sprinkle flour over base of crust (it is to absorb any moisture from the figs)
Spread figs in the crust in concentric circles.
Sprinkle sugar over figs
Sprinkle almonds over figs.
Sprinkle honey over everything.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until juice is bubbly - so it will thicken a little as it cools slightly.
Cool slightly before serving.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I don't know when it happened, but I love brussel sprouts. Nowadays I can't seem to get enough of them. Any excuse. My favorite way to make them is super simple. It's all by eye and taste. And goes with so many things.

Ingredients:

Brussel Sprouts - cut in half
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan, grated finely
chile pepper flakes (optional)
garlic, finely chopped (optional)
balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F

Toss the brussel sprouts in oil, salt and pepper and any of the optional ingredients you want.
Spread onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until crispy on the outside (but not burnt) but soft enough on the inside to be easily pierced by a fork.

Mole Negro

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Amazing how reading and writing can take over one's life. To make up for it, I've put together one of the best sauces ever. I've always wanted to learn how to make this...and this is a combination of a friend's mother's recipe and one that I found in Saveur Magazine. Serve over potatoes (cooked with garlic and salt – a good conduit though not the best balance to the sauce), queso fresco (seriously the best combination with the sauce ever!!!), or cooked pork (marinated in chipotles in adobo sauce, honey, vinegar, oregano, and garlic). I’m still looking for more vegetarian options with this sauce. When I come up with them, I’ll tell you.

Ingredients:

5 tomatillos, stemmed, rinsed, and quartered
1 tomato, halved
1 small yellow onion, quartered
6 (total) dried pasilla, california, and negro chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 ripe plantain cut into 1⁄2" cubes
1 cup mixed nuts and seeds: peanuts, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sesame seeds
3 tsp oil
¼ cup raisins
2 ½ cups chicken broth
2 oz. Mexican chocolate, chopped
1 ½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cinnamon
salt to taste
fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Preheat to oven to broil.
Line a baking sheets with tin foil. Really, you want to!
Place prepared tomatillos, tomato, and onion on sheet.

Broil for about 15 minutes, until soft and browned. I like to stop just before real charring. Put vegetables and any juices into a large bowl and let cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 400F.
Place prepared dried peppers on lined baking sheet.
Bake 3 minutes, turning once. Do not over do the peppers, as they will get bitter.
Place peppers in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let soak for at least 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the soaking liquid.

Remove foil from baking sheet.
Place nuts and seeds on sheet. Toast in oven until oils begin to smell, about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, heat oil in large heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Add plantain and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, until it begins to brown. And nuts and seeds, raisins, and vegetable mixture. Stir for another 3 minutes. Add the chiles, along with ½ cup of the reserved liquid, broth, chocolate, cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat. Stir until the chocolate is melted (a matter of minutes).

In batches, blend until smooth.

Pain de Campagne

This recipe is very slightly modified from The Bread Baker's Apprentice (the best bread book every if you are learning yeast breads, like I still am). It provides a richer flavor the longer you give the yeast to activate and gas. Because of the whole wheat flour, it doesn't rise and create bubbles the way a traditional country bread would, rather it has a more spongy texture (though I've occasionally gotten it just right to get large holes in the final bread)

Ingredients:

Pate Fermentee
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat white flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp yeast (from a package of dry active)
1 cup water, room temperature

Bread
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup whole wheat white flour
3/4 tsp salt
remaining package yeast
1 cup (plus some if needed) warm water (as hot as your sink will make it without steaming).
extra flour for dusting.

Spray bottle of water

Directions:

In a medium bowl, to make the pate fermentee, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Add 3/4 cup water and stir until it comes together to make a ball. Add more water by the spoonful if needed. Turn onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 6 minutes. Make sure it is lightly tacky and pliable, but not sticky; your hands should remain clean.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl. turn to coat the ball with oil. Cover with plastic (or a damp towel) and let ferment at room temperature (about 70F) until 1 1/2 the starting size, about one hour. Punch down gently, cover again, let rise a second time, about one hour.

For the bread, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast. Cut the pate fermentee into small peices and add. Add water and stir until everything comes together into a ball. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not sticky. Add more water if needed.

Turn onto a lightly floured counter. Knead for 10 minutes, adding flour as needed to keep it tacky but not sticky. After 10 minutes of kneading, you should be able to stretch the dough so thin that you can see light through it before it breaks.

Oil a large bowl, place dough ball into bowl, turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic or damp towel. Let rise 2 hours until it is double in size.

Gently remove dough and place on a lightly floured counter. Using a pastry scraper or a sharp knife (so as not to degas the dough) cut into 6 pieces. Shape dough delicately into loaves by stretching the tops towards the bottom. Spray with oil. Coat with flour. Cover and let rise for 1 hour until at least 1 1/2 original size.

Place a heavy metal pan on the bottom of your oven (or the lowest possible rack). Preheat oven to 500F. Have 1 cup boiling water at hand and ready to pour.

Transfer dough to generously dusted baking sheet or bread stone (the stone would be in the oven already, the baking sheet won't be). Immediately pour the boiling water into pan at bottom of oven. Close oven. 30 seconds later open up of the oven and spray the loaves with water. Close oven. Repeat spraying 3 more times. Lower oven temperature to 450F. Bake for about 15 minutes (turning half way if needed for even baking). The loaves will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom when done.

Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

Sweet Potatoes and Mango Relish

I've been making this recipe for at least 10 years now. It is easy, good in winter or summer and packed full of flavor. It's really hard to mess up sweet potatoes - just add a couple spices and they are golden! The salsa is really flexible. I often use a little of whatever my favorite tomato salsa from the store is at the moment to mix in with the mangos, sweet peppers, and lime, and cilantro.

Ingredients:

for the potatoes
4 sweet potatoes, skin left on, scrubbed, and sliced into wedges
1 tsp each cinnamon, allspice, ginger, salt, pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

for the salsa
1 large mango, cut into small pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro (more if you want)
zest and juice of one lime
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 spicey tomato salsa of your choice.
1 Tbsp hot sauce (a non-vinegary but smokey one, such as boulder or d'oni - no tobasco!!)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Toss together all the ingredients for the potatoes in a large bowl. Make sure the potatoes are well coated with oil (add more oil if needed). Spread on a baking sheet.
Bake for about 30 minutes, turning once (bake until the begin to brown on the edges and are tender in the center).
While the potatoes are baking, mix together the ingredients for the salsa. Let sit 30 minutes (overnight is best) before serving so flavors can mix.

Blue Corn Bread

Can't beat the combination of cornbread and black beans. well, you can if you throw in sweet potatoes and mangos. but still. it's always a safe and yummy and hearty way to go. and I don't know why, but I love blue cornbread. not sure if it really tastes different or if it's just that I like the color. This recipe is my modification from the Joy of Cooking.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup blue corn meal
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk (or 1 cup milk, 1 cup plain yogurt, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar)
1/2 cup sugar or honey
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.
In large bowl mix together the dry ingredients. Break eggs separate bowl and whisk until frothy. Mix remaining wet ingredients in with eggs (except the oil). Add wet to dry and stir until everything is just moist.
In an iron skillet over medium high, heat the oil until it begins to smoke.
Add the batter all at once.
Place skillet in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Best if served warm.

Black Beans

These are some of the best beans I know. They take a day of being at home in order to make them, but there really are only three major steps and a lot of simmering. (great to cook on a day of cleaning.) Now that I've been making them regularly, it's hard to go back to any other kind of bean. I want them all to be this flavorful.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried black beans, rinced
1/2 onion, whole
1 bay leaf
7 springs fresh oregano
7 garlic cloves, 3 smooshed with the side of the knife, 4 finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped, both white and green parts.
2 green peppers, diced.
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, ground
salt to taste
1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil

Directions:

Place beans in a bowl. Cover with water by 3 inches. Soak for at least 4 hours, overnight if possible.

Drain and rince beans. Put in heavy pot and cover again with water by about 3 inches. Add bay leaf, half onion, smooshed garlic, oregano, and about a teaspoon of salt. Simmer for 2-3 hours, until beans are soft and most of the water is absorbed. If you need to add water, add it by the half cup full. You want there to be liquid with the beans, but more of a stew consistency, not a soup.

Once beans are desired texture, heat oil in pan over medium high heat. Add chopped garlic, and green onions and saute until garlic begins to turn gold. Add green beans and cumin. Saute, stirring occasionally, until the green peppers are soft.

Add saute mixture to the beans. Add another teaspoon salt. Let simmer for 15-30 more minutes to mix the flavors.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies

My dad loves peanut butter and chocolate. together. in any form. So, I made these cookies for him. This recipe is reminiscent of some cookies he and my mom used to make growing up (the kind with Hershey kisses pressed into the top). Here I just used dark chocolate drops I found in the bulk section of my grocery store.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup peanut butter, all natural (this is important for flavor and texture). I used chunky.
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 dark chocolate drop per cookie (40-60)
sugar for rolling

Directions:

Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
In separate bowl mix together melted butter, peanut butter, egg, milk, and vanilla.
Add dry to wet and mix until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Place bowl in freezer for 1 hour to chill. After an hour, preheat oven to 350F. Line baking tray with parchment paper.
Remove cookie batter from freezer. A spoonful at a time, roll the batter into balls, roll the ball in sugar and place on the paper covered tray. Do this until the tray is full. make sure cookies are about 2 inches apart. Using the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar, press each cook to turn ball into a disk about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven. Immediately press chocolate drops into center of each cookie. Let cool on tray for one more minute. Then let cool on rack.

Cornmeal Cake with Rosemary and Orange Icing

I've been looking for wheat free recipes for desserts for a while, with so many friends that can't do wheat. And here, based in a sweet cornbread recipe, I've finally found a cake that I can make without wheat. Now, to try it on my wheat-free friends.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
1 cup barley flour (can be wheat)
1 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup chopped pine nuts or pecans
1 Tbsp ground rosemary
Zest from one orange
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup marscapone
1/3 cup plain yogurt
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (on stick) butter, melted.

For the Icing:
1 tsp ground rosemary
zest from one orange (strips is best)
3 Tbsp Cream (can be all juice, though)
3 Tbsp orange juice
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (sifted if you've got the time and energy).

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Butter a 9x2 inch cake pan. line the base with parchment paper. butter the paper.

In medium bowl, mix together barley flour, cornmeal, pine nuts, rosemary, orange zest, and baking powder. In separate bowl mix together marscapone, yogurt, eggs until smooth. Add sugar and stir until blended. Stir the wet and the dry together. Mix only until all the dry is moist. Do not over stir. Pour batter evenly into cake pan.

Bake for 45 minutes. (skewer should come out almost dry.)

Remove from oven and let stand in pan for 10 minutes. Cut around the edges with a knife and turn the cake over onto a plate.

In the meantime, make the icing: whisk together all of the ingredients until a thin paste forms. Spread icing over cake. Let set for at least one hour before slicing.

Chocolate Truffles

I love making these. they are an all afternoon project - it takes three different rounds. Each time I've been experimenting with different rolling methods, but I think it's just with practice that each time they get a little rounder and rounder. It's a paitence game - working between the heat of melted chocolate and the cool of chilled base. Overall, though, I love the simplicity for the elegance, the crunchy outside and the gooey inside. pure happiness in chocolate form!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup whipping cream
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Optional for coating:
Unsweetened cocoa powder
Cocoa nibs
Coconut (unsweetened or sweetened)
Chopped nuts

Directions:

In a small sauce pan, bring the whipping cream to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes. Then remove from heat and let cool slightly for 5-10 minutes.
While cooling, melt 9 ounces of chocolate in a small sauce pan on as low of heat as possible (can use a double boiler if you want...you'll waste less chocolate if you do, but make a bigger mess).
Whisk the cream and the chocolate together. Chill until solid (and your spoon will stand up in it), about 3 hrs. This is your truffle base. (If you want a flavored middle, add before chilling: a tsp of vanilla, balsamic vinegar, orange zest, or a half teaspoon of any spice you want such as cinnamon, or just a pinch of cayenne pepper.)

Once firm, take the truffle base by the teaspoonful and roll into balls. Place the balls (careful to make the not touch) into a glass pan or a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Chill the balls for 1 hrs, until solid.

Once the balls are solid, melt the remaining 8 ounces of chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat. In batches, remove the balls from the fridge or freezer (so remaining balls stay cold while you are working). Take one ball at a time and place it in a spoonful of chocolate. If you are going to leave it coated only in chocolate, then let sit for 1 minute. Then roll it over and coat other side with chocolate and place on a wax paper prepared tray. If you want to roll in a topping, coat the whole ball all at once with melted chocolate and then roll it in the desired topping after it has sat for at most 10 seconds. Repeat with remaining balls.

Let cool at room temperature for 1 hour.

Chard with Cherries and Lemon

I never used to cook chard or collard greens. I knew they were good for me, but didn't like their bitter taste. But as soon as I began subscribing to a vegetable CSA, I started to get a ton of these in my boxes, so I had to figure out something to do. I finally figured this recipe for a side dish out, and I love it. It's very flexible, any jam or dried fruit will do. But the key is lemon and garlic along with the sweetness of the jam.

Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil (or even better, avocado oil)
1/2 red onion or 2 shallots
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch chard (stems removed and thinly chopped, leaves thickly chopped)
Juice (no more than 2 Tbsp) and zest of 1 lemon
a quarter cup (really a handful) of dried cherries or cranberries
1 tablespoon berry jam

Directions:
Heat oil in small wok over medium heat.
Saute the onion and garlic until garlic begins to become golden.
Add chard and stir occasionally until it wilts and becoems bright green.
Stir in lemon juice and zest, dried cherries and jam. Cook for 1 more minute so flavors can mix.

Sweet Potatoes with Lime Reduction

I think this is going to become one of the staple side dishes in my house. I made it for a friend who came to dinner paired with a greek lemon-marinated grilled chicken, and a basic marinated roasted vegetable salad. I found the inspiration for this recipe on epicurious.com, and I will say, the core: the sweet potatoes, the lime, and the chives are a threesome that made a very solid base - the sweet, the sour, and the bitter/savory.

The funny thing is that this dish has lead to three separate conversations on the difference between chives and green onions (including one with my dentist!). The answer (I had to look it up) is this: they are both of the onion family, but difference species. a good explanation is here at The New Cook.

Ingredients:
for potatoes:
3 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1 to 1/2-inch cubes
3 Tbsps olive oil
salt
black pepper

for reduction:
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
juice and zest from two limes

2 Tbps chopped fresh chives

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl until coated well, then spread in 1 layer on a

shallow baking pans. Roast until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
While potatoes are roasting, mix water, sugar, and lime juice and zest to a simmer in a very small saucepan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves (about 30 seconds). Reduce to a simmer and let cook until the liquid is reduced to half (about 3-4 Tbps), which will take about 3-4 minutes.
Toss potatoes with syrup and zest in a large bowl, then sprinkle with chives and serve immediately.

Garlic and Greens Soup

I've recently been down, sick with a cold. This soup is a mixture of a few recipes (which, really, is what all soup always is), made with what I had in my fridge. I think it is now my new favorite soup for when I'm sick. It was so easy, so perfect for low energy cooking. And so flavorful that even my deadened-by-a-cold tastebuds were completely satisfied. In general a mixture of bitter, spicy, and sweet greens I think is what will make this soup stellar.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps olive oil
1 large head of garlic, all cloves pealed and thinly sliced
1 large potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 head bok choy, chopped
1 bunch collard greens, chopped
1 bunch rainbow chard, chopped
1 bunch beet greens, chopped
any other greens, really such as spinach, watercress, or dandelion greens.
6 cups water
2 bouillon cubes (as usual, I highly recommend Rapunzel brand sea salt and herbs)

Directions:

In large heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden.
Add potatoes and greens and cook until green wilt. It can be good to add these in batches, to make stirring easier.
Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer until the collard greens are cooked through and bright green and the potatoes are just soft. If the greens start to become faded or the potatoes start to fall apart, stop cooking.

Serve while steaming to get all the benefits of a garlic filled steam.

A Quick Egg Dinner Pie

I'm not sure what to call this. It is not a quiche, not enough egg. Nor it is a tarte, as it has no crust. Nor is it a frittata, as it is too thick. So it's just colorful egg yumminess in a pie pan.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, chopped
handful of fresh herbs, chopped - such as parsley, dill, and basil.
2 colored peppers, sliced thinly
1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off and cut in half.
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese - preferably gorgonzola (don't by the pre-crumbled - it's got too many preservatives to melt well)
6 eggs
2 tsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F.
Butter and flour a ceramic pie pan.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium high heat until onions go clear. Add bell peppers and saute for another minute or so, until peppers go soft. Place as a bottom layer into pie pan. Put asparagus in pan and saute for 5 minutes until it begins to brown.

In the mean time, place herbs as second layer in pie pan.
Put cooked asparagus as third layer.
Spread crumbled cheese over top.
Whisk together eggs and tomato paste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over top of all the vegetables in the pie pan.
Bake until firm, 40-50 minutes.