I cook with wine…

In my house, we use two flavor-enhancing elements so liberally, it puts San Francisco progressives to shame. Those two things are, of course, garlic and ginger. This recipe makes ample use of the latter and provides a fun wake-up call to your taste buds. I try to make a ginger-heavy side dish or soup whenever Kevin or I are feeling under the weather. Ginger is considered a “wonder herb” in some circles, and for good reason. Ginger has been used as a natural treatment for colds and the flu, as well as digestive illnesses. It can also help relieve migraines, heartburn, cramps, nausea and can boost your immune system. Now all that Canada Dry as a kid is starting to make some sense, eh? Anyway, these latkes are easy to prepare and super delicious. They would probably benefit from a sweet chili sauce or even some honey as well. If you figure out a good sauce, please let me know!

Ingredients:

½ cup grated fresh ginger

4 large carrots, grated

8 dice-sized cubes crystallized ginger, finely grated

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (you can substitute all-purpose flour)

½ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon turbinado sugar (you can substitute brown sugar)

¼ teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs, beaten

Peanut oil for frying (you can substitute vegetable oil)

Directions:

Mix the first three ingredients together. Crystallized ginger tends to stick together; I try to break up as much as possible, but I wouldn’t stress about a few clumps. They turn into nice surprises in the final product. Combine the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl and sift together until blended. Add the flour mixture to the carrot and ginger mixture. Stir until mixture has a consistent appearance. Add the eggs and stir until coated.

Heat a few tablespoons of peanut oil in a frying pan over medium-heat until hot. Drop the latke mixture in by large spoonfuls and flatter into a small pancake shape. Fry until brown, about 5 minutes for each side. Transfer to a paper-towel-covered plate to cool. I sprinkled on a little extra salt at the end, but you could bypass that step.

So, I’ve been neglecting the blog and you deserve an explanation. Kevin proposed (and I said yes) while we were on vacation and life has been pretty crazy since we got back. I’ve continued to experiment in the kitchen though, and brought back some culinary inspiration with me (which I will delve into later). Kevin and I even ended up taking a cooking class in Koh Chang, an island off the coast of Thailand. Here’s a pic:

I’ve decided to make a personal commitment to be a better blogger from here on out, so be ready!

I’m taking a couple weeks off to explore a little bit of Asia. I hope I can bring back some amazing cookbooks, lots of inspirations, and maybe even sneak in a few spices.

This hearty vegetable soup is definitely suited to “main dish” status. Using summer vegetables and lots of spice, it won’t leave your body or your tastebuds wanting. There are too many veggies with too many health benefits to go into it at this point, so I’ll leave that for another time. However, it incorporates one of my “new ingredients” – harissa. Harissa is a North African spice, often available in a tube, comprised of chili peppers, garlic, tomatoes and a number of other spices. I used Le Cabanon brand and it was delicious! Start with the amount advised and add more to increase the spiciness. One more thing, this recipe makes a LOT of soup, so either invite your favorite five or so friends over or plan to freeze a good amount.

Ingredients:

3 bell peppers (I used one green and two red), chopped

2 large carrots or 4 small ones, sliced to 1/4 inch

1 large red onion, chopped

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut in half widthwise

2 cans diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz each (I also added a fresh tomato because I had it lying around, but it’s not necessary)

3-4 teaspoons harissa from a tube

1 heaping tablespoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup water

3-4 cups high-quality, low-sodium vegetable broth

3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and uncooked

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

Directions:

Saute the bell peppers and carrots in a large pot with a tablespoon of olive oil about 8 minutes. Add the onion and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the garbanzo beans, tasting and adjusting spices when finished, and bring the mixture to a boil. After you’ve reached the boiling point, bring the heat back down to low-medium and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the beans right before serving and enjoy!

This dish melds all the warm, gooey deliciousness of scalloped potatoes with the nutritional benefits of cauliflower. I served once alongside basil-and-balsamic-marinated heirloom tomatoes and mint-and-honey-marinated peaches for a vegetarian meal, then I served the leftovers with cherry-thyme pork chops and roasted tomatoes with oregano. Paired equally well with both. Trust me, they’ll come back for seconds!

Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, kale, cabbage etc.) are primarily known to prevent cancer. They contain phytonutrients that promote liver detoxification (making them very helpful to me!) and fight free radicals that can harm your body’s DNA and cause cancer. Additionally, cauliflower has a very high percentage of vitamin C (91.5% of daily value in one cup) and thus carries all the health benefits of vitamin C as well. So be sure to work in plenty of cauliflower during this upcoming flu season!

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, sliced into pencil-thick slices (these will likely fall apart, no worries, just toss them all into the bowl)

4-5 red potatoes, thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

¼ cup butter, melted

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups mozzarella, grated

1 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the potatoes, cauliflower, garlic, shallots, butter and salt in pepper in a large bowl. Toss to coat the vegetables with all the flavor-containing goodness. In another bowl, mix together the cheeses, milk and eggs. Spread the potato-cauliflower mixture in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Top with cheese mixture, be sure to spread evenly with a spoon. Bake for 35 minutes covered, then 25 minutes uncovered or until top gets brown and bubbly.

Once again, I am reminded that summer’s bounty is oh-so-great. Peaches are one of those fruits that, if you have the luck to stumble upon that perfectly ripe specimen, will surpass the flavor of any cheesecake or pudding or other man-made dessert. Nature truly loves us.

That said, after a few months of plain peaches, one might want to dress up the fruit a little and this simple crumble recipe is an easy and relatively healthy way to do so. Ripe white peaches are naturally sweeter than yellow peaches, so I used mildly sweet agave nectar to create a syrup. However, if you’re using yellow peaches, you might want to step up the sweetness with raw honey. Also, for a special friend, you can probably make a similar raw, vegan dish by simply letting the peaches and agave nectar sit out for an hour or so, long enough for the juices to seep out and create a syrup. Then combine chopped almonds, walnuts/pecans, and dates with cinnamon and maybe just enough agave nectar to hold it together in little clumps and I think you’re golden!

Peaches have plenty of nutritional attributes, but I’m going to hold off on that info for now, and encourage you to just focus on the pure sensual goodness of the flavor and texture of the peaches. The endorphins produced by this will be health benefit enough!

Ingredients:

3 large white peaches

2 tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)

1 ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour (all-purpose flour would work here too, but I like the flavor in the whole wheat)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons raw sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup slivered almonds

¼ cup butter

¼ cup milk

Directions: 

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the peaches and mix with agave nectar. Pour into 9 x 9 inch baking dish and let sit.

 Mix together the flour, cinnamon, sugar, baking powder and almonds. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. This is going to take a little bit of elbow grease, as you will also be cutting the almonds into smaller pieces, but it’s worth the effort. Stir in milk. Mixture should now vary between larger clumps and smaller crumbs.

 Pour crumble mix over top of peaches and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until crumble is golden brown. Let cool slightly, serve as is, or with vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling saucy.

I’m just going to put it out there – I love tomatoes. I know I’ve already touched on them in the Caprese Insalata and lasagna recipes, but as we are in the midst of the heirloom tomato season and the farmers market is awash in them. Plus I just can’t resist. I particularly enjoy heirlooms, with all their diversity – some are fat, sweet and yielding; others are petite with tougher skins and a note of bitterness; some are bright and firm with imperfect exteriors but the most vibrant taste. Yes, it’s romantic, but so are heirloom tomatoes. Even the names conjure up distinct personalities: Cherokee Purple, Aunt Ruby, Marvel Stripe, Red Brandywine, Russian Black, Olympic Flame, Early Girl, Green Zebras. That’s just a sample too – there are reportedly more than 600 varieties of heirloom tomato.
 
Health-wise, tomatoes pack a serious punch. They are filled with health-inducing lycopene, beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K. Studies have shown that eating tomatoes can prevent diseases ranging from prostate cancer to heart disease, plus tomatoes also help lower cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation. Fortunately, they are also delicious and adaptable to a number of different dishes. I hope to tackle tomato soup next.
 
And for one more little piece of trivia before I delve into this recipe, the tomato is, indeed, a fruit (as I’m sure you all know). The reason is that, botanically, the tomato with its seeds forms the ovary of a flowering plant thus making it a fruit (see Merriam-Webster’s definition: b (1) : the usually edible reproductive body of a seed plant; especially : one having a sweet pulp associated with the seed <the fruit of the tree>). The term “vegetable” has no botanical meaning and is used purely in a culinary sense to denote an edible plant with a more savory flavor (see Merriam-Webster’s definition: 2 : a usually herbaceous plant (as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a meal; also : such an edible part). The tomato is not the only plant with qualities of both – eggplants, cucumbers and all squashes are technically fruits with the taste of a vegetable.

Well, I hoped you learned something new there – now on to the tomato sauce, which I really enjoyed. I paired it with this homemade gnocchi, but I suspect it would go equally well with some spaghetti and sauteed zucchini (or courgettes, as my friend Paul insists I call them), on top of goat cheese ravioli, or in eggplant parmesan, to name a few.

Ingredients:

8 medium-sized ripe heirloom tomatoes (I used several different types, but you might want to stick to one for a purer flavor)

1 red onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon raw sugar (I used turbinado, but if you only have granulated or brown sugar on hand, I believe that would work as well)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

Sea salt to taste

Directions:

First, bring a medium-sized pot of water to boiling and drop tomatoes in, rotating in batches if need be. Boil until the skin loosens or cracks, then plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. After tomotoes are cool, peel the skin off, slice them in half horizontally, and coax the seeds out into a small bowl (then is done by gently squeezing the tomato from top to bottom). Once tomatoes are seeded, dice and place into a bowl. After tomatoes are diced, put the seeds into a strainer over the bowl, in order to keep the juice but keep out the seeds.

After the tomatoes are ready, heat the olive oil in a large pot and toss in the onions. Sauté for approximately 3 minutes, then toss in the garlic and sugar to carmelize. Stir constantly and cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt to taste. Stir to combine, cover pot, and let simmer for 15 minutes. If you want a thicker sauce, add some tomato paste. If you want a smooth sauce, run through a blender or food processor. Voila!  

Last Sunday was the season three premiere of Mad Men and some lovely friends of mine hosted a themed get-together for the occasion. In addition to drinking Tom Collinses and playing classic games like charades, each couple was charged with bringing at least one traditional appetizer from that era. I chose pigs-in-a-blanket. However, given my new obsession with cooking experimentation, I felt a bit more ambitious than wieners and crescent rolls. Here is my updated version of pigs-in-a-blanket, comprised of all-natural jalapeno-beef sausages and cheddar cheese wrapped in honey-cornmeal rolls. They were a hit!

Ingredients:

5 sausages of your choice, sliced in half width-wise (mine were approximately 1-inch wide, if you choose larger ones, you might want to increase the amount of dough you make and the baking time)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (a number of others would probably work here as well, choose one that complements your sausage)

1 cup flour

¼ cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup butter

¼ cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon honey

1 egg yolk

Directions:

Grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, honey and egg yolk. Add this mixture to the crumbs, stir until blended. On a well-floured surface, knead the dough in the flour until it stops sticking to your fingers. Roll out on a lightly-floured cutting board into an approximately 8 x 10 inch square. Slice dough into 10 4 x 2 inch squares and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top. Roll sausage-halves tightly in dough and place on baking sheet, seam-side down. Bake in middle rack of oven for 15 minutes, or until dough turns light brown and crispy on the outside.

This heart-healthy lasagna is delicious and packed with lots of goodness from the garden. I used organic whole wheat pasta, which I felt held up better with the vegetables, plus brought a nutty flavor and lots of fiber to the dish. Adding potatoes also increases the carbohydrate content of this lasagna, plus it is oozing with cheese (as any good lasagna should!), so this is not the best dish for weight loss. However, if you are looking for a meatless, filling, and flavorful midweek supper, this should satisfy your craving. Also, the recipe freezes well, which will allow you to enjoy summertime treats, like the heirloom tomato topping and in-season zucchini, anytime of year. I was able to construct this whole dish with 3 medium-sized stainless steel bowls, one small glass bowl, one large pot, a cutting board and a baking dish, so your dishwasher shouldn’t be overflowing afterwards either.

Ingredients:

12 strips whole wheat lasagna (I used Westbrae Natural Vegetarian, which has thinner strips, about 2.5 inches wide – this recipe uses about half of the box)

9 oz. bag spinach

2 small zucchini, sliced into ½ inch pieces, then quartered

1 large red onion, chopped

8 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon dried red pepper

2 eggs

15 oz. container of part skim ricotta cheese

12 oz. package of low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

¼ cup skim milk

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon dried sage

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 very large heirloom tomato, cut into pencil-thick slices

5 medium-sized potatoes (I used purple ones for their color, but any will do), sliced very thin, approximately 1/16 of an inch

2 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions:

First, use olive oil to grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, set aside. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Boil 4 quarts of water with a few dashes of salt, then cook lasagna noodles to al dente – for me, this was approximately 6 minutes. Set out three stainless steel bowls – you will be using them to hold the three of the layers: the cheese mixture, the potatoes, and the tomatoes. Once pasta is done cooking (I usually use this time to shred/chop the other items), drain but don’t rinse, then lay out lasagna noodles in a single layer on waxed paper, somewhere out of the way.

Using that same pot (rinsed and dried), pour a little olive oil to coat the bottom, bring the burner to medium-high heat and dump the bag of spinach in. Allow to wilt slightly, then add the zucchini, chopped onion, garlic and red pepper, plus salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for approximately 10 minutes, or until spinach is wilted and zucchini is soft. Let cool in the pot.

Meanwhile, in a stainless steel bowl, make the cheese mixture. Start with two eggs, lightly whisked, and then add the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and nutmeg. Stir to blend.

Next comes the herb mixture – using the small glass bowl, combine the sage, oregano, basil and salt. Toss the potatoes with a bit of olive oil and approximately 2/3 of the herb mixture in a stainless steel bowl. Save the rest of the herbs for later.

So, to recap, at this point you should have a greased baking dish, several strips of cooked lasagna sitting on waxed paper, spinach mixture in a pot, a small glass bowl with some dried herb mixture, a cutting board with shredded parmesan on top, one stainless steel bowl filled with the cheese mixture, one filled with herbed potatoes, and one filled with slices of heirloom tomato. Now it’s time to assemble them all into one scrumptious lasagna.

Start by placing half of the potatoes in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Follow by laying strips of lasagna on top, also in a single layer (I lay three lengthwise, then shorten one strip by a couple of inches, and lay that widthwise at the end). Spread half of the spinach mixture on top of the strips, as evenly as possible. Follow with half of the cheese mixture. Top that with the other half of the potatoes, then another layer of lasagna noodles, then the remaining spinach mixture, then the remaining cheese mixture, then the remaining lasagna noodles. At this point, I spread the slices of heirloom tomatoes evenly on the very top, sprinkle with the remainder of the herb mixture, and top with generous sprinkles of parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, covered, in the 375-degree oven. Then remove cover and bake for an additional 15. Let stand for at least 5 minutes, and serve!

For anyone with a juicer and plentiful access to Meyer lemons, this lemonade is sure to keep your thirst quenched. Blueberries are a “super food” and, as such, are rich in anti-oxidants and are known to protect your brain, eyes, cardiovascular system and prevent against certain cancers. Lemons are rich in vitamin C and also contain anti-oxidants and protect against certain cancers. I am lucky enough to have a prolific Meyer lemon tree in the backyard and am always searching for ways to utilize these sweeter, fragrant lemons. If you don’t have a juicer, I’d recommend quartering the recipe, throwing the ingredients into a blender with a lot of ice, some water and sugar, and serving up a unique summer smoothie.

Ingredients:

10 Meyer lemons

1 quart ripe blueberries

3 tablespoons raw sugar

1+ quarts water

Directions:

Peel the lemons and wash the blueberries. Alternating the fruits, feed through juicer. Pour liquid into large pitcher, mix in sugar (3 tablespoons leaves the juice with a bit of tartness – you can add more or less sugar to fit personal preferences). Dilute juice with one quart water, adding more as needed to suit your taste. Garnish with a sprig of mint, if desired, and drink up!