christine cooks vegetarian

Peach Cake

2012-08-09T13:54:00.000-06:00

We have a peach tree that really outdid itself this year and my freezer is full of peaches for smoothies and whatever I want to try over the winter but I really wanted to try something new in the baked dessert department this year. Crisps and crumbles and pies and such are great but I really wanted something cakey that would also come out alright if eggless. I found this Simple Summer Peach Cake recipe and semi-veganized it, I think you could replace the buttermilk with rice or soy milk, maybe with a little lemon in it but I had the buttermilk powder and wanted to use it up so I haven't tried that yet. Likewise, I know there are other egg replacements that work but I use what I have, let me know if you have something you think works better.

I've made this twice so far and the first time I made it the cake stuck like crazy to the sides of the pan and so the second time around I lined the pan with parchment paper and it was perfect, no yummy crusty bits gone to waste and a nice looking cake to boot. Highly recommended step.

Peach Cake

I doubled the recipe for a 10” springform pan.

Lots of Ripe Peaches – enough to fill top of cake, see photo

Wet ingredients:

¾ cup organic Nutiva coconut oil

1 ½ cup Organic Sugar (evaporated cane juice)

1 TB Ener-G egg replacer powder + 4 TB water (or 2 large Eggs)

1 cup Buttermilk (1/8 cup Bob’s Red Mill Buttermilk powder + water to fill to 1 cup)

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

½ tsp. Almond Extract

Dry ingredients:

1 ½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg

2 cups whole spelt flour or white whole wheat flour

1 cup Almond Flour* or Finely Ground Almonds (dehydrated almond milk pulp*)

2 tsp. Baking Powder

½ tsp. Baking Soda

½ tsp. Sea Salt

Organic Sugar (evaporated cane juice)

Preheat oven to 350º. Prepare springform pan by lining bottom & sides with parchment paper.

Prepare peaches by washing in lukewarm water, then they peel more easily. Slice into wedges.

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

In food processor bowl cream coconut oil, add sugar and cream together, then add rest of wet ingredients.
Add dry ingredients and pulse to mix, do not over mix.
Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly with offset spatula.

Top cake densely with peaches and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 1 to 1 ½ hour**, until nicely browned, pulled away from the sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

**I live at 7000 feet altitude and am not using eggs so this is what worked for me. Your baking time may vary. Check at 45 minutes and see how your cake looks and most importantly, that it is not still wet in the center. It may also be that a higher temperature might work better, I may try that next time.

* dehydrated almond milk pulp – I save the pulp from making almond milk in the freezer with zip-lock bags until I have a lot then defrost them and dehydrate in the Excaliber. When completely dehydrated I use the food processor to turn into a coarse flour which can be used in cookies, cakes, breading mixes and raw food preparations.

Parchment paper keeps cake from sticking to pan

Pack peaches closely together

Finished cake

Kale, Kale, Kale

2012-02-16T13:46:00.001-07:00

Do you love it? I do, could eat big, heaping bowls of kale salad all by myself.
Here is my very favorite kale salad, the one I make weekly. I have added a cooked kale dish in case you are not ready to tackle it raw and then some other recipes I like too.

My Favorite Kale Salad

1 head dino or Tuscan kale

4 – 6 white mushrooms, sliced

2 – 4 stalks celery heart w/leaves, sliced thin

green onion or shallot or chives or red onion, minced

handful cilantro, chopped

¼ cup goji berries, soaked

¼ to ½ cup hemp seeds

1 clove garlic, grated or pressed

ginger root, grated, to taste

flax & olive oils

lemon juice

Nama shoyu soy sauce or tamari

1 – 3 TB Nutritional yeast

Salt

Black pepper

Cayenne, dash to taste (or ancho or other chile powder)

Cherry tomatoes, quartered

Strip the center ribs from the kale, roll leaves into large bundles and chiffonade, place in large bowl and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and lemon juice. Squeeze handfuls of the kale to allow the salt and lemon juice to wilt it down and soften it. Add the rest of the ingredients to taste, dress with a mixture of flax and olive oils and serve.

Variations:

Umeboshi vinegar instead of lemon juice

Sesame oil instead of olive oil

Sesame seeds instead of hemp

Mix in kelp noodles

Add fresh or frozen corn

Add avocado

Add sun dried tomatoes, slivered

Add pine nuts or soaked sunflower seeds

wilted kale salad with a creamy chipotle dressing (Russell James)

For the wilted kale

2 heads kale

2t salt

2c baby tomatoes, sliced

1c hulled hemp seeds

For the dressing

2 avocados

1 chipotle peppers

3T olive oil

2t agave

2t lemon juice

Remove the stems and then wash and cut the kale into small pieces. Place into a bowl, add salt and start to massage the kale until it wilts and takes on a ‘cooked’ texture.

Add the tomatoes and hemp seeds to the bowl and mix in by hand.

Blend all remaining dressing ingredients in a highspeed blender until creamy and mix into kale by hand.

Creamed Kale (Dairy-Free) original recipe

http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2011/07/creamed-kale-dairy-free.html?spref=tw

10 to 12 cups finely chopped kale

Sauce:

2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup raw cashews

2 cups water

1/2 small jalapeno pepper, seeded

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 to 2 teaspoons Herbamare

Chop the kale and set aside.

Heat a large skillet (11 or 12-inch) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, then the onions and garlic. Saute for about 5 minutes or until softened and beginning to change color. Add them to a blender along with the cashews, water, jalapeno pepper, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and Herbamare. Blend until smooth and creamy. I use Vita-Mix for this.

Place the sauce and chopped kale back into your large skillet and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until kale has softened and sauce has thickened. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper if needed.

My recipe – with mushrooms

I prefer more texture so I only blended the cashews, water, nut. yeast & seasoned salt.

We like a little heat so I used more chilis too. Great over rice but would be even better over pasta, like mushroom stroganoff. I used less kale and had lots of sauce, we liked it like that best. Try with a variety of mushrooms, try with mixed greens – kale, chard, spinach, etc.

1 bunch dino kale, finely chopped

Coconut oil for sautéing

1 – 2 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 yellow Jalapeno peppers, minced

dash red chili flakes

4 to 6 oz mushrooms, sliced

Salt to taste

Nutmeg to taste (optional)

Sauce:

½ cup raw cashews

2 cups water

2 TB nutritional yeast

Juice of 1 lemon or lime

1 – 2 tsp seasoning mix (I used Herby)

lots of black pepper

Blend sauce ingredients on high until creamy.

Heat coconut oil in Dutch oven or large pot with cover and sauté shallots, mushrooms, peppers and garlic. Add kale and sauce, bring to a boil, turn down to simmer, cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes.

Stir often so it doesn’t stick or scorch on bottom. Add more water if needed.

Check seasoning.

Energy Salad for Thyroid

This salad helps boost thyroid function and increase your energy. Kale, rich in vitamin a, is essential to thyroid. Add carrots, kelp flakes and sunflower seeds, then top with tahini and pinch of celtic salt.

Serves 2-4

1 bunch kale, either curly or tuscan, chopped**

1/4 cup peeled carrot

1/2 to 1 Tablespoon kelp flakes (iodine)

1 avocado cubed

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds (selenium)

Dressing:

1/4 cup tahini (zinc)

juice of 1 1/2 lemons

2 tsp. honey

1 tsp celtic sea salt (iodine)

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:  Mix the tahini, lemon, olive oil, honey, water and salt until blended. Pour the tahini dressing over kale, kelp flakes, and carrots. Let it sit for at least an hour. Then add the raisins, avocado, and sunflower seeds.

This can be made and refrigerated overnight. The kale will break down and become softer from the lemon juice the longer it marinates.   ** arugula or spring mix lettuce would also work nicely in which case it does not need to marinate.

Recipe courtesy of Chef Marti Wolfson

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/energy-salad-thyroid

Raw Pizza Crackers

2011-09-26T14:46:00.000-06:00

I am finally getting around to putting the recipe for my raw pizza crackers up. Everyone who tries these has asked for the recipe so here it is. The first photo is of the crackers before they go into the dehydrator, I covered them edge to edge with very thin slices of fresh tomatoes. I harvested hundreds of pounds of tomatoes from my garden this year and this was a great way to use up a lot of them that have been stored in boxes inside since the end of summer. You could also put thinly slice onions on them too.

These are what the crackers look like after dehydrating. If the tomatoes are very thinly sliced ( I used a mandoline the second time) then they just sort of melt into the cracker. Don't bother using the butt ends, they just curl up and flake off. I put all the odd bits of tomato in a jar and used it in a raw tomato soup later.

Raw Pizza Crackers

2 cups dry Quinoa, soaked, sprouted 1 to 2 days
1 ½ cup Flax seeds - grind ½ to ¾ of seeds in blender, soak whole seeds
2 cup dry Sunflower Seeds, soaked & sprouted 1 to 2 days

1 TB dried oregano
1 tsp thyme
½ small white onion
2 jalapeno peppers, with seeds

1 small cayenne pepper or powder to taste
½ cup Parsley
½ basil
2 to 4 Cloves Garlic
3 Green Onions, chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery
1 ½ to 2 lbs. fresh tomatoes
28 large Sundried Tomato halves, soaked
4 large leaves Tuscan (dino) kale
2 Tbsp sea salt
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
½ cup Nutritional Yeast (Optional, not raw)

Raw tomatoes and onions (if desired) to top crackers

Put quinoa, flax, flax meal and nutritional yeast in large bowl.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a food processor, pulsing to blend but leaving some texture.
Mix all ingredients together.
Spread onto teflex sheets. Dehydrate at 105ºF until dry enough to flip then until crispy.

These are great with guacamole!

Green Zebra Tomato Gazpacho (raw)

2011-09-26T14:37:00.000-06:00

Green Zebra tomatoes are one of my favorites to grow because they are prolific, have a sweet-tart flavor and the color is a fun surprise when chopped up in salsas or layered on a plate of sliced tomatoes of various types. I was pleased to find they kept that beautiful green color when made into a gazpacho. Gazpacho is a great way to use them in a raw summer soup, we have it almost daily now as they are ripening faster than we can use them or give them away!

Raw Green Zebra Gazpacho

Place in blender container:

2 lb tomatoes

1 to 3 cloves garlic

juice of 1 lemon

2 to 3 TB shallots or scallions or other mild onion

handful of fresh basil leaves

1/4 tsp red chili flakes

dash cayenne pepper powder

2 TB olive oil

1/2 to 1 tsp salt

freshly ground black pepper

seedy center pulp of cucumbers

1/2 stalk celery

1/2 cup water

Blend on smoothie setting.

In a large serving bowl place:

3 - 4 Green Zebra tomatoes, diced

2 to 3 TB celery, very thinly sliced

1/2 cucumber, seeded and outer part diced (peel or not)

1 large red radish, minced

Mix blended ingredients with diced ingredients in bowl, cover and allow flavors to meld for about an hour. Can be served at room temperature.

Garnish, optional:

Diced red tomatoes

Diced yellow Bell pepper

İmam bayıldı - the imam swooned

2011-07-25T14:44:00.006-06:00

On my recent trip to Turkey (Facebook photos here) I fell in love with this wonderful eggplant dish, my favorite version was at the restaurant where I had my first and last meals - the Pudding Lale Restaurant in the Sultanahmet district of Istanbul.

Imam bayildi at the Pudding Restaurant

The Pudding Lale Restaurant in Istanbul

The name supposedly derives from a tale of a Turkish imam (an imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services), who swooned with delight at the flavor of this dish, other accounts suggest he fainted at the cost of the ingredients. And even further stories tell that he fainted because of the amount of oil used to cook it.

Another folktale relates that an imam married the daughter of an olive oil merchant. Her dowry consisted of several jars of the finest olive oil, with which she prepared eggplant cooked in that oil and with tomatoes and onions. On the thirteenth day, there was no eggplant dish at the table. When informed that there was no more olive oil, the imam fainted.

A Turkish proverb has another interpretation: Imam evinden ash, olu gozunden yash cikmaz (No food is likely to come out of the imam's house and no tears from a corpse). Perhaps the meaning is that the stingy imam, when presented with a dish so generous, certainly was delighted, or fainted from delight. [from Clifford A. Wright]

It is generally known in the Arab world as imam bayouldi.

It is a vegetarian meze dish, which consists of eggplant stuffed with onion, garlic, and tomatoes, then simmered in olive oil. It is usually served at room temperature (we prefer it slightly warm).

İmam bayıldı

3 eggplants, ½ lb to ¾ lb each

4 med. Yellow onions (approx. 2 lbs) ½” dice

4 Anaheim type mild green chili peppers, ½” dice

1 to 3 Jalapeno peppers, minced

3-4 red, orange or yellow Bell peppers, ½” dice

5-7 large cloves garlic (I used homegrown Music), very thinly sliced

1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes

sea salt

pepper

olive oil

1-2 tsp sugar

½ cup finely chopped parsley

2 to 4 large fresh or fresh frozen tomatoes, quartered, then halved again (optional)

Peel eggplants in stripes about 1” apart lengthwise.
Cut eggplants in half and slice lengthwise about 3/8” thick, do not slice through calyx.
Dissolve about 1/3 – ½ cup sea salt in a large bowl of water and submerge sliced eggplant. Cover with a plate to keep submerged and weight the plate. Let soak 30 minutes to 1 hour then drain, rinse & pat dry with tea towels, placing towel between layers and pressing to remove excess moisture.
Place colander in bowl and put chopped onions in, salting well and let sit about ½ hour. Mix in peppers as you dice them. Rinse and drain.
Heat large Dutch oven or stock pot with 4-5 TB olive oil and sauté onions and peppers until wilted down. Add garlic, salt, pepper and sugar.
Add tomato sauce, mix thoroughly and remove from heat.
Place eggplant halves cut side in deep baking dishes, fit closely together. Lift slices and spoon the sauté mixture between layers and over the halves. Can put wedges of tomatoes in spaces between if using. Drizzle with olive oil. Pour in a little water.
Bake uncovered on lowest shelves of oven at 350º for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Baste with the liquid to keep them from drying out or scorching. They should be completely collapsed and the tomato caramelized. Add a little more water if needed to keep from getting too dry.
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with one of the tomato wedges, lemon rice pilaf, green beans, salad or slaw and garlic yogurt. Allow ½ as a serving if using small eggplants, if you have eggplants 1 lb or over then you can cut the halves in half before stuffing them.

Cut in slices about 3/8" thick

Spoon filling between layers

Think Aspartame is Safe?

2011-04-19T17:29:00.000-06:00

IUPAC name N-(L-α-Aspartyl)-L-phenylalanine, 1-methyl ester

Think again! But you aren't still using anything with aspartame in it, are you now?

I believe aspartame is not a safe, health building substance and is something to be carefully avoided.

Upon ingestion, aspartame breaks down into several residual chemicals, including aspartic acid, phenylalanine, methanol, and further breakdown products including formaldehyde (when consumed by rats) and formic acid.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame

The artificial sweetener aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal, NatraTaste, Canderel) is without question the most toxic and health-destroying "food" sold to consumers. The number of people who have recognized toxicity reactions or damage from chronic aspartame ingestion is well over one million people in the U.S. (based on the reported toxicity reactions divided by the estimated reporting rate). While many people's health has already been destroyed by this product, the more serious concern is the long-term nervous system damage, immune system damage, and irreversible genetic damage known to be caused by aspartame's metabolite, formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can cause severe health problems at exceptionally low levels of exposure.

Aspartame, Formaldehyde Poisoning, Health Destruction, and Lawsuits

Aspartame has been used successfully as an ant poison:Aspartame is a neuropoison. It most likely kills the ants by interfering with their nervous system. It could be direct, like stopping their heart, or something more subtle, like killing their sense of taste so they can't figure out what is edible, or smell, so they can't follow their trails, or mis-identify their colonies members, so they start fighting each other. Not sure what causes them to end up dying; just know that for many species of ants, it will kill them quickly and effectively.

There is a LOT of information on the web about it.
World Natural Health Organization

WNHO Links

I'm not sure about the stuff being originally developed as ant poison but it does seem to have that property.
I sure do believe the stuff is poison and I wouldn't touch anything with that in it.

Potato Planting

2011-03-28T16:26:00.001-06:00

Photo by Scott Bauer

White, yellow, red, blue, purple, russet - guess what vegetable comes in all these colors? Potatoes! A tuber, not really a root, Solanum tuberosum are a cool season crop, believed to originate in Peru and are one of our oldest cultivated vegetables. There are about 5,000 varieties worldwide! They can be planted about 2 weeks before the last frost, as can beets, carrots, radishes and turnips. St Patrick’s Day and Good Friday are the traditional days to plant potatoes. The Farmer’s Almanac says to plant root crops between the full and new Moon, best days for early 2011 are March 22-23, 27-31, April 1-2, 16-17, 18-20 and 23-25. Potatoes yield best grown following corn in crop rotation.

Lazy gardeners can try the Ruth Stout method of heavy mulch.

I’d like to try this wooden cage method since so I can line the bottom with hardware cloth to protect against gophers.

Just a Few Sources:

Potato Garden
Stargazer Perennials Farm and Nursery

Farm Fresh Living

Mother Earth News has good directions on growing potatoes.
1 lb seed potatoes averages about 10 to 15 lbs harvested potatoes.

Companions: Beans, Broccoli, Cabbage, Coriander, Corn, Eggplant, Garlic, Kale, Lettuce, Onions, Peas, Radishes, Marigolds

Enemies: Cucumbers, Melons, Raspberries, Squash, Sunflowers, Tomatoes, Turnips

Pest Control: Dead nettle, Flax & Horseradish repel potato bugs.

Potatoes are in the nightshade family and all green parts of the plant are toxic. Use the leaves as a bug spray!

Tomato or Potato Leaf Spray

Target insects: Repels asparagus beetles and flea beetles. This will kill earworms and maggots and acts as an antifeedent for other insects.

Plants belonging to the nightshade family (tomatoes, potatoes etc.) have large amounts of compounds called "alkaloids" in their leaves. These compounds are water soluble and can be extracted by soaking chopped leaves then using as a spray. The toxicity of the alkaloids may account for only part of their effectiveness. The sprays may also attract beneficial insects that follow the chemicals in these plants as a cue in searching for their prey.

Potatoes are high in potassium, high in fiber, low in calories and a source B3 and iodine. The healthiest part is the skin!

Herb Oven Roasted Potatoes

⅛ cup Olive Oil

1 TB Minced Garlic

½ tsp Dried Basil

½ tsp Dried Marjoram

½ tsp Dried Dill Weed

½ tsp Dried Thyme

½ tsp Dried Oregano

½ tsp Dried Parsley

½ tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

½ tsp Salt

4 large Potatoes, cubed or cut into wedges, leave skins on

1. Preheat oven to 475ºF.

2. In a large bowl, combine oil, garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. Stir in potatoes until evenly coated. Place potatoes in a single layer on a roasting pan or baking sheet.

3. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally to brown on all sides.

AllRecipes.com

Planning Planting

2011-02-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Are you already plotting & planning this year’s garden?

The best advice I’ve ever heard for deciding on what to grow is simple: grow what you like to eat. I grew collards 2 years ago and ending up giving most of them away, I just didn’t like them. Also, it’s easy to get carried away, I know now that two or three Rainbow chard plants are plenty for our household of two, I sent visitors home with bagloads of them last summer. On the other hand, if you grow lots of root vegetables like carrots, parsnips, beets and celeriac and you can have lovely homegrown vegetables all winter. I made the most amazing celeriac and potato soup this winter and I will definitely grow them again!

Here are just a few of my favorite go-to suppliers.

Peaceful Valley They have everything!

Kitazawa Seed Co. for Asian vegetable seeds, I am thinking of trying burdock root this year and I love the New Kuroda and Atomic Red carrots.

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds has the most beautiful catalog! I bought a lot of seeds at their store in Petaluma, CA several years ago, lots of unusual vegetables & flowers, not to mention an amazing array of tomatoes. I look for short season varieties to grow here in Santa Fe. I loved the Green Zebras I grew last summer and the Black Tula was incredibly prolific.

Lee Valley has a great gardening section.

Seed Savers Exchange has Ground Cherries that might be fun to try.

Here is a great recipe for the celeriac soup (inspired by this recipe at Epicurious), it reminds me a lot of vichyssoise. I make this vegan by using coconut oil, vegetarian bouillon and Tal Ronnen's cashew cream and it is fabulous. Love his book The Conscious Cook!

Celeriac & Potato Soup

2 TB butter or coconut oil
1 TB olive oil

2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 large onion, diced (or use all onion if no leeks)
2 med Yukon Gold potatoes (about 12 oz), peeled, diced
2 med celeriac roots (about 1 1/2 lb. total), peeled, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 large fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
8 cups chicken or veg broth
5 celery stalks with leaves, sliced

1/3 to 1 cup whipping cream, cashew cream, soy or nut milk, or MimicCreme

Optional: dash nutmeg

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add leeks and onion and sauté until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in potatoes, celery roots, thyme, and bay leaf. Add broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes. Add celery and simmer until all vegetables are very tender, about 12 minutes longer. Cool slightly.
Using immersion blender, puree soup in pot. Stir cream into soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I like a little freshly grated nutmeg on top before serving.

Next month: potatoes

Raw Vegan Pad Thai

2010-11-22T14:12:00.001-07:00

Raw Pad Thai for breakfast? Yes!

In our effort to eat mostly raw I find breakfast to be a challenge. I don't want to have smoothies with fruit very often as I am trying to stick to the Phase 1 raw low glycemic diet as I learned it at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center where I just did a 7 day fast. I lost 10 pounds easily and am detoxing myself from dairy and gluten. I used to make a spicy saute of greens & mushrooms that we would have in a tortilla with cheese so having something spicy is more like what we would normally have. We are loving this!

The Veg:

1/4 head each 2 kinds of Cabbage, green, red, Napa, Savoy (I used green & red) sliced thin on mandoline

1 or 2 Red, yellow & orange Bell peppers

1 or more Jalapeno peppers, cut into very thin strips or minced

1 Carrot, cut into thin strips

1 or 2 Zucchini, cut into strips or noodles

3 or 4 Scallions or chives, slice thinly

2 stalks Celery

Lots of Fresh cilantro, basil & mint

1 package Sea Tangle Kelp noodles, rinsed, cut up

Mix altogether in a (very) large bowl.

The Sauce:

1/2 to 1 cup raw almond butter

1 -2 TB tamarind paste

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 to 5 small Jalapeno peppers with seeds
a little Habanero pepper

1/4 cup wheat free Tamari

dash sesame or olive oil (optional, I often make without any oil)

dash cayenne powder to taste

1 ounce fresh ginger root

1/2 lemon, rind removed

1/2 tsp to 1 TB red chili flakes

Whip it good in the Blendtec, Vitamix, etc. Keep in quart jar in fridge.

Mound veg nicely on plate or in bowl, top with:

Sunflower sprouts

Soaked sunflower seeds or other nuts/seeds.

Mixed bean sprouts - lentil, mung, adzuki
Clover or alfalfa sprouts

Pour on the lovely sauce and serve it up with a nice pot of green tea.

I like to make a lot of the veg at one time so we enough for several days, just keep in a large Tupperware type container in the 'fridge.

At the table I also have mine with Sea Tangle Mixed Sea Vegetables and extra sheet dulse.

Raw Toon-ah Pate

2010-03-28T13:43:00.000-06:00

I learned how to make a Mock “Tuna” in a raw foods class years ago and this is how I like to make it. It is one of our favorite raw lunches, very satisfying and a great introduction to raw foods.

Raw Toon-ah

1 ½ cups sunflower seeds, soaked 6 to 8 hours, drained, rinsed, can be allowed to sprout 2 to 4 hours*
1 ½ cups walnuts, soaked at least 3 hours, drained, rinsed*
½ oz fresh ginger root (about 2 TB), minced
2 large cloves garlic (about ½ oz)
1/3 cup raw tahini – Artisana is very good
½ cup lemon or lime juice w/pulp, freshly squeezed
up to ¼ cup Nama Shoyu unpasteurized soy sauce
2 tsp granulated kelp
¼ to ½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ - 1 tsp New Mexico red chili pepper powder
freshly ground black pepper
optional – a little olive oil or flax essential oil mix

3 to 4 stalks (5 oz) celery with leaves, minced (or fennel)
½ cup minced red onion, shallot or scallion w/greens
½ cup fresh parsley, cilantro or basil, chopped (or fresh dill)

equipment: food processor

* Can be made with all sunflower seeds, or ½ almonds instead of walnuts, or all walnuts or all almonds.

In food processor bowl place seeds & nuts, ginger root, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, shoyu, kelp, black pepper, cayenne & chili powder. Process to combine but still keep a slightly rough texture. May also be processed through a Champion Juicer with the solid plate in.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients by hand in a large mixing bowl or by pulsing lightly to combine.

Yield: makes approx. 1 quart or about 2 ¼ lbs.

Serving suggestions

Serve on a bed of lightly dressed greens, sprinkle with grated carrot, cucumber slices, avocado slices, tomatoes & dust with dulse.
Stuff into bell peppers or into avocado halves
Make nori rolls with jicama or parsnip “rice”, wasabi, slivered red peppers, slivered carrot & sprouts
Have with dehydrated crackers
Toon-ah sandwich rolls with whole wheat tortillas, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers & Vegenaise

You can find more toona recipes in these books:

Hooked on Raw by Rhio
Rhio’s Raw Energy http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/

Living in the Raw: Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle by Rose Lee Calabro

The Raw Gourmet: Simple Recipes for Living Well‬ By Nomi Shannon

Jamie Oliver

2010-03-27T15:22:00.004-06:00

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food

Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.

Jamie Oliver is transforming the way we feed ourselves, and our children. Jamie Oliver has been drawn to the kitchen since he was a child working in his father's pub-restaurant. He showed not only a precocious culinary talent but also a passion for creating (and talking about) fresh, honest, delicious food. In the past decade, the shaggy-haired "Naked Chef" of late-'90s BBC2 has built a worldwide media conglomerate of TV shows, books, cookware and magazines, all based on a formula of simple, unpretentious food that invites everyone to get busy in the kitchen. And as much as his cooking is generous, so is his business model -- his Fifteen Foundation, for instance, trains young chefs from challenged backgrounds to run four of his restaurants.

Now, Oliver is using his fame and charm to bring attention to the changes that Brits and Americans need to make in their lifestyles and diet. Campaigns such as Jamie's School Dinner, Ministry of Food and Food Revolution USA combine Olivers culinary tools, cookbooks and television, with serious activism and community organizing -- to create change on both the individual and governmental level.

Join Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution!

Mexican Pizza

2010-02-14T10:00:00.004-07:00

Years ago we lived in Northern California and we used to love to go to Joe's Taco Lounge in Mill Valley just for their great Mexican Pizza. It was so great that I took notes of the wonderful combination, as I often do in restaurants, that I might try my hand at something similar myself someday. Someday has come, it came Friday and it's going to come around again tonight.

I made a whole wheat pizza crust using this Basic Pizza Dough recipe using whole wheat bread flour because that's what I had in the house. I'm going to try it next time with whole wheat pastry dough and see if I can get a lighter dough. Taste was very good though and I was able to get it nice & thin by using my marble rolling pin. I got two 15" doughs from this recipe, not one, as I like it very thin.

I had made my Red Chili Sauce earlier this week and had added 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to it and when it was blended it had a great consistency that I thought would be perfect for this pizza. I had also added some Chipotle chili powder and some very hot Twilight XX pepper flakes from Mesilla, NM and the sauce was better than ever.

Mexican Pizza
inspired by Joe's Taco Lounge, Mill Valley, California

Red Chili Sauce
black beans, rinsed
corn, fresh or frozen
mushrooms, thinly sliced
cheese/s, combo cheddar & mozzerella, grated
diced roasted Hatch green chilis
fresh garlic, minced
dried oregano
jalapenos if desired
Maldon sea salt & pepper
olive oil
avocado, diced
fresh cilantro
Basic Pizza Dough

Place pizza stone on bottom rack in oven and preheat oven to 500º.
Roll dough out and place on parchment paper. Top with sauce, sprinkle on beans, corn and garlic. Sprinkle with cheese and dot with roasted chili and Jalapenos (if using). Crush oregano in palms and sprinkle over, salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Slide peel under parchment paper to transfer to oven and leave parchment paper under pizza so it does not stick to stone.
Bake about 15 minutes.
When done remove from oven and top with diced avocado & fresh cilantro. Slice & serve.
A little fresh salsa might be a nice after baking topping too.

You've got to try this!

Greens restaurant Black Bean Chili

2010-01-21T10:51:00.005-07:00

Now that you know how to pressure cook your beans, try this.
This is my favorite fall back recipe for dinner in about an hour. I put on a pot of brown rice when I put the beans on for the second cooking because that's how we like it, beans & rice.

If you are looking for a great vegetarian chili seek no further, and this is the one I always make for a party. This is from The Greens Cookbook which is from Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, and it is my favorite recipe. Put the beans on to cook in a pressure cooker while you make the sauce. Make a BIG pot full, it is even better the next day, likewise, it is great to make ahead.

This is straight out of the book:

BLACK BEAN CHILI

2 cup Black turtle beans
1 Bay leaf
4 tsp Cumin seeds
4 tsp Dried oregano leaves
4 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 Chile negro or ancho chile, (for chili powder)
or 2 TB Chili powder, or more
3 TB Corn or peanut oil
3 med Yellow onions - diced into 1/4-in squares
4 Garlic cloves - coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 lb Ripe or canned tomatoes -peeled, seeded and chopped- juice reserved
1 TB Rice wine vinegar (or more)
4 TB Cilantro, chopped

GARNISHES
Green chiles: 2 Poblano or Anaheim, - roasted, peeled & diced
or 2 oz Canned green chiles, - rinsed well and diced
1/2 cup Grated Muenster cheese - (or more)
1/2 cup Creme fraiche or sour cream
Cilantro

SORT THROUGH THE BEANS and remove any small stones. Rinse them well, cover them generously with water, and let them soak overnight. Next day, drain the beans, cover them with fresh water by a couple of inches and bring them to a boil with the bay leaf. Lower the heat and let the beans simmer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. (Or pressure cook as I do).

Heat a small heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, and when they begin to color, add the oregano leaves, shaking the pan frequently so the herbs don't scorch. As soon as the fragrance is strong and robust, remove the pan from the heat and add the paprika and the cayenne. Give everything a quick stir; then remove from the pan--the paprika and the cayenne only need a few seconds to toast. Grind in a mortar or a spice mill to make a coarse powder.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. To make the chili powder, put the dried chile in the oven for 3-to-5 minutes to dry it out. Cool it briefly; then remove the stem, seeds and veins. Tear the pod into small pieces and grind it into a powder in a blender or a spice mill. (Or use powders chile, we have lots available here)

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the onions over medium heat until they soften. Add the garlic, salt and the ground herbs and chili powder and cook another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juice. Simmer everything together for 15 minutes then add this mixture to the beans, and, if necessary, enough water so the beans are covered by at least 1-inch.

Continue cooking the beans slowly until they are soft, an hour or longer, or pressure cook them for 30 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Keep an eye on the water level and add more, if needed, to keep the beans amply covered. When the beans are cooked, taste them and season to taste with the vinegar,
additional salt if needed, and the chopped cilantro.

Prepare the garnishes. If you are using fresh green chiles, roast them over a flame until they are evenly charred. Let them steam 10 minutes in a bowl covered with a dish; then scrape off the skins, discard the seeds, and dice. Serve the chili ladled over a large spoonful of grated cheese and garnish it with the creme fraiche or sour cream, the green chilies and a sprig of fresh cilantro.

Though served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon, this chili is a great deal thicker than most soups--thick enough in fact to be served on a plate right alongside fritters or cornbread. It also, however, can be thinned considerably with stock, water or tomato juice to make a thinner but still very flavorful black bean soup. When thinned to make a soup, it can be served as part of a meal rather than a meal in itself.

------------------
This is how the recipe is in the book, but I never do it this way anymore, in fact, I never even look at the recipe anymore, I have made it so often I know it by heart. Also, I usually don't do the spice roasting, I just shake the spices from their jars right into the sauteing onions so they get some heat there before I add the tomatoes. I can have it ready in about an hour.

Pressure cook those beans!

2010-01-19T12:33:00.004-07:00

Pressure cooker is where it's at for cooking beans, I never use anything other method any more. The only beans I ever over night soak are garbanzos because they a big bean and they need the extra time for the water to soak in, everything else I do a double cook in the pressure cooker and they always come out great.

I use a small Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Anniversary 3.7-Quart Pressure Cooker and use the quick cook method they describe in the booklet that came with it. Cover beans with water to the inside mark (I do about 2 cups beans at a time). Heat till valve reaches the 2nd mark, turn down heat to keep it at that mark and cook for 10 to 15 minutes (time depends on the bean). When the time is up put the pot in the sink and run cold tap water over it until it releases the pressure. Remove lid, empty beans into a colander, rinse beans, rinse pot, put beans back in, cover with fresh H2O and bring up to pressure again to the 2nd mark. Cook 10 to 15 minutes again but this time let the pot cool down naturally after you turn the heat off, when the pressure is completely released (20 to 30 minutes) you can open the lid and then use the beans. Do not add any salt until after they are completely cooked. The only seasoning I ever add is a few bay leaves on the 2nd cooking. I cook a little longer because I live at high altitude (7000 ft) and I also like my beans on the soft side because I feel they are easier to digest that way. The beans should have a split in the skin but not be turned to mush. If I want to cook lentils quickly I do just one cooking and a natural cool down at a shorter time because they do not need a double cook, they will easily be turned to mush. Usually I just simmer them in regular saucepan, not the pressure cooker because they cook pretty quickly anyway and I can more easily keep an eye on them so they do not overcook.

By using this method I can have beans cooked and ready to eat in about an hour, which is great for me because I can decide I want beans for the next meal and have them, no waiting for soaking or long cooking.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T14:12:00.001-07:00

Hoshigaki (dried persimmons)

2009-12-28T11:30:00.005-07:00

There's an interesting post over on Food Gal about Hoshigaki, the dried persimmons you see everywhere starting in the late fall in Japan. Whole dried persimmons are a delicacy in Japan that is rarely found in the United States. As the fruit dries it exudes sugar crystals and develops a doughy texture, tasting a bit like figs or dates. Hoshigaki were once the primary sweetener in Japan, as sugar cane and sugar beets were not grown on the island. I took this picture of persimmons drying in an open shed in Ohara, a mountain town just outside of Kyoto. It's great to see that someone is doing this here in the U.S. and introducing this traditional method of preserving seasonal produce.

There is a nice slice show on the Otow Orchard site that shows the process and you can purchase them from them too. I was glad to see about the peeling as I did not know they were peeled first. I would like to try this sometime myself. Wish I had a persimmon tree, I wonder it they would grow here in Santa Fe, the fruit is so beautiful hanging like bright ornaments in the fall after the leaves have dropped.

You can also order hoshigaki from Penryn Orchard though you might have to wait till next year and place your order early.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

2009-12-03T12:33:00.002-07:00

Many years ago we had a wonderful soup in a little Moroccan restaurant in San Luis Obispo, CA that I just had to try to reproduce. This is my version.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

1 cup green lentils
bay leaves

1 - 15 oz can Muir Glen Tomato Sauce*
1 red dried pepper – seeds & shreds (use scissors) or red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 can garbanzo beans

1/2 large sweet onion - diced
1/4 cup minced celery
4 clove garlic - pressed
1/2 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt
fresh ground pepper

1-2 cans water
1 carrot – diced
2 summer squash or mixed squash, cut in 1/2 moons

1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
fresh cilantro for garnish

Cover lentils and bay leaves with water & simmer 15 minutes or until done.
Saute onion, garlic and celery. Add spices and sauté a little longer. Add vegetables and water and simmer until vegetables are done, about 10 – 15 minutes.
Add tomato sauce & cooked lentils.
When vegetables are done add lemon juice & caraway seeds.

* or Diced or Roasted Tomatoes – blend with immersion blender before adding

Vegan Curry Pumpkin Soup

2009-11-27T13:32:00.003-07:00

This soup was a big hit at Thanksgiving so I'll share my recipe here. I used pumpkins & apples from my own garden and I don't what kind of apples they are, just a nice sweet eating apple. I left the skins on.

Vegan Curry Pumpkin Soup

2 TB Coconut oil

10 oz onion, diced

3 - 4 large cloves garlic

1 oz minced ginger root

2 TB curry powder

1/2 tsp red chili flakes (or to taste)

1/2 tsp salt

lots of freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 lbs. apples, cored & chopped

4 cups baked, mashed pumpkin pulp

4 cups water

2 cubes Rapunzel vegetable bouillon

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups unsweetened soy milk or nut milk

a little brown sugar, maple syrup or stevia

Thinly sliced scallions for garnish

Sauté onion, garlic & ginger root till translucent. Add curry powder, chili flakes, salt & pepper, stir into onions to release flavors. Add apples, pumpkin, liquids & bouillon. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover & simmer about 20 minutes. Puree using an immersion blender or let cool and puree in blender. Serve hot with scallion garnish.

Pumpkins can be baked whole - remove the stem and cut a small hole in the stem area to let steam escape. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 350ºF for 1 -1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the pumpkin. Allow to cool, cut in 1/2 and scoop out the seeds, then cut into strips & pare off the skin with a knife. Use for pumpkin pie, soup, breads, etc. I bake 5 or 6 small pumpkins at a time and freeze portions in freezer zip lock bags to use later.

Hope you like this!

Pronghorn Antelope

2009-04-28T16:49:00.003-06:00

I was having lunch yesterday, looking out the window and what should I see strolling down the road but this pronghorn antelope! I was so surprised, I thought it was a deer at first, it wasn't until I looked closer at the photographs today that I figured out what it was. Hope he doesn't find my vegetable garden!

Mysterious chrysalis

2009-03-09T13:55:00.004-06:00

I suppose I should change the title of my blog to something with gardening in the title since I write so much more about that lately. Anyway, there's always something interesting in the garden, even when you don't think much at all is happening. We had a light snow last night and this morning and it is still below freezing most nights. I went out this afternoon to bury kitchen scraps and found this, right of the surface of one of my raised vegetable beds. It is quite large, about 3 inches long, and felt pretty solid when I turned it over (with a stick). Hope I didn't damage it. Anyone know what this is? Is it a good bug or is it a bad bug (to paraphrase Glenda, the good witch of the West).

Update: I have two guesses
1. sphinx moth pupa
2. Tomato Hornworm:
http://organicgardensite.com/bugs-harmful/tomato-horn-worms/

Unfortunately, the dirt had been shoveled out of my tomato bed so I'm betting on that right now.

Who Owns Nature?

2009-02-05T09:10:00.003-07:00

As gardening season is starting up soon I want to encourage you to buy only organic seeds. I didn't used to think it made a difference - if I kept an organic garden and raised it organically, what difference did it make if the original seed was organic or not? We recently had a conversation on the Seeds of Change Yahoo group about this and this is what Marc Cool, who works for SoC had to say about it, he gave his permission for me to reprint this.

"This is an important discussion and one that we as an organic seed company obviously have strong feelings about (we have been doing this now for 20 years!). There are many reasons to use organic seeds (it is the right thing to do, seed is the first link in a safe food chain etc), but the two main reasons in our view are;

Conventional seed production is an inherently chemical intensive practice. This is understandable, as plants which are to produce seed are left in the field far beyond the fruit maturity. In order to protect these plants from pests and diseases, conventional agriculture uses far larger amounts of chemicals for seed production even than in food production. Organic seed production uses other methods to protect the maturing seed plants. As such, organic seed production provides a substantial decrease in the use of chemicals in our environment.

There is a strong interaction between plants and their environment. If a plant was grown in organic conditions, the seed from that plant and therefore the next plant generation, will be better adapted to those same organic conditions. In our case, most of our varieties have been grown for many plant generations in organic conditions, and these plants therefore are better adapted to and perform better in organic growing conditions.

We hope the above helps you. Many people have this same question and we are pleased to have an opportunity to provide our thoughts on this."

Marc Cool
Seeds of Change

So, this brings me to this next item, which came in a newsletter from Organic Consumers Association today.

The World's Top 10 Pesticide Firms - Who Owns Nature?, when you buy seeds that are not organic you are probably supporting these businesses. Do you really want to do that?

"...the world's six largest agrochemical manufacturers, who control nearly 75% of the global pesticide market, are also seed industry giants. Bayer: the world's biggest agrochemical company is also the world's seventh biggest seed company.

Syngenta: the world's second largest agrochemical company is also the world's third largest seed company.

Monsanto: the world's biggest seed company is the world's fifth largest agrochemical company.

And DuPont: the world's second biggest seed company is also the world's sixth largest agrochemical company.

All these companies are gene giants.

Weed killers (herbicides) account for about one-third of the global pesticide market, and around 80% of GM seeds involve herbicide-resistance.

The worldwide market for agrochemicals grew last year by nearly 10%.

World's Top 10 Pesticide Firms

Company - Agrochemical Sales 2007 (US$ millions) - % Market Share

1.Bayer (Germany) - $7,458m - 19%
2.Syngenta (Switzerland) - $7,285m - 19%
3.BASF (Germany) - $4,297m - 11%
4.Dow AgroSciences (USA) - $3,779m - 10%
5.Monsanto (USA) - $3,599m - 9%
6.DuPont (USA) - $2,369m - 6%
7.Makhteshim Agan (Israel) - $1,895m - 5%
8.Nufarm (Australia) - $1,470m - 4%
9.Sumitomo Chemical (Japan) - $1,209m - 3%
10.Arysta Lifescience (Japan) - $1,035m - 3%
Total $34,396m - 89%
Source: Agrow World Crop Protection News, August 2008

The top 10 companies control 89% of the global agrochemical market.

See the article for more info please.

And by the way, they are on Twitter too: http://twitter.com/organicconsumer

My almost raw dinner salad

2009-02-04T14:16:00.006-07:00

Still alive, and still cooking, or assembling, as is mostly the case with this dee-lish salad. This is our current fave, born out of having lots of beets and needing variation on the salad theme. Today I made the diced veg part early, I will mix it with the greens just before serving and top with a little feta cheese. I make a lot, then we can have it for 2 days, keeps fine. Everything is diced - not too small - but so you get a bunch of different things in every mouth full. You can make without the curry & hot pepper but the spicy version is great.

The beets were baked with a dash of olive oil, s & p, bit of water, covered, 400º, 1 hour or till tender when pierced with a fork.

The carrots, lettuces, spinach & parsley are from my winter garden - so great to have really fresh, really local (back yard) produce.

No measurements, just a list -

Celery
Carrots
Red Onion
Beets
Basil, chiffonade
Pecans
Cucumber
Red Bell pepper
Sweet apple

Mixed lettuces
Spinach
Arugula
Parsley

Spicy Dressing:
Curry powder
Red Chili flakes
Cayenne pepper
Dill weed
Spike seasoning mix
Olive oil
Apple Cider vinegar
Vegenaise

Feta cheese

I had some diced potatoes that I had cooking Indian style w/curry spices last week and threw those in one of these kitchen sink salads, it was good and a great way to use a small amount of a leftover too.

Chard & Cheese Calzone

2008-09-15T16:22:00.002-06:00

Chard & Cheese Calzone
Makes 6
What to do with all that chard? Make calzone!

Dough
1 lb. unbleached white flour, with about ½ cup of whole wheat flour in the total (about 3 1/3 cups) – King Arthur
½ cup olive oil
3 TB vegetable shortening (Spectrum organic veg. short.)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 TB baking powder
1 packet yeast (Red Star)
¼ warm water
¾ cup lukewarm water

In a large bowl dissolve yeast in ¼ cup water.
In a separate bowl weight or measure out flour then add salt, sugar & baking powder to it.
Measure out olive oil, add veg. shortening to it, have water ready. Mix everything together until smooth. Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead to combine to a smooth dough. Place in oil bowl, turn to oil top. Cover with plastic wrap and set in warm spot to rise at least 45 minutes.

I let it rise till I was finished making the filling and only punched it down when I was nearly done with the filling.

Put pizza stone on lowest rack in oven and preheat to 450º.

Filling
Olive oil
5 Hungarian yellow peppers (med. Hot)
¼ cup sun dried tomatoes strips (1/3 cup after soaking)
1 – 5 oz. yellow onion, minced
2 large cloves German white garlic, minced
4 ½ oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
12 oz garden fresh chard, weighed after removing center ribs
big handful fresh basil from garden
½ tsp salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1/8 – ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
8 oz package mozzarella, grated
1 – 15 oz container part skim ricotta
should have some parmesan also (I was out of it for this batch) ¼ to ½ cup
1/3 to ½ package Gimme Lean veggie sausage (opt) couldn’t really taste it later
Amy’s Garlic & Mushroom Pasta Sauce to serve on the side

Put tomatoes in small bowl with a little hot tap water to let reconstitute before starting the dough.
In a little olive oil pan roast the peppers until lightly browned. Remove to a plate to cool, set aside. When cool enough seed and dice and have ready.

Put in a little more oil and brown sausage if using, breaking it up into little bits as it cooks. Remove and set aside.

Saute onion until translucent, add garlic and sauté a few minutes, then add mushrooms. Saute till wilted down then add chard in handfuls, mixing after each addition to incorporate onion mixture well. Add salt, pepper & nutmeg. Cook in open Dutch oven and keep stirring so you have a fairly dry mixture. Turn off heat.

In a large bowl combine cheeses, minced basil, minced peppers and sausage, mixing well. Add chard mixture and mix very well. At this point I weighed the total mixture so I could divide it evenly among the calzone.

Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling with coarse cornmeal.

Weigh dough and divide into 6 equal portions. Roll each portion into an 8” circle. Wet the edge with the leftover liquid from soaking the tomatoes (or water), spoon filling onto half the circle, leaving about an inch border and evenly distributing filling. Fold over other half and press edges together so filling does not leak out. Make a rope edge by pulling and folding. Cut a couple of slashes so steam can escape. Place on peel till you have 3 made – I fit 3 on my 15” pizza stone.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Serve with warmed pasta sauce – I thinned it with the remaining tomato soaking water.

These finished calzone weighed about 12 oz each, a hearty meal.
My plan in trying this today is to come up with a delicious way to use up lots of chard out of my garden and have something that would be great to freeze for winter meals. I think I’ve got it! These are fabulous, if I do say so myself.

Variation on a theme to try:

Greek calzone - a spanakopita filling, with feta cheese and oregano
Southwest calzone – filling of corn, roasted green chili, queso fresca or local goat cheese served with a side of my red enchilada sauce

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):

2008-09-01T08:11:00.002-06:00

John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2

His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4

The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5

He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing fore closure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7

McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8

McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9

He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10

John McCain is not who the Washington press corps makes him out to be. So forward this to your personal network! And if you want stay in the loop on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:
http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/

SOURCES:

1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html
"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/
2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us
"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/
3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/
4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/
5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007
"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/
6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next F irst Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80
"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home
7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022
"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/
8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/
"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251
9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3519
"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/
"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/
10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/

Hail, July 3?

2008-07-04T08:47:00.002-06:00

Aaarrrrggghhh! My garden had gotten off to such a slow start this year and now this! Hail the size of quarters shredded my beautiful stand of chard, defoliated my gorgeous basil and generally wreaked havoc. Garden looks so sad. I'm sad too. Hope it will mostly recover.