Good Looking Home Cooking

Burrata Stuffed Fried Zucchini Flowers with Pesto Dip

2012-01-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

You never ask someone what his or her favorite food is and receive the response "zucchinis." Maybe it's their similarity to their somewhat boring cousin, the cucumber, or it could be their slight lack of original flavor...Zucchinis, however, are pros at taking on the flavors of whatever spices and feelings their cooked with. If a zucchini was a person, it would be that chap at the party who is a little bit quiet, wearing a gray t-shirt - but has a super cool secret skill, like a great artist with a sketchbook that shows experience and experimentation. You can experiment with zucchinis, and from experience you know they can actually add a wonderful texture and taste to pizzas, pastas, breads, soups, antipastos. I was introduced to the beautiful zucchini blossoms while working at Cefalicchio - a central appetizer was fried zucchini flowers. Then, for my friend, Maxine's birthday, I made these seasonal fried zucchini flowers. I was making dinner for my mom and sister and wanted to have them experience this wild and crazy half sister dish of the zucchinis. Because my mom grows her own basil, I make pesto over there with just about everything. Turns out pesto is a lovely dip for the fried zucchini flowers, but a little bit goes a long way.

When handling the zucchini blossoms, you have to be very gentle. They are delicate, sensitive, and very shy....with time, it gets easier to handle them.

Fried Zucchini Flowers with Pesto Dip

Ingredients:
Zucchini flowers
Burrata (Since it is ~~very difficult~~ impossible to find the real burrata out here - you can find a pretty good kind at Trader Joe's or the Cow Girl Creamery.)
Whole wheat flour
Tonic Water
Kosher salt
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1. Gently wash the zucchini blossoms and let them dry
2. Very carefully, spread the petals to remove their seeds and stem, making them hollow on the inside
3. Fill the inside of the zucchini blossom with burrata, just enough to plump it up but not too much so that you can still close the blossom and wrap the petals around one another to seal it shut.
4. In a bowl mix together whole wheat flour, a pinch of salt and just enough Tonic water to make the mixture a thick batter consistency.
5. Heat vegetable oil over high heat in a skillet. To test if oil is hot enough you can drop a pink nail of batter. The batter should sizzle up and rise to the top.
6. Dredge the stuffed blossoms in the batter and gently lay them into the hot oil.
7. When you see edges turn golden brown, flip over.
8. After about 1-2 minutes on the second side, remove and set on a paper towel.
9. Sprinkle with kosher salt and serve warm.

Now, what to do with the actual zucchinis? Slice and saute with garlic, salt and pepper, and sliced mushrooms and add to a pizza!

Restraurant Review: Fish.

2012-01-29T11:48:00.000-05:00

Fish is hands down one of my top 5 Bay Area restaurants. A hidden hot spot at the end of a Sausalito harbor, the Fish Restaurant brings sustainable seafood to the masses all while supporting local fishermen, serving the best fish and chips west of the Mississippi, jamming to live music and... because we are in California, Fish makes some of the best guacamole and homemade chips I've had. After placing your order at the counter, you can join other excited eaters at communal wooden tables and benches perched on a large, outdoor porch with a constant sea breeze. The real attraction though isn't the peaceful view of sail boats, it's the freshest local fish made into unique daily specials. It's the large servings, fresh greens, chunky guacamole, the Winter Ceviche and the classic Po'Boy sandwich on San Francisco sourdough. It's the Tiburon Blonde served in a mason jar accompanying perfectly seasoned garlic bread. Expect a line of hungry people in windbreakers and hats:

Root beer float anyone? This is how it's done:

No trip to Fish is complete without ordering the chips and guacamole appetizer, which complements everything on the menu. Try saving this for the rest of your meal (they bring the dishes as they are ready) but a piece of fried fish tastes like heaven with some guac:

Feeling chilly? Warm up with a nice bowl of their minestrone (the e is silent BTW!) soup served with long shavings of Parmesan:

Below is The Crab Roll: a West Coast rendition of an East Coast favorite. Sweet Dungeness crab served on a toasted Torpedo roll with organic butter and chives and a heaping mound of shoestring fries and a pickle slice:

Below is Fish's fresh Alaskan Halibut fried fish, battered served with wedge potato chips and homemade tartar sauce. A jar of Anchor Stream beer, shining in the background like a sexy drummer to a rock band.

Next is Fish's Saigon salmon sandwich - grilled and marinated wild salmon served with a blend of fresh carrot, jalapeno, cilantro and a house made Vietnamese scallion ginger sauce all served on a toasted Acme torpedo roll. YUM.

A view of the outside porch:

Go for the food, stay for the friendly locals, laid back atmosphere and gorgeous sunsets.

Fish Restaurant
http://www.331fish.com/
350 Harbor Drive
Sausalito, California
415-331-FISH

Banana Date Muffins

2011-11-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

I love dates - especially Medjool dates. Like all fruits that naturally have a pit, dates taste much better if you purchase them with the pit still intact. Can you imagine buying a pitted avocado or a pitted peach? It wouldn't taste very good. Buy your dates with the pit and always sample before purchasing. Dates can look sweet and juicy on the outside and be raw and dry and on the inside. At the Sunday Farmer's Market in front of the civic center on Market and 7th, there is a woman who sells a variety of dates. I usually sample one of each variety and I always buy the Medjool ones. I guess I just feel I have to sample the others in case I am surprised to discover that they suddenly taste superior. Keep your dates refrigerated for up to two weeks. Otherwise freeze them. Dates are nature's energy snack. Add them to bananas and yogurt in a smoothie. Add them to bitter green salads with goat cheese. Add them to a bowl of oatmeal, a banana and peanut butter sandwich. Dates - the food and the activity - are versatile, so have fun with them. I bought a huge bag recently and when we had some super ripe bananas, I decided it was time to bake dates in the muffins. Because dates have so much natural sweetness, you can omit all other sugar.

Banana Date Muffins :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup flax meal
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup chopped walnuts
3 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps cinnamon
3 ripe bananas
2 cups Medjool dates, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup soy milk
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, butter two loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours, flax meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl mash the bananas, add in the mango chunks, dried cranberries, soy milk, eggs and almond extract. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until incorporated.
4. Spread the batter evenly into the loaf pans.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Cottage Cheese Blueberry Pancakes

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

This is one of my mom's favorite breakfasts. So I took her usual recipe and healthified it - not only are these healthy, but they are fluffy and delicious! Add any seasonal fruit. Get a glass of OJ and turn on some Keb'Mo' and fall in love with pancakes and his beautiful Blues music. The key to fluffy pancakes is all in the prep. Get the batter fluffy like D.J. McFlufster when it's in the bowl and your pancakes will be light and wonderful when they are on the plate.

Ingredients:

3 eggs separated

1/2 pinch cream of tartar

8 ounces low fat cottage cheese

Pinch salt

1/3 cup whole wheat flour

Lemon zest

Blueberries (As many as you want!)

Directions:

1. Crack dem eggs putting the egg whites in a mixing bowl and the yolks in a side bowl. Using an electric mixer or a really strong arm, beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Show those eggs whites what your made of!

2. Combine the cream of tartar, cottage cheese, salt and flour in bowl.
3. Add the egg yolks to the cottage cheese - flour mixture and combine.
4. Fold in the egg whites, lemon zest and blueberries.
5. Grease a pan with a little bit of canola oil and fry the pancakes like regular pancakes. When you start to see those little holes on top and the bottom edges turning golden, flip the pancake. I recommend turning on the oven to the lowest heat so you can keep the pancakes warm while you make the entire batter. Serve with syrup and fresh fruit.

So fluffy!

Portland's Food Truck Noshery

2011-11-06T23:22:00.001-05:00

Entering the 'D- Street Noshery'

The food truck movement in Portland, has become the focal communal dining experience. Like a new age version of Singapore's crowded hawker centers - this 'D- Street Noshery' is a buzzing place with hippies, hipsters and spirit charmers enjoying warm meals on communal wooden tables. I know food trucks are all the rave right now - but I hope this is one fad that is here to stay. The startup cost is minimal, compared to a restaurant, so more folks who are good cooks can share their food with us. In addition, it encourages communal eating and experimentation. I mean, we are more likely to try a new dish from a truck than a fancy restaurant. Each pint size truck at the Noshery was creatively decorated to match the theme of the food being served.

Billie sitting in front of the adorable 'Pie Spot' Winnabego.

'Pie Spot' was serving pie holes! If a donut hole married a cobbler, they would have baby pie holes....and sell them for $3.50 a pop. Flavors included lemon, apple, s'more, and pecan pie holes! The lovely lady behind the counter told us that her menu changes seasonally. I LOVE the sea foam green color of her darling pie mart. Thinking strategically, my mom, sister and I split up to each grab some grub from a different truck. We'd share our findings under the white tent and enjoy our last warm evening in Portland. I chose to get my meal from the Samba Shack. The brightly colored truck, pictured below, was serving up hot plates of Brazilian goodness.

The motifs painted on all sides of the truck took me to a tropical place with reggae in the background. My meal was delicious. Pictured below on a bed of aromatic Jasmin rice, it was fragrant slices of chard, sautéed with white onion, beans, and a sort of sweet fried yuca flour. Warm, vegan, perfect.

To swallow it all down I also got a delicious Acai smoothie, which could have been a meal all by itself. Thick and chunky and naturally packed with super antioxidants - the perfect sweet energy drink.

My sister got delicious Korean tacos from the truck KOI Fusion. Spicy, fresh, crunchy, fabulous. The beef and spicy tofu tacos are pictured below:

My mom got macaroni and cheese from Herb's Mac & Cheese that was disappointingly mediocre. Perhaps it was just an 'off' day for Herb.

There were other trucks that we didn't try - but should I find myself in Portland again, I will certainly go back and while I enjoy trying new things, I'd probably opt for the Samba Shack's Brazilian mash up once more.

D-Street Noshery
3221 South East Division Street
Portland, Oregon

Fig & Prosciutto Piza

2011-10-23T02:20:00.000-04:00

Growing up we had a huge fig tree in our backyard. I though figs were disgusting until I was about 17. The first time I had proper prosciutto was last summer, while working at Cefalicchio. It goes without saying that this is a new combination for me. My roommate, Mallika, came home from a meal at the nearby, Ironside, raving about this fig and prosciutto pizza she had there. Figs are in season. I was having some friends over for dinner - and so this pizza worked it's way onto the menu. I didn't have the exact ingredients, but I reckon this combination is so good that it is difficult to mess up.

Fig & Prosciutto Pizza

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat dough

8 ounces Gorgonzola cheese

6 fresh purple figs

balsamic vinegar

2-3 ounces Prosciutto

1 handful fresh arugula

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle cornmeal on baking pan. Place rolled out dough on pan. Poke holes all over the place with a fork. Drizzle dough with olive oil. Bake for about 7-9 minutes. This is just the pre-bake to firm up the dough and get it prepped.
3. While dough is baking, slice the figs into 1/2-1" slices. Place in a bowl and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Flip the fig slices with a fork or butter knife to coat with the balsamic vinegar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
4. When crust is pre-baked with pockets of golden loveliness. Sprinkle ALL the Gorgonzola on the crust. Layer the prosciutto on the cheese. Then place the fig slices on top. Bake for 7ish minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, place fresh arugula on top. Slice and serve with a glass of red wine and Van Morrison playing in the background.

Van Morrison's 'Into the Mystic'

We were born before the wind

Also younger than the sun

Ere the bonnie boat was won

As we sailed into the mystic

California Tacos

2011-09-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

I love tacos. I love being creative with them and amping them up with new, unexpected ingredients. Inspired by Aaron's incredible Korean/Californian tacos - I decided to try something different than the usual tacos. I made a quick trip to the wonderful Mi Pueblo supermarket in San Rafael to pick up cheap ripe avocados, 10 limes for a buck (haven't seen that since my days of China Town in NYC!) and a few other seasonal staples. A few hours later and with a hungry mom and sister waiting at the table - I laid out the spread for these California Tacos. Why California? Because I can't figure out where else they would be from!

California Tacos

I serve these with whole wheat flat bread tortillas (low carb, high fiber - sorry if this sounds like an infomercial - but Trader Joe's has some excellent low cal tortillas!)

Ingredients + Directions:

Cabbage salad:
2 cups red cabbage, shredded to extract the juices
3 carrots grated
2 corn ears - husked
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons apple juice
half a lime - juiced
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, mix to combine, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Arugula Pesto
2 cups arugula
6 cloves garlic - mashed in a mortar and pestle
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup walnuts
lemon juice

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste.

Tofu Pieces:
Tofu chopped into rectangles
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Ground pepper

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Place the tofu rectangles on the skillet. Sprinkle with garlic powder and ground pepper. Fry for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Guacamole
2 avocados
1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley
1/3 white onion, chopped
1 ear corn, husked
1/2 lime juiced

You know the guacamole drill. Prepare and combine :)

Jumbo Garlic & Jerky Galore ~ Oregon Coast

2011-09-18T23:31:00.000-04:00

On the drive back from Cannon Beach, Oregon - we were craving blackberries and kept pulling over to road side stands along the one lane highway to check out their produce. We ended up pulling into a gem of a roadside stand. It had over 60 different kinds of locally made jerkys, JUMBO garlic (pictured above) and some brightly colored and sweet berries. I truly think that when traveling, the greatest finds are the least expected and more usually than not - they end up finding you. This nameless roadside stand with no actual address off of Sunset Highway 26 was a sample of what the green and lush state of Oregon has to offer in the world of produce.

Berries for the car ride to Portland.

Jerky anyone?

Beef-n-cheese - the trucker's favorite:

Dehydrator Diaries ~ Apple Rings!

2011-09-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

I recently bought a Nesco home dehydrator. It arrived, I was excited, and then it sat in its box next to our washing machine for a little over a month. I was beginning to think it was an impulse buy that would never be used. Then one day my roommate, Nichole, came home with a box full of green apples from a farm. There were so many that it seemed like little apple elves were coming in the night and replenishing the box. Nichole made a whole feast for her friends centered around the apple, she froze them, made some into apple butter and then we pulled out the dehydrator. This is the first of many Dehydrator Diaries:

We've been experimenting with different thickness of apples slices for dehydration and Nichole prefers thinly sliced apples that dehydrate into chips and I prefer thicker slices that dehydrate into rings.

Apples Rings & Chips

Ingredients:
For rings: Slice apples into 1/4" - 1/2" thick pieces
For chips: Slice apples into paper thin pieces

Directions:
1. Place apple slices evenly on dehydrator trays.

2. Turn temperature to 145 degrees Farenheit
3. Dry apple rings for 6-9 hours

Enjoy!

A Sausalito Soiree

2011-09-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

My good friend's, Yasemin's, parents - Erhan & Sema - just moved to Sausalito and they had us over for a 4th of July BBQ. They have a gorgeous place looking out over the bay - it truly is an ever changing painting. This is a picture from their dining room:

The last time I saw Sema and Erhan was at their gorgeous home in Bodrum, southern Turkey. In Turkey, Erhan prepared delicious barbequed kebabs, fish, and incredible home made burgers. I will have to digup those pictures at some point to share the mouth-watering Turkish food. But now, 4th of July BBQ in Sausalito. As appetizers we had a selection of freshly prepared salsa, a sour-cream based dip to offset the spice of the salsa, and a fantastic guacamole:

As a main course, Erhan barbequed an area of foods, pictured below from left to right: jumbo shrimp, chicken drumsticks, kefta and lamb.

Here is Erhan - introducing the spread....

..which also included perfectly roasted vegetables...

And a sweet barbecued fruit salad of pineapples, mangoes and apples.

As a party favor, Erhan made me a take-home bowl of homemade apricot jam! It was delicious and good thing I had a spoon for the long bus ride home :)

Tesekkurler Sema & Erhan!

Camping + Pulled Pork Burgers = Happiness

2011-09-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

There are certain environments that are made for particular foods. Ice cream always tastes great at the beach. S'mores are made for bonfires. And - pulled pork burgers are pretty much the best camping food ever. I recently went to Lake Tahoe on a wonderful, invigorating camping trip with some of my best friends. We are a gaggle of 7 gals and 4 guys. Here's a little bedazzled picture of us:

And here is our Neutrogena ad on the water:

Pictured above is the 2nd best pulled pork I've had after the delicacy at Brooklyn's Fette Sau. After a full day of hanging at Emerald Beach and an uphill hike to our camp site. Ezra, one of crew prepared these divine burgers pictured above, and a sinful grilled cheese version pictured below:

The pork was marinated begining on Wednesday. Then frozen on Thursday and Friday and slowly defrosted on Saturday to be simmered in a pot Saturday evening.

The buns were warmed on the other burner. Just because you are camping doesn't mean you have to have burgers on cold buns!

The final creations were served in fast-food style cardboard boats with a simple cold and crunch coleslaw. Camping will never be the same :)

Music & Ice Cream Powered by Biking!

2011-09-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

I recently biked to the San Francisco Bicycle Music Festival - a gathering of music and bike enthusiasts who all have an inner (or outer) hippy that needs to get out and dance bare foot every once and a while. There is something to be said for working for your entertainment and food. At this festival, everything - EVERYTHING - was powered by folks on bikes. Anyone could volunteer to bike for 15 min to an hour on the generator that kept the sound system going. Then when you tired of that, you just skip on over to the ice cream and smoothie station and hop on the creamsicle colored bike to make some smooth and creamy ice cream. Pictured above is my cup of ice cream and in the background is the bike on a stationary platform that is powering the ice cream churner sitting next to the handle bars.

I love San Francisco

Powering the music on bike and a paper mache tree - no big deal.

Flowers at my Dad's house...

Eu Amo o Brasil ~ Figueira Rubaiyat

2011-09-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

I fell in love with Sao Paulo, Brazil this past May. I had the best lunch of my life and it was the first day of Geeks on a Plane South America. Upon arriving in Sao Paulo after 17 hours of transit, we went to the world renowned Figueira Rubaiyat. One of my coworkers, Bedy Yang, had organized an impressive 'welcome lunch' that will be impossible to top. We had no idea what was in store for us as we were flying into Sao Paulo....

This restaurant is ranked number 4 in Sao Paulo which has more restaurants than New York City! The design of the restaurant is stunning. It is built around an old fig tree - Figueira means fig tree. The ambient here is really upscale, unique and memorable. This is an expensive restaurant but well worth the price as it is not just a meal - but rather an entire experience. Here is a picture taken from the entrance of the restaurant:

The bar was gorgeous. Long wooden shelves with warm colored bottles and a huge vase with impressive fuscia orchids and hibiscus flowers. Our lunch was in the private backroom but if I recommend trying to get a seat in the jardin, beneath the fig tree and having a drink at this bar while you wait for your table.

Welcome to Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is Geeks on a Plane with incredible cuisine all along the way...

The tables settings were unique and gorgeous. Bread displayed like vintage books...

The experience began with a small plate of warm Brazilian cheese balls - Portuguese cheese puffs brought to the table. They were soft and uniformly golden to perfection

As soon as we all sat down, waiters promptly brought out white plates of superb antipastos. There were small marinated Bocconcini, roasted heirloom tomatoes with pesto sauce, thick slabs of grilled summer squash with pesto, marinated mangoes and peppers, and slices of spicy Sopresetta. The colors and flavors were all beautiful, vibrant and went together magnificently.

As a main course we were served large cuts of delicious tender, medium rare Kobe beef with a side of roasted olive oil potatoes. I am normally not a big meat-eater - but I decided to indulge when in South America and I'm very happy I did!

As an alternative to meat you could have the fish dish cooked in a cast iron skillet with a tomato vera cruz sauce and basil and cheese broiled on top.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the meal was the 20 foot long dessert buffet. Complete with freshly cut fruit, flans, tarts, cakes, dulce de leche, puddings, crumbles - this was a table of heaven on Earth.

Here is a plate of my dessert selections (I seriously love buffets). The small yellow round in the upper right corner is a traditional Portuguese egg custard tart. There are pieces of grilled fruit, peaches and plums, a square of heavenly flan and a dulce de leche custard tart.

Just in case a dessert buffet was not enough - an additional tray was brought to each table with an assortment of chocolates, cookies, and sweet delicacies. By this time, all the Geeks had fallen into a food coma...let the adventures begin.

Figueira Rubaiyat

Rua Haddock Lobo, 1738 - Jd. Paulista - Sao Paulo

Reservations recommended

Aaron's Central Coast Tacos. DELICIOUS

2011-09-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

One of my best friends, Erica, recently returned from Thailand and she came over with a friend she met there - Aaron for dinner one evening. Apparently Aaron had been talking about these 'Korean Tacos' (we renamed them Central Coast Tacos - because there is more about them that is 'Central Coast' rather than Korean) for a while - so there was a lot of excitement to try these. These tacos are ridiculous. Probably the best chicken tacos I've ever had. Aaron said he has been working on perfecting this recipe for a while and he hopes to one day open a food truck. I will be one of the first in line. These tacos are fresh and flavorful. The slaw has the perfect amount of tang to constrast the mildly spicy chicken. And the pesto ties it all together. Served on a fluffy whole grain tortilla - these tacos are nothing less than divine. Here is a picture of Aaron and Erica :)

(Insert cheesy line here) - Aaron's creation really puts the TAsty in TAcos.

Korean BBQ Chicken Tacos

1. Buy or Roast 1 chicken and shred it by hand into a pot

2. Pour Korean BBQ Sauce (see recipe below) over the chicken and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken has absorbed most the sauce.

3. Turn off heat.

Korean BBQ Sauce:

3/8 cup or 6 tbsp of Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (to your taste)

2 tbsp sesame oil

Asian Slaw

Shred a head of cabbage

Shred 1 or 2 carrots

Chop a bunch of green onions

Mix together in a bowl

Pour Dressing (see below) over the slaw

Mix every 2 minutes about 5 times

Let sit until ready to eat (at least 5 or 10 minutes)

Dressing

3/4 cup olive oil (extra light if possible)
1/4 cup white sugar (or a little less)
3/8 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Lemon Pesto
4 to 6 oz pesto
1/4 cup lemon juice (personal preference, do it by taste)
*Note - Can either stir or blend together depending on the type of pesto.

Tortillas

2-3 small fresh flour tortillas or gorditas per person (fluffier tortillas are better)
*Note - Recipe serves about between 10 and 12 small tortillas

Putting it all together

Heat flours tortillas, put season chicken on, put slaw on, put a spoonful of lemon pesto on.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

2011-09-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

For one of my best friend's, Maxine's, 24th birthday - we had a big birthday feast at my apartment and one of the main dishes were these 'assemble-your-own' Thai lettuce wraps. My first experience with lettuce wraps was in 2005 at the Cheesecake Factory. I'd say that the lettuce wraps are on par with the cheesecake at this chain. Crisp cold wedges of iceberg lettuce holding a warm tofu or chicken mixture and an assortment of freshly grated vegetables. These are also a healthy and delicious party food that is easy to prepare - the majority of the work is in prepping all the ingredients. Thai lettuce wraps should be served with an assortment of sauces. We hat a sweet and sour peach chili sauce, a hot chili sauce and a smoky Thai peanut sauce. Here is the birthday girl with her lettuce wrap:

Thai Lettuce Wraps
(Serves 8)

Ingredients:
1 head of iceberg lettuce
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 thumb-size pieces of ginger, minced
2 red chilis minced
1 cup firm tofu, sliced into matchsticks
1 cup cooked chicken
2 carrots, grated
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 eggs
1 cup shredded red cabbage
6 green onions, sliced into matchsticks
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Canola oil

Toppings:
1 bunch of Thai basil, thinly sliced
1 cup peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions:
1. Pour oil into a wok over medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger and chili. Stir-fry for one minute until fragrant.
2. Add the chicken, carrots, cabbage and green onions. As you stir fry add the lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce. Add in the tofu, toss to coat with the sauces and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
3. Push the ingredients to the side of the wok and crack the eggs into the wok. Stir-fry quickly to break the yolk. Mix in with the other ingredients.
4. Remove from heat and do a taste test. This is one of the most important parts about preparing stir-fry. If it is too salty add in additional ingredients to absorb the sauce, if it needs more punch - add in a little more lime or fish sauce.
5. Cut off the stem part of the iceberg lettuce and separate the leaves.
6. Place leaves on a dish, stir-fry filling in a separate dish, sauces in small bowls, and any additional toppings on a plate (i.e. sliced cucumbers, bean sprouts, basil, crushed peanuts, lime wedges). Enjoy!

Ka Chi & Mushroom Medley

2011-09-06T00:15:00.000-04:00

One sunny Sunday in June my mom and I went to the San Francisco Free Folk Festival at Presidio Middle School. This progressive school has hallways covered with thought provoking and inspirational posters and quotes. It's uplifting to be a space like this - doesn't it seem that our offices and work place should be similarly decorated? I feel that we would all benefit tremendously to look up and see posters of outer space explorations, quotes from Martin Luther King, hand drawn book covers. Aside from the welcoming halls of this Middle School - every other classroom had musicians jamming inside. There was the peaceful Irish Jam Room with fiddlers, violinists and flutists taking you over the rolling green hills of Irish countryside. There were old men and women teaching Contra dancing in one room. An all women's a capella group taking you back to their rowdy nights in the 60's with funny lyrics and saucy moves. But, our favorite performance was Ka Chi, an impressive artist and musician performing in the auditorium. His music is a mixture of Acoustic/Indie/Neo-Soul but he is so much more than these categories....His voice is incredibly soothing and natural. His lyrics are so moving they make your heart calm and your soul come alive...

After being taken to that alternate reality that only live music can take you - we went to the wonderful market on 22nd Avenue and Irving for cheap and fresh produce. Mushrooms were on sale so we bought oyster mushrooms, button mushrooms, shitaki mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, some bok choy and tofu. Back at my apartment I whipped up this soothing mushroom medley. Not as wonderful as Ka Chi's music. But on a Sunday evening, as the fog rolls in - this warm meal tasted perfect.

Mushroom Medley
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 small bunch Oyster mushrooms
1 small bunch Button mushrooms
1 small bunch Enoki mushrooms
1 small bunch Shitaki mushrooms
1 cup tofu, cut into small rectangle cubes
1 bunch Bok choy
2 servings Quinoa
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon ginger sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Olive oil
Garlic powder

Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the box.
2. Pour some olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, add the minced garlic. When garlic is fragrant, add the tofu rectangles. Drizzle a dash of fish sauce and oyster sauce on the tofu and cook until the edges are brown and the tofu has a nice golden tan. This makes the outside nice and textured! Set aside.

3. Add the mushrooms to the pan, pour the remaining sauces over the mushrooms and saute until they are all coated evenly and soften - about 5-7 minutes. Add the bok choy and saute for just 1-2 minutes more until it softens but does not become overly limp.
4. Turn the heat to low and add in the tofu, sprinkle the garlic powder and sesame seeds over your dish and gently toss to incorporate the sesame seeds. Serve in bowls over a bed of quinoa.

Restaurant Review: Plant - Best Veggie Burger Ever

2011-09-05T00:48:00.000-04:00

One recent sunny Saturday I met my Aunt Sue at the healthy, organic and inviting restaurant/cafe, Plant, on the Embarcadero. This place is most well known for its fresh fruit and vegetable juices however the array of filling feel-good happy foods on its menu should not be overlooked. We started with a delicious salad (pictured above) made with wile arugula, grapefruit wedges, avocado, shaved fennel and a creamy black pepper - m macadamia nut dressing. It had the richness of cheese, but it was completely vegan. The ingredients were crisp and fresh tasting. As a main course I had the superb, and trademarked (I'm not kidding), PLANT BURGER:

It's a house-made veggie burger made from lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews and bulgar wheat. The Plant Burger is served with roasted onion, lettuce, tomato relish, aioli and a generous side of mixed greens. Unlike most veggie burgers, it was not dense and dry but rather moist and textured like a real beef burger. Served on whole grain bread, this is truly a happy and healthy lunch. In addition to the salad and burger above we shared the salad pictured below with roasted red beets, toasted walnuts, goat cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette.

I highly recommend a lunch at this restaurant. You can sit along the water and have lovely teas and juices as you wait for a thoughtfully prepared and delivered meal with local ingredients. Reservations are recommended.

The Plant Cafe & Restaurant

Pier 3, The Embarcadero

San Francisco, California

415 984 1973

Healthy Blueberry Bites

2011-08-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

I think that mini muffins are a very American comfort food. Who doesn't love to see these bite size goodies at home, work or a party. These ones are more breakfast / energy muffins than dessert muffins. Made with complete healthy ingredients and blueberries for sweetness. These blueberry bites taste great with almond butter or apricot jam. These recipe is adapted from the wonderful kid's cookbook Healthy Yummies of Young Tummies.

Healthy Blueberry Bites

Makes 28 mini bites

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup oat bran

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs whites, lightly beaten

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup safflower oil

1 3/4 cups soy milk

2 cups frozen blueberries

Pumpkin seeds for garnish

Directions:

1. Lightly butter the mini muffin tins.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

3. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat the eggs whites, honey, oil and soy milk. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring until moistened.

4. Fold in the blueberries.

5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top.

6. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until lightly browned - Enjoy!

Isabel & La Mar in Santiago, Chile - Top Ten Meal!

2011-08-21T03:41:00.001-04:00

During Geeks on a Plane South America I had the amazing experience of being taken out to La Mar Cebicheria in Santiago. The meal was superb and I was SO HAPPY to have one of my best friends, Isy/Isabelita, join us! It had been about a year since we last saw each other and to meet at a top restaurant in her current home town was absolutely wonderful. Here is a picture of Isy and I followed by a group shot of all the Geeks at La Mar Cebicheria in Santiago, Chile.

As you read through this post you may want to refer to the gastronomic dictionary on the global La Mar website. Our experience began with authentic Chilean Pisco Sours - the national drink - although many will say the origin of the drink is Peruvian. A Pisco Sour is a cocktail containing Pisco, lemon juice, egg whites, simple syrup and bitters. These drinks are strong and delicious and not too sweet:
Because we were out to dinner with a couple of Peruvians who took this meal very seriously - they took control of all the food ordering. They ordered the best dishes! The seafood was all freshly caught, the flavors simple using few ingredients but very obviously high quality ingredients. Everything tasted fresh, delicious and extremely flavorful. Our meal began with a mix of Kennebec potato, sweet potato and plantain chips served with a selection of sauces - huancaina and rocoato sauce. I am not sure what the third sauce is here:

Next, and perhaps my favorite part of the meal was the chef's sample tasting of cebiches! Cebiche is the national dish of Peru. The tasting included 5 different kinds of cebiche served in generous shot glasses. They included:

Cebiche Clásico - Halibut in a leche de tigre with red onion, habanero, Peruvian corn and yam
Cebiche Mixto - Yellow tail, calamari, shrimp in a aji amarlio leche de tigre with cilantro, red onion, Peruvian corn and yam
Cebiche Chalaco - Yellow tail, mussles, clams, scallop, shrimp, red onion, cilantro in a rocoto leche de tigre
Cebiche Carretillero - Yellow tail, shrimp, mussels, clams, celery, red onion cilantro, cancha and habanero in a classic leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam
Cebiche Nikei - Tuna, red onion, japanese cucumber, daikon, avocado, nori and sesame in a tamarind leche de tigre

Next up we had a plate with a different kind of cebiche. In this photo you can see how Peruvian corn is so much larger and plump than American corn:

Next we had these delicious freshly caught white fish (I don't remember if it was tuna or yellow tail) served with thinly sliced red onion, Peruvian corn, and a sweet potato puree.

After three course of cebiche and faw fish we had a selection of causas. Causas are a combination of whipped potatoes topped with seafood and vegetarian combinations. We got a chef's causas tasting which included:

Causa Limeñ - Dungeness Crab on top of a yellow potato causa with avocado purée, quail egg, cherry tomatoes, ají amarillo Huancaína sauce and basil cilantro oil
Causa Nikei - Tuna tartar and avocado purée on top of whipped purple potato with creamy rocoto Huancaína sauce topped with Japanese nori
Causa Camaró - Sweet and spicy poached shrimp and fried onions on top of purple potato with leche de tigre aiol
Causa Caser - Yellow potato causa, artichokes, asparagus, avocado and tomato conﬁt with basil cilantro oil

Next we had a divine octopus skewer over a pureed yuca with Peruvian corn, spicy panchita and rocoto sauce:

Next we had the main course which was steak literally covered with french fries and served with a mound of rice mixed with Peruvian corn. This was delicious. Served with roasted tomatoes and onions. Carbo overload yes but it was very satisfying.

Finally for dessert we had these sweet potato and pumpkin fritters served with a spiced honey sauce.

La Mar Cebicheria

Santiago, Chile

N. Costanera 3922, Vitacura. t. 207839

Summer Peach Crumble

2011-08-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

To end the perfect meal for Create a Farmer's Market Feast we made a delicious peach cobbler with incredible yellow peaches from K&J Orchards. At the Farmer's Market, we met with Amboon, the warm and vivacious daughter of the farmers. She shared with us her knowledge of all the different types of peaches along with samples and explanations of how to use the variety of peaches. We learned that it is a bad idea to cook with white peaches as they turn too mushy and lose their peachy taste. The best peaches for cobblers and crumbles are yellow ones. Here is a picture of Amboon telling us about her wonderful peaches!

I served this peach crumble with a delicious coconut milk green tea ice cream. It was a beautiful contrast in flavor and texture.

Ingredients:
2.5 pounds yellow peaches, cut into wedges
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 stick butter, chopped
Lemon juice
Cinnamon

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the peach wedges in a glass baking dish.
2. Sprinkle the peaches with cinnamon and lemon juice. Gently toss to just coat.
3. In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, almonds, oats, salt and butter to get a nice even crumble topping mixture.
4. Place the topping on the peaches, sprinkle with some more cinnamon. Bake for 25 minutes.

Summer Salad with Grilled Shrimp

2011-08-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

As main course at our Farmer's Market Feast we had a delicious summer salad of all local ingredients and juicy grilled shrimp. This was as simple and delicious meal that definitely tied all the pieces together. Here is a photo of the gang with our meal sitting on our deck:

For this salad the mixed greens were from Heirloom Organic Farms in Hollister. We met with David from the farm who was very knowledgeable about all the different types of greens and shared samples with us of various flowers and furry greens. The large summer tomatoes and crisp cucumbers in our salad were from Capay Farms, our avocados were from the kind Will of Brokaw Nursey in Ventura County. The shrimp was from San Francisco Fish Company at the Ferry Building. We had a simple tangy lime and sesame dressing to tie together the shrimp and bitter greens.

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2.5 pounds uncooked shrimp, peeled and divined

2 ears corn
3 small tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
2/3 large cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 large avocado, thinly sliced
8 cups loosely packed mixed greens

2 tablespoons mint leaves
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ground pepper
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Directions:
1. Mix the chili garlic sauce, cumin, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add in the shrimp and toss to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Heat olive oil on medium high heat on a skillet. Add half the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes or until done. Use tongs and transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the corn ears in the water for 5 minutes then run under cold water. Remove the kernels from the ears with a sharp knife.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the lime juice, rice vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and pepper.
5. In a large salad bowl, place the mixed greens, corn, tomato wedges, avocado, cucumber and mint. Place a few pieces of grilled shrimp on top and drizzle the dressing over the salad. Enjoy!

Chickpea Flatbread

2011-08-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

As part of my Farmer's Market Feast we created a flat bread made with chickpea flour instead of all purpose flour. This is a gluten free, healthy and flavorful substitute for traditional flat bread. My original idea for this came from the chickpea pizzas that were all over Northern Italy. We had this flat bread with simple cheese and herb toppings, but this can easily be the base for a tomato sauce and actual pizza toppings. For this I used Bob Mill's chickpea flour and rosemary from the the street side planter boxes on Brannan Street between 2nd and Delancy. As a topping we used grated Capricious Goat Cheese from the Achadinha Cheese Company in Petaluma.

Ingredients:
2 cups chickpea flour
1/2 plus 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 cups water, divided
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
9 tablespoons olive oil, divided
9 tablespoons capricious goat cheese, grated
Ground pepper
Garlic powder
Za'tar

Directions:

1. Sift the chickpea flour and salt into a large bowl.

2. Gradually add 1 cup of water, whisking until smooth.

3. Whisk in the remaining water. Add in the rosemary. Let mixture stand for 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the broiler.
5. Drizzle a large non-stick oven proof skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Pour 1/3 of the batter into the skillet. Drizzle with more olive oil. Cook until the top is almost set - about 4 minutes. Pierce the bubble with a knife.
6. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of grated cheese and sprinkle some ground pepper. Here you can sprinkle on the garlic powder and za'tar if you want.
7. Place skillet in broiler until golden - about 4-5 minutes. Slide onto a platter or cutting board and cut into wedges.

Grilled Zucchini Roll Ups

2011-08-13T19:10:00.002-04:00

I recently created a profile on the awesome new startup, Vayable, to start giving "Farmer's Market Feasts" to travelers, explorers, foodies. For the first time I did it - we had a menu of grilled zucchini roll ups, chickpea flat bread, summer salad with grilled shrimp, and peach crumble with green tea ice cream. All the ingredients were sourced from local farmers. These were our appetizers and they were an off shoot from previously made eggplant rolls. As a vegan alternative, you could swap the cheese for soft tofu. Alternatively you could add slices of prosciutto to these before rolling them up. Our zucchinis were from Capay farms, the herb cheese mixture was made with fresh goat cheese from Laura Chenel's Chevre in Sonoma County and the herbs were from Dirty Girl Farms in Santa Cruz.

Ingredients:

4-5 small zucchinis, cut into 1/4 inch slices

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 pinch salt

Black pepper

4 ounces fresh goat cheese

2 tablespoons minced parsley

2/3 cup basil leaves

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

1. 1. Heat the grill

2.. 2. Drizzle olive oil on the zucchini slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper

2. 3. Grill the zucchini slices for about 2-3 minutes per side so that they soften and get those nice grill marks. Set aside.

4. 4. In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, parsley and lemon juice.

5. Place a small mound of the cheese spread on one end of the zucchini. Place a basil leaf on top of the cheese, carefully roll up the zucchini around the cheese and basil leaf.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms...A la Cefalicchio

2011-06-30T11:43:00.000-04:00

One the my favorite things to eat while working at Cefalicchio was their fried zucchini flowers. A traditional Puglian dish - I was thrilled to find the bright, delicate zucchini blossoms at the Embarcadero Farmer's Market. These are delicious, simple, and...well...addictive. If you don't eat cheese, you can stuff these with soft tofu.

Fried Zucchini Blossoms

Ingredients:
1 bunch of zucchini blossoms
Cheese curds
Goat Cheese
Feta cheese
Whole wheat flour
Soda water
Sea salt
Vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Gently wash the zucchini blossoms and lay out on a dish cloth to dry. Carefully open the leaves and remove the stamen.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat.
3. Put the flour in a bowl. Slowly pour in the seltzer water until you have a thick but smooth consistency.
4. Gently stuff the zucchini blossoms with the variety of cheeses. I prefer to not mix the cheeses, but use one cheese type per blossoms. Holding the stuffed blossom by the top of the petals, lather them them in the flour-soda batter.
5. Place the battered and stuffed zucchini blossom in the piping hot oil. It should fry on each side for about 30 - 45 seconds. When lightly golden on each side, remove and place on a paper towel or dish cloth. Sprinkle with salt. Enjoy!

Nichole's Garlicky Pesto

2011-06-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

My roommate, Nichole, recently made a delicious and very garlicky pesto spread. Delicious with steak, on crackers and certainly far superior to any store bought pesto. I'd love to have this on angel pasta with shrimp and cheese. Nichole's pesto is loosely based on this pesto recipe - with significant substitutions due to ingredient availabilities. Because this pesto has a rather strong garlic under tone, I recommend eating it with a light whipped cheese, sweet tomato slices, avocado or tangerine. I think the pesto was perfect however Nichole did say that if she makes this again, she would add a dash of fresh lemon juice.

Nichole's Garlicky Pesto

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons goat cheese
1/8 cup almonds
Dash of salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.