Gazpacho Base

What better time to make a batch of piquant, refreshing gazpacho? You don't have to be a raw foodist or a vegetarian to enjoy this delightful cold soup. But if you are a raw foodist and/or a vegan, this simple mix provides some fine meals.

Most gazpacho instructions call for pulverizing or pureeing the veggies, in a food processor or a blender, for the base. Early this summer, I read a different approach developed in the Cook's Illustrated test kitchen, and I decided to give it a go this past weekend. I liked the results of dicing the vegetables instead of pureeing. I did give the bowl a couple of swirls with the immersion blender, to thicken up the juice before placing in the refrigerator, but left most of the diced vegetables in tact.

The recipe from Cook's makes about 3 quarts, 8 - 10 servings. You can easily halve the recipe, but the soup does keep well and the leftovers are just as good as the first time around.Ingredients: 3 ripe medium beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (about 4 cups)

2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into slices then into 1/4 inch cubes (about 2 cups)

2 small cucumbers, peeled and seeded and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (about 2 cups)

1/2 small sweet onion, peeled and minced (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (about 2 teaspoons)

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/3 cup sherry vinegar

freshly ground pepper to taste

5 cups tomato juice

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional) or

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (optional)

8 ice cubes

Directions: Combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, garlic, salt, vinegar and pepper in a large (at least 4 quart) non-reactive bowl. Let stand until the vegetables just begin to release their juices, about 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tomato juice *, hot pepper sauce, if using, and ice cubes. Cover tightly and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 4 hours and up to 2 days.

To serve: Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper and remove and discard any unmelted ice cubes. Serve cold, drizzling each portion with 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil and topping with desired garnishes.

Traditionally, diners garnish gazpacho with more of the same diced vegetables that are in the soup. Additional garnish possibilities include garlic croutons, chopped pitted black olives, or finely diced avocados. With this treatment, so chock full of nicely diced vegetables, I served it as is, without garnishes or olive oil. Serving the soup in chilled bowls adds a nice finishing touch, too.

* I used a quart of Knudsen's organic vegetable juice in place of the tomato juice called for.

With fresh, garden tomatoes coming into season across the country, this is a terrific dish to prepare. Dicing the produce doesn't take much time and the results are worth every minute.

Till next time. . . To eat well; eat raw!

I've been so immersed in the podcasts from the Raw Food World Summit for the past two weeks. Listening to a wide variety of personalities, all with compelling stories to tell of how they became involved with a raw food diet, and how making that change has affected their lives, health and happiness.

This awesome endeavor, gathering so many notable raw food enthusiasts and authorities sharing their insights and experiences, has been an education par excellence and the tuition can't be beat— it was FREE. Hey, I even caught up on all the ironing while I listened! Each speaker brought a different perspective to the table. Indeed, there was something for everyone.

I particularly enjoyed Dr. Doug Graham, and want to look further into his 80/10/10 System. I'm eager to read David Wolfe's books, Eating for Beauty and the Sunfood Diet Success System. Victoria Boutenko's talk was delightful. I'm a subscriber to the Raw Family Newsletter and can highly recommend her book, 12 Steps to Raw Food as a great place to get started.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Mike Adams from NewsTarget. It was Mike who steered me into the raw food scene. I've been a subscriber to his newsletter for quite some time. I appreciate the in-depth investigative reporting on health, drug and food issues. It was great to listen to him on the podcast.



I've been a whole foods, no processed foods, no synthetic chemicals, no artificial anything eater for years, but as I've aged, I've grown fat and sluggish. The high energy, mental clarity and effortless weight loss are just a few of the benefits of eating raw, organic food. The main reason to do it is to reverse or preferably, avoid deadly, debilitating diseases.

The carrot juice above along with this lovely, luscious plate of cukes with a mound of mixed veggies was today's lunch. The slaw is a combination of green and red cabbage, carrots, thinly sliced fennel, a Granny Smith apple cut into matchsticks, a few raisins to sweeten the pot and topped with a couple of tablespoons of snack sprouts. Lots of variety. Great textures. Nothing to bog me down for the afternoon.

Here are the other presenters in the Raw Food Summit podcasts. Do see Angela Stokes fabulous weight loss story. She lost 160 pounds! Dr. Gabriel Cousins is a world-renowned health authority. Happy Oasis is the calmest, most laid-back personality I've ever encountered. Check out The Raw Food Festival she's overseeing. I loved Richard Blackman's presentation and his no-nonsense approach. And there was Dorit, "Celebrating Our Raw Nature", Brendan Frazier, Matt Monarch, Brendan Cobb, Rhio and we wind up with Shazzie tonight.

Raw Food Summit surprised us with a couple of extra treats: Mark Perlmutter spoke about his upcoming documentary film, Raw For 30 Days, which I believe will be screened at the film festival in Osceola County this fall. Check out the trailer. Steve Prussack from Raw Vegan Radio was another bonus speaker. Check out the current episode.

Lots of excitement in the raw food world—lots of wonderful results. Imagine, just going back to eating the way nature intended, such a simple step offering such dramatic results.

Till next time . . . To Eat Well; Eat Raw!

A Dinner Salad

Take a close look at all the goodies tucked into this bowl of spinach. The ease of tossing together a great plate of food when eating raw, is one of the highlights of the program for me! Knowing that I'm feeding my body the best possible foods, with it all tasting so great and then having it be so easy, with so little prep work and so little clean-up, is just marvelous. This assumes, of course, plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand.

I'm still not 100% raw, and many of my readers certainly aren't even 25% raw, so I'll continue to provide vegetarian cooked foods along with some ideas for increasing the amount of raw food we eat by sharing the meals I make for myself or suggesting places to look for more ideas that comply with being on the path to vibrant health.

Snack Sprouts
This spinach salad has sliced spinach leaves, washed and spun dry. A few thin slices of red onion, a generous helping of snack sprouts, a tablespoon of chia seeds, a cup of fresh blueberries, a couple of tablespoons of raisins, and is dressed with a splash of raw apple cider vinegar(Bragg's) and a very light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toss well and enjoy. This salad is a perfect canvas for adding mango or pineapple chunks or even some citrus segments. You're only limited by your imagination and what you bought at the produce stand.

Till next time . . . to eat well; eat raw.

Salad in a Wrap

This light combination of tomato, cuke and lettuce has a secret punch. The whole wheat wrap has a light coating of organic, wasabi, soy mayonnaise. Simple, raw veggies make a quick lunch and with a little imagination offer a filling and satisfying meal. The sweet crunch of romaine topped with crisp slices of cucumber and juicy vine-ripened tomatoes becomes a wonderful sandwich filling. Adding a condiment with a bit of bite, brings this simple fare to a whole new level.

Asian Influence

Here's a quick veggie side dish or, in my case, main dinner course, with an oriental twist. Three young yellow squash, sliced, half a large vidalia onion, sliced; one clove of garlic, minced, two heads of Shanghai bok choy, sliced and half a cup of edamame. The veggies are cooked in layers.

In a large skillet, heat 1 TBS olive oil, when shimmering add the sliced onion, when it begins to soften, add the sliced squash and the sliced bottom portion of the tiny bok choy (reserve the soft green tops to cook last). Stir fry the vegetables until the squash and bok choy are fork tender and then toss in the minced garlic, reserved bok choy greens and edamame. Stir fry for 2 - 3 minutes. Finish with a dash of tamari, a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Till next time. . . keep on cooking.

Rawsome !

Lunch, with a big bowl of fresh greens, romaine and spinach enhanced with the bite of some thinly sliced red onion and crisp Kirby cucumber, sweetened with diced mango and blueberries, add a bit of crunch with a generous sprinkling of snack sprouts (adzuki, lentil and mung beans) as well as some raw sunflower seeds, then top it all off with crisp, crunchy sunflower greens. Zowee! How good can it get?

I dressed this bowl of raw food with a drizzle of fine extra virgin olive oil and a dash of Bragg's apple cider vinegar. Doing so veers from the discipline of true raw foodists but offers an alternative stage for those of us who want to eat better.

This bowl of green goodies was absolutely delicious—summer at its finest. While fresh, local produce is available, we should indulge at every opportunity. I didn't sprout my own sunflower greens. I purchased a container grown by Glaser Organic Farms in Miami, soil grown in natural sunlight, from Whole Foods.

The more I read and investigate, the more I'm convinced that taking responsibility for our health by what we eat and the lifestyle we choose, is the only way we can achieve vibrant health, avoid or overcome debilitating diseases, and enjoy an active, illness-free old age.

The Raw Food World Summit started 8/7 and continues via podcasts and teleseminars featuring some of the most internationally, notable raw food specialists—a fascinating, educational experience.

I also joined The Raw Divas Sisterhood, a great way to gain more knowledge, to interact with women, globally, who share the same goals: vibrant health, positive attitudes, fit, slim and mentally alert. Look into it!

Just adding more live, raw, organic foods into your daily diet will be a great first step in the right direction. Ironically, not only is it good for you — but it tastes good, too!

Till next time. . . To eat well, eat raw!

Just Picked

The soil, clinging to the base of these lovely heads of lettuce, was still damp this morning when I found them at the Orlando Farmers Market. As I headed home with my canvas bag filled with fresh goodies, dozens of possibilities swirled through my mind. The lettuce, briskly washed and rinsed and spun dry would provide the base for several crisp salads over the next day or two.

Freshly harvested lettuce like this, is rich in flavor, abundant in nutrients and can easily stand on its own, very lightly dressed or as an accompaniment to other fruits and vegetables.
The marvel of fresh produce is one doesn't have to spend hours concocting fancy sauces, adding a variety of herbs and spices to camouflage old, tired or stale produce that was picked halfway across the continent, warehoused, shipped across thousands of miles of highways, stored again, then finally transported to the produce section of my local supermarket. Produce involved in that scenario must not only be picked unripe, but must be treated with a variety of synthetic chemicals to allow it to be handled so much and still arrive unbruised and deceptively handsome and appealing. Ah, the marvels of modern technology.


Choosing locally grown, just picked produce not only offers better taste but provides better nutrition. With a fine bunch of Florida onions tucked in my canvas bag along with a head of crunchy celery and a fragrant Georgia pineapple, my list of possibilities kept expanding.


When a recipe calls for green onions, this is what comes to mind. Or as I like to think of them, giant scallions! But these are Florida onions, sweet and mild with just a bit of a bite to let you know that as lovely as they are, they are still onions, a favorite aromatic that adds such depth of flavor to so many dishes.

Without an image to include, let me tell you briefly about a fabulous spinach salad I tossed together. I was too eager to eat it to stop and think about shooting a photo for the blog!

SPINACH SALAD WITH FRESH PINEAPPLE

Wash and spin dry some baby spinach, stack, roll and slice (chiffonade). In a large serving bowl, toss spinach with pineapple segments, thinly sliced sweet onion, a generous handful of fresh blueberries and a handful of raw sunflower seeds, a light drizzle of very good extra virgin olive oil, a splash or two of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar. Slice two or three 1/4 inch thick coins of good French goat cheese, dice and toss over salad. This is especially good if the pineapple is very ripe and juicy.

Remember - To eat well; eat raw!

BOOK NOOK

I raced through a bevy of just released novels by popular authors during July. Some great entertainment!

Joyce Carol Oates . . . . . . The Gravedigger's Daughter

Robert Parker . . . . . . Spare Change

Louise Penny . . . . . . Still Life and A Fatal Grace

Pete Hamill . . . . . . North River

Jeffrey Deaver . . . . . Sleeping Doll

Thomas Perry . . . . . Silence

Ruth Rendell . . . . . The Water's Lovely

*********

Chard Burritos

This isn't a raw meal, but it is organic and vegetarian. And it's absolutely delicious. Rainbow chard is a dynamite veggie oft neglected and not often seen in produce departments of mainstream grocery stores. Farmer's markets, produce stands and chains like Whole Foods often feature this handsome green. I recently brought home a bundle and chose to follow Jack Bishop's suggestion for Chard burritos.

Jack comments that this is an excellent quick meal if one has leftover rice, but even with cooking fresh rice, this is an easy meal to assemble. I used my favorite Lundberg Farms' mahogany rice—that rich, chewy mix of dark brown and black rice. Jack's treatment calls for 2 cups of cooked white rice. I'm all about avoiding the deadly whites, though I do make an exception for Jasmine rice when making Thai curries. Using brown rice, or one of the dark rice combinations from Lundberg farms, offers more nutrition to this dish and a big bump up in flavor over bland white rice.

These burritos are great with fresh salsa but a good bottled one, like Green Mountain or Muir's would work well, too. The following recipe serves 4 as a main course. I used about half the quantities and made 3 generously filled small burritos.

Tomato-Chipotle Salsa
3 - 4 medium ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 small chipotle in adobo sauce, minced (about 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves (substitute cilantro or basil if desired)
salt

Chard Burritos
1 lb. chard, preferably rainbow chard, leaves washed, shaken dry to remove excess water.
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
salt to taste
4 large flour tortillas (about 12 inches - warmed one at a time in a large skillet)
2 cups cooked rice (from 2/3 cup raw)
1/4 cup sour cream.

For the salsa: combine the tomatoes, chile, oregano and salt to taste in a medium bowl and set aside.

For the burritos: With a chef's knife, separate the fleshy stalk from the green portion of each chard leaf. Trim the ends of the stalks and chop fine. Stack the leaves and slice them crosswise into 1/2 inch thick strips. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and chard stalks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chard leaves and salt to taste. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender about 7 minutes. If the greens are soupy, remove the cover and simmer a minute or two to evaporate liquid. Adjust the seasonings, add more salt if needed.

Lay the warmed tortillas flat on a work surface. Spoon 1/2 cup of the rice over the bottom of each tortilla. Top the rice with some chard and 1 Tbs. sour cream. Roll the tortillas, tucking the sides toward the center, to form neat bundles. Slice each burrito in half and serve, passing the salsa at the table.

These burritos are rolled in whole wheat wraps not flour tortillas. Extra flavor; more fiber.

Till next time . . . keep on cooking, but remember to include a lot of raw fruit and vegetables.

DAY SEVEN

This has been an interesting week, to say the least. With temperatures hovering mid-90's and the heat index close to 104°, I couldn't have picked a better time to choose to eat only raw food. The experience has opened up a whole new range of possibilities for those inevitable power outages that accompany tropical storms and hurricanes. Living in Florida guarantees that sooner or later another big storm will render us near helpless when the power is out for days at a time. While the neighbors may be outside grilling up some dead animal, I'll be well versed in preparing some tasty raw vegetable dishes.


Aside from having a great hankering for a glass of wine one evening, and the dull headache from caffeine withdrawal early in the week, I've had a wonderful time participating in the 7-Day Raw Food Detox program sponsored by The Raw Divas.


I've wiped down the stove a couple of times, but just to keep off the dust! I'm removing the microwave from the kitchen counter. How nice to have more space. It will be a perfect place to grow my sprouts! And, yes, organic produce is more expensive, but my grocery bill this past week was considerably lower, as I purchased fewer items.


Now that the detox program comes to a close, I'm eager to make a new batch of almond milk and turn it into some dreamy, creamy raw ice cream. The almond milk and frozen bananas make a super base for a variety of flavors. Adding fresh fruit: peaches, strawberries or mango for example, provides some fabulous taste treats, eliminating any feeling of deprivation yet avoiding all those synthetic chemicals, fat and sugar in commercially prepared ice cream. And I'm looking forward to both the novelty and challenge of preparing some of Nomi Shannon's extremely appealing suggestions and instructions for eating well while eating raw. Presentation plays a big part in our food satisfaction profile. Instructions with beautiful colored images abound in Nomi's book, The Raw Gourmet. My mouth waters as I pore over it looking, learning and lusting.

There are many books available and plenty of websites on hand, to help with learning to make a transition from eating condensed, cooked foods to increasing the portions of live, raw food in our daily diets. For those interested in becoming a raw foodist there are many programs and coaches available to lend inspiration, education and support. The Raw Divas have just introduced their new 30-day program, The Body Enlightenment System (BES) which promises to be an excellent way to move toward vibrant health with daily coaching and support.

During this adventure, I've discovered a bevy of raw food websites. Raw Food Right Now has been a regular read for me for quite some time. Following along with Justin and Heidi as they continue on their journey as raw foodist, baring their souls, unapologetically, about their happy experiences and real life dilemmas. Their honest, down to earth approach will do much to encourage novices. Karen Knowler's upbeat eZine, Successfully Raw, gives you some in-depth direction from across the pond by an enthusiastic raw foodist with a good deal of experience.

A big advantage to replacing cooked food is the time savings and ease of clean-up. But the ultimate reason to eat live, fresh, clean (chemical free) food is the amount of energy you free up, the boost you give your immune system and the immediate changes you can see in the way you feel, the way your hair and skin look and feel and the changes in inches you quickly notice. In all fairness, I planned to wait until tomorrow morning to get on the scale, but as I sat here writing, my curiosity got the best of me.

The bathroom scale registers 8 lbs lighter than it did a week ago.

What an easy way to shed fat. I ate tasty, easy to prepare foods and exercised. I've been walking between 4 and 5 miles each day, and had super support, wonderful suggestions, and on-going encouragement from Amy and Tera, The Raw Divas, and from many of the other women doing the seven day detox with me.

I encourage you to look into the amazing health benefits of including more raw food in your daily diet, it's the surest way to get on the road to being healthy and staying healthy. Synthetic drugs, whether prescription or over the counter, are not going to prevent nor cure any ailment. They only mask the symptoms and add side effects with dangers of their own. Taking care of our bodies is our responsibility. Why wait to get sick? Take a few easy steps to prevent the most common ailments so prevalent in our society: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and cancer.

Put a little green in your life daily!

RAW FOOD DETOX

I've been busy, reading up and gearing up for a seven day raw food detox program, courtesy of The Raw Divas. I believe there are about 700 women from throughout the world taking part in this week's program. We started last Saturday evening with a 24 hour fast, just water. Each day we've limited ourselves to organic fruit and veggies with no adornments. Smoothies, lettuce wraps, veggie nibbles, fruit and lots and lots of water. Exercise and ample rest are part of the program. This is a wonderful way to give our bodies a much needed rest. Help the digestive system cleanse itself and as a by-product, lose a few pounds.

I recently realized that I've been eating an awful lot of cooked food. It may be vegetarian and it may be organic, but I know better. In the mid-80's, when it became my turn for the inevitable change of life, skinny old me, started putting on some serious weight. At first, it was fine. It was nice to have something between my skin and bones. Before I knew it, there was an awful lot between my skin and bones and it was FAT.
Between Food For Life by Neal Barnard, M.D. and Fit For Life, Harvey and Marilyn Diamond, I not only lost weight but had super energy and was the picture of health. I added walking to my day, ate nothing but fruit before noon, ate nothing after 8 p.m. at night and for lunch and dinner I paid close attention to proper food combining. 60% -70% of what I ate was raw fruit and vegetables.

I'm back to it this week, with a vengeance. I feel great. Meal preparation is quick, simple, delicious and clean-up is pretty minimal. I haven't turned on a stove burner since last Saturday. No deadly rays emanating from the microwave, just a blender, salad spinner and my handy chef's knife. No walking up and down the aisles at the grocery store either—a straight shot to the produce department or better yet, just a stop at a produce market or farm stand.

I'm not going to proselytize. We each have to make decisions about our lifestyle and health on our own. But I will encourage everyone to become more aware of the tremendous role our food plays in our health and overall well-being. Most of us take better care of our cars than our bodies. I strongly recommend reading Randall Fitzgerald's The One Hundred Year Lie to get a better picture of how the deadly diseases running rampant today have a direct correlation to the marvelous technological advances of using synthetic chemicals to manufacture our food and drugs. Millions of sick and dying people are proof of how our bodies are reacting to these toxins and carcinogens.

Check out Mike Adams website and newsletter. Up-to-date information on food and drug related issues along with excellent articles to keep us informed in layman's terms. And if you would like to experience the support of a couple of great ladies who've put together a no-nonsense, no mumble-jumble, FREE, seven day raw food detox program, check out The Raw Divas. They've put together a super support program, with simple instructions and a fabulous forum.

Guess I'll have to amend my sign-off from "Keep on Cooking" to:

TO EAT WELL, EAT RAW.

I

Alfredo Who?

Back in the day, before just looking at rich foods put on pounds, I would often whip up a mean Alfredo sauce for a group of friends on a Sunday night after we'd spent a day in the pool, and were settled in for the evening with a tall Scotch and soda and a classic movie spinning off the VCR. It was the quick and easy comfort food that appealed to all of us, with the sharp bite of a good freshly grated Parmesan and the rich, mouth feel of butter and cream, all lavishly laced over pasta cooked to al dente perfection.

What a delightful surprise to run across this quick, easy, fresh dish of pasta with ricotta, Parmesan and fresh spinach. The feel is much like Alfredo but the overall calorie count is much reduced. I love the little nest of freshly grated Regianno perched atop the pasta, don't you? It looks like a lot of cheese, but the marvelous rasp produces a virtual mound with just a couple of scrapes across the cheese. Hardly worth counting those calories, right?

This along with some 69 other summer recipes are featured in fresh - The Best of fine Cooking from the folks at Taunton Press. Check it out.

Fusilli is suggested, but I had multi-grain, tiny penne on hand, which worked just as well. Using a ridged pasta helps to catch the sauce, assuring each bite is equally flavorful. The following set of instructions makes enough to serve six. I cut everything in half and had three generous servings.

Ingredients: 3/4 - 1lb fresh spinach, stemmed, washed and cut into chiffonade; 2 TBS olive oil, 4 small scallions, thinly sliced (I used two shallots). Freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt; 1 cup ricotta cheese, preferably fresh; 1 cup half and half; pinch of nutmeg; 1 TBS unsalted butter; 1 lb fusilli or penne pasta; 1/2 cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Directions: Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add about 1 Tbs. salt.
Prepare spinach in chiffonade. Stack several leaves at a time, roll up and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Add the scallions or shallots and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and a pinch of salt and pepper to the pan. For a bit of a kick, add some dried red pepper flakes.(optional). Cover and steam until leaves are wilted but still bright green, stirring up from the bottom of the pan as needed.

In a small bowl, stir the ricotta, half and half and a few gratings of nutmeg. Stir the ricotta mixture and the butter into the skillet with the spinach and season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain well and return the pasta to its pot over low heat. Add the spinach mixture and enough of the reserved cooking water to make a sauce that lightly coats the pasta. Toss thoroughly. Transfer the pasta to a warm serving bowl or individual bowls and top with grated cheese and a few fresh grinds of pepper.

Till next time . . . keep on cooking!

Sin-Free Chocolate Chews

The good folks at King Arthur Flour, who fill the Baker's Catalogue® with so many good things to bake, call these lusciously decadent, deep dark chocolate cookies, 'sin-free'. In actuality they are low fat, but anything this good can't possibly be free of sin.

These are very easy to make, the only caution I would proffer, is plan ahead as the batter requires chilling before it is ready to handle for baking. Directions call for 3 hours or up to overnight in the fridge. I went with a hair less than 3 hours as I hadn't read those words of instruction when perusing the recipe. I'll just have to make them again (wonderful to have a legitimate excuse for more) to see if chilling longer produces more cookies. The recipe says the yield is fourteen big (3 1/2") cookies. My yield was 9. An ample amount, to be sure, as I was serving them for dessert with freshly churned strawberry frozen yogurt (thank you, Heidi Swanson and David Lebovitz). One cookie apiece was fine and I've enough left over to satisfy my chocolate urge for a few days.

Chocolate Chews

2 1/4 cups (9 oz) confectioners sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon espresso powder ( I didn't use any)
1 cup cocoa powder (Dutch-process or natural)
3 large egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Whisk together the sugar, salt, espresso powder, and cocoa. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the egg whites and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the egg whites and mix at low speed of an electric mixer for 2 minutes. The batter will seem dry at first, but will become shiny and smooth as it mixes. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the batter for 3 hours or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets. (I only needed one for my 9 cookie yield). Drop the dough in ping pong sized balls onto the prepared baking sheets; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
©2006 the King Arthur Flour Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

While on the subject of King Arthur, check out their European-Style Artisan Flour. A wonderful blend of wheats for producing crusty hearth loaves. Check out the recipes at the King Arthur website. I ordered a couple of bags of the Artisan Flour recently to use for some everyday bread but found a wonderful recipe for a Tuscan-Style Coffeecake on the back of the bag. The rich dough with a tight, yet tender crumb, is sweetened with a filling of dates and raisins and for an added crunch treat, toasted walnuts and I just had to go over the top with the addition of some dried citrus. This is a fine bread to serve at tea time or with morning coffee. It toasts nicely, too.

Tuscan Style Coffee Cake

Till next time . . . keep on cooking.

Book Nook

June was a good reading month. Lots of favorite authors, as well as new ones, kept me glued to the printed page.

Nora Roberts . . . . . . . . . . Irish Born Trilogy

Born in Fire; Born in Ice; Born in Shame

Khaled Hasseini . . . . . . . . A Thousand Splendid Suns

Michael Ondaatje. . . . . . . Divisadero

Michael Connelly. . . . . . . The Overlook

Ariana Franklin. . . . . . . . .Mistress of the Art of Death

Elizabeth Berg . . . . . . . . . Dream When You're Feeling Blue

Mohsin Hamid. . . . . . . . . .The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Nicole Mones . . . . . . . . . . .The Last Chinese Chef

Practice Makes Perfect

Good cooks are consistent and the only way to be consistent is to practice. Emerson is noted for speaking to consistency. Often misquoted as "consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds", when he actually said, "foolish consistency is the hobgoblin...etc." but he finished that thought quite succinctly by saying: "With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do." But for the ambitious cook, once he is consistent with one dish, he can move on to perfecting another. In the kitchen, there is never a time with nothing to do.

Over the past couple of months, I've been making the same pizza over and over. It's a wonderful feeling of accomplishment to have a repertoire of meals one can whip up with full confidence that the finished product will be a success. In addition, when there is 'nothing' on hand but a tomato and some cheese, how nice it is to be able to produce something other than a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich!

How much more impressive, too. Now I'll grant you, it does help to have a ball of dough tucked away in the freezer. But that's part of keeping a well stocked kitchen pantry.

The pizza dough I've been using is the "light as air"pizza dough courtesy of King Arthur Flour. This is a nice quantity that mixes up easily for one large or two smaller pies, freezes well, and produces a light, tender crust with just the right bite of chewiness. To freeze the dough: after the first rise, I divide the dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and then place in a plastic freezer bag.

The topping is simply vine-ripened tomato, sliced and allowed to drain on a plate; really good quality olive oil; freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and either thinly sliced or grated mozzarella cheese. I vary the herbs. If using fresh basil, it's added after the pie comes out of the oven. Dried herbs should be added prior to the pie going into the oven. I've been using either a nice dried Italian herb mix from Penzey's or dried Mexican oregano.


I've found that flattening the dough out with my hands is preferable to rolling it out with a rolling pin, but either method does the job. Use only a light dusting of flour on the rolling surface, you don't want to incorporate more flour into the dough, just use enough to keep it from sticking. Letting the dough rest a bit during the stretching makes it much easier to handle, too.

I bake the pie on a pizza stone which is set on the lowest rack in the oven. The secret to a crisp crust is to have a very hot stone in a very hot oven. Preheating the oven at 500°F for a good 45 minutes to an hour is desirable. When ready to add the toppings, first spread a light coating of olive oil over the dough to act as a barrier, to prevent the liquid from the tomatoes making the crust soggy. Then I spread a light layer of grated Parmesan cheese to act as another seal. Same principle as making quiche. The cheese is always the first layer before the other ingredients, protecting the crust from liquid.

I quickly blot any extra liquid from the sliced tomatoes before adding them to the pie and then top the tomatoes with the grated or sliced mozzarella cheese and if using dried herbs sprinkle liberally over the top. The pizza is ready to be transferred onto the pizza stone. I use a wooden peel but a rimless cookie sheet will work. The alternative is to bake the pie on a baking sheet. Heating the sheet first will produce a crispier crust than putting the pie onto a cold sheet. Lower the oven temp to 450° and give it a good 12 - 15 minutes and then start keeping your eye on it. With my oven, the pizza is usually ready in under 20 minutes.

I realize not everyone likes pizza as simply prepared as those above. These are my favorites. The simple, fresh, sweet taste of garden ripe tomatoes, enhanced with a good dark, cold pressed fruity olive oil, blanketed with a rich layer of opulent full milk cheeses acting as a perfect foil for a combination of vibrant herbs. Mouth-wateringly satisfying. Do experiment with other topping combinations, make it a few times, develop confidence and consistency. It's a great item to master.

Till next time . . . keep on cooking.

Succulent, Savory, Simple

With a few select ingredients, fresh from the market and not long from the South Florida farm fields, an impressive lunch for friends came together with just a few easy steps. Individual eggplant and tomato gratin with mint, kalamata olives and feta cheese accompanied by a crisp green salad turned out to be a hit with my recent luncheon guests.

Gratins ready for the oven

This dish can be assembled in a full size oval gratin dish, to serve family style. The dish should be shallow to allow the gratin to crisp nicely. A deep dish pie plate would work, too. The prep has three main steps: preparing the eggplant, cooking the onions and garlic and assembling the gratin (layering all the components).

For the eggplant: 2 lb eggplant; 2 1/2 Tbs olive oil; 1/2 tsp coarse salt.
For the onions: 2 Tbs olive oil; 2 medium onions, thinly sliced; 2 cloves garlic, minced.

For the assembly: 3 or 4 ripe red tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices; 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint; 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese; 1/3 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives; coarse salt; freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil; 1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs, tossed with 1 tsp olive oil; 1/3 cup chopped toasted pine nuts (optional).

Cut and cook the eggplant: Trim the ends from the eggplant and, using a vegetable peeler, peel off 1/2 inch strips of skin along the length of the eggplant every 1/2 inch or so (or leave it unpeeled, if you like). Cut the eggplant crosswise into 3/8 inch slices and cut the widest slices in half. Heat the oven to 450°F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly brush the parchment with olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in one layer on the parchment, brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Roast until the slices are lightly browned and somewhat shrunken, 20 - 25min. Let cool. Reduce oven to 375°F.

Cook the onions: While the eggplant is roasting, heat 2 Tbs olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently until limp and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to med low once they start to brown. Add the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes until soft and fragrant. Spread the onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of a well oiled 2 qt shallow gratin dish or individual dishes, as pictured. Let cool.

Assembly: Put the tomato slices on a shallow plate to drain for a few minutes and then discard the collected juices. Sprinkle 1 Tbs of the mint over the onions. Starting at one end of the baking dish, lay a row of slightly overlapping tomato slices across the width of the dish; sprinkle with some of the mint and some of the feta. Next, lay a row of eggplant slices against the tomato slices (overlapping the first row by two-thirds). Sprinkle again with mint and feta. Repeat with alternating rows of tomato and eggplant slices, seasoning each as you go and occasionally pushing the rows back. Tuck the quartered kalamata olives randomly between tomato and eggplant slices. When the dish is full, sprinkle the vegetables with about 1/2 tsp salt and any remaining mint and feta. Season lightly with freshly ground pepper and drizzle with 1 1/2 Tbs olive oil. Thoroughly combine the breadcrumbs and pine nuts (if using) with 1 tsp olive oil and sprinkle mixture over the gratin. Cook until well-browned all over and the juices have bubbled for a while and reduced considerably, 60 - 70 minutes. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Fresh breadcrumbs made from rye bread.

I used one eggplant, two onions, and three tomatoes for the 3 servings shown above. That would also fill a 10" gratin dish. The recipe is easily expanded to accommodate larger portions. This is a very forgiving assembly. Don't skimp on the feta, salt as you go along and use good olive oil to bring out the best flavor. Fresh breadcrumbs give the dish an over the top finish.

Till next time. . . keep on cooking.

Purple Jasmine Rice

This colorful sticky rice from Thailand, with its rich taste and aesthetic appeal is used primarily for feasts and celebrations. Grown by the Phakao Cooperative, "using traditional methods, chemical fertilizers and pesticides have been replaced with organic fertilizers and natural plant extracts to produce a premium, quality, environmentally friendly rice."



The purple rice is mixed with naturally perfumed White Jasmine rice to give it an ideal texture while retaining its vibrant purple color and sweet flavor. The rice is quick cooking, using a ratio of 1 1/2 times the amount of water to rice. Simply bring the rinsed rice and water to a boil, stir, cover and lower heat to a simmer until all liquid has been absorbed. Using a pot with a glass cover certainly facilitates cooking rice.



While the rice was simmering away, I sautéed half a diced sweet onion; 3 small yellow squash, sliced; 1 sliced jalepeño, seeds removed, in a little olive oil. I gave those veggies a head start and as the squash approached crisp/tender, added 3 radishes, cut into wedges; and 3 sliced green onions,white and lower portions of the green part only. Meanwhile, I defrosted a cup of shelled edamame and tossed those in after the radishes and green onions. Off heat, I tossed the entire sauté with 2 TBS of tamari, freshly ground pepper and sprinkled on a bit of freshly minced cilantro. The rice was ready and so was I.


Almost any vegetable combination will work for a quick dish like this. Start the aromatics first, then add the items that require more cooking, leaving the delicate items for last. Season it to taste with a tahini dressing, peanut sauce, oil and sherry vinegar, the possibilities are endless. A dash or two of tamari, with a whisper of toasted sesame oil is another fine finish.

Light luncheon rice bowl - quick and easy.

Check out purple jasmine rice along with red quinoa and other organic grains to add variety to mealtime.

Till next time . . . keep on cooking.

Simple Fare

With a little imagination, the old comfort food stand-by, macaroni and cheese, takes on a whole new profile. Arborio rice, the short grain rice commonly used to make risotto, cooks up quickly in a pot of salted water, much like cooking pasta. Years ago, when I first started cooking Chinese food, I found cooking brown rice, with this same method,to be easy and fool-proof.

This little side dish or main meal, depending on your proclivity, calls for garden ripe tomatoes, minced garlic, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella. Simple, delicate in flavor, quick and easy to prepare. I used the less expensive cow's milk fresh mozzarella packed in water for this dish. Using the pricier buffalo milk mozzarella is fine, but not necessary. I prefer to save the buffalo milk variety for Caprese salad or other straight from the container application. The cow's milk cheese is great for mixing with pasta or rice and perfect for topping a pizza. And remember, the buffalo milk mozzarella is not only twice as high in fat content but close to three times as expensive!

Italian Rice Tossed with Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

2 cups Italian short-grain rice
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic minced, more if desired (I desired)

1/4 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, minced (use chiffonade technique)

1/2 tsp salt, freshly ground black pepper

1 TBS balsamic vinegar

2 - 3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks

2 egg-size pieces fresh mozzarella, cubed

Bring a pot of filtered or spring water to a boil, add salt and then add the rice a little at a time, bring back to boil and stir once, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, until it is al dente. 15 - 18 minutes. The rice will be slightly chewy, light and delicate.

As the rice cooks, heat 2 TBS of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and the basil. After a couple of minutes, mix in the salt, pepper, vinegar and tomatoes. Gently turn the tomatoes once or twice in the flavored oil to warm them. Don't let the tomatoes cook down. This isn't a sauce, just flavored tomatoes.

Drain the rice in a colander, leaving it a bit wet. Turn it into a serving bowl and immediately sprinkle in the cubes of cheese, a few at a time, stirring with each addition so they don't clump together. Then gently mix in the tomato mixture from the skillet, taste for salt and pepper and serve.

recipe adapted from The Outlaw Cook

This is a mild, delicate dish. Don't expect overwhelming spiciness. It's intended to highlight the soft, moist, texture of the melting fresh cheese against the sweetly acidic taste of perfectly ripe tomatoes gently kissed with the basil, garlic and balsamic vinegar. The rice adds a slightly chewy counterpoint, tying the dish together for a simple main dish or fantastic side dish. With summer here, fresh from the garden meals, allowing the produce to be the star, guarantees some great meals!

Till next time . . . keep on cooking.

Summer Salads

Salad #1

It's only the beginning of June, yet the air here in Orlando is already beginning to take on that heavy, wet sauna-like feel, much like the sensation you get if you hold your head too close to the sink as you drain a pot of pasta. The time of year when running the oven for hours at a time can only be termed masochistic.

On the other hand, with produce stands brim full of lovely local selections, why not eat more food in its uncooked state? That's right, RAW. While the Raw Food Movement is certainly gaining momentum among many divergent groups, I'm not suggesting we forsake favorites that require some form of cooking to achieve their appeal, but that we make raw food the center attraction at more meals.

Salad #2

Fresh fruit smoothies for breakfast, salads for lunch, a glass of freshly extracted carrot juice for mid-afternoon break, and instead of accompanying the evening serving of animal protein with a starch: potatoes, rice, pasta, etc., serve a couple of raw veggies along with cooked ones. Take advantage of the fabulous flavors of fresh produce, get your 9 servings of fruit and veggies a day, increase your energy level, boost your health, and as an offshoot, perhaps shed a few pounds.

Salad #3

One of the things I like best about putting together a salad is—no recipe needed. No exact amounts crucial to the outcome. No precise ingredient needed to achieve success. Experiment. Use what's freshest, use what's on hand. Aim for a variety of nicely diced or sliced vegetables in an array of colors, a mix of textures, some soft, some crunchy. Add some bite with vinegar or lemon juice, some heat with fresh chilies or ground spices. A generous drizzle of your very best extra virgin olive oil adds an eye-appealing sheen and a must have luscious mouth-feel along with a depth of flavor that complements the crisp, fresh vegetables.

I often add a little something sweet. Raisins or some cut up fruit: orange segments, mango pieces, diced peaches, pineapple tidbits, sliced apple. Pumpkin seeds or nuts are a great addition to salads. Lightly toasting them in a dry skillet adds a wonderful layer of flavor, as well as packing in more nutrition. Walnuts, pecans, pine nuts are just a few suggestions.

Adding a bit of cheese includes some protein and calcium. Here's the bean and corn salad shown above with a little diced Monterrey-jack cheese with jalepeño. An added layer of zing! But feta or chèvre or sharp cheddar would be just as good. The bean and corn salad is sprinkled with Adobo seasoning giving it a Southwest touch. (I noticed that the Adobo seasoning in the supermarket, and I checked several brands, listed salt as the first ingredient. Avoid these. I purchase my spices and seasonings from Penzey's and the Adobo seasoning I use is made up of onion, garlic , black pepper, Mexican oregano, cumin and cayenne pepper. No salt. I add my own to taste.)

Salad #3 with Cheese

Salad combinations are only limited by our imaginations. Starting out conservatively is good. But with each successive salad, be a little more adventurous. Try different vinegars, various oils, for instance, if you have walnuts in the salad, try a drizzle of walnut oil. If you have fresh raspberries on hand, add a few to the salad and use raspberry flavored vinegar in the vinaigrette. The addition of different types of cheese gives the same old salad a different taste and look.

Tips: Use the freshest ingredients. Limp, tired, old veggies are not salad prospects. Buy small, young, firm veggies. Young vegetables are sweet and tender, the bigger they grow, the better off they are in a cooked dish. Keep fresh herbs ready to use. Grow some pots on the patio, especially basil and thyme. Buy parsley and cilantro regularly at the farm stands or market. Wash and spin them when you bring them home, then stand them in a glass of water and cover with a small plastic bag or plastic wrap then store in the fridge. They stand up well using this method and are crisp, clean and ready for mincing when you reach for them. Add a variety of olives to your pantry along with some interesting peppers. Roasted red peppers, pepperocini, pickled jalepeños, kalamata and niçoise olives, and pitted pimento stuffed Spanish olives.

Build a salad around a can of beans, that you rinse and drain. White beans as well as black and pinto beans make a great addition to diced vegetables. See the sautéed corn and black bean salad above. Open a can of tuna, drain and add it to a mixed greens salad with some sliced celery and onion (salad #2). Oil and vinegar replace the standard mayo and it's still called tuna salad. Tastier and healthier.

Enjoy the harvest, make life in the kitchen easy and fast without sacrificing flavor or nutrition. Make fresh, raw vegetables a regular part of each menu plan. They're great!

Until next time. . .keep on dicing!

Why Eat Organic ?

Mike Adams at NewsTarget.Com covers the latest in medical / health news, and entertains us regularly with CounterThink Cartoons. Check it out. . . great food for thought.

We each need to take personal responsibility for our health. The combination of technological breakthroughs, "better living through chemistry", coupled with product demand by an ever increasing population, we're living too long and being way too fertile, has resulted in the food industry being forced to find ways to meet the demand for food while faced with fulfilling stock holders' profit expectations. As a result, our grocery shelves are filled with colorful packages of 'stuff'. One quick read through the list of ingredients on any given package makes it very difficult to even call it foodstuff.

Eating whole foods, particularly organic whole foods, gives our bodies the best ammunition to do its job and do it well—maintaining a strong immune system and giving cellular regeneration the best chance of producing new healthy cells in each organ.

Some of Spring's Bounty

Fresh butter lettuce embraces a lively little salad of red bliss potatoes, hard boiled egg, celery, vidalia onions, and edamame. The dressing is a combination of equal parts Silver Palette Organic Wasabi mayo and regular mayonnaise. Quick, easy, tasty and healthy.

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BOOK NOOK

May reading was a major indulgence in popular fiction. But lots of fun reads!

Stuart Woods . . . . . . . . . . Fresh Disasters

Laura Lippman . . . . . . . . . . What The Dead Know

Every Secret Thing

Anne Perry . . . . . . . . . .We Shall Not Sleep

David Baldacci . . . . . . . . .Simple Genius

David Liss . . . . . . . . . A Conspiracy of Paper

James Grippando . . . . . . . . . Lying With Strangers

Till next time . . . Keep on Cooking.