Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic scapes are the flowering stalks of a particular variety of hardneck garlic, Rocombole (also known as serpent garlic) due to the curling scapes it produces. If you are fortunate enough to have garlic growing in your garden, save those scapes!  I have zero land whatsoever (don't even suggest windowbox gardening.. my dogs enjoy eating dirt.. 'nuff said), but fortunately I have an awesome farmers market that sells 'em to me dirt cheap.

To be honest, I have never had garlic scapes before. They kind of fit into the category of wild edibles (like ramps, fiddleheads and dandelion greens) that I SHOULD be able to forage for but since I don't know anything about identifying wild plants and all the dandelion greens in my 'hood have dog piss on them I resort to shelling out too much money to get my fix. 

Nine dollars a pound for fiddlehead ferns?  I mean, c'mon...they're freaking FERNS!

Anyways...

Garlic scapes at the farmers market were 10 for a dollar, so I went for it.  You can't buy anything for a dollar these days so I considered it a steal.

When I asked some friends (and google) what I should do with my scapes, having never prepared them before, pesto was the number one response.

I can make pesto in my sleep I've done it so many times, so this came together in about three minutes.

For you unexpericed pesto makers, it will probably take you all of 10 minutes, and that's if you're making it doped up on vicodin.

In other words... this recipe is QUICK. I especially love quick when I've been at work cooking ten hours and can't think about picking up my knife ONE. MORE. TIME.

It will save you from another beer and popcorn night.

Toss it with some pasta, spread it on some toasted baguette, use it as a sandwich spread, dip raw vegetables into it, toss it into a grain based salad. 

Endless options.

Garlic Scape Pesto (makes 1 c.)


6 garlic scapes
1 c. fresh basil
1/3 c. walnuts
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. sea salt
black pepper, to taste
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil


Cut garlic scapes into 1 inch pieces. Place in a food processor with the basil, walnuts, parmesan, and lemon juice.  Process into a coarse paste.  With the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil and process until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Store leftover pesto in a glass jar covered with a thin layer of olive oil (to preserve the color).  Or... have a friend over and eat the entire batch.

Strawberry Arugula Salad

After laying in bed for two straight days with a head cold I decided I needed to get out of the house and do something productive...

Of all the things I SHOULD have done (laundry, grocery shopping, taking the dogs for a much needed long walk) I decided to say screw it and go strawberry picking instead.

Priorities.

Plus.. strawberies are FULL of vitamin C, which in turn will help boost my immunity, so I think I made a very wise decision. 

I ate my fair share while I was picking.  You know how it goes: Pick one, eat one. Pick two, eat two... You think I would have learned my lesson when I chomped down on a piece of sand from my unwashed "stolen" berries, but no, I just kept eating more.

So.... by the time I got home I was kinda sick of berries, but those fresh picked babies have to be eaten pretty quickly or else they get all nasty.

I had to think of some ideas...

Strawberry shortcake? Unless homemade buttermilk biscuits and fresh whipped cream appeared at the snap of a finger, it wasn't gonna happen.

Strawberry margaritas?  No tequila in the house. Note to self: buy some tequila.

I wanted some greens for dinner (no brainer), but had to use my berries. A salad... with strawberries? Yes, please!

Strawberries and spinach are a classic combination, but I'm not a huge fan of raw spinach and I had some arugula on hand, so I went with it.  Throw in some toasted nuts and a little cheese (I used walnuts and feta in this case) and make a simple vinagrette and you have a damn tasty lunch or light dinner.

Strawberry Arugula Salad (makes 2 large salads)

5 oz. arugula (one of those clamshell containers worth)
2 c. strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
6 oz. feta cheese

Honey Champagne Vinaigrette:

2 t. honey
1 1/2 T. champagne vinegar
2 1/2 T. extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Combine honey, vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper in a small jar and shake until emulsified.  Place the arugula and strawberries in a large bowl and toss with half the dressing. Divide between two plates and top with the walnuts and feta.  Drizzle the remaining dressing on top, if desired.

Cucumber Mojito

Summer time sippin' is here!

The first time I had a mojito was the summer of 2004.  It was hot... and I was drunk.

It was then that I decided that it would be my new summer time drink of choice.

Of course the next morning I totally forgot what was in it.. Mint... I knew there was some mint involved because I nearly choked on a very large leaf.  Muddle your mint people!!

I googled mint + cocktails the next morning, all the while wondering how I got home from the bar last night.

Search result completed.. the mojito.

Yup, that was it for sure.

Now.. I had to make it on my own, because homegirl is not shelling out $10 for one of these at a bar unless there is ALOT of rum involved.

Turns out this classic cocktail is super easy and requires very few ingredients.

Mint, lime juice, rum, sugar and club soda. Add some ice and you're good to go!

So, I've been making this here cocktail every summer for the past eight years.

As I was making my first round of the season I spotted a cucumber in my fridge. A couple cucumber slices in a glass of water is totes refreshing, so I thought, why not throw some in my cocktail.

Genius.

Summer in a glass.

Cucumber Mojito (makes 1 cocktail)

8 sprigs mint
5 slices cucumber
1 lime, juiced
1 1/2 shots rum
1 shot simple syrup
ice
club soda

Muddle the cucumber, mint and simple syrup in a large glass.  For those of you that don't have a muddler, a wooden spoon works like magic! Add the lime juice and rum. Fill the glass with ice and top off with club soda.  Give it a good stir and drink up!

Spirulina Smoothie with Hemp and Flax Seed

Spirulina is a simple one celled form of algae that thrives in warm, alkaline fresh water bodies and is one of the most nutritious and concentrated food sources on the planet.
It is one of the few plant based sources of vitamin B12 (4 times higher than the amount in raw liver!), it's high in easily digestible protein, and is one of the best sources of GLA (gamma linolenic acid), an important acid for heart and joint health. It is high in minerals (including calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium and selenium), contains 18 amino acids, is rich in chlorophyll, boosts immunity and can assist in drawing heavy metals and toxins from your system.

Oh, yeah.....

Let's do this.

Spirulina Smoothie with Hemp and Flax Seed (makes 1- 16 oz. smoothie)

1/2-1 c. yerba mate (water or your favorite juice can be substituted with great results)
2 frozen bananas (just peel, cut into chunks, place in a pastic bag and freeze for at least 6 hours)
1 T. spirulina
1 T. raw honey
1 1/2 T. ground flax seed
2 T. hemp seeds

Place bananas, spirulina, hemp and flax seeds and honey in a blender. Add 1/2 c. yerba mate and blend. If your smoothie seems too thick, add more yerba mate until your smoothie is thick and creamy.

Mujadara Stuffed Collard Wraps

Ever have one of those days where you eat nothing but bread, cheese, beer and more bread?

A bagel for breakfast, followed by SEVERAL beers for an afternoon snack (It was my day off... I was camping... no judgements people) followed by a half a loaf of ciabatta bread with more cheese than a person should eat in one sitting.

It happens.

I always feel like crap the next day and bitch about how I'm never eating wheat again and then I inevitably find myself noshing on a sandwich a couple days later.

On those off days when I'm not binging on wheat I'm usually stuffing my face with lots of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

It's all about balance....

Sometimes It's hard to get all of those greens down, which makes these collard wraps perfect.  Take a raw collard wrap, stuff it with your favorite goodies and roll it up like a burrito. 

Collards are high in vitamins A, B, C, and K and contain high amounts of beta carotine. They are rich in iron and calcium and high in fiber. They help support our body's detoxification system and contain anti-inflamatory nutrients. 

In other words.. alot healther than a hunk of bread.


Mujadara Stuffed Collard Wraps (makes 4-6 rolls)


1 bunch collard greens, in this case the bigger the leaf, the better
1 batch of mujadara 
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 batch miso lemon tahini sauce




Wash and dry your collards. Lay one leaf on a flat surface (shiny side down) and cut out the inner rib, leaving as much of the leaf intact as possible. Spread a tablespoon of miso lemon tahini sauce in the center of the collard, followed by 1/2 c. mujadara, some cucumber and a sprinkling of toasted walnuts. Fold in the sides and roll up like a burrito. Cut in half and serve with additional miso lemon tahini sauce for dipping.

Summer Rolls with Mushrooms and Brown Sugar Tofu

Summer roll season is here, people!

Time to make a trip to the Asian market and stock up on supplies.

Rice paper wraps and vermacelli noodles are a must.

This version here is packed full of goodness... brown sugar seared tofu, beech mushrooms, romaine lettuce and cilantro with a ginger shallot green onion paste. 

Savory and Sweet.

Roll. Eat. Repeat.

Summer Rolls with Mushrooms and Brown Sugar Tofu  (makes 8 fat rolls)

Slightly Adapted From 101 cookbooks

Ginger onion paste

2 scallions, sliced
2 medium shallots, peeled and chopped
3 T. grated, peeled ginger
1/2 t. sea salt
4 T. sunflower oil

Brown Sugar Tofu and Mushrooms

15 oz. tofu
4 cloves garlic    
3/4 t. sea salt
2 T. dark brown sugar
3 T. sunflower oil

8 oz. package beech mushrooms, rough chopped

Other Goodies      

spring roll wrappers (25 cm size)
vermacelli noodles (2 small bundles)
romaine lettuce, torn into pieces
fresh cilantro sprigs        

Sweet sesame dipping sauce (optional, but yummy)

To make the ginger onion paste, place scallions, shallots, ginger and sea salt in a food processor and pulse until chunky. Alternatively you could pound everything together using a mortar and pestle.  Heat the oil in a small pan until hot. Stir in the onion/ginger mixture, remove from the heat and transfer to a jar to cool.

For the tofu and mushrooms, pat tofu dry and cut into 8 equal slabs and arrange on a large plate or baking sheet. Rough chop the garlic and sprinkle it with garlic, continue chopping, sliding the side of the knive over top to create a paste. Place in a small bowl with the brown sugar and slowly whisk in the oil to create a smooth paste. Using a small pastry brush (or your fingers) slather both sides of the tofu with the marinade. Set aside and leave the bowl dirty.

Cook tofu in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat (you shouldn't need any additional oil) until golden brown on each side. Set aside to cool a bit.  When cool enough to handle, cut into strips.

Meanwhile, gently toss the mushrooms with the residual marinade left from the tofu bowl. Using the same skillet to cook the tofu, add a splash of oil and sautee the mushrooms until they take on a bit of color. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

To rehydrate vermacelli noodles, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles, remove from the heat and let sit 2-3 minutes. Drain in a fine mesh strainer and refresh under cold water. Drain well and set aside.

To assemble the spring rolls, dip a spring roll wrapper in a bowl of hot water for five seconds. Place on a flat surface (I use my cutting board) and smear a generous amount of ginger onion paste in the middle. Next add a couple torn romaine lettuce leaves, a small amount of vermacelli noodles, three pieces of tofu and some cilantro. Roll the bottom of the wrap over the filling, fold in the sides and continue rolling.  Place rolls on a large plate covered with a damp paper towel to prevent from drying out. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

The Best Egg Salad.. EVER.

The quality of your eggs is directly propotional to the taste of your egg salad.

It's easy math really.  Get some mass produced supermarket eggs with pale yolks and the final result ain't gonna be all that.  No amount of mayonnaise or herbs or whatever you like to add to your egg salad is going to help.

Now... get yourself some local, free range, preferably organic eggs. The kind where the name of the farm is printed on the box. The kind where the eggs vary in size and color and the yolks are so vibrantly yellow they appear to glow.

I haven't always loved egg salad. Especially the kind sold in deli's gooped up with mayo sitting in a glass case under some limp kale for god knows HOW long.  I avoided it like the plague. It just looked so unappealing to me. 

Then one day I decided to make my own. 

What the hell took me so long?

I've made several variations and this is my favorite.  Local eggs, a little bit of mayo, fresh herbs, shallots and just a touch of dijon mustard.  Sandwiched between some good bread or eaten straight out the bowl this stuff is delicious. 

Make it once and you'll never go back to store bought again..

Egg Salad
6 large hard boiled eggs, peeled (local, free range and/or organic)
2 T. fresh chopped dill
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
1 T. chives
2 T. diced shallot
3-4 T. mayonnaise
1/2 T. dijon mustard
sea salt and black pepper, to taste


Never hardboiled eggs before?


Here's my go to method:
Place the eggs in a medium sized saucepan (so they all fit comfortably) and cover with cold water. I usually add a tablespoon of vinegar, which is supposed to make the eggs easier to peel. Some people do this and others don't.  It seems to work pretty well for me so I go with it.  Bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil, remove from the heat, cover and let sit 16 minutes. Immediately transfer eggs to an ice water bath and let them hang out for 10 minutes or so.  Voila! You got hard boiled eggs.

Rough chop your eggs. I like the salad a little on the chunky side, if you like yours a little more uniform, you could chop the eggs finer. Place in a bowl and gently fold in the remaining ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.