THE BEST THING I EVER ATE

I did not create the dish you see before you. I had it last late spring at Diner. It was bliss, yet it's ingredients were few.
Grilled bread.
Farm cheese.
Rhubarb.
That's it. The Rhubarb was sauteed or maybe roasted in a subtle liquor of it's own juices, not too syrupy or sweet.
Just think of all the delish variations for this simple snack!
Strawberries!
Figs!
Nectarines!
Lemons!

egg sammy

Everyone seems to be getting chickens... a friend of mine even started his own chicken coop business since they are so popular here in Portland. So, in the spirit of the chicken, here is a recipe that I just now made and ate and it was good!

EGG SAMMY
I took a few leftover tomato slices from the BBQ the other night and threw them in a hot skillet with olive oil, salt + pepper, grated garlic and a few sun-dried tomatoes from a jar.
(this would be a good time to get your bread toasting - in this case the lonely panini sitting in the fridge)
Mash down the tomato a bit and saute until some of the moisture evaporates.
Make a well in the center and crack your egg on top. I broke the yolk - up to you.
cover and turn down. cook sunny side up or flip it over and add fresh basil and parmesan.
Slap it on your toasted, buttered bread.
thanks chicken!

what's for dinner?

I'd love to ask someone else that question, but that's just not the way it is and it's late, I'm tired... what is in the fridge? What do I want to eat? I know I want/have spinach and what goes good with spinach? Cannellini beans! (at least that's what those crazy Italians call them.) I think 'round here they call them "Great Northerns" but that just sounds gross to me. And then there are the million bags of pasta that I "got on sale" (again) and the weird thing is, I don't really even like pasta that much!
I have taken to keeping parsley handy because lately, it seems to go with everything.
So: Spinach Catalan... meet Cannellini pasta mash up. I think you'll make a good couple.

SPINACH CATALAN
(roughly)
large bunch spinach. trimmed/rinsed well/drained
1/2 c golden or regular raisins
2-3 large garlic cloves sliced
1/3 c pine nuts
heavy dose of olive oil
s+p
- - - - -
steam spinach separately. set aside
heat olive oil. add garlic.
when garlic is golden, spoon it out of the pan and set aside.
turn down the heat and add the pinenuts and raisins.
when the pinenuts get a nice golden color and the raisins plump up, add the spinach/salt + pepper and garlic and heat through. you will not be sorry.

*this is a regional Catalanian dish, but I found out about it from one of the Deborah Madison cook books... so good!

CANNELLINI PASTA MASH UP
a bunch of pasta
some of the cooked garlic from the last dish that you kept aside 'cause it was alot
or some sauteed shallots
one can of cannellini beans with liquid
that 1/4 head of cabbage sitting in yr fridge - chopped
grated parmesan (apparenly, I say this word wrong... every time)
parsley
s+p
olive oil
- - - - -
So while the pasta was cooking, I literally stuck the cabbage in a mesh strainer and let it sit in the cooking pasta to wilt it.
when pasta is done - drain & set aside (with your cabbage)
If you havent, saute your garlic or shallot in a good amt of olive oil until golden.
add the cabbage.
add the beans and saute until you think it looks "good" (at least hot)
add the pasta, salt + pep to taste. add parmesan. stir stir stir.
If it seems too thick, add a tiny bit of water or liqid.
top with chopped parsley and.... done!

*sorry for the blurry photo.

Turkey Meatloaf

this has been a staple in my house since we moved to Battle Ground

1 lb lean ground turkey (you can also used chopped turkey)
1/2 cup chopped onion, i use whatever kind of onion i happen to have around
1/2 cup corn flakes
1/2 cup or just a tad more (5/8cup?) red sauce
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped parsley
a little bit of salt and black pepper to taste

optional - 1 TBSP mustard

bake for an hour at 350 degrees in a greased or no-stick loaf pan.

rice flakes or oat flakes work just as well
if you want to try a sweet variation, get the apple-juice sweetened cornflakes
i use a storebought organic mushroom and garlic red sauce, but if you have a homemade red sauce recipe, that'd work too
obviously egg replacer works in place of the egg

Red Lentil Soup with Leeks and Lemon

This is a great quick and easy soup that uses mostly cupboard staples.

1 cup red lentils
6 cups veg stock (I used two low sodium organic boullion cubes and 6 cups of water)
1 bay leaf
1 pinch cayenne
1 pinch tumeric
2 T. olive oil
1 medium leek, washed thoroughly, halved and cut in thin slices
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon

Rinse lentils. Bring stock to a boil. Add lentils, bay leaf, cayenne and tumeric. Simmer 20 minutes. Sautee leeks in olive oil separate pan until soft, add to lentils. Season with salt and pepper and let cook 10 more minutes. Take off heat, add lemon juice and serve. Garnish with crispy leeks if you like!

Can anybody give me suggestions tailored to my dietary restrictions?

I know it is like a homework assignment, if anybody wants to try....

here are the things i can't eat:

legumes (including peanuts, peas, all types of beans, tofu, and soybean oil and peanut oil)

chocolate

dairy

wheat


i also have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and need to follow doctor's orders on that stuff, low sodium, low cholesterol, etc...

Singapore Noods

There are so many variations of Singapore Noodles recipes. To me, the basics are: rice noodles, a good curry powder (madras, muchi), and red chilies...the rest is up to you! I love it because of the fragrance and taste and because it feels like I'm making restaurant worthy fast-food in my kitchen. It's super easy- and the only thing that takes a bit of time is the prep. You want everything ready to go, as it all gets thrown in together very quickly.
Nick and I made this the other night...I prepped and he cooked. We made it with shrimp, but any other protein would work well, like firm tofu, etc. Our recipe is a bit abstract...you just have to go with your own taste.

This is how we do:
* 1 package of rice noodles/vermicelli
* 1 large red bell pepper, thinly julienned
* 2 red chilies, minced and de-seeded
* 4 cloves minced garlic, or to taste
* about 2 inches worth of fresh ginger, minced
* 1/2 cup or about 2 shallots, minced (scallions are generally used, but we were out)
* 1 package of cooked, peeled shrimp from Trader Joe's- they sell them with tails off, which is great.
* 1 tablespoon of curry powder, more to taste (muchi or madras)
* soy sauce
* vegetable oil
* sesame oil
* sherry vinegar (rice vinegar is good too)
* 1/2 cup of vegetable broth or water
* fresh cilantro- a nice big handful.

Soak the noodles in hot water and set aside.
In a big pot, get some vegetable oil nice and hot. Throw in onions and red bell pepper and sautee until both are tender. Throw in the garlic, red chiles, and curry powder, stir quickly. Add the broth.

Once the broth has been mixed in well and you scrape up all the goodness on the bottom of the pot, throw in shrimp, stir it all up fast. It's easy to overcook shrimp. I always do. You can set them aside if you want, after the initial toss around, and add them back in the end.

Take drained rice noodles, throw in the pot, stir it up some more. Add some sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce to taste...keep it light, this is ultimately a dry noodle stir-fry, so you can keep tossing around at a high heat until the liquids reduce and flavor intensifies.
Add cilantro and stir in to disperse. Serve!

(bean sprouts, napa cabbage, celery, etc. are also great in this dish...)