Gluten-Free and Green

This was a big hit with the family. I liked the shape of this Tinkyada rice pasta -- it didn't fall apart. I think I've figured out how to work with this product. I cooked it two minutes fewer than the directions suggested, and rinsed it thoroughly with cold water while I finished cooking the veggies.

For the greens, here is what I did:  on medium-high heat I quickly pan-seared the broccoli in coconut oil, along with chopped ginger and garlic, leaving it for a little while to get crispy and brown -- just on the edge of burning -- before stirring. This only took about three minutes, stirring 3-4 times. Then I turned off the burner and added chopped scallions, shredded kale, a little salt and pepper and a dash of Tamari, stirring the veggies until they were wilted. Finally, I took the hot pan off the still-hot burner, added the cooked noodles and a drizzle of olive oil and stirred it all together. The whole process took about 15 minutes, including prep.

I'm working on removing all grains as I strive to recover my immune system, but with baby steps --I'm embracing gluten-free products from time to time. This one's a winner!

A Lovely Day!

Finally, after at least a week of oppressive heat here in the deep South, we do have a fresh and lovely day! I enjoyed my particularly delicious juice today on the screened porch with my pups. The juice was from garden cukes, half a bulb of fennel, an organic orange, a knob of ginger, a few broccoli stems and a big handful of Italian parsley. It was a very juicy batch, yielding 30 ounces! I'll enjoy a bonus glassful after lunch.

My garden pup, Emma, who always follows me out to the garden and plops down beside it while I pull bugs and caterpillars off my crops, tends to be camera shy, but I caught her!

Normally more ready for her close-ups, I had to look under the hammock to find Ellie today. She's going to hate this photo. I think the girls were just enjoying the weather.

Mind Blown

This morning I found a new vegetable at Publix which looked an awful lot like parsnips. It is called "Parsley Root". I quickly realized it IS parsnips -- attached to a bunch of parsley! This is a very sad, tired bunch of parsley, so I bought a prettier, parsnip-free bunch too, but I figured the roots themselves here would be better than the old, dried-up parsnips sealed in plastic I normally buy. I've never seen them fresh and unpackaged here in my part of the deep South.

Parsnips are probably my favorite root veggie. They are so sweet, mild and bright in flavor. My favorite way to prepare them is pureed. I peel and roughly chop them, then boil them for about 10 minutes and then puree 'em in a food processor with a little of the boiling water, some "butter" a little salt and a hefty dose of nutmeg -- transcendent. I'm not kidding.

Did you know parsnips are actually the roots of parsley? I love both. I know what I'm planting next summer.

Well, Hello Dahl-y

This photo shows hardly any Dahl, but this is the way I tend to eat -- veggies first -- in this case, with a hefty garnish of fresh cilantro and tomato.

The bowlful was inspired by one created by the lovely Sally Kitten at Of the Kitten Kind. When I saw Sally's recipe, I wanted it right away, but didn't want to make a trip to the market, so mine was made with what was sitting in my pantry: black and green lentils and green peas, instead of red lentils and yellow peas. As a result, mine took longer to cook and was still likely more "al dente" than one made from the more tender legumes, but I love it.

Dahl provides wonderful leftovers, since the flavors continue to meld and unfold with time. I'm still enjoying this batch. The warmly spiced curry concoction sustains as it calls to mind mystical scenes draped in shades of saffron and turmeric from a movie Wynne and I used to watch over and over again when she was tiny: "A Little Princess". Truth be told, my now nearly-17 year old and I still indulge in the film from time to time -- magic!

My Summer 2014 Cocktail

This delicious variation on a greyhound (vodka and grapefruit juice) was created as I was culling the overgrown herbs from my pots outside. This is purple basil. It's amazing how adding a sprig really rounds out the flavor of this crisp summer cocktail -- sweet, fresh and smooth. Bonus: it's pretty!

As my other herbs finish out the summer, I'll be experimenting with more flavor combinations. I'll keep you posted.