• Zucchini Crisp…say what?

• Zucchini in Filo

• Zucchini Florentine and

• Zucchini Lasagna

Enjoy!

My first problem was not having a ice cream maker. Well I do have one but it is mainly a novelty item though I have read it is possible to make decent ice cream with it. It’s basically a metal bowl with a battery operated paddle - you simply pour in your mix, turn it on and put the whole thing in the freezer.

Simple enough but the paddle didn’t seem to spin enough and once the mix started to freeze the motor wasn’t strong enough to move the paddle any longer. Result was very icy hard creamed ice.

So, I decided to use a plastic food storage container to hold the well chilled mix. I put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes and then took it out and used a stick blender to mix the parts starting to freeze with the rest of the mix. Do this every few hours and you will end up with a decent frozen dessert. A bit icy but scoopable after setting out in the frig for 10 to 15 minutes. It’s definitely not the creamy goodness you can get from places like Sketch but for me - satisfying enough.

Here’s the approximate recipe I used for the mix:

1 quart of Strauss Whole Milk Yogurt

1 can of Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk

enough sugar to taste sweet (the more sugar the less icy but I’d rather have less sugar. Also remember that when frozen the yogurt will taste less sweet)

pinch of sea salt

Whisk this all together and refrigerate for an hour or two. Starting with a very cold mix before setting in the freezer can reduce the iciness. You can skip this part if you are in a hurry. Now just follow the method above using your stick blender.

Check out the all new Planet Veggie Garden site. A place where four gardeners share their adventures in learning to grow nearly all their plant food. We’ll have gardening tips as well as recipes for enjoying now and preserving for later eating.

Hope to see you there!

Sandy

I planted some French tarragon some years back - just because. A beautiful herb with thin leaves growing on each sprig with a fennel like flavor. The first year, I transplanted the tiny plant from it’s 2″ pot and watched it grow. I didn’t really have many recipes in my repertoire that required tarragon. Come Fall it started to die off and by Winter it’s little home became a barren patch of dirt. I thought it had died Spring sprang and every Spring now it grows out of control through the Summer. I make attempts to incorporate them into dishes but never enough to really feel like I am taking advantage of this delicate herb. This year I hope to use this herb a bit more so here is the first recipe…

Orzo Salad with Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Tarragon

1 cup Whole Wheat Orzo Pasta

1 bunch Asparagus, blanched; cut into 1/3 inch pieces

½ small red onion, thinly sliced

8 halves sun-dried tomato, soften in water then diced

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

zest of half a lemon

4 sprigs of tarragon, remove leaves and chop

¼ cup lemon juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Cook 1 cup of orzo pasta. Drain and cool with cold water. Drain well.

Put pasta in large bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Season to taste with additional sea salt, pepper and lemon juice.

If you are not into orzo try substituting Quinoa, Faro, Bulgar, Rice, Buckwheat or any other favorite grain.
Enjoy!

A few members of the family aren’t too fond of pumpkin pie and those that are seem to leave most of the crust on their plate. So I experimented last month for a cooking demo I did at the Women’s Cancer Resource Center in Oakland and came up with a Sweet Potato Flan. Not quite pumpkin I know but close enough in my book.

Here is a revised version of the recipe I demo’ed last month:

Sweet Potato Flan

1 -2 red-skinned sweet potato/ yam; about 12 ounces
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 ½ cup half and half
4 large eggs
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg, grate fresh from a seed for best flavor
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
maple syrup to taste (about ¼ cup)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatos with fork; roast until tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on width of potato. Cool. The skin should be very loose - peel potato by hand and press into a measuring cup - measure out 1 1/2 cup.

Stir 1/2 cup sugar and the tablespoon of water in small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour caramel into 8-inch-diameter metal cake pan. Using pot holders, swirl cake pan, allowing caramel to coat bottom and about 1/2 inch up sides. If the caramel solidifies before you can coat the entire bottom of the pan then warm it up a bit in the oven. Be careful, the hot caramelized sugar will stick to you like molten lava and leave a nasty burn!

Use a blender (or a deep bowl and stick blender) to puree up the eggs, half and half, sea salt, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Stir in maple syrup to taste (about ¼ cup). Pour flan mixture into prepared cake pan.

Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Put pan on the middle rack of the oven. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until just set in center, about 1 hour. Remove flan from water. Chill until cold, about 5 hours. You can make this up to a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Run a sharp pointed knife along the inside edge of the cake pan to loosen the flan. Invert onto rimmed plate, scraping caramel in pan over flan.

If your heart is set on pumpkin go ahead and use pumpkin - either fresh roasted or canned is fine. Other winter squash would be wonderful too - try butternut, hubbard, or kabocha.

Enjoy!

Snacks after a few hours of Mah Jong:

Grilled Niman Sausages with Fruit Mustard

Carrot Pineapple Cake

Watermelon

Tangy Thai Dip with Crackers

Dinner (cooked up by Cathy, sis Patty and myself):

Korean Cucumber and Glass Noodle Salad with Surimi (C)

Japchae (C)

Korean Beef Shortribs (C)

Orzo & Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts and Cranberries (P)

BBQ Baby Back Ribs (P)

Tamarind Glazed Salmon Grilled on a Cedar Plank with Santa Rosa Plum Chutney (S)

Old Fashion Potato Salad (S)

Grilled Vegetables (S)

Mom’s Favorite BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Strawberry Whipped Cream Birthday Cake (R)

Wow, guess I’d better bring along some digestive enzymes.

Have a fun day Mom!

Roast Sea Bass with Rock Shrimp, Avocados & Persian Cucumber Salad in a Lemon Vinaigrette. With a side of Toasted Buckwheat and Sweet 100 Tomato Pilaf.

Grilled Flanken Style Beef Short Ribs in a Soy Ginger Glaze with Sweet Sour Sesame Eggplant and Scallion Brown Rice

Greek Lamb Meatballs with fresh Oregano, Mint, Lemon Zest and Garlic. With a Mint & Pine Nut Quinoa Pilaf and Blue Lake Green Beans

Summer Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Chowder

And today’s menu for another very nice couple and long time clients…

Broiled Wild King Salmon with Nectarine Chutney. With sides of Mint & Pine Nut Quinoa Pilaf and Sauteed Baby Spinach

Bluenose Bass, Prawns, Manila Clams and Glass Noodles in a Thai Coconut Broth infused with Lemon Grass, Lime Leaves and Galanga. With a Shredded Cucumber, Carrot and Jicama Salad in a Zesty Lime Vinaigrette

Vietnamese Roasted Lemongrass Chicken with Fried Scallion & Pineapple Forbidden Rice and Sauteed Shanghai Baby Bok Choy

Carrot Ginger Soup

and my dinner tonight…some leftovers

Tea Smoked Duck Leg and Chow Fun with Baby Bok Choy & King Oyster Mushrooms

Here is part of their menu:

Basil Tofu Curry with Brown Jasmine Rice and Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Tofu in Makhani Sauce with Cumin Roasted Potatoes and Sauteed Zucchini

Eggplant Agro Dolce with Dried Cherries & Toasted Walnuts and a Summer Vegetable Quinoa Pilaf

Aloo Gobi with Curried Chickpeas and Brown Basmati with Aromatic Spices

Not just for pasta - Use the pesto as a coating on fish or prawns or chicken or turkey before broiling or roasting in the oven. We like a generous layer on top of fish or chicken or turkey - about 1/8″. Another idea - throw a tablespoon or so in your next tuna salad. How about a few tablespoons in a chick pea dip like hummus (minus the tahini and cumin)? Or sauteed with your favorite vegetables. Maybe as a base on pizza instead of tomato sauce. So many ideas - be creative!

Macadamia Nut Pesto

2 tablespoons macadamia nuts

2 tablespoons basil, fresh

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon sea salt

3 teaspoons capers

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pulse nuts a few times in a food processor. Add basil, pulse a few times again. Add the garlic, lemon zest, pepper, salt and capers pulse a few times. Add lemon juice and water. With the food processor turned on, slowly add the olive oil in a slow steady stream. As needed, stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Adjust seasoning with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Makes ½ cup.

Variation - substitute basil leaves with fresh dill or Italian parsley or spinach

When shopping for ingredients try to get low sodium and organic brands. This recipe is really economical if you buy the groceries at Trader Joe’s.

Three Bean Turkey Chili

3/4 lb. ground turkey (more or less if you like)
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained - fire roasted is nice
1 jar (16 oz.) Chunky Salsa or other favorite salsa - low sodium and no sugar added!
1 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) great Northern beans or white beans, drained, rinsed
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
sea salt to taste
Hot Sauce to taste
Optional: Shredded Cheddar Cheese, sliced green onions, diced fresh tomatoes

COOK ground turkey in large saucepan on medium-high heat until cooked through, stirring occasionally.

ADD tomatoes, salsa, beans and seasonings; mix well. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To complete the meal, serve chili with a salad and steamed vegetables.

Variations:

Use ground chicken or grass-fed beef or lamb or vegetarian with no meat and an extra can of beans

Any combination of beans work well - try garbanzos

Add ground chipotle chile to taste to give the chili a spicy smokiness

Add a bag of frozen corn

Enjoy!