There's just nothing like the produce of summer be it from your personal garden, the local farmers market or the organic section in the supermarket. Now is the time to enjoy the bounty.

I highly recommend organic produce whenever possible, but if you absolutely can't get it or don't want to go to the expense, always make sure to wash produce well in cold water, then let it drain or pat it dry before slicing or chopping. Same thing goes for fresh herbs.


One of my all-time favorite foods is tomatoes and now is the perfect time to eat plenty of them.




So, here's an easy recipe for Tabouli - the hardest part of this recipe is purchasing/finding bulgar wheat. I prefer to purchase bulgar wheat at my local community health food market which justs happens to be "The Co-Opportunity Market" in Santa Monica. (They have a fabulous "bulk section". ) You can find bulgar wheat in the bulk section or in the dried grain isle (near the pasta, rice, and other sorts of grains). It is also called "cracked bulgar". Bulgar is a wonderful grain, low on the glycemic index, easy to digest, and requires no cooking (at least in this recipe).

Tabouili
1 cup bulgar wheat
l large tomato or a handful of cherry tomatoes, chopped small
1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint
2 large green onions
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
4 tablespoons EVOO
salt and pepper to taste


Place the bulgar in a large bowl and pour in hot water to cover it completely. Let it soak for about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare and place the next five ingredients in a separate large bowl. Toss. Next, drain the bulgar well (squeezing out excess water), then place in bowl with vegetables. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and voila. Chill for a while in refrigerator or serve at once, either way, it's delicious and very healthy.

Sometimes I add firm fresh finely chopped cucumber, finely chopped red or green pepper, even chopped firm avocado. It's all good! Heck, why not throw in a little finely chopped jalapeno or serrano pepper too to kick it up a notch.

Chopping is a big part of cooking, at least if you're a savory chef like me. I personally love to chop -- I suppose I like wielding a knife -- keeping them very sharp and never putting them in the dishwasher. And because I care about keeping my knives at their finest, I use an "Epicurean" cutting board -- it's the best!

Enjoy your summer, eat lots of fresh vegetables, get outdoors, wear sunscreen, and take a walk under the full summer moon.  Next full moon:  August 13, 2011.

And here is a variation for Cauliflower Tabouili:

Grate 1 head cauliflower into grain-size pieces with a box grater. Toss with 2 diced plum tomatoes, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 2 chopped scallions, 1 bunch chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons chopped mint in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Now is the perfect time to enjoy the fresh vegetables of summer.  Preparing and consuming fresh vegetables keeps you healthy and glowing.  If you eat just two types of vegetables (1/2 cup each) at lunch and another two at dinner you are well on your way to the daily recommendation of 5 vegetables and fruits per day. 

Summer is heating up in Southern California!

It's 93 degrees at my house right now, time for a tall cool one. Since I have plenty of mint growing in my garden, an ice cold Mojito is what I'm brewing up. I'm not really a rum drinker, so I'll make mine a virgin drink. For the real deal, use the below link for the perfect Mojito recipe. And stay cool friends.

http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/all_books/_101_mojitos_and_other_muddled_drinks/the_perfect_mojito

Don't you just love summer!

Papaya - A most wonderful and healthy fruit!

Large green papayas from Mexico are perfect now and Costco has lots of them at a reasonable price.  Choose an almost ripe papaya (green with just a hint of yellow coloring on the skin and firm, but not real hard, to the touch.)  Let it sit on your counter for a day or two and it will begin turning yellow on the skin.  Then it's ready to slice.  I slice it right down the middle.  Remove the seeds, then lay it on it's side and slice it in rounds.  Now  use a sharp knife and circle it around the skin on each slice, to remove the skin.  Then I slice in slices again.  Serve chilled with several lime wedges.

And you all know how much I advocate eating breakfast.....it's the perfect breakfast fruit.  Sometime I cut it up in little pieces and blend into my morning "health cocktail."   Just add it to your morning smoothie like you would any other fruit.  And don't forget to add some ground flax seeds, too.  Way healthy!

Pizza for Breakfast!

Today I made what I call "breakfast pizza".  No, it's not leftover pizza ordered in the night before.....it's my version of what looks like a pizza, but there's no flour or dough.....it's eggs.  It's a split between an omelette and a flat crepe.  So easy to make.  Just saute whatever ingredients you like (I used finely chopped onions, garlic, mushrooms and red, orange and green peppers), then I pour in beaten eggs to fill the saute pan and cook on medium/low heat for about 5 minutes.  I sprinkle grated cheese on top, then I put the pan under the broiler for just a few minutes to melt the cheese and set the egg/pizza.  Delicioso!

Tomorrow I harvest home grown sunflower sprouts

Fresh homegrown sunflower sprouts are a delight in a salad, on a sandwich or as a nice touch as a garnishment to create an eye appealing plate.  I decided to try my hand at growing my own.  I purchased the seeds at my favorite market in Santa Monica, "The Co-opportunity Market".   I soaked 3/4 cup of the seeds overnight then lined a large plate with parchment and spread out some organic potting soil on it.   I sprinkled the seeds atop the soil, gave it a good water spray, then covered it with wet newspaper (yes, that's right, newspaper) then put it in a large dark brown lawn and leaf bag. I placed this in a dark closet for 3 days then I uncovered the brown bag and saw little sprouts popping up.  I placed this in the sun outside and sprayed it with water every day for 4 days and now I have wonderful sprouts for my next salad.  This was a fun project and I love that I get to have a supply of sprouts for the next several days.  If you love sunflower sprouts growing your own is fun, easy and economical.

A Middle Eastern/Mediterranean Salad Dressing

Louisa, a new friend of mine,  gave me a supply of ground sumac from a local Armenian market.  So....what did I do?  I got creative and made a tasty salad dressing to toss over dark green and red romaine lettuce, toasted walnuts and sliced avocado. Here's the recipe for Creamy Sumac Salad Dressing.

Put all the below ingredients into a blender or food processor:

1 small or medium clove fresh garlic, pressed (use the entire clove)

Juice of one medium to large lemon

½ cup Greek non-fat yogurt (Chobani brand is really good) – or for a vegan version, use tofu

1 teaspoon ground sumac

¼ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Several teaspoons fresh parsley leaves

¼ cup EVOO

Process to a smooth consistency.  

For a thicker dipping sauce, use more greek yogurt.  For smoother more liquid salad dressing use slightly more EVOO.

Thanks for the sumac Louisa!

This week I'm cooking Mediterranean

I love to cook a variety of ethnic cuisines.  Last month I cooked a lot of Indian food for clients, family and friends.  Now with the beginning of Spring and warmer weather, I am gravitating to cooking Mediterranean.
I made tahini from scratch (all it really is, is sesame seeds and olive oil finely ground in a food processor.)   Easy.

Using the freshly made tahini, I prepared a wonderful roasted red pepper hummus.  I always make hummus from organic dried garbanzo beans (not canned).  I soak beans overnight, then cook them, then make the hummus in a food processor.  Yesterday I made dolmas - stuffed grape leaves.  Oh, oh, oh.....nothing like freshly made stuffed grape leaves.  I prepared the filling first (bulgar based) then rolled it up in the pretty grape leaves, then steamed them for 1/2 hr.  

First I laid out the grape leaf,

I added the filling then rolled up the grape leaf

Voila, stuffed grape leaves to die for!

Time Flys When I'm Cooking #2

Last year I wrote the same headline for a posting and now once again I'm writing it a second time because it's simply the honest truth.  I've been so busy cooking lately that I just haven't had the time to write.  Funny, I make a whole bunch of wonderful dishes and I even take pictures of them but I rarely like the way the photos turn out so I don't post them here.  Perhaps the issue is that the camera in my cell phone isn't the greatest, or perhaps I'm just not a great photographer....probably a little of both.  Anyway, the good news is that I've been cooking a whole lot.  Last week I was on a roll with Asian dishes, this week it's Indian food.  Today I made Chicken Tikka with a nice yogurt sauce for dipping.  One of my clients got me started on the Indian cooking  when she asked me to make dahl (lentils) and she loaned me an Indian cookbook.  I've been marking recipes I want to make so I'll be cooking Indian foods now too.  Many of the dishes are very healthy and I just love the spices.  Ah, very, very good.

The best comfort food is SOUP!

This is a perfect time of year for hot soup.  I like to make soup from the seasonal winter vegetables available now in our markets.  Asparagus soup is a favorite of mine and my clients and not only is it delicious, it is very healthy.  Here is my recipe for Asparagus Soup. The following recipe serves 8 but you can cut it in half easily.   Serve with crusty bread.

  

• 3 pounds fresh asparagus, rinsed
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup minced shallots
• 1 cup minced leeks, whites only, well rinsed
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or fat free ½ & ½)

Trim the attractive top tips from the asparagus, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches in length. Set aside. Cut the woody stem ends from each spear and reserve. Cut the remaining tender stalks into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a medium pot, bring the stock to a boil. Add the tough woody stems, lower the heat and simmer to infuse with asparagus flavor, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and discard, reserving the stock.

Add the decorative tips to the stock and blanch until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Remove with a strainer and refresh in an ice water bath. Drain on paper towels and reserve for the garnish. Reserve the stock.

In a medium stockpot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. When foamy, add the shallots and leeks and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chopped asparagus stalks, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the reserved broth and simmer until the asparagus are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

With a hand-immersion blender (or in batches in a tradition upright blender or a food processor), puree the soup until smooth. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. If serving right away, return to medium heat and add the cream (or ½ and ½) and reserved asparagus tips. Cook, stirring, until the soup is warmed through, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook.

Alternatively, if serving the soup later, do not add the cream and let cool at room temperature (or in an ice water bath). Cover and refrigerate. Before serving, add the cream and asparagus tips, and warm the soup gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally.