Iced Coffee

This week we had quite the excuse to have iced coffee with our breakfasts, as our air conditioning broke. In Florida, the summer heat can be intense, and this week the heat index was around 108 degrees. So we didn't do much cooking. But iced coffee was quite a welcome treat. Oh, and yes, the air conditioner is now fixed!

Iced Coffee

In blender jar add all of these ingredients:

a double shot of espresso (we have an espresso machine)
sweetener of choice, to taste (I used a squeeze of agave nectar)
milk: pour milk on top of the espresso until it reaches the one cup mark on the blender container

ice cubes (I used three from a typical ice cube tray)

Blend the ingredients well until the ice cubes are well crushed. Serve immediately.

Great Vegetarian Food near the National Mall

The more I visit DC, the more I am introduced to new places to eat. Here are a couple of vegetarian-friendly choices located a close walking distance of the museums on the National Mall. Above is Teaism, which has two locations close to the Mall, one near the Whitehouse and one near the National Archives/Navy Memorial Metro stop. Pictured above, I ate a delicious Veggie Bento Box and for dessert a Chocolate Salty Oats Cookie.

Another place we found vegetarian food is in the Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe inside the National Museum of the American Indian. Above is one of many options, a yummy Quinoa Tort with Cilantro Dipping Sauce. Fuzzy in the background is a Black Bean Tamale with Peanut Sauce.

Vegan Treats in DC

Pedro and I made a trip to DC the end of last week and visited my sister. One place we went to was the vegan bakery Sticky Fingers. The cookie is Lemon Coconut and the cupcake is Chocolate Raspberry. They are my favorites of what I tried. I appreciated that these two items were not too sweet and had richly pronounced flavors.

Tempeh with Tomatoes, Black Olives and Capers

I have seen fish cooked in a sauce similar to this one, so I decided to try a vegetarian version with tempeh. It turned out so well! It was nice served with creamy macaroni and peas and a salad.

Here is the recipe for the tempeh:

Tempeh with Tomatoes, Black Olives and Capers

1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
12 pitted Kalamata olives
1 tablespoon capers
1 splash of wine, we used red
1 package of tempeh, cubed
freshly chopped basil, oregano, or other herbs

1. Combine sauce ingredients in an oven-safe dish. You have the option of browning the tempeh before putting it in the sauce or after. I browned it after. Here is what I did:
2. Place the uncooked tempeh in the tomato sauce and put it in a 350 degree oven to bake while preparing whatever dish you are serving alongside. Let the tempeh cook for at least 20 minutes, or longer. Take tempeh out of oven after it has baked.
3. Heat a bit more olive oil in a skillet. Place each piece of tempeh (without the sauce) on a hot skillet and let the tempeh brown on two sides. Then I poured the sauce over the tempeh and let it simmer for a few minutes. Toss in freshly chopped herbs and then serve.

Alternate method, if you don't want to use the oven:

Brown the tempeh, add the sauce and simmer for at least 20 minutes. Toss with freshly chopped herbs and serve.

Broiled Figs and Goat Cheese

I purchased some organic fresh figs this week as a very special treat, thinking about a recipe that Ana of Kitchen Space posted. You can find her recipe here. I varied it only slightly, because I wanted to make use of some goat cheese that I had. So, my addition was to top the figs with goat cheese before putting them in the broiler. It was a fantastic treat! We ate the figs with crepes, but they would also have been good by themselves or drizzled with maple syrup or honey or maybe balsamic vinegar. I must admit the reason I chose to eat them with crepes is because I can't get crepes out of my mind since watching the Throwdown With Bobby Flay show on Food Network where Chef Flay challenges the chefs of Flip Happy Crepes in Austin. It reminded me of many fond memories of eating crepes on the streets in Europe.

Live Oaks

We went to Live Oak, Florida on Saturday to visit Magnolia Farms. I happen to love the live oak tree. I have one in my front yard, and even though it dumps more leaves than you can imagine, which I have to rake, I adore it. In the above photo are some live oak trees on the farm. Below is another shot of a live oak tree.

Magnolia Farm CSA open house

This weekend, Pedro and I visited Magnolia Farms for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) member meeting and open house. We are so glad we went. It was great to see the farm, talk more with the farmers and meet some of the other members.

As you can see by the photos, we were especially captivated by the animals.

This goat looking at me innocently, is taking a short break from munching on the tree branches.

It is not growing season right now in the hot, dry fields, but there are still a few things growing. When I look at the dirt, I marvel, as it is the same dirt I have in my yard, that I find impossible to grow anything in. When I talked about the poor dirt in Florida with the farmers, I discovered that it is difficult for them too. I have a lot of respect for the hard work involved with farming.

Soba and Tempeh Stir-Fry

I used 100% buckwheat soba noodles for this dish. And you can use whatever vegetables you want, as long as you cut them into sizes that will finish cooking at the same time. Or if you blanch the vegetables, such as cauliflower or broccoli, before adding them to the stir-fry, it helps. This time, I used cauliflower, summer squash, zucchini, shredded carrots, and red bell pepper. Here is how to assemble this dish:

Soba and Tempeh Stir-Fry, adapted from a recipe from Candle Cafe

Ingredients for the marinade:

2 cups water

1 cup (or up to 1.5 cups) smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1/2 small red onion, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
up to 1 tablespoon crushed red chili flakes, to taste (amount depends on how spicy your flakes are)
1 tablespoon ketchup (optional, I skipped it)
1/4 cup shoyu or tamari soy sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/4 cup agave nectar (or substitute a few tablespoons of honey)
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Other ingredients:

1 package tempeh
1 package soba noodles
oil for stir frying
onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, minced
assorted vegetables cut into appropriate stir-fry sizes
chopped cilantro
fresh lime juice
hot sauce
ground roasted peanuts, optional

1. In a blender, blend the marinade ingredients.

2. After blending the marinate, cut a package of tempeh into cubes. Place tempeh pieces in a nonreactive dish and coat with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least a half hour, or overnight.

3. Cut assorted vegetables into appropriate sizes for a stir-fry, plus mince some garlic and ginger, and chop some onion. Examples of vegetables to use are cabbage, bok choy, string beans, red or green bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, summer squash, etc.

4. Boil water for soba noodles. After water comes to a boil, add salt and a bit of oil, then the noodles. Boil for 8 to 10 minutes, until just tender. Drain and set aside.

5. Heat 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok or similar pan over high heat. Remove tempeh from marinade, saving the marinade. Drain excess moisture from the tempeh and add it to the hot wok. Saute about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and onion and whichever vegetables need the most time to cook. After five minutes, add the softer/quicker-cooking vegetables and saute 2 more minutes. Add marinade bit by bit until it has the desired consistency, tossing to coat the vegetables and to heat the marinade, for 5 or 10 minutes until flavors have developed.

6. Season with some fresh lime juice, fresh chopped cilantro, and hot sauce if desired, for extra kick. Or add a bit more sesame oil or shoyu, to taste.

7. Serve stir-fry over the soba noodles, or add soba to the stir fry and stir gently to coat with the marinade. Optionally garnish with additional chopped cilantro and ground roasted peanuts.

Plum Torte

On Monday I met the CSA farm van that delivers to my area. I never know what they will have for sale. This week, I was able to get multi grain bread, goat milk, goat cheese, feta and a bag of various organically grown fruit. Within my bag of fruit were about 10 plums, something I don't normally buy. Pedro likes them, so he will sometimes buy them. But I always just walk past them. They are not my favorite.

Fearing the plums wouldn't all get eaten while they are perfectly ripe, I decided to find a way to use them in a baked good. I looked around various websites for recipes, and Orangette had a link to the recipe that finally inspired me. It was a very easy and fast recipe and had the added benefit of using six of my ripe plums. I figured that if I didn't enjoy this plum torte, I would freeze it into individual pieces for Pedro to enjoy as snacks. But, I think this recipe may just have converted me to seeing the merits of plums! The minute I put it into the oven, the house filled with such a heavenly aroma. I'm having a very hard time resisting the urge to cut a piece and give it a try. But, I shall wait until after dinner.

Update: Wow! I actually like cooked plums! The torte turned out fantastic! It is moist and flavorful, and it was great with coffee. No slices will make it to the freezer!

Green Eggs and Beans

This is a very hearty breakfast, but it also would be great for lunch or dinner. Pedro came up with this dish as a great way to use leftover tomatillo salsa. It is sunny side eggs on millet toast with refried black beans, roasted tomatillo salsa, and Pecorino Romano cheese. Lettuce on the side gives a pleasant crispiness to balance the softness of the beans and eggs. If using canned refried black beans, liven them up by adding some fresh lime juice, cilantro and a dash of cayenne pepper. Pedro recommends frying the eggs in a little olive oil and seasoning them with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.

Pear and Cheese Pizza

I grew up eating homemade pizza, which my mother would make on our birthdays. Since I have seven brothers and sisters, we had homemade pizza relatively often. And there is just nothing like it. So, it was overdue for me to make some. Of course, growing up, we never had pizzas like these. I am quite sure I never had goat cheese growing up, probably no sheep cheese either. I'm sure I would have hated it anyway! My how our taste buds change as we grow! We had a pear tree in the back yard, but we never had pears on our pizzas either. So, I suppose this is an adult version of a childhood favorite.

I made two small pizzas. The crust is a recipe from Peter Reinhart's pizza cookbook, American Pie. Instead of tomato sauce, I brushed on olive oil that had simmered with minced garlic and fresh herbs. Then I arranged slices of roasted pears, goat cheese and Pecorino Romano (sheep cheese). I attempted to make a balsamic fig reduction to drizzle on the pies after they came out of the oven. However, I reduced it too much, and it wouldn't drizzle. We still put some glops of the resulting reduction on our pieces as we ate them, but I didn't photograph it, as it wasn't very pretty! The flavor combo was wonderful, in any event.

It's not illustrated well in the photos [added later: photo below illustrates], but the crust in the middle is super thin. When we held up the pieces of pizza to the light, there were areas that the light actually passed through, even after it baked! We used a pizza stone, and heated our oven to 550 degrees. Using our oven's option for Speed Bake convection, the top pie baked for 6, almost 7, minutes. The bottom pie baked for 5 minutes.

You can find the complete recipe for the crust here.

Above, a pizza is held to the light to show the light filtering through the bottom of the crust. The pizza toppings on this pizza are cubes of sauteed butternut squash and caramelized red onions with a bit of Manchego cheese.

Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

This week I was able to purchase some fresh yogurt, straight off a farmer's van, made from the milk of grass-fed cows. I wanted to do something special with it. I found this recipe for Vanilla Frozen Yogurt, and everyone was raving about it, so I decided to give it a try. In the picture above, I took a photo of the inside of my ice cream machine while it was churning the yogurt mixture. Below is a serving of the resulting frozen yogurt. All I can say is that it was the very best success we've ever had with our ice cream machine (my machine is nothing fancy, it's a VillaWare from Target.) The frozen yogurt was as creamy as ice cream. You have to ask my pets if it tasted any good, because according to Florida law, the yogurt I bought was for pet use only. My cats look very happy, so let's say it was super delicious.

By the way, here are some great

Tips for Making Softer Homemade Ice Cream,

posted by David Lebovitz, author of The Perfect Scoop.

Guacamole Tacos

A few days ago, I posted how Pedro and I made homemade corn tortillas, but I didn't show any of the tacos we ate using them. So, here is a taco of refried black beans and chunky guacamole. Mmmm. Very good! This is simple, fresh food with bright flavors. Perfect for the summer.

Chunky Guacamole

One large, diced, ripe green avocado (not the Has black bumpy avocados, the shiny green larger ones)
1/4 cup minced red onion, blanched briefly in scalding water
1 large ripe tomato, diced (optionally also seeded)
1 chopped, seeded Serrano chile (optional)
juice of 1/2 a lime (or up to a whole lime, as needed)
a handful of cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Community Supported Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms have sprung up all across the country. Until recently, there wasn't one that serviced my own geographic area. But now there is! I am quite excited. Demand is already exceeding the amount the small farm can produce. This is heart warming. Maybe there is still hope for the small farmer. Organic, locally grown produce, dairy, eggs and even meat are more in demand than ever.

When people stop and really think about where their food comes from, the majority would not be able to answer. Most food travels over 1500 miles before it reaches the average table. In the past, people ate food that was grown near them. But that has changed so quickly. We've become disconnected from our food. It is great to be able to eat strawberries all year, due to the shipments from California, etc. But, as nice as that is, it is also a bit sad when we lose sight of the natural seasons of crops. My husband, who grew up in Mexico, always knew when, for instance, which fruit would be in season and would anticipate the dishes his mom would make when they became available. Maybe that hasn't completely been lost in this country, but it feels like we're coming close.

Now starting this Fall, thanks to CSA, I will have access to food that I know is fresh and local. If I were able to grow my own food, I would. I have tried many years without much success. Now I will know the farmers, the fields where my food is growing, even the hens that are producing my eggs. And pictured above is delicious farm fresh yogurt, feta and goat cheese from the farm. CSA farms are each organized a bit differently. The farm near me calls the participants members, and we buy shares in the farm. Then we are provided weekly with baskets of freshly picked produce and/or eggs and/or cheese, etc. The members shoulder some of the risk that farmers face, so there is no guarantee in the variety and portion. .

The farm provided me with a hand-drawn produce wheel to show what will be available when. As an artist, I love how the format ties with a color wheel. It's a circle divided into pie pieces that represent the months of the year and which crops will be prime. It also shows the two Rebirth periods where they refurbish the soil and take a break and replant. They also show when the baby animals get first dibs on the milk, so no cheese will be available to the members, etc. I think it's really interesting living in Florida and having two big growing seasons.

I will be visiting the farm in a couple of weeks, so I hope to be able to provide more photos then!

Watermelon Lime Spritzer

I have been looking for recipes that use watermelons, as I can get them so cheaply in Florida, sometimes two for a dollar at the farmer's market. So, flipping through the channels this weekend, I stopped when I saw this drink featured on the Food Network. It was a show I had never heard of, Simply Delicioso, where host Ingrid Hoffmann features Miami-style Latin food. The recipe included the use of a soft drink, something I don't buy. So, Pedro and I brainstormed an alternate recipe. To see Ingrid Hoffmann's original recipe, here is the link.

Watermelon Lime Spritzer, adapted for people who don't drink soda pop:

2 cups chopped, seeded watermelon
1/3 liter Perrier
1/2 cup (or more) ice cubes
juice of 1/2 a lime (add more, to taste, if you really love lime)
a couple of squeezes of agave nectar, or to taste, depending on how sweet the watermelon is naturally

Blend ingredients in a blender until ice is crushed. Alter sweetness if needed. Pour into glasses. Garnish with lime slices or wedges if desired.

Making Corn Tortillas

Tortillas are such an important part of the daily diet of so many people, especially in Mexico. I took the above picture last time we were in Mexico. It shows two women making tortillas on an outdoor patio. They used three cinder blocks to contain a small fire and to support a big comal (griddle). They had a bucket of freshly mixed masa (tortilla dough) which they were constantly patting into balls and then into circles. They were making the tortillas for a party of hundreds of guests.

Below is a close up of a method for forming the balls of masa into the tortilla shape. The photo was taken inside my mother-in-law's kitchen. The masa dough ball is placed on a square piece of strong plastic and is rotated in circles. The green towel stayed in place as a cushion. Both hands are needed to guide the dough. One hand pats the dough to flatten it, and the other hand stays on the edge to push and keep the dough in a circular shape.

Above is another method to make tortillas at home, by using a maricona (tortilla press). It is much easier than forming them by hand. I made the masa and then rolled it into 16 balls. I placed a damp towel over them to keep them from drying out. I form the tortillas by placing a square of wax paper on the open maricona, then placing a ball of dough on the wax paper, then covering the ball with another square of wax paper. Then all I do is close the tortilla press and put a bit of pressure on it, and it does all of the work of flattening the masa into a disc.

I cook the tortillas on a small ungreased griddle. A bigger griddle could be used if you have one. I keep the cooked tortillas warm in a towel. Below is the recipe for masa dough that I used. This is an adaptation from the recipe on the bag of Maseca brand masa harina (instant corn masa flour):

Masa for Tortillas

2 cups of Maseca masa flour, loosely measured
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups water (I use warm water)

For extra flavor, I recommend adding either

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or a few drops of soy sauce to the dough or both

Combine the two cups of masa flour, salt, and water (and optional oil or soy sauce). Mix thoroughly (I use my hands) to form a soft dough. If the dough feels dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time. I had to add quite a bit of extra water as my flour was very absorbent. Divide dough into 16 equal balls. Cover with damp cloth to keep the dough moist. Flatten the dough using your method of choice.

Tips for cooking the tortillas: we cook them one at a time, because we have an electric stove and find they cook better that way. You will know when to flip them when the edges of the tortilla have lifted up from the pan. The recipe says it takes about 50 seconds per side, although we cooked ours longer than that.

Kathleen's Kitchen

Someone suggested to me that it would be nice to give a bigger glimpse into my kitchen. So, welcome into my kitchen! I have a pot of Marie Belle Dark Chocolate Obsession tea brewing on the counter by the corner windows, and it will be ready shortly. In the meantime, look around and make yourself at home!

I often change the plants in my window garden. Right now I have aloe vera, lavender, basil, thyme, sage, Cuban oregano, African violets and a house plant that I don't know the name of. Under the corner window, where you see the tea pot, is normally where I set the plates of food that I photograph.

You can glimpse my laptop, where I do my blogging. I have plans for a custom island to be built for the middle of the room, but for now, I am using the bistro table from my back patio. On the wall is one of my paintings. I don't think I mentioned it before, but I am also an artist.

You can see some of the things I collect for my kitchen. They include Mexican pottery, Mexican hand blown glasses, Fiesta Ware, and Le Creuset. The back splash is made of a combination of Spanish and Mexican tiles.

Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh

This recipe is so tasty. It is from the Candle Cafe Cookbook by Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza. The Candle Cafe (and its sister restaurant Candle 79) are highly rated vegan restaurants in New York City. The authors of the cookbook are the co-owners. I was very happy to find the book at a local bookseller. This is the first recipe I have tried from it, and if it is any indication of the other recipes, I am looking forward to trying more.

The recipe is for a double batch, using two packages of tempeh. But, I halved the recipe in making the plate above. And I cut the tempeh in smaller pieces than the recipe suggested, but it still worked fine. I give the recipe in the amounts stated in the book.

Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh

For marinating the tempeh:
2 8-ounce packages tempeh, each cut into thirds
1/2 cup shoyu or tamari soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 slices fresh ginger

For the cornmeal coating mixture:
1/2 cup medium-to fine-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of sea salt

For frying:
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the marinating ingredients. Coat tempeh with the marinade and place in a baking dish. Pour any remaining marinade over tempeh. Cover and bake for about 1 hour. Remove from oven and set aside. Drain and cut the tempeh into halves or triangles or slices.
3. In a large shallow bowl, mix together the cornmeal coating ingredients. Dip the tempeh pieces to coat with the cornmeal mixture.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and until very hot. Cook the coated tempeh until golden, about one minute per side.
5. Remove from heat and serve at once.

Hearty Italian Dipping Sauce

Take a crusty piece of bread and dig in!

Pedro and I improvised this dish last night. We wanted something like a marinara sauce, but a bit heartier. And rather than serving it over pasta, we wanted to use it as a dip for bread. We think this would be a great appetizer or party dish, served with a platter of various breads, slices of toast or maybe bread sticks. But it's also hearty enough to be a meal if served with a nice salad. Since we weren't following any recipe and were making it up as we went along, I don't have exact measures to share, but here's the main idea:

Hearty Italian Dipping Sauce

generous amount of extra virgin olive oil
half a medium Head of garlic, minced (or about 6 cloves)
1 (28 ounce) can of San Marzano crushed tomatoes
1 roasted red bell pepper (we roasted it on our stove top the same way we roast for Mexican salsas)
chopped fresh basil and oregano
1/2 pound of organic cottage cheese
shredded blend of cheeses of choice (we used a mix of Mozzarella and Monterrey Jack, as that's what we had, but Parmesan or Fontina or Asiago or other Italian would have been even better)
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
optional idea: add some steamed or blanched or otherwise cooked spinach

1. Start Roasting the bell pepper. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until the flavors have been well released into the oil, but before browning. At this point you can optionally add a dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. When the bell pepper is done being roasted, chop it up in 1/2 inch cubes and add it to the sauce. Continue simmering the sauce while preheating your oven to 450 degrees.

2. Stir the cottage cheese and freshly chopped herbs into the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into bowl(s) and place on rimmed cookie sheet. Sprinkle each bowl with shredded cheese. Place in oven and bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted and crusty.

3. Serve as a dip for crusty bread, toast... Or of course, instead of using it as a dipping sauce, you could also mix it with pasta...

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

At the farmer's market this week, there were many stalls with butternut squash. I decided to use them in a new (to me) soup recipe. Maybe a hot soup seems like a strange thing to eat in the hot summer in Florida. But what makes this soup appropriate for the weather is that it has coconut milk and lime and is spicy. It went very nicely with a Garden and Brazil Nut Salad with a Lime Juice and Olive Oil Dressing.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup, adapted from Cafe Flora Cookbook

2 to 3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
salt
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced, peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
1 bay leaf
1 or 2 cans coconut milk (I used one, it was plenty)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
optional: pinch of cayenne pepper or hot sauce
optional garnish: freshly chopped cilantro or parsley

1. Heat oil in a soup pot and saute the onion for 5 to 8 minutes. Add salt and saute a few more minutes, until soft. Add garlic and ginger and cook 2 more minutes. Add the spices and stir, coating the spices with the oil and heating them to release their flavors. Add the water, squash, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Reserve some of the liquid and set aside. Puree the rest of the soup in batches in a blender, filling the blender jar about halfway full each batch. Return the pureed soup into the soup pot. Add a can of coconut milk and stir. If the soup is too thick, either add more coconut milk or add some of the reserved liquid. Bring the soup just to the point where it boils. Take it off the heat and stir in the lime juice. Salt and pepper and hot sauce to taste. Garnish with finely chopped cilantro or parsley, if desired.