Farmer's Market Feast

I love farmer's markets.  I love all the free samples of strawberries and olives.  I love the buckets of fresh sunflowers. I love the local guitar player strumming "Good Day Sunshine."  I love running into neighbors.  And I love all the intimacy created between the food and the people.  This summer my friend Laura worked at the farmer's market selling blueberries and one night we made a feast with all the food she had bartered that day at the market.  She brought home fresh green beans, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and beets.  I brought yellow squash and a bright green tomatillo I had purchased at my local farmer's market.  She made a delicious beet salad and I cooked up some veggie and fish tacos.  We took our time cooking, laughing and making a mess in her kitchen.  When everything was ready we ate and talked for endless hours till we were tired and full.  Below is my taco recipe as well as Laura's beet salad for your farmer's market feast!

Fish Tacos
Ingredients

• 1 fillet of tilapia (or whatever fish you love)
• 1-2 summer squash chopped into small bite size pieces
• 1 sweet onion chopped
• 1 ripe tomatillo chopped
• 1-2 fresh tomatoes chopped
• 1 ripe avocado sliced
• Corn tortillas 
• Salt, pepper, olive oil

Directions

1.  In a pan saute the onions on medium heat in olive oil.
2. When onions are halfway cooked, add the squash and tomatillo.
3. Add garlic and salt and pepper and saute till all veggies are cooked.
4. In another pan, add some olive oil and fry the tilapia for a few minutes until golden on both sides.
5. Warm tortillas on a pan then fill each one with the squash, tomatillo, and tilapia chunks.
6. Top with tomatoes and avocados and enjoy!

Laura's Beet Salad
Ingredients

• 6 red beets
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbs of honey
• Olive oil, salt, pepper

Directions

1. Boil trimmed beets in water for about 10 minutes.
2. Run beets under cold water and peel skins off.
3. Chop beets and roast in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.
4. Mix together the balsamic vinegar and honey.
5. Take beets out of the oven and pour the vinegar/honey mixture on top.
6. Roast beets for another 10 minutes until cooked through.
7. Slice avocado and mix together with the beets in a bowl.

 

Pesto Polenta with Okra and Tomatoes

The first time I tried to cook okra in a curry broth it turned the whole dish into a slimy mess.  Since then I have been baffled on how people make okra without it becoming the consistency of runny mucus.  Luckily my friend Ginny, a southern girl herself, told me she roasts her okra.  Brilliant- I thought!  The oven dries out all the excessive moisture in the okra and leaves the vegetable more crunchy and flavorful.  Also, when you slice the okra they look like little green stars!  So this week I went to the farmer's market and bought a bag of okra and some yellow tomatoes.  I cooked up some polenta, added some leftover pesto, and topped it with the veggies.  Enjoy this simple summer dish!

Pesto Polenta with Okra and Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 log of cooked polenta (just check ingredients as some brands add parmesan cheese)
• 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1 bag of okra
• 1 tsp of garlic powder 
• 1/4 cup of pesto
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Slice okra into star shaped discs.
3. Lay okra on a baking sheet and coat with olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper. 
4. Roast in oven for about 30 minutes, or until it's as crispy as you like it.
5. Meanwhile, cut up polenta and mash into a pot.
6. Turn on the heat and add some water, olive oil and salt.
7. Keep stirring and add more water if needed until the polenta is a thick and creamy.
8. Add salt, pepper, and the pesto to the polenta and turn off the heat.
9. Scoop polenta into a bowl and slice some tomatoes to put on top. Add the okra and enjoy!

Salmon and Avocado Maki

My friend Rosalie and I were playing a game where we had to come up with a food that represented each other's dating personality.  She described me as a sushi roll: cute, fresh, and tightly wrapped up until you bite in and everything delicious falls out.  I took the comparison as a compliment as sushi is my favorite food!  I love the salty seaweed, the sweet vinegary rice, fresh pieces of fish, and the way tobiko pops in your mouth. It is the first dish I ever learned to make and since then have taught many a friend how to make sushi.  It is a fabulous party activity especially for all my creative friends who love to use their hands!  I've played around with different ingredients such as: tuna and wasabi, mango, fried tofu and daikon radishes, wheat-free tempura, peanut butter and avocado, tamago and scallions, sweet potato and spinach, shitake mushrooms and garlic...... People think that making sushi is hard, but it isn't!  I make sushi almost every week because it is so easy!  There is of course an art to making authentic sushi that sushi chefs master over many years, but it's not complicated to make a basic sushi roll. Here is one of my favorite rolls I make for myself.  If you are serving more than 2 people, use twice as much rice, nori, and fillings!

Jasmin's Basic Salmon/Avocado Roll

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of sushi rice (white or brown)
• 4 sheets of nori seaweed
• 2 tbs of rice vinegar or umeboshi vinegar
• 1 tbs of sesame oil
• 1 package of smoked salmon (check ingredients for sugar) or raw sushi grade salmon
• 1 avocado
• 1 carrot
• 1 bunch of spinach or bok choy

 Directions:

1. First things first, you have to buy a rice cooker if you don't already own one.  You can cook the rice in a pot the old fashioned way, but it's much quicker if you have a rice cooker. Follow the directions on your rice cooker.
2. While rice is cooking start cutting the vegetables up into thin long pieces.  I often use a peeler to slice the carrots into thin strands.
3. Steam the greens. Dress with tamari if you like.  Let cool. 
4. Mix together the vinegar and sesame oil. 
5. Once rice is cooked, transfer to a wide bowl and gently stir in the vinegar/oil mixture.
6. Let rice cool completely before you start rolling.  If you are in a hurry, you can cover the rice and put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
7. Once all ingredients are cooled down it's time to make the sushi!
8. Place one sheet of nori, shiny side down, on a clean work surface or bamboo roller mat.
9. Using a wet spoon or clean wet hands, spread a thin layer of sticky rice on the nori, covering the bottom two thirds of the nori.  Make sure the rice is tightly packed.
10. Lay the vegetables and salmon across the rice near the bottom edge of the nori.
11. Wet the top edge of the nori.  Starting from the bottom side, begin to roll the sushi, trying to keep all the ingredients in the first turn.  As you turn, make sure to keep it tight and gently press the roll, like you are trying to roll a sleeping bag very tightly.  (I don't use a bamboo roller, but you may find it easier.)
12. Once roll is rolled up, let sit for a minute so that the roll sets (start on another roll in the meantime).
13. Using a very sharp and slightly wet knife cut your sushi roll into cute little pieces.
14. Serve with wasabi, ginger and wheat-free tamari.

Chinese Pork Rolls

I generally follow my wheat/sugar/dairy-free diet very strictly, but the only food I ever "cheat" on is Chinese baked goods and dim sum.  I won't drink any alcohol, I'm fine to pass on a gourmet slice of chocolate cake, but I just can't say no to shrimp and scallion dumplings and bbq pork buns.  For a while I've been wanting to make wheat/sugar/dairy free dim sum, but have not quite figured it out...yet.  In the meantime, one dish that fulfills some of my dim sum cravings is pork spring rolls made with rice paper wrappers.  These Vietnamese sheets of rice paper are usually used to make fresh rolls filled with shrimp, vermicelli, mint and cilantro.  They come dry and hard, but when you soak them in warm water they soften like a cooked noodle (no need to cook them).  I love making the Vietnamese fresh rolls, but I eventually started experimenting with filling the rice wrappers with other ingredients such as pork.  The other day I saw the most beautiful purple baby bok choy at Rainbow that I had to use in my pork rolls.  For variation, fill your rolls with your favorite seasonal vegetables and try using chicken or tofu instead of pork. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb of ground pork
• 1/2 cup of sliced shitake mushrooms or oyster mushrooms
• 1 tbs of fresh grated ginger
• 1tsp of nutmeg
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1-2 carrots grated
• 1 bunch of bok choy or spinach chopped into ribbons
• 1/4 cup of water chestnuts, chopped
• Bean sprouts or any sprouts you like
• Soy sauce or Tamari (wheat free kind)
• Sesame oil

Directions

1. In a pan cook the ground pork in a little bit of sesame oil on medium/high heat.  
2. Add the mushrooms and the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and garlic.
3. When pork/mushrooms are almost cooked through, add the grated carrots, chestnuts, greens, and bean sprouts, in that order.
4. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with soy sauce until it is salty as you like it.
5. Soak one rice wrapper in a bowl of warm water for about a minute until it is soft like a noodle.
6. Lay the soft wrapper on a cutting board or large plate and fill with pork/veggie mixture and wrap it up like a burrito.
7. Serve as is, or if you are in the mood, fry these pork rolls in oil for a few minutes until golden on the outside.

NYC Guide to Eating Out

I was worried about traveling for a month in New York City and not being able to cook for myself.  Being without my kitchen and pantry, without my favorite grocery store near by, without my red cast iron pan and the floral apron my mother bought me.  But actually, New York is the best place to eat out for wheat/sugar/dairy free folks!  Here are my favorite places:

Souen
This popular macrobiotic restaurant has 3 locations in Manhattan.  Macrobiotic eating is all about the balance between the yin and yang in foods.  Brown rice, vegetables and selective proteins are essential, plus Japanese influenced ingredients like umeboeshi plum.  They don't use dairy or sugar and only have a few wheat dishes (like noodles and seitan.)  I ordered the most balanced meal of salmon terriyaki (cooked in a gluten free-tamari), steamed greens, and their seaweed/vegetable filled "maze rice" and cold kuki-cha tea. They also have gluten free cornbread and healthy desserts such as the adzuki bean mouse I ordered!

Pala
Pala has done it right, creating an elegant and traditional restaurant atmosphere, with quality gourmet pizzas, but all with the option to be gluten free! It feels like a "normal" restaurant without any crunchy granola hippie aesthetics, only white linen tablecloths here and simply good food that people who do or don't eat gluten can enjoy!  They have gluten free beers and wines and also serve gluten free pasta dishes and have an entire vegan menu.  I had a savory pizza topped with lamb sausage and asparagus!


Pie by the Pound   and  Mozarelli's
Pizza joints that we can eat at!  At Pie by the Pound you have to order a whole pizza, so go with a gluten free friend.  But Mozarelli's has gluten free slices available, which made me so happy.  I hadn't stopped for a slice of pizza in over 6 years!  These places will bring you back to your college days of late night food cravings.

Sacred Chow
This place is the opposite of Pala, all vegan food and funky lanterns hanging from the ceiling and waiters who are high on life and super...relaxed.  They serve vegan tapas, and heroes sandwiches (that can be served on gluten free corn tortillas) and many choices to mix and match.  Since it is vegan, beware of all the seitan they use since that's made from 100% gluten (not good for us)!  But they label everything well and are happy to answer any questions about the menu.  They also have a large selection of desserts that we can eat!

Mercadito
Being away from San Francisco and from the tastiest Mexican food in the US, I was seriously craving tacos.  My friends Hannah and Coleen took me to this fancy Mexican restaurant- not quite like the Mission taquerias, but very quality food!  We had amazing mahi-mahi ceviche, chunky guacamole, and an array of the cutest tacos filled with fresh mangoes, spicy pork, and cactus leaf.

Risoterria
I didn't actually get a chance to go here, but I hear it's a fantastic gluten free Italian restaurant in the West village.  They specialize in risotto and pizza, and even have gluten free panini!  I am definitely going there the next time I'm NY!

Super Core
This hip little Brooklyn cafe has amazing Japanese tapas, and my favorite- rice balls!  Check out my blog entry on this place:  
http://jasminshappytummy.blogspot.com/2010/07/rice-balls-in-brooklyn.html

Angelica Kitchen
I always hit this spot when I come to NYC.  They have the healthiest, freshest, and most delicious foods made with love and care.  Check out my blog entry on this special restaurant:  http://jasminshappytummy.blogspot.com/2010/07/angelica-kitchen.html

Baby Cakes
This sweet little gluten-free and vegan bakery has the cutest cupcakes with delicious frosting and my favorite brownie bites!  They even serve agave sweetened lemonade!  See more on my "Favorite places to eat out" page on my blog:    http://jasminshappytummy.blogspot.com/p/my-favorite-places-to-eat-out.html