The Diversity of Receiving Bountiful Baskets (bountifulbsket.org)

At last I remembered to order our Bountiful Basket on Monday. It’s been quite some time since we’ve had the joy of getting up early on Saturday morning and picking up our “surprise package” of fruits and vegetables from Sally and Tanya, but finally today it has been received.

And what a package!  Beautiful curly leaf lettuce, celery (whoo hoo as I’d just used the last of ours last night), potatoes, gorgeous crisp red bell peppers, Roma tomatoes (to go with the curly leaf lettuce and some basil  and sorrel from the Farmer's Market), bananas, kiwi, pears, pineapple, mushrooms, oranges, and last but absolutely not least Dragon Fruit!

Neither Roy nor I have tasted Dragon Fruit prior to today. I knew what it was, but Roy was so excited about this “weird” looking fruit, so he got on the computer and looked it up. It is low in sugars and filled with

Vitamin C, phosphorus, fiber, and antioxidants, a powerhouse of goodness for  you. Ours was perfectly ripe per the description on the web site, so we were ready and raring to cut it open and try it.  A cactus fruit, it MAY grow in our zone with some extra care and protection, so he wants to order one. I’m game!  It is so beautiful and exotic looking when whole…a beautiful dark pink/red color with soft light green spikes coming out from the skin in various places. And then you cut it open and WOW.  The outside skin of magenta surrounds a creamy white center exploding with tiny black seeds.  The taste is mild—a bit like a kiwi but not so sweet as a ripe one nor as tart as a not-quite ripe one. Nice consistency…not mushy but not crisp or crunchy either.   Good for you, nutritious, delicious, a treat for the eyes and palette…sounds perfect to me. 

So I got right to work making breakfast, after Roy came to me rubbing his stomach and in Japanese telling me “my stomach is empty”.  First, the potatoes--sauteed lightly in olive oil with a touch of butter, I seasoned them with a pinch of 

 Panch Phoran (aka Bengali 5 Spice if you're looking to purchase, but the recipe is easy and here on the blog), salt, pepper, and turmeric--then cooked them until golden brown. Also added some mushrooms.  Served with two over easy eggs (with a puddle of Chalula hot sauce on them—Roy can’t eat eggs and most other foods without it), along with banana and kiwi slices, a wedge of Dragon Fruit, and a toasted biscuit from dinner last night, it put a big smile on Roy's face when he sat down to eat. It didn't go away after tasting everything either!

    This was a new adventure for us in food, with a fabulous ending (they don’t all come out as good).  I think it's important that everyone at least try all fruits and vegetables at least once.  They're good for you, help control weight, supply not only vitamins and minerals but anti-oxidants and enzymes that you can't get by taking a vitamin pill, and they expand your palette--especially good for children.  I’ll let you know if/when we get ours and keep you informed of how it grows here. Winter will be the test, so you’ll hear more about our Dragon Fruit experiment in the future.

Tapas Night

           There are times when you really don’t want to take on a big meal, and your frig is full of leftovers that you need to incorporate into a meal.  Well, that scenario says “Tapas” to me!  I love the small plate meals that originated in Spain. Pieces of toast were perched on the top of wine glasses to keep out flies and ingenious tavern owners started putting a couple olives, or a piece of salami or cheese on top and that evolved to little plates served with the drinks. In this manner, people can have 1 or 2 bites of this and that, trying each one and rejoicing in the variety of tastes, textures, and spiciness, until feeling utterly satisfied. This is one reason people like buffets…you see the menu and you think you want a burger, but then you see the coconut shrimp, or Chicken Picata, or…but you don’t want to spend the money nor have all the leftovers (because you can't possibly eat 4 different entrees) it would take to purchase 4 different dishes that you seem not to be able to make up your mind and choose just one.  Tapas is perfect.

           Locally we have a wonderful tapas restaurant, El Gato Azul. Great atmosphere, delicious small bite plates, fabulous wait staff (Maurice is a jewel) and a great sangria. But being on a tight budget, that’s a real treat for us to do.  By doing it at home, you have a delightful array of foods to choose from without the guilt of going out.

           To that end, I looked at the leftovers and things we had on hand, and came up with Crab Stuffed Avocados (this did not come out too great…need to rework it as has  great potential), Stuffed Mushrooms, Greek Marinated Garbanzo Beans, Stuffed Celery,  and Spicy Mushrooms.

             So tonight when you're wondering what to do with the this and that's in your refrigerator, set up for a trip to Spain and serve Tapas!!

Stuffed Mushrooms,

 I used some corn chex cereal (gluten free) and crushed it for the bread crumbs, added the chopped stems from the button mushrooms, some garlic and minced onion, thyme, crumbled feta, and small diced salami.  Sauted onions and garlic along with mushroom stems, salami, and thyme, then removed from heat and let cool a minute. Then added the feta and stuffed the mushrooms. Drizzle the top with olive oil and bake until mushrooms are done. Serve warm.

Greek Marinated Garbanzo Beans

Ingredients

15 ounces garbanzo beans, 1 can, drained
or cooked dry garbanzo beans

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup Brown Rice Vinegar

1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1/4 cup red onion, minced

1 clove garlic, pressed

3/4 cup celery, sliced, with leaves

1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ t. chili flakes

Directions

Place olive oil, red onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper into medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, add vinegar, soy sauce and garbanzo beans, basil oregano and chili flakes. Bring back to a simmer stirring occasionally, turn off heat, cover pan and let sit until room temperature. To store, put into glass jar in refrigerator. To serve, drain marinade off garbanzos and put into bowl with a small spoon. Sprinkle top with fresh parsley flakes.

Spicy Little Mushrooms

1 lb button mushrooms

¼ lb. butter

½ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 T. sugar

1 T garlic powder

1 T. onion powder

2 t. paprika

½ t. cayenne pepper

In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat, add mushrooms. Stir until coasted. Add worchestershire sauce & spices. Mix again, cover & cook for about 15 minutes or until mixture separates.  Serve hot. 

STUFFED CELERY

1 8OZ package cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons honey (I used black walnut honey)

3 Tablespoons chopped walnuts

2 Tablespoons lavender pepper

Put room temperature cream cheese into medium mixing bowl. Drizzle with honey, put int walnuts and mix until completely incorporated. 

Prepare 2-3" pieces of fresh clean celery. Using a small off set spatula, spread cream cheese mixture completely along celery. Sprinkle top of each with a pinch of the lavender pepper. Arrange on serving platter, Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

The Smell of Fresh Bread from the Oven--November 18, 2013

     As Roy came in the front door from taking Guayo for a walk, his first words were "I smell bread!  I smelled it before I ever hit the driveway."
     It was true. I had just pulled two loaves out of the oven and the aroma was wafting through the house and down the street. I first caught it when I was outside hanging clothes and went back over to the basket to get more towels. It was sitting near the back door, and the scent was pouring out.

It's a double edged sword for someone who cannot eat wheat...the smell is so delicious it makes you dream of a big slice of crusty hot bread slathered with butter, and then it becomes a complete disappointment when you remember you can't have it. You know, Lactaid has been invented for people with dairy intolerance, why hasn't something been invented for gluten/wheat allergies????
      But even though I can't eat it, Roy loves fresh bread, and it's so much cheaper to make then to buy good bread. Plus you know exactly what's in it when you buy your  flours from the local organic market, Honeyman's, and use pure local honey and maple syrup for sweetener, and add some extra wholesomeness by adding flax seed meal, thus increasing the Omega 3 content and giving it a rich nutty flavor. No preservatives, no transfats, no processed sugar or other ingredients....a trip back to a gentler more delicious time.
     But there was another surprise awaiting him. I had made

some Pumpkin Butter from pumpkin I'd canned from the garden last fall. 
     So here's my recipe for Nana's Whole Wheat Bread. Enjoy them both;  together or put the Pumpkin Butter in empanadas, on muffins, on pancakes, or even on your finger.

NANA'S WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

4 cups white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup flax meal
1 1/2 T. active dry yeast
2 c. warm water
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 t. salt
2 eggs (well beaten)

In a large 4 c. measuring cup, put the warm water. Stir in the yeast and honey. Let sit to proof--if it foams up it's good.  

In a large bowl, mix white and wheat flours together. 

Pour yeast mixture into stand mixer bowl. Add eggs, 3 cups flour, and oil. Mix well. Turn off mixer and add flax meal and 2 more cups flour, and mix well. Add rest of flour as needed until a stiff dough is formed.  

Grease a large bowl. Scrape dough from mixer bowl into greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and put into refrigerator over night, or sit on counter until raised to double the volume. 

Punch down dough in bowl, and knead in bowl for a few minutes, adding more flour if necessary, but do not make the dough too dry or stiff. Divide in half and form into two loaves. Put each loaf in a greased loaf pan. Brush top with milk.

Put pans in 425 degree oven, spraying bottom of oven liberally with water and then close the door.  In 15 minutes open the door and spray again with water. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until until golden brown. 

Put on rack to cool for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans, brush tops with butter, and continue cooling on rack until room temperature. (Or better yet, cut off one end, slather it with butter and enjoy it for me!) Once cool, put in plastic bags and refrigerate. 

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN BUTTER

1 qt canned pumpkin chunks (my home canned     
     pumpkin is NOT pureed as too difficult to get the 
     core temperature high enough when canning, so is 
     canned in chunks with water with a pinch of salt 
     and a squeeze of lemon added). 
1/4 c. honey
3/4 c. maple syrup (can be adjusted if you want it 
    sweeter or less sweet, but wait until it has cooked 
     down to taste)
2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. lemon juice (fresh squeezed)

Put all ingredients into a sauce pan or slow cooker.  Cook until pumpkin is very soft, then use a potato masher to mash as smooth as possible. Put into blender and blender until completely smooth (let cool before doing this). Put back into pan and cook on low heat until deep in color and has a glossy consistency.  Cool and store in jar with tight lid in the refrigerator.

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere--November 3, 2013

Well, Halloween is over, and while I want to keep some of the pumpkins for Thanksgiving decorations and such, I have a vast amount of them this year. I don't carve my pumpkins because I hate wasting them, so I just decorate with them, then figure out what yummy things to make with them.

This year I decided on soup. At least with the portion that wasn't used in making the Roasted Pumpkin Bites from the Kaileena & Bree Bye Bye Party.  So looked at several recipes I had and some in cook books and some on line, and decided to adapt the Spiced Pumpkin Soup receipt from Soup Bowl, a great cookbook with only soups in it. 

Serve with a little salad and absolutely some warm crusty bread (although I had to forego that pleasure due to the gluten, I did make some gluten free croutons from gluten free bread and put them in it and that was pretty darn good!) for a delicious and warming fall meal.

SPICY PUMPKN SOUP

Serves 4

2 T olive oil               

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 T fresh ginger, finely chopped

½ t. Tajin (find in Hispanic markets or  in Hispanc foods section) or cayenne pepper, or paprika

1 bay leaf

4 c. cooked diced pumpkin

2 ½ c. chicken stock (for vegetarian, use vegetable stock)    

1 large pinch lavender pepper

2 T. butter (may be omitted or Olive Oil used in place)

Salt & pepper to taste

½ c. milk, half n half, or cream

¼ c. toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and stir for about 4 minutes until softened. Add Tajin, bay leaf, pumpkin, lavender papper, broth and cook an additional 5 minutes stirring so it doesn’t burn.  Add butter and stir in until melted.  Remove from heat and let cool. 

Once cool, pour into food processor and process until completely smooth.  Put back into pan, add milk, salt and pepper (taste to adjust) and bring back to heat. Turn off burner. Top with toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of cream or ½ and ½ to top, along with a sprinkle of Tajin or paprika.

Redoing The Bulb Bed--October 18, 2013

      Since we were gone for three months, and it rained like crazy all summer long, when we arrived home the back yard was over run with 2-3' tall weeds and grasses.  Once we were unpacked and settled in, that was our first priority.  Now that it is accomplished, time for work in the front.
      The front "bulb bed" which goes across the front of the porch, is mainly planted with iris. There are a few hyacinths which the pigs (javelina) haven't eaten, but darn few. So I have decided to not only weed the bed and dig it up to aerate the soil, but because my sweet niece Mindy Kamholz gave me a ton of iris bulbs, to replant them, some tulips, and some daffodils in order to fill the bed with spring happiness. 
     Because it is a rather large bed, and the soil is not easily worked (thus the amendments of compost and mulch and maybe some manure), I've decided to do it in portions instead of doing the entire bed at one time. I'm not as young as I used to be, and there are other projects which need to be completed for which I'd have no energy left if I did  the entire bed (like making meals for my husband and feeding the dog!). 
     So here are the beginning project photos. As I continue to improve it, I'll post more. 

the entire bed...first quarter completed area in the front

left end of bed--a mess

right side of bed--new bulbs with compost

                                             

                                            center area of bed--iris' trimmed                                                 down only

Fall Is Here!!! October 14, 2013

                                  

     Fall is here and it’s glorious!  The trees are turning, nights are chilly, days are magnificently perfect. We all need to enjoy and appreciate them while they’re here. I’ve been watching "Alaska: The Last Frontier" on Discovery Channel, and believe me, those people know how to take advantage of any and all good days to get things accomplished, enjoy the
day, and be outside before the eight months of winter shuts them in and cabin fever isn’t an “if” but a “when”.  We took Guayo for a walk

The great Lizard Hunt

around our neighborhood and took some photos of the glorious colors coming out just blocks from us. I would love to take a little road trip (certainly not 3 months again!!!) for a couple days up to the White Mountains, Flagstaff, and Oak Creek Canyon areas and check out the fall foliage. It’s not as spectacular as the Northeast part of the U.S., but it’s still glorious and the drive is so beautiful and relaxing. We’ll have to see if we can make it next week.

Dining Room Decked Out for Fall

While in Silverton, BC Canada this summer during our road trip, I met neighbors of my friends Bill and Priscilla.  They were all wonderful, fun, great people. One neighbor had a reportedly amazing recipe for a Gluten Free Chocolate Cake…the name she gave me was Moist Gluten Free Chocolate Cake, and while that is true, the title is much too simple. It should be Gluten Free Moist Decadent Delicious Amazing Chocolate Cake! 

I have, of course, messed with the recipe a little, and have given

substitutions to make it not only gluten free, but dairy free, sugar free, espresso flavored, and blood orange flavored.  All have been tried by family, neighbors, and friends, and they find it difficult to make a decision as to which one is tastier.

So for all those watching your gluten and/or dairy intake, here’s a winner you can serve any time to anyone and no one will be the wiser, and it will command oohs and ahhhs from everyone who tries it. Enjoy, and do go enjoy these short days of perfect autumness!

MOIST GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE

Substitutions/changes are in parenthesis () for Espresso Mocha and Blood Orange variations.

2/3 c. golden or white quinoa

1 1/3 c. water  (add 2 T espresso powder to water for Espresso Mocha Torte)

1/3 c. milk (for dairy free use 1/3 c. vanilla almond milk)

4 large eggs

1 t. vanilla extract (for Blood Orange variation substitute 1 t. orange extract)

¾ c. butter, melted and cooled (for Blood Orange variation, substitute ¾ c. blood orange olive

oil—for dairy free variation substitute ¾ c. olive oil)

(For Blood Orange variation, add ½ of a peeled whole orange)

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/3  c. sugar (for sugar free substitute equal amounts of TruVia or Stevie in the Raw…others

have a bitter taste)

1 c. unsweetened coco powder (I use organic cocoa powder, and when I can find it, dark organic

cocoa powder)

(Add 2 T. espresso powder for Espresso Mocha Torte)

1 ½ t. baking powder

½ t. baking soda

½ t. salt

Bring quinoa and water to a boil. Cover reducing heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave on burner for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork.  (For multiple batches, make a large batch of quinoa and then use the 2 c. cooked quinoa for each batch…leftovers are great with some onion/garlic/veges sauted in olive oil with herbs and stirred into the quinoa).  Cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease 2 8” round or square pans (or one 13x9 pan) Line with parchment paper (VERY IMPORTANT so bottom does not stick—I use baking spray on the pan, put in the parchment or waxed paper circle, then spray that also). 

Combine milk, eggs, vanilla, melted butter and 2 cups of the cooked quinoa in a blender. Blend until smooth. 

Whisk together the dry ingredients in medium bowl. Add blender contents to dry ingredients and mix well with whisk (if a little too stiff, add a little more milk/almond milk) . 

Pour into greased/lined pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is firm and sides are pulling away from pan.  Remove from oven and cool completely. 

Can be served as is, with a dusting of powdered sugar, with ganache frosting, or with an orange glaze for the Blood Orange Torte.  

3D Movies, Friends to Dinner, and a Polo Tournament...What a Great Weekend So Far!

     It's been such a great weekend so far, and we still have Sunday to go!!!
     Today and yesterday were absolutely gorgeous--in the low 70's with a slight breeze, clear blue skies, and everything you could want for a warm autumn day...including a day at the polo matches!!!

     This is the 2nd year we have been invited by our friend Dezie Lerner to be her guests for the Skull Valley Polo Club Players Cup Tournament and Texas Barbecue. The venue is the beautiful Van Dickson Ranch in Skull Valley, and hosted by Paul and Carolyn Harris.  It is such great fun to sit beside the gorgeous green polo field, watch the magnificent polo ponies and their riders maneuver around the field while assaulting the chukkar (that's the ball) and trying to take it from the other team or get it through the posts for a goal. The Arizona Polo Team won, with Skull Valley coming in second...a round robin was played with the three teams.     

Coming right at us...

     Then after all of the excitement of watching these three teams (Skull Valley vs Texas vs The Arizona Polo Club, all sanctioned and part of the U.S. Polo Association) play, visiting with the wonderful attendees and sharing the food brought by everyone for their lunch by the field, you then get to enjoy a traditional Texas style brisket bbq with bbq sauce, salsa, rolls, potato salad, coleslaw, corn salad, green salad, and a myriad of desserts.  And sit at tables set up in the park-like grounds under the trees, with green grass, flowers, and even two friendly loving dogs adding to the joy of this feast. This is our 2nd year going to the tournament, and we decided that this is a new tradition for us the first Saturday of each October.   We met new people, found friends made last year, and could not have enjoyed ourselves more.   
     Plus I brought home a gallon zip bag of marigold seeds that Carolyn had dried and had many bags sitting in a box for anyone to take free of charge.  They'll look great among the iris in the front, and will be used around the vegetable gardens come spring as a natural insect deterrent. Plus, the javelinas don't eat them!!

     Last night friends Jeff & Darla Holtke came over for dinner, prior to our going to the movies to see "Gravity" in 3D, and everyone enjoyed my new creation. My local CSA box this week included a multitude of     green bell peppers. After using as many as possible in salads, as  scoops for dips, in rice pilaf, etc. I came up with this recipe for a Stuffed Bell Pepper SW Style.  Hope you enjoy.  Sorry there's no photo of the entire pan filled with this deliciousness but my camera battery was dead and my company was not willing to hold up the eating of this meal until I could get a money shot!!!  So, had to take one of the leftovers today!

     SOUTHWESTERN STYLE STUFFED BELL PEPPERS

  (Substitute cooked quinoa in equal parts for the rice to amp up the protein level and give a nutty flavor)

6 medium bell peppers (red or green)

1 ½ lbs ground beef

2 c. cooked rice (brown or white)

1 c. diced onion

¼ c. diced bell pepper

¼ c. diced celery

2T.olive oil

1 t. cumin

2 t. menudo mix spices

1 ½  cup corn (frozen or drained from a can or fresh from the cob)

1 T. Cholula sauce

2 cups shredded jack, cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

2 c. red or green chili salsa

1 c. grated jack, cheddar or pepper jack cheese.

     Put 1 T olive oil in a large Dutch Oven and heat over medium high heat. Brown ground beef until no longer pink. Add onions, diced bell pepper, diced celery and cook until softened. Add rice, cumin, menudo mix, corn, Cholula sauce and heat through.  Add 2 c. cheese , turn off the burner, and stir mixture together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

     Split 6 bell peppers in half lengthwise, removing the seeds, stem and ribs. Use 1 T. olive oil to grease 13x9 inch pan. Lay halved bell peppers in pan, cut side up. Using a spoon, scoop ground beef mixture into each shell, filling as much as possible. Spoon a large spoonful of salsa over the top of each filled pepper, and sprinkle cheese over each one. 

     Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour.  Remove foil, broil top to brown if desired. Serve with a nice salad and some garlic Parmesan bread for a complete and delicious meal.