Chopped Salad

"We have ten fingers and ten toes," she said. "That may explain why we like to do things in tens."  My friend was an elementary school teacher. She taught her students that they could remember ten things by using their fingers and thumbs as props. I have applied this idea to today's salad. You don't need to dig up a cookbook, you can remember how to make this salad using your fingers and thumbs. On the Left hand count off the Greens, on the Right hand count off the Others (that sounds ominous). I'm calling it:

 Fingers and Thumbs Chopped Salad

a complete meal

On the Right Hand we have:

1. romaine lettuce

2. arugula

3. cucumber

4. brocolli
5. herbs

and

On the left hand
6. carrots

7. red pepper

8. red cabbage

*9. quinoa

10. dressing 

Measure? How many are you serving? Eyeball it. This salad will keep for a couple of days, so if you over do it a little, it will be an easy lunch tomorrow.

*You can prepare the quinoa ahead of time. Follow the simple instructions on this video. (I never add salt.)

Chop, chop, chop, chop, all of the vegetables. You want end up with a salad that shares all of the ingredients in every bite. As you finish chopping an ingredient, add it to the bowl to form layers. When all of the vegetables and the quinoa are in the bowl, toss everything together. Pass the dressing at the table.

This is a great summer salad that will cheer you up, cool you off, fill you up and keep you going for hours.

Ya Gotta Love the Carnivores

We've been watching the  Decorah Bald Eagles hatch three chicks and feed them for the last 4 weeks. One day the meal is fish, the next a rabbit and the next some rodent. It's nature, brutal and fascinating. One Saturday morning I watched at the edge of my chair until I couldn't stand it any longer, wondering how the first baby chick, who had wandered over the edge of the inner nest, would get back safely under her mother's wing. Mother Eagle was not alarmed. When I came back to check on them a couple of hours later, all was well. At that point the chick was quite small and there was still one unhatched egg. Now they are in snow, (isn't it spring?) Mom, Dad and 3 chicks grown to 4 and 5 times their birth size. 

My own neighborhood was once large orchard lots and a few houses. The orchards and neighbors have aged; some orchards have been replace with homes. As a result my neighbors and I  share our yards with an abundance of gophers and ground squirrels. We are all quite pleased to hear the hoot hoot of the barn owl family that has moved in. As I write this I can see one in silhouette on a utility pole at the corner of my yard. Welcome Carnivore. Help yourself to the bounty of my garden. (tee-hee) (Nature Note: a barn owl family can consume 1000 gophers in a year.) 

How do I segue from carnivore to a vegan salad?  I have no idea. Let's just take a leap.  

Spicy Bulgur Salad with Nuts and Tomato Paste Dressing

10 servings

I would rename this salad, Hearty Bulgur and Nut Salad with Spicy Tomato Paste Dressing

from Aglaia Kremezi's

Mediterranean Hot and Spicy

2 2/3 cup coarse bulgur, soaked in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender

     (I don't eat bulgur wheat so I substituted 1 cup of dry quinoa, roasted in an un-oiled pan for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then cooked in 2 1/2 cups of water until soft.)

The Dressing:

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 6 oz can tomato paste

2 tsp ground cumin

2 Tablespoons ground coriander seeds

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

salt

The Salad:

1 cup coarsely ground walnuts

1 cup coarsely ground toasted hazelnuts

1/2 cup coarsely ground toasted salted almonds

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

the bulgur (quinoa) above

8-10 medium romaine lettuce leaves

Garnish with slices of sweet onion, sliced or chopped fresh red chilis

Drain the bulgur in a strainer lined with cheesecloth and pat with paper towels to extract all of the water.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a med size bowl.

In a large bowl, mix the bulgur (quinoa) and nuts. Add the cilantro and mix again. Pour on the dressing (it's thick) and toss well.  Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. 

Just before serving, taste and adjust seasonings.

Serve at room temperature spooned onto lettuce leaves and garnished with onion and peppers.

Keeps well in the refrigerator for about 4 days.

When I was mixing up this salad last night I kept thinking granola bar. It looks like one, it chews like one, but it's better than one. 

Salad for the Blue Collar Man

Although my husband has no interest in going vegan, he is committed to a healthier diet. He used to make 4 deli meat and cheese sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and snack every morning before going to work. Last year he started making soups and now packs them along with one less sandwich. lately, he has been packing salads too, further reducing his meat and cheese intake. I volunteered to make him a couple of salads to go, after he complained of getting bored with his. I love salads with crunchy carbohydrates and rich texture. Here they are....

Oriental Salad

salad leaves

carrots (chopped or grated)

grape tomatoes

green onions (chopped)

Ramen noodles, uncooked

dried banana chips

sesame sticks (a kind of snack made with wheat)

Sesame Vinaigrette

1/2 cup light vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup salad oil

2 tablespoons sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon pepper

If you're packing this to go, you must separate the vegetables, crunchy toppings, and the dressing in their own containers. This salad is a variation of the Nappa Salad posted on 3/6/11. Assemble your favorite salad leaves and veggies. Chop Ramen noodles, banana chips and sesame sticks (I buy them at Trader Joes). Add crunchy mix on top. Shake and pour on dressing. Yummy!

Power Salad

salad veggies

brown rice

vegetable stock

chopped apple

garbanzo/chick peas

pecan nuts

toasted flax seeds

1tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Make brown rice according to directions ahead of time. I substitute 1/2 the water with vegetable stock (store bought) to add flavor. Any left over rice or noodles should work just as well here. Assemble salad leaves and veggies the way you like them. Open a can of garbanzo beans, and drain. Chop pecans and apple. I found a toasted flax seed at Trader Joes that has a wonderful flavor. I bet if you took the time to candy these pecans, you could add another layer of complexity to this super salad. Mix up the oil and vinegar and your prep work is done. The only question is do you eat it in or take it out?

Mint

My herb book says that mint is from the cosmopolitan family Lamiaceae. Cosmopolitan. Does it mean that mint doesn't call anywhere home; mint is comfortable all over the world? It grows like a weed in my little herb garden. I pull it up by the handfuls and it never seems to diminish the crop. 

Mint is .....  ding ding ding, new vocabulary word coming up .....  carminative. I like learning this word, because it sounds so much better than 'inducing expulsion of gas from the stomach and intestines'. So when you're sipping your mint julep at a party, hold up your pinkie finger and say, "You know it's carminative." I doubt anyone will admit they don't know the word. And if they ask, you have an opportunity to whisper the meaning, conspiratorially, into her ear. Others at the party will observe you huddled together and be intrigued.  

Today's recipe is an adaption of a recipe I learned from MaryJanesFarm. Where she added parsley, I added Mint. It is delightful.  I recommend you make it a day ahead and let the flavors marinate overnight. The citrus dressing is refreshing and will become a regular at my house for all kinds of salads.

Harvest Brown Rice Salad

with Citrus Vinaigrette

about 6 healthy servings

1

4 cups water

2 cups dry wild/brown rice mix or 1 1/2 cup dry brown rice, 1/2 cup dry wild rice

2

3 cups butternut squash 1/2" cubes (med butternut squash peeled, seeded)

3

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup fresh mint (If you can't find fresh mint, substitute with 4 tsp dried mint.

4

Citrus Vinaigrette:

1 shallot minced

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tsp orange zest

1/4 lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

5 Tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

 1.  Bring 4 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add rice, return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 50 minutes. Let stand off heat for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Mary Jane doesn't add salt. I recommend about a teaspoon of salt.

Note: I always make rice in the oven. I simply pour the boiling water over the rice in a casserole dish, add salt and cover. I preheat the oven to 350 degrees, set the timer for 50 minutes and forget about it. Perfect every time.

2. Steam butternut squash until tender but not mushy, about 10 minutes.  Cool. 

3. Add chopped pecans, dried cranberries and minced mint to cooled rice mixture. You don't have to worry that the mint will over power the flavors. I added more mint to my salad and ate the garnish too.

4.  Combine all the ingredients for the citrus vinaigrette and shake until combined.  Make an extra batch while your at it for tomorrow's meal. You are going to love it so much you will want some on hand.

5. Add 3/4 of the dressing to the rice/nut mixture and toss. Gently fold in the butternut squash. Taste. Adjust the amount of dressing/ salt, pepper and mint.

As a child we often had a one pot meal for dinner. As I have matured, I have replaced hot dishes with salads. It's the same idea really. All the wonderful flavors and nutrition you need in one bowl. Enjoy.

Vegan on the Go (Minus One Little Detail)

Well, my first Vegan day was a success. I did well with what I ate. Started the morning off with the Apple and Oat Porridge that I reference last Friday (btw, I'm switching to blogging on Monday's... it works better for my family). I used more raisins for sweetness, left out the caraway and added dried cranberries. It was good, but I wish I had used a Braeburn apple for more tartness. Fortunately I ate it before my husband came in and made BACON! Funny enough, I wasn't tempted to eat any... weird, hu? So, it was my littlest one's birthday and we let him choose what we did all day after church (our family tradition for birthdays). He wanted to go to McDonald's for lunch, so, I quickly grabbed my husband's iPhone and looked up vegan information on McDonald's. Unfortunately what I found wasn't very helpful and mostly out of date (old products), so, I quizzed the cashier on the ingredients of a few things and then ordered a WONDERFULLY DELICIOUS salad... I am going to share it's ingredients and how to order it as my recipe of the day (Vegan on the Go style):

McDonald's Southwest Salad

Request NO Chicken or Cheese
And ask for Newman's Own Light Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (the dressing it comes with has egg)

The rest is:
Salad Mix
Southwest Vegetable Blend (black beans, corn, carrots, maybe something else)
Cilantro Lime Glaze (don't know the ingredients of this, so I can't vouch for it for a strict Vegan)
Chili Lime Tortilla Strips Lime Wedge

After lunch, we did more fun things and about the time I got hungry for a snack we were at Target and I grabbed one of my favorite on-the-go snacks which just so happens to be VEGAN!
I LOVE Sabra's little hummus/pretzel to go containers. They're a little costly for a small serving, but my plan one day is to buy a big container of hummus, a bag of pretzel chips, re-use their container and make my own to-go snacks... just haven't done that yet. :)

For dinner I had a lovely Cranberry Spinach salad from the day before (click photo for link to recipe on AllRecipes).

Overall the day was surprisingly easy. The only time it was slightly difficult was when I opened the refrigerator door and saw a big, ol' stack of cheese from my littlest one's birthday party (swiss, provolone, cheddar) and thought, "Man, that looks good!" But, I didn't have any. :)

So, all in all, the eating was good and easy. I was really glad to be able to keep my Coke, although a friend questioned is "veganess" on FB, which lead to some research on my part. I found that Coca Cola Classic is considered Vegan and I found some interesting information... it turns out being vegan isn't so much about being healthy as it is about being kind to animals (you probably already knew that). So, I guess I missed one little detail on my Vegan day... I wore leather shoes all day long! Guess I need to find some appropriate footwear and clothing for next Sunday. And can I sit on my leather couch or drive my car with leather seats? (Is that making some of you scream? Sorry about that!)

Love,

Michelle

(I'll be posting photos from my littlest ones birthday later today or tomorrow on my other blog, just click on my name if you want to see more) :)

Salad

OK John, Ya wanna talk Cats?

My cat Kitty Hawk, came from a house much like Johns. This house also had an attached room for the cats, from which they could watch the world and be safe inside. Kitty Hawk, the low cat on the totem pole, was rescued from the tribe. I'm not sure she was rescued soon enough. She's been part of my family for 10 years, with little competition, yet when we have guests she usually makes herself scarce.

When she arrived, she found herself most comfortable UNDER something. Throw a towel over the couch seat for her to rest on, she'd be under the towel. Look for her in the bedroom, she'd be under the covers. So I built her a tent under the table I use as my office desk and she is content there 80% of the time.

She is free to explore the great outdoors. We had a little meeting when she arrived. House cat or indoor/outdoor cat? We decided she was too skittish to worry about her outside. Her survival mode is to run at the slightest noise or unexpected movement. She is therefore a rotten mouser. She could earn her keep here if she would catch a gopher now and then.

At lunch, a bit of salad dropped from my fork onto the floor. Kitty Hawk was right there. Sniff. Sniff. She walked away as if to say, "I'm an omnivore and that is not EVEN a consideration. I'd rather eat the same old same old than rice salad."

What to call it?

Brown Rice and Bean Salad? Citrus and Apple? The Pantry Salad?

How about Warm Day Cold Salad?

70 degrees in So Cal. The wind has calmed down. The sky a powder blue. The yard is calling me. What to have for lunch?

Many are the days that I have substituted brown rice for noodles in a salad. It seems like a great place to start today. When I'm inventing a salad I usually start pulling things out of the 'frig and lining them up on the counter. Is it colorful is one of the first considerations. Right after flavorful. And then, who will eat it? That's the part that usually keeps me from throwing everything into the salad. That's what makes the serving plate look like a salad bar. It works.

No thanks, I don't like asparagus. You know I don't like nuts in things. What dressing is on this? The salad bar serving plate eliminates all of those individual concerns.

The dressing: 1/3 lemon, 2/3 oil, salt, pepper, sugar, mustard - vinaigrette -

The salad: 2 cups brown rice

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1 small apple, chopped

1/2 cup black beans

On the side:

sliced avocado

slivered almonds

clementine slices

asparagus, steamed until almost tender, then plunged into ice water to stop the cooking

herbed lettuce mix - mine had a little dill in it - nice touch

Mix together the rice and vegetables with a little vinaigrette. Arrange on a platter with the Sides and serve cold.

Going Native

Sustainable Gardening has caught my attention. The idea is that if you plant "native," your yard will require less water, less effort, less waste, be attractive and encourage wildlife to visit your yard. So, I'm on a mission to learn exactly what these natives are. Whew. My head hurts a little. Know your soil and plant for your soil. Read the label, if it says sun, plant in the sun. Duh. If that little one gallon plant says that it will be a 6' x 6' adult, believe it and give it room to grow. Plant an evergreen foundation for year round beauty. Have a plan.

On Saturday my neighbor and I went to the best all day symposium ever. It was sponsored by the CA Native Plant Society. Great speakers, right here in my town at the awesome Camarillo Ranch. All day, 8-5, meant this woman with food allergies had to do a little planning. I ate a big breakfast and packed a lunch.

After getting our name tags we headed over to the coffee table - low and behold, a pile of fresh strawberries, a basket of clementines and the usual pastries. Of course coffee and tea. I made myself a plate of strawberries and clementines and found a table. The pile of strawberries and clementines never dwindled all day. Donated by a local grower, they were superb.

After 3 great speakers it was time for lunch. I told my neighbor I would take a walk around the ranch and meet her back at the table in about 30 minutes. 200+ attendees were going to take awhile to get through the lunch line and I wanted to see the ranch, and I had packed a lunch.

Coming back from exploring the ranch, I noticed people sitting around with plates of green salad, what looked like a french fry but was clearly a yam, and beans. Could this be? I ran to the back of the line. By the time I got to the buffet table, the fried yams were gone, but the beans and salad and guacamole were plentiful. And on a separate table, under a big sign that read "For gluten free diets" were cookies. It was a 95% vegan meal, made with 95% local ingredients. Delicious, tasty, beautiful. The lunch was catered by Manzanita Chef Carrie Clough. She's an omnivore chef who can fill a vegan request. One of her credentials is that she worked with a hero of mine, Alice Waters. Carrie is a chef with a wonderful mission statement: "Food in our lives is like a character with many faces....." I went to the kitchen to thank her. It occurred to me that maybe she had taken a picture of the buffet table that I could add to this blog entry. Alas. No one had taken pictures of the lunch spread that she knew of. Sorry folks. You'll have to take my word for it. Vegan can be very attractive and tasty - oh yeah, you knew that already.

So for lunch at home today I tried to duplicate her lunch. Not as tasty. Pretty though. I shall continue to work on a bean dish as tasty as hers. When I sign off here, I'll shoot her an email and thank her again, maybe she'll share her recipe for 200+. Then I'll share with you.

Unwrapped

One Big Wrap

One cloudy, rainy Saturday before Christmas, I headed out to 'wrap up' my Holiday shopping. (My tongue is in my cheek) I didn't get far before I realized I hadn't yet eaten anything substantial. I wasn't far from my favorite Mexican Restaurant. Just a left and then a right and I was there. But the door was locked and the sign said, "Closed for a private party." Must have been some party, to require the whole crew.

I dug out my umbrella and walked to the Meat Market - Deli, 5 doors down. I knew they made sandwiches and might have something good a gluten-free gal could eat. I asked the young man at the counter if he could make me a sandwich that fit my diet.

Turns out he has gluten issues too and has made many of these wraps for himself. He said, "Most people do have food allergies, they just don't know it." A kindred spirit. He was very generous with the lettuce because he didn't want the sandwich to fall apart. I ate it all.

I wanted to make a vegan version of this sandwich and this is what I ended up with:

Unwrapped

The lettuce I chose was very pretty in the package, but unsuited for wrapping. I made do. When you wrap with lettuce, it's just a convenient salad. 

Oh dear. It was not that successful. For a wrap, I figured it would have to be 'sticky' to hold together. I ended up with a dip really. Under the pile of avocado/tapenade/pesto/artichoke/onion/celery/red pepper glob are some big white beans. It was OK. It could use a tomato and some cucumber. I'm not a bit discouraged.

This week I also experimented with a gluten free date bar. I took a recipe from Betty Crocker and looked at the ingredients and started making substitutions. Elton Brown says that when you follow a recipe, you need sit down and read through the WHOLE recipe, ingredients and instructions. I should have done that. My date bar is not ready for publication.

On Sunday I fixed one of those, "Let's see what's in the refrigerator" soups. It started with a bag of small lima beans and about a qt of water. Never mind the soaking step, I went right to boil, then simmer. It was simmering about 10 minutes when I started adding - Onion, cilantro leaves, a jar of med salsa, a lot of raw chopped garlic, salt, pepper. The 5 year old helped. She's good at tearing the leaves off the cilantro, diving into the refrigerator to see what else we can add. She found a carrot. Then she said, "It smells good." She's a cook. She should know. Her soup last night was applesauce, water and chips. I tasted it. Not bad. She tasted it and said, "It's just water."

When it came time to taste my soup, it was delicious. Can I tell you how to make it? Not a chance. It was an accident. And it was vegan on a non-vegan day. It's happening. It's getting very familiar. I will never a vegan be, but I am more vegan than I ever thought I'd be. The spell is broken. My brain has opened up to new possibilities.

Tis the Season for Persimmons

Fall Compote with Pears, Persimmons, and Figs

Persimmons, Fruit of the Gods

Chef-d'oeuvre

This recipe comes from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I served it on a bed of Arugula. I thought arugula was a devine compliment to the fruit. Arugula is a little skunky and bitter. You may prefer baby spinach or romaine. But look at it. It's so beautiful, the world falls away for a minute and you are in the Mediterranean. Take the first bite and, well, it's a party of flavors and textures.

The recipe:

2 Fuyu Persimmons

The Fuyu Persimmon is on the left. She's squat and firm. When you bite into a Fuyu your teeth break through a tough skin and fall suddenly into the soft interior. It's a surprise. Not like any other fruit. It's sweet.

The Persimmon on the right is the beautiful Hachiya Persimmon and the one you are most likely familiar with. Hachiya is tricky. You have to wait and wait and wait and wait for it to be soft, almost mushy, before you can eat it. If you don't wait, and bite into it too soon, you may never want to look at a persimmon again. It's astrigent and will numb your lips and tongue. I've seen grown men spit it out.

4-6 Pouched Pears in Vanilla Syrup

I like the Bosc Pears. They're sweet and firm.

Peel them. Cut them in half.

Remove the cores and ends - I found the Melon Baller to be the perfect tool for this job.

Put a quart of water on to boil, with 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 vanilla bean (mine had been soaking in brandy for a couple of months, the seeds scraped out easily and that is what you see in the picture - those black dots are not pepper), and several 2 inch pieces of lemon zest. Cook gently 20-40 minutes until they begin to look translucent around the edges.

Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and cool.

Into the simple syrup, add 1/4 cup of golden raisins, (I didn't have golden raisins so I used the more common brown raisin), with the zest of one lemon and cook until raisins are plump.

Pour the raisin syrup over the pears and cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.

Now all you need to do is assemble the salad.

For 6 people, you need 6 figs, 1/2 pint of raspberries and 24 muscat grapes and a little lemon zest.

the layers:

a bed of lettuce

a half pear, sliced and fanned out

(the recipe says 2 halves per serving, It's a bit much, save the other half for breakfast)

thinly sliced Fuyu Persimmon

a fig

a few raspberries

a few grapes

Spoon the raisins and lemon zest syrup over the whole thing.

then I added a little fresh lemon zest

Serve

This is a beautiful salad. Fit for any fall or winter festive meal. But why wait for a holiday? We had ours with a simple vegan meal. Boiled potatoes, black beans and snow peas. We felt like royalty.

Protein or Carb?

Oh garbanzo bean, you little chick pea, I tire of you. Every Monday, chick peas. So, today and then one more, to end the Month of November you will be the headline. And then it will be December Mondays and they will be SALSA Mondays. EEEYEEEIIIIEEEYYYIII. But today my little chick pea, it's you. Then one more time, it's you and then adieu. You have been given your notice.

Wednesday is my vegan day, so I don't have to make chick peas the main course on Monday. My main course tonight was wild caught sword fish. Yum. And my side dish was a chick pea salad.

When I was cooking for the Elders, they would sometimes ask, "What do you call this?" and I would say, "Monday surprise." The Elder would scold me. "This is really good, how will you ever make it again? Did you write it down? One day you are going to hit on something fantastic and you won't be able to make it again." Right. That's OK with me.

What is ever exactly the same the second time? Take for instance the story my third (or fourth) cousin would tell. They would come to visit my parents once a year in the summer. Summer in the mid-north can be splendid or a heavy, muggy hot. One especially hot day the cousins hit the road to visit my parents. They didn't have air conditioning in their car. At the half way mark they stopped at a little hamburger stand and had a lemonade. "The BEST lemonade I've ever had." they agreed. The next year they came to visit my parents, they anticipated the stop at the hamburger stand for a repeat performance by lemonade. "It just wasn't that special." You tell me. Was it the hot day that made the lemonade delicious the first time? Was it a new lemonade mix the second year? Was it a different lemonade chef? Or did they maybe have a new car with airconditioning that second year? Can it ever be the same?

Tonight I fixed a garbanzo bean salad. It was a 15 oz can of garbanzo beans and the ingredients I found in my pantry that I thought would compliment the beans. Celery, chopped; a leak, chopped; cilantro leaves chopped; Clementine orange sections; green apple, chopped; oil and vinegar dressing; salt and pepper. I stirred it all together and put it on a bed of lettuce.

So was it the carbohydrate or the protein in my meal? The fish was the protein. Did I over-protein? I do try to think this through when I plan even the most impromptu meal. On the garbanzo bean can it says one serving is 21g of carbohydrate and 7g of protein. With the added fruit and vegetables, it was the carbohydrate. Settled. A carbohydrate with a little protein bonus. It was good, but not award winning.

I know that I'm getting a little flip with the chick pea. Time to move on. Next week, for the grand finale, I want to give the garbanzo bean flour a turn in the spot light. And then, Monday will transform itself and get spicy and sassy and very loud. I salivate thinking of it.

The Lost Cymbal

Something's up. One day it's hot, then it's cold, then it's hot and windy, I mean gusty windy and today it's cold and blustery. Palm fronds in the street, greenhouse plastic in the power lines, bad hair day all around. The rhythm is gone. We have lost our ride cymbal.

In more ways than one CA needs to get it's groove back. You already know that because you see the news. New leadership is lining up to take over in 2010. I spent about an hour researching the candidates for CA Governor after hearing a pitch by Meg Whitman on the radio on my way home from the Philosophers. You know Meg Whitman, she's the woman who ran eBay. She has competition: Tom Campbell, Stephen Poizner, Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown. Yes, 71 year old Jerry Brown. It will be interesting.

A quick trip north today for a little business. Then I headed to the Philosophers house with my cooler filled with vegan lunch. Nothing fancy. A cold brown rice salad with a vinegarette dressing on a bed of herbed greens and some sliced watermelon. She brought out her fancy green tea and we got down to the business of comparing notes on the new Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol.


Brown Rice Salad - Serves two

In a bowl, stir together:
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup green grapes, cut in half
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup scallions sliced
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Whisk together:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Fold dressing into brown rice mixture and refrigerate 2 hours or better yet, overnight. Serve on a bed of salad greens, garnish with orange slices.

Dan Brown's book is about a lot of things, one being the power of thought. Nothing like food to demonstrate that. Whatever you believe, you know that if you're upset you either eat more than ever or you can't swallow. Food is a mood marker. So thinking, eating and health connect quite easily. Dan Brown says nothing about food in his book. It's all symbology, history, religion, codes, secrets and drama. For me, food fits. Think about it.

The Ancients

When I woke at the break of dawn, I was feeling rather ancient. I rolled over, swung my legs up the wall for 10 minutes of Viparita Karani (legs-up the wall pose) to reset my mind and renew my spirit. As the blood coursed down my legs from my feet, I thought of nothing, my eyes closed. Kitty Hawk, not intuitive, broke the spell with her not so delicate paw, her nails catching my shoulder. Then she spoke. "The bowls are empty." She wasn't using her inside voice. OK, alright already, I'm up.

Today's theme is ancient grains; it will be ancient all the way around. Leaves fell into the Emperor of China's cup long before the Ethiopians discovered the stimulating effects of coffee. Today it will be tea. The coffee press is getting a rest.

It's Wednesday, the slow day in the office. I turn on the computers, check the emails, read Seth's blog and the Writer's Almanac, take out the garbage and the recycling, and brew a little green tea. The Ancients probably had nuts and berries for breakfast so I'll start with some almonds and a handful of strawberries. I will graze myself to lunch.

One Three and I run out to the baby broccoli plants to de-worm them. We started 2 days ago when it became apparent that something was devouring our plants. We aren't keeping records but we have pulled off about 30 of the little hungry green soft rapidly growing things, thrown them into a bucket and dumped them in the far corner of the yard for the spiders. I suggested we feed them to the crows, but One Three came up with the spider idea. It's a better idea. We picked a little mint and basil for the lunch salad and then for fun, a little thyme, rosemary and marjoram.

It's a morning for running errands and I look forward to a stop at Pop's to pick up my leather sandals that have been pretty much glued to my feet for the last 2 years.

Pop's repairs everything and it looks like he is especially busy. Maybe we aren't the throw away country we once were. He's an organic hobby gardener, it's nice to chat with him.

Lunch today will be with the first meeting of the 3rd Wednesday of the Month Philosophy Club. I drive up the coast listening to NPR. They are talking about the discovery of 10 Double Eagle gold coins. It was just getting good when I hit the mountains and lost the station. But, there was the ocean and I soon forgot all about the drama of the gold coins. As I pull off the freeway my mind turns right, then left and right and right and left and I pull up to the Italian's house and give her a nod. With a lump in my throat I turn left and head to the Philosopher's house. I'm bringing vegan. The Philosopher will supply the Chinese Tea directly from China via her well traveled neighbor.

I walk in her door and discover they have started without me. They're already talking about praying incessantly. How is that possible? Not the starting without me, the praying incessantly. The only two things I can do incessantly are breath and pump blood and I think that is quite remarkable. These Club meetings will be very enlightening I can tell.

Lunch is Quinoa Tabbouleh with lettuce, tomato and avocado, Honey Dew Melon and blue corn chips. (Blue corn has more protein than yellow or white and is one of the oldest varieties of corn, but probably not as old as tea or Quinoa or Teff.) What? Teff? In a minute.


The recipe for the Tabbouleh comes straight off the Red Mill Quinoa package. After the quinoa is cooked and cooled, it's simply a matter of assembling the ingredients. Here it is:

2 Cups cooked and cooled Quinoa
1 Cup chopped Parsley
1/2 cup chopped Scallions
2 Tablespoons chopped Fresh Mint
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Chill for about 1 hour before serving. Serves 3. The package says it serves 6. Silly.

For dessert I made Teff Pudding. What's teff? The smallest grain in the world is all. An ancient grain. A complete protein ( all 8 essential amino acids) The grain has a high concentration of different nutrients: a very high calcium content, and high levels of phosphorus, iron, copper aluminum, barium and thiamine. A big advantage, the iron from teff is easily absorbed by the body. Has lysine levels higher than wheat or barley. Because of this variety, it stimulates the flora of the large intestine. Teff is high in carbohydrates and fiber. It is also a rich source of other minerals including magnesium,. boron, copper, phosphorus and zinc. (ref wikipedia)

Teff pudding is, well, it's, how should I say this? It's, well, healthy. Like one of those not quite delicious treats you find in the health food store. I made it with carob. Before I share the recipe, I'll try it with cocoa instead. Stay tuned.

I headed home, via the coffee shop. I admit it. I needed my fix. It was early evening and I really had little need for dinner. A little adult beverage and a handful of blue corn chips and I was set. Not in the mood for a book tonight. Philosophy on my mind. I phoned a friend, surfed the TV channels without satisfaction and headed to bed early.

All in all, a good day.

The Keep It To Yourself Dinner Party

“Enough about the allergies. We know about the environment. We’ve discussed it before. Keep it to yourself. We’re tired of hearing about it. Let’s just eat already.” I know that’s what goes through the minds of the non-allergy eaters when I'm around. So I chose to avoid it with a pick and chose menu when friends came to dinner.

The Juicer, the Diver, the Philosopher, the Artist, the Physical Trainer, One One and One Three came to my table for dinner. I didn’t know that the Juicer was on a 10 day juice program (and I didn’t watch her closely, maybe she chewed everything 200 times to keep her promise to herself) or that the Diver was on an elimination diet, searching for the food that might be causing his allergies. I knew that the Physical Trainer was allergic to wheat but I’m pretty sure she was with me at the liquor store buying Heinekens’.

The dinner was a 'Please Pass the Baked Potato and Salad' bar. I read that a family style meal is a friendly approach to a dinner and avoided lining everything up on the counter. We passed platter after bowl to the right. Everyone had a plate and a bowl at their place. My thinking was that the plate was for the Potato etc and the Bowl was for the Salad etc. PT turned in the bowl and made one big pile on her plate. She wanted more space on the table. We all admired her ingenuity.

Here are the offerings that went around the table:

Baked Potato
Butter and Sour Cream for the non-vegans
Pico De Gallo
Chopped fresh spinach and herbs (basil, mint, sweet marjoram and thyme)
Bacon – cut in 1” pieces and fried for the non-vegans

Baby spinach
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced avocado
Sliced cucumber
Sliced red onion
Black bean and Corn salad
An assortment of salad dressings

White wine. Water. Beer.

For dessert: sliced watermelon – sweet without any additions.

From this meal, I want to share the Black Bean and Corn Salad. It is very festive when served in a glass bowl so all the colors show.

(2) 15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
(1) 15 oz can sweet corn
1 red pepper, diced
1 ½ cup sliced celery
(1) 16 oz bottle of chunky salsa
¼ cup sliced scallions
¼ cup oil and vinegar dressing
¼ - ½ cup cilantro

Everything goes into the bowl, stir to mix and put in the refrigerator for about an hour to blend the flavors. That's it.

This is one of those ‘do your own thing’ salads. See something that you know will make the salad even better, add it. Don’t like the idea of corn, take it out.

The beginning of my vegan day was easy:

Breakfast was Crispex (one side corn, one side rice), fresh strawberries and ½ banana sliced on top, with rice milk. Coffee of course, with a pinch of cinnamon.

Lunch was a green salad, very green, everything green. Lettuce, spinach, fresh herbs, parsley, cilantro, cold cooked broccoli, cold cooked green beans, with an EVOO and lime juice dressing. Icy cold green tea. That’s it. It’s 90 degrees here and the salad was refreshing.

Cooking vegan doesn’t have to be meal from the Health Food store. A chain grocery store provided everything for my vegan day.