Green Salad with Lemon/Agave Dressing

I had a wonderful visit to my awesome Dr. the other day. Isn't it amazing that some people can deliver relatively bad news and still make it sound great while others deliver the same news and make you feel as though you had committed some crime or another? My wonderful Dr. is the prior. She could tell you that all of your hair is going to fall out and make you excited about the end result. She could tell you that you are clinically obese and cause you to be excited about the diet that you must be on until you get rid of 35 pounds or so. She could tell you that you are pre-diabetic or have Syndrome X and it sounds as though life has opened a new and exciting door to your future!

Not that my hair is going to fall out or anything. No, it is going to stay. Thank some higher being for that. However, the last of my list was exactly what she told me. That, and the fact that my Vitamin D levels are dangerously low.

Now this is a problem. If you don't know what Syndrome X is, Google it, or go here. And Vitamin D? I never realized the myriad diseases and illnesses this simple hormone helps alleviate or prevent! Again, check it out. The D thing is a bit more complicated than the X thing. But that is alright.

Anyway, what are we doing about the X thing? To start with, my kitchen has turned into Mediterranean food central. I have to stay away from breads and pastas unless I grind the flour myself and make it from scratch. Little did my lovely Dr. know that until moving to the shoddy kitchen house, I did just that. There are to be no processed foods, not a problem, I don't keep them in the house as a rule. Everything, yes, everything, must be made in my little kitchen. No pre-made anything.

Now just where am I going with this? How many people eat out of a box? How many children don't know where milk really comes from? Luckily, we as a family were mostly there anyway. Just a small bit of rethinking the whole butter versus olive oil thing and we were good to go. I tossed the ever present potatoes, looked the other way when the bread came out, and generally didn't bat an eye. Greens, whole grains (not ground but truly whole) roma tomatoes, fish, chicken, lean pork and beef; all have remained in my gastronomical life. It is what I top them with and how they are prepared that has been modified.

Take a simple green salad for instance. Rather that top it with a dollop of bottled salad dressing I get to make my own! The following recipe is the salad we had last night. Fun, colorful, and fresh. Who could ask for more?

My Favorite Madrid Street Salad
serves 4

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, fresh, not pre-packaged
2 cps fresh romaine hearts
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup feta
1/2 cup wheat berries, cooked
red onion rings
artichoke hearts

Coarsely chop lettuce and toss in a large bowl with tomatoes. Garnish with remaining ingredients and dress with Lemon/Agave Nectar Dressing.


Lemon/Agave Nectar Dressing

3 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbs agave nectar
2 tsp basil, dried or fresh
2 tsp water

In a small jar, combine all ingredients. Shake until combined and pour over salad.

This is a very light dressing and will give flavor without weighing down the salad. It has the consistency of water actually! I am working on ways of keeping the dressing emulsified without causing the dressing to get heavy. Will update once I have figure this out.

Triple Berry Rhubarb Sauce

I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books as a child. I remember well the "Little House In The Big Woods". I remember well the part where Laura was given a "Pie Plant". It must have been rhubarb from the description of the stalks. I also remember her dismay when Ma and Pa gave a visitor her "Pie Plant" stalks.
As I grew older and more experienced in "Pie Plant" recipes, pies were the last on my list to make with this wonderful, high in vitamin C gift from the earth. Why limit yourself to just a pie when you can have the wonderful, tart flavor over ice cream or a waffle or a pancake?
Whenever I get my hands on this gem, it goes into my sauce pot to become a savored treat that lasts not just one or two nights, but several seasons!

If you are lucky enough to have a "Pie Plant" or two in your yard, or a generous friend or neighbor, make a bit of this to last you through the cold months of winter.

Triple Berry Rhubarb Sauce

1 lb rhubarb, trimmed, washed, and sliced
1 pint blueberries, washed
1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered.
1 pint raspberries, marion, or black berries, washed
4 cps water
2 cps sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Place all ingredients into a large, nonreactive stock pot (enamel or stainless steel), over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced in volume by at least half and thickened.
You can put up in jars at this point or, if you are like me and don't like big chunks of strawberry in your sauce, run it through a blender til smooth.

Make sure you hide a bit to enjoy over the winter holiday season when rhubarb is nothing but a distant memory of spring.

Nettle Soup

Nettle Soup, originally uploaded by emmasdaughter.

Stinging Nettles, yes, stinging nettles. An herb that goes into my top 100 super foods list. Why? Because they are good, good, good for you! Not only are they high in iron and vitamin K, they are also a great supplier of vitamin D. You men out there, they are great for non malignant prostate enlargement. Allergies? High blood pressure? Arthritis? Gingivitis? Partake of stinging nettles.

Here is just one site that discussed the amazing properties of this herb.

This herb is so amazing that I would cultivate it if I could find enough rhizomes not currently sporting their prickly companions. So I will just settle for the leaves in my soup.

First, you must clean them of their grit and any darkened or wilted leaves. Make sure you have a pair of thick rubber gloves on your hands and remove the tender leaves from the stalk. Place leaves in a colander and rinse well. Leave in colander in sink full of cold water while preparing soup base. Add to the pot and simmer. No more sting! Too many health benefits to mention.

Nettle Soup

1 large bunch Nettles, cleaned
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
Italian sausage (optional)
1 large onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
6 to 8 leaves, any other green of choice, optional (spinach, escarole, chard, etc.)
1 hot pepper, diced, also optional

In large pot, over medium heat, saute sausage, onions and garlic until onions are soft. Add broth, salt, hot pepper and black pepper and bring to boil. Carefully add nettles (don't forget to wear your gloves) and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Another "to your health" recipe! Enjoy.

Comfort Food - Could This Be Any Worse For You?

Last night my daughter sent me a text message asking for a recipe for Tuna Casserole. Apparently, her brother requested she make it for dinner. I hadn't made this is so long that the dish is a distant and frightening memory. But, he likes it. He ate it. He wants it again. So - here's to you Hijo Primero! Maybe there is another person out there that like things made from Campbell's soup.

The Worst Possible Tuna Casserole On The Face Of The Planet

1 to 2 - 6 oz cans Tuna, packed in water, drained
1 cup frozen peas, thawed (optional, will not make it healthier in the least)
1 can (10.75 oz) Mushroom Soup (the kind with the garlic in it is best)
1/2 soup can half and half
1/2 tsp pepper
Salt to taste (do you really want or need more?)
1 - 8 oz pkg egg noodles cooked according to package directions
1 cup shredded cheese
Bread Crumbs

In a large mixing bowl, stir Tuna together with peas, soup, half and half, salt and pepper.
Add cooked noodles and stir to coat thoroughly.
Pour into 13x9 baking dish coated with non stick spray.
Top with cheese then sprinkle bread crumbs over all.
Bake in 350 degree oven until browned.

This is true comfort food for the oldest son. If you care to make it, please do not sue me for any high blood pressure or hardening of the arteries that may occur. Partake of this at your own risk! (the aforementioned is a caution to protect me from any lawsuit that may result from consumption of this "comfort food")

Cleaning Fiddleheads

This is posted for my friend at BoondockBabble. Thought if she wanted to know, maybe a few other passing readers would be curious as well.
First, from my research, if you are gathering wild ferns for your table, you must make sure they are edible! Not all ferns are and will give a a wonderful case of something...not sure what. Here is a link to an explanation on cleaning and identifying the edible Ostrich fern.

The cleaning method I use entails placing the fresh ferns in a colander and soaking in cold water. Rinse, shaking the colander briskly in the process. Perform this 3 or 4 times and the majority of the scales will fall off. Then, place the ferns in a brown paper bag and shake a bit more. Remove from bag, and rinse again, rubbing between thumb and forefinger to remove any remaining bits of scale.

This should take care of the cleaning. Now, prepare and enjoy!

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Blending of Flavors

Blending of Flavors, originally uploaded by emmasdaughter.

Blending of Indian Flavors

This recipe came to me tonight after spending the day in Syracuse at the regional market and my two favorite ethnic grocers. It is a combination of a couple of Indian recipes. The dish contains okra, shrimp, onions, peppers, coconut and Indian spices.

Shrimp & Okra Saute
1 Tbs Sesame Oil
1 Tbs Nut Oil (peanut, walnut, almond)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 cp thinly sliced onion
1 thinly sliced sweet red pepper
2 thinly sliced hot peppers (optional)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
15 okra pods, washed, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbs coconut powder

Heat oil over medium high heat. Add cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds and add vegetables and all of the spices. Saute until onion is soft but not brown. Add okra, and a bit of water if needed. Saute for approximately 20 minutes until the okra is cooked but not overly soft. Add shrimp and cook until pink.
Garnish with coconut powder sprinkled over top.

serve with basmati cumin rice and naan for a wonderful, flavorful meal.