Michael Pollan Recipe - Crispy Parmesan Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients

1 1/2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Two 15-ounce cans organic chickpeas, drained, rinsed well, and patted dry (or 3 cups cooked chickpeas)
1/2 cup firmly packed, finely shredded Parmesan cheese (not pre-grated or it will not melt)
Sea Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425° F.

Pour 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large baking dish. Place it in the hot oven.

In a small mixing bowl combine the chickpeas, 2 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil, the Parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Mix well until the chickpeas are thoroughly coated.

Carefully remove the hot baking dish from the oven and pour the chickpea mixture in. Use a wooden spoon to spread the chickpeas into a single layer. Roast for 10 minutes; stir them once with the wooden spoon. Continue to cook until crispy and golden brown, an additional 7 to 10 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper as desired, and serve hot or at room temperature. (Do not drain on paper towel or they will loose their crispiness.)

*Once cool they also make a great salad topping.

Taken from this blog with other healthy snacks: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-pollan-family-table/3-addictive-snacks-that-a_b_8964682.html

Squash (or sometimes pumpkin) Curry

Ingredients
1/2 winter squash cubed (or sometimes pumpkin)
half an onion diced
kale
heirloom tomato
1 can coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen)
curry paste (I like Mae Ploy Red Curry Paste)
chicken or tofu diced
garlic minced
ginger diced or grated
coconut oil
basil
Directions
1. Throw the onion, garlic and ginger into a big soup pan with the coconut oil and let simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Add the coconut milk and a spoonful of the curry paste diluted in hot water or chicken broth add some extra water as well.
3. Add the squash and bring everything to a boil then down to a simmer.
4. Wait until the squash is soft enough that you can cut through it with a fork (about 10 minutes depending on the size of the cubes).
5. Add the chicken or tofu and bring it back to a boil again and down to a simmer again . . . cook until the meat is no longer raw (about 5-10 minutes).
6. Add the kale and let the dish simmer for about 10 minutes.
7. At the very end add the tomato and basil.

If you like you can serve it over rice or quinoa.

Baked Squash

Now that it's fall, I make a lot of squash dishes. An easy one is baked kombocha squash. I cut the squash in half, and then cut thin slices. I place the slices on a cookie sheet and drizzle them with a sauce made out of canola oil, mirin, sesame oil, braggs or tamari sauce, red pepper spice or hot sauce, and mapple sugar or ground sugar. I mix up the sauce and flip the squash to make sure it is coated on both sides. If I have them on hand, I sometimes cut up carrots in flat strips and add them to the cookie sheet. I put the dish in the oven and cook it for 14 minutes at 350, flipping the pieces over at the mid point. You know they are done when you can put a fork through the thickest of the pieces (though ideally they are evenly cut).

Kombucha

Kombucha is known to have several healing effects because of the fermented process in which it is made. You can read more about it via the Weston Price website.  You can continually brew kombucha once you get a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) or "mother." I was luckily enough to get a SCOBY from a friend. As you brew the drink, you will start to grow new SCOBYs that you too can pass a long to others. You will also need a large glass jar that won't break when exposed to hot water. You can make batches in gallon containers (double the recipe) or 1/2 gallon (shown below).


1) Brew two caffeinated tea bags (black, green, or other) in hot water in a 
1/2 gallon jar
2) Add 5/8 cups of sugar and let dissolve
3) Leave the tea to cool, covered, for several hours
4) Once the tea is room temperature, add the SCOBY. If this is your first batch, you will also need to add a starter, which could be the bottom portion of a store-bought kombucha. If this is your second or third batch, just pour in some of the bottom part of the previous batch
5) Cover the jar with a clean sock
6) Place the jar in a dark cool location and let it sit for 5-10 days (the longer you wait the more vinegary the flavor).

As a note, the SCOBY cannot touch metal, so make sure you use plastic or wood spoons.

You can blend the kombucha with other flavors. I like adding cranberry juice, seltzer water and ginger.

You Are Such A Smoothie

Smoothies are like healthy milkshakes (well, I think they are better than the ice cream version).  Here is one of my favorites from Dr. Oz.

Ingredients
1/2 cup soymilk, regular milk, or almond milk
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 banana
1 Tbsp. ground flaxseed or chia seeds
1/2 cup ice

Blend the ingredients until smooth.

Sometimes I blend frozen strawberries, milk, and sugar together too. Another great combination.

Eat Your Greens! They Are Yummy...

Kale is one of the most nutritious foods. It is good for you, and tastes good too. I like to saute the kale in garlic and coconut oil. Once it cools I toss the kale with diced steamed beets, pumpkin seeds, sauerkraut, and vinegar. This is a great dish on those nights when you want to clean out your fridge. You can add vegetables, such as fava beans, and different types of protein including chicken, tuna, cheese or tofu.

Creamy Polenta

Polenta is one of my favorite go-to foods. It is quick, easy, and comforting. Plus, it is so versatile.

I start by putting polenta grains into boiling water, at a ratio of 1:2, and wait for the combination to boil. Then, I put it on low, and start adding different ingredients. There are so many different combinations, the final dish usually depends on what I have in my kitchen. I either use milk and butter, chicken broth, and/or miso and water to make the polenta creamy. Then I add it cheese, herbs, and other flavors (like tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic, etc.).

Next I place parchment paper on a cookie sheet and ladle out the creamy polenta so it starts to make a sheet. I bend the paper over to contain the mixture. You can adjust the paper to make the polenta thiner or thicker.

Now it is time to get creative. Once the polenta is cool, you can use your favorite cookie cutters to make it into shapes (see hearts below). You can fry these up, or use them as a base for other dishes.

For example, I make polenta pizza! I put tomato sauce, cheese, and baked black beans on top and put all in the oven until the cheese melts and the polenta is warm. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Crab Casserole

For Thanksgiving this year, may family asked me to bake a gluten free crab casserole. I have never worked with crab before so I was a little nervous. The end result was great. Best of all, it got all eaten up!

I used a recipe from Epicurious with a few adjustments. I reduced the amount of salt by half and I used brown rice flour.

Vegan Cupcakes

Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
2/3 tablespoon baking soda
1/3 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa - dark bittersweet Ghirardelli
3/4 cup canola oil
1/3 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 cups coffee

 
Directions
Place the cupcake holders into the baking pan. Mix all the ingredients and fill each cup until 2/3 full with batter. Cook at 300 degrees until the cake tester comes out clean (approximately 25 minutes). Use the batter as an icing or make a separate icing with almond milk and melted chocolate chips.

I added a pink whipped cream topping (colored with beets) for the non-vegans.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for angel hair pasta, and it is easy to prepare. Cut the squash in half, remove the seeds and place each side open face down on a baking tray. Then cook it for about 40 minutes. After it is done, remove the squash from the oven and scoop out the insides. 

You can then add any sauce you want. Today I went with butter, garlic, tomato sauce, parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Lentil Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion finely chopped
1 carrot peeled and thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup canned diced plum tomatoes
5 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown lentils
yellow miso
1 lemon sliced
1 cup coarsely chopped spinach

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, warm the oil and add the onion, garlic and carrots and saute until the veggies are soft, approximately 5 minutes.  Stir in the curry powder until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add tomatoes with juice, lentils, water and lemon slices. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and then down to a simmer and partially cover. Stir occasionally until the lentils are  soft, about 30 minutes. Discard the lemons.  Add a couple of spoonfuls of miso to a little bit of boiled water and pour it into the soup to taste. Boil the soup down until it is the texture you want.

Island Living - Rum Cake

Ingredients
CAKE:
chopped almonds
1 18.5 oz pkg yellow cake mix (moist/with pud mix)
4 eggs
.5 cups water
.5 cups oil (olive or canola)
.5 cups dark rum
SAUCE:
.25 lb butter (1 stick)
.25 cups water
.5 cups rum

Preheat oven to 325 F, grease 12 cups bundt pan, sprinkle nuts in bottom of pan, mix cake in, pour over nuts. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool. Invert on serving plate. Prick top. Spoon glaze over, allow to absorb, repeat until all glaze is used.

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar. Boil 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat, add rum.  

Island Living - Sweet Fried Plantains

I am in St. Thomas for a few days visiting friends. Besides the beaches, warm nights, tropical plants and laid back lifestyle - I am relearning about many foods I love. On the menu for dinner tonight are sweet fried plantains. I have always wanted to find a good recipe and learn how to cook them right. Luckily the local farmers helped me pick out the ripest of the bunch. Here is a recipe from Gourmet magazine.

Ingredients
4 firm-ripe plantains
vegetable oil for deep-frying

With a small sharp knife cut ends from each plantain and halve crosswise. Cut a lengthwise slit through skin along inside curve. Beginning in center of slit pry skin from plantain and with rippled blade of a mandoline or decorating knife cut flesh crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

In a deep fryer or large deep skillet heat 1 1/2 inches oil to 375°F. on a deep-fat thermometer and fry 12 to 15 plantain slices at a time, turning them, 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden, transferring as fried with a skimmer or slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Season plantain slices with salt. (Plantain slices should be slightly crisp on outside but soft on inside.) Plantain slices are best served immediately but may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and kept in an air-tight container. Reheat plantain slices on a rack in a shallow baking pan in a preheated 350°F. oven 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fried-Plantains-10024#ixzz20doEWy7i

 

Pizza!

Ingredients

Water + honey + yeast + olive oil + salt + flour

Directions

1. Mix one cup of water (filtered is best at room temp) with 1 tablespoon of honey until the honey is dissolved in a small bowl.

2. Add 2 teaspoons of yeast. Mix and let sit for about 10-15 minutes

3. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 tablespoon of salt and mix thoroughly

4. While the water mix with honey and yeast is sitting for ten minutes put 3 cups of flour in a bowl

5. Move the water mix to a large bowl. Add 1/2 of flour* at a time and whisk with a knife until mostly dissolved. Use your hands when it's not too watery.

6. Add more water to the dough or flour if needed. Then move the dough to a flat surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. Don't cut this short.

7. Rest the dough for 15 minutes with a towel on top, then knead briefly.

8. Now you can refrigerate or freeze as one dough or divided into individual sizes in zip lock bags. Add oil to the bowl/dough so it won't stick.

Fridge okay for 2 days or freezer for 1 month. 

9. Take out form the fridge 1 to 1.5 hrs before using it. Rest it with a moist towel to prevent it form getting dry on top and flour underneath so it won't stick.  Add some flour on top and then roll it out to a pizza.
10. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 minutes; turn half way through.

*You can make this dish gluten free if you use brown rice flour instead of regular flour.

Feeling Stuffed

Twice baked potatoes are delicious and quite comforting.  Think of all the fun ingredients you can mix in. One of my favorite variations comes from Dr. Weil.

Stuffed Potatoes:
3 large baking potatoes
3 stalks broccoli
1/2 teaspoon salt
butter
soy milk or chicken broth
cheese


1. Scrub the potatoes and make shallow cuts around their middles to make it easier to cut them in half after baking. Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees until soft, usually 1 hour, depending on size of potatoes.
2. Meanwhile, cut the ends from the stalks of broccoli and peel some of the outer skin off to make the stems more edible. Steam the broccoli until crunchy-tender and bright green. Drain and chop fine.
3. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Add the salt, butter and just enough soy milk to allow you to mash the potatoes into a smooth paste. Add cheese and the chopped broccoli and mix well.
4. Pile the mixture back into the potato shells. Sprinkle additional cheese on top if so desired. Arrange on a baking dish and heat them to desired temperature.

Soup!

The weather is getting colder, and nothing warms you up like a cup of soup. Plus, it is the season for all things autumnal, like squash. I make several different types of squash soup - all start with the same base. I cut up squash into cubes, put them in a pot, and cover with either water, vegetable stock, chicken stock or coconut milk.  I bring it all to a boil and then let simmer for approximately 40 minutes. I puree the ingredients with either a blender or a hand mixer. Then I add the flavors, which could include ginger, garlic, coconut oil, curry powder, butter and/or miso. If you need a good chicken soup recipe, I recommend this one called Brasco's Chicken Soup.

Mapping the Imaginary

I recently took on a graphic design project for Ragged Wing Ensemble a theater company based in the East Bay. This fall they are putting on a series of free performances at a local park. The Play is called Innana's Decent and it follows various mythological characters as they explore the underworld. Different scenes take place throughout the park. I really enjoy the concept because it combines my interest in expression, story telling, and spacial relationships.  Plus, I had the opportunity to draw a map that charts out the activities.  Below you'll see the front and back of the program for the play.

PARK(ing) Day - Making Parking Spaces into Vibrant Places

On September 16, I organized PARK(ing) Day in Santa Rosa. Greenbelt Alliance teamed up with the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition and the Share Exchange to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for people. The Press Democrat wrote a great article summarizing the event.  The San Francisco based artist group Rebar started PARK(ing) Day in 2005 as a way to bring attention to our car-centered culture and the alternative ways we could choose to use space. Check out this video my colleagues made to celebrate grassroots placemaking.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Nothing says fall like pumpkin! Add chocolate chips and cookie dough, and you have one great seasonal treat. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin (cooked or canned)
1 teasp vanilla
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teasp baking powder
1 teasp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teasp nutmeg1 teasp cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg, pumpkin and vanilla
Mix and sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon,
Add to creamed mixture
Mix well.
Add chocolate chips and mix thoroughly.

Drop by teaspoons onto well greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.
Remove from sheets while still warm.

Eat Real

Last night I attended Eat Real Oakland, in Jack London Square. This three day festival celebrates all things tasty, fresh, and handmade with a focus on street food, local wines, handcrafted beers, and traditional food craft – all featuring sustainable, local ingredients. And no dish or drink costs more than $5.  I do love food, so you know I was sampling a variety of plates from sliders at Brass and Knuckle, to pickled vegetables from Forage SF, (both pictured below) to home made popsicles from Cranky Boots. This is pop up community at its best. If you go to one of the Eat Real events near you, be ready to deal with long lines and a crowd. I'm glad local street food is getting support!