Tomatoes!

It's the time of year when there are lots of tomatoes! Neighborhood Farms has given us a number of awesome tomatoes lately and we're loving it. An easy thing to do is make a simple salad of tomatoes and whatever else you have in the house. In this case, I sliced, quartered, or halved various tomatoes and added some sliced carrots and Rattlesnake Green Beans, and slopped on some Simple Vinaigrette.

Simple Vinaigrette

1 T minced scallion (or onion or similar member of the allium family)

1 T finely-chopped basil

1/4 t freshly-ground pepper

2 T white balsamic vinegar (or rice vinegar, pomegranate vinegar, or whatever you prefer)

2-3 T olive oil (or walnut oil)

Combine scallion, basil, and pepper in a small bowl.

Add vinegar and stir.

Add oil 1 T at a time, whisking vigorously each time.

That's it!

The Carrot Variation

Carrot Muffins

makes 18 muffins

3/4 C oat bran

3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C toasted wheat germ

2 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C olive oil

2 eggs

3/4 C greek yogurt

2 T lemon juice

2 t lemon zest

1 t vanilla

2 C shredded carrots

1 C dried cranberries

chopped crystallized ginger (or Crystallized Ginger Chips from Ginger People)

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare muffin pan (baking cups or coat with cooking spray)
3. In large bowl, combine bran, both flours, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. In small bowl, whisk together sugar and olive oil. Whisk in eggs. Add yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix well.
5. Fold yogurt mixture into flour mixture.
6. Gently fold carrots, then cranberries, into batter.
7. Divide batter among the muffin cups.
8. Sprinkle ginger bits on tops of muffins.
9. Bake muffins until golden brown -- 15 to 20 minutes.

The Zucchini Situation

When my zucchini supply outstrips my zucchini consumption (as is often the case in the summer), I catch up by making yet more muffins. As with other muffins, these freeze well. It's easy to put a couple of frozen muffins on a cookie sheet, pop them into a 400°F oven for 10 minutes, and enjoy breakfast before heading off to work.

Lemon-Banana-Zucchini Muffins

makes 18 muffins

3/4 C oat bran

3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 C toasted wheat germ

2 t cinnamon

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C olive oil

2 eggs

1 C mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)

2 T lemon juice

2 t lemon zest

1 t vanilla

2 C shredded zucchini (or similar summer squash)

1 C dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare muffin pan (baking cups or coat with cooking spray)
3. In large bowl, combine bran, both flours, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. In small bowl, whisk together sugar and olive oil. Whisk in eggs. Add mashed bananas, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix well.
5. Fold banana mixture into flour mixture.
6. Gently fold zucchini, then cranberries, into batter.
7. Divide batter among the muffin cups.
8. Bake muffins until golden brown -- about 20 minutes.

Just loooove spicy tofu

This is a riff on the Dragon Calamari from India Joze long ago. Although not everyone is fond of cilantro, there are a number of dishes where it is an essential ingredient -- leave it out and there is diminishment. This is one of those dishes.

Fiery Tofu

1/2 C vegetable stock

2 T rice wine vinegar

1 T fish sauce

2 jalapenos, minced (adjust amount depending on how spicy you like your food)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 T ginger, minced

2 T mint, chopped

1 T cilantro, chopped

1 T scallions, chopped

2 T water

1 T cornstarch

2 T vegetable oil (canola or peanut oil)

4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 small red onion, sliced

8 oz bamboo shoots, sliced

1 C chopped beet greens

1 lb tofu

1. Mix together vegetable stock, vinegar, fish sauce, jalapenos, garlic, ginger, mint, cilantro, and scallions.
2. In a small bowl, mix together water and cornstarch.
3. Heat oil in wok.
4. Add onions, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and beet greens to wok, stir for about 1 minute.
5. Add tofu, stir gently to mix.
6. Add stock mixture and stir.
7. As soon as stock begins to boil, add cornstarch mixture and stir until it thickens.
8. Serve with rice and Spring Onion Jam (from Friend in Cheeses) or similar, if you can get it or make it.

Lavender, Lemons, and Berries, Oh My

Got inspired again by the latest box of produce from Neighbor Farms CSA. Each box brings fresh new treats and the joy of figuring out what to use first. Delicious beets and their greens, crisp kale (perfect for Kale Chips), salad greens, Meyer lemons, basil, rosemary, sprigs of lavender, and more. If you've never signed up with a CSA before, do yourself a favor and seek out one in your area (one place to start is Local Harvest).

Lemon-Lavender-Blueberry Muffins

makes 12 muffins

3/4 C oat bran

3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 C all-purpose flour

2 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1/2 C sugar

1/2 C olive oil

2 eggs

3/4 C nonfat greek yogurt

1 T fresh lavender buds

2 T lemon juice

2 t lemon zest

1 t vanilla

1 C blueberries

Topping:

2 T sugar

1 t lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare muffin pan (baking cups or coat with cooking spray)
3. In large bowl, combine bran, both flours, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. In small bowl, whisk together 1/2 C sugar and olive oil. Whisk in eggs. Add yogurt, lavender, lemon juice, 2 t lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix well.
5. Fold yogurt mixture into flour mixture.
6. Gently fold blueberries into batter.
7. Divide batter among the muffin cups.
8. Combine remaining 2 T sugar and 1 t lemon zest. Sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.
9. Bake muffins until golden brown -- about 15 minutes.

What to do when life hands you lemons and rosemary

Got inspired by the first box of produce from our neighborhood CSA. The box contained some marvelous Meyer lemons and rosemary, along with other fabulous stuff. This recipe sneaks in some heart-healthy oat bran (substitute wheat or rice bran if you prefer). Without further ado ...

Meyer Lemon Rosemary Muffins
makes 12 muffins

3/4 C oat bran
3/4 C whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 C + 2 T sugar
1/2 C olive oil
2 eggs
3/4 C nonfat greek yogurt
2 T rosemary, chopped
2 T lemon juice
3 t lemon zest
1 t vanilla

Equipment:
1 largish bowl
1 smaller bowl
1 very small bowl
muffin pan
whisk or fork or other stirring device

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Prepare muffin tin (I like to use baking cups but if you want to simply coat the tin with cooking spray, go for it).
3. In larger bowl, combine bran, both flours, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. In smaller bowl, whisk together 1/2 C sugar and olive oil. Whisk in eggs. Add yogurt, rosemary, lemon juice, 2 t lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix well.
5. Gently fold yogurt mixture into flour mixture.
6. Divide batter among the muffin cups.
7. Combine remaining 2 T sugar and 1 t lemon zest in smallest bowl. Sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.
8. Bake muffins until golden brown -- about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!