My food grows in Brooklyn 07/18/2010
Growing food is easier than I imagined. All that is required is good soil mix (I use organic) which can be found at nearly every supermarket and hardware store in NYC. Add frequent watering to the mix and you are good to go. Here are some shots of my home garden.          I also grow food on the roof of my job. Its a good way to inspire my clients to eat more vegetables. It also helps to supplement their food budget since they subsist on a limited income.         Cheesy-Chipotle Kale Chips 07/08/2010
 I finally harvested Kale from my garden! Part of the learning process is knowing the right time to harvest. I noticed that the bottom leaves of the kale plants were starting to turn yellow so I tasted a few of the leaves. They tasted pretty good, so I harvested them all.  What do you do with fresh kale harvested from your garden? You make Kale chips of course! Kale chips are super simple to make and really yummy! A few months ago, I made some with a client who said the only green vegetable he'd ever eaten before was iceberg lettuce and he actually liked it. His mom and his aunt participated in the cooking class and loved the kale chips. The chips pictured above were flavored with nutritional yeast (http://vegetarian.about.com/od/glossary/g/nutyeast.htm) and chipotle flakes. I didn't use any salt because nutritional yeast adds saltiness as well. I pre-heated the oven to 150 degrees; rinsed rinsed the kale leaves; dried them thoroughly; tossed the leaves in 1 tbs of olive oil, 2 tsp of nutritional yeast and 1 tsp of chipotle flakes. Then I spread the leaves flat on a cookie sheet, and transferred them to the oven. I baked them till they were crisp, which took approximately 40 minutes. 3 Comments Beyond Dessert: Butternut-Ginger Scone 07/06/2010
 It's time to take my baking beyond desserts. I love that I've successfully created baked desserts with veggies as the star ingredient. However, I'm ready to move beyond dessert into say scones, biscuits and maybe someday cookies. I was inspired by a baby butternut squash that had been sitting on my kitchen counter for a few days. I wanted to use it in baking something that wasn't a cake. I ended up with a butternut squash-ginger scones cut into square shapes. I roasted the squash and mixed it in with flour, eggs, a tad bit of butter, baking powder, salt , and agave nectar (for a sweetness). They came out pretty yummy but I want to try them again using rice flour instead of the all-purpose flour I used. I find that all purpose flour, and even whole wheat flour for that matter, lend a heaviness to baked goodies, particularly the type I make . Rice flour is much more ideal because it adds a lightness that I appreciate very much. I'll do some tweaking and get back to you. My Food Grows in Brooklyn 06/25/2010
This is my second year growing vegetables on my front terrace. My first experience wasn't the best because I got vegetable robbed and what I was left with didn't do too well because of the excessive rain. This year though, things seem to be looking good. It's not very difficult to grow your own vegetables and fruits. You can start with seedlings instead of starting from seed if you can't find seeds. You can get seedlings at your local farmers market or at home depot. You also don't need anything fancy to grow in. I'm growing directly in the bags of dirt. It's a bit lazy, but it works for me. Check out a video tour of my garden.  Rhubarb is a "stalky" vegetable similar to the way celery is a stalk. It is often regarded as a fruit even though it is a vegetable. It can be used in a savory dish or as a desert although, most people use it in baked desserts or as a jam or in a fruit spread. However, it is most popularly used in pies or tarts and almost always paired with strawberries. The tartness of the rhubarb makes it a perfect complement to the sweet deliciousness of strawberries.  Rhubarb stalks from Crown Heights CSA We got some rhubarb from the Crown Heights, Brooklyn CSA (community supported agriculture) last Tuesday and I thought it would be a great idea to make a Strawberry-Rhubarb tart with Rosemary. I was starring at the beautiful looking Rosemary growing on the rooftop garden at work and I was curious to find out how it would work with strawberry and rhubarb.   In a bowl, I mixed 1 pound chopped rhubarb with 1 pound diced strawberries, 3 tbs cornstarch, and 1 cup sugar. I added a few chopped sprigs of rosemary to the mix and let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes. I was feeling too lazy to make a traditional crust so I took out some left over shortbread cookie dough from the fridge. I spread it into a tart pan for use as my crust. It made for a pretty crust. The bottom part is red velvet shortbread cookie dough with beets for coloring. The side part of the crust is a brown sugar shortbread cookie dough. I poured my chilled fruit mix into the pan and let bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.  I took the pie to my friend Stacy who was hosting a movie night in her backyard. As you can tell from above the pie was a hit. Stacy licked her plate. That's the best compliment I've ever received. What\'s for Lunch? 06/17/2010
 dandelion greens & sweet basil from my garden terrace I've become such a busy-bee lately that I don't always take the time to make sure I eat properly. In an attempt to change that, I started a make-shift garden on my front terrace. I'm growing tomatoes, greens, squash, peppers and herbs in garden pots and inside the actual dirt bags ("dirt-bagging" as a friend and I like to call it). By the way I live at the edge of Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. Its not exactly the most garden-friendly place in the world. As I was making my usual mad dash out of the house the other morning, I stopped myself, went back inside, grabbed a pair of scissors, and snipped some dandelion greens and sweet basil from the garden. I was determined to have a decent lunch or lunch for that matter. Sometimes it's really just apples or trail mix. Here comes the best part. I boiled some water and poured about a cup of it over 3/4 cup of barely couscous, covered in and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then I roughly chopped the dandelion greens and basil (meaning, I pulled them apart with my hands), grabbed the jar of vegenaise (vegan mayo - sooooooooo good) from the fridge, and sesame oil from the cabinet. I returned to the couscous, which by now had absorbed all the liquid, uncovered it, added - the greens and basil, 2 tsp of vegeniase, and few drops of sesame oil - and tossed it all together. That took all of 5-7 minutes. I tasted it and felt very proud of myself. At the last minute, I grabbed a piece of shark fish I purchased from the farmers market from the fridge, sprinkled some sea salt over it and pan fried it. About 1 minute on both sides then covered the pan and let it steam while I transferred the couscous into the first container I laid my hands on. I cut the fish into pieces and laid it over the couscous. Somehow, I also managed to take pictures.  http://www.foodista.com/food/7KHW5QYZ/basil/widgets Pick-me-up Chocolate Cake 06/11/2010
 pick-me-up mini cholate cake I was feeling a little overwhelmed yesterday. I have a few interesting things on my plate including fundraising for the the rooftop farm at work; creating a curriculum that combines gardening, cooking & nutrition for school kids; and preparing for the Greenpoint Market in 2 weeks. Whew! I needed to de-stress and baking always helps me relax. I came up with this pick-me-up mini chocolate cake as the perfect relief for my nerves. Its really mostly beets & cocoa powder. There's no flour; well maybe 2 tsp of rice flour. I really like it. I will definitely add it to my list of cakes to sell at the Greenpoint market. Light, fluffy & soooo yummy! 06/10/2010
 I'm preparing for my debut at the Greenpoint Food Market later this month. I'm very excited to be selling my goodies there and I've been experimenting with a few ideas that have been floating in my head. This particular cake was suggested by a friend who wanted a cake with chocolate, pineapple, and ginger. Hmmm... at first I wasn't sure I could accommodate all three, but the wheels in my head started to turn. I went back to the flourless chocolate cake made with black beans and decided to use that as my inspiration. I ended up with a recipe using white beans, candied ginger, dried pineapple, rice flour, eggs, sugar, cocoa powder and coconut flakes. The result surpassed my expectations! Too bad my photo sucks! It really doesn't capture how incredible this cake is. The light dusting of cocoa powder and coconut flakes on the top mixed combined with the pineapple and ginger is divine! The best part is how incredibly fluffy the cake came out. From now on I'm sticking to rice flour in my cakes. I really like the lightness it imparts. You would never, ever, guess that this cake was made with beans! I'm blown away by some of the things I make. It's so much fun. I wouldn't have it any other way. This is the cake a minute after I took it out of the oven. For a taste of heaven in a cake, you can check me out this month at the Greenpoint Food Market (www.greenpointfoodmarket.wordpress.com) Can you guess the ingredient? 06/03/2010
 Flourless chocolate cake I made this flourless chocolate cake with my clients at work. I work at a housing facility for formerly homeless adults where I provide food & health education workshops and I cook weekly dinners for the residents. This particular baking workshop always holds a hidden surprise for them. I often get "what?!" and "that's not gonna work!" but we always end up with a pleasant surprise. I found this particular recipe from Eating Well...Living Thin (http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2009/10/16/youre-kidding/). Our recipe included a few modifications - less eggs, brown sugar and cinnamon roasted nuts. It came out beautifully and my clients were very proud of themselves. Even the ones who insisted they HATE BEANS!!! I always have fun with them and I'm very proud of them for being open to adding wholesome foods to their diet even when it is in the form of a cake. sharing yummy! goodness 05/30/2010
Eating and preparing food can be a lot of fun. I love being creative in the kitchen and defying people's expectations of what nutritious food should look and taste like. All it takes is wholesome fresh ingredients and a dash of creativity. My favorite ingredients are definitely veggies, fruits and legumes. Their colors, textures, and flavors bring intensity and vibrancy to any meal. It also makes them useful in various cooking methods. They could be used in an unbelievable variety of ways - you have no idea! My favorite way of utilizing them is by incorporating them into desserts. Yeeeeeesss! Desserts! Veggies and beans lend themselves perfectly to some of our favorite baked goods without a cinch. Why use red food coloring (YUCK!) in your red velvet cake when beets can add an amazing intense redness and sweetness to boot. Did you know that finely grated zucchini gives an incredible fluffiness and just the right amount of moistness to cakes? And you can skip the butter or oil altogether. If you want some fatty goodness you could add ground almonds for an incredible crumb. If you ever tasted a mini-cupcake with grated butternut squash and freshly squeezed orange juice, you would instantly become a believer. This particular citrus drop - as i call it - is a hit at birthday parties. When it comes to food, there are no limits far as I'm concerned. Just fresh wholesome and ingredients and tons of fun in the kitchen. I invite you to share my food experiences with me. I'll share picture, recipes, and information about how and where to purchase some of my yummy! goodness. Eat well! |
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