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Tostadas or Tacos with Carrots

One of my favorite recipes! I copied this down from my friend, Obdulia, who I worked with in the hospital kitchen. Sitting in the cafeteria in our blue hairnets, we would eat lunch, and it was always something we brought from home. For reasons I will not expound on, the kitchen food was just not all that appetizing. Even as a mother of three little ones, though, she managed to cook the night before and bring leftovers. She went over the ingredients with me, and though there are no concrete measurements, you can’t really mess this one up.

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Friuli Basil Soup with Vegetables, Beans, and Barley

 The rain here in SLO is taunting me. For the past couple of weeks, it seems like weather is beautiful during the week, and when the weekend comes, there is not a patch of blue to be seen. The storm here completely blotted out the passing of the much feared storm moon, or the supermoon. In case you were wondering what a supermoon is, it is the biggest and brightest moon there is, and only comes about once every 20 years. March 19th, 2011 marked the coincidence of a full moon with the moon’s closest rotation to the earth based on its eliptical movement. What a day for rain!

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Blackberry Caviar Sushi

Last night our neighbor knocked on the door. Apparently, they were cleaning their house, which I assume doesn’t happen that often, because they are a very lively group of boys with a ping pong table in their kitchen. But thank goodness they did, because Sean’s holiday bonus check somehow ended up in their mailbox, and a short 6 months later, found its way to us. Finally, I can have that sleigh bell sweater I always wanted. Or we could just have some sushi. With organic blackberries. Now,  that,  is fancy.

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Saag

Just in case you were wondering, Saag does rhyme with blog. And though it looks a little funny, it is just absolutely marvelous! I have made this several times, not really measuring too carefully and it always comes out just right. The only precaution I would say is to not be too overzealous with the turmeric, as I am. I tend to be heavy handed with it, because I know that it has very powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is very healing. Amazingly, there is research to back that up, and I say amazingly, because so much of herbal medicine is often dismissed due to a lack of research. Anyhow, adding too much turmeric can cause a numbing on your tongue, that is not unpleasant, just a little weird. So just stick to the amount here, and if you need to have more turmeric, perhaps have some golden milk (1 cup milk, 1 teaspoon turmeric, heat with honey to taste).

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Broccoli and Noodles with Peanut or Cashew Sauce

I have one of Lorna Sass’s vegetarian cookbooks called Complete Vegetarian Kitchen. I stole this from my sister a few years ago. Really, I prefer the term indefinite borrowing. And I am infamous for it. Well, when it comes to cookbooks. Think of it as a compliment. I just couldn’t part with this book. She discusses all of the interesting grains you might ever want to try in your life: quionoa millet, teff, bulghur, amaranth, etc. I don’t think I have made a recipe out of this book that I am not in love with; this broccoli and noodle dish was the first.

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Everyday Sushi

I could eat sushi everyday. That’s right. I said everyday. You could eat sushi all the time if you wanted to. It is waaay easier than you think. And the best part? It is blazing outside, and sushi is cool as a cucumber. In fact, cucumber is actually a cooling vegetable according to Ayurveda. (So is celery, in case you need some insurance.)

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Three Sisters Stew

Sean and I have stopped buying animal products. Now, if they are offered to us… that’s another matter.

The other day, we were sitting in Pura Vida, a wonderful vegan restaurant situated right next to an antique mall and a strip club, and we were reminiscing about  how great we felt when we used to live in California and have beans and vegetables from the local farmers’ market. I never bought much meat because it is so much more expensive, and thus we inadvertently became vegans with the occasional egg or yogurt. Of course, with a tiny budget, you have to choose between that scary Tyson chicken from Smart and Final or 6 dollars a pound heirloom beans, and if you know me, you know where my money is going.

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Annie’s Salmon

While spending a much needed weekend away, I procured this amazing salmon marinade recipe from an old high school friend. Anie was, and still is, a meticulous person, whose food choices reflect careful consideration to health and solitude. Even in high school, Anie would tell me about her brown rice and kimchi breakfasts, the time she spent meditating before school, and the special teas her mother would give her when she was sick.

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