Community Supported Agriculture-CSA-Delicious

See that? That deliciousness? Not only does is taste pretty damn good but it makes you feel good. Let me explain.

I work for Solano County and because we are the largest employer in Solano County we have a wellness program. Every year the wellness program makes this deal with the local farmers in the area to provide Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes to Solano County's employees beginning in July and ending sometime in October. We pay a few months in advance so they know how much to plant and then the boxes are delivered directly to our office for pick-up.

Now some people at work are dumbfounded by the produce box and ask me ridiculous questions such as what if you don't like what they give you? What if they give you stuff that you don't use because you're cooking something else that week? Don't you think that is a lot of money just for some fruit & vegetables?

People-it's the challenge that I love. I've never met a vegetable I didn't appreciate (mushrooms-albeit the kind that will get you in jail-not my fav. but they do still hold a special place in my heart). Eating a wide variety of natural foods work to not only get you all the nutrients and vitamins you need, but it adds some nice variety to your plate. And think about all the $$$ you put into getting your hair done, your vacations, sand for your kid's sandbox that won't give her cancer. Shouldn't you be spending a little extra money on what goes into your body?

Look forward to a few more posts over the next few weeks about what came in my box and what I decided to do with it. Oh-and before I go, here's the no-bean hummus recipe so Angela will get off my back:

Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

• 2 cups zucchini chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup tahini
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon parsley-fresh
• 1/3 sundried tomatoes chopped
• pinch of paprika

Food process everything except the sun dried tomatoes. put chopped tomatoes in bowl and stir in mixture. Drizzle with olive oil right before serving along with a pinch of paprika.

Baba Ganoush

• 1 large or 2 medium sized eggplants
• 2 large garlic cloves, slices
• 1/3 cup tahini
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 TBSPN olive oil
• salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. make several deep cuts in the eggplant and place the garlic slices inside. Place on baking sheet & bake until soft, about 40 minutes until the skin is easy to peel off.

2. Transfer eggplant flesh & garlic to a food processor. Add the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, & salt to taste and process until smooth.

3. I added parsley but the recipe calls for mint which is better. Sprinkle herbs on top and serve at room temperature.

July 2009: Summer Celebration

Thanks to Heidi's parents for offering up their beautiful back-yard we were able to have this month's CC here! A summer celebration - poolside.
Annmarie made an appearance and enjoyed the pool. However, she also proved to be a handful. I love her to pieces, but it may be awhile before she makes another appearance.
Simon of course was a little angel.
Tina (pictured above) provided the drinks as seen in this picture below. The drinks were served in very fine Thomas the Train plastic cups. Keeping it safe for the pool. Not sure if the drink had a name, but I saw that they contained, strawberries, pineapple, champagne, and club soda. They were delish! And AM looks very confused.
Bonnie made an awesome no bean hummus recipe. She ensured us that she will post the recipe to the blog. I think we all agreed that we will be making this one for ourselves. Great for your next dinner party. And her portion size was more than sufficient.
I made a citrus, orzo and arugula salad.
Heidi provided the main dish; these wonderful grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs.....
and tofu ones too!
And finally, Michele made these awesome chocolate, toffee and macadamia nut cookies. Yum!
As always a wonderful cooking club day!

Ubuntu

For my recent dining experience at Ubuntu with Bonnie see this post over at Jams' House!

Japanese Tofu Salad

INGREDIENTS:

1 (14 ounce) package firm tofu, drained
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (sweetened rice wine)
2 teaspoons sesame oil, or to taste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS:

Place tofu between two plates, and weigh down with a heavy book. Allow tofu to drain for 1 hour, pouring out the expelled liquid every 20 minutes.
Whisk together the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, and rice vinegar in a small bowl. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat, stir in the garlic and ginger, and gently cook until lightly golden; stir into the soy sauce mixture.
Cut tofu into bite-sized pieces, and toss together with the tomato, onion, and cilantro. Pour in the dressing and toss to coat. Garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Recipe: Tapenade and Tzatziki

I was very happy with the tapenade and would defiantly make this again. However, the tzatziki was a little to thin. It was still good, but I would have preferred the texture to be a little thicker. Trader Joe's has an awesome tzatziki, so I never felt inspired to make it, but this is cooking club and we all try to do something different. Here are the recipes. For the tzatziki, I think draining some of the water from the yogurt would have helped. I tried to get as much water out of the cucumbers as I could, as the recipe instructed. I may try it again, but probably just keep getting the Trader Joe's version.
Artichoke Tapenade

-1 14-ounce can artichoke bottoms, drained and rinsed well
-3 tablespoon green olives
-5 tablespoons kalamata olives
-1/2 teaspoon dried basil
-2 tablespoons fresh parsley
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 clove garlic, crushed
-1 teaspoon lemon juice

Put all ingredients except lemon juice into food processor. Process, stopping to scrape down sides a couple of times, until everything is finely chopped. Taste and add lemon or lime juice, if needed. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend for at least an hour before serving. (It's even better if you let it rest overnight and bring to room temperature before eating.)

Tzatziki

(Makes about 3 1/2 cups. You can cut the recipe in half)

-3 cups Greek Yogurt
-juice of one lemon (about 3 T)

-1 garlic clove, chopped
-2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced
-about 1 T kosher salt for salting cucumbers
-1 T finely chopped fresh dill
-Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel cucumbers, then cut in half lengthwise and take a small spoon and scrape out seeds. Discard seeds. (If you use the small seedless or European cucumbers with few seeds, you can skip this step.) Dice cucumbers, then put in a colander, sprinkle on 1 T salt, and let stand for 30 minutes to draw out water. Drain well and wipe dry with paper towel.

In food processor with steel blade, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, stir this mixture into the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. (This resting time is very important.)

This will keep for a few days or more in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it.

May 2009: Dream Destinations

For cooking club this month Cristina selected different countries that she would like to visit and we cooked something from that country. It was a colorful mixture of dishes and we enjoyed a little something inspired by five different countries.

But, before we start with the dishes everyone contributed. Look who joined us at CC. Yes, that's right, Simon made his first CC appearance. He is simply irresistible and such a good baby. And Michele is a natural Mom.

On with the food.

To start Angela selected Greece and made two spreads - A tzatziki and a artichoke tapenade served with pita bread.
Christina made a refreshing Japan inspired tofu salad.
Michele made a healthy Russian green borscht. She called it peasant food, but if this is peasant food, peasants are eating pretty good.
Ashley selected Italy and prepared a delicious manicotti.
And Heidi prepared a delightful pavlova inspired by Australia.
Another successful cooking club and the drive to Dixon for us Bay Area folk went by pretty fast when there is good company in the car.

Saha

My work-husband (Scott A.) took me out to dinner for my birthday last night. My birthday was actually about a month ago but I quickly forgot that when he suggested taking me to Saha to celebrate the big 3-4. Saha is one of Scott's favorite restaurants in the bay area and whenever the topic of Middle Eastern food (or women) comes up, the conversation almost always turns to Saha.

Saha is self described as Arabic Fusion Cuisine http://www.sahasf.com/. You won't find hookah pipes, belly dancers, or suicide bombers at this lovely restaurant situated on the ground floor of the Carlton Hotel (a certified green hotel) but you will find yourself at an intimate place to dine with dim lighting, gorgeous servers, and plenty of animal free options on the menu to choose from.

Since last night was all about moi-I took great pleasure in ordering the sampler appetizer. This included fouel (pureed fava beans-tasted almost like refried beans), hummus, tahini sauce (mixed with herbs-the best I've ever had), mixed olives, tabbouleh, a kind of salsa, and my personal favorite-smoked eggplant with tomatoes. Serviced with plenty of pita Scott and I tried numerous combinations and were practically licking the adorable little dishes they were served in.




I ordered the stuffed avocado as a salad all for myself. The outside was coated in knaffe, lightly fried, and served warm. Stuffed with tabbouleh made of cous cous, served on a raspberry reduction accompanied by two chunks of marinated tofu-I was in avocado heaven.

Below you see Scott's entree. Because he is the best work-husband a lady could ask for, he ordered a vegan dish so I could take a bite if I was so inclined. I was. The Maklouba isn't the prettiest of dishes to look as, probably because it's topped with a slice of cooked eggplant, but the layers of rice seasoned with allspice, pine nuts, and cinnamon then topped with the eggplant, tofu, and caramelized onions, were a wonderful combination.

I savored every last bite of my entree-Spinach and Tofu. The terra cotta bowl was filled with spinach, garbanzo beans, organic tofu, Yemini Hawag (don't ask), olive oil, topped with Yemeni noodles and tomato vinaigrette. Not over seasoned, this dish allowed me to appreciate the taste of every single ingredient.

Our adorable server (because she was from Australia) recommended the vegan version of their house speciality, "Slap Ya Mama (roasted fruit, date & almond marzipan, and chocolate wrapped in phyllo, baked, sprinkled with powdered sugar, and drizzled with raspberry sauce)." She later explained that the chef tried this combination out on a friend who promptly responded, "that's slap ya mama good!"

Included below is Scott's choice-the Chocopear. A splendid presentation of layered chocolate and pear mousse topped with think slices of pears.

The couple sitting across from us insisted on taking our picture before we dug into our desserts.

Once again Scott has impeccable taste when it comes to quality food and I left Saha full and more than satisfied. If I were his real wife he would have received the BJ of his life. But like I said, I was full from dinner so I did the next best thing a committed work-wife could do-we closed down Annie's Social Club in SOMA singing karaoke.