Easy as Pie Test Kitchen

File this under weird stuff

 

A co-worker brought me a lemon from his neighbor's tree. His neighbor claims this is what California lemons used to look like back in the day. Pretty ugly, but it tasted good on the inside!

Quick cole slaw

There are a few foods I'm not crazy about unless I make them myself. Orange juice is one. (I'm not sure why, since it's not like it has a lot of complex ingredients.) Cole slaw is another. I'm not a huge fan of store-bought or restaurant slaw. Maybe because I know how fatty it is. Here's my slimmer version:

Cole slaw
1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
4-5 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 can crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons pineapple juice (from the can of pineapple)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (vegan if you're avoiding eggs like me)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon pure stevia extract

You can chop the cabbage and radishes in a food processor. I got a mandolin for Christmas, and it requires less work to wash the the processor, so I used that instead. Combine the cabbage, radishes, and pineapple in a salad bowl. In another smaller bowl, stir or whisk the pineapple juice, mayonnaise, cumin, and stevia until the mayonnaise is dissolved in the dressing. Pour the dressing over the top of the veggies and toss the salad.

A Favas Day Recipe

For several weeks in a row recently, my fairy food-mother was bringing me fava beans. I'd never even seen a fava bean, let alone eaten one. It was a joke among my co-workers who also get produce from Farm Fresh to You. None of us were quite sure what to do with them at first. I visited the Farm Fresh to You farm today for a picnic and tour, and I mentioned the widespread fava conundrum to my friend who joined me as we drove to the farm. Then, everywhere we went on the farm, we overhead Farm Fresh to You customers talking about fava beans! Yes, they are mysterious. But pretty tasty, and actually not all that hard to prepare. Here's my favorite version of what I did with them in those few weeks:

Fava Beans and Creme Fraiche

1 tablespoon oil or butter
1 cup shelled fava beans
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon chives, chopped

Heat the oil or butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fava beans until golden on both sides, stirring regularly so they don't stick or burn. Add the garlic toward the end. Transfer the beans and garlic to a bowl. Add the creme fraiche, lemon juice, capers, and chives, sprinkle with salt, and stir it all together.

Favalicious!

Broccoli the best way

I adapted a recipe for Broccoli and Roasted Pepper Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette from the best veggie cookbook of all time, Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I ate an entire head of broccoli myself one evening a few weeks ago because I like it so much prepared this way. Honestly, I always feel like it's a little too crunchy when it's raw, and a little too soft when it's steamed (even steamed carefully). Her recipe called for blanching it (boiling it briefly in salted water) which was just right. My main change from her recipe was to take out the marjoram (who uses marjoram? It's probably better with it, and I actually have some in my cupboard, but I forgot since I never, ever use it.) I also added oregano and chives, since that's what I have in my little garden, and I dramatically reduced the amount of olive oil. I can't wait to try it with the tomatoes I have ripening outside my dining room door...

Ingredients:

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 2-3 leaves fresh oregano, cut in small pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoons chives, chopped
1 bunch broccoli
2 roasted red peppers, peeled and chopped (I buy them canned, in which case they are already peeled)
1 ounce crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Directions:

Put the tomatoes, vinegars, olive oil, oregano, garlic, and chives in a bowl together to let the tomatoes soak up the flavor. Separate the broccoli into small florets and cut up the stalk into small pieces as well. Bring some salted water to boil in a large pot and boil the broccoli in it for 1-2 minutes. Drain the broccoli. You can keep it hot, or cool it. I prefer it cool.

Mix the broccoli, tomato mixture, and red peppers in a large bowl. Serve topped with feta cheese.

Home depot has stevia!

My own seedlings finally failed, so I was stoked to see stevia plants for sale at Home Depot!