Good Thing

It's a good thing I don't live closer to Farmers Market. My vegetable bin isn't big enough to hold everything that catches my eye. The pictured here are the cucumbers, avocados, cilantro, and peaches. The cucumbers and avocados are going into a chilled soup. the cilantro will get together with some toasted pecans, and garlic and become a delicious pesto. Who needs meat when you have vegetables.

Leftovers Galore

Faced with the propagation of plastic containers in my refrigerator, it was time for creative cooking. Here's what I had:

chicken, grilled and sliced

sliced sweet peppers, cucumbers, oinions

cooked brown rice

black beans

tortillas

You probably don't have to go much further to guess that I threw it all together into an enchilada-like casserole.

I opened a can of diced tomatoes and heated them together with dried ancho chilies (diced), cumin, and coriander.

I heated the tortillas on the gas burner.

I topped the tortilla with some shredded cheese, grilled chicken, black beans, rice and the sliced peppers and onions.

Leftovers all wrapped up, topped with the sauce and some more cheese.

Since most of the ingredients were warmed before being wrapped, the enchiladas did take long to bake in the oven... maybe 20 minutes. The end result was a good dinner with leftovers for lunch. Leftover leftovers...that's funny.

Sweet and Spicy Cabbage Salad

Spicy, sweet, crunchy, fresh. Perfect for summer. I found this recipe on Joy the Baker's blog and it has become one of my favorite summer salads. Next time I'm going for a whole teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of a half.

Sweet and Spicy Cabbage Salad

Recipe from joythebaker.com adapted from Bon Appetit

2 lbs shredded cabbage

3 medium carrots, grated

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped scallions

1 3/4 teaspoons fine grain salt

1/4 cup honey vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbls peeled and grated ginger

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.

Toss together cabbage, carrots, bell pepper, scallions and salt in a large bowl. Let stand until cabbage is slightly wilted, about 5 minutes.

Bring vinegar, sugar, grated ginger and red pepper flakes to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Pour over cabbage mixture. Toss to coat.

Addictions

Some people grab for the salt shaker, some for the ketchup bottle.  My meal isn't complete without the red pepper oil.  It is a jar of toasted goodness. I first saw this condiment shimmering atop a creamy swirl of toasted walnut hummus on 101 Cookbooks.  One look at Hummus en Fuego and I knew it must have been created just for me. Creamy, toasty, spicy. 

The fragrance of the red pepper flakes as they sizzle in the oil warms the whole house. The little jar sits next to my stove and the rich oil finds its way into most everything I cook.  (I have refrained from adding the oil to my cereal or yogurt.)

The original recipe uses olive oil.  I have also used peanut oil.  The peanut oil did a better job of toasting the flakes.  Make sure you by bright red pepper flakes.  They will give you a rich looking oil unlike the darker flake. After you make the oil, try it on some of the creamy hummus or just about anything that would benefit from a little zip.

Red Pepper Oil - Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil or any good quality oil

2 Tbl of crushed red pepper flakes

Heat the oil in a small pan, about two minutes.  Don't let the oil get near the point of smoking or the red pepper flakes will burn.  Once the oil is hot enough, turn off the heat and add the pepper flakes.  Let the oil cool in the pan before putting in a glass container.  The oil is best after sitting for a couple of days.

New Favorite Thing

Asparagus, I can't get enough of it.  I love the thick stalk asparagus opposed to the skinny minnie stalks.  Of course the asparagus has to be so fresh that you can eat it raw.  The asparagus I have had in the past few weeks have been good enough to eat raw - crisp and tender.

My friend Ginger introduced me to the ultimate grilled asparagus cooking method.  It's super simple and surpasses anything on the stove.  All you need is a big piece of aluminum foil, asparagus, salt and good oil.  From there, you can add anything your imagination suggests. Basically, its putting a layer of asparagus on the foil, drizzle with great olive oil, sprinkle with salt, wrap up and throw on the grill.  They don't take long to cook.  Depending on the size of the stalks, I'm guessing about 8 to 10 minutes.  It also depends whether the foil packets are place over hot coals or flame or indirect heat. You will be able to hear the asparagus sizzle in their packs.

Here's some of the variations I've tried...

• adding finely diced shallot
  
• adding my hot pepper oil
  
• adding a little chopped garlic or garlic powder
  
• adding freshly ground coriander seed
  
• adding freshly squeezed lemon and a little lemon zest.
  

I'm still experimenting because I'm still finding fresh asparagus.  The possibilities are endless.

Food Memories

Food has always been a big part of my life. Unfortunately, not always a good part.  My first memory of food was being forced to eat macaroni and cheese.  My mother's version had tomatoes and green peppers and was baked in the oven until the cheese on top was hard as shoe leather and black around the edges.  I would gladly eat liver, but I would not eat that macaroni and cheese. They finally let me leave the table  after sitting there for 3 hours.  I was 3 or 4 year's old.  

My next food memory was about 5 years old.  My grandma made the best chicken and homemade noodles.  She hand cut her noodles and let me drap them over the back of the chair to dry a little before adding them to the broth.  I have never had noodles so good.

After that, food just went downhill.  At 6 year's old I was put on my first "diet".  Only one helping of mashed potatoes at dinner and no bedtime snack.  I wasn't a fat child but I guess my mother could see the writing on the wall.  I really didn't get fat until after I had my first child.  I'm not really blaming the food or the first child.  I'm the one that surrounded myself with the wrong food and I'm the one that put it in my mouth.  

Getting to the point of this story, about 8 year's ago I decided to take better care of myself.  That meant exercising more and eating food that was good for my body.  It made a big difference in my life...that is until two years ago when work overwhelmed my life.  I was back in survival mode eating sausauge and egg biscuts for breakfast,  and generally, just too much food.  Exercise ceased and, of course, I put the weight back on....blah, blah, blah.  I'm sick of hearing myself think about it.  

I've decided that I'm not going to diet.  Instead I'm going to cook good food that's good for me. That's what this blog is going to be about...my relationship with food.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  

Moon Creek Salad

Welcome to my new blog, Shredded Lettuce.  I am not what you would call a talented cook but I certainly do love to cook....and eat!   I love reading food blogs.  There are so many creative food bloggers out there telling their food stories - highlighting them with beautiful photography.  It inspires me to tell my food story.  

What better way to start the Shredded Lettuce blog than to highlight a healthy green salad.  A trip to the Piedmont Farmers Market provided me with lovely organic lettuce from Moon Creek Farms.  Radishes, and spring onions found their way into my market tote.  I also found a vendor selling local honey and honey vinegar and another selling sourdough bread.  

I couldn't wait to get home and make a salad.  Local organic food is not easy to come by in my area.  I hate the 40 minute drive to the Farmers Market but it's all worth it when I can bring home some Moon Creed produce.  I didn't know that lettuce had flavor until I ate my first Moon Creek Salad.  It even has texture.  I always get carried a way and buy too much lettuce.  I have to buy one of every variety.   My recipe for this salad is simple.  Slice, chop, shred...whatever it calls for.  Add the dressing and toss it with the greens.  Get your favorite salad bowl and fill it with your fresh salad.  I took advantage of my honey and vinegar purchase to make a great honey mustard dressing.  It was so good, I'm saving that recipe for a separate post.   The country chicken in my picture is a french chicken.  We picked him up in Biot, France on our trip to France a couple of years ago.  We knew she would be right at home in our country kitchen. 

Moon Creek Salad

Lettuce, as many varieties as you want

spring onions

radishes

shredded carrots

tomatoes (I use grape tomatoes until the real stuff is in season)

additional vegetables to your taste 

tosted pumpkin seeds or any other nut.

Tear up the lettuce and put in a big bowl.  Slice the onions, radishes and add them to the lettuce. Shred the carrots and toss them into the bowl with the other vegetables.  Throw in the tomatoes. Add the dressing of your choice and mix very well.  Toss, toss, toss. Sprinkle the tosted nuts on the salad then eat, eat, eat.