Mexican Vegetable Soup

February. The shortest month of the year always seems the longest to me. Last night I arrived home sniffling, sneezing, and starving. A quick rummage in the fridge yielded the ingredients for this fast, satisfying vegetable soup, which gets its kick from ground chile peppers (my next-door neighbor was kind enough to grind a whole bunch in her Vitamix and bring me a jar), and jarred salsa.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in your favorite soup pot. Add half of a yellow onion, 3 cloves of garlic, one or two carrots, and 3 ribs of celery. Don't worry about knife skills here, just chop it all up willy nilly. You're in a hurry, aren't you? Toss in a teaspoon of ground chile peppers. When the mixture is fragrant, add 6 cups vegetable stock (the kind from a box is fine, I'm not judging), 2 peeled and diced Yukon Gold potatoes, and 1/2 cup salsa. Simmer until the potatoes are almost tender (about 10 minutes), then throw in 2 diced zucchini, 2 cups black beans (canned are fine), and 2 cups of kale (or whatever greens you have in the fridge). Simmer for 5 minutes more. Season to taste with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and some minced cilantro and/or parsley.

There. You're done. Wasn't that easy?

Extra credit: If you want to bake up some biscuits while the soup is simmering, throw 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour into your food processor with 1/2 cup cornmeal, 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Buzz until combined, then add 3 tablespoons vegan butter, and 3 tablespoons plain coconut milk yogurt. Pulse until the mixture is crumbly (if you want to get fancy, throw in some finely chopped jalapeno with the fats), then run the food processor while you pour in 3/4 cup soy, rice, or hemp milk. If you are a Luddite, just put it all in a bowl, mash in the fats with a couple of forks, then stir in the milk. Spray a cast iron skillet with cooking spray, then divide your biscuit mixture into 8 biscuity-looking lumps and throw it in a 400 degree oven while the soup simmers. Your buttery, hot, not-at-all-fancy biscuits will be ready in 12-15 minutes.

Cure Your Winter Blues

"All nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair. 

The bees are stirring, birds are on the wing 

And Winter, slumbering in the open air

Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring." Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Ah, January. Frigid temperatures, days of cloudy weather, and of course, the dreaded cold or flu bug. My new friend Isabel recently looked at me, huddled in pajamas on a Saturday night, sniffling miserably as I amassed a small mountain of tissues and teacups, and declared, "You need to make ginger soup. Now." She was right!

I set out to create a quick medicinal soup that would cure and comfort me, and since that first pot, I've been practically living on the stuff. With homemade vegetable stock in the freezer, and a few readily available ingredients, you can be enjoying a bowl of hot, gingery, brothy goodness in about 20 minutes. Each ingredient brings its own medicinal qualities, and the flavor is light, spicy, and comforting. While many reach for chicken soup when a cold is coming on, studies have shown that a soup of lightly cooked vegetables has similar symptom-relieving benefits.

The recipe:

1 cup jasmine rice, cooked according to package directions

1 TB. sesame oil

2" piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated

1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced

6 cups homemade vegetable stock

1 tsp. tamari

4 dried shiitake mushrooms, rinsed well

6 oz. (1 package) fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced

8 leaves kale, sliced into thin ribbons

juice of 1/2 lemon

hot sauce, such as Sriracha, to taste

Heat sesame oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high  heat. Add ginger, garlic, and white parts of scallions. Stir for 1 minute, then add carrot and celery. Stir for 1 minute more, then add vegetable stock, tamari, and dried shiitakes.

Simmer soup for 15 minutes, then add fresh shiitakes and kale. Simmer 5 minutes more. Remove dried shiitake mushrooms (compost them, or save them in the freezer for stock).

Remove from heat, and add lemon juice and a little Sriracha.

Divide rice among four bowls, then add hot broth and veggies. Garnish each bowl of soup with reserved green scallion slices.

• In addition to curing nausea and stomach upset, ginger provides anti-inflammatory and painkilling qualities.
• Garlic offers natural antibiotic and antiviral benefits - use it generously when you're feeling under the weather.
• Shiitake mushrooms provide immune system support, B Vitamins, and plenty of iron. Shiitake broth is often used to cure headaches, too.
• Kale is rich in antioxidant vitamins A, C, and K, and provides calcium, B vitamins, and cleansing phytonutrients.
• Scallions cleanse the blood and, since they are a leafy green, are richer in vitamins and phytonutrients than other alliums, such as onions. 
• Jasmine rice is fragrant and easily digested.

A big bowl of hot soup is the perfect comfort food. This recipe makes enough to serve four generously, or you can save it all for yourself. If you're making a big batch to put in the fridge, store soup and rice separately, then heat and combine.

Happy 100th birthday, Nana

Today would have been my Nana's 100th birthday. I'm taking a break from writing my first cookbook, even though I shouldn't, because I haven't accomplished much today anyway. I've been uncharacteristically unproductive all day, and even had to go lie down in the middle of the afternoon to have a good cry. I think I feel her absence more this year than any before, as Gram is no longer here to fill the space she left behind, the one that only your grandmother can fill.She cared for us when we were sick, and loved us unconditionally, even when we maybe didn't completely deserve it.

Nana was ahead of her time in some ways, and hopelessly old-fashioned in others. She was a career woman, a nurse, at a time when most "girls" were concerned primarily with marriage and child-rearing. She married my grandfather, a labor organizer, at the age of 36, and proceeded, in sturdy Catholic fashion, to have six children. She raised them pretty much on her own, too, dealing with my grandfather's long battle with Parkinson's disease, the harassment they endured from the McCarthy commission, her own serious health issues, and a houseful of children who were, from what they have told us, a handful. She drove a car one time only, with famously bad results, and walked everywhere for the rest of her life. She said her rosary nightly and always took us to church, after which she would inform us that we could not misbehave, because we were in a state of grace. Tiny lawyers each of us, we would immediately begin negotiating the terms and limitations of said state, and she put up with it all with patience and love.

I wish she had been around long enough to see that I turned out OK, even though I still have a filthy mouth for which I will probably go to purgatory, if not straight to hell as she predicted. I was fourteen when she died, and to say that I was a monster would be a grave understatement. I wish she could see that I made something wonderful out of my life. I wish she could have met my husband, because I think he might have reminded her of her own a little bit. I wish she knew that my sister and brother are my best friends in the world, because we were pretty much beating the crap out of each other around the clock for the last few years of her life, and it made her sad. I hope she knows how sorry we are.

I also wish she'd stuck around long enough to meet Bill. She only missed him by a few months. I wish she could have met the rest of the amazing little people who came along in the next few years, and known the extraordinary adults they've each become. Most particularly, I would have really loved to know what she would have made of Chelsea. Really, what WOULD she have made of Chelsea?

I feel her with me at times. She was there the first time I held Rebecca, and Nicholas, and all of Ami's babies, too. She is there at our weddings, and holds each of her granddaughter's hands if they shake a little when we put her earrings on to help us remember she's there. She's in the kitchen when we cook a particularly delicious Thanksgiving dinner, or a spectacularly atrocious pancake breakfast. She's there if I happen to put on a pair of shorts that may be a little too short, and then take them off again because I hear her voice warning me of the consequences. She was definitely next to me when I helped to deliver my first litter of kittens. She's right here when I look out my windows and know that I'm looking at the same trees she saw when she looked out her own. And, of course, she's here whenever one of us looks at someone dressed outrageously, and exclaims (or maybe just thinks), "Would you look at the getup on that one?". I'm happy that some things we shared have remained the same, even though I've come so far since I last saw her.

She's here when I look at my aunts and uncles, and my mother, and see glimpses of her face, her expressions, and her love for her grandchildren. I see her in my cousins, too, especially as we begin to grow older. I think she would be pleased to know how her family has stayed together, when it's so easy to drift apart.

I hope they have cats in heaven, Nana. I hope Gram is there with you, and Grandpa, and Catherine, and Mae, and that you're all proud of us. I hope they have rocking chairs, and hot cups of tea, and soda bread baked in a cast-iron frying pan, and that everyone gets to take a nap after Days of our Lives. Save me a seat. And a cat for my lap. And know that I miss and love you always.

Join me for a cooking class on January 22nd

Please join me for my next vegan cooking class at Aquarian Yoga Center in Montclair! Turning Inward: Nourishing Soups and Salads for Winter will teach you to nourish your body and spirit with delicious whole foods: warming soups, nutritious salads and homemade sprouts. I hope to see you there!

Sunday, January 22nd at 4pm. COST: $35. Please join us for a vegan cooking class, "Turning Inward," with Trish Sebben-Krupka. Registration is required! The class will feature: Making Your Own Sprouts, Sprouted Lentil and Winter Vegetable Soup, Sprouted Guacamole, Wild Mushroom and Root Vegetable Bisque, Warm Red Cabbage and Apple Salad, Roasted Fennel and Carrot Soup, and Beet Carpaccio. Registration fee includes class, recipes to take home, and dinner. Stay tuned for upcoming cooking workshops including: February 26th - "Vegan Cooking for Beauty and Vitality."

Vegan Cooking Class to Benefit Animal Rescue

On Sunday, November 20th, we will offer our first vegan cooking class at Aquarian Yoga Center. Please join us at 2pm for a
KITCHARI WORKSHOP
Kitchari is a traditional Ayurvedic recipe used for cleansing and fasting. It is delicious, easy to digest and assimilate, and easy to make. Vegan chef Trish Sebben-Krupka will show you how easy it is to make kitchari, explain its health benefits, and teach you how to customize it for your health and body type. At the end of class, we’ll enjoy a delicious meal together. Kitchari is the perfect food to enjoy as your body transitions to winter, and a fantastic healing food for seasonal ailments.
This is a donation-based class.
All of Trish’s proceeds will be donated to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Society. Please register in advance – email localgirmakesfood@gmail.com to reserve your space in this class.

Summer Squash

We're entering Week Five of our CSA, and I have to admit that we're already experiencing a bit of summer squash fatigue. We've enjoyed romanesco zucchini, pattypan squash, traditional zucchini, yellow squash, cousa and yellow zucchini in a variety of ways: roasted, stuffed and sauteed, in lasagne, pasta sauces, casseroles, breakfast scrambles, and tacos. The freezer is filling up nicely, bringing me closer to my goal of enjoying several meals a week from the summer growing season throughout the winter.

During the early flush of zucchini love, I made zucchini tacos. Nothing could be simpler. For about four servings, I sauteed a large onion in some olive oil, then added six smallish zucchini, seeded and diced, along with salt, pepper, a little garlic and chile powder. I made a quick pico de gallo with the first tomatoes from the farm, and a jalapeno picked fresh from our front lawn, where jalapenos and cherry peppers grow among the wildflowers. I finished the dish with warm corn tortillas and some broccoli slaw, along with a squeeze of fresh lime and a few drops of hot sauce. Ten minutes of work, and lunch was complete.

I'll be on my way to the farm shortly, and I know more summer squash await. I reminded my husband last night that what seems tiresome to us right now will surely be appreciated on a cold December night, so this week I'll be freezing a casserole of onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs and summer squash topped with a light bechamel, and also plan to serve this simple salad of Lebanese zucchini (cousa) with hot peppers.

Roasted Cousa with Pepper Salad

Cousa is a Lebanese summer squash similar to zucchini. This fast and easy dish is a twist on a traditional Lebanese recipe, replacing fried squash with warm, roasted squash, topped with a zingy salad of peppers and scallions.

6 medium cousa, trimmed and sliced on the diagonal ½” thick
1 red bell pepper, seeded and julienne sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and julienne sliced
1 hot cherry pepper, seeded and julienne sliced OPTIONAL
½ bunch (about 4 oz.) fresh scallions, white and green parts, sliced on the diagonal
½ cup loosely packed, torn mint leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400°. Toss sliced cousa in a large bowl with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Place squash on rimmed baking sheets, and roast for 10-15 minutes, until squash is lightly colored but still firm. Arrange squash on a serving platter.

Meanwhile, toss peppers, scallions and mint with lemon juice and a tablespoon of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top warm roasted cousa with pepper salad. Serve immediately.

Serves four to six

Spinach and Tomatoes - eat what's in season!

Please check out my latest article for One Green Planet! Tomatoes and spinach are fresh and plentiful at your local market now...I hope you enjoy these delicious and easy to prepare recipes.

Read Lee Hall's interview with me in the Summer issue of ActionLine!

I recently sat down for a chat with one of the people who inspires me most, Lee Hall of Friends of Animals. Click the link to read the interview.
http://www.friendsofanimals.org/actionline/summer-2011/Locavorism.php

New article available at One Green Planet!

Stop by One Green Planet today to read and share my article...Artichoke Paella. This is the first of a monthly series that I will be writing. Thanks for checking it out!

Romesco Sauce

It's official. I am obsessed with Romesco sauce. It's just so delicious - a toasty blend of almonds and savory ingredients - perfect as a dip for crudite, a sauce for roasted veggies, or a topping for a veggie burger. Make some and enjoy!

1 slice crusty country bread (such as panella)

olive oil for frying

1/2 cup blanched almonds, toasted

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

4 ripe plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon parlsey

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 red bell pepper, roasted and peeled

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Toast almonds in a hot oven, and set aside. Fry bread in a little olive oil, and set aside to cool. When almonds and bread have cooled, place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Pulse 5 or six times to combine. Add tomatoes, parsley, paprika, roasted bell pepper and apple cider vinegar. Turn the machine on and process to combine well. With the machine running, add olive oil. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Sauce can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 48 hours.

Vegetable Stock

Did you know that those little boxes of vegetable stock at the supermarket are, like, $3 each? Or more? So that every time you want to make a pot of soup, someone is getting $6 of your hard-earned cash! And those stocks in a box or can DON'T EVEN TASTE GOOD! I suggest that you declare your freedom from nasty stock in a box. All you need is a freezer, a plastic bag or large container, a pot, water, and some herbs that you probably already have lying around anyway.

Here's what you need to do: Whenever you are chopping vegetables, save the scraps. I particularly try to save the scraps from onions, carrots and celery, as that will form the base of your stock. Save the skins from the onions, too, as they lend a nice golden color, like Grandma's chicken soup. You also want to save your parsley stems, as well as the scraps from any of the following "stock-friendly" veggies: tomatoes, mushroom stems, zucchini, red or yellow bell peppers (no green! yuck!), leeks, potato peels. Avoid the cruciferous vegetables - cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and the like - as well as asparagus, as they will lend a dominant and somewhat unpleasant flavor.

When your scrap bag is full, and you are doing other stuff around the house for a few hours, it's time to make stock. Aim for a ratio of one part onions, one part carrots and celery, and one part "other stuff". I usually throw in a fresh onion, as well as some fresh carrot and celery. I also like to add a splash of tamari, a bay leaf, a few branches of thyme, and a few peppercorns. If I have dried mushrooms in the house, either porcini or shiitake, I will include a small handful of those as well.

Now add your veggies to your biggest soup pot, fill it with water, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. At this point you can go do other stuff. Unlike animal-based stocks, you don't need to worry about standing around skimming it all day, as there won't be any impurities to remove. Your stock is done when you say it's done, usually after about three or four hours of simmering at a very low flame.

I like to cool the entire pot in a sink full of ice water, and then let the whole thing sit in the fridge overnight before straining. This is partly because I am lazy, and partly because I think it develops nice flavor that way. Once you've strained your cooled stock, pack it into freezer-safe quart-sized containers (such as glass jars -don't forget to leave an inch of head space at the top of the jar to prevent cracked glass and ruined stock!), and freeze what you won't be using within the next four days.

Voila - instant stock, nearly free, and you get to stick it to The Man when you stop buying all those $3 boxes of the nasty stuff.

Red Lentil Soup

A few weeks ago, my friend Janet took me on a tour of the Middle Eastern markets of Paterson, NJ. After wandering around grocery stores, spice markets, bakeries that are also jewelry stores (!), and shops with gorgeous samovars, textiles and aisle after aisle of extremely impressive hookas, we stopped for lunch at a lovely Turkish restaurant. The waiter found my questions regarding ingredients somewhat amusing, and served me a big, beatiful salad and a bowl of utterly delicious lentil soup. The soup service was absolutely charming, with lemon slices, tiny bowls of crunchy croutons, dried crushed mint, and crushed red pepper, all ready for me to garnish it as I liked. Here is my version of the soup, spiced my way and open to your own interpretation.

To serve 6-8:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely diced
2 teaspoons coriander, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ras el hanout
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 cups light vegetable stock
2 cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 cup short-grain rice (such as Arborio)
1/2 cup crushed, peeled tomatoes
juice of 1/2 lemon
white wine, to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
water, as needed

Heat oil in a your favorite soup pot. Add onions, coriander, cumin, turmeric, ras el hanout, and crushed red pepper. Saute, stirring often, until onions are very soft. Add vegetable stock, lentils, rice and tomatoes. Cook over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes, or until rice and lentils are very soft. Add lemon juice and a splash of white wine. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. If the soup is too thick for your liking, thin it with a bit of water. If you want to be fancy, you can puree the soup in the blender or with an immersion blender, or you can just serve it the way it is.

Serve hot with little bowls of lemon slices, crushed dried mint, crushed red pepper, and toasted croutons or fried pita.

Falafel Burgers

Yum - try this easy falafel burger for a quick weeknight dinner. Serve it on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato and tahini, or on a warm pita with a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes and red onion sprinkled with lemon juice and ground sumac. And, yes, you do need all that olive oil. Trust me.

The following recipe will make 4-6 burgers.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 14.5 oz cans chick peas, drained and rinsed
juice from 1/2 lemon
1 cup fine dry bread crumbs
safflower or canola oil for frying

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium saute pan. Add onion and cumin. Saute, stirring often, until softened and golden. Add cinnamon, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, puree chick peas with onion mixture and lemon juice. Stir bread crumbs in by hand. Taste and adjust seasonings. You might want a little more cinnamon.

Use an ice-cream scoop or your hands to form 4-6 equal patties, flattening with your hand to about 4 inches.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons canola or safflower oil in a non-stick skillet. Saute burgers in hot oil, turning once, about three minutes per side. Place in oven for 5-10 minutes, or until very hot.

Southwestern Veggie Skillet

I love eating a huge breakfast from a cast-iron skillet. It reminds me of the Short Stop, a funky little train-car diner where we used to get all kinds of fattening, greasy and terrible-for-you foods when we were kids. Many of these foods were served directly in their own iron skillet, so you didn't miss out on a bit of that saturated fat. My version is actually quite good for you (although it's a little higher in fat than something I would eat on a daily basis, it's the good fat, so I suggest you loosen up, particularly if it's Sunday morning), especially when served with a side of Irish steel cut oats cooked with maple syrup, blueberries and strawberries. If I had a cute little diner of my own, I would cook this delicious skillet of breakfasty, potato-ey goodness while back-talking sassily to my customers, chewing gum and wearing a fabulous beehive hairdo with a pencil stuck in it and a paper hat, like Chrissie Hynde in the Brass in Pocket video. But you can feel free to just wear your pajamas.

3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

10 oz. fingerling potatoes, sliced into rounds

1 large onion, halved and sliced

6 oz. button mushrooms, thickly sliced

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 medium zucchini, seeded and diced

2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts divided

1 cup diced tomato

1 avocado, diced

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
hot sauce

Heat your cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, and add potatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add onions, mushrooms and smoked paprika, season with salt and freshly ground pepper, and cook 5 minutes more. Stir frequently, but not too frequently. You want everything to brown.

When it's all getting nice and brown and delicious-smelling, toss in your zucchini, the white parts of the scallions, and the tomatoes. Cook until the zucchini begins to turn golden brown, about 4 more minutes.

Remove from heat, and top with sliced avocado, green parts of the scallions and cilantro. Serve with lots of hot sauce.

Note: You can certainly fancy this simple recipe up in many ways. If you have a nice chile lying around, say a poblano or a jalapeno or whatever, chop that up and add it with the mushrooms and onion. If you wanted to throw some of that nice, melty tapioca cheese on top and run it under the broiler for a minute before adding the avocado, green onions and cilantro, I won't argue with you. Tofu sour cream and/or whatever kind of salsa you have lying around, like maybe some black bean salsa, would be nice. But sometimes simplicity is the thing, and you really don't need any of this stuff. And finally, if you are like my friend Danya, and you eat like a bad-ass paleo cave woman, then you can replace the fingerlings with some diced, blanched sweetpotato.

Irish Tea Biscuits

St. Patrick's Day is here, and that means soda bread of all kinds. These tea biscuits are quick and easy to make. This is definitely not a real Irish soda bread, which is traditionally made with flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk, and never fancied up with currants, caraway or buttery goodness of any kind. My Nana made a very traditional soda bread when we were kids, and although I still use her recipe at times, I've come to really like this moister, lighter version quite a bit, too.

Don't try to substitute for the soy milk - I made a batch with rice milk, which I prefer for non-cooked uses, such as cereal and tea, and it just doesn't sour the same way. You will also need to consider your flour - a high-protein flour will make a tough biscuit. Although I prefer King Arthur all-purpose flour for many recipes, I do keep Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose flour on hand for dumplings and the like, and it works very well here, too. If you wanted a whole wheat version, whole wheat pastry flour is a good substitute. Do not substitute regular whole wheat flour, unless you're planning a hockey game and need a puck.

Some people say that they hate caraway seeds, but those people are freaks. It's my opinion that people who don't like caraway seeds are using too many. A heaping teaspoon will perfume your biscuits with light caraway flavor, without punching you in the face while screaming CARAWAY! If you really and truly cannot stomach caraway seeds, then fine, I still disagree with you, but leave them out. And if you don't have any currants, I don't mind if you want to use raisins. I also don't mind if you want to soak those currants or raisins for an hour in a big splash of Irish whiskey and a little boiling water to get them nice and plump and boozy. Just drain them well before you mix them in.

Start souring the soy milk before you do anything else, to give it time to get nice and thick. Serve these biscuits to your old lady friends (and all of your other friends) with a nice, hot cup of tea, and they'll thank you, dearie.

Irish Tea Biscuits

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons soy milk (combined soy milk and vinegar will equal 1 1/4 cups)
3 cups low-protein all-purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick butter substitute (1/2 cup), well-chilled
1 heaping teaspoon caraway seeds
3/4 cup Zante currants

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix vinegar or lemon juice with soy milk. Allow to stand while you prepare remaining ingredients.

Grease a sheet pan or standard muffin tin.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Toss with a fork. Cut butter substitute into small pieces, and rub into the flour mixture using your hands, until it resembles coarse crumbs. (If you want to do this step in the food processor, partially freeze your butter substitute, and pulse into the flour mixture five or six times. Remove to a medium bowl to finish the recipe.)

Mix in the currants and caraway seeds. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the soured soy milk all at once. Using a rubber spatula, mix, turning the batter until the flour is just incorporated. Do not overmix!

Divide the dough into 12 even pieces. Work quickly, as you need to get these into the oven while the baking soda and soy buttermilk are reacting with one another. If using a sheet pan, lightly pat each piece into a circle. If using muffin tin, simply place dough in the wells of the muffin tin.

Bake for 14-15 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly golden brown.

Serve warm. With more buttery spread and maybe some homemade jam if you want to get really crazy.

Makes 12.

Stuffed Pattypan Squash

I visited Farms View the other day after a brief hiatius from cooking (or eating) anything at all to find an amazing array of locally grown produce. My short break from the usual routine was unwelcome at first, but slowing down during this change of season has given me some time to think about what I'm cooking, why I'm cooking it, who I am cooking for, and what that says about me. More on that later.


Now is the season to visit your local farm. With only two more weeks left for my CSA share, I'm already becoming nostalgic for produce I won't see again until next season. I was happy to see that they are still picking Pattypan squash, a cute and stuffable summer squash that transitions nicely to the autumn table. Get them while you can. This recipe will freeze well, and is especially good when served with a sauce of mushrooms and white wine.



Eat the foods that make you healthy and happy. Enjoy the bounty of late summer and early fall vegetables. Can and freeze. Cook. Share. Consider your food choices, for they determine our future, and eat what you have created with joy and gratitude.



Stuffed Pattypan Squash

Little pattypan squash are stuffed with an herb-kissed savory bread crumb and vegetable mixture and baked in the oven for a gorgeous vegetarian entrée. Serve with a big, fresh salad, good bread, and something fruity for dessert.

8 small pattypan squash
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups day-old wheat bread, chopped into rough crumbs
12 pitted kalamata olives, finely chopped
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
Extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup loosely packed Italian parsley leaves
6 fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon each fresh marjoram and thyme
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 400°. Cut tops off of squash, then use a melon-baller or metal spoon to scoop out the insides, leaving a ¼” shell. Place shells in a baking pan that will accommodate them snugly, and season with salt, pepper and about a teaspoon of olive oil. Finely chop the flesh that you have removed from the inside of the squash, and set aside.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add about two tablespoons of olive oil, and then the chopped onion. Season with a pinch of kosher salt, and sauté, stirring frequently, until onion is a light golden color. Add garlic and reserved, chopped squash, and continue to stir frequently until all are soft and fragrant, about three more minutes. Add bread crumbs, pine nuts and fresh herbs, and stir to combine, tossing over the heat for another minute. Remove from heat and add a little more olive oil to moisten if necessary (or vegetable stock, if you’re watching your fat intake).

Lightly spoon filling into squash shells, making sure not to pack it too tightly. Pour wine into bottom of baking dish, then cover tightly with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and turn the oven to broil to brown the top of the filling (about 2 minutes under the broiler).

This dish can be served hot, warm or at room temperature.

Serves four as an entrée, or eight as an appetizer.

Peaches at The Edible Garden

Tomorrow, August 14th, I will help the New York Botanical Garden celebrate the peach harvest with cooking demonstrations at 1:00 and 3:00pm. This summer and fall, The Edible Garden brings you locally grown, seasonal food with cooking demonstrations every day. Featuring four spectacular kitchen gardens, The Edible Garden will teach you how to grow the best food at home. All proceeds of The Edible Garden benefit the Children’s Gardening program.

It's going to be a beautiful day, so join me in the Conservatory Kitchen and see what's cooking!

For more information and tickets please visit http://www.nybg.org/eg.

Inspiration on a budget at the Edible Garden

This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of visiting the New York Botanical Garden to shop the Greenmarket, give an educational cooking demonstration, and write a blog post about the experience for Plant Talk (check Plant Talk this Thursday to read more about my visit and find a recipe for Roasted Gold Ball Squash with Panzanella). Greenmarket, the popular
farmers’ market program of GrowNYC, provides affordable, locally grown produce and fresh, nutritious baked goods from New York’s Hudson Valley region and beyond. Greenmarket
is a highlight of The Edible Garden, The New York Botanical Garden’s celebration of growing and preparing good food, which runs from June 19 through October 17.

I took with me a pantry of items that would be easily found in a home kitchen – salt and pepper, olive oil, hot sauce, and vinegar. Armed with a budget of $25, my friend and co-worker Adriana Pecunia and I wandered through the market, discussing options, smelling and tasting, and generally wanting to buy everything in sight. My $25 was quickly converted into a big bag of produce, and we headed over to the Conservatory Kitchen, where I showed an afternoon crowd of Garden visitors how to prepare quick, easy, healthy meals on a budget.

This light and healthy soup features the best of summer’s vegetables, is quick and simple to make, and yields a nice, big, budget-friendly batch.

I’ll be back at The Edible Garden this Saturday, July 17th, for demonstrations and tastings in the Conservatory Kitchen at 1 and 3pm, as I help the Garden celebrate locally grown, seasonal food with a focus on summer squash. All proceeds from the Edible Garden benefit the Children’s Gardening programs.

Summer Vegetable Soup

2 medium red onions, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
3 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, stemmed and chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 pound small white potatoes, well-scrubbed, ¼” dice
8 cups water or vegetable stock
½ pound flat romano green beans, sliced
2 medium zucchini, seeded, ¼” dice
6 ears corn, shucked
1 cup purslane leaves
¼ cup each loosely packed parsley and cilantro, chopped
Vinegar or lemon juice

Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and a pinch of salt, and sauté for about five minutes, until the onions are softened (do not brown). Add carrots and celery, and sauté for another minute or two. Add potatoes and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10-15minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Add green beans and zucchini, and cook for another five minutes. Meanwhile, hold each ear of corn over a large board or a shallow bowl. Use a sharp knife to remove the corn kernels, then run the flat side of the knife down each cob to remove the creamy part of the kernel that’s left behind. (If you have plenty of time, do this in advance, and then simmer the corn cobs in your vegetable stock for maximum fresh corn flavor.)

Add the corn and purslane to the soup, and simmer for two or three more minutes. Remove from the heat, add parsley and cilantro, and season to taste with salt, freshly ground pepper, a dash of vinegar or lemon juice, and a dash of hot sauce.

Allow the soup to rest for 10 minutes. While it’s resting, make some croutons: cube half of a small baguette, and toss with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet and cook in a 400° oven until browned and toasty. Toss with finely chopped fresh herbs – thyme, parsley, cilantro and dill are all good choices.

Serve hot, garnished with warm croutons.

Serves four, with leftovers for lunch.

Pictured: Shopping the stalls during last year's Greenmarket trip. Photo by Michelle Longo.

The Edible Garden

Join me this summer center stage at the Conservatory Kitchen for The Edible Garden on July 17th and August 14th at The New York Botanical Garden. I will be helping the Garden celebrate locally grown, seasonal food in a delightful cooking demonstration. On July 17th, I'll be presenting recipes featuring summer squash, and on August 14th, we'll explore different ways to use peaches.

Set against the backdrop of the landmark Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, the Conservatory Kitchen features celebrity chefs sharing their expertise and inspiring visitors to get cooking! While at the Garden, visitors can enjoy plenty of samples at the Tasting Terrace, booksignings, home gardening demonstrations, guided tours, family activities in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden and the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden, and Café Scientifique, featuring talks with some of the Garden’s scientists.

Demonstrations are free with your admission to the Garden. Last year, we made a day of it, taking an amazing tram tour around the Garden (our driver made it informative and fun, and the breeze made it divine after a day at the stove), and stopping at the Family Garden so that the Muffin could run around and have a bit of fun. We capped the day with a trip to Arthur Avenue, the Bronx's "Little Italy", for shopping in the Italian markets, followed by a huge and delicious dinner. I can't wait to return this summer!

The Shirley Temple Black

Faced with a glut of strawberries from a local farm last weekend (I lost control of my senses and purchased four quarts for the two of us), and in dire need of a cocktail, I popped out into the garden for some mint and came up with this delicious drink. My husband commented that it tasted like an adult version of a mutual childhood favorite, the Shirley Temple.

I searched for a recipe for the "Shirley Temple Black", and discovered two recipes, neither of them very natural or yummy sounding, so I'm co-opting the name. Here's the drink. It's pink and bubbly, without being too sugary-sweet. I think Shirley the grown-up would approve.

Makes one cocktail:

1 oz. gin
2 teaspoons simple syrup
4 ripe, delicious strawberries
3 or 4 mint leaves
club soda and ice

Muddle gin, strawberries, mint and simple syrup in a highball glass. Fill glass with ice, top with club soda, and stir. Sit in the garden and enjoy!