Chillin' in BuffLand

A cool day in Buffland gives you time to get ahead-- tomorrow it could and likely will be hot, too hot to cook. Too hot to grill, unless you love standing next to fire when you're already sweating. I don't.

Today is a perfect baking/stewing/crockpot day. It's also a good time to make gazpacho, since my favored recipe tastes best when it sits overnight to gather its flavors. The recipe is simplicity itself, but the best I've tasted anywhere. Do serve it no later than the day after you make it: the fresh 'matoes make it gel. But it's good on the day of, too, provided you chill thoroughly-- 4 hours at least. Luckily it takes about five minutes prep!

Rustic Gazpacho
(from NYC's Marichu restaurant, originally published in Food & Wine magazine, May 1999)

6 ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks (riper than those in the pic below-- that was two days ago)
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, chunked
1 green pepper, seeded and chunked
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 C water
1/2 C olive oil
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar (I use red wine vinegar)
salt
pinch of ground cumin or ground coriander, optional-- Mari's touch
hot sauce, for serving

In a blender or food processor, blend all vegetables, water, oil and vinegar till coarsely pureed. Put through a food mill afterwards for a smoother soup if desired. Add salt and chill well, serve with hot sauce on the side.

I love this soup; I'll eat it without any sides, but a slice of focaccia isn't bad. Fresh fruit pie afterwards doesn't hurt either! I'm a bit under the weather though, so I'll have to leave the baking to someone else today.

Don't let me stop you from putting something in the oven. Remember: there's never a bad time for cornbread.


Peace, Mari

Of Parsley and Palm Trees.. and their closing.

As we're having a few days of real summery Summer here, a review of the new-ish Mediterranean restaurant Palm Trees on Delaware Avenue in Kenmore seems a grand idea. There are not many cuisines better suited to balmy days in the garden than the offerings you'll find at places like the Palm Trees, Falafel Bar, Kosta's or Amy's Place.
Today we're under Palms, though--

My man took me there for dinner Valentine's day; we were skimming it a little, cashwise, meaning we saw a coupon for 15% off our check, and decided That was the place to be!

V-day is rough, hard to find a good meal that isn't based on bigger-than-usual hunks of dripping meat, so a place that serves stuffed grape leaves was a welcome change.

The food was wonderful-- G-man did have his meat, a Gyro dinner, and it looked like the juiciest plate of grilled anything I've ever seen. The Tzatziki sauce was rich and cool, a perfect foil, G-man said.

There were options for me beyond a bowl of Hummus, of course, though not many entrees-- Falafel, served also as a wrap. Virtually all of the appetizers are vegetarian, with an option to add beef to the grape leaves (yuck!) Everything looked good, (as does the spare, clean-cut dining room) but I chose the Tabbouli Salad and an appie of Hummus.

Some serve Tabbouli as more of a bulgur salad, but I like it in its herbier incarnation, as it was served here-- parsley heaven, lightly dressed and full of flavor and texture. Refreshing enough in February, I can't wait to try it again in the next (hot) month or so.

The Hummus was outstanding-- a small but deep bowl, topped with what I feared would be too much fruity olive oil, and a dusting of tart sumac; the amount of oil ended up being perfect when swished around with freshly toasted pita (and that was some tender-but-chewy pita, I'll tell you). The dip itself was creamy and dense but not too heavy, with the rich flavor that comes only from scratch-cooked chickpeas that aren't over-seasoned to hide their savoury goodness.

It would serve several people amply as an app-- I even let the G-man have some of mine. We asked for and received extra pita with no problem, and I made a good meal of it, as you can see above. Satisfaction!

Palm Trees doesn't serve alcohol at this time; we had big cold glasses of Pepsi. There is a children's menu, which is based on standbys like hotdogs, spaghetti... they do serve American food to grownups too, but why bother? You can get that anywhere-- this place has something better for you. They have specials as well:

"Ask About Our Daily Specials! 716-877-7797" ***

Check it out! And look in the local papers and saver inserts for coupons: they've been running them frequently, and it's a good excuse to look in on the new kid in town.

Peace, Mari

***Note-- I'm slightly embarrassed, as I found out hours after posting that this restaurant closed three days ago, and is now an Indian restaurant. Slightly, I say, as I had called them to double-check something pre-post, mentioned that I was reviewing them in my blog, and was not informed of any change in the ownership. Well, it's a pretty post, anyway.

Missing my old FM

Farmer's Market, that is. Today, and yes it later in the month than we would like, is the first day of Kenmore Village Farmer's Market.

And I am too sick to go! It's a small, friendly market with several farmers providing good basic veg and fruit and a few rarer items, such as last year's elderberries. The other vendors range from people selling flowers and herbs to Koop's Hot Sauce to local honey, syrup and jellies to handmade Nigerian jewelry and carved utensils to delicious baked goods and New Day Coffee Roaster's fresh roasted beans in a wealth of flavors.

In other words, it's wonderful. The bounty shown above is half of what I brought home one weekend last August, for about 20 bucks. Yeah, half.

The Market is open on the Village Commons at the intersection of Delaware Rd. and Delaware Ave. every Saturday, rain or shine, from 8am to 12:30 pm, until November. Go and get some real veg-- it makes all the difference to your tastebuds, not to mention your budget, and our environment.
Good stuff all around-- hope to see you there next week. I'll be the one in the black dress with a streak of violet in her hair and full bags of veg weighing her down.

Peace, Mari

Skip the Barbecue: I'm going Raw, Ma!

My family isn't happy I'm skipping the Memorial Day Chiavetta's Chicken barbecue... and it's not because my (deceased) father was a WWII vet, either.

But trying to eat healthier, and work ever more raw food into my diet, has left me with not as much patience for being served a perfunctory pasta salad (that I probably have to bring) or corn on the cob for dinner while most of the rest have a six course feast. My family is one third vegetarian, too, so we're pretty good about those BIG dinners... I feel for ya if you're having a harder time of it. That's why it's natural for us to hang together, or with "friend" families on holidays. With the people that want to share what you are, all the way down. Maybe even explore your serious interests.

So I'll make my own feast! Or just Sloppy Lentils on wheat buns with a chopped salad. It's close enough to barbecue for me, today. And I can always marinate tofu, Boca burgers or pepper strips in Chiavetta's marinade and griddle them. That stuff makes grilled onions like heaven. A beer, and some shade under the tree in the backyard... who needs the smell of chicken charring?

What was that about eating more raw food???, you're asking? It's a transition. Frankly I don't see us going %100 for good, in Buffalo. Even with Renee Underkoffler's tips about heating soup bowls to make a warming meal without heating the food enough to kill the nutrients/enzymes. I hope to get up to half raw, at least, and I'm hopeful that doing so will improve my health by more than half. If you are full raw, great. I don't see how having more raw than I used to can hurt me. Planning on firing up the dehydrator this week, and looking forward to the Kenmore Village Farmer's Market starting up soon.

I will say, I'm feeling like simpler is better for me-- trying raw cheeses made from nuts, fermented or not, and drying breads for 12 hours in the dehydrator is an experimental phase. In the end, I'll probably be eating just more fresh raw food mixed with smaller amounts of non-raw, non-vegetable (but always veghead) food. Let's keep an open mind, though. I might love starting meal prep 3 days in advance. Might. If you do, tell me; and about how you manage it.

Oh, quick note if you've ever read the first couple of posts; I have tried Ani Phyo's Rawmesan Cheeze, which is made with cashews.

Here's my take: The book notes that all nuts should be soaked before using, but mentions it almost in passing. Later, in a separate section, there are soaking times. There's not a word about soaking times or nuts being soaked in the recipe section, so I tried the recipe HERE, in several ways.

First I made it with soaked cashews, then unsoaked. then I blended even amounts of the two types, and that had the best flavor and texture by my taste. Make of it what you will. It won't stand in in a Caesar, I'm afraid, but we'll see. Since a good Caesar (sans 'chovies) is my favorite thing to eat in the world, and something I crave all summer, I am determined to find a perfect vegan and raw substitute.

Here's to starting the week off right, with sunshine! And speaking of starters, this is the recipe we've been eating for most of our breakfasts-- raw and an energy booster that kicks! From Renee, above; nabbed from a log ago issue of Vegetarian Times. Enjoy!


LIVING OATMEAL (4 servings)

2 C oats groats (steel-cut oats, often called Irish oats-- such as McCann's)
soaked 8-12 hours in cool water, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 C raisins, soaked 1 hour in water to cover, save soak water

2 C chopped fresh fruit such as bananas, apples papayas

1 tsp ground cinnamon

In food processor, combine oats, raisins and their soak water, and process until almost smooth. Add 1 c chopped fruit and cinnamon. Pulse 30 seconds to blend.
Transfer to individual bowls, top with the remaining fresh fruit and extra cinnamon if desired.

***Mari's notes-- we love this! It needs no sweeteners or milk. Our favorite mixture ( we make half the amount above) is half a banana and half an apple blended in, the rest on top with the addition of strawberries or peaches. You can also add some raw almonds that have been soaked overnight like the oats, then rinsed and drained, though I like them best soaked for a half hour. Pumpkin pie spice on top is good, also.

This recipe originally appeared in Vegetarian Times, June 1998; the author is Renee Underkoffler.

Look at these beautiful peppers from last year's market!

Just The Recipes!

From Robin Robertson's Fresh from the Vegetarian SlowCooker.

SLOPPY LENTILS

3 1/2-4 QT. size slowcooker

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 red, yellow or green bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 C dried brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
3 C water
2 Tbsp tamari or other soy sauce
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 Tbsp light brown sugar or natural sweetener
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder and stir to coat.

Transfer onion mixture to the slowcooker. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Serve on buns with a batch of fresh coleslaw.

** Mari's Notes-- I have found that I need to cook the lentils on high for an hour or so with the water first, then I turn to low, and add the rest as usual. But I also add about 1 C barbecue sauce, if I have it on hand, and 1 tsp each ground coriander and cumin, and 1 or 2 whole cloves.

Once lentils are somewhat cooked, add the other wet ingredients carefully, to keep the texture however sloppy you want it. You can also start with less salt and see what you need-- I add soy bacon or soy bacon bits on occasion. Yum.

Taste the mixture an hour before you want to serve it so you have time to adjust the seasonings to your liking. We like it over crusty buns topped with cheddar and hot sauce, or with dill pickles and mustard. Also good over mashed taters.


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Ani Phyo's Rawmesan Cheeze: from Ani's Raw Food Essentials

SHE SAYS: "Sprinkle an extra layer of savory goodness on soups, salads, wraps, and pizzas."

Makes 1/2 C.

1/2 C raw cashews**, ground into a powder
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt

Mix the ingredients together in a small bowl. Will keep for 5 days in the fridge.


**in a separate section of the book, Ani notes that all seeds and nuts should be soaked or even sprouted before use in recipes. The given soaking time for a cup of cashews is 4-6 hours. Drain and probably pat dry before use in cheeses. The remainder should be kept covered in the fridge, I believe, and will doubtless keep better dry.

Food for Quiet Thursday Thoughts...

Making fajitas-- whacked out fajita veggies!


Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Coming Attractions...

Imagine waiting 3 months for your life to begin...
that's what not having a working computer is like for a writer. That has to wait that long for a new laptop. Like me. I can be a foodie without one, but a writer? Well, yes. But not a happy one.
I'm happy now. Take note; in the month of May, I have backlogs of restauant reviews, a favorite (tweaked!) cake recipe to share, and plenty of raw love. I could also use some help with my garden, if anyone has the time...
Now go buy your mom a card printed in soy ink on recycled paper, and tell her she's the best Mom ever. Even if she wasn't.
My Mom is, though. She's a peach.