Blueberry Pancakes from Scratch

Ingredients:1 C. butter milk 2 whole eggs 2/3 C. flour 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 2 T. sugar 1 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen
Method: (1) Beat eggs in butter milk (2) Mix together the dry ingredients (3) Add the dry ingredients to the butter milk mixture, then add the blueberries (4) Cook pancakes on a grease a cast iron pan until done (5) Dust with powdered sugar and serve

Heirloom Tomato Salad

Here's what's for lunch... Heirloom Tomato Salad made with day old Pumper Nickle Bread.
Assortment of tomatoes includes: Sungold, Sunsugar, Isis Candy, Green Zebra and Red Pear. Dressing: red wine vinegar, olive oil, minced garlic, finely chopped basil, salt and pepper. Topped with: feta cheese. SWEET!

Easy Salmon_Blackened Salmon

Salmon is one of the healthiest fish you can find. This easy salmon recipe is one of my favorites. It uses very few ingredients to achieve big flavor, and is delicious and heart healthy. Here’s how:

Ingredients:
2 pieces of fresh salmon
Fresh squeezed lemon Juice
Steak Seasoning
Butter and olive oil for frying

Method:
(1) Preheat oven to 400F. .
(2) Drizzle lemon juice on the cut side of the salmon, sprinkle with steak seasoning. Allow the fish to rest for a while.
(3) Cover the bottom of a pan with ½ olive oil and ½ butter; heat it to melt the butter. When the pan gets hot, place salmon pieces in it, skin side up. Cook until a nice crust has formed.
(4) Place the fish in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until desired doneness.
(5) Serve with micro-green salad, couscous and fingerling potatoes.

Spicy Green Olive

Ingredients:
• 4 C. of green olives
• 1/2 C. good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 t. Italian seasoning
• A pinch of hot pepper flakes (or more if you like)
• Zest and juice from 1 large lemon
Method: Heat the olive oil in a pan until hot, remove from the heat. Add hot pepper flakes, garlic, Italian seasoning and lemon zest. Add the olives and then lemon juice. Marinate for at least 2 hours before serving. It is OK NOT to resist the impulse to eat them immediately, but they will taste better after being marinated for a while… Will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

Freezing Beans

You waited and waited, and finally your beans start to produce tender sweet beans. First you’re content at picking fresh beans for supper everyday, and pretty soon you're overwhelmed with all the beans coming out of the garden... That’s when you need to spring into action, freeze the extras you can’t use in the summer and savor them for the down time of the garden. I’ve found adding some herbs when you blanching the beans adds extra flavor to the beans. I like to use savory herb, either summer savory or winter savory.

Method: 
(1) Wash and trim green beans to remove the ends, cut into sections if desired.
(2) Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a few sprigs of savory herb in it (use approx. 1 gallon of water per lb. of beans).
(3) Add beans to the boiling water; leave heat on high, cook for 3 minutes. 
(4) Plunge beans in cold water immediately to cool.
(5) Pack beans in plastic bags in cooking portions, then place bags in a larger freezer bag, freeze. 

Oh, My Shawarma!

My shawarma:

Basic shawarma seasoning:
1 part cumin,
1 part salt,
2 parts curry power (you can use an assortment of red, yellow or green),
Mix together and store in your cupboard until needed.

Meat: Beef, chicken or lamb

Cucumber Sauce: Grate cucumbers, sprinkle with salt. Wait a while and then squeeze out the water. Add grated garlic, grated onion, lemon juice and Greek yogurt.

Mix together the following and marinade for 1/2 hour before cooking:
cut up meat, basic shawarma seasoning, lemon juice, grated onion, grated garlic and olive oil.

Grill until done. Serve with rice, pitta bread (I will show you how to make this easy bread in another blog). Easy and delicious dinner.

Lentil Brown Rice Salad-Heart Healthy and Delicious

Lentil+Brown Rice Salad

Lentil Salad

Anytime you can mention heart healthy and delicious in the same sentence, I am all for it. This lentil salad I made fits the bill. Not only it is packed with nutrients and fiber, it is so delicious that you will want to eat it over and over again. As to your standard fare the macaroni salad, you might as well toss it together with the cotton candy. Rather than a set recipe, this is more of a cooking method. So go at it, use whatever pleases your palette, and enjoy!

(1) Soak lentils in cold water overnight in the fridge. Drain the soaking water, add fresh water and cook the lentils in boiling water until tender, half an hour also.
(2) If using brown rice, add cooked brown rice
(3) Add chopped nuts. You can use hazelnuts (my fav), almonds or pecans.
(4) Mix in chopped dried fruit. You can use cranberries, resins, apricot, currents, blueberries or cherries.
(5) Add chopped onion, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, freshly chopped parsley and a sweetener, such as honey, maple syrup or agave syrup. And salt and pepper to taste.

Can You Handle More Zucchini? Oh Yea!

It is at the height of summer, your zucchini plants are pumping out zukes like there is no tomorrow. What to do? I have discovered a great way to use them up. ZUCCHINI KIMCHI! Oh my gosh, it is so good, I will never have zucchini troubles ever again!

Cut zucchinis into 2" long by 1/2" strips. Soak them in salt water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Add grated gingers, minced garlic, fish sauce (Available in Asian stores), a little sugar and hot pepper flakes. Slice some green apples into the mixture. Bag them in a ziplock bag, leave it out for one day, then refrigerate afterwards. Keep in the fridge for up to a week. Great with rice, Raman noodles or whatever. Enjoy!