LAPL at Home | The Inevitable

i’ve got 29 books and 1 doc out on loan.  these are just a few of the books i’ve got at home.

This is obvious, isn’t it?  All the time I’ve spent at the farmers’ markets in the last year and a half falling in love with fruit after fruit and veg after veg.  Well, that and the thing with the chickens* and, um, getting weirded out about the pork fat in the freezer.

I’ve been moving in this direction.  Making a transition to a place I’ve been before, but I feel like I’m better informed this time around with plenty of resources at my fingertips.  I’m, also, able to give a shrug to some veg and vegan cookbooks, not feeling beholden to them just because.

Starting to dig in to the stack above.  The Asian Vegan Kitchen and The Tropical Vegan Kitchen are really giving me life right now.  You should see how excited I am flipping through The Tropical Vegan Kitchen and seeing my childhood on page after page.

N♥

Chicken: Exhibit A & B

 

HFTM | Pershing SQ 6April11

just a few things that made it home from the market…

Spinach | Celery | Strawberries | Shanghai Bok Choy

Okay… So some things didn’t actually make it home from the market.  I couldn’t help myself.  The strawberries were amazing.  Just amazing.

And I’m falling for celery.  I know.  Celery, right?  I feel like I’m back in my DC Chinese Carry-Out days.  Watching the guy making my mixed vegetables (extra spicy, extra baby corn) through the bullet-proof glass.  It wasn’t until I tried to recreate what he did that I had to watch him even more closely.  He steamed the veggies a little before the stir-fry.

I made my carry-out mixed veggies for the first time in years.  Yeah, heavy on the celery.  Mmmmm, celery.

I never knew his name, the cook at Andy’s.  I just smiled and waved and he made it like I liked it.

N♥

HFTM | Pershing SQ 30March11

Lemongrass| Chinese Broccoli| Strawberries| Kale| Apples| Avocado| Cauliflower

I’ve been bland-ing it out for the last few weeks, so that I’m not aggravating whatever the doctor decided not to actually say I had for sure.  Yeah, okay.  More oatmeal, broth and brown rice, please!

I popped down to the market to see what else might fit in the realm of “Food, please don’t hurt me.”  Even though I’m slowly reintroducing, the strawberries almost didn’t make it home.  I might have eaten a pint at my desk.

N♥

 

HFTM | Pershing SQ 16Feb11

just a few things that made it home from the market…

Collard Greens| Eggs| Oranges| Baby Zucchini| Sweet Potatoes

I’ve told you about my egg thing, right?  I ODd on scrambled eggs drowned in cheese as a kid.  Still not a big fan, but I will play favorites.  I’ll always have a place on my plate for a boiled egg.

Saw some pretty fresh ones at the market.  As soon they made it home and half went straight to the pot.

Can I tell the difference?  Eh, I don’t know.  I sure do like them and that really matters.

N♥

HFTM | Hollywood 6Feb11

just a few things that made it home from the market… the other day…

brussels sprouts| navel oranges| meyer lemons| onions

Sorry.  Distracted.  Watching RJD2 interview clips.  Listening to that Mos Def, Diverse, Prefuse 73 track, Wylin Out.  The RJD2 Remix.

Um, Food?  I’m preserving the lemons.  Did I turn the jar today?

N♥

HFTM | Pershing SQ 2feb11

just a few things that made it home from the market…

broccoli| chinese broccoli| meyer lemons| blood oranges| tomatoes

Oh, Pershing Square.  It’s been ages.  Glad we could hook back up again.

See you next week.

N♥

CubeFarm Cookery | THAT Tuna Salad!

culinary adventures on the jay oh bee

fresh lime| mayonnaise| plain yogurt| onions| tuna fish| bell peppers| pickled jalapeños| cilantro

I’m going to be really honest.  I don’t like most people’s food.  Potlucks scare me.  I still try, though.  And I get super excited and can’t shut up when something rocks my world.

I tend to ask a lot of questions when folks are offering up food.  Lorena and I played like 40 questions when she was passing around cookies once.  I think it scarred her.  I’m usually the last person she offers anything to now.  Hey, I get a minute to gauge from everybody’s questions and reactions whether I should just take a pass.  I’m okay with that.

A few weeks before I was set to leave the CubeFarm, she hesitantly asked if I wanted to try some of her mother’s tuna salad.

I was in a Why Not? mood.  Verdict: OH, MY WORD!  We all kept grabbing more crackers and digging in.  It’s kind of funny how surprised she was.

You know what was next, right?  I needed to know why I’d never tasted tuna salad like this before.  I love my momma’s, but, um, it ain’t this.  So… the questions and answers.

THAT Tuna Salad!
adapted from Lorena P’s adaptation of her mom’s recipe

2 tins of tuna fish
mayonnaise
plain yogurt
2 whole limes, juiced
1 pickled jalapeño, chopped w/seeds*
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 medium bell pepper
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of pickle jalapeño liquid
handful of cilantro, chopped (20? stems)

It’s so simple.  And it’s all about your making it to your taste.  Add the tuna, onions, bell peppers, cilantro, and chopped jalapeño to a mixing bowl.  Juice the limes.  I like a bit of pulp, so I use a reamer right over the bowl.  Add pickle liquid.

Here’s the thing: how much mayo you add is really up to you.  Do you like your tuna loose/wet or kind of not?  I don’t really measure my mayo because it depends on how big that medium onion is or if I’m in the mood to add the whole green pepper.  So add what you like.  Start out with adding a tablespoon at a time if you’re not sure how much to add.  Whatever amount of mayonnaise I’m adding, I do 2/3 mayo and 1/3 yogurt.  It adds another dimension to the flavor and texture.

Um, there’s a bit of heat, but not like if it were fresh.  I keep the seeds, you can do as you please.  Lorena’s mom actually just uses the pickle juice and puts fresh jalapeños in her tuna.

Don’t forget to salt & pepper to taste.  There’s something about that last hit of salt that just makes this just… ahhhh.

The Story I Heard: After all my questions, LP started offering up info.  I like that.  She explained that her mother didn’t like the smell of the tuna, so she started adding lime juice.  She laughed when she said her mom puts cilantro in everything.  It gave me a chance to see a different part of Lorena.

The stories, also, helped in the store.  Lots of pickled peppers.  You go see what I mean.  Hello, Variety.  LP and her mom use La Costeña* with the carrot and onion on the label.

The NikkiBits:  I like.  Lots.  It’s funny that my mom still isn’t far.  She was all about stretching a can of tuna.  I was raised that tuna wasn’t tuna without onions, celery and green pepper.  I forgot I was out of celery, otherwise it would have been in there.

It’s killing me right now trying to forget about the bowl in the fridge.  I want to be able to tell you what it’s like with a little time to sit and set up.  It hurts bad.  I want it.  You don’t understand what I’m doing for you.  I’ve got the shakes.

What’sNext: If I could I actually make mayo and not another disaster, then I would def use that for my tuna.  I have to try to figure out what the flavors in the pickling liquid before I try pickling my own.  For now, it’s going just be a lot of tuna salad until I run it into the ground which could be months from now.

Try it.  I think you might like it.

N♥

HFTM | Hollywood 30Jan11

just a few things that made it home from the market… just not today…

Today’s trip to the Hollywood Farmers Market was called for rain.  Well, kinda.

I wasn’t really planning on going this morning.  I left the option out there, but, really, I’ve got plenty and don’t need to shop for another few days.  That and and it was raining.  Heavy.  Okay, heavy enough.

Since I’m into process and practice, here’s a bit of what I did with what I brought home the most this month.  I love some citrus.  Made the spiced citrus pomegranate marmalade I tweeted about trying to figure out.

meyer lemons| tangelos| tangelo peel| navel oranges| ginger| cardamom| pomegranate molasses

Recipe? Ha! Ha! Ha!  You do know me, right?  Let’s just say I’m in “perfecting” mode.  I’ll get back to you with the real when that happens.

I do need a name for this creation.  This joyful melange of flavors that has me giggling at the thought of breakfast tomorrow.  Mmmmm, help.

N♥

Here’s a quick look at what made it home this month…