Happy Cinco De Mayo!

So what is everyone doing this Cinco de Mayo? I have got a big day planned filled with betting on horses, cocktails and a picnic with some close friends.

I have been waiting all winter for Cinco de Mayo to finally come around. Why? Because I get to go back to my most favorite place here in the suburbs of Chicago, the Arlington Race Track. What started as just going to the track and admiring how beautiful it was and watching all the horses, has now become me going there, getting the betting guide and actually studying it . Then placing a few dollars on this horse, a few dollars on that horse. And, yes I do win!

This Saturday I invited a bunch of my friends to tag along with me to the tracks. The Arlington Race Track allows us to bring whatever food we want so we all decided to bring a picnic basket full of finger foods instead of spending money on food there. (More money to bet with.) I decided to bring my favorite dip, Guacamole and also Hummus.

Guacamole
Ingredients
1-1/2 C. frozen peas 1 small ripe avocado, peeled, seeded, and cut into chunks 1 Tbs. reduced-fat mayonnaise 2 tsp. lemon juice 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. chili powder 1 garlic clove, minced 1/2 C. mild or medium low-sodium or regular salsa

Directions
In a small saucepan, combine the peas and 1/4 C. boiling water. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer 2 minutes. Cool in a colander until cold running water. Drain well. In a food processor container, combine the peas, avocado, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, and garlic. Process until blended but not absolutely smooth, stopping and scraping the container sides, if necessary. Stir in the salsa. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 2 hours or up to 24 hours to allow the flavors to blend. The dip will keep in the refrigerator 1 to 2 days. Serve with fat-free tortilla chips. Yield: 14 servings (2 Tbs. each).

Hummus
Ingredients
2 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped 1/4 C. lemon juice 1/4 C. water 1 14 oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained 1/2 C. tahini (sesame seed paste) 1 tsp. sea salt (or table salt to taste)

Directions
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth, scraping the sides occasionally. It can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week and frozen for up to 3 months.

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!

Anthony Bourdain speaking the truth about The Food Network

My favorite chef/writer Anthony Bourdain tells why the food network is not a place where 'real cooks' are shown....."I find myself riveted by its awfulness, like watching a multi-car accident in slow motion. Mesmerized at the ascent of the Ready-Made bobblehead personalities, and the not-so-subtle shunting aside of the Old School chefs..."



read more | digg story

Disappearing bees put our diet on the brink

Unless someone or something stops it soon, the mysterious killer that is wiping out many of the nation's honeybees could have a devastating effect on America's dinner plate, perhaps even reducing us to a glorified bread-and-water diet.



read more | digg story

The Bounty of the Parking Garage

Despite the impressive array of parks and wide-open green spaces on my new home, Roosevelt Island, the Saturday morning farmer's market is held under the parking garage next to the bridge from Queens. I suppose it keeps people coming and supporting local agriculture whether rain or shine, although the concrete expanses hardly suggest freshness. (I suppose it's actually quite rural by New York standards.) Nonetheless, I am excited to sample some fresh produce and try out some new recipes with the goodies.

No idea where the farmer's markets are in your area?

Check out Sustainable Tables Search Engine for Farmer's Markets or Local Harvest.

I really love the taste of asparagus, and how fun are those stalks to nibble on? Combine asparagus with cherry or heirloom tomatoes for a simple salad with vinaigrette dressing. Try this Asparagus Vinaigrette with your farmer's market purchases. Do feast your eyes on this amazing picture and recipe from Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks for Ten Minute Tasty Asparagus and Brown Rice.

Other items available at the end of Spring and early summer include new potatoes and fennel. For a decidedly different salad, try the New Potato, Fennel, and Radish Salad. I like to stand lettuce leaves around the side of the bowl for decoration. Belgain endive adds a dramatic touch with it's long, thin leaves.

And for something sweet with those ripe strawberries from the market, I would recommend a truly unique dessert with ice cream, strawberries, and a sweet, citrus port sauce. I'm going to make this Strawberries Arnaud for a dinner party this Sunday.

Photo Compliments of Flickr, Northcountry Boy.

Rachael Ray Will Peddle Your Goods!

From the Banterist, Brian Sack, comes a pre-prepared contract for anything you might desire Rachael Ray to endorse, including tripe, dog food, and EVOO, for whatever amount of money you deem fair. Don't worry, she'll provide a life-size cardboard cut-out in return for promotional purpose.

Haha. Thanks to Sack for creating what we were all already thinking about the Queen of the snack aisle.

The Banterist

Clean the Fridge Night

You know those nights when the fridge is full, but it doesn't seem to have anything of real value? I had a late lunch yesterday, so I was poking around for something light, yet with enough substance to keep me away from the carrot cake my grandma had brought over. What I created was a masterpiece in polenta and veggies. Though many people are unfamiliar with the name, polenta is simply the Italian's take on cornmeal. Different cultures use cornmeal in all sorts of ways: muffins, tortillas, loaves, grits, etc. But one of my favorites is polenta. I like to buy it in log-form, although it is available in a more cream of wheat-ish texture as well.

In skillet number one, I added a bit of oil and placed the sliced polenta in to brown. In skillet number two, I added all the nutritious elements of my refrigerator that I could find. This included broccoli, red peppers, edamame soy beans and Trader Joe's roasted corn kernels. I sauteed these ingredients while some pine nuts toasted in the toaster oven. And in under 20 minutes, I quite the colorful meal. Of course, no polenta dish would be complete without a healthy chunk of goat cheese on top.















For a last minute creation, I was really quite pleased with the results. I know the picture isn't much to look at, but you can see how colorfully delicious the whole thing was. Of course, you could use whatever veggies you have in the fridge - which is the beauty of the dish. And you need very little seasoning since the goat cheese is so flavorful. I actually used one that had been rolled in herbs and spices, so that helped as well. It could certainly be served as a side dish to a meal as well. Now go and empty your fridge and see what you can make!

Max's Masterpiece in Polenta and Veggies

Ingredients

1 log polenta
1 small log goat cheese
1 C. broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2 sweet red pepper, diced
1/2 C. edamame beans
1/2 C. Trader Joe's roasted corn kernels
1/4 C. pine nuts, toasted

Directions

Slice polenta into disks about 1/4-inch thick and saute in oil, flipping once to brown both sides. In a separate skillet, heat oil and saute remaining ingredients except the cheese. When ready to serve, place 3 to 4 polenta slices on each plate. Put a thin slice of goat cheese on top of the polenta and spoon veggie mixture over each.

Yield: 2-3 servings as main dish

A Kosher Meal for Zaide

Last night my whole family went out for dinner for my brother's birthday and my mom's birthday, which happen to fall two days apart. We went to Di Pescara, a Lettuce Entertain You fish and seafood restaurant in Northbrook. My grandfather (I call him Zaide, which means grandpa in Yiddish) came to dinner with us, and while it is always a pleasure, it is also a challenge. He observes the laws of Kashrut very strictly, so when we eat a restaurant that hasn't been declared "kosher," he sticks to the fish and the vegetarian options.

The rest of my family, on the other hand, has a harder time resisting the temptation of treif (aka all the food we're not supposed to eat if we're keeping kosher). So while we drooled over the shellfish menu and eyed the waitress longingly as she explained the crab special, each of us dutifully ordered a more appropriate dish that wouldn't make Zaide uncomfortable.

As a substitute for the crab cakes I'd been craving, I ordered the salmon cakes instead and was wonderfully surprised. They had been pan-fried, so they weren't greasy, yet extremely flavorful and filling. They had a mix of herbs and spices, tender pieces of salmon and even some mashed potatoes for texture, which I really enjoyed. All in all, not the sacrifice I had anticipated.

That is until we realized my dad had snuck some shrimp into his Fish and Chips! The traitor!

We have a simple recipe for Salmon Patties on the site that's so easy to make at home! It's cheap, flavorful and a nice way to get your Omega 3s!

Salmon Patties

Ingredients

1 can (15 or 16 oz) salmon, cleaned (set aside 2 Tbs. of the juice)
1 egg
1/3 C. minced onion
1/2 C. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 C. Crisco

Directions

Drain salmon and set aside 2 Tbs. of the juice. Mix salmon, egg and onion until sticky. Stir in flour. Add baking powder to salmon juice, stir into salmon mixture. Form into small patties and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes, in hot Crisco. Serve with tartar sauce.

Author's Note: My mother's grandfather used to say "Everybody makes their own kosher" and this is hard to truly comprehend unless you grow up keeping kosher. True, the laws of kashrut are specific and inflexible, but every family does what they can to observe the way they can. In my family, we keep kosher in the house (2 sets of dishes for milk and meat, etc.) but eat basically anything out of the house. I know... it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I promise it does to us. :)