Quinoa salad

Clean Quinoa Salad:

please use organic produce whenever possible....

cook 1 cup Quinoa in 2 cups boiling filtered water, as directed. cooking doesn't take long. use 1/2 or as much as you want of this amount of quinoa. you can save some for tomorrows salad.
In your favorite salad bowl add:
finely chopped romaine, 4 - 6 leaves
1 - 2 diced green onion (optional)
1/4 cup currants
handful of sunflower and pumpkin seeds
1 cup rinsed defrosted green peas
1 fine chopped plum tomato
very fine chopped peeled carrot
1 - 2 T finely grated garlic
1/4 cup crumbled feta
add fresh herbs if you have them


 add your cooled quinoa to the salad and top with the feta.  Pour your favorite dressing over , toss and eat.  You'll feel great.

Dressing:  1 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 (or more) red wine vinegar, splash of apple cider vinegar or even balsamic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 5 whole cloves of garlic.  Make dressing in a jar and keep it in the refrigerator to use at all times and replenish as needed.  clean jar once a month. My mother taught me how to make salad dressing and i've been doing this for a very long time.  I never measure the ingredients so alter the ingredients to your liking.

october highlights

10/19/10

Organic collard greens, black eyed peas and more

This next entry is impossible to recreate exactly, but worth documenting as it can still be made in a new variation. Well, my husband Dennis went shopping and came home with a bag of frozen black eyed peas (very unusual). Next day was farmer's market and the collard greens were organic, fresh cut and just huge. I bought about 8 leaves each at least a foot long. Then a light bulb went off in my head and took out the b-e-peas. While rummaging through the freezer to get the peas out, I found a frozen piece of ham from mother's day. Took that out. I also had ½ of jar remaining from our tomato sauce I have documented in my cook book from earlier this year. I chopped the greens and place in 2 cups filtered water(little dash of rock salt), added the peas, the ham, 6 cloves of whole peeled garlic, one large onion chopped and a dash of red pepper flakes. Topped it all with the tomatoes and onions I had jarred and froze last spring. WELL... it simmered in a covered deep flat pan. When it starts to boil, I turn it off and let sit. I cooked it this way for a couple hours at the most. THIS DISH was so delicious we went crazy. Cooking is so much fun and this dish was low in fat and high in fiber and extremely flavorful. One could just add some fresh diced tomatoes on top to replace the sauce I used.

October highlights

10/15/10

today was cooking day. Microwaved a delicato squash, sweet and delicous, steamed swiss chard drizzle evoo and dash of rock salt, then my PORK CHOPS:

I took 2 chops out of freezer, bone in. thick cut. Whole foods chemical free. I had some champagne open in fridge so I poured some over to help defrost, added a drizzle of soy sauce and dash of worstershire sauce, and some o.j. then waited an hour. Then added lots of semi dried fresh rosemary from my sister jane's garden, and dry thyme, and topped with a peppery rock salt from a salt gourmet store also gift from jane. Well I let it all defrost and just before cooking I drizzled a few Tblspns of molasses over each chop then  put them on the grill. These are the best I ever made. About 7 minutes for first side then 4 or more on next side on hot gas grill. Now ours happens to not be working very well, even though it's on high, it isn't super hot, so i'd say hot/medium. After 7 minutes turn over. Let them get nice and brown/black. Don't over cook and remember they still cook when removed since they are still hot.

I have lovely organic yellow potatoes. Cut in medium size piecesand place in pot with clean water, 2 bay leaves, pinch of rock salt, bring to boil and turn off and let sit. When everything is ready drain potatoes, drizzle evoo, little dash of salt and fresh cut herbs, today I used my own basil and black pepper. Smash. 
 Menu:

mashed delicato squash, steamed swiss chard, mashed herbed potatoes with black pepper, and grilled pork chop. More than anyone deserves. This is also enough for tomorrows lunch, or friends to help enjoy. We are listening to Sweet Black Angel by the Rolling Stones, gotta be one of my favorites by them. "Free de sweet black slave". Quite a song.

Kenyon Kowal's individual pizza

Sweet Salt in Toluca Lake with Jackie Sharp

Here I am having brunch at Sweet Salt in Toluca Lake California.  Jackie Sharp and I walked from her house for a late morning brunch.  I ordered their fabulous BLT.  This was loaded with thick, crisp, smokey bacon, loaded with tomato, lettuce, and a bleu cheese mayo that rocked my world.  We also shared their pureed Black Bean, Cocoanut soup.  I cool ice tea to drink topped off this satisfying meal.  

Target Show at Cinefamily

JIll and Jackie at the Target Video show during the Don't Knock the Rock Festival

Had a blast at the Silent Movie Theater last week.  Loved seeing my old pals Joe and Jackie!

Super Lobster Lunch

Just had a fabulous lunch of curried lobster at Chinois on Main.... of course with my friend, Jackie. Later we went to the Bluff and Paradise Cove. We finished the day at Mo's for a quick burger to go. While waiting we checked out the classic cars in the Bob's Big Boy parking lot.