Zucchini flowers (or squash blossoms) stuffed with pesto ricotta

Zucchini flowers, squash blossoms, fiori de zucca... however you prefer to call them is OK by me.

While vacationing in Italy in May 2008 I ate some deliciously prepared "fiori de zucca" at Cafe Perugia restaurant (in the city of Perugia) - stuffed with ricotta cheese and lightly fried in a panko crust.

The distinguished looking gentleman sitting at the table next to me said it was pumpkin flowers, not zucchini flowers - perhaps he thought "pumpkin" was the word for squash and I was thinking that "zucca" was the word for pumpkin. Confusing, I know! Whatever, it doesn't matter. Between his imperfect English and my limited Italian I was not quite understanding because I saw these edible flowers at the tips of zucchini at the Venice market just the week before  (the photo here proves it) - which is why thought I was eating zucchini flowers.

Anyway... I learned that many different types of squash flowers can be eaten - raw or cooked - and they all look pretty similarly. 

When I saw the squash flowers at the Willow Glen San Jose farmer's market and it brought me back to that wonderful dinner we had in Perugia so I bought a bag and made it my project for that evening.

The flowers are delicate and because they were stuffed inside a plastic bag on a hot day the flowers didn't actually look that great.

I don't think they were too old because there were 2 live bees inside the bag. I let them go in my garden hoping they will pollinate the vegetable flowers.


Next I removed the stamens from the inside of the flower. This was a bit time consuming because I had to be careful not to tear the flowers. Luckily I had some long, narrow and pointy shears that allowed me to easily get to the base of the stamens. Then I carefully washed them and let them dry.

While the flowers were drying I mixed some pre-made pesto into some ricotta cheese. I happened to have both ingredients in my fridge so it was quick and easy, and good. How can you go wrong with pesto?

I used a small spoon to stuff the flowers which made it easier and faster to prepare without tearing the flowers.

Beat 1 egg in a small bowl. Also place some panko crumbs in a separate bowl. 

Dip the stuffed flower in the egg and then in the panko crumbs.

Pour a little olive oil in the pan and heat to medium high. Not too much oil because we're not deep frying, just lightly frying.

Cook for about 45-60 seconds on each side. You may need to add more oil along the way if you're cooking many pieces, but remember to let the oil heat up first so you get that nice brown color.

I don't usually serve my first attempt at making something to guests, but I happen to have nice friends coming (including an Italian friend) and they unanimously highly approved. I will definitely try this again!

Easy appetizer: Bite size Caprese salad

A couple of weeks ago my friend Suely hosted a fun brunch with lots of delicious and healthy food.

One of the favorites (by me and others) was this tasty bite size Caprese Salad. I sometimes struggle to find good appetizer recipes that are easy to make, healthy and light, and complement the rest of my meal, so I was happy to come across this. Not only does it fit those criteria but it's also very pretty and looks great on the table.

It's so easy it doesn't even need a recipe but in case you're not seeing the image well, it's basically these three items cut small enough to fit on the toothpick.

1 cherry tomato (sliced in half)
1 small cube of mozarella cheese
1 small piece of fresh basil leaf

No dressing, no salt (and therefore no mess when eating it)... just the fresh taste of the 3 ingredients of the classic Italian salad known as Caprese. It's a keeper and I think I'll be bringing this dish to the upcoming parties I'll be going to later this month.

Just to make sure you drool some more, I thought I'd share a few more pictures of the other appetizers she served.  :-)

Asparagus spears blanched and wrapped in puff pastry before baking. Made by my friend's 12-year old daughter. Such a fun presentation.

Portuguese cheese bread - she made a Brazilian recipe. My first time tasting this and it was delicious! It had a slightly chewy consistency and the inside had lots of air pockets so it wasn't heavy.

Blueberry scones. Another one of my favorites on the table because it was it was only very lightly sweetened so it didn't compete with the natural sweetness of the fresh blueberries. I need to get the recipe!

Macadamia, panko and furikake crusted salmon

Crusted salmon
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

The last of the summer's stash of wild salmon came out of the freezer this week and was baked with a crust of panko, macadamia and Japanese rice seasoning, also called furikake.

Here's wikipedia's definition of furikake:

"Furikake (振り掛け / ふりかけ?) is a dry Japanese condiment meant to be sprinkled on top of rice. It typically consists of a mixture of dried and ground fish, sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, sugar, salt, and monosodium glutamate. Other flavorful ingredients such as katsuobushi (sometimes indicated on the package as bonito), salmon, shiso, egg, powdered miso, vegetables, etc. are often added to the mix.

Furikake is often brightly colored and flaky. It can have a slight fish or seafood flavoring, and is sometimes spicy. It can be used in Japanese cooking for pickling foods for onigiri, or rice balls."

How it ended up in my pantry...
Yes, MSG is a no-no in my household... but I got addicted to this after babysitting my 4-year old nephew, who loves to eat rice seasoned with this stuff, so I'm making a small exception here. It was the only way he would eat the brown rice - and if you're a mom, you know how difficult it can be to get your kids to eat so you make exceptions every once in a while right? After feeding my nephew and eating with him for a week, I was hooked too and ended buying some when my sister and I visited the Japanese store.

I don't eat rice very often so my jar of furikake seasoning is getting close to expiring. I hate to waste food so that's how I ended up using this seasoning in my salmon crust. Plus I like how it adds some color to the crust, makes it look more appetizing.

Crusted with macadamia, panko and black sesame seeds

I've also used black sesame seeds to make my crust look more interesting and it gives it a nice flavor too. My husband and I cook/eat so much salmon throughout the summer season that I have to find different ways to prepare it. 9 out of 10 times we just throw it on the grill seasoned with just salt, white pepper and dill or sometimes I spice it up or marinate it. But when the weather gets colder I'm more inclined to turn on the oven - that's when I can experiment with making a crust.

Blue potatoes

Blue potatoes
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

On the outside they look like a deep purple color. Why are some dark inside but some are white inside? It's interesting and beautiful. Nature is a remarkable thing.

I used these potatoes to make an omlette with red bell pepper and onions. I was so hungry I forgot to take a photo of the final product. The primary colors of red, yellow and blue made it nice to look at and fun to eat.

Tapioca pearls

Tapioca pearls
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

When I picked up the little 6-ounce box of tapioca I didn't believe it actually made 17 servings as it said on the box. I had 11 people for dinner and I wanted to make sure to have enough so I bought 3 boxes, just in case. I hate running out to get last minute ingredients, especially during holiday season. Well sure enough the one little 6-ounce box did indeed make MANY servings.

The recipe on the back of this box called for coconut milk (rather than regular milk, I used light coconut milk) which I was happy about because I was planning to top it with some Asian fruit. I used turbinado sugar (instead of granulated white sugar), which gave it a nice flavor.

The only thing I would change on the recipe is to decrease the water. Too much water made the consistency more soupy than I was expecting. I wanted a pudding-like texture, so next time I'm going to add only 1/2 or 3/4 of the water. Luckily I had a tapioca powder (by the same company) so it was easy to thicken with that. But I had to wait until it was half cooled before I can determine what the final consistency was going to be, never having made tapioca before. So I had to re-heat the soup to add the thickener - reheating something always makes me nervous because you never know what's going to happen.

So now I know how to work with tapioca and I'm looking forward to making it again.

Orange season winding down

Oranges drying
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Yes, the cost of living in California is high so you have take advantage of all the free things it offers, such as the good weather. And while we do get freezing cold and rainy weather here in Northern California during the winters, it's still temperate enough to grow citrus.

The orange tree in my parents' backyard has been reliably supplying us THE sweetest navel oranges I've ever had for about 25 years! This one full grown tree brings about 300 oranges per season.

It's fun to pick them and give them away to friends and neighbors. I like to squeeze the juice and store them in small containers in the freezer so I have some handy for drinks or to use in a citrus marinade.

The season starts about the end of January - that's when the first ripe oranges can be tasted. But here we are in early May and what's left on the tree is not much, but they're super sweet and juicy. It's such a treat!

My parents were kind enough to buy an orange tree for our backyard in the first year my husband and I moved into our house - that was about 11 years ago. Our tree is not quite as prolific (yet) but perhaps some day it will.

Thank you Golden State for the oranges that are nourished by your soil and climate!

Pumpkin-carrot walnut cupcakes

Both my parents' birthdays are within a couple days of each other so we always celebrate together. Mom likes pumpkin bread and Pop likes carrots so I combined the 2 ingredients to make birthday cupcakes for them. Decorated with Johnny-Jump-Up flowers cultivated in my garden specifically for eating.

Making it more healthy...
Yes, of course I altered the recipe which is based on Spiced Pumpkin Bread from Epicurious.com. It came out moist and delicious so I'll do it again...
- instead of 3 cups white flour, I used 2.5 cups whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white flour
- instead of 1 cup of oil, I used 1/2 cup of oil and 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce (more liquid to balance the dryness of whole wheat flour)
- decreased the sugar to 1.5 cups (instead of 3 cups) and also added 1/2 cup honey (which helped to also increase the moisture)

- also added 2 shredded cups of carrots - this is optional since the recipe doesn't call it for it

Don't overbake...
If you bake them in a cupcake tin, then between 15-20 minutes seemed to be the right baking time, depending on your oven. And because it's based on a "bread" recipe, they're really more like dense muffins than a light cake. And because they're not too sweet, they worked well as breakfast muffins and tasted better the next morning. :-)

The frosting...
Just a basic cream cheese frosting - found a generic recipe and just decreased the sugar. You know... cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.

All in all in turned out well and everyone enjoyed looking at them as well as eating them.

April 30, 2009 UPDATE...
In yesterday's San Jose Mercury News article in the Food section, Katherine Greenwald writes a great story titled "What's this flower doing in my food?" If you want to learn more about which flowers are edible, this is a must-read. More on this topic in a future blog entry!

Is coffee really that bad?

Bad Ass Coffee in Santa Cruz, CA
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

All the conflicting reports out there has me really confused. I choose what I want to believe (don't we all do that?)... but I'll keep reading the latest & greatest new studies in hopes there will be a definitive answer. Can anyone recommend some good recent studies or articles on caffeine and its effects on health?

What I want to believe...
That a moderate amount of coffee (without milk) helps digestion and therefore helps with detoxification. (yeah! I like this one.)

Unfortunately the caffeine jolt triggers the adrenals and stress hormones, and apparently, that encourages fat cells to be stored (in the form of love handles in my case - urgh!).

Ultimately I believe...
That (mostly) everything in moderation is ok. One 8-oz cup in the morning with about 4 oz. of soy milk does the trick and occasionally in the afternoon, but never past 3pm (or I won't be able to sleep).

I love the smell of coffee in the morning and love the little burst of "energy" it gives me, . And do I love the taste of this motivation juice, so why not start my morning in a pleasurable way?

About the photo
Bad Ass Coffee is one of my favorite coffee shops in Santa Cruz, CA. Their coffee is incredibly smooth and tasty - which conflicts with their name. :-)

Moments in my garden

California flower
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Some of the most visually rich and gratifying moments spent in my garden are when I see beauty in the random and un-composed. It could be an unswept patio, still littered with leaves and blossoms from the strong spring winds, but that "litter", though chaotic, can make a naturally beautiful patterns.

Sure I love to have my garden look nice and cleaned up with orderly plantings, carefully selected by color and size. But the juxtaposition of the designed and not designed can make for a beautiful design in and of itself.

Orange poppies popped up in my bed of purple tulips - I would never mix warm & cool colors. Combined with the hose I leave out and the pebbles out of place looking messy and unkempt. But for some reason, it all works and I was compelled to capture this scene because it drew me in... into that magical moment when you just feel so happy to be in your garden.

And the photo below is another neglected area... but the pink tulips come up every spring, as dependably as the perennial geraniums push out bright red flowers. Both brighten up and make the path a place where I can stop and ponder.

This ramble will either make sense to you or not. Hopefully it does, but if it doesn't... well then, thanks for sticking with it to the end. :-)

Spring Thyme!

Woodland Brown 1 quart
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Thyme is my favorite herb in my garden. It's easy to grow and versatile in cooking - goes well in many dishes. This time of the year my thyme plants are thriving and the fresh spring leaves are beautiful and tasty.

Recently I learned some cool things about thyme I didn't know before.

Did you know...
- Thyme is native to areas such as Asia, southern Europe and the Mediterranean region.

- It retains its flavor on drying better than many other herbs. As a rule of thumb, use one third as much dried as fresh thyme, a little less if it is ground.

- Either in its fresh or dried form, should be added toward the end of the cooking process since heat can easily cause a loss of its delicate flavor.

- 20-54% of thyme leaves contain Thymol, which is an antiseptic and is the main active ingredient in Listerine mouthwash. Before the advent of modern antibiotics it was used to medicate bandages.

- The ancient Egyptians used it as an embalming agent to preserve their deceased pharaohs.

I'm fascinated by all the great things I learned about this herb from www.wikipedia.com and www.whfoods.org. I've gained a whole new respect for this plant and will be more mindful of it's power when I'm gardening or cooking with it.

About the photo
A friend gave me a thyme plant a couple of years ago which I planted in my garden. It has been thriving ever since, and I think of her every time I see the plant. In this photo is the batch I had to prune to keep the plant healthy. I kept it in my fridge for almost 2 weeks - used for cooking, added to salads and gave some to neighbors. A gift that keeps on giving.

Re-using vintage dishes

Retro dinner party
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Look! My friends and I had a pot luck using our vintage dishes. Not only did we feel good about making good and healthy food for our friend's birthday dinner (last summer), but we also used old dishes that were passed down from our Moms or found at garage sales or thrifts. Re-using (or continuing to use) old stuff instead of filling the landfills can be fun.

The vintage look and the bright retro colors was perfect. Mid-century goodness for our mid-century friend.

The menu:
- vegetarian waldorf salad made with organic brown rice, apples & walnuts
- grilled wild salmon
- organic mixed green salad with avocado, feta, cucumber, toasted almonds witn EV olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- crudite platter of veggies with various dips (hummus and a couple others, can't remember exactly)
- multi, whole grain organic bread
- blackberry cobbler (berries picked and baked the night before)
- and birthday cupcakes

We certainly enjoyed a delicious and colorful feast!

Green Energy

Green juice
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

I can't drink caffeine past 3pm or I'll be awake all night. About 8 ounces of this juice blend diluted with water and with an extra shot of chlorophyll gives me the that boost of energy I need to get me through the afternoon. Woo hoo!

It's got more sugar (from fruit) than I'd like to consume so I'd love to learn about other ways I can get that late afternoon energy boost. If you have anything you'd like to share, please do let me know.

Bugs

Bugs
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Yuck! While hiking on a trail I saw these bugs and was disgusted but also marveled at how these orange colored creatures all ended up on this fence in this pattern. I was nervous that one was going to jump onto me and bite me while I was taking the photo.

I'm a bit torn about bugs... on the one hand some are creepy and annoying, but on the other hand there are beneficial bugs that are necessary. In my vegetable garden I know that ladybugs and praying mantis eat the bad bugs that can kill my plants. And I know that my digestive tract is suppose to be filled with good bugs (bacteria) to prevent the bad bacteria from taking over.

The good bacteria, also known as probiotics, produce vitamins to give you nutrients and enzymes to help you detoxify. I try my best to get a good dose of probiotics by eating fermented foods, raw foods and sometimes taking probiotic supplements. I've even cultured vegetables and made yogurt and they came out great. It wasn't actually that much work but I get lazy and disorganized so I don't do it on a regular basis, though I should.

And as for the bugs out in nature... I've come to terms with the fact that they're there for a reason. And even though I may not like the way some of them look, I try to find something about them to appreciate, though some are easier to appreciate than others. :-)

About the photo
Taken at the Palomarin trail in Bolinas, CA.

Panko macadamia crusted wild salmon

Panko macadamia crusted wild salmon
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

One of my favorite ways to prepare salmon is to bake it with a crust consisting of:

- panko crumbs
- chopped macadamia nuts
- black sesame seeds

First whisk an egg with a little salt and garlic powder in a small bowl. Slice the fish fillet into individual servings. Dip each piece in the egg mixture, then roll in the crust mix and bake on a lightly greased (olive oil) pan at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. (I know wild salmon is out of season now but it's available frozen.)

I always make a big batch so I have enough for lunch and dinner the next day. When it's cold it can be served over a bed of organic baby greens (dressed with EVOO and balsamic vinegar) to make a delicious salad. Yum!

Yoga to nourish the body and mind

I took my first yoga class about 20 years ago but only in the last 18 months have I practiced more regularly (1 to 2x a week), mainly because my husband has gotten into it (thanks to a particular instructor). I've seen many benefits from my more consistent yoga practice, so I am committed to continuing the once or twice per week practice... hopefully for the rest of my life!

In some ways I feel my progress is so slow because most sessions are just so challenging. But in other ways I feel big changes have been made in my body's strength and flexibility in a relatively short time. For example, recently I've been able to do the back bend position, but 6 years ago my back was in such bad shape I thought there would be no way in my life time that it would be possible (even my chiropractor didn't think so). In fact, my back is so much better I've stopped going to the chiropractor after just 6 months of practicing more consistently.

Besides the physical benefits of yoga, each practice is a wonderful opportunity to escape my thoughts. There is no opportunity in class for the mind to wander... only to focus on my teacher's instructions. There's no choice but to focus on NOW. It's meditative and relaxing to the mind, while challenging for the body. I'm not sure what is more valuable... the relief from my anxious and active mind or the toning of my muscles. I suppose both equally support good health.

In the spirit of sharing good health with my friends and readers, I want to acknowledge my wonderful yoga instructor, Sean Michael Hall. He is totally committed to wellness and he has made a huge contribution to my and also my husband's health.... and for this we are grateful. Anyone who lives in the Berkeley/Oakland area would find it convenient to go to one of his yoga classes. He also has an acupuncture practice that specializes in pain management and women's issues.

To your health!

About the photo
Taken at the Palomarin trail in Bolinas, CA.

High flavor, high protein breakfast

Soy chorizo & eggs
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Quick breakfast tip...

I love the flavor of chorizo sausage but I'm not a fan of pork so I was happy to discover SOY chorizo at Trader Joe's a couple of years ago. It's already cooked too so whipping up a scramble with eggs takes no time at all. It's such an easy way to get a high protein breakfast that's really flavorful.

It keeps a while in the fridge so you can pick one up on your next TJs shopping trip and just keep it handy in your fridge.

Roasted fingerling potatoes

Roasted fingerling potatoes
Originally uploaded by love_yellow

Yellow, red & blue potatoes seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and a little bit of fresh rosemary from my garden. Toss in olive oil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes.

I'm confused about whether potatoes are healthy are not. I know they're high in starchy carbs which can lead to weight gain, especially for people like me who don't tolerate carbs as well as others. But I also know that they have a good amount of vitamin C and I always leave the skin on which has all the nutrients and fiber. Are they toxic because they're in the nightshade family of vegetables? Is potato really a vegetable? I suppose it's all about moderation. Well... I cooked the potatoes so I guess I have to eat them! Yum!

Starting with a good breakfast

To start may day right, I need to have a good breakfast... a good foundation to help me feel good and be productive throughout the day.

I may not always have time to make a great meal, but I at least try to get some protein and whole grain carbs, plus a 1/2 cup of strong Italian coffee with a 1/2 cup of soy milk. Adequate protein gets me through the entire morning with lots of energy and able to think sharply.

Listen to your body...
to learn what the ideal breakfast is for you. It's strange that my husband doesn't need protein at all in the morning. His ideal breakfast is a bowl of steelcut oatmeal (McCann's is his favorite) with blueberries and coffee with milk. That gets him through to lunch, but when I eat that I'm totally starving my mid-morning and unable to think clearly until I eat.

In this photo the cheese on the rye/whole grains bread is Cowgirl Creamery's signature MT TAM cheese. The artisan cheesemakers are women and I visit their creamery in Pt Reyes Station, California, about once a year to taste and treat myself to some of the best local cheese in my area.