Pamela, Author at Pamela Salzman

Tex-Mex Tofu Scramble Recipe

I haven’t posted too many recipes with tofu because I am on the fence about it. Unfermented soy, which includes tofu, is not very easy to digest. On the other hand, fermented tofu, such as tempeh, miso, shoyu and tamari have all been innoculated with a good bacteria, which has started the digestion process for you, in a way. Lastly, most of the soy in this country is genetically-modified, the safety of which is debated. I don’t think they have been around long enough for us to really know what the long-term side effects are.

That said, I do occasionally eat tofu and fermented soy products, most often as a condiment and always organic, which implies non-GMO. I recently found a sprouted, organic tofu at my local Whole Foods by Wildwood Organics. Sprouting is a process that makes the soybean more digestible and increases availability of nutrients. This is a big plus to me. Whereas some people think that tofu is not a highly processed food, I don’t think it looks much like a soybean and that makes me think otherwise. But I do like the idea of a sprouted tofu, so on the rare occasions I eat tofu, it’s this one.

This scrambled tofu dish was really popular when I taught it in a breakfast class I did a few months ago. The idea is to create a scramble that resembles eggs, which this most definitely does. What’s wrong with eggs? Absolutely nothing. Unless you are either allergic to eggs, vegan, adversely affected by foods high in dietary cholesterol, or you are a 9-year-old who goes by the nickname “Mr. Picky.” And there are a lot of you out there who fit in there somewhere, so I thought this would be a fun way to enjoy your “eggs!” The tofu, which is nice and soft, is crumbled and then tinted with a little turmeric to turn the color a beautiful yellow. You also add a little nutritional yeast for flavor and it’s the closest thing you’ll ever come to scrambled not-eggs. I found nutritional yeast, also referred to as nutritional yeast flakes, in Whole Foods, both in the bulk bins and packaged in bags. Nutritional yeast is NOT the same yeast for baking bread or brewer’s yeast. It actually grows on the outside of sugarcane and molasses plants and is a good source of Vitamin B12, which is almost impossible to find from non-animal sources. It has a little bit of a cheesy flavor and goes nicely on popcorn, just FYI.

Although I am partial to anything in a tortilla, especially if salsa and guacamole are involved, I would also make this with spinach and mushrooms or chives and herbs. And it’s actually doable for a fast weekday breakfast if you prep in advance. (Just read the notes in the recipe to learn how.) Prepping in advance is my life. Hoping you all got off on the right foot to start off the new school year! Don’t forget to check out my Instagram page and Facebook for weekly lunch and daily dinner ideas! Nothing fancy, just keeping it real.

Tex-Mex Tofu Scramble Recipe

Pamela, adapted from "True Food," by Andrew Weil

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Servings

Ingredients

2 14- ounce containers extra-firm tofu I like Wildwood Organics, crumbled
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric gives the scramble a yellow color
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed olive oil, divided
1 small onion diced
½ red bell pepper diced
1 medium tomato diced
Suggested accompaniments: sprouted or whole grain tortillas sliced avocado or guacamole, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced scallions

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix together the tofu, yeast flakes, salt, cumin, turmeric and black pepper.
Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and sauté until the onion is tender and translucent. Add the tofu mixture. Mix until well combined. You can do all of this the night before and keep refrigerated.
Cook the tofu scramble until heated through and slightly golden brown. Fold in the tomato.
Serve warm with desired accompaniments or rolled up in a tortilla for a breakfast burrito.

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Avocado Toast

A perfect avocado completes me. I have a mild obsession with them. If you gave me a choice between mashed avocado on a piece of toast or an ice cream sandwich, I honestly wouldn’t even think twice about it! I am more addicted to avocados than I ever was to sugar. Hmmm, ok maybe not completely true. But I have a healthier relationship with avocados. Right now is my favorite time of year, because I’ve got all my besties — tomatoes, peaches, figs, corn, basil and Reed avocados. What’s a Reed avocado? If you don’t know the answer, I already feel sorry for you that you haven’t experienced the mother of all avocados. In my humble opinion, Reeds are TOPS, at least in this country. My mother-in-law often reminisces about avocados from her native Puerto Rico and I have a student from Mexico who thinks that hers are the best. I think they’re both just feeling nostalgic, because I don’t know how you can beat a Reed.

Just look at them! They’re as big as softballs with a generous ratio of meat to pit and soooooooo creamy and rich. Sinful! But they’re not, because avocados are amazingly good for you. Perfect, untouched, non-oxidized, healthful fats, plus fiber and loads of Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Avocados are an incredible food for little ones whose brains are developing. And I think they’re an awesome beauty food — so great for your skin. Also, this happens to be a drying time of year, especially for the lungs and wouldn’t you know avocados are lubricating to the lungs, as well as to the intestines. Love it.

I have so many recipes on my site which use avocados, from salads to dressings to soups to smoothies. But my favorite way to eat an avocado is on toast. The contrast between soft and buttery avocado and crunchy toast makes me swoon. Ditch your Saturday morning bagel and cream cheese and go this route on a good whole grain bread. Delicious and so much better for you! There are lots of ways I prepare avocado toast and I posted a few images here. Most of the time, I eat this for breakfast either on spelt or millet toast. But it’s also the perfect afternoon snack for you or your kids. The fat in avocados really keeps you satisfied for so much longer than a popsicle or a bags of chips. Not that you eat that, but if you did, avocado toast is a way better snack. Right now, I’m buying Reeds at the farmers market 3 for $5 and I have also seen them in Whole Foods for $2.50 each. I’ve been suckered by some markets with their $.69 avocados, and 90% of the time, they’re horrible. That feeling of slicing into an avocado that looks like it should be good and then isn’t is THE WORST!

My advice to you is buy your avocados underripe and allow them to ripen on the countertop. If you try to buy them already ripe at the store, they’ve been squeezed a thousand times and that’s why they’ll have mushy brown spots when you open them. Avocados are ripe when they give slightly to gentle pressure. I have also found that when you remove the small dark stem from the top, if the color underneath is pale yellow, it’s ready! Green means it’s underripe and brown or black means it’s going in the compost heap. Once they are ripe, you can refrigerate them until you’re ready to eat them. Keep in mind that the skin of Reed avocados stay perfectly green even when ripe, as opposed to Haas which turn dark brown/black. And now the bad news. Reed avocados are only in season from August through October so enjoy them while you can!

Are you an avocado toast fan? What’s your favorite combo?

avocado toast

There really isn’t a “recipe” for this, just a few of my favorite combinations. I like a lot of avocado on my toast, but you may choose to have less. Just go with whatever seems right to you.

Mashed or sliced avocado on toasted or grilled bread with:

~a squeeze of lime, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of red chili flakes and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.

~thinly sliced smoked wild salmon or lox and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

~sliced ripe tomato with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. A drizzle of olive oil is good, too.

~a drop of shoyu or good quality soy sauce, a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds or gomasio.

~a fried egg and a pinch of salt. A sprinkle of chopped chives is nice, too.

Slow cooker apple pie steel cut oats recipe (stovetop version, too!)

I feel like whining. Nooooo, I don’t waaaaaaant school to start tomorrow. I have to wake up so eaaaarrrrrly. Ugggh. And lunnnnnnches. Ok. I’m done. Thanks for listening.

I think making breakfast, lunch and dinner during the school year is hard. Sometimes I feel like I’m in a competition on a Food Network show. Minutes to spare. Limited ingredients. Tough judges. The pressure! The fact is that I cannot wing it when school starts. To feed my family and myself real food as much as possible, I need a plan. I have one child leaving at 6:35 am, another at 7:20 am and my youngest leaves at 8:00 am. To all of you who can pull together breakfast, lunch and dinner without so much as a list, I am in awe of you. I consider myself a culinary quasi-professional and I cannot wake up on a Monday morning and open the fridge and say, “Hmmmm. What should I make today?” It stresses me out just thinking about doing that.

Every Sunday night for 18 years, I have planned my meals for the week and I shop accordingly. And every year I do one new thing to help me get a little better organized because every year my family seems to throw me a new challenge. This year I think I’m going to do a breakfast schedule so I don’t have to think so much about that meal when I’m making my list.

Monday: oatmeal or warm whole grain porridge (muesli in the warmer months)

Tuesday: breakfast quesadilla or burrito

Wednesday: pancakes or waffles (homemade, silly)

Thursday: muffins, quick breads, or French toast or maybe oatmeal again

Friday: frittata or rice bake to use up leftover cooked vegetables from the week

I will always have homemade granola in the pantry, yogurt and nut butters in the fridge, stuff to make smoothies, and fresh fruit on the counter. If one of the kids doesn’t want what I’ve made that day and chooses to make his or her own breakfast, ~~I’ll believe it when I see it~~ that would be lovely. Here’s a previous post with more breakfast ideas.

I’ve been making this slow cooker oatmeal for the last year and I couldn’t wait for it to be apple season again so I could share it with you. We all love it! Love! It tastes like you stirred apple pie filling into your oats. I like steel cut oats because they are so hearty and they take a little longer for your body to digest than rolled oats, so you get a longer-lasting energy. There’s nothing wrong with making plain and simple oats for breakfast and setting out a bunch of delicious toppings, but this is so easy and it’s ready when you come into the kitchen in the morning. Nothing else you need to do. We love it as is, but if you don’t like raisins, you can leave them out. But I encourage you to try it with the raisins because they plump up so beautifully and add a little extra sweetness to the oats. You can also add more sweetener than I do, but again, try this as is because you can always add extra sweetener later.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, I have a post in the archives for stovetop overnight steel cut oats. You bring everything up to a boil on the stovetop the night before, cover and turn off the heat. I repeat, turn off the heat. In the morning, just warm through and your oats will be perfect in a few minutes. I don’t see why you couldn’t do this with this recipe. And of course, you can do this the traditional way on the stovetop as well. Just dump everything into the pot and cook. No excuses on this one!!

I wish all of you an excellent beginning of school!

Slow Cooker Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats

Pamela

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Servings

Ingredients

1 cup steel cut oats use certified gluten-free oats for GF oatmeal
4 cups water
2 apples peeled, cored, & cut into bite size pieces
2 Tablespoons maple syrup you can use any sweetener you want
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
¼ cup raisins

Instructions

Place the steel cut oats, water, apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and raisins into a slow cooker and cook on LOW heat for 5 hours. Actually, anywhere between 4 and 6 hours is fine. Most slow cookers have an automatic “WARM” setting so after it cooks, it will stay warm until you’re ready for it.
Stir well to combine before serving. I like to finish my oatmeal with a little homemade almond milk to thin it out a little. Yum!

Notes

I know it's tempting to leave the peel on the apples, but after they cook, the apples get soft and the peel stays tough. Not so fun to eat! To make this on the stovetop, see the last paragraph above.

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apples cinnamon maple syrup nutmeg steel cut oats

How To Make Dairy-free Ice Cream!

Did you notice the exclamation point in the title? I need you to know how excited I am about this. !! I’ll confess right here that ice cream is probably my favorite food. That I don’t eat. Ice cream doesn’t agree with me, if I can get personal with you. But I think this is definitely for the best because it’s just not good for you. Pasteurized cow dairy + sugar + ice cold = digestive nightmare. But just because I can’t eat ice cream doesn’t mean I don’t dream about it. Yes, of course there are alternative “ice creams” made from soy or coconut. But soy milk is something I avoid (way too processed and hard to digest) and most of the coconut frozen desserts taste like coconut, which I like, but not every time mixed with every flavor. Just an FYI, you can take two cans of full-fat coconut milk, mix it with sweetener to taste plus a drop of vanilla extract and pour it into your ice cream maker and get coconut ice cream. That’s the recipe right there!

But recently I saw a cashew-based ice cream at Whole Foods and a light bulb went off. Of course! Why didn’t I think of that? I use raw cashews all the time in my classes to make non-dairy substitutions for my DF friends. When you soak raw cashews and then blend them with a little water, you have the beginnings of lots of dairy-free possibilities. I even made a cheesecake with blended raw cashews that was to die for. I need to post that one day. What’s great is that raw cashews are pretty bland tasting, unlike coconut which definitely has a pronounced flavor, even when mixed with other stuff. Also, soaked, raw cashews are loaded with protein and much more digestible than pasteurized heavy cream and milk. !!

I wasn’t sure if you all would be interested in knowing how to make dairy-free ice cream since I can’t assume everyone has an ice cream maker. But after an unscientific poll on Facebook, it seemed like enough of you wanted to know. I made three different cashew-based ice creams in the last month and I thought they were all great. My kids had NO IDEA they were made from cashews. And to take it one step further (better), I sweetened two of the ice creams with dates. Dates! This is an ice cream that is cashews blended with dates. Are you freaking out right now? You should beeeeeeee!

The three flavors I made were Buttered Pecan (ok, technically not dairy-free because I used butter on the pecans, but you can use Earth Balance), Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Mint Chip. I loved them all, but let me mention that although these are more digestible and arguably more healthful than regular ice cream, I wouldn’t say they’re low-fat or low-calorie. And I’m sorry if you’re nut-free or cashew-intolerant because that’s the only way to go here. I am posting the recipes for Buttered Pecan and Mint Chip and as soon as I find the scrap paper with my notes for the chocolate version I will revise this post and let you know!

I’m just sorry that we may only have another month of warm weather and therefore not much time left for ice cream. Make the most of what’s left of summer, friends. Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Cashew Ice Cream

Pamela

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Ingredients

Salted Butter Pecan:
2 cups pecans
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter or use Earth's Balance to make vegan
½ teaspoon sea salt plus 1 teaspoon for pecans
4 cups raw cashews soaked for at least three hours or overnight and
drained
2 cups water
1 cup Grade A maple syrup (or agave but I’m not a fan since it’s very
processed and high in fructose)
4 vanilla beans split and scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mint Chip:
4 cups raw cashews soaked for at least three hours or overnight and drained
3 cups water
20 pitted dates
2 Tablespoons pure peppermint extract you may want to start out with 1 Tablespoon and taste the mixture before adding the second tablespoon in case your mint extract is stronger than mine.
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips or more to taste

Instructions

Salted Butter Pecan:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the pecans, tossing to coat. Spread buttered pecans on baking sheet and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Bake for 6-8 minutes until toasted, but not burned. Set aside to cool.
Place cashews, water, maple syrup, vanilla and ½ teaspoon salt in a high-powered blender or food processor and process until very smooth.
Pour cashew mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions. I use a Cuisinart ice cream maker.
Once the pecans are cooled, place them in a food processor and pulse to make small chunks (about the size of a chocolate chip, or smaller) or chop coarsely on a cutting board.
minutes before ice cream is finished, pour in the pecans.
Store in freezer in airtight container.
Mint Chip:
Place cashews, water, dates, salt and mint extract in a high-powered blender or food processor and process until very smooth.
Pour cashew mixture into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions.
minutes before ice cream is finished, add the chocolate chips.
Store in freezer in airtight container.

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cashews dates maple syrup pecans peppermint extract vanilla

Blueberry-Banana Spelt Bread Recipe (gluten-free version too!)

This year I am trying to get an early jump on the beginning of school. I actually say that every year and I still end up in those ridiculous lines at Staples on the first day of school. My oldest daughter is going into 12th grade (I am clutching my heart right now), so you would think that I had this thing down. So not the case. Until now. I just figured out really late in the game that I need to outsource, meaning I need to delegate some of these tasks to other people. No, I don’t all of a sudden have a staff of helpers at my disposal. But I do have capable children that have waaaaaay more time on their hands than I do and they can navigate the internet like nobody’s business. Why didn’t I think of this 10 years ago?

The kids have just ordered their supplies, backpacks and lunch paraphernalia online and helped fill out a stack of forms (they all know their birthdays and where we live, right?). This has been such a huge help that I am even going to ask them to start helping with their lunches. Just don’t tell them yet. I need to figure out a way to break this to them gently!

I also thought I would start stocking the freezer with some goodies so weekday meal preparation goes a little more smoothly. I made a few delicious quick breads last week and halved each of them. One half to enjoy now and the other half is frozen for a rainy day, i.e. a future school day breakfast or lunchbox snack. I dug into my archives (have I been online long enough to have an archive?) and put a summer twist on my date-sweetened banana bread, one of my absolute favorite, wholesome quick breads. I actually made three loaves — one with whole spelt flour and two with a blend of gluten-free flours with which I have been experimenting lately. I am using more and more spelt flour instead of whole wheat, especially in sweet things. Read about why I love spelt here! And since I know so many of you wan to avoid gluten, I also made a couple of loaves with different gluten-free flours. You can always use your favorite store-bought gluten-free flour blend (my favorite is King Arthur) plus some xanthan gum, but those can be a bit pricey. Either way, it reminded me how versatile most recipes are and that I only need to change a few ingredients to make something more seasonal and/or new. All the loaves turned out amazing and the kids gobbled them up!

This weekend I’m also going to make and freeze some cookie dough, brown rice for rice bakes, fresh fruit for smoothies and chicken stock since the weather has started to get a little chilly here. How are you getting organized for the beginning of the new school year? Would love for you to share. May the force be with all of us!

Blueberry-Banana Spelt Bread

Pamela

5 from 2 votes

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Ingredients

8 Tablespoons unsalted butter or unrefined coconut oil at room temperature
½ cup maple syrup I prefer Grade A which has a more subtle flavor
2 large eggs at room temperature
1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups whole spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 large ripe bananas peeled and mashed (about 1 cup)*
1 cup fresh blueberries
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan. Line with parchment paper, if desired.
Beat the butter with the maple syrup in the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine well. The mixture will look curdled and that is normal.
In a medium bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Add to the wet mixture and combine until just blended. Fold in the mashed bananas and most of the blueberries and nuts. Save a few bleuberries and nuts for the top of the loaf.
Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle the reserved blueberries and nuts on top. Bake for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes and then remove the bread and transfer onto a rack.

Notes

*Do not attempt this with bananas that are unripe. They are neither sweet enough nor soft enough.

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Gluten-free dry mix to sub for the 2 cups of spelt flour:

½ cup sorghum flour

½ cup millet flour

½ cup sweet rice flour

¼ cup GF oat flour

3 Tablespoons potato starch

1 Tablespoon tapioca starch

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

bananas blueberries butter eggs spelt flour vanilla

How to Care for Your Knives: Top 7 Do’s and Don’ts

You’ve heard it from professional chefs and home cooks alike: your knives are your most important tools in the kitchen. I would give up my Vitamix and my food processor for my best chef’s knife. I have a few (not a big fancy set of) high quality knives that I use all the time. But even good knives get dull and dull knives are not only difficult to work with, not fun to cook with, but they are also dangerous.

I teach cooking classes very often in private homes and I use my students’ equipment when I do. This includes their knives. (I stopped bringing my own knives because I am much too absent-minded and have forgotten one or two!) I have had the pleasure of using knives that are well cared for and razor sharp and ones that can barely cut a straight line through butter!! I have found that this discrepancy has less to do with the quality of the knives (although that is part of it) as much as how the owners maintain them. I’ve mentioned to a few ladies some tips for protecting their knives, and most of the time the response was “I never knew that!” Once I even suggested to one of my students that if she had her knives professionally sharpened, cooking would be much more fun. She had her doubts until she brought her knives to a cutlery shop and had a much easier time prepping food after that.

So I have put together a list of my tips for how to take good care of your knives so that you may have an easier, safer and more pleasurable experience in the kitchen, and protect your investment at the same time!

DON’T: Put your knives in the dishwasher. I know many people like to put everything in the dishwasher, but keep your knives out of there. The dishwasher will bang your knives around which will ding and damage the blades. In addition, the heat from the drying cycle can warp your blades.

DO: Hand wash your knives with warm soapy water and dry them right away.

DON’T: Put wet knives away in a drawer or cutting block. The blade can develop mold or mildew. Also, if your blade is carbon steel, it can rust if left wet for extended periods of time.

DO: Dry your knives right after washing.

DON’T: Use your knives on plastic, glass, granite, marble or stone. These surfaces will either dull the knife blade more quickly than necessary or will damage the edge of your blade.

DO: Use your knives on wood cutting boards.

DON’T: Throw all your knives together into a drawer where they’re going to bang against each other and miscellaneous utensils. This can dent, ding and damage your blades over time.

DO: Store your knives in a knife block or cover each blade with a protective sheath (even a heavy piece of paper with a rubberband is better than nothing.

DON’T: Use a particular knife for the wrong task. Using a paring knife to cut through chicken bones is going to damage the knife. Also, don’t act crazy and try to use your kitchen knives to pick a lock, remove nails from the wall, pry open your kid’s piggy bank, scrape the grates of your barbecue, break up the huge block of ice in your ice maker, and so on. That’s not what kitchen knives were designed to do.

DO: Know what knife is for what task and leave it at that.

DON’T: Think that your knives will stay sharp forever. The more you use them, the sooner they will need to be sharpened.

DO: Get your knives sharpened every 6 months or thereabouts.

DON’T: Sharpen your own knives unless you know what you’re doing. I know that most knife sets come with a honing steel and I have seen a few grinding blocks in people’s kitchens, but if you don’t know how to use these, you can really mess up the blade.

DO: Get your knives sharpened professionally at a local cutlery store or cookware shop. I sharpen my knives regularly myself with a whetstone, but I also take them to my local Sur La Table or Thee Cutlery, a knife store at my local mall. This tends to cost about $1/inch, e.g. a knife with an 8-inch blade costs $8 to get sharpened. I have heard that a supermarket in my neighborhood sharpens knives while you shop, but I have also heard they don’t do a good job. Ask someone you trust (like a restaurant chef) where to go in your town if you’re not sure. There are also good videos on YouTube if you want to learn more about sharpening yourself.

Shrimp salsa recipe

We had such a fantastic visit with my family on Long Island last week. I know I’ve said this before, but I really adore East Coast summers. The energy is just so amazing. But I also love living in Southern California, close to the beach, with a farmers market close by every day of the week. I know everyone talks about the weather being the greatest thing about living in Los Angeles, but for me it’s the year-round access to phenomenal, locally grown, seasonal produce. Just had a moment of gratitude when I got back to my markets.

But I came home to more than just great peaches and tomatoes. Waiting for me in the mail were a few very thick envelopes with school registration documents: forms for PTA donations, yearbooks and class pictures, volunteer sign-up sheets, PE clothing order forms, and so on. Noooooooooo! The first day of school in our district is the Wednesday before Labor Day. Friends, I’ve got two weeks, and then the party’s o-vah!

So until then, I will frantically try to make the most out of summer. Daily tomato-eating will continue with corn and peaches tied for second. I was thumbing through Dr. Mark Hyman’s (I’m a big fan!) “Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook,” when I noticed this recipe for Shrimp Salsa. Sounds like a party to me! It’s everything I love about summer food — fresh, light, easy and it includes tomatoes. Dr. Hyman is all about keeping blood sugar stable to avoid unnecessarily triggering an insulin flood (it’s an inflammatory, fat-storage hormone, you know.) So, many of his recipes are low in simple carbohydrates, with an emphasis on vegetables, whole grains and lean, organic, pastured meats and wild seafood. I followed Dr. Hyman’s Blood Sugar Solution Challenge last summer and I appreciate his emphasis on prevention of chronic disease and looking at food as medicine. But at the end of the day, shrimp salsa is just going to make me happy.

Eating and sharing this salsa confirmed something I have learned since I have been cooking for other people: ask three people to taste a particular recipe and you’ll get three different opinions. I shared this delicious salsa with my assistant and a friend and it was so interesting to observe how we each responded — we all loved it, but one wanted it with more heat, someone else less lime, me, of course, more salt and so on. My advice to you is that if shrimp salsa sounds good to you, be conservative with a few of the ingredients (garlic, lime, heat, cilantro), because you can always add more, and just adjust to taste. From a nutritional perspective, this is a very low calorie, low fat, low carb, high protein recipe. Shrimp are an unusually concentrated source of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrient called astaxanthin, as well as an excellent source of the antioxidant mineral selenium. Here’s a good place to find more information about the health benefits of shrimp.

We enjoyed the salsa on the first day with tortilla chips, although Dr. Hyman suggests raw veggies. But I really loved it on the second day when I put it over rice and beans (see above image.) Perfect dinner for me. Even if your family is back to school this week (omg), there’s still plenty of summer left to enjoy!

Shrimp Salsa

Pamela, adapted from "The Blood Sugar Solution Cookbook" by Mark Hyman, MD

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Ingredients

¾ pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined (I asked the fishmonger to do this)
½ small red onion finely chopped
1 medium tomato or 1 whole plum tomato seeded and finely chopped
½ small jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped or your favorite hot sauce to taste
1 ½ avocados peeled, pitted and diced
½ small bunch fresh cilantro about 1 ½ ounces, finely chopped (leaves and tender stems) – I chopped a handful.
1 clove garlic minced (original recipe called for 3 cloves)
juice of 2 limes original recipe called for 4 limes
1 cup tomato sauce or tomato puree not marinara sauce
sea salt to taste
a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. In a saucepan, bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook until just pink, 2-3 minutes.
Drain the shrimp and transfer to the bowl of reserved ice water to stop the cooking process. Once the shrimp are cold, drain and chop them into bite-size chunks.
Add the shrimp pieces to a large nonreactive container (like glass or ceramic) along with the onion, tomato, jalapeno, avocados, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and tomato sauce/puree. Cover the container and refrigerate to marinate for at least 3 hours.
Serve as a dip with tortilla chips (not on the Blood Sugar Solution diet!) or raw crunchy vegetables. I loved it over rice and beans.

Notes

I cut the original recipe in half because it made a ton, and I also made some adjustments, specifically to the quantities of garlic and lime juice. Feel free to omit the garlic altogether and start out conservative with the lime juice since some limes are juicier than others. Try the juice of one lime to start and then you can always add more. Also, the cookbook calls for "tomato sauce," which does not mean marinara or spaghetti sauce. It's referring to cans of tomato puree with a small amount of seasoning, like this from Contadina. I didn't have that on hand so I used Pomi tomato puree. But you can also use fresh, seeded tomato that's been chopped finely or pulsed in the food processor.

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Spicy honey-lemon green beans recipe

If you follow me on either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you’ve probably figured out that I am back on Long Island at my parents’ house. We picked up Daughter #1 on Saturday from her summer program in upstate NY. I was so beyond excited to see her after 6 weeks, I was afraid I was going to suffocate her when I saw her. It was great for the five of us to be together again and I couldn’t resist another visit to Stony Brook. Love that place in the summer.

We’ve had an amazing few days here — peaceful, not in a rush to do anything, no stress, beautiful. My father’s garden is bursting. I lost count of how many basil plants he has this year, perhaps around 40. I have made pesto every day so far! But the big fun has come from the new outdoor pizza oven my father had built. It was a major project when I was here in June, with each of my parents saying to me without the other hearing, “I don’t know what we were thinking.” But once the dust settled, literally, we have enjoyed the most fantastic pizzas — you know the thin kind with a little char on the crust? So darn good. Not fitting in my skinny jeans today, but so. darn. good.

Sorry this isn’t a post about making your own pizza in a wood-burning oven, but I personally don’t have one nor will I in my current house since my “yard” is a patio! Figuring most of my readers don’t own one either. Instead I wanted to share my favorite new green bean recipe. No yawning! These are great! But I know where you’re coming from. Green beans come into season in the summer and I try really hard to get excited about them, but they have to compete with tomatoes and corn. Kind of hard to do. I honestly don’t have too many exciting green bean recipes that I think to myself, “I am soooo craving those such-and-such green beans.” Until now.

I taught these honey-lemon green beans last month and I couldn’t wait to eat them after each class and any leftovers for dinner the same night! The dressing has a bit of mustard too, and a little kick from the cayenne which is always something I love paired with sweet (honey.) They are seriously addictive. One of the only cooked vegetables Mr. Picky likes is green beans, but he doesn’t care for vinaigrettes yet. Except he did love these! He’s starting to develop a taste for spicy food. Very exciting!

The recipe for the green beans and the dressing is completely straightforward and quick to make. If you are in a time crunch, just make that and forget about the shallots. Blanching and quick-pickling the shallots is definitely another step that won’t make or break the recipe, although they are scrumptious. You can certainly take care of that while the beans are cooking and while you’re setting the table or grilling some fish. But sometimes when I try and multitask too much, that’s when I forget things -like shallots pickling in apple cider vinegar that I remember when I start washing dishes.

Spicy Honey-Lemon Green Beans

Pamela, adapted from "The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen" by Peter Berley

5 from 1 vote

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Servings

Ingredients

For the Green Beans and Shallots:
3 Tablespoons kosher salt
2 large shallots thinly sliced
1 ½ pounds string beans trimmed
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar preferably raw
½ teaspoon sea salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
For The Vinaigrette:
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 small glove garlic crushed
1 teaspoon mild honey preferably raw
½ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 Tablespoons unrefined cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Spread a clean kitchen towel on a baking sheet and set aside.
In a large pot, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add kosher salt.
Place the sliced shallots in a bowl and cover with 2 cups of the boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
Drop the beans in to the remaining boiling water and cook, uncovered, for 4 to 6 minutes, until crisp tender. Drain the beans and spread them on the cloth-lined pan.
Drain the shallots and toss them with the vinegar, the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper. Set aside.
To make the vinaigrette, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, honey, salt and cayenne in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Slowly whisk in the oil until creamy.
Drain the shallots once again and squeeze dry. Add the shallots and the string beans to the vinaigrette and toss well. Sprinkle with another pinch of sea salt or to taste.
If you have time, let it marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature before serving just to allow the flavors to permeate the beans. If you don't have time, they'll still be great.

Notes

These really aren't that spicy, perhaps a 3 on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the hottest. But you can certainly adjust the level of heat to your liking by increasing or decreasing the cayenne.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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