Is it healthier to leave tomatoes on the vine?

Living in Boston, we barely have room for counter space, never mind tomato plants. Luckily, my mother-in-law has a soil-worn emerald green thumb that she puts to great use in her circular garden just an hour north of us in …

Broccoli avocado soup with poached egg

INGREDIENTS

• 1 shallot, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped (these first three ingredients are a version of mirepoix)
• 1 tbsp. of coconut oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 stalk of fresh broccoli (florets AND stem), chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 can of coconut milk, 13.5 oz.
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. white vinegar
• Fresh cilantro (garnish)
• Salt and pepper to taste

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Fill a large pot about halfway with water and put on high heat – you’ll need this to poach the eggs. Saves some time if you let it heat up while you’re making the soup ⏰
2. Add shallot, carrot, celery, coconut oil, and garlic to large soup pot over medium-low heat.
3. Once carrots are tender (about 3 minutes), add broccoli. Stir and cook until broccoli is bright green (about 2 minutes).
4. Add chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
5. Turn off heat and pour mixture into blender. I like to let it cool down for 5 minutes or so before blending.
6. Add avocado to mixture in blender. Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to separate the mixture into two batches to blend (I did!). In that case, add about a half of the avocado to each batch and blend.
7. Crack each egg into its own bowl. Add the white vinegar to the water that’s now simmering in your other pot.
8. Use a fork to swirl the water, making a kind of whirlpool. Bring the egg bowl as close to the water as you can and gently dump the eggs – one at a time – into the water. The whirlpool should help the egg white wrap around the yolk.
9. Cook the eggs for three minutes.
10. Remove the blended soup from your blender and spoon into bowls. Use a slotted spoon to remove the eggs and put one on top of each bowl of soup (makes three pretty substantial servings).
11. Add cilantro and S&P, as you like.
12. Put it in your mouth.

Aloha Bread Pudding

Aloha, lovely readers! I created a recipe as part of a King’s Hawaiian competition. I it call Aloha Bread Pudding, a very Hawaiian take on the seasonal favorite. The contest only allowed for a 1-minute video submission, so I’m including …

To Be French: The Art of Seasonal Eating

As you may or may not know, French is one of the many nationalities that make up my muttliness. It’s also—barely beating out my affinity for my Portuguese roots—the nationality I feel closest to. Sure, I desperately wanted to study Spanish …

Fridge vs. Counter: Where Do Your Fruits & Veggies Belong?

With the “eat local” craze now becoming mainstream, I find myself with more and more fresh fruits and veggies (YUM!). Five years ago—before Whole Foods and farmers markets had really come into themselves in Somerville—the freezer section was my go-to. I was living by myself (and leftovers only last so long), and I’d read all about how frozen produce was more nutritious than fresh produce.

But that was five years ago. Now I—and my partner in cooking Mat—go to our local farmers market in the square. We were starting to wash and store all of our goodies today when we disagreed about whether cukes belonged in the fruit bowl on the counter or in the produce drawer in the fridge. Then we couldn’t help questioning how to store everything we’d bought!

I spent a lot (maybe too much) time researching this today, collecting what seemed like endless perspectives on storage, and ultimately decided this:

1. Mat and I aren’t the only ones who disagree about cucumber storage: This cook swears wrapping cukes in paper towels and keeping them in the fridge makes them last longer, while UC Davis says cold accelerates cucumber decay. For now, I’m following UC Davis’ lead and keeping our cucumbers on the counter.
2. Tomatoes don’t like the cold—on or off the vine—and should be stored on the counter out of direct sunlight and away from those sensitive cukes.
3. Raspberries are very fragile and should be stored in a single layer in a closed container in the fridge.
4. Broccoli is a bit more high maintenance. You should mist the heads (don’t wash the broccoli or anything you put in the fridge!), wrap them loosely in damp paper towels, and refrigerate.
5. When you’re lucky enough to buy fresh beets, you’ve got two things to worry about storing: the beet root and the beet greens. Cut the greens, leaving about 2 inches of stem attached. The greens don’t keep well, so you should use them the day you buy them. The roots, on the other hand, can be kept sealed in the fridge for over a week.
6. Keep curly kale and leafy greens in tupperware in the fridge. Remember: DON’T rinse first.

Mint.com, Real Simple, and Food Network have more extensive lists of what to do with each type of produce…but of course they don’t always agree. That’d be way too convenient.

I’m thinking of moving to a daily grocery run to avoid produce rot all together…

Tacos at Taqueria Guadalajara in San Francisco

I’ve been to SF several times but had never stayed in The Mission until this trip. I highly highly highly recommend staying—or at very least eating—in this district. It’s the city’s oldest neighborhood, named after the Mission Dolores founded in 1776. Walking down Mission, 24th, and the latticework of side streets weaving in and out of them, I was embraced by a swirl of colors and smells, including the spicy waft that drew me into Taqueria Guadalajara.

I opted for the Super Camaron and Super Carnitas Tacos, both of which were loaded with meat, sour cream,  homemade hot sauce, and avocado that spilled out of the double flour tortillas before I even picked them up. Mat got the regular Carnitas and Chorizo Tacos.

Insider’s Trick:  Get your meal to eat in. You get a free trip to the chips and salsa bar!

 

 

Lentil and Smoked Sausage Soup

I’m not generally a huge sausage fan. But we were looking for a way to use some of the cabbage we had left from making pierogies, and this recipe sounded delicious. I subbed spicy chicken sausage and halved the amount of cayenne (we love it hot but have had…mishaps with cayenne in the recent past). I think I’ll slice the sausage next time instead of dicing to get bigger bites of the flavor.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

7 ounces dry lentils

1 small onion, chopped

3/4 cup finely shredded green cabbage

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 vegetarian smoked sausages, diced

1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

4 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir in lentils, onion, cabbage, and garlic; cook until tender.
3. Stir in sausage and tomatoes.
4. Crumble vegetable cubes over mixture and pour in water.
5. Stir in bay leaf, thyme, and cayenne pepper.
6. Bring to a boil; cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Homemade Pierogies!

Not the easiest or fastest recipe by any means. But I’m proud of myself for getting in touch with my Polish side and making pierogie dough from scratch! Two tips for the newbs: Don’t eat any of the potato and cabbage …

Chocolate-Covered Coconut Bars

I’ve loved Mounds candy bars since I can remember, so finding this recipe was one of my most exciting discoveries. I thought the ratio of chocolate-to-coconut leaned a little too heavy on the chocolate. But Mat quickly reminded me that …

Spicy Garlic Shrimp with Kale and Quinoa

Who knew a late Friday night at work would lead to such a culinary discovery! We happened to have all the ingredients for this super quick recipe (though we, of course, subbed frittata parm). It’s a really neat combination of inland …