Coudn't top this.

To be completely honest, all I really want to do in life is pick fruit.

It's the perfect meditative activity.

Dancing while doing it is also pretty great.

Especially when you get to stuff your face with sweet persimmons at the same time..

Outtatowner.

Every Christmas, Kerissa Barron comes to visit for an indefinite amount of time.
This is great because we share many things in common-
 crepe making, doing the sexy dance, and watching every season of Glee.

When we're not enjoying these pastimes, we like to break out the rolling pin & molasses to make some special treats. 

And as expected this year, we kept to our tradition.

If you'd like to make some of em', check out this wicked recipe that is easy to mimic.

the AM.

12:06: that's a wrap. 12:12: one piece of veggie pizza. 12:13: one piece of pepperoni pizza

12:19: three cookies. 12:16 1 cup of tea. 12:46: 1 caprese panini (toasted).

Healthy decisions.

#_#

..I love my roommates

a new element.

Two scientists at Zuni Cafe.

Two chairs. One bench.

Firewood piles & burnt brick walls

Modern pastels above his head.

A taste of Sancerre & la Vallée de la Loire.

Tangible effervescence.

Salty flavors from Marin's depths

And a sizzling combination of mushroom & sage

Sanctioned experimentation

And an epicurean delight..

Necessarily Stuffed.

Autumnal sweaters, turkey traumas, & copious amounts of Cab...

What isn't to love at the Van Buren Thanksgiving?

..and le Pièce de résistance.

..Just Kidding.

"We definitely will be staying open."

-Gracias Madre

The absolute worst.

"The big news of the day is the all-edifying-vegan-menu restaurant that is Cafe Gratitude is closing up all seven of its Northern California locations and the owners' other S.F. restaurant, Gracias Madre. SFist reports, via a Cafe Gratitude Facebook post, that the chain is closing the three S.F. locations along with the others due to 'a series of aggressive lawsuits.' " 

Depression is likely. 

November's 613.

Pomegranate

Punica granatum L.

I like pomegranates. Since I was young, I've been fascinated by this fruit. This might have something to do with my obsession with listening to Greek Mythology tapes on repeat everyday- Persephone was the best. However, it probably has more to do with making Pomegranate jelly every November. My Grandma would always have me over to help her shell and seed the pomegranates, boil the seeds, and add an inappropriate amount of sugar and gelatin. This process usually took 7 hours-but the end result was amaZing. November was my new favorite month.

Just this past week while I was at home for Thanksgiving, I came across a pomegranate tree. I was a little surprised to have found one that had fruit bearing on it because I'd never seen what it looked like. The pomegranates were so, so beautiful. I wanted to pick one (or eight), but was nervous that the winery we were at might be a little upset if I started pruning back their only pomegranate tree.

...Yeah, that didn't stop me.

Pomegranates are one of the oldest known fruits. They often appear in ancient Greek mythology (yes) and ancient Egyptian mythology and art. Grown abundantly throughout the Middle East, the Mediterranean and California, pomegranates are rich in nutrients and flavor. The little seeds have an awesome texture and leave a sweet & sour aftertaste in your mouth.

Pomegranates contain high levels of vitamin C and many types of antioxidants, namely from three anthocyanidins: cyanidin, delphinidin and pelargonidin. The polyphenol content is 3X the amount that is usually found in green tea and red wine.  Polyphenols are directly related to cancer and heart disease prevention. Wicked nutrition right here.

 

And the fun pomegranate fact of the day: The number of seeds found in a pomegranate are always 613- the same number of commandments in the Torah.

P.S. A tip for when you're seeding pomegranates: place the pomegranate in a bowl of water and break apart the rinds/membranes. This way, you won't get 6 billion pomegranate stains on your cute autumnal shirt.

Some things never change..

In the food world, things are constantly evolving. Fried chicken & waffles or donuts with bacon have become the next best snack (again, thanks Oregon for your creative genius).

However, when it comes to Gracias Madre, the delights of vegan Mexican food remain constant.

Allow me to reiterate from an earlier post that there are few restaurants that you can compare this place to- despite Brock's curmudgeon attitude to disagree. I won't bore you with the minute details again, unless you want to read up on them here / here.

It's safe to say that most people lose all culinary inhibitions when it comes to GM. Personally, I would eat there everyday if I could.

For now, twice a week will have to do.

And if you need a friend to go with, you know who to call..

"Be Grateful for the Life She has Given You"

 "Canopied by trees, the smell of smoke in the air, I yawp into the forest as

my ancient fathers must have, and feel a much deeper connection to the

energy of my meal, its origins, and where it will take me." 

 

It’s like watching a movie at the drive in, or seeing a concert in the park. Cooking outdoors takes something conventional and makes it adventurous. By removing ourselves from the familiar cookie-cutter kitchen vibe when we wander out into the woods for the weekend, we’re forced to step into more creative cooking ideas that require work-arounds, and simpler processes – how else are you going to feed the whole family without a four-burner? While visiting the great outdoors does offer less convenience, chillin’ in Mother Nature’s kitchen doesn’t have to result in weak, less-than-tasty meals. I’ll share a simple, easy outdoor cooking idea that should hopefully inspire you to bring out the big guns next time you find yourself in the woods without your favorite kitchen appliances.

Cooking around an open fire carries with it an incredible sense of nostalgia. Maybe it’s that we recall memories of summer camp, or perhaps we’re channeling something much older, and deeper, from a time when the woods were our only kitchens, when cooking outdoors was a normal human activity. Isn’t that why we love camping, anyway? Camping offers us the chance to escape the noise of our every day lives and return to something more primitive, more grounded, and ultimately healthier. We enjoy the temporary sensation of surviving on our own, without the assistance of modern convenience. We want to thrive in nature, as did our ancient ancestors.

So, it’s no wonder outdoor cooking satisfies that desire and yields fully enriching results. Wandering out into the woods, I often surprise myself with the quality of the meals I create, which are many times more fulfilling than those I would make in a regular, white-walled kitchen. Perhaps there’s a greater amount of authenticity involved.

Ever heard of pouches? They might be one of the easiest, awesomest set-and-forget camping meals invented, and everyone in your crew can customize their pouch to his or her liking. There’s no need for pots, or pans, blenders or thingamabobs -- just a hot fire courtesy of Mother Nature. Check it out. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Roll of aluminum foil

• Eggs (enough for each person to have at least one)

• Meat or protein substitute of your preference (I like beef chunks)

• Your favorite vegetables (I bring a small assortment of potatoes,

• broccoli, asparagus, bell peppers, and zucchini).

• Your favorite spices (I like the standard salt and pepper, or Mrs. Dash).

• Your favorite cheeses (I stick with a mix of jack cheeses).

• Olive oil or butter.

So, if you somehow didn’t get the gist, the main idea here is to bring your favorite foods. This recipe is all about you, so bring what you love and I’ll help you put it all together for a nice outdoor treat. Here’s how:

Tear off several sheets of aluminum foil about a foot and a half in length. Lay two perpendicular to each other and overlap them like a cross. Next, fold the edges of the foil in so that you start to create a bowl shape. Continuously add to the outside of the bowl, making the sides taller so that you can eventually fold them in on themselves and create a complete sphere. Once your bowl is the size of two fists or bigger, you can start adding the Yum.

I start by making a base layer of potatoes, as they take the longest to cook and need the most heat. Next, add your meat, or, for those with stronger ethics, your protein substitute. After that, it’s veggie- time! Add all your favorite greens and plenty of them (they’re good for you). Once you’ve got it all packed in there, crack open an egg or two as the “cherry” on top, throw in some cheese, spices and a bit of oil or butter. Now comes the hard part.

You’ll want your fire to be going strong – not a rager, but it should have some hot coals, or at least the potential to stay lit for a while (easier said than done). Fold your pouch in on itself so that none of your food is exposed. You may need to add an extra layer of foil on top for good measure. Next, and I’m being literal here, toss that plump pouch into the fire. Not so fast, though, you’ll want to be able to get it out of the fire, too, so use some common sense and pick a spot that’s easily accessible. As I said, this is the hard part. Now, you wait.

I usually spend the next thirty-five minutes staring directly at my pouch in anticipation, flames dancing around the foil, sizzles popping from the inside. Find some tongs, or a few large sticks, and rotate your pouch every ten minutes or so, making sure that all sides get some heat. After not too long, scents from inside the pouch will find your nose, and you’ll get the first taste of what’s about to come. Hold on tight, though, those thirty-five minutes are essential.

It’s time to eat! At this point, I’m usually overwhelmed with excitement. Opening a fresh pouch is like tearing open a birthday present, except it’s the most incredible gift you’ve ever received – EVERY TIME! Be careful removing your pouch from the fire, and gently open it (steam will pour out, so watch your face), checking to make sure that all your meats and ‘tatoes are cooked. Throw it back in for more if you need to, and if not, well, guess what!

You’ve done it! Start stuffing your face with the pride and power of a meal cooked over a real fire, with no help from modern shortcuts. Reflect on the food you’re eating, where it came from, and all the energy it took to arrive at your mouth. Spend several bites considering how it feels to nourish yourself in this environment, and give thanks to the nature around you for providing the experience. Breathe in the fresh air and be grateful for the life the Earth has given you.

-"The Weather Man"

AUTUMNAL.

Before gourd season is officially over, I need to address a few things:

I hope everyone is well aware of the term autumnal- and is using it on a daily basis.  For those of you who are still in the dark, please contact Linda Van Buren ASAP. Secondly, autumn is the season of harvest and therefore offers us so many wonderful thing to enjoy; namely horn-shaped wicker baskets, obnoxious ornamental gourds, and colorful (dirty) leaves spread throughout the house. There's nothing like coming home to the site of a baby Pilgrim Thanksgiving set on your dining room table. 

Regardless, autumn is amazing.. and undoubtedly my favorite season. 

As you might imagine, the seasonal food selection is high up there on my Life List. Yesterday, I was perusing the produce section at BiRite when I realized that I had not eaten a pear this autumnal season. How strange. I immediately threw a few into my basket, grabbed my (necessary) chocolate-hazelnut butter and checked out. For once I was going to make it out of BiRite without spending the usual $4,471.

 When I got home, I truly admired how beautiful these little fruits are. They are overweight in all the right places.. I like that. Their skins are smooth with slight imperfections, giving them each a unique character. How sad that I was about to devour all of them.

Pears are part of the rose family, with over 3,000 known varieties. They were originally found as a source of food during the Stone Age in Asia and Southeastern Europe. Some records of cultivation can be traced back to about 5,000 years ago in China. It wasn't until the 18th-century that pears became popular in Europe, especially after being immortalized alongside a partridge in the Christmas carol "The Twelve Day of Christmas." Today pears are grown mainly in China, the US (thanks Oregon), Italy, Spain and France.

Pears are not only delicious- they're extremely nutritious. One medium-sized pear can contain as much potassium and vitamin C as a small glass of orange juice. They are also filled with powerful phytochemicals and antioxidants. Pears have a cooling thermal nature and are good for quenching  thirst and moistening the lungs, which can be useful when you have a cough. Pears can also be used to heal skin injuries (astringent), a loss of voice, or gallbladder inflammation. Depending on your ish, the pear's got it covered.

Autumnal foods in general reflect the qualities of autumn, believe it or not. Their qualities exhibit an abundant yet contracting nature. Awareness can be heightened by consuming more astringent foods, like the pear, and heartier flavors. Sounds good to me..!

It's Wednesday.

..so what?

Haight Street Farmer's Market is what- and its freaking awesome. Chef Artie & I rocking it with the local farmers, swingin sweet deals, and fattening ourselves up with the plethora of free samples thrown our way.

..simply the best farmer's market in town.

Spoonin Up Watcha Love..

with Alisa Lee.

 

I for one, have never been a big juicer. It seems messy, time consuming and generally more trouble than it's worth. Plus, I like eating my fruit & veggies.

However, last week my good friend Alisa tried to persuade me otherwise. She asked if I could come over and shoot a few pictures of her in juicing action for her food blog, Spoon It.  Always wanting to be part of the action (when it comes to food), I happily agreed.

 

Alisa had already purchased organic granny smiths & the largest carrots I had ever seen. She claimed that the combination of flavors would be delish. Hmm. It was hard for me to believe her because all I could think about was eating her apples. I need to remind myself to eat before food photo shoots, otherwise it becomes Bad Bews Bears ASAP.

After discussing the steps we needed to take, i.e. washing, chopping, dividing, etc., we finally decided to shoot the video/a few stills. Surprisingly, the juicing only took about 15 minutes from start to finish (not counting the time necessary to clean the massive juicing monster machine- circa 1958.. and roughly the size of my torso).

..and it was just the perfect autumnal color.

 

Check out more of Alisa's juicing tips with her personal videos, more pictures and foodie advice in general. 

Spoon It.

Pimpin out the Kitch.

The Center SF is a new healing community in the heart of historic San Francisco. I've had the fortune of being a part of this amazing community and meeting some truly stellar individuals the past few weeks.

One amazing aspect of the Center SF is it's sustainable kitchen, organized and run by Chef Arthur. He has helped to create an food program that offers three meals a day with organic & locally sourced food options. As a collective, we are helping each other to get the Center SF's sustainable kitchen off and running to a fantastic start. So far, so good (and D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S)!

Good work team.

..and more to come soon. Like tomorrow.

Pomodori, Zuppe, ecc

Gazpacho.

No one knows a good gazpacho until you try the St. James version.

While at home this past week (let's be honest, there's always an excuse to go to Santa Barbara), I witnessed a wonderful thing. The creation of Homemade gazpacho. The inspiration for this came from the bazillion unripened green tomatoes in our backyard. Nature decided this year to have all her tomatoes ripen at the same time. In order to mollify the possible ramifications of this, my mom and I came up with a way to use some of these guys today. And there it was, gazpacho.

Previously that week we had tried a delicious gazpacho from a little tapas bar called Joya in Palo Alto. Trying to mimic the same flavors & roughly following a recipe in a cookbook from in the abyss we call a cupboard, our recipe evolved (see below).

I decided that I would document this gazpacho process by sitting down at the kitchen table and watching my mom do most of the work, albeit a little bell pepper chopping. She's usually better at these things anyway. I'm better at eating

..we all have our strengths.

   GazpachO:

• 1 pound of vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 pound of green tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (unripened)
• 1/2 tomato juice
• 1 avocado
• 1 1/2 cup cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/8 of sweet medium-sized melon, such as cantaloupe, diced
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped red onion
• 1 small jalapeno seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup EVOO (imported, cold pressed)
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh sea salt
• 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh chili flakes
• 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, for garnishing

Directions:

Using a 6-y quart pot, fill halfway with water and set to a high heat. Bring to a boil. In the meantime, mark an X with a knife on the bottom of both types of tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes in the boiling water and about 10-15 seconds, remove them and transfer to an ice bath. From here, allow the tomatoes to cool for about 5 minutes and then peel, core and seed the tomatoes. When you are seeding the tomatoes, set aside the seeds and pulp. With these we will place them over  a fine mesh strainer that is set over a bowl in order to catch the extra juice. Add the juice collected in the bowl to a measuring cup. We will use this later. Put the tomatoes and juice into a mixing bowl and add the bell pepper, cucumber, melon, garlic cloves, jalapeno, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar Worcestershire sauce, cumin, garlic salt, salt, and chili flakes. Stir well until all the ingredients are combined evenly. From here, transfer about 2 cups of the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend for about 15 seconds on high. Take the pureed mixture and mix it back in with the original mixture, stir to combine. Cover and put in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight. When serving, cut basil into thin neat strips and place on top, accompanied by a quick pinch of sea salt, ground pepper and diced avocado. Voila!
_______________________________________________________________________________

Dishing up Tomato Nutrition

If you're still with me, I'd like to tell you a little bit about why tomatoes are so dang healthy for you. 

 

Tomatoes, or lycopersicon lycopersicum, come from the same family that includes peppers, potatoes and eggplant. There are many different varieties of these nightshade vegetables (and fruit), with just over a thousand varieties of tomatoes that differ in size, shape and color -yellow, red, green, orange and brown.

Tomatoes were originally introduced to Italy in the 16th century by the Spanish, and later brought to America by colonists in Virgina. It wasn't until the 19th century that tomatoes gained popularity. Today, tomatoes are one of the most popular fruits on the market. They are extremely tasty, not to mention extremely healthy for you as well.

Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and potassium. They are also an excellent source of plant chemicals including phytosterols and beta-carotene. They also provide sufficient amounts of lycopene, which becomes more abundant when the tomato is cooked. I found this striking as fruits and veggies usually lose nutritional value the longer they are exposed to heat. Furthermore, tomatoes have been used for home remedies as well. Taking a bath with tomato juice while drinking a glass of tomato juice simultaneously, has been proven to help with certain skin disorders such as eczema. Another home remedy using tomatoes is to create a concoction using tomato juice and buttermilk and apply it to burned areas of the skin for immediate long-term relief.

In order to maximize the benefit of your tomatoes (smelling, eating, cooking etc.), store them at room temperature -not in the fridge! Fully ripe tomatoes will last for a day or two and should have a mild fragrance. If a tomato has no fragrance, it means that it was picked before it was ripened and will never ripen. Sad day. Lastly, make sure to not cook your tomatoes with aluminum cookware because the acid in tomatoes chemically interacts with the metal and causes the aluminum to leech into the skins.

fingerprint fruit

the PLUM.

Having had some extra time on my hands this summer, frequenting the local Farmer's Markets is not only an option, it's a must. It is hard to say what my absolute favorite part of going to the Farmer's Market is; however, the free fruit samples on those round trays guarantee my return every time.

This summer, the plums have been especially mouth-watering delicious. Up until this past year, I wasn't aware of how many different varieties of plums there really are. Purple ones, purple spotted ones; yellow ones, oranges speckled ones...you name it. And then they sometimes cross them with apricots, peaches or nectarines and things get real crazy.

Just the other day, my mom and I happened to find ourselves at the Santa Barbara Farmer's Market. It was great: the sun was shining, the musicians were singing, and the fruit samples were out in full force. We weaseled our way through a small crowd of people who were surrounding a frenzied-looking lady with a  sample platter.  Jackpot.  Needless to say, I tried pretty much every type of plum, pluot, peach, etc. We ended up purchasing about half of the stand's selection and were on our way.

(see the fingerprints!?)

When I got home, I was curious to see how nutritionally sound these little guys were. And they are pretty dang good for ya. Here's the legit story:

Plums (aka prunes) have a unique history. Plums made their way over from the Caspian Sea region to America in the mid-nineteenth century when Louis Pellier planted plum tree cuttings from France into the California soil. Thanks to him, California now grows about 100% and 70% of the country's and world's plum supply, respectively. That's a lot of plums in California.

There are four major varieties of plums; French, Imperial, Italian and Greengage. All varieties are rich in important nutrients such as potassium, vitamin K, and minerals like iron. They also contain caffeoylquinic acid (wow-that's a mouthful), which is a phenolic compound and contains high levels of antioxidants. A fun fact to know is that when a plum becomes a prune (through a specific dessication process), its antioxidant content doubles.

I know what all of you are thinking next: plums & prunes are good for another reason, right? Yes, they have been a top choice for relieving constipation. In addition to their high fiber content, plums have a naturally occurring sugar alcohol that promotes laxation. A recent study shows that eating prunes regularly decreased your risk of colon cancer. I guess that makes sense!

If you get the time to grab a couple plums from the Farmer's Market- or the local Walgreens for you really lazy people, try this simple recipe:

Plums for Breakfast.

• 1-2 plums, pitted & chopped
•  1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
•  1/2 mango juice (or substitute another tropical juice)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup organic raw almonds
• 1 Tsp. raw flax seeds
• 1 Tsp. shredded coconut
• 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt (or vanilla coconut yogurt if you are dairy-free)

Mix all ingredients together a few hours before you plan on eating it. That way, all the flavors become stronger and more delicious. Yum.