#* favorites

[barrett-troy]

my favorite firstprince kisses.

[barrett-troy]

my favorite alexander claremont-diaz looks.

[rawrightnow-blog]

Black Peppered Nectarines

Three pounds of nectarines in the CSA box this week! Two were bruised and starting to go bad from that point, so I came up with this simple treatment. I put it in the dehydrator overnight and had it for breakfast, but you could do the dehydrator during the day and have it for dessert instead.

A Raw Right Now original.

Black Peppered Nectarines

Dice two to three nectarines and place in a bowl. Add the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoon or so of honey or your preferred sweetener — if your nectarines are ripe and sweet, you'll need less; if they're not so sweet, you'll need more. Adjust to your taste. Add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla, several generous grinds of black pepper and a small pinch of salt. Stir to mix, then pour into a dish that will fit into your dehydrator. Cover with plastic wrap and dehydrate at 118 for four to six hours, or until quite juicy. Stir in a tablespoon of Mila or ground chia and return to the dehydrator for another hour to allow the juices to thicken up.

Would be good over a raw tart crust or topped with crunchy soaked-and-dried buckwheat. I just ate it with a spoon.

I also did a variation with Dapple pluots and a combination of Chinese five-spice powder (old, been kicking around the spice cabinet far too long) and cinnamon. Tasty. Gotta get new five-spice, though.

[alittlecooked-blog]

Not entirely a whole-foods recipe, but if you use a less-refined sweetener it'll be a little better.

With the hot weather we've been having (it finally feels like summer! and it's only the Fourth of July!) we've been enjoying drinking shandies made with hefeweizen — which we've dubbed the "shandyweizen". (One of the nice things about shandies is that because they're half lemonade you can have several without getting snockered. As a lightweight, I appreciate that.) Having a good lemonade makes a big difference.

From the comments:

I would only add that your lemon syrup will last longer if you do a 4 to 3 ratio of sugar to water. For example, a cup of sugar to 3/4 cup water. The water activity of the resulting syrup will make it pretty bulletproof even outside of your fridge. Let's say, it can sit on your counter (no fridge necessary) for a good 6-8 months.

And another suggestion from the comments:

If you're making simple syrup, I like adding star anise, and sometimes other aromatics (cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and cloves to it). I like the taste it gives to lemonade. If I'm lazy, I'll just toss a star anise or two into my glass of lemonade.

[alittlecooked-blog]

Three ways to grill potatoes

For dinner last night I adapted Technique 1 from this article: small Yukon Golds cut in half, par-cooked in simmering salted water until tender, then tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, before being grilled over medium-low heat on the cast-iron grill pan until they'd developed lovely dark-golden lines. Really good. We let them cool then tossed them with pesto for a simple pesto potato salad. Yum.

From Fine Cooking.

At first, it might seem tricky to grill a potato successfully, but fortunately potatoes are incredibly accommodating. The delicious flavor and texture of a grilled potato is a great reward for learning to manage one tiny problem: getting the potato cooked on the inside before it burns on the outside.

To be sure that you've got a grilled potato that's cooked through, follow one of the methods I've detailed in the techniques below, depending on what kind of potatoes you have and what else you're cooking. Each of these techniques is completely adaptable to your own palate: once you've tried the basic recipe, feel free to alter the seasonings as you like. Soon you'll be perfecting your own versions of delicious grilled potatoes—as habit-forming as the best mashed or roasted.

Technique #1: Par-cook potatoes before grilling for better control

Get the recipe: Rosemary-Mustard Grilled Potatoes 

It may seem like extra work, but I like to partially cook (by simmering) most potatoes before grilling them. Here's why: first, it cuts down on the final grilling time, so I can put the potatoes on just as I finish grilling the meat or whatever else I'm making. Since the potatoes are already mostly cooked, they only need to be seared over direct heat to create a golden brown crust. I'm mainly looking for visual clues to see when the potatoes are done, so I don't have to pay as much attention to them. I also don't have to cover the grill, so I can grill a steak at the same time. And if I'm entertaining, I can hand off the grilling to someone else, knowing they just have to look at the potatoes to know when they're done.

I especially like to use this method for dense-fleshed potatoes like Red Bliss and Yukon Gold. Grilled this way, they have almost the texture of french fries by the time they're done: golden on the outside, fluffy and cakey on the inside.

Simmer potato slices gently until just shy of fully cooked. Add a simple coating of mustard and mayonnaise to keep the potatoes moist. I always cut the potatoes before I simmer them (I like slices, but quarters and wedges work, too), and I let them drain well after simmering. I can do this ahead of time and leave them at room temperature while fixing the rest of dinner. Then, I coat the potatoes well with either oil and herbs or a combination of a little bit of mayonnaise and mustard, since the fats help keep the moisture inside the potatoes when they hit the grill, and also help to keep the tender flesh from sticking. While I think it works best to season your potatoes before you grill them, that doesn't mean you can't season them afterward, too, or use them in other recipes, such as Grilled Potato, Corn & Red Onion Salad over Arugula.

Technique #2: Cook potatoes from start to finish on the grill

Get the recipe: Grilled Potato "Fries" If you don't want to bother precooking your potatoes, you can cook them start-to-finish on the grill by using a combination of direct and indirect cooking. When building your charcoal fire, be sure to bank the coals to one side so that you'll have a hotter side and a cooler side. On a gas grill, heat one side of the grill to medium high; keep the other side on medium low. When planning what else you might want to cook on the grill, keep in mind that you'll be covering the grill, and using it for a little longer when cooking potatoes this way. I like this method for wedges of Idaho potatoes. When they sear on the hot grill, their starch seems to seal in their inherent moisture, and the result is crispy outside and flaky inside. I don't like this method quite as well for red and yellow potatoes.

Technique #3: Wrap potatoes in foil to keep them moist and to blend flavors

Get the recipe: Grilled Potato & Mushroom Packets One of the easiest and most delicious ways to cook potatoes on the grill is to toss them with a lot of the same goodies you might use for roasted potatoes and wrap them tightly in foil. Put the package on the grate directly over the heat, cover the grill, and in 40 minutes you have a delicious side dish.

Grilled this way, the potatoes steam to a moist but firm texture and bathe in the juices of roasting aromatics. Garlic, onions, and peppers practically melt into the potatoes for extra flavor. And if your coals are hot enough, the potatoes closest to the outside of the package will have nicely charred edges, too. The package can sit off the grill, unopened, for up to 15 minutes, while you grill the main course.

A few things to keep in mind: First, before wrapping the potatoes in the foil, spread them out so that the pile is an even thickness, about 1-1/2 inches deep. This will let more potatoes come in close contact with the heat of the fire, ensuring even cooking. Second, mound the coals so that they're 5 to 6 inches below the center of the grate (but no closer). Then set the package directly over the hottest spot. Ideally, the potatoes on the bottom will be just beginning to char when they're flipped after 20 minutes. Last, be sure to cover the grill completely (leave the top and bottom vents open) so the potatoes bake in the oven-like atmosphere. You can cook foil-wrapped potatoes on a gas grill, too, but you may have to cook them longer (or heat the grill to high). When you first try this method, you might want to use slightly shorter cooking times and check the potatoes (unfold the foil with tongs; the steam will be hot enough to burn). If they aren't quite done, rewrap them and grill for a few more minutes. If they're too charred but not done in the middle, put them back on, away from the coals, and cover the grill

[alittlecooked-blog]

Vegan Colcannon

Made this for dinner tonight and got two highly enthusiastic thumbs up from my husband. Definitely a keeper. Especially since this is one of those formulas that can be widely adapted:

greens + starchy veg + meat alternative = what do you feel like making tonight?

I'm having a vision of kale + sweet potatoes + faux sausage, with a healthy dash of ground chipotle pepper and a squeeze of lime juice over the top. Yum!

From Choosing Raw.

Colcannon is an example of simple, rustic food at its best. It’s a mashed potato dish made with cabbage or kale, though the cabbage variety is more traditional. Depending on how fancy you want to be, you can add chives, sour cream, butter, leeks, bacon, or ham to the dish: I happen to think colcannon is best when it’s on the simpler side. I always make it with kale, since I prefer kale to cabbage, and I always add a good hefty dose of Earth Balance: this is not the kind of food that begs for health-minded restraint. It’s a dish that begs for a liberal hand with buttery flavor. With all of that said, I’ve got my own recipe down to two tablespoons of Earth Balance and a bit of olive oil, which I don’t think is too outrageous. And since the boy is a big fan of Field Roast, I thought I’d replicate some of the smokiness and flavor that typically comes from ham or Irish bacon with a bit of the Field Roast apple sage sausage, which had been seared and had also gone in my cabbage stew. Good move. I added just enough that it was hard to detect, but lent flecks of salt and flavor to the dish.

There are tons of colcannon varieties at large on the web: a quick search will present you with many options for making it. Mine was first inspired by Lolo’s recipe, and it has evolved each time I make it. I generally like to sauté my kale in a little garlic, and add my cooked potatoes to that same dish, so that they soak up the flavors and the kale is distributed evenly. You could definitely mash your potatoes first, and add the kale after; if you want, you could even leave the kale raw. I toyed with that idea this time, and then decided that I eat enough raw kale; it begs for some cooking now and then.

Vegan Colcannon (vegan)

(serves 3-4)

5-6 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered 4 cups of finely chopped and washed kale 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp Earth Balance 1/3 cup almond milk 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 1/2 tsp thyme (optional) 1/3 cup seared and finely chopped Field Roast sausage (optional) Salt and pepper to taste

1) Put a salted pot of water on to boil. When it’s boiling, add the potatoes and boil till very tender.

2) Heat the oil in a large skillet or shallow pot, and add garlic. Swirl garlic around till its a little golden, and then add the kale. Flash cook the kale till soft and reduced, about a minute.

3) Add potatoes to the kale, and mash roughly with a hand held potato masher. Add Earth Balance, almond milk, and salt and pepper. Make sure to season well. Add the Field Roast if using, and mix to incorporate.

[rawrightnow-blog]

Balsamic Tahini Dressing

Thumbs up on this one from me, and from my husband, to my surprise. Ordinarily he's a one-dressing man (balsamic vinaigrette, thankyouverymuch), but he liked this one a lot. Into the "keepers" file.

From Choosing Raw.

A few nights ago, my boyfriend was struck with the ingenious notion of combining tahini and balsamic vinegar. As soon as I heard it, I declared it brilliant. Not a typical flavor pairing, but since when do I like conventional flavor pairings? If avocado and chocolate didn’t forever persuade me that conventional pairings are nonsense, then nothing will. And actually, tahini and balsamic work really beautifully. The sweet and sour balsamic offsets the salty tahini, and since tahini is a relatively mellow flavor, it’s a perfect canvas for a really strong acid.

Our original tahini and balsamic experiment was just that: tahini and balsamic vinegar, tossed with a bowl of chopped veggies. The following day, at lunch, I made a slightly more refined version. I hope you’ll love it.

Balsamic Tahini Dressing (yields 1 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup tahini 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 3/4 cup water 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or 1/2 clove finely minced garlic) 1 tbsp tamari or nama shoyu

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor. Enjoy over salad, as a sandwich/falafel dressing, or as a dip. Adjust the water in the recipe to suit your purposes: you may want to add a bit more or less depending on whether this is a dip or dressing.