Pork tacos...

Sometimes the simplest of dishes are oh-so-good.
I don’t watch those “Network-Star” shows where everyone tries to compete in these crazy-outlandish competitions where they have you making beef stroganoff at a famous person’s house in like 4 minutes, with a bunch of malfunctioning equipment (ok—so I saw part of one episode). I know that is entertainment for many, and good clean entertainment I suppose, however it is not for me. Although I heard them say once, “What is your culinary point of view” and I thought…hmmm—what is mine? Why should I have one? But in all honesty, it can kind of define you in the kitchen a little.
So I thought about it—and I realized, that mine would be “Traditional, regional, international cuisine.” Now that is a mouthful. But I love to do a study on the particular way a community or group of people prepare their foods traditionally. I don’t know why this intrigues me, or inspires me. But it does, and always has.
As a result, I would return home from travels and recreate all the things I saw and ate…Mendiants from Paris, empanada, chimichuri, alfajore from Argentina, the Greek style salad from Santorini (there was no iceberg within a mile of it) and the Frappe’s from Athens.
This one, I cannot say that I ate in Mexico, but I watch my husband, who is of that culture, and how he eats the foods of his youth, of his Nana. He is 3rd generation American, but the culture, that is what comes forward among a people.

Tender cubed meat, with little else, is tucked into a tortilla, curled around and enjoyed, with little embellishment and flare.
Tuck into this rustic pork taco, it is easy to make, and because there are so few ingredients, the delicious ingredients get to compliment each other in a way that is simply-delicious.

Make the pork the day before, or Saturday, or whenever you have a few hours (its in the crock pot and is no-maintenance). Then you can assemble these pork tacos in less than 10-minutes!
The pork only needs a swift two hour turn on high in the crock. It becomes juicy and succulent and moist…with just enough spice. The contrast of the cool, crisp cucumber with the juicy meat, and the cool creaminess of the sour cream really make this taco a symphony in your mouth! You will want to eat 4. Really.

Pork

• 1.5-2.0 pound roast of pork
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp each cumin, chili powder, salt

Cube the meat into ½ inch cubes. Add all ingredients in the crock pot and put on high for 2-hours, or until the cubes are cooked through and tender.

Tacos

• Heat oven to 350-degrees.
• Lay out corn tortillas on a cookie sheet.
• Sprinkle with some cheddar.
• Add a spoonful of pork meat.
• Bake in oven for 12-15 minutes.
• Remove from oven, add 2 slices of thin cucumber (I used Armenian, use what you like)
• Add 1 dollop of sour cream
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Devour.

A new way with beets...

My fellow farm-share-ers were sitting around at lunch the other day, chatting about how we do love beets...but we were sad to say, that we were simply 'tired' of them. Well—what can one expect with nearly 6-8 beets a week for weeks on end in our summer farmers bounty. Not that we don't love them—we do—but sometimes, when you have lots to eat in a week—well recipes for them can become hard to find, especially something to do with them that is different than the usual (usual=roasted with salt and lemon in a high oven.)
We will of course, next year this time be awaiting them with anxiousness when the season comes back around, having all but forgotten our wearniess of them that we speak of now...but for now...it was time to mix things up.
I was making my morning smoothie the other day, and had a jar of roasted beets in the fridge...I added a few to the blender as my husband walked in...uh-oh—I received a sideways look of "what the heck are you doing?" and then the cautious question.."Uh-what's that sweetie??" As if he knew that was going to have to be his breakfast. But luckily I am blessed with a husband who will try anything, at least once. So I explained that our morning smoothie would include roasted beets. So in the blender the beets stayed. He thought it was delicious!

Beet and Melon Smoothie

• ¾ cup fresh-roasted beet, or canned (not pickled)
• 2-3 cups cubed honeydew or cantaloupe melon
• 2 bananas
• 1 container (6-8oz) plain yogurt
• Juice of one lime
• 1 tbs agave nectar

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. It makes two large smoothies.

BLTs...like you remember...

BRAVO-LARRY-TANGO-- that is code in our house for BLTs for dinner!
Its tomato season, and our farmshare is not disappointing us! Juicy, lucious red-ripe tomatoes. Ok, I confess, every Monday night in our house during tomato season is BLT night. We have to get it in while it lasts you know. We are of the school of thought, that we only eat the veggies we get in the farmshare, we buy no vegetables at the grocery each week. We are true seasonal eaters. Therefore, when tomato season is over, its over--for us anyway. So its a bit of a BLT-palooza at our place right now.
And for the gluten-free-ers, the joy is the same as the days when you still ate good old fashioned bread. Why? Because of the GF english muffin recipe I have on this blog site. These english muffins/hamburger buns/sandwhich breads really are a revolution. Please understand that I am not boasting, I am sharing the joy of GF bread with those who should know about it!
If you make these for nothing else, make it for having a BLT. Its like you remembered, the tender crumb of fresh toasted bread, chewey and soft, not dense... but light and fluffy, just the right texture of crunch and chew.
If you haven't made these english muffins yet, you must. For BRAVO-LARRY-TANGO night in your house.

Zuccini relish...

I am still stuck on my theme of making new and different things with my summer basket full of our AZ summer harvest items! Squash are in season, and are they ever (I count 7, large and small, in my fridge crisper bin at the moment.) This recipe is a home run, with so many uses! Make a double batch...
It's crisp with tang, and just enough warmth to tingle your tastebuds. Delightful, stacked up on a rice cracker, or on a sandwhich, it can stand in for the tangy-zip without fat and little calories.
Don't be afraid to let other summer veggies join the party (eggplant, squash...)

Zucchini Relish

• 2 medium squash-or about 3 cups (use green zucchini, or yellow crookneck–peel if using these, their skins get waxy…no need to peel the green ones) You can also use eggplant in with this if you like.
• 1 cup olives, any kind-without the pits
• 1 medium to large dill pickle-equivalent to ¼ cup
• 1 cup fresh basil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp fennel seed or ground fennel
• 1 tsp chili flake (less if you like less heat, this makes it a medium in heat)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs red wine vinegar

Put all the ingredients into a food processor. Using the pulse, start pulsing at intervals until it looks like a relish (like pickle reslish) consistency...my processor took 9 pulses!

Pack it into jars! Here is how we use it--be creative!

• Spoon it over romaine as a salad topping
• Place a spoon on romain hearts as an appetizer
• Add cooked shrimp for a cold-lettuce wrap dinner
• Spooned onto crackers
• On a sandwhich as a topping
• Out of the jar with a spoon :)

Eggplant poppers...

The summer farmshare season here in AZ calls for eggplant, and lots of it. This recipe is courtesy a friend of mine—also a fellow-devoted farmshare-er—in an effort to try something new and creative with her bounty of eggplants last year. She came up with this brilliant combination! The combinations seem so unlikely, yet they blend beautifully. The tanginess of the cream cheese and the creaminess, and the crunch of the pepper and the bite of spiciness are really a wonderful and surprising marriage of flavors. You will be surprised how addicting these little poppers are!

Here is how to make them:

• 1 or more eggplants that are about 6 inches tall. You want about 30 slices when finished.
• 1 package of cream cheese (or 4 oz. package of goat cheese)
• 1/2 cup or so sliced jalapeños (fresh, or canned are ok). If you prefer no heat, use jarred Italian sweet cherry peppers; they are tangy without heat but have the right flavor profile.
• Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 425-degrees.
Slice the eggplant very thin. You want it as thin as you can get it. Cut  it into strips about 1.5-2 inches wide. You might have to trim larger eggplants to size, or if you use smaller ones, they should work fine. Strips should be about 5-6 inches long and about 2 inches wide.

Lay the thin slices on foil that is brushed with olive oil. Sprinkle the slices with salt (try an herbed salt!)
Bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes. Keep a close eye! They start to brown fast!!! You don’t necessarily want them brown, but they will become soft and pliable and roll-able.

Remove from oven, and lay them out and place a small amount of cream cheese (or goat cheese) on the end of each one, about the size of your thumbnail. Lay across a pepper slice, and any fresh herbs you have (Rosemary is very nice). Then roll! Roll each one up and anchor with a toothpick!

Serve these as a great vegetarian appetizer that is a real surprise in flavors.

Variation: A wonderful variation to using these as appetizers, is to morph them into a delicious and healthy version of eggplant parmesan.
To do that, layer all your rolled poppers (without toothpicks) into a casserole dish. Cover with red sauce, and sprinkle with gluten free breadcrumb all over the top. Sprinkle with a small amount of parmesan and bake for 25-minutes at 350-degrees.

The humble fig...

Behold, the humble fig. ‘Tis the season here in AZ and other parts of the country. As part of my “Know your neighbors, and what they grow” campaign, my wonderful ‘Fig Neighbor' has offered up a glorious bounty from their treasure-laden tree.

The fig is very unpretentious, not like the cherry-red shiny apple, kind of alike a lady with bright red lipstick, or the blond Rainer cherry, standing tall with its stem and shy-but beautiful blushed coat.

No—the fig has a dusty-colored purple, matte finish skin and sort of lumpy-plump little body, and sits there in its humble fashion. But, oh—the fig! It is so deserving of so much praise in taste and nutrition!
Here is how I use this seasons bounty of figs. Buy them up in large quanitites when they are on sale and make lots of things!

Fig Jam

• 3 lbs ripe figs (stems trimmed off)
• 1 lb sugar (by weight)
• ½ cup water
• Juice of two lemons

Directions:
In a deep stock pot place figs, sugar, water and lemon juice. Cover and on medium high heat bring to a simmer. After about 5-minutes, smash the figs down with a wooden spoon. Continue to cook for another 10-minutes. Turn off the heat, and using an immersion (hand) blender, carefully blend the figs until a smooth jam forms (some chunks ok.) Ladle this into clean glass jars.
(Note: you can use a blender in batches, in lieu of immersion blender, but be careful, the jam is HOT).

Low Sugar Fig JamAn alternative to standard fig jam, which has a fair amount of sugar, try this one; pure fruit, enhanced by citrus, with natural honey for sweetness.

• 20 or so fresh figs, stems removed, and cut in half
• 2 lemons, zest and juice
• 1/4 cup honey
• Water

Place in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Crush figs with the back of a spoon as they heat. Liquid should begin to come out. Add zest and juice of the lemons. Add honey. If mixture is too dry, add enough water to make a simmer. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Liquid should begin to reduce and mixture should thicken slightly as figs cook. Blend with blender or hand blender, place in glass jars. Once cooled it should be a spoonable consistancy.

Dried figs (make honey-soaked figs)
Trim stems and half figs. Give them a stint overnight in your food dehydrator. Once completely cool, store in glass jars in your pantry.

As for the bounty of figs in general, here is how I enjoy them:

• Jam on a gluten free cheese flavored cracker
• Honey-soaked figs on yogurt
• Turkey and mozzarella panini with fig jam or fresh sliced figs
• Fig spread
  Mix ½ cup fig jam with 4 oz goat cheese until blended. Use as a spread on sandwiches, toast, or as a cracker spread or dip at your next party
• Fresh: Take a bite, dip in brown sugar, take a bite—repeat.

S'mores in a Snap...

Summer. It's synonymous with camping around here. And we all know what must happen while camping…s’mores. For those of us gluten free, for a long while—well we have been left out in the cold so to speak. There is no real gluten free graham cracker to be found. I created a recipe that (if I do say so) is a very close rendition, and very delicious! (It is soon to be posted). However, sometimes life calls for s’mores in a snap (translation—not having to take the time bake something.) Now, I am not one known for impatience, after all, most from-scratch people are not likely candidates for impatience. But these are divine, more than you would even think, and fit the bill for a quick treat with a few store bought goodies…a welcome, and easy gluten free summertime treat!

• 1 package store bought gluten free cookies (I used Pamela’s mini chocolate chip cookies, because I like them, and they are the perfect size. Use any kind you like.)
• 1 jar of Nutella
• 1 bag of large marshmallows

Roast your marshmallow to your liking. Spread desired amount of Nutella on each cookie, then sandwich the roasted marshmallow in between.