Spinach

I love summer and what it brings! I love the warm mornings and the smell of flowers and fresh cut grass.

And now, a new adventure into spinach. Such a useful, healthy and yummy vegetable! Spinach can be used anywhere from main dish to breakfast!

I love mixing it into a salad! Such an easy task one might say but here is a great recipe!
Spinach salad with beets, goat cheese, and lemon dressing!

I mix a lot of spinach with mix green lettuce. I peel and heat the beets until they are fork tender (around 375 degree oven with aluminium foil tent for about 20-25 mins). After the beets are cool, add them into the salad with crumbled goat cheese. I make my own dressing using canola oil, lemon juice, diced shallots, Dijon mustard, apple vinegar, and salt/pepper. I make it to taste. If you have left over chicken breast, throw it in, it make a prefect summer lunch!!

Until next time, keep on cookin'!!

Broccoli

Sorry for the delay. My kids thought that playing with the computer and locking it up was a good idea. Here is the vegetable for the week...Broccoli. This is one vegetable I know all my kids will eat making it simple to steam or dressing it up, let me know some of your ideas!

Mushrooms

Here it is, the newest challenge is...Mushrooms! I love mushrooms, it can make any bland dish exciting and have depth. I know I use them in so many different things, but my favorite is:

fresh mushrooms w/ cream over polenta or a nice piece of steak.

coat the pan with olive oil, toss in some shallots, garlic, and mushrooms reduce down. Always add in salt and pepper, making sure to layer it throughout the recipe. Then use one part chicken stock to two parts heavy cream and reduce down....yum! I love the flavor over polenta but over a nice steak, it can't be beat.

Now your turn, ideas on mushrooms??

Beets

I love the sweetness of beets!! I typically throw them in salad. I peel them, heat them up and put the in a cold salad. I am looking for new ideas this week for beet, so join in!

Visit one of our many local farmer's markets. I love the one in SF ferry building but the local ones are nice too. Check out a local farmer's market for the freshest fruits and veggies.

Let me know of any really good ones and post your own favorite!!

Swiss chard

Here is my fav recipe for Swiss Chard:
Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, add some crushed garlic, and then for simple dish add the Swiss chard. While the Swiss chard is cooking make sure to add salt and pepper. Ready in 5 mins and delicious!!

for some other ideas try adding mushrooms, bacon, or pancetta...even a little heat with crushed red peppers! High in iron and good tasting...now that's what i like!!!

Alrighty, here is the challenge for this week: Swiss Chard! Let me know of all the fun and interesting ideas with swiss chard!
Challenge ends Saturday at midnight! Post what you have and share many ideas!
Food addict!

Art

I love walking around local farmer's markets, I feel like walking around art show. I look at the delicate leafs of chard and think what can I create next. I smell the onions, tomatoes, oranges, and apples, thinking what palette will I use. I am different from most. I don't walk around the market just to pick up some healthy items, I look to create. Create, I love the sound of that. Every week I walk in with anticipation. Thinking what new vegetable or fruit will I find. The biggest treat is walking thought the farmer's market in San Francisco Pier building. It is the mecca of all ideas.

I know there are people out there like me, so here is the challenge. Every week, a person picks out a vegetable or fruit, easily found but interesting, and by the end of the week each person who decides to participate posts their idea, recipe, and picture. Even a failure because we might be able to fix it. There is no prize just a sharing of ideas. We came make it a theme week or anything special. Join me on this journey and lets see what creative ideas we can make!