Month: June 2010

A Hearty Salad with Romaine Lettuce

Green Salad with Feta Cheese and Herbal Dressing

Sanura
A Hearty Salad with Romaine Lettuce
A Hearty Salad with Romaine Lettuce

The temperature has finally started to climb down from extreme humidity. During those days, the oven has been left cold. I miss it, dearly. Most of all, I want an air conditioner. Not to have an Arctic cold house, but it would be use to get rid of the damp heat. However, I will adapt to my current circumstances. Meals will be vegetarian, for cooking meat causes more unbearable heat in this top floor apartment. Surprisingly, a classic green salad was recently made; for it was so hearty that the meat wasn’t missed. Good fats, such as avocado, feta cheese and a yogurt-based dressing made a typical boring salad into an exciting feast. It was served with a rosé and whole-wheat pita bread. Read more →

Applesauce Instead of Bacon

Sanura

Applesauce

The boyfriend was sent to the bodega to buy bacon and orange juice for breakfast. He has a beautiful memory, but this time he returned with a pound of overripe bananas, two cartons of orange juice and four old, red apples. “Oops,” he kissed my cheek, “I forgot what you needed.” “No problem,” I replied. Here’s a bit of cliché relationship advice: Pick your battles. “Hey,” he added, “If you can’t use the bananas, I can make smoothies with them next week.” I beamed a pretty smile, and we enjoyed the rest of the day. Read more →

Leafy Greens, Red Chili Vinegar and the CSA

Sanura
The Bed-Stuy Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
The Bed-Stuy Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Last week, was the first Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pick up. My canvas bag was filled with organic kale, collard, dandelion, bok choy, and Swiss chard greens. A large head of romaine, a small head of butter lettuce, green garlic and a dozen eggs were also included in the share. I dutifully took my bags home, and the next two hours were spent cleaning, cutting and packaging the greens. The next day, a salad was made with a mixture of butter lettuce and dandelion greens. Goat cheese, mulberries and a small red onion were tossed together in a bowl. A few tablespoons of Cilantro-Almond Pesto were mixed into Greek yogurt to make a salad dressing. That was an easy salad to make. Now, a few more bags had to be sautéed, simmered, stir-fried or served fresh. Read more →

Strawberry Picking with Dad

Sanura
Strawberries at the Farmer's Market
Strawberries at the Farmer's Market

When I was young, my father would wake me in the early morning to go strawberry picking. He didn’t know how to do my hair, so he would stuff it in a baseball cap. The vendors would think I was a boy. Sometimes, my sister would come with us, too. The house was searched for any empty container to bring with us to the strawberry field. It was a short ten minute ride from the house. Once there, we would go from row to row, eating and picking strawberries. As we brought our containers full of strawberries to the weighing center, my father would joke that my sister and I needed to be weighed, too. Once at home, we would help my father clean and trim the strawberries. Eating and laughing. I would say, “This berry doesn’t look good. What do you think?” He would place the berry in his mouth and proclaim, “It taste good to me!” Read more →