In Print: Local farmers + local chefs

Check out the August issue of Memphis magazine (the one with blue suede shoes on the cover) for our article 'Market Value,' a look at the many connections between chefs and growers in our region. We are really proud of it! The Wife wrote the story and TCV took the pics.

Adjusting to Life as a Part-Time Vegan

I am no longer frustrated with finding vegan food for lunch. I have adapted quite nicely. Here is a gallery of some of the things I have made for lunch over the past few weeks.

Chinese "Chicken" Salad:

Fried Green Tomato Po Boy:

Red Beans & Rice:

Grilled Zucchini Steaks with Risotto, Tomatoes, and Pesto:

Tempeh Torta with Grilled Squash, Avocado & Black Beans:

Cantaloupe Agua Fresca

Last Wednesday, Keith from Whitton Farms presented me with the world's largest cantaloupe as a part of my CSA. I swear the thing was barely manageable. It was more the size of a medium-sized watermelon than a regular-sized cantaloupe. Anyway, it was delicious, so it was a good thing that I had so much of it. I cut that sucker in half and snacked on it all week. Now it's Monday, and I still had half of the beast left in my fridge. I decided that it was time for it to become one of my all-time-favorite summer drinks: agua fresca. You can make them out of just about anything, but I really love the melon flavors when it is really hot outside.

1/2 a huge cantaloupe

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar

1 lemon (juiced)

3 cups water

Scoop the flesh out of the cantaloupe and into your food processor. Blend until very smooth. Add the lemon juice and sugar. Strain the mixture through cheesecloth and into a pitcher. Add water, pour over ice, and enjoy.

Smoky Grilled Vegetable Quesadillas

Makes 4-6 quesadillas

1 sweet onion (halved, skin left on)

2 whole portabella mushroom caps (stems removed)

1 green pepper (sliced off the core)

1 whole poblano pepper

4-6 whole-wheat tortillas

1 tbsp. ancho chili powder

2 to 3 cups oaxoca cheese (shredded)

olive oil

salt & pepper

Light the grill and leave it on high to preheat. Place the poblano pepper on the grill. Once one side is burned black, turn it and burn the other side. Once the poblano pepper is completely charred, place it in a paper bag to cool. In a large bowl, toss the other vegetables, ancho chili powder, and a few tablespoons of olive oil together until the vegetables are coated. Place the mushrooms gill-side-down on the grill. Place onions and peppers skin-side-down on the grill. The green peppers will be done first because they’re thin. Remove them from the grill once you get some nice grill marks on them. This should take about 4-6 minutes. Turn the mushroom over after 4 minutes. Allow the onion’s skin to burn black. (You will peel it later.) Move the mushroom to indirect heat. Allow the mushroom to cook until tender, which should take about 10-15 minutes. Once all vegetables have been removed from the grill and are cool enough to handle, you can begin to prepare them for the quesadilla. Remove burnt skin and seeds from the poblano. Remove burnt onion’s skin. Slice all vegetable into long, thin strips. Portion vegetables onto half of each tortilla. Cover vegetables with shredded cheese and fold the tortilla. Grill dry tortillas until they are nicely marked by the grill grates and the cheese has melted. Serve with hot sauce, sour cream, and limes.

Edible Memphis Website

At the Grow Memphis dinner at Interim on Tuesday Melissa pulled me aside and quietly told me that she has just finished the new Edible Memphis website. I was so excited that I pulled it up on my phone immediately. It is beautiful. Go see for yourself:

http://www.ediblecommunities.com/memphis/

While you are there search my name (my real name) and you will find tons of recipes and photos and stories by me and the wife.

Japanese Eggplant Bacon

Hardly anything is vegan. I went to make a trusty BLT for lunch the other day with Morningstar Farms Veggie Bacon, a product I have relied on for years, and discovered that it has egg whites listed as the first ingredient. Since I committed to VB6, the Veggie Bacon was out of the question. I already had the rest of the sandwich made: The bread was toasted, the tomato sliced, the avocado cut and smashed onto the bread with a fork. I had to think quick. I spotted a few baby japanese eggplant in my fruit bowl that my buddy Andria gave me. That would do, I thought.

2 small japanese eggplant

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 table spoon sesame oil

sesame seeds

Braggs

I sliced the eggplant thin on the mandolin, and pan-fried them in a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of sesame oil. Just before they were crispy, I hit them with a few drops of Braggs and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. I transfered the eggplant to my waiting sandwich, closed the top, and took a bite. It was better and fresher than the processed stuff.

In Print

Check out this story I wrote for The Memphis Flyer about a new veggie friendly spot in Collierville.

...and this one The Wife wrote about how to green up your backyard party.

Spicy Carrot, Fennel, & Ginger Soup topped with Sesame Shiitake Mushrooms

Well, you aren't going to believe this, but it's absolutely true: I'm on a diet. I made a friendly little wager with my older brother, my dad, and our friend J.C. Each of us ponied up our share of dough, stuck it into an empty water bottle, filed it up with water, and froze it at a secret location. The idea is for each of us to lose 10%. The one who loses the most by Labor Day weekend gets the "frozen assets." Simple enough, right?

My strategy is simple: eat vegan until 6 p.m. Mark Bittman came up with the concept he calls VB6. Having been vegan on and off for large periods of time, this is not too tough for me. In fact, I have rather enjoyed it. I feel better, and I have been dropping a pound a day for the past 10 days. No kidding.

So how do you fill up eating vegetables? Soup is the answer. Yesterday I made this spicy and flavorful soup with the ingredients I had on hand.

7-10 large organic carrots

1 large fennel bulb

1 orange bell pepper

1 large sweet onion

2 thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger

1 can light coconut milk (+ one can of water)

3 loves garlic

1 shallot

2 Not-Chicken cubes

sriacha hot sauce

juice of 1 lime

olive oil

s & p

garnish:

8-10 shiitake mushroom caps (sliced and sautéed in sesame oil)

4 green onions (chopped)

Roughly chop pepper, carrots, and fennel and toss them with olive oil. Arrange those vegetables flat on a baking sheet and stick them under your broiler. They should stay under the broiler long enough to get some color. In a large soup pot, sauté the roughly chopped onion, shallot, garlic, and ginger in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the roasted vegetables, coconut milk, cubes, and a few good squeezes of hot sauce. Allow this mixture to simmer for about 10-15 minutes so that the carrots can soften. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup smooth. Garnish with mushrooms and onions.

Be on the lookout for more delicious vegan fare and wish me luck. I want to win!

Watermelon Ice & Honeydew Melon Ice

The summers here in Memphis are so brutal that it makes us want to climb up into our tiny freezer and stay there until the middle of October. Our new favorite way to combat the heat is homemade fruit ice desserts. They are extremely simple to make, but they do require you to have two key pieces of equipment: a food processor and an ice cream maker.

1 melon

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 a lemon or lime (juiced)

Halve the melon using a sharp knife. Using a large spoon, scrape the flesh out of the melon and into your food processor. Once the melon halves are clean, put them into the freezer. You will use the rind to serve your dessert. Add the sugar, salt and lemon to the flesh. The amount of sugar you use will depend upon how sweet you like your dessert. I'd say no less than 1/4, but no more than 1/2 cup of sugar. Turn on the food processor and let it run until the melon mixture is smooth. Turn your ice cream maker on then pour the melon mix into it. (If you put the melon mix into the freezer bowl before turning on the ice cream maker, it will freeze to the sides of the bowl. I know, I have made that mistake.) Allow the ice cream maker to run for about 20-25 minutes until it has nearly doubled in volume. Transfer to an plastic container and stick it in the freezer. Take it out of the freezer for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Scoop into your frozen melon rinds and enjoy. Your hands are all cold from the frozen rind as you slurp down the melon ice; it's a combo that is sure to result in the tastiest brain freeze ever.

Grilling Class Today 2pm

Yeah!!!!! Can't wait. We have been hard at work to make sure this class is a success. The class is at the Botanic Gardens on Cherry Rd in East Memphis. You will NOT use the main entrance. You will go down the road that is directly north of the main entrance. It is a dirt road that runs between southern and the gardens. Head east on that road until you see the lake on your right, Park your car and walk into the open gate towards the gazebo. You will find us there.

Update:

I'd call it a success. I was able to get through all of the dishes that we planned, and nothing stuck to the grill. Plus, everyone got to try a little of everything we cooked. We had an attentive class of 24 that made me feel at ease the entire time. I will write more later.

The Wife's Trip to Columbia, Mississippi

"It feels good to eat with people when you're always having to eat alone," my grandmother's friend said at the Columbia, Mississippi Catholic church's monthly senior citizens' potluck. I didn't expect this from her, a lively New Orleans native who ran in at the last minute and brought her fried chicken, jittery energy, and ebullient commentary. But she's right: I love to eat, but it's just not as satisfying to eat by myself.

We go to Columbia, Mississippi because my grandmother, 82, and grandfather, 89, aren't able to travel anymore. They used to drive up to Memphis, no problem, but now it is iffy whether they should even be driving to Hattiesburg, twenty minutes away from their house, so driving for five-and-a-half hours is out of the question. For me, nervous as all get out about even lesser dangers, to be riding in the back of the Buick with my grandfather at the wheel is a major feat, but he is so gentle and funny and kind that I would sooner die if I offended him in any way. So we go places if everyone's up for it, and we visit their surprisingly vast and tightly-knit network of friends and relatives.

Even so, Columbia is small. I mean, it is tiny. It is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. People honk if they see us driving by and wave if they're sitting on the porch. My grandmother makes it her business to know what is going on with everyone, and my great-aunt writes the 'out and about' column in the local paper. (We always get a mention the week after we visit.) My mom and I walked around the Main Street square by the courthouse -- economy be damned, all the spaces were open and bustling, because everyone in this very small town has bought back into the gospel of going local -- and in the jewelry store, we talked to a lady my mom knew growing up, and I snagged a ridiculously ruffled summer dress at Berlon's Friendly Store, where my mom shopped when she was a child. Unable to identify the blond working at the clothing/Merle Norman store, church annuals are consulted and many phone calls are made, and we finally unravel the mystery of which Davis the clerk actually is after a forty-five-minute investigation.

Along with knowing who's related to who, food in Columbia is serious business. Basically, life there revolves around church, cooking, and family, just like it used to. My grandparents' across-the-street neighbors eat all their meals outside and hang out together all day because, according to my grandfather, that's how they do everyday life in Southern Louisiana, and after Katrina, these neighbors are continuing the tradition in Columbia. Now this was really cute when we arrived, seeing the kids play in an inflatable pool so large that it touched both sides of the driveway as they listen to all-1950's songs on the radio, but not so adorable late at night when I am trying to sleep. But this family eats their breakfast at tables in the carport and goes on through lunch and dinner, together, so it kind of made me dream about doing the same.

The day after we arrived, there is absolute quiet the potluck in a cavernous room at the church and then an explosion of energy as these sensible Southern ladies, who outnumber the men in attendance three-to-one, arrive with their dishes. Everyone seems to have collapsible quilted covers that they tie around their containers in order to make them easier to carry and to keep the contents warm or chilled. I feel so hungry as the cozies are removed; my grandparents never will succumb to the idea of supper in the evening; dinner happens at noon, and then they might have a piece of blueberry pie or pound cake before bed, but that's it. I woke up ravenous and I eye the dishes as they are set out: salads and entrées on the countertop, copious desserts on the side table.

We have sweet corn casserole, sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows, fried chicken, broiled chicken, red beans and rice, garlic bread soaked with butter, baked beans, vinegary bean-and-vegetable salad, fruit salad slathered in whipped cream, baked spaghetti, and I think there's more, but that's basically all I can fit on my drooping styrofoam plate. Of course, we have a jar of sweet tea that is labeled with masking tape and a jar of unsweetened tea that is not marked. Everyone eats with pleasure -- the food is amazing since it was made by people who have worked on their home cooking all of their long lives, but I also notice how thrilled everyone is to be visiting and talking and laughing. I sit by my grandmother because I know from years past at similar events that one of her greatest pleasures in life is to order me to do her bidding in front of her friends so that she can display to her many friends how obedient and thoughtful her grandchild is. Out of practice, though, I mess up her tea order at first, which greatly annoys her, but then I save fact by fetching extra napkins, more tea, and then a brownie at her request. I have always been a fast eater -- my aunt calls me the little wolverine -- so already finished with my plate, I don't mind getting up and down for her at all. My mother, however, can't stop giggling as she watches me hard at work.

This revolving group meets every second Wednesday of the month, and I bet they wished it was more often. The eighty-year-old man sitting next to me can't hear but we repeat our conversations and questions for him until he does. There is much talk about who is seriously ailing -- one triple bypass happens the day after we eat -- and who is not able enough to come. There are prayers for them led during grace, and there are post-funeral thank-you letters passed around for everyone to read. I learn that even those who have decided to attend the Episcopalian church down the way still come back for the fellowship at the potluck.

       And all of this does make me think. My grandparents, who moved to Columbia, the big city, after living for years in even-tinier Foxworth, Mississippi, are lucky, being one of the only couples in attendance. They have attended separate churches all their lives since my grandmother is a staunch Catholic and my grandfather is an easygoing Baptist. But other than that, they are intertwined in ways that I cannot even imagine. They believe the same things, they share the same opinions, they know all the same people, and they spend most of their time with each other. "It feels good to eat with people when you're always having to eat alone" rings true to me. I loved getting to go to the potluck with them and see how important it was to everyone. Now that I'm home, I do worry about what's going to happen when we lose them. I dread the tearful five-and-a-half-hour drive when it happens. But for a minute there, I was able to see them happy, surrounded by friends and comforting food, and to know that they are not alone.

Roasted Corn and Grilled Crookneck Squash Soup

Soup in the summer? That's right. Even when it's hot outside, there is nothing more delicious than taking a bounty of summer-fresh vegetables and blending complementary flavors together to make a hearty meal. I knew this is what I was going to do as soon as I opened my CSA from Whitton Farms. Ears of fresh corn and huge yellow squash tumbled out of the bag as I set it on my counter. I fired up the grill and sprang into action. My favorite thing to do with summer soup is to add a smoky character by first grilling the vegetables outside. So that is exactly what I did for this summer corn soup.

Makes 2-4 servings:

4 ears of corn (shucked)

2 yellow crookneck squash (sliced 1/4 in thick)

1 yellow bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 jalapeno (minced)

1 chipotle pepper

1/2 onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic minced)

tablespoon flour

1/4 stick butter

4 sage leaves

1 Not-chicken boullion cube

3 cups water

olive oil

salt & pepper

On your outside grill over high heat, char the red and yellow bell peppers until completely black and then transfer them to a paper sack to cool. Brush olive oil onto the corn and squash. Grill both over high heat until nice grill marks appear. (This should take about 3 minutes per side.) Remove vegetables from the grill and allow to cool. In a large soup pot, add the butter, garlic, sage, and onion. Cook over medium until onion is translucent. Add the flour and cook for two minutes more. Cut the kernels off the corn cobs. Remove the burnt skins and seeds from the roasted peppers. Add yellow pepper, corn, squash, boullion, jalapeno, and chipotle to the pot. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup to your liking. Heat the soup through, and it is ready to go.

I topped mine with the diced roasted red pepper, crumbled goat cheese, fresh green onion, and crispy tortilla sticks. I made the tortilla sticks by slicing a whole wheat tortilla into thin strips, coating them with a tablespoon of olive oil, and toasting them in a 350 degree oven for 6 minutes.

Portobello Mushroom Carpaccio with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

I have a very simple but delicious recipe for you today. Everybody can do this, and it looks very impressive on the plate. I'd love to take credit for this ingenious use of fungi, but I had something very similar at a new restaurant in Memphis called The Kitchen on Brookhaven Circle. I was blown away by the wonderful flavor and texture, and I could not wait to try to make it in my own kitchen.

2 large portobello mushrooms

2-3 oz goat cheese

olive oil

salt & pepper

10 year old balsamic vinegar

fresh flat-leaf parsley

The hardest part of making this dish is is slicing the mushrooms paper thin. Lay the mushroom flat on the cutting board gill-side down. I suggest using a serrated knife and working with a slow, steady hand. Cut as many thin slices as possible from the cap. You will not be able to use the whole mushroom for this, so reserve the gills and the edges for another dish. Pan fry the mushroom slices in a few tablespoons of olive oil until the edges turn brown. I use a cast-iron pan for this. Arrange mushrooms on a large plate, add salt and pepper to taste, drizzle with vinegar, crumble the goat cheese over the top, and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with crostini.

We Grew These!

Pear Tart with Hazelnut Dark Chocolate and Honey

We saw Joanne Weir use this technique on her show, so we just had to try it, too. We grabbed all the different kinds of pear that were at the store, peeled them, set them in a lemon water bath, then cut them, fanned them out a bit, and slid them onto the tart crust. The Wife added chocolate because 'just pears looked boring.' Here is her supereasy, made-from-memory crust recipe:

Basic Tart Crust:

1 1/2 cup flour

1 pinch salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

3 tbsp. raw sugar

3 tbsp. butter, cut into small bits

Mix ingredients listed above. Make a well and add 1/2 to 1 cup ice water, stirring until it just comes together. If you have time, chill it for an hour. Roll it out and fill your tart.

There is a New Blog in Town

Hungry Memphis is the Memphis Flyer's new food blog, and it's curated by my friend and fellow vegetarian Susan Ellis. Her succinct writing and dry wit make Hungry Memphis a fun and fast stop as you lazily browse your way through your workday.

You will find many of my pictures on the blog, and every once and again I may write a little something if I feel like I have something to say. Go check it out and put it in your blogroll.

Porcini Mushrooms over Garlic Polenta, Broiled Tomatoes, and Smoked Mozzarella

Please, please, please go buy a few fresh porcini mushrooms that are now available at Whole Foods. At 40 bucks a pound, they are not cheap, but you will not often have the chance to get your hands on these rare gems. They can't be cultivated, so like truffles, they must be found in the wild. The Wife says they taste like bacon. I'll have to take her at her word. All you have to do is get them to the plate without messing them up. This entails sautéeing them in a little bit of butter, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and serving them over pasta or polenta. It is that simple, and it is money well spent.

Perfect BBQ Tofu

Does your BBQ tofu look like this? I wish you could taste it. This tofu has it all: smokey, spicy, tangy and sweet. Come to my vegetarian grilling class and I'll show you exactly how to make this veggie classic. Register HERE.

Fig Salad with Spinach, Beets, and Blue Cheese

The first figs of the season are in, so we picked up a box at Whole Foods. Looking at the price tag on them made me long for the upcoming mid-summer days when local figs are abundant. We track the daily progress of the few green fruits on the two fig trees we planted last year, and cannot wait for the fruit to ripen on a huge tree that hangs over into my older brother's yard.

This simple salad is a celebration of the fig. The other ingredients are designed to coax out the sweetness inherent in the fruit and then balance it out.

Makes two large salads.

For the dressing:

1 small shallot (finely diced)

a few glugs of olive oil

a tablespoon or two of honey

1 tablespoon of golden balsamic vinegar

s & p

Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl.

For the salad:

1 small bag of spinach

4 large black figs

6 small beets (or 1 large one)

4 ounces of danish blue cheese

salt & pepper

olive oil

2 thick slices of rustic bread

Cut peeled beets into bite-sized pieces and sauté in olive oil until tender. Remove beets and set aside. Place slices of bread into the pan to soak up the remaining olive oil. Allow the bread to brown in the pan. Add the spinach to the dressing and toss until evenly coated. Arrange spinach on a plate; top with sliced figs, beets, and crumbled blue cheese. Serve with grilled toast.

Duck Egg Scramble, Mexican-Style

This meal, in all if its variations, is by far my favorite breakfast. It's fast to make, portable, and you get your veggies and your protein all in one delicious rolled-up package. This incarnation is particularly special as it is made with leftover grilled portobello mushrooms, green peppers, onions, and fire-roasted poblanos. Additionally, it is made with a combo of both duck and chicken eggs. The duck eggs have a much larger yolk (as you can see in the photo) and a far creamier texture than conventional eggs do. If you ever get the chance to get your hands on a few, you should. They are wonderful.

Makes two servings:

2 chicken eggs (scrambled)

2 duck eggs (scrambled)

1/2 onion (sliced)

1 portobello (sliced)

1/2 green pepper (sliced)

1/2 fire-roasted poblano (chopped)

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

1 oz grated oaxaca cheese

hot sauce

s & p

olive oil

2 large wheat tortillas

The veggie, chile powder, and a few tablespoons of olive oil go into a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté until the veggies are cooked through. Remove veggies from the pan and add eggs. Move eggs around until almost cooked through. Top tortillas with eggs, then add veggies. Add a bit of grated cheese and hot sauce. Roll it up and take a bite.

The Chubby Vegetarian: The Helmsman Interview

I cut my photography teeth at The Daily Helmsman, the student newspaper at the University of Memphis, over a decade ago. Recently I had a nice chat with my new friend Beth Spencer who is the chief reporter, webmaster, and sole employee of the paper this summer semester. She turned our conversation into a story about my upcoming class on the vegetarian grill complete with quotes from some nice folks who took my last class in March. I was glad to see the kind words of my former students in print, and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to teach again. Click HERE to view the story in The Helmsman.

Smoky & Sweet Grilled Pizza

That's right, I said grilled pizza...right on the fire. Wanna learn how to make it? Then sign up for my Vegetarian Grill Class to be held on the 12th of July. Click HERE to register. There are only a few spots left. We will also try some BBQ tofu sandwiches, harissa-marinated seitan skewers, a surprise dessert, and much more.

Popsicles!

The power's back on, it is 100 degrees outside, and this means we're all about popsicles around here. We dusted off a little ten-section popsicle mold from way back and ordered two more this week. Now even our daydreams are popsicle-colored.

Flavors so far:

cucumber lemonade + ancho pepper

blueberry + lime

cherry + peach + nectarine

dark chocolate + sweet curry

peach + pink peppercorn

sweet and salty watermelon + lime

raspberry + strawberry + blueberry vanilla lemon

green tea + lemon cream

coconut + banana + clove

watermelon + mint

meyer lemon + red grapes

Creamy:

2 cups yogurt (nonfat, lowfat, Greek yogurt, or even whipping cream is okay)

1 cup fruit pureé

1/2 cup chopped fruit

2/3 cup raw sugar

1 tbsp. honey

squeeze of citrus (optional)

spice (optional)

OR

Icy:

2 cups pureéd fruit, strained

2/3 cup raw sugar

1/2 cup yogurt (optional)

1 tiny pinch of salt

squeeze of citrus

Mix ingredients and use a funnel to pour into popsicle mold. Using metal or plastic top, place sticks in center and freeze for at least four hours. Run warm water on the outside of mold for a few second to help pops emerge. Freeze immediately for 30 minutes. Then you can eat them or pack them up to share.

I wasn't sure that packing them up would work, but it was fine -- nothing melted at all. We wrapped them individually in waxed paper, stuffed them in a little cooler with ice, and put them in a bigger cooler. They transported well.

TCV's dad suggested trying ginger or jalapeno. We will add those ideas to our list of 100 flavors. Any other ideas?

The popsicle molds we use can be found HERE.

Help Needed in Holly Springs

Farmer Van Cheeseman needs some summer help in Holly Springs, Mississippi. He is a great guy who has beautiful produce and gardens plus cold frames. Post a comment or email vanlee2001@yahoo.com directly if you or someone you know would like to work with him, even if it's for a day before market or a weeklong stint.

Fire-Roasted Spaghetti on the Grill

We were about to lose our minds up in here (up in here). After a fierce summer storm with high winds, we were without power for four long days. We lost everything in the fridge and in the freezer as we waited for MLG&W to get the power back up and running. Among the casualties were some of my sauces that I make in large batches and freeze: smoky BBQ sauce, spicy enchilada sauce, and a roasted vegetable & tomato sauce. A few of my friends are STILL without electricity. If you know people in that situation, please be nice and offer them a cold drink. They are not having a good time.

By Monday night we longed for a home-cooked meal. Something as simple as spaghetti with tomato sauce would do. So I fired up my outdoor grill and got to work. With a pot of water on the side burner starting to come to a boil, I placed all of the tomatoes I could round up straight onto the grill grates. I diced an onion and three cloves of garlic and threw them into a pan with a good bit of olive oil. I set the pan on the grill next to the tomatoes to allow the onion to sweat. Lantern in hand, I made my way to the garden to cut handfuls of fresh herbs to add to the pan: thyme, basil, rosemary, sage, and oregano. A handful of pasta was tossed into the boiling water, and the charred tomatoes were added to the pan and smashed along with a can of diced tomatoes. Once the pasta was cooked, I tossed the pasta with the sauce, topped it with bits of shaved parmesan, and served it right in the pan.

Because we were starved for a home-cooked meal, I was ready to dub it the best pasta I have ever tasted. It was good, but I'm not sure about all that. But I am sure that a little bit of innovation and thinking outside of the kitchen may have saved our sanity.

Powerless

This is day 4 without any power.

Everything in the fridge and freezer is ruined.

I'm annoyed and hot.

I did make a great grilled zucchini sandwich with roasted red peppers and feta.

Watermelon & Feta Salad with Meyer Lemon & Honey Vinaigrette

This salad is so simple to make, but it is the presentation that makes it special. This crunchy, refreshing, sweet-meets-sour treat is the perfect salad for the summer.

Makes 4 small salads or two large.

Meyer lemon dressing:

1 shallot (minced)

a few glugs of olive oil

a nice squeeze of honey

the juice from 1 meyer lemon

S & P

Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl.

For the salad:

1/2 seedless watermelon (scooped into balls with a melon baller)

4 slices of feta cheese

8 ribs of romaine

S & P

Toss romaine with the dressing and place onto a small plate. Fill one rib with melon balls and place feta over the other. Drizzle with some of the dressing that is left in the bottom of the bowl. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

Vanilla Ice Milk

We always wait to the last minute to make ice cream, and then it's never hardened off enough in time to serve it. This time, we did better. We let the ice cream maker run forever. We froze it early. And we ended up getting the prettiest scoops of ice milk that we served with lots of extra options: raspberries, blueberries, strawberries sprinkled with raw sugar, white chocolate syrup, all of it in cute little waffle cone cups. The recipe could not be easier:

Vanilla Ice Milk Whisk 3 cups milk, 1/2 cup whipping cream, one cup raw sugar, and one tbsp. vanilla. Pour into ice cream maker, let it go, freeze at least an hour.

From the Unsolicited Advice Department

Fellow vegetarian food enthusiast and blogger Vegan Dad graciously accepted some unsolicited advice from yours truly. Commenting on his BBQ tofu post I wrote:

"Living in memphis I have learned a lot from my meat loving city mates. Try a dry rub with paprika, sage, garlic powder, black pepper, and nutmeg. Put that on the tofu to marinate. Grill the tofu over high heat to get the grill marks, place over indirect heat, and then sauce it. This method will keep the sugar in the sauce from burning and you have a double wall of flavor."

He calls the updated BBQ recipe Memphis BBQ Tofu. If you have not visited his blog please take the time to do so. He recipes are creative and concise and his photographs are great (that is his tofu photo).

Panko-Crusted Squash Blossoms Stuffed with Goat Cheese on Truffled Risotto

On Saturday, The Wife and I returned home from the farmers' market with an incredible bounty. This was the first week squash blossoms were available, and they were the first thing I bought at the market. Then I carried them around with me in a brown paper bag and showed them off to everyone I met. They were $3.50 for 10 flowers, and they had little baby squash attached to them. We also got eggs, beets, nectarines, bread, carrots, and onions.

So what do you do with these beautiful flowers? You fry them! I threw together an earthy, sweet filling of one ear of roasted corn, 2 boiled carrots, 3 ounces of goat cheese, 1 clove of garlic, a touch of cream, and a little panko.

All the ingredients except the panko went into the food processor and were blended until smooth. Then I used the panko stiffen the consistency. I placed the mixture into a pastry bag and piped the filling into the center of each flower. Next, I lightly breaded the flowers by dipping them in an egg wash and rolling them in a mixture of all purpose flour and panko. The squash blossoms were then lightly fried in canola oil until golden brown. I served them over risotto made with "Not Chicken" broth and finished with a tablespoon of black truffle butter. What more could you want from a Saturday lunch?