Working on my Green Thumb

I moved from NYC to Los Angeles back in November (’13) with visions of the epic vegetable garden I was going to plant, how the abundant sunshine would make my veggies flourish, and how the warm climate would give me nearly a year-round growing season. 9 months later I now know that gardens don’t just grow on trees in Southern California.  What we have in sunshine we lack in water, what we have in warmth we lack in humidity, having so little moisture in the air can reek havoc on baby plants. With a lot of TLC, and a drip irrigation system on a timer, I’ve managed to keep most of my plants alive (sorry cucumbers, maybe next year?) and be pretty darn responsible when it comes to water consumption.

I’ll get more in depth in future posts about specific issues and successes I’ve had, this just an introduction into my LA garden and my amateur green thumb antics.

First Crop

Tomato Trellis

Basil & Cilantro

Blueberries

What will be red peppers

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

4 months in

 

WHEN I BEAT MYSELF UP FOR GETTING GLUTENED

wheniwentglutenfree:

just remember:

image

ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU CAN’T EAT BREAD.

I think a daily dose of gluten humor does one a world of good. Also they used the four words that made me start my blog in the first place, the four words that I heard time and again when I was diagnosed with Celiac disease back in 2006:

Them: ”You can’t eat bread!?”

Me: *sigh*

Me: “Nope. But I make up for it in spades.”

Gallery

momofuku:

in 1995, restaurateur and food activist alice waters created the first edible schoolyard in berkeley, ca, pioneering the notion that the best place to teach children the connection between food, health, and the environment is in our schools.

edible schoolyard nyc (esynyc) is a separate affiliate program that has brought alice’s vision to the public school children of new york city. esynyc partners with public schools in disadvantaged areas of the city to build organic gardens and kitchen classrooms. esynyc’s staff teaches the organization’s interdisciplinary curriculum on-site, providing programming for students as well as family and community members, and training for teachers and principals. this curriculum of learning about delicious, healthy foods through seed-to-table engagement with a garden and kitchen, provides a path to a more sustainable food future for the neediest children in the city.

esynyc is transforming both the communities in which we work as well as the greater food system in nyc. as part of momofuku’s 10 year anniversary, a portion of the proceeds from our special offerings will be donated in support of esynyc. these funds will continue to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and environment to make healthier choices and change the way they eat for life. 

Now this is a truly inspiring and AWE-some endeavor to not only introduce healthy eating and sustainability, but to literally give students, faculty, and families the seeds to grow a better, healthier future.

Image

allrecipes:

Too hot to cook? Bet these refreshing spring rolls will hit the spot. 

See how to make Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls: http://bit.ly/UOUWQ6

Really easy to follow how-to video for making one of my favorite GF appetizers (who are we kidding, I eat entree size portions of Spring Rolls whenever I can). I would probably swap out the shrimp as the last thing I want to do on a hot & sticky night is peel shrimp, and throw in chopped up leftover chicken or whatever protein I made the evening before. And lastly I would of course make a GF version of the hoison & peanut sauce.  

YUM.

Gallery

food52:

Breakfasts that will make you really want to get out of bed.

Read more: 5 Summery Breakfasts for Any Morning on Food52

Yes to all of these, substituted with gluten-free toast of course. 

Image

thugkitchen:

Starting to feel like ninety one thousand damn degrees outside? We got you. Chill the fuck out with a big ass cup of this tropical treat. All you need are five fucking ingredients and a blender. You should be able to handle that shit even if it feels like the world is melting.

PIÑA COLADA ICE CREAM  

Makes about 1 ½ pints, enough for 2-3 sweaty motherfuckers

3 cups of frozen pineapple*

1 frozen banana, broken into chunks

1 ½ cups canned coconut milk

1 tablespoon liquid sweetener like agave or maple syrup, whatever you got

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Throw everything in a blender and run that shit until it’s all smooth. Pour it into a loaf pan or similar shaped container and smooth it all around so it’s even. Don’t go freezing some uneven chunky bullshit and waste everybody’s time.

Cover and place in the motherfucking freezer until it is nice and solid, at least 5 hours depending on how shitty your freezer is. You know what the fuck you should do with ice cream after that. This is best eaten the first day or two after it’s made because it can get harder to scoop the longer it sits. But no doubt you or your roommates will get after it long before then. 

*about one 16 ounce bag

Paleo Ice Cream.

Why Tempering Chocolate is Difficult, and How We Found an Easier Shortcut

americastestkitchen:

image

Good chocolate right out of the wrapper has an attractive sheen and a satisfying snap when you break it in two. But if you melt the chocolate to use as a coating or for drizzling and try to use it immediately, it will set up into a soft, blotchy, dull-looking mess that melts on your fingers. Why the difference?

Fantastic video. I HATE tempering chocolate so this will hopefully make that task much more enjoyable.

Cucumber-Peanut Salad

fritesandfries:

I normally use nam phrik phao, a Thai roasted chili paste, as a condiment for rice and noodles but I thought I would try to do something interesting with it by using it as an ingredient for a dressing. In order to come up with a salad idea that would compliment the dressing, I started thinking about the flavors and key ingredients in Thai cuisine.

image

This salad is made with cucumbers, red onions, peanuts, some chopped cilantro, and of course, the Thai chili paste dressing.

image

The nutty warmth of the dressing’s toasted sesame oil pairs nicely with the salty harshness of the fish sauce and the sweet heat from the nam phrik phao.

Read More

Posted as I need to make this immediately.