Summer is heating up now that we are well into July. Browsing the farm stands I have seen some gorgeous produce and cheeses.  I am so thrilled to have taken home a bunch of chiogga beets today and I enjoyed them simply roasted, served with some Capri, or ‘chevre” for us Americans.  Chiogga is an Italian open air pollinated variety found in many markets.  They are pictured in the center of the beets I photographed, a pinkish color. Inside they are a pinkish-white, striated in coloring.

Beets offer sound nutrition, an easily digestible source of carbohydrates, are high in folic acid, vitamins B1, B2, B6, C and A. They contain a powerful antioxidant, betalain, which gives them their coloring, helps ward off heart disease, certain cancers, and lowers inflammation. The greens are definitely edible, and  easy to prepare and have higher concentrations of iron as compared to spinach! For about one cup of beets you get almost 4g of fiber, 2g of protein and with high levels of water, only 58 calories.

While they should always be washed well before consumption, beets can be eaten raw as well as cooked. I choose golden or candystripe varieties for raw consumption, and buy them as ‘baby beets’ and just peel and slice them. Eaten like this with some cucumber slices and a little sea salt you have a great cool and crunchy snack. Beeturia is the coloring of urine or stool with the increased consumption of beets. It is harmless, but can be startling at first. It really tends to show when you eat them raw. Don’t let that stop you though! The sweet, earthy, crunch of young, raw beets, is wonderful. And when cooked, they become richly textured and are easily paired with so many ingredients.

The greens are an excellent source of minerals as well and are similar to Swiss chard. In fact, beets and Swiss chard are just different varieties within the same plant family! So when you trim the tops, save them in the vegetable crisper for later use.

Some ingredients I love to pair with beets are: Avocados, nuts, stone fruits such as peaches, cheese like chevre or capri, baby greens, chicory (including endive), citrus, onions, garlic, yogurt, pickling spices (in preparation for pickling), tarragon, dill, lemon, parsley, chervil, oregano, whole grains like barley, other root vegetables like heirloom carrots, beans and legumes such as lentils.

They can be grated raw to top soups or to be mixed into a carrot slaw for vibrant coloring or as an appetizer atop an endive leaf with some yogurt and lemon juice.

To roast them you just want to select your beets and make sure when you purchase them they are not shriveled, or have too many blemishes on them and that the tops are leafy and healthy looking. The tops aren’t perfect indicators of the root, but as they are such good eating, I’d look for leafy ones. Then you just preheat your oven to about 375F and get your good olive oil and after washing the beets, no matter the size, rub them well with olive oil and sprinkle coarse salt like Kosher or sea salt on them. Wrap them tightly in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet in case of any dripping. You can put them in a casserole dish with aluminum covering them it they are smaller, or wrap them in groups just in the aluminum foil, as is.

For baby beets you want to roast them until just tender, about 30-45 minutes if they are small. Medium to large beets can go longer, also just until tender. About 1 hour 20 minutes. You also don’t want to peel them before cooking. Leaving the skin on helps lock in nutrients and flavor, especially if you plan to boil them until tender. Which, of course leaches some color, and rather than boil, bring it to a boil then gently simmer until tender. It’s worth the wait to roast them though, I believe, as you can impart better flavor to them through the use of herbs and garlic if you like.

Once you have cooked your beets until tender, let them cool enough so you can handle them, then what I do is with a not-so-important, yet clean, kitchen towel, gently rub off the skins. They will come off nicely when cooked enough. You could also use a sturdy paper towel or two for this technique as well. Once out of their fibrous skins, they are ready to use as you wish.

Beets do well as a side dish as is when they’re tender and young, or tossed lightly in a dressing, or as an ingredient in a salad or main dish. You could simply roast and peel some baby golden, red, and chiogga beets and drizzle them with olive oil and fresh pepper and that is a wonderful presentation of a simply perfect ingredient. In a spinach salad they really compliment the mineral, bite of the spinach leaf.

Baby beets and spinach with dark cherry balsamic dressing

2 cups roasted, peeled,  baby beets- quartered

4 cups baby spinach

For the dressing:

1/4 cup dried cherries

3 Tablespoons balsamic vinager

1/4 cup cranberry juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Whiz all together in a blender and save the rest for later. Make sure you season to taste with some salt and pepper.  If you like this goes well with toasted pine nuts, a teaspoon or two sprinkled over the salad, should do the trick.

Roasted beet barley “risotto” serves 4

2 cups roasted, peeled, beets, diced

1 1/2 cups barley, rinsed

3-4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, or even water. Heat the liquid of your choice until it just simmers on the stove top.

1 small, white onion, minced

1 clove of garlic, smashed

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

2 Tablespoons olive oil

In a dutch oven, or similar type dish, on the stove top, heat the olive oil and onions until they become translucent. Sprinkle a little Kosher salt on them to help. Pour in the barley and stir well to coat the grains in the olive oil and onion flavor. A ladle or a few cups full at a time, pour in the hot liquid you have chosen to use, stirring. Once the initial liquid has gone in add the garlic. Just like risotto, only you don’t need to stir as often, just to make sure things aren’t sticking on the bottom. When all the liquid has been absorbed and the grains are fully cooked, stir in the beets and cheese. Turn off the heat and make sure it is seasoned correctly. If you used red beets, the risotto will appear bright fuchsia. If you like, you can stir in the washed beet tops, chopped roughly, into the ‘risotto’ for extra color.  This dish is phenomenal under a grilled fillet of North Atlantic Salmon!

Beet and yogurt parfait serves 2-4

2 medium, roasted red, peeled, beets-sliced into rounds

1 cup blueberries

Greek style yogurt, any flavor you choose

3 tablespoons chiffonade mint leaves (pick the leaves off the stems, lay on top on one another, roll up like a cigar and slice thinly into strips)

Simply layer the beets, blueberries and yogurt into pretty dishes, or glass parfait cups with a sprinkling of mint leaves.

Beet root and carrot smoothie serves 4

2 cups young, carrots, washed, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup washed, peeled, baby beets (raw)

1/2 cup non-fat yogurt

1 cup apple juice

1 cup ice

In a blender puree ingredients until smooth. If you would like, you can sweeten the smoothie up a little with some Splenda sweetener.

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Since moving to Boston, I have been continually pleased by the farm fresh produce available here. Daily markets in the middle of the city and neighborhoods create a movement up here. Towards slow foods, sustainability, and heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits and even poultry and meat.
So of course my newest treat is Capri, or Chevre to us Americans. It is goat cheese, just made here. Any by here, I mean here. Just a half an hour drive from the city lies pristine farmland. Vistas of the old home, you really do know why it is called the New England, when you come out here. Westield Farm in Hubbardston, Ma, is where one of my favorite cheeses is made. Capri. I’m no cheese expert, so I can’t tell you why, but it tastes better than the Chevre you buy at the store. I think it’s because it is fresher. It still has a light and airy texture. I’ve never experienced light and airy Chevre unless I manipulated it to that consistency. As you can see from my picture above, I was enjoying it with a freshly picked strawberry from Verrill Farm.

A lot of good uses for this kind of cheese are just by itself as a snack on a cracker, or with fresh berries as pictured. Substitute it for cream cheese or neufchatel in dishes. Instead of whipped cream on a dessert, a tablespoon of this will suffice.

Browse the link to see more about the kinds of Capri they make. Many flavors and styles to choose from, as well as online ordering for those not local, and some recipes.  Just remember the Pain Free Diet rules when cooking with Capri, especially desserts.

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Spinach has come a long way. From mushed, green, ‘yuck’ that an entire animating company had to create a wise-cracking, corn cob smoking, sailor in order to have children want to eat it, to ‘chic’, calcium rich, fiber-filled, anti-oxidant powerhouse that it is today. It features in vogue salads and baby mixes at restaurants and Whole Foods and green markets all across the land. So it’s no surprise that it has transformed from giant, sandy leaves straight from the farm which needed much washing, to tender, tiny, tasty, baby leaves cleanly packaged in plastic.

More than nutrition, I love spinach for it’s versatility. It’s mineral, earthy, simplicity lends it to many dishes where spicier stand-outs like arugula, and mizuna and radicchio may become divas.  Speaking of these, they also pair well all together to bring harmony to any salad. Spinach can be served hot and wilted and comforting, or raw, cool, and crisp with your favorite salad ingredients. As a substitute for lettuce on sandwiches or an ingredient in a smoothie. Some examples of ingredients I love to pair with spinach are:

Garlic, curry, ginger, sesame seeds, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, cardamom, nutmeg, Parmesan cheese, tofu, chick peas, eggs, chicken, fish, shrimp, lobster, cantaloupe, blueberries, strawberries, bitter greens, scallops, asparagus, cheese of all kind, it loves spices and herbs. And so on and so forth.  Playing a minor role, support, or starring spinach is easy to prepare.  Raw is easy, just make sure it’s clean, and most supermarkets carry packaged spinach that is pre-washed. If you still want to clean it when you get home an easy way to was all greens is to sanitize your kitchen sink and rinse. Plug the drain and fill it 3/4 full. Dump your greens into the water and swish around gently allowing dirt or sediment to fall to the bottom of the sink, and the clean greens to stay on the surface. If you have a salad spinner use it to dry the leaves, or if you don’t own one, you can use a colander to drain the greens. You will have to wait until they air dry or gently scrunch them with a clean dish towel, or paper towels. Be careful not to bruise the greens with this method as they are tender. A great method of adding carrots into a spinach salad, or any salad for that matter, is to use the peeler to continue to peel off long, thin strips of carrot which will curl off into your salad and add height and texture. They will be more tender as well and easier to eat.

Spinach and Scallops

2 lbs of fresh spinach, stemmed and washed, not dried
1 lb of bay scallops
3 large cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed with the broad side of a knife
¼ cup of dry white wine
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste
1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Pat dry the scallops in a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick saute pan, over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer and you can smell it add the scallops and brown on both sides for about 2 minutes each depending on size. Remove from the pan and turn the heat down to med-low. Add the garlic and lemon zest and cook for 20 seconds, stirring continuously. Add the wine and lemon juice and reduce until almost dry. Add the scallops back in and the spinach and toss occasionally until wilted, season to taste with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Poppy seed Salmon Strawberry Salad

1 bag baby spinach

4 6 ounce salmon fillets, skin off

4 teaspoon poppy seeds

4 ounces  chevre, crumbled lightly (use your choice)

1 pint of fresh, ripe strawberries, tops off and quartered

1 1/2 cups red grapes

1 small, crisp red onion, halved and sliced thinly

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or whole grained

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Heat a non stick saute pan that can go into the oven as well, with olive oil to medium. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each salmon fillet. In a bowl full of the poppy seeds, coat each salmon fillet on the top side in the seeds and place that side down into the pan and sear until a little crisp, about 2 minutes. Flip with a fish spatula and cook 2 minutes on the other side and pop into a preheated oven set to 375 or 400, for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the pan and add the red onions and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a minute but not browning, add the sherry vinegar and white wine and parsley. Let everything begin to simmer and add the Dijon or whole grained mustard and stir well. Whisk in the olive oil and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and toss ingredients, except the salmon, together with the warm dressing. Sprinkle the Chevre in and spoon out portions of salad and top with the warm salmon.

Now this can be done with chicken too, but I would recommend using a baking sheet with nonstick spray and slicing the chicken into strips, and sprinkling the chicken in the poppy seeds. All the flavors just come together so nicely this way. You can use blueberries instead of grapes if you like as well. Sesame seeds instead of poppy seeds can also be substituted.

Mean Green Smoothie

1 cup spinach, raw

1 cup cubed pineapple

1/2 small avocado

1/2 cup no sugar vanilla yogurt

1/4 cup ice

1/4 cup soy milk

3 teaspoons Splenda

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until a smooth consistency is achieved. This should serve about 4 people, and is delicious.

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1 pound fish filet, your choice

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

3/4 cup sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup onions, finely chopped

4 teaspoons lemon juice

4 teaspoons parsley and dill, rough chop

Divide the fish into four equal portions; sprinkle with salt and lemon juice. Saute the onions in the olive oil until transparent, add sliced mushrooms and saute until tender. Stir parsley and dill into onion and mushroom mixture.

For each of the four portions, use about a 12×9-inch piece of double-thickness aluminum foil. Place each portion on foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each portion with the onion/mushroom mixture.

Turn foil up and around fish, and wrap securely sealing the edges. Place on a pre-heated grill, or on a baking sheet under the broiler of an oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes-turning once-or until fish flakes.

Serves 4.

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This is a spin off of a wonderful recipe my favorite chef had on the menu while I worked for him in Minneapolis. It’s a little ingredient rich, but it all comes together nicely and makes for a great summer salad. You have to buy really good, fresh fish for this as well, since you will be eating it basically raw.
You will need:
6 oz. fresh fillet of salmon, skin off
6 oz. fresh steak of tuna
1 Tablespoon snipped chives
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 Tablespoon black and white sesame seeds, toasted
2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 each, Asian pear, small dice
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 fresh mango, small dice
1 small avocado
1/2 English cucumber (medium), small dice
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 Teaspoon chopped mint
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/2 bunch cilantro, rough chop
To begin, cut your fish fillets in half lengthwise to create two, thin fillets. Then dice the rest of the fish into small dices and toss with the lime juice,sesame seeds, chili oil, olive oil, pine nuts, diced Asian pear, mango, mint, shallots, cucumber, chives, salt and pepper. Reserve in a bowl in the refrigerator until needed.
With the avocado and cilantro, throw into a blender and add a little water, maybe 2 Tablespoons to get it going. Puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
To plate this you can use a ring mold and smooth a dollop of the avocado puree. Add on top of the puree some of the tartar and serve as is. You could also set the tartar on a bed of Boston Bib lettuce and dollop the avocado puree over it. Choice is yours to get creative. It is also good to know that the longer the fish sits in the lime juice and oil, the more it will “cook itself” enzymatic-ally. So if you prefer your tartar a little less rare, let it marinate in there awhile before plating.
This will serve about 4 as an appetizer salad.

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There are few things in life more comforting than cookies. Knowing that they are Pain Free Diet approved is one of them. Just a quick and easy variation on a classic peanut-butter cookie that will also give you some energy from protein!

3/4 cup soynut butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese, drained.
1 1/4 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar Splenda
3 Tbs soymilk
1 Tbs vanilla extract or almond extract
1 egg
1/4 cup soy flour
1 1/2 cup brown-rice flour
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
Begin by preheating your oven to 375.
Combine soynut butter, ricotta, brown sugar Splenda, soymilk, and vanilla extrat in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Slowly add the egg. Beat just until blended.
Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed mixing just until blended. Chill the dough a little while then drop teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
You can even press the cookies down with a fork for the classic peanut butter cookie look.
Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until just set and just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes on baking sheet.
You can then remove cookies to wire rack to cool completely if desired. These are great with a chilled glass of soymilk as an after lunch snack.

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With rice flour of course! This is a quick, and easy recipe for a little indulgence.
1 cup Arrowhead Mills Brown Rice Flour
2 Tbs soy or vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tsp vanilla extract or almond extract
1 egg (beaten)
1 cup dark chocolate chips.

Blend all ingredients thoroughly. Chill for several hours or overnight. Before baking, pre-heat your oven to 350 and roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet. You can press flat with your hand or the bottom of a glass if desired. Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes. Let set in middle by cooling before tasting. Cookies tend to be doughy in the middle until they cool.

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Barley is really versatile, but so many people tend to overlook this grain as boring. In fact it is high in beta-glucan, a fiber that can help reduce diabetes risk. It has a rich, nutty flavor,a fantastic, chewy texture, and is a great substitute for rice. It has three times the fiber of one serving of rice. It is also manufactured as rolled grains, like rolled oats-so that it can double as a breakfast cereal, or in baked goods, or to dredge fish in before sauteing. It contains many vitamins and minerals such as: niacin (Vitamin B3), thiamine ( Vitamin B1), selenium, iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and copper. Barley is also high in anti-oxidants and phyto-chemicals to reduce the risk of developing certain cancers, and heart disease.

Fruit Salad:
3 cups cooled, cooked, pearl barley, (cooking directions below)
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
3/4 cup raspberries
3/4 cup blueberries
1/2 cup diced apple
1/3 cup crumbled bleu cheese (or crumbled goat cheese if you prefer)
1/3 cup toasted, slivered almonds

Raspberry Orange Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon sugar-free orange marmalade (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced or mashed with the flat side of a knife
1/2 teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a large salad bowl pour the vinegar, the dry mustard, garlic, salt, pepper. orange zest and marmalade. Gently whisk in the olive oil to mix well.
To cook pearl barley:
In medium saucepan with lid, bring 3 cups water to a boil. Add 1 cup pearl barley and return to boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Place any extra cooked barley in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze. Add to soups, stews, casseroles and salads for extra flavor, texture and fiber. For best results, bring frozen or refrigerated cooked barley to room temperature before using.
Mix the cooked, cooled barley with the dressing and fruits and almonds and crumble cheese on top if desired. This makes such a filling lunch or side dish at dinner. You could interchange the fruits with steamed veggies, fresh chopped herbs, and Dijon mustard instead of a sweet approach. Once you have cooked barley on hand, the choice is yours how you will use it.

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Oatmeal is a favorite of mine. I’ll add diced apples and cinnamon with honey or Splenda. What I really love though are heavy, tummy filling, oat bars that are so common in Scotland. When I was there hiking in the Highlands so many summers ago, the group I was with brought them along with us on our daily excursions. Scottish oat cakes are something I craved when I got back on U.S. soil and they’re bang easy to make and with a tweak of a few key ingredients they fit right into your eating plan.
You will need:
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup light brown sugar Splenda
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups soy or oat flour (save a little for dusting work surface)
1/4 cup chilled vegan margarine, cut into pea sized pieces (give or take)
3/4 cup soy milk or nonfat buttermilk

As you can see this is basically a biscuit recipe. At this point gathering your ingredients you can decide if you would like to add any dried fruits such as cherries, blueberries or cranberries. Or nuts, such as almonds, or pecan pieces. Or spices like ginger and cinnamon. They are good just as they are with a bit of jam on top.
To bake:
Pre-heat your oven to 325°F. Make sure the racks are set a few inches apart near the center of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, stir together the oats, brown sugar Splenda, baking soda, and salt (also if adding spices or dried fruits, or nuts, now would be a good time to toss them in). Place the oat flour in a separate bowl. Add the small pieces of shortening, and rub it into the oat flour with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly just like making biscuit dough. Then add the two together, mixing by hand until incorporated. Then add the soy milk or non buttermilk, stirring well to combine.
Dust a clean work surface with some extra oat flour, then pat the dough to roughly 10×8-inch rectangle 1/4-inch thick. The dough will be sticky and you can work it a bit to get it to form. Dust additional flour on top of the dough as needed to form a rectangle. Use a knife or a 1″ biscuit cutter to cut the dough into circles or triangles. With a spatula, gently transfer the oat cakes to the lined baking sheet. Pat out the remaining scraps into another 1/4″ thick rectangle, and repeat the process until all of the dough is cut. Bake the oat cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are a light brown. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. This makes about 24 oat cakes. If you like you can freeze half of the dough until you want to make more. Just thaw to room temperature before baking. Another thing you could do instead of hand forming the dough like a scone or biscuit, is to spray some olive oil into a baking pan, an 8×10 for example and spread out the dough with a spatula and bake that way. Cutting before or after.
These are great in the morning, or pop into a zip-lock for a snack, or as a dessert with a scoop of granita and fresh berries.

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I realized after my post on poultry I left out a wonderful and very tasty way of preparation, and that is smoking. There is a cold smoke and a hot smoke preparation for meats. The first doesn’t actually mean you do this in a cold or freezing environment, as the name implies, just that the temperature of the smoke never goes above 160 degrees. Many people are sticklers for even lower temperatures such as between 80-100 degrees, and thus it is ideal for meats such as Salmon and other fish, or oysters; while hot smoking can be used for anything really. The smoke essentially “cures” the meat and imparts an incredible flavor alone, or layered under whatever flavors you want to build up. More often than smoked meats have been soaked in a brine up for 4 hours or more commonly overnight to aid in the curing and flavor process. The USDA has great guidelines to follow when smoking meats, click here to go to the link.

For example a whole fryer chicken, approximately 3 to 3 1/2 pounds you would want a brine solution of 1 gallon water, 1 cup kosher salt, 1 cup sugar, and if you like pickling spices, or any spices or chilies you might like to add. If you add pickling spices it is best to boil all ingredients together, add pickling spices at the end and chill completely before immersing your bird in the solution.

Okay, you ask yourself, a gallon of water and a bird in it? What a mess! How will I ever do something like this? Well, good question. I have seen a lot of ingenious ways of storing meats while being prepared to be smoked from 5 gallon buckets used by professional painters which were bought new, specifically for this purpose (washed before use) and stored in an extra refrigerator, or garage in winter if you live up north! You could get your biggest stock pot and move a couple shelves around and keep it on the bottom rack just overnight. Never out at room temperature though. A cooler can also do the trick as long as you take measures to keep the contents chilled below 41 degrees for the whole time. Ice does nice.

For the sake of ease and technicality we will stick with hot smoked food preparation as it is just easier and tastes really good. When you get into cold smoking at home, you run the risk of bacterial growth from improperly held temperatures, poorly made brining solutions, whether you live in a sub-tropical climate or not, etcetera. Also a plus is you don’t need to brine your meats before you hot smoke them, you can just do a simple marinade or just go for it as is.

Hickory is probably one of the most used woods for smoked meats. It is easy to come by and popular for the intense, slightly sweet aroma which penetrates the meat well. Appearing more often are apple and other fruit woods which are also wonderful alone or mixed with your favorite wood chips. Apple, walnut, cherry, ash, and maple are some that I can think of offhand that can most likely be found with ease.

One could buy a smoker for home around $50 or convert an old oven into one if you are feeling adventurous. For tips check out this link.

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