South Pasadena Farmer's Market

Last week I went to the South Pasadena Farmer's Market with a friend. Honestly, it had been a little while since I'd been to a farmer's market, so I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the beautiful produce and exciting food possibilities sitting before me.

After wandering around, sampling delectable goodies and chatting with my friend, we picked up some dinner from a stand and sat down to enjoy it together.

One of the items I picked out was some fresh, organic lima beans. I've always been sucker for lima beans. These were plump and super fresh.

Here's a simple recipe for lima beans.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh lima beans

1 lemon

1/2 T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Place the beans in a pot with water that sits about an inch above the beans. Bring to a boil and vigorously simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Strain the beans and place into a serving bowl. In a separate bowl mix the juice of the lemon with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the beans and gently stir to coat each bean.

Brown rice and salmon would complete this dish nicely or just eat as a snack.

Health Benefits:

Lima Beans

Lima beans are high in fiber and a good source of protein, potassium, iron and folate. They also make a good food for detoxifying from sulfites which are found in preservatives often used in salad bars. Lima beans are also known to contribute to heart health because of their fiber, magnesium and folate levels.

P.S. Please do not eat lima beans raw as uncooked limas contain chemical compounds that can mess with the body. When cooked these compounds are no longer a risk.

Apple & Cabbage Juice

So here's a juice that I tried today. It's a bit of everything as I had a variety of veggies and fruits in my fridge. It turned out both beautiful to look at and pleasant to taste!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/2 small red cabbage

2 apples

2 carrots

1/2 cucumber

1 inch ginger

Health Benefits:

Red Cabbage

Red Cabbage is rich in vitamins K and C. Also, this veggie is a significant source of anti-oxidants and has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Cabbage is good for digestive tract and cardiovascular support. The red color comes from a high concentration of anthocyanin polyphenols which means red cabbage has more phytonutrients than green cabbage. Phyto- what you might say. Phytonutrients are basically the nutrients of a plant and these are essential for a healthy body, mind and spirit!

Tahini Dressing

Tahini is delicious. In June I posted a recipe for tahini cookies which are quite tasty and in August I featured Panos Bakery which serves a yummy pastry made with tahini called tahinli ekmek. Today I'm writing about another savory way to use tahini. Tahini is basically ground up sesame seeds that form a paste and there are many ways to enjoy it. One of my favorites is to use it as a dressing. As a vegan I don't often eat things that are creamy, but tahini dressing is creamy without the cream. Here's the recipe and a salad to go along with it.

Tahini Dressing:

3 T raw tahini

2 T olive oil

2 T honey

the juice of 5 lemons

pinch of salt

Salad:

1 head of leaf lettuce

2 kale leaves

1 large tomato

3 cups of chickpeas

To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.

To make the salad wash the lettuce, kale and tomato. Coarsely chop the lettuce and kale and add it to a large salad bowl. Chop the tomato and add to the bowl. Add the cooked chickpeas to the bowl as well. (If using dried chickpeas, soak for 6-8 hours in water. Strain the beans from the water. Place the chickpeas in a pot. Add fresh water and boil for about 40-45 minutes.)

Mix together all the salad ingredients. Serve up the salad in small bowls and top with the dressing.

Bon appetit!

Kale & Cumin

Kale is a wonder veggie! It's good in stews, soups, salads, sauteed dishes and juices. This veggie is potent in taste and nutrients so it can be challenging to wield such a flavor in cooking. I threw together this dish at the last minute the other evening and it turned out pretty well. It would serve as a great side dish, small meal or snack. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2-3 kale leaves

1 inch of fresh ginger

1 tsp cumin

pinch of salt

1 tsp grapeseed oil

Topping:

1/2 cup raw peanuts or raw almond slivers

Preheat oven to 300˚

Place either the raw almonds or peanuts into a pan and place in the oven. Let them roast for about 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Wash and coarsely chop the kale. Peel the ginger and finely dice.

Pour the oil into a wok and heat at medium high. After a minute, add the ginger to the wok and stir constantly about 40 seconds to a minute. Add the chopped kale and continue to stir until the kale begins to soften. Immediately remove from the heat. Add the cumin and salt to the kale. Stir in thoroughly and serve.

Health Benefits

Kale

Kale is a cruciferous vegetable referring to the family of vegetables to which it belongs and this family is famous for its cancer preventative properties. This veggie is loaded with vitamins K, A and C and is rich in calcium, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients.

Note:

I used very little oil in this dish and the cooking time is very brief so the consistency of the kale is leafy and crisp. It's similar to a raw texture but slightly softer and warm. Also, make sure you get basic kale for this dish. It should be a medium green color with curly edges to the leaves.

Spinach and Basil Salad

This is a simple salad to prepare and quite refreshing.

Ingredients:

3-4 handfuls of baby spinach

4 leaves of fresh basil

1 small red onion

1 avocado

2 handfuls of tri-color cherry tomatoes

Dressing:

1 T mustard seeds

1 T balsamic vinegar

2 T olive oil

Heat mustard seeds in a hot wok stirring until they begin to pop. Turn off the heat and let them cool.

Slice the red onion and halve the larger cherry tomatoes. Break the stems off of the basil to be composted or thrown away and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces to add to the salad. Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Minus the avocado mix all the ingredients with the dressing into a large serving bowl then slice the avocado on top of the salad to finish.

Health Benefits:

Mustard Seeds

Apparently mustard seeds were once used medicinally in ancient Rome and Greece. These little guys have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The seeds are high in selenium which has been shown to help lessen the severity of asthma and decrease symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and they are a good source of magnesium which can positively effect sleep patterns in menopausal women and reduce the frequency of migraines. Hurray for the mustard seed!