Goodnight Irene

Irene came and went and caused most of us to hibernate in our houses for most of the weekend. To our great disappointment, a member of The Crunchy Radish had their birthday festivities put on hold due to the storm. To make the best of things, we made a birthday dinner with some goods that we loaded up on the day before at the farmers’ market.

Grilled avocado was a unique spin on the traditional avocado and tomato salad. Marinating the avocado in lemon juice and then grilling the halves with a little olive oil for two minutes a side really brought an interesting complexity to the fruit and intensified the flavor. The avocado was layered with red onion, (which was also tossed in lemon juice), heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes, olive oil, some aged balsamic, salt, and pepper.

Usually not a potato person, I couldn't help myself at the farmers’ market. These little nuggets were calling out to me to be simply roasted to the point where their skins were crisp and finished with a garlicky dressing. Potatoes are underrated and do possess some essential nutrients, particularly in their skin. Potatoes are a complex carbohydrate and are naturally low in calories. Potatoes with the skin not only have fiber, but contain B Vitamins, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and potassium.

The petite blue and fingerling potatoes were roasted with rosemary and olive oil and then mixed with a "paste" of roasted garlic, rosemary, cayenne pepper, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

The birthday boy grilled himself up a  New York Strip steak, and we toasted with some bubbly.

For dessert I was able to utilize my bounty of peaches and Italian plums and made a crisp with whole wheat flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, currants, and some Earth Balance spread. The crisp wouldn't be complete without some organic vanilla bean ice cream.

We were able to have a pre-birthday celebration the night before at Fedora. We had a lovely meal filled with oysters, chicken liver on toast with pickled onions, sautéed chanterelles with a poached egg, and their take on a surf and turf which consisted of chicken meatballs and scallops. We finished the meal in style with a delicious ice cream sandwich-Van Leeuween ice cream sandwiched between chocolate cookies dipped in chopped peanuts!

Looking forward to continuing the birthday celebration with friends later this week at Roberta's.

Happy Birthday to the biggest Radish Head I know!

Banana Baby

"Ok, I know what you are thinking, what is up with this turd looking thing on a stick?" Well, despite its lack of beauty, this frozen banana coated in dark chocolate and walnuts was an amazing and delicious dessert on a 100 degree day. I had a few too many bananas laying around my apartment, so I did what any logical person would do; peel them, insert a popsicle stick (or chopstick) all the way through, and stick them in the freezer. I got really good quality dark chocolate, melted it over a double boiler, and coated the frozen bananas. (I am not an expert confectioner, so I am sure there are better techniques that would have created a more pleasing appearance.) I then covered the chocolate in chopped walnuts and stuck the banana babies back in the freezer. About an hour later, I was able to enjoy this frozen treat. The creamy cool perfectly ripe banana coated in the crunchy and sweet nutty outer layer was a divine dessert and had health benefits to boot!

• Bananas contain more than just potassium. They also have vitamin C, folate, iron, B6, and copper as well as fiber.
• Dark Chocolate has flavonoids that come from the cocoa bean, which are antioxidants that maintain heart health and healthy blood vessels.
• Walnuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and are a polyunsaturated fat, contain antioxidants which reduce cell damage, have fiber and protein.

Maybe I'm Just a Cornball

Peach, Blackberry, and Cherry Crumble

Arugula with corn, chickpeas, avocado, artichoke hearts, red onion and a mustard vinaigrette

Farro with spinach pesto, sundried tomatoes and arugula

With the weather so hot and humid, it has been hard to get motivated to get into the kitchen and cook, unless accompanied by an ice cold class of pinot blanc. Even with the liquid motivation, it has been hard to spend more than 15 minutes in my galley of a kitchen standing over a hot stove. So, to avoid passing out from heat stroke, I have been indulging in simple summer salads, faro tossed in pesto, and even a fruit crumble to reward myself for enduring the kitchen heat.

My crumble did not live up to my mother’s, but I did try and incorporate a healthier spin on this fruit filled dessert that could not have been easier. I layered sliced white peaches, pitted cherries, and blackberries in a pan. (Be sure to fully load the dish because the fruit shrinks when it cooks). I then mixed whole-wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, Earth Balance Spread, cinnamon, and nutmeg and layered it on top of fruit. After baking for 40 minutes, the crumble was crisp on top and gooey and delicious on the inside. A perfect treat topped with vanilla fudge swirl frozen yogurt!

Corn is coming to its peak, and it is such a simple and delicious vegetable to integrate into salads, pastas and breads or to enjoy in its unadulterated form. Corn is a starchy vegetable, which means that it counts as a carbohydrate as well as a vegetable and has slightly more calories than non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli or carrots. This certainly doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have benefits, and is still an excellent vegetable to eat in order to get your daily veggie fix.

These crunchy little morsels are loaded with fiber, Vitamin C and have cancer fighting phytonutrients that can also promote adequate vision and heart health. Try and get corn as fresh as possible, because as soon as it is picked, the natural sugars start converting to starch. Additionally, when simply boiling or grilling or popping, be mindful of what you put on your corn. People tend to smother their golden nuggets in butter or cheese. Try and cut back and enjoy the simplicity in the sweet and crisp summer delicacy, otherwise you turn a healthy item into a fat attack.

Here are some simple solutions to keep your corn light and delicious:

Air pop popcorn and season with different spices like garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, or a little parmesan cheese or eat naked with the addition of a pinch of sea salt.

Cut kernels from the cob and mix them with various types of salads, salsas, or soups.

Roast the corn on a grill for a smoky flavor.

Or simply boil for 2 minutes for a crunchy and sweet summer time delight.