Keokuk Sandwich at Ray's in Petaluma + Top 5 Sandwiches

I sometimes forget how much I love sandwiches until I try a really excellent sandwich. I recently tried the Keokuk Sandwich from the laid back, locals-only, Ray's Deli in Petaluma. Although it was my first time there, it felt like I'd been there many times before. It's a family run join that is a combination deli and tavern that livens up the sleepy town. Known for their sandwiches and sodas in mason jars, this place has a real feel-good vibe. A plate of freshly baked cookies sat on the counter, which we had before lunch :)

The Keokuk sandwich is truly DELICIOUS! It is turkey, bacon, roasted red pepper, provolone, pepperjack cheese, sundried tomato, pepperocinnis, fresh basil, cayenne pesto mayo and spinach served on a house baked Ray's roll. I actually regretted not taking my friend's advice, which was to buy two Keokuk's, how could I think one would be enough?!

Top Sandwiches in My Life:

1) Manganaro Special from Manganaro's Grosseria in NYC
2) The Cuban from Kuba Kuba, Richmond, VA
3) Keokuk Sandwich from Ray's Deli in Petaluma
4) Lobster Roll from Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay
5) Turkey + everything on sourdough with a bag of popcorn from Scotty's Market in Terra Linda

Ray's Deli

900 Western Ave, Petaluma

707-762-9492

http://rays-deli.com/

Create a Farmer's Market Feast in San Francisco

Create a Farmer's Market Feast ~  February Menus

Winter Bruschetta

Cannelloni beans, sundried tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil and goat cheese on Mad Dough baguette

OR

Fennel & Blood Orange Crostini

Sliced fennel from Eatwell Farm, blood oranges from K & J, olive oil, balsamic, seasoning and Fromage  Blanc from Cowgirl Creamery over toasted Mad Dough baguette

Seasonal Salad

Curly kale, arugula, peppercress, minor's lettuce, beets and celeriac from Heirloom Organic Gardens

Bison Stuffed Squash

Butternut squash, carrots, leeks, celery and herbs from Eatwell Farm with bison from Golden Gate Meat Company, red quinoa and feta from Cowgirl Creamery

Pear Crisp

Asian pears from K & J Orchards, dates from Flying Disc Ranch, ginger, almonds, brown sugar and saffron almond sorbet from Scream Sorbet

OR

Stuffed Baked Apple

Apples  & meyer lemons from K & J, dates from Flying Disc, almonds, brown sugar and butter served with saffron almond sorbet from Scream Sorbet

I am thrilled to say that the picture above is produce from Eatwell Farm and we used them all in my recent 'Create A Farmer's Market Feast' tour & class! A Saturday adventure for anyone who enjoys learning about local and seasonal foods, meeting the lovely folks who make them available to us, and cooking an organic and wholesome meal that is fuel for the body and soul. (That was my pitch!)

This last 'Create A Farmer's Market Feast' began with a visit to the Eatwell Farm stand. Eatwell Farm is a 105 acre, certified organic, community supported farm in Dixon, California. Here is a picture of the very knowledgeable and friendly Liz with Jason & Eric - the twin sons of Eatwell Farm founder, Nigel Walker. 

They were very generous and gave us a free CSA box that we loved so much we switched over from Capay to Eatwell and enjoyed our first box last week! Unlike home delivery CSA's, at least 85% of the produce is grown on their own farm and what they buy-in comes from local farms. They also have pasture eggs and freshly milled whole wheat flours, herb salts and sugars.  My roommate and I are excited to be a part of the Eatwell community and hope to join in some of their fun community events!

Our next stop was with David, a chef, and a true Connoisseur of lettuce varietals at Heirloom Organic Gardens. After sampling a handful of different types of kale, arugula, chicory and other exciting lettuces that he shares with us, I always have folks tell me how surprised they are to learn the variations in taste and texture that exist in the lettuce world. David is now serving organic soups and salads at the Fort Mason Farmer's Market on Sundays....just don't mention 'iceberg' lettuce to him ;)

From sweet to salty and crisp to fuzzy - it all exists and David is able to help us accurately identify the tastes and textures at hand. It's like have a top end sommelier tell you what you are tasting as you sip a glass of wine...

After the sampling, folks on the tour get to choose their favorite varieties from which we'll make a giant and delicious salad. You can really taste the difference here.

Our other tour stops include:

• Amboon @ K & J Orchards - Amboon is the daughter of Kalyada & James (K&J) and they provide all the citrus to Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc and French Laundry and 58 other notable restaurants in the Bay Area! In the 'Create a Farmer's Market Feast' all of our desserts are made with seasonal fruits from K & J Orchards.
• Charlie & Liz @ Rolling Oaks Ranch for delicious, pasture raised, lower cholesterol, higher omegas, happy free roaming, trailer coop, hen laid eggs. Charlie will challenge you bake with his eggs and store bought organic eggs and taste the difference! My roommate did this challenge and we did indeed taste a significant in bread.
• Thomas & Andy @ Golden Gate Meat Company for happy, wild game
• Sierra @ Scream Sorbet for delicious, artisan, locally made sorbet that is far better than any ice cream and perfectly compliments our homemade desserts. 

After learning everything we can about our produce we return to my apartment for a delicious 4 course meal accompanied by beer from 21st Amendment that is brewed on our deck! Doesn't get much more local than that! 

Create a Farmer's Market Feast

On Saturdays

San Francisco, CA

California Tacos

I love tacos. I love being creative with them and amping them up with new, unexpected ingredients. Inspired by Aaron's incredible Korean/Californian tacos - I decided to try something different than the usual tacos. I made a quick trip to the wonderful Mi Pueblo supermarket in San Rafael to pick up cheap ripe avocados, 10 limes for a buck (haven't seen that since my days of China Town in NYC!) and a few other seasonal staples. A few hours later and with a hungry mom and sister waiting at the table - I laid out the spread for these California Tacos. Why California? Because I can't figure out where else they would be from!

California Tacos

I serve these with whole wheat flat bread tortillas (low carb, high fiber - sorry if this sounds like an infomercial - but Trader Joe's has some excellent low cal tortillas!)

Ingredients + Directions:

Cabbage salad:
2 cups red cabbage, shredded to extract the juices
3 carrots grated
2 corn ears - husked
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons apple juice
half a lime - juiced
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Directions:
1. Place all the ingredients in a bowl, mix to combine, refrigerate until ready to serve.

Arugula Pesto
2 cups arugula
6 cloves garlic - mashed in a mortar and pestle
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan
1/2 cup walnuts
lemon juice

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add lemon juice to taste.

Tofu Pieces:
Tofu chopped into rectangles
Olive oil
Garlic powder
Ground pepper

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Place the tofu rectangles on the skillet. Sprinkle with garlic powder and ground pepper. Fry for about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Guacamole
2 avocados
1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley
1/3 white onion, chopped
1 ear corn, husked
1/2 lime juiced

You know the guacamole drill. Prepare and combine :)

Aaron's Central Coast Tacos. DELICIOUS

One of my best friends, Erica, recently returned from Thailand and she came over with a friend she met there - Aaron for dinner one evening. Apparently Aaron had been talking about these 'Korean Tacos' (we renamed them Central Coast Tacos - because there is more about them that is 'Central Coast' rather than Korean) for a while - so there was a lot of excitement to try these. These tacos are ridiculous. Probably the best chicken tacos I've ever had. Aaron said he has been working on perfecting this recipe for a while and he hopes to one day open a food truck. I will be one of the first in line. These tacos are fresh and flavorful. The slaw has the perfect amount of tang to constrast the mildly spicy chicken. And the pesto ties it all together. Served on a fluffy whole grain tortilla - these tacos are nothing less than divine. Here is a picture of Aaron and Erica :)

(Insert cheesy line here) - Aaron's creation really puts the TAsty in TAcos.

Korean BBQ Chicken Tacos

1. Buy or Roast 1 chicken and shred it by hand into a pot

2. Pour Korean BBQ Sauce (see recipe below) over the chicken and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken has absorbed most the sauce.

3. Turn off heat.

Korean BBQ Sauce:

3/8 cup or 6 tbsp of Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (to your taste)

2 tbsp sesame oil

Asian Slaw

1. Shred a head of cabbage
2. Shred 1 or 2 carrots
3. Chop a bunch of green onions
4. Mix together in a bowl
5. Pour Dressing (see below) over the slaw
6. Mix every 2 minutes about 5 times
7. Let sit until ready to eat (at least 5 or 10 minutes)

Dressing

3/4 cup olive oil (extra light if possible)
1/4 cup white sugar (or a little less)
3/8 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Lemon Pesto
4 to 6 oz pesto
1/4 cup lemon juice (personal preference, do it by taste)
*Note - Can either stir or blend together depending on the type of pesto.

Tortillas

2-3 small fresh flour tortillas or gorditas per person (fluffier tortillas are better)
*Note - Recipe serves about between 10 and 12 small tortillas 

Putting it all together

Heat flours tortillas, put season chicken on, put slaw on, put a spoonful of lemon pesto on.

Restaurant Review: Plant - Best Veggie Burger Ever

 One recent sunny Saturday I met my Aunt Sue at the healthy, organic and inviting restaurant/cafe, Plant, on the Embarcadero. This place is most well known for its fresh fruit and vegetable juices however the array of filling feel-good happy foods on its menu should not be overlooked. We started with a delicious salad (pictured above) made with wile arugula, grapefruit wedges, avocado, shaved fennel and a creamy black pepper - m macadamia nut dressing. It had the richness of cheese, but it was completely vegan. The ingredients were crisp and fresh tasting. As a main course I had the superb, and trademarked (I'm not kidding), PLANT BURGER:

It's a house-made veggie burger made from lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews and bulgar wheat. The Plant Burger is served with roasted onion, lettuce, tomato relish, aioli and a generous side of mixed greens. Unlike most veggie burgers, it was not dense and dry but rather moist and textured like a real beef burger. Served on whole grain bread, this is truly a happy and healthy lunch. In addition to the salad and burger above we shared the salad pictured below with roasted red beets, toasted walnuts, goat cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette. 

I highly recommend a lunch at this restaurant. You can sit along the water and have lovely teas and juices as you wait for a thoughtfully prepared and delivered meal with local ingredients. Reservations are recommended. 

The Plant Cafe & Restaurant

Pier 3, The Embarcadero

San Francisco, California

415 984 1973

Whole Wheat Penne with Masses of Broccoli, Green Olives, and Almonds

For my 24th rotation around the sun I prepared a feast for my closest friends that included tomato and herb cheese bruschetta, a fruit bruschetta, a huge salad, this big pasta dish, a wonderful birthday cake, and a tantric chocolate pie (recipe coming soon). My good friend gave me this fabulous cookbook, Vegetarian Suppers, by Deborah Madison and I had found this delightful recipe for a simple penne pasta with broccoli that I slightly modified for my birthday feast. I went to the farmers market on Saturday morning and was able to get my hands on some sweet fresh dark green broccoli for this dish. I didn't add any cheese but I put a chunk of Parmesan on the table for people to help themselves.

I love cooking for my friends - they are so nice about allowing me to take tons of pictures before letting them actually start eating. I try to be fast about the picture taking so the food doesn't go cold but it's not always easy to quickly get a good picture. I like this one of the table setting:

Whole Wheat Penne with Masses of Broccoli, Green Olives, and Almonds
(Serves 8 generously)

Ingredients:
2 large onions, diced
Olive oil
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup almond slivers
1 1/2 cups pitted green olives, torn apart
2/3 cup oregano
1 cup raisins
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 lbs broccoli, cut into small florets, stems peeled and diced
1 1/2 lbs whole wheat penne
A chunk of Parmesan for the table

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes - until they are golden.
2. Add the garlic, almonds, olives, oregano, and raisins and turn the heat to a low setting. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a dash of salt, throw in the broccoli florets and stems and cook just until tender but so that they retain bite - about 5 minutes. Scoop them out and add them to the pan with the onion mixture with a little bit of the water.
4. Add the pasta to the boiling water. When it is cooked drain it and return it to the pot. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Divide among the pasta bowls and add the vegetable topping in generous amounts on top.

Healthy Banana Bread with Flax Meal

I had no idea banana bread was so versatile until I started really experimenting with it. This whole health-ifying baked goods was inspired by my roommate, Nichole's, compost muffins. Learning how to properly incorporate flax meal and understand flour substitutions has opened many doors in the realm of baked goods and quick breads. One flour I have recently enjoyed experimenting with is coconut flour. It has more fiber than enriched white flour and it is gluten free if you are ever cooking for people with gluten allergies. I always loved banana bread but it is easily made too sweet and more of a dessert than a solid feel-good breakfast. This banana bread tastes delicious and can be a dessert, however, more importantly, it can be a great start to your morning. My two good friends, Natalie and Maxine, and I recently went to the Carnival festival in the Mission. We picked up some plantains on our way home and made it a night of banana bread and plantains. Basically we love bananas. I was out of eggs and the quick-mart under my apartment was closed so I went to the bar downstairs and they gave me two eggs in exchange for a promise of warm banana bread upon completion. I followed through on the promise and now I never need to worry about not having eggs! Here is a picture of Natalie, Maxine and I on a stoop at the festival before banana bread time:

Healthy Banana Bread with Flax Meal
(Makes 2 loaves)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup coconut flour
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup flax seed - meal
3/4 cup oat bran
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp + 1 pinch baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup almond butter
2 apples, shredded
1 cup craisins
1 cup Brazil nuts, chopped
3/4 cup soy milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

Directions:
1. Preheat the over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly butter two loaf baking pans.
2. In a large bowl mix together the flours, flax meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
3. In a separate bowl mash the bananas and add the shredded apple, soy milk, eggs and almond extract. Whisk until the eggs are beaten. Add in the almond butter  and mix until incorporated.
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Add in the chopped nuts and craisins and incorporate.
5. Pour mixture into two loaf pans. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds. Bake for 35-45 minutes. Enjoy!

Nichole's Compost Muffins (aka Energy Breakfast Muffins)

My awesome roommate, Nichole, made these delicious and healthy muffins for a recent camping trip with her family. Lucky for me - her fam didn't eat them all so I got to try the left overs and they were fantastic! They are whole grain, feel-good muffins. Her recipe has been adapted from this Bob's Red Mill recipe. I learned from Nichole that in order to get the nutrients from flax seeds, they have to be ground up into flax meal. Ground Flax seeds are a good source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids. You can buy flax seeds and ground them yourself, as we do, or you can buy the flax meal. The nutrients in ground flax seeds are more easily absorbed. HERE is a great source of information on flax seeds. These muffins taste great alone or with some peanut butter. My friends, Natalie & Maxine, love these muffins with a spread of butter too. Enjoy!



Nichole's Compost Muffins
(Makes about 15 muffins)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup brown flax meal
3/4 cup oat bran
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp maple cream
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 3 carrots)
2 peeled and shredded apples (about 2 apples)
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup vanilla soy milk
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds


Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, flax  meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
3. Stir in the carrots, apples, raisins and nuts. Combine milk, beaten eggs and maple cream. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.
4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool, enjoy.

Spicy Cheese! ....another reason to LOVE California

 I recently had the pleasure of sampling (multiple times) this delicious and surprisingly spicy habanero jack cheese from the Sonoma Cheese Factory.  Buy it HERE.

Disclosure: Apologies for the semi-blurry picture - this was taken about 2 hours into a wine tasting...
The habanero kicks in about 3 seconds into the cheese tasting. The jack is otherwise perfectly creamy to help offset the habanero.


Some ideas for good uses for this cheese include:

• Shredding and using as a topping for fried fish tacos
• Shredding and using in a corn bread
• Quesadillas
• On crackers with a dollop of sweet peach chili sauce or honey (or some sweet sauce)
• Topping on tortilla soup
• Topping for nachos with extra guacamole   

And here are some awesome recommendations from my cousin Megan <3

• shredded on top of taco salad
• used with rice and chicken in a stuffed poblano pepper
• in enchiladas! yum!
• maybe paired with a sharp green apple? Could be interesting..

Any one feel up for a visit to the Sonoma Cheese Factory?

Bruschetta 2 Ways: 100% Local

For my 24th rotation around the sun I cooked up a meal for my closest friends. I also went to the Saturday farmer's market at the Embarcadero which is the best farmer's market I've been to in the Continental United States. Seriously. It has an unbelievable selection of local, fresh, vibrant produce, cheese, breads, herbs, pantry items. One of the exciting new items I picked up was a couple stalks of green garlic. I didn't know that about the existence of green garlic but here are some of my observations: it looks a lot like green onions, however the leaves are flat, as opposed to the rounded leaves of green onions. Also, the bulbs of green garlic have a slightly purple tint. Finally the taste and smell is a sure reminder that this spring time vegetable is a kin to the garlic family. Because the taste of green garlic is beautiful alone, I recommend pairing it with mild cheeses and not using too many other herbs. I call this creation NorCal Herb Cheese Bruschetta. I will also provide the recipe for tomato bruschetta.

NorCal Herb Cheese Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 baguette

Fresh Chevre Sebastopol, CA

Green garlic

Fresh Rosemary

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Slice baguette into 1" thick even slices.

2. Drizzle with olive oil and toast for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

3. Finely slice the green garlic and rip the rosemary into small pieces.

4. Mix the herbs in with the cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread onto the toasted bread.

Tomato Bruschetta

Of all the things I learned cooking at Cefalicchio in Italy, one of the most important items - was patience, pace and taste. Take your time, slow down, and taste as you go. Bruschetta is the perfect time to do this. The most important part of bruschetta is that you use fresh, ripe, ruby red tomatoes.

Ingredients:

1 baguette

Extra virgin olive oil

Tomatoes

Salt

Pepper

Basil

Green Garlic

Directions:

1. Slice the baguette into 1" thick even slices. Drizzle with olive oil and set aside.

2. Dice the tomatoes into small, even pieces.

3. Dice the green garlic and tear apart the fresh basil, add to the bowl.

4. Add olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

5. Toast the bread for 5 minutes, or until golden brown.

6. Top with the tomato mixture and serve with a crisp, light wine.

Beer Battered Fish Tacos

A good friend of mine, Patrick, was visiting the city with his roommate from Chico State. I have known Pat since the early days of elementary school so it was awesome to be able to have him and his friends over for a meal during his first New York City trip. Because they were coming from California, I decided to make fish tacos but I wanted to mix it up and incorporate beer into the batter. Going with a Mexican theme I used a cold Modelo. I served the fish tacos with a mixture of chopped tomatoes, avocado and corn kernels, doused with lime and a bit of onion. Other sides included shredded cheddar cheese, pinto beans, spanish rice, cabbage, and sliced pickeled jalapenos. Here is a picture of Pat and I:

Beer Battered Fish Tacos

Ingredients:
6 Tilapia fillets
1 can Modelo beer
Flour
Cayenne powder
Olive oil

For serving:
Corn tortillas
Avocado, sliced
Cabbage, sliced
Salsa
Cheese, grated
Pickled jalapeno slices
Spanish rice
Hot sauce

Directions:
1. Mix together some flour with a sprinkling of cayenne powder. Pour in the can of Modelo and whisk together until you have a nice consistency. You may need to add more flour and cayenne powder to prevent it from being too liquidy. In a separate bowl mix together more flour and cayenne powder.
2. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees and line a baking dish with tin foil. Heat a layer of olive oil in a skillet over high heat.
3. Wash the fillets and dunk them in the Modelo batter. One at a time, take the fillets from the Modelo batter and coat them in the dry flour mixture. Place them on the hot oil and fry for about 4 minutes per side. You want to get a nice crispy brown coloring on the crust.
4. Place fillets in the oven to keep warm as you fry the others. Serve with toppings of choice and enjoy!

Teriyaki Seafood Tacos

I love fish tacos. The only kind of fish tacos I have ever made are the fried fish tacos I started making last year. I wanted to try something a little different and perhaps with a more Asian flavoring. Instead of our usual corn tortillas, I used whole wheat flour tortillas, warmed up over the stove top for a smoky perfection. Instead of frying the fish, I decided to sear it and the tilapia and scallops came out perfectly tender and flaky. I'm sort of on this kick to incorporate blue corn tortilla chips in everything, like as toppings for a pizza, or crusts for salmon; for the tacos, we used the left over blue corn crumbs as a extra crunchy topping for the tacos. As one of the filling options I made a kicked up cayenne infused onions. They packed a lot of heat, if you are not into spice you can omit some or all the cayenne used for the onions. For a little variation, I decided to slice some hearts of palm as toppings for the tacos. Here is a picture of all the optional toppings minus salsa and the blue corn crumbs.

Teriyaki Seafood Tacos

Ingredients:
2 fillets Tilapia
6 scallops
Olive oil
7 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
1/3 white onion, sliced
2 hearts of palm, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced
1 cup Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
Cayenne pepper
Salsa, for topping
Blue corn tortilla chips, crumbled
6 whole wheat flour tortillas

Directions:
1. Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat, place the onion slices in it and sprinkle generously with cayenne pepper. Saute until soft and fragrant. Set aside.
2. Wash the tilapia and scallops. Heat some olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Place the tilapia on one side of the skillet and the scallops on the other side. Pour the teriyaki sauce evenly over the seafood. Sear the tilapia for about 4 minutes per side and the scallops for about 6 minutes per side.

3. While the seafood is searing, warm up the flour tortillas over a flame and wrap in a dish towel to keep warm.
4. Assemble tacos with the avocado, hearts of palm, cucumber, Chinese cabbage, salsa and sprinkle with blue corn tortilla chip crumbs. Enjoy!

Baja California Pizza

A few days ago I went to my good friend Sarah at the City Bakery to celebrate hot chocolate month and over dose on sugar. We were talking about our weekends and she told me about this incredible pizza she had late one night in Brooklyn. It's not very often that someone tells me about something he or she ate and I immediately want to make it, but something about this combination set off a motivation in me and I went and got all the necessary ingredients. I wasn't sure what to title this pizza, it definitely has a Mexican influence with the ingredients, but it uses feta cheese which is more Greek, so I decided (actually my boyfriend) decided to call it Baja California Pizza. This pizza was delicious and I definitely want to make it again soon with a few adjustments! I used one can of beans, but I think it could have had more black bean sauce so perhaps 11/2 - 2 cans with more garlic, green onions etc and maybe some hot sauce! Also, I think grilled chicken or toasted corn kernels would also taste great on this! My boyfriend came up with the idea of crumbling blue corn tortilla chips on it! My cooking genius is obviously rubbing off on him ;)  We ate this pizza with tomato soup which was a great combination, even dipping the pizza in the soup tasted lovely. Next time, I think I will prepare pea soup to accompany it.

Baja California Pizza

Ingredients:

Whole wheat pizza dough

1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 heaping tablespoons of salsa

2 green onions, chopped

3 large garlic cloves

1 1/2 large tomatoes

1 large avocado

Feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and roll out the dough to the shape of your pan. Drizzle with olive oil, poke all over with a fork and bake the crust for 7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile prepare the black bean sauce. In a food processor, pulse the black beans, salsa, green onions, and garlic all together. Pulse until evenly incorporated but not to a smooth sauce, the chunkiness makes it good! Spread the sauce generously over the pre-baked pizza crust.

                           

3. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the black bean sauce, then lay out the tomato slices. Bake in the oven for 8-9 minutes. Then put on the avocado slices over the tomatoes and make for another 3-4 minutes. We want the avocados to warm up but not brown. Cut and enjoy!!!

Fried Tilapia Fish Tacos

I love fish tacos. I made them for the first time a few months ago using Catfish. Fish tacos can be made with pretty much any fleshy white fish. I've since refined my technique and while there is still a lot I can improve on, I have created a rather solid method for fried tilapia tacos. This is a wonderful meal for a party or large group. It's fun to create a buffet of toppings and allow guests to create their own tacos. It's difficult to go wrong with toppings; the hard part is making it all fit in the small corn tortillas! There is a well known restaurant near my apartment called Mercadito; I have yet to actually eat there but they have a $20 all-you-can-eat taco night on Tuesdays! I'll have to check it out for toppings and sauce inspiration. All the cutting and prep work for the toppings can be done ahead of time when you marinate the fish. This way it's all ready to go as soon as you fry the fish. Enjoy this meal with some mojitos or corona and you've got a fantastic fiesta on your hands!  I picked up delicious Indonesian Tilapia from Rainbo's Fish at Essex Market this weekend. They sell "Uptown fish at downtown prices" and have sushi grade fish too!

I also picked up a large Gwen avocado from the Essex Market. These are a large oval shape and the flesh is creamy and sweeter tasting that traditional avocado. The green skin is pebbly and these are available through late summer.

Fried Tilapia Fish Tacos

(5 large filets of tilapia can make about 20 tacos)

Ingredients:

Tilapia

Buttermilk

Hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 handful chopped cilantro

Flour
Cayenne powder
Olive oil

Toppings:
Spanish rice
Cilantro chopped
Green onions sliced
Chopped red onion
Avocado slices
Green cabbage sliced
Salsa
Lime wedges

Directions:
1. Wash the tilapia and place in a glass bowl. Fill the bowl with buttermilk until fish is immersed. Add in hot pepper sauce depending on how spicy you like your food. Then add in lime juice and cilantro. Gently mix the ingredients and flip the tilapia to make sure the pepper sauce and cilantro are evenly dispersed. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1.5 hours and no more than 3 hours.

2. In a large dish or bowl mix flour and cayenne powder (amount depends on your heat tolerance).

 

3. Heat olive oil in a pan. Keep olive oil readily available as you will need to add more between each fish filet.

4. Taking one filet at a time, remove from the marinade and place in the flour mixture to fully coat. Then place the coated filet bake in the buttermilk mixture briefly before placing back into the flour mixture for a second time. This double dipping in the buttermilk and flour mixtures makes the fried coating extra thick and crispy.

5. Place filet in the pan. Fry on each side for about 4 minutes. 

 

 6. Place fried filets on a pan in the oven at 200 degrees to keep warm and cook further while you prepare the other filets.

7. Heat corn tortillas over a flame for about 20 seconds on each side and flip with tongs. Cover to keep warm.

 

8. Put out the toppings and start creating delicious fish tacos!

 

CHEERS!!