Recipe of the Week: Fried Green Tomatoes and Fresh Tomato Basil Salad

My ability to prepare dinner these past few weeks has been grossly hindered by my "job."  When I say "job," it doesn't really pertain to an actual 9-5 gig where I show up, do my assigned tasks, and then get fair monetary reward for completing my tasks in a timely manner.  No, my "job" is actually an internship where I was SUPPOSED to show up, observe and learn, make a few copies, and get a laughably small sum of money in exchange for my copy machine prowess.

Mind you, I moved from "copy machine intern" to "the idiot who will work 12-hour days because she doesn't have a choice" and "the if we don't want to deal with it let the intern person" in a matter of weeks, with a case load and list of difficult clients even Dr. Phil would balk at.  I've been the anchor on some clients and situations where I KNOW I WASN'T READY for the stress and psychological support these clients needed, because I'M JUST AN INTERN.  My supervisor just goes, "What a great DEAL you are!" as she rakes in client fees hand over fist while paying me my $3.78 hourly.  I am doing some serious grown-up work for the laughably small sum of an intern.  None of my classmates have had this issue.  Poop.

It hurts something awful to think that I can make more at an entry-level position at a fast food restaurant.  And get normal hours. 

What a rant!  I'm done, now on to the food!  That will make it alllllll better.  I know it.

Anyway, my new "salary" also necessitates a real vice-grip on the old pocketbook.  Shug and I have been coming up with creative ways to only go grocery shopping every two weeks, longer if we can manage!  With the bounty of tomatoes our garden has been producing, we've had some serious tomato meals in the past few weeks.  Our new favorite is Fried Green Tomatoes, it's lighting-fast, and sooooo delicious!

Fried Green Tomatoes
Serves 2 hungry underpaid serfs
Ingredients:
4-5 large green tomatoes, still firm
Salt and Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Cornmeal

Slice the tomatoes into 1/2 -3/4 inch thick slices.  Place on a plate and season each side with salt and pepper.  Let the tomato slices start to "sweat" a little so the cornmeal will adhere nicely.

Coat the bottom of a saute pan generously with the olive oil and heat over medium-high.  While the oil is heating dredge the tomato slices the the cornmeal until lightly coated.  When the oil is hot add a layer of tomatoes to the pan and fry until golden brown on one side.  Flip the slices and continue to cook until golden brown on both sides and softened.

Place on a clean paper towel to drain and serve with salsa or your favorite dipping sauce!  We like it as a base for fresh mozzarella slices and fresh basil with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar...!

Tomato Basil Salad
Serves 2-4
Ingredients:
4-5 ripe tomatoes, clean and cut into bite-size chunks
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonaded
Salt and Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Throw all in a bowl and toss well.  Let sit for a few minutes if you can to let the flavors marry.  Or just stuff your hungry face.

Recipe of the Week: Raw Tomatillo Cilantro Salsa

Shug has been venturing into the kitchen more and more and I couldn't be happier about it!  This salsa is one of his creations via the help of an extremely creepy Rick Bayless.  His pic might seem innocuous, but as soon as you see him on t.v. you'll get the heebie-jeebies, too.  Promise.

Anyway, as the weather transitions to warmer temperatures, Shug and I are transitioning back to more fresh and raw fare.  This fresh tomatillo salsa is a perfect segue.  It's so fresh and GREEN tasting, it'll get you excited for salad season!

Raw Tomatillo Cilantro Salsa
Ingredients:
6-7 fresh husked tomatillos, cut into chunks
1 large bunch fresh cilantro, removed from stalks
1-2 garlic cloves, cleaned and depending on preference
2 serrano chiles, seeded if you can't take the heat*
Generous pinch of salt

Throw all this fresh goodness into your food processor.  Pulse until well blended.  Serve with chips and raw veggie slices.  Try to leave room for dinner!

*When chopping hot chiles, wear plastic gloves if you have sensitive skin.  The capsaicin in the chiles is an irritant even to the toughest skin, but to sensitive kids it can be excruciating to get on your fingers.  And, of course, don't rub your damn eyeballs after handing these chiles...
  

Raw Recipe - Easy Peasy Cashew Cheese-Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

I know it's going to be difficult trying to avert your eyes from my ample bosom, but this iPhone shot was all we managed to take before we snarfed down our dinner! Before we embark on this cashew cheese journey together, I've got to tell you that eating raw has seriously improved my energy levels! My resolve to eat raw is only for the weekdays, so on the weekends I indulge in all the follies the Standard American Diet (SAD, haha) has to offer. I also had a tuneup on Monday and my blood work came back stellar, HDL, LDL, iron - the whole shebang was looking exemplary. Maybe I'm on to something with this partially raw insanity...

I will say Shug has NOT had the same effects from eating raw that I have enjoyed. Granted, he is eating only one meal a day raw, but he has complained of being tired and fatigued. He also pretty much hated the avocado bisque I made the other night, but the rest of the raw fare he thinks has been pretty tasty. So here's his fav so far...

Cashew Cheese-Stuffed Anaheim Peppers
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 Anaheim chile peppers
4 T extra virgin olive oil
2 cups raw cashews
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves garlic, with the green shoot removed from the inside of each clove
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t sea salt
1/4 cup water

Cut the chiles in half and clean out all the membrane and seeds. Coat the inside and the outside with the 4 T olive oil. In your blender or food processor, blend the cashews, lemon juice, garlic, pepper, salt, and water until smooth. You may have to scrape the sides often, but don't give up until it's smooth! It's worth it! Your mixture should be thick. Once blended, spoon into the halved chiles and set on a bed of greens, spinach, cabbage, whatever! I like a lemon and olive oil dressing on top with a little more salt and pepper, or you can chop up some onion, tomato, cilantro and lime for a raw pico de gallo! Devour.

Raw Update

Well, it's been about a week with my foray into Rawsville and I've already hit a few road bumps. The major road bumps being nachos at Brewvies and BBQ at Holy Smokes, or to put it another way, dishes so vastly NOT raw they could be considered inedible by raw foodies everywhere. But, in my defense, that was my original plan. I was going to 80/20 eat raw...it's just that 20% was soooo not raw food (i.e. smoked, cheezed, sauced, charcoalized) I kind of feel like the goodness of my 80% raw was completely erased by these few heavenly infractions.

With new resolve, I'm going to eat an entire week of just raw food and see how I feel. I did notice a difference last week in my energy levels, but I'm going to attribute that to the placebo effect of just the action of doing something good for my body.

Here's a recipe I whipped up for my morning shake that is really good!

Morning Green Drink
2 cups filtered water
1 green tea bag
1 T goji berries, dried
1 T maca powder
1 T lucuma powder
1 T hempseed
1 t cocoa nibs
1 t bee pollen
a BIG handful of fresh spinach
a drizzle of raw agave nectar (optional, I like it without)

Microwave the water and tea for about 2 minutes, let it steep and cool off a little bit before throwing in the blender with all of the other ingredients. If you want to be sure it's not above 120 degrees, use a thermometer. Take the handle out of the top of the blender and use a dishtowel to cover, you don't want the warm liquid exploding out of the blender! If your blender's lid doesn't have that feature, just crack the lid generously, use a dishtowel, and start the speed of the blender off slowly. Blend until super mixed, since those goji berries and hemp seed need a little extra spin. Pour into a big mug and enjoy your healthy breakfast!

Raw.

Soooo, my schedule is super-jam-packed this semester and I'm already feeling tuckered out.

Shug and I had a sweet little six day reprieve known as a honeymoon in some parts of the world just three weeks ago. Shug, the good sport that he is, agreed to a truncated trip in exchange for a real-deal honeymoon to Europe next summer. Now that we've been back and pummeled by real life, I realize how wise he was to want the real-deal following our wedding. I'm still utterly exhausted.

In my anxiety-induced insomnia, I was perusing the interweb for energizing tips and ideas. Being a barista, I already have access to inhumane amounts of caffeine...which I've been consuming for the whole of my young life. Coffee just doesn't WORK anymore, and yes, I know that I'm addicted.

I decided to up the heath ante, if you will. While black coffee has a few benefits to stave off Ahlzeimer's and stain your teeth, I needed something that was actually healthy and energy-sustaining.

Enter the Raw Food way of life.

Now before you freak out and think that I'm going to subsist on lettuce and wheat grass, let me allay your fears. I'm planning on doing an 80/20 split of raw food, mainly for brekkie and lunch, while eating normal people food for dinner. I'm still going to drink the copious amounts of coffee and red wine that has sustained me thus far. I will not be a super-weird fanatic that throws out her microwave in hopes that it will shed a few pounds...because I don't want to lose a few pounds, I just want to not fall asleep in class.

I'll keep you posted on the results. I think I may have even talked Shug into being on board for 20% of the time!