My Way, No. 29

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

— After writing about Chico’s wrinkle-resistant travel-knit fabric last My Way post, I decided to check out their website. They have a 40% off sale (entire purchase) going on right now. I don’t know how long it will last, though (hopefully, at least through tomorrow if you get a chance to read this by then!). If you are a commuter or globe-trotter, the Travelers collection can be a nice addition to your wardrobe. It’s wonderful to arrive at your destination without looking like you slept in your clothes, lol! When I managed the non-profit women’s business clothing boutique (I wrote about it here), Chico’s sister store, Soma, held a bra drive for us. There must have been 500 good condition, quality bras donated. You don’t know what gifts like that mean to those in need! Or, maybe you do. Ah…I get emotional just thinking about it!

— Adventures in Food: 2-for-1 tomato-based soups! I made a slow-cooker tomato soup base for the Cherokee Hominy and Tomato Soup (from the last My Way Post) and a Lasagna Soup (I originally saw on the Fave Healthy Recipes site).

I took the Lasagna Soup post’s advice and added some veggies: mushrooms, squash, and kale. I used quinoa macaroni (really a quinoa/corn blend). I LOVE whole wheat pasta, but I will say (again) that I really cannot tell the difference. I lighted up the cheese, but just a little hit of parm makes this so good. Simple, good eats.

Herb-y cooking with spaghetti squash. Grilled Spag Squash with Tomato-Mushroom Sauce, & I made a non-fat yogurt-based sauce adapted from the Herbs’ post Mediterranean Smothered Chicken:

The chicken recipe called for the veggies to go into the sauce while cooking, but I just added them after plating. I marinated the tomatoes in a light vinaigrette. I think the sauce would be fab (with the cream or with yogurt) with a number of proteins or even veggies.

The tomato sauce prep had the same ingredients as these roasted tomatoes, but I prepared it on the stove top (and added mushrooms). Again, I know the look of the withered tomatoes isn’t that great (I added a little fresh for garnish), but this was delish! You know flour pasta is my fave, but this was so satisfying. I could eat this every day. The grilling also adds a nice depth of flavor.

I need to do another To Market to Market… post soon! I spotted berhi dates, durum wheat, and pickled mango powder at Jasmine Market here in Tucson. What else should we pickle and powder…hmmm? One of the store staff told me there are like 1000 types of dates (don’t know if that’s an exaggeration???) and some knowledgable folks can point out each variety. When the dates got nice and ripe, I puréed most of them to use as a sweetener. But, they were SO GOOD just by themselves. Nature’s candy. I used the dates to sweeten a greek yogurt brûlée (along with brown coconut palm sugar). (Please forgive the really bad pic in the dark, but I figure you know what brûlée looks like 😉 .)

I wanted creme brûlée, but I thought my body would like the homemade non-fat Greek-style yogurt better. I figured someone must have a yogurt recipe, but I didn’t feel like looking one up. I just used my old creme recipe with a yogurt substitution. Flavoring was Mexican vanilla extract (I like the earthiness of it) and a touch of rum. This was delightful and satisfied my craving. Pure Mexican vanilla can sometimes be difficult to find, but mine came from Penzeys Spices. You can get a huge bottle, too (16 fl. oz.), if you like.

Finally, if you are a bread lover, try this Caramelized Onion and Olive Focaccia recipe I posted a while back:

I used capers in place of olives this time. I caramelized my onions with a little balsamic, red wine, and thyme. I threw some red peppers flakes on the dough afterwards.. I did not use as much oil as the recipe called for, but I was still really, really pleased with the results. I only used a 1/2 teaspoon in the dough, with non-fat yogurt making up the difference. And, I just gave it a few Misto’s of oil to finish. Now, don’t start frowning at me! I will try it with all of the oil some day. Many times, I try to cut calories of liquid fats where I can (like I said I do with vinaigrettes and pestos). It’s just a personal preference. If I’m going to consume the cals, I would rather chew them (like nuts or avocados, say). My mind (not just my tummy) seems more satisfied this way, lol. Though, I do love to dunk bread in a good bit of olive oil every now and then! I guess the liquid vs. solid applies to other areas of food in my life as well. Anyway…this bread was so luscious and luxurious (even without the full amount of oil). I would be hard pressed to choose between it and a candy bar. I would eventually choose the candy bar, of course, but it would be a hard decision 🙂 . Haha

— Great article on the Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to a children’s mental health organization. The article also notes her fashion choices. My former co-worker (a fashionista, for sure) told me she loves to use the Duchess’ style as inspiration ‘pins.’ I think many of my friends, as Americans, are fascinated with royalty. I cannot say that I’ve been unaffected. Princess Diana was the only person who ever persuaded me (through admiration) to willingly cut my hair short.

— Still getting 98 degree days here in Tucson, but here’s a cute, easy DIY if you’re in a cooler part of the country (or world). Choose whatever fabric you like: DIY Ruana – anna evers – DIY Fashion blog.

DIY Tutorial 10: Obi Belt From an Old Skirt | fashion.onblog.at.

— Detergents, Stain Removers, Delicates, and more: 10 Natural Laundry DIYs | HelloNatural.co.

Fall is a great arts & crafts time for kids. Colored popcorn is more readily available this time of year, and kids can use it to replace more expensive craft items…then eat whatever’s leftover!

Also, good info for kids here: School Lunch Ideas Using Cultured & Fermented Foods | culturesforhealth.com.

— OMGoodness, how much do I love this? Cool Bird’s Nest Bed | 1 Design Per Day.

— Delish Treats for the Day:

I made a sourdough sprouted durum wheat bread based on this recipe, but I also wanted to share this stencil technique with you from the same blog: Sourdough Rye with Walnuts | hungryshots.com.
She fashioned the stencil herself, and you can surely do the same (if you’re the crafty type). I only had an Eiffel stencil when I decided to do this, and I didn’t want to purchase another one. I am not good at creating such things from scratch…so, I went with that. It turned out OK, so I will be investing in a few more stencils in the future. Fab for folks lacking that type of artistic talent! Here’s a pic (I didn’t make any slashes on the bread because I didn’t know how the image would turn out. Next time.):

Lamb, Smoked Aubergine, Yoghurt, and Onions | Great British Chefs.

Baked Pecan Coconut Crusted Fish Recipe | recipelover.com.au.

I told you how I adore the Moosewood. It always brings back good memories for me. Make sure you check out some of their awesome cookbooks! I think my food co-op should do a cookbook. They also put out some fab eats. Mixed Vegetable Curry | moosewoodcooks.com.

Sprinkles – Allergy Free Alaska.

Shortcut Salted Kouign Amann | the pig & quill.

This is so cute! Must see! Gourmet Restyle : Bubble Fruit | lublyou.com.

Juniper Syrup – The Baked Apple.

Whiskey Cream Sauce | sweetsoursavory.com.

Italian Scones Recipe | Taste.com.au.

Tangerine Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail | eatingwell101.com.

Have a great evening, and I’ll see you next time!

My Way, No. 28

*If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read this for info on what ‘My Way’ posts are all about. 🙂 *

Hope Rosh Hashanah has been a wonderful time!

— Adventures in Food: Breakfasts for Dinner! I usually have fruit during the morning hours, so here are a couple of evening meals I recently enjoyed:

No, it’s not eggs! It’s a fake-out chickpea flour & tofu omelette. I found the recipe on the same site as the recently posted English muffins: Potato-Avocado Tofu Omelettes. Now, I do love eggs, but I thought the recipe sounded intriguing. If you recall, I did a lot of potato recipes the previous few weeks, so I went with sautéed kale, mini sweet peppers, criminis, and avocado (though, the potatoes in the pic looked SO yummy!). I sautéed the criminis in a little homemade Worcestershire and red wine. This is one of my fave ways to have mushrooms. Sometimes, I add a little butter and thyme. If you’ve never made your own Worcestershire, I just looked up this recipe: Homemade Worcestershire Sauce. I like to make mine with apple & balsamic vin, blackstrap molasses, honey (maybe stevia), smelly fish ;), tamari, garlic, onion, mustard powder, chile, some warm spices, and tamarind. If you run out of anchovies while making Caesar dressing, try Worcestershire to pinch-hit. If you’ve never seen tamarind, this is what it looks like (it’s also available in other forms, like paste):

Apparently, the original version of the recipe calls for Indian black salt to create a more ‘authentic egg experience.’ As I lacked such an item, I subbed the sea salt I smoked. I also ran out of nutritional yeast and replaced it with parm. The recipe indicates you should use a cooked chickpea flour vs. raw, and it gives illustrations of how you can tell the difference (if you purchase your flour). I ground dry peas for my flour and just cooked out the rawness a bit. I really enjoyed this meal (though I will still whip up a traditional omelette every now and then). Check out this recipe for sure if you don’t do eggs.

You know my obsession with carrot cake! Carrot cake steel-cut oats with shredded carrots, raisins, pineapple, walnuts, fresh coconut, ground cinnamon & ginger, pure Mexican vanilla extract, pinch of salt. As with my rice pudding, I like to put the vanilla and salt in after it’s finished cooking (cinnamon & ginger during). I throw the carrots in about a minute before the end of the cooking time (except garnish). Everything else is a topping. I forgot the honey in the pic, but I usually finish with a bit to sweeten.

I made versions of this dish several times: Daikon Radish Pasta with Corn and Tomatoes in Creamy Coconut Sauce.

I didn’t have daikon, so I subbed squash. In this pic, I also bulked it up with 1 oz. of whole wheat spaghetti. If you want to lighten up your traditional pasta dishes, a blend of a veggie spiral and a flour pasta is a great way to go. I just eyeballed the ingredients, but the sauce was fab. I can see it translating to all kinds of things. I used a blend of coconut water & milk I had in the freezer.

I told you I made the lovely Cherry Tomatoes & Basil Sauce from the last My Way post, and that gave birth to these roasted tomatoes:

I know roasted tomatoes aren’t the prettiest thing to look at! This has to be one of my fave preps in probably the past 6 months or so, though. So simple, but I could have made a meal out of them. I made several batches. I filled the pan with a little water (about halfway up to the tomatoes), roasted garlic cloves, salt, oregano, rosemary, sage, thyme, and basil. After one batch reached room temp, I had a hard time not just popping all of them in my mouth right then. They were SO GOOD! I also used them to top pasta (veggie & wheat spag), and this flatbread:

I adapted the flatbread/pizza dough from this recipe: The Best New York Style Cheese Pizza.

So, again, maybe not the most attractive meal in the world, but this was so tasty (prepared it a couple of times)! I made a honey-whole wheat dough with a little parm and garlic powder added. I adjusted the salt a bit because of the parm and smoked sea salt on the crust (like I did with the Sriracha garlic knots). I can’t remember where I read about the smoked salt, but I really like it. I added a little cornmeal to the bottom of the pan & replaced some of the oil with homemade non-fat yogurt. Sauce was a mixture of homemade non-fat yogurt and homemade (skim) feta (I hafta keep my dairy + fat portions low, boo 😦 ). Little finish of pomegranate molasses.

— Last My Way post, I forgot I wanted to tell you about the convertible Henkaa dress fabric. It’s a wrinkle-resistant fabric. If you’ve ever been to Chico’s, it kind of reminds me of a wrinkle-resistant travel-knit fabric they have. The young lady demo-ing the dress spilled something on it at lunch. She had a spare dress scrunched up in her purse and changed into it after the mishap. No ironing or steaming. The first dress was a floor length, and the second above-the-knee. She was very tall, and both dresses looked fabulous on her. After that last post, I watched a few of the various style vids. You have to see them. Amazing!

— I saw this on my food co-op’s social page. I think a lot of people know this type of thing goes on, but it’s always still shocking to see it in print: A Guide to Food Industry Front Groups | centerforfoodsafety.org.

— I found this article heart-breaking, but I’m glad they took the billboard down:Mental Health Advocates Topple Kenneth Cole Billboard Falsely Linking Mental Health Conditions and Gun Violence | bizjournals.com.

— I read back through a few of the articles from the last installment of my Mental Health Series. This article really hit me, so I wanted to post it here (and I may post it a few more times). Schizophrenia is not a split personality, there are four main symptoms | thejournal.ie. I think everyone should read this. It’s not just about this particular illness. It deals with some heart issues. I think you will find it enlightening.

— DIY Dip Dye Jeans | Fusion e-Magazine.

Maybe you could also DIY something like this: Wheretoget.it.

— I am in the market for a different (neutral-colored vs. my last vibrant color choice) heart rate monitor watch. While searching for one, I came across this sports bra made for the heart sensor chest strap: Pure Lime Compression Bra for Heart Rate Sensors – High Impact.

— OK, these are totally fun and hysterical! I love the bar, cat bed, and speakers.
DIY Retro Furniture — 12 Things To Do With Vintage Suitcases | Loffee.

— Deodorizing Homemade Lavender Linen Spray Recipe | soapdelinenews.com.

— Today’s Featured Recipes:

My mom likes to watch her sugars (and sodium), but she doesn’t care for several sugar subs. She especially doesn’t like stevia! She tried to use the same ratio as white sugar, lol! So, I have to sneak these things into her food sometimes, hehe. I’ve never used the sugar sub called for in this recipe, but you may be able to sub the sub if you need to:
Low Carb Cinnamon Sugar Cake Donuts – Gluten Free | Modern Low Carb.

Walnut and Olive Spelt Bread Rolls | Quite Good Food.

Brie, Fig Jam, and Serrano Ham Crostini | Flavor the Moments.

Tequila-Orange Grilled Shrimp | Cookbook Recipes.

Jewish Holiday Recipes: Doughnut Ice Cream Sandwiches | Gourmet Kosher Cooking. An idea you could adapt very easily. They suggest chocolate doughnuts with coffee or cookie and cream ice cream.

Chef JD’s Cuisine & Travel Website Turnstile | Cherokee Hominy and Tomato Soup.

This is not really a recipe, but you could really let your imagination run wild with this one: Home cured duck ham, Hendricks compressed cucumber, summer fruit and nitro sorbet. Due South Chefs Ltd.

Ginger Candy Appletini  Recipe | aroundmainline.com. I like the caramel apple garnish 🙂

Take good care of yourself, and I’ll see you next time!

Homemade Ketchup

A CUP OF JO: Homemade Ketchup | joannagoddard.blogspot.ca.

Who needs store-bought when you can DIY it? I love homemade ketchup when the Farmer’s Market ripe, juicy reds are in season. I grew my own tomatoes in NY, but haven’t attempted them here in the desert. If you love to preserve foods, make sure to jar up a few bottles of ketchup along with your jams and jellies!

Enjoy!

Recipe: St. Patrick’s Day

Meat Pasties with Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day | handbag.com.

One more recipe for St. Patrick’s Day! I love pasties, and these look particularly mouth-watering. Back in the day, I worked as a recipe tester for a couple of cookbooks. One of the books was for an Irish Pub, and I recall making an Irish Stew with Guinness. This is a very similar type of recipe, but with a nice bit of crust. I think you could very easily put this in a slow cooker, then go on about the rest of your day. You can also roll out your own crust, if you’re up to it. Just FYI, this recipe calls for Ballymaloe Country Relish. As I had never heard of it, I had to look it up. It’s a tomato-based relish and sounds delish! Here’s a homemade recipe version if you do not have access to the actual product: Ballymaloe Country Relish.

These pasties look to be a very economical, hearty, and satisfying meal. Don’t just limit these to St. Patrick’s Day, though. I think they would be delightful at any time of the year.

Enjoy!

WhirlwinDISH 26

Still preparing for Turkey Day sans turkey. I think I am favoring this dish for Christmas instead, though: Delicata Squash and Fall Fruits in a Dessert Wine Sauce.

Delicata squash from my local food Co-op inspired this dessert. I have never used it in a sweet preparation before. What started me on the path was having purchased thick and regular rolled oats. I began thinking about a fruit crumble, afterwards thinking about a savory crumble with the squash. Then, I thought about a sweet crumble with the squash. Ultimately, I didn’t use the oatmeal at all and went for this easy stove-top dessert. Many times, dessert wins out in my life!

I must say, this was one of my favorite dessert experiments. I might change the presentation somewhat (a little more refined, perhaps?), but the flavors came together beautifully.

The Prep: I sprinkled a little salt and brown sugar (coconut palm sugar) on the squash and seared them on both sides. Diced apples were also caramelized with a little brown sugar. I made a sauce from water, brown sugar, raw sugar & stevia, homemade dessert wine (as it’s on the sweeter side), lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. I generally just use whatever sweeteners I have at the time for my dishes (like agave, raw sugar, etc.). For some preps, though, I choose to either purposefully use or avoid sweeteners with flavors that are more pronounced (maple, honey, or molasses, etc.). I thought about maple for this prep, but I decided to go with the more subtle brown palm sugar. I used my homemade wine, as it was handy…but, I can think of several wine shop purchases that would be suitable. So, I will change the title to reflect the appropriate wine when I’ve tested it out.

The Stew: I added the squash, apples, dried figs, and raisins to the sauce and let them stew. The squash and fruit were plated, and I drizzled a little bit more of the reduced sauce over the top. As I’ve previously written, I am fasting from butter right now…otherwise, I would have finished with a little at the end. If I wanted to make it more fancy, I would have spiked it and flambéed. Remember I said I love food and drinks on fire!

The Finish: A sprinkling of roasted nuts and pom seeds and a whip of homemade non-fat yogurt with raw coconut butter, vanilla, and raw sugar & stevia.
——————

Also, just a quick update on veg tamales. Last ‘My Way’ post, I linked to a recipe for vegan tamales, so check it out. I made a couple of batches testing the steam and slow cooker methods from the link. I just switched up my fillings and added a little cumin to the dough (vs. faux beef broth). I probably used less than a quarter of the oil the recipe called for (just regular veg oil), and they turned out fab (in my opinion). Less calories means we can eat more, right 😉 . I was also inspired by another recipe using a black bean chili filling. I used a veggie curry filling for one batch:

and, I used a “breakfast burrito” filling for the other (I told you I was stuck on breakfast burritos 😉 ):

The Veggie Curry: Delicata Squash, Tomato, and Black Bean. Sauce was made from sautéed onion, garlic, and chile, my own curry blend, cinnamon, brown sugar (palm sugar), and apple cider vin. I used the same sauce to top it off with, but added a bit of tomato paste & made it a little sweeter than normal (because I love sweet, as you know).

The “Breakfast Burrito”: Scrambled Eggs, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Black Beans, Green Bells, and Asparagus. I’m also fasting from cheese, otherwise cheese most assuredly would have been included. Eggs were initially cooked very soft, as to not overcook while the tamale was steaming. Topped with my lacto-fermented salsa.

So many different ingredients and dough combos you can use for tamales. I would like to try some Asian flavors next. I used corn husks to wrap most of the tamales, but decided to test out another method, too. I figured some people reading may not have easy access to corn husks. They are readily available here in the Southwest, but I’m not so sure about other places in the country (or world). I thought making tamales is similar to making sushi, so I used parchment paper and a sushi roll mat to roll a few. I just secured the parchment with a little tape (yes, tape! Like a wrapped package or present). You will not get the texture that the corn husks give the dough, but they cooked up fine. They are also very easy to remove from the paper. If you use the slow cooker method, though, you may want to find a way to put a little water into the pot. The corn husks are soaked in water, so that is enough to provide the steam. Perhaps some slow cookers come with steamer racks like larger electrical roasters? Anyway, I think this is a good makeshift method, and you can probably come up with even more ways. The sushi roll mat may not be absolutely necessary, but it made the rolling very easy. Tamales freeze very well, so it’s nice to make a big batch for when the mood strikes.

Pasta Sauces!

The 5 French Mother Sauces

I have been posting a lot about food recently, but I can’t help it — it’s one of my favorite things! I need to decide what type of pasta sauce to prepare for a special occasion. I am trying to step away from my ever-beloved&favored red sauce. So, I thought I would create a reference post with some of my other faves (and some I hope to try) for anyone interested. And, I am posting a few Tucson restaurant pics, in case you stop by our fair town. Really, I could eat spaghetti with red sauce every day and not get tired of it. Just look at how yummy it is (even without the cheese):

From Caffe Milano, Tucson, Arizona.

I have jarred up the season’s juicy reds in preparation for the Tucson “winter,” but I need to forge ahead!

I could always do a traditional pesto, which I love.

Caffe Milano, Tucson, Arizona

I also like switching up the herbs/greens, nuts, cheese, and oil for it, too. And, sometimes I leave out the cheese or oil.

Mac and cheese can be a bit too casual unless I really spruce it up. I like this presentation of oozing, gooey cheese.

Bacon Mac and Cheese from Union Pub House, Tucson, Arizona

I am also partial to bleus like gorgonzola for a different spin.

This one was new to me: Buffalo wing sauce. I haven’t tried to re-create this yet. Perhaps it doesn’t scream of formality, but it still might be a contender. Many of us born in NY try to create as many dishes as we can around Buffalo wings. Can’t be bad.

From Elliot’s on Congress, Tucson, Arizona

I have to admit when I started thinking about ‘special occasion’ sauces, cream and butter came to mind an awful lot. I think I need to realize you can have delicious, fresh-tasting sauces that are ‘special’ without them, lol. But, C&B are so, SO good. Also, anything with wine, mushrooms, or olives puts it over the top for me.

Lamb Ravioli from Wildflower, Tucson, Arizona

Pappardelle ai Funghi, Tavolino Ristorante, Tucson, AZ

My new favorite this past couple of years has been a cilantro-lime cream sauce:

I saw a recipe for this a while back, and I absolutely love it. This pic I made a little differently than normal. I used actual cream vs. my usual lower fat milk and added chile for spiciness. I always add garlic, but I can’t remember if the original recipe called for it or not. I just infused the cream, then strained it. Normally, I leave all the herbs and bits in there. I thought it would be super rich, but the lime kind of cuts the heaviness. It was also the first time I used my own homemade pasta. *As a sidenote: I’ve started making a double batch of dough for dual usage. I used a whole/heirloom wheat blend for this pasta with beetroot powder & juice. After mixing, I use half for pasta and save the other half for tortillas. I just add salt and oil to the tortilla dough.*

Other sauces I’ve been enjoying recently are the spicy tahini I’ve previously posted about, and a soy-balsamic. Less frequently, but still high on my list are meat, root veggie, green veggie, any veggie, buerre noisette, and tomatillo based sauces. And, though I do not care for egg noodles, I love to make a stroganoff-type sauce with various others pastas. Back in the day, warm pasta salad with Italian salad dressing-type sauce was common for me. I haven’t had that in quite a while now, though.

Finally, here are a few interesting-looking recipes I would like to try. See what you think:

Creamy Avocado Pasta Same type of flavor base as the cilantro-lime with less sat fat.
Pasta with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Spicy Pumpkin Pasta I have made dishes similar to this one and the previous link, only with butternut squash (and without the meat). It looks interesting!
Kale Pasta Cream Sauce
Fusilli with Spinach Sauce (just added this site to my blogroll! Check it out for updates.)
Pasta with Kale in Lemon-Cashew Sauce
Herbal Pasta (very simple, but I think you could jazz it up)
Pasta with Purple Sprouting Broccoli (mmm…anchovies)

WhirlwinDISH 21

Corn salad inspired by my recent trip to Heirloom Farmer’s Market. I was in kind of a rush making this, though, so it’s not as cute as it could be. I was hungry!

This corn was some of the best I’ve had in a LONG time! Like I said, I was in a hurry, so I didn’t even bother to shuck it. I just plopped it in the oven on a very high heat setting, then quickly shucked after it finished cooking. It can be easier to remove the silk, though, this way. Some people put their corn in the micro for a minute or so, but I don’t have one. You just have to watch your fingers because it gets hot.

While the corn was cooking, I prepped the rest of the ingredients and a quick aioli. They had some beautiful yellow and purplish-black tomatoes, so I chose the yellow for this dish. I saw a label for lemongrass, but it was all gone…garlic chives were in its place. I tossed in the chives, a bit of shallots, and some fabulous pink pomegranate seeds.

I let the corn cool to room temp (which didn’t take very long) before combining it with the other ingredients. The dressing was just a light, creamy aioli (more garlicky-ness!) with lime juice. I gave the salad another quick hit of lime juice at the end.

This turned out pretty well! I think it would have been even better if I had let it sit for awhile to meld the flavors, but I wanted to eat already, lol! I’ve never used this combination before for a corn salad. I’m sure I would have never thought about the pom seeds if they were not at the market that day. You never know what creations the market might inspire!

 

To Market to Market…8/4/2014

Heirloom Farmers’ Market at Rillito Park, Tucson, Arizona. This is a very large FM (at least as far as Tucson goes). There’s a horse race track located behind it. My favorite item this trip was local white grapefruit. Growing up, I used to drink so much grapefruit juice, I would break out with a rash! I would still keep drinking it, though. I thought perhaps I could use some for a cocktail, but it was too good not to eat it just as it was. I made a “purple plate” with purple okra (SO Good!), purple green beans, purple cauliflower, teeny tiny purple graffiti eggplant, and purplish-black tomatoes. Other great finds: bok choy (though I love the baby bok), sweet corn, white eggplant, komatsuna greens, pink pomegranate, and a few other odds & ends.