perfect pantry

beans
bread
butter
coffee
crackers
dried fruit
eggs
flour
garlic
hot sauce
honey
jam
lemons
maple syrup
milk
mustard
nuts
oatmeal
olive oil
olives
onions
pasta
polenta
potatoes
rice
salt
sugar
tea
vinegar
wine
yogurt

blender hummus

i love spreads made with beans. 

when i wrote lovesandwich, my second collection of recipes, blender hummus was on the list, but i swapped it out at the last minute for white bean pate thinking that was somehow more special than hummus.

i recently read an incredible book that sort of change my mind about the specialness of homemade hummus: the homemade pantry: 101 foods you can stop buying and start making, by alana chernila. 

the book is organized the way the aisles of a grocery store are: dairy, cereals and snacks, condiments, spices and spreads, and has recipes for everything from marshmallows to sauerkraut. many of the recipes in this book have just 3 to 6 ingredients, but the same product bought in the store might have twice as many, none of them things you would grab at the store on the way home from work.

grocery store hummus: i'm glad you are there for me, but when i have time, homemade is better. i particularly like to serve spreads paired with raw vegetables instead of crackers or bread. delicious tucked in a lunchbox; homemade hummus dresses up nicely for potlucks and picnics.

blender hummus
yields one pint

1 15 oz can chickpeas 

6 tbsp. tahini

4-5 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 c. water

1 medium clove garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. coriander

1. drain and rinse chickpeas with hot water.

2. combine all in a blender jar and blend until very smooth.

2. depending on the type of blender you have you may need to add 1-2 tbsp. more water to get everything moving.

3. optional garnishing step: spread hummus on a plate and drizzle with olive oil. add cumin,

paprika, aleppo pepper and chopped parsley to your taste and serve with crunchy vegetables like cucumbers, celery, carrots and bell peppers.

avocado & citrus kale salad

it's just a few days until the first day of spring, but most afternoons lately have felt more like summer. a little bit more raw food feels right, and citrus, kale and avocado are magical together.

this is a very simple salad, but it does require a bit of knife work. kale salads are healthy, hold up well and make you the super hero of any potluck. stay tuned for more in-season recipes.

avocado & citrus kale salad

one bunch dinosaur kale
2 cara cara oranges
one sweet grapefruit like ruby or oro blanco
one avocado
olive oil
sea salt

1. wash and cut kale into fine ribbons by rolling up leaves and cutting crosswise discarding any tough bottom stems. put into a medium sized bowl.

2. cut avocado in half and score into diamonds. spoon out the flesh and add to kale.

3. using a very sharp knife, trim oranges and grapefruit by cutting off the stem and flower ends. trim off all pith and peel, and cut crosswise into wheels.

4. now take all of the leftover citrus peels and squeeze the juice over the kale and avocado and add a big pinch of salt. stir to combine and taste. add a drizzle of olive oil and then taste again. would more salt be good?

5. fold in orange and grapefruit slices or arrange on top.

all ingredients are available at corner market north oakland. cooking tips are free.

food trends 2014

some of my loot

i don't think i've ever had so much fun at the fancy food show. this time i went with my man and although we kept getting separated i felt really close with him all day. and it's kind of like adult trick-or-treating and i love that. 

i always look for the common thread of what is new, but this time i didn't come up with much.  it seems like peanuts are having a moment. sriracha was in everything. i couldn't find a beef jerky that was free of gluten, and couldn't help noticing that the brand with the most rustic presentation had the most suspect additives.

favorites this year: justin's maple almond butter, honey mints, sea snax, ricky's lucky nuts and goat's milk caramels from vermont. meeting duff from ace of cakes, nicky guisto and craig ponsford of ponsfords place. tired feet, four barrel and mission chinese for dinner.