Vashon's Northwest Salmon Pasta Salad

Vashon's Northwest Salmon Pasta Salad

1 lb cooked whole wheat rotini, tossed with a little olive oil to keep from sticking
1 can garbanzo beans - rinsed
8 oz grape tomatoes, halved
1 each diced red and yellow bell pepper
¼ cup minced red onion
1 cup cooked salmon, (canned is not bad for this purpose)
¼ cup chopped basil
mayo to hold together
small handful of pink peppercorns
salt, pepper to taste

A big thanks to Tommy who LOVES a multi-ingredient salad

Early Summer Slaw

Early Summer Slaw (Mayo free!)

Ingredients:

3 medium fresh carrots; washed, greens removed
1 English Greenhouse Cucumber, washed
1 large Fuji Apple, cored
1 cup tripped and washed broccoli stems
¼ cup god olive oil
Grey French sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
Juice of one lemon
½ cup crumbled mild blue cheese

Preparation:

In food processor or by hand, grate the carrots, cucumber, apple, and broccoli stems into a large bowl

Mix in lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper

Let stand 1 hour

Mix in blue cheese and serve

Eatwell Farm - Rosemary Salt and Lavender Salts

Those who know me know I never leave home without some of these or have gifted some so it can sit and wait for me to come cook in your kitchen.....


Lavender and Rosemary Sea Salts


It is easy to wonder what to do with this unique seasoning, but once used you may find it is more useful than unusual, more tasty than tricky, and as versatile as the flower that seasons it. It is made from our dried lavender flowers and French Grey Sea Salt. We also make a salt made from Rosemary and grey sea salt.


A flavor for meat:Lavender Salt is a delicious accompaniment to most meats. Lamb, chicken, and beef (recently tested at a Farmer's Market event) are well started with a lavender salt rub or finished with a sprinkle. One chef we know likes to use a small pinch of lavender salt on a 1/4 pound salmon steak before cooking.In any case keep it on your table:You never know when you are going to need a little salt on your stir fry, in your winter soup, or to help out your morning eggs. Avocado also does well with a little crushed garlic and lavender salt, as do tomatoes. Salad greens love the kiss of this high mineral salt and hearty floral herb.

For cooking with:If it would taste good with rosemary, it is probably good with lavender salt. Potatoes roast to perfection when lightly coated with olive oil and sprinkled with a layer of lavender salt in a roasting pan. At 375 degrees, I just leave the salt on top until about 30 minutes into the cooking, at which point I stir then roast until they melt in my mouth (about 1 hour total).

Not just for the kitchen:When you are tired of using it for your cooking, why not make a relaxing, soothing bath to ease any and all stresses. It is a good idea to make sure you have more on hand since a bath may use up a lot of your jar, depending on how strong you make your bath. Try a couple tablespoons to start.


Make the miscellaneous magnificent:Garlic bread, popcorn, pesto, ratatouille, jambalaya, and putanesco sauce (and maybe even the rim of a margarita glass when ground smaller with mortar and pestle) taste great with lavender salt, while omelet's, casseroles, and sandwiches become provincial treats. If you ever get tired of Lavender Salt, which is hard to imagine, we also have Rosemary Salt. Both of them make a great gift.

To order: http://www.lavenderfarm.com/where-orderform.htm

OR better yet - go to the farmers market at the ferry building in San Francisco on a Saturday and stop by the Eat Well farm stand

OR call 1-800-648-9894

Summer Squash, Tomato and Basil Gratin

Summer Squash, Tomato and Basil Gratin

2 medium summer squash

1lb tomatoes

6 large fresh basil leaves

1 garlic clove, halved

3 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Trim the ends of the summer squash. Cut into slices 1/4 inch thick. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices also. Stack the basil leaves and cut into strips 1/4 inch wide. Set aside. Rub the garlic clove over the bottom of a shallow 10-inch-square glass or ceramic baking dish. Grease with 1 teaspoon of the oil.

Arrange the summer squash and tomato slices in a single layer in the dish., overlapping them tightly. Season well with salt and pepper. Scatter the basil strips evenly over the top, then drizzle with the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Finally, sprinkle the Parmesan over the top.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the summer squash is tender.

Serve hot or at room temperature. Serves 4.

San Francisco: A Foodie Must: The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is a California certified farmers market operated by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture (CUESA). The market is open two days a week—Tuesdays and Saturdays. The large Saturday market is held both in front of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero and on the rear plaza overlooking the Bay. On Tuesday, the market spills out of the Arcades onto the Embarcadero sidewalk. The markets offer produce and flowers from small regional farmers and ranchers, many of whom are certified organic. A wealth of other products include regional artisan specialties such as breads, cheeses and jams.

Started as a one-time event in 1992, the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market's popularity led to the opening of a year-round market in May 1993. On Saturdays, 10 - 15,000 faithful shoppers attend the market because it reconnects them with their food sources. Shopping at a farmers market provides a forum for learning how food is grown, who grew it, and why it tastes so good. CUESA hosts weekly cooking demonstrations and interviews with farmers in the open-air Arcades along the front of the building, and these programs are free and open to the public

Website: http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/farmers_market.php