Tuesday Twister

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

While we’re still getting a fair amount of summer vegetables including the last of the heirloom tomatoes, its clear that fall isn’t far off;  the past week reflects that sometimes awkward transition..

1) Rosemary Chicken Liver Skewers Local, pastured chicken livers pan-fried on rosemary skewers with garlic smashed purple potatoes and mushroom & onion gravy.  I could eat this 3 times a week and be very happy.

2) Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup with Tasso Ham Roasted San Marzano tomatoes, yellow onions, garlic and peppers with spicy Tasso ham, celery, fresh herbs and raw olive oil.  Winter yesterday, summer today 🙂

3) Pork Belly, Black Bean and Roasted Sweet Potato Tacos This was easily my favorite thing for the week.  The roasted sweet potatoes added an unexpected dimension to the beans and pork.  This one’s definitely going into the rotation.

4) Roasted Chicken Posole Soup Achiote roasted chicken, homemade chicken stock, posole corn, yellow onions, fresh chile peppers, smoked chile powder, lime and vermicelli.  Comfort food, Texican-style.

5) Chocolate Almond and Almond Shortbread Cookies Not that the chocolate cookies weren’t good, but the simple, unpretentious almond shortbread cookies were a standout.  I have a long way to go in mastering the art of sourdough bread-making, but these little diversions help build experience and confidence.

6) Classic Tuna Melt Pacific albacore, heirloom tomatoes, purple onions, celery, homemade mayonnaise and local pepper-jack cheese on toasted wild-yeast sourdough English muffins.  One of the easiest and best lunches of the season.

A rather eclectic week, I’d say.  I wonder what else has been twisting out there in twisterland?


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Prepping Roasted Tomato and White Bean Soup with Tasso Ham

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Tuesday Twister

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

Gravitating towards a more primal diet, my focus this last week has primarily been on simple, fresh ingredients that are served raw and/or minimally-cooked.

Here are a few examples..

1) Loin of Rabbit with Pancetta, Porcini and Wild Onions De-glaze the pan with an ounce of Armagnac and stir up all the brown bits with the edge of a wooden spoon. Add 1/4 cup of chicken stock and reduce slightly..

2) Bengal Lentils with Pea Shoots and Wild Pomegranate A traditional, healing dish of sprouted lentils in a spicy, savory tomato sauce with toasted whole spices, onions, peppers, pea shoots and wild pomegranate seeds..

3) Antidote Salad At home this evening, I knew I needed to make up for the nutritionally empty & otherwise damaging lunch, so I gathered up what I could from the garden, pantry and fridge and made this Antidote Dinner Salad..

4) Filet de Bœuf Béarnaise Pan-roasted grass-fed filet mignon, asparagus tips, shiitake mushrooms, heirloom tomato and sauce béarnaise..

5) Corn Spaghetti with Duck Egg Aioli Pungent Chesnok red garlic, duck eggs and 100% organic corn pasta..

Overall, a pretty satisfying, nourishing week.   Now let’s go see what wonders await at the home of the Tuesday Twister!


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Tuesday Twister

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

One practical benefit of the Tuesday Twister is the ability to see at-a-glance whether I’m hitting my diet/nutritional goals or not.  I can immediately see for instance, that I need to increase my intake of fermented/pro-biotic foods.

Here’s a look back..

1) Salmon Cakes with Sauce Rémoulade Made from homemade mayonnaise, fresh herbs, capers and cornichons, sauce rémoulade is a perfect contrast for spicy, pan-fried salmon cakes.  With lots of healthy Omega-3s, this one’s staying in rotation.

2) Rosemary Garlic Lamb Chops with Mint Peas and Wild Rice Local, pastured lamb loin chops with rosemary garlic demi-glace, fresh peas with fried shallots and mint, and mushroom wild rice.  Bring on those fall flavors!

3) Deep Chili With pastured beef, chiles, onions, water & little else, this 1880’s style chile con carne really hit the spot.

4) Chicken à la King Another classic from the 1800’s, made with local organic ingredients.  I just had this again for lunch today.

5) Mayan Banana Bread With sprouted spelt, roasted Maya nut and mashed bananas, this nutrient-dense, low-gluten bread tastes of coffee and chocolate, but contains neither.  Highly recommended.

6) Pan-seared Lamb Chops with Garlic, Mint & Grape Tomatoes I hadn’t intended to turn this one into a blog post, but the flavors were so amazing that I wanted to document this one for later.

So, there you have it..  now let’s go see what everyone else has been up to!

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Tuesday Twister

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

Here’s a look at what’s been going on around here the last few days..

1) Pork Stew with Chipotle and Plantains A simple weeknight sort of meal.  This one could easily be made into a Cuban or Jamaican dish.

2) Brussels Sprouts and Ham in Mustard Cheese Sauce Loved this. May try adding smoked black pepper next time.

3) Huevos con Tocino y Salsa Verde I have eggs at least 4 times/week.  Got smart & made enough salsa to last several few days.

4) Chocolate Maya Nut Cake Loved the idea & it tasted fine, but I think I’ve lost my enthusiasm for dessert.

5) Creole Beans and Rice Red beans & rice is one of my standby comfort meals.

6) Cryptolaemus montrouzieri ? If so, this the larval stage of a beneficial predator and not a garden pest.  We’ll see what happens when I introduce a couple thousand ladybugs this weekend!

7) Basil with Green Anole Found this guy hanging out in the basil. His bright green color indicates that he’s a healthy & non-threatened  specimen  🙂

8) Mango Mole The slightly sweet, warm chile/cinnamon flavors were amazing when paired with the tart pickled onions.

Well, that’s a wrap..  let’s go see  what everyone else has been up to!


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Tuesday Twister

Each Tuesday, Wardeh at gnowfglins.com encourages us to share what we’ve been up to in our kitchens over the past week.

Here’s a glance at what’s been cooking around here..

1) Grilled Mango Salad with Aji Mirasol Bacon Dressing Fresh ripe mangoes, avocados and an aji mirasol-infused balsamic bacon dressing over watercress and field greens.  I really liked this one, but it wasn’t particularly popular with my readers.  Oh, well.

2) Pan-Seared Salmon, Fresh Peas and Mustard Beurre Blanc I really liked this one too, but my readers weren’t impressed.  Tough crowd!

3) Huevos Rancheros Fresh, pastured eggs poached in roasted tomato salsa with fresh tortillas.  Garlic, cumin, Aji Mirasol (a Peruvian chili whose  means looking at the sun), onions and cilantro. A long-time favorite in my family.

4) Salade Niçoise Américaine A primal, seasonal all-American version of the venerable French Salade Niçoise.

5) Chili Lime Delicata Fries, Avocado Mayonnaise Wedges of oven-roasted delicata squash, seasoned with smoked chili powder and fresh lime, served with homemade avocado mayonnaise.  This one drove a ton of traffic  🙂

6) Smoked Beef Brisket Good old fashioned hickory-smoked Texas beef brisket with chili BBQ sauce.

7) Horchata Horchata is a traditional agua fresca made from rice, almonds and cinnamon. Really refreshing and costs just pennies to make.

8) Grilled Cheese Soup Homemade vegetable stock, sourdough croûtons, fresh basil, scallions, Roma tomatoes and raw cheeses.

Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket

Hickory Smoked Beef Brisket

Now go see what everyone else has been up to!


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