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Beekeeping is gaining in popularity in urban areas. People connect to their environment, improve the genetics of bees, and enjoy the freshest of honey.
Category Archives: Food
Claire snared a press invitations to the official opening of Dr. Andrew Weil’s Integrative Wellness Program at the posh spa Miraval in Tucson. We met Dr. Weil and had a tour of the facility with resident physician, Dr. Jim Nicolai and his nurse Sheryl Brooks. The idea is to combine the integrative medicine concepts of Dr. Weil with the exercise, stress and relaxation activities of Miraval to plot an optimal lifestyle and wellness path for clients.
we’re eating pork now, or any kind of protein for that matter, and we eat whatever vegetables they bring us. At the grocery stores, we study and poke the packages and hope they’ll sustain us through a night of camping. Yogurt and cookies (a whole roll) is a before bed tradition of carbohydrate loading. …push a pedal stroke for us, we’ll need it; tomorrow; (tonight for you) we climb 7,000 feet to well over 15,000 feet and hope to get down in elevation to find a camping spot low enough to allow for sleep, before dark.
Just a quick touch of the salmon crazed Alaskans (legal residents) fishing with nets at the mouth of the Kenai River. It’s how they fill their freezers for the year and have a lot of fun it seems. The gulls are happy too!
t becomes almost difficult to sleep as we near the Yukon, the days are so long, the nights so short. We close all the blinds in Turtle, and it still is late before we can sleep. Light usually wakes me at 3:30am, but I’m a good sleeper, and Claire’s warmth makes it easy to wait for full sun to warm us through the windshield sometime around 6:30. At that 3:30 awakening, I open the blinds and curtain between our living area and the cab to welcome the sun. A warm house makes it easier to get out of bed at a reasonable hour.
One man’s solution to cooking for one without resorting to pizza or chips and dip.
Preparation: put a cup of water in the crock pot and turn on high, chop vegetables, throw in crock pot with contents of tomato can and cover. Cook on high for three hours; then add mushrooms, can of red beans, squirt of fish sauce, add chicken broth, chili flakes, and turn to low. Cook on low until time to eat. Adjust liquid if necessary. Grate sheep cheese on top of each bowl of soup (not in photo, forgot) and grind some pepper on top of that. Serve with whole grain bread and wine.
Preparation: cook yam covered with some water in microwave 2/3 done, let sit to finish. Fry salmon in lots of extra virgin olive oil with garlic powder and tarragon, remove and cover to stay warm. Add broccoli to salmon juices and olive oil on medium high and brown, add 21 Salute, chicken broth and finish covered. Serve on 8″ plate and a glass of wine.
Ingredients: leftover vegetables and chicken saute (two days old, max) extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup coconut milk, 1/2 orange, 1 tbsp fish oil, 1 tbsp red curry paste, 1/4 cup dry whole grain basmati rice, cashews.
Pour the cook a glass of wine.
Preparation: cook rice 35 minutes in salted water, drain and cover to finish; stir fry rice in olive oil, curry paste and fish oil; add leftovers to mix with coconut milk and heat; squeeze 1/4 orange into wok and stir.
Serve on 8″ plates with 1/4 orange and chopsticks.
Preparation: fry chicken breasts coated with Trader Joe’s21 Salute and garlic powder in lots of olive oil, chop vegetables large pieces, cook penne al dente while you fry the vegetables in lots of olive oil with tarragon and marjoram; add cubed fried chicken. Drain pasta and cover 1/2 of an 8″ plate, add vegetable/chicken breast mix, top with sheep cheese, pepitas and ground black pepper.
Preparation: Claire bakes her no kneed many grained bread; I can’t be more specific because she makes it differently each time, which is part of the adventure! Steam the asparagus while frying the salmon in olive oil, sprinkled with tarragon and fresh pressed garlic. Make dipping oil/vinegar mix adding Trader Joe’s 21 Salute and pepper. Arrange on an 8″ plate, sprinkle asparagus with sea salt and serve with wine.
Dice vegetables in large pieces, cube cooked chicken breasts; fry vegetables in lots of olive oil, adding pressed garlic, spices and cubed chicken near the end.Cook pasta al dente, drain but reserve 1 cup, add 3 tbsp of pasta water to bowl, one egg, 1/4 cup grated cheese and stir until a sauce. Reduce over heat if necessary. (Claire’s sauce) Mix pasta back into sauce. Place vegetable chicken mixture and pasta on 8″ plate, cover with sauce, sprinkle nuts and add pepper or salt if you like. Have with wine and your sweetie.
Fry patties in lots of olive oil, in a medium hot iron skillet, uncovered. Sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning, or other spice that goes with something a little sweet. TAKE CARE, the natural sugar in the yam tends to make the patties go from brown to burnt very quickly!
Preparation: Cut squash in half, remove seeds, bake covered in oven, or in microwave. Clean spinach, chop onion, caramelize onion in olive oil, add spinach, dice or press garlic on spinach. Add leftover fried chicken breast or fish to pan and cover to warm through. Place squash halves on 8″ plates, drizzle with honey. Place spinach onion mixture on 8″ plate with meat. Sprinkle pepitas over spinach and onions.
Cook and drain rice, set aside. Chop nuts (suggestion: walnuts and almonds), chop and caramelize onions and mushrooms in extra virgin olive oil and several cloves of pressed garlic. Remove from pan, add to rice and cover in bowl. Brown chicken breasts in olive oil on hot, both sides: sprinkle with spices of your choice. Remove from pan and put on top of covered pilaf to finish (microwave off is a good place). Saute vegetables in olive oil, add a small amount of chicken or vegetable broth and rice wine to finish.
Ingredients: leftover onion, collard greens, red pepper dinner, one egg, one chicken breast, Madras curry powder, garlic powder, Trader Joe’s 21 Season Salute,1/3 cup Bulgar.
Preparation:
Pour the cook a glass of wine, whatever, this is leftovers!
Cook Bulgar in salted boiling water about 30 minutes, drain, stir and set aside. Fry chicken breast in extra virgin olive oil seasoned with garlic powder and 21 Season Salute. Remove from wok and cube. Add Bulgar, leftover vegetables to wok with olive oil and heat on hot, add egg, break and stir to fry then mix with other ingredients, add Madras curry powder to taste. Add cubed chicken breast to wok to warm.
Serve on 8″ plate with chopsticks and wine. Sprinkle top with favorite, or available, nuts or seeds. Claire adds chutney and I am not offended.
Preparation: Pour the cook a glass of wine.
Chop onion and stems of greens, saute in LOTS of extra virgin olive oil, add chopped leafy collards, red peppers, curry paste and chicken broth, summer until done to taste.
Microwave yam, turning often until done. Let sit in microwave covered. Remove collard mixture to bowl, cover and add to microwave to stay warm and finish.
Cook and main squeeze have a glass of wine together. This is, after all Valentine’s Day. You should have done two other healthy activities with your main squeeze this day: exercise and sex. Dinner is the fianalle.
Coat fish with seasoning and fry in LOTS of extra virgin olive oil. Put on plate with greens, yam and serve with another glass of wine.
Leave the dishes for tomorrow and go to bed early.
Caramelize cubed onion, fry chicken breast, both in LOTS of olive oil, and put both aside. Cook pasta al dente while you saute the zucchini with 5-10 cloves pressed garlic, in LOTS of olive oil. When pasta is al dente, drain and cover. Add onions, cubed chicken and sun dried tomatoes to pan and finish with LOTS of olive oil.
Put pasta on 8″ plate, add pan contents, grate sheep’s cheese on top, add pepitas.
European study explains why I lost 20 pounds riding to nearly 16,000 feet in Tibet, was unable to regain after descending to sea level. I was worried about the loss of weight, probably a combination of poor quality and quantity of protein, and why it took so long for me to begin regaining it when better food was available in SE Asia.
Claire’s fresh from the oven multi-grain (no knead recipe) bread, Gorgonzola, avocado, tomato, a salad with raspberry vinaigrette and pecans.
A thanksgiving celebration for two, of a 70degree sunny day of bike riding in the lovely Sonoran desert with good friends, and the apparent rapid healing of my buggered ribs and shoulder.
Ingredients: 1/3 cup dry Whole grain rice and wild rice mixture, leftover wild salmon, 2 medium zucchini, 1 onion, 1/2 red pepper, 1/3 cup mushrooms, LOTS of extra virgin olive oil, 6 cloves garlic, 1tsp tarragon, 1/3 cup coconut milk, white wine of your choice.
Pour the cook a glass of wine.
Cook the rice 35 min. in extra water and a little sea salt, drain, cover and put aside.
Stir fry onions, zucchini, red peppers and mushrooms in LOTS of olive oil. Add garlic, tarragon, leftover salmon and coconut milk near the end, mostly.
Serve with wine and love.
Ingredients: 1/2 pound frozen wild salmon, one large yam, two cups broccoli, one tomato, Trader Joe’s Coastal Syrah.
Preparation:
Open wine to breathe. Cook should have a glass to test.
Fry salmon, skin down in a hot covered iron skillet with lots of extra virgin olive oil, top with garlic powder and tarragon, drizzle with olive oil.
Microwave large yam, turning several times until easily pierced with a fork, cover and put aside.
Remove salmon from skillet before opaque in center, cover and let stand.
Begin frying broccoli in salmon juices with garlic powder and Trader Joe’s 21 Salute mixture, brown then finish off with chicken broth and water to steam.
Remove skin from salmon and place on plate with yam, broccoli and sliced tomatoes.
Optionally, grind sea salt and/or black pepper on yam, tomatoes and broccoli to taste.
Be thankful you have the health and means to enjoy such a meal. The Thai eat a bite of rice before each mean as thanksgiving for their staff of life.
Desert: A bowl of red grapes, or whatever fruit you have available.
A thanksgiving dinner for a wonderful day that included sunshine, fluffy clouds against a deep blue sky, and a couple of hours on a bicycle among the saguaros of Saguaro National Park, East Unit.
Ingredients: 1/2 pound frozen wild salmon, one large yam, two cups broccoli, one tomato, Trader Joe’s Coastal Syrah.
Preparation:
Open wine to breathe. Cook should have a glass to test.
Fry salmon, skin down in a hot covered iron skillet with lots of extra virgin olive oil, top with garlic powder and tarragon, drizzle with olive oil.
Microwave large yam, turning several times until easily pierced with a fork, cover and put aside.
Remove salmon from skillet before opaque in center, cover and let stand.
Begin frying broccoli in salmon juices with garlic powder and Trader Joe’s 21 Salute mixture, brown then finish off with chicken broth and water to steam.
Remove skin from salmon and place on plate with yam, broccoli and sliced tomatoes.
Optionally, grind sea salt and/or black pepper on yam, tomatoes and broccoli to taste.
Be thankful you have the health and means to enjoy such a meal. The Thai eat a bite of rice before each mean as thanksgiving for their staff of life.
Desert: A bowl of red grapes, or whatever fruit you have available.
Recipe for two:
Ingredients: extra virgin olive oil, garlic, ginger, three or four colorful vegetables and 1/2 cup mixed dried mushrooms re-hydrated. For vegetables I chose broccoli, onions, carrots and red peppers; what’s on sale. You can’t have too much of any of these!
Whole grain rice, 1/3 cup dry
Skinless boneless chicken breast, one
White wine, your choice, one or two glasses per person.
1/4 cup nuts, optional, your choice
Two 8 inch desert plates. Chopsticks. When you taste this you will think these two ingredient are cruel, but trust me the plates will hold enough to satisfy, and the chopsticks will assure that you eatmindfully, slowly.
Preparation:
Cook rice per directions.
Pour the cook a glass of wine to keep his creativity sharp.
Fry chicken breast in LOTS of extra virgin olive oil, with spice of your choice (I used Trader Joe’s 21 Salute seasoning) don’t overcook, put aside.
Chop veggies, not too small and stir fry in LOTS of olive oil, as soon as the rice is done. Do not over cook; should be bright in color and a little crunchy. You should use at least 1/4 cup of olive oil. Keep adding it, it is the secret to keeping your weight in check and your heart healthy.
Dice chicken and add with several cloves of pressed or diced garlic, and a couple of tablespoons, or more of grated fresh ginger (don’t bother to peel, it’s good for you too). Fry for a couple more minutes, but don’t overdo the veggies!
Divide rice on two plates, add stir fried veggies and chicken and nuts.
Serve with more wine. Clink your glasses, look into your partner’s eyes and appreciate your good fortune.
Later a plate of fruit, sliced pears is a favorite of ours. Later still, have two or three squares of dark chocolate.
All this is to be enjoyed with your favorite music, candles if you like. Concentrate on your company and your food. Absolutely NO TV. TV can ruin the best meal.