unsuspecting foodie

 Hello,  Today's featured photo is of a slice of  delicious  gluten free almond cake .   While it isn't easy to make low carb cake, I used a low-carb type of almond flour by Pamela's, "low glycemic" organic brown coconut sugar, a low carb almond/coconut milk, and limited the quantity eaten.  While the recipe calls for coconut oil,  I used avocado oil.  Avocado oil has a high smoke point and is my go-to cooking oil. The recipe was sent to me some time ago by my friend Lisa M., since then I've made the cake a few times and shared it with others.  It has been well received.  I made for this past weekend, Rosh Hashanah, to encourage a sweet year.  May you each have a sweet year as well--regardless of when yours renews.  Of course, if you are on a low-carb diet you might need to make some adjustments in terms of the ingredients and how a serving fits with your overall allotted carb intake for the day.   Enjoy!

Dear Blog Readers,  As some of you know, we are nearing the end of the month of Elul and Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) begins this Friday evening. While I do enjoy wholesome food, I think sharing it with family and friends is the best part of any meal.  As gatherings are limited these days, reflecting on foods that I have enjoyed over the years--and some I have learned about more recently--is wonderful.  I won't cover all the recipes I wish to share--at least not this month--but I am glad to have shared a few with you at this time.   Today, I am including a variety of photos that reflect dishes inspired by family and friends.  My dad, may he rest in peace, taught me the secret to patties of any sort: A batter of bread crumbs, egg(s), and whatever else one wishes to include, mixing it, and then combining it with the protein of one's choice.  I have used this basic batter recipe over time for an array of dishes. It really adds wonderful flavor....

Hello, I hope you are having a refreshing weekend.  Last week, I received some recipes from my friend Eugenia F.  One called for Japanese eggplant.  I found one type of Japanese eggplant very reasonably priced at our local Harvest Market grocery store and another type, by chance, at our local Common Ground Food Coop.  I couldn't resist purchasing some of each--so today's photo features Japanese eggplant.   I really like the size, colors, and shapes of it.  So far, I've prepared one recipe calling for Japanese eggplant--it was tasty.  However,  one of my favorite eggplant dishes--and one I haven't made for years-is ratatouille.  This morning I made a batch and look forward to having it--cold or heated--during the week.  Take care!

 I hope you are having a nice week.  This week I  tried a fish new to me:  Loup de Mer or whole Branzino.  It's a type of European sea bass.  It is mild in flavor, easy to prepare, and nice to have for a change.  It comes whole with head and tail--also a new experience for me.  It might be difficult to decipher the fish in today's featured photo as it's a portion of the fish rather than the entire piece and being a light fish blends into the plate.  I included a 1/4 cup rice as well as cabbage with roasted broccoli and cauliflower (I usually steam the veggies but with cooler mornings decided to oven roast them), and a bit of Morbier cheese for additional flavor. A scoop of guacamole further enhanced the flavor of the entire meal.  Afterwards, I had a serving of grapes with yogurt. If you aren't familiar with whole fish, be careful of the bones.  If I venture forth again preparing a whole fish, I plan to ask the fishmonger to remove ...

 My Aunt Ethel, may she rest in peace, made the most wonderful pickled tomatoes.  Her recipe--which she shared with me years ago--calls for kosher salt, water, mixed pickling spices, cloves, garlic, and dill in any form (fresh, seeds, or dill weed).  In addition to being from her, which makes it special, the recipe is made with green tomatoes (which I prefer over red ones as the green type seem less acidic), and without vinegar (which neither Joyce nor I like much these days).  As seems to be my custom of late, I modified the recipe a bit by using salt we had on hand (not "kosher" salt, per se) and without extra cloves--still tasted great.  By the way, the green tomatoes used are from our garden.  As directed, I let the mixture sit for a few hours.  When I opened the jar the smell brought back memories of when I first tasted her pickled tomatoes--divine.  I wish I could send you that smell through the air waves.  Today's featured photo includ...

 Hi there all you sardine fans and those, like me, who are acquiring a taste for them. My nephew Bryan sent me his recipe for sardines.  He likes them from the can (as do some of you) and adds turmeric, black pepper (for anti-inflammatory benefits), and capers.  I gave the recipe a try (see featured photo) and it was the first time I've enjoyed eating sardines! Oh, actually, I forgot to include the black pepper and it still tasted great.  Be well.