natural states, painting exhibition

well the day has arrived, or nearly. friday night i am having the opening reception for a show of my paintings @ crome architeture in marin county california. i've been working on this for a while now and it was not so easy shipping all the work across the country, but i am thrilled with the space and how it all came together so easily despite the distance. wish me luck tomorrow and check out the show if you find yourself in the bay area. natural states will be up november 7 2013 through january 7 2014. will post some photos from the opening next week. here's a link to my painting site www.gretchenkish.com and an announcement about the show from crome architecture http://goo.gl/YDEQCS i'm serving an assortment of crackers and small grapes on toothpicks that look like little grape kabobs, chocolate covered raisins, california pistachios, plus wine and sparkling water as refreshment, but that is the closest i've made it to cooking all week, takeout food is a great timesaver when you are working late every night.

living in a barn

what have i been up to? well a lot really. we sold the house and dispersed. my daughter has gone off to college, in the UK no less, and my son has gone off to school in massachusetts, we sold the big house and i have moved into a beautifully renovated barn, lovingly relocated from new hampshire. i am really excited about living in a barn, and the best part is the renovation was done prior to my arrival, and not by me this time, no construction this time. my gorgeous little gem of a kitchen is tiny but highly functional and i am cooking for a much smaller crowd. 

it's been an adjustment, but i am rolling with it. my big brother was out for a visit from nyc yesterdayand took this photo while i roasted some acorn squash for lunch. 

i have also been busy painting and creating a new website for my artwork. please check it out here if you get the chance. i am having a solo show in a couple of weeks out in marin county, california and have lots to do to get ready. 

as always, i am still cooking and eating lots of great regular dishes and i am cooking a lot of roast vegetables. i have several posts shot and will be writing them up and posting soon. in the meantime enjoy the fall and of course apple season, one of the very best times of the year. crunch crunch yum. i'm enjoying 3 or 4 apples a day myself, mostly jonathans and macouns. mmm.

apricot season, the sweet spot of summer

salade nicoise, one of our favorite summer suppers

hi. i've been crazy busy moving and whatnot. but i am still eating and cooking. tonite we had salad nicoise and it was even better than i remembered. you might want to try this sometime soon. you can find the original post and recipe here. salad nicoise is both protein and vegetable rich, with great texture and tang.

i can't wait to show you the wonderful and kind of swanky renovated barn i am moving into across the street from the sound, it's just a couple of miles from where i am now, so not a huge move, more on that soon. and lest i forget, happy father's day to all the dad's out there. have a great day.

lovely sea scallops with cilantro and garlic

sea scallops are fun and easy to cook at home. it might seem daunting, like fancy restaurant fare, but they are really super fast, super easy, and super delicious. i served these with a side of baby bok choy, brocolini and steamed rice. best of all these sea scallops are a best choice on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List.

sea scallops

serves 4
1 lb large sea scallops
salt
2 TBSP minced cilantro stems
2 TBSP cilantro leaves
2 or 3 cloves garlic, smashed
2 TBSP olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime
1 teaspoon of honey, drizzled on at the end

first, start your side dishes, rice works nicely here as it this recipe has asian roots, for the scallops, i am borrowing a technique from jamie oliver, place a stretch of parchment paper over a cutting board. lay the scallops out and score a criss cross pattern across the top of each scallop with a knife about 1/3 inch deep. salt liberally. drizzle with 1TBSP olive oil. sprinkle with minced cilantro stems and smashed garlic cloves. pull up the sides of the parchment to roll the scallops around a bit to combine the flavors. get your pan really hot on high heat. drizzle in more olive oil. place each scallop in the pan and shake slightly. slide the remaining cilantro and garlic into the pan. cook on high heat for about 3 minutes. turn scallops with tongs and cook for 2 minutes more or until just barely cooked through squeeze citrus over scallops then drizzle with honey. sprinkle with cilantro leaves. delicious and so easy. my kids love this although they are not usually scallop fans.

baby bok choy and brocolini

serves 4
1 bunch baby bok choy
1 bunch brocolini
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tspolive oil

clean and trim. set a medium pan of water to boil. slice the baby bok choy lengthwise into quarters. boil for 2-3 minutes.  drain, set aside. boil brocolini in same pan for about 2-3 minutes. drain and place with the bok choy in a serving dish. drizzle with soy sauce, then olive oil. serve.

virtuous green and fruit smoothie

lately i have been adding spinach to smoothies. it is really nice and makes them seem more virtuous and less sweet. also, the fresh greens give me a lot of energy but still tastes fruity and fresh.

1 fresh or frozen banana
1 large handful fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup frozen peaches
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup passion fruit juice
1/4 cup odwalla mo beta juice

yum. measurements are approximate. go with what you have and what you like. again, yum.

wickson plums

just like regular plums only slightly tastier and more adorable. been eating these straight though they would be great in a tart. they keep really well and don't require refrigeration, as long as you eat them within a week. so the greatest plum poem of all time, This Is Just To Say by William Carlos Williams is probably not inspired by this variety.

one of the best things ever invented

This dairy free chocolate concoction is amazing. it tastes like the best things about pots de creme and chocolate mousse, so smooth, so creamy, so light. Made with silken tofu rather than eggs and cream, the result is surprisingly delicious. I don't know quite what to call it. Pudding seems inadequate to convey its specialness. Chocolate Dream seems closer. Anyway, this is super easy to make, just melt-blend-pour-chill. My kids can't get enough of this. also time friendly and easy on the cook. honestly, i can't say enough good things about it. Great basic recipe that is easy to love. 

Chocolate Tofu Dream 

6-8 servings

1 Bag Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips (2 cups) 

I prefer Guittard Akoma extra semisweet fair trade 

1/2 cup chopped Callebaut or Vahlrona semisweet chocolate

1 cup Organic Soy Milk, unsweetened

1 lb Organic Silken Tofu

1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup

a dash of Vanilla Extract

Place chocolate and soy milk in large glass microwavable dish. Heat for 2 minutes on High. 

Allow to rest for 10 minutes. After time is up, stir gently with a whisk. Chocolate should be melted. Continue to mix gently until mixture is smooth. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stir once more. Add contents to blender, add 1 lb silken tofu. Secure blender top. Blend for a total of about 3 minutes until smooth and well mixed. Pour into ramekins or small cups. Smooth any drips with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Chill for 8 hours. 

Yum. Dairy free and completely delicious. I am really starting to get the hang of this dairy free living. Quite versatile, this recipe could be used as frosting for a cake, or you can mold in small springform pans and serve in all sorts of interesting presentations with chocolate shavings, raspberries, pistachios, etc. could also place in a chocolate cookie pie crust, chill, then and serve as chocolate pie. 

Adapted from recipes I've seen in two of my favorite cookbooks, Candle 79 Cookbook (from the famed nyc vegan restaurant) and Clean Food by Terry Walters, one recipe uses half the chocolate and twice the tofu and another uses a whole lot more maple syrup, so the recipe easily adapts to suit you. 

freezing fruit for future smoothies

i do this when the fruit is getting a little ripe, and might otherwise go off. great not to waste the food and perfect for smoothies (better than the packaged stuff). i freeze the fruit for 24 hours on a tray lined with parchment. then transfer to a container that can be sealed for longer storage in the freezer. this week i am making banana blueberry spinach apricot passion fruit smoothies. the apricot and passion fruit are in juice form, purchased at the grocery, so convenient. yum. a little spinach is nice in there and has a light, fresh sweet mineral-y flavor that i find energizing and balances nicely with the sweetness of the fruit. also seems virtuous, though i am not smug about it, i really do like the balance of tastes better. suits me. a squeeze of fresh lemon or orange can be nice as well.

happy new year!

first meal of 2013. keeping it light, fresh and clean. fruit salad with tangelos, apples, pomegranate, and blueberries, a little squeeze of lime juice. for some reason lime juice is amazing on fruit salad. i don't know why, just is. perfect balance of tart and sweet maybe? in any case, happy to begin anew. thank you kind readers for visiting this blog and for all your sweet comments. xo, g