Playing in the Mud

I met the nicest gal yesterday in Whole Foods. She was there with her little daughter and in deep thought over the seaweed jars. Curious as always and because the Bulk Section seems to encourage chatter and sharing, I asked her what she was going to do with seaweed. Both faces lit up and mother and daughter exclaimed "Make mud!!" Ok...well, that had me even more curious, and so, of course, I asked her "What? How do you make mud?"

Recipe and a couple of jars of mysterious stuff in hand, I went home and mixed up a batch. Last night, I slathered myself with this cooling mud and loved it. All the ingredients help detoxify and soothe the skin and are loaded with some awesome nutrients. It was just like being in a spa...for under $10.00! So inspired, I am going to be adding in "Dressing Table Beauty Bites" whenever I find some great things made from whole foods. All the recipes on Our Green Table for foods to eat help detox the body, and so a section about "skin food" is a natural fit.  Beware, if you see me in the Bulk Section. I will have a pen and paper in hand!

I am going to continue playing with this mud recipe and maybe add in an essential oil like lavender, although I do love the faint salty-sea smell of it. I am thinking that as well as a masque, this would make a great paste for a seaweed wrap, too. Better get some saran wrap and a blanket ready.

Here is the recipe for Latricia's Beautiful Mud

Boil 1 cup distilled water and 2-3 Tablespoons sea salt until the water has boiled down to about 1/2 cup. Add 1-2 cups dry clay, 1/2 cup aloe vera gel , 3 Tablespoons organic kelp or dulse. Kelp has a milder fragrance. Mix until it is a well-blended paste. Apply to face or body and let dry about 10-15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Store remaining mud in an air-tight container. Makes about 2 cups. 

I am also hitting Mother Nature's mud today with a couple of new plants. A friend gave me a sprig of delightful pineapple sage and I bought some arugula, flat leaf parsley, small leafed basil and a lone, beautiful orange marigold. Into the dirt they go and maybe, afterwards, I will go play in the other beautiful mud again.

Dal-icious

There are so many kinds of dal (lentils) that a trip to the Asian Grocery can be quite an adventure. Take a look at some of the varieties by going to this link www.foodsubs.com/Lentils.html. And now imagine...whole aisles filled with bags and bags of all these different lentils. It is not a surprise that I go there looking for one type and then come home with several.

My introduction to lentils not served as a soup was years ago when I ordered an intriguing, warm lentil salad for brunch. A hard and risky choice, especially after eyeing the plate of sure-to-be-delicious, fluffy pancakes with sweet butter and real maple syrup next to me. And,  personal favorites Huevos Rancheros with spicy homemade salsa and frijoles and Eggs Benedict with fresh local crab were also on the menu. Decisions. Where's the buffet when I need it?


But, I was not disappointed. Far from it. The salad arrived topped with beautiful roasted red and yellow beets and carrots and a sprinkle of tangy local goat cheese, all served on a bed of fresh greens and drizzled with a lovely, lemony vinaigrette. Oh, it was fabulous and my homemade version soon became a go-to comfort food during cooler months. And so, for awhile, I was pretty content to have two lentils dishes, one soup and one salad, under my belt. Until my trip to India. Every dish I tried and I tried them all, became my new favorite and opened up a whole new world of flavors and preparations, and so, now back home, I am working on my lentil skills.

While Christian was here, we tried out this recipe and it is a keeper. Not only for the fun new taste of yellow lentils but also for the luscious addition of cooked mango. It is a fruit beyond description, a little bit orange-y, a little bit peach-y and every bite uniquely delicious. I first tasted mangoes when I was an exchange student in Colombia and during my summer there, for sure ate my weight's worth. Lucky for me in this case, my weight kept going up.


I also like this dish because it encouraged us to venture further and play with the rice. We used brown basmati instead of white, added a few pods of green cardamom, 2 or 3 slices of fresh ginger and a generous dollop of coconut oil to the cooking liquid. These additions made it silky, really fragrant and a nice flavorful companion for the dal. This recipe said it served 6, but who are they kidding? The recipe testers must be the same ones who label Ben and Jerry's ice cream. Get real.

Springtime Mango Dal


1 cup yellow lentils (toor dal)
3-4 cups water (I used 3 cups)
1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
1/2 t ground turmeric
1 T canola or coconut oil
1/2 t cumin seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T minced fresh ginger
1/2 t ground coriander
1/4 t cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 mangoes, peeled and diced (see picture above)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Place lentils in a colander and rinse well.. Combine lentils, 3 cups water, 1/2 t sea salt and turmeric in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until fragrant and starting to brown, about 1 minute or more. Add onion and cook until beginning to brown, about 4-6 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, coriander, cayenne and remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more.

Stir the garlic mixture and mangoes into the lentils. Return to a simmer, cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are falling apart, about 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasonings for spiciness desired. Stir in cilantro and serve over rice. Serves 3-4.

Eye Candy

There are a few things I need in the morning. Simple things to get me started. A cold, really cold glass of water with a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice, strong, hot coffee, my protein shake and kitchen eye candy. That will usually do it and get me off and running for the day. Awake is good. Energy is good. A new day is good.

Here is some of my favorite kitchen eye candy...a playful mix of fun dishes, vintage orange enamelware...actually, anything orange...an entertaining cookbook, a copper pot rescued from a roadside stand and a hen or rooster with attitude...and, of course, my green table! 

Let's give 'em something to crow about!

I also have been experimenting some with my protein shake. I like using some carrot juice as a switch for some of the water and throwing in a little kale (you are not surprised about that, are you?) or spinach for some morning green, just in case I am out of the powdered greens. Topping it all off with a sprinkle of Natural State Granola makes it just about perfect!

Here is my latest:

3 ice cubes, about 6-7 ounces filtered water or water/carrot juice combo, some berries and/or half a frozen banana, a scoop of "greens" or some kale leaves if I am out and then a generous scoop of the magic protein powder I love. Push blend, pour in a pretty glass, top with a sprinkle of Natural State Granola and sip by sip, all is good...even worked its magic today at 5 a.m!

Mother Nature's Nursery

I am getting the food nursery ready, no paint chips required, just earth, sun, rain and worms. And, if I didn't see this in print, I wouldn't believe it. Last year, I had a "harvest" of 1 (o-n-e) cherry tomato...not plant, but fruit. One, about one inch in diameter. I hesitated to pluck it and eat it. But I did. Gone in one sweet gulp. Such a trooper.

This year, I am on it. With my son's help, I just planted 5 (f-i-v-e) tomato plants with companion orange marigolds for good luck. They are all heirloom varieties. Two are cherry, three are biggies...and, all will come to fruition, I hope. To give myself a few kudos, I am great with herbs and they are doing wonderfully...rosemary, lavender, several basils and thymes, chives, two mints, a couple of sages and a gorgeous golden oregano. And, I have a brave Swiss chard in a pot that is going well and a couple of potted figs trees are hanging in there. But, other plant life under my thumb suffers, or at least it has in the past. Here are pix of my new tomato babies...

While the "kids" are growing, here is a recipe for those sweet hummingbirds that are hovering over my brood.

Hummingbird Nectar

1 part sugar to 4 parts water

Boil the water first, then measure and add sugar, at the rate of 1/4 cup of sugar to 1 cup of water. Let cool and store excess in fridge until ready to use.  Do not add food coloring or honey, which ferments or artificial sweetener, which had no nutitional value for birds either.

Clean feeders about once a week. Rinse with one part white vinegar to four parts water. Check with the National Audubon Society or this site http://www.hummingbirds.net/ for more helpful info.

Tipsy Times

My son Christian is here for a couple of days and thankfully, is whipping me into shape...technologically and otherwise! He is a whiz with this computer and has helped me gather all (well, most all) of my thoughts and dreams to date under one site...this blog. Feel the love, big love...this is not an easy task! I have a mind that can spin in many directions and formatting it into one spot can be quite like herding wild cats. And so, to balance the order and structure that technology demands, we are cutting loose in the kitchen.

Horses are a favorite animal of mine...they are precious and sweet, like big dogs. (Gosh, I should do a post on my pony Topper! Oh, we had such great times!  Ha...you see how challenging trying to stay focused is? Ok, getting the GPS in my mind back on track...) The Kentucky Derby ran this weekend and while not a fan of horse racing per se, I have to watch the Derby and marvel at those magnificent animals and pray for a safe race. Mint Juleps are the perfect go-with and after several years of different recipes, I think we mashed up a winner of our own. In fact, they were so good on Derby day, we had one last night, too! What the heck. Our mint is quite robust this year and if you need some, give me a shout. It is growing everywhere!!!

Mint Julep


6-8 mint leaves
1 Tablespoon sugar
crushed ice
2 1/2 ounces bourbon
simple syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water and boiled 5-7 minutes)
sprigs of mint


Put mint leaves and sugar in the bottom of a cup or heavy glass. Crush and mash well. Fill cup with crushed ice, pour in bourbon and top off with a splash of simple syrup. Garnish with a sprig of mint. Yum. Serves 1

Now, Christian is also a confirmed vegetarian and conservationist and I have learned so much about food and helping the environment from him. Both he, his wife Reshma and sister Melissa (all veggies) are whizzes in the kitchen and have been cooking since they were knee high (hmmm...I sense another the post on those early cooking days!) When Christian was in college, there was a favorite restaurant in Boston called Brown Sugar that served Drunken Noodles, fiery and luscious, and although the name suggests otherwise, made without a drop of alcohol. And so, with Mint Juleps in hand, here is the homemade version we cooked up.


Drunken Noodles

1-14-ounce packages 1/4-inch-wide flat rice noodles* (we used 1 14 ounce package Tinkyada brand Brown Rice Pasta "Fettuccine/Pad Thai" size)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (we used combo of coconut and olive oil)
12 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Thai chilies* (we used 1 Anaheim, 1 Hungarian and 1 jalapeno)
1 16 ounce package extra firm tofu
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)* (we used 1/4 cup mirin)
1/4 cup black soy sauce* (we used organic shoyu soy sauce)
1/4 cup Golden Mountain sauce* or light soy sauce (organic shoyu)
1 tablespoon sugar
4 large plum tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
4 Anaheim chilies or Italian frying peppers, or 2 green bell peppers (about 12 ounces total), cut into strips
1/2 cup fresh Thai basil leaves* or regular basil leaves
We also decided it needed some onions and a few shitaki mushrooms for "chew".


The ingredients with an * could be available in specialty groceries or markets, but we couldn't find them here and our substitutions worked well. If not a veggie, you can use 1 1/2 pounds of chicken instead of the tofu.



Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring frequently. Drain.


Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and Thai chilies; sauté 30 seconds. (we did this a little longer) Add tofu and next 4 ingredients and sauté until tofu is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add noodles, tomatoes, and Anaheim chilies; toss to coat. Transfer to large platter, sprinkle with basil leaves, and serve.


Serves 4-6.