Farmer's Market

Los Angeles is filled with Farmer's Markets all year round. It is such a gift to our community. It seems each section of the city has a farmer's market with local produce and products available every day of the week. Larchmont Village has one on Sunday mornings, Santa Monica has one Wednesday, two on Saturday and one on Sunday. There are many options in this town but one remains a fixed option very day of the week and it happens to be my favorite Los Angeles institution - The Farmer's Market at Fairfax and 3rd street.

I have to rave about the butcher at the Framer's Market. They are so kind and helpful. All their beef is antibiotic and hormone free and is the best we can get at lower prices than Whole Foods Market (right across the street). The poultry stand is equally as wonderful. They are so helpful. Today I got 8 chicken breasts halved and they pounded them out for me for chicken Picata and Chicken Marsala.

It's silly how exciting this is to me. I hope you love food as much as I do and enjoy a great Farmer's Market! Buy local and ENJOY!

What's Up With Sun Dried Tomatoes?

I get sun dried tomatoes in oil at Trader Joe's on a regular basis. They are an ingredient staple in my house since they are so DELICIOUS!!! So, Trader Joe's doesn't carry them anymore! Costco did not have them either - and believe me, a colossal jar would have been heaven for me to see when I open the fridge!

I finally found some at Von's (Safeway to you East Coasters). They were in the produce section rather than with the condiments as you would think. So, please ask someone in your store where they may be.

So, is there a shortage? YES!! Apparently Florida lost 70-80% of their crop this year due to an unexpected freeze (tomatoes are like me, they do not like the cold!). I read that people are stocking up on paste, sauce, anything tomato like. Me? You know what I will be buying up!

You will see prices continue to rise on tomato items through June or July when tomatoes will be back in season all throughout the country. It's just one of those things we will have to bear with, I think.

Maybe it's time to explore different flavors, making sauces for pasta out of less expensive ingredients. Get creative and let me know what you come up with!

Is Agave Nectar Safe?

Agave nectar is in the news lately. Sources are saying that the once highly regarded sweetener for it's ability to lower the glycemic index and be safe for diabetics is now in serious jeopardy. So, I set about reading up on the controversy and found a few points I'd like to highlight.

You can't just go to an agave plant and squeeze nectar out of it like you can go to a beehive and retrieve honey. It does have to be processed (and most honey is processed, by the way, even though it is not required). Because a refinery process is necessary, heat is used to create the syrup found on the shelves of most grocery stores. The dark amber color is said to come from burning the sugar so it's certainly not better (I mean if that information is correct).

The sugars, due to the refinery process, in agave nectar are said to create the following.

"They are also using caustic acids, clarifiers, filtration chemicals and so forth in the conversion of agave starches into highly refined fructose inulin that is even higher in fructose content than high fructose corn syrup", says Mr. Bianchi. Inulin is a chain of chemically refined fibers and sugars linked together, and, this bears repeating, high fructose inulin has more concentrated sugar than high fructose corn syrup!"

Following is the link associated with this quote.

http://www.naturalnews.com/024892_fructose_food_health.html

Here is another article I found that I think is worth reading. This one has more to do with the claims of raw agave (not possible unless it's Tequila, sorry.) The author lists the ways it can harm your health in addition to the way it is processed. Please read and make your decision.

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html

I was disappointed that I could not find a host of information praising agave to the skies. Most of the word of mouth I have heard has done so. If I find something, I will share it and if YOU know something, please post it here. Let's share information.

The bottom line remains true. Stay away from ALL sweeteners as much as you can. The best source of sugar is raw fruits and vegetables (carrots and beets contain sugar by the way). I know there are lots of delicious treats with sugar but please use them in moderation and find as close to raw and whole as you can.

Glutino's Flax Seed Bread

I just bought Glutino's flax seed gluten free bread at Sprout's Farmers Market in Claremont, California. The cost was $5.49 for the loaf. Yes, that is expensive for a loaf of bread but when you're gluten free, you just get used to the high prices.

So, I made a sandwich with the bread. I toasted it straight from the freezer. The bread really was delicious and I was so very happy to have a sandwich! I don't get bread very often due to the high carbohydrate situation and also the widespread use of tapioca and potato starches. They can send your glycemic index up and can be tough to digest. In fact, I've had quite a few stomach aches after consuming baked goods with potato starch and/or tapioca starch.

I thoroughly enjoyed the sandwich! The bread had a great crunchy crust and tasted delicious. It was lighter and spongier than most gluten free breads and I was very impressed. I did however have a problem with the slimy quality of the bread. Have you ever noticed a sort of "coat the roof of your mouth" sliminess to gluten free breads? I think it's the xanthan gum but I'm not completely sure. It could well be the starches used. If you know what it is, share it here. Also, if you have tried this bread, what do you think?

An Incredible Restaurant in Los Angeles

I am a huge fan of trying new restaurants. A private chef client raved about Senor Fish, located at 2nd and Alameda in Little Tokyo. Boy was she right! I ordered three fish tacos, three different kinds of fish - sea bass, tuna and salmon. They were perfectly marinated, expertly grilled and the chipotle salsa was by far the best I ever had. I don't typically order fish tacos due to quality issues but these were stupendous!!!

The service was wonderful. The atmosphere was like being in Mexico for the evening with brightly colored walls, mexican tiles and potted trees all around the outdoor patio. All their food is made fresh right there including their salsas - which are not too spicy. The food is inexpensive as well. It's a great place to have a party or get together with friends as well. There's plenty of room with a bar separate from the restaurant.

For all their locations, menu and information, click the link below and please GO!!! WOW!!!

http://www.senorfishonline.com/

Four Coconuts and a Machete

A private chef client handed me a recipe for a raw foods chai latte smoothie and said, "Can you make this for me?" I looked at the first ingredient - "Water and Meat of Four Coconuts". I thought to myself "Yipes, I never did go to Rawvolution for that lesson on how to open a coconut." I looked at my client and said, "Yes, I'll make this for you, no problem." I love a good challenge and there's no way I was going to tell her I had never hacked open a coconut, let alone four of them.

At Whole Foods Market, I found out that they will open the coconuts for you at no extra charge. I got excited until I learned that they won't save the water for you. That's like keeping a gold setting and throwing away the diamond. Coconut water is so luscious and amazing and I knew it was necessary for the recipe. So, I asked for a mini lesson. The produce guy said, "Good luck." in a, "You're gonna have a helluva time" kind of way and I went on my way.

Back at my client's home, I placed the first coconut on its side on the counter. I took a chefs knife, held it high in the air above the coconut and came down on it as hard as I possibly could. Whack!!! Oh boy, it hardly did a thing. I kept at it a while making little headway as coconut shrapnel sprayed all over the kitchen. Choosing laughter over panic, I remained steadfast, I was going to open these coconuts.

After making little headway, I decided to search the kitchen for a better tool. In one drawer filled with miscellaneous items, I actually found a machete and thought, "Now we're talking!" I pulled the machete out of its case, washed it off and in no time flat, I hacked the coconut open, drained the water out and used a fork to extract the coconut meat from the inside of the shell. My determination paid off and it really wasn't that bad. The smoothie, on the other had was one of the best things I ever tried in my life! Next week, I'll share the recipe with you.

So, don't be afraid of a coconut. There are better ways to open one than recklessly hacking away at them with a knife.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.howtoopenacoconut.com/

http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Coconut

http://thenaughtyvegan.com/youngcoconut.htm

Best Gluten Free Flour

I'm always on the lookout for quality products. I used to use Bob's Redmill flours exclusively. Now, I whole heartedly recommend Authentic Foods for their brown rice flour, garfava bean flour and their cake mixes. Heck, everything I have tried has been great! The company is owned by Steven Rice who believes that using the highest quality ingredients, combined with a superb milling process will produce the best end products. I do believe he is absolutely correct. To learn more about how you can have these fantastic products, go to www.AuthenticFoods.com

Is Oatmeal Gluten Free?

Yes!! Technically oatmeal is gluten free BUT, it is typically processed on machinery that also processes wheat products SO, you must know that cross contamination can cause you to have a reaction. Please avoid oats under most circumstances unless, they say they are gluten free oats. Bob's Redmill makes gluten free oats. They are available through Whole Foods Market and other health food stores. So now you can have oatmeal raisin cookies again! Yum!!!

Welcome To This Blog - At Last!!

So many people have requested that I create a blog to share what I am learning and thinking. This blog will be a mixture of a number of things. I"ll supply recipes, tips, new information, current personal experiences and education on food production and how to avoid the toxic foods that are being grown, processed and sold today. Please leave your comments and suggestions. I would love for this blog to become a community of people seeking information and camaraderie in a world where going gluten and dairy free are particularly difficult.

Please sign up for this blog so you will be notified of new posts. I look forward to hearing from you!

Be Delicious!!!

Love,
Dr. Meg