Spicy Green Tomato Salad

Looking for something to do with those green garden tomatoes until they turn red?  Me, too!  Enter Food Network Magazine with this fantastic recipe.  It allowed me to use some green tomatoes and a garden jalepeno.  Tell me what you think!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. green (unripe - not the kind that are SUPPOSED to be green) tomatoes, cut into thin wedges

1.5 t. salt, separated

juice of 1 lime

1 t. dijon mustard

1 T. honey (local honey is best)

1 small jalepeno pepper, deseeded and minced

1 T. fresh thyme (or 1 t. dried thyme)

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 avocados

2 c. chopped lettuce leaves (or more, to taste)

Method:

Put the tomato wedges in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 t. salt.  Let set 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the lime juice, mustard, honey, jalepeno, thyme, 1/2 t. salt, and pepper, to taste, in a large bowl.  Gradually pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly until emulsified.

When ready to serve, half the avocados, remove the pits, peel, and thinly slice.  Add to the bowl with the dressing, then add the lettuce and tomatoes.  Gently toss to coat.  Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve immediately.

Serves 6 - 8.

Home Remedies

Ladies and gentlemen, 'tis the season to feel under the weather. The Today Tomorrow household is no exception, so I thought I'd share some of the home remedies we've been using. Most of them come from tips from Dr. Andrew Weil, whose book Natural Health, Natural Medicine changed my life in the early 1990's. I used a tip from the revised edition of that very book yesterday, and I'm going to share that first. I was just sure I was going to wake up this morning on the wrong side of "under the weather," but I drank this stuff, and it really fixed me up!

Now, because the world and the people in it today are so ridiculous, I must remind you that I'm not a doctor nor a nurse nor anyone who is licensed to provide medical advice. What I'm telling you here is anecdotal only, and you should, of course, check with your doctor if you're sick or think anything is wrong with you or before you take anything, even natural stuff.

That said, here's the wonderful concoction I whipped up last night. It looks like you're just mixing random stuff together, and I was scared to drink it for fear it would taste horrible. But honestly, the ingredients have a certain synergy, and it was not at all unpleasant.

1. You need:
a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger root, peeled
2 c. cold water
1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 of a juicy lemon
1 T. raw honey (preferably local)
1 clove of fresh garlic, peeled and mashed (or, really, I just cut the garlic into small pieces)
2. Grate the fresh ginger into a pot. Add the 2 c. of cold water, and bring this to a boil. Simmer the ginger and water for 5 minutes.
3. Add the cayenne pepper, and simmer for 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and stir in the juice of the lemon, the honey, and the garlic.
4. Once it's cooled down enough to drink, do so.
I drank half of the mixture last night, then heated the other half up again this morning and drank it with breakfast. It literally FEELS healthy to drink it.

Other things I do when I'm sick, mostly from Dr. Weil again.
1. Nasal rinsing for nasal congestion or nasal inflammation. (Mix 1/4 t. non-iodized salt with 1 c. very warm water. Use a bulb syringe - like you use for babies' noses - to suck up the saline solution. Tilt your head back and squirt it into your nose. Now, if you're really good, you will let the saline come out of your mouth. But until you get used to the sensation of water in your nose, just let it run right back out into the sink. Blow your nose gently afterwards and repeat a few times. Don't blow hard, because you'll back stuff up into your ears, which can make things worse. This sounds crazy, but you'll be surprised how good your nose feels aftewards. This is a yoga practice, I believe, and it's very soothing to nasal membranes.) I do this 2 or 3 times per day if I'm having an acute episode.2. Drink hot tea to relieve congestion in your head. The heat helps liquify the stuff that is clogging you up so it can get out.3. Make a tea of just hot water with fresh lemon juice and raw honey (preferably local) if you have a sore throat. Drink it several times per day.
4. Gargle in salt water (same as nasal rinsing: 1/4 t. non-iodized salt to 1 c. very warm water) several times per day for a sore throat.
5. Most people don't like the thought of this, but it's powerful if you do it the moment you think you're getting sick: cut 2 cloves of garlic up into pill-sized pieces and take them like pills. Be especially cautious of this if you take any blood-thinning anything or have a problem with bleeding or clotting. From what I have read, garlic thins blood. Check with your dr if you're concerned.
Here's to your health!

Tofu Chocolate Pie or Pudding

This is a recipe I modified from Mori-Nu, the only company I know that makes silken tofu. You need to use silken tofu for this recipe - not the crumbly Chinese kind.

2 packages silken tofu, (extra-firm for pie, firm for pudding)
3/4 c. raw honey
1 T. almond extract
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 prebaked pie crust or graham cracker crust (if making pie instead of pudding)
2 T. chopped nuts (optional topping for pie)

In a blender, purée each package of silken tofu individually until really smooth. Do one package, then move the smooth, puréed tofu to a large mixing bowl, then do the next package, and move that to the mixing bowl, too. Add the honey, almond extract, and cocoa. First, mix with a spoon to get the cocoa wet to prevent it from flying everywhere when you start the mixer. Then use a hand mixer to thoroughly combine all ingredients into a smooth, chocolatey batter.

For pies, pour the mixture into a prebaked pie shell. For pudding, pour into individual serving dishes or a serving bowl. Sprinkle chopped nuts, if using, over surface of pie. For either pudding or pie, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Serve cold.

Serving Suggestion: I have put a thin layer of raspberry or other fruit preserves in the pie shell before pouring in the tofu batter. You could also top with chocolate shavings or confectioner's sugar. For pudding, you can use it to make parfaits or top with berries or other fruit.

One more note: You could probably adapt this to be vegan by substituting agave nectar or rice syrup for the honey. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!