I went raspberry-crazy when I brought home my raspberries from Ollin Farms. Why not add some to the BBQ sauce I was making?

For this simple BBQ sauce, I combined:

I finally did it. I bought fava beans at the market. I’ve been in Boulder for 5 years, which means I’ve been going to the market for five years, and every summer those big, thick fava beans frightened me. I don’t know why. They are now a new favorite of mine.

I did some research on these beans because I brought some home and had no idea what to do with them. It turns out that they are a very old bean that had been a staple in Europe way back in the day. Europeans brought them to America, but they were not necessarily a food that caught on with the mainstream. Basically, we don’t eat them as often as we eat black beans, pinto beans, etc.

But, in my humble foodie opinion… we should. Just take the time to do the following steps:

1. Slice open the pods as seen in the photo above. Remove the beans.

2. Par-boil the beans for a couple minutes. Then drain them and remove the outer waxy coating to get to the real bean.

3. Bring them back to a boil for a few minutes to make sure they are cooked.

I took my beans, put them in a food processor with some olive oil, 2 garlic cloves that I had peeled and boiled for a few minutes with the beans, and a little freshly grated parmesan.

Puree it and generously spread these green legumes on toasted bread. (My bread here was grilled, which is even better!)

The finishing touch here was some Red Alae Hawaiian Kai Sea Salt from nowhere else than my favorite place: Savory Spice Shop.

Since I recently made a rhubarb cobbler, I wanted to make this one a little different to avoid being boring. I basically followed the recipe from my last Rhubarb Cobbler, but changed it a bit.

I cooked 6 stalks of rhubarb that I chopped into manageable chunks with 1/4 cup maple syrup on medium high heat until the syrup started to boil. I dropped it down to medium low and stirred it frequently until it looked like the mixture in the photo below. I added some freshly ground black pepper and transferred it to a pie pan.

For the topping, combine in one bowl:

• 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger (I buy mine from Savory Spice Shop)
• a pinch of sea salt

• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 TB plain rice milk (I make homemade rice milk)
• 1 TB walnut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until it looks like this.

I served it with some Ginger Cream Ice Cream from Boulder Ice Cream and enjoyed every last bite!

I am always pleased when a hodgepodge of ingredients cleans out the fridge AND creates a meal. This dinner is an example.

I had some brie in the fridge, rye bread in the freezer, and came home with frisee from my CSA with Ollin Farms. I was going to grill some tempeh, but them we realized we were out of cat food (wet food for a treat, not the dry food we leave out all day… don’t want to sound like I neglect my cat). So, we opened some home-canned tuna so Owsley could snack on the juice. As a side note: I did not can the tuna myself, Debbie, my mother-in-common-law, cans it each year and gives us a great supply.

I sliced half of a golden delicious apple and layered it with some brie and Urfa Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (also known as Isot pepper). If you don’t know what Urfa pepper is, you can find out at Savory Spice Shop. Assuming you don’t have any at home… I would crack some fresh black pepper and add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Or, better yet… go to their website and buy some. Why not?

I baked the apple and brie at 350 for just a few minutes until the cheese melted.

Meanwhile, I sauteed 1/2 of a red onion, chopped, in a little olive oil until it softened. Then I transfered it to a small bowl and added a little Tangerine Fig Balsamic Vinegar that I received as a gift. To substitute, I’d add a little honey to some balsamic and mix that in with the onion.

I went back to my pan and added some frisee to wilt it with a clove of minced garlic in some olive oil. Then I plated the meal:

Wilted frisee and chopped tomato with onion balsamic dressing, real fisherman caught and former fisherman’s wife canned tuna, sliced rye, and baked apples with brie.

Turned out to be pretty good, especially for the hodgepodge of ingredients.