Fried Chicken and Cheesesteaks

We took an interesting documentary DVD out from the library this week - "Food Stamped" - it was written / directed / edited by a couple named Shira and Yoav Potash.    Shira Potash is a nutritionist, employed directly or indirectly by the food stamp program to teach kids in the public schools about healthy nutrition.     In the documentary this young couple sets out to live for a week, in terms of groceries, on the $50 which is a higher-than-average allotment for a two adult household.    She did this following the example of a few congressmen and congresswomen who also followed the same challenge for a week. Points on which I agree with Mrs. Potash's theories: 1)  We have an obesity problem AND a malnutrition problem in this country, especially among the poor. 2) Access to healthy food is difficult for the poorest citizens of our country, especially those without cars in urban environments wi...

One of my goals in the summer is to have yummy meals without heating up the kitchen, so I grill just about everything, especially the wonderful produce coming from my CSA.   I facilitated this by buying some sturdy metal pans - two 8" bread pans, and a quarter sheet pan ... both WITHOUT non-stick, so I didn't have to worry about the high temperatures on the grill: Cauliflower and/or broccoli:   wash, chop into bite size pieces, put in bread pan, shave a bit of butter on top, cover with foil, cook on top rack of grill. Beets:  remove stems and leaves, wash well but GENTLY so as not to remove skin.    Place in bread pan, add about an inch of water, cover with foil, cook on top rack.     Take off, allow to cool, use fingers to rub off the skin, then slice and keep in fridge for salads the next day.   Beets are naturally sweet but need a touch of salt or a little salad dressing in a salad...

This is one of those "oops forgo the picutre before it was devoured" posts .... but I'm getting a CSA share from Lancaster Farm Fresh again this year after two years off.     One of the unusual vegetables in this past Monday's share was Kohlrabi. I looked up how to cook them and found a variety of suggestions ... but I didn't want to heat up the kitchen.   so I washed them, sliced off the leaves, sliced them into 1/2" slices, and put them in a metal dish with some butter.    I covered that with foil and put it on top rack of my grill.    Sooooooo good!   It's like a cross between a tender broccolli stalk and an artichoke heart. Yum Yum Yum 

Simple weeknight meal - I think this one was under 15 minutes total prep, if you don't count the time the salmon was marinating. Marinate salmon in an equal mixture of soy sauce and sherry. (Weird, I know, but it works!) When you get home, start a large skillet on high. When it gets quite hot, turn it down a little and add some oil to the pan. (I used olive oil and sesame oil, but any oil with a high smoke point will be fine.) Add the salmon, flesh side down, to the sizzling pan. Cook for about three minutes. Meanwhile, I peeled and sliced a cucumber. I then ... pay close attention here .. opened a bottle of SALAD DRESSING from my fridge. Apply this carefully to a pile of cucumber slices. Using a very thin spatula, flip the salmon pieces. (the thin spatula means you'll leave less of the tasty fish attached to the pan). Turn down the heat, and pour the marinating juice over the fish. Cook until the fish is as you prefer. I like my salmon medium...