Savory Millet Cakes

This recipe is nice because it contains some ingredients that are in season from the Farmers Market (zucchini, carrot, onion, garlic).

In terms of TCM, millet is sweet, salty, and cool in nature. It is said to enter the channels of the kidney, spleen, and stomach. In TCM, the spleen plays a large role in digestive function and helps break-down foods in order to absorb their nutrition.

This recipe is courtesy of eatingwell.com

Ingredients:

1 TBS. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup dry millet

1 clove minced garlic

3.5 cups water

1/2 tsp. coarse kosher salt

1/3 cup coarsely shredded zucchini

1/3 cup coarsely shredded carrot

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1.5 tsp. fresh minced thyme, or 1/2 tsp. dried

1 tsp. freshly grated lemon zest

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 2-4 minutes. Stir in the millet and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add water and salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, for 20 minutes.

2. Stir in zucchini, carrot, parmesan, thyme, lemon zest and pepper. Cook uncovered, maintaining a simmer and stirring often to keep millet from sticking, until the mixture is soft, ver thick, and liquid has been absorbed, about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat and let stand, covered for about 10 minutes. Uncover and let stand, stirring once or twice, until cool enough to handle - about 30 minutes.

3. With dampened hands, shape the millet mixture into 12 cakes or patties, 3 inch diameter (a scant 1/3 cup each).

4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, or coat a pan with sesame oil and heat over medium heat. Add 4 millet cakes and cook until bottoms are browned, 3-5 minutes. Carefully turn the cakes with a wide spatula and cook the other side until browned. Re-coat the pan with oil and cook the remaining cakes in batches, reducing heat if necessary to prevent burning.

Note: prepare up to step 2 up to 2 hours in advance

Italian Stuffed Portabellos

This recipe is courtesy of the Moosewood Restaurant "New Classics" cookbook. It is really one of me and my husband's favorite cookbooks.
I have been seeing a lot of mushrooms at the downtown Farmers Market (although I think they come from Oregon - Utah doesn't have the best mushroom climate).
The mushrooms can easily be served on a bed of pasta, a side of polenta, or on toasted ciabatta bread.

Ingredients:
4 large portabello mushrooms
3 TBS. olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion (can get at farmers market)
3 large garlic cloves minced or pressed (can get at farmers market)
2/3 cup minced red bell pepper (will soon be available at farmers market)
3 TBS. chopped fresh basil (can get at farmers market)
2/3 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese (can most likely get at farmers market)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (can most likely get at farmers market)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 TBS. bread crumbs

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking dish (9x13 or so).
2. Carefully brush or wipe off any soil from the mushrooms. Twist off the stems and discard.
3. In a skillet, warm 2 TBS. of the olive oil and saute the onions for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and red peppers and saute for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. In a bowl, mix together the basil, ricotta cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, salt and bread crumbs. Stir the sauteed vegetables into the cheese mixture.
5. Brush the portabellos with the remaining TBS. of oil and place them gill side up in the prepared baking dish. Mound cheese mixture in each.
6. Back uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the mushrooms release their juices and the cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Summertime Soup

In Chinese medicine, herbs and foods are ascribed to different properties. For instance, there are 5 taste categories that herbs and food can have: sweet, bitter, acrid (kind of like pungent), sour, or salty. Some foods and herbs are also said to be bland.

In addition to these properties, herbs and foods can either be hot or cold in nature (or fall somewhere along that spectrum, such as warm or neutral).

One food that is commonly used in the summertime is watermelon. Its properties are sweet and cold. It can help keep you hydrated during the hot weather.

The ginger root in the following recipe helps to balance the cold nature of the other ingredients.

This recipe is courtesy of Nicole Tischmak:

Ingredients:

Watermelon from 1/2 of a footlong melon, cut in chunks with seeds removed

1/3 of a fresh pineapple cut in chunks

20 fresh mintleaves

1/2 inch piece of ginger root, sliced or grated

Directions:

Puree the pineapple, mint, and gingeroot in a food processor. You can puree them in batches to puree them thoroughly.

Puree the watermelon in the food processor as well (you can leave chunks if you wish).

Mix all of the pureed ingredients together. Enjoy as a cold soup.

Store in the refrigerator for 2-3 days (but it will probably get eaten before then!)