best leftovers i had today

As much as I like to cook, repurposing leftovers into something tasty is almost as much fun. The keys to a good repurpose are ingredients and planning. The use of top quality ingredients is really the key to all cooking but can certainly take what might be bland leftovers and move them into a higher realm. Planning for leftovers typically means making sure the original foods aren't overcooked.

Poached salmon salad.

6 oz. leftover coho salmon, stored refrigerated in the poaching liquid.
fresh spinach, washed and torn
fresh romaine, washed and torn
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1/2 fresh tomato, chopped
4 fresh figs
toasted sesame seeds
few slices of parmaggino

Place the ingredients, excepting the salmon, in a bowl and toss with a little olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper. Add a dash of toasted sesame oil and fresh lemon juice. Plate. Break up the salmon onto the top. Arrange the figs around the edge of the plate. Enjoy with a hearty chunk of real bread. There you go. A fine, healthy dinner in about 15 minutes.

the salmon please, pesticides on the side

If you tried to find wild Pacific salmon this summer, you know it's been difficult to find and expensive when you do. One reason is that due to shrinking runs in the Pacific Northwest, the season for Pacific salmon was shortened to try and help the populations recover. There's been much speculation as to the cause of the declines and now a recent report from the National Marine Fisheries Service suggests that the issue might be trace levels of pesticides. The draft Biological Opinion states that that chlorpyrifos, diazinon and malathion are present in west coast waters at levels "likely to jeopardize the continued existence" of Pacific Salmon.

These pesticides belong to a class of chemicals known as organophosphates which have the potential to accumulate within the body. Over 90% of human urine samples in the US were found to contain chlorpyrifos.

Once widely used by homeowners to control ants, fleas, cockroaches, and silverfish, both chlorpyrifos and diazinon were banned by the EPA for home use after studies indicated the strong human-health risk of these chemicals, especially among children, asmathics, and the immune-compromised. All three are still used in agricultural settings although several groups have called for outright bans.



The problem with these particular pesticides seems to be the mode of action. They work by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme needed for proper nervous system function. There have been many documented cases of poisoning associated with the application of these pesticides which is why the National Resources Defense Council, the Pesticide Action Network,and a coalition of farm worker and advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against the EPA seeking to end all uses.

Next time you sit down to a grizzly-bear dinner, think about what it's been eating. Both of you might have gotten more than you bargained for.

purple food, purple food

Purple food is rare in nature, but good for you. Here are some purplish foods. Sockeye salmon with pomegranate reduction and fresh bing cherries. I ate a hand full of dried cranberries before supper and then forgot to toss them with the spinach. Beets, the most purplish food of all, and OK roasted or made into borscht would also have been a nice addition. However, it is too early in the season for beets where I live and honestly, they weren't missed. Blanched yellow beans and julienned spinach aren't purple but are still good for you and tasty.

m.o.i.: purple food, purple food
elsewhere
m.o.i: standards updated
m.o.i: bison burger
m.o.i: chili 'n out
m.o.i: bioaccumulation
m.o.i.: inventory reduction dinner
m.o.i.: autumn trout
m.o.i.: life is corny
m.o.i.: Fruit cobbler for breakfast?
m.o.i.: post-modern breakfast

summertime...and the living is easy

One of the best parts of summer is the food. So plentiful. So scrumptious. So simple. Here's a thorough and thought-provoking breakfast called Puy de Dome.

Wild Alaskan salmon tartare.

Hard-boiled eggs (free-range organic from Campo Lindo Farms).

Vidalia onions (from Georgia of course).

Toasted baquettes and sesame semolina (from Farm to Market Bread).

Fresh fruit and yogurt: blackberries, strawberries, and canteloupes (purveyors vary).

And as always. Several cups of very strong coffee (from the Broadway Cafe and Roastery).

Are you ready for an egalitarian Cat. 1 climb now?