August 2008 Archives

I wrote about the Sherman Oak's Farmer's market about a week and a half ago. We went last Thursday but...Poof!...the market was gone. And there's nothing about it on their web site. I called Westfield Fashion Square and they told me it was not going to be happening for a while, with no other explanation. So there you go. If I hear otherwise, I'll report back but for now, there's Studio City on Sundays (At Ventura and Laurel Canyon), and if you know of other good farmer's markets in the valley, please feel free to post them in the comments section. Here's a list for those still searching...

I really do. And yet, I told you I don't really pack lunch anymore. But I like it when I do. When I worked in an office I looked forward to my lunch and my book more than anything in the day (and the job wasn't torture or anything. Mostly). And in the heat I never, ever leave the house with out a LARGE cooler bag filled with refreezable ice to keep our water cool and in case the small child has leftovers or I need to bring a snack (it's always one or the other).

I love lunchboxes. They make lunch a lot of fun by giving you little spaces in which you can imagine what it is you'll be dying for come the afternoon and what you'll have waiting for yourself as a treat.  This company makes little plastic boxes (the safe sort) that seal easily and can be opened by a 3 year old that are perfect for snacks (nuts, raisins, a chocolate, crackers -- or grapes, carrots, etc.  Pack wet OR dry but not both because the wet ingredients sog up the dry, but it's like a tiny, inexpensive bento box. 

And then there's bento boxes.   The ingenious Jennifer McCann's terrific web site Veganlunchbox often mentions the coolest new lunchboxes -- check it out (and for ideas, her book is really great even if you aren't vegan but especially if you are)!  Most of these I learned about from her.  I Love Obento is really adorable lunch for the Hello Kitty crowd.  I dig Laptop Lunches, the only downside that some of the lunch containers have no lids so I don't know how they hold up with travel.  I like the idea of the To Go Ware, but there's no way to keep things cold without putting it...in a cooler bag.  But if you're going to work with a refrigerator, they're awfully cool for things like salad and fruits and/or vegetables.  You can also pack frozen fruits and/or vegetables and let them come to temperature in the To-Go Ware.  By the afternoon when they're singing happy birthday in the office over a giant chocolate cake you'll be happy to have it (even if it's just so you can eat the veggies, wipe it out and take some cake home. This is how my mind works).



Here is one I really love:  Lunchsense.  It's a washable, purselike container that snaps together (or apart for a picnic lunch!) and contains lunches like a perfectly formed puzzle.  All of this appeals to my sickening sense of organization and cleanliness and fun.  And comes with an ice pack.   I want one.

A lunchtime proviso: you can't microwave plastic (it migrates into food) so it's best to get a thermos to keep things hot if you need that, or pack a heavy glass container, or keep one at work for the microwave.  And you shouldn't keep it all at room temp either because it's usually more than 2 hours from commute to lunch.   And 2 hours is the time limit on room temperature foods that are normally kept hot or cold.  Any longer and you could get sick.  So consider that stuff and remember that you can always take the stuff out a half hour before you eat it and let it come to room temperature.



All these cute containers give me another reason to love my dishwasher (it's the kind you roll over to the kitchen sink, but it gets the job done and saves me from cleaning 17 little pieces left from lunch.  If you don't have one, stick with bigger containers (like the To-Go Ware pictured at right) that are easy to wash up.

Get yourself a Klean Kanteen (can no one spell?) and you'll be all set.

What to pack?  Here are some Trader Joe's lists that might zero you in a bit, but nothing beats hanging around the store for a bit for ideas.

All of these might seem expensive at around $30 a crack, but consider this: if you're eating lunch at a restaurant 5 days a week, even if you spend just $5, it will only take a couple of weeks for the thing to pay for itself, because bringing your own food is cheaper.  And you'll probably lose weight and be healthier because of what you packed.  And you'll have time for that magazine or book you've been wanting to read.  You'll read it at the park where you'll find a mate because you're looking so good now and you're obviously very intelligent because you're sitting there reading.  In other words, pack a lunch and all will be right in your world.  You don't believe me but just try it and see if I'm wrong.

I have the advantage of working at home most of the time, which means I can make my lunch on the fly. The downside: I often end up standing in front of the open fridge wishing I had started some rice half an hour ago when I wasn't starving. Or that someone would swing by and make me a meal.

So today I ended up whipping up one of my very favorite things: an omelette. Not just any, but an imitation of Le Pain Quotidien's lovely, lovely parmesan pesto omelette, since I'm a lady who lunches...mostly at home. This is a fast, good, pretty low fat way of making an omelette that tastes as good or better than the kind made with plasticky drooling cheese. Wish I'd thought of taking a picture of it before the parmesan started to melt, but there you go.

You need:

• One small omelette pan (if you don't have one I recommend the 8" open skillet most manufacturers of expensive sets use as a "try me" pan: a good one is about $20 and for eggs, go non-stick).
• cheese slicer or grater (or sharp knife and patience)
  
• a carton of egg whites or perhaps 4 freshly cracked ones
  
• A block of parmesan cheese (get the real stuff)
  
• Trader Joe's Pesto alla Genovese (basil pesto) (a dab will do ya, trust me)
  
• a tiny amount of butter or trans-fat free margarine like Earth Balance for the pan
  

All of the ingredients came from Trader Joe's.  The egg whites are good for at least 2 omelettes -- use within the week, and the other stuff will last...a couple of months!  All for about the cost of one omelette at a restaurant. 

Slice yourself some cheese, very thin (I use the center slicer on an old grater).
Heat up the pan on low, toss in the butter/margarine (half a teaspoon will do) to coat.  Pour in half a cup of egg or more when the pan is heated.  Omelettes are supposed to be made on high heat, but I prefer a gentler heat and to wait so that there isn't much "skin" formed around the omelette.  If you prefer that, heat on high.  After the egg turns white and starts to bubble around the edges, gently lift the sides with a spatula and tilt the pan, allowing the extra egg on top to flow underneath.  When the top looks soft but not watery, add 1/2-1 teaspoon pesto, then fold to make the omelette.  Gently heat for another 30 seconds to a minute, then plate and add the cheese over the top.  Makes a good dinner with very little mess.

Le Pain Quotidien serves the omelette with artisan bread and a small salad of baby greens with vinaigrette, which is surprisingly perfect even in the morning.  TJs sells bagged greens, vinaigrette and baguettes if you're in the mood to go all European.  And there you go.

There's a new little farmer's market on Thursdays in Sherman Oaks from 5-9 pm at the corner of Riverside and Woodman behind Ross and Bank of America. You can park next to Macy's. If you come hungry and/or with children, they've got you covered because there is a lot of prepared food (chicken, kebabs, mountains of homemade potato chips, and one of the vendors has some nice looking bakery for dessert). There are also children's rides and some toys, so if you want to avoid them, be forewarned to stay to the right on the aisle where the food is located or be prepared to suffer the consequences (non-stop nagging or shelling out money for a blow-up slide, based on experience). And there are gift items and pet adoptions, but these things really don't a good farmer's market make. There are a only a few farmers in attendance, but they all have good stuff to make it worthwhile. Gala apples (normally a winter crop, but in California, just starting to come in), artichokes, corn, strawberries, honey, fresh green beans, as advertised -- and the very best cheese I have ever tasted (try the Jersey Jack if you're a purist). There was a nice band playing and it's at a time of day when the shade and sun mix peacefully and it's usually cooling down (finally). If you feel like sitting outside, maybe have a bite and take home some great stuff to cook tomorrow it's a nice little visit.

One word distinguishes late summer salad: Tomatoes.  Heirloom tomatoes are the best, bought ripe from a farmer's market if you can.  They taste completely different than anything from the supermarket and I'm pretty sure they're what older people are talking about when they say, "tomatoes used to taste completely different when I was a kid." 

A trip to the new Fresh & Easy at Vanowen and Sepulveda yielded some huge, dried lima beans, dried minced onion, dried minced garlic and bay leaves for the only cooking I'm up to at this time of year: boiling water.  I soaked a cup of lima beans in about 4 cups of water overnight in a mixing bowl.  Today I boiled them for 1.5 hours along with a few shakes of the onion and garlic, 1 bay leaf, a couple of baby carrots and a shot of canola oil, which reduces the foaming created by the starch in the beans. 

I set a timer, walked away and came back to beans that taste like large, well seasoned baked potatoes -- pasty and delicious over a salad (it should be said that our small child ate a bowl of them -- the spicing is subtle).

The rest is all quickly dumped into a bowl: tomatoes, raisins, walnuts, baby carrots, bagged Spring Mix salad from Trader Joe's, and Follow Your Heart's (vegan, but not low fat) Thousand Island dressing (sold at Whole Foods as well as the restaurant in Canoga Park). 

My mother dropped over some of that amazing La Brea Multigrain Bread they sell two loaves at a time over a Costco (about $4.50).  What a delicious meal after a day of frightwig-level humidity.

If you hit the farmer's markets now, be sure to look for cantaloupe, as it's finally in season and really at its best (and cheapest!).