Patio dining in southern California doesn’t get much better than this – unless you’re at the beach!
Two of the best items on the menu: silky Edamame Dumplings and Caramelized Onion Tart with Figs and Gorgonzola.

True Food Kitchen, newly opened in Fashion Island next to Roy’s.

451 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, CA

(949) 644-2400

P.S.  Bring your sunscreen – the stylish awnings have gaps and, since June gloom has finally disappeared, the  sun was intense! The photos were taken under the shade of the awning, where alas, I was not.

Second in my series of super easy asparagus recipes; roasting asparagus, or any vegetable, brings out its natural sweetness. This is one time where thicker spears work better than thin ones so the asparagus doesn’t get tough and stringy. You can even make these in your toaster oven – I do.

Roasted Asparagus

I used pancetta here, but noted a number of variations* which I’ve used and they’re all delicious, so pick the topping of your choice to add extra color and flavor after the asparagus is roasted.

Ingredients:

1 lb. asparagus

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

kosher or sea salt

2 ounces chopped pancetta, sautéed until crispy and browned

*Variations:  minced garlic (roasted with the asparagus), add after roasting: carmelized onions, thinly sliced shallots, chopped tomatoes or roasted red pepper, drizzle with fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash the asparagus. Bend each stalk so the tough ends break off. Discard the ends.

Cover the baking tray in tin foil. Lightly spray with spray oil. Place the spears on the baking pan in a single layer.

Drizzle asparagus with olive oil, roll the spears around so all are coated. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 8-10 minutes depending on how thick the spears are. Meanwhile, sauté the pancetta in a small pan.

Remove the asparagus, sprinkle the pancetta over and serve. Enjoy

As my Tweet Deck pinged and drew me in and out and away from the work I was trying to do on Saturday, I was glad to see that one of Twitter’s power women, was tweeting about the PBS show with Robert Kenner, director of  ”Food Inc.” and Michael Pollan which aired in November, 2008.  It must have been a rerun but, nevertheless, it was relief from the usual tweets about everything you ever wanted to know and more about SM (social media).

You may have seen Food Inc., the documentary movie that takes a harsh look at everything we should know, but that giant food companies don’t want us to know about the journey that our food takes from the processing plant to the grocery stores of America.  Michael Pollan is the author of, most recently, In Defense of Food: an Eater’s Manifesto, and his previous book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006) was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by the New York Times and Washington Post and was the recipient of the California Book Award and the James Beard award for best food writing, to name a few.  He is the Knight Professor of Journalism at UC Berkeley and “few people reflect and report more astutely on the state of American food production and consumption than Michael Pollan”.  If you read these books, as I have, they will change the way in which you view food forever.

Anyway, that’s an intellectual introduction to a very simple recipe for my Mission Meatless series which I’ve launched in support of the initiative known as Meatless Monday.  Meatless Monday stems from the idea that YOU can change our food system and one way is to go without meat one day a week.  How does this help?  According to this  list of 10 things YOU can do to change our food system by  the website Hungry for Change, an estimated 70% of all the antibiotics produced in the US are given to farm animals which are then consumed by us.  If the entire population went meatless for just one day a week. think of how many fewer injected animals would have to enter the food chain and how much less secondary hormones and antibiotics you would be ingesting.

Two-Bean Taco Salad

*Easy       *Vegan      *Vegetarian    *Gluten-free

This takes about 15 minutes to prepare.  I keep these tostada shells stocked in my pantry.

Then all you have to do is heat the refried beans, drain the black beans, and prepare the veggies.

Tostada shells, warmed in the toaster oven

1 can vegetarian refried beans

1 can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained

1 pkg. prepared romaine lettuce

2 carrots, peeled and grated

1 avocado, sliced

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced

Spread the refried beans on the tostada shells. Top with romaine lettuce and arrange veggies on top, arrange cucumbers around the plate. Serve with purchased salsa. Add cheese if desired (not vegan).

Note: On second thought, the blustery weather we’re experiencing this week in SoCal calls for a warm, tasty, and satisfying bowl of  Vegetarian Minestrone.