Nuts and Edible Seeds

Adventures in Veganism: Soho Thai Fusion Bar & Grill in Lomita

Lomita is known for two things -- a railroad museum and as the place where Olympian Jim Thorpe died -- and veganism isn't one of them. But thanks to Soho Thai Fusion Bar & Grill, that might change. Soho's menu features a "Vegan Zone," which includes soy chicken, soy shrimp fish, soy crab, soy sal ... More >>

The Undercover Vegetarian: Bar Ama

When you think of Tex-Mex, you don't think much of vegetarian food. Unless you're one of those vegetarians who lives on 7-layer burritos from Taco Bell. Sure, there are cheese enchiladas, and queso dip, and guacamole. In fact, sometimes Mexican and Tex-Mex spots can be a respite for vegetarians -- ... More >>

Elemental Superfood Seedbars: Gluten-free and Still Delicious

Three years ago, Nicole Anderson started making Elemental Superfood Seedbars out of necessity. The mother of a child with autism, Anderson noticed dramatic shifts in her daughter's behavior when she ate wheat, dairy and sugar, the cornerstone ingredients for almost all conventional snack foods. So A ... More >>

Bake This Now: 3 Must-Have Holiday Cookie Recipes

Take a look at the calendar. It's time to do some major baking. Hanukkah beings Saturday; after next weekend, you'll be down to the Christmas shipping wire. And for those of us who simply use the season as a joyful excuse to eat more cookies, we'll be more than happy to take some of those Röckenwag ... More >>

What's In Season at the Farmers Market: Fresh In-The-Husk Macadamia Nuts from Mud Creek Ranch

Macadamia nuts are not very shelf-stable for two reasons: high sugar content and high oil content. Rancidity is the curse around the corner, so a lot of growers opt to sell to processors who then do a quick roast to help stabilize them for sale. This works great for some varieties, but if it's one ... More >>

Adventures in Veganism: The Spot in Hermosa Beach

The menu at Hermosa Beach vegetarian restaurant The Spot Natural Food Restaurant indicates that the place serves desserts, but unless you're the reincarnation of Andre the Giant, you'll never know for sure. Because only the former Eighth Wonder of the World would be able to complete the Tamale Combo ... More >>

Santa Barbara Pistachio Co.: Pistachio Flour Fire Sale A New Nut Butter

Yet another buy local bonus: bumper crop discounts occasionally extend to secondary products like Santa Barbara Pistachio Company's pistachio flour. "It's crazy price!" says David Bomer, the company's enthusiastic Ojai sales manager, handing over a bright green $6 bag of cold-pressed pistachio meal. ... More >>

Cookbook Of The Week: Naomi Duguid's Burma, Rivers of Flavor Is Here A Recipe For Fried Banana-Sesame Seed Fritters!

"Finally here!" are words we hear all too often with every 30-minute meal-type cookbook these days, but with the release of Naomi Duguid's latest cookbook, Burma: Rivers of Flavor, it couldn't be more accurate. If you don't know Duguid, she is the sort of author who works on her cookbooks -- cultu ... More >>

Peanut Butter Recall Expands to Just About Everything

The peanut butter recall that began innocently enough with one Trader Joe's brand has expanded exponentially and now includes everything from crackers and cookies to gelato and tahini, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Almost 300 products have now been recalled in what the FDA is callin ... More >>

Cookbook of the Week: Andrew Weil's True Food His Phoenix Via L.A. Umami Sauce Recipe

Full disclosure: we didn't expect to do much more than a quick flip through of Andrew Weil's just-released True Food: Seasonal, Sustainable, Simple, Pure cookbook. Something about those eponymous vitamin packs and the "Spontaneous Happiness" (for a fee) plugs on his website had taken their sales pi ... More >>

Cookbook Of The Week: Grain Mains Is Not Your Average Whole Grain Dinner

Prolific cookbook authors Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough have been on a carnivorous Goat and Ham recipe testing kick in recent years, so perhaps they were having a subconscious Morgan Spurlock post Super Size Me cleansing moment with their latest cookbook, Grain Mains. Or maybe they were simply ... More >>

Make This Now: Nocino A Recipe for DIY Green Walnut Liqueur

For many, the piles of corn and stone fruits at the farmers markets are all that's needed to assert that summer has officially arrived. A glance at the calendar tells us that last week was the summer solstice, and planetary orbits are a better marker if you're looking for something concrete and pre ... More >>

Game of Thrones Official Cookbook Debuts A Recipe for Medieval Applecakes

This Sunday marks the finale of the second season of Game of Thrones, in which fans will finally find out if Daenerys gets her dragons back from the weirdo magician dude(s) and whether Jon Snow does, in fact, know anything. If you're planning to lay out an epic feast worthy of a Valyerian prince an ... More >>

La Casita Mexicana Introduces Its Bottled Mole Paste

If you make mole from scratch, it takes hours, right? Or maybe days, considering all the ingredients you have to assemble, toast, grind, combine and simmer. Well, what about two years? That's how long it took Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu of La Casita Mexicana to perfect a bottled versio ... More >>

Cookbook Of The Week: Asian Tofu By Andrea Nguyen Is A Keeper Her Cashew Cardamom Fudge Recipe

Our cookbook this week is the just-released Asian Tofu: Discover the Best, Make Your Own, and Cook It at Home. Because if anyone can convince us to make tofu at home, it is Andrea Nguyen, the sort of tightly focused, thoughtful food writer who inspires you to explore a new subject (Vietnamese cuisin ... More >>

What's In Season at the Farmers Markets: Witchita Pecans Farmers Market Fairy

The Witchita pecan, developed in Texas back in the 1940s for more arid climate production, is one of a handful of pecan varieties that actually do well in California (it usually like a moister climate). K&K Ranch grows the Witchita and has had the nuts -- still in the shell -- available for the past ... More >>

Master Cleanse, aka 'Lemonade Diet': I Tried it During Christmas. Here's How That Went

In our new column, First Person, L.A. writers tackle the good, the bad and the funny about life as they know it. Deciding to go on the master cleanse in December was either inspired or idiotic. Since I got the idea while in the far-too-familiar haze of a wine buzz, I blame it on the alcohol. You'r ... More >>

Dine à la Pacific Standard Time at the Getty Center A Waldorf Salad Recipe

Banners for the Getty's Pacific Standard Time (P.S.T.) initiative appear to be on every light pole citywide. There are 60 exhibitions covering every aspect of Los Angeles' postwar art scene from 1945 to 1980 at art museums and galleries across Southern California. That post-war fixation extends to ... More >>

A Recipe For Chocolate Bark: Quick Gifts for Chocolate Lovers

Jeanne Kelleychocolate bark​Need a gift in a hurry? Why not make bark? Chocolate bark is a wonder of a confection -- it's quick to make, it looks cool and is adaptable to every taste -- at least of course for those who's tastes include chocolate. The candy can be made in about 30 minutes flat ... More >>

Cookbook Of The Week: Desserts by Michel Roux A Chocolate-Almond Rochers Recipe

amazon​Normally, baking books by top restaurant pastry chefs, at least the Michelin-star type, are big. And glossy. As with the previous cookbooks from French pastry chef and former London restaurateur Michel Roux (his son now runs La Gavroche restaurant), you needed those gorgeous super-sized ... More >>

Borekas at Tarte Tatin Bakery: Savory Among the Sweet

D. GonzalezMaybe one... or two: Borekas from Tarte Tatin Bakery​ Usually, there's one overarching purpose that drives most visits to a bakery: a straight dose of the sweet stuff. That was our mission when we first visited the recently turned 1-year-old Beverly Hills bakery Tarte Tatin. But w ... More >>

Local Pantry: Fat Uncle Farms Will Make You Rethink Your Nutella Habit

jgarbeeCall It What You Will, We Call It Good​Fat Uncle Farms is one of those guilt-inducing farmers market stops by default, meaning that even something healthy like almonds feels like an indulgence when you are surrounded by piles of carrots. But you really do need a bag of rosemary-sea salt ... More >>

New Crop: Red Walnuts from K&K Farms

Felicia FriesemaRed walnuts from K&K Farms at the Hollywood market.​ K&K Farms out of Orosi semi-debuted a striking new walnut at the Hollywood farmers market this season. They've actually had the Yolo Red walnut for a few years now, but haven't consistently brought it to market. This year i ... More >>

Cookbook Review: Food from Many Greek Kitchens A Recipe For Sesame Rings

​In the cookbook world, there is a longstanding beauty versus brains dichotomy. We judge a cookbook by its stunning photographs (admiring each page, then promptly relegating the book to the coffee table) or by its encyclopedic recipe index and straightforward prose (ah, now this is going to be ... More >>

Cookbook Review: Truly Mexican A Pipián Verde (Green Pumpkin Seed Sauce) Recipe

​Mexico City-born (now New York City based) chef Roberto Santibañez's latest cookbook. Truly Mexican: Essential Recipes and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking with JJ Goode is truly exactly what the subtitle describes -- something that is not as common in the cookbook world as it should ... More >>

A Good Granola Is Hard To Find A Recipe

Jeanne Kelleygranola​ A good granola is hard to find. The supermarket selection, no matter what the flavor or brand -- organic or otherwise -- tastes like stale oat flakes. And the proliferation of low fat granolas -- don't even bother with those, unless you enjoy snacking on sweetened cardboa ... More >>

A Recipe From The Chef: Sous-Vide Egg Yolks With Arugula-Raclette Pesto From Kelley Lee's Alchemist In Shanghai

The AlchemistSous Vide Egg Yolks With Arugula-Raclette Pesto​In our two-part interview with Shanghai chef/restauranteur Kelley Lee, the Cerritos native told us about the trials of introducing gastropub burgers to a McDonald's obsessed city, opening a brewery when she knew nothing about craft b ... More >>

Weird Science: Walnuts, Nature's Perfect Nut?

Guzzle & Nosh​Every few years there's a new study touting the salutary properties of the latest "superfood." Blueberries, acai, maqui. (We're only slightly ashamed to admit we learned about the Chilean wineberry from a menu at Yogurtland). What's the latest supercallfragalistic food? The walnu ... More >>

The New Snack Cake: Cashew Caramel Bar from Luisa & Son Bake Shop

D. GonzalezNo kidding around: The cashew caramel bar​ Excitement in food world seems driven by the perpetual pursuit of the new. A hot opening. Emerging trends. Yet, so much about food is tied to the past. Case in point, a hot new restaurant writes on their menu how it was inspired by the ... More >>

What's in Season at the Farmers Markets: Local Macadamia Nuts

Felicia FriesemaMacadamia nuts at the Hollywood market this past weekend.​ Ruth Reichl tweeted about the Hollywood market this weekend: "Stunned by abundance. Hollywood Farmers Market: strawberries, Kishus, tomatoes, oysters, avocados, herbs, lettuce, live crabs. LA in winter." 140 characters ... More >>

Best Almond Paste: Fat Uncle Farms Calls It Marzipan, We Call It Good

J. GarbeeAlmonds, Honey And Apricots (Or Oranges) = The Marzipan Of Your Dreams​ In today's world of health-touting food packaging, even hard alcohol is boastfully going organic (you would think 80 proof would make anything pesticide free). And so there is an insidious pleasure in buying farm ... More >>

The Twelve Days Of Cookies: Sesame Seed Biscotti Via Alice Waters (Sort Of)

cookiemadness.netSesame Biscotti​What happens when you merge Alice Waters and stale cookies? Eggs divide, organic flour magically appears, and a Biscotti baking book is born. If you read yesterday's review, you probably already have the baking book from the American Academy in Rome on your Ama ... More >>

The 12 Days (or Something Like That) of Cookies, Starting With Alice Medrich's Chunky Peanut Butter Clouds

alicemedrich.blogspot.com/Medrich's Bakers Scale​Not to dismiss pie, but cookies, now there's a solid reason to love the holidays. As we're already thick into Target-red holiday commercial reruns and yet another destined-for-the-sale-bin Christmas ornament, we really would rather be in the kit ... More >>

Notes on Eating the Great Pumpkin A Roasted Pumpkin Seed Recipe

Flickr/yiie​ If you're like a lot of people and never got around to carving your Halloween pumpkin into a jack-o'-lantern, don't let it go to waste, or even straight to the compost pile. You can harvest the seeds and turn them into a sweet or savory snack or garnish. And if you happened to ... More >>

Millet-Corn Chowder: A Class a Recipe

Flickr/permanentlyscatterbrained​ Join doctor of Chinese medicine Henry Jun Wah Lee and holistic chef Vicky Valencia for an evening of food and learning in Pasadena on Thurs., Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m. There will be tasty (and healthful) dishes to sample, practical recipes you can use, and enlight ... More >>

What's in Season at the Farmers Markets: Raw Peanuts

Felicia Friesema​ The demand for fresh, raw peanuts in the shell used to come largely from displaced southerners from both the U.S. and Vietnam, where boiled peanuts (or dau phon) are a treasured snack. East of the Mississippi, the annual peanut harvests prompt celebrations similar to Ventur ... More >>

What's in Season at the Farmers Markets: Green Walnuts

Felicia FriesemaGreen walnuts at K & K Ranch​ The green walnut was featured as an exciting "new" import at this year's Fancy Food Show in New York. While it is a little hard to come by, the entirely edible (but really sour) green walnut is hardly new. Sixteenth century Englishmen and women w ... More >>

David Lebovitz Update: A New Book, A Video A Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Guess who's got a new book out? David Lebovitz, former Chez Panisse pastry chef, blogger extraordinaire, manic issuer of tweets -- "Am trying to figure out what's more important: cookware or bed sheets?" -- chocolate tourist, writer of cookbooks, and, well, one could go on. But why, when Lebovitz do ... More >>

The Joy of Spring Almonds An Easy Green Almond Recipe

You'll occasionally score green almonds, those spring almonds that look like fuzzy uncured olives with a soft nut that you pop out to snack on, at the farmer's market this time of year. But rarely do farmers appear with the even younger version, those with merely a jelly-like idea of an almond so yo ... More >>

Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Aladdin Nuthouse Nuts

I am a regular patron of Aladdin Nuthouse, one of the better Armenian nut vendors in town, a place with a half-dozen kinds of melon seeds, delicious sesame peanuts, and a way of roasting hazelnuts and almonds that not only brings out the full, round flavor of the nuts but leaves them rimed with salt ... More >>

A Few Recipes From the Chef: Pastry Chef Jan Purdy's Holiday Cookies

When we stopped by to visit Butter Tart bakery--which is set to reopen next month--the other day, pastry chef Jan Purdy was in the kitchen, baking holiday cookies. Purdy has been working with Butter Tart chef-owner Andre Guerrero since their days together at Linq (which is now the home of Christophe ... More >>

Levi Johnston: Everyone's Favorite Pistachio Salesman. Your Nut Joke Here ________

In a seriously random example of cashing in on notoriety, Levi Johnston, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin's former almost-son-in-law and father of her grandson, is hawking pistachios. Johnston appears in this Wonderful pistachio ad with his bodyguard and manager Tank Jones. Jones is Johnston's pro ... More >>

Rosh Hashanah Catering: A Guide to Timely Ordering

Photo Credit: Adam BakerCoconut Macaroons​While your internal clock may run on Jewish Standard Time, measuring by approximations instead of absolutes, restaurants don't. Making coconut macaroons and briskets for hundreds takes time and careful planning. So even though Rosh Hashanah is about a ... More >>

A Great Walnut Season: La Nogalera's New Batch of Walnut Oil A Recipe

Photo credit: Amy ScattergoodLa Nogalera walnut stand​Between Buellton and Lompoc in Santa Barbara County, about 11 miles from the ocean on the inland side of the Santa Ynez Mountains, you'll find Rancho La Viña--and some of the best walnuts in this part of the country. This pleasant fact is ... More >>

Pistachio-Rosewater Ice Cream Recipe: Exit National Ice Cream Month

Felicia Friesemashelled pistachios, mortar & pestle​"Baba gave us each a weekly allowance of ten Afghanis and we spent it on warm Coca-Cola and rosewater ice cream topped with crushed pistachios"--The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.With National Ice Cream Month about to vanish into our thighs ... More >>

Ask Mr. Gold

Ask Mr. Gold

Kookoo for Coconuts

Opaline: The Sound of One Hand Cooking