Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Sorted by date Results 1 - 17 of 17
Summer season is here. That means family get-togethers and parties with friends. Try out this recipe for our healthy Sassy Spiced Mixed Nuts. Your guests are sure to love them. As a bonus, they can be made days ahead and stored air-tight. No last minute stress on the host. Taylor's Provisions is located at 208 S. Mill St., Tehachapi, near the corner of Mill and F Streets. Part of the Mill Town Marketplace collection of businesses. You can also reach Taylor's at (661) 750-0390. Sassy Spiced M...
America didn't publish its first cookbook until 1796, but we do have earlier manuscripts. One of those collections of papers belongs to Martha Washington. If you read over those recipes, one spice often repeats - pepper. Pepper was in almost every recipe in colonial America. Pepper plants are native to the Malabar coast of India, but our original supply in America came from Sumatra. When the British lost the Revolutionary War, they stopped our flow of pepper. The problem was the British had a...
Discussions about your gut microbiome, essentially your gut ecosystem, are all the rage today. The trillions of organisms in your gut ecosystem make up that biotic community. Probiotics are the live bacteria found in and on food or supplements. Prebiotics are the food for these bacteria, mostly in the form of fiber. And from fiber, our gut flora produce short-chain fatty acids, which are an important energy source for the cells lining our colon. So, we feed our flora with fiber, and they in...
Described by Arab botanists and known to the Romans, the cauliflower originally came from Cyprus, and was introduced to France from Italy in the middle of the 16th century. Today, food writers everywhere are extremely fond of quoting Mark Twain's contention that "a cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education." It's hard to imagine that this vegetable, now taken somewhat for granted, was once all the rage at the court of Louis XIV and served in rich and elegant dishes. Today, ca...
A recent health study conducted by Stanford University has been in the news. The study (DIETFITS) pitted low fat and low carbohydrate diets against one another. The study also covered genetic factors of food. The result? Neither low fat nor low carb nor genetics appeared to play a role in dietary success. So what does work? I can only tell you what worked for me. I needed to reset my expectation of portion size. For one week record everything that goes in your mouth. Use a scale to understand a...
Only about three percent of Americans get the recommended amount of fiber each day. Consuming fiber is the easiest way to maintain weight and avoid disease. So, today I've created the world's easiest diet for you. It's called the Fiber First Diet. Here's how it works, across the course of your day, you start by eating only whole foods that contain fiber. Once you've consumed at least 30 grams of fiber, you can eat whatever you want. Whole foods containing fiber include oats, flax, fruits,...
Wild rice is actually the grain of a species of grass. The plants grow in shallow water in small lakes and slow-flowing streams. Often only the flowering head of wild rice rises above the water. The rice grains are gathered by beating the grass with long sticks and collecting the resulting grains in a wide basket. Wild rice has a chewy outer sheath with a tender inner grain. The result is a lovely firm texture yielding to a slightly nutty and vegetal tasting inner core. I like to serve wild rice...
I've been on a Southern food kick lately. There's something comforting in the cuisine. Maybe that's why it's called "soul food". This recipe couldn't be any more Southern if it tried. Take a humble vegetable and cover it in mayonnaise and bacon. My twist is to kick it up with something sweet and something crunchy. And, of course, it needs to be vegan, after all, I'm crazy, but not insane. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Taylor's Provisions, 208 S. Mill St., Tehachapi. You can...
Here's a quick, easy, no bake chocolate bark recipe that's sure to thrill. It's so simple you might try this one with the kids or grandkids. This recipe comes courtesy of our friends at Mill Street Kitchen. Margaret Veszpeller and her team are amazing at creating fun and inventive food. This easy dessert is no exception. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are available at Taylor's Provisions, 208 S. Mill St., Tehachapi, near the corner of Mill and F Streets. Part of the Mill Town Marketplace...
"I've got to start eating healthier," she said. "But how do I do that?" One dish at a time. It's the only reasonable answer. Make one small change this week and one small change next week; and so on, and so forth. Find the changes that resonate with you, and double down on them. Try changing out your morning eggs/toast/bacon for some heart healthy oatmeal. It's cheap, easy, and full of fiber. Ready to take the next step? Try substituting garbanzo beans for tuna in your salad or sandwich. You...
"Relax. It's just dried leaves and water. You're going to be fine," I say. This is the most disarming thing I can think to say to the customer who has come into my shop and is staring at row after row of tea tins. Paralyzed by the fear of "getting it wrong." Here's an oversimplified primer for those of us who didn't grow up steeped in tea history, culture, and tradition. Tea comes from a plant that is grown in India, China, and Japan. Four major categories of tea are black, oolong, green, and...
A quick and easy sauce that can be used as-is or quickly converted to a salad dressing. It is also 100% "guilt free" as it contains no oil and no salt. I use this sauce in enchiladas where the cashews create both a creaminess and a cheese-like quality when heated. The sauce is also great as a vegetable dip or in fresh spring rolls, or add a little bit of rice wine vinegar and you have the perfect salad dressing. Items with an asterisk (*) are available at Taylor's Provisions, 208 S. Mill...
Thanksgiving and all of its amazing, elaborate cooking has passed. Let's turn our attention to a delicious, nutritious, easy-to-make meal. One that is reminiscent of Autumn, but still in fashion anytime of the year. This quick to make Pumpkin Mushroom Soup fits the bill perfectly. It pulls together in under 30-minutes, has only a few ingredients, and just enough exotic flavor to keep the dish interesting. No need to get fancy with this one-pot meal. This soup will be blended, so your knife...
As Autumn comes on, my tastes turn to more bold flavors. This simple lentil salad is a bold punch of flavor. Deep, rich, earthy lentils. Peppery arugula. Sweet sun dried tomatoes. And a tannic sherry vinaigrette. It's perfection. Items with an asterisk (*) are available at Taylor's Provisions - 208 S. Mill Street. Near the corner of Mill and F Streets. Part of the Mill Town Marketplace collection of businesses. Lentil Salad Salad ingredients: • *4 cups cooked lentils • 2 cups arugula, cho...
When one customer asks for an item it's an anomaly. But when two customers ask, it's a sign. Such was the day that two customers asked for Lebanese 7-Spice blend. I researched and cataloged many recipes. What I learned was twofold. First, no one blends their own. Instead, they buy their blend at the local spice shop. Second, Lebanese 7-Spice is like an Italian mother's spaghetti sauce. They all do it different and everyone else's doesn't measure up. The next morning I blended small batches of...
Eating healthy on a budget is easier than you think. In fact, the healthiest foods are among the cheapes. The highest nutrient-rich food per dollar are sweet potatoes. A single cup of sweet potato is a scant 115 calories. They're a nice source of potassium, Vitamin B6, and dietary fiber, as well as an excellent source of vitamin A ringing in at 377% of your recommended daily need. Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and do not have any cracks, bruises or soft spots. Cold temperatures alter...
Whole grains reduce our incidence of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and lower cholesterol. But what are whole grains? All grains start off life as whole grains. In their natural state growing in the field, whole grains are the entire seed of a plant. This seed has three edible parts – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The bran is the outer skin and contains important antioxidants, B vitamins, and fiber. The germ is the embryo which has the potential to sprout into a new plant. It c...
