Finding Vegetarian and Raw Food Sources Near Beaverton, Oregon

Red peppers in the market in Tel Aviv, photography by Lorelle VanFossen.I’m finally starting to explore our new neighborhood near Hillsboro, Oregon. My new quest is to find healthy and organic local produce and natural foods stores, and some good ethnic groceries so I can eat with healthy recipes from all over the world.

Here are some resources I uncovered on the web to help me find these food suppliers in the area.

Infinite Wilderness – Organic Resources near Portland, Oregon offers some of the best natural food groceries and resources around the Portland, Oregon, area, including Hillsboro and surrounding communities. The list includes organic grocers, gardens, produce delivery, clothing, restaurants, and more.

People’s Food Coop – Portland Area U-Pick Resources lists a wide area around Portland, Oregon, for picking your own fruits and vegetables from local farms and suppliers. Some are organic, and others are not quite organic, with information in the notes.

I’m still looking for some co-ops and CSAs that will deliver or provide really convenient access for pick-up. We’re just that step out far enough that we’re off their delivery routes, but I’m still looking.

Uwajimaya is a Pacific Northwest treasure. Currently, there are three Uwajimaya stores in the Northwest, one in downtown Seattle, Redmond, Washington, and now in Beaverton, Oregon. This is a magical grocery store stuffed with all these Asian including rice cookers, steamers, chopsticks, kimonos, books, fresh fish and seafood, Oriental teas and spices, and aisle upon aisle of international foods.

Seeking sushi, I stumbled into Tokyo Japanese Restaurant right next to Trader Joes on 185th near Highway 26 in Hillsboro and tasted some of the best sushi I’ve had in years…decades maybe. They have a citrus sushi roll called the Pink Dragon which is pure sin to me. The lemony flavor doesn’t overwhelm the fish and it slips down so fast – order two. They aren’t cheap but worth every hum, ooo, and awe. I usually get one to take home to relive the tongue joy the next day. They do specialty items as well and are always welcoming and accommodating and just about everyone can find something good to eat there, sushi or not. Continue reading

Chicken Tagine with Dates and Honey

I recently wrote about our favorite fresh fruit recipe and I’ve been asked to share more of our classic recipes. This one is from the Middle East, though some say it can also be found in India, called Chicken Tagine with Dates and Honey.

Again, it comes from our favorite cookbook series, The Australian Women’s Weekly, specifically part of their Cooking Class series on Middle Eastern Cooking.

What makes this fun is that there are many ways to prepare it and it is great for traveling. You can mix up all the dry spices and even cook the chicken and store it in the cooler until you are ready to put it all together. Or cook it all up and then freeze it without the nuts or corriander. It can easily be warmed up once thawed. It does, however, take some time to cook. The smells will get everyone salivating. It’s worth it!

Chicken Tagine With Dates and Honey

Prep Time: 5 minutes – Cooking Time: 2 hours – Serves 4-6

9 (1kg) chicken thigh fillets (we prefer and often use boneless chicken breasts)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium (300g) onions finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chilli power (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (375ml) chicken stock (low salt or salt free is best)
1 cup (250ml) water
1/2 cup (85g) seedless dates, halved
1/4 cup (60ml) honey
1/2 cup (80g) blanched almonds, toasted is nice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves

Cut chicken into strips. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in pan and add chicken in batches, cooking until brown. Drain on absorbent paper.

Heat remaining oil in same pan, adding onions, garlic and spices to cook until onions are soft.

Add chicken back to the pan and cover with stock and water. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

Remove lid, simmer about 30 minutes or until mixture is thickened slightly and chicken is tender (the smells are wonderful).

Stir in chopped dates, honey and nuts and sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve alone or over white rice.

Note: Reheat on the stove and not the microwave to keep chicken from turning tough and chewy.