tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407065514148301092024-03-13T03:24:42.118-07:00Appetite with AttitudeA foodie's adventures in her home kitchen.Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-5487917364296210592012-12-26T21:41:00.000-08:002012-12-26T21:41:32.006-08:00Kitchen Garden CSA week 4Hello all!<br />
<br />
I hope you have had a happy and delicious holiday season full of family, fun and food! I certainly did, stuffing myself to the gills with home-cooked goodness and all the sweets that the holidays bring. My stomach might have punished me for all my indulgences, but my soul was happy!<br />
<br />
This Christmas was particularly special for me because GP asked me to marry him! Definitely the best Christmas present I could ever receive is a committed lifelong friend and partner, one who will always be my sous chef and culinary guinea pig. I am so looking forward to our life together. For the curious, here's a good shot of the engagement ring from the designer:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1AeNq9cN1Y/UNvPRN_biII/AAAAAAAAAu8/fN-5v8w9qqI/s1600/round-red-garnet-palladium-ring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A1AeNq9cN1Y/UNvPRN_biII/AAAAAAAAAu8/fN-5v8w9qqI/s1600/round-red-garnet-palladium-ring.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is everything I dreamed it would be! I had preferred a garnet over a diamond for many reasons. I wanted my ring to boldly stand out from the crowd, I love the color red (have you seen my kitchen?), and garnets have been assigned many positive meanings: love, passion, career success (particularly for women), charismatically drawing like-minded friends to you, and combating depression. Also, the Celtic knots on the band are elegant, commonly found on Irish engagement/wedding rings, and pay homage to both of our ancestral backgrounds. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, as the British would say, I am chuffed to bits. Coupled with the celebration of Christmas with my family, I feel like I've been floating on a cloud, and I haven't yet landed. The past two weeks have certainly kept me on my toes, but I managed to concoct some very tasty dinners with my CSA share. Week 4 gave me:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7NFWBJ7z8qE/UNvT5SqUL2I/AAAAAAAAAvo/fnL_7a5FUtY/s1600/IMG_2573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7NFWBJ7z8qE/UNvT5SqUL2I/AAAAAAAAAvo/fnL_7a5FUtY/s320/IMG_2573.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Salad greens, beets, carrots, Swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, celeriac, spinach, garlic, and a special variety of radicchio - radicchio di treviso tardivo.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TSk0t-lxh-Y/UNvT6yga8KI/AAAAAAAAAvw/mQtoPoGv4kM/s1600/IMG_2576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TSk0t-lxh-Y/UNvT6yga8KI/AAAAAAAAAvw/mQtoPoGv4kM/s320/IMG_2576.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It turns out that each of the recipes I made this week contained root vegetables cooked in varying ways. I started out using the salad greens, spinach and potatoes to make a delicious <a href="http://theyearinfood.com/2012/10/delicata-squash-salad-with-roasted-potatoes-and-pomegranate-seeds.html" target="_blank">squash salad with roasted potatoes and pomegranate seeds</a>, which I found on The Year In Food. The recipe calls for delicata squash but it's season had just ended in these parts so it was replaced with acorn squash. This salad has an amazing combination of colors textures, and flavors and I will make it many more times, I'm sure.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1KsTFNeGPs/UNvT3-awk7I/AAAAAAAAAvg/jGOJVH4xtuE/s1600/IMG_0554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B1KsTFNeGPs/UNvT3-awk7I/AAAAAAAAAvg/jGOJVH4xtuE/s320/IMG_0554.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Next, the very fancy radicchio (which you can read more about <a href="http://kitchengardenfarm.com/vegetable-pages/radicchio" target="_blank">here</a>), and half the beets went into a fuschia <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Farro-Radicchio-and-Roasted-Beet-Salad-359409" target="_blank">farro salad</a> from Epicurious. This salad too had an exciting combination of soft and crunchy, sweet and salty. Just don't be alarmed when you see blood-stained vampire teeth in the mirror after eating this!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJfb_Ib2wvs/UNvT8vU1obI/AAAAAAAAAv4/FgOYYA6kGwo/s1600/IMG_2578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJfb_Ib2wvs/UNvT8vU1obI/AAAAAAAAAv4/FgOYYA6kGwo/s320/IMG_2578.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Then I got creative with carrots. I feel most confident trying my own off-the-cuff recipe ideas in the form of pizza. If crust and cheese are involved, it will probably taste good regardless, but I enjoy trying different veggie sauces and toppings. I braised some carrots with onions and garlic, then once everything was very soft, I pureed it for pizza sauce. I topped it with chopped Swiss chard, cheese, herbs and red pepper flakes, and the result was a delicate, tasty pizza. It was made all the better with a few drops of Sriracha (but what isn't?)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMqhE7Y1qQw/UNvT-NV9FsI/AAAAAAAAAwA/hP5LkCn8_GI/s1600/IMG_2579.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LMqhE7Y1qQw/UNvT-NV9FsI/AAAAAAAAAwA/hP5LkCn8_GI/s320/IMG_2579.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
On to celeriac. This strange ugly root has an incredible crispness and the wonderfully light flavor of celery, and I love finding new ways to use it. Jamie Oliver inspired me with his <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/celeriac-gratin" target="_blank">celeriac and potato gratin</a> recipe, which I <i>may</i> have had two or two-and-a-half servings of one night.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PYlilW7x02k/UNvUAGFvbpI/AAAAAAAAAwI/yygSEkEvTrQ/s1600/IMG_2581.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PYlilW7x02k/UNvUAGFvbpI/AAAAAAAAAwI/yygSEkEvTrQ/s320/IMG_2581.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The remaining beets and carrots were shredded, shaped and frittered into <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Beet-and-Carrot-Pancakes-5110" target="_blank">beet and carrot pancakes</a>, also from Epicurious. Though the beet juice stained them into looking like bloody burger patties, these were wonderfully sweet and filling. I paired mine with applesauce, knowing that it is a traditional topping for potato latkes, but I really should have used the suggested sour cream instead. The pancakes are sweet, not savory, so together with the applesauce, there was a bit too much sugar. Otherwise, these are fun and easy (albeit messy) to make.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1R2o8dMzXS4/UNvUBnMBZNI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/1awcy3sy5JQ/s1600/IMG_2582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1R2o8dMzXS4/UNvUBnMBZNI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/1awcy3sy5JQ/s320/IMG_2582.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lastly, I finally tried my hand at making gnocchi. I may have set myself up for failure by not using the typical potato and flour recipe, but I had an extra acorn squash lying around and wanted to see if I could give my pasta pieces more color and flavor. I actually found a recipe that incorporated the squash with potatoes, and I followed it to the letter, but the dough ended up so wet and sticky that I knew something was off. The squash gave the dough too much moisture. In an attempt to correct this I used - not kidding - about 7 cups of flour to achieve a manageable doughy texture. At that point I was frustrated and skeptical of how these would turn out, so I hurriedly tore the dough into dozens of ugly clumps and froze them. The next day, I boiled them and they floated as they should, but they tasted pretty much like flour. They weren't rocks like I was expecting, but they were certainly chewier and heavier than fluffy well-made gnocchi. Regardless, they were tasty enough with a quick tomato sauce, basil, and good Parmigiano Reggiano.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That does it for now. The Kitchen Garden is actually taking a holiday hiatus from the CSA shares, and I will only be picking up one in the month of January, then regular bi-weekly shares will start again in February. Without shares to talk about, I plan on doing a post about my 12 weeks of recreational classes at <a href="http://www.cambridgeculinary.com/" target="_blank">The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.</a> I'll work on gathering my thoughts and photos to share next time. Until then!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-61911386565342764912012-12-16T11:12:00.000-08:002012-12-26T19:54:32.355-08:00The Kitchen Garden CSA weeks 2 & 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, I am now officially a veteran of cooking the Thanksgiving turkey. This year the bird fell to me, and I have to say, it wasn't as hard to cook as I would have thought. It was a brined Trader Joe's turkey, and I seasoned it with olive oil, fresh herbs and salt, then roasted it for about 7 hours, basting with chicken stock. While I'd still like to work on making the moistest turkey ever, it was quite good.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--afjMc5LhEc/UM4LmH59fVI/AAAAAAAAAsc/MhIp4506vZY/s1600/IMG_0527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--afjMc5LhEc/UM4LmH59fVI/AAAAAAAAAsc/MhIp4506vZY/s320/IMG_0527.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I also found a delicious recipe for eggnog pumpkin pie in <i>The Good Housekeeping Cookbook</i>. Just replace the evaporated milk with eggnog for extra sweet creaminess.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bv4de6MC8r4/UM4Ln_NCgTI/AAAAAAAAAsk/CYEwrPhPDes/s1600/IMG_0529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bv4de6MC8r4/UM4Ln_NCgTI/AAAAAAAAAsk/CYEwrPhPDes/s320/IMG_0529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
More recently, I have been loving my CSA shares from The Kitchen Garden, and have been able to make a ton of meals out of each pickup. The second time around, I received:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-29BrUQIOIIY/UM1kiimRt3I/AAAAAAAAArw/bxzsn0xokpg/s1600/IMG_2564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-29BrUQIOIIY/UM1kiimRt3I/AAAAAAAAArw/bxzsn0xokpg/s320/IMG_2564.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Fingerling potatoes, daikon radishes, russian kale, brussels sprouts, spinach, a turnip, parsley, two small heads of broccoli, a head of romanesco cauliflower, and garlic.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Brussels sprouts, brussels sprouts! I actually had four whole stalks of these, since I had been given some from Trader Joes at Thanksgiving. It was a good thing though, since the stalks I had received from The Kitchen Garden were teeming with my new nemesis - aphids. As mentioned previously, The Kitchen Garden's produce is of noticeably higher quality than some of Silverbrook Farm's, but I think hidden aphids are beyond the farmers' control. They are a risk you take when buying farm-fresh rather than from a grocery store. Unfortunately, the sprouts were un-salvageable, so I tossed them and used the Trader Joes brand instead, to make:</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LTxxZz0cnmQ/UM1kd_FLPXI/AAAAAAAAArY/ZGaYi_aKgd8/s1600/IMG_0495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LTxxZz0cnmQ/UM1kd_FLPXI/AAAAAAAAArY/ZGaYi_aKgd8/s320/IMG_0495.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
two batches of a favorite dish around our house, sauteed brussels sprouts with sriracha and cashews from The Bitten Word blog (recipe in sidebar). I served it once with a simple bulgur salad with Moroccan spices and dried cranberries,</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8FLso67qG4/UM4PQHlWwAI/AAAAAAAAAtI/Qe4n9BwF-aY/s1600/IMG_2569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8FLso67qG4/UM4PQHlWwAI/AAAAAAAAAtI/Qe4n9BwF-aY/s320/IMG_2569.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
and once with naan and Indian dal (cooked, seasoned lentils).</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5r3hTtYytck/UM1kfZpceuI/AAAAAAAAArg/ZvmleBgCuaM/s1600/IMG_0501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5r3hTtYytck/UM1kfZpceuI/AAAAAAAAArg/ZvmleBgCuaM/s320/IMG_0501.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The turnip was shredded and went into an udon noodle stir fry with carrots, red pepper, and shiitake mushrooms. I have to admit, I'm not really sure of the best way to cook turnip. It was quite bitter even after being stir-fried until soft.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ypo8QQ5fR4k/UM1kkjn3dpI/AAAAAAAAAr4/ym3pyJdr7E8/s1600/IMG_2565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ypo8QQ5fR4k/UM1kkjn3dpI/AAAAAAAAAr4/ym3pyJdr7E8/s320/IMG_2565.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The russian kale went into another pan of spicy kale lasagna (recipe in sidebar).</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LitxXS4piKA/UM1kgUWlWJI/AAAAAAAAAro/79L33G-60gU/s1600/IMG_0510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LitxXS4piKA/UM1kgUWlWJI/AAAAAAAAAro/79L33G-60gU/s320/IMG_0510.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My office has an annual celebration of 'International Thanksgiving' shortly before actual Thanksgiving, where people are encouraged to bring food from different cultures/cuisines for everyone to eat at lunch together. In the past I've made fried rice, Chinese pickled cucumber and dumplings, and I was stuck as to what to make this year. I wanted the dish to not require any heating, as that can present issues in our office kitchen, and making it hand-held would also be preferable. So I thought, what was my favorite cold, hand-held international food? Bahn mis of course! <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A1nh_m%C3%AC" target="_blank">Bahn mis</a> are Vietnamese baguette sandwiches that have some combination of pate, protein of your choice, cilantro, pickled carrots and daikon radishes, mayo, chili peppers, and other soy, garlic and spicy condiments. Using food from my CSA, I invented an open-faced vegetarian take on banh mis that people could eat as finger sandwiches.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
First, I quick-pickled the daikon radishes with carrots in a mix of vinegar, sugar and water. Then I made each little sandwich: a slice of baguette, a smear of adobo mayonnaise (mix adobo sauce into mayo), a slice of baked tofu, a pile of pickled veg, and garnish with parsley (I hate cilantro) and a slice of jalapeno. Bagging each component separately, these were easy to transport to work and make onsite, and my co-workers enjoyed them (although most removed the raw jalapeno, understandably).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
With the rest of my share, I used the potatoes to make curried smashed potatoes, and paired it with creamed spinach and parsley with Indian spices. The broccoli and cauliflower I steamed and threw into a lazy bowl of vegan goodness with sweet potatoes, tofu and black beans.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My third share contained:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MTATQVzjucA/UM4VdCHeF_I/AAAAAAAAAt8/AOYVmeOLbao/s1600/IMG_2566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MTATQVzjucA/UM4VdCHeF_I/AAAAAAAAAt8/AOYVmeOLbao/s320/IMG_2566.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Celeriac, onions, parsnips, a bunch of fresh herbs, radishes, hakurei turnips, a head of lettuce, a bunch of kale, a bag of spinach, carrots, and potatoes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mQ2ow828UjY/UM4VgsS7jXI/AAAAAAAAAuM/aGRrzAocHO0/s1600/IMG_2574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mQ2ow828UjY/UM4VgsS7jXI/AAAAAAAAAuM/aGRrzAocHO0/s320/IMG_2574.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
First up, I still had some brussels sprouts left over, so I made <i>Smitten Kitchen</i>'s <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/11/brussel-sprouts-and-chestnuts-in-brown-butter/" target="_blank">brussels sprouts and chestnuts in brown butter</a>, which I put on top of orzo. To go alongside, I made a quick Caesar salad with the lettuce. By the way, this was the first time I had ever roasted or eaten chestnuts. They are delicious and unexpectedly sweet!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cnCX92ggleM/UM4VbTAgHbI/AAAAAAAAAt0/LVqaRBTnFKw/s1600/IMG_0534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cnCX92ggleM/UM4VbTAgHbI/AAAAAAAAAt0/LVqaRBTnFKw/s320/IMG_0534.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Then there was leftover turkey from Thanksgiving. I found the perfect recipe to combine it with a ton of veg from my CSA in Mark Bittman's <i>Food Matters Cookbook</i>. The solution? White turkey chili: a simple, seasoned mix of turkey, celeriac, parsnips, turnips and potatoes with white beans. I made a giant batch and froze it, so I have quick meals in the future.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--h8ikaCBNSU/UM4Ve-Ql-QI/AAAAAAAAAuE/sB8auPiOTw8/s1600/IMG_2571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--h8ikaCBNSU/UM4Ve-Ql-QI/AAAAAAAAAuE/sB8auPiOTw8/s320/IMG_2571.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I still also had all the ingredients left over from my banh mis, so I made banh mi sliders with leftover Thanksgiving rolls. With this, I made a farro salad from the new <i>Smitten Kitchen Cookbook</i>, which includes parsnips and carrots with a sweet and spicy dressing and goat cheese (the book calls for feta).</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5RW6cziyjzs/UM4VaWg6GHI/AAAAAAAAAts/sCLy4ZiVlcA/s1600/IMG_0532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5RW6cziyjzs/UM4VaWg6GHI/AAAAAAAAAts/sCLy4ZiVlcA/s320/IMG_0532.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The beginning of the holiday season has had me eating more carbs, sweets and indulgences than I'd like to admit, and I've started feeling like a slug. Time to detox with a salad - or two. On the left, a <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2002/09/persian_rice_salad" target="_blank">persian rice salad</a> with brown rice, cashews and dates from Bon Appetit, and on the right, Martha Stewart's <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/316707/winter-spinach-salad" target="_blank">winter spinach salad</a> with pomegranate seeds instead of cherries, and pears rather than apples. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The kale and onions from my share went into a caramelized onion and kale gratin, also from the <i>Smitten Kitchen Cookbook</i>. Well that's all for now. I've been finding great ways to use root vegetables which I will share next time!</div>
Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-13845979779429398782012-11-25T21:14:00.000-08:002012-11-25T21:14:56.594-08:00Switching CSAsSo my Silverbrook Farm CSA has come to an end, and I am now picking up substantial bi-weekly shares from <a href="http://kitchengardenfarm.com/" target="_blank">The Kitchen Garden Farm</a> in Sunderland, MA. I'm loving the new shares, they're large, have a wonderful variety of produce, and for what it's worth, are cleaner and nicer looking than the last few weeks of my Silverbrook shares. The style of picking up the Kitchen Garden shares is also different. The Silverbrook Farm shares would be portioned out and packaged for each person ahead of time, you just had to throw everything in your bag. The Kitchen Garden instead lays out bins of each vegetable, and posts the amount you should take of each on a whiteboard. For example, the list will say '2 pounds of potatoes', '1 head of lettuce', and '1 bunch of carrots', then you can select and bag which veggies you want. I really appreciate the opportunity for selection.<br />
<br />
The last week of my Silverbrook Farm shares and the first week of the Kitchen Garden shares happened on Monday and Wednesday of the same week so I was bombarded with fresh veggies. My last Silverbrook share brought:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iLKYAwss8w4/ULLmr91GPBI/AAAAAAAAAow/6YdKT-7M0c8/s1600/IMG_2538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iLKYAwss8w4/ULLmr91GPBI/AAAAAAAAAow/6YdKT-7M0c8/s320/IMG_2538.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Two carnival squash, mixed greens, a head of green cabbage, a bag of arugula, cranberries, apples, red potatoes, and delectable Cloumage cheese curd from Shy Brothers Farm.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CN5O9_qxnUo/ULLmwbkYQWI/AAAAAAAAApI/TtpqgMS4GSg/s1600/IMG_2546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CN5O9_qxnUo/ULLmwbkYQWI/AAAAAAAAApI/TtpqgMS4GSg/s320/IMG_2546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Kitchen Garden gave me 2 pounds of beets, a bunch of carrots, broccoli, a head of radicchio, hakurei turnips, sweet potatoes, bok choy, a head of cauliflower, and red onions (the kitty was sold separately).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4fEqkCtZhzw/ULLmu_ha4pI/AAAAAAAAApA/Wf_0irlkR6w/s1600/IMG_2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4fEqkCtZhzw/ULLmu_ha4pI/AAAAAAAAApA/Wf_0irlkR6w/s320/IMG_2544.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Apples and carrots went into Oh She Glows' <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/05/glazed-lentil-walnut-apple-loaf-revisited/" target="_blank">lentil walnut apple loaf</a>, which I served with <a href="http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/SmashedPotatoesSquash.htm" target="_blank">smashed potatoes and butternut squash</a>. This was my take on vegan meatloaf and mashed potatoes, and it turned out more flavorful than the real thing!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BX_vvOSXgyU/ULLmyI4hsPI/AAAAAAAAApQ/f8Vi5bN1fpo/s1600/IMG_2548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BX_vvOSXgyU/ULLmyI4hsPI/AAAAAAAAApQ/f8Vi5bN1fpo/s320/IMG_2548.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The sweet potatoes and arugula went into this <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/easy-appetizer-sweet-potato-ri-150726" target="_blank">flatbread recipe</a> from The Kitchn. I swapped cloumage for the ricotta. I also made a few pumpkin pie smoothies. I couldn't find an easy recipe that I liked for these online, so I made up my own version with frozen bananas, almond milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spice. It was like drinking pumpkin pie filling - yum.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L9Ll63AEBWY/ULLmzuLzxFI/AAAAAAAAApY/ncqdqmUyFGU/s1600/IMG_2549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L9Ll63AEBWY/ULLmzuLzxFI/AAAAAAAAApY/ncqdqmUyFGU/s320/IMG_2549.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I stuffed the carnival squash with mixed greens, sweet potatoes, turnips and onions and baked them until soft. I love trying all the different varieties of squashes, they each have their own delicate flavor.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y32eZnbNsnA/ULLm1G2cLwI/AAAAAAAAApg/rZlgOFx5ws4/s1600/IMG_2551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y32eZnbNsnA/ULLm1G2cLwI/AAAAAAAAApg/rZlgOFx5ws4/s320/IMG_2551.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Upon request from GP, I made a New England boiled dinner with part of the green cabbage, potatoes and carrots. I had to replace the corned beef with pot roast though, as I was unable to find briskets anywhere in my area... I made a drizzle out of hard mustard and beer and we ate it up with plenty of cider.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NbEY5s7DZ3w/ULLmpWj3bPI/AAAAAAAAAog/_LdEID_vXbE/s1600/IMG_0475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NbEY5s7DZ3w/ULLmpWj3bPI/AAAAAAAAAog/_LdEID_vXbE/s320/IMG_0475.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More butternut squash from previous shares, along with black beans and arugula, were seasoned and sauteed, topped with cloumage and walnuts, and served on a bed of brown rice. This was a last minute throw-together-random-stuff dinner that I was pleasantly surprised by.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-niyuM3cP6PE/ULLmqdLm8BI/AAAAAAAAAoo/QMrLK7HZG88/s1600/IMG_0478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-niyuM3cP6PE/ULLmqdLm8BI/AAAAAAAAAoo/QMrLK7HZG88/s320/IMG_0478.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The remaining green cabbage went into my favorite soup of all time - <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-hot-and-sour-mushroom-c-71441" target="_blank">hot and sour mushroom, cabbage and rice soup</a> from The Kitchn. I've modified the recipe a bit, reducing the amount of cabbage, and adding Chinese black vinegar and lemon juice. Dotted with Sriracha, this soup will warm you to the core.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6QjXtBKGzzo/ULLm3m8NSEI/AAAAAAAAAp0/NUldEKOIrzE/s1600/IMG_2553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6QjXtBKGzzo/ULLm3m8NSEI/AAAAAAAAAp0/NUldEKOIrzE/s320/IMG_2553.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The blog Serious Eats provided me with this delicious recipe for <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/03/radicchio-risotto-recipe.html" target="_blank">radicchio risotto</a>, drizzled with balsamic vinegar. I'm becoming a big fan of risotto, they're not as intimidating to make as they may seem. Whether or not the final texture on my risotto is perfect - who cares? I like them! This recipe had the savory smoothness typical of risottos, but with crunch and bitterness from the radicchio and a sour bite from the vinegar. It was incredible. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yFEtdPkbQ1s/ULLm5TTqsXI/AAAAAAAAAqA/IIvutJEBFDE/s1600/IMG_2555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yFEtdPkbQ1s/ULLm5TTqsXI/AAAAAAAAAqA/IIvutJEBFDE/s320/IMG_2555.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The broccoli and cauliflower were spiced and roasted, and paired with this simple recipe for <a href="http://naturallyella.com/2011/04/15/fennel-with-turnip-greens/" target="_blank">sauteed turnips, fennel and chickpeas</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gwB3HnlF80I/ULL2NKy07DI/AAAAAAAAAqk/ZJJ0vqusk3A/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gwB3HnlF80I/ULL2NKy07DI/AAAAAAAAAqk/ZJJ0vqusk3A/s320/IMG_0489.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gkWx0HpP2rI/ULL2OD2wVEI/AAAAAAAAAqs/a1NdLiGyJlk/s1600/IMG_0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gkWx0HpP2rI/ULL2OD2wVEI/AAAAAAAAAqs/a1NdLiGyJlk/s320/IMG_0491.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lastly, with two pounds of beets, all I could think to make was the Russian soup borscht. I have never eaten nor cooked borscht before, and this <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-borscht-48181" target="_blank">simple recipe from The Kitchn</a> makes no pretense of being authentic. My understanding is that the real deal is very involved and includes making beef stock with bone marrow. I still look forward to one day trying legitimate borscht, but this simple one-pot meal of mushrooms, potatoes, beets and carrots simmered in seasoned broth has earned a permanent spot in my recipe box.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That's all for now! In my next post I'll share what I've been eating lately, along with my adventure cooking for Thanksgiving.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Best!</div>
<br />Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-26845796885006910622012-11-03T13:02:00.000-07:002012-11-03T13:09:27.869-07:00CSA Weeks 16, 17 and 18Hello hello, and happy November! Is it awful that the moment Halloween ended, I started hearing Christmas carols in my head? I come from a family that takes Christmas very seriously, and November is just prep time for yuletide. I'm itching to break out my three Christmas trees and start baking cookies and pies!<br />
<br />
But I'm getting way ahead of myself. I still have to tell you about the final weeks of my Silverbrook Farm CSA, and in my next post I'll feature the first share of my new bi-weekly winter pickup from The Kitchen Garden.<br />
<br />
Week 16 of my Silverbrook CSA brought:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dUS0YTSEoIQ/UJVoLp2WvcI/AAAAAAAAAlA/5QNFeg6fuw4/s1600/IMG_2513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dUS0YTSEoIQ/UJVoLp2WvcI/AAAAAAAAAlA/5QNFeg6fuw4/s320/IMG_2513.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Butternut squash, lettuce, pea tendrils, apples, tomatoes, ground cherries, potatoes, green peppers, and grapes. I also bought cranberries, parsnips and borlotti beans.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G2QQX1RleZ8/UJVoPcCmBVI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/kxmWoWRHQoM/s1600/IMG_2517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G2QQX1RleZ8/UJVoPcCmBVI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/kxmWoWRHQoM/s320/IMG_2517.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I used the cranberries and pea tendrils in <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/the-best-of/pan-seared-day-boat-scallops-over-sprout-salad-with-cranberry-horseradish-dipping-sauce-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a> for pan-seared scallops on a bed of greens and sprouts, drizzled with cranberry and horseradish sauce. The original recipe called for mixing horseradish into prepared cranberry sauce, but I could only find horseradish in sauce form itself, so I criss-crossed the two, and was very pleased with the results. This dish looks beautiful, has a unique combo of flavors, and is filling but light. Plus, this was the first time I had made cranberry sauce from scratch, and I couldn't believe how easy and quick it was!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_9L7jBmO80/UJVoQ4lg-bI/AAAAAAAAAlY/bEKMF_Yke0c/s1600/IMG_2519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_9L7jBmO80/UJVoQ4lg-bI/AAAAAAAAAlY/bEKMF_Yke0c/s320/IMG_2519.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Next, Taco Day rolled around (which was also Vodka Day), and the lettuce, borlotti beans, peppers and tomatoes became filling for a huge batch of tacos. Spicy and delicious!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UW8EoJEg_hw/UJVoSf3zfEI/AAAAAAAAAlg/ITrC22Qb9lw/s1600/IMG_2520.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UW8EoJEg_hw/UJVoSf3zfEI/AAAAAAAAAlg/ITrC22Qb9lw/s320/IMG_2520.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I paired the parsnips and potatoes with mushrooms to make a rib-sticking root vegetable curry inspired by <u>The Complete Curry Cookbook</u>. The original recipe was for a beef-stew like curry, but I replaced the meat with mushrooms and cut the cooking time in half.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v6WOhDYNzks/UJVoUaRxN6I/AAAAAAAAAlo/nKN71AkZUBE/s1600/IMG_2521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v6WOhDYNzks/UJVoUaRxN6I/AAAAAAAAAlo/nKN71AkZUBE/s320/IMG_2521.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Finally, the butternut squash and mixed greens went into a improvised salad with onions, red cabbage, pepitas and nutritional yeast that I loosely based on a recipe in the <u><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Love-Trader-Joes-Cookbook/dp/1569757178" target="_blank">I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook</a></u>. The salad was okay, but not great, and I worked really hard at making the sauteed shrimp flavorful, but they fell flat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Looking back, I'm realizing that I combined the shares from Week 17 and Week 18 to make meals. I was busy and not eating a home after the Week 17 share, and before I knew it, I was picking up another haul of food. Here's what I received:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_0u8dyYDDRU/UJVwn7W874I/AAAAAAAAAmU/sXKenwtSAvM/s1600/IMG_2523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_0u8dyYDDRU/UJVwn7W874I/AAAAAAAAAmU/sXKenwtSAvM/s320/IMG_2523.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Week 17 was more grapes, pea tendrils, another butternut squash, a head of cabbage, kale, bok choy, apples, potatoes and a jar of mustard. (Once again the kale was swarming with aphids and got tossed.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0HD9_mWuPew/UJVwszqTggI/AAAAAAAAAms/Mj44kKvIF1U/s1600/IMG_2528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0HD9_mWuPew/UJVwszqTggI/AAAAAAAAAms/Mj44kKvIF1U/s320/IMG_2528.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Week 18 had eggs, lettuce, pea tendrils, more mixed greens, butternut squash, apples, pears, and potatoes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I also bought a mammoth sweet potato, which went into three different dishes. Here's a picture for scale:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XjAlLJIUgJc/UJVwpe9beMI/AAAAAAAAAmc/1_hzHpF9Yew/s1600/IMG_2526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XjAlLJIUgJc/UJVwpe9beMI/AAAAAAAAAmc/1_hzHpF9Yew/s320/IMG_2526.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RDjvcsaFl6o/UJVwq7CRN8I/AAAAAAAAAmk/KqhVdcVL7GY/s1600/IMG_2527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RDjvcsaFl6o/UJVwq7CRN8I/AAAAAAAAAmk/KqhVdcVL7GY/s320/IMG_2527.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
First up, one third of the sweet potato went into my favorite sweet potato and black bean chili with cornbread.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I81TjQjlCIc/UJVwuardK2I/AAAAAAAAAm0/VnHV1hoSO6g/s1600/IMG_2530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I81TjQjlCIc/UJVwuardK2I/AAAAAAAAAm0/VnHV1hoSO6g/s320/IMG_2530.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The cabbage I cut into quarters and roasted, drizzling it with chili lime sauce according to <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-grilled-cabbage-wedges-157671" target="_blank">this amazing recipe</a> from The Kitchn, which I can't believe I haven't mentioned before. I paired the cabbage with pumpernickel toast and seasoned white beans on a bed of pea tendrils.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2EpXHEKVA1M/UJVwmEENeHI/AAAAAAAAAmM/3tbMkD5MdqQ/s1600/IMG_2370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2EpXHEKVA1M/UJVwmEENeHI/AAAAAAAAAmM/3tbMkD5MdqQ/s320/IMG_2370.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The mixed greens joined tomatoes, onions, peppers, lentils and bulgur in a batch of Protein Power Goddess Bowls from <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/" target="_blank">Oh She Glows</a> (see recipe in sidebar).</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PD7LWhwRScU/UJVwv2-z0MI/AAAAAAAAAm8/DZiQNCAiAxA/s1600/IMG_2531.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PD7LWhwRScU/UJVwv2-z0MI/AAAAAAAAAm8/DZiQNCAiAxA/s320/IMG_2531.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The bok choy went into a large bowl of Sriracha slaw (from the <u><a href="http://blog.thesrirachacookbook.com/" target="_blank">Sriracha Cookbook</a></u>), which I paired with lemony miso noodles.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yweYlkynA3k/UJVwynKjE0I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/Exl9MQMwnws/s1600/IMG_2533.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yweYlkynA3k/UJVwynKjE0I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/Exl9MQMwnws/s320/IMG_2533.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Nothing from the CSA here, but I made a second spicy Asian dinner out of more Sriracha slaw, and bowls of Mark Bittman's kimchi soup with tofu.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AU9tsnSjUqw/UJV08RJgk1I/AAAAAAAAAn8/35nOErUFjx8/s1600/IMG_2543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AU9tsnSjUqw/UJV08RJgk1I/AAAAAAAAAn8/35nOErUFjx8/s320/IMG_2543.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More pea tendrils and random veg became a side salad to a main dish of Hipster Food's pumpkin rotini (recipe in sidebar).</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-4qSuYZbBQ/UJVwxO-Uj9I/AAAAAAAAAnI/xP1ox702UqM/s1600/IMG_2532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q-4qSuYZbBQ/UJVwxO-Uj9I/AAAAAAAAAnI/xP1ox702UqM/s320/IMG_2532.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes! What to do with them all? I turned to <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>, one of the most popular food blogs out there, for a great <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/09/tortilla-de-patatas/" target="_blank">tortilla de patatas</a> recipe, which used up a good portion of my potatoes, onions, and eggs. This is a fantastic breakfast or lunch dish that is homey, savory and filling.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mGO1QCYLgIQ/UJVwz1DvU9I/AAAAAAAAAnc/aJ329i3GwjM/s1600/IMG_2535.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mGO1QCYLgIQ/UJVwz1DvU9I/AAAAAAAAAnc/aJ329i3GwjM/s320/IMG_2535.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lastly, again, nothing from the CSA here, but in honor of Pumpkin Day, which also happened to be Pretzel Day, behold: pumpkin pretzels!!! This is your basic homemade soft pretzel recipe, with pumpkin puree mixed in. I couldn't decide if I wanted them to be salty or sweet, so I sprinkled them with both kosher salt and cinnamon. They were a hit!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'll stop there before this turns into a mega-post, and deal with my last Silverbrook share and my first new CSA share in the next post.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
'Til then!</div>
<br />Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-34899646054433571762012-10-07T22:42:00.002-07:002012-10-07T22:42:22.758-07:00CSA Weeks 13, 14, 15<br />
So I haven't been posting as frequently, but I attribute that to not having been cooking as frequently. I've been hit with a bout of culinary laziness lately, and have often turned to takeout Chinese and pizza for dinner. With the days getting darker earlier and my CSA shares getting a bit smaller, I'm not as motivated to jump into the kitchen every night after getting home. With that said, I think I can concisely combine what I've concocted over the past three weeks.<br />
<br />
Week 13's share included:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QfhO2shW6-s/UHI6Krp7-VI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/K7v_lcYumG4/s1600/IMG_2478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QfhO2shW6-s/UHI6Krp7-VI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/K7v_lcYumG4/s320/IMG_2478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
3 ears of corn, lettuce, carrots, mixed greens, okra, tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes and Asian pears.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_fENlBT65i0/UHI6McZs-9I/AAAAAAAAAhY/WB0pnpYUgP8/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_fENlBT65i0/UHI6McZs-9I/AAAAAAAAAhY/WB0pnpYUgP8/s320/IMG_2482.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
To start off, using the lettuce, and some of the carrots, I made a large salad with edamame, radishes, tofu and kimchi with a soy sauce vinaigrette.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TULXyTZga9Y/UHI6QtfADyI/AAAAAAAAAhw/Oacda22L05I/s1600/IMG_2493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TULXyTZga9Y/UHI6QtfADyI/AAAAAAAAAhw/Oacda22L05I/s320/IMG_2493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The okra inspired me to try and make a vegan gumbo. I've always wanted to try authentic Louisiana gumbo and I realize that the real thing is far from vegan. I figure I'll wait to try the legitimate version from a real Cajun cook, meanwhile I'll dabble with my own meatless variation.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More of the carrots, some tomatoes, okra and the rest of the peppers went into the gumbo with kidney beans and rice. I found <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1891" target="_blank">the recipe</a> from Whole Foods, and used Trader Joe's soy chorizo. While the gumbo turned out alright, the soy chorizo was terrible. Rather than being solid, like a real sausage, when removed from its plastic casing, it disintegrated into neon-red mush and didn't add anything to the dish.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LJlPKeyeBOg/UHI6HtJmivI/AAAAAAAAAhA/FuH3ZbKeb4M/s1600/IMG_0381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LJlPKeyeBOg/UHI6HtJmivI/AAAAAAAAAhA/FuH3ZbKeb4M/s320/IMG_0381.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Next, to celebrate National Peanut Day came some bun, which I've posted about before. The last of the carrots and a few greens went on top of vermicelli with radishes, cucumbers, herbs, shrimp and peanuts with a soy and rice vinegar sauce. Fresh, filling, a great goodbye to summer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zdZKxKeEFIA/UHI6N7WtGUI/AAAAAAAAAhg/VQYqlCgJ_uk/s1600/IMG_2483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zdZKxKeEFIA/UHI6N7WtGUI/AAAAAAAAAhg/VQYqlCgJ_uk/s320/IMG_2483.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The potatoes, mixed greens and more tomatoes were sauteed with garlic, onions and Indian spices per <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/621_indianstyle_fragrant_buttered_greens_with_potatoes" target="_blank">this recipe</a>, and served on top of garlic naan with yogurt.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMXdmvFbs_0/UHI6Iyi6csI/AAAAAAAAAhI/WAttYTrjciM/s1600/IMG_0392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pMXdmvFbs_0/UHI6Iyi6csI/AAAAAAAAAhI/WAttYTrjciM/s320/IMG_0392.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Then came the first of two National Guacamole Days on September 16. Let me tell you, guacamole is a <u>big</u> deal in my house. GP just about faints every time I buy an avocado, he loves our 7-ingredient guacamole so much. So for dinner, we basically ate 1.5 bowls of guac apiece, with tortilla chips and broiled fish for garnish. We each had a bowl of our homemade guac with chips, and then made an entree of fish fillets seasoned with cayenne pepper and cumin, and topped with a seasoned salsa of chopped avocado, corn, green tomatoes, onions and garlic. We reeked of garlic for days, but it was worth it. :)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xkvwgq5Gn2g/UHI6PbyIryI/AAAAAAAAAho/Weys8naSejY/s1600/IMG_2486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xkvwgq5Gn2g/UHI6PbyIryI/AAAAAAAAAho/Weys8naSejY/s320/IMG_2486.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lastly, this dish didn't use any of my CSA food from this week, but I finally put my long-frozen blueberries from several weeks ago to use. For breakfast on the weekend, I made a nice batch of Smitten Kitchen's <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/06/blueberry-yogurt-multigrain-pancakes/" target="_blank">blueberry yogurt multigrain pancakes</a>. </div>
<br />
Moving on to week 14:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ByOS1WVTg0A/UHJGR0g6oaI/AAAAAAAAAic/NtFj-jiFv4c/s1600/IMG_2491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ByOS1WVTg0A/UHJGR0g6oaI/AAAAAAAAAic/NtFj-jiFv4c/s320/IMG_2491.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
To be completely honest, I was pretty disappointed with this week's share. It was a bit small, with the bulk of it being hand fruit: apples, Asian pears, and bosc pears, but part of owning a CSA share is accepting the chance that yields for some weeks won't be as bountiful as others. My disappointment stemmed mostly from the quality of the food. Half of the apples seemed to have been burrowed into by insects and were rotting from the inside out, the kale was chock full of so many aphids, it practically crawled of my counter, and it was also inhabited by a big caterpillar who showed himself just seconds before I would have chopped him in half. Lastly, I was given a jar of the farm's own orange marmalade, but it must not have been sterilized or sealed properly, because opening it for the first time, I found a layer of green mold on the top.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So I ended up tossing about 1/3 of what I was given, but I did manage the make some delicious dishes with what remained. In addition to the foods already listed, I also received: 2 ears of corn, lettuce, potatoes and tomatoes.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a6p8Dxpcvu8/UHJGS-9YN2I/AAAAAAAAAik/Ffxx7lbxE1M/s1600/IMG_2495.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-a6p8Dxpcvu8/UHJGS-9YN2I/AAAAAAAAAik/Ffxx7lbxE1M/s320/IMG_2495.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Firstly, to use up the last of the mixed greens, okra and corn from the previous week, I made The Bitten Word's <a href="http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2010/08/panroasted-corn-and-okra.html" target="_blank">pan-roasted corn and okra</a>, throwing in the greens to wilt. Alongside, I followed Silverbrook's recipe for pears topped with goat cheese and honey. The vegetables were crunchy, salty and smoky, and the pears - fuggehdaboudit. My mind was blown by the combo of goat cheese and honey. I have fallen so in love with goat cheese that I'm thinking of making a concession to my dairy-free ways. (Though, let's be honest, if you've been reading this blog, you'll see that I've dropped the no-dairy restriction while cooking through my CSA shares. I've started using cheese, yogurt and sour cream now and then, as you'll see this week).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_ooAWnbhns/UHJGUWhZSHI/AAAAAAAAAis/ejGt23J8mNg/s1600/IMG_2499.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2_ooAWnbhns/UHJGUWhZSHI/AAAAAAAAAis/ejGt23J8mNg/s320/IMG_2499.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I had some leftover vermicelli from the bun last week, so I put it to good use with this great Indian recipe for <a href="http://www.sailusfood.com/2010/11/25/vermicelli-semiya-vegetable-biryani/" target="_blank">semiya biryani</a>. It's pan-cooked chopped vermicelli with Indian spices and any vegetables you have on hand. I used corn, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots and peppers, then topped the dish with mint, basil and cucumber raita (cool yogurt with chopped cucumber, lemon juice, salt, pepper and mint).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PWhSetG0-gg/UHJGWDV8siI/AAAAAAAAAi0/tHrL4s1FM_Y/s1600/IMG_2502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PWhSetG0-gg/UHJGWDV8siI/AAAAAAAAAi0/tHrL4s1FM_Y/s320/IMG_2502.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The lettuce, more tomatoes and boiled potatoes went into a household favorite: Nicoise salad, with green beans, cucumber, shallots, olives, tuna and hard boiled eggs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_FZlax9MzOU/UHJGW6r4VjI/AAAAAAAAAi8/PjvdTWwhRLo/s1600/IMG_2506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_FZlax9MzOU/UHJGW6r4VjI/AAAAAAAAAi8/PjvdTWwhRLo/s320/IMG_2506.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More corn and the remaining tomatoes went into Martha Stewart's <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/318904/summer-succotash" target="_blank">summer succotash</a> which was incredibly tasty. It's a bright mix of blanched wax and green beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and borlotti beans in a light vinaigrette - it's absolutely <u>made</u> for the late summer farmer's market offerings. With this, I also made a <a href="http://dianekochilas.com/2277/potatoes-au-gratin-without-cheese" target="_blank">vegan, Greek potato gratin with herbs and mushrooms</a> which was so flavorful, filling and easy that it earned a permanent home in my recipe box.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nBw1tYXQoK0/UHJGQTgJugI/AAAAAAAAAiU/R33_4N9aHiQ/s1600/IMG_0396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nBw1tYXQoK0/UHJGQTgJugI/AAAAAAAAAiU/R33_4N9aHiQ/s320/IMG_0396.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lastly, I invented a recipe for other random veg that I picked up at the farmer's market. I would make a pizza with butternut squash puree instead of tomato sauce, and top it with Brazilian eggplants, garlicky kale and goat cheese. As previously mentioned, the kale fell through, so I replaced it with basil, and it turned out quite well. I'm getting more creative with trying recipes of my own creation.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Week 15 offered:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KG8kaO3s9MA/UHJXvMejBrI/AAAAAAAAAjk/2Las8t4oCFo/s1600/IMG_2504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KG8kaO3s9MA/UHJXvMejBrI/AAAAAAAAAjk/2Las8t4oCFo/s320/IMG_2504.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Romaine lettuce, 3 ears of corn, pea tendrils, mixed bok choy and kale, buttercup squash, apples, potatoes and concord grapes. I also bought ground cherries out of curiosity (Silverbrook calls it 'farm crack'), and tiny pumpkins for decoration.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-13KFzmIk23g/UHJXwkFzkOI/AAAAAAAAAjs/2IrPgrD6NyQ/s1600/IMG_2507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-13KFzmIk23g/UHJXwkFzkOI/AAAAAAAAAjs/2IrPgrD6NyQ/s320/IMG_2507.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I only took two pictures of things I made this week, because they were all pretty simple. The first was on National Corned Beef Hash Day. I'm breaking the ovo-pesco-vegan diet again for this one, because I grew upon corned beef hash and I looooove it. GP and I fried up a can of it, with toast, eggs, sauteed bok choy and kale chips.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BpaQFZGINvI/UHJXxyAKmDI/AAAAAAAAAj0/uVKLGByr_3c/s1600/IMG_2508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BpaQFZGINvI/UHJXxyAKmDI/AAAAAAAAAj0/uVKLGByr_3c/s320/IMG_2508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I turned the buttercup squash into southwestern squash soup with ancho chile cream and spicy toasted pepitas. This was a recipe I learned in a cooking class I'm currently taking at the <a href="http://www.cambridgeculinary.com/" target="_blank">Cambridge School of Culinary Arts</a> (more on that later). It was made by others in my class on the day we learned soup recipes, and I loved it so much that I recreated it at home. I admit that it wasn't as good as my classmates, but I was proud of my presentation and it was a perfect soup to start off autumn.<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As for the rest of the vegetables: I made caesar salad with the Romaine and paired it with broiled bluefish; the pea tendrils I sauteed with beans and served on naan bread; the corn went into another batch of pueblo corn pie; and I ate the apples and grapes as snacks. The concord grapes are amazing by the way. They are the 'grapiest' grapes I've ever had - they taste purple.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So there's my long-winded three-week recap. I'll post week 16 soon, and then there are only three weeks left of my Silverbrook CSA. Sad day.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Until next time!</div>
Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-69875999153519939142012-09-15T20:16:00.000-07:002012-09-15T20:16:28.370-07:00CSA Week 12<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Week 12 arrives. The squashes and apples are coming out at the farmer's markets, the air's getting a little cooler, and I'm already thinking ahead to Halloween candy and waaay ahead to Christmas shopping. It's now after Labor Day, so it's unofficially the end of summer, even though fall doesn't 'officially' begin until September 22. Fall is my favorite season by far - the gorgeous leaf colors, bundling against the chill with scarves and boots, pumpkin and apple everything, cider, Halloween, Thanksgiving, it's when you start stockpiling coziness to ward off winter's chill later.<br /><br />With that said, the arrival of fall also reminds me that my CSA with Silverbrook Farm will be ending soon. But not to worry! I've purchased a bi-weekly winter CSA share from <a href="http://kitchengardenfarm.com/" target="_blank">The Kitchen Garden Farm</a> in Sunderland, Massachusetts. Every other week from November through May I'll pick up, in the words of the farm, "<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">ons of fresh greens like spinach, kale, lettuce, salad mix, herbs and bunched roots - all from our greenhouses - as well as stored garlic, onions, potatoes, carrots, beets and other roots, plus occasional treats from neighboring farms such as apples, pears, cider, yogurt, flour, cheese, jam, etc."</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"> So I'm definitely looking forward to that!<br /><br />This week saw:</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--RKXiehztpI/UFUx9nt0x2I/AAAAAAAAAf8/AFStn3u2T_U/s1600/IMG_2471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--RKXiehztpI/UFUx9nt0x2I/AAAAAAAAAf8/AFStn3u2T_U/s320/IMG_2471.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Mixed greens, a head of lettuce, 3 ears of corn, apples, pears, a green pepper, tomatoes, potatoes and an onion.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I started the week out pretty lazily, and slapped together some corn, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and beans with avocado and cheese in a tortilla. Gotta love quick, dirty Mexican-esque food!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5LbhqqCd1w/UFUx-_npwJI/AAAAAAAAAgE/poRKY9UlLCI/s1600/IMG_2472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B5LbhqqCd1w/UFUx-_npwJI/AAAAAAAAAgE/poRKY9UlLCI/s320/IMG_2472.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(The pic uploader sometimes rotates my pictures and I can't correct them, blargh, sorry!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I put more of the tomatoes into <a href="http://www.acouplecooks.com/2011/02/spicy-kale-lasagna/" target="_blank">this recipe</a> for spicy kale lasagna. I also replaced the ricotta cheese with a vegan tofu version, which I found <a href="http://www.thewannabechef.net/2011/07/14/tofu-ricotta-cheese/" target="_blank">here</a>. While not spicy in my opinion, it had all the warm appeal of classic lasagna.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CD9NefL3a8/UFUx8NvUAgI/AAAAAAAAAf0/rquJs6q8o28/s1600/IMG_0374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1CD9NefL3a8/UFUx8NvUAgI/AAAAAAAAAf0/rquJs6q8o28/s320/IMG_0374.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Next, the lettuce and potatoes went into a quick salad topped with salmon, inspired <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/339860/arugula-with-roasted-salmon-and-new-pota" target="_blank">this</a> Martha Stewart recipe.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1wBzPFpL_84/UFUyA99jmTI/AAAAAAAAAgM/M8v1u2Z-VeY/s1600/IMG_2473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1wBzPFpL_84/UFUyA99jmTI/AAAAAAAAAgM/M8v1u2Z-VeY/s320/IMG_2473.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
To celebrate Acorn Squash Day on the 7th, I made this amazing recipe for<a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-acorn-sq-15793" target="_blank"> Acorn Squash and Roasted Garlic Strudel</a> from The Kitchn. I've never eaten or made strudel before, and was surprised how relatively easy it was to make something so fancy looking (admittedly, mine was a bit rougher than the website pictures). The one thing I will say, however, is that I hate working with phyllo dough. It was the first, and if I have anything to do with it, the last time I worked with the stuff and it was a nightmare. Beyond paper-thin sheets of soft dough that tear and disintegrate when your're just trying to separate them, much less use them in your recipe. I pulled it off - barely, but I plan on finding a way to substitute puffed pastry for phyllo whenever I can from now on. Anyway, the strudel was fabulous, and I served it with the mixed greens and fresh cranberry beans, braised in garlic oil.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rcluq8mm8K4/UFUyCD-ThAI/AAAAAAAAAgU/dPWnCMuTWw0/s1600/IMG_2474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rcluq8mm8K4/UFUyCD-ThAI/AAAAAAAAAgU/dPWnCMuTWw0/s320/IMG_2474.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
And lastly, the inevitable question: what do I do with all this corn?! I had been toying with the idea of 'corn pie', but how to execute it? Filling a double pie crust with corn seemed too heavy, but I eventually found what I was looking for in this recipe for <a href="http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/archives/17511" target="_blank">Pueblo corn pie</a>. Once I had constructed it, I felt a more fitting title would be 'Mexican shepherd's pie'. It's a warm, gooey mixture of corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, onions and pinto beans baked between sheets of creamy cornmeal. This was delicious, and I'm kind of desperate to make it again.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cWojIWXfAgA/UFUyDnsZABI/AAAAAAAAAgc/8VxeuTcQEkg/s1600/IMG_2481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cWojIWXfAgA/UFUyDnsZABI/AAAAAAAAAgc/8VxeuTcQEkg/s320/IMG_2481.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Next week - I may finally be conquered by corn!</div>
<br />Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-44311999943100670512012-09-08T18:07:00.000-07:002012-09-08T18:07:53.980-07:00CSA Week 11This week's haul included:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7H6NBsZrAn8/UEvhVSEXJ7I/AAAAAAAAAe4/NnHNVJXvhIQ/s1600/IMG_2461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7H6NBsZrAn8/UEvhVSEXJ7I/AAAAAAAAAe4/NnHNVJXvhIQ/s320/IMG_2461.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />Pears, lettuce, mint, 4 ears of corn, green beans, peaches, onions, green peppers and tomatoes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
First up, the lettuce, peppers, some onions and some tomatoes went into a big green salad with cannelini beans.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mArLzsXvoYs/UEvhWYn3IMI/AAAAAAAAAfA/9euYPcsDQfQ/s1600/IMG_2464.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mArLzsXvoYs/UEvhWYn3IMI/AAAAAAAAAfA/9euYPcsDQfQ/s320/IMG_2464.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
For dessert, I followed the recipe provided by Silverbrook for individual peach 'cobblers'. I made a bed of homemade granola with dried cranberries following <a href="http://www.joyofbaking.com/breakfast/HomemadeGranola.html" target="_blank">this recipe</a>, then warmed the peaches in a mixture of butter, brown sugar and lemon juice. Topped with mint, it was crunchy, sweet and yummy! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p_D2uvkZtt0/UEvhXq6pNWI/AAAAAAAAAfI/OBaxC7_n5aI/s1600/IMG_2465.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p_D2uvkZtt0/UEvhXq6pNWI/AAAAAAAAAfI/OBaxC7_n5aI/s320/IMG_2465.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In a desperate attempt to keep using up all the corn I receive, I started stuffing random vegetables with it. There were a few large green pattypan squashes at the farmer's market, and they were too cute to pass up. I made a seasoned mixture of corn, tomatoes and onions, stuffed it into the squash and baked everything, then garnished with parsley. Veggies galore!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ocQ-RkHpYk4/UEvhTJ6BDTI/AAAAAAAAAeo/vpmjkE6vOKs/s1600/IMG_0354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ocQ-RkHpYk4/UEvhTJ6BDTI/AAAAAAAAAeo/vpmjkE6vOKs/s320/IMG_0354.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Next came a big messy amateur homage to chiles rellenos - or stuffed chili peppers. I also saw some gorgeous mole and poblano peppers at the market and snatched them up. I made another mix of corn, tomatoes, onions and black beans and seasoned it with taco seasoning and lime juice. Then I sliced open the peppers, stuffed them with the corn mixture and baked them. Everything went on a brown rice tortilla with guacamole and cashew lime cream (a nice vegan substitute for sour cream, just blend cashews with lime juice). These were awesome, messy and filling and totally vegan.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OI52ZZDpqoU/UEvhY6vDg0I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/6vxczLQUf3M/s1600/IMG_2469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OI52ZZDpqoU/UEvhY6vDg0I/AAAAAAAAAfQ/6vxczLQUf3M/s320/IMG_2469.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lastly, the green beans and remaining tomatoes topped a dinner of penne, with parmesan cheese and pine nuts based on <a href="http://mariannika.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/penne-with-green-beans-pine-nuts/" target="_blank">this recipe</a>. I'm starting to develop a taste for pine nuts, which I never really liked before. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2eE5gSbmAK4/UEvhT-40KgI/AAAAAAAAAew/rdmKUOZnzOY/s1600/IMG_0368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2eE5gSbmAK4/UEvhT-40KgI/AAAAAAAAAew/rdmKUOZnzOY/s320/IMG_0368.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
That's all for now, more next week!Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-51835672792795476072012-08-26T19:15:00.000-07:002012-08-26T19:15:22.204-07:00CSA Week 10Week 10 brought:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W3Ffmme8_kw/UDmmdT7RzDI/AAAAAAAAAdk/bRYyKgtppIU/s1600/IMG_2453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W3Ffmme8_kw/UDmmdT7RzDI/AAAAAAAAAdk/bRYyKgtppIU/s320/IMG_2453.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A head of lettuce, corn, basil, a mixed bunch of braising greens - kale, rainbow chard, bok choy, baby carrots, shallots, okra, tomatoes and peaches.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
To start off, I've decided to start celebrating food holidays! Have you ever heard someone say "Hey, it's national s'mores day", or "Happy national doughnut day!" and wonder where the list of these days is kept? Well, thanks to The Kitchn, I found <a href="http://www.ocfoodies.com/page/foodie-holiday-calender" target="_blank">this website</a>, which lists the food and drink you can celebrate on just about every day of the year. How 'official' it is, who knows? But I've taken note of the days I'd like to celebrate as a means of fun menu inspiration.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
First up, last Sunday was both National Potato Day, and International Hot and Spicy Food Day. To celebrate, I found this mouth-watering recipe for <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2012/03/spicy-potato-bok-choy-and-shallot-hash-hangover-helper-recipe.html" target="_blank">spicy potato, bok choy and shallot hash</a> at Serious Eats.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qc5vUK_nKLc/UDmmelma73I/AAAAAAAAAds/X29IGCAzldA/s1600/IMG_2454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qc5vUK_nKLc/UDmmelma73I/AAAAAAAAAds/X29IGCAzldA/s320/IMG_2454.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Heat the main ingredients in a skillet, and top with a fried egg and plenty of sriracha and gochujang (Korean red pepper paste), it's a hot, fiery, homey hash. These two sauces will burn the fear out of you.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-svObE4BCC2s/UDmmcOjQPcI/AAAAAAAAAdc/A6rbqg9a_xM/s1600/IMG_0325.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-svObE4BCC2s/UDmmcOjQPcI/AAAAAAAAAdc/A6rbqg9a_xM/s320/IMG_0325.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Next, I used the lettuce and carrots to make a milder meal - a large salad that included fennel, borlotti beans and tofu with a mustard vinaigrette and a side of local fresh bread.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EVRncMH7RFI/UDmmgKzpEpI/AAAAAAAAAd0/Ar8JyB0Q-5A/s1600/IMG_2457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EVRncMH7RFI/UDmmgKzpEpI/AAAAAAAAAd0/Ar8JyB0Q-5A/s320/IMG_2457.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm running out of ideas for using up corn! I decided to try <a href="http://www.chow.com/recipes/10127-corn-chowder" target="_blank">vegan corn chowder</a>, which turned out sweet and delicious, with homemade croutons and I paired it with the braised greens and more local bread. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KIYkI8D9RwY/UDmmhV-rZjI/AAAAAAAAAd8/HvfxYTuGoEU/s1600/IMG_2458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KIYkI8D9RwY/UDmmhV-rZjI/AAAAAAAAAd8/HvfxYTuGoEU/s320/IMG_2458.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lastly, the tomatoes and basil went into a tofu and eggplant curry, and I stewed the okra in a tamarind sauce, both recipes from The Complete Curry Cookbook.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSvyNiK5h1M/UDmmivbu4_I/AAAAAAAAAeE/HpLAIXvk6ck/s1600/IMG_2460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HSvyNiK5h1M/UDmmivbu4_I/AAAAAAAAAeE/HpLAIXvk6ck/s320/IMG_2460.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Looking forward to Week 11!</div>
Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-11559327527360030262012-08-25T21:10:00.000-07:002012-08-25T21:10:32.423-07:00CSA Week 9Week 9 has come! The time seems to be flying by. What am I going to do after October when my CSA ends?! This week brought:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gYWQySAMp1Q/UDma15Y8kWI/AAAAAAAAAcg/4XE5zQD-yl8/s1600/IMG_2392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gYWQySAMp1Q/UDma15Y8kWI/AAAAAAAAAcg/4XE5zQD-yl8/s320/IMG_2392.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Peaches, tomatoes, a bunch of basil, corn, a head of lettuce, eggplant, onions and green peppers.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I've also made a habit of picking up fruit every week from the Noquochoke Orchards stand at the farmer's market, and this week they had monster-sized Granny Smiths. This green giant weighed 3/4 of a pound!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A5YgY_833jc/UDma3QSjciI/AAAAAAAAAco/yoWWult2oac/s1600/IMG_2393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A5YgY_833jc/UDma3QSjciI/AAAAAAAAAco/yoWWult2oac/s320/IMG_2393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A quick trip to the store for some pantry staples, and the first dish I made was a simple pasta with tomato sauce. But most importantly, it was fresh tomato sauce based off of a recipe from Silverbrook. Tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar and a touch of crushed red pepper. Combine and let sit. The taste of summer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LBCOvNy2REY/UDma4pRCZDI/AAAAAAAAAcw/tTLFLbdPiUk/s1600/IMG_2394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LBCOvNy2REY/UDma4pRCZDI/AAAAAAAAAcw/tTLFLbdPiUk/s320/IMG_2394.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Next I got a bit more complicated with <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/coconut_crusted_tofu_with_peach_lemongrass_salsa.html" target="_blank">coconut-crusted tofu with peach lemongrass salsa</a> (via Eating Well), and an accompanying salad of lettuce, cucumber, edamame and mushrooms in a soy ginger dressing. Both dishes were delicious and I'd love to make the tofu and salsa again.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZj-4QESRUM/UDma6h0MWmI/AAAAAAAAAc4/3Om8RXQeP-U/s1600/IMG_2396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rZj-4QESRUM/UDma6h0MWmI/AAAAAAAAAc4/3Om8RXQeP-U/s320/IMG_2396.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another two dish dinner was next, with <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/12/ginger-miso-glazed-eggplant" target="_blank">ginger-miso glazed eggplant</a> (via Bon Appetit) paired with <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/314295/chilled-corn-and-crab-salad" target="_blank">chilled crab and corn salad</a> (via Martha Stewart). The eggplant was rich and savory, and went well with the cold crunch of the corn salad, which included onions and extra basil.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uJ_4Z70WpHc/UDmazES0lAI/AAAAAAAAAcI/RMaePtwdfS4/s1600/IMG_0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uJ_4Z70WpHc/UDmazES0lAI/AAAAAAAAAcI/RMaePtwdfS4/s320/IMG_0309.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last but not least, I made <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/06/black-rice-salad-with-mango-and-peanuts" target="_blank">black rice salad with mango and peanuts</a>, which I had been drooling over after seeing it in a recent issue of Bon Appetit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f5mpwPWxggo/UDmaz7vRMzI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/oh7LtsgQyfw/s1600/IMG_0318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-f5mpwPWxggo/UDmaz7vRMzI/AAAAAAAAAcQ/oh7LtsgQyfw/s320/IMG_0318.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Needing to use my green peppers, I stuffed them with the salad, which ended up working very well. I'd never had black (or forbidden) rice before, but it is very sweet, chewy and nutty, almost to the point where, if eaten alone, it is too rich to eat very much. But combining the salad with the fresh, crunchy peppers helped balance the taste.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j43hicQe3iU/UDma0xmEqXI/AAAAAAAAAcY/KBFirKiguY8/s1600/IMG_0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j43hicQe3iU/UDma0xmEqXI/AAAAAAAAAcY/KBFirKiguY8/s320/IMG_0319.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
To close, I wanted to share this hilarious clip from a recent Simpsons episode which featured a song about food blogging. (The episode also included a cameo by Anthony Bourdain. What's not to love?)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/PGvhgZ6lxP8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Until next time.Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-14655447943421315272012-08-13T12:18:00.001-07:002012-08-13T12:18:24.426-07:00CSA Week 8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Week 8 brought:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IwTOL6a6X0w/UCh92wvpWVI/AAAAAAAAAao/7-GvkW1xlh4/s1600/IMG_2380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IwTOL6a6X0w/UCh92wvpWVI/AAAAAAAAAao/7-GvkW1xlh4/s320/IMG_2380.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More purple basil, leeks, a head of lettuce, 3 ears of corn, 2 green peppers, 2 tomatoes, 1 zucchini, and 4 peaches. I also bought a bunch of golden beets, a beautiful array of hot peppers, apples, plums and 2 lemon cukes.</div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
What is a lemon cuke? I was wondering that myself, so I bought two. They are plain old cucumbers on the inside, but they are round and yellow like lemons. A great farmer's market find.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OTGboTsGg8E/UCh95qX8DqI/AAAAAAAAAa4/xS5rnUz9P3Y/s1600/IMG_2383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OTGboTsGg8E/UCh95qX8DqI/AAAAAAAAAa4/xS5rnUz9P3Y/s320/IMG_2383.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The cukes and lettuce went into bowls of bun, a cold Vietnamese noodle dish that's one of our favorites (see recipe in sidebar).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASWSXRZHVAU/UCh9xugs1nI/AAAAAAAAAaA/rc8_5vQ3ouU/s1600/IMG_0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ASWSXRZHVAU/UCh9xugs1nI/AAAAAAAAAaA/rc8_5vQ3ouU/s320/IMG_0292.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Next, I made sure to use the purple basil as soon as possible. I made pesto for the first time, using <a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yummy-vegan-pesto-classico/" target="_blank">this great recipe</a> for a vegan version. It didn't come out black as I had thought, which was a plus.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QtiZu04RoS4/UCh9zq4AbkI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/NjFlKJS0d3M/s1600/IMG_0294.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QtiZu04RoS4/UCh9zq4AbkI/AAAAAAAAAaQ/NjFlKJS0d3M/s320/IMG_0294.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The pesto went into a delectable batch of <a href="http://www.theppk.com/2012/03/pesto-risotto-with-roasted-zucchini/" target="_blank">pesto risotto with roasted zucchini</a> from the great vegan recipe site Post Punk Kitchen.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V8k2fdhyHzw/UCiAC70TYgI/AAAAAAAAAbs/JGkEnKaNJXs/s1600/IMG_2388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V8k2fdhyHzw/UCiAC70TYgI/AAAAAAAAAbs/JGkEnKaNJXs/s320/IMG_2388.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Next came a failed attempt at beet salad. I cleaned the beets and wrapped them in foil, then baked them for an hour at 425 degrees, as instructed in various beet recipes, only to find out when the hour was up, that my toaster oven hadn't maintained the heat for the full amount of time. The beets were still hard as rocks and there was no way I was cooking them for another hour. Discouraged, I tossed the beets and made a wacky whatever-I-can-find salad out of lettuce, garlic sauteed beet greens and Trader Joe's vegetable pakoras (Indian vegetable fritter balls) to replace the beets. With a mustard vinaigrette and almonds, it was...unique. I served it with salmon in an onion-parsley butter sauce. Not the best meal we've had.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ErniypFblYw/UCh90rpRRWI/AAAAAAAAAaY/7bW4Q5P-zuM/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ErniypFblYw/UCh90rpRRWI/AAAAAAAAAaY/7bW4Q5P-zuM/s320/IMG_0295.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br />Last but not least, the green and hot peppers went into <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/curried-shrimp-with-coconut-milk-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">curried shrimp with coconut milk</a>. Much to my surprise, one of the green peppers had a little spider living inside - that's how you know it's farm fresh! I also used a chayote for the first time, an awesome squash that looks like <a href="http://www.specialtyproduce.com/ProdPics/538.jpg" target="_blank">this</a>. I also had thought up until this point that the leeks I had recieved in my share were scallions. (It's kind of hard to distinguish between a skinny leek and a scallion without cutting them.) When I began cleaning and chopping them for a garnish, I thought something was differnt, and it took GP and I awhile to agree that they were leeks. This led to the term 'sneaky leeks'. (A food industry version of WikiLeaks?) In the end, the shrimp were great. </div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_iw5OU182vc/UCh91qxyTpI/AAAAAAAAAag/K3vmNmFhuXk/s1600/IMG_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_iw5OU182vc/UCh91qxyTpI/AAAAAAAAAag/K3vmNmFhuXk/s320/IMG_0296.JPG" width="239" /></a><br /><br />We gifted the corn and remaining leeks to GP's parents, and I snacked on the fruit and tomatoes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">
Week 9, here I come!</div>
Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-21551509928330296832012-08-12T21:02:00.001-07:002012-08-12T21:02:37.618-07:00CSA Week 7<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Week 7, and we have:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D4Eg8wD2g00/UB6xXAMkeqI/AAAAAAAAAWg/PyLGYCZe1m4/s1600/IMG_2366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D4Eg8wD2g00/UB6xXAMkeqI/AAAAAAAAAWg/PyLGYCZe1m4/s320/IMG_2366.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Onions, 3 ears of corn, a head of lettuce, a bunch of <u>purple</u> basil (!), kale, 2 peppers, 1 cucumber, and baby pattypan squash. The treat of the week was blueberries, but I already have over a pint frozen from last week, so I gave them to my office as a communal treat. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
First of all, purple basil! I didn't even know basil had a purple variety! The bad part: like last week's lettuce, it went bad before I got around to using it. I was going to make a pesto with it (though in retrospect, the pesto would have been black, maybe a blessing in disguise), but I've now learned my lesson - that a bunch of cut basil needs to be eaten pretty much immediately.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1dQVmfDNR-s/UB6xa7OJyoI/AAAAAAAAAW4/-xaxIncn0mk/s1600/IMG_2369.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1dQVmfDNR-s/UB6xa7OJyoI/AAAAAAAAAW4/-xaxIncn0mk/s320/IMG_2369.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I started out making a massive taco salad using the lettuce, onions, corn and peppers, and adding tomatoes, pinto beans, jalapenos, cheese and tortilla chips. This fed us throughout the week and was incredibly tasty.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WNGBf_9yhk4/UB6xcb0jxOI/AAAAAAAAAXA/5Al6PRxdgzk/s1600/IMG_2371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WNGBf_9yhk4/UB6xcb0jxOI/AAAAAAAAAXA/5Al6PRxdgzk/s320/IMG_2371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
More salad! I also picked up green beans and scallions at the farmer's market to make smitten kitchen's <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/06/01/pesto-potato-salad-with-green-beans/" target="_blank">pesto potato salad with green beans</a>. As previously mentioned, my pesto plans for the purple basil didn't pan out, so I dressed the potatoes and beans with scallions, herbs, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic oil, almonds and parmesan cheese. The result was still yummy, even without the pesto! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pD7CHWwl6y8/UB6xewtROcI/AAAAAAAAAXU/crKiziFhnrM/s1600/IMG_2373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pD7CHWwl6y8/UB6xewtROcI/AAAAAAAAAXU/crKiziFhnrM/s320/IMG_2373.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
After the salads, I got into a 'snacky' mood, and made kale chips and took my first stab a quick-pickling cucumbers, following <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/easy-japanese-pickled-cucumber-119586" target="_blank">this Japanese-style recipe</a> from The Kitchn.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3rJhGYi1xx4/UB6xhngWBwI/AAAAAAAAAXk/vi01VRMfNV8/s1600/IMG_2375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3rJhGYi1xx4/UB6xhngWBwI/AAAAAAAAAXk/vi01VRMfNV8/s320/IMG_2375.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Also in my snack mood, I made thumbprint jam cookies. Admittedly, I didn't use anything from my CSA this week, but the jam is from the farm that I received in past weeks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ohBsbY---U/UB6xkYbXcyI/AAAAAAAAAX4/bsW8rJnbeKw/s1600/IMG_2379.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5ohBsbY---U/UB6xkYbXcyI/AAAAAAAAAX4/bsW8rJnbeKw/s320/IMG_2379.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lastly, I used the squash in a delicious recipe I found for <a href="http://lynnescountrykitchen.net/sidedish/Squash/shrimppatty.html" target="_blank">shrimp with squash in a butter parsley sauce</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zCHSIUMpAig/UCh6O3c85RI/AAAAAAAAAYY/EAEDByeULBk/s1600/IMG_0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zCHSIUMpAig/UCh6O3c85RI/AAAAAAAAAYY/EAEDByeULBk/s320/IMG_0291.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
On to week 8!</div>
Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-63909833322683715922012-08-05T10:30:00.000-07:002012-08-05T10:30:12.085-07:00CSA Week 6Week 6. What's in store?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vQE7BQKaXtc/UB6nZrOu43I/AAAAAAAAAWA/I-jlzCeRe0A/s1600/IMG_2365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vQE7BQKaXtc/UB6nZrOu43I/AAAAAAAAAWA/I-jlzCeRe0A/s320/IMG_2365.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
1 cucumber, 1 yellow squash, a bunch of basil, a head of lettuce, a bunch of kale, 4 ears of corn, onions, 2 purple peppers and the treat of the week: blueberries. I also bought a fennel bulb, cherry tomatoes and a bunch of cranberry beans separately.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
It turned out to be a very 'beany' week. I started out making two veggie dishes: <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/summer-side-dish-potatoes-gree-121830" target="_blank">potatoes, green beans and corn in lemon brown butter sauce</a> (courtesy of TheKitchn), and <a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/roasted_squash_fennel_with_thyme.html" target="_blank">roasted squash and fennel with sage</a> (courtesy of Eating Well - I swapped sage for the thyme). Both were sweet and earthy and complemented each other well.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9hV52Se_hr8/UB6nOf3OkbI/AAAAAAAAAUc/OoQCWeyUuhs/s1600/IMG_0261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9hV52Se_hr8/UB6nOf3OkbI/AAAAAAAAAUc/OoQCWeyUuhs/s320/IMG_0261.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Next, I went nuts with the cranberry beans, also called Borlotti beans. The beautiful pink and purple-speckled white pods contain even more beautiful pink and white beans. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MR7idfDBtRs/UB6nPyaTwMI/AAAAAAAAAUs/DJLLqoWfqJM/s1600/IMG_0283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MR7idfDBtRs/UB6nPyaTwMI/AAAAAAAAAUs/DJLLqoWfqJM/s320/IMG_0283.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I first made a breakfast out of half the beans, following <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/jills-cranberry-beans-with-fri-95823" target="_blank">this recipe</a> for warmed beans with onions, tomatoes and an egg. I garnished it with chopped basil and served it on a bed of brown rice. Definitely going to make this again!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NH8hm6uuWP8/UB6nQbKAGAI/AAAAAAAAAU0/fv8mTF2n-64/s1600/IMG_0284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NH8hm6uuWP8/UB6nQbKAGAI/AAAAAAAAAU0/fv8mTF2n-64/s320/IMG_0284.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The remainder of the beans went into a quick bean salad with corn, basil and a vinaigrette dressing.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_9XNNbQA0iU/UB6nTicEGcI/AAAAAAAAAVU/opQCsSPJP4I/s1600/IMG_0288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_9XNNbQA0iU/UB6nTicEGcI/AAAAAAAAAVU/opQCsSPJP4I/s320/IMG_0288.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The peppers, onions, remaining tomatoes, basil and kale went into one of my favorite one-pot vegan meals: <a href="http://ohsheglows.com/2011/05/12/lightened-up-protein-power-goddess-bowl/" target="_blank">Protein Power Goddess Bowls</a> from the vegan blog Oh She Glows. You can eat this filling combo of grains and veggies hot or cold, and it's consistently flavorful and creamy thanks to a tahini-lemon dressing. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hq8AfS7OWwc/UB6nbKHLyFI/AAAAAAAAAWI/UblN673_R0s/s1600/IMG_2370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hq8AfS7OWwc/UB6nbKHLyFI/AAAAAAAAAWI/UblN673_R0s/s320/IMG_2370.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
As for the remainders: the cucumber went into a batch of our favorite cold soba noodles with wilted bok choy (see sidebar), the blueberries were frozen for as yet undetermined future use, and the lettuce unfortunately went bad before I could figure out what to do with it. Alas, the first casualty of my CSA! But what can you really do with lettuce besides salads or lettuce wraps?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'll post next week's meals soon. I got another head of lettuce and put it to good use!</div>Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-69534490320195355332012-07-29T11:43:00.001-07:002012-07-29T11:45:41.056-07:00CSA Week 5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What did I get in my week five CSA?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FM7WkYF8Vbw/UAuFLaoMsxI/AAAAAAAAATQ/FCuaCrshaqQ/s1600/IMG_2358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FM7WkYF8Vbw/UAuFLaoMsxI/AAAAAAAAATQ/FCuaCrshaqQ/s320/IMG_2358.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
4 ears of corn, a head of lettuce, a bunch of fresh basil, 3 pattypan squash, green beans, shallots, and the treats of the week: raspberries and a jar of brown mustard. The package of yellow shoots on the right is the farm's own 'Micro Popcorn'. I bought a package after I was given a sample to taste. They are baby sweet corn shoots that when chewed, overwhelm you with the taste of fresh corn on the cob and a deep sweetness - very unique. The basket on the left has some green apples and golden plums I bought at the farmer's market from <a href="http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farm.php?farm=956" target="_blank">Noquochoke Orchards</a>. They made great snacks.</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I roasted the corn in the oven to make my new old favorite, elote (see recipe sidebar). I served it with a green salad using the lettuce and shallots, plus tomatoes, jalapenos, avocado and lime juice.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l4FVYM5N7wQ/UAuFNO81-oI/AAAAAAAAATY/p0fpWCnEhlU/s1600/IMG_2359.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l4FVYM5N7wQ/UAuFNO81-oI/AAAAAAAAATY/p0fpWCnEhlU/s320/IMG_2359.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The rest of the lettuce, more shallots and the mustard made great dressings for veggie burgers, which we whipped up throughout the week when we were feeling lazy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-52gtwLillZs/UAuFDmSVUdI/AAAAAAAAASw/AE-b5zlvYE8/s1600/IMG_2352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-52gtwLillZs/UAuFDmSVUdI/AAAAAAAAASw/AE-b5zlvYE8/s320/IMG_2352.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I used the basil and more of the shallots to make a Thai-style fish stir fry. I marinated tilapia in soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce, and stir fried it with garlic, shallots, hot chilis, red pepper and carrots. I stirred in the fresh basil at the end, and served it over brown rice. It was very satisfying!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-70rbIVXk6GI/UAuFA4AMKDI/AAAAAAAAASg/r_hqdxEku4o/s1600/IMG_0249.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-70rbIVXk6GI/UAuFA4AMKDI/AAAAAAAAASg/r_hqdxEku4o/s320/IMG_0249.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
On a sunny Saturday, GP and I finally broke out my new <a href="http://www.black-blum.com/products/hot-pot-bbq/" target="_blank">Hot Pot BBQ from Black and Blum</a>. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1c6i3vJHtUM/UAuJNq_9VeI/AAAAAAAAATw/-1dKLgvswKs/s1600/Unique-Kitchenware-Design-Ideas-Hot-Pot-BBQ-by-Black-+-Blum-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1c6i3vJHtUM/UAuJNq_9VeI/AAAAAAAAATw/-1dKLgvswKs/s320/Unique-Kitchenware-Design-Ideas-Hot-Pot-BBQ-by-Black-+-Blum-2.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As you can see, this amazing feat of design is a combination terracotta flower pot and a charcoal grill. When it's not in use, it looks like a regular flower/herb pot. But the top easily lifts off and you have a charcoal grill ready to go for outdoor cooking. I received one this past Christmas and have been waiting to use it for summer grilling. I've kept stumbling upon recipes for panzanella - a salad made of roasted or grilled bread cubes and vegetables, and making it gave me an excuse to finally break out the BBQ.<br />
<br />
The BBQ worked great, though GP and I are unsure how frequently we will use it moving forward, only because we really have no outdoor space with our apartment, so we stood in the neighbor's driveway with the pot on the ground, and we're also worried about smoke bothering the neighbors. Also, how do we put the charcoal out when we're done grilling? The grill has no cover to extinguish it, save for the terracotta flower pot, and you are advised not to use that piece, as it will burn. But we also can't stand outside in the driveway watching the pot for hours until the coals burn out. We poured water on the coals once we were done this time, but we'll have to find better places and methods in the future. I also need to plant something in the top!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Regardless, the salad was spectacular. The grill char added a great summer element to it. I based the recipe of off one from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Panzanella-Salad-with-Bell-Peppers-Summer-Squash-and-Tomatoes-232545" target="_blank">Epicurious</a>, using the pattypan squash and shallots, with ciabatta bread, bell peppers and tomatoes. I dressed everything with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, thyme and rosemary. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6_mKM0quwJc/UAuFB5DVgOI/AAAAAAAAASo/l1qtjPMSZBw/s1600/IMG_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6_mKM0quwJc/UAuFB5DVgOI/AAAAAAAAASo/l1qtjPMSZBw/s320/IMG_0253.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lastly, I used the green beans to make a veggie frittata.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUs0F_EkQ2s/UBWEKM7K6UI/AAAAAAAAAT8/wJcGPZFZAHc/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUs0F_EkQ2s/UBWEKM7K6UI/AAAAAAAAAT8/wJcGPZFZAHc/s320/photo.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
That's all for now. I got enough food in week six to feed me for two weeks! Updates to come.Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-454721991253029292012-07-21T21:31:00.000-07:002012-07-21T21:31:36.363-07:00CSA Week 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here's the bounty of my 4th CSA week:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XwBLKfTy34I/UAt7IWKygcI/AAAAAAAAARs/u_BidstUqJ8/s1600/IMG_2349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XwBLKfTy34I/UAt7IWKygcI/AAAAAAAAARs/u_BidstUqJ8/s320/IMG_2349.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Zucchini and summer squash, small kohlrabi (!), shallots, three types of shelled peas, green beans and the treats of the week: a container of blueberries and a jar of strawberry jam. The dozen eggs I bought separately, but they're also from the farm!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
So I suppose I should get this out of the way first. I know I mentioned in a previous post that I don't eat blueberries. I really don't, but if push comes to shove (aka if I'm given blueberries in my CSA), there is one form I can eat them in that doesn't bother me too much. Muffins. <span style="background-color: white;">So, I made a dozen lemony blueberry muffins.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yoSwlDQMAOE/UAt7D2uHPhI/AAAAAAAAARM/NoqmyGn4mGE/s1600/IMG_0242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yoSwlDQMAOE/UAt7D2uHPhI/AAAAAAAAARM/NoqmyGn4mGE/s320/IMG_0242.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Speaking of baking, the large zucchini was turned into two baked treats. Zucchini bread:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ceQ-5qWpCvc/UAt7ExBNcpI/AAAAAAAAARU/gFo2A4eYA-0/s1600/IMG_0252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ceQ-5qWpCvc/UAt7ExBNcpI/AAAAAAAAARU/gFo2A4eYA-0/s320/IMG_0252.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
...and <a href="http://claireshealthyhome.com/?p=961" target="_blank">zucchini chips</a>. Honestly, the best replacement for potato chips you'll ever find.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzYY_LyjLls/UAt7FhsdDEI/AAAAAAAAARc/Q5ngmIagzRk/s1600/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzYY_LyjLls/UAt7FhsdDEI/AAAAAAAAARc/Q5ngmIagzRk/s320/IMG_0254.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The smaller squashes were sliced and lightly sauteed, (as recommended by <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/08/my-favorite-side-dish/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>), and went on top of pasta and homemade tomato sauce.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x0RRiLHYutk/UAt7MXMAirI/AAAAAAAAASI/hBtAuRSz_4s/s1600/IMG_2353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x0RRiLHYutk/UAt7MXMAirI/AAAAAAAAASI/hBtAuRSz_4s/s320/IMG_2353.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I found a great recipe for roasted kohlrabi and potatoes <a href="http://www.free-range.net/2011/01/roasted-potatoes-and-kohlrabi-with.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and served it with a green salad that incorporated the green beans. I am seriously in love with kohlrabi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eh7cmb3KltY/UAt7ApGkevI/AAAAAAAAAQs/ZP8T37YOkfI/s1600/IMG_0231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eh7cmb3KltY/UAt7ApGkevI/AAAAAAAAAQs/ZP8T37YOkfI/s320/IMG_0231.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The rest of the green beans, plus the shallots and some eggs went into nicoise salad. This is one of my go-to entree salads, and I base it off of <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/julies-quick-and-easy-nicoises-95651" target="_blank">this recipe</a> from The Kitchn. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zkS5Sn4d6RI/UAt7LHEhhxI/AAAAAAAAAR8/kJQwZxP5q9w/s1600/IMG_2351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zkS5Sn4d6RI/UAt7LHEhhxI/AAAAAAAAAR8/kJQwZxP5q9w/s320/IMG_2351.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last but not least, I shelled all of the peas and put them into <a href="http://peas.org/recipes/by-category/4/view-recipe/21/" target="_blank">Chinese pea soup with dumplings</a>. As mentioned, Silverbrook Farm sends out recipe ideas via email each week that incorporate the produce everyone gets in their shares. With all of the peas they've been giving out, they recommended people visit <a href="http://peas.org/">Peas.org</a>, an adorable website sponsored by the British Growers Association that encourages people to eat more peas! It is chock-full of recipes, and that's where I found this one. Admittedly, I bought the dumplings and the scallion pancakes I served it with at the Chinese restaurant on my street (I've made dumplings several times before, and it is no small task), but the soup was delicious! I can't attest to the authenticity of it's 'Chinese-iness' (about null I'd say), but I'm eager to make it again.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRVdtAMPB1E/UAt7BgRP-yI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/g0JY68CAk9U/s1600/IMG_0232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eRVdtAMPB1E/UAt7BgRP-yI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/g0JY68CAk9U/s320/IMG_0232.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QZAKSxOHWQE/UAt7CdchoYI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/H9dpZQEQpo0/s1600/IMG_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QZAKSxOHWQE/UAt7CdchoYI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/H9dpZQEQpo0/s320/IMG_0233.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That's all for now. Will update with week 5 recipes soon!</div>Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-71849394578708513472012-07-08T19:10:00.000-07:002012-07-08T19:10:51.646-07:00CSA all the waySo it appears that I'm only making new posts every four months. I apologize for my delinquent blogging, but I've begun something that will hopefully give me enough to write about each week. This year I'm participating in a CSA - community supported agriculture - with a share purchased from <a href="http://www.silverbrookdartmouth.com/" target="_blank">Silverbrook Farm</a> in Dartmouth, MA. CSAs are a way for farms to earn a profit by pre-selling shares of their annual harvest directly to consumers. Typically, consumers can purchase CSA shares directly from farm websites, indicating what size share they want (family-sized, half-sized), and how they'd like to receive the shares - picking up at the farm, or at a nearby farmer's market. The consumer pays a set price for the year's harvest (usually June through October) up front, and then picks up their portion of produce, eggs, flowers, etc. from the farm staff each week.<br />
<br />
I've picked up my share each Monday for three weeks so far at the Boston City Hall farmer's market, where Silverbrook runs a stand. Each week's bounty is different, based on what is being harvested at the farm, and the farm sends me an email a few days in advance to let me know what to expect, along with recipe ideas. Silverbrook has teamed up with other farms and local food producers in southern Mass to put together their shares, so I may get flowers, artisan cheeses and other treats each week. I figured this blog would be a good place to share what I receive each week, and how I cook it. So, without further ado:<br />
<br />
<u>Week 1:</u><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A3aeoJFoWU8/T_onuY1tmsI/AAAAAAAAAMo/zR8c3Ho9XAs/s1600/IMG_2125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A3aeoJFoWU8/T_onuY1tmsI/AAAAAAAAAMo/zR8c3Ho9XAs/s320/IMG_2125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Red lettuce, a bag of mixed greens and bok choy, kale, spinach, kohlrabi, scallions, and the treats of the week: strawberries and eggs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I was most excited about the kohlrabi. I had never really looked at or eaten one before. I found this great recipe on the NY Times website for <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/health/nutrition/kohlrabi-risotto.html" target="_blank">kohlrabi risotto</a> and it was delicious! The kohlrabi root was a cross between a turnip and a pear, and the greens were subtly spicy.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nj8hQrOf7Io/T_onvfYwWiI/AAAAAAAAAMw/YdII99BS0eQ/s1600/IMG_2126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nj8hQrOf7Io/T_onvfYwWiI/AAAAAAAAAMw/YdII99BS0eQ/s320/IMG_2126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_GoJjVhWTfc/T_onwoNZrpI/AAAAAAAAANA/UuZNrNUQPNo/s1600/IMG_2128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_GoJjVhWTfc/T_onwoNZrpI/AAAAAAAAANA/UuZNrNUQPNo/s320/IMG_2128.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The spinach went into one of my favorite hot weather standby recipes: <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-pesto-pasta-with-lemon-145783" target="_blank">Lemony pesto pasta with edamame and almonds</a> from The Kitchn. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eMwuVha9WxA/T_onyKZunYI/AAAAAAAAANQ/qvdFi_KuxBQ/s1600/IMG_2130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eMwuVha9WxA/T_onyKZunYI/AAAAAAAAANQ/qvdFi_KuxBQ/s320/IMG_2130.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The kale went into a number of fresh fruit/veggie juices I made using the new juicer GP got me for my birthday :)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pElMAW1B9o8/T_onzn4YLmI/AAAAAAAAANg/O0YhPM2Dx_c/s1600/IMG_2132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pElMAW1B9o8/T_onzn4YLmI/AAAAAAAAANg/O0YhPM2Dx_c/s320/IMG_2132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The red lettuce was perfect for pulled pork and kimchi lettuce wraps. I occasionally break my ovo-pesco-vegan diet for certain pork and cheese products, and this is one of them. GP and I saw these advertised once and figured that we could easily make them on our own. It's simple: all you need is lettuce, a jar of cabbage kimchi, and a package of pre-made pulled pork, marinated in a BBQ or soy-based sauce (whatever you'd like. I buy the Trader Joe's BBQ pork and mix in their soyaki sauce). Separate, wash and dry the lettuce leaves, and spoon on portions of kimchi and pork. Roll up and eat!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ANJZU16X0i4/T_on1A7fLDI/AAAAAAAAANw/quD8kUu90vU/s1600/IMG_2134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ANJZU16X0i4/T_on1A7fLDI/AAAAAAAAANw/quD8kUu90vU/s320/IMG_2134.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The bok choy was stir-fried with shiitake mushrooms, and paired with mugwort soba noodles in a miso-butter sauce (taken from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-soba-with-spring-vegetables-and-herbsrecipes-from-the-kitchn-168012" target="_blank">this recipe</a>) mixed with the chopped scallions.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y98dsVvfc_w/T_on1zQfJEI/AAAAAAAAAN4/-GwSffz1RWM/s1600/IMG_2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Y98dsVvfc_w/T_on1zQfJEI/AAAAAAAAAN4/-GwSffz1RWM/s320/IMG_2135.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The remainder of the greens went into a giant chopped salad with Thai flavors, a favorite from Mark Bittman's <a href="http://content.markbittman.com/node/174" target="_blank">Food Matters Cookbook</a>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf8_V2zasa4/T_or7m8bwlI/AAAAAAAAAOI/IqQcCOZRCk4/s1600/IMG_2138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kf8_V2zasa4/T_or7m8bwlI/AAAAAAAAAOI/IqQcCOZRCk4/s320/IMG_2138.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The strawberries I ate for breakfast one day, and the eggs were fried up for weekend breakfasts.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u>Week 2:</u></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wnfM8fyqlsA/T_osu8dXN9I/AAAAAAAAAOY/CUndUnwsn1E/s1600/IMG_2137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wnfM8fyqlsA/T_osu8dXN9I/AAAAAAAAAOY/CUndUnwsn1E/s320/IMG_2137.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A head of pak choi, a giant head of green lettuce, a head of Napa cabbage, Russian red kale, shelling peas, pea tendrils, radishes and the treat of the week: <a href="http://shybrothersfarm.com/cheese/" target="_blank">classic French Hannahbells cheese from Shy Brother's Farm</a> in Westport, MA.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The kale continued to go into fresh juices. My personal favorite, 'The Green Goddess': a green apple, a few stalks of kale, a few sprigs of mint, and half a lime.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1T6aiuCGMeM/T_osvtrT-0I/AAAAAAAAAOg/tT2aB5uqDCc/s1600/IMG_2139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1T6aiuCGMeM/T_osvtrT-0I/AAAAAAAAAOg/tT2aB5uqDCc/s320/IMG_2139.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The radishes went into a radish and turnip salad with chives, which I paired with soy-glazed tilapia.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VhKDAML8nv4/T_oswTHxQnI/AAAAAAAAAOo/ULd8tWxCFtg/s1600/IMG_2141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VhKDAML8nv4/T_oswTHxQnI/AAAAAAAAAOo/ULd8tWxCFtg/s320/IMG_2141.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
I recently bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Curry-Cookbook-Byron-Ayanoglu/dp/0778801845" target="_blank">The Complete Curry Cookbook</a>, along with several bags of Indian spices to try and explore more Indian curry cuisine. I used up my peas in the cookbook's curried cauliflower recipe, and paired it with garlic sauteed pea tendrils.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HLOwQjkfn2Q/T_osw4SqyYI/AAAAAAAAAOw/vQfZJ698xak/s1600/IMG_2143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HLOwQjkfn2Q/T_osw4SqyYI/AAAAAAAAAOw/vQfZJ698xak/s320/IMG_2143.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I had some extra kale, and used it in this great recipe for <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/14265_roasted_kale_and_eggplant_tapenade" target="_blank">roasted kale and eggplant tapenade.</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NSILKhjOc-I/T_osxrdK8pI/AAAAAAAAAO4/PbisKIG8FJk/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NSILKhjOc-I/T_osxrdK8pI/AAAAAAAAAO4/PbisKIG8FJk/s320/IMG_2144.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The pak choi went into a batch of <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/cool-summer-recipe-soba-noodle-118882" target="_blank">cold soba noodles with wilted bok choy</a>, the napa cabbage I stir-fried, we ate the Hannahbell's cheese by itself and spread on bread, and I made a massive salad with the lettuce for a dinner party.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u>Week 3:</u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVL1rntErls/T_owAVje-fI/AAAAAAAAAPU/3MDGOUVkaiQ/s1600/IMG_2147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zVL1rntErls/T_owAVje-fI/AAAAAAAAAPU/3MDGOUVkaiQ/s320/IMG_2147.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A bunch of mixed kale, a head of Napa cabbage, a small head of lettuce, leeks, two bunches of sweet peas and one bunch of shelling peas, and the treat of the week: <a href="http://shybrothersfarm.com/" target="_blank">Cloumage cheese curd</a> from Shy Brother's Farm. I also bought some garlic and a jar of Silverbrook's Gingered Pear Jam. (Cat not included.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I was in a bit of a pinch to use up this week's food, as I was traveling to Montreal on Tuesday night and wouldn't be back until Saturday. But I managed to use up nearly everything in three dishes that I left for GP while I was gone.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The first I invented myself and dubbed a 'Silverbrook tart', as I used almost exclusively ingredients from my CSA. I baked a puffed pastry sheet half-way, then spread on a thick layer of Cloumage cheese, and topped it with garlic sauteed leeks and cooked peas. I baked the tart until done and sprinkled with black pepper and chopped chives. It was quite delicious, I'm proud of myself!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QIZSug1iykI/T_owCyqNmOI/AAAAAAAAAPs/uMV77-9ZUzQ/s1600/IMG_2150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QIZSug1iykI/T_owCyqNmOI/AAAAAAAAAPs/uMV77-9ZUzQ/s320/IMG_2150.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
All of the kale became a large batch of kale chips. Yumm!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LV3MviMB-jA/T_owDgD739I/AAAAAAAAAP0/vvu8qg-7rOs/s1600/IMG_2151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LV3MviMB-jA/T_owDgD739I/AAAAAAAAAP0/vvu8qg-7rOs/s320/IMG_2151.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The cabbage, lettuce and leftover pea pods became another massive chopped salad with Thai flavors.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XGLX_z6PXUY/T_owFpssxWI/AAAAAAAAAQE/WGNKj7YuElA/s1600/IMG_2153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XGLX_z6PXUY/T_owFpssxWI/AAAAAAAAAQE/WGNKj7YuElA/s320/IMG_2153.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That's everything I've received and made so far, and I'm picking up another portion tomorrow. I'm really enjoying the CSA. It's forcing me to be more creative with my cooking, having to find/make recipes based on what I receive, rather than starting with recipe ideas then buying all ingredients at the store. I'm also saving a lot of money. I paid the cost of my share up front, which I calculated to be less than I would spend on produce from the store for the duration of the CSA, June through October, and each week I only buy about 8-10 extra items to make a week of meals. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To end, I'd like to share my appreciation for a unique regional dish. As I mentioned, I traveled to Montreal and just got back. While there, I had one gastronomic goal: eat <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine" target="_blank">poutine</a>. Poutine is an (in)famous Quebecoise dish of greasy french fries topped with gravy and cheese curds. I first heard about it on an earlier trip to Quebec province, but I wrote it off as disgusting and never tried it. I have since had my first taste at the <a href="http://www.eatfrites.com/" target="_blank">Saus restaurant</a> in Boston, and I really enjoyed it. It's salty and hot, heavy of course, but not the mess of flavors I assumed it would be. So, in Montreal, my friends and I made our way to <a href="http://labanquise.com/" target="_blank">La Banquise</a>, Montreal's best and most famous poutine restaurant. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D4zS-iYzLrE/T_o7vMslCII/AAAAAAAAAQU/hJ387I1herY/s1600/IMG_2300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D4zS-iYzLrE/T_o7vMslCII/AAAAAAAAAQU/hJ387I1herY/s320/IMG_2300.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We got an order of classic poutine and an order of 'La Taquise' - fries with gravy, cheese curds. tomatoes, guacamole and sour cream. They were wonderful, obscene belly bombs and a real taste of local flavor. I recommend that everyone at least try poutine, preferably with a cold beer and an empty stomach!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Until my next CSA pick up!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<u><br /></u>Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-48797160382650916382012-03-04T11:59:00.000-08:002012-03-04T11:59:47.319-08:00Aaand we're backSo after a four month hiatus, I've finally found the time and motivation to start blogging again! I've been busy most of the winter studying for the LSATs, but at long last the test has been taken (results pending) and I have some leisure time. I have a few ideas for new posts, but I figured I'd start with a roundup of some of the yummier and more photogenic things I've cooked since October. Recipes found online are, as always, linked in the panel on the right.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l1CO2vFWyjg/T1G_YmRCqwI/AAAAAAAAAK4/MYs2PN-G5z4/s1600/IMG_1408.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l1CO2vFWyjg/T1G_YmRCqwI/AAAAAAAAAK4/MYs2PN-G5z4/s320/IMG_1408.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Roasted stuffed pumpkin on Halloween. My own recipe which came out quite well: a simple mix of roasted veggies (onion, carrot, celery, fennel, sweet potato, parsnip) and wild rice inside a small pumpkin roasted with olive oil and salt.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WTsn2W5v7bk/T1G_p-f_POI/AAAAAAAAALA/cKd_jeg5HL8/s1600/IMG_1513.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WTsn2W5v7bk/T1G_p-f_POI/AAAAAAAAALA/cKd_jeg5HL8/s320/IMG_1513.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Savory miso soup with rice and a poached egg, seasoned as you wish with sesame oil, sriracha and soy sauce, from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/best-simple-supper-miso-soup-w-136147" target="_blank">The Kitchn</a>.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SbSf6Jp50ys/T1G_qjSYhuI/AAAAAAAAALI/SR2kq5SjXpA/s1600/IMG_1525.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SbSf6Jp50ys/T1G_qjSYhuI/AAAAAAAAALI/SR2kq5SjXpA/s320/IMG_1525.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A great post-holiday meal, Egg Nests from <a href="http://how2heroes.com/videos/breakfast/egg-nests" target="_blank">how2heroes</a>. It looks fancy but it's simple: press leftover stuffing into cup shapes in a muffin pan, then crack an egg into each and bake. It's suggested as a breakfast recipe, but it made a great dinner with coriander and almond green beans.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bsIoNrDlkdI/T1G_rd4CZVI/AAAAAAAAALQ/cPnjlzuLoRw/s1600/IMG_1544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bsIoNrDlkdI/T1G_rd4CZVI/AAAAAAAAALQ/cPnjlzuLoRw/s320/IMG_1544.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mushroom bourguignon from <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/01/mushroom-bourguignon/" target="_blank">Smitten Kitchen</a>, an outstanding veg/vegan adaptation of Julie Child's famous boeuf bourguignon. Silky, hearty, devastatingly delicious I could barely wait while it simmered. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aJNEKnwysAk/T1G_tfG4wtI/AAAAAAAAALY/3KUctGR7iyU/s1600/IMG_1546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aJNEKnwysAk/T1G_tfG4wtI/AAAAAAAAALY/3KUctGR7iyU/s320/IMG_1546.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For Christmas I decided to give homemade food gifts to friends and family. Everyone got a combo of the different jars I made. They are, left to right, vodka that I infused (all by myself!) with cranberries, cinnamon and pear, cranberry cocoa bread with walnuts, cranberry pistachio biscotti, wild rice and mushroom soup, and a southwestern spice mix. The vodka infusion I dreamed up, and the jar recipes came from a little $5 book I saw in a grocery store checkout line that had 50+ ideas for gifting food jars. They were a hit!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j3fy_Wkjtqg/T1G_uXmKHDI/AAAAAAAAALg/Z3hEVFNBzSM/s1600/IMG_1556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j3fy_Wkjtqg/T1G_uXmKHDI/AAAAAAAAALg/Z3hEVFNBzSM/s320/IMG_1556.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Another winner from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-orzo-wit-158228" target="_blank">The Kitchn</a>, orzo with caramelized fall vegetables. I went through a week long craze for sweet potato and swiss chard, and this fit the bill perfectly. Sweet, soft, and full of earthy heartiness. FYI The Kitchn also has a recipe for <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/olgas-orzo-with-summer-vegetab-95919" target="_blank">orzo with <i>summer</i> vegetables</a>, a cold pasta salad with tomatoes, zucchini and greens, which is also fabulous!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFLt5poC-8o/T1G_vYtUI6I/AAAAAAAAALo/-6DwXL3NgPE/s1600/IMG_1557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LFLt5poC-8o/T1G_vYtUI6I/AAAAAAAAALo/-6DwXL3NgPE/s320/IMG_1557.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Curried smashed potatoes courtesy of <a href="http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/smashed-potatoes/" target="_blank">White on Rice Couple</a>, with naan and some minted peas. Creamy, sweet and delicious. If only my photos could be as gorgeous as theirs!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWPUcfcmcoE/T1G_wTLfl1I/AAAAAAAAALw/BY-9j8C6bEk/s1600/IMG_1559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qWPUcfcmcoE/T1G_wTLfl1I/AAAAAAAAALw/BY-9j8C6bEk/s320/IMG_1559.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For Christmas GP and I tried something new and made Amazon wishlists that we sent to our families when asked the inevitable "what do you want for Christmas?" Our mothers were very appreciative of how easy this made their shopping, and I'm advocating for everyone to make and maintain a wishlist of their own! Perhaps needless to say, but my list was full of cooking accoutrement: a food processor, a mandoline (squee!), mortar and pestle, and a slew of books by Mark Bittman, namely: <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cook-Everything-Completely-Revised-Anniversary/dp/0764578650" target="_blank">How to Cook Everything</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Cook-Everything-Vegetarian-Meatless/dp/0764524836/ref=pd_sim_b_1" target="_blank">How to Cook Everything Vegetarian</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Food-Matters-Conscious-Eating-Recipes/dp/1416575650/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330759113&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Food Matters</a>,</i> and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Food-Matters-Cookbook-Revolutionary-Recipes/dp/1439120234/ref=pd_sim_b_1" target="_blank">The Food Matters Cookbook</a></i>. Santa was very generous and I received a stack of all the books, so I've been on a Bittman binge since the new year, trying out at least one of his recipes each week. His <i>How to Cook Everything</i> cookbooks are a great resource for the dishes that I've heard of and want to try but don't know where to learn the basic recipe. Ratatouille was one of those recipes (I've wanted to make it ever since I saw the adorable and wonderful <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382932/" target="_blank">Pixar movie</a>), and sure enough, Mark had a recipe for a basic, oven-baked version. I know in the film, one of the chefs calls ratatouille "a peasant's dish", and from the ingredients I think I understand: no meat, nothing complicated, just a mountain of fresh vegetables and herbs roasted until soft and sweet.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8iBza1IZ1E/T1G_xdAHMiI/AAAAAAAAAL4/P0vj2GjkcLA/s1600/IMG_1562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h8iBza1IZ1E/T1G_xdAHMiI/AAAAAAAAAL4/P0vj2GjkcLA/s320/IMG_1562.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(the mandoline was a godsend here, my new favorite toy!)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9sfUSqld5oY/T1G_ycVAHiI/AAAAAAAAAMA/ipkn8Kf4YYI/s1600/IMG_1564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9sfUSqld5oY/T1G_ycVAHiI/AAAAAAAAAMA/ipkn8Kf4YYI/s320/IMG_1564.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Paired with a good red wine and rustic bread, c'est magnifique!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Byl3nAGFxA/T1G_zyzJ81I/AAAAAAAAAMI/Y2bGoqhwamw/s1600/IMG_2252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Byl3nAGFxA/T1G_zyzJ81I/AAAAAAAAAMI/Y2bGoqhwamw/s320/IMG_2252.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://guiltykitchen.com/2009/11/14/portobello-burgers/" target="_blank">Guilty Kitchen</a>'s portobello burgers again, on ciabatta bread with plenty of avocado and spinach and a side of Trader Joe's sweet potato fries.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XmYTXizMQlc/T1G_1aGCTZI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/QaPdkjDwEww/s1600/IMG_2263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XmYTXizMQlc/T1G_1aGCTZI/AAAAAAAAAMQ/QaPdkjDwEww/s320/IMG_2263.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My new favorite things for breakfast! A simple and scrumptious recipe from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/fried-egg-kale-toast-from-mega-135796" target="_blank">The Kitchn</a> for a fried egg on toast, topped with lemon-garlic wilted kale. I've been making this every weekend morning for a month - I'm addicted. I've also gone nuts for blood oranges and have been eating them daily for a couple of weeks (I might turn purple). </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eu4fLZ8uujk/T1G_2O2AbJI/AAAAAAAAAMY/hCUD4Gl8-oo/s1600/IMG_2266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eu4fLZ8uujk/T1G_2O2AbJI/AAAAAAAAAMY/hCUD4Gl8-oo/s320/IMG_2266.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bibimbap. Isn't that the best word? I've only had this dish a couple of times when I discovered it on Korean restaurant menus, and thanks to <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-korean-dolsot-bibimbap-with-vegetables-and-tofu-164939" target="_blank">The Kitchn</a> I now know how to make it at home! Basically, bibimbap is a skillet dish of rice, sizzling at the bottom until slightly crunchy, topped with a mix of soft and crisp fresh vegetables, an egg and seasonings of sesame oil and red pepper paste. I worked off The Kitchn's recipe but made a few modifications. I replaced the tofu with stir-fried shiitake mushroom slices, fried the egg and made a makeshift version of gochujang (suggested in the comments) with sriracha and soy sauce. GP and I inhaled this and fought over the leftovers. We'll definitely make it again soon.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0vwtSS08Srk/T1G_2xW0QTI/AAAAAAAAAMg/R3O_DovUMQg/s1600/IMG_2272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0vwtSS08Srk/T1G_2xW0QTI/AAAAAAAAAMg/R3O_DovUMQg/s320/IMG_2272.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And last but not least, a recent dinner of sweet potato and black bean chili with a side of cranberry almond cornbread. The chili was my variation of <a href="http://vegetarian.about.com/od/soupsstewsandchili/r/blackbeansweetpotato.htm" target="_blank">this recipe</a>; I took out the carrots and bell pepper, and added a diced jalapeno, lime juice and chipotles in adobo sauce to make it very sweet and spicy. For the cornbread, I used a basic recipe without sugar, and just stirred in dried cranberries and sliced almonds.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So that's a bit of a recap. Like I said, I've got some ideas for themed posts, so I should post again soon! </div>Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-4749357659918708412011-10-31T19:02:00.000-07:002011-10-31T19:02:32.727-07:00All treats, no tricksOkay, so it's been two weeks. GP has been working late recently, which typically means I capitalize on leftovers, but I've captured my dinners for the past two weeks to share a sampling of my ovo-pesco-vegan diet. (As a side note, please forgive the poor quality of the photos. I unfortunately don't own a fancy camera and the flourescent light in my kitchen makes everything an ugly yellow.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKycwircKeU/Tq9QMhQQ84I/AAAAAAAAAIU/R_TjFB8AGTM/s1600/IMG_1329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKycwircKeU/Tq9QMhQQ84I/AAAAAAAAAIU/R_TjFB8AGTM/s320/IMG_1329.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>To start off, a big batch of chana masala via <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/chana-masala/">Smitten Kitchen</a>. GP and I both love Indian food and chickpeas, so when I realized that such a thing as chickpea curry existed, I knew I had to make it. I will say that this receipe left the chickpeas a little dry, so I'd add some more water, but otherwise it was tangy and delicious. I ate it with some jasmine rice and Trader Joe's garlic naan.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y77Mjzvcekk/Tq9QNLwZVbI/AAAAAAAAAIc/wp4NQMIRXVE/s1600/IMG_1353.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y77Mjzvcekk/Tq9QNLwZVbI/AAAAAAAAAIc/wp4NQMIRXVE/s320/IMG_1353.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>With some extra rice, GP and I made this crab fried rice from a little book of Chinese recipes I was given. It was very light and fragrant, with bean sprouts, leeks, crab, egg and lime juice.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-erk7ntkk0EI/Tq9QOeTejmI/AAAAAAAAAIs/lpJVT2QM4W4/s1600/IMG_1358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-erk7ntkk0EI/Tq9QOeTejmI/AAAAAAAAAIs/lpJVT2QM4W4/s320/IMG_1358.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>This is one of my new favorite recipes, pumpkin rotini from <a href="http://hipsterfood.tumblr.com/">Hipster Food</a>'s <a href="http://chickpea-magazine.tumblr.com/">Chickpea magazine</a>. Though the blog's name is cringe-worthy, Hipster Food is a good resource for tasty vegan fare. This pumpkin rotini is, in my opinion, the perfect vegan substitute for mac 'n cheese. The sauce is a seasoned mixture of pumpkin puree and rice milk, and has all the ooey-gooey creaminess and warmth of a bowl of classic Kraft.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wAMwYewcjvE/Tq9QO4dVkfI/AAAAAAAAAI0/ZgRdDDc0eyw/s1600/IMG_1362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wAMwYewcjvE/Tq9QO4dVkfI/AAAAAAAAAI0/ZgRdDDc0eyw/s320/IMG_1362.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Sauteed mushrooms and kale over polenta. I found this recipe at <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Kale-and-Mushrooms-with-Creamy-Polenta-233922">Epicurious</a>, used Trader Joe's pre-made polenta, nixed the pancetta and cheese and swapped vegetable broth for chicken broth. Maybe it was all of the modifications, but this dish was pretty bland and boring, and still required me to use 3 pots and pans! All it was was kale and mushrooms, seasoned and cooked down in broth, over warm polenta. I could probably find ways to improve upon the recipe, but overall the end result isn't worth all the cleanup.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqnEccDzOao/Tq9QPUzomzI/AAAAAAAAAI8/sg77ywmrJ8U/s1600/IMG_1364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqnEccDzOao/Tq9QPUzomzI/AAAAAAAAAI8/sg77ywmrJ8U/s320/IMG_1364.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Fall is here and I'm thrilled to take advantage of seasonal vegetables and get into the harvest/Halloween spirit. With extra pumpkin puree from the rotini, I made these pumpkin spice cookies working off of a recipe at <a href="http://www.grouprecipes.com/6345/pumpkin-spice-cookie.html">Group Recipes</a>. They turned out moist and tasty and I made sure to share them with co-workers, lest I eat three dozen by myself.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hly15dwdSJk/Tq9QP8bWdJI/AAAAAAAAAJE/dYDPLljf9iQ/s1600/IMG_1366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hly15dwdSJk/Tq9QP8bWdJI/AAAAAAAAAJE/dYDPLljf9iQ/s320/IMG_1366.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>GP likes to pick on my general lack of knowledge when it comes to seafood. His father is an accomplished member of the industry, so he grew up eating and learning about a <u>lot</u> of aquatic creatures. I've never really liked seafood or fish in any form, but I've forced myself to open up and eat new and different kinds of seafood with more frequency, in order to take advantage of the excellent health benefits. However, as GP points out, I tend to pick the most complicated, exotic types of seafood that end up making me frustrated and nervous. Instead of trying a simple, versatile whitefish like cod or mahi mahi, I buy shell-on prawns and oysters. This past summer I excitedly made paella and was introduced to mussels. While they did make me a little nervous (How do I keep them alive in the fridge? What if I eat a bad one?) they were tasty and fun to cook and eat. Now that seafood is a main source of protein for me, I'm trying to make it the centerpiece of 2-3 meals each week. So I tried mussels again, and worked off of a recipe in the Good Housekeeping Cookbook, cooking them with wine, herbs and alliums and serving them with crusty bread (and more wine). The meal was light and felt oh-so fancy.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cQR9nvILlB4/Tq9QQrUJZQI/AAAAAAAAAJM/Mk22xs0rx-c/s1600/IMG_1367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cQR9nvILlB4/Tq9QQrUJZQI/AAAAAAAAAJM/Mk22xs0rx-c/s320/IMG_1367.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ukLM_i6uGOE/Tq9QTUvxWMI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/F3iIDGEWfsE/s1600/IMG_1380.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ukLM_i6uGOE/Tq9QTUvxWMI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/F3iIDGEWfsE/s320/IMG_1380.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>As I said, fall is here, and I'm trying to work in a lot of seasonal vegetables. Food bloggers the internet over seem to be squealing about brussel sprouts. I'll be honest, I had never had brussel sprouts before, but I was eager to try them. I made several meals out of two recipes. One was roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-roasted-potatoes-with-brussels-sprouts-bacon-140594">The Kitchn</a> (nix the bacon) with a side of <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/noodles-pasta-and-grains/trader-joes-pantry-harvest-grains-blend-033688">Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend</a> (I <em>love</em> this stuff). The other I found at the fabulous blog <a href="http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2010/03/sauteed-brussels-sprouts-with-sriracha-and-cashews.html">The Bitten Word</a>, which was for sauteed brussel sprouts with sriracha and cashews. The sprouts with potatoes and grains is a hearty (albeit starch-heavy) rib-sticker, while the sriracha and cashew stir fry is hot, nutty and crunchy. Two thumbs up for both.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_heVFa1bpIY/Tq9QRJY4h5I/AAAAAAAAAJU/m_2TcrEuOSI/s1600/IMG_1371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_heVFa1bpIY/Tq9QRJY4h5I/AAAAAAAAAJU/m_2TcrEuOSI/s320/IMG_1371.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Y9FpXmCzCU/Tq9QS9QF5ZI/AAAAAAAAAJs/Ashzk-5PGzc/s1600/IMG_1376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Y9FpXmCzCU/Tq9QS9QF5ZI/AAAAAAAAAJs/Ashzk-5PGzc/s320/IMG_1376.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Getting a little lazy and cooking for one, I made a couple of omelets, a huge veggie one and a kale and mushroom. With the veggie omelet I re-heated a weekend attempt at sriracha hashbrowns I invented. Shredded potatoes with chopped onions and jalapenos, seasoned with cayenne pepper and sriracha. I thought the idea was pretty good, but even after many attempts, I cannot make crispy, flavorful hash browns. Mine end up soggy and all the flavors are masked by oil. Anyone have some pointers?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25TzsAS-jQ0/Tq9QRoRyymI/AAAAAAAAAJc/80f-85OgkeQ/s1600/IMG_1373.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-25TzsAS-jQ0/Tq9QRoRyymI/AAAAAAAAAJc/80f-85OgkeQ/s320/IMG_1373.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_S9DMHaavbw/Tq9QT3j7usI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/k1NbYwisVCM/s1600/IMG_1393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_S9DMHaavbw/Tq9QT3j7usI/AAAAAAAAAJ8/k1NbYwisVCM/s320/IMG_1393.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Pasta pasta pasta! I tried a new pasta dish called <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/namagazine/WFM_Mag_Recipe_HarvstPrimvra.pdf">'Harvest Primavera</a>' from Whole Foods, and turned to an old favorite from The Kitchn, <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/salad/cool-summer-recipe-soba-noodles-with-wilted-bok-choy-118882">soba noodles with wilted bok choy</a>. I was skeptical about the Whole Foods recipe, as I've had a 50% success rate with their recipes in the past, but this was a winner. Seasonal vegetables mixed with a pound of penne in a tangy, spicy tomato sauce. As you can see, it made enough to feed me for quite a while and I never tired of it. The night on which I made the soba noodles may not have been the best, it was freezing rain outside and this is a cold, slimier dish, but it's easy, light, healthy and delicious.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--56x7KM_Thk/Tq9QSEbmRkI/AAAAAAAAAJk/0XA3bL-AYXo/s1600/IMG_1375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--56x7KM_Thk/Tq9QSEbmRkI/AAAAAAAAAJk/0XA3bL-AYXo/s320/IMG_1375.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Of the few types of seafood I did grow up enjoying, scallops were second only to shrimp. I love their delicate, distinct flavor, and the fact that they are visually unintimidating, like the seafood equivalent of a chicken nugget (not to insult the scallop). They are tender, juicy bites of yum. I found this recipe for smoky scallops with fennel at <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/main-dish/recipe-smoky-scallops-with-fennel-and-tomato-025547">The Kitchn</a>. I love fennel, I love scallops, I also love wine and tomatoes, so this sounded amazing. Unfortunately, it turned out very bland. Both scallops and fennel have very light, delicate flavors which I think were lost in the cooking and the wine base. Everything also lost it's color and looked a bit grey. I omitted the tomatoes as GP doesn't like them very much and served everything on brown rice. I wish this turned out better, but it fell short.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AsmsP8jq1Y8/Tq9QUfROJII/AAAAAAAAAKE/yhJaLanDENU/s1600/IMG_1394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AsmsP8jq1Y8/Tq9QUfROJII/AAAAAAAAAKE/yhJaLanDENU/s320/IMG_1394.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Lastly, the first recipe I've tried by Mark Bittman, practical healthy-eating advocate, author and food writer at <em>The New York Times</em>. He is one of my four 'food heroes' as I call them, Mark, Mike, Jamie and Joel, otherwise known as Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, Jamie Oliver and Joel Salatin (please Wikipedia as necessary). But more about them later. Bittman has written several compendiums of '101 recipes' for the <em>Times</em>, which are lists of quick, cheap meal ideas following a certain theme - Thanksgiving, summer, salads, etc. This is #4 on his summer recipes, a simple mix of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/dining/18mini.html">seasoned white beans and shrimp</a>. I added some crusty bread and thoroughly enjoyed this light but savory dinner. The leftovers also made a fantastic lunch.<br />
<br />
So there you have it, my dinners (and most lunches) for two weeks. For breakfast I consistently eat either cold cereal with rice milk, or fruit, so that's my ovo-pesco-vegan diet. I'm even more excited about the upcoming meals I have planned. I'm diving headfirst into hearty fall cooking (I think I was forced to, considering it <em>snowed</em> two days ago) and making stuffed pumpkins tonight for a Halloween dinner, followed by Ribollita soup, sweet potato and black bean chili, puttanesca pasta, and a squash and egg skillet. <br />
<br />
To close, I'll share this year's jack-o-lanterns: a portrait of my cat, Count Rugen, and Me Gusta. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bnm1GSVKSqU/Tq9SMO7_G9I/AAAAAAAAAKw/OCr343fWJHI/s1600/IMG_1385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bnm1GSVKSqU/Tq9SMO7_G9I/AAAAAAAAAKw/OCr343fWJHI/s320/IMG_1385.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I've enjoyed carving the annual jack-o-lantern for as long as I can remember. However, I think I was in middle school when I discovered the magic of jack-o-lantern stencils, and every year since I've made at least one detailed carving - everything from Jack Sparrow to Gollum to Barack Obama to Eric Northman. This year I kept my focus more at home, choosing a picture that looked like the <em>real</em> man in my life, Rugen, and what can I say, Me Gusta was <em>made</em> to be put on a pumpkin. <br />
<br />
Happy Halloween!Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-6055656278655066662011-10-10T11:54:00.000-07:002011-10-10T11:54:22.534-07:00Ovo-pesco-whuh?I don't know whether it's official or not, but October seems to be the month for food-related events. Last weekend was the <a href="http://bostonlocalfoodfestival.com/">Boston Local Food Festival</a> which GP and I attended. It was a huge event full of local vendors and organizations with lots to eat and drink! There was a special local craft brew tasting event held at the <a href="http://www.dailycatch.com/seaport.html">Daily Catch</a> where you paid $25, got a cup and got two hours to taste as many samples of local beer, wine, mead and cider as you could handle. Considering we hadn't eaten breakfast when we showed up, we took it a little easy, but it was still delicious and fun.<br />
<br />
Coming up, October 24 is <a href="http://foodday.org/">National Food Day</a>, sponsored by the <a href="http://www.cspinet.org/">Center for Science in the Public Interest</a>. I've been excited about this event since last winter when I first learned about it, and I'm glad that there are going to be a number of events taking place around Boston that day. There is no standard event, the CSPI is simply encouraging organizations, restaurants, schools, governments and the public to host events, large and small which highlight food and the myriad issues surrounding it, namely diet-related disease, farming, hunger, environmental health, junk food marketing to children, and farm labor. The CSPI has been holding monthly webinars which touch on each of the issues and I have been listening in. The CSPI functions as an independent consumer advocacy organization who are basically the watchdogs of the food industry and the government. They step in to advocate for public and environmental health and seek to educate the public about major food issues. I'm appreciative and excited about the work they are doing and about the Food Day events which are in the works. Because it's on a Monday, unfortunately I won't be able to go to any daytime events, but I plan on going to a documentary film screening at Harvard - I'll update once it's happened!<br />
<br />
Then there's even more! The weekend after Food Day, October 29-30 is the <a href="http://bostonveg.org/foodfest/">Boston Vegetarian Food Festival</a>, which as GP rightly assumed, I plan on going to. So yeah, I don't know if it's because of the harvest season with it's last hurrah of agricultural yield before the New England snow hits and the color green disappears from the natural world for a solid five months, but everyone is celebrating food this month. I'm not complaining :)<br />
<br />
As for my cooking adventures at home, I finally watched one too many documentaries about the numerous health, moral, economic and environmental woes that arise from eating meat (<a href="http://www.forksoverknives.com/">this one</a> actually) and took the inevitable leap to cutting out red meat and poultry from my diet. A little bit about my dietary history, I've always eaten a pretty average, not extremely unhealthy nor uber-healthy American diet. In high school I was a 'loose' vegetarian for two years, trying it out to support animal welfare and lose weight but I was never fully dedicated to it. I was 'loose' because I'd allow myself a meat-filled dinner of takeout Chinese food or a burger about once a month. I eventually gave it up entirely. My diet changed again when I studied abroad in China for five months. While there, I didn't eat any dairy (it's not part of the traditional diet and is pretty hard to find) and I ate a great deal more fresh fruits and vegetables, along with smaller amounts of less-processed meat. I lost 30 pounds without trying to. Since I returned home two years ago I've tried to maintain the same diet more-or-less which has had it's difficulties. Even if I ate the same kinds of bread and meat as in China, it was inevitably more processed and less fresh, and of course cheese is pretty much inescapable in the U.S., so I've slacked a little and allowed myself a bit of fromage here and there.<br />
<br />
But no longer. I'm putting my foot down. Since GP and I have gotten our own place it's much easier to control my whole diet, and with my new healthy food obsession we've been eating better and better. The only junk food we buy is some chocolate and tortilla chips, and the majority of our dinners are vegetable and grain-based Asian cuisine (Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai). I've been balancing our meals as 50/50 vegetarian, so without dairy, we've been eating a lot of vegan meals for awhile. With this new decision to cut out red meat and poultry, I'm technically eating an ovo-pesco-vegan diet, aka eggs and fish are the only animal products I'll eat. I decided to leave these animal products in because I think a strict vegan diet is a little unpractical for me, I won't have to worry about getting enough protein and vitamin B-12, and can still enjoy the many health benefits of eating fish/seafood.<br />
<br />
I didn't expect GP to adopt the diet with me, I was more than willing to cook him his own portions of beef, pork and chicken, but surprisingly, he said he'd make the transition too. He is one of those rare people who enjoys eating healthily. His favorite 'junk' food is bread and he loves vegetables and seafood. He also has no sweet tooth which I simply cannot understand as I pine for a cookie after dinner every night. Also, as he pointed out, this isn't a huge change from how we were already eating.<br />
<br />
So there it is, we are ovo-pesco-vegans as silly as it sounds. I'm not sure if the terminology is 100% correct, as we're technically not vegans by including eggs and fish, but we're not ovo-pesco-vegetarians, because that would imply that we eat dairy. Whatever, they're all buzzwords anyway. So what do two ovo-pesco-vegans eat, you ask? I'll be documenting what I eat for a full week (dinners at the very least) and will share it in my next post.<br />
<br />
Until then!Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-69038877733758300392011-09-18T19:24:00.000-07:002011-09-18T19:40:23.656-07:00Pizza and beer - kitchn styleHello again, it's been a while. I'll admit that the errands of everyday life, coupled with my malignant laziness, have kept me away from the computer. I was also in a bit of a culinary slump for a couple of weeks - turning to easy staples such as enchiladas, stir frys and noodle dishes without trying anything new. But I snapped out of it.<br />
<br />
Here are some of the more interesting things I've made since my last post:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVpzwNXjmGM/TnaistgOQVI/AAAAAAAAAHo/hpfvfX9uXvE/s1600/IMG_1239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVpzwNXjmGM/TnaistgOQVI/AAAAAAAAAHo/hpfvfX9uXvE/s320/IMG_1239.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Portabella burgers via <a href="http://guiltykitchen.com/">Guilty Kitchen</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MMJ20Nvqiwc/Tnai-soDQGI/AAAAAAAAAHs/JaB5I9rM7nM/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MMJ20Nvqiwc/Tnai-soDQGI/AAAAAAAAAHs/JaB5I9rM7nM/s320/IMG_1242.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Moo Shu tofu via <a href="http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/index.aspx">Weight Watchers</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-qjoBrNQF0/TnajInbEWOI/AAAAAAAAAH0/mLPkPs7Sj2I/s1600/IMG_1281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m-qjoBrNQF0/TnajInbEWOI/AAAAAAAAAH0/mLPkPs7Sj2I/s320/IMG_1281.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Salmon cakes with lemon yogurt sauce via <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/">Epicurious</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jk97BKFVC3k/TnaodbuuL-I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/DjMOkCXiTF4/s1600/IMG_1278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jk97BKFVC3k/TnaodbuuL-I/AAAAAAAAAIQ/DjMOkCXiTF4/s320/IMG_1278.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Honey cornbread muffins via <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/">Food Network</a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j1XcHfowEGg/TnajMGPacZI/AAAAAAAAAH8/tI6X9jxeHKg/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j1XcHfowEGg/TnajMGPacZI/AAAAAAAAAH8/tI6X9jxeHKg/s320/IMG_1287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Elote with guacamole</div><br />
and, per the title:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OA2UDDRYYjA/Tnak1pCXFPI/AAAAAAAAAII/kYDjg5HWGYU/s1600/IMG_1260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OA2UDDRYYjA/Tnak1pCXFPI/AAAAAAAAAII/kYDjg5HWGYU/s320/IMG_1260.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sweet potato, caramelized onion and rosemary pizza</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K4LcXb6dgu4/Tnak4OIagxI/AAAAAAAAAIM/nE28i_aLfKg/s1600/IMG_1261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K4LcXb6dgu4/Tnak4OIagxI/AAAAAAAAAIM/nE28i_aLfKg/s320/IMG_1261.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Beer popsicles</div><br />
These last two recipes both came from Apartment Therapy's cooking blog, <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/">the kitchn</a> (seriously, if you haven't gone yet, GO) which always has quirky ideas for all types of food. The entire blog has a specific vibe to it, and that includes the recipes. Browsing through the site I imagine all the contributors and readers to be well-off twenty and thirty somethings (yuppies) who have part-time or work-from-home creative careers, (interior design, graphic design, clothing design, food photography, florists), and who are always looking for the next simple beauty to delight at (magnetic spice jars, chalkboard paint, bookshelf lighting, herb-muddled cocktails, a new boutique devoted solely to organic agave nectar, etc.) It's a clean, simple blog of young people swapping domestic ideas. Every contributor, whether detailing how to decorate your mantle with vinyl records, or giving must-have tips on preparing Thanksgiving dinner, is eco-conscious, health-conscious and economical. Local foods and products are encouraged, cleaner, healthier alternatives to ingredients and building materials are trumpeted, and the best flea markets for mid-century furniture are announced with glee. The posts and comments can sometimes be pretentious - even laughably so (read the general consensus about the Netflix price hike <a href="http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/blogging/why-netflixs-price-hike-might-make-me-cancel-for-good-151237">here</a>), but I love this site like I love chocolate. It's fun and comforting to lose yourself in the minutiae of domesticity: "Oo I could paint a statement wall." "I could design my own zany computer desk." "I could grow my own heirloom tomatoes!" "Mmm I should add some lemon zest and pomegranate seeds to that dish." Needless to say, it's the perfect place to find ideas for an unconventional, vegetarian, herb-infused pizza pie and homemade grown up sweet treats.<br />
<br />
More recent food news in my life: I accidentally ate a habanero pepper. This event taught me that I knew nothing about the varieties of chili peppers and that I really need to learn. As it turns out, a friend of the family has a <a href="http://www.seacoasteatlocal.org/seacoastharvest/index.php?page=farm&farm_id=114">family farm</a> in New Hampshire. I headed north to visit my parents last week and we visited to buy some veg and support the owners. I was blown away by the variety of produce they had available (see the website) and I bought a ton of food - kale, soy beans, potatoes, onions, corn, tomatoes, popcorn, garlic, carrots, squash, and chili peppers - for a very low price. The bin said only 'Chili Peppers', so I grabbed a handful of short and long, smooth and wrinkly, green, red and orange peppers. The other night I was making Jamie Oliver's recipe for sweet and sour pork, and it called for a chili pepper. I looked at my farm-fresh assortment and decided that the round little orange one was fun and colorful, so I seeded it (thank god), sliced it and tossed it in with all the other ingredients. As soon as it hit the pan, capsaicin seared the air and GP and I were choking, coughing and crying trying to finish the dish. He showed up after I had chopped everything, and when I told him that I had used the orange pepper, he explained, laughing.<br />
<br />
Once we managed to cook everything through, still coughing a bit, it was time to eat. Talk about trial by fire. The entire dish burned lips, tongue, throat and stomach. The capsaicin heat masked the sweet and sour flavor of everything, so it was pretty much just 'spicy pork'. It wasn't so overwhelming as to be inedible (and GP and I both like things as spicy as we can handle), but we had to break every few minutes or so until our tastebuds stopped tingling enough for us to try another mouthful. We then trained ourselves in chili pepper recognition, and studied the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale">Scoville scale </a>(see illustration above the habanero in the first image), so overall it was a learning experience - albeit a slightly painful one.<br />
<br />
That's all for this post. I have more food-related events to share but I'll save them for next time. Be sure to check out links for most of these recipes in the panel on the right.Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-85233436945944734602011-07-26T19:54:00.000-07:002011-07-26T19:58:54.264-07:00Beating the heat<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So like the rest of the country, Boston was in quite a heatwave these past couple of weeks, and I can't say I'm sorry that it's finally broken. I do <u>not</u> like heat. I would much rather freeze to death than burn. Heat makes me anxious and cranky and ill-feeling and worst of all - it steals my appetite. Being cold is preferable because a) you can warm yourself up more easily than cool yourself down, and b) cold weather is very romantic. Think about it, you get to wear fashionable coats, scarves, gloves and hats, and huddle for warmth with a special someone; the cold seasons bring magical weather with falling autumn leaves and sparkling snow; and of course, food in cold weather is all about heat and comfort and indulgence - roasted meats, baked root vegetables, savory sauces, mulled wine and cider and as many different hot pies as you can stomach.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And now I can't wait until Christmas... Anywho, so the heat made cooking with the gas range quite undesirable, and I went searching for something cool, fresh and easy to make. I found just what I was looking for at <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/">The Kitchn</a>, Apartment Therapy's cooking blog. (Btw, Apartment Therapy is downright addicting and a really fascinating, fun and inspirational site - go <i>now</i>.) The <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/recipe-bun-chay-vietnamese-vegetarian-noodle-salad-090375">recipe</a> was for<i> b</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 19px;"><i>ún</i>, a refreshing Vietnamese noodle dish that I had fallen in love with while in college in Worcester, MA, a city saturated with Vietnamese restaurants and shops. While I love the dish, I admit that I had forgotten how perfect it was for summer heat, and probably never would have attempted to make it on my own without a recipe.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">It's extremely simple: a bed of vermicelli rice noodles piled high with raw leafy greens, herbs, cucumbers, bean sprouts and a protein (I used fried tofu), with a sweet tangy sauce of soy, lime and sugar.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rcoOzfftORw/Ti95gylaYFI/AAAAAAAAAHg/LYQymeP5Jzs/s1600/IMG_1214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rcoOzfftORw/Ti95gylaYFI/AAAAAAAAAHg/LYQymeP5Jzs/s320/IMG_1214.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">While admittedly the boiling of the noodles and frying of the tofu required use of the stovetop, it literally lasted about 5 minutes, and was well worth a little sweat. This dish hit the spot with cold, sweet noodles and fresh crunchy produce from the farmer's market. GP and I made it several times and holed up in our one air-conditioned room to enjoy it.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">But as I said, the heat has finally broken, and it's been raining for a couple of days. I did manage this before the sun disappeared:</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RB9iLUM_z0o/Ti97MwFm8vI/AAAAAAAAAHk/YUn3IkpU5w8/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RB9iLUM_z0o/Ti97MwFm8vI/AAAAAAAAAHk/YUn3IkpU5w8/s320/IMG_1220.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">because I wanted to do something 'summery' and go to the beach and eat seafood, my hatred of heat notwithstanding. So I'm a bit tender at the moment, treating myself with aloe outside and in. Tonight my co-workers and I headed to a newly renovated restaurant nearby, <a href="http://www.49social.com/">49 Social</a>, and I had the Cherry Bomb cocktail (cherry rum, aloe, lime and Thai basil). It was sour and tasty and the restaurant was very nice. I'll probably <a href="http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=TurXpcdvcNrnRhyJnZ0NBg">Yelp</a> about it soon...</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">So that's all from me. I'm going to use this rain to my advantage and try some warmer dishes like udon noodle soup and a puffed pastry tart. Mmmmm.</span>Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-18845338699181496712011-07-19T14:16:00.000-07:002011-07-19T14:16:57.285-07:00In Defense of Jamie OliverSo this is turning out to be my favorite birthday present that I received this year:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/wvbookfestival/files/2011/04/olivercookbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://blogs.wvgazette.com/wvbookfestival/files/2011/04/olivercookbook.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://jmecollection.shop.musictoday.com/Product.aspx?cp=41920_42136&pc=0VAM055">Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Cookbook</a> is straightforward, funny, quick and delicious! I also find it cute that you can tell the book was originally published in Britain, for Britons, because it's got recipes for a full monty breakfast. yorkshire pudding, and plenty of fish dishes and curries. Some recipes also call for <a href="http://www.marmite.com/">Marmite</a>, a purely British yeast-extract spread similar to the infamous Australian <a href="http://www.kraftbrands.com/kraftvegemite/Pages/default.aspx">Vegemite</a>. (Never heard of it? Then you must never have seen <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McsWKczU6wc">this</a>.) Though we have yet to dive into the seriously-UK recipes, GP and I have really enjoyed cooking and eating all of the meals we've tried so far, namely:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ed23YiYhCo/Thz257YA9sI/AAAAAAAAAHM/SDLWV8WodeM/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ed23YiYhCo/Thz257YA9sI/AAAAAAAAAHM/SDLWV8WodeM/s320/IMG_1124.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Shrimp and Avocado with an Old-School Marie Rose Sauce<br />
(weird ingredients, great taste)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wpe543kC-z4/Thz3V00-TmI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/8jM1TZYnwew/s1600/IMG_1120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Wpe543kC-z4/Thz3V00-TmI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/8jM1TZYnwew/s320/IMG_1120.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Broccoli and Pesto Tagliatelle<br />
(in this case extra penne and fettucine was substituted for tagliatelle)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">and</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sIW3PScAZVA/Thz4CHdMqFI/AAAAAAAAAHU/4KZ7V9A_X5g/s1600/IMG_1132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sIW3PScAZVA/Thz4CHdMqFI/AAAAAAAAAHU/4KZ7V9A_X5g/s320/IMG_1132.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Thai Green Curry</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">But last week we made my favorite recipe from the book so far. Not only was it simple, very healthy and uber-yum, it was just gorgeous to look at:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WpN5HXmKgHg/Thz5CZZPc4I/AAAAAAAAAHY/HMs-PSJQFiM/s1600/IMG_1197.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WpN5HXmKgHg/Thz5CZZPc4I/AAAAAAAAAHY/HMs-PSJQFiM/s320/IMG_1197.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Italian Pan-Seared Tuna</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What made it so pretty? The bursts of color from a package of Trader Joe's heirloom tomatoes. I just couldn't get over how visually appealing they were! I gave them their own photoshoot:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P64c-_Z1D5g/Thz5a5NvYKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/Cq31-QMxp9Y/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P64c-_Z1D5g/Thz5a5NvYKI/AAAAAAAAAHc/Cq31-QMxp9Y/s320/IMG_1191.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just look at those fresh, fragrant, colorful ingredients. I had never eaten heirloom tomatoes before, and had only ever heard the term used by chefs and the most epicurean gour<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">mets. But, having fallen in love with this rainbow of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i>Solanum lycopersicum</i>, I bought a bunch more at the Harvard Square Sunday farmer's market and can't wait to use them.</span></span></div>So thank you once again Jamie Oliver, for exposing me to new and delicious ingredients!! A big thank you also goes out to GP, who perfectly cooked the Albacore Tuna. I usually make him cook the meat. It may be a gender stereotype for the man to, well, 'man' the grill, but I'm a little overly-freaked out about the potential for food borne illness that comes from improperly handling and under cooking meat.<br />
<br />
And while we're talking Jamie Oliver, I'd just like to make it clear (as if I haven't already) that I love his ideas and what he's doing to change the way the western world eats. We need someone loud and noticeable, with substantial resources to raise a stink and get people to eat well again. I'm bugged by people who write him off from both sides - on the one hand, people like the (fairly scripted) radio DJ from the first season of <em>Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution</em>, a red-faced, thick-necked West Virginia man who chomped on his takeout burger while telling Jamie he and his fellow townspeople didn't want to eat lettuce all the time. Jamie's reaction: *cockney accent* "I'm not gonna make you a lettuce!"<br />
<br />
Then on the other hand, are the <a href="http://soulveggie.blogs.com/my_weblog/2010/03/videoreview-jamie-olivers-food-revolution-1st-episode.html">super-health foodists</a> who think Jamie isn't helping overweight people enough, because he shows them how to cook skinless chicken breasts with olive oil, as opposed to encouraging them to pull a dietary 180 and become no-added-fat raw food vegans. (In all fairness, SoulVeggie does ask if this would be too drastic a transition and supports Jamie overall, but I'm sure his sentiments echo many uber-health eaters.) If both sides would just look at Jamie's website, read his cookbooks and learn about his campaign goals, I feel that they would understand him better and realize that their criticisms are unfounded. Jamie isn't pushing any particular health food agenda, and yes he uses mayonnaise and bacon in his recipes, but his overall goal, in his own words, is "saving lives by inspiring everyone to get back to basics and start cooking good food from scratch." He's trying to get people to stop eating processed crap and start eating <em>real</em> food. So while raw vegans may bemoan that he teaches kids how to make ice cream, he at least teaches them how to make it with sugar, milk, cream and fruit, not 57 artificial ingredients from unknown sources. And for those who are most comfortable with comfort food - Jamie's got burgers and pizza on the menu, but they're better for you and tastier, because they're full of veggies and encourage you to visit your local butcher and actually know where the meat comes from.<br />
<br />
My problem is just that people jump to conclusions without looking into things (an earth-shattering revelation, I know), and in this instance, where there are so many people dedicating their time, money and goodwill to make all of us, and our kids in particular, healthier - why are you complaining?Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-41193890194444437392011-07-04T18:35:00.000-07:002011-07-04T18:35:14.898-07:00Food on the FourthHappy Fourth of July!<br />
<br />
I think the advent of the Fourth has finally reminded New England that it's summertime, because today the heat finally showed up - with a vengeance. I may just have felt it more because the boyfriend and I have not yet been able to install an AC. So what do I do on my day off right after I wake up in an 85 degree apartment? I preheat the oven to 400 because I'm going to make a pie.<br />
<br />
You need pie on the Fourth of July - remember that apple pie has long been synonymous with America. But while I didn't make an apple pie, I made a peach berry pie to finally take advantage of the summer berry crop. Berries also tend to be another popular facet of Fourth of July eats, as shown by the ubiquitous American flag cake which cleverly arranges blueberries and strawberries (I wonder if France or England use the same berry color schemes for national celebrations?).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://instoresnow.walmart.com/uploadedImages/AmericanSummer/Recipes_(temp_until_go_live)/Ice_Cream/Premium_Ice_Cream_Desserts/5051_FOOD_POV_icecreamflagcake_270x270.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://instoresnow.walmart.com/uploadedImages/AmericanSummer/Recipes_(temp_until_go_live)/Ice_Cream/Premium_Ice_Cream_Desserts/5051_FOOD_POV_icecreamflagcake_270x270.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I modified <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Ozark-Mountain-Berry-Pie-2">this recipe</a>, reducing the sugar and replacing the 3 cups of blueberries with about 2 cups of chopped white peaches and 1 cup of chopped strawberries. It's a long story, but I don't eat blueberries. <a href="http://www.tasteofhome.com/">Taste of Home</a> is one of my varied sources for recipe ideas. I like that the recipes are both site- and user-generated, and that you can browse them by the hundreds using very specific criteria, i.e. healthy cooking, quick meals, vegetarian, eating for two, etc. While admittedly there are plenty of comfort food recipes that call for lots of mayo, sour cream, cream of whatever soup and 'processed cheese food', there are also plenty of healthier, whole food options that provide lighter takes on classics.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My peach berry pie is only the third pie I've ever made, and the first I've made where the filling didn't come in a can. I figured I'd go for broke and even make a lattice top. The result:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QsjUWYZ1z1o/ThJkWw41JAI/AAAAAAAAAGk/8HXiQhZmx-8/s1600/IMG_1173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QsjUWYZ1z1o/ThJkWw41JAI/AAAAAAAAAGk/8HXiQhZmx-8/s320/IMG_1173.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
Not gorgeous, but not too shabby if I do say so myself. I'm eating it now and I'm very happy with it - it's not too sweet, the crust is flaky and it definitely gives me that 'mmmmm...pie' feeling. Now I actually didn't make the pie for any Fourth of July gathering. For the past few years the bf, GP, and I have gone to his family's annual cookout where there's always huge amounts of snacks, salads, grilled meats and plenty to drink. We went to that yesterday and, neither of us being very keen on crowds, have spent the Fourth puttering around the apartment, cooking, cleaning and working on weekend projects in between bouts of heat-induced catnaps.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And for dinner? I was planning on an Asian chicken salad of my own invention - lettuce, radishes, carrot, edamame, mandarin orange and chicken - but for some reason both packages of chicken I bought on Saturday from our local Trader Joe's smelled awfully like rotten eggs and had a strange white bubbly skin on them. Needless to say we tossed them both. As a side note, I absolutely love Trader Joe's, though ours tends to have a lackluster produce department, but I have never had a problem with their meat before. Not sure what happened. Anywho, we made a straight up 'Asian salad', incorporating some extra bok choy and scallions we had. We also modified a dressing recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1588168131/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1588163989&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=12PCTF0A02YCKEP5Z7QS">The Good Housekeeping Cookbook</a> and made it with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, ginger, sesame seeds and sriracha (rooster sauce). It was delicious and cool for a hot evening, and left plenty of room for PIE!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XGpzxwCFl9E/ThJobPNacXI/AAAAAAAAAGo/jHSVULgJTMQ/s1600/IMG_1176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XGpzxwCFl9E/ThJobPNacXI/AAAAAAAAAGo/jHSVULgJTMQ/s320/IMG_1176.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, that was my Fourth feast. I can hear the fireworks booming outside right now. What's your favorite Fourth of July food?</div>Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-540706551414830109.post-35213807815868368582011-07-02T23:25:00.000-07:002011-07-04T18:51:01.716-07:00I think I've found my passionSo here it is. The beginning of my honest attempt to keep a blog - something I promised <a href="http://oflifeslemons.blogspot.com/">a friend</a> I would do, and something I have been wanting to do for some time. Why now? It could be that after 8 months in my new apartment, my interior decorating projects are coming to an end and I need a new focus. It could also be that it's July 3 and we're getting into the thick of summer with the promise of more time off work, more outings with friends and new summer flavors to explore and document.<br />
<br />
And why food? Anyone who knows me will probably be surprised that I plan on making food the central theme of my blog, so allow me to explain. Last fall, I moved to Belmont, MA into the first place I could call 'my own', after an emotional roller coaster of a summer - fresh out of college, unemployed, living with the parents, then under-employed, moving out of state, living with the boyfriend's parents, then getting my dream entry-level job but living in a friend's <i>closet</i> with a 2 hour commute. As soon as I was settled, I decided to take advantage of the town library just down the street. I happily signed up for a card and checked out a book I had been meaning to read for a long time:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/OmnivoresDilemma_full.jpg/200px-OmnivoresDilemma_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/01/OmnivoresDilemma_full.jpg/200px-OmnivoresDilemma_full.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I knew nothing about <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143038583?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwmichaelpol-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0143038583">The Omnivore's Dilemma</a></i>, or about <a href="http://michaelpollan.com/">Michael Pollan</a>, but I remembered my close friend and vegan roommate reading it while we were in college, and I was intrigued by the title and admired the rich colors of the cover photo. That's where it all began. This book opened my average-consumer eyes to the hidden world of industrial food production in the U.S., as well as to the varied food cultures that exist throughout the country. Nothing I had ever read previously had made me so equally appalled, enraged, intrigued and inspired. Appalled and enraged because I felt like I had been deceived; that the true stomach-churning origins of so many common commercial food items - beef, chicken, soda, salad dressing - had been hidden from me and most other consumers, the ones who trust that a chicken nugget is made with chicken, cornmeal and oil, and don't consider investigating the matter further. But I also felt intrigued, as I became desperate to explore this hidden world of food production and the disjointed food cultures of America's many diverse consumers. I was also inspired to make a radical change in the way I approach food, and to encourage my loved ones to do the same.<br />
<br />
Therefore, to ensure health and happiness, to respect nature and my body, and to reject the corrupt and inefficient industrial food system, I've now made it my goal to purchase and prepare real, whole, unprocessed and organic foods as much as possible. Okay, there's my crunchy statement. I've really never been an activist, and I've never waxed poetic about the environmental or health benefits of a vegetarian meal, but with all that I've learned, I'm really pissed off. Reading Michael Pollan's books and Eric Schlosser's classic <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Food-Nation-Dark-All-American/dp/0060938455">Fast Food Nation</a>, </i>along with watching <i><a href="http://www.foodincmovie.com/">Food, Inc.</a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/">Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution</a></i>, has proven to me that it is a social, political, economic, cultural, medical and environmental <u>struggle</u> to eat right in this country - and it shouldn't be that way. How sad is it that children these days are<a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsr043743"> the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents</a>? Or that 3 (#1, #2 and #7) of the top 10<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm"> leading causes of death in America</a> are largely caused by poor diet? Something is seriously wrong, and I need to at least make it right for myself and my family, if not for everyone.<br />
<br />
And making it right is fun and easy, and means you get to eat! To get away from frozen burritos and pizzas I've had to teach myself to cook. That has led to exploring and experimenting with different cuisines and ingredients, and that has led to my learning tons about cultures, traditions, nutrition, health benefits, cooking techniques, wines, restaurants, politics, science, farms, animals, plants, flavors, textures, the list goes on! I'm loving it. I have re-discovered food, its beauty, its mystery, its excitement, and all of the rippling effects of choosing what to put on your plate and in your body. Food is personal - its what keeps us alive, so we should celebrate it, share it, and frankly, not let anyone f*** it up (as unfortunately they have).<br />
<br />
My new-found passion also excites and encourages me, as I am in that phase of life where I need to figure out what I want to do and who I want to be (not that either of those should ever be definitive). I've known for awhile that I want to go to law school and my interests and academics had been steering me toward immigration law. But now with this fire in my belly, I'm thinking that public health may be more my style. I'm eager to do whatever I can, for whomever I can, to represent the cause for responsible, sustainable policies and practices that safeguard and encourage a healthy populace.<br />
<br />
So there you have it. For months I've been filled with mounting 'positive anger' as Jamie Oliver would say. I've attended a couple of food-related events and webinars, have begun networking with like-minded individuals, and have inundated myself with books, articles and documentaries, and I only want to do more. This blog will be a place for me to share how I progress with my food passion - what I'm reading, what I'm cooking, what I'm feeling - along with random posts about the interesting bits of my everyday life. I hope you'll enjoy reading!Marlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05286472296892476048noreply@blogger.com1