tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371484222024-03-07T00:53:02.810-08:00Not from a BoxCooking food the way it should be: local, seasonal, organic, and — above all — delicious.Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-29718475535265987772012-03-24T22:45:00.002-07:002012-04-03T21:02:18.057-07:00Not your usual eggs and toast<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUwNtaMWFDHPQXKDT053_UwJ3kMEXy8YLAyc2M7uSVgPC6lTA9zV9RoZbn_twUP2zp17C0VsuNT789QGfIu-WquR1eh5_IPvFe2SHXtSeMHA0DvGxPCki2Vg7ef0BzVWlKeqH5A/s1600/IMG_1103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghUwNtaMWFDHPQXKDT053_UwJ3kMEXy8YLAyc2M7uSVgPC6lTA9zV9RoZbn_twUP2zp17C0VsuNT789QGfIu-WquR1eh5_IPvFe2SHXtSeMHA0DvGxPCki2Vg7ef0BzVWlKeqH5A/s320/IMG_1103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>As I've <a href="http://notfromabox.blogspot.com/2011/12/another-pot-of-jook.html" target="_blank">mentioned before</a>, I don't really like eating the usual breakfast foods for breakfast. No pancakes or bear claws for me, and I'll pass on the oatmeal or toast with jam. Instead, I prefer something warm and savory, perhaps something that one might normally eat for dinner. For this week's <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/" target="_blank">Dark Days Challenge</a>, the bonus challenge is to make a SOLE breakfast. If I were eating meat, I could have done bacon, eggs, and toast. Or I could have gone the smoothie route, making one with berries I'd frozen during the summer as well as some currently-available Bloomsdale spinach (for that extra nutrient punch). Instead, I went with one of my favorite breakfast classics: a "wallet egg," inspired by the cookbook <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Every-Grain-Rice-Chinese-Childhood/dp/0609601024/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332914164&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Every Grain of Rice</a>. <br />
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It's pretty simple: Fry up a couple of eggs from Capay Farms in either some Clover butter or Frog Hollow Farm olive oil, but make sure they stay runny. Serve over Lundberg brown rice, with some green onions from A. Nagamine Nursery sprinkled on top. (If not concerned about being SOLE, add some oyster sauce on top, which really makes a difference in the flavor.) The runny eggs will mix into the rice as you eat. It's comforting and filling.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBAFyry0BpArVTqyyY232jg6x-G7cUlEVtSN7Bxq17hy1mM3HPE3pDH9r9QMLuQ5BnthNDYhfG_6jsN5xW6nN2_49mDkNXIbOaKCecsSwPRo67adQr9gMUxpGcLzAXEzxVBKzKw/s1600/IMG_1347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxBAFyry0BpArVTqyyY232jg6x-G7cUlEVtSN7Bxq17hy1mM3HPE3pDH9r9QMLuQ5BnthNDYhfG_6jsN5xW6nN2_49mDkNXIbOaKCecsSwPRo67adQr9gMUxpGcLzAXEzxVBKzKw/s320/IMG_1347.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Another quick breakfast I like eating is mushrooms on toast. Saute some mushrooms (here I used a combination of shiitake, oyster, and cremini) from J&M Ibarra Farms with some diced onions from Catalán Farm in a little olive oil from Frog Hollow Farm. Splash in a little local beer or wine, if you have any. When the liquids have been absorbed, sprinkle over a little chopped parsley from A. Nagamine Nursery, and serve on a slice of toasted sourdough bread from Sumano's Bakery.<br />
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While breakfast isn't exactly my favorite meal of the day, at least I've got a couple dishes up my sleeve that I can fall back on in a pinch. </div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-83000722606839026122012-03-08T22:07:00.045-08:002012-03-13T21:34:21.750-07:00Dinner in a flash<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tQ7pJlXEkxIklbvhBnlf_7KSt2klZAAlk2AvtD2G6uRG0t71pqhznO4ajXsHMgdrOOdGwMvcfDp61y6fFakidytB7NC_66Y485UnDmVekHU7TI0qknKkT0RHuRhbGgvrTmF2iA/s1600/IMG_1123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tQ7pJlXEkxIklbvhBnlf_7KSt2klZAAlk2AvtD2G6uRG0t71pqhznO4ajXsHMgdrOOdGwMvcfDp61y6fFakidytB7NC_66Y485UnDmVekHU7TI0qknKkT0RHuRhbGgvrTmF2iA/s320/IMG_1123.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I'm not very good at making dinner quickly. Somehow I always end up choosing recipes that take a long time to complete. Considering that I don't get home until almost 7PM, it often means it's closer to 8:30 or sometimes even 9PM by the time we sit down to eat. Lately, I've been trying to make meals that are simpler (and thus faster) to make. For this meal, which is also this week's <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/" target="_blank">Dark Days Challenge</a>, I made <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/4506_welsh_rarebit_with_spinach" target="_blank">Welsh rarebit with spinach</a> and roasted asparagus, served with <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/14799_creamy_butternut_squash_soup_with_sherry" target="_blank">creamy butternut squash soup</a> (which I had made earlier in the week). <br />
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The rarebit is insanely easy: After sauteing some Bloomsdale spinach from Tomatero Farms (40 mi), I mixed it with some white cheddar from Spring Hill Jersey Cheese (90 mi) and a little whole grain mustard (not local — it's a Polish brand I really like, and it's the only mustard I've got in my fridge) and a splash of Strauss (90 mi) milk. Then I spread it over a slice of bread from Beckmann's (30 mi) and broiled the whole thing until the cheese was brown and bubbly. Meanwhile, I sprinkled some asparagus (from a vendor whose name I just realized I don't know, even though I've been buying my asparagus from them for the past three years) with some olive oil from Frog Hollow Farm (70 mi) and some thyme from my yard, then I roasted the lot at 450°F for about ten minutes. <br />
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The soup included butternut squash from Happy Boy Farms (35 mi), leeks from Catalán Farms (40 mi), milk from Strauss, and cream from Clover (90 mi). <br />
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Having dinner on the table in under half an hour is practically unheard of around here. I have to say I was pretty proud of myself. </div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-23952947723888292052012-03-01T20:30:00.001-08:002012-03-13T21:07:14.734-07:00Beet simple<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJt-HjJubjWFGGYl3IyYMg433HJswAz_kj4rszZ6B714eFtXqnkhlVXtpx4GdSnWI5k9Fm-fsbbACYVMFMZQTJgJYkLq_h61UKOqMNAJC1iXR4zx1jc3E7uJJQQ9xJZ88yd6Uujg/s1600/IMG_1074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJt-HjJubjWFGGYl3IyYMg433HJswAz_kj4rszZ6B714eFtXqnkhlVXtpx4GdSnWI5k9Fm-fsbbACYVMFMZQTJgJYkLq_h61UKOqMNAJC1iXR4zx1jc3E7uJJQQ9xJZ88yd6Uujg/s320/IMG_1074.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This week's entry into the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/" target="_blank">Dark Days Challenge</a> is a recipe from <a href="http://www.food52.com/" target="_blank">Food52</a>, an online community of people who love to cook and eat. I've been cooking from this website almost exclusively the last couple of weeks. For dinner last night, I made <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/3302_french_peasant_beets" target="_blank">French "peasant" beets</a> with bucherondin cheese and a big hunk of ciabatta. It was delicious, filling, and quite nutritious — but, to be honest, after having it for dinner and then again the following day for lunch, I think I'm done with beets for the season. (Didn't I say that the last time I had <a href="http://notfromabox.blogspot.com/2012/01/all-in-one-pot.html" target="_blank">beets as the main course</a>? This time, I mean it!)<br />
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Fortunately, winter is winding down, and we'll soon be done with beet season. In the meantime, we've entered the quiet space before spring arrives at the farmers' market. Greens and root vegetables are still available but in much smaller supply. All the heirloom varieties of apples are gone, although there is still plenty of citrus. Asparagus, my favorite vegetable, is already available and is about to start making an appearance at every meal (I love it that much). <br />
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Speaking of the farmers' market, the following vendors provided the ingredients for my meal: the beets were from Tomatero Farms (40 mi), the butter was from Clover (90 mi), the shallot was from Borba Farms (40 mi), the cheese was from Redwood Hill Farm (90 mi), and the bread was from La Boulange (50 mi). </div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-23864197147078046252012-02-23T20:33:00.131-08:002012-02-29T22:10:19.870-08:00A vegetarian Lenten challenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMmQmtX6FQliDVn_LiMRl6C42B1QvEIhF3amMNfV4ay6IGV7MOnECq_zpaU61OId4_pPM6gAil3L2y_CaZnHyy1f7EcjwJi1rt0QSkx8OipoLMPc2CcQfWOq_NksllJSBelyR5A/s1600/IMG_0557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMmQmtX6FQliDVn_LiMRl6C42B1QvEIhF3amMNfV4ay6IGV7MOnECq_zpaU61OId4_pPM6gAil3L2y_CaZnHyy1f7EcjwJi1rt0QSkx8OipoLMPc2CcQfWOq_NksllJSBelyR5A/s320/IMG_0557.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Lent began yesterday with Ash Wednesday. Even though I'm no longer a practicing Catholic, nine years of Catholic school have instilled in me a need to give up something for the forty days before Easter. This year, as I do most years, I've given up meat. (I've also given up eating out, unless someone else is paying. Besides being sacrifices, both are actually ways for me to try and save money.) It just so happens that this first week of Lent coincides with a challenge-within-a-challenge from the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/" target="_blank">Dark Days Challenge</a>, which is to make a SOLE (seasonal, organic, local, ethical) vegetarian meal.<br />
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To be honest, cooking vegetarian is sort of a normal occurrence around here. Because it's important for me to eat locally- and ethically-raised meat, which happens to be expensive, I don't often cook a lot of meat. Lately, though, I've been exploring my SOLE meat options and have been buying more meat (and thus increasing my food bill!). Coming back to meatless cooking allows me to fall back on old favorites, as well as to discover new vegetarian options.<br />
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Finding new vegetarian recipes can be somewhat of a challenge for me and my tastes. I don't typically like to cook with soy-based meat alternatives — too processed and don't always taste very good. I also think that most vegetarian dishes one finds in magazines or cookbooks are too focused on beans, soy, or other proteins, as if the main point of the meal is to replace the meat that is "missing." For me, eating without meat is an opportunity to put more vegetables in my diet. I'd rather eat a plate of greens over a brick of tempeh any day.<br />
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For this vegetarian Dark Days meal, I made an easy classic, namely a grilled cheese sandwich, and paired it with a <a href="http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/parsnip-apple-soup-50400000118283/" target="_blank">parsnip and apple soup</a> from <i>Sunset</i> magazine. The bread for the sandwich came from Beckmann's (30 mi), the cheese was an organic white cheddar from the Spring Hill Jersey Cheese Co. (98 mi), and the butter used for the pan was from Strauss Dairy (95 mi). The soup was made with sad, week-old (but still good for soup!) parsnips from Heirloom Organics, Fuji apples from Prevedelli, leeks from Catalán Farms, and shallots from Borba Farms (all about 40 mi away), as well as half-and-half from Clover Stornetta (95 mi). Instead of apple cider and chicken stock, I used water, which I usually like to do with soups because it helps to bring out the flavors of the parsnips and apples (or whatever vegetable is going into the soup). Finally, in place of creme fraîche, I used Strauss plain yogurt.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0Qz3bg0ahPT04_rtmw9Xta3dYgEc3-SDkCyTAvVIRrJpO4JWLsfSbmqqNhrh5PCGsa4IudeJfZLfUoMRHrmU2bRctyts_z20jrNTf65f0tJGu-qMsqyTPW461I06WHAT6D4hmw/s1600/IMG_0562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix0Qz3bg0ahPT04_rtmw9Xta3dYgEc3-SDkCyTAvVIRrJpO4JWLsfSbmqqNhrh5PCGsa4IudeJfZLfUoMRHrmU2bRctyts_z20jrNTf65f0tJGu-qMsqyTPW461I06WHAT6D4hmw/s320/IMG_0562.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The soup is very good. The sweetness of the apples shines against the bitter-sweet flavor of the parsnips. It would probably taste especially good with some curry thrown in there. As is, it makes for a good place to dip a freshly-grilled cheese sandwich.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-10270483366878184842012-02-11T17:24:00.000-08:002012-02-15T21:26:54.029-08:00Trail food<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoT1v_PFTZ9lfeDhgfzw9WUqVqLdStF0cHFcl8Vzdl86Va2qQ-pQDrFld_xN_VwHaBdNeeHK6RjYRZLunHO76yLQLdzNbdelm0QgmXEeN8mhtVF80PCajqsB2xOyGuaJJtAJmtxg/s1600/IMG_0751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoT1v_PFTZ9lfeDhgfzw9WUqVqLdStF0cHFcl8Vzdl86Va2qQ-pQDrFld_xN_VwHaBdNeeHK6RjYRZLunHO76yLQLdzNbdelm0QgmXEeN8mhtVF80PCajqsB2xOyGuaJJtAJmtxg/s320/IMG_0751.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The Anthropologist and I went on a 12-mile hike today with the Sierra Club. We were the youngest of the group by at least twenty years -- and we got our asses kicked by nearly all of them. We were left in the dust while the rest of the 22-person group sped off up the steep hills of the county park. I huffed and puffed, my legs and feet protesting as we came down the inclines toward the end of the hike. By the end, I was so sore I could barely walk up and down the stairs in my apartment.<br />
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Despite all of that, it was a good time. We stopped for lunch at some picnic tables overlooking the hills, watching a red-tailed hawk swooping over the trees. I had packed more than enough food, just in case we needed to immediately replenish all the calories we were going to burn: bacon sandwiches with arugula and slow-roasted tomatoes (from the freezer), tortilla chips, Pink Lady apples, oatmeal raisin cookies, toasted nuts and dried cherries, and Mojo snack bars. The sandwiches are this week's entry into the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a>, as all the components happened to come from local sources. The bread is a California black from Beckmann's Bakery (30 mi), the bacon is from Range Bros. (120 mi), the arugula is from Heirloom Organics (40 mi), and the tomatoes were from a U-pick at Full Circle Farm (20 mi), which I had slow-roasted back in September and had stashed in the freezer for mid-winter occasions such as these.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDaAy7DDvtLvn0PTvXh-lbb8yODYPn39F1AOB59YOOOCWS3PpZek2n5Obvf28eD4DBRiJpmyi6d0q-y1E7ht1BxlhJPc-6kbAMzzfDji_NyFt2Y3Fq3Fm6STDtqaEQcTTQINCbw/s1600/IMG_0747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDaAy7DDvtLvn0PTvXh-lbb8yODYPn39F1AOB59YOOOCWS3PpZek2n5Obvf28eD4DBRiJpmyi6d0q-y1E7ht1BxlhJPc-6kbAMzzfDji_NyFt2Y3Fq3Fm6STDtqaEQcTTQINCbw/s320/IMG_0747.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It was the sort of lunch that was nice to eat outdoors, even though it was suddenly gray and chilly (and the Anthropologist hadn't brought a sweatshirt or rain jacket). It felt appropriate to be in nature, enjoying the scenery, and eating foods that had come from relatively close by.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-66775392658422947162012-02-02T23:51:00.000-08:002012-02-15T22:01:49.386-08:00Welcome spring!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAIQMeEX05bGkPPyapIy79IagYlwW9BMVQ7v1hE4JJ55kDNSZjJD0D6YkF_VFbMJBME4yQHDd2EOFAkmVGsGOk7yG76qM5O4hblIYidenNzlP6ikUZgAjI4D6osqJgEs7t9S6xA/s1600/IMG_0655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeAIQMeEX05bGkPPyapIy79IagYlwW9BMVQ7v1hE4JJ55kDNSZjJD0D6YkF_VFbMJBME4yQHDd2EOFAkmVGsGOk7yG76qM5O4hblIYidenNzlP6ikUZgAjI4D6osqJgEs7t9S6xA/s320/IMG_0655.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Around here, Groundhog Day is actually known as Imbolg, the midway point between winter and spring. Instead of waiting for a large rodent to tell me whether or not there will be more winter, I celebrate the return of evening light and the inevitable approach of spring. This year, my almost-spring meal coincides with this week's entry into the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/" target="_blank">Dark Days Challenge</a>.<br />
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As I mentioned <a href="http://notfromabox.blogspot.com/2011/12/looking-back-at-solstice.html" target="_blank">at Yule</a>, for the sabbats, I like to cook from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Moonlight-Witchs-Guide-Culinary/dp/1567180159/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325970964&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Cooking by Moonlight</a>. For this celebratory meal, I chose sun-kissed carrots baked in foil, made with carrots from Tomatero Farms (40 mi) and oranges from Rojas Family Farms (190 mi). I served the carrots with a variation of Food52's <a href="http://food52.com/blog/2865_chicken_breast_with_cream_of_herb_sauce" target="_blank">chicken breast with cream of herb sauce</a>, using chicken legs from Petaluma Poultry (by way of Whole Foods; 90 mi), cream from Clover (90 mi), and herbs from my garden. To sop up the delicious sauce, there was ciabatta from La Boulange (50 mi). <br />
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I put the carrots, sliced red onions from Borba Farms (40 mi), honey from Small Bees (10 mi), and orange juice in a foil packet and put it alongside the pan of chicken legs, leaving them to roast while I made the cream sauce. This sauce was basically a mix of shallots from Borba sauteed in olive oil from Frog Hollow Farm (70 mi), white wine (Two Buck Chuck — unfortunately not local), and the cream, cooked down until thick. After the chicken legs came out of the oven, I poured the rendered fat into the sauce, which made a good thing even better. The whole meal was extremely delicious and wholly satisfying. It was a great way to mark that the Dark Days are drawing to a close.<br />
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Roasted chicken legs with herb cream sauce<br />
(adapted from Food52)<br />
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2 chicken legs, skin on<br />
2 shallots, minced <br />
1 c white wine<br />
2 c heavy cream<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the chicken legs in a pan just large enough to fit them side by side, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh (but not right next to the bone) registers 160°.<br />
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Meanwhile, saute the shallots in a little olive oil until translucent. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the cream and reduce by half again.<br />
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When the chicken is done, remove the legs from the pan and allow to cool slightly. Add the rendered fat from the pan into the cream sauce. Reduce if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with sauce poured on top.<br />
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<br />
Sun-kissed carrots baked in foil<br />
(slightly adapted from Kari Ann Allrich)<br />
<br />
1/2 lb carrots (thinner is better), scrubbed, ends trimmed, and cut into 3-inch pieces<br />
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced<br />
1 tbsp orange zest<br />
1/3 c orange juice<br />
1 tbsp honey<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut two pieces of aluminum foil to make a double thick layer, and center the carrots in the middle of the foil. Add red onion, zest, and a little olive oil on top. Cut a piece of foil for the top, match it up, and seal on three sides.<br />
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Whisk the juice and honey together and carefully pour it into the open end of the packet, then seal the packet tightly. Place on a baking sheet, and bake carrots for 40 to 50 minutes.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-37680618361932686932012-01-31T20:33:00.000-08:002012-02-15T21:25:45.980-08:00Sweets for the sweet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0q3kY4-d4LGaKsYveh_kkrywX69CHbd8WYQop2oiIbo3V2rIHrNnP6381TGqrx0k8wWzeQG2zX6bkh8cS97igufXnrkWPSoGrU6KMVtesDRMT6i1Xp_qfIHDsZ8nQQTyKfT1aw/s1600/IMG_0405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD0q3kY4-d4LGaKsYveh_kkrywX69CHbd8WYQop2oiIbo3V2rIHrNnP6381TGqrx0k8wWzeQG2zX6bkh8cS97igufXnrkWPSoGrU6KMVtesDRMT6i1Xp_qfIHDsZ8nQQTyKfT1aw/s320/IMG_0405.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The double challenge for this week's <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a> is to create a sweet treat suitable for Valentine's Day using only SOLE ingredients. Since I've got to stick to local and seasonal, this eliminated chocolate, sugar, and any "romantic" fruits, like berries or mango. I toyed with the idea of doing poached fruit, perhaps serving it with a blood orange sorbet. However, the most obvious contender, pears, were no longer available at the farmers' market. Apples were aplenty, though, and in lots of different varieties.<br />
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My favorite apple vendor, Prevedelli Farms, sells a dazzling array of expected and heirloom varieties of apples. They've got Fuji, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith, but they also have Pink Lady, Sundowner, Gravenstein, Mutsu, and Hauer Pippin, a variety originating in the Santa Cruz mountains (can't get any more local than that). My favorites are Pink Lady and Sundowner, which are actually rather similar to one another and have a complexity of flavor that I don't find in the run-of-the-mill Fuji. I often buy from the "not-so-pretty" box — because what's a few bumps when they're only a dollar a pound? And particularly when you're going to turn the apples into sorbet.<br />
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I found my inspiration while Googling apple recipes, which pointed me in the direction of the baked apple sorbet from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Jenis-Splendid-Ice-Creams-Home/dp/1579654363/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328074588&sr=8-1">Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home</a> — a book I happen to own. It's a pretty straight-forward recipe: bake apples with apple cider and sweetener (in my case, Pink Ladies from Prevedelli [40 mi], with honey from Small Bees [10 mi] and local cider [I forget from where]) until soft, then blitz with an immersion blender before freezing in an ice cream machine. The original recipe calls for vanilla and cinnamon, neither of which are local, so I went with Meyer lemon zest (from my tree) instead. The result is a sweet-tart dessert with a hint of floral from the honey. Jeni recommends serving it with whipped cream (Clover, 90 mi) and a glass of whiskey. <br />
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To be honest, this really just tasted like frozen applesauce. Not to say that it wasn't delicious — it just didn't fulfill my idea of an ideal, decadent Valentine's Day dessert. The whipped cream helped a bit, and when not eating for the challenge, I did find that a drizzle of Rebel Yell whiskey over the top boosted the flavor. While it's not what I <a href="http://www.food52.com/recipes/2908_chocolate_mousse_with_cointreau_and_chocolate_shards">actually want to make</a> for Valentine's Day dessert, the sorbet is pretty nice for what I could do with what's available locally right now.<br />
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And what did my Valentine think? The Anthropologist liked it okay, as I did, but was expecting something creamier. I made up for it later in the week when I made ginger-black sesame ice cream for the Lunar New Year. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKVX2_ByyjUeRXBYDVYKDHd4FSm3jlXNgx6OdWizZ41GS8ChdXcLVh1B0J2vjfuFG7wppOflSmf2GyBbjy4JznxwJ17wBNLc6OWcQRl8YwkaBu42D4wMkA3gKWSRq8Y8fEHJiDA/s1600/IMG_0399.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKVX2_ByyjUeRXBYDVYKDHd4FSm3jlXNgx6OdWizZ41GS8ChdXcLVh1B0J2vjfuFG7wppOflSmf2GyBbjy4JznxwJ17wBNLc6OWcQRl8YwkaBu42D4wMkA3gKWSRq8Y8fEHJiDA/s320/IMG_0399.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Local baked apple sorbet<br />
(adapted from <i>Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home</i>)<br />
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1-1/2 c unfiltered apple cider<br />
1-1/2 lb tart apples, cored and quartered<br />
1/2 c honey<br />
1/2 c water<br />
1 tsp Meyer lemon zest<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients except zest in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, tossing to mix. Cover dish loosely with foil and bake for an hour and a half, or until apples are tender. Remove from the oven and let cool.<br />
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Puree the apple mixture with an immersion blender or in a food processor until completely smooth. Stir in zest. Refrigerate until completely cold.<br />
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Pour the sorbet base into an ice cream machine and churn for 25 minutes. Pack the sorbet into a storage container, and put in the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-85145531711721683432012-01-17T20:51:00.000-08:002012-02-15T21:26:10.247-08:00Roots take center stage<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbnIxpoUMvGVPS9QLwfYm21yBIVvEM0cS9YfyHl17d_RPr8Em-kdc-2zY9ackbG4-ooYvARRiXc7ztMwgzoAGKLGq5_2n0pGF3xaTQPddHRQv96S3i0o8Wur1CRLM0gGtia5Z5A/s1600/IMG_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZbnIxpoUMvGVPS9QLwfYm21yBIVvEM0cS9YfyHl17d_RPr8Em-kdc-2zY9ackbG4-ooYvARRiXc7ztMwgzoAGKLGq5_2n0pGF3xaTQPddHRQv96S3i0o8Wur1CRLM0gGtia5Z5A/s320/IMG_0220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>As I work my way through the second week of my detox, I can see the end in sight. This is mainly because I'm ending it earlier than as instructed by <i>Whole Living</i> magazine. I'm no longer interested in starving myself in the interest of "getting healthy," and anyway, I've learned the lessons that needed to be learned: I'll be packing the fruits and veggies into every meal with smoothies, salads, soups, and side dishes. And this will get easier as the year goes on and we come into spring and summer — bringing with them, all the amazing produce (asparagus! peas! corn!).<br />
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Meanwhile, I made this simple dish of roasted root vegetables, inspired by Whole Living's <a href="http://www.wholeliving.com/151390/roasted-winter-vegetables-cannellini-beans">Roasted Winter Vegetables with Canellini Beans</a>. It's also my next installment of the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a>, since it happens to be made up of farmers' market veggies served over relatively-locally-grown brown rice. It's dead easy: I chopped up carrots and fennel from Capay Farms and celery root from Catalan Farms, sprinkled them with thyme from my garden (as well as a little salt and pepper), and roasted them at 425°F for about 25 minutes. The original recipe calls for garlic, leeks, sweet potato, and brussels sprouts, which I would have thrown into mix if I'd had any. Oh, and beans. I don't know a source for local beans (anyone in the Bay Area who does, please let me know!), and since I hadn't soaked any of the dried beans I do have, I left them out. <br />
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I'm looking forward to continuing to eat healthy, while experimenting with new and exciting recipes. One of my new years' resolutions was to actually cook from the food magazines I subscribe to — because it's high time I put <i>Food & Wine</i>, <i>Sunset</i>, and <i>Cook's Illustrated</i> to use. (I also get <i>Cooking Light</i> and <i>Real Simple</i>, but I'm letting those subscriptions lapse, as their recipes don't inspire me and use too many convenience and out-of-season foods.) I also recently discovered the food "community" <a href="http://www.food52.com/">Food52</a>, which I recommend you check out for the food photography alone. How can you not want to eat every recipe you see when the food looks that gorgeous?</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-6705865865262490142012-01-14T20:07:00.001-08:002012-01-16T11:37:16.447-08:00All in one pot<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLwLZ0DCuUaMbD3aTPVgqqjlgWRCCp2tHYcIyHwZ260xqLeg6jkiPV5xDn-YnKSgiihciSoGrw8_A-RBKawSySlw5QV0-l_4nMOxKXIYQL-27BkWYKkTv5keOTA9W2J3I0Ejqyg/s1600/IMG_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixLwLZ0DCuUaMbD3aTPVgqqjlgWRCCp2tHYcIyHwZ260xqLeg6jkiPV5xDn-YnKSgiihciSoGrw8_A-RBKawSySlw5QV0-l_4nMOxKXIYQL-27BkWYKkTv5keOTA9W2J3I0Ejqyg/s320/IMG_0224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This week for the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a>, we have been challenged further to create a soup or one-pot meal using SOLE ingredients. I find this funny (funny-interesting, not funny-ha ha) because I started this challenge making soups and stews and felt that I was cheating for not doing a meal that was comprised of many dishes. Since I'm detoxing for the next couple weeks, my next entry in the challenge is a very austere <a href="http://www.wholeliving.com/151384/roasted-garlic-and-beet-soup">beet and roasted garlic soup</a> from <i>Whole Living</i>. It is, to put it simply, a pot of pureed beets with some seasonings thrown in. But it's still mostly beets. After eating this soup two days in a row (for dinner, then lunch the following day) plus a smoothie on the third day which involved beets (as well as apple and berries), I think I've had enough of beets for a little while. At least enough of the ruby-red-stain-everything-it-touches variety. I still want to make some <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/10/how-to-pickle-golden-beets.html">pickled golden beets</a>. <br />
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The beets came from Happy Boy Farms, the onions from Borba Farms, the garlic from Catalán Farms (all 40 mi), the thyme from my garden, the bay leaf from one of my families' yards (30 mi), and the Meyer lemon from a friend's yard (11 mi). I roasted the beets in foil for an hour the day before. The next day, I rubbed off the peels (thus dyeing my hands pink) and cut them in quarters. I "sauteed" sliced onions in a little water, then added the herbs and beets to the pot along with more water. Meanwhile, I roasted the garlic cloves, but I neglected to wrap them in foil so they turned out rather crunchy instead of soft. After the soup had been simmering for about ten minutes, I added the garlic and lemon and attempted to use my immersion blender, only to find the beet chunks were too big for the machine to manage. So I had to fish out the beets and cut them smaller. Once blended, I had a vivid magenta soup that would really well as a first course for a slightly heartier main dish (I'm imagining something like <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roast-chicken-thighs-with-lentil-stew">this</a>). But I ate it as an entree with a salad and felt virtuous — albiet still a little hungry.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-33141483308655841892012-01-10T20:55:00.001-08:002012-01-16T11:30:54.459-08:00New year, new diet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIKcdN0SQKYGnGjiQwGCr8fD4QBUaJ0TUSXpUWFp6Pn-BaF_0ToQ0xRAYOai4pGRG72xlKgeMnkv71zEcauJrjPnWvxqT57XDNS-CsHUxUuoeUKA-q69ytY67g0bg4ZHCb9nTJg/s1600/IMG_0216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoIKcdN0SQKYGnGjiQwGCr8fD4QBUaJ0TUSXpUWFp6Pn-BaF_0ToQ0xRAYOai4pGRG72xlKgeMnkv71zEcauJrjPnWvxqT57XDNS-CsHUxUuoeUKA-q69ytY67g0bg4ZHCb9nTJg/s320/IMG_0216.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This week, I embarked upon what is turning into a yearly event: the post-holidays detox diet. For those of you who don't know me, I never eat as much meat as I did at the end of this past December. The <a href="http://notfromabox.blogspot.com/2011/12/its-monochromatic-german-christmas.html">sausages</a>? The <a href="http://notfromabox.blogspot.com/2011/12/looking-back-at-solstice.html">fish</a>? The three kinds of meat dishes my mother served at Christmas Eve dinner? That's not my usual dining style. Plus all the sweets and boozy drinks! (Admittedly, that was not all that unusual.) By the time January rolled around, it was time to overhaul my diet and go back to a more healthy way of eating.<br />
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This is the second year that I'm following Whole Living's <a href="http://www.wholeliving.com/153124/how-2012-challenge-works/">28-Day Mind + Body Challenge</a>. I don't usually go in for diets or cleanses — it doesn't make sense to me to drink only liquids or deprive myself in any serious way — but I find that the "action plan" is fairly sensible. It basically requires that you cut out certain things (dairy, gluten, meat, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and processed foods) and eat only fruits and veggies, grains, beans, and eventually fish. It's just for two weeks. Then you start introducing the "banned" foods back into your now-healthy diet in a way that will hopefully be sustainable.<br />
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To be honest, I liked last year's plan better. This year, I find that I'm hungry all the time, and it has become clear to me that the plan wasn't designed for someone who has to be on her feet several hours a day. So I've been tweaking the diet plan a little, adding non-wheat grains to what is supposed to be a week of only fruit, vegetables, and seeds, so that I'm not passing out on the classroom floor. But I've been learning a lot, and as I move away from this "detox" and into my usual way of eating, I plan to eat as many fruits and vegetables every day as I am now (somewhere between six and ten servings!). I'm enjoying starting the day with a fruit-kale-flax smoothie, and I like the notion of starting dinner with a salad or pureed vegetable soup. What this detox is also teaching me is to return to reasonable portions, so that I'm not gorging on restaurant-sized platters of food at every meal. <br />
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This week, I was chatting with my assistant director, who, after being vegetarian for the last two years, is aiming to go vegan in the next couple months. Her reasoning is that a vegan diet can cure cancer and reverse the signs of aging. I'm not sure about the science behind either of those things, but I do agree that a plant-heavy diet is the way to go, diet-wise. I don't agree, however, that meat, dairy, and other animal products are the root of the health problems of Americans, since humans have eaten those foods for a long time — it's the kind of meat/dairy and how much you're eating and how often that's the problem. Cookiecrumb over at I'm Mad and I Eat wrote a <a href="http://www.madeater.blogspot.com/2012/01/little-vegan-who-wouldnt.html">thoughtful commentary</a> on vegan eating that further convinced me that I ought to bring ethically-raised, local animal products (and protein!) back into my diet sooner rather than later.<br />
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For one of this week's detox dinners, I made roasted broccoli and butternut squash with peanut sauce over quinoa. It was my own take on the magazine's <a href="http://www.wholeliving.com/151380/steamed-broccoli-and-squash-tahini-dressing">Steamed Broccoli and Squash with Tahini Dressing</a>. First of all, all vegetables taste better when roasted. And I had to swap butternut for delicata because that's what was available at the farmers' market. And I never stock tahini but I always have peanut butter on hand. Finally, I needed something to serve with the veggie dish because I can't really get used to the idea of eating <i>only</i> vegetables for dinner. The dish was wholesome, and I felt virtuous. Plus I really love peanut sauce.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-79647296814707023892012-01-07T17:12:00.001-08:002012-01-07T19:52:57.658-08:00Thai-style green curry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-sf-xZURwERT7fm8AgnpKdqZCBGQey-ehHnADKNB935pwmwS2EoPNiVVITZ6K6MMTrdpBcTbdfvHW_ycuawW7wlJkDRCQzCw704vcy4-2tHGddsaMZF4VgD8sdDT8ouKwM32sA/s1600/IMG_0203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-sf-xZURwERT7fm8AgnpKdqZCBGQey-ehHnADKNB935pwmwS2EoPNiVVITZ6K6MMTrdpBcTbdfvHW_ycuawW7wlJkDRCQzCw704vcy4-2tHGddsaMZF4VgD8sdDT8ouKwM32sA/s320/IMG_0203.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once again, I've almost entirely failed at producing a SOLE (seasonal, organic, local, ethical) meal for this week's <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a>. I blame it entirely on the absence of my usual farmers' market. I haven't had access to the variety of foods that I normally would be purchasing for the week's meals. I've been relying on Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, and I've been planning my meals around recipes from <a href="http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/">The Splendid Table</a>, for which I bought entirely non-local ingredients, like pasta, ricotta cheese, and pizza dough.<br />
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Okay, and I blame it on post-holiday laziness.<br />
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This week, I made a vegetable curry, which used all local ingredients except for the curry sauce itself. I used pumpkin from Capay Farms (120 mi), red bell pepper from Borba Farms (40 mi), and baby bok choy from A. Nagamine Nursery (40 mi), and served the curry over brown rice from Lundberg Farms (195 mi). The curry sauce included Thai green curry paste (a gift from a Thai friend — I fully intend to learn to make my own curry paste one of these days), fish sauce, brown sugar, and coconut milk, all non-local.<br />
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I wasn't sure how much curry paste to use. The container called for 50 grams for the cup of coconut milk needed to make the sauce. After looking at a couple recipes in the Thai cookbooks I have, I used three tablespoons and a can of coconut milk — resulting in a curry so white hot that I could barely eat it, even when I mixed in some Strauss plain yogurt (the way they do with Indian curries) to cut the spice. I ended up going out to get another can of coconut milk the next day and mixing that into the leftovers. That helped tremendously, leaving enough heat to get my sinuses going. Next time, I'll use just one tablespoon.<br />
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The curry also was originally rather yellow, as you can see in the photo. I think the pumpkin contributed to that. When I added the extra coconut milk, it took on more of a greenish hue.<br />
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For Christmas, I received three cookbooks: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Life-Contemporary-Traditions-Healthier/dp/0471757071/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325994211&sr=8-1">The Elements of Life: A Contemporary Guide to Thai Recipes</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Land-Plenty-Treasury-Authentic-Sichuan/dp/0393051773/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325994279&sr=1-1">Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking</a>, and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Great-Wall-Recipes-Travels/dp/1579653014/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325994341&sr=1-1">Beyond the Great Wall: Travel and Recipes in the Other China</a>. I have a lot of Chinese and southeast Asian cooking in my future. Maybe I'll finally get the hang of this green curry.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-51870028807974180672011-12-30T12:52:00.000-08:002012-01-07T17:10:53.947-08:00Looking back at the solstice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFunne5foYMRgi_LTydV-Rqx8nHYp30yudCp7VZZLDpXi73OXLAQf3owFmGA7l_ioZZqmTWL9sz47Bsw3OI2xHFxOwe4wbnBkNi2a-QgzJKPaYkw0H191OYLFV_3TXLOOPYdGKvg/s1600/IMG_0112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFunne5foYMRgi_LTydV-Rqx8nHYp30yudCp7VZZLDpXi73OXLAQf3owFmGA7l_ioZZqmTWL9sz47Bsw3OI2xHFxOwe4wbnBkNi2a-QgzJKPaYkw0H191OYLFV_3TXLOOPYdGKvg/s320/IMG_0112.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Well, this week's <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a> was a wash. Between visiting friends and rushing around and eating out, I didn't do very much cooking. With my favorite farmers' market closed for the holidays (two Sundays in a row!), I have gone out of my way to visit other markets, but even then, there were less vendors and therefore less variety. So for the fifth installment, I'm looking back at last week, to the meal I made to celebrate Yule, also known as the winter solstice.<br />
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There are eight neo-pagan festival days, called sabbats, which happen throughout the year. I especially love celebrating these days because they mark the changing of the seasons, which allows me to truly appreciate what is happening right now (in nature, with the weather, and with local produce) and gets me excited about what's soon to come. When I cook on these days, I typically turn to a cookbook called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Moonlight-Witchs-Guide-Culinary/dp/1567180159/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1325970964&sr=8-1">Cooking by Moonlight</a> (out of print, unfortunately). Because neo-paganism emphasizes seasonality and taking cues from our natural surroundings, this book really speaks to the way that I like to cook, using seasonal, organic ingredients and putting together ingredients in a mindful way. For the solstice, I decided to make Orange-Marinated Rockfish over Warmed Spinach with Walnuts with Thyme Smashed Potatoes.<br />
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The original recipe called for salmon, but H&H Fish at the market was selling Monterey Bay-caught (60 mi) rockfish, also known as rock cod, at a reasonable price. I brought the ziptop bag home and marinated the fish in a mixture of juice from oranges from Rojas Family Farms (190 mi, just outside my foodshed — d'oh!), Meyer lemon juice from a friend's tree (11 mi), and a little sage honey from the Golden Comb (110 mi). Then I baked it in the oven and served it on top of some sauteed spinach from Tomatero Farms (40 mi) with walnuts from a vendor whose name I forget (so I can't look them up right now), with a little more of the citrus sauce drizzled on top. On the side, I made smashed Yukon Gold potatoes from Happy Boy Farm (40 mi), seasoned with Strauss (90 mi) milk and butter and thyme from my garden. The original recipe called for dill, but I don't grow that particular herb and didn't have any locally-grown on hand.<br />
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The meal was a really nice way to celebrate the return of the sun and to welcome the longer days ahead. The full recipes are after the jump.<br />
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<b>Orange Marinated Rockfish</b><br />
(adapted from Karri Ann Allrich's <i>Cooking by Moonlight</i>)<br />
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2 rockfish fillets (or salmon or other fish of medium thickness)<br />
2-3 oranges<br />
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice<br />
1 tbsp mild-tasting honey<br />
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Zest an orange until you have 1 tbsp of zest. Peel the orange, and pull out the sections, cleaning away the pith and seeds. Juice the other oranges until you have 3/4 c of juice. Combine the zest, orange and lemon juices, and honey to make a marinade. Pour half of the mixture into a shallow dish. Place the fish fillets into the dish, turning to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and marinate up to an hour.<br />
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Preheat the oven to 425°F. Roast the fish in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness. Meanwhile, pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer, stirring, until it begins to reduce and thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the orange sections.<br />
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To serve, place a fillet on a plate (or bed of spinach, recipe follows) and spoon the reduced sauce over top.<br />
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Serves 2.<br />
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<b>Warmed Spinach with Walnuts</b><br />
(adapted from Karri Ann Allrich's <i>Cooking by Moonlight</i>)<br />
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1/2 lb. of mature spinach, such as the Bloomsdale variety<br />
1/3 c walnut pieces, lightly toasted<br />
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Wash the spinach thoroughly. In a large pan over medium-low heat, place the wet spinach, and allow to wilt. Season with salt and pepper (and, if not restricted by lack of local availability, add a little sesame oil and balsamic vinegar). Toss with walnuts and serve.<br />
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<b>Smashed Thyme Potatoes</b><br />
(adapted from Karri Ann Allrich's <i>Cooking by Moonlight</i>) <br />
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1/2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks<br />
2 tbsp butter<br />
1/4 c whole milk<br />
2 tsp fresh thyme<br />
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Place the potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and gently smash them with a masher or fork. Add the butter, milk, thyme, salt, and pepper.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-51383943814401439942011-12-24T13:58:00.000-08:002011-12-30T15:00:37.639-08:00It's a monochromatic German Christmas!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChLgll8efcTbZVhpcBi9cMuR5fNMEaxMsupW_kUyKaqqddbkGOep9QWETpbnMzEeIYHIlRan2koRwIXtSctoLySaBCjF0eYXOSUoifHt_wBn3k47Y37l_7-jSJMmosnoY9Qd0Sg/s1600/IMG_0114.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgChLgll8efcTbZVhpcBi9cMuR5fNMEaxMsupW_kUyKaqqddbkGOep9QWETpbnMzEeIYHIlRan2koRwIXtSctoLySaBCjF0eYXOSUoifHt_wBn3k47Y37l_7-jSJMmosnoY9Qd0Sg/s320/IMG_0114.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Inspired by a <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Menu/A-German-Christmas-Menu">German Christmas Menu</a> on Saveur's site, I had planned to make this meal for Christmas Eve dinner, but it turns out we'll be going to my mom's for dinner tonight. Instead, I made this for Christmas Eve Eve dinner. It also happens to be my fourth installment of the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a>, since it was made entirely of locally-sourced, organic, ethically-grown, and seasonal ingredients.<br />
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Saveur's Turkey with Sauerkraut, Riesling, and Pork Sausage became a one-pot dish of sauerkraut, bockwurst, and boiled potatoes. I started by slicing some onions from Borba Farms (40 mi) and sauteing them briefly before adding chopped pasture-raised bacon from <a href="http://www.rangebrothers.com/index.htm">Range Brothers Buckin' Pork</a> (120 mi). After a quick stir, I added fermented, organic sauerkraut from <a href="http://www.farmhouseculture.com/kraut/ourkraut.html">Farmhouse Culture Kraut</a> (30 mi) and diced Pink Lady apples from Prevedelli Farms (40 mi). I made a little cheesecloth bag and filled it with thyme from my garden, parsley from Happy Boy Farms (40 mi), and a bay leaf from a house in Portola Valley (26 mi), then added that to the pot. I poured over a little water and left the pot to cook for a while. After about five minutes, I added several small, unpeeled German Butterball potatoes from Happy Boy Farms, rotating them in the sauerkraut mixture occasionally until they were soft, which took about twenty minutes. Then I added two bockwurst sausages from Range Brothers, which were fully cooked and just needed to be reheated. The result was delicious, though lacking in color.<br />
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To remedy that, on the side I served a dandelion greens salad with hot bacon dressing. Saveur calls for a spinach salad, but they included a note that "<span itemprop="summary">[d]uring the 19th century (and perhaps before), German-Americans used the flavorful dressing to coat dandelion greens." So I picked up some dandelion from Tomatero Farms (40 mi) and coated them with a dressing made from crisped bacon from Range Brothers and sauteed shallots from Borba Farms, mixed with sherry vinegar, dijion mustard, and sugar (none of which were local — because, again, I <a href="http://notfromabox.blogspot.com/2011/12/tapping-my-german-roots.html">wasn't thinking</a>). The greens weren't as bitter as I was expecting them to be, which is good because bitter is not my favorite flavor, but the dressing was way too tart next too the tang of the sauerkraut. Next time I'll reduce the amount of vinegar.</span><br />
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<span itemprop="summary">Savuer's menu called for mulled wine to drink with the meal. Instead, we had a delicious Mourvedre from Bonny Doon Vineyards, made with grapes from Contra Costa County (60 mi). This was paired with Christmas cookies made by families in my classroom (which, while probably not made with local ingredients, were cooked locally and made with love).</span><br />
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<span itemprop="summary">Merry Christmas, everyone, and happy eating!</span></div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-24117049227681893612011-12-19T21:56:00.000-08:002011-12-30T13:57:59.322-08:00Tapping my German roots<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSymZTNfHj3jYdAho0WAyZ6e5dGrvU73G8RzPXThVNqrmSzXMr1X0Q7vBmcKV0lJvcZecoCWPx5YGcdj2LtZU_xhlRQz_P2f4Td5ENQ5GV5W0Ue-Mp47CtpvnCDDJeE5Ozoe9-Yg/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSymZTNfHj3jYdAho0WAyZ6e5dGrvU73G8RzPXThVNqrmSzXMr1X0Q7vBmcKV0lJvcZecoCWPx5YGcdj2LtZU_xhlRQz_P2f4Td5ENQ5GV5W0Ue-Mp47CtpvnCDDJeE5Ozoe9-Yg/s320/IMG_0091.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>For the third installment of the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a>, I figured it was time to get serious and take the time to plan and make a full SOLE (seasonal, organic, local, ethical) meal. Inspired while looking at some other blogs, I decided to try my hand at German food. My father's maternal grandparents were from Germany, and I liked the idea of getting in touch with my German roots. The meal ended up being of German-Jewish origin (and we're Catholic), but I imagine my forebears ate foods that were similar — I mean, doesn't everyone in Germany eat cabbage and potatoes?<br />
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Dinner was spinach latkes with applesauce and cabbage stuffed with mushrooms. I bought nearly all the ingredients at the farmers' market: Bloomsdale spinach and savoy cabbage from Tomatero Farms (40 mi), Yukon Gold potatoes and parsley from Happy Boy Farms (45 mi), shallots and tomatoes from Borba Farms (40 mi), and mushrooms from J&M Ibarra Farms (167 mi — I didn't realize they were outside my foodshed and will avoid using them for a Dark Days Challenge in the future!). The apples for the applesauce came from my aunt's backyard (30 mi), Meyer lemon juice was from a friend's yard (11 mi), and thyme came from my container garden. <br />
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Doing this challenge has made me think about the sources of my food even more so than before. Eating locally has always seemed like a breeze, because I do go to the farmers' market every weekend and buy many of my groceries there. Still, there are so many ingredients I use that I knowingly can't get locally but that I don't think twice about buying: spices, oils, and grains, for example. Xan of Not Dabbling in Normal <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/what-is-local/">wrote a post</a> about eating locally, in which she points out that the Dark Days Challenge is meant to be an intellectual challenge, not a practical one. That is, it is <i>supposed to make us stop and think</i> when it comes to things like salt, cinnamon, and bananas. It does seem a little silly (though you can try if you like) to give up all non-local foods forever, because we happen to live in a world where goods from other parts of the state, country, and world are available at our very fingertips without a moment's notice — so if you want a fair-trade, organic bar of chocolate, why not? If I love ginger and put it in everything during the wintertime, from soups to stir-fries to cookies, why give it up just because it's imported (even though that's the only way I'll get it)? For the challenges, I know why we have to do that: to get us to understand how to get by with what we have within our foodshed. It brings both an appreciation for the local food we have, as well as foods that we must get from further away.<br />
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I thought about Xan's post a lot as I was cooking my SOLE meal. I started making the stuffed cabbage, using a <a href="http://noteatingoutinny.com/2008/04/07/vegetarian-stuffed-cabbage/">recipe</a> from Not Eating Out in New York. I blanched the cabbage leaves, cooked down the tomatoes for sauce and added Meyer lemon juice for flavor, and put the mushrooms in the food processor with shallots and — oops — breadcrumbs made with Beckmann's bread (which, as I've mentioned previously, may or may not be made with local ingredients, and I have yet to do my research). I did eliminate the cheese, since I didn't have any local cheese to use, and added some local herbs, since the post noted that the dish was a little bland.<br />
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Once the stuffed cabbage was in the oven, I started on the latkes, which I made using <a href="http://www.foodchannel.com/recipes/recipe/spinach-latkes/">this recipe</a>. I shredded the potatoes in a food processor, mixed them with Clover brand eggs (90 mi), more Beckmann's bread crumbs, and the spinach, and then fried them in — oops — vegetable oil bought at Trader Joe's, which was definitely not local. While I had believed that I had thought this meal through to ensure it was entirely local, I obviously had neglected to think beyond the fresh ingredients. My pantry items aren't always necessarily local (or organic, for that matter), and as I continue cooking throughout the winter, I'll replace my conventional goods with local and organic ones. <br />
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In the end, my almost-entirely-but-not-quite local dinner was a success. The tart applesauce, which I had made the week before, was a good foil for the fried latkes, and the mushroom-stuffed cabbages, a fairly healthy dish, made me feel a little virtuous when eating them. My ancestors would be proud.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-50865686253697285462011-12-15T23:12:00.000-08:002011-12-15T23:12:19.230-08:00Not my grandmother's tuna casserole<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVryZjW4MrP7Dtwxbpln1SbrRGpfSf37pY6-OSCk678WYIws4cKKFUzwRHYHMY7PtGDNXNtL1K8Unul6CuCFV4Z5skFxQbXoU37m9Aycs_hebJ8k3B-dVRNQ6-cux2w4Fi_QqaRw/s1600/IMG_4797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVryZjW4MrP7Dtwxbpln1SbrRGpfSf37pY6-OSCk678WYIws4cKKFUzwRHYHMY7PtGDNXNtL1K8Unul6CuCFV4Z5skFxQbXoU37m9Aycs_hebJ8k3B-dVRNQ6-cux2w4Fi_QqaRw/s320/IMG_4797.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I'm definitely a fan of tuna casserole. I had it for the first time in college, using a recipe from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clueless-Kitchen-Cookbook-Teens/dp/1554078245/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324016949&sr=1-1">Clueless in the Kitchen</a>. (Which happens to be one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. It's meant to be for the young, novice cook, which I was when I got it oh-so many years ago, and it's got some classic, reliable recipes that I continue to turn to even now.) I know it's a cliche, but there is something truly comforting about pasta smothered in warm, creamy mushroom sauce with crunchy potato chips on top.<br />
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In the years since I've become more particular about where my food comes from, I've tried to find ways to make tuna casserole a local, sustainable, and organic meal. I switched from crushed Ruffles potato chips to whole wheat breadcrumbs made from stale <a href="http://www.beckmannsbakery.com/">Beckmann's</a> bread and from Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup to Annie's Organic cream of mushroom. The problem with the Annie's soup, though, is that it's too watery, being that it's not condensed. This all but eliminated the creamy sauce that makes a really great tuna casserole. But recently, I figured out how to solve that problem, thanks to your good friend and mine, Alton Brown.<br />
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Mr. Brown has a recipe for a green bean casserole, which he calls <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/not-your-mamas-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html">Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole</a>. My friend Jessica brought it to Thanksgiving dinner, and I loved the mushroom sauce that enveloped the green beans. So I used that sauce in my tuna casserole — and you know what? It was the perfect sauce for that casserole, too.<br />
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Gourmet tuna casserole<br />
(adapted from <i>Cooking for the Clueless</i>; sauce by Alton Brown)<br />
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1/2 leek, white and light green parts only, rinsed of grit and sliced<br />
2 cups cooked whole wheat noodles, such as shells or rigatoni<br />
1 6-oz can of good-quality tuna packed in olive oil, drained<br />
4/3 cup multigrain crackers (or similar), crushed<br />
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sauce:<br />
2 tablespoons unsalted butter<span style="background-color: white; color: black;"></span><br />
12 ounces mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch pieces<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg<br />
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth<br />
1 cup half-and-half<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Preheat the oven to 375°.<br />
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In a large saucepan, saute leeks in a little olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove leeks from pan and set aside.<br />
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In the same pan, make the sauce. Melt butter over medium-high heat, then add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms begin to give up some of their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and nutmeg, and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently so that the garlic doesn't burn. Sprinkle the flour over, and stir to combine. Add the broth, and simmer for one minute. Add the half-and-half, and cook till the mixture thickens, about 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.<br />
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In a casserole dish large enough to hold everything, put the leeks, pasta, tuna, and mushrooms sauce, and stir to combine. Sprinkle the crushed cracker crumbs over the top.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbA0wK-XYxSIbHOGRYGlsdSbCInMLnxQG3vPICsq751OJi1vQJcwofuN0MSowETkWcr-Py8aH65bGWOtQktUAWOAep9TdtX6bw52wT0cjyH9oYwkqNLulNeTaZJDfKIcEtOA95fQ/s1600/IMG_4794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbA0wK-XYxSIbHOGRYGlsdSbCInMLnxQG3vPICsq751OJi1vQJcwofuN0MSowETkWcr-Py8aH65bGWOtQktUAWOAep9TdtX6bw52wT0cjyH9oYwkqNLulNeTaZJDfKIcEtOA95fQ/s320/IMG_4794.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Bake at 375° for 25 minutes, until the casserole is bubbly and the crackers are golden-brown.<br />
<br />
Makes about two servings.<br />
</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-64646431450904713482011-12-10T14:44:00.000-08:002011-12-11T15:03:55.454-08:00The bumpy road to local<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9yFIgcjPkAk4bQ1ePtMUY_qhtotOB6e3eYTmqtxJrv4UFHOdu7Vx99Q4N9cfwJB_FG-t3QZCtFjdPYWQDZZKStSdW6rBxp9pVtgH_I-s6FuSTSsZT-cL2D87q1a4aiUX0KGlSw/s1600/IMG_0020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI9yFIgcjPkAk4bQ1ePtMUY_qhtotOB6e3eYTmqtxJrv4UFHOdu7Vx99Q4N9cfwJB_FG-t3QZCtFjdPYWQDZZKStSdW6rBxp9pVtgH_I-s6FuSTSsZT-cL2D87q1a4aiUX0KGlSw/s320/IMG_0020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>With all the gloating I do about being so lucky to be living in California, it was only a matter of time before I was forced to admit that it's not always easy to come up with entirely SOLE (seasonal, organic, local, and ethical) meals. While I do get nearly all my produce and eggs from the farmers market, there are many other foods that I don't go the full nine yards to make sure they're local. Organic, yes, Sustainable... as much as possible. Local? Well, I try. My second entry into the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a> is a cream of greens soup. It was inspired by Tyler Florence's corn chowder recipe, which I use all the time during the summer, and the cream of spinach soup from <a href="http://simplyrecipes.com/">Simply Recipes</a>. It also has no cream to speak of — because I had no local cream in my fridge.<br />
<br />
I typically buy my milk, butter, and cream from Strauss, which is carried by Whole Foods. They are about 100 miles away, so they fall within my local foodshed. But sometimes Strauss cream and butter, while delicious, are too expensive. In which case, I buy Clover, which is also located about 100 miles away, and I don't always get the organic cream and butter. Sometimes I'll get the Trader Joe's brand of organic cream or butter, and who knows where that comes from? Either way, though, I feel like I'm cheating when I buy from the grocery store, instead of from the vendor directly, like I do at the farmers' market. I don't necessarily feel like I'm buying locally when I go through the middle man that is a non-local chain grocery store. The market I go to does have a raw milk vendor, but it is far too out of my price range to buy on a regular basis. In fact, I've never purchased raw milk simply because it's too expensive. I could get four times as much Strauss whole milk for the price of a quart of locally-produced (at 146 miles, it's <i>just</i> inside my foodshed) Organic Pastures raw milk.<br />
<br />
And this is a problem. It should not cost so much to get good, honest milk and dairy products — or any food that is produced locally, organically, and sustainably. It's not right that only the well-off can eat ethical, organic meat and dairy. Someday, I will have a goat, and then my milk (as well as my eggs, fruits, and veggies) will only come as far as my back yard. In the meantime, though, I would like to be able to eat a "normal" American diet from SOLE ingredients that don't break the bank. I want to be able to show non-believers that it is possible to eat delicious whole foods and not have to give up your whole paycheck. I struggle with this, though, because sometimes it's not possible to avoid the cost. This doesn't mean I'll go back to conventional foods, because I'm enough of a snob about it now that it seems gross to purchase and eat cheaply-grown, cheaply-made foodstuffs. I do give up eating meat if it's too expensive. How do I convince others to do this, too?<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54OB5ItDKJr3OSUOAlMtNt9MwwHi9sFcLxkvzasgq7YE1iHBneZICA2OAw-2pHfEHelSTFQq59OkJJ2zgayFp7qj3q_gGrdtFSgD6JiHNofwb6YwZOceITF-jE4p2UdN-F9bRwA/s1600/spinach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54OB5ItDKJr3OSUOAlMtNt9MwwHi9sFcLxkvzasgq7YE1iHBneZICA2OAw-2pHfEHelSTFQq59OkJJ2zgayFp7qj3q_gGrdtFSgD6JiHNofwb6YwZOceITF-jE4p2UdN-F9bRwA/s1600/spinach.jpg" /></a></div>I made my cream of greens soup with this amazing heirloom spinach grown by Tomatero Farms (30 mi), one of my favorite vendors. I discovered it the weekend before Thanksgiving, as I was passing their stall on my way out of the market. I tried a leaf and was so wowed by the flavor that I immediately bought a half-pound bag. It tastes how spinach should taste: green and fresh. I think if all spinach was this good, everyone would love spinach.<br />
<br />
The carrots and potatoes were from Happy Boy Farms (45 mi), and I don't remember which vendor I bought the onions from, though I'm guessing they were from the Watsonville area (45 mi). The salt and pepper were my non-local exemptions, as always, and the bay leaf came from a laurel tree growing outside a house where I baby-sat during the summer (26 mi). I cheated by using some non-local, non-organic olive oil from Trader Joe's, though I know I could have just "sauteed" the veggies in a little water. I served the soup with some locally-baked bread from Beckmann's Bakery (30 mi), although I think that is also cheating since I don't actually know where they source their ingredients, and some slow-roasted Happy Boy Farms San Marzano tomatoes that I had in the freezer.<br />
<br />
I called this soup "cream of greens" instead of "cream of spinach" because it included the green tops of carrots. Did you know those are edible? You could also use any other leafy greens you have around. <br />
<br />
<br />
Cream of greens soup<br />
<br />
1/2 onion, chopped<br />
1/2 bunch of carrots, peeled and chopped<br />
2 medium-sized potatoes, such as Yukon Golds<br />
bay leaf<br />
1/2 bunch carrot greens<br />
1/4 lb spinach<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br />
In a large pot, saute onion and carrots in a little olive oil until soft, about seven minutes. Add potatoes and bay leaf and saute briefly, about two minutes. Add six cups of water, bring to a boil, then simmer for ten minutes, until the potatoes start to break down. Add the greens, and stir until wilted. Cook a couple minutes more. Remove bay leaf. Using an immersion blender* or in batches in a regular blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.<br />
<br />
Makes three servings.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I got one recently, and it has changed my life. Really.</span></div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-52486651764565847472011-12-06T22:05:00.000-08:002011-12-06T22:05:34.141-08:00Another pot of jook<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sszTppLiJ1pazFvTwfC9CJPr2eGdoqLSgliIQ8LbGKXZps-4hNzPdla0IWddVHfG7qutI33oM9WsdpWl26KDPEskMQQXTXEUVGY6Iv9ztpglGHAjf0MGpRosBQJaJ9ulmQqztQ/s1600/IMG_4740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2sszTppLiJ1pazFvTwfC9CJPr2eGdoqLSgliIQ8LbGKXZps-4hNzPdla0IWddVHfG7qutI33oM9WsdpWl26KDPEskMQQXTXEUVGY6Iv9ztpglGHAjf0MGpRosBQJaJ9ulmQqztQ/s320/IMG_4740.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I have to get up really early in the morning during the week. Ridiculously early. My cats haven't even woken up when my alarm goes off at 5:45AM. And my stomach sure isn't interested in food at that time of day.<br />
<br />
I've gone through phases when it comes to breakfast. In college, I would have a banana and frozen blueberry smoothie with a piece of toast and peanut butter. I ate this for weeks before I switched to a bowl of rice with a fried egg on top, drizzled with oyster sauce. I've had oatmeal phases, scrambled eggs with baked beans and toast phases, and BLT phases. Over the years, I've come to two conclusions: 1) I'm not really a breakfast person, and I don't really like traditional breakfast foods first thing in the morning; and 2) I'd rather eat savory foods for breakfast.<br />
<br />
An epiphany came when I was reading an article in <i>Cooking Light</i>, which featured some recipes for twists on breakfast foods. There was a sidebar about breakfast foods in other countries, which noted that in countries like China, <i>jook</i> is a common breakfast food. A light bulb went off for me at that moment. Jook sounded like the perfect breakfast food for me. When I was small, my mom would make <i>lugaw</i>, the Filipino version of jook, when I had the stomach flu. Jook/lugaw is a rice porridge cooked with chicken. It's plain and comforting and filling, perfect for a sensitive stomach in the wee hours of the morning. Since my taste buds work fine, even before the sun rises, I like to season my jook with salt, pepper, chopped lettuce, and cilantro.<br />
<br />
Jook is easy as all get out to make. In a large pot, put one whole chicken leg or one chicken carcass (you know, from a roast chicken after you've eaten most of it), and pour over about 6 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, and cook 30 minutes for raw chicken and 15 minutes for cooked. Remove the chicken to a plate, and add one cup of brown rice to the water. Boil for two hours, stirring occasionally so that the rice doesn't stick to the bottom. Meanwhile, when the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and return the bones to the pot. Do this as soon as you can while the rice is cooking. Shred the meat and set aside. When the jook has reached the consistency of rice pudding, put the meat back into the pot and remove the bones. Season with salt and pepper, and cook for five more minutes. Serve with shredded lettuce, cilantro, and/or sliced ginger. Watch out for small bones or bits of gristle which may have detached during cooking.<br />
<br />
One pot of this simple rice dish lasts me an entire work week. It's easy on my stomach, and I don't set off on my hour-and-a-half commute with the beginnings of hunger pangs.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-38993011439399210922011-12-01T21:11:00.001-08:002011-12-11T15:04:26.765-08:00Moving slowly away from the light<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetjEbxfKWYp9gweVix5YE5WynYAshCK4Sgt1Aiozu-_FdVYGbb_nb2T_E06fEUx_gH4U4shCojV2TP7_TlrHHYXROsE7cxaAs63Arzsyj0srjCBZ_k5sU7y9lZwJ5F426hCf6fA/s1600/IMG_4788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetjEbxfKWYp9gweVix5YE5WynYAshCK4Sgt1Aiozu-_FdVYGbb_nb2T_E06fEUx_gH4U4shCojV2TP7_TlrHHYXROsE7cxaAs63Arzsyj0srjCBZ_k5sU7y9lZwJ5F426hCf6fA/s320/IMG_4788.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>My first entry into the <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/dark-days-challenge/">Dark Days Challenge</a> is my locally-inspired take on <i>pinakbet</i>. It's a Filipino vegetable stew that has been compared to ratatouille (which I think is an erroneous comparison — because they're nothing alike, apart from being a mix of several vegetables). Typically, it contains winter squash, bitter melon, long beans, okra, eggplant, and onions, as well as some pork or shrimp. I based mine entirely on the local produce I had available in my kitchen this past weekend: tomatoes, onions, Fairy Tale eggplant, and chayote.<br />
<br />
As I noted in a previous post, I'm pretty lucky to be living in California, where there are still tomatoes and eggplants being sold at the farmers' market. So to be honest, I'm not feeling the "dark days" quite yet. I probably won't really feel it until January, when it's just citrus and apples, root veggies and greens at the market. Meanwhile, I'm taking advantage of the dwindling supply of summer's bounty. The eggplant came from Route 1 Farms (45 mi), the tomatoes and onions from Happy Boy Farms (45 mi), and the chayote from the garden of my mother's neighbor (30 mi).<br />
<br />
For the actual dish itself, I drew from a recipe in the December 2008 issue of <i>Saveur</i> (which soothed my homesickness when I visited the Anthropologist during his field work in New Delhi), as well as from a post by the blogger <a href="http://burntlumpia.typepad.com/burnt_lumpia/">Burnt Lumpia</a>. Pinakbet calls for <i>bagoong</i>, a fermented fish paste, which I don't keep in stock (and wouldn't use for a Dark Days meal anyhow). In keeping with the "authentic" flavor of this dish, though, I did use <i>patis</i>, or fish sauce, which I considered to be a kind of salt — one of my non-local exceptions. Okay, fine, I cheated a little. But I didn't think plain salt would do the trick.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6OkuKg9B4q_rvJ5qTW6siyVxoedvzgWkuAX7c5zDgch96bUSaPAEEIWs8HWqnqwr8xHYvqFYdwPcsEY5vNOUTuHb0jHynSr1FmufJFzTufQuovr50cpVlKrnVW2RfTyMTp9Cag/s1600/IMG_4789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR6OkuKg9B4q_rvJ5qTW6siyVxoedvzgWkuAX7c5zDgch96bUSaPAEEIWs8HWqnqwr8xHYvqFYdwPcsEY5vNOUTuHb0jHynSr1FmufJFzTufQuovr50cpVlKrnVW2RfTyMTp9Cag/s320/IMG_4789.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
To make this pinakbet, cut the vegetables into large chunks and place into a pot that is just large enough to hold everything. Add about a quarter cup of water and a tablespoon or two of patis. Simmer until the vegetables have gone soft, stirring occasionally and gently so as not to break down the veggies.<br />
<br />
In the end, the pinakbet was just okay. It didn't have a lot of flavor — and I like things to really have a big punch of flavor. It was a quiet, mild vegetable stew, the sort of thing I could see myself eating if I were feeling flu-ish. I'd like to try this again and include long beans, okra, and kabocha squash, which should improve the flavor of the broth and which I can get from a vendor at the market that sells Asian vegetables.<br />
<br />
A final note: The brown rice is another of my non-local exceptions (because I eat so much rice). I buy it from the bulk bins at Whole Foods, where it stocks rice from <a href="http://www.lundberg.com/">Lundberg Family Farms</a>. This farm is located 195 miles from where I live, so it's definitely outside my locavore foodshed. Relatively speaking, though, it's not terribly far away. I mean, I could be living in Idaho and getting my rice trucked in from Louisiana, where it might not even be organically- or sustainably-grown. So my rice isn't perfect, but it's a pretty darn good choice for rice.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-87938175853422594272011-11-24T11:03:00.000-08:002011-12-04T22:39:32.837-08:00For all the turkeys that came before<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDmp1mA3qaL_jwA_ZI1Gv1jHyAl_tGTuCXIZh6X2qrFPevUIQXimFh9HRrqCr7WeoSdpGeJ1ZskHRyfqroO5xRtidosrpHP_3u_OZilkv8Mv9a_1IkRypR3uONP-6PvOy0F8r4Q/s1600/IMG_2224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDmp1mA3qaL_jwA_ZI1Gv1jHyAl_tGTuCXIZh6X2qrFPevUIQXimFh9HRrqCr7WeoSdpGeJ1ZskHRyfqroO5xRtidosrpHP_3u_OZilkv8Mv9a_1IkRypR3uONP-6PvOy0F8r4Q/s320/IMG_2224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Thanksgiving is one of those days that is chock full of memories. Everyone has a story of foods they ate as a child, or the time some kitchen disaster befell the meal, or the legend of something a family member once did. Memories — from the nostalgic to the dysfunctional — haunt days like today.<br />
<br />
To be honest, I don't really remember what I ate on Thanksgiving when I was growing up. Oh, sure, there was turkey, but I think that my mom was in charge of the meal — and being that she is a native of the Philippines, the traditional bird was accompanied by rice and Filipino dishes. I do remember that at some point in my early grade school career, we were served a Thanksgiving lunch in the cafeteria (which was a Big Deal since we all had to bring our own lunches every day). It featured more expected fare, like mashed potatoes and boiled carrots. After which, I returned home to ask why we didn't eat those things when we had Thanksgiving — and so they began to appear at our Thanksgiving meals. We never did eat green bean casserole or cranberry jelly or things like that. I often wonder if this was because my father, having been born and raised in the Midwest and having escaped to San Francisco as a young man, was trying to get as far as he could from the cuisine of Minnesota by pretending it didn't exist. (He is a gourmand of sorts, who likes to avoid the convenience foods of his upbringing and who, I think, inspires the way I cook today.) Anyway, my parents being who they are resulted in less than memorable Thanksgivings for me, to say the least.<br />
<br />
Even now, I have to admit that I'm not that excited about my family's Thanksgiving meal. In recent years, the turkey has been featured with my mother's mashed potatoes, my aunt's molded iceberg salad, grocery store pies, rice (of course), and a variety of Filipino dishes. It's those other dishes, the ones my mom's side of the family are best at making, that demand my attention at Thanksgiving lunch. Bring on the <i>palabok</i>, I say! I love that so many people, no matter what country they might hail from, seem to enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving (well, how could you not want to celebrate an entire day dedicated to eating?) and that I hear so many cultural variations on the meal — which include <i>lechon</i>, hot pot, or Korean barbecue. But leave the turkey out then. "Tradition" isn't worth it if the meat's dried out.<br />
<br />
For many years, I've made up for the lack of those American traditions I never had by making my own separate Thanksgiving meal. <a href="http://notfromabox.blogspot.com/2006/11/turkey-day-menu.html">Sometimes</a> it was just prepared for me and the Anthropologist, but more recently, I've been having friends over to share in potluck-style Thanksgiving gluttony. I make roast chicken and pie, while they bring sides dishes and more pie. We eat the foods we love now as adults and make new memories together. And isn't that what Thanksgiving is truly all about?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqGqsq8axs8qZcnqNq-F2W8eQIH7mpGxV3RawIwWBBJ2UyxQgKvoJ3dzLa96Xv90YD6zC_VqKRAzWRlAfzyULUZ3C2pnV-MnXHxYMQ5X9Jmlp3kpURwLpKbZv52kpqFFtDBLPSw/s1600/pies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqGqsq8axs8qZcnqNq-F2W8eQIH7mpGxV3RawIwWBBJ2UyxQgKvoJ3dzLa96Xv90YD6zC_VqKRAzWRlAfzyULUZ3C2pnV-MnXHxYMQ5X9Jmlp3kpURwLpKbZv52kpqFFtDBLPSw/s320/pies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Last night, I made two pies: maple-bourbon pecan and old-fashioned pumpkin. The pecan, which is an amalgamation of three separate pecan pie recipes, turned out looking beautifully. I did, however, neglect to buy more pecan halves, so there is but the bare minimum of the nut in the filling. I'm hoping the maple-bourbon base makes up for it. The pumpkin, which is not being served tonight but will be consumed later over the weekend, wound up a little burned. I need one of those <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Silicone-Pie-Crust-Shield/dp/B001CFPXVS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322163483&sr=8-1">gadgets</a> that you can throw over the rim of the crust so that it doesn't get destroyed while the filling is still cooking. <br />
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<br />
Maple-Bourbon Pecan Pie<br />
(adapted from two recipes from <i>Cooking Light</i>)<br />
<br />
1 all-butter pie crust, recipe follows<br />
1/2 c maple syrup<br />
1/2 c brown rice syrup<br />
2 tbsp butter, melted<br />
1/4 c bourbon<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
3 large eggs<br />
3/4 cup pecan halves<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 350°. Put syrups, butter, bourbon, salt, and eggs in a mixing bowl, and beat with a mixer on medium speed. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is set. (Shield edges with foil if the crust gets too brown.) Cool on wire rack.<br />
<br />
<br />
All-butter pie dough<br />
(from <a href="http://eggbeater.typepad.com/">Shuna Fish Lydon</a>)<br />
<br />
2 c all-purpose flour<br />
4 tbsp sugar<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
8 oz butter<br />
ice water<br />
<br />
Cube butter and freeze.<br />
<br />
Put all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a food processor fitted with a dough blade. Using the lowest setting, add butter a few pieces at a time. When the chunks of butter are pea-sized, add ice water slowly until dough doesn't appear dry and starts to just come together. Turn the dough out onto a dry surface and push together with the heel of your hand. Do not overwork.<br />
<br />
Divide into two. Roll out one half and place in a pie plate, trimming the edges to fit. Fill with ceramic pie weights or dry beans, and blind bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Cool before filling.<br />
<br />
Wrap the other half in plastic. Refrigerate for three days or freeze for up to a month.</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-25977505735972621712011-11-13T22:39:00.000-08:002011-12-04T22:38:16.336-08:00Just in time for winter<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisuvjGtlWEg57iJ8l0SOvT3tf8sKYorUmHk4l7sU7i-G4SU__sw3vkyHNHBlIEcu4LoHV_FRaLoPxeN8cssO3fZTuVs_7o_DfFA9kyfReUHcxtsnVhLM0c0WrixY5S1tScolUhg/s1600/IMG_4606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjisuvjGtlWEg57iJ8l0SOvT3tf8sKYorUmHk4l7sU7i-G4SU__sw3vkyHNHBlIEcu4LoHV_FRaLoPxeN8cssO3fZTuVs_7o_DfFA9kyfReUHcxtsnVhLM0c0WrixY5S1tScolUhg/s320/IMG_4606.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Wow, it's dusty in here! I haven't posted in — what, almost a year? Which isn't to say I haven't been cooking. Quite the opposite, actually. In the spring, I cooked my way through <i>The Sunset Cookbook</i>. In the summer, I let the produce of the farmers' market be my guide. Lately, I've been cooking the featured recipes on <i>Fine Cooking</i>'s <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#%21/FineCooking">Facebook</a> page. Soon I want to start putting to use the fabulous <i>Essential New York Times Cookbook</i> (which is the kind of cookbook that demands a thorough read — so I'm not even halfway finished!). Also, I really got into canning, and it truly became an obsession. It was hard to look at fruits and veggies and not consider how I could can them! I made berry and stone fruit jams, different kinds of chutney, peach barbecue sauce, even watermelon rind pickles.<br />
<br />
I've tried to do all sorts of things with this blog, all while writing about the food I'm eating. I've tried to find "challenges" and post about them. These never seemed to get further than one or two posts. I've tried to track how much my meals cost to make, in order to prove that one really can eat organic, local food and not spend buckets of money. This made writing about food less interesting. I think that in order to keep up this blog, I'm just going to go back to writing about what is exciting me in the kitchen these days — and hope that you find that exciting enough to read.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtconbwt7sKVXElQEx3Bu3Hy1ejQJuhMY4aB0uvIrGOpMkaL7GpuV2Q_ZV_cIFxMoNXCK8C3A1WiCNwJmvpBe5S3UEw4dXzcL8OOO3FnOTziq6dEvYL5sXAwBSrPQlqRutcWITMg/s1600/IMG_4259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtconbwt7sKVXElQEx3Bu3Hy1ejQJuhMY4aB0uvIrGOpMkaL7GpuV2Q_ZV_cIFxMoNXCK8C3A1WiCNwJmvpBe5S3UEw4dXzcL8OOO3FnOTziq6dEvYL5sXAwBSrPQlqRutcWITMg/s320/IMG_4259.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I am, though, going to be taking up a challenge after all. I've signed on to participate in the 5th Annual <a href="http://urbanhennery.com/2011/11/darkdays/">Dark Days Challenge</a>, organized by the folks at <a href="http://urbanhennery.com/">(not so) Urban Hennery</a> and <a href="http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/">Not Dabbling in Normal</a>. Once a week, from the last weekend in November through the last weekend in March, I have to cook a meal using only sustainable, organic, local, and ethically raised (SOLE) ingredients. Admittedly, this might seem like not much of a challenge, in that I already try to eat that way all the time. I feel even more the cheater because I live in California, where great local produce is available even in the middle of January.<br />
<br />
Even so, there are plenty of things I eat that aren't necessarily SOLE (dairy, meats, anything ready made from Trader Joe's) that I will be forced to turn elsewhere for. Perhaps I'll make ice cream in the dead of winter with berries from the freezer, milk from the raw milk guy at the farmers' market, and eggs from — wait, do chickens lay during the winter? Perhaps I'll find new and different ways to cook the kings of local winter produce: greens, root veggies, and mushrooms. Perhaps I will once again learn to love apples, pears, and citrus, which I often shun while waiting for the fruits of summer to reappear. Perhaps I'll even grow my own greens and herbs this winter, instead of ignoring my container garden until the spring returns.<br />
<br />
There will be a few exceptions to the SOLE rules when I cook: salt, pepper, and brown rice. These are ingredients I use all the time that I don't think I could source locally. I was going to add olive oil to the list, but I know there's an olive oil vendor at the market and I ought to try them out. <br />
<br />
All in all, I hope doing this challenge will help me to start blogging again. Stay tuned for recipes!<br />
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</div>Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-48000490494602537052010-12-05T14:34:00.000-08:002010-12-05T14:34:39.369-08:00Having a plan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGjZRGUiRsp30W2ayUgoBfVET2e9XKvFhEPIUYFKvuzO1sIjTXGCN6bOAc3cUTvxlYUu-L5aRoVyfo4ukVWG7QoORqfwMiZjVa3fEmO3JtLfSNPhConDdX6MW2MRX_4h18cNU4g/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGjZRGUiRsp30W2ayUgoBfVET2e9XKvFhEPIUYFKvuzO1sIjTXGCN6bOAc3cUTvxlYUu-L5aRoVyfo4ukVWG7QoORqfwMiZjVa3fEmO3JtLfSNPhConDdX6MW2MRX_4h18cNU4g/s200/IMG_2112.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>In September, <i>Real Simple</i> magazine ran a feature which included four weeks of weekday meals. In October, I decided to give the plan a go. Following someone else's meal plan was an interesting experiment. First of all, it relieved me of the task of coming up with what to make for dinner after a long day of commute-work-commute. It definitely got me back into cooking, which I hadn't really been doing previous to embarking on the four week meal plan. It also introduced me to some new recipes that I might not have tried if I hadn't been trying to stick to the menu options. There were some recipes I omitted or altered because they either included foods I don't eat (i.e. pork) or foods that were out of season. And I did spend a lot more money than I do usually because four of the five meals per week involved some kind of meat (which I, of course, buy organic). <br />
<br />
Since then, I've come to be a fan of the planned-out-week-of-meals. After a month of eating well without having to really think about it, I reverted back to frozen pizza, boxed mac and cheese — or worse, eating out. So instead of coming up with my own weekly menus, I've been combing the internet, looking for other people's menu suggestions. I've gotten some great ideas, but I've also hit a few hurdles:<br />
<br />
• Most menu suggestions involve a lot of meat. My favorite so far, <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/everydaycooking/weeklydinnerplanners">Epicurious' Dinner Rush</a>, features one no-meat option a week, much like that of <i>Real Simple</i>. Which means spending more money than I really want to — and eating more meat than I really want to.<br />
<br />
• What makes Epicurious my favorite, though, is the variety of recipes and of flavors. And the fact that it's a little more gourmet than other sites. Many menu suggestions feature pretty blah food — what I often (unfairly) call "midwestern." Corn and bean burritos, slow-cooker spaghetti sauce, and stir-fried greens are delicious, but I'm looking for new, exciting, yet inexpensive and quick recipes. More along the lines of Thai squash curry, Brie and sweet potato flatbread, linguine with clams, and apricot-glazed chicken legs with roast potatoes.<br />
<br />
• Other people's meal plans are definitely not going to follow my local/seasonal/organic diet. Which is how chicken paprikash, during week 3 of <i>Real Simple</i>'s menu plan, turned into chicken stroganoff. (Tomatoes, which I don't buy once they're out of season, were swapped for a mushroom dish.)<br />
<br />
• I've also searched for budget menus and vegetarian menus. Both put me back in the "blah food" category. Budget food suggestions always end up centered around casseroles or pasta, while vegetarian menus tend to involve a lot of beans. (Perhaps I should just start cooking Indian food all the time, which can be budget, vegetarian, and not at all boring.) <br />
<br />
Of course, my challenges would be easily solved by planning my own weekly menus. At the moment, I don't really fancy the idea of putting in the extra effort. I have so many cookbooks and read so many food blogs — I never know what I want to make for dinner in the upcoming week. I want someone else to do the planning for me. So I think I'll stick with Dinner Rush, tweaking it as I go to reduce the meat (and the cost). And while I haven't been blogging much, I've been photographing what I've been cooking in the hopes of posting it. We'll see how that goes!<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, if you haven't been sold on the idea of weekly menu planning, maybe <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/everydaycooking/weeklydinnerplanners">this blogger</a> will convince you.Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-44201695173928977982010-11-02T22:56:00.000-07:002010-11-02T22:56:08.710-07:00Pumpkin quesadillas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm374i83vJl-DOQuosOMBy-SB78A_E4LASxquc0g84OzsK7q7uyTo9M1YY37aVL0JJSscxjw1nVNZFaYNxP2QeS1Ba6wGHNSXXGf3pzBQogMo9ezFMT1BIJ_kJsdKAtdr49r4zrw/s1600/IMG_2170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm374i83vJl-DOQuosOMBy-SB78A_E4LASxquc0g84OzsK7q7uyTo9M1YY37aVL0JJSscxjw1nVNZFaYNxP2QeS1Ba6wGHNSXXGf3pzBQogMo9ezFMT1BIJ_kJsdKAtdr49r4zrw/s200/IMG_2170.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Tonight I canned three quarts of raw-packed San Marzano tomatoes. And then I slow-roasted some more. But that's not the story I'm telling right now. Not after being on my feet for a couple hours (after work even!), diligently removing the skins from many, many tomatoes.<br />
<br />
After all that hard work, I made dinner. Two corn tortillas with cheddar cheese, canned pumpkin, and a sprinkling of cumin. On the side, yet more tomatoes — turned into salsa, in this case — and a dollop of organic sour cream, which is so tasty I want to eat it plain with a spoon. (And occasionally, I do.)<br />
<br />
Then I sat down, dinner on the table and the canning pot bubbling away behind me.Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-89130262867253334192010-11-01T19:38:00.000-07:002010-11-02T22:57:21.275-07:00Trick or treat?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvym1TQtBmc3Csy_0Fb5uyH2e1xsoeEyDq_VORYbxDZoo_x3oGZ0jIuuFij5DTl5Nmo5hZTPeruqbb4BDH3wsbp75vn0l6BX82Rr1YdXxC2C0-hgw9QQOyGL4xA811X6lPYgAfw/s1600/IMG_2163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvym1TQtBmc3Csy_0Fb5uyH2e1xsoeEyDq_VORYbxDZoo_x3oGZ0jIuuFij5DTl5Nmo5hZTPeruqbb4BDH3wsbp75vn0l6BX82Rr1YdXxC2C0-hgw9QQOyGL4xA811X6lPYgAfw/s200/IMG_2163.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>This year, I bought my trick-or-treat goodies from Whole Foods. And not just because I'm a food snob. Even though it would have been easier and cheaper to grab a bag of mini Hershey bars or Tootsie Pops from Target, I opted to go the route of Annie's organic fruit snacks and Snyder's pretzels. Both came in smaller, "fun-size" versions, just right for little kids in costumes who might come knocking on my door. Was I trying to impose my healthy, organic lifestyle on some unsuspecting neighborhood kids?<br />
<br />
Not really. What I was trying to do was avoid buying chocolate. The largest producers of chocolate, including Hershey's and M&M/Mars, use cocoa sourced from West Africa, where <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/article_fe0505b4-55a2-5f8c-b28b-efbb407b86b2.htm">child slave labor</a> is used in the plantations. Seeing as I'm against child slave labor, I am therefore against chocolate (or anything!) produced by child slave labor.<br />
<br />
There are a few companies, particularly ones that make organic, fair-trade products, from which I'm happy to buy chocolate. <a href="http://www.dagobachocolate.com/circle.asp">Dagoba</a>, <a href="http://www.greenandblacks.com/us/from-bean-to-bar/fair-trade.html">Green and Black's</a>, and <a href="http://www.chocolatebar.com/pages.php?pageid=3">Endangered Species</a> are my favorites. Yes, these bars are more expensive than your typical Mr. Goodbar. But isn't it worth spending the extra money to ensure that your chocolate comes from socially responsible sources?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
The one child who stopped by my apartment with her father got a little packet of bunny-shaped fruit snacks on top of her mini Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and snack-size Milky Ways. Is it fair to impose my anti-conventional-chocolate beliefs on an innocently trick-or-treating child? Well, is it fair to the child about her age who was forced to work in the cocoa fields just to produce some inexpensive Halloween candy?Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-56829833361958885732010-08-08T21:07:00.000-07:002010-08-08T21:10:07.094-07:00Chili con veggies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RtXUDyICbv61YPl_73Qz4EcTuaOyIqb_kcXYv4DBBRNvShUxpqXPsbvDJ7xK4cubMxxdsHI-e0jLgqeaZushMI5vqy2TuembzTUIiFXmuqQ78jgf1OsOew4G4qIIpXbOfKxsCQ/s1600/IMG_1227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RtXUDyICbv61YPl_73Qz4EcTuaOyIqb_kcXYv4DBBRNvShUxpqXPsbvDJ7xK4cubMxxdsHI-e0jLgqeaZushMI5vqy2TuembzTUIiFXmuqQ78jgf1OsOew4G4qIIpXbOfKxsCQ/s200/IMG_1227.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><b>Tip of the day: Keep the price down on a meaty dish by adding a lot of vegetables.</b><br />
<br />
Starting this week, I'll be once again embarking on the journey that is full-time employment, which will mean coming home to make dinner at the end of a long day of work. I'll also be faced —for a little while, anyway — with the challenge of being between paychecks, which happens to follow a non-paid vacation. Will this drive me in the direction of cheap, boxed convenience food for the next couple of weeks? Not a chance.<br />
<br />
Take tonight's chili, for instance. Most people will tell you that chili is either beans or meat and beans. And that's it, they'll say: anything else is sacrilege. But when you're broke — or don't really feel like just eating a big bowl of meat — adding veggies can really give you more bang for your buck, both nutritionally and wallet-wise. You'll still get your spiced ground beef, but you'll also be able to make a larger amount of the dish with less of it. The added vegetables will also add a lot of flavor.<br />
<br />
I often feel like I'm preaching to the choir with tips like this. My readers (all four of you) are either vegetarian or understand and embrace the value of fresh produce. You are not the target audience of V8's most recent ad campaign, which promises two servings of fruits and vegetables in their juice to those who "just don't like the taste of vegetables." But I want to continue to emphasize the value of vegetables in a healthy, frugal, seasonal and organic, not-from-a-box diet — in case it's not already obvious that it's the cornerstone of the way I eat and the way I would like to see everyone eat! And in case you happen to be a reader who hasn't been won over quite yet.<br />
<br />
One of the highlights of this chili is that it's a fairly quick and easy dish to throw together. After doing the prep work of chopping the veggies and browning the meat, it cooks mostly unattended. It's also cheap — and that's even if, like me, you're using some grass-fed meat from happy cows, which can sometimes be pricey. Furthermore, it lends itself nicely to doubling or even tripling, to use as lunches later in the week or to freeze for future occasions. <br />
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<br />
<br />
Chili con veggies<br />
serves 2<br />
<br />
1/2 lb ground beef, preferably grass-fed<br />
1/2 onion, diced<br />
1/2 red bell pepper, diced<br />
1 or 2 carrots, diced<br />
1 large clove garlic (about 1 tbsp), minced<br />
1 tomato (about 1/2 c), chopped <br />
1 (14 oz) can kidney beans<br />
1/2 tsp dried oregano<br />
1 tsp ground cumin<br />
1 tbsp chili powder<br />
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon<br />
salt and pepper, to taste<br />
<br />
In a large pot or skillet, brown the ground beef. In a separate pan with a little olive oil, saute the onion, bell pepper, carrots, and garlic. When the beef is done, add the vegetables, along with the tomato, beans (and liquid), and the spices. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-25 minutes. (The longer it cooks, the more the flavors develop.) Serve with lime wedges, plain yogurt or sour cream, or your favorite chili toppings.<br />
<br />
And vegetarians, it goes without saying that you can swap out the meat for more beans. Try pinto or black.<br />
<br />
<br />
cost:<br />
grass-fed ground beef - $3.00<br />
organic onion - $0.50<br />
organic bell pepper - $0.55<br />
organic carrots - $0.25<br />
organic garlic and tomato - from the garden<br />
can of organic beans - $1.09<br />
spices - I <a href="http://notfromabox.blogspot.com/2010/03/bulk-up.html">buy in bulk</a>, so the small amounts needed for this recipe are very inexpensive, as well as difficult to calculate<br />
<br />
total: $5.39 (without spices)<br />
per serving: $2.70Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37148422.post-50398459685924601512010-03-23T21:46:00.000-07:002010-03-23T21:48:36.129-07:00Cellophane noodles with sunflower sprouts and egg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZni-4h5MBKZ9BubjjLpG7FU9QDduqWpJLA-gBmfNbXV0M8Uiv1aGGjfsYKhC2WaXjjIDEGn7Cmp_F-lxZFf8hy1BaP506NJL1yn2lsFKTnBGIebaMUjaR7TEHI4Wc_ydWiPAdKQ/s1600-h/2010-03-23+21.11.18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZni-4h5MBKZ9BubjjLpG7FU9QDduqWpJLA-gBmfNbXV0M8Uiv1aGGjfsYKhC2WaXjjIDEGn7Cmp_F-lxZFf8hy1BaP506NJL1yn2lsFKTnBGIebaMUjaR7TEHI4Wc_ydWiPAdKQ/s200/2010-03-23+21.11.18.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><b>Tip of the day: Learn to cook.</b><br />
<br />
This may seem like obvious advice, being that this is a cooking blog, but I don't just mean be able to read a recipe and put all the ingredients together to make a meal. I mean <i>really</i> get to know your food. Learn what goes with what — which herb goes well in what sort of dish, which sauce can go on which pasta, what flavors taste amazing with other flavors. Learn cooking times and cooking methods until what you're doing in the kitchen when preparing a meal is almost entirely automatic. Doing this can really help when you've got an odd assortment of food in your fridge or your cupboards are feeling practically bare — it'll save you the expense of going out to eat!<br />
<br />
The dish pictured above was made up entirely out of my head. No recipe, other than the vague memory of recipes that inspired the final outcome. I've had some leftover mung bean noodles sitting in the fridge for about a week, and it was high time I got around to using them up. I'd originally used the noodles to make pancit, a Filipino noodle dish, but I hadn't been entirely happy with the results. (It's hard to get food to taste just like your mom's!) So I wanted to try something new.<br />
<br />
The noodles were a little firm from being in the fridge for so long, so I refreshed them with some boiling water. Then I stir-fried them in a pan to cook off any remaining water. I mixed up a sauce that I normally use to dress stir-fried asparagus or long beans, from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Into-Vietnamese-Kitchen-Treasured-Foodways/dp/1580086659">Into the Vietnamese Kitchen</a>, which involves oyster sauce, patis (fish sauce), and sugar. I didn't measure — I just added different amounts till it tasted good. After removing the noodles from the pan, I threw in some sunflower sprouts and wilted them with the sauce. I added that to the noodles, but then decided there weren't enough greens in there, so I just dumped what little was leftover of the sprouts, uncooked, and mixed them in.<br />
<br />
Something seemed missing. One of my favorite breakfast foods is a bowl of rice with a fried egg on top, sprinkled with a little oyster sauce. An fried egg seemed like the perfect topping for this very simple, light noodle dish.<br />
<br />
It was really good. <br />
<br />
I've been doing a lot of cooking like this lately: taking whatever I've got around the kitchen and throwing it all together to make something delicious. I'll write more in the future about the kinds of things I've been whipping up, so that you can learn to do this, too.Teresahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718715011259568557noreply@blogger.com0