Big Green Foodie

Green Smoothie Cleanse/Challenge

2009-10-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

Morning Smoothie (#1 of day #1)

Strawberries
Banana
Collard green leaf
Leaf of lettuce
Flax seed
Flax seed oil
Zucchini
Water

How ironic....

2009-09-14T16:56:00.000-07:00

That my last post was about bacon and this post is about how I am starting a 5 day vegan challenge tomorrow....well, it's not as big of a leap as it sounds like. After buying the 1/4 pig last year and 1/2 lamb last year I began reading a lot about both the health and environmental impacts of meat. We were not big meat eaters before and bough the mass quantity because I had begun buying only local, organically fed animals and price-wise this was A LOT better deal. But....we still haven't been able to go through that much meat, have been giving it away lately and serving it to others : ) It's all great quality meat, but when your diet has shifted to a mostly plant-based one, it's hard to go through pounds and pounds of meat and I needed to clear out freezer space for my peppers, berries, tomatoes, etc. that we got this summer.

So, long story condensed a bit....I found this website of a healthy hip young Candanian nutritionalist who subscribes to a mostly vegan gluten free eating lifestyle. I've been following her blog for a bit and was intrigued when she announced a 5 day vegan challenge complete with a tutorial, menu planning, etc. It's not so far out my comfort zone that I am worried, but it is requiring a lot of meal prep today....

So far I have made a batch of apple-cinnamon muffins, quinoa tabouli, steamed cauliflower, carrot-ginger soup --- all for tomorrow -- and still have to make some sweet potato kasha patties. Gearing up for tomorrow I tried to be a wee bit more vegan about my choices today and had a cheese -free pizza on a sprouted grain tortilla for lunch (and will likely have one for dinner as well since the kiddos are having homemade cheese pizzas) and even put soy milk in my 2nd cup of coffee instead of creamer. I'll be reporting back about my progress and the food (if there are any muffins left for my breakfast. - my 5 year old has already eaten 4 of them!)

If you want to check out more about the 5 day vegan challenge, here it is:

http://meghantelpnerblog.com/2009/09/01/5-days-vegan-join-the-health-challenge/

Baking Bacon

2009-03-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note....baking bacon is FAR easier and less messy than pan frying. It usually takes about 20 minutes (with a flip in the middle) at 375 degrees. I do it on a tinfoil lined baking sheet to make clean up super easy....I'm baking some bacon right now to have on sandwiches tomorrow. And, yes, the house smells like breakfast!

Today, whatever day today is....

2009-03-02T18:35:00.000-08:00

I think it's March 2nd (at least that's waht my 5 year old tells me, I'll trust her!) I suck at doing this blog daily (especially since I recently discovered Facebook!) But here's what he had for dinner tonight:

Pan-fried Marinated Tofu Steaks from Feeding the Whole Family (Cynthia Lair)
Asian-style Cabbage Salad with fruits and nuts
Kale (wilted in the cast iron skillet)

It got an A++ from my husband, who said that a few years ago you couldn't have convinced him that a dinner of tofu and cabbage would have been at all appetizing, yet tonight he found it delicious. We were actually fighting over the leftovers (I won!)

February 20th - Day 20

2009-02-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

Tacos for dinner tonight. Or nachos. Or burritos. Or whatever else one can come up with this pile of stuff I have set out on the counter:

Homemade guacamole (avocado, red onion, roma tomato...all from OTY bin)
Remainder of Nancy's sour cream
Home preserved salsa from this summer
Corn tortillas
Kettle chips blue corn chips
Shredded lettuce (OTY)
Black Beans (rancho gordo midnight black)
Chicken (leftover from freezer)
Shredded Tillamook Cheddar
Sauteed Red and Yellow Bell Peppers (from freezer) and Red Onion (OTY)

Seems like a good "get-rid-of-stuff" meal.....tomorrow night I am planning on a breakfast scramble with fried potatoes. Next week will be a challege as DH will be out of town, so the girls and I will be on our own....in other words, I can't plan anything with leftovers because no one will eat them!

February 19th.....

2009-02-19T11:37:00.000-08:00

So, I missed a few (who's counting?) days here.....we were all sick with this cold thing from hell. Then family was in town. Then life has just been crazy. There, we're all caught up now.

In a recap, I did cook up a ham from the hog we bought while the fam was here. Everyone agreed it was quite tasty and didn't need any accompaniment. I served it with a bunch of oven roasted root veggies, some sauteed greens and a salad. And there was even a bit leftover to make a ham and bean soup.

Last night I made Mark Bittman's easy salmon burgers (basically a paste of raw salmon, diced shallots, dijon mustard, capers, fresh breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, etc) and then they were pan fried. Mmmm......

The night before was Portabello Burgers (we commented that this is more "burger" than we typically eat in months!) with home oven fries with a whole buncha toppings....blue cheese, avocado, lettuce, onion, tomato, etc.

Tonight's agenda is a bean soup from the freezer (from ye ole soup exchange) and some baked russet potatoes. An easy dinner since I am baking 2 loaves of whole wheat bread and cooking up some black beans for the kids right now too....

February 11th - DAY ELEVEN

2009-02-11T16:52:00.001-08:00

Tonight's dinner was scheduled to be a shrimp and feta bake, but I didn't feel like making it. So I decided to go the easy route and use a bag of soup from the soup exchange I hosted last month (Split Pea and Ham) and some frozen cornbread wedges. However, late this afternoon I decided to change it up again and save the soup and cornbread for tomorrow when I will be running from activity to event all day long and have absolutely NO time to make any dinner. So.....tonight we are having salmon and avocado spring/summer rolls (the kind in rice paper, not the fried ones) with an Asian cabbage slaw.

To make dinner I made some rice noodles and marinaded them in a soy sauce/sesame oil/garlic/ginger mixture in the fridge. (I think it helps to season the noodles a bit.) I also put some precooked chunked salmon marinating in a similiar mixture.
When I go to assemble them I will soak the rice papers and then put a small piece of lettuce in the center of the wrap, top with a bit of the noodles, salmon and a slice of avocado. If I have them I also sometimes use sprouts, shredded carrots, red bell pepper slices, etc. Also I often sub shrimp for the salmon or strips of fried tofu - depending on what I have on hand.

I'll serve them with this homemade peanut dipping sauce (although you could easily sub almond butter for the peanut butter in this recipe I use.....)

Satay Dip (adapted from Barefoot contessa):
1 tablespoon good olive oil

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

2/3 cup small-diced onion (1 small onion)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2-3 tablespoons good red wine vinegar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 cup ketchup

1-2 tab water

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Cook the olive oil, sesame oil, red onion, garlic, ginger root, and red pepper flakes in a small, heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat until the onion is transparent, 10 to 15 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, peanut butter, ketchup, water, and lime juice; cook for 1 more minute.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

(Leftovers freeze well too)

February 10th - DAY TEN

2009-02-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

Due to sleep deprivation, chronic illness in our house and just general laziness....today was a big day of leftovers. I am not even sure what anyone ate. Nothing that is worth reporting about, that's for sure....

February 9th - DAY NINE

2009-02-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

Today's dinner was a work in progress....it morphed twice as I was making it from what I had intended....really, the only thing that stayed the same was that I used a pack of halibut fillets from the freezer and a bit of leftover homemade coconut milk. First I intended to make a new recipe, a Thai-inspired halibut dish from the Ellie Krieger Cookbook, but I decided it was too similar to our soup last night (which only rated in the "OK" category to me). Then I was going to just poach the halibut in the coconut milk, but as I went to do that there didn't seem to be enough liquid, so I diced up my last frozen tomato and added it to the pan. I then poached the fish and added 1/2 of a delicata squash that I had previously baked, diced up. It seemed to be missing something then, so I added a healthy amount (read: spicy!!) of Penzey's hot curry powder. I am serving it over a bed of brown rice (previously cooked, from the freezer). It is really quite delicious!

**Upon eating a few bites of the dish as I typed the above, I decided I was a little too heavy-handed with the curry spices...I shall be adding a bit of plain yogurt to cool it down a bit and make the sauce creamy**

As a side, not in the photo, I did a saute of zuchinni, mushrooms, tomato and onion.

February 8th - DAY EIGHT

2009-02-08T14:27:00.000-08:00

I am cooking my first recipe from the above book for dinner tonight....I'm excited because it has been on my "to try" list since I got the book (probably because it is one of the few color photos in the book) AND I have just about everything in the freezer for it, so it's great for my month of pantry/freezer clean out! Here are the things I am using from the freezer: chicken stock, coconut milk, chicken, red bell pepper, lime juice and everything else is in the fridge or pantry. Requires NO grocery shopping. Yippee!!!

I did go to the grocery store today, but limited myself to milk, half and half, whipping cream (because I am making some ice cream for this weekend when relatives are in town), apples and bananas and some tylenol for the kiddo. I did my weekly menu before going to the store and was happy to see that I didn't need anything at all for any of my meals this week....yep, we're well stocked!

Thai Chicken Soup with Chinese Black Rice
- makes 4 servings -

Ingredients
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 can (15 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
2 to 3 teaspoons Thai red or yellow curry paste
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, including liquid
1 1/2 pounds bone-in, skinned chicken thighs or split breasts
4 scallions, thinly sliced (keep white and green parts separate)
1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups cooked basic Chinese black rice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Thai fish sauce or soy sauce (optional)
Lime wedges, to serve at the table

Procedure
1. In a 4-quart pot, blend the chicken broth, coconut milk, and curry paste to taste. Set the pot over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, chicken, scallion whites, and bell pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked, 20 to 30 minutes, depending upon size.

2. Remove the chicken. When it is cool enough to handle, shred or chop the meat and discard the bones. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the rice. Add the cilantro, scallion greens, lime juice to taste, and fish sauce, if needed to perk up the flavors.

3. Before ladling out each portion, stir well to bring the rice up from the bottom. Serve with lime wedges.

February 7th - DAY SEVEN

2009-02-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

Although most of our day has been spent eating half-eaten yogurts and leftover pieces of bread from the fridge (since the half-eaten kid items has taken over!) I did make myself a lunch that was tasty and SO simple...the kids had scrambled eggs with cheese and toast. I heated up a corn tortilla, put in a few of the leftover scrambled eggs, a handful of the vallarta beans from last night, a sprinkling of cheese and a couple slices of avocado (some salsa would have been great too!).

For dinner I am FINALLY getting around to making Moosewood's Navajo Stew (from Simple Suppers) which I got the sweet potatoes for a week ago. I also have dough to make whole wheat naan bread from Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Baking book that is fermenting in the fridge.

Navajo Stew
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 red or green bell peppers
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 (15 oz.) can of tomatoes
1 Tbsp. canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz.) can of butter beans of black beans, drained
flatbread (tortillas, lavash, or pita)
plain yogurt, sour cream, or Cilantro Yogurt Sauce

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Stem and seed the peppers and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel the onion and cut it stem end to root end into thin wedges. In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the garlic, oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Stir and continue to roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.
While the vegetables roast, puree the tomatoes, chipotles, and cilantro in a blender until smooth. Set aside. When the vegetables are tender, put them into a 2- to 3-quart baking dish, stir in the tomato-cilantro sauce and the beans, and return to the oven until hot, about 10 minutes.
A few minutes before serving, warm the bread in the oven. Serve the stew in bowls topped with yogurt or sour cream, with warm flatbread on the side.

February 6th - DAY SIX

2009-02-06T08:17:00.001-08:00

Day two of no school for my oldest due to her being sick. This has NEVER happened before, so it is quite unexpected that she would be home again today. Her fever has dropped from "scary high" to "low grade" but she hasn't been able to keep any food down for the last 2 days, so there is no way she is fit to go anywhere. She layed in her bed or the couch bed yesterday and didn't move other than going to the bathroom. I had hoped today would be better, but we'll see....

As a result, I have lowered my expectations on cooking today and will be using a new pack of my heirloom beans (www.ranchogordo.com), Vallarta, I think...and serving them with some sauteed red chard (from Organics to You) and possibly some cornbread if I get around to making some....Oh, and a zuchinni dish of some sort. The Navajo Stew will have to wait yet another day!

February 5th - DAY FIVE

2009-02-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

One word about today: leftovers. We pretty much ate only fresh produce and leftovers today. I did make up an Asian style cabbage slaw (adapted from a recipe from a friend) that was fabulous and that I will enjoy today as well, but the rest of the day was just eating whatever was close by. That's what happens when you are stuck at home with 2 sick kiddos!

For the cabbage salad I used the following ingredients:
shredded cabbage
orange slices
dried cranberries
slivered almonds, roasted
red onion, diced
red bell pepper, diced
black sesame seeds
rice vinegar
apple cider vinegar
sugar
sesame oil

New Favorite Yogurt

2009-02-05T09:17:00.000-08:00

I went on a yogurt buying spree this week and got a whole bunch of new ones to try. Unfortunately, most of them are still in the fridge and I have gone back to buy this one again already! It is just THAT good! and the little cup of honey....Mmmmmm! It's fairly expensive, but is so rich I use 1/2 of the cup as a treat, so it lasts for 2 servings.

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops

2009-02-05T08:58:00.000-08:00

Last night I made what my husband declared the best pork chops ever. I discovered the recipe online and apparently it came from Cooks Illustrated (perhaps another magazine that I "need"???) I made a few necessary changes: I didn't brine the pork chops even though they were natural and I used the last of my Panko bread crumbs from the cupboard. I also baked them in a lightly oiled pyrex baking dish instead of the wire rack. Oh, and I used a whole egg in place of just the egg white. The topping was so good that we literally were eating the pieces that fell off and were in the pan. And I appreciate the "do ahead" tips....I didn't use them this time, but certainly will in the future.

I served it with roasted brussel sprouts and purple potatoes (yes, they were purple in the middle!) and another yummy pecan-lettuce-oregon blue cheese-pear salad. This recipe is going in the "to repeat again" folder!

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
Cook’s Illustrated

Serves 4

CI notes: This recipe was developed using natural pork, but enhanced pork (injected with a salt solution) will work as well. If using enhanced pork, eliminate the brining in step 1. The bread crumb mixture can be prepared through step 2 up to 3 days in advance. The breaded chops can be frozen for up to 1 week. They don’t need to be thawed before baking; simply increase the cooking time in step 5 to 35 to 40 minutes.

Table salt
4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

3. Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

4. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

5. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

February 4th - DAY FOUR

2009-02-04T13:55:00.000-08:00

First: I need to stop grocery shopping or I am going to defeat the whole purpose of this month, which is to decrease the amount of food in my freezer/pantry! I go into the store for one lousy thing that I forgot yesterday and I come out with a whole bag of goodies....all the greek yogurts, I finally found quinoa flakes, the avocados that were on sale.....it goes on and on! Yesterday my grocery shopping splurges included the above cheese, which I declare is the best blue cheese I have ever tasted. It's one of those cheeses that you shouldn't smell though! Whew! I bought it once and vowed I would never spend that much on it again, but I keep coming back to it because it really makes the other blues seem very inferior!

Tonight our dinner meal is going to consist of a couple pork chops from the freezer (the pack I had pulled out to thaw actually had 3 in it, so that's why we had a pork sweet and sour stir fry last night) I found a breaded pork chop recipe that used bread crumbs, shallots, garlic, thyme and a couple other herbs, so I am going to do that and bake them up. I am also going to roast some brussel sprouts and potatoes (both from our Organics to You delivery) and we are going to have a salad with lettuce from the OTY bin, some pecans that I carmelized with sugar last night, sliced fresh pear and that fabulous Oregon Blue cheese from Rouge Creamery.

Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

2009-02-04T13:44:00.000-08:00

Upon request, here's our family's favorite recipe for these muffins....we always have muffins on hand in the freezer for quick snacks, additions to the lunchbox or breakfasts in a hurry. I usually alternate between these and the Ellie Krieger Pumpkin Muffins, although sometimes I sneak in a blueberry or strawberry one!

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 teas baking powder
1/4 teas salt
1 cup (or 2 bananas) ripe bananas, mashed (I often freeze sub-prime bananas and simply thaw them for such purpose)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce or oil
1/3 cup milk
1 teas vanilla
about 1/3 cup chocolate chips (to taste)

Whisk flours, flaxseed, baking powder and salt.
Combine bananas, eggs, sugar, oil (or applesauce), milk and vanilla.
Pour liquid into dry, stirring until moist.
Stir in chips.
Spoon into mini muffin tins and bake about 15 minutes at 350 or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

February 3rd - DAY THREE

2009-02-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

Well, good thing that I got a head start on dinner prep for tonight LAST night, because this day has not turned out like I thought it would! The main reason is that my littlest one has an atrocious cough (that kept me up intermittently all night and from 3 am on....) So, we did not attend our regularly scheduled events today (instead running such errands as Costco and getting squirrel food to keep her occupied) and this afternoon we shall be visiting the dr's office to check and make sure that her cough isn't due to anything other than the pesky cold she has had for going on 3 weeks now.

So, on to dinner.....tonight's plan is a sweet and sour pork stir-fry. Last night I prepped all the veggies: bell pepper, mushrooms, onion, fresh pineapple, etc. and have a pork chop in the fridge thawing. When we get home I'll slice up the pork, brown it in the skillet, add the veggies and stir in a jar of homemade sweet and sour sauce. It will be served over brown rice, which is already prepared and in the fridge. Sure hope it's good!

Martha Stewart's Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies

2009-02-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a previous recipe that my daughter chose to make from the MS Cookie Book. These cookies turned out perfectly (I am just a bad photographer!) They were perfect little glittery circles. And they tasted as good as they looked! (Another cookie I wouldn't have chosen to make, but they were worth it!)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened
2 large eggs
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside.
Put sugars and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed 30 seconds. Add butter; mix until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time, and then the lemon juice. Reduce speed; gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Scoop dough using a 2-inch ice cream scoop; space cookies 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Flatten cookies slightly with a spatula. Sprinkle tops with sanding sugar, then lightly brush with a wet pastry brush; sprinkle with more sanding sugar.
Bake cookies until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks using a spatula; let cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.

February 2nd - DAY TWO

2009-02-02T08:13:00.000-08:00

Today's dinner will be a sort of "leftovers" meal.....I am NOT good at using leftovers. They are usually just send with DH to work or put in the freezer to be send with DH to work at a later date. I admit it, I am not a fan of leftovers...and neither are the kids! This can lead to quite a pile up in the freezer since I cook a new dinner (or 2 depending on how kid friendly the entree is) every night and my husband sometimes goes a week without needing to pack his lunch.

So, in an effort to use up food, not accumulate it, we will be having the leftovers from the nacho dinner last night for burritos tonight. There is still a bit of chicken (after I froze 4 bags of it for future meals and made a huge batch of stock which I will freeze up today). We also still have guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, salsa, pinto beans, corn and whole wheat tortillas and some stir-fried green peppers and onions. Oddly, I am kinda almost looking forward to these leftovers!

That being said, I am going shopping at our local organic grocery today, so hopefully I can avoid stocking up too terribly much. In a weak moment I did place a Rancho Gordo order yesterday, so more beans and grains will be arriving soon, which I will have to find a place on the pantry rack for!

Cookie of the Week

2009-02-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago I started letting my 5 year old choose a cookie recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookie Book. Just to note, I am not generally a Martha fan, although I am mildly entertained by the Whatever Martha! TV show where Martha's daughter and her friend mock past MS episodes....anyway, I got this cookie book on a book buying binge and it has not disappointed! It has am amazing Table of Contents that not only divides recipes into sections such as "soft and chewy" or "crisp and crunchy" but also has a lovely color photo of each cookie for easy reference. I have made about 5 different varieties so far (most not of my own choosing) and all have been quite delicious!

Yesterday's recipe was for Chocolate Cut-outs, which I suspect was chosen because the cookies were rolled and cut out into shapes and topped with sprinkles (all a favorite for a 5 year old!)

Here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Penzey's)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used Penzey's Vietnamese)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Nonpareils, for sprinkling (optional)

Procedure
1. Sift flour, cocoa powder, salt, and cinnamon into a bowl.

2. Put butter and confectioners' sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. mix in egga nd vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 1 hour or overnight.

3. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Chill in freezer 15 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Using a 3-inch cookie cutter, quickly cut out shapes from dough (if dough begins to soften, chill it in freezer 3 to 5 minutes). Reroll and cut scraps. Transfer shapes to prepared baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Brush flour from shapes. Sprinkle with nonpareils, if using. Chill in freezer until firm, about 15 minutes.

5. Bake cookies until crisp, about 9 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Cookie can be stored betwween layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

February 1st - Day ONE

2009-02-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

So....Upon attempting to complete several online challenges (Eat Local, Grocery Budget, Weekly and Monthly Cooking Challenges, to just name a few) I have discovered a few things about myself - one being that I simply do not have the time or dedication to complete such challenges. I have appreciated each of them that I have done and have gained a lot of personal insight as well as some very positive lifestyle and household changes from these. However, I find them too limiting/restrictive and don't prioritize the blog postings required for the challenges. That being said, I am attempting to challenge myself this month. I might not post every day or ever step of the way, but I am going to use this blog as a means of accountability for me in one way or another.

So, on to today.....(oh, and the goal is to do menu planning and cooking that will decrease the amount of food in our (1) freezer and (2) pantry. Including all the self canned and frozen items as well as the large meat purchases I have recently made (1/2 lamb and 1/4 hog to name a couple!)

Today we ate lunch from the fridge and freezer remains instead of making
"new" food.....one kid and hubby ate spaghetti with homemade marinara and broccoli and sourdough bread. The other kiddo and I ate homemade tomato basil soup and bread.

For dinner we are having nachos/burritos/taco salads depending on what member of the house you are. I roasted a chicken (from the freezer) so people can put that on their Mexican entree, as well as a pot of black beans (Rancho Gordo from the pantry) are boiling away right now.....I have lettuce, homemade guacamole, will stirfry up some green bell peppers and onions, have home-canned salsa and some local organic sour cream to top them with.

For the leftover chicken, in no particular order, I have the following plans (some of the meat will get frozen and used later for these ideas, some will be this week)....Oh, and I will also be making some homemade chicken stock with the carcass.

**Pumpkin Sauce Chicken Enchiladas
**Thai-style Chicken Soup with Black Rice
**Asian salad with cabbage and chicken

February 2009: Pantry Challenge

2009-01-28T16:04:00.000-08:00

Well, we have an overly well stocked freezer, pantry and storage rack right now, so I decided that February would be a great month to do a pantry challenge...attempting to plan meals that best utilize all the ingredients that I already have on hand and not buying a surplus more (this is going to be difficult as one of my favorite indulgances is to grocery shop!). We will still have fresh produce delivered from Organics To You bi-weekly, but other than that and the staples (which I'll have to work out a bit, but will include milk, eggs, flours, etc) I am going to pare my grocery shopping down to a bare minimum.

Wish me luck! I'll keep posting on the progress and weekly menus.

Menu for the week

2009-01-18T14:28:00.001-08:00

I am an over-planner when it comes to meals (I could plan 2 months of meals at a time!) HOWEVER, I also change them on a whim! So, with that caveat....here's what is in store for this week:

Sunday
Broccoli and Snow Peas with Peanut Sauce over WW Spaghetti (Ellie Krieger's)
homemade sourdough baguette
Banana Choc Chip muffins

Monday
Roasted Root Veggies over Polenta (EW)

Tuesday
Baked Halibut (WW recipe)
Roasted Butternut Squash (Barefoot Contessa)
Kale

Wednesday
Homemade Marinara from freezer with pasta and frozen green beans for family (I'm going out to Thai with a friend!)

Thursday
Honeybaked Lentils (Mennonite Cookbook)
Brown Rice
Balsamic Sauteed Cabbage and Onions or Greens
Hopefully I'll get time to make coconut brown rice pudding for dessert

Friday
Salmon Tacos
Shredded Cabbage Slaw
Beans (some Rancho Gordo variety TBD)

Sprout salad....so simple...so tasty

2009-01-14T10:03:00.001-08:00

Last night I enjoyed my last bowl of sprouted salad as part of my dinner. I simply took sprouts from my jar and topped them with a simple vingrette I made with lemon juice, dijon mustard, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. It has been amazing how tasty this sprouted salad blend has been (and this is coming from someone who is not enthused by a lettuce salad!)

Next up I am going to try the "sandwich blend" of sprouts that I got and hopefully next time I go back to that store they will have the "stir-fry" blend back in stock. I'd really like to try that one!

Sweet Glazed Pecans

2009-01-14T09:55:00.000-08:00

Clearly, Feeding the Whole Family is my favorite book right now....I just tried this recipe yesterday. While I am allergic to pecans and walnuts, I sometimes just have to have a few and this was a nice treat (and would also be good with almonds, which I am not allergic to!). Also, much to my surprise, both my kids LOVED them and it's always nice to get a good snack for them too.....I used olive oil instead of the butter as that is what the book called for (not sure why the recipe from the website says butter, but I am sure that would just add another dimension of flavor to the nuts) Oh, and the recipe in the book calls for maple syrup, not honey. Strange! Anyhow, they are delicious!

Sweet Glazed Nuts
Recipe reprinted with permission from Feeding the Whole Family (third edition) by Cynthia Lair (Sasquatch Books, 2008)

These are delicious on hot cereal, in a fresh green salad or as an excellent snack. They satisfy the need for sweets and fats in a very nutritious way.

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly coat a cake pan or 8x8 Pyrex dish with ½ teaspoon of butter or oil. Combine butter and honey in a saucepan and heat on low until syrupy; add nuts and toss to coat. Spread nut mixture into baking dish.

Bake until nuts are golden and syrup bubbles - about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up clumps. Remove from oven and cool slightly; remove while slightly warm with a spatula.

Makes 1 cup
Prep time: 20 minutes

Maple Butter Nut Granola

2009-01-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is the granola that my 2 year old begged to make one night when it was almost bedtime. Luckily, it comes together very quickly and is absolutely delicious! We all couldn't keep our hands out of the bowl! I just had it for breakfast this morning with a touch of milk (would also be good with yogurt and berries, which I might try tomorrow). It was wonderful!

Maple Butter Nut Granola
Reprinted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair (Sasquatch Books, 2008)

Use granola as a topping on hot cereal, fresh fruit, or yogurt. Homemade granola makes a quick snack for children on the move.

3 ½ cups rolled oats
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup pumpkin seeds
½ cup almonds, chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup melted butter
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon nut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon almond extract

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, seeds, almonds, cinnamon and salt; mix well. In small pan melt butter, add syrup and nut butter and stir to blend. Remove from heat and add extracts. Slowly pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients, using a spatula to fold and evenly coat the dry mixture with the wet. Spread on cookie sheet or in a shallow pan and bake. Turn granola every 15 or 20 minutes so that it toasts evenly. Bake until granola is dry and golden (45 - 60 minutes). Store in an airtight jar.

Preparation time: 70 minutes
Makes 8 cups

I love Tofu again!

2009-01-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

I had a brief love affair with tofu a few years ago and then got tired of my 2 tried and true recipes (one of which I have lost) and everything else I made failed in both the texture and taste categories. So, that coupled with all the recent articles I have read questioning the benefits vs. risks of unfermented soy products (read tofu v tempeh), made me give up tofu. Then I have been reading the Feeding the Whole Family book and falled in love again....

Here's her basic recipe (which also had an accompanying video at http://www.cookusinterruptus.com/index.php?video_id=48) DELICIOUS! And, even reheats well as I had it for a dinner and 2 lunches! I served it with the Asian Soba Noodle Salad whose recipe I am attaching....

Pan-Fried Tofu
Recipe reprinted with permission from Feeding the Whole Family (third edition) by Cynthia Lair (Sasquatch Books, 2008)

Tofu can be bland. But if you marinate it and fry it in coconut oil it is flavorful with great texture.

Marinade:
3 cloves garlic, sliced
4-5 slices (1/8-inch thick) of fresh gingerroot
1 cup water
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/3 cup tamari or shoyu

1 pound firm tofu
2 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil

In the morning, combine all ingredients for marinade. Cut tofu into 1/2” slabs, and then cut slabs into triangles. Put marinade and tofu in a glass storage container with a tight-fitting lid for ½ hour to 8 hours. The longer it sits, the stronger the flavor in the tofu.

Heat ½ of the coconut oil in a skillet to medium high. Remove tofu from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. This will protect you from sputtering oil. Place ½ of the tofu pieces in oil and brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining oil and tofu. Set aside.

Preparation time: Overnight for marinade; 10 minutes to fry tofu
Makes 4 servings

Asian Noodle Salad with Toasted Sesame Dressing
Reprinted from Feeding the Whole Family, 3rd ed. by Cynthia Lair.
I have taught a class called "Whole Foods Salads" many times and Asian Noodle Salad is often the favorite dish. You can create a most impressive summer meal by serving this with Nori-Wrapped Wasabi Salmon. Nutritionally impressive too!

Salad:
1 8-ounce package soba noodles
¼ cup chopped cilantro leaves
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons tamari or shoyu
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon hot pepper oil

Optional Additions:
Blanched vegetables
Chopped red cabbage and scallions

Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse in colander. To toast sesame seed, place in a dry skillet over medium heat. Keep seeds moving until they give off aroma, pop and begin to change color. Remove and set aside.

Combine dressing ingredients (toasted sesame oil, tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, and hot pepper oil) in small bowl; whisk together. Place drained noodles in a large bowl. Add dressing, cilantro and sesame seeds; toss gently. Add optional ingredients and toss again. In this video we took 1/2 pound of grass-fed flank steak and marinated it with some of the dressing, then pan-seared it and broiled it for 7 minutes. It was sliced on the diagonal and added. Vegetarians could add Fried Tofu to the dish which makes a delicious whole meal.

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes
Makes 4-6 servings

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

2009-01-11T09:08:00.000-08:00

Sweet Potato Quesadillas (from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home)

1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups grated peeled sweet potato
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
generous pinch of cayenne
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

8 tortillas (8- to 10-inch)
tomato salsa
sour cream

Saute the onions and garlic in the vegetable oil until the onions are translucent. Add the grated sweet potatoes, oregano, chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook, covered, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.

When sweet potato is tender, add salt and pepper to taste and remove the filling from the heat. Spread one-eighth of the filling and 2 tablespoons of the cheese on one half of each tortilla. Fold in half, and heat in skillet on each side until lightly browned. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Vegan with a Vengeance

2009-01-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

Another holiday present was the above book and, let me tell you, I am in love with it. In addition to all the yummy sounding recipes the author has spunk and it is conveyed in her writing and quips. It's a fun book to read (and, yes, I love to read cookbooks!)

I had to try out a recipe ASAP, but since my week's menu was already planned and my husband is out of town next week (so we will be dining on "staples") it ended up being a dessert that I tried first. Recipe for Rasberry-Chocolate Blondie Bars. I had never made Blondies before, but this recipe is definitely a keeper! It especially appealed to me as my husband's favorite is raspberry anything and I just happen to have a plethora of home-canned raspberry preserves from this summer and a bag of dark chocolate Ghiradelli chips just waiting to be used!

Here is the unappetizing looking picture of the remaining row of cookie bars. But, trust me, they really are delicious, although next time I will try cutting back on the sugar and replacing the oil with applesauce.

My sprouts have sprouted!

2009-01-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

The sprouts finally filled up the whole jar, so I didn't dare let them grow anymore. I let them drain overnight and then put a regular (not mesh sprouting) lid on them and popped them in the fridge this morning per instructions on the card that came with my sprouting screen.

I had a nice sprout salad tonight with a cup of the sprouts and a homemade dressing I threw together with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and dijon mustard. I think I'll have another tomorrow.

Amazing what 2 tablespoons of seeds can do....

Our new love...

2009-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

The newest addition to our family....our first niece. We were able to visit her and her parents last night and (needless to say) she is PERFECT!!!

WELCOME TO THE WORLD BABY QUINN!
We love you....

Day 3 and 4 of lunch

2009-01-07T19:16:00.001-08:00

Lesson learned: NO EGGS IN LUNCHBOX! Although I know it wasn't spoiled, as my youngest had the same lunch and ate it just fine, my school aged child said that the egg "tasted bad" and she refused to eat it. Fluke or not, it appeared she hadn't eaten much else in the lunch either!

Hoping for a better day tomorrow, I made a fresh batch of pumpkin muffins (my kids' favorite....an adaptation from Ellie Kreiger's recipe)....in the closed container is some homemade applesauce with a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar and the flower shaped sandwich is filled with cheese. The slices of wheat bread were the last 2 from the loaf I made this weekend and are rather thick, so hopefully it will be okay!

2 days of lunch

2009-01-06T11:05:00.000-08:00

Day One:

Daughter reported that her lunch box today was a success! However (as I predicted) she didn't have enough time to eat...she is a S-L-O-W eater! She ate "all the yogurt and almost half of a half of the [cheese] sandwich" a carrot, 3 grapes, and the whole banana choc-chip muffin (which is actually *really* healthy....shhhh! don't tell!)

Day Two:

I'm trying a new approach to lunch today...snack-style. I'm attempting to see if she is able to eat more of her lunch in a short time this way. So, today's lunch had crackers, carrots, olives, 2 ban-choc-chip muffins and a cheesestick.

Finally, a brown rice-fried rice that works

2008-12-31T15:23:00.000-08:00

Here's the recipe I used (which is sure to be a repeater and can easily vary the veggies....I adapted the recipe from this site http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2007/08/brown-rice.html) here's my version:

Veggie Fried Rice (with Brown Rice!)

2 tsp olive oil
1 egg, lightly scrambled
1/4 cup diced mixed vegetables -- onion and red pepper
1/4 cup carrots and corn
1 cup cooked brown rice, any variety, chilled
1 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Heat the oil in a wok over highest heat, and add the egg and vegetables, and stir. Add rice, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and salt and pepper, and stir for 1 minute; the sauce should be absorbed and the rice grains should be separate. Add the sesame oil, toss, and serve hot. Reheats well too!

I served it with my mock PF Chang's lettuce wraps (with cabbage as the wrapper)

My new utensil holder present

2008-12-31T15:22:00.000-08:00

Usually there are more utensils in it, but a lot are in the dishwasher, which is currently running! It's so pretty and clean looking on the countertop! THANKS!!!

Really, we don't eat THAT much meat!

2008-12-31T15:13:00.000-08:00

So....for a family who eats several meat-free meals a week (at a minimum) it seems strange that our freezer looks like a meat locker. This is for several reasons: (1) all the fruit and veggies are buried under the pile o' meat (2) we recently purchased a half of a lamb from a local family farm (3) I just picked up our 1/4 hog that was butchered from a different local family farm and (4) we found an amazing deal on salmon when we were in Washington for the holidays and so we brought back 5 whole fish with us (and have 10 more in the in-laws freezer!)

All this meat means that we're sure to be incorporating more meat into our meals, but it will be a fun challenge for me as I don't plan on meat being the "main" portion, but more an accent to some whole grains and vegetables. I have tentatively planned out the following menu for the following week:

Monday - Roasted Salmon with Lentil/Couscous/Herb/Veggie Salad (a favorite repeat around here!) (and tonight I will make some fish stock to freeze and make a salmon chowder later on)

Tuesday - Salmon Tacos with the leftover salmon....with a mexican cabbage slaw and some fresh cooked black beans. I am hoping to handmake some corn tortillas for this meal, but it all depends on if I get to the store to get my tortilla press before then.

Wednesday - Pork Chops in the crockpot with a jar of my home canned BBQ sauce (first time to try the sauce!)with roasted potatoes and squash

Thursday - Leftover pork shredded with sauce on homemade sourdough baguettes for a pulled pork type sandwich with a cabbage cole slaw type salad

Friday - Soup, possibly potato-leek or a squash soup from the freezer (something meat free for sure!)

Wonderful World of Sprouting

2008-12-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

After a brief conversation with one of my brother-in-laws over the holidays, I was inspired to try sprouting again. (For history, I have only sprouted a couple things over the years, and while both were a success I just didn't continue for some reason.) So, it was serendipitious that while I was at our local natural foods store stocking up today I spotted some little sprouting screens with instructions and jars (regular mason type) on display....so for under $5 I'm going to give it another try! Also, they had a whole section (albiet small section) of bulk seeds/legumes that were specifically labelled for sprouting. I got a small baggie of both the sandwich mix and the salad mix - they look tasty. We'll be down at my parents for New Year's, but I'll get them going when we return!

(Oh, and it turns out that the sprouting screen is from a local company...even better!)

It's raining cookbooks.....

2008-12-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

I decided that each of my new books from the holidays deserves its own post. Here's the first and my favorite thus far! I haven't cooked from it yet, but have been overjoyed to read it....lots of info and recipes.

I also discovered a website by the same author that has actual videos (with a humorous slant) of a lot of the recipes in the book. Very helpful for a visual learner such as myself!

Laptop Lunch Frenzy Begins

2008-12-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

My kiddos got Laptop Lunchboxes for Christmas and they couldn't have been more thrilled! My 5 year old danced around the room and declared emphatically that she needed this because she is going to start having lunch at school. Her 2 year old sister jumped up and shouted "I needed it TOO!" I asked the 2 year old why she needed it and she looked perplexed, shrugged her shoulders and simply stated "I JUST needed it!" Who can argue with such impecable logic? Simply stated, I often "just need" things too!

You can check out these little creations at http://www.laptoplunches.com/ and see them put to great use (although much more creatively than I am sure I will be!) at http://veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/

Next week the actual school lunches start, so I wanted to do a trial run with said lunchboxes this week to make sure, among other things, that my child could actually open it when she was at school! Attached is a photo of some things from the fridge that I threw together for lunch today -- it's whole wheat penne with homemade marinara, pear slices, baby carrots, 2 late July crackers sandwiched together with nut butter, and yogurt in the dip cup, as this was the item that they were both most excited about). They were both SO excited to eat out of their lunchboxes.

Ahhh.....fresh produce!

2008-12-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

After being pretty much stranded in the house for a week straight and not being able to venture to one of my favorite places....the grocery store....the Organics To You produce delivery was a much anticipated part of today. With the exception of convincing my husband to jump off the bus and run into the grocery store for milk, eggs and cheese one night this week, we have gone without any outside groceries for the entire week. Luckily I have quite the storage of both dry goods, frozen items and a very well stocked pantry....but fresh produce was one thing that was lacking. We were down to one head of cabbage and some carrots in the fridge, potatoes and squash in the garage and a bit of fruit (yes, we are well stocked!) but now...problem solved! A HUGE box of delicious fresh items....take a look! By the way, this is the first week we have gotten the "regular" bin, as we were still well stocked veggie wise from the CSA we had been getting fruit box in the previous weeks. The variety and amount of produce in this week's particular box was remarkable and I am impressed by how much of it is sourced locally. I look forward to seeing what the next bi-weekly box holds!

The girls were so excited by the bounty that they literally cheered for the broccoli and demanded that I steam some up right away and then they began carrying the leeks around the house and poking things with them. Oh, kids will be kids....

Let it snow, let it snow, let it SNOW!

2008-12-19T16:23:00.000-08:00

We haven't done a very good job of taking photos while we've been outside in the snow/ice this week -- too busy *trying* to stay warm! But here are a few - we apparently didn't take any the days that we had the most snow and ice on the ground. Oh well, if the weather forecast is correct, we'll have another opportunity this weekend.

This was the first smattering of snow earlier this week (the girls were just excited to be able to wear their new snow hats):

Loving the snow!

The girls love being pulled around the lawn in the sled (but are too afraid to go down the hill on the sled)

Here's today snow play:

Opening up the ornaments

2008-12-19T16:13:00.000-08:00

The oldest with her ornament:

The youngest with her ornament:

Posing by the tree for Grandma:

Ornaments on the head:

Although this is a bit dated, I promised I'd send these photos to the grandparents and then forgot (gasp!) so I am posting them here instead....Every year my mother-in-law gets the girls' a new ornament for the tree. The last couple years the oldest has even gotten to pick it out at a lovely Christmas shop near the beachhouse we have stayed at on the Oregon Coast. This year they opened their ornament presents as we decorated our tree. They were SO excited to get a bear and a bunny to add to the tree!

This was a family tradition of their's and my husband has a great box (and nicely organized list) of ornaments from each year of his childhood as well. Some are cute, some are handmade, some are from trips that were taken during that year (think Disneyland), some are symbols of sports teams or other activities he participated in (newspaper, band, etc.) but all are symbolic of a certain thing that was important that year - kinda like a time capsule. It's really a neat tradition and I am happy to pass it on to my kids....although I need to start that list of what ornament was from what year because my oldest is only 5 and I am already forgetting!!

Update on the Ginger Beer

2008-12-19T16:07:00.001-08:00

Well, I posted a while back on the making of Ginger Beer, courtesy of the book Wild Fermention. I had promised an update when we got around to sampling it (after the fermentation process ended) and that time came last night. My husband said he'd try it if I took the first drink. I said I'd take the first drink if he opened the container (I had a slight fear of an explosion of some sort!) And, thus, a deal was made. He opened. I sampled. It didn't explode. It wasn't that good. That sums it up!

For more detail.....quite a bit of carbonation did occur, which I thought was pretty darned cool. The taste however was very "beer-like" to me, but not "beery" enough for hubby. He said that it smelled like beer, but didn't taste like much. Fair enough assessment. I thought that it tasted a bit like beer, but not much like ginger and certainly all the sugars had been eaten up, since it wasn't sweet at all! This was disappointing to me.

I don't think I'll make it again, and not sure that all of this batch will be consumed, some might be contributing to our compost pile. But it was a fun experiment!

Still alive....just snowed in!

2008-12-19T15:38:00.000-08:00

Several people have asked why I haven't been updating ye ole blog lately and quite frankly it's just because I've been busy doing other things.....since school has been cancelled every single day this week (and the week before Winter Break no less!) it's been pretty darned busy around the house keeping my kiddos occupied without our normal activities!

I found this fabulous website www.mathwire.com that has all sorts of great math-themed winter activities that my 5 year old has been furiously doing (she is working on the quilt activity as I type!) One of her favorites is the gingerbread man game....so much fun! Oh, and we did the dice rolling, draw a snowman game so many times yesterday I can't count them all.

I have been furiously baking, here are a few pictures and links to recipes when appropriate from my baking spree.

The latest project was a coconut bread that I just got out of the oven (and ate 3 large pieces of already!) I was a bit nervous about the recipe as I had to use my kitchen scale and convert things from the Australian measurements (mostly grams) and it seemed to call for an absurd amount of coconut, but, let me tell you, it is TASTY!! It is supposed to be a great breakfast bread and is served at an infamous restaurant in Australia....I can see why! The recipe can be found here http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/36/coconut-bread

One I don't have a photo for, but that was fabulous and on the "to make again" list is a vegan blackberry crisp. http://www.seattlevegan.com/recipe.php?id=3&cat=desserts It was especially delicious with a dollop of greek honey yogurt!

Here are some coconut bon-bons that I made today. I had to use up almost my entire stash of dark chocolate to coat them, but it was much easier than I thought it might be. Here's the recipe I used: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/coconut-indulgences-recipe/index.html (Oh, and I had to make my own sweetened condensed milk, which I googled a recipe for)

Next up.....I've made about 4 batches of bread this week, including some stellar sourdough baguettes that are on the "to repeat" list too! Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of them before I cut and toasted one of them into crostinis and froze the other 2 for later use. Other breads I tried for the first time are 2 in the Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Bread book - a oatmeal broom bread (REALLY good toasted with a boiled egg for breakfast!) and a power bread that used a raisin puree and a variety of grains and seeds and nuts - nice and hearty!

Next, not an edible project, but the kids and I made applesauce cinnamon dough ornaments early in the snow week....they turned out really well, were easy and kept the kiddos occupied for a while. What a winner!

Another project (this one didn't involve food OR the kidlets!) was that I have been doing a monthly quilting challenge at a local quilt store and this month's blocks needed to be completed before we left to visit relatives for the holiday. Luckily, being stuck at home due to the icy roads left a whole day I could devote. I am NOT a great quilter, but am giving it a try. It's kind of nice to challenge another part of my brain once in a while!

Finally, here's a fairly unattractive photo of some of the cookies (and fudge) that I made to take up to the relatives' house this next week. (Some of them were also from a cookie exchange that I attended this week, but sadly I made the majority of them this week!) When I get bored....I bake!

Well, off to pick up the produce bin this week, as we really could use some fresh fare. Hopefully it won't take me so long to post an update! Thanks to those of you who checked in on me!

Big day of sweets....

2008-11-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

I guess I had a bit of a sweet tooth today as I have made homemade chocolate chip granola bars and a blueberry sorbetto today. I will try and get pictures, but it just might not happen!

A-DONG

2008-11-17T15:36:00.001-08:00

I had a day full of errands with my little one, while my bigger one was at school today. It included Costco (lots of cheese....oh, and a new cookbook that I am very excited about....A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop -- it looks great and is organized by season, which I am really into lately) then we went to the local Asian market (A-Dong). I hadn't been there in many years and it was quite an experience. It can best be described as a dingy 7-11 type joint atmosphere, except that all the labels are in different Asian languages and there is a HUGE assortment of frozen sea creatures that resemble eyeballs of varying shapes and sizes. I did, however, get all the obscure items on my list and a couple "extras" including tapioca that I get to figure out what to do with!

Crazy for Coconut!

2008-11-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

I *heart* coconut!!! Everything about it....I could go on and on, but I'll spare you all! Today I got to make coconut milk though. Which is a quite easy process of taking fresh coconut meat, blending it with hot water and then straining the solids out. I am making a pumpkin carrot ginger coconut milk soup for dinner tomorrow (with coconut cream freiche) and needed some coconut milk. As I took a can from the pantry my DH reminded me that "isn't it pretty easy to make coconut milk?" And that reminded me of the coconut meat that I had frozen for just such a purpose. Now I have the remanants of the coconut milk-making process toasting up in the oven so I can add it to some homemade granola.

Uses for Whey

2008-11-14T15:55:00.001-08:00

In the past when I have made cheese I've just thrown out the whey (the by-product) but when I made yesterday's cheese I vowed to try and use it up! It seems like such a waste to just pour it down the drain. I googled and found a variety of uses and even toyed with making beet kvaas (kvass?) a whey and beet drink that is supposedly good for digestion, etc. But then figured that was likely to go down the drain as well! Maybe I'll get more adventurous and try that one some other time!

So far I made this fabulous bread with the whey - a peasant style wheat/flaxseed/honey combo. In fact, the bread is so tasty that I might just make another batch of it tomorrow.....I am also in the process of making a kale/potato soup for dinner that uses the whey in place of broth. It is looking really yummy too and I am feeling quite resourceful!

It's a BIG day!

2008-11-13T13:46:00.000-08:00

So I got on a bit of a craze this afternoon and during little's one nap I have started several projects....

First up, GINGER BEER (not the alcoholic type). I have never made homemade soda before, and we don't drink any soda anyways, so it is a bit of a random project, but it looked fun. I'm using a recipe from the book Wild Fermentation. First you have to create a "ginger bug" with fresh ginger, water and sugar. I can't go to the next step until this starts to bubble, which the recipe states may take anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks. Since it has been cold in the house lately it might be the longer time period....I'll report back on the next step when the time comes!

Next, I had to roast some more coffee beans. Which, since we had some heavy coffee drinking company this past week, I feel like I have been doing an awful lot of! Thank goodness for my i-roast. If I were still doing it in the oven I'd be REALLY tired of it!

Then I decided to make some more fresh ricotta cheese. The other day I was going to make a recipe, but didn't have any. Now, of course, I can't even remember what recipe that was, but I shall have it in the freezer for whenever I remember! The photos of the cheese making process didn't turn out that well (bad lighting) but here's one before it was strained and drained : )

Finally, I made some toasted buckwheat groat cereal (my 2 year old's favorite topping for her Nancy's yogurt). It's a simple recipe that requires toasting the groasts in the oven at 300 and then stirring in some natural almond butter and maple syrup.

Whew! No wonder I am tired and on my second pot of coffee! After all these projects we're having an easy dinner of some farm fresh eggs with grated cheese and homemade sourdough toast from my last batch of bread. I'll throw some veggies in my eggs, but have learned my lesson that the kids won't eat them if there's anything green in it!

Penzey's Spices

2008-11-12T16:20:00.000-08:00

I finally made it to our local (read 1 hour away....) Penzey's Spices store. For those of you not familiar with it, I highly recommend checking out their website if you are looking to get totally lost in the wonderful world of spices. I have been ordering from Penzey's for a while now but have never made it to the actual real-life store....only catalog and web ordering up to now. Well, that all changed. My daughter had a birthday party which happened to be very near the spice store. I was restrained though and only bought what I needed....with the exception of a very large bag of very delicious crystalized ginger. I was excited to not pay shipping (although to offset the fact you have to pay shipping, the company always puts in a free spice blend jar, which is really great!) I know I'll be going back soon, if for nothing else, to smell all the spices and let the kids color at the little coloring nook they have so thoughtfully set up!

Let the fermenting begin!

2008-11-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

Well, my first attempt at fermentation begins....NOW! I have 2 quart jars of kraut beginning their fermentation process on the counter right now. I am using the method from Simply in Season and the new cookbook I acquired this weekend at the local Salem Public Market (the year round indoor market here in town). Both methods use shredded cabbage, a little salt (one had sugar, but I opted out of that) packed into mason jars and covered with boiling water. Left to do their thing! It was so timely because our CSA share this week had a nice head of cabbage. I can't wait to watch the fermentation process in action and I really can't wait to enjoy them with some nice sausage and potatoes! Yum, yum!

Organics To You

2008-11-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

Here's what we got in our produce bin this week (it is every other week right now, but the kids eat right through the fruit!)

Big bag of grapes
6 bananas
4 red pears
2 bosc pears
2 barlett pears
3 asian pears
9 apples (honeycrisp and other variety)
4 oranges
3 kiwi
1 pomegrante

Pumpkin Ice Cream

2008-11-07T14:12:00.000-08:00

As I have an abundance of frozen pumpkin puree I'm going to be trying out a lot of new recipes in the coming months! Here's one I am churning as I type.....

Pumpkin Ice Cream

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups pumpkin purée
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 Tbsp brandy

Method
1 Put the pumpkin puree, sugar, spices, and salt in a blender. Purée until smooth. Slowly add the cream, a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. Chill for 15 minutes (or longer, this part you can make ahead).

2 If you are using brandy, mix it in to the cream mixture right before churning. Churn in your ice cream machine 20 to 25 minutes. Keep in freezer until served.

I'm hoping to make some gingersnaps to serve with this ice cream as I think with that and a dollop of fresh whipped cream it is going to be delicious!

Navajo Stew

2008-11-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

Here's what was for dinner last night....with some leftover homemade naan that I had frozen. It's an adaptation from Moosewood's recipe for Navajo Stew (I think from the Simple Suppers cookbook).

Navajo Stew

1 red bell pepper
2 medium sweet potatoes
1 small zuchinni
1 small onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
5 golden roma tomatoes (mine were frozen)
1 Tbsp. canned chipotles in adobo sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 to 1 cup black beans
flatbread (tortillas, lavash, or pita)
sour cream (or plain yogurt)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Stem and seed the peppers and cut into 1-inch pieces. Peel the onion and cut it stem end to root end into thin wedges. Cut zuchinni into large chunks. In a bowl, toss the vegetables with the garlic, oil, cumin, salt, and pepper. Spread on the prepared baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 10 minutes. Stir and continue to roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender but not mushy.
While the vegetables roast, puree the tomatoes, chipotles, and cilantro in a blender until smooth. Set aside. When the vegetables are tender, put them into a 2- to 3-quart baking dish, stir in the tomato-cilantro sauce and the beans, and return to the oven until hot, about 10 minutes.
A few minutes before serving, warm the bread in the oven. Serve the stew in bowls topped with yogurt or sour cream, with warm flatbread on the side.

No photos today

2008-11-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

I've been too busy today dealing with some whiny coldy kids to take photos, but here's a brief snynopsis of what I've been up to today:

drying the last of the cherry tomatoes
cooking and pureeing sweet meat squash and freezing
baking pumpkin seeds
making homemade veggie stockand freezing for soup this coming week
slicing and freezing red bell peppers
preparing menu for the rest of the week and weekend (when family is in town)

All Natural Sugar Cookies

2008-11-04T13:22:00.000-08:00

My 5 year old has been begging, whining and throwing fits to make sugar cookies for the past week.....she read in one of her kids' activity books about decorating sugar cookies and has had an insatiable desire to do so ever since! I haven't made sugar cookies in years, but the recipe I last used was full of white sugar and flours and I didn't really want to make that one again. Let's face it, no cookie is health food, but some are "healthier" than others. (Note: my daughter's book nicely informed her that sugar cookie dough is also available in a tube at the store....I shudder to think what all ingreidents that has!) Anyway, my google search came up with little that helped me, so I created my own recipe of sorts. It's chilling in the fridge right now, but I'll repost the results.

Sugar Cookie Dough

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) at room temp
3/4 cup Florida crystals organic cane sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teas vanilla
1 cup plus half of a 3/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour
1 teas non-aluminum baking powder (I used Bob's Red Mill)

Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg. Stir in vanilla. In small amounts add dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Place dough in a covered pyrex bowl in the fridge for at least 3 hours (or overnight).

When they come out I will be rolling out the dough and letting my daughter's cut them into shapes to be baked at 350 for 5-10 minutes, until done. I am sure they will be covered with a nice layer of powdered sugar frosting, as I think that is the whole point of this experiment for my daughter!

I give up!

2008-10-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

After months of trying to convince my daughters to eat the Nancy's yogurt....I officially give up! My youngest would *sometimes* eat them with a lot of homemeade jam and toasted buckwheat groats, but my oldest wouldn't even touch the stuff. I cannot, in good faith, buy the horrible sugar-filled products that they really want, but today I gave in and bought a small tower of Wallaby yogurts. Maybe we can compromise?? (And I have to admit that I snuck in a pineapple coconut for myself!)

For the record, I still love Nancy's and will continue to buy it as it is a fabulous local product. We just might have to occassionally get some little organic sugar filled ones as well!

My new baby!

2008-10-31T13:49:00.001-07:00

I get really giddy with a new cookbook. I read them at night when I go to bed and can browse through them forever, regardless of whether I make anything from them or they just go into "the collection" Well, today I decided to treat myself and, while shopping at the local natural foods store, decided to browse the book section. What a mistake! There were many titles that I put on my mental wish list, but this one, Simply in Season, stood out. I have looked at it online several times and receive a weekly email update from them as well. The premise is cooking from what is in season, produce wise. I can't wait to have time to settle down and read through it. Maybe I'll even get a chance to cook something from it this weekend!

Lame-O Dinner (Night #2)

2008-10-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

So last night the plans for my husband and me to switch off kids at the end of the day so I could get a haircut changed at the last minute, so that left me scrambling for dinner. I boiled up a pot of water and tossed in some whole wheat spaghetti noodles. The kiddos had their noodles with butter and I had mine with some homemade pesto from the freezer (of which we always have an ample supply!) I also tossed in some quartered cherry tomatoes that arrived with our CSA share this week. It was delicious! So tonight I recreated the same lazy meal....gotta take a night off sometimes! (Although I did add in some fresh steamed green beans tonight!)

No Poo Update

2008-10-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

So, it's basically 2 weeks since I have been trying the baking soda on my hair in lieu of traditional shampoo (see my previous NO POO post for more info on this...) and I have to say that I am impressed! With the exception of one day where I forgot to put the baking soda in my little travel bottle and, so, just put a bit of baking soda in the palm of my hand and made a paste which I spread on my hair (a common method for other no-poo-ers).....well, this didn't work for me! It left my hair feeling as though it hadn't been washed at all and it was just gross feeling. (I admit....on this day I did use a dab of shampoo, as I cannot stand unwashed hair!) Anyway, every other day I have used only baking soda (and sometimes a dot, really just a small dot, of conditioner).

Well, last night I went to get my hair cut at the salon I have been frequenting for years and my hair stylist said "What have you been doing to your hair?" To which I kinda panicked! Then she said "It is more full and vibrant than I have ever seen it!" I have to admit that I didn't tell her my trick....we'll keep somethings to ourselves!

The LAST Farmer's Market

2008-10-29T14:40:00.000-07:00

The last Farmer's Market of the year was today. Sniff, sniff......my Wednesday ritual is over. And, to make matters worse, I missed the last outdoor Saturday market due to a day with WAY too many Halloween parties! I'm going to have to start frequenting the indoor Saturday market soon. Anyway, today the kids and I met their daddy and one of their aunts and stocked up on a few items. I really wasn't planning to get much, but, of course, was tempted by all the colorful produce. Let it be known, however, my haul would have been a lot smaller if I didn't have my 5 year old with me. She insisted on adding the strawberries, blueberries, green beans and purple cauliflower! And, yes, she'll eat it all!

I have a cold!

2008-10-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

Our family has been bitten by the cold bug! My oldest child got it first, then my littler one and now me. Of course, the husband has yet to get anything! Luckily, this summer, I was asked to be a Sinupret tester and got samples of this great natural cold medicine, both for adults and kiddos. It is plant based and works well without that yucky "medicine head" feeling that I am accustomed to with the conventional OTC cold medicines.

In addition to getting to sample the Sinupret before it hit the market in the US (it's been abroad for a long time!) I also got a box of samples to hand out to friends. I gave a presentation to a local MOMS group about green shopping and gave out the first round to those in attendance. If you are reading this and are in the Salem area, let me know and I'd be happy to share one with you. I have a few left, so if you leave me a comment with your contact email I'll get in touch. (I took a photo of what you get in the goody bag....it's in a cute little tote and has a sample of the kids' medicine, a bunch of coupons, a little booklet, some kid toys and a box of kleenex!)

Kale and White Beans Recipe

2008-10-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

I have had a bunch of kale hanging out in my fridge for a few weeks now. The glory of the produce from our CSA share is that it is so fresh it lasts and lasts! But the days were numbered for this particular one, so I needed to use it up. I tried out a new recipe and I must say it was delicious! Next time I will cut down on the sugar, as it was a tad too sweet for me and I would say that it is a must to serve it with some nice artisan bread....I had some of our homemade sourdough in the freezer and it went nicely!

Here's the recipe....the original can be found here (http://www.recipezaar.com/179716) but, of course, I doctored it up a bit!

This recipe served 2 people....with a lot of bread too!

1/2 bunch fresh kale, washed and stemmed and cut into strips
6 ounces cooked white beans (could use canned, I used some previously cooked and frozen)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and diced
1/2 medium tomato, sliced thinly or I sliced some cherry tomatoes
1/2 medium onion, peeled and sliced thinly
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Heat the olive oil slowly in a large frying pan. And saute onion and garlic over medium-low heat until they begin to turn color. Do not burn.

Stir in the brown sugar, oregano, and thyme. Stir gently for another minute or two until the sugar has disappeared.

Stir in the chopped kale into the hot oil mix. Stir the kale gently for a few minutes, just long enough to cook it down a bit. Do not let it become soft.

Stir in the beans, the balsamic vinegar, and the salt.

Lay the tomato slices on top.

Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top of the tomatoes.

Turn off heat, cover and let steam for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Last days of the CSA

2008-10-28T19:17:00.001-07:00

We have belonged to the Denison Farms CSA for several years now. (More information can be found at www.denisonfarms.com) Each week I eagerly anticipate driving across town to pick up our fresh bin of produce. This week's bin came with the weekly newsletter listing what's in the bin and some helpful recipes/hints as well as what's going on on the farm. However, on the newsletter was also a reminder that the farm share season is nearing its end....only 4 weeks to go. As the kidlets ate all but 4 of the raspberries on the car ride home and I added the little tomatoes to our dinner, I realized how much I am going to miss the month's without these produce bins.

Round 2: vegan pumpkin choc chip bread

2008-10-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

I made another loaf of the previously posted recipe today. I omitted the nuts at request of the person who will be getting the bread and threw in a few more chocolate chips....just because!

Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

2008-10-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

I made another recipe from my Vegan Lunchbox cookbook today.....it's a heavy and hearty pumpkin bread. I adapted the recipe from said cookbook to create this:

1 cup plain canned pumpkin or pureed squash (I used pumpkin that I baked up from an uncut jack-o-latern pumpkin last night)
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil oil
2 TB whole flax seeds (blended until ground)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup chocolate chips
½ cup almonds, chopped
Cinnamon-Sugar (I used Penzey's brand....my favorite!)

Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a bread pan well with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Put the pumpkin, water, canola oil, ground flax seed, and vanilla in a blender and process on high for at least one minute, until light in color and well-blended. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the pumpkin mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon or large spatula until well-blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and almonds.

Spoon the batter into the bread pan. Sprinkle the top with some Cinnamon-Sugar.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a cake tested inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then use a spatula to gently lift from the pan. Finish cooling on a wire rack.

**My notes: I was horrified at the amount of sugar in this recipe and would definitely scale it back next time I make it! It had a good flavor, but was a really heavy, dense bread, not light and airy at all. Not a problem, just not exactly what I expected. Also, the bread stuck to the bottom of the pan, so I would suggest HEAVILY greasing it. Could also be made into muffins.**

Update on the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2008-10-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

I took the before mentioned Pumpkin Cinny Rolls to a Halloween Party yesterday and, although I had eaten one while plating them, I forgot to enjoy one at the party! I left the rest for the hosts, who said they thouroughly enjoyed them, but I did not satiate my craving. SO, I made a second batch today. I tweaked the flours a bit more to accomodate what I had on hand (and decided that this recipe is VERY forgiving!) I also froze half of the batch before I baked them so we can enjoy some warm rolls later too. The last change I made was that I subbed fresh orange juice from our organic produce delivery for the liquid in the frosting and it was an absolutely delicious addition. I find myself going back and licking up spoonfuls of the leftover frosting.

A week without Starbucks....will I survive?

2008-10-26T17:43:00.000-07:00

So it has become part of my almost-daily ritual to stop at a local coffee shop, whether it be Starbucks, Java Crew or another joint. Due to a combination of lack of sleep and an overscheduled life, it has become systematic to have my pot of coffee in the morning at home, then stop for a mocha pick-me-up and often times finish up the afternoon with another small pot at home. This is definitely adding up -- both money wise and calorie wise. SO, it is my goal of this week to go without any coffee beverages that are not made in my home (so I can make coffee and mochas still, it's not the point to go without! The one exception to this is if I am meeting a friend or attending a function that is at a coffee shop, I can indulge then, but only then!) DH wanted to stop at Starbucks today so we went and split a Venti Caramel Macchiato. This will be the last one for a while....sigh!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls - Vegan No More

2008-10-25T15:22:00.000-07:00

This has become one of my favorite cinnamon roll recipes. It was originally a vegan cinny roll recipe from www.donteatoffthesidewalk.com, but I adapted it a bit, both to non-veganize it, for ingredients I had on hand and to add more spice to the mix. You can check out the original recipe too though....(and you can easily re-vegan up the recipe by replacing the milk with soy milk and the butter with Earth balance)

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Dough:
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup Pumpkin or Squash Puree (today I used sweet dumpling squash)
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 t cinnamon
1 teas pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour (I use MUCH less)

Filling:
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons melted butter

Glaze:
3/4 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon hot water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the warm water with the yeast and whisk together with a fork, let stand for 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, milk, melted butter, and sugar in with the yeast, and lightly mix. Add two and a half cups of flour, and spices and beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then switch to dough hook (or knead by hand) and knead, adding enough flour from the remaining 3/4 cup, until the dough is elastic but soft and still a little sticky to the touch without being floured.

Place the dough in a large bowl coated with oil, turning to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, for 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down; cover and let rest for 5 minutes.

Combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add melted butter and stir.

Divide dough in half and roll each into a large rectangle on a floured surface. Sprinkle each with brown sugar mixture. Roll up the rectangle tightly, from the long side, pinch seam and ends to seal. Cut roll into(1-inch) slices. Place the slices on a cookie sheet with a silpat or sprayed with oil. Cover and let rise 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in pan on a wire rack.

Sift the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Add the water and vanilla, and whisk until smooth. It should be thick, but easy to drizzle. If it’s too thick, add another 1/2 teaspoon of water. (I usually don't need as much water as called for)

**My photo is before they were drizzled with the frosting. They look even better when glistening with the glaze!**

Freezing Garlic

2008-10-25T15:09:00.000-07:00

I have never tried freezing garlic before, but have often bought those little glass jars of pre-minced garlic and kept them in the freezer to scrape out what I need for a recipe when I don't have fresh garlic on hand. I recently discovered that you can preserve garlic by mincing it and freezing it in a 2:1 mixture with oil. I used the Costco olive oil as that's what I had on hand in quantity. I didn't puree it in the food processor with the oil because I couldn't tell how much garlic I had, so I poured it into my freezer container first and the oil won't really stay mixed in (it keeps settling in the freezer) so I am stirring it at 30 minute intervals so it will hopefully freeze okay. Next time I'll just buck up and put the mixture back in the food processor and give it another whirl. Would have saved time in the end!

Organics to you...

2008-10-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

So for over a year I have been lusting after the organic produce boxes that my friends and relatives in the Portland area have been receiving from a company called Organics To You (www.organicstoyou.org) I belong to a CSA during the growing season and HIGHLY recommend them. I'll try to make a post specific to that later....However, during those cold winter months, local produce is a bit harder to come by. I tried the Pioneer Organics delivery service twice but was not terribly impressed by their quality and they definitely did not make an effort to get local produce (considering that their website, now called spud.com, labels produce from Chile as "local" Hmmmm......) Anyway, after sending a couple emails to the Organic To You contact email and requesting service in Salem, nothing but a standard response that they would let me know if they ever did....THEN, at the Green Sprouts festival in Portland this summer there was an Organics To You booth. The young man at the booth was very receptive to my request to get Salem delivery, telling me who to contact and that they may be able to do a drop point if there were enough interested customers in the Salem area (and he even fed my youngest some delicious grapes from their sample fare!).

Well, to make a long story shorter....after much emailling we got a good group of Salem area residents who are interested in ordering, a drop point location and a start date and TODAY is the first Salem delivery and we are trying out the Fruit box as we are still in the CSA season and don't really need more root veggies, potatoes, greens and winter squash right now! The kids are big fruit eaters, so I am hoping that this will be a nice addition and eliminate a grocery shopping trip.

Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts and a sick child, I think my husband is going to have to pick it up. I was really looking foward to the satisfaction of the actual hand off of the produce bin (as crazy as that sounds, at least it is tangible) Now I have to wait hours to see what is in the darned thing!

ETA: Our fruit box was so nice!! And no excess of plastic clamshells and bags. It was all just nicely put into a cardboard box. We got 2 bags of grapes, a bunch of bananas, apples, 2 kinds of pears, strawberries, a grapefruit, oranges, etc. It all looked great and will definitely encourage us to eat more fruit this week before our next box arrives. Next time I'll take a picture of it. It was so late when we got home all I wanted to do was unpack it and collapse!

I failed!

2008-10-23T19:25:00.000-07:00

I wish I had some great green or foodie story today, but I pretty much failed on all attempts! Here's what our day's food looked like:

Breakfast
Little one: oatmeal, brown sugar, milk
Bigger one: cereal, milk
Me: coffee (I forgot the "food" part of breakfast)

Lunch - the most embarrassing part!
McDonald's....between the 3 of us we polished off a plain double cheeseburger, 10 chicken nuggets and an order of fries. I also picked up a mocha at a local coffee shop. My excuse for this horrible, in all ways, lunch is that we had to leave straight from my daughter's school to go to the airport and I was not organized enough to pack a decent roadtrip lunch for us all. I did pack heavy snacks...multi-grain crackers, pears, apples, roasted pumpkin seeds, nuts, etc. but, of course, those got mainly untouched in favor of the McDs.

Dinner
Kids: whole wheat spaghetti with butter
Us: Crockpot lentil soup (as we were gone all day). This was a new recipe and I thought it was pretty uninspiring. So much so that I am not posting it and don't plan to repeat it. Luckily we had 2 bowls of the coconut black rice pudding left (of which I claimed the larger one) and my mom brought back some fresh caramel corn with peanuts that I finished off the bag of.

Let's hope for a better day tomorrow!

Our FAVORITE Pumpkin Muffins

2008-10-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

I think that the girls would eat these every day if I made them that often....I usually make up a large batch and try to get some in the freezer before they are gobbled up as they make great quick breakfasts and car snacks. Since we have to go up to Portland tomorrow and since we got *another* organic pie pumpkin at the Farmer's Market today I thought I'd whip up a batch. The little one is on my lap eating one (now she is on her 3rd or 4th one) as a pre-bedtime snack as I write....

Pumpkin Pie Muffins (adapted from Ellie Krieger's recipe)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour, or a combo of both, as I did tonight
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsulphered molasses
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large eggs
1 cup fresh pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. (I use a silicone mini muffin tin and make 2 batches)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking soda, and spices.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Bake 15 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

Vegan Black Rice Pudding

2008-10-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

For my birthday (again, thanks Megan and Taylor!) I got the new edition of Vegan Lunch Box, a cookbook by Jennifer McCann, the same name as the blogger of veganlunchbox (go figure!)

I've tried a couple recipes in here so far and today finally got to try the Black Rice Pudding. It was SUPER easy, SUPER tasty and sure to be a repeat. My only irk is that it says it serves 6 and good thing I didn't make a 1/2 batch, because I am fairly certain I could eat half of the batch in one sitting.

Here's the recipe and above is a some-what blurry photo:

1/4 pound raw black rice (found mine at Lifesource), rinsed and drained
1 (14 oz) can light coconut milk (I happened to have a can, but next time I'm going for the full fat homemade version)
4 tab sugar (I used a tad less)
pinch salt

Cook the rice until tender in water to cover (30-40 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Boil the coconut milk, add sugar and salt and stir for 1 minute (to dissolve).
Spoon rice into 6 individual dessert dishes and pour coconut milk over them.

I already ate one bowl while it was still piping hot. I have the rest chilling in the fridge and will have them after dinner with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. Mmmmm..........

NO MORE POO

2008-10-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, it is Day #4 of my attempts at joining the "no poo" movement and all is going well. I first heard of this when I attended a sustainable living workshop and the idea has been floating around in my head for a while now. You can google it and get more info than you ever wanted, but some of the basic tenants are to get rid of shampoo packaging and eliminate the chemicals that are used in and to make the products themselves. Most people use baking soda to replace commercially available shampoo products and many replace conditioner with vinegar. This weekend I finally decided to give it a try. I bought a little travel sized shampoo bottle and each day I put a small amount (probably between a teaspoon and a tablespoon) in the dry bottle. When I get in the shower in the morning I add water to it and shake to dissolbe then dump on my head and rub it in. It doesn't lather like "normal" shampoo does and feels a bit grainy - that took a couple days to get used to. So far I am using just a teensy tiny bit of conditioner diluted with water after the baking soda. Many people experience and adjustment period to the No Poo, but so far my hair is feeling healthier and cleaner than ever.

Produce, produce, here I come!

2008-10-21T17:29:00.001-07:00

Thank you Megan and Taylor for my birthday presents.....another part of it arrived today. My produce bags! I have been eyeing these at www.reusablebags.com for a while now. I hope that they will eliminate some of those pesky plastic produce bags and seem to accumulate with my purchases. At the Farmer's Market I just throw all my goodies in my big red basket, but the grocery store purchases can be a bit more problematic. I got 2 of the large bags (which are larger than I thought -- they should hold quite a bit!) and one small bag, which looks like the right size for a bunch of cilantro or a few small items.

I can't wait to try them out shopping!

What?!? My kids like mashed potatoes?

2008-10-21T15:23:00.001-07:00

I know it seems silly, but I have never been able to get the kids to eat mashed potatoes. Granted, I have issues with making mashers, but all that has changed thanks to my recently acquired (read: spent too much $$ for) food mill. I have to get dinner made ahead of time tonight and, due to the marinara and ground beef for meatballs not thawing adequately, I decided to go with some leftover turkey/pork meatloaf, mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts. I made the mashers and brussel sprouts during the little one's nap so it can all be reheated at dinner. But the girls ate so much of the mashed potatoes that there aren't many left for daddy! (Maybe they were so good because I added a lot of butter and half-n-half???) I even got the little one to eat a brussel sprout! Yippee!

I am addicted

2008-10-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am an addict. Addicted to Zip-lock bags. Not the generic imposters either. The real thing is what I am talking about here! Mainly the freezer and sandwich sizes, but I have been known to use the gallon sized ones as well. I know it is not very green of me and I have kicked a lot of habits, but zip-locks are still holding on strong. HOWEVER, I am hoping that my newfound friend that I found at www.happy-sacks.com These are little fabric concoctions that are sewn by someone far craftier than I. They charged a very reasonable amount for shipping and enclosed a nice little eco-friendly card with the order as well. I am hoping that it will be a nice replacement for the snack bags that the kids go through rampantly throughout the day. Especially since the little one always tears the side of her bags and then all the snacks fall out, so it has to be replaced with a new baggie...and this cycle can be repeated several times with one snack.

Dinner planning for the week

2008-10-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight (Monday)
Turkey Burger (me) and Morningstar Grillers (kids) on Homemade Burger Buns
Roasted Potatoes with EVOO and Kosher Salt
Sauteed Cabbage (me)
Carrot sticks (kids)

Tomorrow (Tuesday)
Sourdough Bread
Pasta with Marinara (homemade in freezer)
Meatballs (per request of a child, who will probably not eat them)
Red Kale sauteed with garlic and olive oil
Roasted Brussel Sprouts (my most exciting find at the Farmer's Market this Saturday)

The rest of the week will be dependent on what is in the CSA bin that arrives on Tuesday.....I hesitate to plan any further than that!

The bun is out of the oven (so to speak)

2008-10-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

I just took the homemade hamburger buns out of the oven and they look GREAT! The kids are already ready to eat an early dinner just to taste them! It is a recipe that I have been meaning to try for a long time and I'll post it here. It was easy to mix up and pretty quick too. If they taste anything like they smell they are sure to be a hit! And I am told that they freeze up well and are great brushed with butter and fried or grilled before serving.

Moomie's Beautiful Burger Buns (from bakingcircle.com)- adapted recipe for kichenaid mixer instead of bread maker

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 egg
3 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant yeast

INSTRUCTIONS
Place all ingredients in your kitchenaid mixer (or mix by hand) and mix together and then knead until desired consistency. Let rise for an hour and then.....

Dump out onto lightly floured surface. Divide into 8 pieces. Gently pat/smush each piece into a desired "bunlike" shape. Place on greased cookie sheets (or with Silpat)cover; rise about 40 minutes.

Bake in preheated 375°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes till golden. Cool on wire racks.

The baking frenzy continues....

2008-10-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Apparently the bread baking bug has hit me hard....maybe it is the cool autumn days. Maybe it is the fact that I am single parenting it this week, who knows? But on today's menu are 2 types of sourdough and a burger bun that has been on my "to try" list for months (if not over a year) now. The sourdough was started last night and has been fed 3 times now. It's almost ready to mix up into a dough. The first variety will be done today, the second is a more "sour" sourdough and has to ferment overnight in the fridge, so we won't be sampling it until tomorrow.

I will report back....

Welcome to Big Green Foodie!

2008-10-19T14:21:00.001-07:00

Okay, here's another attempt at blogging....previously it has been hit and miss. I'm hoping that if I start over it will get better. I have 2 little kids and a very busy schedule, so posting often takes back seat to other endeavors. However, I hope to focus on green and food topics (hence the name).

Today's Tasks have included:

Starting my sourdough starter (I got a starter from King Arthur Flour for my birthday. My previous attempts at sd were "okay" but then I ruined my starter after converting it to whole wheat and it molded! Yuck! I'm going to keep this one a white sourdough for a while)

Finishing canning my 2 batches of salsa that I began yesterday.

Cooking up 2 nice organic pie pumpkins that we picked up at the Farmer's Market and running them through the food mill to freezer (I got 6 cups of yummy puree!)

Toasting up the pumpkin seeds from beforementioned pumpkins with some butter and kosher salt.

I made a Cinnamon Swirl bread for the kids. It's cooling now, just waiting to be cut into!

Here's the recipe for the Cinnamon Swirl bread...it looks long and daunting, but it really isn't. I usually make a similar bread, but it is honey-oatmeal based instead of the smushy white bread base, but this was fun for a treat!

CINNAMON BREAD FROM KING ARTHUR FLOUR WEBSITE (from their "guaranteed" section)

Dough
1/4-ounce packet "highly active" active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
7/8 to 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water*
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes
*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

Filling
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, to brush on dough

Directions
1) If you're using "highly active" or active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.

2) Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a smooth dough. Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water as needed; but remember, the more flour you add while you're kneading, the heavier and drier your final loaf will be. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball.

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, until it's nearly doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.

4) While the dough is rising, make the filling by stirring together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

5) Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and pat it into a 6" x 20" rectangle.

6) Brush the dough with the egg/water mixture, and sprinkle it evenly with the filling.

7) Starting with a short end, roll the dough into a log.

8) Pinch the ends to seal, and pinch the long seam closed.

9) Transfer the log, seam-side down, to a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap.

10) Allow the bread to rise till it's crested about 1" over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Again, it may rise more slowly for you; let it rise till it's 1" over the rim of the pan, even if that takes longer than an hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

11) Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil after the first 15 minutes. The bread's crust will be golden brown, and the interior of the finished loaf should measure 190°F on an instant-read thermometer.

12) Remove the bread from the oven, and gently loosen the edges with a heatproof spatula or table knife. Turn it out of the pan, and brush the top surface with butter, if desired; this will give it a soft, satiny crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing.

And, I think that's it for now. Of course, it's only 1 pm!

Cheers,
Jessica