Green - Its Not Easy Eating Green

Field Trip: ReVision Urban Farm

March 28, 2013 - 7:36 am | Earth Friendly, Field Trips, Green, Healthy Planet, Local, Sustainable, Vegetables, Winter

On a crisp March morning that was colder than it should have been I pulled up in front of the ReVision Urban Farm in the economically challenged Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. The half-acre site looks out of place nestled between the triple-decker homes in the neighborhood. A large greenhouse stretches most of the way across the rear of the lot, and the growing beds sit dormant, covered in a layer of late spring snow. As I step inside the greenhouse, everything changes. A biting wind gives way to warm, slightly humid air, and the cold, snow covered ground changes into early summer soil with rows of tables covered in baby plants. The smell of warm earth fills my lungs and the diffused sunlight filters in with surprising warmth.

Here I meet Jolie Olivetti, the Farm Manager. Bent over a giant salad spinner, Jolie is harvesting greens and radishes which are part of the new winter growing program made possible with the addition of the greenhouse. The bunches of radishes and bags of baby greens Jolie is packaging are as fresh as anyone can get anywhere. The produce she is preparing is for the attached shelter, whose tenants are eligible for free produce upon request from what is currently in season.

As she fills orders, I look around. The greenhouse is bursting with life. Rows of seedlings are in various states of growth. A table marked “winter greens” brims with baby greens ready for harvesting, while other tables are covered in seedlings that have barely sprouted. Everything is growing though, which is such a surprise in a winter laden with snow, snow and more snow. As she works, Jolie explains that certain beds are growing plants that will be sold as produce, others sold as seedlings and still others will be transplanted to the outdoor growing areas. It’s a busy place to be a plant.

Don’t let the size fool you though, this little farm does big things for the community. Although the plot of land is just barely over a 1/2 acre along with a new smaller plot down the street, they provide enough produce to support a farm stand in the neighborhood, a CSA in conjunction with Trustees of the Reservations’ Powisset Farm, produce sold at local farmer’s markets, seedlings sold into the community and produce free to those living at the attached homeless shelter. In addition, there is a job-training program and outreach programs to teach neighbors urban growing skills, like how to start a kitchen herb garden or the basics of composting.

While not certified organic, the farm follows organic practices, and Jolie and other growers use a common sense approach. To avoid contaminated soil, the farm land consists of about a foot of transplanted soil that sits over a barrier between the preexisting soil and the plants which essentially makes the farm one giant raised bed. Contamination from city life is only one challenge the farm faces though. A large farm has the opportunity to let fields rest for a season, an option not available on a small urban farm. Crop rotation at ReVision means moving the tomatoes from one place to another ten feet away, not two fields away which opens the crops up to greater pest and disease pressure. Of course, the biggest challenge for a small urban farm is space. They cannot easily grow some crops that require a lot of land, so popular vegetables like corn, potatoes, onions and winter squash are available through the farm’s partnership with Powisset Farm, a farm that is part of the Trustees of the Reservations program.

The success of ReVision Urban Farm is the result of over twenty years of hard work by volunteers, members of the community and employees. Before there was the farm, there was the homeless shelter for young pregnant women and mothers. Over time this has evolved into a home for about 30 families who live there for a few months while they get back on their feet. ReVision Farm and ReVision House together act as a vital support for the community, providing not only homes to many in the disadvantaged Boston neighborhood, but produce, training, support and a wide-ranging positive influence. In fact, when asked what the single most important need for the organization was, Jolie instantly answered that it was to continue to develop positive relationships with those in the community.

Everyone I met at ReVision seemed deeply interested in helping those around them, and the farm is simply an extension of that. While I was there, Shani Fletcher, a Grower at the farm, was proof-reading an upcoming cookbook that the farm is publishing. (As soon as the book is available, I will add a link.)

ReVision Farm is an asset to the community and the City of Boston. Jolie, Shani and everyone that works there, the hundreds of volunteers and all those in the community that have bonded together to make this improbably little place a success are proof of hope in a part of the city that needs it most.

Bean and Sausage Stew

January 9, 2013 - 10:18 pm | Beans, Green, Main Dish, Meat, Recipe, Soup, Vegetables, Winter

Happy New Year – Hoppin’ John Cakes

December 28, 2012 - 10:45 pm | Earth Friendly, Grains, Green, Holiday, Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Recipe, Sides, Southern, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian, Winter

1 Comment

Although the new year is not quite here yet, I’ve already begun to celebrate it’s arrival. Since the Mayan’s were wrong about the end of the world last week, I now feel the need to hurry up and enjoy myself before we all slide off the Fiscal Cliff. So, I kicked off a week long party by reinventing a southern new year’s tradition; Hoppin’ John.

Southern tradition dictates eating peas on New Year’s Day. Different parts of the south do this differently. Some parts say you need to eat black-eyed peas, others say it needs to be peas and rice, other parts say peas and greens. In low country cooking, it needs to be Hoppin’ John served on rice. Hoppin’ John is a pea dish made most often with black-eyed peas and ham hock. Whatever the combination, the eating of peas on New Year’s Day is supposed to bring you luck and wealth in the coming year.

I’m not really picky; all of the above sounds good to me. Well, almost all of it. I’m not a greens fan. I know, I know. How dare I claim to know anything about southern cooking and hate greens. It’s like an New Yorker hating pizza. But there you have it. I think my distaste is rooted in the smell of mustard greens cooking all day in my house when I was a child. On days when my grand-mother was down in the kitchen cooking up a mess of greens, I would hide out in my room, sometimes even burying my head in my pillow to hide from the stench. It takes a lot to get that smell out of your mind.

But now I’m the grown-up. I’m supposed to like vegetables. So, as the good girl that I am I decided to turn greens and peas into something I could like, even love. Mixing a mild in-season green like kale with the rice and peas the flavor became something to get excited about. Forming the rice, peas and greens into a patty, dredging it in corn meal and frying it makes this traditional dish into something strangely more southern. It tastes of the south. The total flavor is nothing but satisfying: crunchy cornmeal, homey peas and rice and the rich flavor of greens. Several people even commented that it reminded them of fried okra. It can be a little crumbly to work with, but it’s worth it in the end because of the crunch and the flavor. Alone or with a generous splash of hot sauce, these are perfect for a home cooked meal with nothing but a salad or a piece of fish. Or if you are entertaining for New Year, you can start the party in style and make these into small appetizers. I can’t promise that they will bring you wealth or luck in the new year, but they will make you popular. Enjoy!

Hoppin John Cakes

Makes 16-3” cakes or 32 small hors d’oeuvres size cakes

I love these cakes fried up with just a splash of hot sauce. Depending on your rice and peas, you may need to stir in a tablespoon of flour to make these stick when forming them into cakes. The baking soda used in the cooking of the kale helps keep it’s nice bright green color.

1 cup dried black-eyed peas
1/2 small onion, chopped fine
1 cups medium grain rice
1/2 small bunch of kale (take the other half bunch and make kale chips – everyone else is)
1 teaspoon steak seasoning or rib seasoning with natural smoke (two of my favorites are Adams Rib Rubb and Penzey’s Chicago Steak Seasoning)
2 teaspoons hot sauce such as Crystal
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup corn meal
bacon drippings or vegetable oil for frying

Pick over the dried peas to make sure there are no rocks, pebbles or debris. Soak them overnight or bring the peas to a boil and let boil for five minutes.

Turn off the heat and let them sit for 1 hour. Cook the peas without any seasoning until just tender, about 30 minutes. When they are tender, drain off the cooking liquid and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and two teaspoons of hot sauce.

Set aside to cool.

While the peas are cooking, add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to a medium pot without any oil. Saute on medium-low heat until the onion is translucent, 7-10 minutes.

Add two cups of water and steak or rib seasoning and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover tightly and reduce the heat to low. Cook for twenty minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.

To cook the greens, remove the stem from the leaves and chop the kale into 1 inch pieces and rinse well.

Add to a pot with a 1/2 cup of water, a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until the kale is wilted.

Cover and continue to cook until the kale is tender, about another five minutes. When tender, drain off the cooking liquid and squeeze the extra liquid out of the greens.

Combine the greens, rice and peas together and season to taste.

Form the cakes by pressing the mixture into a round cookie or biscuit cutter or down into a ring mold.

Small cakes can be formed by pressing the mixture into the desired size with your hands.

You want the mixture to be tightly packed to prevent the cakes from crumbling. If they do start to crumble, you can add a tablespoon or two of flour to the mixture. Carefully dredge the cakes in corn meal.

Heat a thin layer of oil (about 1/8” deep) in a large pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the cakes in batches cooking for about five minutes a side.

They should be very crispy and dark golden brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining cakes adding more oil as needed until all the cakes are done. Serve hot with lots of extra hot sauce.

Field Trip: Adams Farm

October 10, 2012 - 9:45 pm | Earth Friendly, Field Trips, FOOD, Green, Healthy Planet, Local, Meat, Sustainable

3 Comments

About two years ago we decided that it would be a good idea to go in with my husband’s parents to buy a side of beef. It’s not a new idea. Buying local grass-fed beef seemed an obvious choice for us, since we wanted to raise our children with as little exposure to antibiotics, hormones and GMO grains as possible. In the Boston area as in most places it can be an expensive and confusing process. We started talking to the beef purveyors at local farmers’ markets, but ended up more confused than we were when we started. Prices were all over the place, what you got with a side or quarter of beef was unclear, and many farmers had strange unknown names for cuts of beef that made it hard to tell what we were getting. When we found out that a new baby (then later learned it was babies) was on the way, we abandoned the process entirely. After all, if I had to have well-done beef to avoid any chance of getting toxoplasmosis, then I didn’t want beef at all.

Then, a few months before the babies were born, I picked up a copy of edibleBoston in my doctor’s office and came across an article on Adams Farm in Athol, MA. The article, written by Margaret Leroux, was about a slaughterhouse that put the humane treatment and welfare of the animal as well as sanitation above all else. It told of a family business that rebuilt from the ground up after a terrible fire. The Adams family enlisted the help of Dr. Temple Grandin in designing the new slaughterhouse to ensure that humane practices were unequaled in every step of its operation. I highly recommend you read the article which can be found in the Fall 2011 issue of edibleBoston.

Fast forward to this year. Articles all over the web are talking about the rising cost of beef due to the drought in the Midwest. Whole Foods is selling grass-fed ground beef, one of the cheaper cuts of beef, for $7 a pound. After discussing the rising costs of beef and food in general, my husband and his parents we decided it was time to look into buying a side of beef again. We were unsure of how to go about it but knew that we wanted local beef, raised without antibiotics, and fed only grass. I remembered the article on Adams Farm and looked it up.

One of the things that has bothered me in the past about other grass-fed farms that I’ve looked into is that the cows are still slaughtered in the same slaughterhouses as grain-fed beef. As I understand it, all beef sold for human consumption in the USA must be slaughtered in a USDA inspected slaughterhouse. So you are spending a lot of money for a product that is raised humanely and sustainably only to have it shipped off and processed in the same manner as all the other animals. Adams Farm was the perfect solution for us because they slaughtered their own animals. Not only are they USDA inspected and certified, they are HACCP certified which means that sanitation is important to them. It’s important to note that they also process meat for other farms. I am not sure if all the farms they process meat from are all grass-fed, antibiotic free. However, the humane treatment and safe-food practices of handling the meat is a priority there, and I believe that the more informed you are about where your food came from, the better off you are going to be.

When you buy a side of beef in most places, you pay by the pound for the hanging (untrimmed and butchered) weight of the animal. That means that even though the hanging weight of the side of beef might be 400 pounds, you may only get 50 to 60% of that as finished product. The amount you take home also varies based on the amount of fat on the animal, how you want it butchered and whether or not you want your steaks and cuts bone-in. Since Adams Farm not only raised the animal, but butchered it too, we had complete control over how we wanted every piece of beef. There is also probably a cost savings since most farmers have to pay for a third party to process the meat.

The order sheet is organized by primal cut with a few basic questions at the top; this is the fun part. How many pounds of stew meat do you want (usually cut from trimmed beef not used for other cuts). How many pounds do you want per package, do you want butcher paper or vacuum packaging, how thick do you want your steaks. Do you want the chuck cut as all roasts, all ground or a combination. Do you want your rib-eye bone-in (yes please!). Do you want porterhouse/T-bone steaks or do you want strip and filet; do you want cube steak; do you want London broil? You get the idea. The wonderful people at Adams Farm made ordering so very easy. We were able to get exactly what we wanted and knew exactly what to expect.

There were other benefits to using Adams Farm over others we looked at. Not only was the beef raised and slaughtered there on the farm, but the prices were almost half the price we had been quoted in the Boston area. We ended up paying $2 a pound less by buying from Adams Farm than some of the others we had looked at. For our side of beef that came to a $830 savings; more than enough to justify driving the hour and half from the Boston area to Athol–otherwise known as the farthest side of nowhere.

A view from Adams Farm’s parking lot

It is important to note that Adams Farm is not selling organic meat. Organic is not always the most important rating to me. Here is what was important: our meat was almost 100% grass-fed with no antibiotics. If you noticed that I said almost 100%. When doing my research I found a lot of farms that supplemented with grain during the lean winter months or finished the animal on grain. Finishing is the process of fattening an animal before slaughtering to affect the flavor and weight of the animal. However, at Adams Farm the cows are occasionally given other vegetables such as pumpkins but no grain. No grain means less GMO’s, less dependency on fossil fuels, and more nutrition into the animal. Healthy food in, healthy food out.

After placing the order we were told to expect the meat to be ready in about four to six weeks. Then less than three weeks later, I received a call saying that the meat was ready. The next day we drove out to picturesque and, oh yes, VERY remote Athol, MA. You pick up the meat at the storefront where they sell their meat as well as local produce, cheese, eggs and spices. It’s a pretty neat place. If you’re ever near Athol (which is near the Mohawk Trail) then you should stop by. What? Not going to be near there? Hmm, can’t say I’m too surprised.

Adams Farm’s retail store

Our 415-pound side of beef yielded 114 pounds of ground beef, plus all the roasts, steaks, and other cuts we had requested. The little over 300 pounds of finished meat was packaged in a series of twenty plastic bags, each bag containing dozens of smaller packages. Several bags contained nothing but one pound packages of ground beef. As we had requested, steaks were individually sealed, and every sealed package was marked with its contents. We filled every cooler we owned with the meat and headed back home. As I had a huge empty freezer waiting, I was not worried that it would all fit, but I was surprised at how much room in the freezer it did take.

Lots of beef in lots of coolers

A side of beef in the freezer

With the exception of Saturday, which is frequently steak night, we usually only eat beef one other night a week. This meat is going to last us a long time. According to the USDA, meat kept at 0ºF will remain safe indefinitely, but quality will start to diminish after 12 months. I think that we will almost surely go past that 12 month marker.

If we will do this again is up in the air. Although there is a huge savings per pound by buying the whole side of beef, it is a very significant investment up-front. If we find that we eat meat more frequently than we would traditionally, or if we have a significant power outage the investment may not be worth it. However, in addition to the savings there are the other benefits; we are helping our local economy; we are helping the local farmer; and we are buying local sustainable meat that was raised in a humane and thoughtful way.

Our meat is arguably healthier and safer than meat raised in the feed-lot system. I’m not a scientist and I cannot speak to or prove one way or other that it is or isn’t. However, I can say this. From what I have had so far, the meat we purchased is far tastier than the meat we buy in a typical grocery store, grass-fed or otherwise. I do not know if this is luck; maybe we just got a particularly tasty animal, but it’s just better!

Useful links:
http://www.grass-fed-beef-101.com
http://www.eatwild.com/
http://adamsfarm.biz/
http://edibleboston.com/
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/switching-to-grass-fed-beef/

Field Trip: Valley View Farm

August 7, 2011 - 1:42 am | Earth Friendly, FOOD, Green, Healthy Planet, Local, Sustainable, Uncategorized

4 Comments

Lately I’ve been looking into local, pasture-raised meats. My research made me want to find out how the food on my table is raised; and since I’m in Pennsylvania visiting my family this week, I took a field trip to a local farm to see what happy, pasture-raised animals are all about.

My parents live in Pennsylvania on the northern edge of the Lehigh Valley, an area that has been prime farm land since William Penn advertised his colony to German immigrants and the Lenape indians got fed up with the Europeans in the 1760s and left. It still is great farm land; the word bucolic comes to mind a lot around here. It only took a quick search on AgMap to find a long list of local farms in the area. Valley View Farm in Northampton, PA was close and seemed to raise their animals according to what I knew I wanted. Their animals receive no antibiotics, are pasture-raised and seem to live low-stress, happy lives. I called and asked if I could come by to see the place as well as pick up some eggs and meat.

The owners, Jim and Audrey Ayoub, were very pleasant and accommodating, and soon we were touring the beautiful farm. It’s a real working farm, unlike the agritourism places I’d visited in the past where you see only carefully staged parts of farm life. This farm has only been raising animals for a few years, so in place of historic barns and outbuildings, there are trailers for the pigs to live in and a school bus for the chickens (the school bus was my favorite, but more on that later). The best way for me to tell you about this farm is to show you the pictures.

Cows:

This is a shot of the farm looking down on one of the cows’ pastures. Notice the dark spot in the road across from the herd of cattle. It’s a bull that had escaped from the fencing. This seemed to really upset the herd since several of them kept calling to him.

When we got down to the area with the loose bull, Mr. Ayoub and his son came and got him back in his pasture.

I never expected to be quite this close to the bull, but he seemed very docile as he walked around our car.

The rest of the herd seemed much more upset than he did. Most of them were keeping an eye on us.

Pigs:

The pigs lived in a separate pasture which included a trailer for cover and an wooded area with mud and water which the pigs clearly enjoyed.

There were a few large hogs, some very young piglets and several slightly older immature pigs that were very curious.

By piggy standards this is the perfect place live and be happy. Look at the hog in this the trailer closely–you can see her smiling!

Chickens:

The baby chicks live in the barn until they are old enough to survive in the pasture. Some of these are turkeys which are already being raised for Thanksgiving. I don’t know which ones are which, but it isn’t necessarily just the larger ones. Little Guy came with us for the tour and he loved the chicks and kept talking about them. However, later when we asked him to tell what he liked about them, all he could come up with was that they were stinky. They were stinky, but they were also stinkin’ cute!

Once the chicks are old enough they make their way over to the pasture to enjoy the most interesting chicken coup I’ve ever seen.

That’s right, not only are these happy chickens, they go to school too! Not really. The bus has been retrofitted with egg-laying boxes and it provides an enclosure to protect the chickens at night. Even happy pasture-raised chickens like to come home to roost at night because there are a lot of animals that like nothing more than a chicken dinner in the middle of the night. The bus provides protection from wild animals and also from the elements. The tarp reduces the wind against the side of the bus.

However, the chicken story gets even better. The bus alone is not enough protection against the wild animals. These chickens also have a faithful, ever vigilant body guard. The guard is the newest member of the farm. We were told he’s working out so far. When he sees a wild animal he creates a commotion and scares it off. In return he gets to spend his days munching away on clover with several dozen chickens. Not really the worst life ever. We expected him to get annoyed by our presence too, but I think he was just hoping for a snack because he seemed pretty happy to see me.

Meat from the farm is processed by a local meat processor and packaged for sale. The farm sells chicken, beef, goat, lamb, turkey and pork at local farmers’ markets. They have a mobile store which goes from market to market.

Seeing the farm was a fascinating experience. As more of us become focused on how our food is produced, the market for places like Valley View Farm will grow. The benefits to us all go far beyond just having healthy food:

Pastured animals distribute their manure directly back to the pasture instead of it going into a pile and running off into creeks in the next rain.
Pastured animals require less fossil-fuel consumption.
Pastured animals use little or no grain feed, thus reducing the burden on cultivated crops.

Please visit and support your local, sustainable farms.

Oh, and in my next post I will show you what I did with some of my purchases from the farm. Stay tuned!

Pasta with Ricotta, Spinach and Herbs

July 25, 2011 - 5:44 pm | Green, Italian, kid-friendly, Local, Main Dish, Meatless Monday, Pasta, Recipe, Summer, Uncategorized

Cheater Cheater Enchilada Eater

June 21, 2011 - 9:04 pm | Cooking, Earth Friendly, FOOD, Green, Healthy Planet, kid-friendly, Meatless Monday, Mexican, Recipe, Uncategorized

7 Comments

Frequently my dinner plans center around something in my fridge or cupboard that needs to be used for one reason or another. Today was a day like that. A few weeks ago I bought a container of green salsa verde with avocado from Trader Joe’s. I was looking for the great green salsas I used to get at taquerias in Houston. Well, I bought it and forgot about it in the fridge till I cleaned out the fridge yesterday and discovered it had a use-by date of today. So, I went to the internet in search of a good easy green chili enchilada recipe that I could bend to my ingredients and my Meatless Monday vegetarian requirement. The Simply Recipes blog had my starting point (which you can find here).

Enchiladas are almost always cooked in their sauce, but I choose not to do that with this recipe. I wanted the flavor of the salsa to stay fresh and the avocado to keep its texture and creaminess. So, I decided to cook the enchiladas with nothing except a little cheese on top, and I loved the result; a perfectly simple enchilada that tasted of cheese, corn and chili with just a hint of creamy avocado. The tortillas didn’t have any sauce to soak up, so they held their form instead of getting soggy. Also, not having any sauce to heat up sped up the cooking time considerably.

Because I was able to crank these bad boys out while he was napping, Little Guy and I spent all afternoon playing around in the backyard. I took the enchiladas out of the fridge when we came in and then popped them in the oven right before we ate. Since I was in hurry and short on ingredients I threw together a crazy simple imitation Mexican rice that turned out great. I shoved it full of peas and carrots to trick the little guy into eating his veg – and boom – dinner was done.

Important note from the science desk (yes there’s a science desk!): I mention that you can make these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until time to cook them. Well, not all cooking vessels are created equal when it comes to going straight from the fridge to the oven. Some newer pans are not made from the same material that older pans were. Older glass baking dishes were made from borosilicate glass: a type that expands very little as it is heated. Nowadays dishes sold perhaps under the same tradename are made from common soda-lime glass. This glass expands much more as it is heated, so if it expands too rapidly or unevenly, it can break violently. For more on this issue, read the article that can be found here. So, if you plan to go from fridge to oven, make sure your pan is heat safe!

Super Fast and Easy Green Chili Enchiladas
makes 12 enchiladas
Any good quality green chili salsa will do for the top, but Trader Joe’s with avocado is really nice. It’s fresh and the avocados give the salsa a mellow creaminess that really makes the meal. I call for 10 oz of cheese because I really like cheese, but you could easily use an 8 oz. package and just go without the extra on top. You can stuff and roll these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to start cooking.

1 mild green chili (like poblano or cubanelle)
1 package corn tortillas (12 – 6″ tortillas)
non-stick cooking spray
10 oz monterey jack cheese, shredded
6 oz green chili salsa with avocado (or any good quality green chili salsa)

Place the chili over the open flame and rotate until all sides are dark and the chili is bubbly all over. If you don’t have open gas burners, use the broiler for this step. Wrap in a towel and set aside for at least 10 minutes. Then remove it from the towel and use a knife to remove the skin from the pepper. Remove the top and seeds from the pepper and cut into twelve strips. Set aside.

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees and spray a 9×13″ pan with non-stick cooking spray. Heat an 8″ skillet over medium heat. Spray one side of a tortilla and place in the skillet; spray the other side. Let the tortilla cook for about 20-30 seconds per side, or until it is soft and starts to bubble. Remove the tortilla to your work surface. Place 1/2 ounce of cheese (about 2 tablespoons) along the bottom third of your tortilla and top with one strip of chili. Roll up and place in the greased pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas, 5 1/2 ounces of the cheese and the strips of chilis. Top with the remaining 4 ounces of shredded cheese and place in the preheated oven.

Cook for 10 minutes. Once the cheese has melted and starts to bubble turn the oven to broil and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. The enchiladas are done when the cheese on top is light golden brown. While the enchiladas are cooking, heat the salsa in the microwave. Top each enchilada with one tablespoons of salsa.

Play by Play…

This is the salsa that started the meal idea for tonight.

Roast the pepper over an open flame until all sides are evenly charred.

Wrap chili in a towel for 10 minutes to let the steam loosen the skin and make it easier to remove.

Use the blade of a knife to scrape the skin from the chili.

Place cheese and a strip of the chili on each tortilla before rolling the tortilla up.

The little guy’s first enchilada. He liked the first few bites then ate out the cheese and all the rice. Oh well, next time I’ll get him to eat them.

Cheater’s Mexican Rice

I call this cheater’s Mexican rice because it was just so easy to make that it seems like you must be cheating. The flavor is no cheat though. Try to resist the urge to use grocery store taco seasonings because they usually contain MSG. If you don’t have taco seasoning you can use 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin and 1 tsp oregano.

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 tbs taco seasoning (I use Penzey’s)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth (or chicken)

Saute garlic and oil over medium heat until garlic is fragrant. Add rice and continue to cook until rice grains turn opaque. Add taco seasoning, peas and carrots and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low. Stir once, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Gnocchi with Truffled Sweet Pea Puree

June 14, 2011 - 1:47 am | Cooking, Earth Friendly, FOOD, Green, Healthy Planet, Home, kid-friendly, Recipe, Uncategorized

5 Comments

It’s Monday again, so it’s time for me to send a meatless recipe your way. Today we’re are going upscale, easy upscale that is! Tonight’s dinner is Potato Gnocchi and Truffled Pea Puree. Gnocchi is one of those foods that everyone thinks are super hard to make, but between you and me they are super easy. These little pillows of goodness will get everyone talking; they simply melt in your mouth! Oh, and the pea puree is a snap to make; add a drizzle of truffle oil and you’ve elevated peas and potatoes into something that’s pretty spectacular!

Here’s what your going to need for the gnocchi (serves 4)

Basic Potato Gnocchi
I usually make this recipe as a half recipe. 1 1/2 pounds potatoes is the perfect amount for a hearty dinner for two. Don’t boil the potatoes, as some recipes call for, because it will add too much water and you will then need more flour which makes the gnocchi tough.

3 lb russet baking potatoes (buy organic if possible with potatoes — Read this if you doubt me!)
2 eggs
2 oz good quality Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
2 tbs chives (fresh chives are essential. If you don’t have fresh, just leave them out entirely.)
2 tsp salt
1 cup flour

To start, preheat your oven to 400. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, pierce skins and bake for about 1 hour, or until cooked and a knife easily slices into the potatoes. Cool the potatoes slightly (about five minutes) and then slice in half. Scoop out all the the potato and discard the skins. Run the potatoes through a food mill or ricer. If you don’t have one, you can use a potato masher, but mash well — very well! While the potato is still warm (but not hot) add the egg, flour, cheese, salt and chives. Knead together until a sticky dough forms.
Cut your dough into three parts. Lightly flour your work surface and roll each part into a long rope about 3/4 inch wide. Using a pastry cutter or knife, slice the gnocchi into 3/4 inch segments. Place the gnocchi on a lightly floured pan lined with wax paper or parchment and refrigerate until you are ready to start cooking. Try not to let the pieces touch each other and lightly dust the tops with a little more flour.

Now, here’s what you’ll need for the pea puree (serves 4):
Basic Pea Puree
2 cups frozen green peas
1/4 cup water
1 clove garlic
1 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Half & Half
2 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese

Bring water, peas, garlic and salt to boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes; do not drain off water. In a food processor or blender combine the pea mixture with the half & half and the cheese. Blend until moderately blended, but with some small chunks still in the puree (you don’t want it to be baby food). You can make this puree up to an hour or two ahead of time. When you reheat it for serving you may need to mix in another tablespoon or two of half & half to get a spreadable consistency.

To finish the dish you’ll need:
Truffle Oil (how much depends on how truffle-y you want your dinner)
More Parmesan Cheese for grating

Twenty minutes before serving, heat a large pot with salted water to a boil. While the water is boiling, reheat the pea puree. When the water has come to a rapid boil, drop the gnocchi into the water, being careful to make sure they stay individual not clumped together. Boil just until they float to the top of the water. With a skimmer or strainer, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water and divide between plates or pasta bowls.

Top the gnocchi with a large spoonful of the pea puree. Drizzle each plate with truffle oil (to taste) and grate Parmesan. Enjoy!

Now, here’s the play by play…

Scoop the potato into a food mill

The dough will be soft and sticky, but will hold together like bread dough.

Roll the dough out into a long rope before cutting into pillow shaped pieces.

Here are the gnocchi already cut and waiting to be boiled. Don’t get all frilly and try to put the silly scalloped shape on the gnocchi. It’s not necessary. Don’t believe me? Go to your local Italian restaurant and see if they are doing it to their house-made gnocchi — they aren’t!

I don’t bring home the bread, but I do make the bread (Whole Wheat Molasses Bread)

June 10, 2011 - 2:42 am | Cooking, Earth Friendly, FOOD, Green, Healthy Planet, Home, kid-friendly, Recipe, Sustainable, Uncategorized

Vegeriffic Veggie Sauce

June 7, 2011 - 2:10 am | Cooking, Earth Friendly, FOOD, Green, Healthy Planet, Home, kid-friendly, Local, Recipe, Sustainable, Uncategorized

2 Comments

It’s Meatless Monday again and this time there were no mistakes! So far I’ve just made Monday pasta night, and tonight we again stuck to the safe Italian meatless theme and had calzones. I had some pizza dough that I made over the weekend in the freezer so I pulled that out and whipped together some sautéed spinach and artichoke hearts for my calzone and some sautéed mushrooms for hubby. Little guy got a killer mini pizza with my newest creation:Vegeriffic Veggie Sauce. Earlier today I was inspired by this post at Folie a Deax to ramp up the hidden veggies in my food. I am hardly the first person to add extra veggies to tomato sauce and throw it in a blender, but even my hubby commented on how good it was. I made extra so we could dip our calzones in it, and we ended up eating about equal parts of sauce and calzone. And more importantly, Little guy ate a huge amount of his pizza which had a nice thick layer of the sauce on it.

Vegeriffic Veggie Sauce (Toddler Approved)

You can use almost any veggies in this sauce. I used what I had in the house. I would stay away from anything in the cabbage family (cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, etc). I didn’t have fresh basil tonight so I made with pesto and it was very nice, but I think basil would give a cleaner flavor.

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 small onion, roughly chopped

3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, peeled and split

1 summer squash, seeded and roughly chopped

1 – 26 oz can or box crushed tomatoes (I use Pomi brand tomatoes because they are BPA Free. See more on this here.)

1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning or small handful fresh chopped herbs

2 Tablespoons pesto or 1/2 cup torn basil leaves
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and salt. Saute until vegetables start to turn slightly brown. Add garlic and squash and cook long enough for the garlic to lose its raw flavor, about three minutes. Add tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until all vegetables are very tender. Remove from heat and add basil. Season to taste and cool for about 1/2 hour.

Blend in a food processor or blender in three batches until completely smooth. Reheat if necessary or use immediately for pizzas, pastas or anything you want.

Tomato

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I don’t bring home the bread, but I do make the bread (Whole Wheat Molasses Bread)

Vegeriffic Veggie Sauce

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