Go Greens!

OK, so I am a bit behind in our food blogging. We've been doing really well actually, for the month of April cooking healthy fresh meals and staying away from eating out. Every time we do I'm reminded how much cooking is sooooo worth the effort. Everything is so fresh, you can use good quality ingredients, know where you food is coming from and season to your own specifications.

Our Organic produce deliveries from Dandelion Organic Delivery continue to be a huge source of inspiration in our kitchen. Nevertheless, with the season opener of the Bellingham Farmer's Market the other week, I decided it couldn't hurt to get out their and check out the competition. The idea of mass fresh foods available with the ability to hand pick my own order was a little intriguing. After parousing the market one Saturday morning in the rain with Don, I am even more impressed by the Dandelion deliveries than I was before. Seeing everything layed out and displayed that is grown here locally, I can see that Dandelion really has done a tremendous job of capturing a very accurate and fair sampling of what is available here, while still getting a great discount on things shipped in for variety. Not only that, but they do a great rotation and with them I am sure to continue to get a balanced variety of root vegetables, leafy greens, colorful veggies, fleshy fruits, citrus, etc. than I would if I were simply driving my own destiny.

Tuscan Kale

It's also been a great way to discover new produce. All winter long we received various forms of hearty greens such as kale, collard greens and swiss chard. I'd never cooked with these items before and just assumed I would not like them. Mostly because they're typically served braised and wilted and I did not think I liked my greens cooked. Since the only thing I had to compare it to was spinach which becomes a limp soggy sludge if heated more than a few seconds, I expected similar results. However, I had no idea that these much sturdier, much hardier vegetables can stand up to the heat, retain their structure and taste and even absorb some amazing flavors without breaking down when cooked correctly.

Boc Choy Raab

And THEN came Spring..... I have discovered Raab. I LOVE Raab. Broccoli Raab, Cabbage Raab, Kale Raab, sooooo many varieties! If you see these little guys at your farmers market grab them! They are so easy to cook with and such a treat. So here's the scoop on Raab. Raab is a part of the Brassica Family, a genus of the Mustard family. These are known as overwintered plants, probably because they harvest at late winter, early spring in March. Beat that April Asparagus! It is most tender right before the little florets begin to sprout into white and yellow pedals. The stems, leaves, and florets are all edible. You can serve it raw in salads, cooked in stir-fries or soups, or simply braised in a little olive oil and garlic. Here are a few recipes that have worked just swell for us that you may want to try.

Bacon & Garlic Infused Kale Raab

1 Slice Bacon, roughly chopped
4 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3-4 Cups Roughly Chopped Kale Raab
Salt and Pepper

Heat nonstick skillet over Medium High Heat. Add Bacon and saute until browned, add Garlic and olive oil and saute 60 seconds stirring frequently being careful not to burn. Add Raab, toss to cover in garlic and bacon and saute a few minutes until tender. Add Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Sweet Onion & Feta Risotto with Braising Kale

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Sweet Onions, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio Rice
4 Cups Chicken Broth
1/3 Cup Dry White Wine
2/3 Cup Crumbled Feta
1/4 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt & Pepper
2-3 Cups Braising Kale (tender dark green velvety leaves)

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute one minute. Stir in rice. Mix together chicken broth and wine. Add 1/2 cup of broth mixture at a time, stirring constantly until fully absorbed before adding the next batch of liquid. The whole process will take about 30 to 40 minutes. Once rice reaches the desired consistancy (you may not need all four cups), add cheese, salt & pepper to taste and stir in chopped kale. Remove from heat and serve. Making risotto can be a very labor intensive process but the flavors are amazing. It's well worth the effort if you can spare the time. The leftovers typically hold up quite well too as opposed to other rice dishes.

Spring Has Sprung Frittata

Spring has sprung and along with it is starting to appear a fun new variety of vegetables in our weekly organic deliveries including the welcome April Harvest of fresh Asparagus. Just like my last entry on Pizza, Frittatas are also a great way to incorporate all kinds of combinations of vegetables into your diet. Tonight's recipe is something we came up with on the spot using the following ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Yellow Onion, Chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
1 Bunch Asparagus, cut into one inch pieces
1/2 Cup Canadian Bacon, Diced
5 Large Free Range Eggs
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
1 Large Clove Garlic, Crushed
Salt & Pepper
1 Cup Shredded White Cheese Blend (such as Gruyere, Parmesan, and Mozzarella)

Preheat Broiler. Heat Olive Oil in a Cast Iron skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and saute three minutes until soft. Add Peppers, Asparagus, and Canadian Bacon. Lower heat to medium low and cook, covered for 6 minutes until asparagus is just barely tender.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, crushed garlic, salt & pepper. When the six minutes is up, remove lid and pour egg mixture evenly over vegetables. Turn heat back up to medium and cook about 5 minutes until eggs start to set but are still runny on top. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top and place under broiler. Broil a few minutes until cheese melts and starts to brown in spots. Remove from oven, slice into wedges and serve.

Artichoke Veggie Pizza with Basil Confetti

I've had a completely unproductive day. I've had a mental block all day long and really hard time getting going. Since I couldn't seem to get any significant tasks accomplished at work today, I figure I will at least catch up on my blogging. So here we are with a new Homemade Pizza Recipe. Pizza is a GREAT way to use up leftovers in your cupboard and refrigerator. Here I've combined sliced zucchini, canned artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil cut into confetti strips for a beautiful and tasty garnish. Instead of pizza sauce, I've brushed on a thin layer of tomato paste, something we always have on hand in the pantry. The cheese is a mixture of part skim mozzarella and fresh grated parmesan and we served on top of whole wheat dough from Trader Joes refrigerated section for a healthy touch. And the best part is, it all bakes up in about 10 to 15 minutes. Bonus!

Chicken Marsala & Sauteed Greens

As promised, here are the results from our awesome impromptu chicken dinner last night. The Chicken Marsala Recipe was inspired by an Emeril Lagasse recipe found on www.foodnetwork.com. For the full recipe please visit their website but we recommend you follow the additional tips/revisions below.

Start with two large chicken breasts. Place between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until chicken is an even 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick through out. Then cut each breast in half so that you now have four servings. Pounding the chicken to a thinner thickness will allow it to cook faster and ensure even cooking throughout. We do this whenever we cook chicken on the stove top as it's very difficult to get the thicker breasts to cook all the way through to the center without overcooking the outside leaving it tough and dry. This way the meat cooks quickly all the way through and stays nice and moist. Another thing we do is pat the meat dry with Paper Towels before cooking it. Getting rid of the excess moisture will help it to brown properly and give you that really nice carmelization with lots of flavor that you are looking for.

For the rub, Don did not read the proportions correctly so we had extra spice to flour mixture ratio, but we loved it. Overall, if we were to make again we suggest the following recipe for the seasoning dredge. Sorry Emeril, but ours is better!

1/4 Cup All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Paprika
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Black Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon Onion Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Thyme

After dredging in flour mixture, brown the chicken for about three minutes on both sides. The Paprika and Cayenne Pepper seasonings will give it a gorgeous red and brown coloring. Remove chicken from heat, then in the same pan, saute sliced mushrooms until golden brown, add Marsala Wine, Butter, Chicken Stock, Salt and Pepper and cook until sauce is reduced by about half. Add the chicken back to the broth and continue to cook until meat is cooked through and sauce has thickened. Service chicken drizzled in mushroom sauce.

This recipe goes extremely well with sauteed greens. We had a mixed bag of greens leftover from our Dandelion Organic Produced delivery to inspire this quick recipe.

Sauteed Greens with Red Bell Pepper

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 Yellow Onion Diced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper Diced
2 Large cloves of Garlic, Minced
5 Cups Mixed Dark Greens such as Kale
2/3 Cup Homemade Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper to Taste

Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Begin by sauteeing onion and and bell pepper in olive oil for about 5 minutes until softened. Add Garlic and stir fry another 60 seconds stirring constantly so that garlic does not burn. Add Greens and stock and toss gently. Cover and cook for five minutes stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain excess liquid and serve immediately.

DuppenBirthday

Since the television purchase (see previous post), Don and I have committed to cutting back on a few extraneous items to try to ease the budget a bit. That includes things like eating out, soda pop, alcohol, etc. Tonight we had our first real challenge, a.k.a opportunity to put ourselves to the test. It was Chris' birthday, and well within his birthday rights, last minute plans were forged and suddenly my weekly schedule which I had so meticulously planned out was thrown off. Now instead of gaming Tuesday night we were going Go Cart racing, followed by dinner and drinks. We've recently gone to a cooking rotation for gaming night and it was our turn to cook this week so we had a whole group meal planned for dinner, but this now was postponed until Thursday.

We could have given into the last minute chaos and used the "special occasion" excuse to side track our goals, but we didn't and I'm feeling quite proud. We took a quick stock of our kitchen, managed to come up with a tip top gourmet recipe of Chicken Marsala with Braised Greens (recipe to follow). It was a bit of a dine and dash getting dinner on the table and out the door by 6:00 p.m. but with a bit of teamwork in the kitchen we made it work and it was delicious! I also had the foresight to pack a couple of protein bars in my purse knowing that there would be restaurant festivities to follow in case we were hungry and tempted. Tempted we were but the protein bars helped. Instead of spending lots of money on food and alcohol at the restaurant, we simply ordered coffee (decaf) and still were able to enjoy a great evening with friends. I'm actually glad this opportunity came up as I now have a great feeling of accomplishment that we were thrown a curve ball and able to adapt to the situation without getting off track (no pun intended).

Here are a few fun pics from the Go Kart Racing. Happy Birthday Chris!

Split Pea Soup with Rosemary and Pear and Walnut Muffins

It wasn't your traditional Easter dinner, but it had Don and I salivating nonetheless. We opted for homemade Split Pea Soup and made from scratch Pear and Walnut Muffins. I'm a great fan of Split Pea Soup and it couldn't be easier to make. Not to mention it's quite economical. The primary ingredients are the split peas (obviously), carrots, onions, and stock. The variations come with the seasonings. Ground Sage and a dash of cayenne pepper for kick are quite typical. This recipe from Cooking Light called Split Pea Soup with Rosemary, attracted me for it's interesting and unusual flavor components such as rosemary, paprika, tomato paste and soy sauce. We also added our own touch by substituting our homemade chicken stock for vegetable broth, and added about a half a cup of diced canadian bacon to the mix which gave it an excellent salty and smokey edge. Instead of garnishing with sour cream, Don and I prefer the tastier and healthier option of plain yogurt. For a complete printout of the recipe, please visit http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=225609.

The Pear and Walnut Muffins were also quite a treat. While we cook a lot in this household, we don't seem to get as excited about baking. The leftover fruit from our weekly Dandelion deliveries, however, is starting to challenge me to think of new ways to enjoy nature's sweet treats. So with the abundance of pears I had in my fridge, and realizing I can't make cobbler every week, I decided to try these low calorie muffins, also a Cooking Light Recipe. Instead of using tons of butter and oil, the recipe calls for a cup of plain lowfat yogurt for the primary wet ingredient and incorporates both white and wheat flour making it delicious and satisfying. Please visit http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1142032 for a copy of the full recipe.

Easter Weekend 2010

We finally gave up on our TV today. The problems started off with spontaneous dimming and then shutting down of the screen. Then certain pixles burned out. And finally, some kind of static-y looking pixles were going around like little fireworks on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. We stuck it out as long as we could and finally today, when it was shutting down 4 or 5 times an episode, we gave in.

Off to Costco we went for a replacement. While we're pretty picky about how we consume and where we purchase these days, when it comes to electronic purchases, you just can't beat Costco in terms of Quality, Price, or Return Policy. Electronic products come with a 90 day return policy and two year extended warranty at no additional fee. Plus, unlike Walmart and other Corporate Mongrals, I've heard that they at least treat their employees well with reasonable wages and good benefits. (Although I haven't done the research myself, this seems to be the prevailing opinion among people I trust.)

So we arrived and browsed the selection. They had televisions ranging from a few hundred bucks on up to a couple grand. We decided pretty quickly that we wanted LCD, not Plasma, as Don declared the plasmas would burn out quicker. Then it came down to size, brand, and price. We narrowed the selection down to a 42" Sharp LCD HDTV and a 47" Phillips LCD HDTV. The quality of the picture was about the same but the difference in price was about $200. I was leaning toward the Sharp given that it was the same size as the one we were replacing which seemed plenty sufficient to me. Don was leaning towards the Phillips due to the larger size and he had stronger affinity toward the brand name. We decided to think on it while we dined on a Costco Hot Dog. I'd like to say that we chose the 42" Sharp because we were being responsible consumers and making a responsible economic choice, however, the deciding factor came down to the fact that we realized whatever we bought, we had to fit it in the Mini on the way home. So we are the proud new owners of a 42" TV.

Don just hooked up the television a few minutes ago but a few things I like about it already are better resolution and less glare than our prior model. With the LCD screen I also love that you can get a great image from several different angles in the room whereas before you had to sit directly in front of the screen to get the best picture quality. But I think my favorite thing is that we now have easy computer hookups so we can watch Hulu right from our huge beautiful television. Score!

I think we will enjoy our new toy quite a bit but we really were not wanting to drop a bunch of money on a television at the moment with our current financial arrangement. At least we got a good price at only $600. Still, we've decided to make a few sacrifices this month to help cool down our smoking wallet. For starters, no more eating out the rest of April. Period. That includes restaurants, fast food, bars and coffee stands. We've also decided to cut back on beverages such as alcohol and soda. And finally, I've decided to give up potato chips eternally. They're bad for me and have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. There's no reason to waste the money or the calories and when it comes to me and potato chips it has to be all or nothing. There just is no in between.

As we were standing in line at Costco considering the restrictions we were about to impose on our diets and budgets, it really was a phenomenal sight to look around at the huge lines of people with shopping carts overflowing with items. Every where we looked we were confronted with the pervasive image of CONSUMPTION. It was a pretty good wake up call. The image is burned in my brain and has more of an impact than the words I could try to use to describe it. But it reminded me that I'm happy about the decisions that we're making. I'm happy we eat real food, fresh food. That we know where it comes from and and in many cases these days have met the people that raised it. And more than anything, we cook and prepare it ourselves.

And there is one final thing I want to mention, because it amuses me, about our trip to Bellingham Costco. While we were waiting in line at the pump to fill up our car with Costco gas, we happened to notice that 9 out of 10 cars in line at the pump were Canadian! I guess gas must be real expensive up there. Well, gotta run. Time to play our new TV!

Greek Pasta with Rainbow Chard and Sausage

Here is another fun spur of the moment creation we came up with. The inspiration for the meal was a beautiful bunch of Rainbow Chard we received last week in our Dandelion Organic delivery Box. This is the first time I've ever cooked with Chard and our recipe incorporated every aspect of the plant from the tough stems to the giant multicolored leafs. Greek flavors of feta and kalamata complimented the chard quite nicely and was a lot more exciting than your typical pasta and red sauce.

2 Cups uncooked penne pasta
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Sweet Italian Sausages, Casings removed
1 Bunch Rainbow Chard, Stems Removed and finely Diced, Leaves separated and coarsely Chopped
1/4 Cup White Wine
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Feta Cheese, Crumbled
12 Kalamata Olives, Coarsely Chopped
12 Cherry Tomatoes

Cook Pasta according to directions. Heat Oil in medium sauce pan. Add Garlic and saute 60 seconds, stirring constantly and being careful not to burn. Add crumbled sausage and cook until browned. Set Sausage aside on a plate. To Same pan add diced chard stems, water, and wine. Cover with lid and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes. Remove lid, add chard leaves, cover and cook another 5 minutes. Toss together pasta, cooked sausage, cooked chard, feta, olives and cherry tomatoes. Serve and enjoy.

Eggs Over Easy with Sweet Zucchini and Carrot Saute

OK, I've been getting seriously behind in the food blogging. But there are a few choice creations I do want to get out there. This one I am quite proud of. This was a spur of the moment, what can I throw together based on what I have on hand late night dinner. Zucchini is sauteed in a bit of olive oil and garlic with a dash of nutmeg. Grated Carrots add an unusual touch of sweetness. Unlike your traditional omelet, this dish is served as a saute with eggs over easy. The creamy yolk ties all the flavors together with an extra boost of protein. Thiss makes a quick and easy breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack, whenever you are in the mood.

1 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and then sliced into half mono discs
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Clove of garlic, minced
pinch of Nutmeg
2 Organic Free Range Eggs
Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add Garlic and saute 60 seconds, stirring constantly. Be careful not to burn. Add zucchini and a dash of nutmeg, tossing to incorporate. Saute a couple of minutes. Add graded carrot. Saute another one to two minutes. Scoot veggie saute to one side of the pan and add two eggs. One whites start to harden flip and cook to your desired degree of doneness. This tastes best when the eggs are still a bit yolky. Place eggs on plate and top with carrots and zucchini. Enjoy!

Black and Tan Stew

Don here. Made an awesome stew for St. Patty's day that I highly recommend. Totally off the cuff, but turned out well and you could definitely sub whatever you want in it.

Drum roll please! The ingredients are/were:

2lbs lamb shoulder, cubed

2lbs beef shoulder, cubed

7-8 assorted potatoes, skin on, cubed

1 large parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 rutabagas, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 turnips, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 large onion - yellow or sweet, or white, whatever, chopped

1 leek, diced

6 whole peeled cloves of garlic

14oz can of whole stewed tomatoes

3 tablespoons olive oil

lots of salt and coarse ground pepper to taste

2 cups Jameson Irish Whisky

3 bottles Harps, Smithwicks, or other lighter beer

3 bottles Guinness

2 whole sprigs of rosemary

In a large stew pot, heat the oil and add the onions. Stir constantly until their softened. Salt and pepper the meat cubes and add to the pot in batches, stirring constantly so as to brown on all sides. Once the meat is going, gradually add the potatoes, parsnips, rutabagas, turnips, leeks, and garlic, and cook about 3-5 minutes. The water from the meat and the veggies will start to soften everything up nicely. Add liberal amounts of pepper and salt to your liking.

Now add the Jameson and cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, add the beer. ALL AT ONCE! Bring it to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then turn down the heat and simmer for 2-3 hours. About a half hour before you are ready to serve, add the stewed tomatoes squeezing and mushing them with your hands before dropping them in, juice and all. Add the rosemary springs (I didn't actually add the rosemary to my batch, but I know it would have been awesome).

When you're ready to serve, remove the rosemary and discard.

Oh yeah, and this recipe makes a lot. So have a bunch of people over, and make some soda bread to go with it. And then don't plan on doing anything for several hours, because you'll be in a food coma. But it will be glorious. Let me know if you try this, and what else you did with it. I love me my stews. The tomatoes, by the way, are something I always add to a red meat stew, and I've NEVER been let down yet.