Keep it Easy when Tired!

Ok so I was tired after two longer days at work. I wanted to just buy fast food and be done with dinner. My hubby definitely wanted to "take out". But I kept thinking that I could do something really quickly and still feed the folks local and good foods. I asked Pat ( I am lucky to have an inside advantage with her) to open her collaborative and help me with dinner.

I bought a couple pounds of hamburger (local) and some pork (local) since my husband cannot eat beef. I got a small package of local carrots from Pat's root cellar, some Pineland Cheddar cheese, and some eggs. Once I got home I had little time. I decided to just scramble the meats (in two pans) and added cheese to the beef. The grandchildren loved the beef and cheese. I made some white rice (not local) and cooked the carrots. I came up with no use for the eggs on this meal. The meal was nice and the kiddos loved it. My step son (16yr old) thought the meat was great and did not miss extra veggies..carrots and rice was a great idea. It was actually really filling, very good and very simple. I was well pleased. How simple it is to feed a big family with simple local (mostly) products. It can be simple. We had Shane's Maine Ice cream with frozen blue berries to end the evening. Nice meal, done within 30 minutes and good for everyone. Simple even if you are tired!

Friday---Fish Chowder Day

Last night watching Iron Chef on the food network made me want to cook. Have decided I need to get a pasta machine because the fresh pasta looked wonderful.

But tonight I am thinking I should have fish...Fish chowder sounds good for a Friday night in Maine. I have some carrots from my CSA share, potatoes and onions. I figure I have a good start. I make mine chowder by feel so decided to review a couple of good recipes and see if I could find one that is close to mine. Two key ingredients that are absolutes: celery and thyme. So here are two recipes that I think sound good and one includes my carrots. I suggest that you try my method of cooking. Read a few and go for it with your own taste and feel. I like the first one:

http://mainiacmusings.blogspot.com/2007/09/fish-chowder.html

I am not sure about the crackers (never did this but found several recipes calling for them?)

http://www.grandparents.com/gp/content/food/recipes/article/maine-fish-chowder.html

Now for side salad. I wonder why fruit salad always seems right with Fish Chowder. I am thinking strawberries, blue cheese and baby spinach. A balsamic reduction sauce is really good..This sounds fancy but really is pretty basic but tasty. This simple recipe is fine...I add a bit of brown sugar if it does not sweeten enough.

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=381632

Lastly I have an organic corn muffin mix that will be great. I have not tried it so if it turns out good I will let you know. It is from my CSA and it is from a Maine producer.

Are chick peas local foods? Great recipe!

Well I am not sure...I did a search but was unable to discover if any farmer grows them in Maine. However on the MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association) I did find an article talking about having chick peas grown in Maine. I did find a lot of farms willing to ship them (dried) to me from all across America. I have to say that I stole this recipe from my new favorite Blog Bitten and of course I modified. I just cannot ever follow a recipe exactly. But I also will say it was absolutely wonderful!!!!

Basic you take chick peas, garbanzo beans, DRY them, if they are freshly cooked then make sure they drain well or if from can do same. Fry them in oil (I used olive oil about 1/4-1/3 cup) make sure they all get a chance to brown up...do not toss too much or they will mash up (that is a technical term)

Add some cut up sausage (this is where I varied from a Spanish sausage) I used Turkey Red Pepper and Asiago Cheese sausage chopped fairly small. Add this to beans and continue to brown.

This will all take about 15 minutes.

Remove both and use remaining oil (add more if needed) to saute spinach...I used one bag 10 oz.

This is quick. Then mix all together and put in oven baking dish...top with small amount of fine bread crumbs (I added a small amount of Parmesan cheese) and bake for about 15 minutes. Fabulous!!!! Even my 82 year old mother loved this one.

Here some nutrition facts about our little bean friend. http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4326/2

Now add spinach and wow what a healthy meal!

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2

Ah comfort foods!!!

How many of us love comfort foods? I sure do. I have decided that I am going to try and find the best recipes for comfort foods with local foods. This could require learning to make my own pasta. I LOVE pasta. I think that if I could make my own, using the local flours I can buy at my collaborative then I would be on to something really good.

I found, a few months ago, a great recipe for butter nut squash and pasta. Simple, almost fancy but definitely comfy. This recipe is so simply and it is available all winter long. Still even as spring approaches it remains fresh and light. I think it makes pasta almost guiltless!

This Blog (Bitten in the NY Times is well worth following)

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/recipe-of-the-day-pasta-with-butternut-squash/

So today we will have this with some greens hopeful that I can get them locally grown by a farmer using hydroponics. I found this store in Maine that sells much of the equipment which also explains the concept pretty well.

http://www.thegreenleaf.biz/?gclid=CIC0wvOWx6ACFclM5Qod5Dl9OA

There is a great tomato place in Maine that has had national attention:

http://www.backyardfarms.com/about-us/index.html

When doing a salad I recommend considering mixing cold with hot. I love to oven roast onions, peppers and mushrooms for the top. All you really need to do is take any veggies you have and chop, slightly coat with olive oil, season (I generally use pepper and salt) less is better. Put in oven at 400 until tender. Put right on top of greens. It can make a salad a meal without lots of added calories but lots of good nutrition. Check out the Internet there are lots of recipes but seriously take a stab...I did parsnips and carrots this way and they were delicious! Have fun and keep it local.

So what is quick and good for you?

Back in Maine I found myself looking forward to my CSA (community supported agriculture) share this week. I do a program for six weeks at a time where I pay 30 dollars a week and get a "share" which is a canvas bag filled with food. Each week it is filled with different local foods. My challenge is to figure out what to create for a meal with this share. Last night I had some wonderful green leafy lettuce (there is a green house project up here and they are coming up with some cool foods during the long winter months). I also had some goat cheese. I had some bread, there is a baker that sells through this collaborative that makes some seriously good all natural breads. So I made a goat cheese, lettuce and sliced apple sandwich on my yummie bread. Now at seven pm last night driving home from my day past at least ten fast food stores including some pretty good little Greek Pizza shops I was thinking.... But when I got home and opened my bag (initially thinking "darn I cannot cook a whole chicken") the end result was really tasty and left me feeling pretty good.

I find that I am learning more about using less. Less condiments and fewer ingredients. I am enjoying the foods as they are. Now I am not always thrilled with the result but in this new relationship to food it also is more about healthy living, creative thinking and learning. It is not about putting large amounts of food into my body all at once. Of course I still eat good amounts of food and I am not getting skinny. But I am finding that more often I now want the healthier stuff.

Tomorrow I will cook my all natural chicken that came in this weeks share and maybe seasoning it with the season mix. I will let you k now how that turns out.

Fast Food not so good anymore!

There comes a point, after eating local and good foods, that you no longer desire the stuff that comes from "fast food" chains. The foods taste of grease and artificial flavoring. I am finding that I need to be a bit more prepared. My fast foods these days are Boars Head sliced turkey and hummus...it goes well with a multi-grain wrap!

I am even sorry to say that Progresso soups, really a good canned soup, no longer hold my interest. Life has changed. My humus and turkey was far superior to the chicken noodle, low fat and low sodium Progresso that was dinner. I am thinking that the curve for changing eating habits is about three months...I have stuck with my new eating style with rare exceptions (like trying canned soup tonight). I steam and broil all kinds of veggies, I am eating more fish and I am staying away from too much butter, no mayo, and very little bread. Finally I am starting to crave the right stuff. Working on the fruits but do get my berries in yogurt most mornings. (Just a note: frozen blueberries are pretty darn good).

Keep faithful and stay away from things that are not grown and try to eat those that are local. It will grow on you!

Travel and Eating

So there was a day that traveling meant junk food, fast food, take out and enjoying local restaurants. I have to say in a short amount of time eating healthier foods I have become less enchanted with dining out and have less of a taste for junk food. In fact a recent attempt at a prepackaged donut left me with a mouth full of lard! Uck. I used to love those little donut holes what was I thinking?

This trip we have had fun trying the local (in season) fruits and veggies. Sought out local stands to purchase fish and meats and stuck with organic when possible. Our daily cost of foods (keep in mind we rent a house so we can cook) for six people has been well under $100 a day. We also have made it part of the trip fun. Now we are in a great spot for local foods...south west Florida with lots of great fruits, veggies and some awesome ethnic foods, Cuban and Latin American flavors, and some nice Caribbean touches. Last night we had grilled veggies with scallops. Get this because we are traveling we only have a few spices...basically we have salt, pepper, some fresh parsley and cilantro, chilies, and Janes Crazy Mixed up salt ( a staple in our home). We have olive oil, veg oil and butter. We have eaten like kings. Shrimp the night before last..fresh from the gulf, awesome mango salad with spinach and nuts, and home made corn chips with freshly made guacamole.

Making the search for foods, seeking out local farmers and fishermen/local fish shops(right off the boats) and trying new fruits and veggies has made the whole thing fun for the kiddos as well. Of course we are not all that because we have a big bag of Basmati rice for emergencies and black beans for the kiddos. Eggs and bread. However I will say that besides the wine, got to have that, I have eaten better on this trip than any before and my body feels better. Will update you after tonites stone crab and snapper!