The Daily Ground

Chana Masala

2011-03-10T17:34:00.000-05:00

When we lived in DC, Chad and I would love to go to our favorite Indian restaurant for their buffet brunch on Sundays. Inevitably, we’d always eat too much and complain that we couldn’t control ourselves. But, needless to say, we kept going back. It was so good; and easy for a vegetarian (me) and carnivore (him) to get our fill of a variety of dishes.

Indian food seems so complex and mysterious, but once I had a handful of spices in our cupboard to make this myself, I was content with trying my hand at Chana Masala. I finally got it right last night after many different recipes and tests. And it was delicious; especially when you plopped a heaping spoon of Raita on top. The only spice that was difficult to find for me was amchoor, which is made from unripe green mangoes that are dehydrated ground to a powder. It gives the dish a sour flavor that is usually accomplished with lemon juice. You can always use extra lemon juice if you don’t envision yourself making this, or other Indian dishes, often. But I must say that the amchoor is fabulous. I ordered mine online from Spice World.

Chana Masala

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
2 medium onions, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons of ginger, grated
1 chili pepper, minced (I included the pith and seeds, because I like heat. If you are sensitive to heat, remove the pith and seeds)
1 15 oz. can of fire roasted crushed tomatoes (I like Muir Glen)
2 15 oz. cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup room temperature water
½ lemon
Spice mix (see below)

Spice mix:
1 tablespoon ground coriander
4 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 heaping tablespoon amchoor powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 heaping teaspoon garam masala

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Once you can feel heat coming up if you put your hand over the skillet, put in onions, chili pepper, ginger and garlic. Sauté until soft, but don’t brown anything; about 5 minutes. Add the spice mix and thoroughly incorporate. Saute for about 2 more minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and water. Simmer for a few minutes. Add garbanzo beans and simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste and squeeze half of a lemon into skillet. Serve over basmati rice.

Winter Couscous

2011-03-01T19:06:00.000-05:00

Winter Couscous
Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side dish

1 ½ T salted butter
1 fennel bulb, cored and cut into thin slices or ½ pieces, several fronds reserved
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup vegetable broth
¾ cup water
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
1 blood orange, supremed
Pecorino Romano
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in pot; add fennel bulb, salt and pepper and sauté until fennel starts to soften, approximately 5 minutes.

Add broth and water and bring to a boil.

Add couscous, cover pot and remove from heat for about 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Mix in pine nuts and blood orange pieces. Separate into bowls and top with Pecorino Romano to your liking and fennel fronds for garnish.

I used a saucier pan, which is perfect for a dish like this. If you don’t have one, use a small sauce pan.

Winter Squash, Lentil and Arugula Salad

2011-02-15T17:32:00.004-05:00

Before I get into this recipe, let me just say that I have serious issues with my weight. I tend to eat healthy (Greek yogurt with honey and tea for breakfast, salad for lunch, healthy grains and veggies for dinner), but I certainly have moments where I say to hell with it and make a huge pile of nachos for my husband and I to stuff our faces with while watching football. And don’t even get me started on my love for French fries and pizza. It will never die. Ever. I even had a dream one night that I was in the frozen food aisle at a grocery store and I was looking at the frozen pizza section and there was a big “New!” sticker on one of the shelves. When I looked in that direction, I noticed that a new pizza was available that had FRENCH FRIES on it! In my dream the heavens parted to beam down that white glow and the angels were singing. I swear this dream happened. I can’t make up shit like that. I think I woke myself up laughing that morning. And with a serious craving for both pizza and French fries.

I did gymnastics for 18 years of my life and always had people focused on my weight. Until I was 16, I had a boy body, with a full-on six pack and tight little butt to boot.

Oh, how I wish my butt was still tight. But then I went through puberty and my thighs swallowed everything in sight. Ever since then I’ve struggled with my body image and finding an appropriate weight that makes me feel comfortable. And after practicing gymnastics for 18 years, 36-hours a week, I despise exercising. I just feel like I’m still doing it for someone else and resent stair masters with a passion. Not to mention that my knees have barely any cartilage in them anymore and they crunch when I walk and all my 500 old injuries come back to haunt me when I try to exercise. I wish I was exaggerating when I said that I have panic attacks when I try to go to bikram yoga, because I’m so worried about being judged, which is completely against everything that yoga is about. So, here I am at 32, spending as much time worrying about my weight as a teenage boy thinks about sex. And when I’m feeling particularly defensive I scream to my husband that my BMI is still within a “normal” range. And really, he doesn’t even know what a BMI is, and probably thinks that it has something to do with breast size.

I’ve been thinking about what changes I could make to my diet that might help me shed a few pounds and feel a little bit better about myself. The thing I keep coming back to is to cut down on the bread consumption. It’s always there at dinner, with a little bit of olive oil and crushed red pepper and sherry vinegar for dipping. And it needs to stop. I made this salad last night without bread and it was fulfilling enough to enjoy all on its own. I recently discovered the combination of cumin and smoked pepper on winter squash and my life will never be the same.

Winter Squash, Lentil and Arugula Salad

Serves 4
Total time: 45 minutes, largely unattended

Recipe based loosely off of this one from Epicurious

• 3/4 cup Black Beluga Lentils
• 6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded winter squash (I used 2 small Delicata, but I’m sure Kabocha, Butternut or even sweet potato would work fine)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 cups baby arugula
• 1 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Put lentils in cold water and soak for 10 minutes. Then boil lentils in salted water for 30 minutes and drain.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss squash with olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika and salt. Put on baking sheet and roast for 35 minutes (stir at least once).

Make vinaigrette with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.

Divide arugula into four bowls. Top with roasted squash, sprinkle with lentils, goat cheese and mint. Dress each salad with vinaigrette and serve.

Food Beware

2011-02-15T17:26:00.003-05:00

Last night while I made dinner, I watched a movie about the French Organic Revolution, call Food Beware. It was pretty interesting to see how the French people decided that organic was the way to go and how they involved children in the process.

In the era of Food, Inc., Sicko and others who are using the scare tactic to convince people to change their lifestyle, it was refreshing to see something a little less guerilla-like. It just felt more real; we need more movies like this. I loved the notion that children were pushing the movement in their households. They were taking what they learned in school to their homes and requesting that their parents prepare organic dinners. Don’t quote me on this, but from what I understand, research shows that children have the most power to change behaviors of families. This is why it’s extremely important that we are engaging our youth in conversations about sustainability, organic food and supporting local farms.

What honestly surprised me the most was a scene where they showed a school cafeteria at lunchtime. It went through each item the children were eating and identified the pesticides and chemicals that were likely sprinkled into that item. Bananas, yogurt, lentils, homemade bread. The part that surprised me is that these children were eating BANANAS, YOGURT, LENTILS, and HOMEMADE BREAD for lunch at school. So much healthier than the crap we feed our kids here in the U.S. I mean, we aren’t even close to what they were featuring as the unhealthy meal! I know I’m somewhat missing the point. The scene wasn’t to depict the slew of trans fat these kids were eating for lunch, but I couldn’t help but realize how far we have to go. Hopefully Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard is a step in the right direction. And I now have “packing homemade, healthy lunches” on my to-do list for my yet-to-be-conceived children.

Check the movie out if you have a chance.

It’s also available on Netflix, if you have an account.

Nutty Quinoa Salad

2010-12-14T20:50:00.001-05:00

Usually in the winter I want something warm and comforting; roasted squash, hearty soups or spiced cider. And no matter how much I’d been warned about the winter here in Pittsburgh, I was not prepared. Today, with the wind chill, it’s 0 degrees outside. What makes it feel so cold here and is noticeably different from DC is the wind that rips through you when you walk down the street.

Last night I was in the mood for something seasonal and refreshing, which is not usually what you think of in winter. So we made a salad with what we had in the refrigerator and it was delicious. This is one of those meals that you feel good after; lightly filled with nutritious food.

Nutty Quinoa Salad

-for the salad
1 cup of quinoa, rinsed thoroughly until the water runs clear
½ cup of raw hazelnuts
1 cup of pomegranate seeds
1 medium cucumber, diced
2 cups of fresh spinach leaves, washed

-for the dressing
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon of pomegranate molasses (optional)
Salt and pepper

Combine quinoa with 2 cups of water and some salt and bring to a boil. Add lid to the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer, for about 20 minutes (or until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid). Once cooked, set aside to cool.

Turn oven to 350 degrees. Toast hazelnuts on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes. Once they are finished, dump them into a dish towel and rub them to remove majority of the skins. Roughly chop them once they cool.

Add spinach leaves to a large bowl. Mix in quinoa, pomegranate, cucumber and hazelnuts.

Make dressing by putting oil, vinegar, pomegranate molasses and salt and pepper (to taste) in a small Tupperware container. Shake container until ingredients are well mixed.

Dress salad and serve immediately.

Alternatives: pine nuts instead of hazelnuts, dried cranberries instead of pomegranate seeds, bulgur instead of quinoa. Or add some crumbled goat cheese on top.

Homemade Pasta

2010-11-30T19:48:00.006-05:00

It took me four tries to really get this recipe to a point where I felt comfortable sharing it. If you have a KitchenAid mixer, now is the time to enjoy how simple it makes life. My Mom told me that my Grandmother used to make hand cut noodles all the time and that her ratio was always 1 cup of flour to 1 egg. I figure grandmothers and mothers know best, so I gave it a try.

Homemade Pasta

-3 cups all purpose white flour
-1 cup semolina flour
-4 eggs
-1 tsp salt
-water, as needed

Sift together flours and salt into the mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time while mixing on medium speed. It should take about 3 minutes until the mixture is well blended. Add water, a little at a time until the ball is damp, but not soaking wet. Remove ball of dough and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Take dough out and cut into 4 pieces, that are approximately the same size. Place 3 pieces back in plastic wrap to keep it moist. Lightly flour your workspace and begin to roll dough out until it's thin enough to see light through. Note: My Mom has a dough board and I rolled it until I could see the wood grain coming through the dough. Feel free to keep patting flour on the dough until you get it rolled out to the sufficient thickness. I flipped the dough a few times while I rolled it out, which seemed to help achieve an even thinness throughout the piece. Once dough is rolled out, cut off rough edges to get a rectangle. This doesn't need to be perfect, just approximate. Once you have the rectangle, flour the dough one more time, lightly. Fold the dough over four or five times. Now slice the noodles to your desired thickness.

One you are done slicing the folded dough, unfold the noodles and lay on a dish rag to dry while you repeat the process to the other 3 pieces of dough. If you only want to use a single portion, make sure the dough is wrapped tightly and store in the refrigerator overnight. Once you have all the noodles prepared, boil a large pot of salted water. Place noodles in and boil for about 7 minutes. They should be floating; don't forget to test one before you strain the whole pot. Top with your favorite sauce or throw them in a skillet with the other ingredients to mix well and enjoy!

Homemade Ricotta

2010-11-29T12:17:00.002-05:00

After all our bellies were stuffed and the dishes were done this weekend, I found myself back in the kitchen. My Mom has the best kitchen and I always love cooking when I visit. She had the new Barefoot Contessa cookbook, How Easy is That?, so we tried our hand at homemade ricotta cheese. It was delicious and so easy to make. Here's the recipe:

Homemade Ricotta
-adapted from How Easy it That

-1 quart whole milk
-2 cups cream
-1 teaspoon salt
-3 tablespoons white vinegar

Mix together salt, milk and cream in a non-reactive pot (stainless steel or enamel). Bring to boil, careful not to burn the ingredients. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Mixture should start to curdle immediately. After a few minutes, pour the mixture into a fine mesh strainer with several layers of cheese cloth and strain into a bowl for 30-40 minutes. Enjoy immediately or keep leftovers in the fridge for about 5 days.

Tip: My Mom had a really thin dish cloth, like a handkerchief, that we used instead of cheese cloth which worked out well. Don't go to the store to buy cheese cloth just for this recipe; you probably have something you can use and throw in the wash!

Grow Your Own Mushrooms

2010-11-01T21:16:00.003-04:00

I like to grow my own food, but always thought the mushroom kits I saw in my seed catalogs seemed gimmicky. But I just read about a new kit here and am going to give it a try and will keep you posted! I must say that it seems like a really fun gift for the holidays, and if you buy two, you get free shipping!

Macaroni and Cheese

2010-11-01T20:15:00.003-04:00

Sometimes you just want comfort food for dinner; enough for a small army. I’ve tried a few macaroni and cheese recipes. All were delicious, including the blue cheese version (!) but none quite hit the spot like this one. There is a lot of fat in this, no doubt, but you’ll only want a small portion since it’s so heavenly, I mean heavy.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe adapted from Epicurious

1 lb macaroni, preferably whole wheat

Topping:
½ stick unsalted butter
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
¼ lb coarsely grated sharp cheddar
½ cup grated parmesan

Sauce:
1 stick unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
1 pound coarsely grated extra sharp cheddar
½ cup grated parmesan
Smoked paprika

Grease lasagna pan or 2 2-quart baking dishes

Make the topping: Mix together cheese for topping and panko breadcrumbs in a bowl. Melt butter and pour over mixture. Stir until combined well.

Cook macaroni so that it is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid. Drain and set in large bowl.

Make sauce: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour, cooking roux for about 3 minutes, while stirring. Whisk in milk, one cup at a time. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, otherwise the bottom will burn to the pan. When it starts boiling and sauce puffs up, pull off heat and let it simmer down for a few minutes. Pour over drained macaroni. Add cheeses, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to taste. Keep in mind that smoked paprika is strong, so you don’t need that much. Stir and combine sauce, cheese and macaroni until combined well. Add 1 cup of cooking liquid from macaroni.

Pour macaroni mixture into baking dishes. Sprinkle topping evenly over macaroni and bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes.

Savory Bread Pudding

2010-11-01T20:08:00.003-04:00

It’s official; Fall has begun at our house. The tomatoes are giving their last hurrah at the grocery store before they become the mealy, gassed kind you find all winter. I found myself in the kitchen last night with one last beautiful, local tomato that weighed a hefty pound all on its own. I was tempted to make a refreshing salad with it to have one last glimpse of summer, but my tomato was starting to see its final days and was begging to be cooked.

Did you ever have stewed tomatoes growing up? My mom would always make them and we’d spoon some on top of our macaroni and cheese. It was such a good combination of acid and cream. I decided I wanted something like that for dinner; something hearty and wholesome. After reviewing a few recipes I had in mind, I decided on a savory bread pudding. It was delicious and was the first time I felt like I appreciated cayenne in a recipe. You didn’t taste the heat at all, but merely felt it on your tongue after you ate each bite. It was a tease that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope you will too.

Savory Bread Pudding
-adapted from here (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Savory-Tomato-Bread-Puddings-10513)

1 lb tomatoes, cored and cubed (peeled if you like)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of cayenne
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
4 large basil leaves, loosely torn
2 slices of bread with crusts removed, cut into ¾ inch cubes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put cubed tomatoes, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar in small sauce pan over medium-low heat. Simmer about 5 minutes. Add basil and cayenne halfway through.

Melt butter in microwave; about 10 seconds. Pour melted butter over bread cubes. Toss to lightly coat.

Split bread cubes between 2 ramekins. Pour stewed tomatoes over bread. Place in oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy with a salad or be totally gluttonous and serve it with homemade macaroni and cheese like I did. Let husband fill up on your macaroni while you finish the rest of his bread pudding in pure bliss.

Gluten Free Girl & The Chef

2010-08-18T03:39:00.002-04:00

I've been following Gluten Free Girl for quite some time. Her blog has amazing recipes and she writes with raw emotion. Her book is just as beautiful with her talent in the kitchen and for writing. She is about to release another book with The Chef, her husband. They posted a little video on their website and I had to share it. It captures them so wonderfully.

Gluten-Free Girl and The Chef from Daniel Ahern on Vimeo.

Lemon Ginger Dressing, Amaranth Greens & Some News

2010-07-19T20:39:00.006-04:00

Whew! Well, this summer is certainly whooshing by. You know those pictures where it looks like everything is standing still but there is a blurred person walking through it? That's what life feels like right now.

I know you are thinking to yourself, "Damn that's a long post title" or maybe "Yummy! Lemon ginger dressing. But what are amaranth greens and what's the news?" Let me start with the news. My husband and I (well only me for 2 more weeks) have moved to Pittsburgh from DC. We had been in DC for 13 years and needed a change of pace....and scenery. Don't get me wrong. I love DC. It's such a great city. But I was feeling tired and I was ready to explore. So, why Pittsburgh, right? We came up to Pittsburgh about 3 years ago to look at a firehouse for sale. Chad is a potter by heart and the firehouse is converted to artist studios and has 2 kilns. So, kilns on the first floor, a basement that could hold more preserves than your grandmother could ever make, loft style living on the second floor and the kicker - it came with 3 plots of land. Hello community garden! So we visited a few times and realized that we were drawn to the city itself and after a while the firehouse no longer became the reason we'd visit. Several architect's bills later and we decided that the firehouse was not in our budget. Even in Pittsburgh where I still gasp at the low cost of groceries, beer and other essentials. We rented a place for now and are looking for something unique with some land that will meet our criteria. But for now, I have space to relax for a second. And to enjoy my own adventures in the kitchen. But until I make some fabulous discoveries that will make me famous and ensure a lifetime of luxury, I want to take some time to review some favorite recipes from our kitchen.

And here I leave you with a staple in our kitchen that we got from the lovely Jaden Hair where she was a guest on the Simply Recipes blog that ignited my passion for the kitchen:

Lemon Ginger Dressing
-from Simply Recipes

-3/4 teaspoon Cayenne
-Grated zest of 1 lemon
-1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
-1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
-1/4 cup rice vinegar
-1/3 cup soy sauce
-1 tablespoon honey
-1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
-3 tablespoons olive oil

Whirl all the ingredients except the olive oil in the blender. Slowly pour in the oil and mix well.

I make this to throw on some noodles with whatever vegetables I have in the fridge. I imagine it'd be good for chicken, fish or salad. And I bet it'd be great on a lentil salad that would be incredibly refreshing during this hot summer heat.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the Amaranth greens! I can't speak highly enough about one of my favorite food websites: Serious Eats. They recently discussed Amaranth greens on the column Seriously Asian. I wilted them tonight and threw them on some noodles with edamame and you guessed it... lemon ginger dressing! The Amaranth greens were from a local asian grocery store. If you have one by you, go get some. I'm not sure they have a long season and they are cheap! I paid less than two dollars for a huge bag(think family-size potato chip bag) and they were delicious.

Big Chef, Small Farmer

2010-06-16T21:36:00.002-04:00

This video was featured on one of my favorite food blogs Serious Eats. It helped me gain some perspective on the struggle that large restaurants have using small, boutique farms.

Sky Full of Bacon 15: Big Chef Small Farmer from Michael Gebert on Vimeo.

Garlic Scapes

2010-06-01T21:01:00.003-04:00

This is the first year garlic scapes are on my radar. We went to the garden and harvested all of our peas and garlic scapes. Apparently farmers take the scapes of garlic so that the plant can focus energy on the bulbs. Coincidently, there was a post on Serious Eats that featured garlic scape recipes. Tonight we're having the garlic scape pesto with pasta and a garden salad.

Garlic Scape Pesto
-Recipe adapted from Serious Eats

Recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto

- makes about 1 cup -
Ingredients

1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure

1. Toast the pine nuts. Most folks toast them on a skillet, but I prefer to put them in our metal bread pan and to throw them in the oven while cook other stuff in the oven for dinner. I'm much less likely to burn them. Let cool after you toast them.

2. Put scapes, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse about 20 times, until fairly well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running. When the oil is incorporated, transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese.

Do you know the dirty dozen?

2010-06-01T14:54:00.005-04:00

-Spring peas from our garden

The Environmental Working Group released a shopping guide of fruits and vegetables that have large amounts of pesticide residue on them. They are known as the Dirty Dozen and those without much residue are known as the Clean 15. The lists are included below. Even if you can't grow all your own, or buy it all at the farmer's market, try to keep these in mind when you purchase produce at the grocery store. I know times are tight for folks on a budget, so if you can focus on eating organic for these foods specifically, they estimate that you'll reduce your exposure to pesticides by 80 percent. So, keep the list in your wallet, iPhone, blackberry, or written on your hand; send it out to family and friends; grow what you can; and buy organic and local when possible!

The Dirty Dozen

Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Domestic blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet bell peppers
Spinach, kale and collard greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported grapes
Lettuce

The Clean 15

Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet potatoes
Sweet onions

Peas! It's what's for dinner!

2010-05-25T22:12:00.001-04:00

Remember that little dinner I mentioned? Here's a picture of the inspiration. With the recent rain, our garden is bursting with green!

Post Pittsburgh Cleansing

2010-05-25T10:00:00.004-04:00

My husband and I absolutely adore Pittsburgh, but we found ourselves eating more than our fare share of greasy/non-local foods during our visit this weekend. This morning we were chatting on e-mail about what to have for dinner tonight. Yes, we are geeks, but as you can probably tell, we're passionate about food. I was so excited when I was able to put together a meal in my mind based on what's fresh and ready for harvest in the garden. We're going to have a farro salad with peas, mint, shallots and goat cheese with a walnut oil vinaigrette. And for a side we are going to have wilted spinach and beet greens with pine nuts and golden raisins. The peas, mint, shallots, spinach and beet greens will all be coming from our garden plot. My mouth is watering in anticipation of how good the fresh greens will be. We've also got garlic, red onions, carrots, lettuce, and kale close to being ready for harvest. Before we know it, we'll have tomatoes galore (we have 8 plants this year!), tomatillos, cucumbers, beets, fennel, cherry peppers, jalepenos and fingerling potatoes. Chad is particularly excited about the tomatoes this year. I'll post some pictures soon of what's coming up in the garden. Anyone else out there growing some good food?

A Twist on the Old Pasta Salad Recipe

2010-04-01T12:45:00.005-04:00

I love pasta salad. No, not the types you get smothered in mayonnaise or ranch dressing with fake bacon bits. But real pasta salad that showcases whatever fresh produce and herbs you have on hand. And some really good olive oil. I decided to try a recipe from one of my favorite blogs, 101 cookbooks. You use saffron-infused red wine vinegar for the dressing. Honestly, my taste buds are usually able to predict what to expect, but I couldn't imagine what I was in for with this one. I loved that it was simple and featured asparagus.

And how excited are you that it's asparagus season?! We have someone in our community garden that dedicates half of their plot to asparagus. It's beautiful. Have you ever seen asparagus growing? It looks like huge, overgrown ferns. I'm always tempted to steal some for myself each Spring, but I've been able to control myself so far.

Here's the recipe for Asparagus Pasta Salad:

Adapted from 101 cookbooks

Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
pinch saffron threads
1/2 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1 medium size lemon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup olive oil
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Pasta:
1 lb pasta (penne works well)
1 lb asparagus cut into 1/2 inch pieces
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Heat garlic and olive oil in a skillet. Add mushrooms and saute until tender.

Add the red wine vinegar to a small saucepan with the saffron and bring to a simmer. Once it starts to simmer, remove from heat and let cool.

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Add the asparagus during the last minute of cooking. Drain and rinse pasta and asparagus with cool water.

Put the vinegar/saffron mix into a small mixing bowl with the lemon juice and mustard. Whisk in the olive oil. Add cream at the end and salt to taste.

Put the cooked pasta, asparagus and mushrooms into a large bowl. Cover with vinaigrette and toss. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Add goat cheese and pine nuts and enjoy!

Winter Farro Salad

2010-01-30T15:58:00.002-05:00

I know some folks hate the snow, but I think it's absolutely beautiful outside today. Snow makes everything so serene and is the perfect excuse to cook up something nourishing! Here's the second recipe that I adore for the winter:

Winter Farro Salad
-adapted from David Lebovitz
-6 servings

1 1/2 cups of farro
1 bay leaf
2 lbs of seasonal vegetables, cubed (parsnips, carrots, beets, brussels sprouts, squash)
2 shallots, chopped
1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, coarsley chopped
10 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 lemon
walnut oil (or another good tasting oil for dressing)
1/3 cup of olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil with a good amount of salt. Once boiling, add the farro and bay leaf. It should take 30-40 minutes to cook completely.

3. Put cubed vegetables on a baking sheet with thyme sprigs and bake for 20-30 minutes until they start to brown and can easily be pierced with a fork.

4. Sauté mushrooms and shallots with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper until brown.

5. Drain farro once it's cooked. Dress with 1/3 cup of olive oil, 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar and lemon juice. Toss lightly to mix ingredients.

6. Add roasted vegetables and sauteed mushrooms. Remove thyme sprigs before you add the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste and season with a bit of walnut oil on top.

Serve warm.

*If you want a bit of sweet, add craisins. That's what David Lebovitz does.
*If you have some hard cheese sitting in your fridge, shave it on top when you serve

Recipes that get me through the winter

2010-01-27T22:52:00.004-05:00

There are the two recipes that get me through winter. Both are salads of sorts. The first recipe is a warm winter salad and is easy, and so damn tasty.

Warm Winter Salad
-adapted from Serious Eats
-serves 4- (or 2 who want some leftovers for work the next day)

Half a loaf of artisan bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
Small butternut squash cut into 1 inch cubes (you can substitute sweet potatoes here, but you miss out on the creamy goodness)
1 lb of brussels sprouts cut into halves
2 shallots, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
4-5 fresh sage leaves, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Good hard cheese (dry aged goat, manchego, parmesan)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
2. Put bread cubes on a baking sheet and the squash and brussels sprouts on another
3. Drizzle olive oil over bread and vegetables and sprinkle vegetables with chopped sage
4. Add salt and pepper to taste to both baking sheets and put in the oven
5. Take out the bread cubes after 10 minutes and the vegetables after 15-20 minutes. I like to let my veggies go a bit longer to caramelize.
6. Whisk together olive oil and red wine vinegar with some salt and pepper to taste
7. Line two wide soup bowls with toasted bread
8. Layer vegetables on top
9. Sprinkle chopped shallots over the vegetables
10. Top each with some vinaigrette
11. Shave good quality cheese on top

My husband and I have been eating this almost once a week during the last two winters and we never tire of it. In fact, we always get a little excited when it's "warm winter salad night".

I can think of a bunch of variations depending on what is in your fridge:

-use walnut or hazelnut oil for the dressing
-throw some crumbled blue or goat cheese in at the end instead of shaved cheese
-throw other vegetables into the mix: parsnips and leeks come to mind as tasty choices
-throw other herbs into the mix: roast veggies with sprigs of fresh thyme on top or add fresh chopped herbs to the dressing

Most importantly, enjoy and adapt as you see fit!

For the Greener Good

2010-01-27T22:15:00.004-05:00

Last night I went to the National Building Museum for a lecture about urban agriculture. Josh Viertel, from Slow Food USA, was particularly inspiring. His points challenged me to shift away from the idealistic nature of locavores. He was frank about the fact that there needs to be incentives created for people for this movement to move forward. Something that he spoke about caught me. He talked about the demographics of those in urban areas that are food insecure and that they are the same demographic of those who suffer most from obesity. Think about it. We all need to eat. If a community, particularly an urban area, has clear evidence of the poor distribution of food, isn't that a sign of poor distribution of jobs, healthcare, adequate housing? Some people don't need to work; some don't need health care that often; but we all need to eat.

2009-09-06T18:32:00.004-04:00

This summer has not been great for my garden...and I only have myself to blame. I've completely neglected my poor plants. I've been juggling several things and not doing any one thing well. So, feeling defeated, I went to the garden today to pull up my plants. Ready to start planning for the next season. And then I got there and mother nature surprised me again with her resilience. The plants had rebounded and looked pretty good given what I was expecting. I brought home over 1 lb of carrots, 2 lbs of tomatoes and about 1/2 lb of jalepeno and cherry peppers. The poblanos should be ready in a few weeks.

Here's a look:

School Garden Initiative

2009-06-12T16:56:00.004-04:00

Picture Source

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) teamed up with the Food Network, Share Our Strength and others to plant a fruit and vegetable garden at the SEED School in SE. A Good Food Gardens program was created to educate youth about incorporating healthy foods into their diets. Another win for the Obama Administration!

Recession Gardens

2009-06-12T14:25:00.003-04:00

I attended the Food Research and Action Center's Annual Benefit Dinner this week and was reminded how much I like the non-profit DC Hunger Solutions. While I am worrying about how to find local produce, others are concerned about finding food...any food. It's certainly been on my mind with the current economy. I know food banks across the country are emptying out due to increased demand.

The good news is that home gardening is on the rise. We've replaced our Victory Gardens with Recession Gardens.

Finally...proud to be an American

2009-03-11T10:52:00.002-04:00

Source: NY Times

The NY Times wrote an article about Michelle Obama's visit to Miriam's Kitchen. Here's my favorite quote:

Mrs. Obama was praising the menu last week at Miriam’s Kitchen, a nonprofit drop-in center serving this city’s homeless. And she seized the moment to urge Americans to provide fresh, unprocessed and locally grown foods to their families and to the neediest in their communities.

She had me at hello....i *heart* her.

Better late than never

2008-12-19T20:40:00.006-05:00

source

Well, we have so much to catch up on now, don't we? What can I say? I have new markets, new restaurants, new farms, new recipes. I just need to find the time to write this all down!

For now, I wanted to talk about some more places to check out in DC:

Capital City Market:

If you want to push your boundaries, check this place out. I'm don't really eat meat or seafood, so the excitement wasn't really around the food. There were smoked chickens in open metal baskets, barrels of MSG, and old school butchers. The kind of butchers where you can hear the saw from outside the shop. This was some crazy mix of an international food market and Costco. For me, I loved sense that it's one of those places that creates a sense of community where people don't all look the same. It's representative of who we are as a city...and who we are as a country. If I were a photographer, I would spend hours and hours here, photographing the people, the aisles of strange food and the interactions between shoppers and merchants. I've been by this place a million times, but never really had the patience to go in and explore. I was sorry I waited so long. It definitely lacks the charm of Eastern Market. If you want to stroll around with your honey and your chai latte with soy, this is not the place. Rainboots are more appropriate here in case you step on some raw chicken fat in the street (yes, it happened to me folks). I love it. It's the largest thing to go unnoticed in the District. Perhaps if more folks like us went there, we'd see more local and seasonal foods incorporated with all the wild imports. For me...well...i'd like to figure out what to do with mung beans.

Food Fighters

2008-10-10T14:12:00.004-04:00

How cool is this?! The New York Times Magazine created a slideshow about 'food fighters'. Some inspiration for your Friday!

Emeril goes green

2008-10-01T13:34:00.005-04:00

Ok, ok, it's been a long time. I know. But, I do have some exciting news to share to make up for my recent absence. I am on the DC Urban Gardeners listserv (if you aren't on it, I highly recommend it). A casting director for the Emeril Lagasse show on Planet Green, called Emeril Green is looking for people in the area involved with community gardens. Ah, if only I had cable to enjoy these fabulous shows. Anyway, they are looking for some folks in the DC area who are part of community gardens and want Emeril's help with some aspect of gardening or cooking. If you are interested, e-mail them your name, address, age, cell phone number, occupation, culinary challenge and a recent photo. The address is EmerilGreenCasting@Gmail.com.

Cheers!

Crack isn't always a bad thing

2008-07-28T13:18:00.006-04:00

Ok, remember those heirloom tomatoes I told you about? Well, they are here and they. are. huge. And they have tons of cracks and scars. We are growing black krim and purple cherokees this year (in addition to some others that have yet to ripen) and I love the purple cherokees. The black krims aren't doing it for me, which is a bit surprising considering I never met a tomato I didn't like (except the underripe grocery store kind). The purple cherokees are huge, delicious, with barely any seeds or pulp. The whole thing is flesh. We've been eating them non-stop with basil, mozzarella and avocado. A caprese with avocado you ask? Yes, I had it in Spain years ago and have a hard time eating mozzarella and tomatoes without the addition of avocado. Which brings me to the eating locally issue. If there was one thing I would have a hard time giving up that I could not find locally, it would be avocados. I have read that you can grow an avocado from a pit and use it as a houseplant (it won't produce fruit during that time). I might have to start that and transplant it once I settle into a place I know I'll be living at for a few years.

Kicks + Ass = my garden

2008-07-28T13:13:00.004-04:00

My dear friend Amber gave me this postcard today. Not only does my garden kick ass, but she does too. Thanks Amber!

Buy Local Challenge Comes to Maryland

2008-07-17T16:04:00.002-04:00

Today on the Washington Business Journal, there was an article about the Buy Local Challenge and its efforts to help Maryland farmers.

Peak Season Map

2008-07-10T11:38:00.005-04:00

I stumbled across a great resource today at Epicurious. It's a peak season map that you can click on by month and state to see what's in season at your local farmer's market. You can also click on each ingredient to see a description and related recipes for that ingredient. Unfortunately, DC isn't represented, but this is a great model and I'm sure I'll use the MD and VA information.

Tomatoes are Sweet, Even When They are Stressed

2008-07-10T09:54:00.004-04:00

Our garden has started to produce some delicious and sometimes hideous looking veggies. We are growing heirloom veggies almost exclusively this year in our organic garden, so when I see a tomato that is cracked and scarred, my mouth starts to water. This always makes me think of an episode on This I Believe on NPR. Tim Stark starts his essay with "I believe that an atmosphere of stress and chaos-within reason-brings out my best qualities. And I believe my heirloom tomatoes feels the same....I believe in managed stress. It sweetens the tomatoes. I like to think it sweetens me, too."

Is it possible to live sustainably on a budget?

2008-07-02T09:46:00.003-04:00

Ed Levine posted on one of my favorite websites, Serious Eats, about eating locally and sustainably on a budget. He posted 10 ways to live sustainably while saving some money:

10 Ways to Live Locally and Sustainably on a Budget

1. I'm all for supporting local artisanal cheesemakers, but lately I've been buying machine-made Montrachet goat cheese to use in salads and sandwiches. It's less than half the price of my local cheesemakers' admittedly superior chèvre, and it tastes pretty goaty, but it will do you just fine.

2. If organic is important to you, buy those items where they're cheapest, at places like Wal-Mart and Trader Joe's. It may not be as good as your local organic market, but it will do just fine.

3. Buy local at the peak of the season. Local strawberries in the New York area are incredibly plentiful at the moment, and that means they are cheap, cheap, cheap, right now. The same is true for apples in September and early October, at least in my neck of the woods.

4. Use eggs as the protein at dinner. The Oeufs Meurette recipe from yesterday's Sunday Brunch would make a great dinner, and it won't cost you a fortune. Just make sure you use a really cheap red wine.

5. Buy at your local farmers' market at the end of the day. Farmers at farmers' markets really don't want to schlep their produce back to the farm after a long day in the city. I have found that many of them offer great prices after 4 p.m. to encourage budget-minded consumers to take stuff off their hands.

6. Find the "Value Guru" at your local Whole Foods and make him or her your new best friend. Until I read the Times piece, I didn't know such a person existed at Whole Foods.

7. Support your local sausage-maker. In New York, at least, I can buy amazing Chinese and Thai sausage in Chinatown, Polish sausage in Greenpoint, and Italian sausage in many neighborhoods at low, low costs.

8. Shop in ethnic markets in general. Again, I buy locally made tortillas, Asian foodstuffs, and a whole lot of other delicious stuff in ethnic groceries and markets and save money in the process.

9. Buying day-old artisanally baked bread and freezing or making toast out of it is also a way to save money and maximize deliciousness.

10. It's really hard to save money on high-quality meat and fish, so I have adopted the Michael Pollan ethos of eating less meat. Saving money on fish requires buying more fish like porgy and whiting, but those are both mighty tasty fish when cooked properly.

It All Comes Back to Oil

2008-05-12T14:54:00.003-04:00

Newsweek posted an article today about the trend of moving away from organics since the prices of gas are rising. Not was I was hoping to hear this rainy Monday morning.

DCist Feature on Urban Gardeners

2008-05-01T09:35:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite websites, DCist, featured a piece on Ed Bruske, former reporter for the Washington Post and now president of D.C. Urban Gardeners. It's a good article where Bruske gives practical advice on gardening in urban spaces. Ed was also the person who organized the screening of The Real Dirt on Farmer John last week, so he is slowly but surely becoming my favorite person on this stuff. His website has a wealth of information and the additional resources are endless.

Event Listing: Urban Gardening: Creating and Maintaining a Beautiful Sustainable Garden

2008-04-29T13:46:00.003-04:00

The DC Historical Society is hosting a free talk at the Carnegie Library at 801 K Street, NW (near the Gallery Place and Convention Center metro stations) on sustainable urban gardening.

The program is called " Urban Gardening: Creating and Maintaining a Beautiful Sustainable Garden." It will be held on 5/17 from 10am to 11:30am. Join Susan Harris, who is a Master Gardener, "Garden Rant" blogger, Gardening Coach, and former President of the Takoma Horticultural Club to discuss how to work with nature, not against it, to have a beautiful garden. Learn which plants are the best to grow in Washington soil and climate, and gather earth friendly tips on garden care. You can pre-register at www.historydc.org. For more information call (202) 383-1837.

Review-The Dirt on The Real Dirt

2008-04-28T14:36:00.003-04:00

I went to see 'The Real Dirt on Farmer John' on Friday. It is a documentary film about a man who takes over his father's farm and goes through all the struggles you could possibly imagine...and more. His neighbors think he has a cult on the farm and he has to sell off most of the land and his equipment. Although he runs off to Mexico several times to clear his mind, he keeps coming back to the farm. He eventually discovers the CSA model and now his farm has over 1,200 members!

All in all, I liked the movie. There are some quirky parts that made me laugh and others that broke my heart.

Big thanks to D.C. Urban Gardeners for hosting the film night! It was so well attended that they are hosting another screening soon. They are going to show 'The Power of Community', a documentary about how Cuba survived the collapse of the Soviet Union by going organic.

The Real Dirt on Farmer John

2008-04-25T14:10:00.005-04:00

Oh, I've got a big Friday night out planned, yes I do! I'm going to see a screening of 'The Real Dirt on Farmer John'. It was featured on PBS' Independent Lens . I'll write a review after I see it. I'm really excited! Has anyone else seen any interesting movies lately that are about eating locally/seasonally/organic or farming?

The Veggies are Coming! The Veggies are Coming!

2008-04-07T17:31:00.003-04:00

I went to the garden yesterday to check out my little seedlings. I think the rain this weekend helped a bit. Things are starting to come through in each section. The seedlings were ready for thinning. I was so excited!

Then, I thought about all the amazing food we ate last summer and got super excited. Our summer staple was bruschetta. All types of bruschetta. The one I remember the most fondly was when we put artisan bread brushed with olive oil on the grill and let it toast up. Then we would spread paprika/onion farmer's cheese from South Mountain Creamery on it. Meanwhile, I had veggies from the garden (tomatoes, green peppers, banana peppers and onions) sauteeing in olive oil on the side burner of the grill and would add some balsamic vinegar at the end to glaze them over. We would top the cheese-bread with the veggies and be delighted in the easy, tasty dinner from the grill. Now, if only I had an local olive oil connection, then I'd be set for summer!

Flickr Pool for DC Gardeners!

2008-04-03T09:45:00.005-04:00

-photo courtesy of chip py the photo guy

There is a Flickr Pool for DC Gardens. I received an e-mail about it on the DCUrbanGardeners listserv on yahoo. There are tons of great pictures of formal gardens and parks around the city and they are trying to add more shots of smaller, more informal gardens. I'm hoping to add some pictures once our veggies start to sprout. Please consider adding some pictures if you have them!

Ready to Garden?

2008-03-24T13:28:00.003-04:00

I sowed some seeds yesterday in the garden and I am officially ready for spring! When I first got to the garden, I was a little discouraged, as I had let things go a bit over the winter, but it didn't take long to refresh the soil and have it ready for planting. Here's a run down of what I'm growing this spring:

1. Bok Choy
2. Lettuce (3 types)
3. Fingerling potatoes
4. Snap peas (2 types)
5. Turnips (2 types)
6. Radishes
7. Spinach
8. Swiss Chard
9. Elephant garlic
10. Leeks
11. Sage

Some of these items made it through the winter and I kept them (such as the sage, lettuce and chard). In the next few weeks I hope to plant some beets and carrots. Then I can get ready for the squash, tomatoes and cucumbers. My mouth is watering just thinking about all the gazpacho we'll have this summer!

I read about a cool trick in Crockett's Victory Garden for growing peas. Instead of using pea fences, use branches from a tree you pruned this winter. Barb from Everything French Gardening talks about it on her blog.

My Role Model

2008-03-03T15:58:00.007-05:00

This doesn't have much to do with eating locally or seasonally for that matter, but it has to do with inspiration. My dad has been my greatest role model for all of my life. He recently retired from a 40+ year career with the same company. Not too commmon these days and of course is difficult for someone of my generation to understand. He has taught me the ability to be passionate about life and that it's ok to take chances and it's ok to fail. There are always new opportunities out there and more to learn about ourselves and the world around us. My father had a great retirement party where people flew in from all over the world to toast his success. He received some amazing gifts, but my favorite by far was from an old colleague that included this quote:

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes, the ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or villify them...about the only thing you can't do is ignore them, because they change things, they push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."

This is commonly misattributed to Jack Kerouac and I'm not actually sure who said it. More importantly is that it embodies everything about my father. Every time I go home to visit my parents I sit and read this and think about what my dad means to me. Even though I come from a family that prefers meat over vegetables and Costco over organic, my father tries to understand and respect my passion for the local food movement. Even though he may not support it, he supports me and I feel lucky for that. Happy Early Birthday Dad.

Doomsday Seed Vault

2008-02-27T11:58:00.003-05:00

CNN reported that the underground vault storing millions of seeds is scheduled to open this week. Dubbed the 'Doomsday Vault', the vault is considered the safety net for storing the world's seed collection in hopes to preserve crop diversity. We can hope that this prevents tragedies similar to Ireland's potato famine.

Hill East Garden

2008-02-12T09:19:00.000-05:00

I was recently contacted by the president of my community garden and asked to join the board. This will be my third year at the garden and I'm really excited to start planting this spring! Last year was better than our first, so I'm optimistic that this year will be filled with tons of glorious herbs and veggies!

Hill East Garden

Hill East Community Garden is located in Southeast Washington, DC, between C, D, 17th and 18th Streets. My favorite part of the garden is that it used to be an alley where drug activity was common. Now it's a thriving community garden with a waiting list!

Heirloom Seeds

2008-01-25T12:43:00.000-05:00

This past summer was my first taste of an heirloom Brandywine tomato. A little late in the game, eh? Not some half-ripe overpriced heirloom tomato that was from a grocery store either. This was straight from the farm (I belonged to Karl's Farm's CSA) and it was cracked and ugly and the best thing I ever tasted. It must have weighed well over a pound. I came home from work that day to our basket of veggies sitting on the front stoop and rushed upstairs when I saw we got a Brandywine tomato. I was like a kid with their Christmas stocking, only I was a grown up and this was a tomato. I immediately took it out and held it up to appreciate it's density, showing my boyfriend the gloriousness of it. He of course thought I was crazy...until he tasted it. I sliced it up and put the tiniest amount of salt on it and we enjoyed it in silence.

Ever since then I have been hooked on heirloom veggies. I planted our fall garden mostly with seeds from Baker Creek. This month I have been looking through my seed catalogs, planning our year filled with heirloom seeds. I was ecstatic yesterday to find an article in the Washington Post about heirloom seeds. They even mention Baker Creek!

PA Can Label Milk!

2008-01-21T16:21:00.001-05:00

Scientific American reported that Pennsylvania officials have let go of plans to ban farmers from labeling whether or not their milk comes from hormone enhanced cows.

As noted in the article, the FDA ruled that Montsanto-marketed rBST is safe for human consumption, but Canada and the European Union prohibit its use.

Distavore?

2008-01-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Joel Stein from Time Magazine decided to write an article against the local food movement. He decided to cook a meal where the ingredients had to be sourced over 3,000 miles from where he lives and to top it off, he would do it shopping at Whole Foods.

There are a few problems with Stein's article. He refers to Whole Foods as 'the local-food movement's most treasured supermarkets'. I think he's missing the point in that the local food movement is really focused on consumers buying directly from local farms and cutting out 'treasured supermarkets'.

Stein also mentioned that is was not an easy task. "Farmers in Southern California, it seems, can grow anything." If they can grow anything, then why the hell complain?

Eat Local Scorecard

2008-01-15T13:28:00.000-05:00

I recently went to Portland, OR on vacation and stopped by the Ecotrust building. Not only did I enjoy some damn good Hot Lips Pizza, but I got to pick up some useful resources and to check out the beautiful building.

One of the Ecotrust resources is the Eat Local Scorecard:

I thought this was helpful for actually tracking the incorporation of locally harvested and produced foods into your life. Even if you don't use this scorecard, it helps conceptualize how you can start introducing these foods into your diet.

Helpful Books You Should Read

2008-01-14T16:28:00.001-05:00

I have been reading a lot about eating locally and seasonally lately and I thought it would be helpful to review some of the literature:

Plenty-This book was one of the first books I read as part of the eating local movement. I love that a couple wrote it together and brought a personal element to the challenges associated with eating locally. This book was easy to read, brought a lot of the policy issues to light about agribusiness and highlighted the planning necessary to thrive on a locally produced diet. My only concern is that they arbitrarily picked 100 miles for their diet parameter, which does not actually define a community and de-ephasizes the need for regional collaboration in the eating local movement.

On Food & Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen
Warning: this is not a cookbook. This is the foodie bible. You will understand all elements (cultural, scientific, historical) of how we have defined food and meals throughout our history on this planet.

The Real Food Revival

This book has a lot of overlap with Michael Pollan's 'Omnivore's Dilemma', but I particularly like the organization of this book. It goes aisle by aisle in the grocery store and gives practical advice on how to eat seasonally and locally. There are great tips on navigating the grocery store and even your local farmer's markets.

More to come in a bit...

Local Restaurants Serving Local Food

2008-01-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

I spent 2007 focused on getting a better handle on my garden and incorporating more seasonal-based recipes in the kitchen. I officially designate 2008 to be the year of exploration. I've couped myself up the past few months searching for resources and thinking about my garden, but I would like to get to know area farms and restaurants that have a similar focus. I did visit several restaurants and became acquanted with several farms in the area this past year:

Restaurants:
Poste
Poste has an organic garden on the back patio of the restaurant. Looking at their menu, it also seems as though they have relationships with some area farmers as well. I have been here several times for dinner in the past few months. I've read it's a mad house for happy hour in the summers, which is a deterrent for me. I enjoyed my meals there though and the service was great. I can't say enough about ambiance at this place either. It's in the old post office building and it's gorgeous.

Agraria Restaurant
When Agraria opened I was ecstatic about the idea that family-farmers were opening a restaurant in the city. I went during Restaurant Week about a year ago. I thought the food was pretty good and they had some great organic beers on tap. The drawback for me was that is was in Georgetown on the waterfront. I typically feel like that is for tourists and I usually hesitate before going there. Another drawback was that I couldn't feel the small family farmer there when I ate. It was such a huge selling point for me that I'd like it if they incorporated the concept into more than their marketing materials.

Farms:
Karl's Farm
I joined the Karl's Farm CSA this summer. This was my first experience with CSAs and I was excited about getting a bucket of vegetables each week, including some I had never heard about before. If I didn't have my own garden, I would highly suggest becoming part of a CSA. I know there are a lot in the area. Karl's Farm had a difficult year with the drought, but they were great about keeping everyone updated and were always on time with the delivery.

South Mountain Creamery
Wow, my mom wasn't kidding when she said milk from a glass bottle is so much better. I usually opt for rice or soy milk, but when this came, it was reason enough to enjoy a cold glass of real cow milk. Their yogurt is great as well. It takes a little getting used to as it's not as custardy as the grocery store kind. I tried some of their artisan cheeses, and wasn't a fan, but I must admit, I am a huge cheese snob. The milk, butter, cream and yogurt is definitely worth a try.

A Seasonal Dinner on a Cold Night

2008-01-03T21:45:00.000-05:00

I have always hesitated to make pot pies. I have attempted some pretty radical recipes, yet I fear making pot pie. Why? It's too close to baking. And I suck at baking. I'm good at cooking. You know, you can improvise if you are craving something specific, change the ingredient amounts up a bit, throw in whatever is in your fridge (or hopefully your pantry and/or garden). But baking, that's about being precise. At least to me. I always feel like I am about to fail chem lab when I bake.

Anyway, I decided that tonight was cold and a good excuse to get over my pot pie phobia. I made sweet potato pot pies thanks to Heidi Swanson from 101cookbooks.com. Sweet potatoes are in season right now, but you really can add anything you have from the garden or in your pantry like turnips, swiss chard, or carrots (which are also all in season).

Sweet Potato Pot Pies (adapted from 101 Cookbooks by Heidi Swanson)
Serves 4

3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium vidalia onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilies
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 cups cold 2 percent milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups pulled chicken, from a store-bought rotisserie chicken
1 box puff pastry dough, thawed
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Saute the garlic, onion and sweet potatoes in olive oil with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until potatoes are soft. This should take about 10 minutes with your burner on medium. Add the corn and adobo sauce and saute for 2 more minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk the milk and cornstarch together. Pour the mixture slowly into the sauce pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until the filling starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season with more salt to taste. Divide the rotisserie chicken into 4 bowls and pour the mixture on top to fill each bowl 3/4 of the way.

Cut a piece of puff pastry dough to fit over each bowl, with some overlap. Create several small slits with a knife in each square to allow steam to escape. Place the dough on the bowls and fold over the edge of the dish. Brush the dough lightly with egg white.

Put the bowls on a baking sheet covered in foil in case it boils over a bit. Bake until the crusts golden, about 15 minutes.

I served the pot pies with a salad made with lettuce, Asian pears, persimmons, goat cheese, toasted pinenuts and balsamic vinaigrette. Most lettuce, Asian pears and persimmons are in season (from cold storage) and you should be able to get them from your local farmer's market. I still have some great heirloom lettuce growing in my garden that has survived the recent cold. This salad was sweet and light and complimented the heavy, wintery pot pies really well.

I must admit, I am over my pot pie phobia. At least for now. This recipe was really easy and quick to make with just a few ingredients. You could replace the adobo for some thyme sprigs while you are cooking the potatoes if you don't like the smoky taste. I'm feeling a lot more confident and hopefully I can try this with more veggies from my winter garden.

Resolve to Live More Sustainably

2008-01-01T17:31:00.000-05:00

Now that the holiday craziness is over, I had time today to reflect on some resolutions I'd like to make this year (and to catch up on reading all the latest newspapers piled up in our living room). Eviana Hartman wrote a simple list of new years resolutions that focus on living more sustainably for the Washington Post:

Put a Green Spin on Those Same Ol' Resolutions
Sunday, December 23, 2007; N05

Each holiday season, many of us make similar New Year's resolutions -- and then, just as inevitably, let them slide. Going green may be the most effective resolution of all: Making planet-friendly choices is not just a selfless act, but also a way to improve your quality of life. Here, five of the most common resolutions and how living more sustainably can help you achieve them.

Resolution 1: ExerciseGreen Solution: Bike or Walk to Work
Taking your polluting car off the road can raise your physical fitness. For the average person, bicycling at a moderate rate burns 300 calories per hour, a figure that nearly doubles for speeds faster than 10 mph; walking briskly can burn 460 calories per hour, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If getting yourself to and from work without a car isn't an option, use public transportation and walk or bike to and from the station to get your heart pumping. And if you must drive, carpool. The American Lung Association gave Washington a grade of F on its 2007 State of the Air Report, so cutting down the number of cars will help all exercisers breathe easier.

Resolution 2: Spend More Time With Family and FriendsGreen Solution: Switch Off and Get Out
Instead of passing your free time in front of a giant flat-screen TV, surfing YouTube or slaying digital monsters on your Wii -- and consuming extra electricity in the process -- focus on enjoying the company of loved ones. The simplest group activities, such as charades or a good conversation, are often the most fulfilling.
If you're itching to get out, hop on the Metro for a museum excursion or start a family garden (you'll strengthen your bonds while your plants are absorbing carbon dioxide).

Resolution 3: Go on a DietGreen Solution: Eat Organically and Locally
Whether you're looking to lose a few eggnog-related pounds or simply want to be healthier, resolve to base your diet on organic vegetables and fruits -- preferably local produce from farmers markets or a community-supported agriculture service, which would reduce the amount of fuel needed to transport the food to your plate. (Organic TV dinners and "natural" cheese puffs don't count!)

Though it takes more time and effort to cook using straight-from-the-farm produce, slow, home-prepared meals are great for enjoying with others (see Resolution 2) and make you far less likely to shovel down fattening fast food on the run. Not only will a nutritious, high-fiber, unprocessed diet help you keep a trim figure, but your overall health (and mood) will improve. And you may have better breath (thanks to the chlorophyll in fresh greens) to boot.

Resolution 4: Save MoneyGreen Solution: Consume Less
Next time you have a hankering for a new gizmo or handbag, think twice. Unsustainable spending and unsustainable use of the planet's resources go hand in hand. If you must redecorate or find a cute belt for Friday night, buy wisely. Secondhand or vintage clothing and furniture are usually cheaper, save resources and often make for a more interesting style.
Also, conserve electricity at home: Swap your incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent ones, turn off the lights when you leave a room and keep the thermostat down this winter (don a sweater if you're chilly). Your bank balance will get a boost when you reduce your footprint, and you might be surprised at how spending less makes you want less -- and be more satisfied with the life you have.

Resolution 5: Help OthersGreen Solution: Help the Planet
Anything you can do to help the well-being of the planet -- reducing your carbon footprint, choosing pesticide-free products, avoiding polluting plastic -- will help the well-being of all its inhabitants. Supporting local businesses, manufacturers and farmers, which keeps shipping fuel use down, also strengthens community ties.
Finally, mark your calendars for such events as the Green Festival, held in the fall. You might also volunteer for environmental organizations such as Earth Day Network ( http://www.earthday.net). Eco events are a great way to get informed, get connected to others and expand your awareness.

-- Eviana Hartman

Here is a bonus resolution that I made for myself this year: get yourself off those mailing lists for all those catalogs!

Bigger brains through cooking

2007-12-20T13:36:00.001-05:00

I read an interesting article today on Scientific American where Richard Wrangham theorizes that our brains evolved to become bigger because of our need to cook our food and our ability to use fire to do so. I know a lot of raw food advocates are probably upset about this article, but I thought it was an interesting insight into how humans evolved. Cooking food enabled easier digestion and liberated more calories. Our guts got smaller and our brains got bigger.

A local family eats off the grid

2007-12-14T15:51:00.000-05:00

On the DC Urban Gardener website, there was an interesting article of a family that is eating almost completely off the grid. They grow most of their food in their back yard and at a nearby community garden. The family lives entirely off the garden from June through October. Proof it can be done folks!

Orzo with Pine Nuts, Olives and Artichokes

2007-12-13T11:12:00.001-05:00

This is a simple weeknight meal that will leave you with some leftovers for lunch the next day. It makes about 4 meal-size servings.

3 cups orzo (cook according to package instructions)
6 tablespoons pine nuts
2 14oz cans of artichoke hearts
1/2 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup roughly chopped fresh italian parsley (flat-leaf)
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup roughly chopped olives (mix of picholine, kalamata, etc)
grated raw milk manchego (optional)

Cook orzo according to instructions on box. Drain well.

Toast pine nuts in dry skillet. Remove to cool and coarsley chop.

Drain artichoke hearts and rinse. Cut each heart into quarters.

Whisk together oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Add orzo, pine nuts, olives and artichokes into large bowl. Add parsley and lemon zest. Pour dressing on top and toss.

Put in serving bowls and grate fresh manchego on top.

(Adapted from Gourmet, May 2006)

2007-12-13T10:15:00.000-05:00

Thinking of giving the gift of charity this year? Menu for Hope is having an online raffle with different culinary prizes. The big prizes this year are tours at the elBulli laboratory with Ferran AndriA, dining Brit-style on a meal prepared by Heston Blumenthal or having a lunch date with Harold McGee. Chez Pim is organizing this extraordinary event. The best part is that funds support the UN World Food Programme. WFP is the largest food aid agency, working with over 1,000 other organizations in over 75 countries. In addition to providing food, the World Food Programme helps the hungry become self-sufficient so that they can permanently escape hunger. The programs focus on buying food locally to support local farmers and the local economy.

Lease a Goat!

2007-12-12T14:55:00.001-05:00

If you love goat cheese as much as I do, you will be ecstatic about the prospect of leasing your own goat. You can get at 2008 Dairy Goat Lease for $49.95, or for an extra $5.00 you get an 'action photo'. Who the hell knows what that is, but I like it! Four weeks after you lease your goat, cheese will be delivered to your door. You will get progress reports from the farm. Rent Mother Nature is the company committed to leasing animals, trees and fields. They have created a unique path to supporting natural, organic agriculture on small family farms. If you don't have time to create a cookbook for someone (see previous post) then this is a great gift for the holidays!

Taste Book

2007-12-10T11:18:00.000-05:00

I found a website where you can create your own cookbook. You can import recipes from epicurious.com if you have an account there or type in your own recipes. I have to say, this is a perfect holiday gift. Great website, great idea, great gift. You can pick your own cover, put pictures in with recipes and name your cookbook.

Rosemary White Bean Soup with Swiss Chard from the Garden

2007-11-29T11:17:00.002-05:00

Hopefully you have a few of these ingredients from your garden or local farmer's market (garlic, onions, swiss chard, rosemary). I grew Swiss Chard for the first time this year and it is delicious and beautiful. I bought a Canary Yellow Chard heirloom variety that is tasty from Rare Seeds.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 15oz cans of white beans (cannellini) drained
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
2 garlic cloves minced
2 rosemary sprigs (3 inches each)
4 cups low sodium, free range chicken broth
3 medium leaves of chard stemmed, chopped and steamed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a stock pot. Add the minced garlic, yellow onion and rosemary sprigs. Cook until the onion is translucent (about 10 minutes). Add the broth and the white beans and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and take out the rosemary branches. Let cool for 15 minutes. Use a food processor or blender to puree the soup in batches. If using a blender, take out the circular part of the lid and cover with a dish towel since warm liquids expand so much in the blender. Return the soup to the pot and add the Swiss Chard to reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with basil-infused olive oil if you have some.

This soup was topped off with Real Simple's Sage and Parmesan Croutons

What to Do with Leftover Stuffing

2007-11-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

3 medium green peppers sliced in half; ribs, stems and seeds removed
leftover stuffing from Thanksgiving
arrabiata pasta sauce
sliced mozzarella cheese

preheat oven to 425 degrees
coat glass baking pan with cooking spray
cut peppers in half and put in glass baking pan
stuff peppers with stuffing and spoon a generous amount of sauce over them
add slices of mozzarella cheese over each pepper
bake until peppers are slightly soft and cheese is bubbling (approximately 30 minutes)
serve with crusty warm bread and enjoy!

Disparities in Access to Health Food Options in DC

2007-11-21T12:02:00.000-05:00

Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation highlighted that disparities in access to healthy food options are contributing to the obesity epidemic in the city.

Kaiser Health Disparities Report: A Weekly Look At Race, Ethnicity And Health

Opinion | Lack of Healthy Food Options in Washington, D.C., Neighborhoods Cause of Obesity Disparity, Opinion Piece Says
[Nov 20, 2007]

"The lack of healthy [food] alternatives, coupled with the disproportionate variety of fried and fatty foods in the area, certainly contributes to the obesity rate" of residents in predominately black neighborhoods in Washington, D.C., Malcolm Woodland, a researcher and NIH LRP health disparities fellow, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece (Woodland, Washington Post, 11/18).

Earlier this month, Vanderbilt University researchers presented a study finding that the obesity gap between blacks and whites in Washington, D.C., is the widest of 164 jurisdictions nationwide. The data, from 2001 through 2005, included information on more than 367,000 people. Researchers found that in Washington, D.C., the obesity rate for blacks was 31%, compared with 8% for whites. Researcher David Schlundt said education, income, culture and the urban environment might be factors behind the gap (Kaiser Health Disparities Report, 11/6).

Woodland writes that in some black neighborhoods in the district, "healthy food options are rare," yet research conducted at the Mount Sinai Medical Center "revealed that when blacks have healthy neighborhood food choices, their fruit and vegetable consumption increases more than that of any other racial group." That same research "concluded that for every full-service supermarket in a predominantly black neighborhood, fruit and vegetable consumption among blacks in the surrounding area increased by 32%," Woodland adds.

"For varying reasons, such as wealth disparities and access to personal transportation, other researchers have also pointed out that the local food environment tends to influence the food choices of blacks and other people of color more than whites," Woodland writes. He concludes, "Until the unequal access to not only healthful food but also health insurance, medical practitioners and health facilities is truly addressed, the fat gap will continue to grow" (Washington Post, 11/18).

2007-11-14T15:59:00.001-05:00

>Welcome to my adventure in eating locally in Washington, DC. When I started this process, I found tons of resources, but it's difficult to keep everything organized. I hope to create a clearinghouse of resources including local farm listings, restaurants and other organizations that are dedicated to sustainable agriculture. I also intend to include seasonal recipes and rants and raves about my garden.