I know what you’re thinking... IMPOSSIBLE. But no, I wouldn’t lie to you. You can eat 10 of these and not feel bad about it. No butter. No sugar. Hardly any flour. Yes, their moist. Yes, they are flavorful. Eat them for dessert. Eat them for breakfast.
We skipped the ginger, because Joel doesn’t like fresh ginger. I usually bake something every week to keep on hand and these are going to be a regular. I may even make a bunch of the dough and freeze it.
CARROT OATMEAL COOKIES
1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 Cup Rolled Oats
2/3 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1 Cup Shredded Carrots
1/2 Cup Real Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Unrefined Coconut Oil (Heated until just melted)
1/2 Cup Chopped Dates or Raisins
1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and oats. Add the nuts and carrots. In a separate smaller bowl use a whisk to combine a maple syrup, coconut oil and ginger (if using). Add this to the flour mixture along with dates or raisins and stir until just combined. Drop onto baking sheet, one heaping tablespoon at a time, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake on the middle rack of oven for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2011
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Homemade Pizza
So every week we have “pizza night” where we make our own pizza. It has taken a couple of years, but we have finally developed our recipes for sauce and dough. This is something Ethan always looks forward to as well and loves helping with. The possibilities are endless, but our favorite combinations are
Mushroom, Goat Cheese and Shallots
Tomato, Kalamata Olive and Roasted Red Pepper
Jalepeno, Pineapple and Red Onion
Sauce: 3 Large Tomatoes (in the winter, we use canned organic diced tomatoes)
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper
Big Handful of Basil
4 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Red Wine
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and simmer for about a minute.Throw in the basil leaves and let wilt for a few seconds then add the tomatoes. Add the wine and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, but more like an hour.

Dough:
2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
3 Tbl Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 Packets Active Dry Yeast
2 Tbl Dried Italian Herb of Choice
2 Cups Warm Water
This recipe makes enough dough for two pizzas. I usually make one and freeze the second one so that I only make dough every other week. Put both flours in the bowl of a stand mixer and make a well in the center. Add the warm water followed by the yeast and let sit for a few minutes. Then add the olive oil, salt, pepper and herb. Using the hook attachment, turn it on medium low. Once the dough comes together, remove the bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let it sit in a warm place (I usually turn the oven on and sit it on top) for about 45 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size. Once it is done, punch it down and pull in onto the counter and roll it out into a circle. Top with the sauce and then cheese. We use marinated mozzarella and tear it into pieces. Once the cheese is on, then you can do your toppings. After the pizza is completely dressed, roll the outer edge up and press it down to make a border around the center. Brush the crust with melted butter or olive oil. Baked the pizza on a pizza stone (or just a circular pan) at 425 degrees until the crust is golden, cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.
This week we did sweet Italian sausage and mushroom. It was delicious!

Enjoy!
Mushroom, Goat Cheese and Shallots
Tomato, Kalamata Olive and Roasted Red Pepper
Jalepeno, Pineapple and Red Onion
Sauce: 3 Large Tomatoes (in the winter, we use canned organic diced tomatoes)
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper
Big Handful of Basil
4 Cloves Garlic
1/2 Cup Red Wine
In a saucepan, heat the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and simmer for about a minute.Throw in the basil leaves and let wilt for a few seconds then add the tomatoes. Add the wine and let simmer for at least 30 minutes, but more like an hour.

Dough:
2 Cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
3 Tbl Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 Packets Active Dry Yeast
2 Tbl Dried Italian Herb of Choice
2 Cups Warm Water
This recipe makes enough dough for two pizzas. I usually make one and freeze the second one so that I only make dough every other week. Put both flours in the bowl of a stand mixer and make a well in the center. Add the warm water followed by the yeast and let sit for a few minutes. Then add the olive oil, salt, pepper and herb. Using the hook attachment, turn it on medium low. Once the dough comes together, remove the bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Let it sit in a warm place (I usually turn the oven on and sit it on top) for about 45 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size. Once it is done, punch it down and pull in onto the counter and roll it out into a circle. Top with the sauce and then cheese. We use marinated mozzarella and tear it into pieces. Once the cheese is on, then you can do your toppings. After the pizza is completely dressed, roll the outer edge up and press it down to make a border around the center. Brush the crust with melted butter or olive oil. Baked the pizza on a pizza stone (or just a circular pan) at 425 degrees until the crust is golden, cheese is melted and toppings are cooked.
This week we did sweet Italian sausage and mushroom. It was delicious!

Enjoy!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Vegetarian Chili
I have been saving this recipe since the spring, waiting for the lovely fall weather to come and now it is here! While I was cooking this, I was skeptical about the texture and flavor, because I love chili. But it turned out really well and I will definitely make it again before the warm weather returns. It can also be easily adapted into a slow cooker recipe, but I haven’t tried it yet. This recipe is also great because it is healthy! It is hard to find hearty “man meals” that aren’t going to participate in a future heart attack. I like to try out rich, over the top recipes, but the reality is that when it comes to every day eating in our house, we put nutrition first which makes meals like this a “go to”.
Vegetarian Chili
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 white onion, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tbl paprika
2 tbl chili powder
1 can garbanzo beans
2 cans red beans
6 cups tomato juice
2 tbl maple syrup
In a large skillet or soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, squash and zucchini and saute for a few minutes. Then add the beans and spices and cook 5 minutes more. Add tomato juice and maple syrup and cook covered for 30 minutes. Partially uncover and cook 30 more minutes, until the chili thickens. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, chives and shredded cheddar cheese. Also great with cornbread or a crusty country bread. Mmmmmmm...
Note: Joel and I often substitute plain yogurt for sour cream in cooking. It is a slightly different texture, but serves the same purpose and we like it! You can do this with baking too.
Vegetarian Chili
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 white onion, chopped
1 yellow squash, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground clove
1 tbl paprika
2 tbl chili powder
1 can garbanzo beans
2 cans red beans
6 cups tomato juice
2 tbl maple syrup
In a large skillet or soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add garlic, onion, bell pepper, squash and zucchini and saute for a few minutes. Then add the beans and spices and cook 5 minutes more. Add tomato juice and maple syrup and cook covered for 30 minutes. Partially uncover and cook 30 more minutes, until the chili thickens. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, chives and shredded cheddar cheese. Also great with cornbread or a crusty country bread. Mmmmmmm...
Note: Joel and I often substitute plain yogurt for sour cream in cooking. It is a slightly different texture, but serves the same purpose and we like it! You can do this with baking too.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Best Spaghetti
I love love love love Italian food. This is the best spaghetti sauce I have ever made and I will probably stop tweaking it. It is soooooo good. In my opinion, it blows many restaurants out of the water. A really good tip I read on a food blog is to add ingredients slowly. You are building flavors, so when you add everything in at once, you are not letting the individual flavors shine. I have also read numerous times that a homemade marinara sauce needs to simmer a minimum of one hour but preferably up to four. You can make this sauce with or without the sausage, it is really delicious either way. I prefer the sausage.
6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (you can substitute 2 cans of diced tomatoes if they are not in season)
4 sweet Italian sausages
1/2 jar roasted yellow peppers, finely chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 medium onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely grated
1/2 red wine (remember, only cook with a wine that you’d want to drink!)
1 tbl sugar
1 tbl unsalted butter
water
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and add sausages. Brown lightly and add your onions and saute until they are translucent. Add garlic and cook through about 1 minute. Add the roasted bell peppers and carrots. Cook through until carrots are soft. Add tomatoes (with juice) and reduce heat to low. Add in the wine, butter, sugar, season with salt and pepper. Simmer away! At least one hour. When the sauce reduces a bit, add in some water and let it reduce again. Continue this until you’re done simmering. Right before you serve, remove sausages from the pan and chop them up. Return to pan and add any needed salt or pepper. (Be careful with the salt - the sausage can make it pretty salty). Serve over cooked spaghetti pasta, topped with freshly grated parmesan and some garlic bread on the side. I promise you will eat this until you are sick. :)
6 large ripe tomatoes, chopped (you can substitute 2 cans of diced tomatoes if they are not in season)
4 sweet Italian sausages
1/2 jar roasted yellow peppers, finely chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 medium onion
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and finely grated
1/2 red wine (remember, only cook with a wine that you’d want to drink!)
1 tbl sugar
1 tbl unsalted butter
water
Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and add sausages. Brown lightly and add your onions and saute until they are translucent. Add garlic and cook through about 1 minute. Add the roasted bell peppers and carrots. Cook through until carrots are soft. Add tomatoes (with juice) and reduce heat to low. Add in the wine, butter, sugar, season with salt and pepper. Simmer away! At least one hour. When the sauce reduces a bit, add in some water and let it reduce again. Continue this until you’re done simmering. Right before you serve, remove sausages from the pan and chop them up. Return to pan and add any needed salt or pepper. (Be careful with the salt - the sausage can make it pretty salty). Serve over cooked spaghetti pasta, topped with freshly grated parmesan and some garlic bread on the side. I promise you will eat this until you are sick. :)
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sausage Kebabs with Fig Sauce
So last night I made sausage kebabs with fig sauce, garlic greens and lemony cauliflower. It was a really yummy, fresh meal with a good variety in flavors. The combo was great, so I decided to share all three recipes together! I was excited about the greens recipe because it is a super healthy dish, and it can be hard to find tasty recipes for greens. This one is so good that I’d eat a big bowl of it on it’s own or over brown rice as a meal.
These recipes are really simple, but you have to remember that it is the little things that make something taste amazing. For these particular recipes, using fresh garlic instead of jarred or frozen crushed garlic, buying good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil, using fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of the bottled stuff, using sea salt instead of iodized salt, using freshly ground pepper and freshly grating your parmesan instead of buying pre-shredded are all going to make the HUGE difference in the end result. It does add a little more work, but it is definitely worth it. Also, I probably won’t ever put olive oil, salt or pepper on a recipe ingredients list because it is in EVERYTHING I cook.
SAUSAGE KEBABS W/ FIG SAUCE
1 Pkg Sweet Italian sausages
15-20 multi-colored cherry tomatoes
1 Onion, cut into big chunks
Handful of basil leaves
6 Tbl fig jam
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
Cut the sausages into 1” sections and assemble on skewers with the cherry tomatoes, basil leaves and onion chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill on the BBQ until sausage is browned and cooked through. While the kebabs are resting, combine the fig jam and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until combined and it reaches a good texture. Pour the sauce over the kebabs and serve.
LEMONY CAULIFLOWER
1 head cauliflower
3 green onions, sliced thing from the white to light green part
Juice from half a lemon
Zest from half a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Cut up the cauliflower into 1” pieces and put into skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the cauliflower to coat and then turn on the burner to medium-high. Over the course of about 6-7 minutes, let the cauliflower brown on the bottom of the pan, stirring every minute or so. This will give the cauliflower a nice even brown. Don’t worry, you’re not burning it, you are browning it. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper, parmesan, garlic and green onions. Once the cauliflower is evenly browned, turn the burner off and at the mixture to the pan. Stir together, it will cook a little more because the pan is still hot. Then serve!
GARLIC GREENS
1 bunch of kale
1 bag of baby spinach
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
Tear the leafy parts away from the stem on your kale and tear into bite sized pieces. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and let the pan get really hot. Add one leaf of kale into the pan If it sizzles, put the rest in and stir. If it doesn’t, let the pan get hotter. After you give the kale a good stir into the olive oil, add the spinach. This will reduce A LOT. When all of the leaves are pretty wilted and still green, turn the burner off and add your minced garlic. Do 8 cloves if you love garlic like me, do 6 if you just like it. Also, if the spiciness of fresh, uncooked garlic bothers you, add it to the pan about a minute before you turn off the burner and cook it a bit. I happen to absolutely love the flavor, so I just stir it into the hot pan after it’s done cooking. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and you’re done.
This is the kind of food that I really love to cook because it is whole and natural but delicious too. I also feel really good about feeding it to my family because they are getting a wide variety of nutrients. Hope you like it!!!
These recipes are really simple, but you have to remember that it is the little things that make something taste amazing. For these particular recipes, using fresh garlic instead of jarred or frozen crushed garlic, buying good quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil, using fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of the bottled stuff, using sea salt instead of iodized salt, using freshly ground pepper and freshly grating your parmesan instead of buying pre-shredded are all going to make the HUGE difference in the end result. It does add a little more work, but it is definitely worth it. Also, I probably won’t ever put olive oil, salt or pepper on a recipe ingredients list because it is in EVERYTHING I cook.
SAUSAGE KEBABS W/ FIG SAUCE
1 Pkg Sweet Italian sausages
15-20 multi-colored cherry tomatoes
1 Onion, cut into big chunks
Handful of basil leaves
6 Tbl fig jam
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
Cut the sausages into 1” sections and assemble on skewers with the cherry tomatoes, basil leaves and onion chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, then grill on the BBQ until sausage is browned and cooked through. While the kebabs are resting, combine the fig jam and balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until combined and it reaches a good texture. Pour the sauce over the kebabs and serve.
LEMONY CAULIFLOWER
1 head cauliflower
3 green onions, sliced thing from the white to light green part
Juice from half a lemon
Zest from half a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Cut up the cauliflower into 1” pieces and put into skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Toss the cauliflower to coat and then turn on the burner to medium-high. Over the course of about 6-7 minutes, let the cauliflower brown on the bottom of the pan, stirring every minute or so. This will give the cauliflower a nice even brown. Don’t worry, you’re not burning it, you are browning it. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper, parmesan, garlic and green onions. Once the cauliflower is evenly browned, turn the burner off and at the mixture to the pan. Stir together, it will cook a little more because the pan is still hot. Then serve!
GARLIC GREENS
1 bunch of kale
1 bag of baby spinach
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
Tear the leafy parts away from the stem on your kale and tear into bite sized pieces. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat and let the pan get really hot. Add one leaf of kale into the pan If it sizzles, put the rest in and stir. If it doesn’t, let the pan get hotter. After you give the kale a good stir into the olive oil, add the spinach. This will reduce A LOT. When all of the leaves are pretty wilted and still green, turn the burner off and add your minced garlic. Do 8 cloves if you love garlic like me, do 6 if you just like it. Also, if the spiciness of fresh, uncooked garlic bothers you, add it to the pan about a minute before you turn off the burner and cook it a bit. I happen to absolutely love the flavor, so I just stir it into the hot pan after it’s done cooking. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and you’re done.
This is the kind of food that I really love to cook because it is whole and natural but delicious too. I also feel really good about feeding it to my family because they are getting a wide variety of nutrients. Hope you like it!!!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Buying Local for Selfish Reasons
One of my favorite things to do is to find local sources for the things that we buy. Last week, our neighbors Tass and Sheena took a trip to Carmel and visited an artichoke farm while they were there. They supplied our neighborhood with the lovely little things. (Thanks guys!) There is a lot out in the media about buying locally because you are saving the planet or whatever, but there is A LOT in it for you, too.
I won’t stop at just any roadside stand. You do have to use discretion. You need to have some kind of idea where the stuff came from. I have even heard of people buying large quantities of fruit at Denio’s (a local weekly “everything” market) and then setting up camp at an intersection and claiming to be farmers selling their own local produce. A good way to know that you have a reputable source is to shop at a certified farmer’s market. The best one around here by far is the Sacramento Farmer’s Market. They do all the work for you, because not only do they investigate their vendors, but they also get them all in the same place at the same time for you. Another thing you can do is to join a produce co-op like Farm Fresh to You. That one does ALL of the work for you. It is a box of local, seasonal, organic produce that just shows up at your door. This is fun because you never know what you’re going to get and it feels like opening a present. We did this for a while, but wound up canceling our membership, the reason being, well, you never know what you’re going to get. Meal planning is tough when you don’t know what produce you are going to have and I like to pick out my own snack produce. But I have to say most of what came in our boxes was delicious. Then there is Whole Foods. A lot of the produce at Whole Foods is local, you just have to read the sign. It’s true that it can be expensive, but I am sometimes surprised by the low prices on things there. You can ensure good prices if you buy the weekly specials; there is always a selection of produce on the list.
There are a lot of reasons to buy locally other than the saved gas emissions from hauling trucks (this is what I am always hearing about). For one, it tastes better. Produce that has to travel a long distance has to be picked before it is ripe. This is why you might buy a beautiful bright red tomato at Safeway but then you get home and cut it open and it is still green. The exterior ripened on the journey to the store, off of the vine. Of course it is not all up to the local grower, it is also up to you too to make sure you are buying quality. You have to learn what a ripe watermelon sounds like or what a ripe nectarine smells like.The farmer’s market is a multi-sensory experience. You also get to experience new produce. Your local growers are likely to have interesting and unique varieties that a national distributor is not going to offer your grocery store.
We typically go every couple of weeks with another family, and my favorite thing about going is that it has become a ritualistic tradition for us. We wake up early, load up the car and grab a coffee on our way down. It is about a 20 minute drive so Joel and I talk (believe it or not, since we’ve had Josiah, these times can be few and far between!) while Ethan reads a book and Josiah sleeps. When we get to market, we put the kids in the stroller and start at one end of the market. Ethan usually goes straight for “the honey man” to buy a handful of honey sticks and I check out the flowers. I am usually able to get really cool flowers that you cannot find in the store, or at the very least a common flour in a rare color. I usually hurry to the baker in the middle of the market to get my chocolate croissant (if you get there early enough, sometimes they are still warm!) that I tear apart and eat with my coffee while we browse. There are things that we always buy, but mostly we get something different each time. It seems like every time we go there is something new that just came into season. It is also a great learning experience for kids. Ethan can talk to the guy from the goat farm about how goat cheese is made or talk to the crayfish guy about how he catches them and how you eat them. There is also a vendor that has live fish in huge water filled bins so he usually checks them out. One of the mushroom vendors has a display on their booth of live growing mushrooms that explains the science behind it, and he gets to sample different things along the way. Most farmers are friendly and proud to talk about what they do, but you do get the occasional grumpy farmer who has been up all night harvesting.
It can be overwhelming when you first go, but you have to give yourself some time. The more you go, the more you learn about the vendors and who has the best of what or the best prices. I know that the woman that has the best price on strawberries does not have the best tasting ones. I will pay 50 cents more at the booth with the man who has the better ones. There are definitely things at the market that are NOT worth the money (for example, organic brown eggs for $8.99 a dozen!!!!) but most of it is better quality for a lower price. If you think you can’t buy local because you have a strict grocery budget and you think you’ve got to get produce at Walmart, think again. You can get a lot of food for a little money at the farmer’s market, especially when you’re buying the basics like onions, potatoes, lettuce, herbs, etc.
Here are some of the things that we buy locally:
Fruit (except bananas and mangoes) from the farmer’s market or Whole Foods
Vegetables from the farmer’s market or Whole Foods
Herbs from the farmer’s market
Oils and vinegars from the farmer’s market (like olive oil or balsamic vinegar)
Cheese from the farmer’s market (sometimes, I do buy Trader Joe’s, which is not local)
Flowers from the farmer’s market
Eggs (we are lucky enough to have family with chickens and BELIEVE ME once you start using eat fresh eggs, you will never go back!)
Some things I am still on the hunt for:
Milk and other dairy products at reasonable prices
Everyday bread
Meat and poultry
Grains such as rice, quinoa and four
Dried fruits and nuts
There is also the fact that you are supporting your local farmer. This is a big deal because these hard working business owners are competing with huge companies like Del Monte. Sometimes the guy that I buy carrots from at the market still has dirt on his hands from pulling them out of the ground at 4am that morning. When I buy his carrots, I am saying “I appreciate you, your product is better and I want you to succeed.” Many small farms are family run. They rely on the local public and not only is it good for them, but I personally think it is good for maintaining the heritage of American agriculture. Farming is a picture of hard work, dedication, self respect and respect for the earth. I want my kids to grow up connected to that. And, fine, I am helping the ozone layer, but I am more excited about eating something yummy.
I won’t stop at just any roadside stand. You do have to use discretion. You need to have some kind of idea where the stuff came from. I have even heard of people buying large quantities of fruit at Denio’s (a local weekly “everything” market) and then setting up camp at an intersection and claiming to be farmers selling their own local produce. A good way to know that you have a reputable source is to shop at a certified farmer’s market. The best one around here by far is the Sacramento Farmer’s Market. They do all the work for you, because not only do they investigate their vendors, but they also get them all in the same place at the same time for you. Another thing you can do is to join a produce co-op like Farm Fresh to You. That one does ALL of the work for you. It is a box of local, seasonal, organic produce that just shows up at your door. This is fun because you never know what you’re going to get and it feels like opening a present. We did this for a while, but wound up canceling our membership, the reason being, well, you never know what you’re going to get. Meal planning is tough when you don’t know what produce you are going to have and I like to pick out my own snack produce. But I have to say most of what came in our boxes was delicious. Then there is Whole Foods. A lot of the produce at Whole Foods is local, you just have to read the sign. It’s true that it can be expensive, but I am sometimes surprised by the low prices on things there. You can ensure good prices if you buy the weekly specials; there is always a selection of produce on the list.
There are a lot of reasons to buy locally other than the saved gas emissions from hauling trucks (this is what I am always hearing about). For one, it tastes better. Produce that has to travel a long distance has to be picked before it is ripe. This is why you might buy a beautiful bright red tomato at Safeway but then you get home and cut it open and it is still green. The exterior ripened on the journey to the store, off of the vine. Of course it is not all up to the local grower, it is also up to you too to make sure you are buying quality. You have to learn what a ripe watermelon sounds like or what a ripe nectarine smells like.The farmer’s market is a multi-sensory experience. You also get to experience new produce. Your local growers are likely to have interesting and unique varieties that a national distributor is not going to offer your grocery store.
We typically go every couple of weeks with another family, and my favorite thing about going is that it has become a ritualistic tradition for us. We wake up early, load up the car and grab a coffee on our way down. It is about a 20 minute drive so Joel and I talk (believe it or not, since we’ve had Josiah, these times can be few and far between!) while Ethan reads a book and Josiah sleeps. When we get to market, we put the kids in the stroller and start at one end of the market. Ethan usually goes straight for “the honey man” to buy a handful of honey sticks and I check out the flowers. I am usually able to get really cool flowers that you cannot find in the store, or at the very least a common flour in a rare color. I usually hurry to the baker in the middle of the market to get my chocolate croissant (if you get there early enough, sometimes they are still warm!) that I tear apart and eat with my coffee while we browse. There are things that we always buy, but mostly we get something different each time. It seems like every time we go there is something new that just came into season. It is also a great learning experience for kids. Ethan can talk to the guy from the goat farm about how goat cheese is made or talk to the crayfish guy about how he catches them and how you eat them. There is also a vendor that has live fish in huge water filled bins so he usually checks them out. One of the mushroom vendors has a display on their booth of live growing mushrooms that explains the science behind it, and he gets to sample different things along the way. Most farmers are friendly and proud to talk about what they do, but you do get the occasional grumpy farmer who has been up all night harvesting.
It can be overwhelming when you first go, but you have to give yourself some time. The more you go, the more you learn about the vendors and who has the best of what or the best prices. I know that the woman that has the best price on strawberries does not have the best tasting ones. I will pay 50 cents more at the booth with the man who has the better ones. There are definitely things at the market that are NOT worth the money (for example, organic brown eggs for $8.99 a dozen!!!!) but most of it is better quality for a lower price. If you think you can’t buy local because you have a strict grocery budget and you think you’ve got to get produce at Walmart, think again. You can get a lot of food for a little money at the farmer’s market, especially when you’re buying the basics like onions, potatoes, lettuce, herbs, etc.
Here are some of the things that we buy locally:
Fruit (except bananas and mangoes) from the farmer’s market or Whole Foods
Vegetables from the farmer’s market or Whole Foods
Herbs from the farmer’s market
Oils and vinegars from the farmer’s market (like olive oil or balsamic vinegar)
Cheese from the farmer’s market (sometimes, I do buy Trader Joe’s, which is not local)
Flowers from the farmer’s market
Eggs (we are lucky enough to have family with chickens and BELIEVE ME once you start using eat fresh eggs, you will never go back!)
Some things I am still on the hunt for:
Milk and other dairy products at reasonable prices
Everyday bread
Meat and poultry
Grains such as rice, quinoa and four
Dried fruits and nuts
There is also the fact that you are supporting your local farmer. This is a big deal because these hard working business owners are competing with huge companies like Del Monte. Sometimes the guy that I buy carrots from at the market still has dirt on his hands from pulling them out of the ground at 4am that morning. When I buy his carrots, I am saying “I appreciate you, your product is better and I want you to succeed.” Many small farms are family run. They rely on the local public and not only is it good for them, but I personally think it is good for maintaining the heritage of American agriculture. Farming is a picture of hard work, dedication, self respect and respect for the earth. I want my kids to grow up connected to that. And, fine, I am helping the ozone layer, but I am more excited about eating something yummy.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Banana Bread From Heaven
I gave this recipe out today to a friend and decided I should make it public. Who am I to keep these treasures to myself? Haha. I went on a quest to find my favorite banana bread recipe and wound up developing my own. Here it is:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup unbleached white four
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbl ground flax (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Note: You can also do all white flour if you don’t have whole wheat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a bread loaf pan. Mix together butter, bananas, brown sugar/honey, yogurt, vanilla and eggs. Make sure you add the eggs last. Separately mix together flours, baking soda, salt and flax. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just incorporated, then stir in the walnuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake for a little over an hour.
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup unbleached white four
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbl ground flax (optional)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Note: You can also do all white flour if you don’t have whole wheat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a bread loaf pan. Mix together butter, bananas, brown sugar/honey, yogurt, vanilla and eggs. Make sure you add the eggs last. Separately mix together flours, baking soda, salt and flax. Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture until just incorporated, then stir in the walnuts. Pour into prepared pan and bake for a little over an hour.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Bariani Olive Oil
I’ve been thinking about the slow roasted heirloom tomatoes non-stop. In fact, I made some for lunch today to go over quinoa. De-lish. But I realized that I didn’t give the secret ingredient to ALL of my cooking! How can you make the slow roasted heirloom tomatoes without it? You can’t. It will not be the same, trust me.
Bariani olive oil. Joel and I discovered this olive oil at the Sacramento Farmer’s Market a while back and I am telling you that I have not had an olive oil that compares to it. All other oils bow before it. I was ecstatic to see that Whole Foods in Roseville is now carrying it also. The Bariani’s are a local Italian family that produce olive oil, balsamic and white balsamic vinegar. We don’t use any other kind of olive oil in this house, nosireebob. Many people that don’t cook often don’t understand the importance of good olive oil, but once you have been cooking for a while, your favorite olive oil is something that becomes sacred. It is why the roasted heirlooms are as good as they are. It is why anything that I make is as good as it is. It is because it is built on a good olive oil’s foundation.
I promise you that if you spend the money on good quality olive oil, you will begin to see the difference in your cooking right away. If you live in the Sacramento area, you are crazy if you don’t buy this oil. If you live outside of the Sacramento area, you are crazy if you don’t go on the Bariani website and order some. It’s that good people. seriously.
Bariani olive oil. Joel and I discovered this olive oil at the Sacramento Farmer’s Market a while back and I am telling you that I have not had an olive oil that compares to it. All other oils bow before it. I was ecstatic to see that Whole Foods in Roseville is now carrying it also. The Bariani’s are a local Italian family that produce olive oil, balsamic and white balsamic vinegar. We don’t use any other kind of olive oil in this house, nosireebob. Many people that don’t cook often don’t understand the importance of good olive oil, but once you have been cooking for a while, your favorite olive oil is something that becomes sacred. It is why the roasted heirlooms are as good as they are. It is why anything that I make is as good as it is. It is because it is built on a good olive oil’s foundation.
I promise you that if you spend the money on good quality olive oil, you will begin to see the difference in your cooking right away. If you live in the Sacramento area, you are crazy if you don’t buy this oil. If you live outside of the Sacramento area, you are crazy if you don’t go on the Bariani website and order some. It’s that good people. seriously.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomatoes
Ok, so yesterday I threw a surprise dinner party for Joel’s 28th birthday party and I made a ton of food: appetizers, entree and sides, dessert... and it all turned out really well. But the simplest thing that I made was my favorite thing that I made. Slow roasted heirloom tomatoes.
This is by far the best tomato dish I have ever made and it is because the fresh taste of summer tomatoes comes through perfectly. The texture was also perfect, which I can only assume is the result of the advice the produce guy at Whole Foods gave me. I was going for my regular tomato choice, when I saw these practically surrounded by singing angels out of the corner of my eye. There’s no getting around it, they are beautiful. They are like the ruby, emerald and amber of the produce section. I hesitated because I had not made this particular recipe with heirlooms before, but I went over to inspect. I have this nasty habit of picking up produce of any kind and brining it up to my nose and mouth and sniffing it while I am deciding if I want it. I do it almost unconsciously and I am sure it started out as a freshness checker, but it is now completely out of control. It usually gets me a few weird looks from people at the store, but I’ve come to accept this side of myself. Anyway, I was doing this very thing when the produce guy asked if I needed help. I explained my dilemma and he said that he was so confident that they would knock my socks off that he would give them to me for free. He also explained to me that the feel of a perfect tomato is firm, but has just a tiny bit of give when you gently squeeze it. This has always kind of baffled me, so I was thankful for the tip.
I went home and made the dish and I cannot tell you how good these things were. They were perfect and I could eat them every night this week. Here’s what I did:
Cut each tomato in half down the center. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cut side up. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
What? Are you waiting for more instructions? That’s it! There are no more! They are perfect and beautiful just the way they are, but you could also drizzle some balsamic vinegar over them after you’ve cooked them. Mmmmmmm. This dish is healthy, fresh and tay-stee!
This is by far the best tomato dish I have ever made and it is because the fresh taste of summer tomatoes comes through perfectly. The texture was also perfect, which I can only assume is the result of the advice the produce guy at Whole Foods gave me. I was going for my regular tomato choice, when I saw these practically surrounded by singing angels out of the corner of my eye. There’s no getting around it, they are beautiful. They are like the ruby, emerald and amber of the produce section. I hesitated because I had not made this particular recipe with heirlooms before, but I went over to inspect. I have this nasty habit of picking up produce of any kind and brining it up to my nose and mouth and sniffing it while I am deciding if I want it. I do it almost unconsciously and I am sure it started out as a freshness checker, but it is now completely out of control. It usually gets me a few weird looks from people at the store, but I’ve come to accept this side of myself. Anyway, I was doing this very thing when the produce guy asked if I needed help. I explained my dilemma and he said that he was so confident that they would knock my socks off that he would give them to me for free. He also explained to me that the feel of a perfect tomato is firm, but has just a tiny bit of give when you gently squeeze it. This has always kind of baffled me, so I was thankful for the tip.
I went home and made the dish and I cannot tell you how good these things were. They were perfect and I could eat them every night this week. Here’s what I did:
Cut each tomato in half down the center. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cut side up. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
What? Are you waiting for more instructions? That’s it! There are no more! They are perfect and beautiful just the way they are, but you could also drizzle some balsamic vinegar over them after you’ve cooked them. Mmmmmmm. This dish is healthy, fresh and tay-stee!
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