Italian White Bean Soup - Veg, GF and Kids Love It!

I have determined that the best way to feed the family lunch this winter is to focus on easy, quick, filling and savory soups. With fresh fruits and veggies now at a premium, I've turned to grains and legumes for the season. I found a good basic recipe at AllRecipies.com for Italian White Bean Soup. I made a few changes to adapt the recipe to our needs and items I had on hand. I also read through the comments (one of the reasons I love this particular recipe website) and got a feel for the desired end result. One great feature of soups that are thickened by using beans or potatoes is that you can create a rich and filling soup easily that doesn't rely on creating rues or utilizing the fat content of dairy.

Total cooking and prep time was about 1 hour, most of which was the simmering of the broth to cook the beans.

These are all ingredients that are easy to find in the winter and are inexpensive. No fancy cooking techniques needed!

I adapted the recipe ingredients as follows:

• soaked white dry beans ahead of time vs. the canned beans. I had the time and they are less expensive.
• swapped some Swiss chard I had for the spinach. the ribs of the leaves will be crunch in your soup. I opted to remove them in my soup. It is your choice.
• used vegan, gluten free, soy free veggie bouillon cubes and water for the canned broth. 
• doubled the garlic
• substituted 1 large leek\ for onions (for a soup like this, I prefer the buttery flavor that leeks impart to soups)
• salt and pepper to taste
• shredded fresh basil added at the end

Tips for preparing:

•  Add oil, celery, and leeks to the stock pot/large pot. Saute the leeks until translucent. Then add garlic and cook for about 1 more minute. You want the garlic to have a sweet and pungent flavor. It the garlic browns it will impart a bitter taste to your soup. 
• Add the water and bouillon /broth, beans, and spices to the pot and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to simmer the soup.NOTE: If you are using beans that are not pre-cooked, you'll have to simmer the broth for longer than using pre-cooked or canned beans.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove about 1 cup of the veggies and beans from the pot and set aside. Run the remaining broth, veggies, and beans through a food processor or blender. You want a very smooth and moderately thick liquid.
• Return the liquid to the pot. Add the reserved veggies and beans along with the chard. turn the stove burner off. Wilt the chard leaves. 
• Add the basil and lemon juice, stir, and serve immediately. Enjoy! We served this with gluten free bread and Earth Balance.
• KID-FRIENDLY NOTE: My kids both loved the broth - which is very rich, tasty,and nutritious given that it was created with pureed beans and vegetables. Neither were thrilled with the greens or the actual beans and thus ate around them. In the future I will serve their soup from the puree prior to adding the veggies back in and adding the greens. All in all, I call it a success!

Glorious Green Pea Curry Soup - Give Peas a Chance!

Even if you hate peas, I strongly urge you to give this a try. You cannot possibly be as sworn off of peas as I was before trying this. I credit this dish for getting me turned around on peas. For that, I am forever thankful.

This is yet another great recipe I was introduced to at my yoga teacher training. To be clear, I still resist peas. Years of habit energy. Until the day in 2004 that I experienced this soup, I would have testified under oath that I loathed peas and would never willingly put one to my tongue. According to family legend, even as an infant I refused any baby food with peas in it. After a few very unfortunate experiences with peas as a child, the sight or smell of them alone was enough to trigger the gag reflex.

Arriving to lunch after a full morning of yoga with a growling belly, I found pea soup and salad as the offering. To say I was dismayed was an understatement. I held out for a while, until I realized the salad would not hold me for the afternoon training. I decided to at least give the soup a try before getting in my car and driving to a local gas station for a Snickers bar. I placed a small serving in my bowl. I returned to my seat and stared at it for a time. Finally, summoning courage, I brought the spoonful to my mouth. I sniffed the spoon tentatively. Registering a pleasant aroma, nothing like the pungent split pea and ham soup that my mother made weekly for my entire childhood, I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. After a few more spoonfuls I broke into a smile and ate two large bowls!

Ingredients

• 6 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 4 tsp green Thai curry paste
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/8 cup minced fresh ginger (2 inches)
• 1 stalk lemongrass, while part only
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 cup whole coconut milk
• 1 lb frozen peas
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/8 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/8 cup tamari or coconut aminos
• 1/8 cup fish sauce (optional)

Directions

1. Place cold water, curry paste, garlic, ginger, lemongrass and lime juice in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. A trick for the lemongrass: Separate the blades of lemongrass and bruise them with the back/dull side of your chopping knife, meat tenderizer, or pestle and add to the soup, much like you add a cinnamon stick to hot cider. This will impart the flavor of the lemongrass to the soup and allows easy removal of the blades prior to pureeing the soup. This will lend to a smoother soup. Here is a good article: http://www.finecooking.com/item/30372/how-to-bruise-lemongrass-to-release-its-flavor
2. Add coconut milk and peas. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
3. Add herbs, fish sauce, and tamari. If you are soy-free, you can substitute raw coconut aminos and 1.5 tsp salt. (Since the aminos are raw, cooking them will diminish their nutritional value for which you are paying a premium. Wait until the soup has been pureed, run through a sieve, and has been removed from the heat. Add them and allow the soup to sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.)
4. Do not cook the soup further. Puree the soup immediately, using either an immersion blender or a food processor. The soup may be a bit grainy. I suggest pouring the puree through a strainer, using a whisk to assist with this. This will result in a completely smooth and thinner soup. If you'd like a bit more body, you can run some of the strained solids through a food processor a second time to achieve a smoother texture and then add them back to the soup until you reach the desired texture.
5. Add salt to taste. Add the coconut aminos at this time if you are substituting these for the tamari.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Gingerbread - Vegan and Allergen-free!

My grandmother made the best chocolate chip cookies. The best. When I was at college she made a big box of them and send them to me in care packages every few weeks. There were always plenty to share with my friends. When my dormmates figured out the source of these cookies, they would hover around the front desk waiting for me to arrive to pick up the box. Grandma’s cookies made me very popular, very quickly. What was her recipe? Well, you can find it on the back of the bag of Chocolate Chips!

Recently, I have incorporated another manufacturer’s recipe into my life. I have worked off the basic recipe for this cake-bread which I found on the company’s website. This has become a staple in our household.

My gluten free family is big on bread. It can get very expensive trying to buy pre-made allergen-free breads from the store. You pay a lot for mediocre quality. This recipe can be flexible based on ingredients on hand. It is moist and freezes well, retaining its moisture upon thawing. This Pumpkin-Ginger variation is my tribute to the autumn and I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

·         2 cups all purpose baking flour (try one that incorporates several different types of grains and legumes rather than mostly rice flour for better texture and flavor)

·         2 tsp baking powder

·         2 tsp baking soda

·         1 tsp xanthan gum

·         1 tsp cinnamon

·         SPICE

o   1 tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp clove for pumpkin bread

o    1.5 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp clove for pumpkin gingerbread

·         1 cup sugar (evaporated cane juice or turbinado sugar are great as well)

·         ½ cup coconut oil (or canola oil)

·         2/3 cup non-dairy milk

·         ½ cup applesauce, unsweetened

·         PUREE

o   1  cup pumpkin puree (with 2 tbsp molasses if making pumpkin gingerbread)

o   1.5 cup mashed very ripe banana for banana bread

o   1.5 cup shredded zucchini  for zucchini bread

·         1 tbsp vanilla

·         Optional: 1 tbsp nut butter

·         ½ cup add-ins: chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease 2 bread loaves or line them with parchment paper and set aside.

Blend together all dry ingredients.

·         If you are making banana or zucchini bread, simply add the cinnamon.  

·         If you are making pumpkin bread,  add 1 tsp nutmeg and ½ tsp clove.

·         If you are making pumpkin gingerbread add 1.5 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp nutmeg and ½ tsp clove.

Blend in all wet ingredients one at a time, except the PUREE, until smooth. Finally add PUREE.

·         If you are making banana or zucchini bread, add 1.5 cup of mash/shreds.  

·         If making pumpkin bread, add 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling).

·         If making pumpkin gingerbread, add 1 cup pumpkin puree and 2 tbsp of molasses.

 Mix until well batter and add-ins are incorporated. Divide the batter equally between the two pans. Bake for at least 40 minutes, rotating pans after 20 minutes. The baking time will vary according to the type of flour oil, and puree used. The top should be hard and dull in appearance. Also, tap your fingernail on the top. You should hear an audible “tap tap.” When inserting a toothpick, it should come out clean. The recipe makes 2 loaves with approximately 13 slices per loaf.

Homemade Chai - Yoga in a Cup!

Another fantastic recipe I'm sharing from the most lovely Rebecca of my 2005 yoga teacher training. We often enjoyed this during the cooler months as we listened to our beloved teacher, Diane, talk to us about yoga philosophy. Every cup brings me back! There are real benefits to sipping a delicious cup of chai. The spice mixture enhances warmth, digestion, and circulation.

• Fresh Ginger - sliced, and you can leave on the skin if it is organic
• Black Pepper
• Cardamom Pods
• Cinnamon Sticks 
• Cloves
• Allspice
• Your choice of Loose Tea - black for a more traditional chai, rooibos for earthy flavor without the caffeine, peppermint is very soothing, especially in the evening - it is your choice!

Start with the whole spices, and crush in a mortar and pestle.No proportions to stick with. Add a little of everything and play with it until you've developed YOUR individualized version.

WET VERSION: Combine ingredients and add to a pan filled with cold water. Heat on high until it comes to a rolling boil, then turn the heat down and allow chai to simmer on low with a cover on for a good while (at  least 20 minutes... can leave simmering for hours.) The longer it simmers, the stronger and the better! You can leave your pot of chai out on the stove for a couple days, reheating and enjoying. When you've used half the pot, add more water and reheat. the spices are so strong and like to be used to their full potential.

Serve with milk of your choice and some honey.

DRY VERSION: A different way of creating this chai is to combine all the ingredients dry. Dehydrate the ginger and add as well. Place in a large air-tight container and use as desired for individual batches. I bulk-ordered organic rooibos and made a 2-quart container of chai mixture. A great place to purchase your spices bulk and at a lower price is your local Indian grocery. They usually have great selections and pricing on tea as well. It probably won't be organic, though. You can also go on-line for wholesale pricing on spices if you really love this tea as much as I do and plan to drink it often. The jar I made has lasted several years. I need to replenish my supply soon! When you are ready to make chai tea, follow the instructions for the wet version above.

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

 Enjoy the Autumn Harvest Season with Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream!
Vegan, Gluten Free, Soy Free

1 can coconut milk (full fat)
1 tbsp corn starch
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla'
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp clove
12 oz pumpkin puree (canned or freshly roasted)

Bring coconut milk to simmer in pan. Add the sugar and corn starch. Whisk to eliminate lumps, stirring continuously as the mixture thickens substantially. Remove from burner and allow to cool to room temperature.

Add coconut milk mixture and pumpkin in blender. Puree. Add vanilla and spices and mix thoroughly.Place in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and follow directions for your ice cream maker. You can enjoy as soft serve or place back in the refrigerator for several hours for a more firm texture.

Serve with shortbread cookies. If you'd like to be decadent, you can drizzle caramel sauce over the top. Enjoy!

NOTE: Feel free to experiment with spices - allspice, nutmeg, and ginger (fresh if possible) are great as well. just taste for flavor prior to pouring the liquid from the blender and adjust as needed. Have fun with it!

Vitality Salad Dressing!

This is inspired by the lovely Rebecca, the beautiful yoga teacher and cook who provided sustaining vegan meals to our yoga teacher training in 2005. More of her recipes to come. I've modified to be soy-free.


Vitality Dressing

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Raw Coconut Aminos
Tahini
Nutritional Yeast
Salt
Pepper
Dried Basil
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

Mix ingredients in a glass jar by shaking. Use your taste buds for proportions that you like. This is different every time I make it according to what I have. Feel free to add different spices for desired flavor profile. And most importantly - Enjoy!

Autumn Chili - A Salute to the Autumn New England Harvest

Looking into my refrigerator last week, I was faced with beautiful, seasonal, fresh and seemingly unrelated items from our local Heirloom Harvest farm share. I met the meal challenge with a chili that far exceeded my expectations! This dish is sweet, savory, and spicy. This convenient crock pot meal is guaranteed to warm you on a brisk autumn day while getting you out of a flavor rut. Vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free, this was approved by my 5-year old picky eater, my easily-pleased 16-month old and my foodie and former sous chef husband. The entire crock pot of chili was gone in less than 24 hours!

The rest of this blog and recipe is up over at MassMoms. Top with Cashew Cream (recipe posted on my blog as well.) Enjoy and let me know what you think! I'm on my second batch. Blessings!

Raw Carrot Curry Kraut

Inspired by a recipe from Conscious Eating, by Gabriel Cousens.

1 small head red cabbage, shredded
1 small head green cabbage, shredded
1 medium head green cabbage, juiced
3 cups carrot, shredded
3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
2 Tbsp Curry powder

Try to use organic produce if possible. Always rinse thoroughly. reserve the large cabbage leaves. red the green cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots. Mix in curry powder and garlic. Press mixture down into the bottom of a large glass mason jar or pickling jar until juices begin to release.

Juice 1 medium green cabbage on coarse setting. Collect all juice and pour into the jar with the vegetable mixture. Discard the fibrous pulp. The mixture should be completely covered with the juice, with about 1/8" of liquid on top.

Cover the mixture with the cabbage leaves. Cover the cabbage leaves with plastic wrap and then place a large bowl on top the plastic wrap in order to keep the mixture submerged. Cover with glass cover. Place the jar in a room temperature area and cover with a towel. Allow to ferment between 4 and 7 days. The warmer ambient temperature is, the more rapidly the fermentation will occur.

Once complete, you can scoop the Curry Kraut into glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 6 months. The Curry Kraut will continue to ferment, albeit slowly, so the flavor will continue to mature over time.

Discard if there is any visible microbial growth, any off odor, or if the Curry Kraut fizzes or gives off a lot of gas upon opening the lid of the storage jar.

CSA share week 10/4 - Season is ending with a punctuation of squash and greens.

Sad the season is ending. However it will be nice to step away from food processing and preservation for a while and focus on my newest interest - vegan and raw food preparation - inspired by this season's fresh and delicious harvest! The lack of recent blogs is indicative of the massive amounts of food gleaned the last few weeks from the farm share and other local picking excursions.

This week:

• 2 pie pumpkins
• 4 lbs eggplant
• 1 lb carrots
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 LARGE bunch kale
• Unlimited peppers
• Take some tomatillos
• Unlimited PYO raspberries
• Unlimited PYO husk cherries

We also picked up our apple share and purchased 1 lb of hen-of-the-woods foraged mushrooms from a gentleman selling them at the barn.

More processing. On the agenda is baba ghanoush, salsa, vegetable soup, pumpkin bread and roasted seeds, veggie korma.

CSA share weeks 9/6 -The Harvest Doesn't Wait and Raspberry Repulsion

Last week two events coincided to reinforce that nature waits for no man or woman. We received a wondrous bounty in our farm share and I became ill that night. I rarely get headaches. Unfortunately I developed a sinus headache Tuesday night that lasted until Sunday. This severely impacted my ability to process our share. To further complicate matters, prior to taking ill I purchased 20 pounds of "seconds tomatoes" from a local farm that also required processing. I really had to pull myself together to get any food processed and called upon my husband to help out more than usual. The major casualty were about five pounds of pickling cucumbers, about two heads of lettuce, and a few quarts of cherry tomatoes. All in all, I can live with that.

Unlimited Raspberries. It was like hitting an organic lottery. Given the abundance of ripe berries and limited number of pickers due to the rain falling, Farmer John declared "unlimited pick-your-own raspberries" for all while we were in the field. My son gorged on them while I picked as fast as I could. My daughter, however, was not into berry picking. Not one bit. She screamed almost the whole time. Putting a damper on the already wet experience, we gave up once we had about 1 quart picked. I had to put them into a plastic bag as I had forgotten to bring a box with me. The berries, crushing under their own weight, were destined to be preserves.

The following night I took the bag out of the refrigerator to make my first batch of raspberry preserves and to my dismay saw several little worms on the berries. Yuck. I didn't worry, however, and threw those berries away. I picked through the remaining berries, poured out the juice that had collected in the bottom of the bag, and set about making my preserves. I elected to go with a freezer method rather than the more time consuming cooked version. Shorter shelf-life but just as tasty. I carefully poured the preserves into the freezer jars. Admiring my work, to my horror I noticed something white and moving in the jar. Insect larvae. In my preserves. Not just one. Many. Almost as many as there were seeds. Resisting the gag reflex, I dumped out all the preserves in the trash. Oh, how sad. I don't know if there was contamination on the bag I used to collect the berries or if the berries were hosting eggs that hatched upon harvest. What I do know is that in the future I will always make my preserves the same day I pick the berries. I will always use a relatively sterile berry box to collect the berries. And I will choose the boil method of making the preserves. It may be a while before can enjoy raspberries again.

Share on week of 9/6:

• 2 eggplant
• 1 Asian eggplant
• 1 head cabbage
• 11 pounds heirloom tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 8 sweet "ethnic" peppers
• 2 white peppers
• 4 green/yellow peppers
• hot peppers
• 12 stems kale
• unlimited bush beans
• unlimited raspberries
• 1 pint husk cherries
• unlimited basil'
• 2 quarts cherry tomatoes
• flowers

We canned  all the tomatoes. The yield was 10 quarts of diced tomatoes. We also made tomatillo salsa, roasted all the ethnic peppers and enjoyed kabobs with the Asian eggplant and the bell peppers.

CSA share week 8/27 - Bountiful - Post Hurricane Harvest Spared and a Busy Week of Cooking Ahead!

With Hurricane Irene passing over the region last weekend there was a great deal of concern about crop failure at our CSA farm. Thank goodness most of the crops were spared. We enjoyed the beautiful weather while picking beans, hush cherries, cherry tomatoes, and raspberries. It seemed hard to believe that only a few days ago we were having torrential rainfall and 70 mph wind gusts. The crickets and birds were chattering away and my son was running through the tall grass trying to catch a glimpse of the chorus. I wish I'd had my camera with me to capture my daughter sitting in the husk cherries carefully harvesting her own shack with a big juicy grin. Some moments truly are priceless.

Today's share was huge and there were "leftovers" from the pick up held in the pre-hurricane rains!

• 1 cantaloupe
• 1 black eggplant
• 1 summer squash
• 4 lbs heirloom tomatoes
• 2.5 lbs modern tomatoes
• 1/2 lb tomatillos
• 1 cucumber
• 2 yellow peppers
• 4 green peppers
• 6 ethnic sweet peppers
• hot peppers
• okra
• 3.5 lbs Macintosh apples (fruit share was purchased separately)
• 2 quarts cherry tomatoes
• 2 quarts yellow beans
• 1 pint husk (aka ground) cherries
• 1/2 pint raspberries

Last week I made hush cherry preserves. I followed a recipe for gooseberry preserves, to which they are often compared. It is pretty tasty!  I think I may do the same this week, along with some pepper jelly and some roasted peppers.

I also made four loaves of gluten free vegan zucchini chocolate chip bread. This is the BEST recipe for gluten free and vegan bread I have ever made. There is something magical about the combination of coconut oil and applesauce as a replacement for eggs in baking. It acts as a binder as well imparting moisture that withstands the freezing process. I simply replaced the banana with shredded zucchini and it worked beautifully. This has been a hit with the entire family. I still have some zucchini left, so I'll be making more bread tomorrow.

I'm planning on making more roasted tomatillo salsa and a huge batch of marinara for canning. (I purchased 20 pounds of "seconds" tomatoes from the local farm stand. They are not organic but I do know that the family practices integrated pest management. I feel confident in adding them to the mix and supporting a very local farm. Their beautiful farm is less than three miles from my home!) I volunteered my husband to make another big batch of eggplant "Farmer John" with the two eggplants we now have. Last but not least, a batch of applesauce with the apples! A busy week of cooking ahead. Busy, but delicious and well-worth the effort.

Vegan and Gluten Free Southern-Style Fried Okra

I arrived home last week with about a pound of fresh organic okra and one idea on my mind: fried okra. My Grandma Mina made some amazing Southern food. One time I was blessed with her deep fried okra. I still dream about it. Since she has passed and I'm sure that her version was not vegan or gluten free, I set about seeking guidance on the matter.

I referenced this recipe for fried okra and read through the comments, many of which were very helpful.

The recipe calls for the use of eggs in order to bind the corn meal coating. Knowing the properties of okra, namely that it generates a slime when left to sit for a few minutes after cutting, I decided to rely on this to bind the coating. Additionally, it is well known that the secret to fried chicken is the soaking of it in buttermilk. I improvised by soaking the okra in coconut kefir for about 15 minutes. (NOTE: You can purchase coconut kefir at Whole Foods and many health food stores. You can also make your own using a kefir starter or milk kefir crystals. I've linked to the two with which I have experienced success.)

I chose to go half and half gluten free all-purpose flour and corn meal to reduce the grittiness of the coating.

I ended up not deep frying them. I tried one batch in coconut oil and one in grapeseed oil. The coconut oil imparted a rich flavor, but it was difficult to fry as it has a lower smoking point. I ended up with a lot of smoke! The grapeseed oil was better fro frying but didn't have as rich flavor.

These were delicious! I saved the leftovers and put it under the broiler the next morning and it reheated wonderfully. It was a tasty compliment to our breakfast tacos.

Enjoy! Let me know what you do with the recipe!

Blackberry Mint Coconut Ice Cream

Thanks to Hannah Kaminsky and VegNews from August 2011 issue! I used blackberries in place of raspberries. The mint added a flavorful green tea-like note to this unique ice cream. You may be tempted to skip this step. Don't! Full-fat canned coconut milk really gives this vegan ice cream a luxuriously creamy texture. Enjoy with a brownie!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (higher fat content yield more creamy texture)
• 12 ounces blackberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 1 cup light agave

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the mint and non-dairy milk. Scald the mixture by bringing it to th180 degrees and then shut off heat. Cover, and allow the mint to infuse for at least 15 minutes. Strain and discard the leaves.

Once the milk has cooled, combine with berries in a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth and then strain to remove seeds and pulp. Stir in the agave and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Pour the ice cream base into the ice cream maker and follow manufacturer instructions. Enjoy immediately as a soft serve ice cream. For a more firm ice cream, place into air-tight container in the freezer for at least 3 hours. Will keep for up to 3 months.

Let me know how this works for you. I would love your feedback.

CSA share 8/23 - Holy Tomatoes!

Last week the share expanded and it did again this week.

• 1 black beauty eggplant
• 2 zucchini
• 5 lbs Heirloom tomatoes
• 5.5 lbs Modern tomatoes
• 1 Napa cabbage
• 1 lb tomatillos
• 2 cucumbers
• 2 green peppers
• 1 white pepper
• 3 sweet ethnic peppers
• 1 large bunch basil
• salad greens
• okra
• 2 quarts cherry tomatoes
• 1 pint ground cherries
• 1/2 pint raspberries

So far - 1.5 gallons salsa, fries okra, and luscious sliced tomatoes with olive oil, pepper, and salt.  Mmmmmmm.......... Coming up is more marinara sauce, zucchini bread, leafy salads, and more salsa! I have now established success with my pressure canner so let the fun begin!

New to Tomatillos? Easy Roasted Salsa!

At the CSA farm share pick up yesterday there was a bin of tomatillos "for the taking." I was intrigued. They were a beautiful shade of green. I'd seen them in the grocery store on occasion but had never prepared them myself. I took one pound home with me and set out to find an easy recipe for tomatillo preparation initiation.

I found one called Tomatillo Salsa Verde. I thought this one would be a good one to try as I have delighted in this style of salsa in the past, so I'd know by taste if I was off the mark. This recipe was simple, easy to prepare, and delicious. The key was roasting the tomatillos first, getting the skins to be brown. The carmelization imparted a mellow tone to the salsa, which I have experienced at times as being too acidic. A tasty experiment I look forward to duplicating. I thought I'd have some of this salsa to freeze, but given it's popularity in our family at lunchtime, we will be lucky to have any left tomorrow!

Enjoy!

CSA share week 8/9/11 - The Motherload and recovering from last week

Last week, coming off of four days with my husband away while in the midst of my son's week-long creative arts day camp, I was ill prepared to take on food preparation. A rookie mistake. I will remember next year that once August has arrived, all focus and time must be made available for two or three days of food processing.

Nonetheless, once my husband arrived home he was a wonderful help to get things taken care of. We got 12 servings of lentil curry (using the summer squash, zucchini, Asian eggplant) and no less than 20 servings of eggplant "Farmer John" (breaded eggplant without the Parmesan cheese and named in honor of our CSA's intrepid agrarian) prepped and into the freezer. We also experimented with making zucchini-sweet potato fritters. A yummy success made yummier with maple syrup in which to dip them.

This week, the tomatoes have arrived. I don't know if this is the peak. Judging by the number of green cherry tomatoes still on the plants, I think the peak will be next week or the week afterward. I did make the season's first batch of gazpacho. A bit too spicy to eat with ease for me. But tasty and enjoyable with a large glass on limeade on hand.

This week's share includes the following:

• 1 large black eggplant
• 4 summer squash
• 1 zucchini
• 1.5 lbs heirloom tomatoes
• 2.5 lbs "modern" tomatoes
• 1/2 lb arugula
• 1/2 lb mixed salad greens
• 1 Asian eggplant
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch basil
• 2 heads lettuce
• tomatillos
• PYO 1 quart cherry tomatoes
• PYO unlimited flowers

The food processing plan for this week includes baba ghanooj, tomatillo salsa, banana zucchini bread with chocolate chips, masaman curry, and lots of green smoothies. We plan to enjoy this week's arugula wilted as a bed for this week's fish share catch-of-the-day fillets and short grain brown rice. Bon appetit!

CSA Share week 6/26 - Summer Succulants in Full Swing!

Today's pick up was all about summer veggies. Succulant season has arrived. Last week's extreme heat was the punctuation on the end of the late spring greens, peas, and bush beans and marked the beginning of the fleshy, cooling veggies. The season's first raspberries were available for pick-your-own, however we were unable to pick them due to an approaching thunderstorm and tornado watch. Luckily we completed the basil and flower picking before the first vibrations of thunder.

The plan this week is to make a mega-batch of pesto, potato leek soup, zucchini spice bread, breaded eggplant, veggie korma, and blueberry white chocolate chip ice cream. I can do it!

This week's share included the following:

• 4 yellow summer squash
• 2 green zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 1 Asian eggplant
• 4 leeks
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch dill
• 1 bunch cilantro
• Unlimited PYO flowers
• Unlimited PYO basil

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream - Vegan, Gluten Free, and Soy Free!!

Thanks to Hannah Kaminsky, author of the newly released My Sweet Vegan and VegNews for the recipe for a delicious summertime treat!

First, my hats off to Ms. Kaminsky. Entering her freshman year in college, she is already an award-winning dessert maker and has just recently published her first cookbook!


Spumoni Ice Cream a la Hannah Kaminsky and VegNews.com

 Several of her recipes for ice cream were featured in the August 2011 edition of VegNews. (Thanks for Erin Michaud for my 6-month gift subscription!) Given that my son has a significant allergy to dairy and we just took him off of all cow's milk, it is summertime in New England with the requisite homemade ice cream stand in every town, and I just purchased an ice cream maker at a church yard sale for $5, this article could not have been more perfectly timed.

Our first attempt was a complete failure. For the second round, I decided it would be better to follow the recipe more closely rather than using it as a set of suggestions. Like baking, it turns out that ice cream making is more laboratory science than artistic expression.

The recipe, as it appears in VegNews, is "Raspberry-Mint Truffle Ice Cream." I, however, decided that the mint would alienate my son and so chose to skip the step of infusing the coconut milk with fresh mint. (It sounded wonderful to me, however, and I will try it out soon.) I also did not have the time to create the truffles. I opted for rice milk chocolate chips as an add-in instead. So, I made "Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream" and it is currently being enjoyed by all! Although I did adapt the recipe a bit, I kept the basics in tact.

For my version, I opted for unsweetened coconut milk from a carton, not a can. Overall the flavor is intense and very sweet. I would recommend trying the recipe as written and then decide if you'd like to diminish the amount of agave in future batches. A little agave, in my opinion, goes a long way. The texture of the "ice cream" is rather like sorbet. It didn't produce a creamy texture like the commercial coconut milk ice cream I have had. I would imagine this is due to both the type of coconut milk I used as well as the fruit puree that served as the base of this version. Nevertheless, this is a delicious treat and a perfect way to use the fresh raspberries now coming into season in the Northeast. Enjoy and let me know how your ice cream turns out!

Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Note: This is a project that will take one day to complete. Most of the time is for allowing the base to cool and freeze. Actual time for prep is about one hour total. Give yourself ample time and plan to eat it the next day.

The following is adapted from Hannah Kaminsky's recipe from August 2011 VegNews.

Makes 1 quart.
1 cup plain non-dairy milk (recommend soy, almond, or coconut)
12 ounces raspberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
1 cup light agave nectar
1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (recommend Enjoy brand)

1) In a medium saucepan over medium heat, scald the non-dairy milk and then shut off the heat.

2) Once cooled, pour into a blender or food processor and add raspberries. Thoroughly puree until as smooth as possible and then strain to remove all seeds. Press hard to extract all the liquid. Into the seedless mixture, stir agave and then chill in the refrigerator for 2 or more hours.

3) Process the chilled raspberry base and add the chocolate chips according to the instructions for your ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to an air-tight container and place in the freezer for at least 3 hours so the ice cream is solid enough to scoop.

4) Enjoy!

CSA share week 7/19 - The Birth of a Cucumber Connoisseur

Today was the most successful CSA share pick-up of the season when considering overall happiness of  the children and my own enjoyment of being in the field. I planned ahead and brought lots of extra water for the kids and let my daughter run up and down the rows of flowers along side my son rather than attempting to nest her in her carrier and bribe her with snacks. My son marveled over the array of butterflies and dragon flies and pointed them out to my daughter while I picked nasturtiums, calendula, rosemary, and parsley. We also examined the worms munching the undersides of the bush bean plants. The leaves had been mostly eaten, leaving only the fibrous leaf 's skeletal veins. The beans, however, were unscathed (and delicious with our dinner a mere two hours later!)

This week's share included the following:

• 2 summer squash
• 2 zucchini
• 1 lb carrots (true baby carrots!)
• 4 leeks
• 2 Japanese eggplant
• 2 heads Romaine lettuce
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch rhubarb
• PYO bush beans - 1 quart
• unlimited PYO - nasturtiums, calendula, and herbs

While we were out picking the flowers one of the farmer's assistants encouraged us to pick a few of the first cherry tomatoes. While not officially part of the share this week, they will definitely be ripe, plentiful, and ready for next week! Literally bursting with flavor, my daughter enjoyed a few while I was picking them.

Inspired by our fun afternoon, I quickly put together our dinner when we arrived home with the afternoon's treasures. We sat down to carrots with parley, Earth Balance, and honey; al dente green beans (cooked to perfection if I say so myself,) leafy salad with the cherry tomatoes and cucumber topped with nasturtiums, corm meal encrusted cod (from our local fish share) served with a vaganase-fresh dill sauce.

Now, this may sound odd. Upon slicing into the cucumber I had something of a breakthrough peak experience. As the fragrance burst forth, I inhaled deeply. Wow. What a wonderful aroma! I have always loathed the artificial scent of cucumber in aromatherapy-inspired products and stayed as far away from any cucumber scented bath and body wash and lotions as possible. I could never figure out why anyone would want to 1) smell that scent or 2) smell like that scent. I now know what those fragrance labs have been striving for but failing to achieve. The cucumbers from the store never had much aroma in my opinion. I've always considered cucumbers to be more a texture element in a salad rather than having a distinct flavor or respectability of their own. As I bit into a wedge my concept of "cucumber" was reborn. It was delicate, uplifting, and refreshing. It was like ingesting a spa experience not to be soon forgotten. I look forward to next week's cucumber as a transient delicacy in our Northeastern climate. This experience has proven one more reason to consider a move south if it means a longer season for garden-fresh cucumbers.

CSA share week 7/12 - Cabbage Patch Conundrum

The lettuce season has past. This week peas were in their prime and we're coming into summer squash.



From wikipedia

 But the big question for me is what to do with all the cabbage that is collecting in my refrigerator taking up valuable real estate? I now have three green cabbage and one and one half Napa cabbage in there. I'm not a cabbage person. I try to avoid coleslaw. I detest boiled cabbage. The solution is sauerkraut. My husband made some last year and I found it, well, palatable. It still doesn't make me jump for joy or anticipate a meal. However, paired with a beautiful kielbasa it will do. My cooking adventure of the day today is to shred the cabbage and get this batch fermenting.

This week's share...

• 1/2 lb arugula
• 1/4 lb salad greens
• 1 green cabbage
• 1 lb carrots
• 2 yellow summer squash
• 1 zucchini
• 15 stems kale
• "freebie" turnips
• unlimited PYO peas
• PYO flowers and herbs

This week was also my meat share pickup and so we left the farm with 20 lbs local pastured and humanely raised chicken, beef, and pork as well as two dozen farm fresh eggs.

Oh, the cooking to come this week!

Yummy (Gluten Free, Vegan, Soy Free) Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

What goes better with zucchini than chocolate? I have enjoyed many chocolate chip zucchini muffins over the years. This recipe takes that chocolaty, spicy, and sweet combination to a whole new level of decadence. In my mind there is a fine line between a cupcake and a muffin. These muffins march right up to that line and would launch themselves over the top if it were not for the texture and the savory note the cinnamon imparts. While these muffins may be a bit to intense for breakfast, I highly recommend them with a cup of coffee or strong tea and served with fresh berries and a dot of whipped topping for a delicious snack.



Photo from Vegan Crafttastic

 We are entering the high season of zucchini here in the Northeast. As the saying goes, one zucchini plant can feed a whole neighborhood. With this week's CSA share supplied zucchini I decided to make muffins. I found this recipe for gluten free chocolate zucchini muffins from Vegan Craftastic and had to try it.

She gave two choices in the recipe for moisture. She suggested either applesauce or oil. I had enough zucchini for two batches so I tried both with varying results. Both batches were delicious and kid-approved!

The extremely yummy applesauce-batch came out very airy and maintained their shape well coming out of the mini-bunt tray. They were best when eaten warm with a pat of "spread." When the cooled they were a bit dry for my liking.

For the oil-batch I used coconut oil. This produced a wonderful aroma to the batter and the cupcakes while cooking. The results were a little mixed. I followed the directions and filled each mini-bundt to the top with batter as I had the applesauce-batch. They expended while cooking and the muffin tops ran together. They then stuck in the pan when I turned the pan over. The muffin tops came off by themselves! I scooped the remaining muffin out of the pan. They were still yummy and were much more moist than the applesauce-batch, enjoyable without any "spread." I enjoyed them cool as well. I recommend only filling the muffin molds to three quarters full and to use muffin tins rather than oiling the pans.

My Son Sums It Up

"Is this dead fish? Did someone kill this fish?" my five year old son asked.
"Yes, this is dead fish. Yes, someone killed the fish." I replied.
"We are eating dead fish?" he asked again.
"Yes." I replied, avoiding eye contact, my mind racing to come up with an age-appropriate and gentle explaination that was honest yet reassuring. Nothing was coming.
"I'm a little confused."
"About what, honey?" I said, finally looking up. Good. This was buying me a little more time to come up with a response that wouldn't reveal me to be a complete hypocrite.
"Well. Well, why would someone kill an animal to eat it? Why would they do that when they can just eat plants or something?"
"Hm. That is a good question." I replied, looking down intently at the perfectly prepared fillet of sole on my plate, poking it with my fork.
"Well, I don't want to kill animals. But I really do love how they taste. I'm not sure what to do about that." He sighed.
"I know the feeling." I replied. "It can be challenging. You can chose to not eat animals if you want. Many people chose not to eat them. I didn't eat them for 16 years"
"Hm." He replied thoughtfully, taking another bite of fish.

Modified Dixie Burgers from Moosewood New Classics

I adapted this recipe from The Moosewood Resturant New Classics cookbook. I also found the recipe on-line at http://www.vegsource.com/talk/recipes/messages/50821.html . My son, the picky eater, was willing to eat these with ketchup, which is saying a lot. I loved them. The next time I will make a double batch and freeze some for a future convenient meal.

Dixie Burgers
(from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics—the book says this makes four burgers but I made seven regular burgers)

These are great topped with B-B-Q sauce and the rest of your favorite burger toppings! I made a few substitutions and that italicized them along side the original recipe.

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
pinch salt
2 cups grated raw sweet potatoes
1/3 cup minced celery
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup minced red bell peppers
2 cups stemmed and finely chopped raw collard greens or kale
1 Tbsp soy sauce or Worcestershire Sauce if you have soy allergies1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1&1/2 cups cooked black-eyed peas (15-ounce can, drained) or black beansOptional: 4 ounces firm tofu or raw, soaked cashews with 1 tablespoon lemon juice can be substituted

Heat the oil in a heavy or nonstick frying pan. Add the onions, garlic, and salt, and sauté on medium to medium-high heat for 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add the grated sweet potatoes, celery, thyme, and allspice and cook for 5 more mintues, stirring often.
Add the bell peppers and the greens or kale, cover, and cook on medium-low for another 5 minutes or until the greens are just tender. Remove from heat and add the soy sauce and black pepper.
Meanwhile, pulse the black-eyed peas in a food processor* along with the tofu if using. Process until mashed but not pureed completely smooth (unless it’s very important that you hide the beans from a bean-hater, in which case I say smoosh away! The book doesn’t mention this sneak-the-beans-in tactic, though!).
Combine the vegetables with the mashed beans, adjust for taste, and form the mixture into patties. You can easily get 4-7 patties from the recipe, depending on how large you want them to be. Place the patties on an oiled baking sheet and bake them for 20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until they are firm. Serve them with your favorite burger toppings—these are especially good with BBQ sauce in place of the usual ketchup!
*If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash the beans by hand. I mash them on a plate with a fork, but in a bowl with a wooden spoon or a potato masher works too. Hot beans mash much more easily than cool ones, so if you’re beans aren’t cooked fresh and still hot off the stove, you might want to pour really hot or boiling water over them and let them sit for a few minutes before you proceed!
Per 1/4 recipe, without optional tofu: 188 calories, 6.1 grams protein, 4.4 grams fat, 32.5 grams carbohydrates, 1.1 g saturated fatty acids, 490.4 mg sodium, and 5 grams fiber.

CSA share week 7/5 - Would you Like Some Peas With Your Peas?

It was another beautiful day to be at the farm. Sunny and high 80s. We spent about an hour in the field picking peas until my daughter had a meltdown. Granted it was quite warm, so I'll give her a pass. It was disappointing to not be able to complete the picking but we'll be munching sugar snap peas for quite some time nonetheless.

This week's harvest included the following:

• 2 summer squash
• 1 head cabbage
• 1/4 lb arugula
• 1/2 lb mizuna
• 1/4 lb salad greens
• 1 large bunch mustard greens
• 1 head lettuce
• 2 kholrabi with greens
• 14 stems kale
• 4 quarts sugar snap peas
• 1 quart shelling peas

I must say I was a little relieved to not have another four heads of lettuce this week. We still have two from last week. I've started to put the lettuce in my smoothies. It is a tasty addition I must say.

Cashew Cream Raw-cipe - Thanks Erin!

Cashew Cream

1 cup raw unsalted cashews
1/2 cup water
2 T lemon juice
1 tsp agave nectar
1/2 rounded tsp salt

Instructions: Soak cashews in water overnight, drain, add all ingredients to the food processor/blender and process until smooth, scraping down the sides periodically. That's it!

This is delicious in place of sour cream. It's not an "exact" match but it is creamy goodness!

Thanks to my friend, Erin Michaud, for this yummy raw-cipe!

CSA share week 6/28 - More Greens My Sweet Pea

This week was the first pick-your-own for our farm share. Three varieties of peas to tickle the senses; sweet peas, field peas, and snow peas. My son and I spent about an hour picking them today. I think he ate more than went in our bag. This was somewhat of a miracle since I don't think he has ever voluntarily eaten a pea in his life. He was really delighted to see how much the plants have grown since we helped to see them in the early spring. He was very enthused to admire his handiwork while munching away. Also in this week's share were the following:

• 2 Chinese cabbage
• 4 heads of lettuce
• 1/2 lb bok choi
• 3 squash
• mustard greens

We're enjoying the greens while they are here. The season will be over soon as things will heat up quickly from here.

Kid-Approved Super Strawberry Applesauce!

The kids and I went strawberry picking last week at a local family farm. It was the perfect spring day. Sunny and seventy degrees. Not a cloud in the sky. I had my one-year old daughter on my back for a while in her Beco carrier. She determined that I could not supply her with strawberries fast enough, however, and demanded to be allowed to wander the rows to pick her own. My son skipped along beside her, protective as always, picking "perfect strawberries" for her to eat. I managed to pick seven pounds of some of the sweetest and juiciest strawberries I've ever tasted before the kids were ready to move onto petting the goats.

I experimented with making strawberry applesauce to great success. As a bonus, I was able to use six apples I had hanging out in the fruit drawer of the refrigerator. (You know, the ones that are are a bit too mealy to be really enjoyed eaten fresh.)  I used this recipe as a base. I doubled it and modified it as follows:

• Added 10 to 15 strawberries
• Cut the sugar in half (While it tastes lovely, I think next time I will skip it altogether or try using agave.)
• Skipped the cinnamon.
• Since my son is very sensitive to texture, I pureed the applesauce after it cooled. I actually think this improved the blend of flavors as well.

I froze two quarts of berries. I can't wait until fall to add them to some batches of applesauce made during apple picking season. That is, if they last that long.

Addictive Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

On my quest for yummy gluten free, soy free, vegan non-processed foods, I find I'm back to making my own baked goods. I realized that sugar is not a whole or non-processed ingredient. However, a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do. I pulled out some of the roasted pumpkin I processed and froze last fall for these muffins. Delicious! I used this recipe as a base.  I applied the following modifications:

• Egg replacer in lieu of the eggs and mixed in last.
• I doubled the amount of spices.
• I used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten free flour mix in place of all-purpose flour.
• I swaped out 1/2 cup of the sugar for brown sugar.
• I swapped 1/4 cup vegetable oil for 1/8 cup coconut oil. (Note: I will try apple sauce on my next batch to see if I can bring the fat content down even more.)
• I only used a 1/4 cup rice milk chocolate chips from Enjoy Life.

The results are really good. I have had two and had to make myself stop! I imagine you could also use this basic recipe for zucchini chocolate chip muffins, which will come in handy this CSA season. I only made one batch as I was trying out the recipe. Next time I will definitlel double the batch and freeze them.

Really? Kale Chips?

Last week I was confronted with the first of what will likely be bushels of kale from my CSA farm. Fourteen stems of dinosaur kale.

I will interject here that it was not until I was in my mid 20's that I willingly tried greens. My only exposure to greens as a child was of the frozen-spinach-boiled-for-about-a-half-an-hour-before-being-unceremoniously-plopped-into-a-serving-bowl variety. (Sorry to out you mom.) At a yoga center I was turned on to kale as an addition to miso and rice soup.

On the drive home I considered my options. I had a vision of my meat-and-cheese loving son relishing the kale. As I started to dismiss the thought a phrase came to the forefront of my conciousness.

"Kale chips."

I'd heard raves about them from several of my friends. The prior week our CSA farm manager sent out a recipe for them. I had never been able to decide if I thought they sounded appealing. Intriging. Weird. Considering they were baked with oil and salt, how bad could they be?

As it turns out, kale chips are illogically delicious. It defies my imagination how placing kale in the oven for ten minutes can transform an astringent yet pleasant tasting leaf into something that is so delectible I can't stop eating it until it is gone. Both my children devoured them. A greens success story!

Searching the internet, I found many recipes for them. Experimenting a bit, I have some recommendations. I worked from this basic kale chips recipe.

• I found that 375 degrees for 10 minutes was a good base to work from.
• Careful rinsing of the kale and spinning it completely dry in the salad spinner is essential.
• Make sure to rip the leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. The first batch I made didn't cook evenly because some of the peices were too big and folded over during the cooking, leaving a portion overcooked and a portion undercooked. By creating the small peices, you can ensure an even layer of leaves on the cooking sheet and thus even cooking.
• The second batch I made I used a spray can of olive oil rather than drizzeling the oil and then mixing the greens. The first batch I followed the drizzel method. I think I was a little heavy-handed with the oil. It left some of the leaves soggy and it took the a long time to cook as a result. The spray, however, allowed for a more even disribution of the oil. I also used much less oil overall. This made for crispy chips in less cooking time.
• Take care to carefully monitor the cooking. Thirty seconds can make the difference between beautiful brown chips crisped and concentrated to perfection and charcoal. I suggest doing a test run to guage the cooking time in your oven.

These chips are best right out of the oven but do keep decently in a sealed bag.

I'm so excited to have this recipe in my aresenal now. This is a great way to enjoy greens and a great alternative when you just want to much. Much healthier than my biggest downfall, potato chips. I won't go so far as to say they are equivalent. However, they are very satisfying. What is more exciting is that my kids love them. How wonderful that they are learning to enjoy whole real food snacks.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we are!

CSA share week 6/22 - Greens Galore!

After an afternoon swim, the kids and I went to pick up this week's share from our CSA farm. My son was so excited to visit his friends and they put him right to work packing flats with soil for the new seedings. This week's share was lush and it is only the third week!

• 1 large bunch of turnips with greens
• 1 large bunch of plain leave kale
• 1/2 lb mixed salad greens
• 1/2 lb arugala
• 1/4 lb "Japanese" salad greens
• 4 heads of lettuce (both romaine and red leaf)
• 1 head cauliflower
• all he curly leaf kale I could carry!

Next week we're looking forward to picking peas in the field.

Vegan before 6pm and no processed foods ever - The Kids Aprove Our New "Yogurt" and "Cheese"

Transitioning the family to vegan before 6pm is a process for sure. This week I think we may have experienced some success in the "Breakfast Roadblock" and the "Cheese Addict" departments.

• My kids eat large quantities of yogurt for breakfast. It is the defining part of the meal. I was waivering whether to let them continue in the pattern. Call it a "vegan waiver" if you will. Now that I'm on page 157 of The China Study and the latest heath reports that 1:5 young people have high blood pressure, I've chosen to take on the transition battle with yogurt.  We've had success with So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt! My son, very particular about and attached to his yogurt, has eaten it two days in a row and declared that he approves. My 1-year-old isn't ready for coconut yet. I'm gearing up to have her try it soon. The yogurt is more processed than the goat milk version they've been nuts about, but I figure one step at a time. My next step is to start introducing different hot breakfast cereals with many toppings and see where that leads.
• My son is a cheese addict. I don't use that word lightly. (I also sympathize. I haven't met a truffle pecorino that hasn't made me go weak in the knees.) It has been well documented that casein, the protein component of cow's milk, breaks down to opiod compounds when we digest them.  My son would demand cheese upon waking and then at regular intervals throughout the day. A refused request for cheese was usually met with a tantrum of some sort. Upon eating cheese, or any dairy for that matter, he immediately became congested and spaced-out. He also had acid indigestion and threw up several times a week for the first 4 years of his life. Asserting strength of will to withstand the meltdowns was tough, even with allergy testing results in hand. My husband and I explained to him why we were going to take a break from dairy and he acquiesced. We transitioned him to goat milk dairy with great success. The "addictive" behavior stopped, the vomiting stopped. Success. Now making the transition from goat milk dairy to no-dairy is the challenge.  The only non-dairy "cheese" he likes is the Rice Vegan American Slices. He loves Kraft American slices, so I figured I might be able to sneak the vegan alternative in. It worked! He thought it was his beloved Kraft and asked for a second cheese sandwich! (Thankfully, Kraft American is not really cheese, but I digress...)

Cooking When No One is Hungry

I love to cook when no one is hungry and it can be a wonderful exercise in mindfulness meditation; being present with the herbs releasing their aromatic oils to the air as I am separating the individual leaves by hand, rinsing, and ripping, Cilantro. Mint. Basil. Kitchen aromatherapy.

Tonight I took a few hours preparing an Asian-inspired meal with a sweet dessert treat. Mark Bittman is fast becoming one of my favorite recipe authors. His recipes are simple, easy to follow, and most importantly - they WORK (unlike those of Martha Stewart, but I digress... .) Tonight I tried out Thai Beef Salad and paired it with Noodles with Mushrooms . Fantastic! Thankfully I had my husband around to cook the steak to medium rare. Having spent from ages 12 to 29 as a vegetarian, I never learned to cook meat. I can now cook chicken consistently, however beef is still in many ways a mystery to me. The meal was light, flavorful, and satisfying. This would be great with a beautiful chardonnay or a plum wine.

For dessert I prepared the Coconut Nut Chews. So delicious. I cut the nuts to 1 cup and added 1/2 cup of rice milk chocolate chips. I was surprised at how easy these were to make. Twenty five minutes to prepare and bake and 30 minutes to cool. I do recommend transferring the chews on the parchment paper onto the rack to cool rather than transferring them by spatula. The chews were kid approved!

Now, the real question, did the kid eat the dinner? I had low expectations going in that my son would embrace the meal. I reserved some of the pasta for him and topped it with marinara sauce from a jar. I also set aside some steak for him and he was quite happy to dip it in ketchup. He was quite happy with his adapted version.

Are You Eating Peanut Butter or Imitation Peanut Butter Spread?

Just in case you were wondering... side-by-side comparison of Skippy (or as I call it imitation peanut butter spread) and Peanut Butter (in this case, the Organic Creamy Peanut Butter from Trader Joe's.)

SKIPPY
190 calories (140 calories from fat), 16 grams fat, 150 milligrams sodium, 7grams carbohydrate, 7 grams protein.
Ingredients: Rosted Peanuts, Sugar, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils (Cottonseed, Soybean, and Rapeseed), Salt.

PEANUT BUTTER
200 calories (140 calories from fat), 15 grams fat, 45 mg sodium, 7 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams protein.
Ingredients: Organic Peanuts, Salt.

Let's just say all calories aren't created equal. Neither are peanut butters. But you already knew that.

Vegan before 6pm and no processed foods ever - Can our family survive?

For numerous reasons - which will soon be discussed - I am a lapsed vegan on the comeback trail and I'm bringing my family with me. I don't know if we'll ever get to a pure vegan lifestyle, but the journey will be well worth the effort on the road to being a mindful family.

Food Matters, by Mark Bittman, outlines such a common, non-dogmatic approach to eating more mindfully that I'm taking it on and rooting for my family to join me. No animal products before 6pm and no processed foods. Sounds easy enough, right? 

Roadblock #1 - Breakfast. Both my children (ages 1 and 5) eat goat's milk yogurt for breakfast every morning. To say they are obsessed would be an understatement. Both will consume it to the point of, well, I need go no further, do I? And they  have both done it. More than once. What should I swap in to at least start us on the road to decreasing this dairy food? It is now obvious to me that I will need to do some research which will be followed by much trial and error.

Roadblock #2 - It turns out that I am addicted to junk food. This was a little shocking to me to realize and humbling to admit to myself (and now you.) I think of myself as being a "healthy eater." However it turns out that upon closer examination, in spite of being a lover and connoisseour of fruits and veggies, I have a wicked junk food jag which is usually satisfied with something highly processed on a daily basis. I wouldn't call myself a "heavy user." However processed foods do seem to occupy a very important roll as emotional crutch for me. Today I managed to partially satiate this craving with 1/2 roasted sweet potato with a teaspoon of organic brown sugar. I'm assuming that the cravings will decrease over time. In the meantime I keep reminding myself one of the major reasons I'm making this shift. Quite simply, sugar and processed foods are killing all of us and I don't want me or my children (which have a 1:3 chance of developing type 2 diabetes in their lifetime if they follow the conventional American diet and lifestyle) to be a statistic.

Off to check my kombucha which is brewing on my counter ... natural carbonated beverage!

Simple 60-Second Raw Dressing

Just whipped this up and thought I'd share - can't believe how delicious this is!

1 stalk celery with leaves
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Flax Oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 tsp celtic sea salt
juice from 1/4 orange

Coarsly chop celery.

Place all ingredients into blender and pluse/chop for 30 seconds until mixed. It will be chuncky and anslightly thick consistency.

I put this on a salad of mixed spring greens, tomato, cucumber, green pepper, avocado and topped with some raw sunflower seeds for crunch. DELICIOUS!

Let me know how this works for you!

I Am the Farmer. I Am the Field. I Am the Hunger.

I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire.  When I was growing up I looked out our dining room windows to a pasture where dairy cows grazed. My street had numerous vacant lots as well as larger wooded properties that extended several acres in back of the lawns and formed an interconnected forested matrix of streams, reclaimed farm fields and pastures, dilapidated barns, abandoned farm equipment, dumping grounds, family burial plots, abandoned summer cottages,  train tracks, and a quarry.

As a child I played outdoors without direct adult supervision at a rather young age. This was common. My mother routinely sent me out to play and called for me from the front porch to come home at lunch, dinner, or dusk. I roamed the neighborhood, reveling in my freedom and independence. Sometimes I would meet up with the neighbor kids and we'd execute intense imaginary play. There was only one yard was off limits, that of a particularly cranky older childless couple. Adults had an eye out for the kids and could at any time implement justice. The neighborhood was our playground. Other times I ventured off by myself, exploring the woods on my own terms. I walked unfamiliar trails which spit me out into backyards, followed ridges and ravines to new streets and old train tracks. I developed a keep sense of direction and intimacy with the local topography.

One day when I was eight or nine years old I was sitting on a hill overlooking a meadow. Until recently it had been pasture for dairy cows. I gazed out over a  spectacular expanse of spring wildflowers. Down through the meadow a slow moving stream meandered, lazily making its way down to a river around the bend. The stream ran like a beautiful healed wound from the northwest corner of the field, which was bounded by train tracks and a state road, diagonally across the land, and exited at the southeast corner bounded by woods. There was an old stone bridge, about four feet wide, that provided the sole stream crossing. Along the stream was a transitional wetland that hosted a stunning array of grasses and dragonflies. At the center of the scene was a lone tree, soaring out of the stream with it's branches extending skyward above the bridge like a giant hand. Its trunk was at least three feet in diameter, demonstrating that it had predated the expansion of the stream, its roots well established in the soil long before it's waters began lapping the bark. Wildflowers extended as far as I could see in all directions. Sitting on the cool earth, the dampness of which was slowly seeping through the seat of my pants, the flowers were at eye level. I lay back, fingers interlaced behind my head, staring up into the brilliant blue sky above, a canopy of golden blossoms framing my field of vision.

I began to hear a low hum. I could hear the trickle of the stream down the hill, the burrowing of the ants beneath, the munching of the grasshoppers, the buzz of the bee and its wings beating as it came in to investigate the flower directly above my eye, effortlessly pausing in space. I was inside an impressionist painting. Boundaries blurred. The individual life units of the flower and the bee could be seen pulsing, beating,  inhaling, exhaling in unison. I was everywhere. I was the sky. I was the bee. I was the stream. I was the flower petal. I was nowhere. I was a waterfall of love. I was the energy of the sun arriving from it's violent, erupting, heavenly origin warming, vibrating, and singing an ancient song of longing. Contentment. Stillness. Time dissolving and space converging. Unison.

The bee flew away. As I sat up, looking out at the view, goose bumps rose on my skin. Perhaps it was the cool spring breeze that now picked up, sweeping up the hillside. Perhaps it was the encounter with the Ultimate which had just breathed into me. I was changed.

The psychic imprint of that moment on a hillside overlooking an abandoned farmer's field in springtime splendor forged within me an empathetic listening for environmental and social justice; a particular sensitivity to socio-political injustice, a particular susceptibility to being heartbroken when I encounter hunger, the rape and exploitation of the environment, and the inhumane treatment of any creature. I am the hungry child. I am the ancient tree felled for cow pasture. I am the immigrant worker maimed on the floor of the slaughterhouse assembly line. I am the soil fouled by fumigants. I am the water stagnant and toxic. I am back in the moment of a child on a hillside, all life units beating, breathing, loving as one.

Thich Nhat Hahn has a term, interbeing. We Inter-are. The most difficult work is to maintain openness in our hearts to experience all creatures and the Earth as ourselves. Most of use work diligently our whole lives in order to erect barriers which enable us to live our lives while feeling less and less. The work of living through the wisdom of a soft, loving, and unveiled heart enriches this world for all. It is life affirming. It is life giving. We do and we fail. That is our humanness. But we must be awake. We must keep doing and failing and doing again. To do otherwise is to have squandered the miraculous gift of this precious human life. It is to disregard the unique gift we each are to the Universe.

Food Prices on the Rise - Please Share Your Ideas!

Global food prices have hit "dangerous levels" that could contribute to political instability, push millions of people into poverty and raise the cost of groceries, according to a new report from the World Bank.

How many of you have noticed our food prices rising? How about the price of gasoline?
Perhaps you've noticed. Perhaps you've given a bit more thought about combining some errands or chosen to eat out less.

For most of the world's population any rise in food or fuel prices means that they go hungry or can't travel to work. Considering that 1:7 Americans receives food stamps, this means many people you know - maybe even you - will soon face even tougher decisions regarding basic needs.

Food prices soared 3.9 percent last month, the biggest gain since November 1974. Most of that increase was due to a sharp rise in vegetable costs, which increased nearly 50 percent. That was the most in almost a year. Meat and dairy products also rose.

At at a time when obesity is epidemic in our country it is particularly noteworthy that the cost of vegetables that are rising the most. One reason for this is that vegetables are not subsidized by our tax dollars, unlike commodity crops (corn, soy, and wheat.)

I'd love to hear what YOU are doing in order to keep keep food affordable for your family. Are you creating a garden, perhaps for the first time? Have you purchased a CSA farm share? Are you going to farmers markets? Have you discovered a produce "happy hour" at a grocery store? Are you using coupons? Please share what you're doing and be sure to include links to resources.

Let's work together, neighbor helping neighbor, to continue to eat healthful foods in spite of some troubling economic trends!

Couldn't Sleep with Food On My Mind

I was tossing and turning all night last night. What was on my mind? How can we afford safe food for my family?

One of the threads that kept turning in my mind was the purposeful obfuscation of GMO safety by big agribusiness. Let's remember one thing. These so-called biotechnology companies were simply called chemical companies before they decided to get into the crop development arena. They are still primarily chemical companies using GMOs as vectors for increased chemical sales. They are not altruistically trying to feed the planet. They are seeking to increase market shares by creating new food products, increasing demand for chemical application while performing no safety testing on these new foods.

All the so-called experts claim to have numbers and science on their side.

What I find interesting in the GMO debate is that Monsanto claims to have a precise, predictable, safe food product that needs no testing because it is significantly equivalent to conventionally bred plants. Furthermore, Monsanto goes on to say that it is not even possible to create long-term studies to look at the effects of these foods. (View 3-part Dr. Oz show) So, in effect, there are no studies to point to or numbers to cite. We don't allow GMO labeling in this country. If anyone has a bad health outcome due to eating these GM foods there is strategically no way to link it to the GM food itself. So it is absolutely the truth to say something to the effect of  “There are no known incidents of adverse reactions to the consumption of GM foods since they came on the market nearly 20 years ago.” Right, because how would we even know if there were?

On the other hand, anti-GMO groups point to all kinds of preliminary studies that demonstrate an overwhelming array of adverse and unintended health impacts on animals fed GM foods. However, many of those studies are not repeated or followed up on due to intimidation of the researchers and research institutions by large agribusiness and interest groups. Companies threaten to pull funding  and from the academic institutions that support the research. Individual scientists are maligned, their once promising careers left shattered. The few studies that do make it through repeatable and verifiable trials find few peer-reviewed journals that will publish the findings for fear of recriminations from the scientific community largely funded by these international corporate conglomerates.

So what does a mom who is trying to feed her family safe, healthy food do?

Right now, the primary option I have is to buy food labeled “organic” at quite a steep price increase, often 30 to 40%  more than non-organic foods. Don't get me wrong. I support the organic food industry without reservation. However, it is so incredibly frustrating to no be able to choose the type of food I want to feed my family. Not to mention it takes an unhealthy portion of our family's modest budget to purchase primarily organically produced foods. Since there is no mandate to truthfully label food, there is no other way to avoid all foods with GM ingredients unless you buy all organic. Groups like Non-GMO Project offer a verified shopping guide of certain food brands that have pledged to not incorporate any GM food ingredients into their products. This is a step in the right direction. However we need more to assure consumer rights and food safety in this country.

I don't know definitively if GM foods will be harmful to my family. It seems that no one does. Monsanto would like to keep it that way. They would like to keep the waters so muddy that no one can prove or disprove anything until GM crops are ubiquitous. Monsanto wants to keep us in the dark and be able to plead plausible deniability until they have contaminated all the seed stock and there is no way to recall the GM crops. This isn't a conspiracy theory. This is what is happening every minute of every day around the world.

Our only hope is mandatory GMO labeling. Depending on what study you look at, between 80 and 90% of Americans would not buy GMOs if they had a choice. That is powerful. That is what these agribusiness companies fear most.

I'd love to hear YOUR thoughts and personal reflections on this important issues of our time.

Who's Driving the Tractor? A look at the US Government's Power Players with respect to Food

I'm launching a new project. I'll be taking a look at who is in power in our government with respect to food. After watching The Future of Food last night I was both intrigued and disturbed by the deep connections most of our government's people in power have with large agribusiness companies. My findings will appear as a series on this blog. My hope is to help bring to light some of the egregious conflicts of interest as well as identify potential allies in our collective fight to protect our food supply! More to come soon!

King Corn - Follow the journey of corn!

King Corn  Informative movie - eye opening. A little "slow" in the beginning - but my favorite scene was when they set about making high fructose corn syrup on their own when no factory would permit them to visit - "for their safety."  I found this film on my NetFix Straming... an afternoon home with sick kids was very educational. Reminded me of my summer in Rochelle IL as an intern for a large Agribusiness company.

Corn, corn everywhere but now a bite to eat. Worth the watch!

Another Legal Blow - Court Sides with Monsanto GMO Sugar Beets in San Fransisco

 Another loss for organic farming, as 9th Circuit sides with Monsanto.

 "Plaintiffs have not demonstrated that the permitted ... plants present a possibility, much less a likelihood, of genetic contamination or other irreparable harm," Judge Sidney Thomas wrote for the panel. "The undisputed evidence indicates that the [beets] pose a negligible risk."

 Read article for the Courthouse News Service,  Sugar Beets Get Reprieve From Destruction   and from the Metropolitan News-Enterprise, Ninth Circuit Grants Reprieve to Genetically Engineered Beet Seedlings.

Thomas concluded on Friday that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated a likelihood of irreparable harm since the “undisputed evidence indicates that the stecklings pose a negligible risk of genetic contamination, as the juvenile plants are biologically incapable of flowering or cross-pollinating” before the permits for their planting expire. He further noted the permits contain express conditions prohibiting flowering or pollination.

Although the plaintiffs proffered evidence of contamination risks in sugar beets and other crops in later stages of the plant’s life-cycle, Thomas emphasized that they did not provide any examples of contamination by pollination under the restricted conditions imposed by the permits.

 The assumption here is that the permits will be followed. What happens, however, if they are not followed and the plants are allowed to flower? I'd be interested to see the research w/respect to cross-contamination through the entire plant lifecycle.