We are on a roll!

Second night in a row we've had some sort of sandwich.  As I'm sure you have figured out, the mister and I are not vegetarian.  That said, we limit our meat and purchases to the Farmer's Market.  We want to know the conditions in which the animals were raised. So, we talk to our farmers. Some farmers readily volunteer this as part of their marketing.  Products raised humanely on small farms can cost more, but since meat is such a small percentage of our diet, it doesn't break our bank.  I realize this choice is not for everyone, but it is what works for us.

Mango Tango ready to be warmed up!

We have an excellent pork farmer at the Farmer's Market - Country Time Farm.  Her farm is in Berks County, in a town called Hamburg (am I the only one that sees the irony in that?).  She and her husband pride themselves on their antibiotic-free, humanely raised pork.  She sells everything from bacon (the best!), pork roll, hot dogs, racks of ribs and loins.  There is always a line at her table and many items (like the bacon) will sell out early.  I am neurotic and always need at least ONE package of Country Time's bacon in the refrigerator and one waiting in the freezer. 'Cause everything is better with bacon!!

One of our more rare purchases from Country Time--but tasty, nonetheless--is their Mango Tango Pulled Pork. The pulled pork is cooked in their special Mango Tango BBQ sauce. This BBQ sauce is slightly sweet, with a touch of heat, very little smoke flavor and has small pieces of mango throughout. It is a real treat to have this for dinner.

On a Roll with Mango Tango and Beet Salad

Along with the Mango Tango, I created my favorite beet dish. I shredded some cooked beets over the weekend.  I added toasted walnuts, some goat cheese and parsley I got from my containers. The dressing is the key to this dish. It has olive oil, rice wine vinegar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and...honey!  I get my honey from beekeepers that are about 5 miles from our house and they sell at the market, too! So flavorful. This beet salad compliments almost any meal.

We finished off our dinner with another Insalata Caprese (see yesterday's post).  Summer food is so great! 

Insalata Caprese with Red and Yellow Tomatoes

Keep it Simple

Yet again, I had a mid-week meeting, so the mister was left to create his own dinner. It always helps when you give someone some ideas as to what to prepare.  When left with little time, it is helpful to keep dinner simple. Items that do not require a lot of cooking are very quick to prepare and can have tons of flavor.

Caprese Sandwich

We have some beautiful basil growing in our containers outside. I was worried when we returned from vacation, because I thought most of the plants were a goner from the many days of heat.  However, I added some of my good dirt, gave the plants extra water and they have come back with a vengeance.

The mister decided to create a caprese sandwich for dinner because we had all of the ingredients at the ready. We still had a selection of rolls from St. Peter's Bakery, along with an abundance of tomatoes from our CSA share with Jack's.  Our home containers provided the basil and the mozzarella was made in Jersey. 

Have you ever looked closely at a caprese sandwich or salad? It is filled with gorgeous colors and textures, along with a mixture of flavors. The tomatoes can be sweet, the olive oil is rich, the velvety mozzarella...my mouth is watering right now!

In addition to the caprese sandwich, the mister made an excellent salad. It was filled with colors and flavors. He used some of the greens from our CSA share, topped it with cherry tomatoes from our container and added some goat cheese. The mister loves goat cheese...as you can see by the photo evidence below.


Two dishes, containing no more than four ingredients each made for an easy and quick dinner. Food doesn't need to be complicated to taste good. What are your favorite simple dishes?

The Best Pot Ever

This is the best pot ever. I really love this pot. It makes all of my dishes taste better. What is this pot?

Le Creuset: The Best Pot Ever

This pot is not the green vegetable matter that is illegal in most US states. It's French pot...definitely not grown locally. I mean, it's from France; it even has a fancy name - Le Creuset.

I received my Le Creuset from my mom (thanks, Mom!) for Christmas. It is cast iron, which means I get a workout whenever I cook with it. This thing is heavy and I should probably weigh it just to get an idea of its "heft." 

I use it often in my meal preparation (you'll see a trend with the more photos I post). Le Creuset pots take some time to warm up, but the heat is evenly distributed throughout. It makes for easier meal preparation. It also holds onto temperatures after I turn off the burner, so any second helpings taste great.

These cast iron pots were a staple of many a grandmother's kitchen.  I really don't remember if my Mom-Mom had them, but I know that you will find them at tag sales. Cast iron pans were often "seasoned" from previous meals and lent a richness of flavor. I'm sure that you had a grandmother or aunt that prepared Thanksgiving dinners with cast iron cookware. 

Why do I use such a relic of cookware so often? First, it's timeless. These are the types of pots you will have in your kitchen forever. Second, they hold up to high temperatures, both on the stove top and in the oven. Third, with cast iron cookware, I don't worry about Teflon leaching into my foods. (A word about Teflon, it's a rather incredible invention. I have chosen to limit my use of non-stick pans for my long term health.)

I'm hoping to add more cast iron cookware to my kitchen and eventually eliminate my non-stick pans. Unfortunately, cast iron does have a higher price tag. Until then, I will favor my blue Le Creuset for food creations. 

How's the pot in your kitchen?

Monday's lunch: Chilled Cucumber Soup

Cool Cucumber Soup

I didn't use up the cucumbers from last week's haul and received quite a few in this week's CSA.  So, on Saturday, I decided to attempt to make cold cucumber soup. I think the HOT temps have me on a cold soup kick--lots of gazpacho was enjoyed last week and I tried my hand at this new chilled soup.

I was inspired by one of the recipes in "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian." Remember, I don't really follow recipes, instead, I taste the flavor along the way  Here's how I created this dish...

Ingredients:

• 5 or 6 cucumbers, seeded and diced
• red onion
• garlic
• mint
• dill
• plain yogurt (I really enjoy Siggi's plain yogurt)
• olive oil
• avocado (ok, ok...not local at all)
• small amount of water

I kept the Cuisinart on the counter and attached the chopping blade.  I added the first five ingredients and pulsed regularly until they were liquefied. I added the Siggi's and turned on the processor until it was fully mixed.  I then added a few glugs of olive oil on 2 or 3 occasions.

At this point, I took half of mixture (about 2 cups worth) and pushed it through a fine mesh strainer.  I tossed the veggie mash that was leftover in the strainer.  Now that I had more room in the Cuisinart, I added the avocado (I chopped it up first).  Also, I thought the consistency of the soup was getting too hummus-like, so I added a few splashes of water as the Cuisinart was mixing. 

I added the contents of the food processor to the strained soup and whisked it together. I let that chill in the refrigerator overnight before tasting.  At lunch today, I added toasted almond slivers, some diced onions and cucumbers and topped the cold soup with feta cheese.  It was decent, but I wasn't as happy with the results.

I think the dish could be made a little bit better with some heat--like jalapeno heat or some Cholula Chili Lime sauce.  I still have quite a bit cucumber soup left, so I'm going to experiment. This is the fun part of cooking...adjusting your seasonings to make it "just right."

Saturday's dinner: Kitchen Sink Pasta

I think most people are familiar with the phrase, "everything but the kitchen sink."  According to knowyourphrase.com, it means, "including nearly everything possible."  On Saturday evening, I decided to make my Kitchen Sink Pasta.

True to the phrase, this dish includes nearly everything possible in my refrigerator.  There is no set recipe to follow for this dish. Add veggies that you enjoy and omit what you don't care for.  As I've noted before, my CSA has had quite a bit of zucchini and green beans this year. I've been regularly using these two vegetables in my pasta dishes, since they assume the flavor of garlic and basil quite nicely. The texture of these two veggies also compliment pasta cooked al dente.

This evening, I cooked 4 cups of whole wheat organic penne.  While the pasta was cooking (it takes 11 minutes), I did a quick steam of my green beans and drained them in a colander with cold water to stop them from over cooking.  While the green beans were steaming, I began heating up some olive oil with garlic and basil in a large saute pan. I cut some broccoli into small florets, along with some bits of kale and began cooking them in the garlic and olive oil.

While the broccoli was cooking, I chopped up zucchini and salted it in a colander. Once the broccoli was done cooking, I removed it from the pan and set aside. I then added the green beans to the large pan and sauteed in the garlic/basil/olive oil mixture.  Once cooked, I pulled the green beans out and set aside.  Around this time, the pasta was done, so I reserved 1 cup of the pasta water and drained the rest.

The zucchini is still sitting in its colander, so I shook it off and added it to the now vacant saute pan. I made sure to cook the zucchini on low, since this veggie can go from under cooked to over cooked in a blink of an eye.  I also began cutting cherry tomatoes in half and adding them to the zucchini.  I gave these veggies about 6 or 7 minutes to warm throughout.

Now that the zucchini was done cooking, I added all of the veggies to one bowl. Are you keeping track of how many vegetables are in this dish?  We have: green beans, broccoli, kale, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes.  I oiled the bottom of two oven-safe pans, and added the pasta and veggies to both. I gave them both a good stir to get all of the ingredients throughout the dishes.  I also took some cut up mozzarella (you can use shredded) and added it.  To top it off, I added my signature carbonara (scramble two eggs with pecorino cheese) by pouring it over the dishes and mixing well. You can omit the eggs if you would like to keep it vegetarian.  I also added the reserved pasta water to prevent the pasta from drying out in the oven.

Cover and cook for 20 - 25 minutes in an oven heated to 375 degrees.  When ready to enjoy, top with your favorite pesto or cheese.  Leftovers are better the 2nd day, as the flavors meld even more.


Mind you, I was not making a small amount just for the mister and me.  This dinner will serve 6 - 10 people, depending upon their appetite level.  There is no way that the two of us could enjoy all of this pasta and veggie goodness in one sitting!

Just out of the oven.

A close up of the kitchen sink pasta.

Beet this dish.

Once I returned from the Farmer's Market, I jumped right in with making some foodstuffs...I got the beets into the toaster oven.

How do I prepare my beets? I scrub them and then cut the tops and bottoms off. Put the beets in some water and cook covered in a toaster oven (or the regular oven) at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Let the beets cool in the oven and place in the fridge overnight. The next day, the skins will slide off the beets and you can cut them or shred them in your Cuisinart.

Beet this dish

A quick "assembly" for beets: add feta cheese, mint, and a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and salt and pepper. Toss the beets with the dressing and top with feta. Enjoy.  You can also give the recipe more depth by adding toasted walnuts to the beet salad.


This dish is a great salad at any time of the year, since beets can be grown year-round (if you use a hoop house).

CSA and Farmer's Market booty!!!

Wow. Just wow. Every Saturday at my market is like Christmas morning. I return an empty CSA box to my farmer and receive a full one in exchange.  Each week, I open it up to find an array of veggies (and sometimes, fruit) in the most vivid colors.This week's haul contained some really great items:

• beets
• tomatoes (large and cherry) in all sorts of colors
• mini watermelon
• cucumbers and English cucumbers
• green and white peppers
• red leaf lettuce
• green lettuce
• spinach
• white string beans
• potatoes (the first of the season!)
• turnips
• zucchini

Weekly box of surprises

Look at this haul!

 

As I've said before, I supplement my CSA with purchases from the Farmer's Market.  North Star Orchard had their first apples of the season, their nectarines  and I managed to purchase the last three peaches they had!  Also, their beets were HUGE, so I bought two to cook up on Saturday afternoon.

First apples from North Star Orchard!

Big ol' beets.

Our market also features a local bakery--St. Peter's--that makes excellent breads, sweets and other fun foodstuffs. I picked up some rolls for this week for pulled pork sandwiches. I'll let you know later in the week how they taste. 

The mister makes dinner

Green beans with pecorino, toasted almonds and olive oil

I had a meeting last night and so the mister made dinner. He can cook (I know this!!), but anyone will agree that it is helpful when given some ideas about what to cook.

We have a mess of green beans from our CSA this year. I guess the June weather conditions were quite good for growing green beans, so they are aplenty!

The mister was steaming his green beans when I got home last night and had the pecorino romano and olive oil out on the counter. I asked if some toasted almonds would be welcome on the dish (the mister's answer: "yes!"), so I threw them in the toaster. The mister added the cheese, almonds, threw in some garlic powder and topped the bowl with some great olive oil. I think the mister did a good job on his dinner and he seemed to enjoy it.

Using the same ingredients, you can vary your preparation and come out with a different dish (texture, flavor) altogether. Snap the ends of the green beans off and cut them in half. I also rinse them well before cooking--you should always wash your fruit and produce before cooking. The green beans get a quick steam bath (it's good for the complexion) and then I dunk them in ice cold water to prevent them from getting mushy.

I drain the cold beans in a colander and then add them to my saute pan with garlic, olive oil and basil. Move the beans around to get them covered in the oil and flavors. Once al dente, remove from the heat and serve. Add the pecorino and enjoy this dish by itself or compliment your favorite pasta with the beans.

Today's lunch: leftovers and lots of fruit!

Strawberries with basil and balsamic

As I've said before in my introduction, I bring leftovers to lunch--often. You've been warned!!

We are in the midst of a heat wave of ridiculous proportions and the idea of cooking gives me the shakes. So today, I brought what was left of the gazpacho batch for my lunch. That stuff is perfect on a 99 degree day. Between the crunch of the cucumber and the feta cheese, I'm loving it all!

I also tend to crave fruit when it is dreadfully hot out. I had some organic strawberries in the fridge that I cut up and added some basil. Between my CSA and my containers outside, I have quite a bit of basil right now. I drizzled the basil/berry mixture with balsamic vinegar for some bite to the flavors. Really tasty.

Mini melon

I also received a melon in my CSA on Saturday for the first time. It was a small melon...just enough for one person. I cut that up last night and ate it plain after I had the berries. It wasn't as flavorful as I hoped, but I think I may have cut it a little too soon. The fruit sugars need to get more concentrated. Oh well, my loss, I still ate it anyway.

My fruit CSA is starting up in 2 weeks. I am more excited than a kid on Christmas Eve for this to start. The apples, plums, pears, peaches...oh my!! North Star Orchard knows what they are doing.

In preparation for these 15 weeks of pure fruit bliss, I stocked up on some peaches and nectarines from North Star Orchard at Saturday's Farmer's Market. Buying from them before the CSA begins is like opening an early present--you know the holiday is coming, you just can't hold it together!!! To finish off today's lunch, I had the nectarine and then the peach (I'm still enjoying the peach as I write this).

Good, whole foods: nectarine & peach

Today's lunch was made of simple items, but when you add an herb or a condiment (like balsamic), the flavors really change.

I've got a meeting tonight, so the mister is going to try his hand at some local food cooking (he's usually the taster and cleanup guy). I gave him one very important instruction: take pictures!!

Breakfast for dinner? Yes, please!

Fried egg and goat cheese sandwich., a photo by Local Food Lady on Flickr.

Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner? And I'm not talking about a bowl of cereal. There's a reason why diners sell breakfast 24 hours a day--eggs and bacon are tasty at ANY time!

The mister and I went for a run last night on a shaded trail near our house. We tried to go a little bit later than we usually do so as to let the temperature go down at least a degree or two. As you can imagine, the high heat and humidity left us drenched after our run. Between watering the flower/herb containers outside and showering up, I didn't get a chance to start cooking until after 8:00 pm. Yeah, I know. That's way too late to start cooking.

Omelet time!

Our eggs come from our CSA with Jack's Farm. The first time I cracked a farm-raised egg from Jack's, I couldn't believe how bright the yolk is. Real foods contain gorgeous colors. Scrambled, fried, poached, over easy...it's delicious any way you prepare these eggs.

I made the mister a sandwich with two eggs over medium with goat cheese and two slices of bacon. (Take note readers, I like to use bacon in many recipes. Say it with me, "bacon makes everything better!") The mister dresses up his sandwich with ketchup and/or Tiger Sauce.

Since there were four slices of bread in the toaster, I was planning on a sandwich for dinner, too. I like to scramble two egg whites with one whole egg. Takes out some of the fat and the dog gets the benefit of scrambled egg yolks. Before I scrambled the eggs, I heated up a selection of CSA cherry tomatoes in the pan with some garlic. Once cooked, I put them to the side and poured the eggs in. Then came trouble...

Scrambled yolks for the dog. She loves 'em.

I realized there was too much in the pan to fit on a sandwich. You know what that means? Omelet time!!! I cooked the eggs to my desired consistency, returned the cherry tomatoes to the pan and added goat cheese.

I decided to put that bacon on the side of my omelet and enjoyed the toast with some apple butter from North Star Orchard. You gotta try this apple butter.

Even the dog enjoyed some local food action tonight. When I was done cooking my eggs, I threw her yolks into the pan and cooked them up. She scarfed those down and was hoping (aka: begging) for more!

A Summer Staple: The BLT, but with a twist!

Frequent Summer Dinner, a photo by Local Food Lady on Flickr.

This time of year, we have an abundance. An abundance of heat, humidity, and haze. Along with this weather, we have a bounty of two of my favorites: zucchini and tomatoes!! Most of our veggies come from our summer CSA with Jack's Farm. I supplement with weekly purchases at the Farmer's Market.

These two summer crops are the main ingredients of one of my favorite summer dinners that requires limited use of the stove. This is ideal on 100° days.

BLTs remind me of growing up. I'd be at the pool all day and my mom would make these for dinner. They were fast, portable, and I could assemble them myself. My own version of this summer staple is the BBT - Bacon, Basil and Tomato on toast.

Other than the bread and the condiments, this dinner is made with local ingredients. This recipe covers enough for the mister and me.

Ingredients:

• Two small to mid-sized zucchini
• Garlic
• Basil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Cut and quarter the zucchini. Put in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 5-10 minutes while you chop your garlic and wash/chop your basil. Bring your pan to a low/med heat. Add Olive Oil and garlic. Cook 2-3 minutes. Shake the excess water from the zucchini and add to pan. Cook slowly, being careful not to overcook (mushy). Add basil about 2 minutes after zucchini. Move all items around pan carefully. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, checking consistency.

BBT ingredients:

• 4 slices of whole grain bread
• 6 slices of bacon (our favorite bacon comes from Countrytime Farm in Hamburg, PA)
• 1 large tomato sliced
• Bunch of basil leaves
• Condiments (mayo, salt and pepper)

I like my bread toasted for the crunch and will add just a minimal amount of mayo to the bread. I layer the sandwich with 3 slices of bacon, the tomatoes and then the basil on top. I always add my salt and pepper to the tomatoes. Stack the slice of bread on top and enjoy. I sometimes forget how filling this sandwich can be!

For a different taste on the BBT, substitute a thin slice of mozzarella for the mayo.

I hope you add these to your summer staples.

Today's lunch: gazpacho

Today's lunch: gazpacho, a photo by Local Food Lady on Flickr.

My lunch today. I told you I bring leftovers--often. Gazpacho is a no-fail kind of recipe. Really, you cannot mess this stuff up. If it tastes good to you, then enjoy it. In this recipe, it's really not cooking, it's assembling! I find that a blender works best to get everything mixed well.

Ingredients (measurements are approximate):

• Red onion
• Garlic cloves 2 or 3
• Cucumber (1 or 2 seeded)
• Tomatoes (5 or 6; mostly red, but you can throw in a yellow one if you like)
• Green pepper (you can add a jalapeno for extra heat)
• Watermelon (optional, a cup+/- will do)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Basil
• Salt and Pepper

For garnish: cut up red onion and cucumbers, sprinkle feta cheese on top

In a blender, puree all of the above ingredients. I recommend cutting most of the veggies into bite-size pieces and removing the cores of the tomatoes. Once blended, pour the the gazpacho mixture to a mesh strainer above a bowl. You may need to use a ladle to push the gazpacho through the strainer and will be left with a vegetable pulp. Discard the vegetable pulp. Chill the gazpacho before serving (I like to chill the bowls, too). Add the garnish vegetables and enjoy.

I have good dirt. This picture is proof.

I have good dirt! Local Food Lady's flickr

Last summer, the mister and I bought a compost bin. We began composting all of our veggie scraps (those that weren't used in making veggie stock) into this compost bin. We also added leaves, cut ivy, old plants to the bin. Every so often, I'd get one of our garden claws and move stuff around.

I had read that after a year of aerating and letting this stuff decay, you will get "black gold." What is that??

Fast forward a year, it's time to plant my containers. I head to the trap door on the compost bin and what do I find? DIRT! Good, wormy, dirt! So, I used that to plant me some tomatoes. I have never had luck with tomatoes. I think I just like the idea of planting tomatoes, since they've never blossomed any fruit.

We returned from our early-July vacation to find many tomatoes sprouting from our container. My dirt works! I picked these the other night.

Welcome to the Local Food Lady's Blog

First post...I guess I should introduce myself.  I'm a thirty-something lady, have a husband and a dog. I work full time and have a long commute (which gives me plenty of time to think about, "what am I making for dinner tonight?"). I like to run and be outdoors, and I'm a little bit afraid of bees, but I love honey. I don't mind getting dirty.

I like to cook with local foods. When not sourced locally, I try to eat as organically as possible, sticking with whole, real foods.  I like to drink local beer. I love ice cream. I don't bake often, but will find myself in the middle of a marathon weekend of baking pies, cookies, and breads.  I usually bring leftovers for lunch. I compost. I collect rainwater. I don't think I'm a hippie, but I have been called one before. I can eat the same breakfast for weeks at a time. I am not wealthy, but I have enough to live within my means. 

I'm grateful for the many resources that surround me:

• a year-round Farmer's Market that is walking distance from my house
• membership in a veggie CSA, both in the summer and winter; a membership in a 15-week fruit CSA
• a job that pays me enough to afford these local food sources
• a desire to cook (along with a husband who is willing to test) many different dishes
• the ability to prepare/eat foods out of my "comfort zone"

Welcome. I hope you like what you read and try to make a few dishes of your own.