Local Food Lady's fast food lunch

I stopped by LOST Gourmet's stand at our end-of-August farmer's market.  LOST Gourmet has been there all summer, but this was their last weekend at since they are going to concentrate on their catering business.   So, I had to get one last taste of their excellent dishes. 

I opted for the kale and navy bean hummus. I had some earlier this summer and fell in love with it. I'm going to figure out a way to make this excellent dish. It is AWESOME. 

I used the hummus and a cucumber to make the Local Food Lady's version of a fast-food lunch.  I brought some of the hummus in a container, and a peeled and sliced cucumber for lunch.  Then, I just topped each of the cucumber slices with the hummus. It was awesome and a very refreshing lunch. 

Peppers and sausage

Ok, so the Local Food Lady is a Phillies fan. So is my mister.  We try to get to a game or two during the year and when we go, I always want a sandwich with peppers and sausage.  I don't know why, but that stuff is tasty (I'm sure it is all of the grease that is on the grill that adds that "super secret" ingredient).

We made a local version at home while we were waiting out Hurricane Irene.By the way, Hurricane Irene is definitely not a dinner guest you want to have.  Many of the farms in her path suffered severe crop loss and erosion issues.  Darn you, Irene!

Here's what we used to make our sandwiches:

• sweet Italian sausage from Countrytime Farm
• onions and green peppers from our CSA share
• rolls from St. Peter's Bakery
• grated pecorino romano cheese (provolone is a great substitute)

As usual, every great dish begins with olive oil + [something]. Tonight, it was onions and green peppers.  Once the onions were translucent, I added the sausage. Cooked it low and slow until ready for dinner.  Served on great French bread from St. Peter's Bakery and topped with grated cheese.

Mexican inspired bean salad

I received tomatillos in our CSA share a few weeks ago. In the past, I had roasted them, and used the Cuisinart to make a salsa, but I wanted to try something different.  So...I made some bean salad with them.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups tomatillos, husks removed and washed
• large can of black beans, rinsed
• 1 cup of corn
• cherry tomatoes
• fresh parsley and/or cilantro
• Cholula Chipotle hot sauce to taste

The tomatillos have a paper-like husk on them.  Remove the husk (they easily peel off) and rinse well. Slice in half.  Rinse your can of black beans and slice the cherry tomatoes.  Combine the first four ingredients in a large dish.  Top with fresh parsley and/or cilantro (I prefer cilantro) and toss on some Choulula Chipotle for taste. To keep this dish vegan, omit any cheese, but you can also add goat cheese for more flavor.

The Local Food Lady Remembers

Please take a moment to remember and honor those who passed away on September 11th in PA, NY, and DC, along with the families across our nation that experienced the painful loss in their families.

We also are grateful for the people that helped others get out safely and away from harm. 

USAFlagDepot.com

 

The local food lady grows...

...some pretty flowers!  Just some further proof that I have good dirt.  I grew these zinnias in the containers outside of our house. The bumblebees absolutely LOVE these.

I think the bumblebees get drunk from the zinnia pollen, since I've seen bees hanging out in them well after dark.  Check out the colors on these flowers.

http://flic.kr/p/ah6oPs

 

 

 

 

http://flic.kr/p/ah6oSQ

Farmers Stew

There are plenty of stews out there...fisherman's stew, miner's stew, Irish stew, Texas stew.  I have crafted what I call Farmer's Stew.  This is what I would call an "empty the fridge recipe." 

There are several flavors, textures and temperatures in my farmer's stew.  It usually involves a leafy green or two, a legume, good herbs, an egg, and cheese.  I sometimes will even top with bacon...repeat after me, "because everything is better with bacon!"

Farmer's stew ingredients:

• plentiful amounts of leafy greens: spinach, kale, chard
• for this recipe, I added zucchini, cut in to half moons
• legume: it can be chickpeas (aka: garbanzo beans) or great northern beans (aka: cannellini beans)
• hard boiled egg (one for each plate)
• feta cheese to taste
• well-done slice of bacon (one slice, diced, for each plate)

In a large pot, I begin sauteing garlic in olive oil with a few sprigs of rosemary. The rosemary can be fresh or dried...I take my fresh rosemary and hang it upside down in our kitchen to dry out for future uses.  After a few minutes, add your zucchini. Saute for 3 minutes, moving around the pan. Be careful not to overcook. Then, add your greens on top and cover--this will allow the greens to get some of the steam and wilt. 

Zucchini and greens

Zucchini, greens, legumes

Be sure to rinse your legumes before adding them to the pot. Shake off the extra water and add to the pot.  If they get a little mashed, it's ok. Their starches will contribute nicely to the flavor of the dish.

Allow the legumes to cook through. I find that chickpeas can warm up more quickly than northern beans.  Turn the temp down so that the greens and zucchini will not overcook. 

Once the items in the pot are cooked through, you can move them to your serving dish.  Top each dish with a chilled, sliced hard-boiled egg.  We also like to top the dish with feta cheese and a slice of well done bacon.

Farmer's Stew!

Bad, bad local food lady

I must apologize to my readers...I was very diligent in writing posts over the last two months.  I took a break from writing, but I didn't take a break from cooking.  You will see some new scheduled posts over the next couple of days.

Thanks for hanging in there and reading my adventures in cooking. There are plenty more to come!!