We made popcorn! At home! On the stovetop!

So, back in May, we received organic corn kernels from our CSA.  I put it in a jar, sealed the lid tight and put it in a dark, cool cabinet.  We don't have an air popper, so I wasn't sure what to do with it, until the other night...

The mister and I had finished dinner and were getting ready to watch a movie.  He said he had an idea..."let's make popcorn!"  It seems that the mister had done his research and said we had everything we needed!  So, here goes:

Ingredients:

• corn kernels -- approximately 1/2 cup
• canola oil
• butter/salt/whatever else you want to top your popcorn with

We took our large soup pot and coated the bottom with canola oil.  Turn on the heat to med/high. We added three kernels of corn to the bottom of the pot and covered it with a lid (our pot set has glass lids).  When the oil is hot enough, and the three kernels pop, then pour in your 1/2 cup of corn and cover again.  Shake the pot vigorously over the heat.  The corn should pop quickly.  Wait until the frequency has slowed down a bit, turn off the heat and allow the last kernels to finish popping.  Grab a wooden spoon and mix up the corn a bit. Transfer to a bowl and add your favorite topping.  We went for butter, salt, and a touch of parmesan cheese. It was fabulous!!!  And without the $9 movie theater price tag.

Eggplan parm, but with the usual LFL twist!

Over the weekend, I was feeling adventurous and decided to make a dish that is uncommon in our house: eggplant parmesan with penne.  I know this is a staple at many an Italian restaurant. However, when we do dine out, the mister and I rarely order pasta dishes. Of course, even though I'm attempting a popular dish, I've gotta put my own local food lady spin on it. 

Ingredients:

• eggplant
• egg
• breadcrumbs (I just go for store bought with breadcrumbs--you can make your own; maybe I'll attempt it in a future food adventure)
• seasonal veggies - chopped (carrots, tomatoes, onions, peppers)
• basil
• pasta
• fresh mozzarella
• pecorino romano cheese

Slice eggplant about 1/2" thick (I don't remove the skins). Sprinkle some salt on the eggplant slices and set aside while you get your "dunking stations" set up. In one shallow bowl, have two eggs lightly scrambled. In the next, fill with breadcrumbs (about 1" deep). 

Get a large pan warmed up with olive oil. My Le Creuset is perfect for this...lots of space.  While the pan is warming up, shake off the moisture that has accumulated on the eggplant.  Once the oil moves freely about the pan, you are ready to start dunking. Put a slice of eggplant in the egg, submerge it, and then coat both sides in the breadcrumbs.  Add to the pan. Repeat. Careful, don't crowd the eggplant in the pan, you need room to flip.

Cook about 1 - 2 minutes, then flip. The eggplant should have a nice golden crust, but not too dark.  The breadcrumbs will soak up much of the oil. If need be, add a little more to the pot.  Once your eggplant is golden on both sides, transfer to a deep baking dish. 

Once all of the eggplant is cooked, keep that wide pan warm.  This is where my different "twist" comes in.  Rather than using red gravy/sauce (LFL doesn't choose sides in this hotly contested debate), I read that the eastern European version of this includes diced vegetables--like green onion, carrots, celery.  I improvised a bit and used the following: green peppers, red onion, yellow plum tomatoes, red heirloom tomatoes, summer carrots (they are shorter than regular carrots).  I allowed these veggies to warm through and then topped the eggplant with them.

I covered the eggplant/veggie mixture with foil and put into a 350 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes.  When there were ten minutes left, I began boiling a large pot of salted water.  Once the water came to a boil, I added my fresh kale/spinach penne from Vera Pasta. I'm telling you, this stuff is GREAT and because it is fresh pasta, it cooks up in 3 - 5 minutes.  I drained the penne, and began preparing the plates. 

I put down a layer of penne, topped it with a slice of fresh mozzarella, added the eggplant/veggie mixture on top and gave it a sprinkle of pecorino cheese along with chopped fresh basil.  You don't need to add any additional sauces to this dish, since the seasonal veggies offer so much flavor and moisture.  It was fabulous.  The eggplant was even better the next day, after the flavors had more time to hang out together. This is going to be another go-to dish for us. 

Summer veggie pasta--warm? cold? You choose!

We have thoroughly been enjoying our new summer CSA.  We are now members of Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, where most of the products (about 98%) are sourced from more than 80 organic farms located less than 60 miles from us.  What I also enjoy about LFFC is that they bring fresh foods to under-served neighborhoods (see also: food deserts).

The variety of produce has been awesome this year and I hope will continue through the end of the CSA season.  Right now, we are in the midst of eggplant, zucchini, tomato, onion season.  It seems that 2012 has been a GREAT year for these crops. 

This year has also brought about new providers at our Farmer's Market.  One of my newest favorites is Vera Pasta. They bring a variety of fresh pasta products and sauces, but I'm especially fond of their penne and I often pickup a pound when I am at the market.

This week, I combined  many items from the CSA share and Vera's Pasta and made roasted vegetable pasta.  You can eat this warm, or cold, but it is a pretty simple dish.  I bought their balsamic tarragon penne at the market on Saturday and it was delicious. I'm going to try this with lemon penne in the future.

Ingredients:

• zuchinni
• eggplant
• red onion
• tomatoes (regular or cherry)
• pasta
• olive oil
• garlic
• basil

Dice the vegetables and combine in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil and garlic, and bake at 425 for approximately 15 minutes.  Remove and allow to cool.  In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil, add pasta until cooked.  Reserve one cup of the pasta water to use later. Drain pasta.  In a large pot or saute pan, heat up some olive oil. Add cooked veggies and toss with pasta.  Add pasta water and allow to cook off.  Top with fresh basil.

Enjoy warm or at room temp. This also stores well in the refrigerator and can be a healthy dish to bring to to a picnic or barbecue.

Gazpacho...tastes different every time

Here at Local Food Lady, you know that I rarely follow recipes. I merely "assemble" my food, and sometimes it turns out ok.  One of my favorite summer time dishes is gazpacho and it is so simple to make. The biggest challenge is waiting for the soup to chill and allow for the flavors to come together.

To make my gazpacho, I make sure I have the basics:

The makings of Gazpacho

• tomatoes
• cucumbers
• red onion
• feta cheese

And then I add on from there.  In this batch, I had the following quantities:

• 3 large tomatoes
• 3 cucumber (reserve 1 cucumber)
• 2 medium red onion (reserve 1 onion)
• 1 bell pepper
• garlic
• olive oil
• 2 cups watermelon, plus juice

Scrub and slice/chop all veggies, removing the seeds. I don't even attempt to do this with the tomatoes, since there are so many seeds.  Get out your blender, and add the chopped veggies and puree.  If you are having a hard time getting the veggies to "catch" on the blades, get a wooden spoon and push down some of the foods. Please do this when the blender is NOT running. Add your garlic and olive oil (just a few glugs).  Once the veggies are pureed, add the watermelon (plus juice) and blend more. If the gazpacho looks too pulpy, add a touch of water. 

Now, here's where it gets a little bit messy.  Get a large bowl and a mesh strainer.  Pour about 8 ounces of the blender mixture through the mesh strainer and push the liquid through the strainer with the back of a ladle.  Once the liquid has been squeezed through, discard the leftover pulp (I like to compost mine).  Repeat this process until the contents of the blender have been strained. 

Take the large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully chilled.  Until then, dice up the remaining cucumber and red onion. When ready to serve the gazpacho, put some of the diced cucumbers and red onions in the bowl.  Cover with gazpacho, top with feta and olive oil. 

You may omit the feta to make this recipe vegan.  Also, I enjoy a dash of dill with my gazpacho.  Variations on gazpacho include substituting peaches for the watermelon, or omitting the watermelon completely. 

I am a happy, happy Local Food Lady!

Week 1 of our fruit CSA with North Star Orchard was available on Saturday. I've been enjoying it so much  that I forgot to post a picture over the weekend!! 

The peaches are so juicy that I have managed to stain my clothes while eating at my desk. Oh well, that's the price of amazing fruit!!!!

Veggie share. Week 17.

I think we may die from tomato poisoning!  I'm kidding! This week in the CSA, we are enjoying the following:

• Bag Young Fennel Bulbs - Certified Organic - Autumn Blend Organics1 Italian Eggplant - Certified Organic - Soaring Eagle Acres
• 1 Bok Choy - Certified Organic - Windy Hollow Organics
• 1 Purple Eggplant - Certified Organic - Windy Hollow Organics
• 1 Pint Mixed Cherry Tomatoes - Certified Organic - Farmdale Organics
• 1 Bag Candy Onions - Certified Organic - Soaring Eagle Acres
• 1 Bag Dragon Tongue Beans - Certified Organic - Life Enhancing Acres
• 1 Bag Yellow Roma Tomatoes - Certified Organic - Millwood Springs Organics
• 1 Bag Mixed Beets OR Detroit Dark Red Beets - Certified Organic - Green Valley Organics OR Farmdale Organics
• 1 Bag Green Bell Peppers - Certified Organic -Meadow Valley Organics
• 1 Small Watermelon - Certified Organic - Elm Tree Organics (small??? NO WAY! Just look at the picture below)
• 1 Cantaloupe- Certified Organic - Red Fox Organics
• 1 Bag Green Beans - Certified Organic - Peaceful Valley Organics

Eggs, asparagus, goat cheese, oh my!

Eggs are such a versatile ingredient and an excellent staple to have in your refrigerator. I buy our eggs from our Farmer's Market, at the Jack's Farm stand.  These eggs are awesome! I will never forget the first time I cracked a farm-raised egg.  I noticed that the yolk was so much brighter than the supermarket eggs I was so used to buying.  Those supermarket eggs, like so many other products, have a variety of labels or claims on them--free range, antibiotic-free, organic, natural, pastured. How do you make sense of it all? Rodale.com  had an excellent article earlier this week, The Truth About Your Eggs, that deciphers the many words you will find on grocery store eggs.  Take a quick read and learn some info! 

We have been purchasing Jack's eggs for several years now and really enjoy them. A great dinner that I've made with eggs is a frittata.  Just Google "frittata," and you'll find so many different recipes. Frittatas can be made in advance, served warm or cold, and are suitable for any meal (hint, hint, MOTHER'S DAY IS SUNDAY!). They are also a great opportunity to use leftover greens.  This week, I made one with eggs, asparagus, quinoa, and goat cheese.  I wanted to add some cherry tomatoes, but I forgot...oh well!

Here's the assembly (again, amounts are just rough estimates)

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, at room temp
• 1 1/2 cups sauteed asparagus (approximately 12 stalks, cut in half)
• 5 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
• salt, pepper, dill

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. While I was waiting for the oven to warm up, I sauteed my asparagus in olive oil, garlic, and scallions. Once they were cooked, I turned off the heat on the stove top.  In a large bowl, I combined the eggs and milk, give them a good scramble; add some salt, pepper and dill.

Fold the quinoa into the egg/milk mixture and pour into a greased glass baking dish (I use olive oil to grease the dish). Gently add the asparagus and shake the goat cheese on top. You may want to take a rubber spatula to push the asparagus and goat cheese into the egg mixture, so it is not floating on top.

Bake for approximately 30 minutes and finish with the broiler on high for 5 minutes.  Your frittata will be bubbling, but should not be runny liquid.  Allow to cool slightly before eating, but as I said before, you can eat this cold.  It is great to have as a leftover lunch, as I did this week.

Time to Carb Load!

Local Food Lady, along with 34,012 of my closest friends, participated in the 2012 Broad Street Run.  I really enjoy this race, as it takes you from Olney in North Philadelphia, around City Hall, through the gates of the Navy Yard, with a finish next to the big ships. 

You may have heard about runners "carb loading" before big races, as there is a widely held belief that by eating carbs before a long-distance running event, you loading up your muscles with glycogen.  I regularly run, but I don't regularly carb load before a race. I just had to this past Saturday, especially after my recent buys at the Farmer's Market.

I decided to make one of my favorite pasta dishes--penne carbonara--the night before the race. It combines carbs, fats, savory flavors, and proteins.  Great dish and simple to make!

To make:

• 1 lb penne pasta (fresh, if possible)
• 2 eggs scrambled (I got mine from Jack's Farm)
• olive oil
• fresh basil
• pecorino romano cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the water and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. I used all of the whole wheat penne I bought from Vera Pasta. While the pasta is cooking, crack and scramble your eggs, add some cheese to the scrambled egg mixture.  Drain the pasta well, and return to pot. Pour egg/cheese mixture over the pasta and turn the heat onto low. Slowly mix the pasta with the egg/cheese mixture, until egg begins to get more solid. Top with fresh basil and extra cheese.

Farmers Market Report!

Saturday, May 5th, was opening day for the Phoenixville Farmer's Market. We've been lucky to have markets throughout the winter on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays, but the first Saturday in May opens the full season!  From now, through the end of November, the market will be open every Saturday from 9a to 1pm.

Each year, we are lucky to get a few new vendors to the market. This year is no different. I try not to miss a market, even in the winter months or in inclement weather.

This past weekend, I had a chance to see several new vendors at our market and picked up a bunch of great items.  Of course, I had to stop by my tried and true favorites, like FreshaPeel Hummus and Jenny and Frank's Artisan Gelato. Take a look at some of the great items I picked up:

Chocolate Supreme Gelato

Lemon Kale hummus

And some new products from new vendors: Naughty Nutty Love, Vera Pasta and our pickle vendor (I didn't catch the name on his stand, but those dill pickles were great!).  I am sure that I will be picking up many new items this season, as the market grows more and more each year. 

From the NY Times: Is it ethical to eat meat?

Michael Pollan is one of my favorite authors and I follow him on Facebook. His writing is excellent, and when I watch him in interviews, I find his tone to be approachable and never condescending. His advice is simple and I believe his book, "In Defense of Food" radically changed my food choices.  

He is a regular contributor to the New York Times and today, posted the following on Facebook: 

Winner of NYTimes "ethics of meat-eating" essay contest announced. V. controversial. http://t.co/OOUIEzyj

The NY Times article discusses the more than 3,000 responses to a simple question they posed last week, "Is it ethical to eat meat?"  Very interesting and Pollan is correct, very controversial. 

Image from NY Times. Russell Bell.

I have friends who are vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, omnivores, and carnivores. Most of my meals are vegetarian, and I never hesitate to accommodate the food choices of guests who come to my home. I believe that food choices are personal, and the reasons for these choices vary greatly.  

So, readers, what do you think of the NY Times question?  

LFFC CSA Week One

LFFC: Week One CSA

Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative's Week One CSA haul. It looks incredible and I'm so happy to have fresh, local, organic food in our fridge!  The mister picked up our first week on May 1. Here's the bounty:

• Two bunches white scallions
• One head of green butterhead lettuce
• One bunch of red radishes
• One bunch of purple mizuna greens
• One bunch green kale
• One bag mini bok choy
• One head red leaf lettuce
• One bunch of fennel leaf
• One bag of popping corn (do you see it in the photo above--on the upper left side)

Readers, even if you are not in Southeast PA, it's possible that LFFC delivers close to you--they have drop off sites in MD/DC and NYC area. Check them out.  I cannot wait to dive into this week's food. 

No winter CSA? Now what?

At the suggestion of one of my readers...


As I mentioned in my previous post, we learned in late/fall that our usual farm would not be offering a winter CSA this year.  My winter weeks would no longer be greeted by a whole chicken, a dozen eggs, and frozen items from the summer harvests (can you say roasted cherry tomatoes? garlic scape pesto?). This made me sad, but I figured that we'd have to improvise. 


Our Farmer's Market does operate through the winter, with an abbreviated schedule (2nd and 4th Saturdays, 10am to 11am) and many farmers ask for a pre-order, but don't require it.  We have great farmers/merchants at our market. Really great. Veggies, pork, poultry, hummus, wild-caught salmon, beef, eggs, bakeries. As such, the market is very popular and attracts a crowd, so it is best to get there right when it opens, as some will sell out very quickly and you don't want to be stuck with having kale as your only green veggie for two weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love kale, but I like variety in my meals.


As an aside: the mister and I eat a vegetarian diet about 85% of the time--in the summer, that percentage is even higher because of how many fruits and veggies are part of our various CSAs. When we do eat meat, pork, or poultry, I only buy directly from the farmer and know the quality of the conditions they raise their livestock in.  I know, I know, this might sound hypocritical that I'm "mostly" vegetarian, but my reasons for eating mostly fruits and veggies comes from the standpoint of health.  That's why I'm so particular about where our food comes from.  If it's not local, then my food usually comes from the supermarket and above all, it must be organic. 


Ok, so back to what I did when I found out that our farmer would not have a winter CSA this year.  I got boring and repetitive in my menus.  No matter the time of year, my weekday breakfast is always the same--organic whole oats, topped with raw local honey and usually fruit.  This fall, we gained a new provider at our  market--FreshaPeel Hummus--and I was quickly hooked on their pumpkin hummus as a topping for my oatmeal. It only takes about 2 tbsp. to add some great flavor to the oatmeal.  You can also add unsweetened pumpkin to the oatmeal, too. I've done that on a few occassions.


Lunches were far less inventive. Mostly the same thing each week--organic yogurt, organic string cheese, and an apple.  We had local apples up until mid-March, since we bought about 80 lbs of them back in November. They kept pretty well in our uninsulated coal room, off our basement.  


How 'bout them apples?

Very infrequently, lunch would consist of leftovers from the night before.


As for dinners, this is where I lost my mojo.  I felt like they were very repetitive, and if it weren't for the mister's chili-making abilities, I think we would have withered away through the winter months.  I also became quite reliant on my organic, whole wheat penne pasta as a meal staple and would saute various greens to add to the pasta dishes.  If it wasn't pasta for dinner, it was a variation of my farmer's stew.


Farmer's Stew

I would regularly top this dish with a poached egg, or put quinoa or cous cous as the foundation for the meal. 


Breakfast for dinner was also popular and easy to make.  Not to mention, Local Food Lady and the mister moved...so there were plenty of meals that were take out (:::hangs head in shame:::). 


The mild winter may have confused our plants, but it appears that our area is experiencing a real spring this year. Other than the fluke 80 degree days in late March, we've had cool nights and a few mid-April frost warnings.  That means that it is time for our spring/summer CSA to begin. 


We've found a new one this year--Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. They are a non-profit food cooperative that buys from more than 75 farms.  The majority of products are organic and they partner with local churches, private residences, and other organizations for delivery locations. They deliver to areas of our region that have very little access to fresh food or grocery stores (see also: food desert).  I look forward to posting many more photos and food creations in the next few weeks, as we received our first CSA share on Tuesday, May 1st. 

Local Food Lady, where have you been?

I was looking at my blog yesterday and I could not believe how pitiful my 2012 activity has been.  Well, there's a valid reason for my inactivity--not much in the way of local food!

The mister and I have always said we were incredibly lucky to have year-round farms in our mid-Atlantic area. We've been part of year-round CSAs for several years now. These CSAs have been with different farmers--veggie, fruit, a combination of the two, but we've had local food at our disposal pretty much year-round. 

Late fall, as we were preparing to start up our winter CSA, our farmer sent an email to shareholders indicating that unforseen circumstances prevented the farm from offering a winter CSA that year.  This had me incredibly bummed, but grateful for their honesty and willingness to offer refunds to all shareholders. It could have been worse--we could have been 4, 6 or 8 weeks into the season, and received veggies that were sub-par. 

All of this is part of the risk/reward of participating in a CSA.  Some years, the bounty is good, REALLY good, and other years--either due to drought, too much heat, or too much rain (like August 2011)--the farmers can experience challenges and the harvest is not the best. 

I felt like our winter dinners were repeat after repeat and my readers would not want to see the same dishes week after week.  I was able to supplement with bi-weekly trips to our winter market and regular shopping days at the Fair Food Farmstand in Philadelphia. 

Other than the fluke 80 degree days in March, it seems like we are getting the chance to experience an actual spring this year. Of course, our winter was so mild, it was spring-like on many days in January and February.  We are in the early stages of our summer CSA, so expect to see more posts and photos of our shares. 

I don't expect another haitus like this past winter, so I hope that you will come back and visit throughout the next 6 months. 

Organic grocery coupons -- Yes, they do exist!

I found this great article on Mother Nature Network's website. A direct link to the story will follow at the bottom.  I do need to buy some grocery staples, like cereal and pasta, since they cannot be found at my farmer's market.

Online grocery coupons for April 2012

Some of the best coupons for natural and organic products to be found online.

Monday, April 2, 2012 - Coupon websites change their coupons throughout the month, but most of them make major changes at the beginning of each month. With that in mind, here’s a list of printable coupons for April 2012 that I think you’ll be interested in.

From Coupons.com

• Newman’s Own Skillet Meal $1/1
• Cascadian Farm $.75/1
• Kashi Steam Meal $1/1
• Schick Xtreme 3 Eco $2/1
• Larabar $1/4
• McCann’s Oatmeal $1/1

From Mambo Sprouts

• Nature’s Path Granola Bar or Cereal $1/1
• Clif Crunch Granola Bar $1/1
• Florida Crystals $.65/1
• Earth Balance Soymilk $.75/1
• Country Choice Organic $1/1

From SmartSource.com

• Green Mountain Naturals Apple Cider K-Cup $1/1
• Florida Crystals $.55/1
• Florida Crystals Organic Agave $.65/1

From Upromise You need to have a Upromise account, and you need to register your shopper card so the coupon will be embedded in the card. No paper coupon will print.

• Diamond Sea Salt  $.35/1
• Diamond Kosher Salt  $.40/1

From Whole Foods (must be used at Whole Foods stores)

• Annie’s Organic Rising Crust Pizza $2/1
• Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread $1/1
• Organic Valley Cottage Cheese $.50/1
• Cascadian Farms Cereal or Granola Bars $1/2
• EnviroKids Organic Cereal or Crispy Rice Bars $1.50/2
• Many other coupons that might be of interest

From manufacturer websites

All of these coupons are ready to print. You don’t need to sign up for any newsletters, provide personal information, or jump through any other hoops.

• Organic Valley - Various coupons a several Organic Valley products
• Seeds of Change - $1 off any Seeds of Change Certified Organic product
• Simply Organic – 8 different coupons for spices, dip mixes and more

For more manufacturers that offer online coupons, but make you jump through a couple of hoops for them, check out Where to find coupons for natural and organic products.

Direct link to article:Online grocery coupons for April 2012 | MNN - Mother Nature Network