As the warm weather enters the valley the farmers set-up their produce stands.
As a child/teenager, it was a delightful early morning trip to the farmer's market. Yes- it was hard to get up about 7:00 in the morning but it was totally worth it. We always had fresh produce. I continue on with this tradition of going to the farmer's market but it's not so early in the morning more like mid-day. Down the street from my work are two farmer's markets which are bustling with lunch time visitors.
A few things to keep in mind when visiting the farmer's market:
- Bring your own reusable bag to carry all your purchases.
- A pocket for a quick grab of cash or change.
- Walk around the market to mental notes of the prices. One table might have a better deal than another.
- Put yourself on a budget.
For $5 - this is what I bought:
- Rainbow chard - $1
- cilantro bunch - $ 1
- 4 large tomatoes - $1
- 1 basket of cherry tomatoes - $2
These ingredients will transform into various components of a meal.
Rainbow Chard a great green leafy vegetable to enjoy which replaces spinach. I saute it with a little bit of garlic and soy sauce.
With the tomatoes and cilantro, I will make a fresh salsa to enjoy with some homemade corn chips.
Lastly, the cherry tomatoes will be made into a chutney to top my mini muffin turkey meatloaf.
A few things purchased at the farmer's market can increase your vegetable (or fruit) intake- plus you've supported local farmers.
http://www.california-grown.com/
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Converting One Person at a Time...
Series: Produce Box, July 20, 2010 Deliver; Published Blog 10
Summer brings warm temperatures and bright sunny skies to help produce grow. This is one of my favorite produce procurement times of the year. There are bright wonderful colors and lots of varieties. Who could deny that fresh tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, corn or melons taste added on to the menu- certainly not me!
I eat a colorful rainbow variety when it comes to summer produce.
My latest produce box delivery was the valley box. I received the following items:
- White corn
- Slicing Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Melon, musk Ambrosia
- Peaches Yellow
- Carrot Nantes
- Eggplant Japanese
- Cucumber Regular
- Tomato, cherry mixed medley
Summer brings warm temperatures and bright sunny skies to help produce grow. This is one of my favorite produce procurement times of the year. There are bright wonderful colors and lots of varieties. Who could deny that fresh tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, corn or melons taste added on to the menu- certainly not me!
I eat a colorful rainbow variety when it comes to summer produce.
My latest produce box delivery was the valley box. I received the following items:
- White corn
- Slicing Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Melon, musk Ambrosia
- Peaches Yellow
- Carrot Nantes
- Eggplant Japanese
- Cucumber Regular
- Tomato, cherry mixed medley
I had to patiently wait for my produce box to arrive at the house... I couldn't wait to eat the eggplant. My husband should be jealous of my love affair with this lovely purple vegetable called eggplant. It is a vegetable that is widely used in various cultures around the world. It takes on taste from seasonings very well with a smooth mushy texture. I like it grill, toasted, saute, stewed, broiled, and fried. This is one vegetable on my definitely like category.
Another item in my produce box that I've enjoyed quite surprisingly are the cherry tomatoes. As most of my family and friends know, tomatoes are a miss or hit for me. I cant eat tomatoes on their own but I can cook them or eat them raw with other vegetables for a pleasant experience. This is a prime example of foods prepared one way might not hit your fancy but another way sends you back for seconds.
My favorite recipe using cherry tomatoes is to cook it with caramelize onions. This sweet tasting cherry tomato relish is a great topping for meats, pasta, or even couscous.
Kitchen Mission:
I hope to inpire fellow readers to venture into the kitchen. Take a stab at a new recipe with some fresh produce in hand.
Until next time -- Have fun cooking!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Coffee and Steak
New tastes and new recipes are in demand. Willing participants are needed to try new ideas created by chefs. Here's my experiment involving coffee and beef steak.
Background:
I was introduced to a new author Cleo Coyle that writes Coffee House mystery novels. They are great imaginative escapes that involve coffee, plus recipes! This appealed to my inner desire to create and cook which is a lot of fun for me. The inspiration for my coffee marinated steaks was from my leisure reading of the mystery novel.
Caffeinated Barbecue Steaks
I placed my steaks from the refrigerator onto the counter. I grabbed a shallow dish to create my coffee marinade. I made this really easy for myself by grabbing a Starbucks VIA packet and a little cold water. Empty packet, add water, stir, and place steaks into dish. Yes, coffee made with VIA is that simple to make. Absolutely love using the product.
I thought about adding seasonings but I was hesitant. I wanted to keep a true coffee taste so I added no other spices or flavors. I let it sit for 24 hours in the coffee marinade.
The following evening I started up my barbecue to grill the steaks.
Once it was ready, I placed the steaks on the grill and quickly seasoned with a little season salt.
Cook the steaks to your preference. I cannot recommend the amount of time it might take. If you are worried about under or over cooking, invest in a meat thermometer
Remove and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. This is important to keep the meat juicy.
Serve with your favorite vegetable and a carbohydrate.
My vegetable to accompany this recipe was the following:
Sweet and Spicy Carrots
Grab a small sauce pan.
Heat-up on medium heat.
Add in a tablespoon of butter.
Let it warm up.
Add in about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Add a dash of coffee liqueur, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
A quick dash of salt and pepper.
Let the sugar mixture bubble to cook down a little.
I added in caramelized onions that I had precooked prior to making the sauce.
I let it simmer for a little bit more.
Finally add in fresh cut carrots cut into rounds. I used a bunch Nantes carrots from produce box.
Let the carrots cook in the mixture for a quick 1-2 minutes and turn it off.
I like my carrots to have a crunch.
My carbohydrate to accompany the meat and vegetable:
Toasted Barbecue Garlic Bread
Pre-make the garlic oil spread. This is really easy to make with fresh or bottled garlic.
Grab your small sauce pan.
Heat-it up on a medium low.
Add in about 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Next add in the chopped garlic.
Optional: Add in some fresh basil, a little cayenne powder, and a little seasoning to preference.
Let the garlic oil mixture cook until garlic is tender.
Toasting bread on the barbecue should be the last item cooked on the grill. Reason- the coal fire has cooled downed so the bread gets a chance to brown up without burning.
Place your bread slices on the grill. Let the bread toast up which will happen fairly quick. After it is flipped over, spoon the garlic mixture over the bread.
All the above recipes put together makes a fairly tasty meal.
When plating up, spoon the sweet and spicy carrots sauce over the meat. It will be totally worth it in taste!
Enjoy and have fun cooking!
Background:
I was introduced to a new author Cleo Coyle that writes Coffee House mystery novels. They are great imaginative escapes that involve coffee, plus recipes! This appealed to my inner desire to create and cook which is a lot of fun for me. The inspiration for my coffee marinated steaks was from my leisure reading of the mystery novel.
Caffeinated Barbecue Steaks
I placed my steaks from the refrigerator onto the counter. I grabbed a shallow dish to create my coffee marinade. I made this really easy for myself by grabbing a Starbucks VIA packet and a little cold water. Empty packet, add water, stir, and place steaks into dish. Yes, coffee made with VIA is that simple to make. Absolutely love using the product.
I thought about adding seasonings but I was hesitant. I wanted to keep a true coffee taste so I added no other spices or flavors. I let it sit for 24 hours in the coffee marinade.
The following evening I started up my barbecue to grill the steaks.
Once it was ready, I placed the steaks on the grill and quickly seasoned with a little season salt.
Cook the steaks to your preference. I cannot recommend the amount of time it might take. If you are worried about under or over cooking, invest in a meat thermometer
Remove and let it sit for at least 5 minutes. This is important to keep the meat juicy.
Serve with your favorite vegetable and a carbohydrate.
My vegetable to accompany this recipe was the following:
Sweet and Spicy Carrots
Grab a small sauce pan.
Heat-up on medium heat.
Add in a tablespoon of butter.
Let it warm up.
Add in about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
Add a dash of coffee liqueur, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
A quick dash of salt and pepper.
Let the sugar mixture bubble to cook down a little.
I added in caramelized onions that I had precooked prior to making the sauce.
I let it simmer for a little bit more.
Finally add in fresh cut carrots cut into rounds. I used a bunch Nantes carrots from produce box.
Let the carrots cook in the mixture for a quick 1-2 minutes and turn it off.
I like my carrots to have a crunch.
My carbohydrate to accompany the meat and vegetable:
Toasted Barbecue Garlic Bread
Pre-make the garlic oil spread. This is really easy to make with fresh or bottled garlic.
Grab your small sauce pan.
Heat-it up on a medium low.
Add in about 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Next add in the chopped garlic.
Optional: Add in some fresh basil, a little cayenne powder, and a little seasoning to preference.
Let the garlic oil mixture cook until garlic is tender.
Toasting bread on the barbecue should be the last item cooked on the grill. Reason- the coal fire has cooled downed so the bread gets a chance to brown up without burning.
Place your bread slices on the grill. Let the bread toast up which will happen fairly quick. After it is flipped over, spoon the garlic mixture over the bread.
All the above recipes put together makes a fairly tasty meal.
When plating up, spoon the sweet and spicy carrots sauce over the meat. It will be totally worth it in taste!
Enjoy and have fun cooking!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Long Time No New Postings????
Thank you it is nice to be back! I took a sabbatical leave from my blog publishing to create new recipes in my own kitchen. Yes- we finally got our house after a 16 month wait. I'm soooo excited to be in my kitchen. I've been busy cleaning, unpacking, and setting up my big kitchen.
I'm still receiving my produce boxes at my new house. It has been quite delightful with the introduction of summer produce. My latest boxes have brought blueberries, melons, tomatoes, green beans, and so much more!
As promised new recipes:
Spicy Rotini, Zucchini, and Italian Sausage
Caramelize about ¼ an onion, diced
Add in about 5 hot cayenne peppers, whole
Once the onion is almost browned and translucent, add about 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
Remove the peppers.
Preparing the Sausage:
I used 3 pork sausage links about ½ foot long.
I placed my sausage in a pot of water and brought it to a boil for about 15 minutes.
I set aside to cool and drained the water
Once the meat is ready to handle, I removed the casing and tore the sausage into pieces.
Set aside.
Boil the pasta to al dente
I used a ½ box of rotini
Allow the meat to brown and become crispy
I diagonally sliced two zucchinis to place around the edges while the meat was cooking
Carefully toss the meat in the middle to cook on the other side without disturbing the zucchini
Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.
Add on top of the meat.
Next add in about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
Toss the pasta, meat, and zucchini to coat with the tomato sauce
Season with pepper and salt
Allow the dish to cook a little longer about 5 minutes and stir with an additional 5 minutes.
Serve with garlic bread and a green salad.
Greek Couscous Salad
I prepared the couscous to box directions. 1 cup of dry couscous and 1 cup of water
Let it cool.
Need:
1 cucumber
¼ cup of sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup of feta cheese
¼ cup kalamata olives
Toss together and fresh with a little lemon juice, pepper, and salt.
Optional Idea: Use Orzo for the carbohydrate.
Deliciously Quick Fajitas
Prepare your meat first.
I learned through trial and error that if you brown the sides of the meat it will hold in the moisture and keep it tender. This technique can be used to for many recipes like stir-fries, stews, or pasta dishes.
Cut your meat into small strips.
Heat-up a frying pan with enough oil to cover the bottom. I used canola oil. (In the past I have used sesame oil too.)
Then in small batches just toss in handfuls of meat. Cook just enough to brown the edges. The insides will still be pink. (This is OK because the meat will be tossed back into the pan later on.)
Remove the meat and place on a paper towel. I like to salt it at this time.
Use the same pan for the remaining cooking preparation.
Keep the pan on medium heat.
I slice up half of a white onion into slivers and toss it in with the remaining oil.
Let the onions cook until tender. (Optional: toss in whole cayenne peppers for heat.)
For a little moisture, I diced up a tomato and tossed it in.
For those who love bell peppers, add in slivers of the colorful bell peppers.
Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add in the beef and squeeze fresh lime juice over the top. Then toss in the limes to the pan. (Optional: Bottled lemon juice will also do the trick.)
Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer together.
Prepare the tortillas of choice: corn or flour.
Final dish: Grab a tortilla, add in the meat/vegetable mixture, add in shredded cabbage, and a dollop of sour cream. Then get ready for the mouth watering bite of your own homemade fajita.
Options: Various fish or meats can be used for the meal. Follow the simple reasoning of not overcooking the fish or meat the first time because it is cooks a second time.
Checca Sauce
Cherry tomatoes are in season!!
This is a wonderful fresh tomato sauce. I have to share it because I love making it during the summer season. It tastes great hot or cold. Raw food at its best!
In a food processor add the following items:
- 1 package of cherry tomatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
- ½ onion
- 1-2 teaspoons of fresh garlic
- Handful of fresh basil
- ½ cup of fresh Parmesan
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Puree until well mixed and taste.
Cube up a ½ chunk of fresh mozzarella.
Cook up a fresh batch of pasta.
Toss all the checca sauce, fresh mozzarella, and pasta in a bowl.
Serve up and Enjoy!
Homemade Corn Chips
One thing I love to eat at Mexican restaurants is the corn chips. I like to eat these plain chips with salsa, or avocado. Learning how to make these chips is easy on the budget. Just remember it does require a little extra time to prepare. It took me about a half hour to prepare about a bag of chips.
Set-up
Heat-up the oven on a low temperature. Grab a cookie sheet and line it with aluminum foil.
Grab a plate and place about 3-4 layers of paper towels to drain the oil of the chips.
Grab a sauce pot and heat-up on medium-high heat. Pour in the oil about a fourth of the way from the bottom.
I like to cut the corn tortilla into triangle eighths.
Test the oil by throwing in one triangle to see if it starts to bubble on the edges. If it ready throw in about 10-14 tortilla triangles...this depends on the size of your pot. Don't overcrowd the oil it will reduce the temperature and take longer to cook.
As the chips starts to cook to a light brown, flip the tortilla chips.
Once the other side is cooked and the corn tortilla has firmed up, then transfer to the cookie sheet.
To finish the cooking process with crisping of the chip, place in the preheated oven.
Deserts:
What can you do with fresh nectarines or peaches if you can't eat them quick enough? My solution is to make turnovers. I like to use a pie crust made simple: Krusteaz Pie Crust. Thanks to my Dad he introduced me to it. A great pie crust in seconds.
Tip: I found this product does not require much water just enough to pull it together.
Nectarine or Peach Turnovers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the crust:
Use enough pie dough mixture for one pie with a crust.
Prepare the pie filling:
I grabbed my freshly delivered nectarines (or peaches) that had been ripening in a brown paper bag on the counter. I left the skin on as I sliced into slivers into my mixing bowl. I sprinkle a little lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. One additional item is a little corn starch to gel up the liquid. The recipe use intuitive measurements.
Flour a board with a little flour. Partition into about 7-8 small golf size dough balls.
Roll out the dough into a triangle/oval shape. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Add a little of the fruit mixture to the middle of each the rolled out dough.
Close the flap and place in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Check it to see if the dough is cooked and the bottoms are slightly browned.
Let it cool.
In picture above I used for this batch fresh blueberries.
Optional: If you have fresh strawberries or blueberries, try with a little fresh whipping cream for summer shortcake.
I'm still receiving my produce boxes at my new house. It has been quite delightful with the introduction of summer produce. My latest boxes have brought blueberries, melons, tomatoes, green beans, and so much more!
As promised new recipes:
Spicy Rotini, Zucchini, and Italian Sausage
Caramelize about ¼ an onion, diced
Add in about 5 hot cayenne peppers, whole
Once the onion is almost browned and translucent, add about 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
Remove the peppers.
Preparing the Sausage:
I used 3 pork sausage links about ½ foot long.
I placed my sausage in a pot of water and brought it to a boil for about 15 minutes.
I set aside to cool and drained the water
Once the meat is ready to handle, I removed the casing and tore the sausage into pieces.
Set aside.
Boil the pasta to al dente
I used a ½ box of rotini
Allow the meat to brown and become crispy
I diagonally sliced two zucchinis to place around the edges while the meat was cooking
Carefully toss the meat in the middle to cook on the other side without disturbing the zucchini
Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water.
Add on top of the meat.
Next add in about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
Toss the pasta, meat, and zucchini to coat with the tomato sauce
Season with pepper and salt
Allow the dish to cook a little longer about 5 minutes and stir with an additional 5 minutes.
Serve with garlic bread and a green salad.
Greek Couscous Salad
I prepared the couscous to box directions. 1 cup of dry couscous and 1 cup of water
Let it cool.
Need:
1 cucumber
¼ cup of sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup of feta cheese
¼ cup kalamata olives
Toss together and fresh with a little lemon juice, pepper, and salt.
Optional Idea: Use Orzo for the carbohydrate.
Deliciously Quick Fajitas
Prepare your meat first.
I learned through trial and error that if you brown the sides of the meat it will hold in the moisture and keep it tender. This technique can be used to for many recipes like stir-fries, stews, or pasta dishes.
Cut your meat into small strips.
Heat-up a frying pan with enough oil to cover the bottom. I used canola oil. (In the past I have used sesame oil too.)
Then in small batches just toss in handfuls of meat. Cook just enough to brown the edges. The insides will still be pink. (This is OK because the meat will be tossed back into the pan later on.)
Remove the meat and place on a paper towel. I like to salt it at this time.
Use the same pan for the remaining cooking preparation.
Keep the pan on medium heat.
I slice up half of a white onion into slivers and toss it in with the remaining oil.
Let the onions cook until tender. (Optional: toss in whole cayenne peppers for heat.)
For a little moisture, I diced up a tomato and tossed it in.
For those who love bell peppers, add in slivers of the colorful bell peppers.
Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add in the beef and squeeze fresh lime juice over the top. Then toss in the limes to the pan. (Optional: Bottled lemon juice will also do the trick.)
Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer together.
Prepare the tortillas of choice: corn or flour.
Final dish: Grab a tortilla, add in the meat/vegetable mixture, add in shredded cabbage, and a dollop of sour cream. Then get ready for the mouth watering bite of your own homemade fajita.
Options: Various fish or meats can be used for the meal. Follow the simple reasoning of not overcooking the fish or meat the first time because it is cooks a second time.
Checca Sauce
Cherry tomatoes are in season!!
This is a wonderful fresh tomato sauce. I have to share it because I love making it during the summer season. It tastes great hot or cold. Raw food at its best!
In a food processor add the following items:
- 1 package of cherry tomatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
- ½ onion
- 1-2 teaspoons of fresh garlic
- Handful of fresh basil
- ½ cup of fresh Parmesan
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Puree until well mixed and taste.
Cube up a ½ chunk of fresh mozzarella.
Cook up a fresh batch of pasta.
Toss all the checca sauce, fresh mozzarella, and pasta in a bowl.
Serve up and Enjoy!
Homemade Corn Chips
One thing I love to eat at Mexican restaurants is the corn chips. I like to eat these plain chips with salsa, or avocado. Learning how to make these chips is easy on the budget. Just remember it does require a little extra time to prepare. It took me about a half hour to prepare about a bag of chips.
Set-up
Heat-up the oven on a low temperature. Grab a cookie sheet and line it with aluminum foil.
Grab a plate and place about 3-4 layers of paper towels to drain the oil of the chips.
Grab a sauce pot and heat-up on medium-high heat. Pour in the oil about a fourth of the way from the bottom.
I like to cut the corn tortilla into triangle eighths.
Test the oil by throwing in one triangle to see if it starts to bubble on the edges. If it ready throw in about 10-14 tortilla triangles...this depends on the size of your pot. Don't overcrowd the oil it will reduce the temperature and take longer to cook.
As the chips starts to cook to a light brown, flip the tortilla chips.
Once the other side is cooked and the corn tortilla has firmed up, then transfer to the cookie sheet.
To finish the cooking process with crisping of the chip, place in the preheated oven.
Deserts:
What can you do with fresh nectarines or peaches if you can't eat them quick enough? My solution is to make turnovers. I like to use a pie crust made simple: Krusteaz Pie Crust. Thanks to my Dad he introduced me to it. A great pie crust in seconds.
Tip: I found this product does not require much water just enough to pull it together.
Nectarine or Peach Turnovers
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the crust:
Use enough pie dough mixture for one pie with a crust.
Prepare the pie filling:
I grabbed my freshly delivered nectarines (or peaches) that had been ripening in a brown paper bag on the counter. I left the skin on as I sliced into slivers into my mixing bowl. I sprinkle a little lemon juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. One additional item is a little corn starch to gel up the liquid. The recipe use intuitive measurements.
Flour a board with a little flour. Partition into about 7-8 small golf size dough balls.
Roll out the dough into a triangle/oval shape. Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
Add a little of the fruit mixture to the middle of each the rolled out dough.
Close the flap and place in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Check it to see if the dough is cooked and the bottoms are slightly browned.
Let it cool.
In picture above I used for this batch fresh blueberries.
Optional: If you have fresh strawberries or blueberries, try with a little fresh whipping cream for summer shortcake.
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