The 2nd Annual Locavore challenge is coming soon! I've signed up again for the strict version and am looking forward to finding local produce and eating at participating local restaurants. I will be in New Mexico and Vancouver, WA the first 2 weeks in June, so I will have an extra mobile challenge, which will make it particularly interesting.
Sign up now to be a lenient, strict, or ultrastrict locavore:
http://www.nolalocavore.org/sign-up-for-the-challenge/
And stay tuned for my trials, tribulations, and culinary successes.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Breakfast Casserole
This recipe was posted by the Sankofa Farmers Market on the NOLA Locavore site under for the week of June 11th. The full recipe is below, but I just made half of it, which is still a lot for just two people. I think the leftover wedges will be good for breakfast for the week.
Breakfast Casserole
adapted from Sankofa Farmers Market
Ingredients
18 eggs (HG)
2-3 Tbs cream, half and half, or milk (Smith Creamery)
1 lb mushroom, washed and sliced (HG)
1 leek, sliced and halved (not in the original, but I had a leek, so I added it) (HG)
1 Tbs olive oil (TX)
2 C crumbled goat cheese (Ryal's) (called for feta)
salt and pepper to taste (I added a little more salt since I wasn't using feta, no pepper)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease 9x13 casserole dish with butter or oil
3. Saute mushrooms and leeks in olive oil until they are softened but not completely cooked, about 5 minutes.
4. Drain mushrooms and leeks if there is liquid in the pan, then spread evenly over the bottom of the casserole dish.
5. Crumble feta (goat cheese) over mushrooms and leeks.
6. Beat eggs with cream, salt (and pepper - I didn't use any pepper)
7. Pour egg mixture over mushrooms, leeks, and cheese, then stir with a fork to make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed in the egg mixture.
8. Bake 45 minutes, or until eggs are set and top is starting to brown.
Serves 8-10
I over-cooked it a little, but it was still very tasty. I highly recommend it. I used a round. ceramic casserole, so served them in wedges.
Breakfast Casserole
adapted from Sankofa Farmers Market
Ingredients
18 eggs (HG)
2-3 Tbs cream, half and half, or milk (Smith Creamery)
1 lb mushroom, washed and sliced (HG)
1 leek, sliced and halved (not in the original, but I had a leek, so I added it) (HG)
1 Tbs olive oil (TX)
2 C crumbled goat cheese (Ryal's) (called for feta)
salt and pepper to taste (I added a little more salt since I wasn't using feta, no pepper)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease 9x13 casserole dish with butter or oil
3. Saute mushrooms and leeks in olive oil until they are softened but not completely cooked, about 5 minutes.
4. Drain mushrooms and leeks if there is liquid in the pan, then spread evenly over the bottom of the casserole dish.
5. Crumble feta (goat cheese) over mushrooms and leeks.
6. Beat eggs with cream, salt (and pepper - I didn't use any pepper)
7. Pour egg mixture over mushrooms, leeks, and cheese, then stir with a fork to make sure all ingredients are evenly distributed in the egg mixture.
8. Bake 45 minutes, or until eggs are set and top is starting to brown.
Serves 8-10
I over-cooked it a little, but it was still very tasty. I highly recommend it. I used a round. ceramic casserole, so served them in wedges.
Cornbread
Tomato Basil Cornbread
adapted from 125 Best Quick Bread Recipes, by Washburn and Butt
Ingredients
3/4 C corn flour (called for all-purpose)
1/2 C cornmeal
2 Tbs granulated sugar
2 Tbs + 1/8 tsp baking powder (my new method to adjust to switching to corn flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C snipped fresh basil (from my back yard)
1/4 C olive oil
4 eggs
1 C chopped arugula (called for spinach)
1 1/2 C coarsely chopped tomatoes
1 Tbs minced leek
(all produce from Hollygrove)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan.
Makes 9 3-inch square pieces
1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and basil.
2. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat oil and eggs until combined. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in arugula, tomatoes and leeks. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot.
The verdict? YUM! Big, fat, delicious, no-question, yum. They are good warm, right out of the oven, but just a delicious the morning after with a bit of butter. The only thing not local is the baking powder, which is allowed under my interpretation of the Bienville Rule.
adapted from 125 Best Quick Bread Recipes, by Washburn and Butt
Ingredients
3/4 C corn flour (called for all-purpose)
1/2 C cornmeal
2 Tbs granulated sugar
2 Tbs + 1/8 tsp baking powder (my new method to adjust to switching to corn flour)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 C snipped fresh basil (from my back yard)
1/4 C olive oil
4 eggs
1 C chopped arugula (called for spinach)
1 1/2 C coarsely chopped tomatoes
1 Tbs minced leek
(all produce from Hollygrove)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9-inch square pan.
Makes 9 3-inch square pieces
1. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and basil.
2. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat oil and eggs until combined. Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Gently fold in arugula, tomatoes and leeks. Spoon into prepared pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve hot.
The verdict? YUM! Big, fat, delicious, no-question, yum. They are good warm, right out of the oven, but just a delicious the morning after with a bit of butter. The only thing not local is the baking powder, which is allowed under my interpretation of the Bienville Rule.
Brown Rice Crackers
My first total failure of the month (not bad for a rookie that I can make it 18 days before my first inedible bomb). I will try them again, because there was some user error in the process. When the timer rang and I checked on them the last time, I closed the over door, turned off the oven, then promptly forgot to take the baking sheet and the crackers out of the oven as I busied myself with other kitchen tasks. They sat in the oven for another 30-40 minutes after I turned the oven off. I am guessing that is why they were turned into greasy little tooth-shattering, cement-like wafers.
I'll share the recipe anyway, because they definitely have the potential to be good. I have been pining away for crackers; I hadn't realized the extent of my cracker problem until I tried to go without.
Brown Rice Crackers
adapted from Cathe Olson recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 C Papa Tom's white rice flour (CCFM) (called for brown rice flour)
2/3 C cooked brown rice (HG)
1 Tbs flax seeds (optional - I opted not to)
1/4 tsp sea salt (needs a little more)
1/4 C oil (I used pecan)
1/3 to 1/2 C water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil large baking sheet. In bowl or food processor, mix flour, rice, fax seeds, salt and oil until combined. Add water a little at a time until dough holds together. Pour onto floured surface and knead a few times to form a ball. Press or roll dough on baking sheet. Score into 1 1/2-inch squares. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown. Cool before removed from pan.
Makes about 3 dozen.
I'll share the recipe anyway, because they definitely have the potential to be good. I have been pining away for crackers; I hadn't realized the extent of my cracker problem until I tried to go without.
Brown Rice Crackers
adapted from Cathe Olson recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 C Papa Tom's white rice flour (CCFM) (called for brown rice flour)
2/3 C cooked brown rice (HG)
1 Tbs flax seeds (optional - I opted not to)
1/4 tsp sea salt (needs a little more)
1/4 C oil (I used pecan)
1/3 to 1/2 C water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Lightly oil large baking sheet. In bowl or food processor, mix flour, rice, fax seeds, salt and oil until combined. Add water a little at a time until dough holds together. Pour onto floured surface and knead a few times to form a ball. Press or roll dough on baking sheet. Score into 1 1/2-inch squares. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until bottoms are golden brown. Cool before removed from pan.
Makes about 3 dozen.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Zucchini Canoes
Got a boat load of zucchini? Make them into tasty canoes.
Zuccanoes (stuffed zucchini)
adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook
Ingredients
4 medium zucchini (Hollygrove)
1-2 Tbs olive oil (TX) [probably just as good with pecan oil]
1 1/2 C minced onion (Rouse's)
1 tsp salt (Avery Island)
1/2 lb mushrooms, minced (Hollygrove)
6 medium cloves garlic (MidCity FM)
1 1/2 C cooked rice (Hollygorve)
1 1/2 C minced pecans, lightly toasted (Bergeron's) [we didn't toast]
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice (Becnel's, Belle Chasse)
black pepper and cayenne, to taste (we left this out)
a few pinches of freshly minced or dried herbs (mostly from my friend Terry's yard):
any combo of parsley, basil, dill, thyme, or marjoram [we used rosemary, thyme, sage and another small unidentified leaf]
1 C packed grated Ryals' goat cheddar cheese (St. James Cheesery)
Directions
1. Cut the zucchini lengthwise down the middle. Use a smallish spoon to scoop out the insides, leaving a canoe with a 1/4 inch shell. Mince the insides, and set everything aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and salt, and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft (5 - 8 minutes).
3. Add the minced zucchini innards and the mushrooms. Turn up the heat and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring, letting the liquid evaporate. Stir in the garlic and remove from heat.
4. Stir in the rice and nuts, along with the lemon juice, and season to taste with black pepper, cayenne, and the herbs of your choice.
5. Preheat oven to 350. Fill the zucchini shells, top with the grated cheese and bake on a cookie sheet for 30 - 40 minutes, or until heated through. Serve hot. Optional: serve with a vegetable puree (4 options to choose from in the Moosewood Cookbook).
Serves 4 to 6
About 1 1/ 4 hours to prepare (including baking)
This is very tasty, but fairly simple; no wow factor. The goat cheese cheddar does not act the same as your average cheddar, so it may be better to add the cheese in with the rice and mushroom mixture before baking, rather than on top only. We also recommend more mushrooms; there wasn't quite enough mushroom flavor. The pecans add a nice crunch element, even though we didn't toast them; it probably would have been an more pronounced flavor had we roasted the nuts before adding them.
I proclaim it wholesomely delicious! And I have a half a boat left over for tomorrow.
Zuccanoes (stuffed zucchini)
adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook
Ingredients
4 medium zucchini (Hollygrove)
1-2 Tbs olive oil (TX) [probably just as good with pecan oil]
1 1/2 C minced onion (Rouse's)
1 tsp salt (Avery Island)
1/2 lb mushrooms, minced (Hollygrove)
6 medium cloves garlic (MidCity FM)
1 1/2 C cooked rice (Hollygorve)
1 1/2 C minced pecans, lightly toasted (Bergeron's) [we didn't toast]
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice (Becnel's, Belle Chasse)
black pepper and cayenne, to taste (we left this out)
a few pinches of freshly minced or dried herbs (mostly from my friend Terry's yard):
any combo of parsley, basil, dill, thyme, or marjoram [we used rosemary, thyme, sage and another small unidentified leaf]
1 C packed grated Ryals' goat cheddar cheese (St. James Cheesery)
Directions
1. Cut the zucchini lengthwise down the middle. Use a smallish spoon to scoop out the insides, leaving a canoe with a 1/4 inch shell. Mince the insides, and set everything aside.
2. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and salt, and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft (5 - 8 minutes).
3. Add the minced zucchini innards and the mushrooms. Turn up the heat and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring, letting the liquid evaporate. Stir in the garlic and remove from heat.
4. Stir in the rice and nuts, along with the lemon juice, and season to taste with black pepper, cayenne, and the herbs of your choice.
5. Preheat oven to 350. Fill the zucchini shells, top with the grated cheese and bake on a cookie sheet for 30 - 40 minutes, or until heated through. Serve hot. Optional: serve with a vegetable puree (4 options to choose from in the Moosewood Cookbook).
Serves 4 to 6
About 1 1/ 4 hours to prepare (including baking)
This is very tasty, but fairly simple; no wow factor. The goat cheese cheddar does not act the same as your average cheddar, so it may be better to add the cheese in with the rice and mushroom mixture before baking, rather than on top only. We also recommend more mushrooms; there wasn't quite enough mushroom flavor. The pecans add a nice crunch element, even though we didn't toast them; it probably would have been an more pronounced flavor had we roasted the nuts before adding them.
I proclaim it wholesomely delicious! And I have a half a boat left over for tomorrow.
Scavenger Hunt for Ingredients
I went to the Becnel Farmer's Market (it goes by various names) in Belle Chasse on Monday because I heard they had local oranges and locally made juices and I was hoping for some peaches. I miss a lot since I work Saturday mornings. They don't carry peaches because they require refrigeration. However, one of their 2 refrigerators is full of locally-made sausages of many varieties and flavors.
They did not have any juices and they did not have any local oranges or Valencia oranges. They did have what the woman told me were local lemons. They had no tag claiming they were from anywhere else, so I took her for her word and bought 6 of them. I brought them home and squeezed the juice into an old plastic ice tray; 5 lemons = 12 mini cubes of frozen lemon juice. Not having any immediate need for the rinds, I composted them. I saved one lemon for zesting or other needs, just in case.
How does one figure out the labelling on produce? All the other produce at this market had a tag proclaiming its origins: avocados from Mexico, oranges from Florida, bananas from South America. The lemons, watermelons and creole tomatoes had no little sticky tags, no identifying markers. I encountered the same thing at Dorignac's tonight. I had heard through the locavore grapevine that the Valencia oranges at Dorignac's were within our 200-mile radius. The sign said Produce of the USA, but there was no little sticky tag on each piece of fruit; same with the lemons. Are there laws that regulate these tags? Does no tag mean locally-sourced? I have no idea. I didn't buy any produce at Dorignac's because I couldn't verify the origins.
But I did finally find Steen's Cane Vinegar thanks to a diligent Dorignac's employee who walked me through the oil and vinegar and specialty aisles before flagging down a stock person who honed right in on it. Our arugula salad tonight appreciated it.
I loved the market in Belle Chasse and recommend the 20-minute trip to get there. It is on Belle Chasse Highway (Louisiana 23) across from the Naval Air Station and the blue angel plane in perpetual flight. Apart from fresh local and not-so-local produce, they have a plethora of sauces and dressings and other concoctions (including tamales kept warm behind the counter). I got a jar of sweet potato pecan butter (origins of ingredients unknown, but it is locally produced) and peach butter (ditto). The staff is very friendly and the market was overflowing with local watermelons and creole tomatoes. But what will make me go back are the 5-7 foot citrus trees of various types for sale: kumquats, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits. They look healthy and full and are already producing citrus. My yard needs a couple.
It was a great trip. I recommend an adventure down to the parish for some citrus trees. After June you can stop at one of the hole-in-the-wall cajun seafood restaurants for a locally cooked treat.
They did not have any juices and they did not have any local oranges or Valencia oranges. They did have what the woman told me were local lemons. They had no tag claiming they were from anywhere else, so I took her for her word and bought 6 of them. I brought them home and squeezed the juice into an old plastic ice tray; 5 lemons = 12 mini cubes of frozen lemon juice. Not having any immediate need for the rinds, I composted them. I saved one lemon for zesting or other needs, just in case.
How does one figure out the labelling on produce? All the other produce at this market had a tag proclaiming its origins: avocados from Mexico, oranges from Florida, bananas from South America. The lemons, watermelons and creole tomatoes had no little sticky tags, no identifying markers. I encountered the same thing at Dorignac's tonight. I had heard through the locavore grapevine that the Valencia oranges at Dorignac's were within our 200-mile radius. The sign said Produce of the USA, but there was no little sticky tag on each piece of fruit; same with the lemons. Are there laws that regulate these tags? Does no tag mean locally-sourced? I have no idea. I didn't buy any produce at Dorignac's because I couldn't verify the origins.
But I did finally find Steen's Cane Vinegar thanks to a diligent Dorignac's employee who walked me through the oil and vinegar and specialty aisles before flagging down a stock person who honed right in on it. Our arugula salad tonight appreciated it.
I loved the market in Belle Chasse and recommend the 20-minute trip to get there. It is on Belle Chasse Highway (Louisiana 23) across from the Naval Air Station and the blue angel plane in perpetual flight. Apart from fresh local and not-so-local produce, they have a plethora of sauces and dressings and other concoctions (including tamales kept warm behind the counter). I got a jar of sweet potato pecan butter (origins of ingredients unknown, but it is locally produced) and peach butter (ditto). The staff is very friendly and the market was overflowing with local watermelons and creole tomatoes. But what will make me go back are the 5-7 foot citrus trees of various types for sale: kumquats, lemons, oranges, and grapefruits. They look healthy and full and are already producing citrus. My yard needs a couple.
It was a great trip. I recommend an adventure down to the parish for some citrus trees. After June you can stop at one of the hole-in-the-wall cajun seafood restaurants for a locally cooked treat.
Best Sandwich Ever!
OK. First. I have a lifelong tendency for exaggeration and am frequently super excited about whatever new thing I have encountered that particular moment. Today that thing is the sandwich I brought with me to work today.
To wit, the Arugula Cherry Tomato Goat Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
2 slices local whole wheat or other dense, nutty bread
Ryal's goat cheese
halved tiny yellow cherry tomatoes (Hollygrove)
arugula (Hollygrove)
smattering of other greens (Hollygrove)
dash Avery Island salt
Directions
Make a sandwich with goat cheese on both slices and put mostly arugula, but a few other purple and green sprigs in as large a pile as will fit on one slice of bread. Arrange tomato halves on the other slice. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt.
Wrap in wax paper and keep in the work fridge until 12:30.
Enjoy!
So simple and so fantastic. It might truly be, without exaggeration, the best sandwich I have ever made, and certainly the best I have ever eaten at my desk.
To wit, the Arugula Cherry Tomato Goat Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients
2 slices local whole wheat or other dense, nutty bread
Ryal's goat cheese
halved tiny yellow cherry tomatoes (Hollygrove)
arugula (Hollygrove)
smattering of other greens (Hollygrove)
dash Avery Island salt
Directions
Make a sandwich with goat cheese on both slices and put mostly arugula, but a few other purple and green sprigs in as large a pile as will fit on one slice of bread. Arrange tomato halves on the other slice. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt.
Wrap in wax paper and keep in the work fridge until 12:30.
Enjoy!
So simple and so fantastic. It might truly be, without exaggeration, the best sandwich I have ever made, and certainly the best I have ever eaten at my desk.
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