Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Produce Shopping in the Winter

Sadly, the produce boxes have stopped flowing. Last week was our last week, and the box was still quite abundant with greens and squash and such. I have been brewing over how to produce shop this winter while my share is no more, though one plan I certainly have is to stop by Red Hill to purchase some crops available to members during the winter. After that, I hope to make it out to Gentille's to buy whatever is in season, local, and at the cheapest rate. This way, I can still keep up with a similar menu planning style instead of reverting back to my, "Whatever I feel like eating," habits. I will continue to try to eat seasonally and locally, building my menus around those foci instead of my own whims and pleasures. Slowly, I think this way is becoming more fun and healthier. Though I must admit that my meals this past week have been carb-loaded and veggie-less. I did make a carmelized tofu with brussel sprouts and a butternut squash soup one night though, yum. Post to follow on that. I have realized how without the box, I depend more on my pantry, no good! I intend on making my meals at least 1/2 a plate of veggies, and use less dairy. We shall see how that goes!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Best Collard Greens Ever

I have never had collard greens until probably last year. I love them! Well, at least I love these ones. They have 4 ingredients and couldn't be simpler. I could probably just eat these for dinner and be completely satisfied, for a while at least.

With our last box being this week, I will try to post mostly seasonal veggies and my quest to find affordable and local veggies continues this winter.

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Be on the lookout this week for another commonly disliked veggie: brussel sprouts. Even the hubs who whined and complained while I was cooking them liked them!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Chili Verde

Once again, having way too many green tomatoes for comfort (and after not exactly loving the fried ones), I sought after an alternative for my green tomatoes. I thought about doing a salsa verde, and then moved on to the idea of a green chili. After scouring the cooking websites for a veg friendly green chili, I found there were none, at least none that I could find. So, I took what little cooking saavy I had, looked at a bunch of non-veg recipes, and created my own.
This recipe is a bit ad-hoc, which is really how I cook. Sometimes this leaves me in a lurch, but this time it turned out rather well. It was a shame there wasn't more leftovers though. I do however have additional salsa verde in the freezer to use.
**Note on the recipe**
* the salsa verde makes about 4 cups, use 2 and freeze the rest.
*I did not count/measure how many tomatoes I used as they were all different sizes and when they come from the farm, I have no weight measurement. I used a large baking sheet and simply filled it to the brims.
Chili Verde (printable recipe)
1 t oregano 1/2 t smoky paprika 1 t cumin 2 t garlic powder 16 oz veg broth 2 c salsa verde (see below) 1 can green chilies 2 T flour 2 T oil 4 quorn chicken breasts
4 T cilantro, chopped
2 T lime juice Cook quorn chicken breasts according to directions. Heat oil in a pan and add flour, making a roux. Slowly add vegetable broth. Then add spices, green chilies, and salsa verde, mixing in cilantro and lime juice right before serving . Shred chicken once cooked through and add to the chili. Top with sour cream if desired. Salsa Verde 1/2 vadalia onion 2 cloves garlic 2 poblanos 4 green peppers green tomatoes to fill pan (2-3 pounds)
2 T olive oil salt pepper place all ingredients on a large baking tray, toss with olive oil, and roast at 375 for 45 minutes. Blend together after letting cool slightly.