End of Farm Season...

So I'm driving to work this morning and I said to myself, "Wow, all the trees are changing colors. Weird." Then I realized ITS OCTOBER! Can you believe how fast this summer/this year has flown by? I cant!

Well with the end of the warm weather comes the end of my amazing farm share from Red Fire Farm. Hubby and I enjoyed so many amazing types of vegetables and fruits this year and most recently have been enjoying fall flavors with root vegetables, different types of squash, potatoes and apples.

Below are some yummy treats I have made with them!

 

Microwaved Potato Chips - thin and crispy just like the bag, with no added fat! Slice potatoes thin, sprinkle with salt, lay flat on a microwave safe plate, microwave for 3 minutes, flip over and microwave another 3 minutes.

 Homemade Cinnamon Spiced Apple Sauce

"The Bean Pizza" - Idea stolen from a pizza place in Belmont. Crunchy crust with a white bean spread, ricotta cheese, thin sliced beef topped with a spinach salad.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Banh Mi

So I had the pleasure of recently trying a new food. I am always up for a food challenge and for trying new things so when my sister told me about this new Vietnamese sandwich shop in West Roxbury I just had to try it. When I snooped online to look at the menu it seemed very limited and vague about what exactly they served. It has about 6 different sandwiches, some noodle dishes and drinks, all priced at less than 5 bucks!

My Homemade Version of Beef Teriyaki Banh Mi (Vietnamese Style Sandwich)

Pesto Brushed Biscuits

As I sat around this afternoon torturing myself watching Diners, Drive-ins and Dives I wasn’t really sure what to do for dinner. After watching about 2 hours of the show I decided that I could not end the day without a southern style biscuit!

Not that biscuits went well in any way with the left over eggplant parm and pasta with fresh pesto sauce I planned on serving, but why not whip up a batch, eat one and then force the rest on my co-workers tomorrow.

As I was preparing this evening meal I thought, “I wish I had some jam, or something to dip my biscuit in.” Then, sitting next to me on the counter, the fresh pesto..woolaa, a match made in kitchen heaven.

Biscuits, pie crust, dough’s, all kind of seem intimidating but if you have a little bit of patience they are actually extremely easy to make fresh.

Traditional Biscuit Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, cubed

3/4 cup milk

In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Cut butter into flour mix until it begins to look like wet sand. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and slowly add milk. Lightly mix dough with your fingers. Dump dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to desired thickness. Cut with biscuit cutter.

Pesto Brushed Biscuits  

The Makings of Eggplant Parm Soup

Eggplant Parmesan Soup

8 Cups Chicken Stock
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large eggplant, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
salt to taste
1 cup garlic croutons
1/2 mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese 

In a large soup pot, heat oil on medium heat, add onions and garlic and saute for 5 minutes, add eggplant and herbs and saute another 10 minutes, until eggplant is soft and starting to break down. Add crushed tomatoes and chicken stock, stir and allow to simmer on medium heat for 1 hour. After one hour and soup is thick and reduced. Serve topped with croutons and cheese. Serves 6 people

Tasted just like eggplant Parmesan without the high calorie steps of frying the eggplant and layering with cheese! A must try :)!

Inspired Vegetable Soup

A long time ago, when I was about 12 years old, my family took a trip to Portugal. We have some family that lives there so part of the trip was spent with them. I remember seeing and experiencing many new things, I remember the food and in particular I remember a soup that was prepared for us by a friend of my cousins, Donzilia. All it was was a simple vegetable soup, but the way that the flavors melted together was so comforting and satisfying. I was recently thinking of our trip to Portugal and possibly going back someday and though I would try to recreate this simple, yet so yummy, vegetable soup.

Simple Vegetable Soup garnished with Fried Okra

8 cups prepared chicken stock, I used homemade

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium potatoes, cubed

4 carrots, diced

1 tbsp salt

½ tbsp black pepper

2 cooked chicken breasts, finely shredded.

 

In a large pot add oil, heat on medium for 1 minute. Add onions, garlic, carrots and potatoes, stir and saute for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper and Saute another 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and allow to boil until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and blend soup until pureed (I used an immersion blender but you could easily transfer vegetables into a regular blender). Bring soup back to a boil, reduce to low and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes, until a little bit thick. Add shredded chicken and serve.

 

 

Happy National Tequila Day!

I was informed late this afternoon that today is in fact National Tequila Day.

I love a good margarita, fresh squeezed lime juice and a salted rim…that’s my drink of choice.

Recently Hubby and I were having lunch at Legal C Bar and they had a special summer margarita made with a habanero pepper syrup…they told me it was spicy but I thought I’d give it a try…let me tell you, it was spicy, sweet and tangy in the most perfect way that I had to try to recreate it at home!

Spicy Rimmed Rita

1 cup diced watermelon

2 limes

2 tbsp agave syrup (or splenda)

2 shots Silver Tequila (my favorite is Milagro) - click link for recipes using tequila

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp cayenne pepper

In a blender add watermelon, blend until liquid and pour into a strainer to remove pulp. To watermelon juice add agave nectar and juice of 2 limes.

Rim each glass with salt and cayenne mixture, add ice, pour 1 shot of tequila and finish with watermelon juice. Stir and serve cold. Garnished with lime slice and watermelon. 

Back in Action!

Hello All, I am back!

I can’t believe how fast the past few months have flew by me. So much is going on in life I kind of stepped back from writing this blog, but that does not mean that I haven’t been cooking!

I was inspired today at work; we held a Nutrition Group which focused on shopping at a local Farmers Market. I printed all of the pictures that I took of my CSA fruits and vegetables from last year and my plan for the group was for everyone to share a healthy recipe that they prepare at home using a fruit or a vegetable that can be found at the Farmers Market. It went amazing; I learned so many new recipes and discovered so many different ways to use common vegetables.

My CSA is on week 8; I’ve already bulk ordered garlic and pickled some stuff!

See below for a quick update on what I’ve been up to food wise!

My First Trip To Restaurant Depot!

Watermelon and Feta Cheese Salad with fresh mint and oregano

 Strawberry Bread

 Red, White and Blue Whoopie Pies for 4th of July

 Buffalo Chicken Meat Balls

Welcome back to me. Stay tuned for lots of recipes to come!!