April 28, 2012

May I Make You Dinner?!

This month has a lot going for it. Hopefully we'll get off to a good start on May Day Tuesday.

SatChinese Chicken Noodle Soup
Sun: Vegetarian Chili, broccoli
Mon: Falafel, Carrots
Tues: Beets, Kale, Fish
Wed: Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos
Thur: Salad with Roasted Chick Peas
Fri: Broccoli Rabe Veggie Pizza

For my marketing this week, I split my time between the Salisbury Farmer's Market, where it's always nice to chat with the folks from Wild Turkey Farms (check out their new website!) and Correll Farms (yay, greens are back!) and Father & Son Produce, which is pretty much my idea of veggie shopping heaven. My spoils from each:

Correll: Broccoli Rabe, Kale, Free Radishes! $6
Eagle Farm: Strawberries, Red Spring Onions  $5
Lee Ly: Baby Lettuce $2
F&S: 2 Cucumbers, Broccoli, 4 Bananas, 3 Garlics, Cilantro, 4 Beets, 3 Yellow Onions $8.50

In case you've missed it, this is why I keep up with these purchases: Join the NC 10% campaign

April 26, 2012

A "Gooda" Quiche Recipe



(Ashe Co.) Gouda, Green Onion, Corn, and Asparagus Quiche + egg/flour mix, all combined in a deep dish shell. Bake for about 30 mins at 375.

April 20, 2012

Earth Day Everyday

Did you see my tweet of $13 worth of produce loot? I stopped by Father & Son Produce on Friday morning and was in grocery shopping heaven. First, the selection & quality,  second the atmosphere, third the prices!! Just to be clear, this isn't necessarily local produce, but it is a local business. In fact, the owner is related to these people.


S: Grilled fish, green beans, balsamic roasted sweet potatoes
M: Tofu Fajitas
T: Zucchini Lasagna
W: Asparagus, Green Onion, & Gouda quiche
R: Tangy Tempeh Kitchen Sink Salad
F: The Ave-cado Sammies

April 19, 2012

Two Rouxs

I think the correct plural term of roux is actually rousses, or simply just roux. Rouxs is more fun. I digress. Unintentionally, YJDKIY ended up making two back-to-back nights of the creamy-flour mix for two very different meals. I would note, though, both versions are much healthier than one might think a traditional roux would be.

ROUX 1: Garlicky Chicken & Broccoli

For this one, I simply sauted the chicken and broccoli in EVOO with some garlic powder and minced garlic. I melted a little Earth Balance (maybe 1.5 t), mixed in about 1 t of white flour until smooth, and then added about 3/4 c light soy milk, 1/4 c at a time. As I did this, I kept adding in the flour, but kept it pretty thin. Mix in a LOT of garlic powder. Meanwhile, about 1 c basmati rice was cooking. I mixed the roux in with that and tossed with the veggies & chicken. Topped with parmesan, it made excellent leftovers for lunch.

heeeeey honday!


ROUX 2: Three Bean Enchiladas

And the next night, this was in place of the called-for can of cheese soup (I didn't even know such a horrendous-sounding thing exists). Mix one can each of pinto, navy, and kidney beans with 1/2 c each chopped red onion and green pepper. Prepare the roux, starting out the same way, but mix in about 1/2 c grated jack (Ashe Co. Cheese!) and stir until creamy. Mix this into the beans, and add 3 T tomato sauce and a dash of cumin. Warm about 20 corn tortillas in the microwave (5 at a time for 20 seconds with a spritz of water) and fill with bean mix. Top with green enchilada sauce and cheese. Serve over a bed of lettuce. These were pretty good and I'll probably make them again because they're much easier than the PPK ones.

heeeeey callay!


Just for fun, there's also a third roux, but it's actually spelled RUE. They're lovely, and a propos, but wikipedia tells me they do this to your skin:


yikes! But, its also eaten in Ethiopia. How does that work!?

April 17, 2012

Another Sweet Potato Pie

YJDKIY has tried NUMBEROUS (yes I know, that is a new word) times to make twice baked sweet potatoes. I've now concluded that it is impossible - either the skin gets too loose, the potato isn't fully baked or is too mushy.


So this time, I gave up and made a casserole instead. Baked them for about an hour on 400, then mixed with coconut milk (secret ingredient for all future mashed sweet potatoes!). Meanwhile, I sauted some fresh farmer's market spinach with a LOT of garlic. Mixed that in, and a can of garbanzos for protein. Topped with a layer of some leftover fancy shredded cheese and breadcrumbs and baked for about 30 more minutes. It was sort of the baby food version of this.

April 15, 2012

The weekender

Finally we get some fresh veggies back into the meal plan thanks to the opening of the Salisbury Farmer's Market!

The selection was a little limited still (likely due to the weird weather - so so sad), but we did score 4 qts of fresh local strawberries for $12, some green onions (that I love because they have so much more kick than grocery store ones) for $2, and bundles of spinach and bok choy for $2 each.

S: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Spinach & Coconut Milk (scroll down on the link to find recipe)
M: Bok Choy & Tofu Stir Fry with Soba Noodles
T: Garlicky Chicken & Broccoli with Brown Rice
W: Three-bean Enchiladas (minus the canned soup)
R: Baked Tilapia with Strawberry-Lime Chutney, WHS potato rolls, veggieTBD
F: Mediterranean Salad with Greek Potatoes
S: Kale & Sausage Saute

April 14, 2012

Ashe County Cheese

Mooooooo! YJDKIY seems to be hanging out with the Holsteins a lot lately. This time, though, there weren't any live bovines in my presence, just some pretty large metal ones.


Last weekend I happened to notice that Saturday was a cheese-making day at Ashe County Cheese in West Jefferson, so we packed up and headed out 221, since it was only about a 20 minute drive from our Easter vacation.


First we stopped by the store to sample some goods, and see what was available. Warm welcome from the Mouse Contingent.



I was first introduced the the Mountain Sharp Cheddar via our Winter Harvest basket, but wanted to try some other varieties.


You have no idea the varieties, shapes, and specialties that can be found in this un-assuming little cheese store. Scottie cheese anyone? I didn't get a picture, but definitely sample the cheese curds...I can't imagine why you would buy these, but it's quite an experience in your mouth!


Then we headed next door to check out the actual plant. Using the local high school welding teacher and his students, artist Stephen Willingham turned the 5000 gallon milk tanks into cows. I think this is one of the most ingenious marketing/art/industrial applications ever! Read more about it in an article from the Winston-Salem Journal last June (fascinating...seriously, read about it).


Once inside, there were lots of historical photos and a video explaining the process.


And of course, the operation itself. You can see the milk coming into the vat right in the center. The vat behind that is where it is heated and turns to curd. The round tins in the front are assembled and pressed to make the wheels. Looked like some type of cheddar on this day!


What an odd spot for a family photo! This is the viewing room for the cheese-making floor.


If you visit, be sure to walk around the building to see the farm mural on the end by the parking lot! You'll also want to spend a little time browsing the eclectic handful of independent shops on main street. I came home with two things I'd been looking for: a mini-spatula, a poly-cotton t-shirt...plus $28 worth of cheese! :P

April 8, 2012

Short on time

S: White bean chicken chili
M: Veggie Pita Pizzas (alert: breaking of the Friday pizza rule!)
T: Mac & Trees, Gardein
W: Pesto Shrimp Gnocchi with Roasted Red Peppers
R: Garden burgers, carrot sticks
F: Nachos Lucy

April 3, 2012

Lemonade

Would have been a good choice for this 80 degree day...and that's no April fool. Instead, YJDKIY served up Lemony Asparagus Polenta with Chickpeas. The recipe is over at Fat Free Vegan, so check it out there. The chick peas were ahhhhmayzing!


This was the perfect dish to bust out one of my favorite, but not-often-utilized utensils. The spork. Have you been acquainted? Did you know it has it's own website.


I have a few plastic ones, treasured from long-ago visits to Bojangles. Ahem....you didn't need to do that (but who doesn't love an occasional BoBerry biscuit?!), but should really acquire a more proper version. Feel free to have this one shipped to me.

April 2, 2012

Tofu Parm

YJDKIY finds it hard to believe I've never blogged this. Not that we eat it a lot, but it is sort of a staple.


Start with a breadcrumb-garlic powder-fresh dried basil (from 2010!) mix and tofu slices. 


To enhance the jar sauce, I prepped red onion, green pepper, and garlic. 



Line them up on a greased baking dish and preheat the oven to 400.


And start the sauce simmering, by sauteing the veggies, add the sauce, and then 4 large handfuls of baby spinach (have to get the veggies in!).


Let it cook down for about 10-15 minutes.


The tofu should bake about 20-25 minutes. For the last 5 minutes, add slices of mozzarella on top for melty goodness.


This is an old stand by, nothing special in flavor, but definitely filling. There's also nothing special about photographing it! Served over green spinach pasta, it does not present very tastily!


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