Mint & Strawberry Salad

Devin and I finished taking out the fence in order to get the garden ready for building.  We broke for a nice lunch and utilized some of the spearmint that's popping up in the yard (and by some, I mean more mint than I will ever be able to use).

Here's a photo set Devin put together from our lunch.

Broccoli, corn on the cob, swiss mushroom brat from the farm,
and mint-strawberry salad.

We aren't very good at the before and after shots yet, but this is from the same angle and gives you an idea of what we've done so far - and here's where we hope to go!

Big Black Fence 

Fenceless! Next the tilling & building.

Simple Asparagus & Quinoa

I found asparagus on sale at our market and let it sit on the counter for a few days while I tried to figure out what I wanted to do with it.  This is what I did with it:

Ingredients
1/2 cup Quinoa, rinsed
1 cup Water
1 lb. Asparagus, rinsed and trimmed
1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbs. Butter
1 Tbs. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
Salt & Pepper

Bring water, with a pinch of salt, to a boil.  Add quinoa and reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  When cooked, remove from heat.

Toss asparagus in olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Bake in an oven-proof pan for 12 minutes or until tender.  Brown butter in a heavy bottomed pan.  Be careful not to burn, but it should be a golden brown.  Add vinegar and soy sauce and simmer until slightly thickened.  Poor over cooked asparagus.  Top with quinoa and enjoy!

Devin Hendrick Photography

Our First Granola

Devin and I made granola for the first time this afternoon.  We had 110 servings of oats to work through and figured this would a good start.

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered and shaved almonds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1-2 Tbs. cinnamon (to taste)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup wildflower honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup real maple syrup

Combine all ingredients well.  Spread onto a baking sheet (on parchment paper) and bake at 250 (F) for 80 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.  Delicious - and subtle.  I like that it doesn't contain any sugar.

Devin Hendrick Photography

Bruleed Bananas

Devin and I had a hankering for something sweet this afternoon.  Inspired by an episode of Good Eats and equipped with a blow torch from my dear friend, Monica, we tried our hand at Bruleed Bananas.

Photography by Devin Hendrick of dehephotography.

Ingredients
2 bananas
3 tsp vanilla sugar*

Directions

Sugared bananas, before they were peeled.

1. Slice the ends off each banana then cut them in half length-wise and width-wise so you're left with 4 pieces per banana.



2. Coat the cut edge of banana in the vanilla sugar (nestle it in).

See that guy in the back? Burned.  It happens fast, people.

3. Peel the bananas and lay them, sugar side up, on a heat proof pan.




4. Torch those babies in an even sweeping motion until the sugar caramelizes - don't let it burn.

Delicious with that crispy crunch!

5. Cool and enjoy!

*You can use regular white sugar, but we thought the hint of vanilla would add to our enjoyment.  I make my own vanilla sugar by stashing emptied/used vanilla bean pods in a small container of sugar.  I shake it and adjust every few months.

Surprise Surprise Surprise...

Wow, it's been three weeks since my last post.  It's almost as if some life altering event has taken place that has been preventing me from sitting down and writing/posting pictures.  Oh yes, that's right...

I found out I'm allergic to gluten (NOT celiac disease though, whew)...
...and dairy (NOT lactose intolerant, but allergic to casein in ALL dairy products)...
...and we got a dog!
...and Sammit's been on an ICU (intenstive care unit) shift this month, meaning I'm picking up all the house slack that he usually does (laundry, dishes, trash, compost, pet food...he's a good husband).

So, I'll play a little catch-up and then see what I can work out - I'd love to start posting more cooking experiments, especially gluten free recipes (and boy do I have some failures).

Gluten Free
I've had a sneaking suspicion that I might have a gluten intolerance for a few months now.  Sammit and I don't usually eat bread and we switched to a gluten free pasta a while ago, so the transition isn't as hard as it could be.  Gluten is in almost every processed food, but I've been trying to eliminate processed foods in our house for a while - so it's almost a win.  I've been emotionally preparing myself for this for a while and the idea of eliminating my symptoms like fatigue, extremely stubborn weight, headaches, and nausea is really exciting.  When my doctor sat down to talk to me about my blood tests, I was ready to hear this and felt validated that I wasn't going crazy.  She told me that I don't have celiac disease, which was a relief and meant that I can work toward eliminating this intolerance, an option not available to those with celiac. I felt empowered and ready to make a life change, but then she continued...

Casein Free
When she told me I has a dairy intolerance my heart sank a little.  "But, I've read that people who have problems digesting dairy are often fine on raw milk and I just bought into a cow lease, so I might be fine?" I asked with hope. She told me that I didn't have lactose intolerance, something that I could take a pill to deal with, but that I was actually having negative reactions to casein, a protein found all dairy products (milk, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, whey, etc...cow's or goat's milk). 

I love dairy.  I mean, I LOVE it.  I can drink milk like water, especially the new raw milk we have.  I make my own yogurt, I have friends who make their own cheese.  I can live without gluten but not if I have to do it without dairy as well...at least that's what I'm muttering to myself as I try to build an arsenal of new gf/df recipes.

Molly
A few weeks ago I was trolling around petfinder, looking for corgi's in our area.  Sammit and I love corgi dogs and had talked about having one someday.  So, I've always enjoy seeing if they are nearby and dreaming about having a dog when we are older and more responsible.  And then I saw Molly.  She's a daschund/corgi mix and a rescue from South Carolina.  I made the call, we visited her in her foster home, fell in love and took her home that night.  She's incredibly sweet and a wonderful addition to our home.

Publish Post

Apple-Banana Crumble Muffins

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour (I used Namaste Gluten Free)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce (homemade)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 (F).  Line muffin tins.
2. Gently mix applesauce, bananas, egg, and sugar.
3. Fold in mixture of flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and pie spice.
4. In a small bowl mix brown sugar, cinnamon and flour and cut in butter until it forms a course crumble.  
5. Fill tins with a large spoon of batter and top with crumble.
6. Bake for 18 minutes then let cool.

52 New-To-Us Soups - #3 Ham Hock & Lentil

It tastes a lot better than it looks.

Adapted from Emerill Lagasse

Ingredients

Water

2 cups of leftover Stock*

1-2 smoked ham hocks

1 1/2 cups orange lentils

1 medium onion, diced

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1/2 head garlic, peeled and minced

Bay Leaf

Palm full of dried thyme (or several sprigs or fresh)

Directions

1. Pour stock into a large pot, place the ham hocks in and fill the remainder with water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 1 hour.
2. Remove hocks from stock and strip the meat into cubes, pour back into the pot.
3. Add remaining ingredients and bring back to a boil, then reduce again and simmer for 30 minutes.

*While chicken or beef stock will work well, I used a particularly delicious leftover stock from the spare ribs we made for dinner the previous night.  It could be duplicated by pureeing a carrot, onion, celery stick, garlic cloves and tomato paste and allowing that to cook in the water and the ham hock.  Simply strain the pulp from the stock in between step 2 and 3.

Sausage, Rice & Beans

This is a cheap and easy, but not fast, dinner.  I enjoy making dinners like this because I only use one dish, can catch up on some cooking shows and have leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

4 cups stock (any flavor or water)

2 cups brown rice

1 cups dried azuki beans (any bean is fine, but these cook around the same rate as rice, making it easier)

7 sausages, cut to 1 in pieces (adjust number for your audience - we used a pack of andouille chicken sausage from costco)

1 large can diced tomatoes (I use a quart of home canned)

1 can corn (I use a pint of home canned)

1 diced pepper (any pepper is fine, we used a Serrano with the seeds removed)

1/4 cup of taco seasoning

Directions

1. Optional - soak rice & beans the night before in water with a Tbs. of acid (vinegar, whey, lemon juice, etc.) to break down some indigestibles.
2. Bring stock or liquid to a boil in a large pan.  Add rice and beans and bring to a boil again before reducing the heat to as simmer.
3. Add tomatoes (and juices), corn, pepper & seasoning.
4. Add sliced sausages and let cook until rice and beans are tender.  Stir occasionally.

This takes a little longer than cooking brown rice - 45 minutes to an hour - so it's not a fast recipe.  

BUT...it's convenient.  I go into the living room and watch an episode of Jamie at Home or Dharma & Greg or Chuck's Day Off and I complete a new step during each commercial break, then make sure to check in on it and stir during each commercial break.  It's a really hands off dinner.  When we have the supplies, I like to serve it up with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, shredded cheese and a spoonful of sour cream.

AND...it's cheap.

• 4 cups Stock: 0.00 (Homemade Chicken) to 3.99 (organic)
• 2 cups Brown Rice: 1.33 (generic) to 3.59 (organic)
• 1 cup Azuki Beans: 0.95 (bulk bin) to 1.25 (organic canned)
• 7 Sausages:  2.66 (costco) to 6.99 (organic)
• Diced tomatoes: 0.01 (garden from seed) to 1.99 (organic)
• Corn: 0.01 (garden from seed) to 1.25 (organic)
• Pepper: 0.01 (garden from seed) to 0.60 (organic)
• Taco Seasoning - I'll throw in 0.10 for the seasoning

Drumroll...

6 large servings - as little as 0.84 per serving, as much as 3.29 per serving for entirely organic/upscale ingredients.  A little more with the cheese/cilantro/sour cream addition.

Quinoa Stirfry (and Zim)

1 cup quinoa (soaked for 15-30 minutes, rinsed)
1 cup water
1/2 cup beef stock

1 small onion, diced
3 garlic gloves, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 sticks celery, diced small
2 1/2 cups cabbage, shredded
2-3 green onions, sliced
2 Tbs. coconut oil
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. soy sauce (optional - no soy for us)
1/2 tsp 5 spice powder (optional - we had it)
Large pinch of salt
Fresh Pepper, to taste
Small handful cilantro, shredded (optional - we had it)

Directions

1. Let quinoa soak in water for at least 15 minutes - then rinse.  Combine quinoa, 1 cup fresh water and beef stock in a small stock pot.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and let cook until fluffy (20 minutes?)
2. In the mean time, prep vegetables.
3. Heat oils and sauces in a pan (or wok) on high heat.  Add onions, garlic, and spices (not cilantro) until aromatic.  Add vegetables and cook for 10 minutes or so - stirring occasionally.  Add quinoa and allow to cook through.
4. Add cilantro and serve. 

My sous chef, Zim

Zim gets bored when I don't have anything for him to prep

But he checks in regularly.

Beef Stroganoff

Mmmmm....no pictures because I was too busy eating - that and I lost my phone (which is my only picture taking device).  Seriously delicious.


1/2 lb meat (beef tips, ground beef/lamb, etc.)
1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. fat of choice (tallow, lard, coconut oil)

3 carrots, diced small
1/4 onion, diced small
3 garlic gloves, diced small

2 cup stock

1 cup red wine (something worth drinking)

1/4 cup creme fresh/sour cream

2 tsp. flour/cornstarch for GF
1 bay leaf
Salt
Pepper

2 cups cooked pasta, potatoes, or rice


Directions

1. Brown seasoned beef in a pan of hot oil; once fully cooked spoon out beef and set aside.
2. Add beef tallow/fat to the pan.  When fat is hot add aromatics and sweat until translucent.
3. Add high quality stock and red wine and bay leaf.  Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer until reduced.  (I reduced mine for about 15 minutes - I was in a hurry.)
4. Whisk in flour until liquid thickens.  Add ground beef back into the pan and mix in creme fresh/sour cream.
5. Serve beef sauce over your starch.  Oh my goodness.

I've never cooked with red wine before - especially in sauce form.  Sammit and I don't drink - so we never have wine in the house - but this bottle has been hanging out since we received it as a wedding gift.  We'll be having wine in the house from this point forward.  

You could also add mushrooms to this sauce - they would be wonderful!  I just didn't have any.

I licked the bowl.  

Elimination Diet - Wrapping up week 1 (Steak/Risotto Recipe)

Sammit and I have survived our first week of the elimination diet (suggested by my ND to see if I have any food allergies).  While it hasn't been easy, it hasn't been as hard as I thought it was going to be.

Week 1 - Cons:

1. I'm still really focused on the foods we can't eat.
2. Dear god I want a glass of milk.
3. I miss the taste of butter.
4. I've avoided a few social engagements because of diet restrictions.
5. This takes a lot of planning - there is no alternative.  If I forget to pack lunches the night before - I'm late to work - eating out at work is absolutely not a fall-back option.

Week 1 - Pros:

1. I'm eating way more vegetables than I used to eat - now realizing that I didn't eat nearly as many veggies as I thought I was.
2. I'm eating different foods (celery root, yams, kale, brown and wild rices, fish, salads, olive oils); there's a variety in my diet that I lacked before.
3. I'm learning to cook in a way I didn't know I didn't know.  I've always thought I could cook - and while I can make food, I'm not sure if I can cook.  I'm picking up new techniques that are necessary now.
4. While I don't feel completely different - I have felt more energized a few days this week.  Still inconclusive though.
5. I've eaten some of the best meals I've ever made this week - and here I'll share one:

Simple Seared Steak with Complicated Asparagus Brown Rice Risotto

I started the Risotto when I took my steak out of the fridge (to let it come up to room temp before cooking).  This particular cut (I wish I had taken a picture prior to cooking it) was purchased at a local market.  We typically get our meat from a local CSA - but the storm last month prevented me from picking up our order.  While I love the idea of our CSA meat - I have some trouble with a few of the cuts and I really enjoyed having a nice trimmed flank steak from the store.  This was a grass-fed, grain-finished cut sans antibiotics.

Risotto:

1 cup brown rice

7 cups HM beef stock (can use boxed stock, but nothing beats this gelatinous nutrient filled goodness)

1/2 cup shredded beef (optional, I had a little left over from a roast a few days ago)

1/2 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3rds

Steak:

Favorite cut of steak - sized appropriately

1 Tbs. coconut oil

1 cup HM beef stock

Directions:

1. Pull the steak out of the fridge and let it come up to room temp on the counter.  Bring 7 cups of beef stock to a boil on the stove while browning 1 cup of rice in a large pot.
2. Add a ladle of boiling stock to the browned rice and stir.  Risotto cooks slowly - so keep stirring the rice until all the stock has been absorbed.  Add additional ladles of stock one at a time, waiting until the last has been absorbed before adding another.  Stir stir stir, keeping the pot on medium-low heat.
3. After 30 minutes preheat your oven to 500 (F) with an oven proof pan inside.  When the oven comes up to temp - move pan (use an oven mitt!) from the oven to a stove burner on high.  Add coconut oil and let it heat up.  Lay the steak in the pan and DO NOT touch it - let it sear and get back to stirring the risotto.
4. After 2-3 minutes flip steak and allow the other side to sear for the same amount of time.  Once seared on both sides, put the pan and steak(s) back into the oven and cook for additional time.  I prefer 3-4 minutes or so for a  medium steak (145-150(F)).  In the mean time, stir that risotto.
5. Pull steak out and allow it to rest on a plate for 10-15 minutes (cover in tin foil).  If risotto looks creamy - test the rice to see if it is soft - if soft, stir in asparagus and beef (and a spoon of butter if you're not avoiding dairy).  Turn heat off and cover.  
6. In the mean time, deglaze the steak pan.  Add 1 cup of beef stock to the hot pan and scrape the delicious little bits from the bottom until everything is loosened.  Bring stock to a high simmer and allow it to reduce and thicken into a delicious sauce - pour over steak and risotto and serve.

My rice was a little undercooked - but after
putting it back on the heat for about 10 minutes - it softened right up.

52 New-To-Us Soups - #2 Chicken & Vegetable Soup

Shot of my counter amidst this soup affair

1/2 gallon HM chicken stock (highly recommended, though boxed stock or broth will work)

4-5 carrots, chopped (I like slicing diagonally)

2 celery stocks, chopped (1/4 inch thick, including leaves)

1/4 large celery root, thinly sliced

1 bunch green onions, sliced

1/4 head green cabbage, sliced into ribbons

3 cups shredded chicken (left over from roasted chicken)

A few large pinches of salt

1 tsp white pepper

All my ingredients - getting to know each other

 Directions:

1.  Heat stock in a large soup pot.  Add carrots and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add remaining veggies and simmer for another 5 minutes.
3. Add shredded chicken and heat for another 5-10 minutes.
4. Serve Hot.  Reheats well, but looses color. 

I think this would be really cook with a little tomato paste or some dropped eggs (neither of which are available to me while testing allergies).

Poached Pears

Disclaimer: When I was looking for information on the foods Sammit and I could or could not eat while searching for my suspected food allergy I found a lot of conflicting lists.  In the end, I settled on the list of foods to avoid from my ND - so I apologize if this recipe contains foods that you are not able to eat on your elimination diet.

 Sammit and I put together a nice dinner last night (when I say together - I made dinner and Sammit set the table and did the dishes).  I foil baked [Wild Alaskan] cod with some Old Bays & garlic and added a side of wild rice (cooked in HM bone stock) and steamed broccoli.  I was going to take a picture because it was just beautiful - but I'm finding that the better the meal, the less likely I am to have a picture.  I'll work on that.  But the real show stopper was dessert, something to which we thought we'd long said goodbye while looking for my allergy: poached pears!

Now, I've never made or had poached pairs before this, so if you're familiar (and a big fan) you might not like these.  We aren't wine drinkers and rarely ever have it in the house so even though the alcohol would cook off (alcohol is not allowed on the ED) we didn't use any in our recipe.  We also can't have processed sugar, so the simple syrup was out as well.  What to do - What to do?

2 cups water
2 Tbs. wildflower honey (from this Adorable man at the Eastern Market)
1 Tbs. maple syrup (we are using up our grade A and are searching for a local grade B variety)
1 cinnamon stick
1 vanilla bean, seeds removed - reserving both the seeds and the pod
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped or grated (less if you find ginger to be strong)
Handful of blueberries
2 firm pears, cored with skins peeled off (skins and core can be composted or used as an ingredient to flavor the liquid)


Directions:

1. Add all but the pears to pot appropriately sized to house the pears and bring to a boil.  (I used a high walled but small pot that made it easier to evenly cook the pears - however the lack of surface area caused the syrup to take longer to reduce).

2. Turn the heat down to a simmer and gently add the peeled pears (as they cook they will become easier to bruise).  Place a lid on the pot and let simmer for 20-30 minutes (I let them cook while I made dinner).  Alternately you could put them in an oven-safe pot and let them bake at 250 for several hours.


3. When pears are soft (20-30 minutes on stove top), gently remove them from the sauce and let them cool.  Strain out the solid contents and keep the liquid in the pot - placing over medium heat and allowing it to reduce (stirring regularly) to your desired syrup thickness - I like mine to coat a spoon.  Now - you can keep the blueberries to serve, but we composted ours - they looked too much like Violet Beauregarde for my taste.

4.  Spoon syrup over pears and serve.

Liquid reducing into a syrup

Sammit and I loved the taste of these - pears, honey, ginger with hints of cinnamon and specks of vanilla and blueberry - not to mention the gorgeous color.  A true compliment from Sammit is him remarking on the food without me having to ask if he likes it (he likes everything).  Not only did he think they were delicious, he suggested we serve them at a dinner party; we don't really have dinner parties, but the thought was touching and I'll put these on the short list of things to serve his parents someday.  We also both agreed that as long as it doesn't turn out I'm allergic to dairy, these would be fabulous with some real whipped cream or a dollop of ice cream.  And should I ever decide to get really crazy, I thought about coring ice cream and serving it INSIDE the pear.

Our final product

52 New-To-Us Soups - #1 Carrot Soup

• 1 1/2 pounds carrots, chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock (home made)
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbs fresh dill weed (or 1 Tbs dried)
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Big pinch of salt

Directions:

1. In a medium sized stock pot, over high heat, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots are soft.
2. With a stick blender, puree the soup, return to stock pot and simmer for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Season with additional dill or garlic if needed.

Step 1 - all ingredients in the pot

Step 2 - Blend ingredients (I use my stick blender)

Enjoy - garnished with extra dill