Today was my farmers market (FM) day and I thought I’d post a picture of all the stuff I came away with. I could have gotten a lot more, but it was too hot and I wanted to get in and out. I stopped at only a few of the stalls at only one end of the market and that’s all I could handle.

Today we got: a small bag of tiny potatoes; a big bunch of red chard; 3 artichokes; half flat of strawberries; a random assortment of peaches, nectarines, and pluots; 3 melons (all different kinds); and a bag of baby spinach and salad mix. All for $36 and from only 3 different farmers. Everything is certified organic, except the melons. I’m not so strict on the organic title for fruits that are peeled, but I do wash them prior to peeling or cutting so that if there is any pesticide on the outside that it won’t come into contact with the part that does get eaten.

Storage:

I could smell that these melons need to be eaten quickly, so I stuck them in the fridge the minute I got them home. That’s pretty much all I did for those, the artichokes and the peaches. The guy who I get peaches from is pretty expensive at $3.50 per pound, but he will have “sortouts” available for $2 per pound (those that are really ripe or slightly bruised). I only buy from the sortout bin because I will inevitably bruise them on my way home anyway, and it lets my money go a little farther. His fruit is the most delicious too. I won’t buy from anyone else, even if their prices are cheaper. Also, he has at least 10 different varieties of peaches, nectarines, plums and pluots– his selection is amazing!



Strawberries: a random lady at the FM gave my this storage tip for strawberries and it really works! When you bring them home, put them in a large tupperware container (or glass food storage container, whichever your preference) and refrigerate. They will keep for at least a week this way. What I like to do is sort through them and only put the firmest ones in my tupperware. Ones that are soft or overripe I’ll refrigerate in one of those green baskets that they come in and eat those first. DO NOT WASH THEM prior to storing them– only wash right before you eat them.

Greens: this is a great way for washing and storing your greens and I have to give credit to Rachael Ray and my mom for these tips. To wash, fill a big bowl or your sink full of cold water. Put your greens in and give them a good shake. All of the dirt and bugs will sink to the bottom of the water. Remove the greens from the water and place onto a clean kitchen towel and arrange in a single layer. If you have more greens than what will fit in your towel in a single layer, put a paper towel on top and add another layer on top of that. When all of your greens are arranged, roll the towel up like a burrito. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge. They will keep for about a week this way, but be sure to check them every few days to make sure they aren’t wilting. If they do start to wilt, use a spray bottle to get them damp again or place a damp paper towel on top of the greens to rehydrate them.

How Long Will This Last Us:

I know this looks like a lot, but we are big fruit eaters around here and I suspect this will last us through next week. I think Emma and I eat 5 servings of just fruit in a day and I like to pack my husband a container of fruit to take to work in the mornings. The veggies will for sure be gone by next week, but we may have some fruit still floating around. Besides that, I could go into labor at any time and at least the house will be well stocked with fresh fruits and veggies if I’m not around for a few days.

Tips for a Greener FM Experience:

• Take your own bags: this goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway since I see so many people who don’t do this.  I take my own cloth bags for carrying my haul, as well as several smaller produce bags for things that you pay for by weight.  You can see one of them in the lower left of the first photo above; it’s what is holding our potatoes.  Using those provided plastic bags is so wasteful, especially if you are using a separate plastic bag for everything you’re buying (i.e. potatoes in one, carrots in another, etc.)!
• Take back everything that you bring home:  what I mean by this is that I save all of those strawberry baskets, the 1/2 flat cardboard box and any rubber bands and take them back the next week.  Besides being less wasteful, it saves the farmer some money because they don’t have to continually replace these things and that’s when they can pass that savings on to you.  Speaking of savings, you can generally get some awesome deals if you hit the market near closing time.  The farmer would rather give stuff away at a discounted price than take it back, especially if it’s something that won’t last them until their next market day.

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. Do you have any green shopping tips to share?

Wednesday’s are my farmer’s market days, which usually means that by Tuesday I have either nothing left in the house or some random fruits and veggies that need to be eaten. In an effort to use up what I had on hand before buying more stuff, I did a “clean out the fridge” night and made this pasta dish that turned out pretty good.

Here’s what I had: a pint of cherry/pear tomatoes from my grandma’s and friend’s garden, some herbs from the same friend’s garden, and a jar of marinara sauce about 2/3 full. The obvious direction was pasta…

In my largest, high-sided skillet, I sauteed one clove of minced garlic in some olive oil. I added my cherry/pear tomatoes and cooked them until they started to burst, about 7 minutes on medium-low heat. Add some herbs– I used about a TB of fresh parsley and a TB of fresh basil– and some salt. Then add the marinara sauce. Ta da, as my Emma likes to say! I served mine over some brown rice pasta. I like the brown rice pasta as much as I like regular wheat pasta, so it’s pretty much all I use now for pasta dishes. It’s gluten-free and I eat enough gluten that I could probably stand to eat a little less. Case in point: I have a loaf of wheat bread baking in my bread machine right now. It should be done in about 20 minutes, in fact.

For some extra protein, I threw in about a cup of cooked chickpeas. I cooked up a huge pot of them recently and had 2 quart jars stashed away in the freezer. It took about an extra millisecond to thaw some and throw them in, so I figured why not?! Maybe tomorrow I’ll take a photo of my farmer’s market goodies to share with you all.

Every week at the farmer’s market, I find myself picking up a head of cauliflower and a head of broccoli.  The stand that I like to visit often has a “3 for $5″ deal going by the end of the market, which is about the time I generally get there.  Not wanting to pass up the deal, I snag the same things every week.  So after grabbing the broccoli and cauliflower again this week (I go on Saturdays and Wednesdays, so I always seem to have broccoli and cauliflower!), I asked Google what I should do with it.

I came across this recipe for Tandoori Kebabs and thought I could very easily make it vegan.  Also, I don’t have a grill and I liked that the recipe said I could broil these instead of grilling.  And these turned out so good that there were no leftovers!  My husband really liked them– although, I’m not so sure if he really liked them or if he was just really hungry.  The next time I make these, I will probably double the amounts for the spices.  These were extremely mild in terms of both heat and spice and I may even add some cayenne pepper next time.  I did make a couple of changes this time around:

• I omitted the tomatoes and used those on a side green salad instead.
• I added super firm tofu cubes to the kebab for some extra protein.
• Instead of dairy yogurt, I used plain coconut milk yogurt.
• I also forgot to put salt in the marinade… I definitely do not recommend skipping that step!

Like I said above, we had ours with a side salad and a little bit of basmati rice.  I would have preferred brown basmati rice, but was all out.

Thanks to my parents, grandma and aunt, I am back in business with a camera! It’s so nice and fancy and takes the best looking photos. Check out our dinner last night:

I’ll admit that it’s not the best photo but that’s because the food was so hot that I kept getting a picture of the steam coming off of it.  This dish was really easy and is perfect for those clean-out-the-fridge nights.  I sauteed one small red onion with one clove of garlic in some olive oil.  Once soft, I added some frozen artichoke hearts, some chopped broccoli and cauliflower and sliced zucchini (broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini all organic from the farmer’s market).  After allowing it to cook for a few minutes, I dumped in one jar of organic marinara sauce and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until the veggies were soft.  A little basil from my garden and the sauce was done.

We had this with some brown rice noodles, a gluten-free pasta that I picked up from Trader Joe’s.  I’m toying with the possibility of going gluten-free in an effort to fix my thyroid (that’s another post for another day), so I’ve slowly been buying G-F cereals, pastas, etc to try.  This is similar to how I transitioned to a vegan diet and I found that it was the best way for me to transition.  I’m not saying that I’ll for sure go G-F, but cutting out some sources of gluten certainly won’t hurt me.  Anyway, we all really enjoyed these noodles and I think I will buy brown rice pasta from now on.  No one was able to tell that it wasn’t wheat pasta.

I also made these cookies last week.  They are not G-F, but they were pretty tasty.  The recipe is a slight adaptation from the Cranberry-Walnut Oatmeal cookie recipe from Vegan Planet. I’ve made this recipe a few times– once with raisins and pecans– and this time with dried cranberries, pecans and white chocolate.  I think I preferred the first one with the raisins, but I liked this one too.  If you’re wondering where I get vegan white chocolate (good luck finding it in any store), I have to special order it from Vegan Essentials.  I order my vitamins from there too and usually do a big order once every three months.  If I’m low on the white chocolate, I’ll throw that into my virtual cart too.  Here’s a tip for ordering from Vegan Essentials: sign up for their email newsletter that they sometimes include discount codes in.

Have a good weekend everyone!

How I love one pot meals!  What could be easier?!  I made this chili recipe last night for dinner and it was awesome.  All 3 of us enjoyed it… and the simple fact that Emma ate it should tell you how good this is.  I hope my second isn’t as picky of an eater as my first.  This recipe made a HUGE pot of chili, so you may want to cut the recipe in half.  We’ve got a baby coming soon and I’ve been making large pots of soups and stews to freeze for after she gets here.  This recipe made enough for all of us to have a bowl for dinner last night, plus enough leftovers to have later in the week, AND enough to freeze 2 quart jars.  Feel free to add whatever veggies you’ve got on hand; you don’t have to specifically follow my recipe.  I also kept the spice very mild because of Emma.  Even without using any jalapenos, it still had a little kick from the chili powder but is extremely mild.  If you prefer yours spicier, you could use a jalapeno or add some cayenne.  This chili recipe would also adapt very well to a slow cooker– saute the onions, carrots and celery on the stove top, then throw everything (minus the zucchini and potatoes) into the slow cooker.  I would guess 6 hours on low should do it.

Very Veggie Chili

2 TB olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 head broccoli, cut into bite size pieces

2 large chard leaves; stems removed and finely chopped (I use my food processor)

2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1- 28 oz. can/box pureed tomato product (I used strained tomatoes because it was all I could find in a box; you can use a can of crushed tomatoes, or puree a can of whole tomatoes)

1-2 cups water

1/4 cup chili powder (half would be 2 TB if you were cutting back on the recipe)

1 tsp allspice (next time I will use between 1/2 and 3/4 tsp instead)

2 zucchini, chopped

4 small potatoes, chopped

S&P to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onion, celery and carrots in the olive oil under tender.  Add the broccoli, chard, beans and tomatoes.  Add enough water until the veggies are just covered with liquid.  Add spices and simmer for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes of simmering, add zucchini and potatoes and simmer for another 15-20 minutes.  When the potatoes are cooked through, taste and season with S&P.

(I am still without a camera after breaking mine, so you’ll have to settle for this crappy phone pic.  Sorry!  A new camera should be mine soon.)

A good use up for all that zucchini you’ve probably got this summer… we were having a few playdates and I thought it would be fun to bring some “healthy” brownies.  Sure, there’s better ways of sneaking veggies into your kids, but when you’re making a treat, isn’t it an added bonus to make them with vegetables?  I think so.  I’ve never made these brownies before and was super skeptical when I was making the batter, but they turned out really delicious.  The batter will be incredibly dry, almost crumbly, but it will bake up fine.  These zucchini brownies are awesome!  Next time, I will add some vegan chocolate chips to the batter.

In the summertime, I usually plant at least a tomato plant.  This year, I’ve been so obsessed with the idea of making my own pickles that I planted 3 pickling cucumber plants in addition to my tomato and melon plants.  I also planted a bunch of herbs that are growing like crazy.  My problem is that I’m really short on space and there aren’t a lot of spots around my house that get full sun for a good part of the day.  On top of that, we have had the craziest summer and the weather has been extremely mild.  No hot sun means no harvest.

But today when I went out, I saw that my very first cucumber is nearly ready to be picked!  And I have one tomato that is on the verge of ripeness.  Eeek!  Here’s some photos:

You’ll notice that my garden is entirely planted in large pots.  I used tomato cages to keep them growing up instead of out.  Just goes to show you that you can grow your own fruits and veggies even with very limited space.  Even if you just had a small balcony, I bet you could pull off a new plants.  The plants themselves are cheap and, aside from watering them every day or two, they require very little effort on my part.  I’m so excited about my pickles.  I’ll be sure to let you all know how it goes.

What’s this? A new recipe??! Wow!

I actually cooked something last night… from scratch! I know, shocking! Ever since I started baking a ton, I haven’t been cooking too often. Yesterday was my munchkin’s 4th birthday and for her special birthday dinner, she requested tofu (plain), rice and artichokes. She got her wish, but I felt I needed to jazz it up a bit for my husband and I. We also had steamed artichokes and rice, but I decided to glaze our tofu with teriyaki sauce. It turned out really good… and because I didn’t have any bottled teriyaki sauce, I had to make my own. It’s so easy too! I don’t think I’ll ever buy a bottle of it ever again.

Teriyaki Glazed Tofu and Green Beans

1 lb. tofu (or other plant protein of your choice), cubed

2 cups green beans, either fresh or frozen

1 recipe teriyaki sauce (you will have some leftover)

Toasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional

In a large skillet, preheat a few tablespoons of canola, vegetable or peanut oil over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the tofu making sure it is completely dry before adding to the hot oil.  Cook on one or two sides until golden brown then remove from pan.  If there is a lot of oil leftover from cooking the tofu, wash out your pan.  Add the green beans and a few tablespoons of water.  Cover and let them steam for a few minutes.  When cooked, drain any remaining water and add the tofu back to the pan.  Glaze with the teriyaki and cook a minute or so longer.  Garnish with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

I got a great book for Christmas that is all about green smoothies (Green Smoothie Revolution: The Radical Leap Toward Natural Health) and have been on a smoothie kick lately.  I try to have one quart of green smoothie per day and I also make sure to rotate my greens for maximum nutritional benefit.  For example, if one week is kale week, the next week is chard week (or spinach or collard greens).  Any kind of dark leafy green is perfect for smoothie making.  When combined with yummy, sweet fruits, the “green” taste of the vegetable can’t be tasted at all.  Really, give it a try!

When making smoothies, I like to add in a couple superfoods.  To expand my knowledge, I decided to read Superfoods: The Food and Medicine of the Future by David Wolfe.  His book is very informative, but also easy to read and it contains several recipes for each superfood.  I highly recommend it and it’s only $10 on Amazon (or check your library to see if they have it).  For this post, I will focus on the superfoods that I use most (there are 10 outlined in the book).  If you want more information on superfoods, I guess you’ll just have to read the book.  Here are a couple of videos I was able to find where he is discussing superfoods and how awesome they are (I couldn’t find Part 3):

Part I

Part II

Superfoods are something that you should try to eat a little of every day (thus adding them to a daily smoothie is a great way to make sure that you do).

Goji Berries

Goji berries look like fiery red raisins.  To me, they taste sort of like a dried apricot, but are much smaller.  Goji berries can be eaten straight up, but I prefer to add a handful to my smoothies.  My blender is not fancy and it is able to blend them just fine.  When buying goji berries, or any superfood for that matter, go for the organic and Raw option.  They are superior in quality and nutrition.  Goji berries are a complete protein source, containing 19 different amino acids and all 8 essential amino acids.  They typically contain 2-4 times the amount of antioxidants found in blueberries.  Goji berries also boost the immune system, support adrenal glands, improve eyesight and deliver anti-aging compounds.

Cacao (Raw Chocolate)

When you hear about the antioxidant properties of chocolate, this is what they’re talking about!  Not Hershey or Ghirardelli or some other chocolate that has been roasted and combined with tons of sugar and sometimes dairy.  Just so we’re clear that processed chocolate really has no nutritional benefit.

Raw chocolate, cacao, on the other hand does!  It contains the highest concentrations of antioxidants of any food in the world.  It’s also high in minerals and contains Omega-6 fatty acids.  Be sure to buy cacao that is Fair Trade or that is labeled as not being harvested by slave labor.  Nibble on a handful, or add some to a smoothie.

Hemp Seeds

I add at least 2 TB to a quart of smoothie.  Sometimes I add a little more if I’m planning to share the smoothie with someone else.  Hempseeds are one of the best sources of plant protein and fat.  They contain significant amounts of Omega 3 (ALA) and Omega 6 fatty acids, as well as a variety of vitamins and minerals.  If you’re currently using flax seeds in your smoothies, I suggest switching to hemp; likewise if you are using flax oil.

Coconuts

Most pe0ple avoid coconut products because they are high in saturated fat.  Yes, they are, but their kind of saturated fat is good for you.  Unlike saturated fat from animals, coconuts are comprised primarily of medium chain fatty acids which help to protect against heart disease.  Medium-chain fatty acids=good.  Saturated fats from animals=very, very bad.  According to the American Heart Association, saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol.

Interestingly, coconut water is nearly identical to blood plasma. During World War II, it was used as a substitute for intravenous plasma.

In smoothie making, you can crack open a young coconut (pictured above; the ones you can purchase at the store generally shaved down like the white one on the bottom right) and add the water to your smoothie.  You can also add the flesh, if you want.  Blending the flesh together with the water to produce a “milk” would be tasty and would produce a creamier smoothie.  Please note that I am not referring to any kind of canned or otherwise preserved and pasteurized coconut product.  Something that is processed and canned does not have the same nutritional benefits of fresh, living foods.  The brown mature coconuts are good too, but the flesh is tougher and not as digestible.  The many benefits of coconuts are listed here.

And here is an easy way to open coconuts:

The most interesting part of this book, for me, is that several of these superfoods support and help restore thyroid function.  I have been on thyroid medication for almost half of my life to treat my hypothyroidism.  (Interesting tidbit:  fluoride is thought to impair thyroid function, which is why I really want a water filter that removes fluoride from my drinking water.)  I have thought many times of trying to get off of the medication (seriously, who wants to take medication for something that can be fixed through a natural means… okay, nearly all Americans do, but that’s not the point).  For the remainder of 2010, I’m going to thoroughly research this topic and talk to my doctor about it.  I may even seek the advice of a naturopathic doctor.  Then next year, if I feel that I can successfully do it and if my doctor is behind me, I’m going to attempt to come off my medication.  I do not recommend this for everyone and I’m not a doctor or nutritionist, but I do firmly believe that most medical conditions can be improved or cured through a plant-based diet.  If you are tired of taking medications for all that ails you, start researching.  I was thinking the other day that I don’t know anyone in my parents generation or older who is not medicated for something.  When Emma is my age, I hope that my husband and I are two people she knows who don’t need medication for everything under the sun.  I guess that would be another blog topic for another day, though.

Here are some tips for yummy smoothies:

• If you are new to smoothie making, try using juice as a base (or half juice, half water) since it does produce a sweeter smoothie.  I only use fresh squeezed and find this to be a good tactic to getting Emma to drink the smoothie too.  When I’m making a smoothie just for me, I generally just use water.
• Add the liquid first, then add the goji berries on top of that while you are preparing or adding the other ingredients.  This gives your goji berries some time to soften up a bit, making it easier for your blender to blend them smooth.
• Use frozen fruit and/or add ice.  Cold smoothies always taste better.
• Bananas are the best fruit I’ve found to use in green smoothies.  Their sweetness masks the bitter “green” taste from the leafy greens.  If you make a smoothie and find that it is too “green” tasting or not sweet enough, add some ripe banana.

You’re going to take one look at this recipe and think I’ve lost my mind.  I thought for a minute tonight that maybe I was crazy for adding beet greens to fajitas… but my dinner turned out awesome, so I guess that means I’m a genius! 

The Back story:  I bought a bunch of organic golden beets today.  I always buy them with the greens attached thinking that I’ll do something great with the greens.  I think to myself, I’ll cook ‘em up, juice ‘em, something awesome.  It never happens and they always turn to something that looks and smells like seaweed before I have the chance/ambition to do something great with them.  But Not Tonight (hey, isn’t that a Depeche Mode song?).

Funky Fajitas

Since I didn’t measure anything, I will describe how I made these.

1. Thoroughly wash your beat greens.  They are usually very sandy so take an extra minute to clean them well.  If you don’t have beat greens or don’t want to use them here, use kale, chard, spinach, or other green of your choice.
2. Remove the big stems from the greens (save them for juicing, if you’re into that sort of thing).
3. Roughly chop the greens and add them to a preheated skillet that has a little oil in it (if you are using spinach, don’t do this yet– you will want to add that last since it takes no time at all to cook).  Your skillet should be fairly hot.
4. Add half an onion that has been sliced.
5. Add 2 small carrots that have been peeled and chopped.
6. Cook a few minutes using tongs to move the veggies around, like you were stir-frying.
7. Add 2 small zucchini that have been sliced or chopped.
8. Continue to stir fry.
9. Add some beans if you want.  I had leftover black and pinto so that’s what I used (maybe a cup total).
10. Add spices– I used (maybe a TB of each) chili powder and cumin; about 1 tsp dried oregano.  S&P to taste.

Yummy additions:  cooked potatoes, mushrooms (if you like them, that is… I don’t), bell peppers…

I made a chunky guacamole to top them with and it was delicious!  Confession:  I also used the chunky guac as dressing for our side salad.

On the side, I sauteed up some plantains.  They were good, but super sweet.  I had bought them last week with the intention of using them in a recipe that I never got around to making.  Soooo… after sitting in the hot kitchen for a week, they are getting nice and black.  Anyway, I think I may try making plantain pancakes, waffles or muffins one day this week since they’re now too sweet for eating straight up, IMO.

Any ideas for using up 2 large plantains that are now at the very sweet, almost rotten stage?