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Cooking

Photo Diary: A Homegrown Meal

by: Jill Richardson

Thu May 19, 2011 at 21:26:08 PM PDT

Today, the majority of food in our dinner was homegrown. This is very exciting, since most of my winter crop was a complete bust (the chickens ate half of it, and the plants I put out of their reach were in our worst soil). We've now got fences around all of our beds to keep the chickens out. Tonight was our first big harvest (besides the mountain of fava beans we've been eating for weeks).

My harvest: Green onions, fava beans, lettuce, beets, and chard. Not in the picture: Strawberries.

There's More... :: (13 Comments, 177 words in story)

Eating Rainbows

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Feb 20, 2011 at 20:50:29 PM PST

With two McDonald's-loving kids around, I rarely step up to the challenge to cook dinner. I can't even throw stones. I loved McDonalds when I was their age too, even though I am now horrified that my parents bought it for me. Typically, when I cook dinner, they hate it. Sometimes they only mildly dislike it, and sometimes they think it's OK enough to taste and eat a few bites of before giving their dad puppy dog eyes and getting him to make them something better to eat. But usually, I don't try. I don't have the parental authority to make them eat anything, so I just leave dinners to their dad. He knows 'em best, and he's a real chef so at least he's got a fighting chance of making something that is both healthy and not completely offensive to a kid's palate.

But today, I gave cooking a shot. I was inspired when I saw the most beautiful bunch of rainbow chard (truly in all shades of the rainbow, except blue) at the Archi's Acres booth at the farmers' market. Then I got yellow carrots, red and green lettuce, and a green bell pepper at Sage Mountain Farm. And then I called my room mate and told him I was making dinner.

When the kids got home, I told them we were eating rainbows for dinner. We began with a rainbow salad (at least, three of us did... the fourth decided that that many vegetables in one bowl can't be a good thing) made from cooked red and chioggia beets, cooked orange sweet potato, yellow carrots, green bell pepper, chickpeas, walnuts, red and green lettuces, alfalfa sprouts, and a hard boiled egg. Our chef made the dressing (I know when I shouldn't push my luck). We followed that with rainbow colored pasta (dyed with veggies) topped with a tomato sauce, and sauteed rainbow chard. It was a fun meal, although I'm sure I enjoyed it more than the kids did.

Discuss :: (3 Comments)

Viva Vegan! Book Review & Fiesta: Part 1

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 01:00:53 AM PDT

I've barely been back from Mexico for a week and already I'm jonesing for the amazing food I ate there. I decided that now is a perfect time to pick up the Latino vegan cookbook Viva Vegan! by Terry Hope Romero, and get cooking. This will be a multi-part series because there is so much in this book I want to eat, I can't fit it all into one meal. Or, as the case may be, fiesta. Today's diary covers first impressions of the book, grocery shopping, and making homemade tortillas.

My very own made-from-scratch tortillas!

Tortilla soup (my own recipe, since it wasn't in the book)

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the quest for yellow butter

by: RiaD

Sun Jul 18, 2010 at 19:25:43 PM PDT

preserving food is a way to keep garden fruit & veggies edible for months & months after they become ripe.
canning is one way to do this.

*(warning: photo-diary with LOTs of pictures)*

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Vegan cooking for non vegans Vol #4 Mexican pesto and pizza

by: LeeN

Sat Jun 26, 2010 at 04:41:46 AM PDT

I used this recipe last night http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/pizzadoughrecipes.html to make pizza. I don't know why but I never used bread flour before! It was AWESOME. In about 2 weeks I will be swimming in tomatoes from my garden But last night the only thing I had was cherry tomatoes from my fridge and some broccoli. AND fresh coriander. I don't grow any annual herbs like coriander. Its not worth it because it flowers so quickly.Anyway I did have coriander in the fridge

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Polenta For the Lazy

by: la motocycliste

Tue Jun 01, 2010 at 22:25:48 PM PDT

The best polenta I ever had was served to me on a patio near Lago Di Maggiore, Northern Italy. It was topped with fresh porcini (wild mushrooms), then grilled. Buen gusto.

I like to eat polenta in cold weather, something about it warms you up. Polenta is just a special grind of cornmeal. It is the basic food of Northern Italy and southern Switzerland.

There is a lot of lore, myth and ornamentation about the making of polenta, but as I understand the traditional method, you put a pot of water to boil and immediately add one quarter by measure cornmeal and salt to taste. Then you stir...

There's More... :: (8 Comments, 595 words in story)

Favorite burger recipes thread

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Jan 18, 2010 at 08:05:34 AM PST

I don't cook hamburgers at home, but every so often I like to make veggie burgers. My recipe doesn't contain eggs, because while I love them, I eat plenty of them in other dishes. I've adapted this dish from Moosewood's Low-Fat Favorites. I prefer them with cannellini (white kidney) beans, but you can also use pinto beans. All quantities are approximate; I don't measure carefully, and this recipe is flexible.

Veggie burgers (suitable for vegans)

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon mustard (I like coarse-ground, but dijon or other smooth kinds work well too)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (or ketchup)
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 medium or two small onions
1 large or two regular cloves garlic
1 carrot, shredded
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
about 3/4 cup rolled oats

In medium bowl, mash beans with potato masher. Add mustard, tomato paste or ketchup, and soy sauce and mash together.

Chop onion and saute in vegetable or olive oil. After a few minutes, add the shredded carrot. When onion and carrot are soft, add cumin, chili powder and pressed garlic cloves. Stir for another two minutes or so, adding a tablespoon or two of water if you need to prevent sticking. Stir sauteed vegetables into bowl with bean mixture. Add rolled oats and mix well. I like to leave this to sit in the refrigerator for a while to let the oats soften.

At dinner time, heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook on both sides for 5-8 minutes.

Share your own favorite burger recipes--vegan, vegetarian or carnivore--in this thread.

Discuss :: (19 Comments)

Winter comfort food thread

by: desmoinesdem

Wed Dec 09, 2009 at 17:46:34 PM PST

What do you like for dinner when winter just dumped more than a foot of snow on your house? My first choice would normally be home-made soup, but we're out of bread, and I just made curried pumpkin soup over the weekend.

We had tomato and olive wild rice casserole, and I'll be enjoying the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Yesterday I baked brownies while the kids were playing in the snow, and I finally tried my friend's trick of stirring a can of black beans, pureed, into the brownie mix (instead of oil, butter, eggs or water). They turned out great, and my kids never suspected a thing. Good way to sneak protein and fiber into a treat.

This thread is for any comfort food recipes or inspiration.

Discuss :: (4 Comments)

Olive Oil, Part Two, the Recipes

by: Asinus Asinum Fricat

Fri Dec 04, 2009 at 10:09:52 AM PST

In part one I covered the history of the olive oil and how it's made and now comes the promised recipes. But first, here's a secret: it is incredibly easy to make your own herb or spice flavored olive oil. There is no point buying an expensively decorated bottle of olive oil that has a sprig or two of herb swimming into it. It's more fun to make one's own, and cheaper. Much cheaper.

There are basically two ways of making infused oils: hot and cold. I much prefer to go the cold way for the simple reason that I have burnt oils in the past. Even if you know how to use a thermometer, you might still get it wrong as it is a delicate process. The cold way is dead easy: select your desired herb or spice, add it to the (extra) virgin oil and store in your pantry for two weeks before use.

To be cross-posted on the Big Orange.

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Cheap Healthy Food: pasta salad

by: Youffraita

Sun Aug 02, 2009 at 23:45:01 PM PDT

Just finished reading Michael Pollan's story in today's NYT Magazine. It's about Julia Child and her effect on 1960s home cooking, empowering women to attempt scary-sounding haute cuisine; about Julie and Julia, the new movie; and about the deleterious effects of our recent move out of the kitchen and toward more industrial prepared foods (whether from McD's or from the just-nuke-it freezer section). He's spot-on in his assessment of the Food Network's programming, imho. All in all, well worth the read:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08...

There's More... :: (19 Comments, 359 words in story)

Edible EcoUnderground Turns Sustainable Cooking into Summer Fun

by: EricaAtFoodandWaterWatch

Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 06:10:47 AM PDT

**cross-post from Food & Water Watch's Smorgasbord blog**

Who ever said you have to give up quality of life to eat sustainably? In fact, it’s the opposite—and Food & Water Watch’s partner chef, Chef Rocky, can prove it. Whether you’re just venturing into the world of healthy, sustainable cooking or have been home-canning since before it was cool, our new Edible EcoUnderground site is full of recipes, advice and fun tidbits to help turn your summer meals into fun and delicious experiences.

The Edible EcoUnderground starts off with a 10-week sustainable summer cooking school. Each week, Chef Rocky will pick a fresh, seasonal ingredient and share recipes of his own creation—and then we hope you’ll share your experiences with trying them out! The cooking school is divided into three levels of expertise: “cooking for nourishment” is for those who are curious but not very experienced in the kitchen; “cooking for pleasure” will be fun for intermediate cooks; and “cooking for transcendence” will challenge and satisfy kitchen pros. You’ll also be able to write in to Chef Rocky’s cooking advice column and check out charts and guides to get you started with cooking basics and seasonal ABCs.

Finally, the summer will end up with a contest to Take Chef Rocky Home for a Day! You just have to tell us why you are the best candidate, and, if you’re chosen as the winner, Chef Rocky will come to you and help you plan and throw your own Edible EcoUnderground dinner party! Check here for more info on the contest.

We hope you’ll join us in the Edible EcoUnderground, try out the fun ideas, and let us know what you think! Happy cooking!

–The Edible EcoUnderground Team

Discuss :: (1 Comments)

Something for vegans, something for carnivores

by: desmoinesdem

Sat Jun 20, 2009 at 08:44:49 AM PDT

I watch the Food Network sometimes while I'm exercising, and in the past two weeks I've seen Giada and the Barefoot Contessa make risotto on their shows. They both insisted that you "have" to put cheese in your risotto, and I think they added cream as well.

I couldn't disagree more, so I'm re-posting one of my favorite food substitutions:

To make risotto with no milk or cream, I use a tip from the Moosewood Collective's Low-Fat Favorites cookbook. In a food processor or blender, combine a cup or two of frozen corn kernels with whatever kind of stock you will use to cook the risotto. This creates a creamy consistency, but without being as heavy as risotto with cream. It's good for vegans or anyone cutting back on calories.

I like to stir basil pesto into my risotto right before serving, but you can make that without cheese as well.

For the carnivores in the La Vida Locavore community: on Thursday I cooked a flank steak (local and 100 percent grass-fed) using a recipe from Cynthia Lair's article on grass-fed beef in the March-April 2009 issue of Mothering magazine. It comes from her book Feeding the Whole Family. You use a little of the dressing as a marinade; the rest is supposed to go on a noodle salad, but I saved it to pour over the leftover meat:

2 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 3 Tbsp tamari, 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 Tbsp hot-pepper oil.

It only took a minute to stir together the ingredients, and if you don't eat meat, you could use this dressing for a vegetarian or vegan stir-fry or noodle salad.

Discuss :: (15 Comments)

My Kitchen

by: madfoodskills

Wed Jun 17, 2009 at 16:11:46 PM PDT

My kitchen tonight is a mess! I went a little crazy today on my day off and made almond flour pancakes, homemade granola, guacamole, stir-fried veggies with chickpeas (soaked and cooked THEN added to stir-fry) served with homemade hoisin sauce and brown rice, and iced green tea. Yes I was in the kitchen all day!

Let's start with my favourite granola - loosely based on a recipe in The Garden of Vegan cookbook.

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Cheap Healthy Food: Rice with Coconut Milk

by: Youffraita

Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 01:55:44 AM PDT

It was an idea I'd been toying with for a few weeks: I have enjoyed Southeast Asian food for decades, and have tried to recreate it at home on occasion. Usually, this would be some sort of stir-fry served over jasmine rice, and sauced according to the culture whose food I was attempting to reproduce: Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, or whatever.

Well, last week I just got lazy.

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