Saving Money

I downloaded a few great recipes here. These are delicious Mediterrean meals, healthy and cheap. The idea behind them is to eat fresh, local food for under $2.00 per meal. I'm always looking for ways to cut my food costs without giving up the Real Food, so this is perfect for me.

I will say, that the prices for ingredients probably don't reflect organic prices. I mean, where are you going to find local, organic asparagus for $1.69 a pound?

You aren't.

So in that sense, this isn't useful. Frankly, I don't know where to shop in the Bay Area to find "cheap" organic, local food. Everywhere I look, it costs a fortune, even at my local farmers market. Maybe, especially at my local farmers market.

But that's okay. As Alice Waters has said (paraphasing), "Good food is not supposed to be cheap." It's only in America, in the last 50 years or so, that we've latched onto the idea that food should cost practically nothing. It's another way we bury our heads in the sand and pretend The World According to Us has no problems at all.

Ouch. Didn't mean to jump on the soapbox. It happens so easily! The basic thing is that if we eat Real Food, mostly plants, not too much (thank you, Michael Pollen), and if we cook it ourselves, our meals don't have to break the bank

Frugal is good.

Lovely Dinner

Last night's dinner was quite pretty, but you'll have to take my word for it. When I'm hungry, I tend to dig in quickly without thinking about taking a picture first. I'm working on that. I do want pictures for this blog.

Anyway, dinner was one of those "this is what I have, what do I do with it?" kind of meals.

I'd taken pork shoulder steaks out of the freezer, but had no particular inspiration in mind. So about an hour before the dinner bell rang, I figured I best get busy.

Mustard and maple syrup. Oh, that sounded good. So I mixed some up, sprinkled salt and pepper on the steaks and rubbed on the syrup. I browned them over medium-high heat in an oven-proof pan, then covered with a lid and tossed it in the oven.

350 for - about 50 minutes. Good have been in for less time - 40 might have been enough. But they were still tender and juicy.

Then what? Well I put the steaks on a plate (covered to keep warm), leaving lots of juice in the pan. I put the sauce over medium-high heat to reduce. I threw some frozen greens into the microwave, then made a batch of polenta.

I make it a no-fuss way most times, being a sort of impatient person. A cup of broth, 2/3 cup cornmeal, mixed in a bit of water to make a mush. Pour the cornmeal into the boiling broth, stir with a whisk, cover the pan and let it simmer on low for a while. I whisk it once in a while and when it's thick and creamy, it's done.

Then I did something, I don't usually bother with. I plated it.

A mound of polenta went on the plate first. The greens went on top of that, then slices of the tender pork were placed on top of the greens.

It really was very pretty.

Tasted good, too.

But you have to take my word for it.

Summer Food

I've had a busy two weeks helping my daughter during the birth of her first child:

But now I'm home, and life returns to normal, including going back to losing weight. In that regard, I found the greatest recipe in the newspaper.

Peachy Tacos with Peach, Jicama, and Tomato Salsa

Oh yeah, these were good. Half a pound each of ground beef and ground pork, cooked with half a peach, a little jalapeno, red onion, jicama, and paprika. Served on a soft corn tortilla, each taco is only 180 calories. I thought the meat needed more flavor - next time, I'll add garlic and use more jalapeno, and maybe some oregano.

But the salsa... wow, what flavor.

Two peaches chopped up with 1/2 cup jicama, half a jalapeno, a little red onion, garlic, and paprika. Oh and the corn from one ear, and one small tomato. A little salt. So, so good.

45 calories for 1/4 cup. With the taco and a little lettuce, this was a complete meal.

Quick Dinners

Did I tell you about the Italian pork chops?

This is an example of super-easy, super-fast cooking. Moms and Dads can get this meal on the table in 15 minutes.

Break an egg into a bowl and beat it up with a bit of milk. In another bowl mix up some bread crumbs and Italian seasoning.

Heat a skillet on medium-high with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Dip your pork chops in the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Cook them in the oil for about 2 or 3 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the chops).

Serve with a salad and some steamed peas or whatever is in season. I don't think you need a starch, since you have breadcrumbs on the meat, but if you have hungry teenagers, you can serve some warmed whole-grain bread. This will keep you in the 15 minute range.

Oh yeah. Good for chicken, too.

But you know what's really good? Preserved lemons.

I made up a batch of these a few months ago, and oh-my-goodness, they are good! Last night, I found this recipe on Cooking Light. What a marvelous taste sensation! The sweet, salt, tart flavor was a delight. And only a few ingredients!

I ran out of time while preparing this dish, so I left the skillet on the stove and poured the sauce over the chicken and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. The sauce boiled down to a thick, syrupy goodness and delicately coated the chicken breasts. I used boneless, skinless breasts, so there was no need to strain the sauce.

The flavor is just amazing when cooking with these lemons. I recommend keeping a jar in your refrigerator for use any time!

My Gnocchi Adventure

I needed to make gnocchi for a meal, but hesitated at the high-glycemic, low fiber aspect of it. And I was disappointed at that, because I love gnocchi. In the spirit of moderation, it's probably okay to have them once in a while (once a year or so?), but I wondered if there was another solution.

They're made from potatoes, right? What if I used a yam or butternut squash? I bet that would be good! So I went to my copy of Silver Spoons.

If you don't have this quintessestential Italian cookbook, you should get it. It' s absolutely worth using. It's got a whole section on gnocchi. Pumpkin gnocchi, spinach gnocchi, parmesan gnocchi... wait. Are you sure I can have this stuff just once a year?

But guess what else? The very last recipe was for... whole wheat gnocchi! An interesting recipe, indeed: whole wheat flour, oat flakes, barley flakes...

How healthy can you get? So I made 'em. And they're wonderful! A little heartier, of course, than the pillow-soft potato potato kind, but tender and oh-so-biteable!

So with a bow to Silver Spoons, published in the U.S. by Phaidon Press:

Whole Wheat Gnocchi (with extra notes by me)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I thought it needed more binding, so I tossed in another handful - about 1/4 cup more)
1 1/4 cup oat flakes
1/2 cup barley flakes
1 cup milk (I used nonfat)
1 egg
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Heat the milk to just below simmering and set aside.
Mix the dry ingredients together, add the egg and milk and stir to combine. The dough shoud be soft but hold together.
Let rest for 30 minutes.
Using a floured surface and working with small batches, roll the dough into long rolls about 2/3 inch wide.
Cut the roll into pieces about 3/4 inch long. Transfer to a clean towel. Repeat until all the dough is used. Sprinkle a little flour over the pieces.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt lightly. Cook the gnocchi in batches for about 15 minutes. The batches should be small enough that the gnocchi can boil freely. Gnocchi are supposed to be done when they rise to the surface of the water, but these rose in about 5 minutes, so I let them cook the entire time.

Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon and add the next batch. (If your water gets too much flour in it, you might need to start fresh).

Serve with melted butter and parmesan cheese, or the sauce of your choice.

Or: freeze for later use. I lay them out on a cookie sheet, so they aren't touching each other and put that in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Then I transfered them to a baggie and tossed the whole thing in the freezer. I can pour out the number I want to cook, when I need them.

If you cook them from the frozen state, be sure to add more time. I'd add 5 minutes and taste one.

Tortas and leverage

After cooking for a client all day, I don't necessarily want to come home and cook for us. Usually I have plenty of already-prepared meals in the freezer, so on days I'm working, I have it ready to heat up. But I saw this recipe over at Mental Masala Blog and I had to try it. After all, I had the swiss chard, already.

Torta verde: a savory pie from Italy

I used whole wheat flour instead of white flour and replaced the potato with a yam (I didn't have any potatoes). But the crust turned out flaky and good and oh boy, was that filling delicious!

I tried something different with the dough. Usually, I have the hardest time rolling out dough. It never gets thin enough or wide enough and I always give up. I know what most of the problem is: I'm too short. It's hard to get good leverage when whatever you're rolling is practically at chest level.

So yesterday, I pulled out the kitchen stool and stood on that. What a difference! The dough was thin and hugely round and it was almost perfect!

It's a pain to drag the stool out, but probably worth it for all kinds of things. I'm thinking kneading, especially. That's another thing that's exhausting and not always successful. Leverage is the thing.

Celtic Folklore Cooking

My Celtic cookbook provided a nice fish recipe for dinner last night. Isn't it odd how, when we think of Irish food, we tend to think of potatoes, lamb stew, and maybe corned beef & cabbage? Now, Ireland certainly grows the potatoes and has lots of cows and lambs, but let's not forget: it is an island. One thing they have plenty of, is fish.

I had purchased some Bay Scallops and found a recipe for a sort of fishy shepherd's pie. Scallops, onions, and mushrooms in a white sauce (with a bit of sherry), baked under a layer of mashed potatoes. I made it a full meal by putting some broccoli in the bottom of the dish and layering the other ingredients over that. I added some nutrients to the potaotes by using one white potato and one sweet potato.

It was a completely satisfying dish.

The chapter on seafood has recipes for things I've never heard of, like dulse, muggie, and sloke. Muggie is fish stomach and dulse and sloke are seaweeds. The recipe for the dulse starts with, "after removing the dulse from the rocks..."

Ha! Now, that's local!

Last night's dinner

I love waking up to foggy mornings. The world looks clean and mysterious and cool. Watching the mist while tucking in with a bowl of hot cereal and some green tea is a great feeling.

I'm taking a break from cookbook recipes to talk about the easy and yummy meal we had last night. But what to call it?

Bourbon and Mushroom Pork Chops (does that sound okay?)

I had two very thick pork chops and I know from experience that thick chops have trouble cooking all the way through. So I figured I'd have to bake them.

I started with 1/4 onion, finely chopped and a bunch of oyster mushrooms, also chopped. I browned these in a bit of butter over medium-high heat, using a skillet that can also go in the oven.

Once they were thoroughly browned, I moved them to the side of the pan and placed the chops in the center (sprinkling them generously with salt & pepper, first). The chops had plenty of fat, so I didn't use any extra oil.

When the chops were brown, I put them on a plate and sprinkled about 1 or 2 tbsp of flour over the mushrooms and onions. I let it cook for a minute, stirring it the whole time, then poured in 1/4 cup Kentucky Bourbon, scraping the pan to bring up the browned bits. Then I added about 1/2 cup nonfat milk and stirred it for a minute. I tossed the chops in there and spooned some of the sauce over them.

Covered it with a lid and the whole thing went in the oven at 400, for about 15 minutes.

While that was cooking, I chopped and steamed some Broccolini and made a salad.

The whole dinner was ready in 30 minutes and it tasted so good!

Good things to eat

Super-easy pasta sauce for two people:

1/4 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced (large cloves - lots of garlic!)
1 large tomato, diced
1 jar anchovies, drained
1 or 2 basil leaves, chopped

Sautee the onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil (you can use the oil from the anchovies if you want) for a minute until the onion softens. Add tomto, anchovies and basil. Let simmer until liquid from tomato has reduced, 5 - 10 minutes. Stir it occasionally.

Serve over whole-wheat pasta or spaghetti squash, with parmesan cheese.

You don't need salt for this. The anchovies take care of that!

I roasted pumpkins last night and I've got lots of pumpkin pulp, so it's going to be soup time. Maybe a loaf of pumpkin bread? I'll use it up one way or another. I roasted the pumpkin seeds this morning and they're still in the pan, crunchy and salty. I've had a few. Must stay away!

It's also time to start thinking about Thanksgiving. It's kind of nice that this meal is traditional and includes favorites from previous years. There is very little planning to do. I could almost do it in my sleep. Our meal is with friends and it's always a potluck. I wouldn't mind doing the whole thing, but I think other people also enjoy preparing the food. The thunder must be shared!

Pumpkin Ice Cream

I have to confess, this is one of my favorite things to do with pumpkins. Pie is great, especially with whipped cream. Soup is even better and lets not forget all the yummy casseroles and side dishes you can use it in.

Ah, but ice cream...

I made some yesterday and it will last a while. Partly it's for dessert on Thanksgiving, in which case, maybe it won't last for a while. I may have make more.

Darn.

It's so easy, too. Dangerously easy. But once you do it, you will never want store-bought ice cream again.

I had some pulp left from bake fest, so I blended it well and cooked it until it was thick, like in the can. I do this all the time, anyway, so it wasn't a special step for just the ice cream. Feel free to use the canned variety, here. It's one place that's good to do, just be sure to get the organic variety.

I have one of those Cuisinart ice cream makers, the kind that you keep the bowl in the freezer and pour your mixture into it and turn on the machine and let it go. Easy, easy! Here's the recipe (from cuisinart.com):

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Using a hand mixer and medium bowl, combine the milk, brown sugar, and molasses. Mix until the sugar is dissolved, 1 - 2 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin and spices.

Add the cream and vanilla, stirring just until mixed. Turn the machine on and pour in the mixture. Run for about 25 minutes.

That is it! If you want, you can add graham cracker chunks, pecans, or even chocolate chips to the mix about 5 minutes before it's done. I like to leave the ice cream plain and let each person add what they want.

You'll notice the recipe calls for heavy cream and if you're like most Americans, you're screaming. But let me tell you: you want to use the heavy cream. I've tried it with skim or nonfat milk and it just doesn't work. When you buy that stuff in the store, look at the ingredients. They have to add all kinds of weird things to "fix" the texture.

Ice cream is meant to be creamy. Don't be afraid. Just eat a small serving - say 1/4 cup. You'll be surprised at how satisfying it is.

What to do with all that meat

One of the challenges of belonging to a CSA is that you take what you get and figure out what to do with it. It's a challenge, but it's also fun, so I look forward to it. At this time, I only belong to a meat CSA (Bay Area Meat CSA - clever, huh?). Once a month or so, I get a bag with a few different cuts of meat, maybe a chicken and some eggs, too. All of the meat is from ranchers in the area and all the animals are raised on pasture and grass-fed. Or bug and grain-fed in the case of the chickens and eggs.

The meat is delicious in a way that feed-lot meat cannot even compare to*. I may be crazy, but I don't think it's very expensive, either. It doesn't look like a lot of meat, but it seems to last and I try real hard to not buy anything extra from the store. 'Cept bacon, of course. I have to have my bacon.

So I have to put my thinking cap on and figure out what to do with it. Last month, I got a whole chicken, which gave me a huge laugh because it still had its head and feet attached. Not having grown up around farms, this was a big event for me! I also got a cross-rib roast, a pork loin roast, a skirt steak, and a chuck steak. Oh and a dozen eggs. I do wish I could get more free-range eggs.

It's just my husband and me, for the most part, so these cuts of meat represent 3 or 4 meals. It's a good thing I'm a personal chef. I know all about preparing a meal and freezing it!

The chuck steak turned into Guinness-Braised Chuck Steak, which I fed to my grandsons along with my husband. It was very popular and we still had leftovers! The pork loin was covered in mustard and maple syrup and roasted, then served with heavenly Sherry-Raisin Sauce. I think I posted that recipe in an earlier post. That beautiful chicken massaged with paprika and olive oil and roasted with onions, carrots, celery, and barley in some chicken broth. You have no idea.

I haven't decided what to do with the x-rib roast, but that's for tomorrow and I think I'll use the skirt steak to make my dad's oh-so-yummy-straight-from-the-old-country spaghetti sauce. By then, it will be time to pick up my next order of meat!

*Warning! Dangling particples! Yes, I know it's there.

Thanks to an idea from Leslie Stiles in the Contra Costa Times Food Section, I had a wonderful autumn dinner the other night.

I had a couple of smallish squashes that I'd used as decorations for Hallowe'en. Just had 'em sitting out on a table surrounded by leaves and candles. More of an autumn-y decoration than Hallowe'en, but I decided they'd been sitting around long enough and it was time to eat them! So based on Leslie's suggestion:

I washed them and cut the tops off, cleaning out the seeds and pulp. I then layered some sliced zucchini, onion, mushrooms and cooked spinach (steamed and squeezed dry). I had some leftover manchego cheese so I threw that in there, too. Then I beat up a couple of eggs with 2 cups of milk and salt and pepper. This mixture was (very) carefully poured into the stuffed squashes. This must be done slowly, allowing time for the liquid to settle to the bottom and around the vegetables. I even used a finger to push some of the filling aside and let the milk run in.

Those were really full gourds!

I put the lids back on and baked them at 350 for an hour or so, until the the squash meat was tender when I poked a fork into it. Now came the tricky part, 'cause Leslie didn't mention how to serve these things. Each squash could easily serve two people, but cutting them open would be a challenge with all that yummy stuff inside!

So I went for dramatic rather than clean. First, I let them sit for about 10 minutes so everything would thicken up and settle. I got out our nice soup bowls and placed one of the squashes inside, then sliced it in half length-wise. Using a big spoon, and with my fingertips gingerly helping with balance, I moved one half to the other bowl. The squashes sort of fell on their sides and the filling spilled out a little into the bowl, but it was very attractive. Bright orange squash meat with the green-skinned zucchini, brown mushrooms, and green spinach with the milky sauce was simply gorgeous.

And oh, yes. It tasted terrific!

Blessed Samhain!

I won't quote Shakespeare. I think witches are cool.

In fact, I'm dressed as one as I write. Well - I'm a cat-witch. And I can't find my pointy hat. I can't find pumpkin liqueur, either, which is a real shame, 'cause have you ever had Pumpkin Martinis?

One part liqueur, one part rum, one part half and half. Shake with ice and pour into a martini glass rimmed with cinnamon-sugar. Top with nutmeg.

Oh my.

I'm going to be good and not make myself any pumpkin cupcakes but I am fixing a delicious pork loin with Cider-Sherry sauce. This sauce is one step this side of heaven and it's a Weight Watchers recipe.

1/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup apple cider
1/4 cup raisins
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp unsalted butter

Combine all except the butter and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 11-12 minutes, until reduce to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat and swirl in the butter. Serve warm with ham steaks or pork loin.

Have fun!

Easy Breakfast

Mornings are hard on people. Getting ourselves and various family members to all the places we have to be, is stressful. It's a shame really, because mornings are such a beautiful time of the day. The world seems peaceful and clean as the sun rises and the birds start to sing and hop around the yard. Mornings should be a time for thoughtfulness and serenity, sipping our coffee or tea and just enjoying the start of the day.

Yeah. Right.

Okay, it's not like that at your house, is it? Not here, either, I'm afraid. But there are a few things you can do to not only make your morning easier, but healthier, too. Now there are lots of web sites that will teach you about making your bed as soon as you get out of it (I do this and it really helps) or how to greet the sun with a yoga position (I do this sometimes). I'm not going to get into those tips.

But - waffles. Yes, I can tell you about waffles.

My kids loved Eggos when they were little and even then, I cringed whenever they ate them. I hated to buy them. Fake food at its worst. And usually, I got up quite early and made the kids a fresh, homemade breakfast. It's my favorite meal and I love all kinds of things for breakfast, so it was for me as much as it was for them. But they would beg for Eggos. Go figure.

My husband loves Eggos, too. But I'm NOT eating them. He agreed, that if I could find a waffle recipe that made waffles he liked and could just pop in the toaster, he would eat those. The guantlet was thrown and I immediately took up the challenge.

So here's the recipe, found on Cooking Light.com. I make a double batch, let them cool on racks, and store them in the freezer in those gallon-size plastic bags. Take out one or two, throw in the toaster and there you are. Easy waffles made with organic whole grains, flaxseed meal, free-range eggs and organic milk. Not a preservative in sight.

I add a cup of walnuts and extra cinnamon to my batter and I use a normal, thin-size waffle maker. These fit into the toaster better.

I encourage you to give it a try. Eat Real Food!