Brussels Sprouts Roasted With Maple Syrup

As simple as can be. Sweet and savory.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Slice your cleaned brussels sprouts in half. Spread them out on a lined baking sheet for easy clean up because the sugar in the maple syrup will stick to the pan. Toss brussels sprouts with a little extra virgin olive oil to coat, a few sprinkles of white balsamic vinegar (or regular balsamic), a generous tablespoon of real maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste. Roast for about 5-7 minutes or until you start smelling the aroma and they look tender. Check for doneness and once you plate them you won't be able to stop eating them!

See, I didn't use parchment paper or foil and the maple sugar stuck to the pan. 

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Pork Tenderloin in Apple Cider Reduction with Apples | Spinach

This was delicious!

The recipe for this delicious seasonal meal last night was found here at the Food Network website: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aida-mollenkamp/pork-tenderloin-with-apple-cider-reduction-recipe.html. 

The only thing I did differently was that I added apple slices (from one Gala apple and one Granny Smith apple because it's what I had) to the reduction during the last few minutes, just enough to soften the apple slices a little. They were a nice touch! 

Baby spinach made a nice side dish. The sauce in the recipe turned out thin but it made a nice dressing for the baby spinach. I served the pork and apples over the spinach and the heat from the pork, apples, and sauce wilted some leaves a little, some stayed crunchy. Just perfect. Although, I didn't think there was enough sauce for three of us. Next time, I'd reduce the sauce less (or make more?) so there'd be more sauce to dress the spinach and pork. 

Haricot Verts With Walnuts And Caramelized Onions

Great idea for the holidays or anytime! 

Fresh and easy!

Roast haricot verts (usually available around Thanksgiving) or green beans that have been coated with a little extra virgin olive oil at 400 degrees for a few minutes, until they start turning brown on the ends. While they roast, warm about two cups of chopped walnuts (or almonds) in a skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Remove from pan and then start caramelizing the onions (in the same pan to save dishes) that have been thinly sliced. Caramelizing onions takes time, about 20 minutes, but is easy to make. Patience is required and I find it easier when I'm in the kitchen doing other tasks anyway. For a pack of haricot verts, I used two large sweet onions. Cooking directions for roasting, heating nuts, and caramelizing can be found on the internet.

Leftover Idea
A few days after Thanksgiving, I used the leftover haricot verts and shrimp we had had as an appetizer in this pasta dish. So simple! While linguine or fettuccine cooks, reheat haricot verts (or green beans) in about two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (depending on how much is leftover!) and some chopped garlic. Add about 1/4 cup white wine and 1/4 cup leftover turkey stock (I had made turkey stock from the bones) and keep warm on low heat until the pasta is done. Mix with the pasta then add the shrimp (I removed the tails to make it easy to eat), and add a ladle full of the pasta water. The shrimp has already been cooked so it only needs to be warmed from the heat in the mixture. Top with freshly ground pepper and a little salt if needed. I would have added chopped fresh parsley if I had some. Maybe next time!

Quick Zucchini Relish

We are still harvesting zucchini from our garden and the plants look strong! They usually look pretty tired by September. Bored with the usual zucchini dishes and baked goods, I decided to make a relish. I'll shred and freeze the rest of the zucchini for baking in the future.

Quick Zucchini Relish

Shred one large zucchini (the kind you find hiding under zucchini leaves in your garden that grew and grew and grew!) and mince one large shallot and place in a medium bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (or cider vinegar), one tablespoon honey, salt and pepper to taste. Place mixture in a covered container in the fridge for about one hour to let the flavor develop before eating. Store in the fridge for about one week. Add the relish to anything you think will taste good with it!

On Labor Day, we enjoyed the zucchini relish with organic grilled hot dogs, whole wheat buns, garden salad, and potato salad.

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For the potato salad, I baked chopped potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees, instead of boiling them, with extra virgin olive oil, Herbs de Provence (I just love these herbs on potatoes), some fresh rosemary from our garden, and a little sea salt and freshly ground pepper. After the potatoes cooled, I removed the rosemary stems, pulled off some leaves and broke them up, sprinkling pieces of rosemary over the potatoes. I added a little more extra virgin olive oil and then a little white balsamic vinegar to taste.

Sausage and Cannellini Beans

I'm not one to get starstruck and don't watch television often but a few weeks ago (yes, just recently) I discovered the cooking show, Extra Virgin, and became an instant fan.

Given my fondness for the food prepared so lovingly on Extra Virgin, I wanted the cookbook also named, Extra Virgin, that was about to be released and reserved a copy. It arrived a day or two after its release on May 6th and this is the first dish I've made from the cookbook.

This dish, simply named, "Sausage And Beans" (salsiccie e fagioli) in the cookbook, was a hit with my family. I chose this recipe because my daughter loves Cannellini beans as does my son but he loves tomato sauce and meat even more. So this dish was perfect. I served it with toasted ciabatta to soak up some of the sauce. We placed a toast on our plates and ladled heaps of beans, red sauce, and sausage over the top. Delicious and flavorful!

Rather than the eight sausages called for in the recipe, I had a rope of sausage on hand which I cut into pieces before cooking, the reason the ends of the sausage look funky. Next time, I'll cook the rope sausage whole and slice after it's cooked or I'll buy individual sausages and keep the sausages whole for a nicer presentation.

Roasted carrots and red peppers was a nice side dish. To make week night dinners quick and easy I often roast vegetables in the oven while I'm preparing the main dish on the stovetop.

The recipe for Sausage and Beans can be found on the Cooking Channel website. It's a little different from the cookbook but sounds just as delicious.

Organic In Worcester

Living Earth Market and EVO Dining

Love this place! I was just there today for lunch and realized I never mentioned it in my blog.

It's an organic market and restaurant in one building. 

When my daughter started her freshman year of college last fall, worried about the way she'd eat to keep her kidneys healthy (even though she's in remission we want to keep it that way!), we found this great organic food market, The Living Earth Market. Lots of organic food choices in a small setting and to make things easy for the busy college student, the market also has prepared foods like sandwiches, soups, salads, etc.  When I visit, we eat at the restaurant next door, EVO Dining. We always have a great fresh tasting meal. They are very accommodating to food allergies and offer vegan options. I'm never disappointed!

Cheers!

Craving A BLT

The warmer weather here in New England is making me crave BLT's but there aren't any good garden tomatoes around!

If you're like me and won't buy off season tomatoes from the grocery store, but can't wait any longer for a decent traditional BLT, try this idea.

Blend a handful of organic grape tomatoes (they have a nice sweet tomato flavor and aren't mealy) in a food processor with a large basil leaf (or a few small ones), one small garlic clove, one very small shallot, and a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Spread that tomato mixture on your BLT and enjoy with other organic fillings or goodies from local farmers. 

Can't wait for this to open so we can enjoy fresh garden tomatoes again! 

Franklin Community Farm and Homestead

A Quiet Thanksgiving ~ Just The Four Of Us And Good Food

The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving kept the family busy such that we hardly saw each other so it was a blessing to get away, just the four of us. 

The Pemigewasset River

We headed to New Hampshire after hearing about all the snow the White Mountains were getting.

Even though I've made Thanksgiving dinner there for the past couple of years, I always forget what it's like since I make the meal only once a year. The pantry is pretty basic so it forces me to cook simply. We brought up all the food I had purchased back at home, including the fresh turkey that came from a local farm (story here). In the end, the simplicity worked in our favor and I made a very fresh and flavorful meal. 

The Meal

Stuffing

It started with drying cubes of multi-grain bread, one loaf, overnight which turned into the delicious and flavorful stuffing, or dressing, the next day. Below, the stuffing was made from fresh bread crumbs, fresh sage, chopped celery, onion, chestnuts (jarred), apples, and low-sodium chicken broth.

Cranberry Sauce

Making the fresh cranberry sauce was next with local cranberries I found at the grocery store (there are many beautiful bogs in nearby Cape Cod), oranges, and sugar. The aromas developing were amazing! It raised our holiday spirits.

I love serving cranberry sauce in a glass dish. It looks so pretty and sparkly.

Roasted Butternut Squash With Parsnips And Apples

This is a simple side dish of coarsely chopped squash and apples (of equal size), chopped parsnips (of smaller size), butter, and freshly grated nutmeg. I roast them in the oven until tender in this cast iron pan, but they roast nicely in a baking sheet also. I like to give them a rustic mash.

If we were home, this dish would have looked as pretty as the picture below. Below is the same side dish idea, without the parsnips, and with roasted butternut squash seeds that I made in late August for a kidney nutrition newsletter.

  

Roasted Green Beans And Leeks

Next, and my favorite new dish creation, was this side dish made by simply roasting green beans with leeks and extra virgin olive oil at 400 degrees for just a few minutes. In the past, I've made roasted green beans with almonds. But this was more savory. A great healthy alternative to the processed canned green bean casserole - which I've never made but have eaten a few times growing up and really never liked.

Mashed Potatoes And Gravy

Mashed potatoes and gravy were the last to be made. I never got a chance to photograph the gravy because that's when it got a little crazy and the entire meal was put together. The gravy was simple, slowly whisking a little flour with strained pan drippings and adding low-sodium chicken broth as needed. 

Meanwhile 
The fresh turkey had been roasting in the oven.

And the kids played.

White Friday

We skipped Black Friday and skied. I never really liked Black Friday anyway. I prefer to rest or decorate for the holidays.

Feeling exhilarated by the snow, the mountain, and gorgeous scenery, I kept calling the Friday after Thanksgiving our White Friday.

Cannon Mountain

View of Franconia Ridge

Beautiful Filet Beans and Fresh Local Cod

So it's over . . .

. . . Summer and outdoor farmers' markets.

I'll miss the farmers' markets and farm stands. It was a great season with a lot more farmers' markets making shopping a lot more convenient.

Or, maybe, I was just more aware of them. I saw signs everywhere. Farmers' markets and farm stands were ubiquitous it seemed.

Since I have a vegetable garden, I was always looking for different vegetables, preserved goods, baked goods, cheese, eggs, and meat. And there were plenty of options to choose from. Mostly, I enjoyed interacting with proud farmers and vendors who were more than happy to talk about their products.

While the experience is wonderful, in truth, it isn't easy in the beginning with respect to cooking. Meals are new and different, but so amazingly fresh and simple. I'm thankful that my family was open-minded and patient. I wish I could have shared more through my blog but I took a little blog vacation over the summer. And trips to farmers' markets or farm stands can take time, unless you're lucky enough to live near one. This year they weren't far from us and the more I asked and researched the more I found.

The experience was also educational with each visit exposing me to new local vegetable varieties, flowers, products, ideas, or even art.

I especially liked asking farmers how to prepare vegetables that I'm not familiar with. Most recipes are simple, like roasting these long beans in olive oil, sometimes I was instructed to enjoy it "raw!", and a fisherman I met had copies of his favorite recipes to take home.

I hope everyone gets a chance to visit a farmers' market even if it's just once in a while. The emotional connection between food and farmer has such a presence that it's palpable, almost as edible as the food itself! And everyone is happy and enjoying themselves, whether there's entertainment or not.

In addition to farmers' markets, I visited a few farms where I also purchased meats, cheeses, and eggs.

Meadowstone Farm

The dairy fridge. They also have vegetables and meat on site but we were all set with those.

A small purchase yet local, fresh, and delicious.

Another favorite of mine is this community-run farm. I stopped by the other day to pick up a few fresh tomatoes since my garden has stopped producing them - how I'm lamenting the end of tomato season!

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Beautiful Beans And Fresh Cod

These beautiful beans caught my eye one day and the farmer told me he likes to saute them in a little olive oil. Seemed simple enough so I picked up a batch and got to work, but I had a few more ingredients in mind.

With about two cups of shelled filet beans (tongue of fire) I started by sauteing the beans in a little extra virgin olive oil over a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

When they started to get soft, I added 1 shredded carrot, a diced 1/2 red pepper, 1 minced shallot, and 1 minced garlic. Covered the pot and simmered about 20 minutes. (It was taking longer than I expected to tenderize the beans. Next time, I would boil the beans a little first to tenderize them, then saute with vegetables.)

Just before serving, I reheated and stirred in chopped fresh tomatoes and parsley until the tomatoes softened a little. Added pepper to taste.

Baked Fresh Cod
This wonderful fresh cod came from a local fishery.

To make the crumb topping, I ground 1/4 cup unsalted whole almonds and 1 tablespoon melted butter into a fine crumb in a food processor. Then I added 1 teaspoon paprika, a dash of pepper, and 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (Buttered crackers could be used, a flavor my kids like, but I didn't have any on hand. I tried these gluten-free crumbs, and they were pretty good!).

I spread more melted butter, about 1 tablespoon, over the fish and topped with the crumb mixture. Finished by squeezing a little lemon all over and baked in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes.

Mustard Vinaigrette: this was a simple whisked blend of about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of lemon, a teaspoon whole grain mustard, and a sprinkle of pepper. I topped the salad off with about a half teaspoon of the whole grain mustard because I like the way it looks and I just love the flavor.

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To Be Continued
With farmers' markets and stands closing soon and my kids' busy schedules, I'll try my best to visit winter farmers' markets in my effort to continue supporting local producers and keeping fresh food on our family table. And when at the supermarket, I'll look for local first.

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Locally made relish over locally made hot dogs, organic whole-wheat roll, grilled garden zucchini, leftover beans from a neighbor.

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Going local philosophy that I like at Local Works Marketplace at WREN in Bethlehem, NH.