Category Archives: From the Garden

May 14 2013
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From the Garden, We Eat Well

Paleo Friendly: Zucchini Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Meatballs

Last night’s dinner was inspired by a desire to cut out pastas and unnecessary grains from our diet. Now that my week of total indulgence is over and I am back on my training program (see my running blog for more details), it’s time to start really paying closer attention to what we are putting into our bodies. This meal has 4 main ingredients- yes 4, and is incredibly simple. I didn’t have high hopes in the taste department, but it turned out extremely well. I will definitely make this again.

Zucchini Spaghetti

Ingredients

4-6 servings

  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 3 zucchini, julienned
  • 1 jar tomato sauce (we used homemade sauce we canned from last year’s garden)
  • 1 lb. italian sausage
  • salt & pepper to taste

Preparation

Heat oil in skillet. Roll Italian sausage into balls and drop into hot grease, browning each side. Add tomato sauce to pan with meatballs and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, cooking 5-10 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

Meanwhile, julienne the zucchini and place in a large bowl. We don’t have the right tools, so I used a potato peeler, and it worked just fine. Cover bowl and heat in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and drain excess water, toss with salt and pepper.

Divide zucchini into bowls and top with sauce and meatballs. Viola!

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Oct 27 2012
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From the Garden, Vegetarian, We Eat Well

Dill Pickled Green Tomatoes

We’ve been gardening for a few years, which means at the end of the season, we have some veggies to can. This year, our tomatoes didn’t do very well, so we had a ton of green tomatoes to pick before the first frost. Jon wanted to bring them in to see if they’d ripen, but I had other plans. I researched several recipes for pickled green tomatoes and landed on one that struck my fancy. I love pickling things. Earlier this year I experimented with pickled sweet okra and loved it. I have a feeling I will love this when we finally crack open the cans.

Have you been canning this year? I’d love to hear about your experience. Share them with us!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 pound firm green tomatoes
  • 1 serrano chili, stem removed
  • 6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half
  • 4 tablespoons dill seeds
  • 1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

Preparation:

Sterilize your canning jars in boiling water. Once complete, add garlic, dill seeds and peppercorns to the jar. Thoroughly wash the tomatoes and slice them in halves or quarters. Cram them into the jar, leaving about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of space at the top. Make the brine by combining the vinegar, water and salt in a sauce pan, Bring to a boil and stir until salt is dissolved. Pour the hot brine over the tomatoes to within 1/4 inch of the top. Wipe the jar top, put the lid on and tighten. Age for at least 2 days.

 

 

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Sep 14 2012
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From the Garden, Ice Cream, We Eat Well

Jeni’s Splendid: Sweet Basil & Honeyed Pine Nut Ice Cream

It’s all rather serendipitous, actually. I had no intention of becoming ice cream obsessed; it just happened. First, I won an ice cream maker from Heather. I  started dabbling and sharing my creations with friends. Shortly after that I moderated a panel for McMillen Health about sustainable food economies, and one of the panelists mentioned Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. How I hadn’t heard of this company before is beyond me, but let’s just say it came at precisely the right time and created an ice cream monster. I want to be a world famous ice cream maker!

Earlier this week, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home arrived on my doorstep and it’s beautiful. Hard bound, covered in delicious pictures of brightly colored ice creams and treats, it’s the kind of recipe book you read from cover to cover, and I intend to. I’ve read every recipe title and after narrowing it down to five, Jon and I chose this one as our first, primarily because we had most of the ingredients on hand. Fresh basil from the garden- check. Pine nuts- check! And off we went.

The creamy base, infused with fresh basil, gives off just the right hint of basil smell before it hits your lips. The honeyed pine nuts add a salty sweet crunch that complements the sweet creamy base. It’s complex, yet simple. Jeni calls it a “straight-from-the-farmer’s market flavors that [she's] built [her] reputation on.” I can see why. I would never have dreamed of making ice cream with basil or pine nuts, but I gotta say, it simply works.

Sweet Basil and Honeyed Pine Nut Ice Cream

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 Tbsp. plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 ounces (3 Tbsp.) cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/14 cups heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
  • a large handful of fresh basil leaves, roughly torn into small pieces
  • 1/3 cup Honey Pine Nut Pralines (recipe below)

Preparation:

Mix about 2 Tbsp. mile with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Gradually whisk the hot milk into the cream cheese until smooth. Add the basil. Cover the mixture and place in the freezer for 30 minutes to chill.

Strain out the basil. Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, folding in the honey pine nut pralines as you go. Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Honey Nut Pralines

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, melted
  • pinch of sea salt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the nuts with the remaining ingredients in a bowl, tossing to coat. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the nuts on baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Stir and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes, stirring twice; the nuts should look bubbly and somewhat dry. Remove from the oven and let cool completely, stirring the nuts every couple of minutes to break them up.

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Sep 10 2012
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From the Garden, Vegetarian, We Eat Well

Garden Grown Tomato Sandwich

My favorite season has arrived! Tomato season!

I’ve loved tomatoes for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid and had dinner on the farm with my Papa and Nana, I often ate an entire tomato with my meal. I think they are darn near perfect. They are great alone. They are great on salads. They are great in sandwiches. But, they are especially great as the primary ingredient of a sandwich, and I wanted to share my favorite late summer/early fall meal with you. It’s simple. It’s refreshing. We have entered the season during which I will eat one of these every day for as long as the garden tomatoes keep coming.

Ingredients:

  • 2 slices Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Soft Oatmeal bread
  • 1/2 tomato, sliced
  • 1/2 cup mix greens
  • 1 Tbsp. Miracle Whip
  • Garlic and sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Toast the bread, spread with miracle whip, sprinkle with garlic and sea salt. Top with tomatoes and lettuce.

 

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Jul 30 2012
2 Comments
From the Garden, Vegetarian, We Eat Well

Sesame-Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry

Last week, Jon went on vacation with the boys and left me alone to fend for myself. Last time he went out of town, I made a big batch of chili and it lasted me the entire week. I do like to cook, but I don’t like to do it everyday. So, this week, I prepared a huge batch of Sesame-Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry. Quick, easy and super tasty!

Ingredients:

  • 1 package whole wheat organic Angel Hair pasta*
  • 4 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 package organic, firm tofu
  • 1 package fresh stir fry mixed veggies: broccoli, carrots and snow peas
  • 2 tablespoons ginger
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • soy sauce to taste
  • Sriracha to taste
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Preparation:

Prepare Angel Hair pasta according to package instructions. We always add a splash of olive oil to the water as it boils. Drain pasta and toss with 3 tablespoons sesame oil and lemon juice.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large pan. Place tofu in pan and sprinkle with ginger. Cook tofu until browned on all sides. Add veggies and fish sauce, cover and cook until veggies are soft. Toss tofu-veggie mix with pasta. Add soy sauce and Sriracha to taste. Top with sesame seeds.

*Normally I’d use organic Soba Noodles, but I couldn’t find them in the grocery store this trip so I substituted angel hair pasta.

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Jul 30 2012
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From the Garden, Seafood, We Eat Well

Salmon Bulgogi with Bok Choy and Kale

We had a VERY lazy Sunday, watching the Olympics and napping. Okay, mostly napping. So when we woke up late in the afternoon, we were too tired to go to the grocery store before dinner. While Jon mowed the lawn, I took inventory of what we had on-hand and came up with this yummy and healthy Salmon Bulgogi dish. Bulgogi is a Korean dish that typically features beef marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil and other seasonings. We substituted salmon and it turned out great. We used chives and bok choy from our garden. I’ve never cooked bok choy before and had a lot of fun doing so.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large garlic cloves, peeled, divided
  • 1/3 cup chopped chives
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dry cooking Sherry
  • 1 tablespoon powered ginger
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
  • 1 lb wild caught salmon filet
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large bok choy, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide strips (about 7 cups)
  • 1 bunch kale
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onion
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation:

Blend 1 garlic clove and next 7 ingredients in mini processor. Arrange salmon in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon marinade over. Let marinate 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500°F. Arrange fish, with some marinade still clinging, on rimmed baking sheet. Transfer any marinade in dish to small saucepan. Roast until just opaque in center, about 11 minutes. Bring marinade in saucepan to boil; set aside and reserve for glaze.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add bok choy, kale, green onions and garlic powder. Stir-fry until bok choy is wilted, about 6 minutes.

Divide vegetables among plates. Top with salmon. Drizzle with remaining marinade.

 

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Jul 27 2012
4 Comments
From the Garden, Vegetarian, We Eat Well

Pickled Banana Peppers

This year’s garden is full of various types of peppers, and this weekend the banana peppers were ready to go! Like last year, we planned to pickle them. What we didn’t plan on is that it would need to be done while Jon is away with the boys at the lake. He did the grunt work last year, so I had no idea where to begin. I hunted around for his recipe, found a couple he had bookmarked and went to work. We absolutely love these and eat them with everything! I especially love them on top of my chive-infused cottage cheese or as a tangy addition to a fresh green salad.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. banana peppers
  • 4 cloves garlic (sliced in half lengthwise)
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups white vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons celery salt

Preparation:

Wash the peppers, cut off the tops and remove as many of the seeds as you can. Cut the peppers into rings. Put the pepper rings, garlic and celery salt into a glass jar that has an air-tight seal when closed. In a medium saucepan, add the water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Remove from heat and pour over the top of the peppers and garlic. Seal the jar and set aside overnight. After 24 hours, refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

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Jul 23 2012
4 Comments
From the Garden, Vegetarian, We Eat Well

Panko-Crusted Eggplant Parmesan

I absolutely adore eggplant. For the second year, we are growing it in our garden. So far, we’ve had a pretty good crop despite the incessant drought. I like this recipe for it’s simplicity. Using canned tomato sauce from last year’s garden, Jon created a healthy, well-balanced, garden-centric meal.

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium eggplants, sliced
  • 1 jar garden fresh tomatoes and veggies (you can use chunky tomato sauce from the store)
  • 3 cups panko bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 cups flour
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 package thin spaghetti
  • Parmesan cheese to taste

Preparation:

In a large pan, heat the vegetable oil. The oil needs to be deep enough that eggplant slices will be submerged when added to the pan. In the meantime, prepare eggplant: dip slice in egg, dredge through flour and then panko bread crumbs. Repeat for each slice. When oil is hot enough, place eggplant slices in oil, turning a few times, until brown on each side. Remove from oil and place on plate lined with paper towel to remove excess oil.

Prepare spaghetti per package instructions- we always add olive oil to the water. Heat tomatoes in a separate pan.

Divide spaghetti among plates, layer with tomatoes and top with eggplant. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

 

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Jul 10 2012
5 Comments
From the Garden, We Eat Well

Strawberry Basil Gelato

Last week, my friend Heather of He Cooks She Cooks informed me that I won a contest on her blog and would receive a Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker! I was so excited. Jon loves ice cream and I knew he’d love making his own. We’ve often talked about the kind of ice cream we’d make if we had the right equipment. We even tried once, sans ice cream maker, and ended up with a pretty good avocado jalapeño ice cream. For our first go with the new ice cream maker, Jon chose Strawberry Basil Gelato. I give him bonus points for using herbs from our garden.

While the substance was churning away in the machine, I was skeptical that it was going to turn out, but just as the instructions said, “20-25 minutes in the machine,” and we had a creamy, smooth soft-serve-esque ice cream. I could tell Jon was disappointed at first; he was expecting a different texture, but the flavor was outstanding. And after an overnight in the freezer, the ice cream formed to a nice gelato consistency, while still retaining it’s refreshing Strawberry-Basil flavor.

Thanks for the opportunity Heather. This is going to be fun!

 

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 cup plus 4 additional tablespoons sugar
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries – sliced
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup of fresh basil

Preparation:

Whisk egg yolks and 1 cup of sugar together into the bowl of your mixer and mix together with your paddle attachment until light and creamy. While your egg yolks are mixing, add milk & heavy whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar into a large sauce pan. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently until sugar dissolves and mixture warms. Remove from heat.

Temper the egg yolk mixture by adding some of the warm milk/cream mixture to the egg yolk mixture. Gradually add the egg yolk mixture into the milk/cream mixture and stir well to combine. Return to medium heat and cook until mixture thickens/coats the back of your wooden spoon. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract. Allow mixture to cool in pan completely and then place into the fridge and chill completely (this will take several hours).

While the mixture is cooling, place the strawberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, balsamic and finely chopped basil into the bowl. Stir well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

When the mixture is completely cool, blend the strawberry mixture until it is smooth and creamy. Add the strawberry mixture to the cream mixture and stir well. Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker! Voila!

 


 



 

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Apr 02 2012
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From the Garden, Vegetarian, We Eat Well

Cheese Ravioli with Garden Fresh Tomatoes

This is probably one of the easiest meals we’ve ever made. We used pre-made cheese raviolis and a jar full of tomatoes from last year’s garden. That’s about it. Seasoned with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper, this dish was a great week night meal… filling, fresh and flavorful.

Preparation

Prepare ravioli according to package instructions. Heat tomatoes in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Once pasta is done, place on a plate and scoop tomato mixture over top. Sprinkle with Parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.

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