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A new endeavor…

22 Oct

I am excited to announce that my first post writing and photographing for Eat Boutique, an online magazine and market,  is up! I truly admire the aesthetics and ideas behind what they have accomplished, and I am honored to be a part of it, in whatever small way I am able.  I urge you to go check out eveything they have put together over the past several years.

Below is an excerpt from my first contribution on how to make a delicious and filling veggie taco (Hint: Fried Green Tomatoes).

“Being a carnivore married to a vegetarian can sometimes be a challenging adventure. Over the past ten years I have been enlisted as a vegetarian-by-default at many a meal. During this time, however, I have grown to appreciate plant-based foods in ways that still surprise me. Using vegetables in unexpected places to fill the void in a meatless marriage has become a skill I am still honing, but there are those moments when a vegetable dish leaves me completely satiated.

Vegetarian tacos have been a recurring presence in my kitchen and typically involve a frozen meat substitute defrosted and flavored with a taco seasoning packet – and a lot of cheese. This dish, however, has none of the previously mentioned vegetarian taco curses. Using the leftover green tomatoes gathered from my garden right before the first frost settled in, I refocused the vegetarian taco into an exciting, fresh and multi-layered delight.”

Click here to read the rest of this post and to view images of how beautiful this dish is….

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Parsnip & Leek Smash

8 Mar

Parsnips and leeks, you say? Indeed. And with the addition of a little creme fraiche, this turns into a delicious side for any meal.

This is a great substitute for boring mashed potatoes, and though it’s simple to make with just three ingredients, it has a complex flavor that you’ll be craving time and time again. And it’s a pretty healthy dish, too.

Ever since I started adding parsnips into my regular rotation of vegetables, I have not been disappointed. The albino cousin of the carrot doesn’t particularly look like more than just an ordinary root, but it has a nutty flavor that really stands out. I prefer to leave the outer skin of the parsnip on, as it isn’t very thick and adds a nice texture.

These parsnips were given to me at the end of the growing season in late fall and I just now have gotten around to using them. They were grown organically at a local farm and were stored properly for a couple of months, allowing the fresh flavor to last well into winter.

And lest we forget the other main component of this dish, the leek. I find it is another underutilized vegetable with a lot of flavor. It’s related to onion and garlic, and works very well together with the parsnips.

Once the veggies are cut and boiled, put them in a bowl and use a potato masher to smash them all together. Add in the creme fraiche, salt and pepper and plate next to your main dish.

To make:

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium sized leeks, cut into 1/2″ rings
  • 1 pound parsnips, skin on, cut into 1-2″ chunks
  • 1/3 cup creme fraiche
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, and add parsnips and leeks. Let cook in boiling water until soft, about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from water and place in a medium sized bowl. Smash up the leek and parsnip together until mashed together. Add in creme fraiche, salt and pepper and mash together some more. (You can make this as smooth/chunky as you want, I prefer it somewhere in between.)

Plate and serve. You could garnish with nutmeg or a small dollop of creme fraiche.

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How to build a raised garden bed.

25 Sep

So sometimes I get an idea and start a project. And then sometimes I don’t follow it all the way through. This is one of those times.

Not to say that I didn’t accomplish anything, because making this raised garden bed from a pile of wood and some nails felt pretty good. Just because I didn’t actually fill it with dirt or a garden after installing it doesn’t necessarily make it a failure, it just makes it a work in progress.

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Vegetarian dinner for a meat eater. Grill edition.

24 Jul

Sometimes I have to grill vegetables instead of meat because I am in a relationship with a vegetarian. It’s okay! Thank you for your sympathy, but I still get my fill of carnivorous treats in my diet on a regular basis.

Tonight was one of those nights though. Where you just want to grill something other than meat. So I turned vegetables into a full meal, and it was enough to satisfy my dinnertime hunger.

I prepared the following three things on the grill:

1. Grilled zucchini rolled with fresh farmer’s goat cheese, baby spinach and basil.
2. Portabella mushrooms marinated in a homemade balsamic pesto.
3. Corn on the cob.

One of my all time favorite things to grill would be number one above and it is completely simple to make. Start off by cutting the zucchini lengthwise into strips.

Then, cover them with olive oil, salt and pepper and put them on the grill for a bit.

Once they’re cooked, gather everything else you need for rolling them up in one spot.

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Backyard Eats.

20 Jun

Friday night was one of the best weather nights so far this season. It demanded that time be spent outside in the yard. Uncovering the BBQ and tossing on some incredible tasting goodness. Talking about life and gardens and drinks and so on.

My friend Kree came over and brought an amazing cut of pork that had been marinating for hours beforehand. We found some assorted accompaniments in the house, such as red potatoes and onions. Joe(y) and Kree threw together a salad (which we topped with grilled garlic scapes…OMGZ!) and dinner on the patio was served.

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