Sunday Brunch for One Please!

Easy, delicious, healthy breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 a small onion, peeled and diced small

4 small cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 large handful of fresh spinach, washed and chopped

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

1/3 cup of cooked quinoa

2 eggs

grated parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet, toss in the onion and garlic.  Saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add in the spinach, sesame oil, and quinoa.  Cook until spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes more.  Transfer to a plate. In the same skillet, cook the eggs anyway you like.  I love over easy- about 1 minute on first side and 1-2 on the second side.  Place on top of the quinoa mixture and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Greenhouse Magic

Here are just a few pictures to show the progress of everything in the greenhouse by Mid-March.  If this warm weather keeps up, we may be transplanting before we know it.  But all in good time, these little babies are still delicate and will get much bigger before they actually get their bottoms planted into the ground.

Cabbage:

Onions, after their tops were trimmed for the first time:

Broccoli:

Tomatoes, that will later be grafted onto the rootstock.

This is the farm.  Quiet. Serene. But not for long....

Reuben Inspired Pierogies

I don't know how this idea came to me, I may not even be the first person to have made these, but it just got into my head one night while I was brushing my teeth and I knew I wouldn't make it through the weekend without making these....

Reuben Inspired Pierogies.  Just in time for St.Patrick's Day this weekend!

*Note- the corned beef in this recipe will take at least 4 hours to prepare, so just be ready to start this earlier in the day to get it all done.  I actually made the dressing and the potato filling the day before.  Really all of the steps could be prepared a day ahead of time and then assembled and cooked before eating, but it's totally up to you!

The final pictures do NOT do this meal justice, I guess it just wasn't the most photogenic dinner ever, but man was it one of the tastiest!

Perfect little pierogies, about to be boiled and sauteed up!

Ingredients:

Corned Beef, modified recipe from Aarti Sequeira:

2.5 lb. corned beef brisket

1 cinnamon stick

8-12 whole cloves

2-3 medium onions, chopped fairly fine

6 large cloves of garlic, chopped

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 beer (I used Labatt's)

Use some fresh ground pepper and sprinkle onto both sides of the meat.  Heat a large oven proof skillet to medium high with a little vegetable oil and brown the meat on all sides, about 12 minutes total (I used my cast iron skillet and an oven proof lid, but if you have an oven and stove top safe Dutch oven, use that) Remove from the skillet and set it aside.  Turn the heat down to medium and add the cinnamon stick and cloves, saute about 1-2 minutes.  Throw in the onions and garlic, cook another 10 minutes until they are soft.  Add in the brown sugar and slowly pour in the beer.  Return the brisket to the skillet and add enough water so the liquid reaches at least half way up the meat. (I barely added any, maybe a 1/4 cup)  Bring to a boil, then take off the heat, put on the lid, and place in the oven for about 3.5 hours.  Remove the lid for the final half hour. Set aside until pierogies are done.  I wrapped the whole skillet and lid with tin foil to keep it warm.

Dough:

2 cups of white flour

2 cups of rye flour

1 cup sour cream

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp of freshly ground caraway seeds (I grind mine with a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder)

pinch of salt

Mix these all together until combined, place on a clean surface and shape into a disk. Allow it to sit until ready to assemble the pierogies.

Filling:

6 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

1- 14oz. can of sauerkraut

1 cup of freshly grated swiss cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and throw in the potatoes.  Allow them to boil uncovered until they are soft and can easily be pierced with a sharp knife, about 8-10 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and put back into the pot (without the water) Next, add the sauerkraut and swiss cheese, mash with a potato masher until smooth and well incorporated. 

Roll the dough out on a large floured surface until it is about 1/8th of an inch thick. Using a 3-4 inch circular cookie cutter or the top of a jar- (I used the metal ring to a large mouthed mason jar) cut out all the circles you can.  Re-roll the dough and continue cutting out the circles until all the dough has been used.

Place about a Tablespoon of the potato filling into the center of each of the dough circles. Using your finger, lightly wet half of the circle with a little water, this will help seal the pierogi. Fold the dough circe in half and pinch the two edges together.  While you are filling all of the pierogies, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Drop the pierogies into the boiling water in batches of 5 or 6.  Once they rise to the top, they are done, scoop them out.  Now bring a saute pan up to medium heat and add a little oil (vegetable, olive, butter, or coconut)  Saute the perogies for about 1-2 minutes on each side.

Serve immediately with the corned beef spread on top of the pierogies and the homemade Russian dressing drizzled over top.

Russian Dressing "Sauce" via Emeril Lagasse

1 cup of mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. finely minced yellow onion

1 Tbsp. finely minced dill pickle

1 Tbsp. finely minced celery

1 Tbsp. finely minced parsley 

1 Tbsp. sour cream

1 tsp. dry ground mustard

1 Tbsp. Sirachi, or other hot pepper sauce (optional)

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. sugar

Mix these all together in a food processor or by hand in a small bowl and drizzle onto the piergies and corned beef.  Store the dressing in the fridge for 1-2 weeks.

Wheat Berry Salad

This simple salad has chewy grains, herbaceous herbs, crunchy vegetables, tangy cheese, and sweet grapes.  Yum, yum, yum, ummmm.   Please try it, you may love it.

Ingredients:

1 cup of wheat berries (cook according to package directions)

1 cup of faro (cook according to package directions.

While the grains are cooking, prepare the remaining ingredients and combine in a large bowl:

2 cups of sliced sweet seedless red grapes

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint

1 cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

8 oz. feta, crumbled

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 cup olive oil

3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. pepper

Once the grains are cooked, mix with the remaining prepared ingredients.  Now, eat it up. 

Eat this for lunch, a side dish at dinner, or take it to a potluck!  

Enjoy!

Pa-Pa-Pancakes

These have become a Sunday afternoon ritual.  Making them, not eating them that is.  I mean, they are eaten eventually- like, every morning before work.  You see, these pancakes are started on Saturday afternoon by soaking the flour with yoghurt in order to allow the bacteria in the yoghurt to begin breaking down the wheat grain in the flour allowing it to be more digestible when you eat it.  That mixture sits at room temperature for 12-24 hours and then the rest of the ingredients are added and the cakes are make.

I'm not sure when I started making these exactly, but ever since I started, John and I have found them to be the easiest, tastiest, healthiest, quickest, and most filling breakfast we can eat.

We pull ourselves out of our warm bed before the sun has a chance to wake us, fumble for a few light switches and throw a few of these bad boys into the toaster oven.  I pair mine with a cup of my homemade yoghurt, a scoop of creamy cashew coconut butter, and a drizzle of honey.  John prefers to layer his with greek yoghurt, soft butter, and maple syrup.  The wonderful thing about these pancakes is that they are filled with so many healthy and natural ingredients, that you can't feel guilty after a few of them.  Plus, they are a tasty and filling breakfast for when I have a long morning at the farm, I'm usually not hungry again until lunch.

This past Sunday was a particularly beautiful March day and I was able to open the kitchen windows and leave the back door open to allow the unusually warm March breezes drift through the house

Ingredients:

2 cups Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat Flour

2 cups of plain yoghurt

Mix these together in a large bowl and allow to sit for 12-24 hours at room temperature.  I cover my bowl with a cloth.

After the 12-24 hours, the mixture should be almost sponge-like and sticky.  This is good.

Next I added:

1/8 cup fresh ground flax seed

1/8 cup wheat germ

4 eggs

pinch of salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup buttermilk (or regular milk, or water)

1/8 cup chia seeds

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 large apple, peeled and diced small

1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped

(notice I do not add any sweetener because I like to put honey on the top after they are done. If you like, you may add a few tablespoons of sugar to your batter)

Take your time mixing this all together, it may seem like the flour/yoghurt mixture won't want to mix with the rest of the ingredients, but it will eventually, just keep going.  The batter will be THICK. That means it's perfect!

Once it all seems to be incorporated, heat up a large pan or griddle to medium heat.  If your pan is not non-stick, use a small scoop of coconut oil to grease the pan. Then, using the 1/8 cup, scoop the batter onto the hot griddle, possibly flattening out the batter a little to spread it out.  Cook the pancakes for approximately 1 minute on the first side and 2 minutes on the remaining side.  Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.  I store mine in a large ziplock bag in the fridge for the entire week.  You can also easily freeze them in a freezer bag if you don't eat them all.

Makes about 30 pancakes.

Vegetable-y Bean Dip

There came unto me a thought that I might make some sort of dip. I really love the thought of making a dip for vegetables out of vegetables.  Throw some beans and tahini in there for a bit of protein and fiber and you got yourself a delicious treat!  It's a great nutritional pick-me-up if you need a boost in the late afternoon, but don't have time for a meal.  I just pull it out of the fridge and dip in a few carrots, radishes, or cucumbers.

The nice thing about this recipe is that you can completely customize it with any kind of bean and vegetables you have.

Ingredients:

1- 15oz. can of Great Northern Beans- drained

               OR

1/2 cup of dried beans soaked and cooked.

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 small onions, chopped

5 cloves of Garlic, chopped

1 Jalapeno

10 mushrooms, sliced

3-4 Tbsp. tahini (sesame seed paste)

1 tsp. ground cayanne (optional)

Drizzle 2-3 Tablespoons in a large skillet and toss in the onion, pepper, garlic, and jalapeno.  Saute about 8-10 minutes until the veggies are soft. Throw in the mushrooms and saute another 7 minutes.  Let the mixture cool about 10 minutes.  Drain all of the liquid off that you can.

Use your blender, cuisinart, or food processor to combine the vegetables, tahini, beans, and ground cayanne until smooth.  Taste, add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy this snack with crackers, cucumbers, radishes, turnips, carrots, peppers, or spread on bread.

Simple Seedy Seedlings

Without much snow this winter and those teasing days of beautiful 60 degree weather every other week, I've had enough already.  Daylight savings in this weekend and the daylight hours are growing by the minute each day.  I am ready for warm breezes, the hot sunshine, and a garden full of food!  In anticipation of the growing season, I've started a few of my seeds inside already. I know a few of them may be a little early, but I just couldn't help myself.  I started these on Feb. 2.

Below is are the Borage seedlings that are the largest in the tray.  I will be transferring them into separate little containers within the next few days to give them more room.
Borage is an annual plant that has beautiful blue star-shaped flower clusters and very furry leaves.  This is my first time growing Borage, so I will be sure to let you know how it goes and what I end up using it for.

Lancaster Central Market

This past weekend John and I were in Lancaster visiting his family and after all the times I've been to Lancaster City, I finally got the chance to check out Lancaster Central Market.

Lancaster Central Market is located at 23 North Market Street in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Smack dab in the center of the city surrounded by dozens of shops, restaurants, and businesses.  It was a windy March morning, the air was chilling but the sun was warm.  

As soon as we stepped inside, the hustle and bustle of market-goers engulfed us.  There were so many delicious smells- fresh bread, a wall of spices, baklava, cheese pies, potted herbs, and fried chicken.  


I'm used to my local market- Renningers Farmers' Market, where you weave your way through old Dutchies, little kiddies, and claustrophobic stands of antiques.


My eyes where overwhelmed by the stands, produce, products, and people.  We got there late morning, so John grabbed me a tea and himself a coffee from Mean Cup, I also couldn't help myself when I passed the Lancaster Juice Company and bought myself a fresh beet, pepper, cucumber, and carrot juice.  John headed to The German Deli to pick up a 1/2 pound of sliced Bloodwurst (basically blood balogna) I tried it and admit it was delicious, not totally my style, but good none the less.

For lunch, John, his brothers, mom, and I scarfed down some delicious mahi tacos and lobster bisque from Mr. Bill's Seafood.  After the soup, I still had a little spot in my belly that needed to be filled (as usual) so I stopped by the nice ladies at Wendy Jo's Homemade and bought two of their "Healthy Cookies".  They were vegan and packed with oats, peanut butter, seeds, nuts, and dried fruit.  I ate them before I thought to get a picture of them.  But if I don't get back to Lancaster soon, I will have to try my hand at creating my own healthy cookie.

There was also this cute little duo performing outside the market.  We sat on a bench near by to eat our lunch and listen to them play.

Salmon Salad- Kicked Up!

I had a strange urge to make Salmon Salad today when I got home from work.  I think I was just in the mood for a simple, flavorful, protein rich lunch option.  I looked through my fridge and cupboards to come up with the ingredients.  I love the way it turned out.  There is so much crunch, tanginess, and just a hint of spice.  

I had mine on a slice of Chia Seed Bread made by my great friend and amazing baker, Anna- Daily Loaf, and topped it with a little slice of avocado. (isn't everything better with a little avocado?)

Ingredients:


1 can (7.5 oz.) of salmon
1 small can of water chestnuts, chopped
2 Tbsp. whole grain mustard
1/2 cup mayo, yoghurt, or sour cream
1/8 cup of chopped fresh dill, chopped finely
3 scallions, chopped
6 radishes, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. capers, chopped
1 tsp. lemon juice
1-2 tsp. Sriracha (optional)


Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  That's it!


Enjoy!

Mung Bean Sprouts

So, here they are:

Mung Bean Sprouts

After about a week of sitting in that quart sized mason jar fitted with a screen top lid, rinsing everyday, 2-3 times a day, those little green beans grew up into these delicious, fresh, crunchy sprouts!

Here is the original post about sprouting mung beans.

Smoothie of the Week

Ingredients:
1/2 banana
1/2 mango
1/2 cup of frozen raspberries
1/2 cup of almond milk


Blend, baby, blend.
I use an immersion stick blender, but you can use whatever blending apparatus you have!


Enjoy!