New Tastes

The challenge of receiving a crate of produce every week, and having no control over what's in there, is coming up with enough ways to use everything. It forces me to research ingredients (pea shoots are really edible?!?) and find new recipes. Often, the results don't resemble anything I've ever made before (or eaten for that matter).

Friday resulted in fridge-filling crate:
spinach
mixed salad greens
romaine lettuce
broccoli
parsley
kale
pea shoots
radishes
strawberries
two samples of the cheeses which will be available for purchase once a month

So, in addition to the never ending plates of salad, I've done some cooking this weekend. Last night, I made another batch of kale and sausage soup, this time for freezing. I used a spicy andouille this time; brought a new kick to the soup. I know it will be great whenever I thaw out the packages, maybe when the weather is cooler, and enjoy the fresh taste of summer veggies.

Today, I'm trying a totally new thing: pea shoot dumplings. I blanched the shoots, chopped them and added an egg, some pork, chicken broth, soy sauce and grated ginger. Stuffed some wonton wrappers with the filling and have them freezing on a tray. I did sample one; it was amazing. The flavor of peas is subtle and mixes with the saltiness and pork in a great way. Another hit. Now, I just have to wrap up the second half of the dumplings.

Next challenge: how to make some gluten-free versions of wonton wrappers so that I can share my cooking with my mom. I do have a couple recipes for gluten-free pasta, but I have yet to try any of them out. Hopefully soon.

All of the changes to my eating patterns have started to make a difference. I feel more energetic through the whole day. I haven't noticed the afternoon slump that usually hits a bit after lunch. And, when I did eat highly processed flour and sugar this week (in form of birthday cake and a fancy latté treat), I felt miserable. I thought I would fall asleep about 1/2 hour after eating and the feeling stuck with me for most of the day.

Also, I've managed to lose 3.2% of my body weight already. I can tell my body is working better with the new inputs.

So far, so good. Definitely no plans to go back to eating all the other stuff anytime soon.

New Soup Recipe

I made soup tonight; it was very yummy. It doesn't take too long to make (probably about 30 minutes with all of the following steps).

Kale and Sausage Soup

-Dump 8 c of chicken broth into a large pot; put heat on medium/high
- Open, rinse and drain 2 cans of white beans; add to pot
- Add a pinch of saffron (optional) and bring to a boil
- Meanwhile, put a sauté pan over medium heat with a bit of olive oil
- Chop a package (12 oz) of sausage and brown in the oil (if not pre-cooked, make sure to cook thoroughly); I used roasted garlic chicken sausage, but think almost any kind would be good
- When done, move the sausage into the broth pot, leaving the oil in the pan
- Lower the heat under the broth and keep at a simmer
- Dump a diced, medium sized onion into the sauté pan
- Add some minced garlic once the onion is tender and then add a diced red bell pepper
- Move the onion/pepper mixture to the broth pot once they are all tender
- Add a small bunch of kale (stems removed and chopped) to the broth pot
- Cook for about 5 more minutes, add salt and pepper to taste
- Serve with some grated pecorino romano (if desired... and when is cheese not desired)

So colorful and tasty. Enjoy!

Lots of Green

It was the first week for CSA produce deliveries. I was amazed at how much was in my crate on Friday: two bags of mixed salad greens, a bag of spinach, a head of lettuce, a bunch of kale, a bunch of basil, a loaf of seven grain bread and samples of two cheeses made by local farms. Everything was so fresh and green and the basil smelled amazing as soon as I picked it up.

Last night, I sautéed some garlic and spinach, cracked an egg over it all and scrambled it together. Then, plopped it onto some bread and topped it with mozzarella. Mmmm...

Tonight, I made some pesto with the basil and froze it. I can just imagine how good it will taste on some of the fresh pasta from the farmer's market.

Tomorrow, I'm hopping to make some kale and sausage soup.

So much cooking. So many flavors. So many different things to experiment with and enjoy.

I finally got some of my own veggie plants in the ground (one of which has already been eaten by something). I also bought a pitchfork so that I can move my compost without being in striking distance of Sunny. I didn't get as much as I hoped to done this weekend because I was so busy and it was SO HOT. But it was fun.

Saturday was the Southside House Tour. I was stationed at the City Theater, my favorite place to see shows in Pittsburgh. Afterwards, I went through a couple of the tour houses and then met up with a friend to get some lunch and go shopping. I got an amazing deal on a drawing pad because the cover was on backwards... So funny how things like that can lead to amazing discounts.

Today, I spent some time looking up recipe ideas for the kale and reminding myself how to make pesto. Shopping was so much fun, I only had to buy a few things to add to my ingredients. I have salad greens for the whole week and all sorts of other fun stuff to try.

Tonight, I'm drinking a glass of wine, trying to relax and gear up for the week. My birthday week! My last year as a twenty-something... It's crazy to think about it that way. But, I'm sure that this year, like the last few, will be a bit of an adventure. So, only a couple more days till I'm 29; I can't wait!

Day Four

Ah, real food... That's what my entire day led up to, and it was so worth it.

I was feeling rather fed up with my food options today, much of which I blame on poor planning on my own part. I didn't have much prepared to take with me to work; so, I ate some cherries and sunflower seeds and almonds. Nothing very exciting.

After work, I headed to the Southside to meet a couple friends for dinner and cocktails before seeing Sex and the City. We went to Tusca. I've been there before, but only for drinks. Wow! The food was amazing. We had mussels, polenta with mushrooms and a cheese tray. The mussels were perfectly steamed with butter and wine; the polenta was cheesy and creamy and perfection; and the cheese, oh the cheese! There was a fantastic blue cheese (and honey to drizzle over it), a great smoky cheddar, a gouda and a wonderful brie. All of that and several cosmos definitely put me in the mood for the movie... The only things marring the evening were the dreadful service at the restaurant (they were not prepared for the crowd of women before the movie) and my friend's comment that giving up bread, etc. was crazy. This sentiment comes up over and over as I tell people how I'm hoping to change my shopping and eating patterns over the next few months.

I really don't think that trying to limit the amount of processed foods in my diet is that strange. I know that there will be times when a piece of bread is put on the table and I will eat it. I know that my birthday is next week, and, if a cake appears at some point in the day, I won't feel bad about having a piece. But, I don't want to continue going forward, eating haphazardly, not enjoying the good things in life and filling my body with unnatural substances. So, I will try to ignore comments that I'm being odd and do what I think is best for me.

I don’t have any set in stone rules for what to eat this summer. I’m going to avoid buying anything with ingredients that I don’t recognize. I’m also going to limit processed flours and sugar to the best of my ability. I’ll buy organic and local when I can. And, the rest? I’ll make up as I go.