Green: Eat Like You Mean It!

Enjoying the Fruits of the Harvest With Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

 

Too long...

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog. 'Been busy, it seems, with other things. But Green is still cooking, to be sure, with lots of pots set to simmer while we wait for things to develop. 

A primary Green focus has been wholeness, eating with health and life values in mind. Eating Green is about being conscious of what we do and why and how we do it. It's about making connections between body and spirit, food and land, grower and cook and happy diner. It's about being intentional in our lives (...do I REALLY want to put that in my body?!?!?) and in our choices.

Even so, Green is in transition. Like I said, we're still cooking, with no plans to stop any time soon. One of my greatest joys is nourishing people. Making a meal--whether for one or one hundred--offers me the opportunity to provide an enjoyable experience through taste and texture and color and shape and all the myriad elements of what makes good food...good. Feeding you is one of the ways I have to love you, and to offer something of healing and wholesome value to you.

But Green has always been, since its inception, a stepping stone to other places. Beth and I have long held a vision that feeding you in this way now has been a precursor to feeding you in a bigger way later. While we could certainly open up a larger shop and go into "production mode" with our food, that idea does not bring us joy. Instead, it is our hope to one day be able to offer nourishment with your whole health in mind...i.e. a healing or retreat center or centers where you can come and be loved up righteously, body, mind and spirit!

Until then, here's to good eatin'!

Simple, Simple Supper

Sometimes I prepare big feasts for  my family, sometimes I don't. There are lots of days when a meal has got to appear on the table fast. Last night's answer to the supper crush? Pizza bread. All you need is a decent baguette or two, some cheese, the topping of your choice, some olive oil and some pizza sauce.

Begin with a hunk of baguette.

Slice it down the middle lengthwise.

 
Heat up your pizza sauce.

Yep, you can just buy a can or jar of decent sauce at your local co-op or other grocer. I made mine by carmelizing some organic tomato paste in a small sauce pan with a little olive oil and raw sugar. After a time I tossed in some salt, pepper, dried basil, and water. I gave it a good whisking, then tasted it to make sure I had the rich, robust flavor I wanted. (It really doesn't take but a moment to make your own sauce, and it's so much better!) Once the sauce is ready, spoon it onto your bread.

Add  your toppings. This bread was for my kids, and they wanted fresh deli pepperoni. If I could eat the wheat bread, I would have chosen some garlic, arugula, and maybe mushrooms. Oh well...

At this point, I placed my bread in an iron skillet, and topped it with grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

After spending maybe 10 minutes in a 400-oven, out came some tasty-looking pizza bread, ready to cut and serve to hungry kidlets.

Served up with a little tossed salad, pizza bread is a super fast, super simple, super supper!

--Sheila

Waffles...Yum!

Who doesn't love waffles, I ask you...Well, my 10-year-old doesn't. Crazy baby. I love waffles. Everyone else in my family loves waffles. And what's not to love...sweetened batter, grid-fried on a hot iron, buttered up and ladled with pure maple syrup, maybe tossed with a few fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream. Now I'm hungry. Actually, I'm not, because I just finished eating my waffles!

It's kind of funny, really. Waffles are pretty much just pancakes fried up differently. But a heaping platter of waffles conjures up a different feeling somehow. Pancakes are hearty and loving, but waffles...waffles are a sure sign that someone adores you! With my giant griddle, I can pan-bake up to 16 pancakes at a time. Two rounds of batter and you're done. Plenty of pancakes for breakfast with some to spare for snacks and the next day's breakfast. But waffles take time. Once the batter is made, you have to stand at the iron, frying up just a pair at a time. It just feels special somehow, like visiting your favorite grandmother.

In fact, I have two waffle irons...the Belgian waffle maker I received as a wedding gift, and the old Westinghouse iron my grandmother used to make waffles for my cousins and me. I LOVE using that old iron, being reminded of how much Grandma loved us whilst I make waffles for my brood.
 
Today's batch was made on the wedding iron, however. In a large bowl, I dumped some tapioca flour, potato flour, corn meal, and some of Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Can't say exactly how much, because, well, you know...that's just how I roll! I added a wee bit of xanthan gum, some fine-ground sea salt, some raw sugar and baking powder. In a smaller bowl went four egg yolks, vanilla and olive oil. I dry-whisked the powdery stuff in lieu of sifting it, then whisked the wet ingredients together and added almond milk and water. I stirred the wet into the dry and let it sit a wee bit to make sure the corn meal had a chance to absorb enough moisture to not stay crunchy. Meanwhile, I whipped the egg whites up until they were nice and fluffy. While the waffle iron heated up, I brushed it with a little olive oil (I use enough olive oil every day to indicate that I should have been born Italian...what gives?) and folded the egg whites gently into the batter.

Several rounds of spooning batter and stacking waffles later, it was time to eat.

Honestly, what's better than this? Waffles I can eat (I cheated with the whipped cream, but don't tell anyone!), no one else missed the gluten or, indeed, would have known they were gluten-free if not for the clue that I was eating them. And the best part of all, is that I ate waffles on one of my grandmother's old plates. Gotta have a little Grandma with my waffles!

--Sheila

What's YOUR favorite food?

Eating, like cooking, should be fun. One element of fun with food is the pre-requisite that you like what you're eating! This can be challenging in a large family full of people who prefer different things. Harder than cooking at home is going out to eat; given that I'm wheat- and meat-free and dairy-limited, finding a restaurant where I can eat more than salad and maybe potatoes can be a challenge. Especially given that no one else in the family shares my dietary needs. There's a lovely little family-run Mexican restaurant up the street, El Norteno, where we like to go. Everyone can eat something. The food's very good, and it just means that I eat dairy. Fine. An evening at El Norteno means I don't do dairy again for awhile. No problem. There are also a couple of grilles nearby where my family can enjoy a full-on flesh feast and I can at least have the specialty sweet potato fries (Longfellow Grille) or the garlic-parsely fries (Town Talk Diner) and a creative salad.

Another family favorite--and my personal favorite!--is a local Indian restaurant called Ghandi Mahal. They serve lots of wheat-free vegetarian food, but the rest of the fam can eat all the tandoori chicken their hearts' desire (they have plentiful meat offerings besides tandoori...)! Actually, Indian and Middle Eastern food rank super high on my list of favorites, as well as Thai and other SE Asian cuisine.

For supper tonight, I made a 'build-your-own' curry dinner:  In separate pots and pans I made...

Curried fried potatoes (made this way so they'll be easily re-heated tomorrow and served with an egg for breakfast),

Curried mixed veggies, literally a using up of what's waiting in my veggie crisper,

Curried chicken, thigh and breast pieces,

And a pot of brown basmati rice and some coconut-red curry sauce.

Once done cooking in their spice baths, the chicken, veggies and potatoes each got a ladle of the sauce. Then I turned everyone loose to build their plates to their liking. My plate included the rice, potatoes, veggies, a healthy dose of the curry sauce, and a generous sprinkling of crushed red chilies.

Little Ada went for a spoon of rice, a spoon of veggies, and a nice juicy chunk of the chicken.

When cooking for my brood, I try to make meals that are flexible and allow for tailoring to personal tastes. I really like to turn up the heat in my food, but no one else currently living here does (my oldest, on his own, also shares my love of spicy food). So I make my sauces more mild than I prefer, but keep a supply of heat close at hand. (Even my morning egg, over-easy on gluten-free toast, gets a healthy dash of chili flakes!).

Another recent meal I can share was the one I made for my daughter Olivia's 19th birthday. She asked for shrimp and sweet potatoes. The shrimp were marinated for the day in olive oil, lime juice, salt, a few chili flakes, and freshly chopped garlic. When it was almost time to eat, I tossed the shrimp into a giant hot iron skillet with a little more olive oil. When they were done, I tossed them with chopped flat-leaf parsley.

The sweet potatoes, one of Olivia's absolute favorit foods, were cut into disks, tossed with olive oil and generously seasoned with sea salt, fresh-ground pepper and sweet paprika, then oven roasted.

I didn't think that was enough food options for the whole group eating, so we also enjoyed garlic-mashed potatoes with parsely, a simple green salad tossed with my ex's mustard-shallot dressing, and a loaf of local bakery bread.

Simple foods, all, but tasty and so satisfying. Most importantly, for this family, such meals as these offer a little something for everybody! Until next time...

--Sheila

Tostadas!

It's summer, we're all busy with my kids constantly scattering like dice on a backgammon board. Sometimes supper needs to be super quick. On tonight's menu? Tostadas!

To start, I tossed a few boneless chicken thighs and breasts in an iron skillet with some olive oil, salt and cumin.  While they cooked, I chopped avocado, cilantro and green onions. Meanwhile, I put a large can of organic puree in a saucepan and turned it into my version of mole sauce, adding in olive oil, salt, raw sugar, cumin, coriander, paprika, chipotle powder, and cocoa powder. (You could just buy a jar at your local co-op!) Finally, I shredded the cooked chicken right in the pan, and also shredded a block of co-jack. Start to finish at this point, half-an-hour.

All that was left to do was toss a few corn tortillas on a lightly oiled skillet to crisp them up. Then everyone just compiled their own as desired. Above was my daughter Aurora's tostada, with a little shredded chicken, lots of cheese, a splash of sauce and a sprinkling of cilantro.

Below is little Ada's, with more chicken, less cheese, more sauce and lots of avocado. She even tossed on the onions and cilantro.

FInally there's my all-veggie version, with lots of avocado, a little cheese, and plentiful sauce, onions and cilantro:

And so you have it:  A fast, easy summer supper flexible enough to satisfy everyone with only a few simple ingredients. What's better than that?

--Sheila

It's Raspberry Time!

It's summer in Minnesota, and my raspberry canes are slathered with berries, both red and black. They're ripening now as fast as we can pick them. What a joy to walk out the front door and follow the little garden path to the raspberry patch.

A few years ago, when my canes had spread like ruby wildfire, I sketched out a model for a pyramidical trellis and asked my husband to build a couple for me. He did, and they make my berry-picking life much easier. Once my berries are done for the season, I'll cut back this year's berry-producing canes, leaving the non-producing canes to continue growing and gathering their photosynthetic power! Those canes will be tied up to the trellises and left alone. Next spring, those will be the canes that produce berries, while all the fresh upstarts will grow beneath, gathering steam and bioligical maturity for the following season. And so the berry cycle goes.

As for me and mine, we love all that those scratchy canes (they're related to roses, you see) have to offer. The dried leaves make a lovely tea that soothes the gallbladder meridian and tonifies smooth muscle tissue (like the uterus, making raspberry leaf tea a staple for pregnant women for generations!). What berries we don't stuff right in our greedy mouths while picking end up in fruit salads, on fresh-baked tarts, sugared up and spooned over ice cream or yogurt, smooshed into smoothies, baked into pies (One of my favorites is a mixed berry pie baked with balsamic vinegar and basil! Trust me...).

Today's berries were baked into these lovely little gluten-free raspberry scones.

To make them, I combined Bob's Red Mill All-Purpse Gluten-Free Baking Flour blend with some tapicoa flour.  In I tossed salt, sugar, baking powder and xanthan gum. I cut in some butter, just as if I were making a pie crust. Then I added heavy cream until I had a proper dough. In went the fresh berries. The whole purply mess went out onto a board, upon which I patted the dough out flat, mayber an inch thick. I cut the dough with a pie server, then set my soon-to-be scones on buttered baking sheets. After chilling them for an hour, I sprinkled them with more raw cane sugar, popped them in the oven and waited until they smelled delicious and their edges were beginning to brown.

Big, big, yummy, thanks to the raspberry patch!

--Sheila

Sheila Says...

...what's the deal with people and food, anyway? This question has been on my mind, as I just came back from my annual trek "up north," where I helped feed 22 arts campers and an assortment of teachers, artists, and family members. After that, I fed a good 120 Misdummer festival-goers over the weekend. A lot of time on my feet, a lot of work, a lot of fun.

The thing is, I like feeding people. And people, in general, like to eat. When I'm in charge of the kitchen, the food is fresh-made from scratch, no molecular structures have been damaged by microwaves, and, whenever possible, the ingredients are organic and/or free-range. All well and good, if you're of the same mind regarding health, food, and the well-being of the planet (unlike those chemical company interests actually lobbying against organic farming!?!?!!!)

But that's not all there is to the story of food and people. Confession:  I do happen to be a good cook. I'd be false if I didn't recognize this fact. After all, people wouldn't pay me to cook for them if I produced dross.  Confession:  I have no culinary training whatsoever.  Confession:  My food was good even when I didn't use organic ingredients purchased from local farmers or from my food co-op.  Observed truth:  Not everyone gives a rat's arse about organic, and not everyone who loves to cook and and makes people happy with their food cooks fresh and from scratch.

What's the point? Simply, that there is a common link between the "lesser" food made from non-organic ingredients that still makes people sated and happy, and the kind of food I like to make from "quality" ingredients that are raised in accordance with my eco-principles. That link?  Love. Good, old-fashioned love.

Now I'm in no way going to turn back from my organic eco-path. I believe with every ounce of my being that producing organic food is truly the only option if we are to fully care for ourselves and the planet. I know that a fresh, organic vegetable is much, MUCH tastier and better for everyone than a package of processed whatever. But I also want to acknowledge that perhaps the most important ingredient in a well-made meal is the care taken in preparing that meal.

I have friends that make and eat food that would almost never pass my lips, dietary restrictions aside. Yet, the people they feed with that food are appreciative, satisfied and loved in the process. I suppose one could say that some people have "less refined" palates, or aren't able to or interested in making finer distinctions and standards. Many points could certainly made against the kind of fare that has plumped up generations of Americans, and helped increase the rates of diabetes and heart disease. From a national health standard, to be sure, I can't understand why chemical preservatives and high fructose corn syrup and food colorings and the like are even allowed in the food source stream. But that's not my point of concern today.

What I want to say is that anything prepared and offered with true love and care is a gift, and can be a gift that nourishes, regardless. People have often marveled at the food I make, and have come back to me feeling like they have "failed."  Besides the fact that no experiment or exploration in learning to do something can truly be a failure, I have concluded that there is only one reason why my food is perceived, often, as being "better" than others' food...

I love the food, pure and simple. I love the carrots and the cows, regardless of what I partake in my personal diet. I love peeling and grating and saucing. I love the gardens and pastures that produce my ingredients, and the farmers who tend the fields. I know and appreciate the hard labor that brings a single tomato from garden seedling to the bin at my local natural foods co-op. When I cook for others, I cook as a way to love them, even if I don't know them. Food--and cooking--is a holy thing to me. Preparing a meal, whether for my immediate family or for 200 strangers, becomes a spiritual, meditative task that enlightens and uplifts me.

My grandmother was the matriarch of our family, who made every holiday meal. It was simple fare:  Roasted meat, potatoes of some sort, another vegetable, lots of pies and bars and other sweet treats. She had no culinary training either. But her Thanksgiving was ALWAYS the best, her pies the flakiest and sweetest, her beet pickles the finest. Grandma loved her family, and it showed in the wholesome meals she provided us. Yes, the beef she prepared came from the cows we all helped raise in free-ranging pastures. Her garden vegetables were organic, because who would pay for chemical fertilizers when all the aged cow-poo was available to nourish the soil? Organic was normal when I was a child, not an ethical principle.

Even so, what differentiated Grandma's cooking was Grandma herself. I like to think, when I'm paring potatoes and glazing a roast, that I'm in some small measure able to channel just a bit of Grandma Elsye into the food I make. In this way, I pass on something good and beautiful from my past into every meal I make, and hope that it fortifies everyone I serve in some small part.

Now I don't say these things in any way to glorify myself or the food I make. Rather, I want to take the pressure off of those cooks who don't know where to begin in the kitchen, who feel overwhelmed and inadequate. I know you're out there, because you're constantly asking me for kitchen advice! The next time you have to make a meal, realize that you don't actually HAVE to make a meal. There are lots of pre-fab and made-to-order options out there. but if you really want to cook, first choose to make a meal (believe me, we have lots of leftover nights and "make do" nights and "Thank goodness there's Annie's organic mac-n-cheese nights here in this family!).

Once you're free from obligation and are cooking because who have chosen to do so, think of who's eating at your table. Select a simple menu that won't stress you in the making. Once you've got your ingredients in hand, take a minute to think of where it all comes from; thank the gardens and the gardeners, the cattle and the farm-hands who herd them, etc. Start cooking. Be daring in your use of herbs and spices...why not add a little flair to your flavor? But mostly, think about the people who will sit down and enjoy this meal with you. Know that, in preparing their supper, you're truly giving of yourself. Honor yourself as you acknowledge them.

Then, come together around the table and enjoy the eating. That's really all there is to it...a little paying attention, a little acknowledgement, a little freedom, a lot of love. And there you have it:  A good meal!

--Sheila

The Soirees of Spring and the Succulent Morsels That Make Things Special...

It's spring, school is almost over for the year, and little parties are popping up all over the place. I've catered four in the last week...an after-the-Big-Event committee debriefing dinner, a store's Customer Appreciation day treats buffet, a volunteer thank you party, and another volunteer thanks-for-your-service brunch. The challenge is for me is to keep a fresh perspective always, to avoid being repetitious, to offer a full menu that will satisfy the palate and meet the needs of everyone. Because I'm known for being able to cook around dietary concerns, lots of my clients are wheat-free or dairy-free or vegetarian or vegan, etc. Here are some highlights:

Above is a platter of oven-toasted polenta points with a sun-dried tomato tapenade. The polenta was cooked in the pot, poured onto a jelly roll pan, and chilled overnight. I then cut it into squares, drizzled it with olive oil, and toasted it in the oven until it developed a nice, brown crunchy bottom and maintained a chewy center. The tomatoes were softened in boiling water, drained, then chiffonaded and macerated in olive oil, garlic, ground chili peppers, salt, and--if I remember correctly--basil. Once the polenta was out of the oven, I plattered and topped it and Voila! a lovely wheat-free, savory appetizer that's just bursting with flavor, fun to eat, and even cheap to make!

Another recent offering was this little platter of shrimp and chicken:

The chicken was marinated overnight in a chili-lime sauce, then oven-roasted. The shrimp was pan- seared in lemon, garlic and parsley, then chilled overnight. For serving, I placed the bowl of shrimp in another bowl of ice to keep it cool, and plopped it right down in the middle of the warm platter of chicken strips tossed with freshly-chopped scallions. As both items were already so full-flavored (I NEVER skimp on spicing and seasoning!), there was no real need for a dipping sauce, making this easy-to-eat party fare.

Next up on the menu: Another round of fruit and veggie platters. A platter of fruit piled to the sky and balanced for colors, flavors, and textures is a sure thing when putting together a quick party menu. It's beautiful, satisfying, and provides a refreshing counterpoint to any grain, meat or cooked veggie dish. The veggie platter is just one more take on what's possible with roasting vegetables. The key, for me, is that each vegetable is differenlty marinated and seasoned before roasting, so that the finished melange is a richly varied ensemble of flavor tones.

 

 

This particular platter includes fennel and balsamic vinegar-roasted beets, paprika and olive oil-roasted parsnips, scallions pan-roasted in lemon juice, walnut oil and chili flakes, oven-roasted baby bok choy in ume plum vinegar and sesame oil, mushrooms seared in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and oregano, and topped off with heads of roasted garlic.

 

One thing I've been experimenting with is my basic gluten-free bread formulations. In a previous post you'll see a giant cinnamon-sugar loaf. For another event, I added a layer of cinnamon-roasted apples in the middle of the loaf. For a savory take on that experiment, I created the tomato-parmesan loaf above. I added parsley, basil, and fresh-ground black pepper to the dough before rising. Meantime, I marinated tomato slices in olive oil, salt, pepper, chili flakes, and fresh parsley. Before baking, I layered the dough with a mid-section of the tomato slices and a generous heap of grated parmesan. About half-way through the baking, I added the top layer of tomatoes, parm, and another drizzle of oil oil. In this picture, it looks like a focaccia, but it is more of a "rustic round."

One of my new favorite dessert offerings is a roasted fruit pizza:

In this instance, I used gluten-free crusts that came frozen from a local specialty bakery. I often make my own, but was interested in saving a little time. To make the pizzas, I started the night before by slicing the peaches and macerating them overnight with the blueberries in brown sugar and cinnamon. I then made the cream base by whipping together cream cheese, raw honey, and cardamom. On the morning of this particular event, I brushed the still-frozen pizza crusts with olive oil and popped them in a hot oven. About halfway through their baking, I took them out, spread the honeyed-cream, and plopped on the fruit. Back in the oven they went until everything was warm and saucy and delicious. (Note:  it actually  makes a full-flavor difference to put the cardamom in the cream, and the cinnamon in the fruit rather that putting the same spices on everything. This is the key to "flavor-layering...")

Finally, this morning's event was graced by Beth's Too Perfect Gluten-Free Blueberry Crumbcake.

 

There are not words enough to describe how truly perfect this cake is:  crumbly yet moist, sweet and generously laced with fresh blueberries. It is ALWAYS a crowd-pleaser, and is the perfect ending to any meal:  breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. It is heaven with a cup of coffee!

Of course, as a caterer, I'd love to prepare these and other taste-treat sensations for you. But as a committed lover of beautiful, healthy, delicious food, I also want to encourage you to explore your own culinary desires. People often ask me where I learned to cook. Having no formal training whatsoever, I always answer, "In my kitchen."  Head to your local food co-op or farmer's market or your own garden. Get your hands on anything that looks really good to you. Start chopping and simmering and seasoning and see what happens! Explore new flavor combinations. Go one step further and unleash the "overtone series" in a sauce (i.e. roast the garlic first before adding to the sauce, or take the time to carmelize the onions...take even just one thing a little further to develop a rounder, fuller flavor!). Most importatnly, trust yourself to make the food you love.

Of course, you can always count on a little help from Green...

--Sheila

From Messy to Marvelous...It's time for Reality Cooking!

Don't you love all the pretty pictures of perfectly-plated food on websites and blogs such as this one? Of course, since I want to promote delicious organic foods and Green's catering services, I'm going to show you pictures like this (another of my faves, the roasted veggie platter in one of its myriad manifestations):

Or perhaps one of these (a perfectly pleasing platter of gluten-free almond spongecake squares):

Or maybe a little something like this (a piquant pile of cheesy-chipotle quesadillas):

What you don't usually see is what the cooking process really looks like. For example, take a peek at this mess:

Or this line-up of things-in-process:

But that's the way it works in  my kitchen folks:  Platters get stacked on top of platters, things sit in heaps awaiting their turn for a little culinary alchemy. It's messy business, this cooking thing. And when I've got a multiplicity of dishes in the works, space is everything. As it happens, space is also limited in my home & kitchen, hence, the stacking! At any given time, there are things simmering, roasting, resting, cooling, waiting to be wrapped...

...or in this case, being guarded by a willful pussy-cat while some ingredients haven't so much as been unpacked yet!

But with a little time and perseverance, cinnamon bread goes from giant skillet...

...to giant serving board...

 

...and the chaos becomes progress becomes a gluten-free (except for the corn gluten in the tortillas...) graduation party feast for 60 people, here featuring savory crepes w/ curried potato filling, roasted veggies with parsley-basil dipping sauce, cheesy quesadillas with chipotle sauce, fruit, almond cake and cinnamon bread.

Happy Graduation, Avram! Best wishes for your bright future! I hope you had a fun and tasty party...

--Sheila