EAT: Eat Seasonally, Eat Locally

In recent weeks, our meals have often consisted of peppers and tomatoes.

We have had a surplus of them from our CSA.  

Thankfully, I love both.  It has allowed me to come up with creative ways to eat them and enjoy them as a family.

While my favorite way to eat a tomato is while you are still in the field and it is warm from the sun, we have discovered a lot of other delicious meals and snacks!

I recently made a Mexican inspired wild rice dish.  Everyone loved it and it was as cinch to prepare!

Bumper Crop Rice:

- Saute 1 small onion in a tablespoon of olive oil.

- Add several chopped peppers (I used 5) and saute.  I also added one hot pepper.

- Add in several chopped tomatoes (I used 4) and allow to come to a simmer.

- Add any other favorites - I chose corn and black beans.

- Season with salt, pepper and cumin.  

- Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.

I made a wild and brown rice mixture and added the delicious veggie mixture to it.  

We topped it with shredded cheddar cheese and fresh salsa.  Delicious!!

The Easiest Salsa Fresca:

We received this recipe from our CSA this year.  As we were out in the fields picking crops, they were in the barn whipping this up by the ball jar for all of their supporters to take home.  It is delicious, easy and healthy.  Give it a try!

- 4 large, ripe tomatoes

- 1 large onion

- 1 T chopped garlic

- 1 T chopped jalapeno

- 1 cup chopped cilantro

- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

- salt to taste

Chop tomatoes to desired level of chunkiness.  Drain for a few minutes in a colander.  Chop onion, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro.  Mix all ingredients together.  Let it sit for a few minutes for the flavors to marry.  Enjoy!

I love the taste of summer!

EAT: Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

When Crosby was born, we were so blessed with many amazing meals.

One such meal was from my friend, Becca.  And she shared the recipe with me.

Enjoy!

Black Bean and Rice Enchiladas

1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T olive oil
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1/4 cup picante sauce
1 T chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups cooked brown rice
8 flour tortillas, warmed
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1.) In a large nonstick skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and garlic in oil until tender.

2.) Add the beans, tomatoes, picante sauce, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes; bring to a boil.

3.) Reduce heat, simmer uncovered until heated through and the mixture thickens.

4.) Add rice.  Cook five minutes longer or until heated through.

5.) Spoon a rounded 1/2 cup down the center of each tortilla.  Fold sides over filling and roll up.

6.) Place in a 13 x 9 dish coated with cooking spray.  Spoon salsa over each tortilla.

7.) Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

8.) Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and bake 2-3 minutes longer.

This recipe is delicious.  I have made it several times and BOTH of my kids love it!  Success!!

EAT: Arugula, Pea and "Sausage" Pasta

We have joined a local CSA this spring that allows you to come to the farm and pick some of your veggies each week.

We ended up with bags of arugula and sugar snap peas.  I combined them to make a delicious pasta dish and I thought I'd share the very simple recipe with you.

Arugula, Pea and "Sausage" Pasta

- 1 lb whole wheat pasta
- 1 cup shelled sugar snap peas
- 1 cup arugula, cut into pieces
- 6 Morningstar veggie sausage patties cut into pieces
- 1 T olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- shredded parmesan cheese

1) Cook pasta according to package directions.
2) While pasta cooks, shell snap peas and then place in a saute pan with olive oil over med high heat.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.
3) Add "sausage" to pan and continue to cook until heated through.
4) Drain pasta, reserving about a half cup of cooking liquid.
5) Toss pasta with peas, "sausage," arugula, cooking liquid, salt, pepper and parmesan.

Enjoy!

Sprout.

I have promised myself I would try this out this winter.

sprout

Won't you join me?
(and if you do, let me know how it goes!)

Pesto!

Pesto is a staple around the Smith household.

Surprisingly, both of my kids love it and it is a meal I am always guaranteed they will eat.

It is so easy and when homemade, it is quick, inexpensive and can be made healthy.

We are not big garlic connoisseurs around here, so I love being able to control that aspect of the meal, plus I love knowing that only fresh and healthy ingredients are in our dinner.

A basic pesto recipe looks something like this:

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
2 T toasted pine nuts
1/2 c shredded Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
1/2 clove of garlic (which I normally reduce or omit)
olive oil

I add everything except the olive oil into our food processor and begin to process.  I slowly stream in olive oil until it is the consistency I desire.  Many recipes call for up to a 1/2 cup.  I don't use nearly that much, as I don't like it to be a very thin mixture.  But, you can use as much as you desire!

And one of the most fun things about pesto is all of the ways you can vary it.  Here are some of my favorite variations:

- Arugula Pesto.  Swap the basil for arugula.  Delicious, peppery, and fresh tasting.  My kids love it!

- Broccoli Pesto.  Again, trade the basil for broccoli.  A fun change and a great way to get vitamin C, folic acid and potassium.

- Spinach Pesto.  Swap the basil for spinach or do a mixture of both.  A milder, yet delicous, earthy flavor.  And a great source of iron and vitamins.  My one year old doesn't do so great with leaves of spinach on his plate, but can scarf a whole plate of spinach pesto!

- Walnut Pesto.  Trade the pine nuts for walnuts.  Again, delicious and a great omega-3 punch!

- Sun Dried Tomato Pesto.  I love to add sun dried tomatoes to any of the above recipes to add a fresh flavor.  They are filled with lycopene, too!  If you use sun dried tomatoes packed in oil, you can reduce the amount of olive oil you add.

I love the make a double batch of pesto and freeze half of it.  It freezes wonderfully and it is a great start to a busy weeknight meal!

We love to serve it over whole grain pasta, on a pesto pizza, as a dip, with veggies or on crackers.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Meatballs

Years ago, my dear friend, Kristi, gave me a recipe for vegetarian meatballs.

It has since become a family favorite of ours.  I have tweaked it quite a bit to make it our own and it is not only delicious, but simple and healthy...and we have pleased many a meat-eater with them as well!

Vegetarian Meatballs

ingredients:

1 c finely ground pecans
1/4 c shredded parmesan or cheddar cheese
1/2 c cottage cheese
4 eggs
1 Tbs chopped onion
1 c breadcrumbs
1/2 t oregano
salt and pepper

directions:

1) Mix all ingredients in a bowl until well combined.  Occasionally I will have to add additional breadcrumbs to make it a "meatball" consistency that will stick together when formed into balls.

2) Place meatballs into a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3) Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

We love ours served over whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese on top!

You can also use different nuts according to what you have on hand.  I have used almonds, walnuts, pecans or all three depending on what is in our cupboard.  Walnuts are one of the healthiest nuts around, so that is one I tend to use often in these!

Enjoy!