Different can be Good

Pumpkin Squash from Bee Natural Farm

People are creatures of habit.  Perhaps some of our most ingrained habits surround the foods we buy and how we cook them.  We trace the same path each time we head into the supermarket, filling our carts with the safe and familiar. Most times we pass by the unfamiliar with little or no curiosity.  A truth I have come to realize is that if my local grocer carries an item on a regular basis, there is some shopper out there who buys that ingredient fairly often, at least often enough to keep it in stock on the shelves. Therefore there must be some culinary options for the unknowns that are pretty darn good.

For many years, I passed through the produce section regularly without giving much notice to the bin of squashes.  If anything I probably registered them as a decorative element, bringing to mind the "horn of plenty" we see at Thanksgiving each year, placed there to make me think there is some sort of real harvest happening close by. Ambience, that's what they were to me.  And then about a decade ago I was propelled into the land of unknown squashes.  First, I began to see more and more things made with butternut squash, and actually TRIED butternut squash ravioli and found it to be amazing.  As a matter of fact, I love butternut squash ravioli, simply dressed with a bit of brown butter and fried sage leaves.  Ooh la la, not much better!  So, I investigated the squash bin to see if I could identify ye olde butternut squash.  There she was, looking indeed like a big nut of some kind.  Alongside the butternut was another little squashy that looked like a big old acorn.  Hence the name on the label, "acorn" squash. I tucked that knowledge away in the back of my mind knowing it would come home to roost at a later time.  And indeed it did.

Several, several years ago, at Thanksgiving--the official celebration of harvest and all things good and plentiful on the table--acorn squash jumped back into the forefront of my vision when I perused a special recipe section in the Atlanta Journal Constitution food section.  They featured a recipe for "Acorn Squash with Maple Georgia Pecans and Goat Cheese."  This recipe was included as a vegetarian main dish alternative in the traditional Thanksgiving feast.  Well, they had me at goat cheese.  I never met a recipe with goat cheese I didn't like.  This was no exception.  Omnivore that I am, I did not give up my Thanksgiving tryptophan (read Turkey.)  But I did try this recipe and have made it a few gazillion times since because it is so good.  It is a great alternative to the baked potato, or mashed sweets, or rice, or other starch you place alongside your meat.  It is indeed also a great centerpiece entree in a Meatless Monday meal.  It adds heft to greens and a salad, and the denseness of the squash balances out lighter offerings quite nicely.

One of the highlights of my life this year is that I became a member of the Bee Natural CSA in Baldwin County.  It is the only true CSA in this region and sports a two year waiting list.  When I moved to this area, I plopped myself onto that waiting list, called annually to plead my case, and then got THE LETTER this January saying that I had been accepted.  Remember Steve Martin in a movie called, The Jerk, finding his name in the phone book and announcing, "I'm somebody now"?  Picture me jumping around in my kitchen waving the official letter in my hands proclaiming my secure footing in this world.  I AM A CSA MEMBER.

My first pick-up this spring gave me a choice between a couple of cellared items: sweet potatoes or pumpkin squash.  Committed to taking the food road less traveled, I chose the pumpkin squash, which looked quite a bit like my old friend the acorn squash, only a little less green and a bit more like a diminutive candidate for a good old Halloween carving.  Not having a clue what the inside would be like, but taking my cue from the butternut and acorn varieties, I cooked it up with my tried and true pecan and goat cheese accompaniments.  This was such a good dish that I chose the pumpkin squash over the sweet potatoes the next three weeks.  Maybe you've got a little squash friend making an appearance in your CSA box, or maybe you'd like to get a little better acquainted with the squash bin in your supermarket.  Or maybe you have done baked potatoes until you just can't stand to butter up another.  Or perhaps I had you at "goat cheese."  Something different (with a little goat cheese on top) can be VERY good.

ACORN (OR PUMPKIN) SQUASH WITH MAPLE PECANS AND GOAT CHEESE
adapted from the Atlanta Journal Constitution and the Georgia Pecan Commission

Note:  Each squash makes 2 servings.  Quantities listed are for 1 squash.  This can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled to feed as many folks as you have invited round the table.

1 acorn squash, halved crosswise and seeded
dash of salt
1 Tbs. melted butter
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 Tbs. real maple syrup, plus more to drizzle
1/4 tsp. fresh thyme leaves or a dash of dry
2 ounces goat cheese (feta would work)

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
3.  Sprinkle the inside of the squash halves with salt and brush with melted butter.

4.  Turn upside down and bake for 30 minutes. (I slice the pointy end off the squash so it will eventually sit flat on a plate.)

5.  In a bowl, combine the pecans, maple syrup and thyme.

6.  Place a heaping tablespoon of the pecan mixture in the hollow of each squash half.

7.  Place a one ounce round of goat cheese (or one ounce crumbles) over the pecan mixture in each squash half and top with the remaining pecan mixture.

8.  Bake upright 10 minutes.  Drizzle with more syrup as desired.

Light and Fresh

From Bee Natural Farm CSA, Baldwin County

We herald the arrival of spring as we would a visit from a long absent friend. Cold toes and fingers begin to thaw.  Tiny green leaves appear tentatively on trees and shrubs, then seem to grow more confident each day.  Camellias give way to daffodils, then azaleas and dogwoods.  Birds sing and chirp with gusto as they begin to build their nests in earnest.  God's hand is seen at every turn.  It seems no accident nature points to a Master Designer this time of year as Lent gives way to a glorious Easter celebration.  The new birth seen all around us is the emphatic exclamation point for the power of Resurrection.

It is with great thanksgiving and praise I begin to noodle around in my kitchen this time of year.  We are on the threshold of great eating, when words like "local" and "seasonal" become more than just theory.  The most ardent locavore among us has by now surely succumbed to the less than ideal vegetal offerings found in our supermarkets and we have certainly been disappointed by the lack of flavor and freshness we have found there.  But now we return in droves to our local farmers' markets as diligent farmers and gardeners begin to harvest their first fruits.  We delve into our CSA boxes with the fervor of a six year old ripping through Christmas paper after weeks of hungrily surveying the neatly wrapped packages.

It is April and salad is the star of the show rather than a minor first act.  In January and February we may have a salad with our meal, but only because that is how we are accustomed to putting a meal together.  In April, a salad is composed with great tenderness, inspecting the different textures and colors, knowing we can hardly go wrong with ingredients so fresh.  There are as many ways to dress a salad as there are people who eat salads.  But as I put together delicate greens, crunchy radishes, crisp carrots, and spring onions, I want a dressing that will let the flavors and textures shine. This light dressing, yogurt meets avocado and fresh lemon juice, works for me and it may be just right for your spring salad, as well.

Avocado Yogurt Dressing
1 avocado
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
1 Tbs. chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste
milk for thinning

1.  Remove avocado from its peel with a large spoon.  Mash with the back of a fork.

2.  Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the avocado.  Work into the avocado with your fork.

3.  Add mashed avocado to the yogurt.  Squeeze any juice remaining in the lemon half into the yogurt.  Mix well.

4.  Add chopped dill to the avocado mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Thickness will vary depending upon what kind of yogurt you use.  Leave it nice and thick and it is a perfect dip for veggies.  Thin it with milk, about a teaspoon at a time, until it is the consistency you want for a salad dressing.  Leave it thick enough to cling nicely to the salad ingredients.

More Veggies, Please

Meatless Monday has been a revelation to me.  Or perhaps not so much a revelation as a reminder--I LOVE VEGGIES!  The discipline of choosing non-meat alternatives one day a week has spilled over into the other six.  I remember now how much I truly enjoy vegetables, the taste, the texture, the variety, the versatility.  When you direct your meal planning in the direction of vegetarian alternatives for just one day, your brain more readily includes and considers these options EACH time you think about what's for supper--or for lunch--or on the restaurant menu.  Over the past 2 weeks since I dedicated myself to more meatless living, I have cooked eggplant Parmesan, grilled portobello sandwiches, pasta with chunky marinara and bread salad.  And just yesterday when dining out with a friend, I gravitated toward an eggplant-filled panini as my lunch choice.  In nary a meal did I miss the meat, nor has my significant one.  (I speak on his behalf.  At least he hasn't complained in range of my hearing. He has made lots of yum-yum noises, which is always a good sign!)

One of the tricks is to keep vegetables on hand and actually USE them before they go bad.  We all hate to feel wasteful and one of the greatest guilt inducing moments for me is when I have to clean out the vegetable bin and find myself throwing out things that should have, could have been eaten and enjoyed--if only I'd been more inventive, worked a little harder, decided to cook supper instead of accepting Paul's invitation to dine out.  It is sometimes hard being a cook with a conscience--and a budget!

Earlier this week, I made a quick stop at Hazel's Market in Daphne to stock up on some of summer's bounty.  I came out with these:

If you spy something in the bowl that doesn't quite look like it was picked from a tree or pulled from the dirt or plucked off a vine, you would be the astute one.  That is a nice chunk of hoop cheese packaged in Chickasaw, Alabama, so if it isn't completely local, at least it has cousins who are.  I couldn't pass that up!  It is the cheese of my childhood, the cheese we all ate before there were other options.  The Italians may have their Parmesan and mozzarella, but in the South, we have hoop cheese.  I didn't have a plan for it at the time, other than to make sure I ate it quickly so I wouldn't have to share.

I bought small quantities of the things that would spoil.  Just one zucchini, one yellow squash, several tomatoes (tomato sandwiches equal easy vegetarian lunches) and 3 cloves of garlic which will last in my garlic keeper nearly forever, or at least until I use them.

So, Paul is traveling and I needed dinner for one last night.  I decided on a veggie quesadilla.  If you have been reading this blog at all, you may have come to the conclusion that I can make a taco or a quesadilla out of most anything.  You would be correct.  And that is truly a way to make a quick meal that will satisfy even the picky eaters at your table.  If you have enough fillings, you can customize the meal a bit without feeling like a short-order cook.  For me last night, a tortilla filled with a smattering of hoop cheese and a heap of veggies was a healthy choice and amazingly tasty.  This is not so much a recipe I offer you today, but a meal suggestion that you can customize according to whatever may be reaching its prime in your vegetable bin.

Let me add that we have a new grill.  We've been biding our time on sub-par grills until we permanently install one in the little cottage up the street that we are renovating.  Model "C" purchased from the corporate behemoth finally rusted out.  We upgraded to a slightly better model that we hope will tide us over until we're ready to throw some serious cash at an outdoor cook space, sometime in the future when we win the lottery.  Here's the newest addition to our outdoor kitchen here in our little rental, only a slight upgrade from model "C":

Grilling is a great way to cook vegetables.  You can choose whatever vegetables you have in the food prep queue in your kitchen.  I chose these from my trip to Hazel's.

I sliced about half of the squash and zucchini, about a quarter each of the onion and tomato, and all of the little red pepper.  I use the same "technique" for a veggie quesadilla as I do for my roasted tomato salsa, spreading the veggies on a sheet of foil in a single layer directly on the grill rack after I have tossed them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.

Here is a secret ingredient I've been using lately:

This is smoked kosher salt.  I ordered it from Amazon and it will probably last forever.  I heard two chefs  proclaim its glories as an ingredient in two separate cooking classes and decided I needed my very own supply.  This is a good addition to vegetables cooked on the grill.  Use sparingly as it can get overwhelming if you use too much.

Anyway, I digress.  Back on the grill, we have veggies hanging out on a sheet of foil getting nice and happy!  Grill them with the lid closed over medium high heat until they begin to soften and brown on one side.  At that point, use long tongs to toss them about so they can brown and char a bit all over.  Don't let them get too soft.  A little crunch adds a lot to the taste of the finished product.  When they are done, use the tongs to lift the foil by all four corners, capturing the juice with the veggies. I empty mine into a bowl so they will be easier to work with.  They will look something like this.

Now, heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add a bit of olive oil or cooking spray.  While it is heating, grate about an ounce of cheese per person.  You don't need a lot of cheese, but the cheese becomes the glue that holds the rest of the ingredients together.

Put the tortilla in the pan and spread the cheese around on it so it can begin to melt.

When the cheese begins to soften, add your vegetables on top of the tortilla.

Since I was cooking for one, I just doubled the one tortilla over.  Because I used lots of veggies, they squished out around the sides of the tortilla.  I liked it that way.  Any veggie that escaped the tortilla just got dumped on top of the quesadilla after I removed it from the pan.  If you are feeding several people or if you are very hungry yourself, you could top this with another tortilla instead of doubling one over on itself.  I think it is a bit more manageable to flip a tortilla that is doubled over rather than two stacked together.  But I am not the boss of you in your kitchen!

Cut it into quarters (or whatever.)  Serve with sour cream, salsa, jalapeno peppers, guacamole--all your choice.  This is a most flexible way to prepare a meal.  Some broccoli would have been good in this, as would mushrooms, roasted corn or spinach.  I wouldn't put spinach on the grill, I don't think.  You could just toss the spinach into the hot veggies as they come off the grill and the heat would wilt it adequately.  You could also toss a little cilantro into the hot veggies.  Lots of possibilities here to add a few more servings of the good stuff into your diet, and not be wasteful.  If you don't have a grill, do not despair!  You can accomplish the same thing with a baking sheet lined with foil under the broiler.

So, I was the one making the yum-yum noises last night, all by myself, congratulating myself because I had eaten a home-cooked, healthy meal and made good use of things on hand.  Go check out your vegetable bin right now.  You could be feeling satisfied and pious in no time!

Meatless Mondays: I Think I Can Do This!

I lived for one year as a vegetarian.  Then I met my husband and two stepsons and realized we were going to become a family.  As the four of us began to merge our lives, there were many, many accommodations we ALL had to make along the way.  Two young boys, already juggling living between two households, now had the added challenge of this crazy woman in the mix who didn't eat meat.  I had only just begun to navigate successfully for myself the waters of living meatless in a world designed for carnivores.  Now, in our new family unit, I was the lone rower trying to move us upstream when everyone else on board was flowing with the current.  I did the easy thing and caved.  It wasn't hard to do, either, because I really like meat myself.  I had committed to a vegetarian diet in an effort to eat healthier, to include more fruits, vegetables and whole grains into my diet.  I was not and am not ideologically opposed to eating meat, as long as that choice is made responsibly and from a perspective of good stewardship.  I realize now, though, that I fall into the trap of allowing the meat in my diet to displace some of the things I need so much more.  I also am beginning to understand the cumulative toll mass production of meat is taking, the harm done to the environment, the inhumane practices of industrialized livestock production, the massive amounts of water used and the fossil fuels consumed.  The impact in our own community of the recent Deep Water Horizon oil spill should awaken all of us to the need to live simpler and closer to home.

This information is from the Meatless Monday website:  "Meatless Monday is a non-profit initiative of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health. We provide the information and recipes you need to start each week with healthy, environmentally friendly meat-free alternatives. Our goal is to help you reduce your meat consumption by 15% in order to improve your personal health and the health of the planet.

"Presidents Wilson, Truman and Roosevelt galvanized the nation with voluntary meatless days during both world wars. Our intention is to revitalize this American tradition. We’re spearheading a broad-based, grassroots movement that spans all borders and demographic groups. By cutting out meat once a week, we can improve our health, reduce our carbon footprint and lead the world in the race to reduce climate change."


I can do this!  This is one small step I can take and I embrace the challenge of seeking out meatless alternatives that are filling and fulfilling. (If it doesn't taste good and isn't fun to prepare, I don't want it!) I am approaching Meatless Mondays from the ovo / lacto perspective, so expect to see some dairy products make an appearance in the Meatless Monday recipes I provide from time to time.  I didn't get on board the "movement" until Tuesday of this week, so I practiced with one of my favorite go-to meatless recipes for dinner that night.  Maybe you'd like to give it a whirl next Monday!

Black Bean and Goat Cheese Quesadillas
(As printed in Prevention Magazine, February 1999.  See my notes and modifications below the recipe.)

2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 19 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (see note below)
1/2 cup mildly spicy bottled salsa
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (about 4 ounces)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Eight 6- to 8- inch flour tortillas

1.  Heat one teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and saute 3 minutes until onions are translucent and slightly soft.

2.  Add beans, salsa and cumin; cook, mashing beans slightly, until combined, about 2 minutes.

3.  Remove mixture from heat; gently stir in the goat cheese and cilantro.

4.  Place 4 tortillas on a flat surface.  Spread some bean mixture over each one; top with another tortilla.  In a large skillet, use remaining oil to cook the quesadillas one at a time until golden, about 2 minutes per side.
5.  Garnish with good stuff:  salsa, sour cream, guacamole, more cilantro, you know what to do!

Just after adding goat cheese and cilantro...

After adding cheese and cilantro--trust me, it tastes better than it looks!

Dinner for One

My preparation notes:  I've been making this recipe for a long time, and I don't think I generally find a 19 ounce can of beans in my supermarket.  The can I had in the pantry this week was 15 ounces.  That will work fine!  You may want to add slightly less salsa to keep it from being too liquid and you may only get three hearty quesadillas instead of four.  Also, I never use the whole 4 ounces of goat cheese.  Goat cheese is very tangy and goes a long way for me.  Put in about 2 ounces, and then dip your spoon in and give it a taste test.  Use your judgment.  This is a great recipe for one person.   As one whose husband travels during the week, this is a recipe I can prepare that will feed me for several meals.  Just use however much you want for one meal and refrigerate the rest.  When your significant other gets back in town, warm the leftover bean mixture in the microwave and serve with tortilla chips as a dip.  It ain't pretty, but it sure tastes good!