Spring in My Step Salad

This has been my favorite salad as of late. It's light and crunchy and perfect for spring (oh hey, it's 70 degrees and sunny today!). I have been eating tons of salads lately because of all the greens popping up at the farmers' market! Today I made this with Goetz Farm's salad mix but any green will do!

Ingredients:

2 large handfuls of greens (I recommend spinach)

1 avocado, sliced

1/2 fennel bulb, thinly sliced

2 handfuls of grape tomatoes, halved

1 bell pepped, chopped

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 T fresh dill, finely chopped

1 T rosemary, finely chopped

juice of 2 small lemons (about 1/4 c)

optional: stevia to taste (or other sweetener of choice, e.g. 1 T local honey or maple syrup)

Warning: This makes a whole lotta salad, definitely more than one person can comfortably eat in one sitting (and this is from someone who eats the most beastly of salads...)

All mixed up

This is not an all local recipe but all ingredients can be bought trash free. For Ann Arbor residents:
-Greens, dill and rosemary can be bought locally right now at the AA farmers' market.
-All produce can be purchased packaging free.
-Stevia can all be bought in bulk at the People's Food Co-op.

Raw Tomato Soup

Adapted from here!

Ingredients:
2 tomatoes, seeded
1/4 c sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for 10+ minutes
1 clove garlic
1/4 large red onion
2 T olive oil
6 basil leaves
a handful of spinach
1/2 t red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste

a handful of grape tomatoes, cut in half (optional but I like something to chomp on)

Directions:
Puree in a food processor or blender and garnish.

This is not an all local recipe but all ingredients can be bought trash free. For Ann Arbor residents:
-Spinach and basil can be bought locally right now at the AA farmers' market.
-Herbs can be bought unpackaged at Sparrow Market.
-Onions, garlic and tomatoes can be purchased packaging free.
-Red pepper flakes, sun-dried tomatoes, salt/pepper, olive oil can all be bought in bulk at the People's Food Co-op.

Zucchini Pasta with Pesto Sauce

Zucchini made into "pasta" = the best. It is water rich, alkaline and nutrient rich. I have been on a serious pesto kick lately, pureeing just about any leafy green and nut that I can get my hands on. 

Based off of Pesto Pasta in Raw: The Uncook Book. This is a much more allaborate recipe than my typical one

For Pasta:

1 zucchini, cut lengthwise into pasta-like strips

1/4 of a red pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 c of marinated onions*

1/2 tomato, diced

5 basil leaves, chopped

leaves from 1 sprig of oregano

leaves from 1 sprig of rosemary, chopped

8 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for at least 10 minutes, chopped

1/4 jalapeno, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

juice from 1/2 lemon

Pre sauce

Mix together and set aside.

*1 onion thinly sliced and marinated in 2/3 c tamari for 10 minutes - 8 hrs

For Sauce: (This makes more than you need for the pasta so add as much as you desire!)

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 handfuls of walnuts

1/4 c basil leaves

2 handfuls of baby spinach (MI spinach is finally in season!!)

1 heaping T miso

2 T olive oil

1 t salt

8 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in warm water for at least 10 minutes

Blend sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Add water to reach desired consistency (I used 1/2 c).

Pour as much as you want onto the pasta and refrigerate the rest.

Remember how I actually eat my food? Pasta curled up on my couch with my laptop ;)

This is not an all local recipe but all ingredients can be bought trash free. For Ann Arbor residents:

-Herbs can be bought unpackaged at Sparrow Market.
-All vegetables can be purchased packaging free.
-Tamari, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, miso, salt, olive oil can all be bought in bulk at the People's Food Co-op.

Spicy Roasted Tomato Pizza with Kale-Almond Pesto

This pizza is AMAZING. So flavorful and spicy and delicious. I will definitely be making this again, and I'm looking very forward to it!

Ingredients:
1 prepared whole wheat pizza dough
Kale-Almond Pesto (or other pesto of choice), enough to liberally coat crust

2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1/2 small white/yellow onion, chopped

3 T oil
½ T balsamic vinegar
salt
1-2 basil leaves, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 basil leaves, chopped finely

"Parmesan Cheese"

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F

In a small bowl, mix together the oil, salt, vinegar, 1-2 chopped basil leaves, and minced garlic.

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the chopped veggies and oil mixture.

Pour into a greased or lined baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Remove roasted veggies from oven until ready to assemble the pizza.

Raise oven heat to 400F
Pre-bake rolled out pizza dough for 5 minutes, take out and set aside.

Generously spread pesto onto pre-baked pizza crust.

Dump roasted veggies evenly onto pesto.
Sprinkle finely chopped basil leaves and "parmesan cheese" (go nuts with this step- this cheeZe is really really really really amazing).
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Real Good Food Swap: Zesty Quinoa with Broccoli and Almonds

I've recently joined an Ann Arbor-based online food sharing network, called Real Good Food. What is Real Good Food? I'll let the website explain it:

"Real Good Food is a community to share or trade your high-quality homemade food and/or homegrown produce.

We’re all self-selected members who like to eat and cook. As a collective, can we create more than the sum of our efforts and reap the benefits by cooking larger quantities less often and dramatically expanding our opportunity to enjoy unique food such as heirloom recipes, homemade specialties and authentic ethnic food.

First, we take advantage of the fact that most cooking can be easily increased for far less effort than actually making the same food another time. Second, by sharing our delicious efforts we remove the problem of perpetual leftovers and/or unfortunate waste.

For example: 

I can make a cheesecake as the urge strikes, or I can make 4 cheesecakes for a little extra time and cost.

Problem is, as much as I’d like to, I can’t eat a whole cheesecake, let alone four.

So, I tell the group about my four cheesecakes, when they’re available, how long they will keep and other details I consider relevant. If I get lucky, I’ll end up with only half a cheesecake, and several other passion-crafted foods in exchange."

Cool beans, right? I get emails every so often (multiple times a day to every few days) from people announcing some delicious something or another that they want to share and trade. I have definitely been enjoying observing from a far but someone offered up something I just could not pass up: a kombucha scoby! A scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) is also known as a kombucha culture, a mother, or a mushroom. I will talk about this more extensively in a later post, I'm sure.

Anyways, I immediately emailed back this woman and in return I have made her a "grain and vegetable" dish. I hope she enjoys it! (This one's for you, Emily!)

Zesty Quinoa with Broccoli and Almonds
Adapted from Whole Foods Market.

Ingredients:
1/2 c sundried tomatoes (1)
1.5 c vegetable broth water and 1.5 T soy sauce, divided
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (2)
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 c uncooked quinoa (1)
2 c small broccoli florets (3)
1/2 c almonds, toasted and chopped (1)

Directions:

Soak sundried tomatoes in hot water for 15 minutes, drain and chop.

Bring 1/2 c water and 1/2 T soy sauce to a simmer in a medium pot.

Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

Add sundried tomatoes, 1 c water and 1 T soy sauce, wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil.

Stir in quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. 

Place broccoli florets on top of quinoa, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.*

Remove from heat and gently toss with almonds to combine.

*I used broccoli that I froze in September so instead of this step, I steamed my frozen block of broccoli until thawed and cooked through. Then I just mixed the broccoli in along with the almonds.

(1) Bulk section of the People's Food Co-op

(2) Grown in Michigan but bought through the People's Food Co-op

(3) Bought this summer at the Ann Arbor farmers' market and frozen! I don't remember the exact farm though...

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Remember in summer when tomatoes were everywhere you turned at the farmer's market, heaped on tables, farmer's essentially giving them away for free because there were so many of them? This is the time to buy tomatoes.

But as many of us who buy local and organic produce know, tomatoes go bad quickly. An enzyme in them naturally starts breaking down the cell walls (causing them to softened and ooze) because natural selection taught them that this would help disperse their seeds quicker, increasing the livelihood of the species.

Solution: Oven roast those bad boys! Slow roasting tomatoes dehydrates them, concentrating their flavor and preserves them (think sun-dried tomatoes). This way, we can enjoy the summer sweetness of local tomatoes well into winter! And at the cheap price of a vegetable at the peak of their season.

Pre-bake

Attempt #1: I forgot they were in the oven and

ended up baking them for like... 20 hours. Oops!

Attempt #2: Perfection!

Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Two methods: Low-and-Slow and Fast-and-Hot. The first dehydrates the tomatoes retaining and intensifying their flavor (this is the method I used), while the second retains more moisture and adds a crispy-charred flavor.

Directions:
Wash tomatoes and cut them in half.

Place halves, cut side up, onto a cookie sheet.
Low-and-Slow:

Preheat oven to 150-175F.

Slow cook for 4, 6, 9 hours, to your desired degree of doneness.

You'll know they're ready when they've withered, seem plump, and have a wee bit of juice left.
Fast-and-Hot:

Preheat oven to 400-450F

Place tomatoes in oven and they'll finish in less than an hour!

Pay attention towards the end because smaller pieces/edges can burn...

Tossing the tomato halves with oil, salt and other seasonings (oregano, thyme, tarragon...) before baking transforms them into tasty snacks and great additions to pastas and other dishes!

Pizza: The easiest way to please

I had two events this week that I had to (okay, I chose to...) make food for: the Student Sustainability Initiative Food Issues meeting and my Graham Undergraduate Sustainability Scholars seminar biodiversity presentation. I needed something that was easy to make and that would please a crowd. So I turned to the pizza recipe I made a couple weeks ago and just altered it based on the ingredients that I had this week.

Eggplant Pizza with Roasted Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat pizza dough
1 eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
2 small onions, chopped
1 c Roasted Tomato Sauce (recipe below)

Directions:
Roll out pizza dough onto a lightly oiled baking pan.
Cook at 425F for 8-10 minutes.
Saute onions until soft.
Saute eggplant, covered with a little bit of water, until soft.
Spread sauce evenly over the crust.
Arrange eggplant on crust and sprinkle onions on top.
Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Pesto-Onion Pizza

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat pizza dough
1 c pesto (about 4 cubes if you froze them in an ice cube tray)
2 onions, sliced

Directions:

Roll out pizza dough onto a lightly oiled baking pan.

Cook at 425F for 8-10 minutes.

Saute onions until soft and starting to brown.

Spread pesto evenly over the crust and sprinkle onions on top.

Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

I made this recipe a few weeks ago because I was afraid my tomatoes were going to go bad.

Ingredients:

6 tomatoes, cut into quarters
olive oil
Salt and pepper
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Arrange tomatoes on an oiled baking pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake until tomatoes start falling into themselves.Using a slotted spoon, scoop the tomatoes out of the pan, leaving excess liquid behind.

Puree tomatoes in a food processor.
Heat 1 T oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Add the garlic and onions and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Pour pureed tomatoes into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the sauce is reduced to the desired consistency.

Vinology

At the beginning of this local food journey I had assumed that I would only be able to eat food that I had cooked for myself but low and behold, I am singing a new tune after the events of last night. To conclude Marcy's Birth Week, the Zatz family ventured to Ann Arbor and took Hadas, Marcy, and I out to Vinology.

After scoping out the menu online, I was very hopeful that I would be able to actually order a dish. Not only does their menu rotate seasonally, these wonderful words are printed at the bottom:

To support our environment and local economy, 

we focus on local and sustainable ingredients whenever possible. 

Participating farms in this menu include: 

Eat Local Eat Natural, Guernsey Dairy, Calder Dairy, Miller Amish Chicken Farms, 

Gunthorp Farms, Werp Farms, Mighty Good Coffee, Avalon Organic Bakery

Nevertheless, I called in to see the extent of local purchasing Vinology takes part in. I learned that about 90% of their produce is from local sources. I was directed towards Aaron, one of the chefs, to discuss just what that meant.

I ended up talking to Aaron both on the phone and at the restaurant. He helped me navigate the menu to see my vegan options but when he offered to make me something special, how could I say no? Considering I am a far from picky eater, he surprised me with this beautiful creation:

Photo Credit: M Ziggity

Rice pilaf with saffron, topped with huckleberries, micro greens, and thyme.
A salad of dandelion greens, carrots, cucumber, and heirloom tomatoes, tossed in a vinaigrette dressing.
Roasted zucchini and asparagus in a roasted red pepper sauce.
All of which was grown in Michigan (except the rice...)

Although this will obviously not be a typical dining out experience for me (Hello college student budget), it made me realize how accommodating people will be if you are open and honest about your lifestyle. I could have easily kept my mouth shut and ordered the veggies salad, the only dish on the menu that explicitly is from Werp Farm, but I'm glad that I didn't. Not only was Aaron more than willing to make me something special because of my dietary restrictions, he saw it as an exciting challenge!

All I can say is, don't be embarrassed about your personal goals or what you consider important, you'll be surprised to find how many people want to know more or actually share them!

A morning of pizzas

Yesterday I made another journey to the Farmer's Market and thanks to Poonam's access to a car, I was a little overzealous with my purchases. Having not even gotten through the produce from the week before, I still bought a bushel of tomatoes (which I blanched, pureed, and froze for use later in the year in the wee hours of the night). Needless to say, it's time for me to cook. Or as I did this morning, bake!

I made an heirloom tomato pizza and a pesto-arugula pizza, however since they don't have cheese on them, they may be deemed flatbread.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Serving Size: 1 large pizza, about the size of a large baking pan

Ingredients:
2.5 c whole-wheat flour (local, bought in bulk from PFC)
0.25 t baking powder
0.5 t salt
1 c water
0.5 c oil (I used olive oil)
garlic granules (optional)
rosemary or any other herbs that you like (optional)

Directions:
Whisk together dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. Combine in a large bowl and mix until dough forms.
On a floured surface, knead dough for 5 minutes. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Sprinkle corn meal (or flour) onto a large baking pan. Roll out dough until about the size of the pan and transfer over to pan. Poke holes into the dough with a fork.

Heirloom Tomato Pizza

Ingredients:
whole wheat pizza dough
oil (I used canola oil)
0.25 large red onion, sliced into half moons
5 cloves of garlic, sliced
2-3 heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
olive oil
salt
pepper
rosemary or any other herbs that you like

Directions:
Bake pizza dough in oven at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until it starts becoming golden brown.
Remove from oven and increase temperature to 425 degrees.
Drizzle dough with oil and spread so that the surface is covered. Sprinkle garlic and onion onto the dough. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and arrange slices of heirloom tomatoes onto the crust so that it makes a complete layer. Return to oven for 5 more minutes.
Remove from oven. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, and rosemary to taste.
Cut into slices and serve!

Green Pizza

Ingredients:
whole wheat pizza dough
0.5 c pesto (recipe below)
1 T canola oil
1 bunch arugula, chopped and stems removes
olive oil
salt
pepper

Directions:

Bake pizza dough at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes on the lowest rack of your oven.

While the dough is baking, heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat and add arugula. Sautee for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly until the arugula is wilted.

Remove crust from oven and spread pesto onto the crust. Distribute arugula onto the pizza.

Bake pizza for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

Cut into slices and serve!

*This recipe would be good with any sort of grilled/sauteed veggies. Get creative!

Basil-Almond Pesto

Ingredients:

2 bunches of fresh basil (about 3-4 packed cups)*

1/3 c almonds, sliced**

2 heaping T white miso

1/3 c olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon or 1 lime

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

Toast almonds in a saute pan over medium heat until golden brown and fragrant.

Food process (is that a verb?) almonds and garlic until chopped. Add miso and pulse until incorporated. Add basil and process until chopped and even consistency. Add oil and lime juice and process until smooth.

This makes a solid amount of pesto which can sometimes be dangerous since it becomes discolored if you do not use it quickly. A method that I got a kick out of is freezing the leftover pesto in an ice cube tray and then transferring the frozen pesto cubes to a ziplock bag. This way you freeze small serving sizes and don't have to thaw a big block of pesto every time a recipe calls for a tablespoon or two. Pretty cool!

*Basil can be replaced with cilantro, parsley, spinach, etc. depending on what you have/what you like.

**Pesto is traditionally made with pine nuts but those are pretty expensive (and I can't find them in bulk). Any sort of nut (walnuts, pecans, cashews...) can be subbed in for the same feel.