You say tomato, I say chili, salsa, pasta sauce galore!

As we head in to Fall at a rapid clip, I'm finding myself with more tomatoes than I know what to do with (at last!). Orange oxheart, teeny currant tomatoes, chocolate cherry, yellow pear and my favorite, super sweet orange cherry tomatoes have been flooding our counter tops along with romas and camparis. I was planning on making some salsa and caprese salad after hearing the weather report for today, but when I woke up to the pitter patter of rain I decided to change course.

For me, there is no better way to spend a cold, rainy day than cooking up a storm, unless of course its snuggled up with your sweetheart, but today I was on a mission to turn my rainbow of tomatoes into some belly warming chili and marinara sauce.

For my chili, I turned to my slow cooker and took a cup of dried kidney beans and a cup of driedblack beans and tossed them in with enough water to cover them with two inches of water on top and turned the slow cooker on high for 4 hours. While the beans were soaking and cooking I diced a half onion and mixed it with a half jalepeno diced and about 4 heaping cups of my various tomatoes chopped, sliced or diced depending on size. I added 3 chopped garlic cloves and 3 tbsp. of chili powder, 1 tsp. cayenne, and a shake of salt and pepper.

Once the beans had cooked for 4 hours and were tender I added my tomato mix and 4 veggie meat balls( you could sub for real meat if you choose) and cooked for another 4 hours. Top with some chopped green onions and shredded cheese. This chili would be perfect with a green salad and some cornbread and a nice Jubelale.
*My favorite salad of late has been a walnut, bleu cheese and blackberry salad with spinach and balsamic vinagrette. The sweetness of the blackberries is a lovely contrast to the salty tang of the gorgonzola.

The marinara sauce was amazing, and super easy, thanks to Fashionably Foodie for sharing:http://fashionablyfoodie.blogspot.com/2008/08/fresh-tomato-marinara-sauce.html. I plan on making more of this soon, I used fresh basil and oregano and used about 5 large basil leave and 2 tsps. chopped oregano.

As much as I will miss summer, thoughts of veggie pot pie, autumn hikes, pumpkin cheesecake and winter gardens will help me make the transition from sundresses to cozy sweaters!

Cheers!

The Garden Challenge

This summer has flown by quickly in a rush of parties, camping trips and other festivities. This coupled with things being crazy at work and Randy being in summer school has led to less time enjoying our garden and more take-out. In order to get back in the garden and start eating the frits (or in this case vegetables) of our labor, I came up with the Garden Challenge. Basically, the challenge is to eat only what's growing in our garden or what we can trade our friends for from their gardens paired with what we have in our fridge and pantry, no trips to the market for anything besides absolute necessities and no meals out. Here's more or less what we are working with:
From the harden:
kale
spinach
tomatoes, seven different varieties randing from romas to chocalte cherry tomatoes
zucchinis
Cucumbers( hopefully ripe by end of week)
green beans
strawberries
chives
basil
rosemary
mint
cilantro
jalepenos
In addition we have these things on hand:
bell peppers
sugar snap peas
spring greens
Parmesan, cheddar, white sharp Irish cheddar
chicken breasts
chicken sausage

pinto beans
black beans
onion
pasta
rice
couscous
milk
eggs
tofu
spices
bread
flour, etc.

Sunnday was the first day of our challenge and we started with a brunch of kale, caramelized onion, and Dubliner cheese frittata with some french baguette. Healthy and pretty tasty. Later that afternoon I whipped up some pesto with 2 cups of fresh basil, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of olive oil and 1/4 of a cup of Parmesan cheese tossed in the blender. Some of this with some elbow pasta, and sauteed cherry tomatoes, spinach and chicken breast became dinner. (This would have been equally good with zucchini in place of the chicken).

On Monday, Randy created a delicious hash with potatoes, kale, basil, rosemary, red onion, garlic, and chicken sausage with fried eggs. The fresh herbs really made this dish and the kale helped stretch the ingredients we already had. Using what we have on hand along with what we're growing makes us plan our meals more carefully, eat more fresh produce and consume less food from non-organic, far away sources. We realized that we are out of eggs two days in and will try and get them from the farmers market rather than the grocery store.

This challenge also leads us to be more creative in the kitchen, finding new ways to use the veggies we have growing. If we had more things growing, I would like to up the challenge a notch by only using things we grew in our garden or what we could get from our friends, neighbors that they are growing, and get rid of the meat and cheese part (unless our friends/family were raising it.)

Stay tuned for more on the challenge and what kind of crazy concoctions we come up!

Cheers!

Good food for people who like bad food (or healthy delicious mexican recipes)

Hey Y'all,

While I promised my recipe for "marry me cherry pie" and some side salads in the last post, I'm going to switch it up tonight because I'm feeling inspired by tonight's dinner menu. I promise to share those recipes soon! Instead I want to share some recipes for tonight combo of grilled fish tacos, mango-kiwi salsa and refried beans with some yummy grilled pineapple for dessert! I really want to add pictures, but bear with me if I fail as technology is not my strong point.

For the main course I'm starting off with some grilled pacific cod fish tacos. Pacific cod is on the safe list on the Monterey Bay Aquarium guide to sustainable seafood, but many of their other fish options would be just as good. You can find the guide here: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/content/media/MBA_SeafoodWatch_WestCoastGuide.pdf

For two people I'm using:

1 large cod fillet
Marinade:
1 tsp. Chipotle powder
Half lime
1tsp. chili powder
1 tsp . garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
tbsp. olive oil
4 corn or small flour tortillas
Garnish:
romaine and spring greens, you can also use cabbage, but if your garden is going like mine, you've got plenty of greens that need to be used quickly!

chipotle mayo: 1/4 lite mayo and a 2 tsp. chipotle hot sauce, mixed together (found in your local grocery store or mexican market)

(These are rough estimates and can be increased or decreased to suite you mood or taste buds)
Toss the marinade in a small bowl and coat the fish liberally and toss on a hot grill for about 7-10 minutes on each side.

Toss the cooked fish pieces on the warmed tortillas and garnish with the greens and chipotle mayo and the top with mango-kiwi salsa(recipe below)

Mango-Kiwi Salsa

1 cup heirloom cheery tomatoes (these are best but can be substituted for any fresh tomato)

Half Lime

Half jalapeno

1 cup chopped mango

1/4 cup red onion

1 half bunch cilantro

1 kiwi, quartered

optional: dash of thai fish sauce, sounds weird, but compliments this fresh salsa very well

Best slow cooked refried beans:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Refried-Beans-Without-the-Refry/Detail.aspx
This recipe makes the best refried beans with minimal effort and no lard, you will never go back to canned refried beans! It does make a ton, but you can toss them in the freezer or use them for breakfast burritos, bean dip, etc. later on in the week

Grilled pineapple:
Half pineapple cut into inch sized pieces
tbsp. honey
sprinkle of cinnamon

toss all these together and toss them on skewers and grill for about 10-15 minutes (if you really want a luxurious dessert remove the grilled pineapple from skewers and toss with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, sooo good!)

Voila,! Serve the tacos with refried beans and spanish rice or salad and some fresh margaritas for a great balmy, summer night meal.

My grill is getting hot, enjoy these recipes, keep in mind I'm more of a make it up as you go along girl, so play with the seasoning and ratios!

Cheers,
Jamie

Cool wine for warm evenings

After a long day at work, a chilled glass of wine( or three) on a warm evening is pure bliss. Local wine can be gentle on the wallet and can be good for your carbon footprint. In Oregon there are many vineyards working to be more sustainable and a tour of them is a perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon. Pack your sweetheart and your closest friends and tour around to some premier sustainable vineyards in Oregon in an Ecoshuttle, find more info. here: http://www.ecoshuttle.net/index.php/sustainable-wine-tour/.

While I'm no wine expert, I've sampled several local wines and and have fallen in love with a couple. See reviews below...

Eola Hills Pacific Blanc-At under $8 dollars a bottle, this is a delightful bottle of wine. Light and crisp with hints of apricot and melon, this wine is delicate with out being wimpy. Your friends will think you splurged:)

The wine that really turned me on to white wine and is probably my favorite in the world is Evolution from Sokol Blosser. This wine is a bit a bit more spendy, but COMPLETELY worth it! I discovered this wine on a trip to Bend with one of my best girlfriends and my life hasn't been the same since produced by Sokol Blosse, a leader in Oregon's sustainable wine movement, this wine is dances on your taste buds! Light and well balanced with hints of nectarine and citrus, It makes me imagine fairies drinking nectar out of fox gloves. If you are having a BBQ and want to serve your guests something really special, try this bottle. I also get a kick out of the label which ponders the age old question of luck? or intention?

Stay tuned, this weekend I'll have some simple but delightful summer salad recipes as well as my coveted "marry me cherry pie" recipe!

Cheers,
Jamie

Introduction

Welcome to my blog!

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, swimming in rivers and lakes, eating wild berries, climbing trees and following frogs has created a deep appreciation for Mother Nature and the environment. As I've grown older, I've come to realize that many of the same things that are good for the earth are good for our bodies and our pocketbooks, not to mention a whole lot of fun! My goal for this blog is to share recipes, gardening tips, sustainable product reviews and much, much more. This blog is for anyone trying to live a sustainable life and have a lovely time while doing so. You can lead a tasty, fabulous, adventurous, green lifestyle on a budget, and that's what I want to explore here.

Cheers,
Jamie


I wake up each morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning the day a little difficult." E.B. White