Sun Dried Tomato and Mozzeralla Risotto

I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious.  I got the recipe from the William's Sonoma Vegetarian cookbook.  Sadly my garden isn't ready to provide large portions of fresh basil yet, so I only added a few fresh leaves and some dried.  Not ideal, but still great.  I have become a HUGE fan of risotto, in the last couple of months as I've tried to replace meat as the main dish with other things.  I was intimidated by it, but once I finally tried making it I realized it isn't as complicated as I thought it would be. I love risotto because there are loads of variations, so it makes a terrific main dish and adds variety to a meatless (almost) diet.

5 1/2 cups vegetable stock (I actually used the Costco Pacific chicken broth)
1/3 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (water packed is ideal, but any will do)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste ( I omitted salt because between the broth and cheese I think there is plenty already)

In a large saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. While the stock is heating, drain the sun-dried tomatoes and reserve the oil. Chop the tomatoes coarsely and set them aside.
In a large frying pan, warm 2 tablespoons of oil from the tomatoes, add onion and saute until translucent; about 6 minutes.
Add rice to the frying pan and stir until white spots appear in the center of the grains; about 1 minute. Spoon a ladleful of vegetable stock into the frying pan and cook the mixture on low until all the stock is absorbed; about 2 minutes. Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time until the rice is tender and the mixture is creamy, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
Add the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil from the tomatoes, chopped basil, and salt and pepper. Mix well and serve

Nutty, oaty snack

This snack is so easy, tasty and inexpensive.

2 C. oats

1/2 C. Honey

1/2 C. Peanut Butter 

Optional add in's

Raisins

Chocolate chips

Carob chips

Crasins

Nuts

Mix and store in fridge.

Spinach Salad

This salad is so yummy and perfect for the spinach harvest.

1 bag of spinach leaves (or a big bowl full from your garden)

1 apple (I like gala or fuji) thinly sliced

handful of Craisins

1/8th of red onion sliced thin

roasted slivered almonds

1/2lb bacon cooked, crumbled (optional)

Dressing:

3 TBS apple cider vinegar

1/3 C. vegetable oil

1/3 C. sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Mix in a blender, then pour over salad

Food and It's Important Role In the Environment

This is a very worth watching clip of a lecture given by Mark Bittman, a New York Times food writer discussing how what we eat impacts not only the environment but our health.  It's only about 16 minutes and well worth the time.
 

Tuscan Kale and White Bean Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, crushed
2 1/2 pounds kale, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 cups fresh or canned tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
2 cups canned or cooked white cannellini beans
3/4 oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 12-ounce package pasta, whole wheat preferred
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat, heat the oil and saute the onion about 5 minutes, until softened. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and half of the kale and cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted and the garlic is fragrant.

2. Add remaining kale, tomatoes, and salt to taste, then cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until soupy, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans and olives, stirring to combine.

3. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. When al dente, drain pasta and add it to the kale mixture. Cook about 2 minutes over medium heat, then sprinkle with Parmesan, if using, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

Serves 8.

Pasta With Lentils And Kale

(I should mention I haven't yet tried this, but have been looking for kale recipes, as I want to add it into my repetoire and I found a couple that I think I will try.)

1/2 cup French (small) green lentils

2 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 pound kale (preferably Tuscan; sometimes labeled "lacinato")
3/4 pound dried short pasta

Simmer lentils in water (2 cups) with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart saucepan, uncovered, adding more water if necessary to keep lentils barely covered, until tender but not falling apart, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt.

While lentils simmer, heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring, 1 minute. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and golden (stir more frequently toward end of cooking), about 20 minutes. Remove lid and increase heat to moderate, then cook, stirring frequently, until onion is golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more.

While onion cooks, cut out and discard stems and center ribs from kale. Cook kale in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer kale with tongs to a colander to drain, pressing lightly. Keep pot of water at a boil, covered.

Coarsely chop kale and add to onion along with lentils (including lentil-cooking liquid), then simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add pasta to kale-cooking liquid and boil, uncovered, until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup pasta-cooking liquid, then drain pasta in a colander. Add pasta to lentil mixture along with about 1/3 cup of pasta-cooking liquid (or enough to keep pasta moist) and cook over high heat, tossing, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

Genetically Modified Foods

Last night on some news show I heard a blurb about genetically modified foods or GMO's which had me googling this morning to find out more. I knew there were GMO's to be had at the grocery store and although I did not have much specific information about the topic I instinctively knew these were things that I wanted to avoid putting on my family's table. What alarmed me, and many of you probably already knew this, is that in the U.S.the powers that be lobbied so that GMO's do not have to be labled at all in our grocery stores! (Many other countries have strict labeling laws or have banned GMO's altogether). It has been estimated that at least 60% of the U.S. food supply contain GM ingredients. What?! These things that I would avoid are all in my pantry and fridge?

GMO's are food produced from genetically modified organisms which alter the make-up of living organisms. The most common of these being soya, corn, canola, and cotton seed oil. The program last night indicated that most foods (I believe they said up to 90%) on store shelves that have any kind of soy or corn (including high fructose corn syrup) contain GMO's. The less common are peas, potatoes, tomatoes, sweet peppers, lettuce, onions, peanuts, squashes, sugar beets, wheat, and walnuts.There are numerous health reasons to avoid such foods; the transfer of antibiotic-resistance to bacteria in our systems, an increase in occurance of cancer among those who injest such foods, birth defects, allergies, and the Journal of Medicinal Foods did a study which found that GMO's contained lower levels of vital nutrients than their counterparts.

There are also several unforeseen consequences; declines in wild life, insects, and weeds that the previous feed on, this affects both the farmed and wild ecosystems, it also shifts agriculture towards biotechnology companies who then gain more control over food and its production and over the farmers who use their products. These companies say that GMO's help the enviroment by reducing the need for pestisides and herbicides, however it would appear that they are created with just the opposite in mind, they are developed with a "toxin resistance" which means that they can withstand higher doses of pesticides and herbicides. Considering that just like pollen from regular plants, pollen from GMO's can (and will) be carried on the wind and by birds and insects to cross polinate with normal plants it is estimated that the end of organic foods will come as early as 50 years from now.

A must read for gardeners

I know it is a little late in the season to be reading about gardening, but for anyone who wants to garden organically this is my favorite book. It is packed with ideas on companion planting, and teaches you which bugs are beneficial to your garden. The Author has many suggestions on which plants to pair up, and the special needs of each crop as well. She is also an advocate of supporting your local nurseries rather than saving a few bucks buying from Walmart or Home Depot or wherever. I flip through mine so much I finally had to go have it spiral bound! It is by far the most helpful gardening book I have found. I can't seem to get the image to post, but the title is "Great Garden Companions" by Sally Cunningham

Peat Moss

Just a heads up: in organic gardening Peat Moss is a no no.  The reason is, it is not a sustainable product.  It is found in bogs and wetlands and harvesting it destroys the habitat.  It is one of the ingredients of the soil for square foot gardening, but I would suggest just use a different kind of manure or leaf mold or compost for the 1/3 portion of peat moss.   

Time to Plant A Garden

Hey everyone.  If you are planning on planting a garden this would be a great place to share tips.  I have one.  Wait until you can really stick a fork in winter and declare it done before planting your frost sensitive plants.  I got a bee in my bonnet this week and planted my garden on Monday and wouldn't you know, it snowed last night.  I used Wall of Waters and old yogurt cartons and sour cream containers, old buckets bowls, beach pails, and whatever else I could find to cover the plants that hate cold.  It seemed to work. (I hope, I actually haven't been out to check on them yet).

Also here a couple of good reference links.  Please add whatever other links you have found to have helpful tips.

Wasatch Gardens

Square Foot Gardening

Organic Gardening Magazine

Organic Gardening Tips