Cool herbs for locavores

When you've restricted yourself to a locavore diet, there are just some things we take for granted in everyday life that are suddenly not an option anymore. Eating seasonally is fun because you're basically eating the freshest, best tasting produce out there. It also means there are some things that just aren't available year round, so I've started to put together a list of goodies that work as great replacements or substitues for other out of season or hard to grow items. Herbs are great as container plants and most of these are fairly easy to grow for novice gardeners. Check out your local garden center for some of these harder to find herbs. I love Freret Garden Center and Banting's Nursery as well as the plants/herb guy at CCFM, who always has a great selection of herbs.

Lemon and Limes. There's just no replacing lemon juice. its a winter citrus and just isnt available in the summer time. Limes on the other hand can sometimes be found year round. Key lime trees can grow well in nola and produce fruit most of the year, but unless you have a tree, they can still be hard to find. Cane vinegar or white wine are also acidic and can replace lemon juice in many recipes--they'll definitely add their own flavor, but in a pinch it can work.

Don't freeze citrus! It ruins the texture, but if you want to truly commit to the locavore diet, the freezer is your friend. Zest the lemons first, then you can squeeze them and freeze both the juice and zest in freezer friendly containers.

Lemon Verbena is a great substitute for lemon zest. The leaves can be tough, so mince them very finely. Alternately use a whole leaf to season a dish and remove it before serving. It can also be steeped in hot water for tea or in milk to create a flavored base for ice cream, sorbet, or pudding. Like many herbs you can bury a few leaves in a container of sugar and use to flavor cookies, doughs, or make a simple syrup. Add dried, crumbled leaves to rice just before serving for a little umph.

Pineapples. Actually will grow here, but only in containers. Their root system is shallow so they don't need a terribly large pot, but they absolutely can not handle freezing temperatures, so pots need to be brought indoors during harsh winter nights. New plants can take up to 2-3 years to produce fruit, so this is definitely a long term project. Mine is about a year old right now, so fingers crossed, maybe next June I'll get lucky. Here's some more info if you're interested, all it takes is cutting the top from a  mature, ripe pineapple.  

Pineapple Sage is a great herb that grows very easily here. Many folks use it as an ornamental plant, because its bushy and green most of the year and produces pretty red flowers when it blooms. It can be used very much like lemon verbena--with sugar, in a simple syrup, steeped in milk or water etc. As soon as you pick it you will be surprised how pineapple-y it smells, but the flavor is also very subtle, so use it in a dish where it can stand out and not be overwhelmed by other spices or herbs. I love it sauteed with shrimp and butter. Its simple and sweet and lets the tropical pineapple flavor stand out.

Vietnamese cilantro, unlike traditional cilantro will grow well in Nola year long. We're just too hot for traditional cilantro, which will do well in the spring and then go to seed during our hot summers. Vietnamese cilantro can be used in place of regular cilantro in most recipes. The leaves have the best flavor when they are young and the older the get, they become tough and leathery. The plant can be cut back down any time during the growing season to produce more fresh young leaves. If the plant seems slow to recover from a cutting, it may need to be repotted or divided. Its so much easier to grow than traditional cilantro, and great in a container that can be brought inside during the winter. 

Lavender mint, like many in the mint family are super easy to grow, and much much easier than lavender, which doesn't tolerate our hot humid climate very well. Mint is invasive though, and will spread easily if planted in the ground. Which makes it a good container plant or if you're looking for something that will provide ground cover. It has a wonderful lavender scent and can be used like Lemon Verbena and Pineapple Sage to flavor sugar, milk, etc.  

Recipe: Salsa Verde

Tomatillos a re fantastic and I was so excited when I grabbed some from Inglewood Farm at the Locavore Market. I loved making this salsa verde because in a month without citrus, the tomatillos had a bright citrusy flavor that was a great companion to fish or shrimp. I also served it up as a dip for some sweet potato fries and it was great there too.

Salsa Verde
Ingredients
1 lb. tomatillos
1/2 chopped white onion
pecan oil
Jalapeño peppers or other hot peppers, seeded and finely chopped
cilantro
wine, cane vinegar, or lime juice if available
Salt to taste

Instructions
Remove the papery husks of the tomatillos, as they are inedible. Rise the stickiness off the tomatillos and place in a baking pan. Place under the broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin. The tomatillos should look lighter and feel softer. 

Saute the onions in pecan oil in a small to medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Once the onions are softer and more translucent, add the peppers and tomatillos. Use a blender or stick blender to puree. Add cilantro, wine/vinegar and salt to taste. (I used a dash of Pontchartrain Vineyards Ponchatrain Vineyards Roux St. Louis)

 Enjoy!

Almost a week in and I'm loving it

One of the things I love about the challenge is the variety of items we see in June, especially this year. We have a longer strawberry season, while blueberries are just starting to peak and the first peaches are on the way. Later we'll hopefully get some watermelon and fig--and that just some of the fruits and berries. Once you start eating seasonally, you cherish those seasons and know you're getting the absolute best produce at the peak of its season. Savor it now!

So far I've had two of my three allotted cheat meals--one at City Park's Morning Call when the foraging class was canceled due to bad weather and the other at Pizza Delicious. That one was at least partially local. So far my ingredient or "vices" cheats are coffee, bread and dried spices. These probably won't change during the month. Here's what I've been eating the past few days:

Day 3 dinner: braised goat over rice.

Day 4 breakfast: no time for anything but a quick breakfast on the go. tomato with goat cheese and cane vinegar.

Day 4 dinner: a cheat meal or more correctly a 1/2 cheat meal at Pizza Delicious: Mezzi Rigatoni w/ Local Greens Pesto--broccolini, yellow squash, confit tomato, swiss chard. I was too busy inhaling it to take a pic, but this instagram user did: http://instagram.com/p/aMsBInvURA/

Day 5 breakfast: carrot zucchini cornbread.

Day 5 lunch: summer salad and cornbread.

Day 5 dinner: baguette class at Gracious! I brought home my baguette from class and had it with a bit of goat cheese and strawberry jam...I'll definitely share more pix from class soon!

Day 6 breakfast: hashbrowns

Recipe: Braised Goat with tomatoes and coriander

 I grabbed some goat from Rouses local meats section and realized I had never cooked it before. So I did some googling and came across this recipe from The Oregonian's website for Braised Goat with tomatoes and coriander, which was perfect since I just snagged a bunch of coriander from my mom's garden. It took some editing since I didn't have a lot of the other ingredients, but the result was so yummy, its something I'll definitely add to my recipe bank outside of the challenge. I actually didn't have much broth on hand, just a bit of mushroom broth so use what you have or just use water--a good bit of the flavor will come from the wine anyway. I served it over rice because I already had some made and handy. I imagine it would go very well with some roasted potatoes and carrots. Overall it tastes like a condensed stew and the meat is very tender.



Braised Goat with Tomatoes and Coriander
adapted from The Oregonian
makes about 3 servings

1 to 1.5 pounds goat meat, cut into chunks
salt
1 tablespoon pecan oil
1.5 cups onion, diced
1 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or other available hot pepper)
1 cups tomatoes, diced
1 cup white wine (I used Ponchatrain Vineyards Roux St. Louis)
1 cup broth, plus water as needed
1 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375. Pat meat dry with paper towel and season the goat with salt. In a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the meat on all sides; transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and saute the onions. Cook until onions are tender and just beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic, & coriander cook for 1 minute more. Return the goat to the pot, then add the tomatoes and wine, broth and enough water as needed to barely cover the meat. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer on the stovetop then transfer the pot to the oven.
3. Braise in the oven, covered and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. The goat is ready when the meat is tender and easily comes away from the bone, about 1.5 hours (more if there if you double the recipe or cut larger chunks of meat).
4. Stir the cilantro into the meat and sauce just before serving. Excellent served with rice and roasted root vegetables.

But why?

It's the question that gets asked so often during ELC, usually when you say, "I can't eat that." Some people just don't get it. Why on earth would you want to limit yourself like that? I also get the, oh yeah, you did that last year. Cool experiment/learning experience...why are you doing it again?

One of the biggest reasons I do the eat local challenge every year is to remind myself to really think about the kind of food I'm eating. Where does it come from? Who grew it--what's their life like? Where did this animal come from--what's its life like? As a society we get so complacent and disconnected just picking stuff off the shelf without really thinking about what we are putting into our bodies. We are so wasteful without really thinking about the energy, resources and time that went into growing/producing food. I'm guilty of it too. And each year I do the challenge, I remember how much fun it is--but its also a lot of work. Why do we grab the crap off the shelf we know is bad for us? Convenience and cost. Even as someone who cringes at the thought of what that chicken's life was like, I still find myself at popeyes shamlessly craving that fried deliciousness. ELC is a chance to remind myself: you don't really want to do that.

It's also a time for me to appreciate the wonderful abundance we have in New Orleans. To really connect more with my community and its surroundings. Especially as far as big cities go, New Orleanians really take pride in their neighborhoods and sense of community and supporting local businesses. It's something you don't really see as much in places like Atlanta or Houston--especially not on the scale you do here. We all know, as a city, we have problems--lots of them. But that doesn't mean we can't appreciate what we do have. Its why we love where we live even despite the crime and the hurricanes and the oil spills and whatever disasters we face. ELC just really emphasizes to me  another reason why we're awesome.

I'm sure some of my facebook friends are already over my constant stream of food pix and posts. But its something I share in the hope that my posts inspire someone else to start asking the right questions about their food too....like this little kid:

Eat Local Challenge, Year 3!

I feel like I've become an old pro at this now. Three years ago when I did the first Eat Local Challenge, all I could think about was what I was going to have to do with out--now all I'm just so excited about what new technique or food I'm going to master this year.

Is it hard? Of course. Doing with out all the yummy things we take for granted isn't easy, but I'm such a nerd so new discoveries are so much FUN! Last year, I made ketchup and mozzarella for the first time. This year I'm really excited about the classes and the number of restaurants participating this year!! Such a big change from the first year!

I'm doing the strict-ish level. I never use all of the meal cheats allotted, but some of the ingredients I'm pretty lenient with, especially spices. Coffee is definitely one of my cheats. Anyway, I'm still on the lookout for a few things (garlic & hot peppers!) and haven't quite stock piled the pantry as much as I'd like, but here's what I've been throwing together so far:

Day 1, breakfast: grits (hollygrove) & breakfast sausage (cleaver & co.)

Day 1, lunch/afternoon snack: rosemary coriander baked fries (hollygrove).

Day 1, dinner: lamb steak (two run farm), blanca isabel purple rice (rouses) and green beans (hollygrove).

Day 2, breakfast: strawberry yogurt (greek yogurt from hollygrove & homemade strawberry jam)

Day 2, lunch: mixed veg (hollygrove) & purple rice (rouses)

Day 2, dinner: frittata! purple rice, bell peppers, red onion, garlic chives, goat cheese, shiitake mushrooms, coriander and a little cane vinegar splashed on top.

Day 3, breakfast: peaches (hollygrove) and creole cream cheese (rouses) and a little drizzle of bernard's acadiana honey.

Recipe: Homemade Ketchup

I will never buy bottled ketchup again. This was relatively easy and came out so yummy, this is exactly why I love doing the Nola Locavore Eat Local Challenge: new food discoveries.

Would I have ever thought to make my own ketchup on my own? Maybe eventually, but now I did it because I needed to and I won't ever look back!

I looked at a handful of recipes and got the idea: spice tomatoes, sweetener and just ran with it. I'm super happy with the end result. If you're not as lazy as I am, you would have done it right and removed the skins and seeds and extra water. I didn't feel like doing it and thought it was yummy and not so tedious and time consuming. A hand mixer/immersion blender makes the process super easy. Please excuse the vague amounts of ingredients--I just put stuff in the pot and made adjustments as needed.

All-local Nola Creole Tomato Ketchup

1-2 garlic cloves, diced
pecan oil
couple lbs of creole tomatoes, chopped
spicy oregano
salt
Steen's cane syrup
couple tablespoons of lemon juice

In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat and sautee the garlic for about 30 seconds or until golden brown. Add the oregano and tomatoes and use a stick blender to puree the mixture. Add salt and a couple tablespoons of cane syrup to taste. Add in lemon juice. Cook the mixture down, stirring often until it thickens (about 20 minutes or so depending on the amount of tomatoes). Make adjustments to taste as needed. I used the stick blender again at the end just to make sure to get a nice smooth consistency. The sauce will thicken more as it cools. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. The info I've read on the interwebs varies, but I'd guess it can last about 3 weeks in the fridge and obviously longer in the freezer.

Recipe: Shrimp and Grits

3 cups water
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
1/2 cup grits
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon pecan oil
1 medium tomato
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup white wine
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the water, milk, butter and salt. Bring to a boil. Slowly stir in the grits. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook for about 1 hour or until the grits and tender and creamy, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent the grits from sticking. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and heavy cream. Season with more salt if needed. Set aside and keep warm.
Puree the tomato in a food processor or with a hand blender. In a saute pan, over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic, bell pepper and mushrooms and saute for 30 seconds, then add tomato puree and wine and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt, then add to pan and saute for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and add in the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in 2 teaspoons of the parsley. To serve, spoon the grits in the center of a shallow bowl and spoon the shrimp mixture over the grits. Garnish with parsley. 

Eat Local Challenge 2012 & A Southern Garden Party

I had so much fun doing the Eat Local Challenge last year, but this year I am definitely more prepared for what I was getting into. I've been freezing plenty of lemon juice from my trees this year because that was one item that was just too difficult to go with out last year. And WHEAT!!! I'm so excited we have wheat this year. I haven't baked with it yet, but I'm pumped to see what kinds of goodies I can whip up.

It's day three and it's already been an eventful challenge so far. Our anniversary was Wednesday and in our house, that means its party time. Of course, when we first set aside June 2 as the party date, I didn't initially realize its JUNE...which means throwing an all locavore party was going to be a challenge I hadn't completely thought through. But I ran with it and made the theme A Southern Garden Party and it came off fabulously.

We served shrimp and grits, fried fish and shrimp, fiesta dip with squash chips and grape tomatoes, a yummy cheese and fruit spread, lemonade, southern peach punch, strawberry soda and mint juleps. Our guests ran with the theme too and we had some great additions including red beans and rice, pecan butter cookies, pralines and lots and lots of local wine and beer. I'll be posting some recipes from the day shortly!

Romantic Dinner Party

It's been so long my friend, but I was just too excited about tonight's Valentine's Dinner Party that I couldn't help but post a few pictures from the night. The tablescape was set in white and platinum for an elegant but classy night. Four course dinner menu included curry butternut squash soup, roasted butternut squash salad with Bergeron pecans, Applewood smoked bacon and red wine vinaigrette, coq au vin with braised onions and sauteed mushrooms, and mousse au chocolate.

Tablescape was scraped together from bits and pieces that I already have around the house, most of which are thrift and dollar store finds. I love grabbing silver serving pieces from the thrift store. Even if they aren't in perfect condition, they make great centerpieces. I use the pitcher as a vase all the time and I it only cost me $8. I don't even worry about polishing them that often because I like the semi tarnished vintagey feel . I also have a gravy boat that has seen better days for actually serving food but I use it all the time as a candle holder.  Vases and candles are all random Ikea, Dollar Tree and thrift finds, so the only things I purchased and didn't already have on hand already were flowers and the little $2 silver hearts I found in the wedding section at wally world. 

It was a great night spent breaking bread with the best of friends and I hope to do it again sometimes. I desperately miss our group's big potluck dinner nights and it was so comforting to enjoy sharing good food with great friends.

30 Days: Locavore Edition

My own 30 day experiment makes me think of Morgan Spurlock and all the crazy things he's documented. Now that I've done it myself as a locavore, it's amazing how much just 30 short days can really impact and change your perspective. As someone who loves food and loves to cook and delights in homemade things, I'm actually truly surprised how much this experience has changed how I look at food.

I feel this great sense of accomplishment and I'm really proud of where I spent my money these past 30 days--that's definitely something that will affect how I spend my money going forward. One of the biggest obstacles for me, was the convenience factor. I'm a 9 p.m. grocery shopper. I've gotten the chance to go home settle down, eat dinner and maybe watch some TV and make a grocery list and then head out to Rouses in that last hour when the store is quiet before they close. While this experience has made me appreciate Rouses even more for the sheer number of local products they carry--I couldn't survive on their local items for 30 days.

On a side note, I did stop at Winn-Dixie for a late night emergency baking supply stop when I ran out of ingredients for a cake I was making for a friend, and what I found was pretty depressing and reinforced why I don't like shopping there. I was completely shocked when I walked into the diary section and they didn't have any Kleinpeter products. Shame on you Winn-Dixie--that's all I have to say about that...

Anyway, while I understand Hollygrove's weekly box isn't for everyone, what I really loved was the convenience factor. I can go to the farmer's market and look and look and come out with only a handful of things. I like just walking up in Hollygrove and getting whatever is in the box and figuring out what to do with it later. Of anything in this experience, the box has really pushed me to be creative with items I never would have picked out myself. Patty pan squash? Fairy Tale eggplant?

I've learned a lot about food and about myself and what I think is important when it comes to the food we put in our body to sustain our lives. As much as I love food, I don't think I've ever felt so excited and invigorated. I cooked more meals this month than I think I've ever even come close to in any other month, but I don't feel exhausted or bored. I don't feel limited by what I can't have, but invigorated by the endless possibilities. It makes me want to share how delicious and fun this whole experience can be.

I love how much I've learned, how great I feel, how many delicious fruits and vegetables I've incorporated in my diet, how much weight I've lost, how much fun I've had, how much my perspective has changed in just 30 days, but ultimately the creativity that I have approached food with these past 30 days of anything has been the most valuable. Undoubtedly this experience has changed the norm in our house--I'll admit, it's nice to have chocolate and wheat and tea and coffee, but it also gives me a lot of satisfaction being connected to my food geographically speaking. All the locavores have proved that it can be done in our bountiful region and the imported goods we have come to enjoy in this global economy should be the exception, not the rule.

So...I'm kinda a Suzie Homemaker...picket white fence and all

So I've always taken pride in having homemade things--food or otherwise. I definitely attribute this to my family and having my grandmother's crafty craziness as inspiration. I don't think in my whole life I ever had a store bought pre-packaged costume for Halloween. Either my grandmother made it or it was pieced together with thrift store buys. I don't really remember having junk food in the house either and definitely not at grandmaw's house! I think her exact words were, "No Cheetos, Doritos, merdito's," which I guess roughly translates to something like: no chips or other pieces of shitty junk.

Now I will fully admit that my brother and sister and I most definitely would partake in the glories of junk food when we were at our besties house next door. But I've found that the most invaluable thing I got from home were the skills and passion that were always so abundant in our family. We were always out experiencing new things and learning about cool stuff. My mom was always a great teacher, even before she actually became a teacher. She's definitely not the best cook and I don't she's much of a sewer, but she always made sure we were learning something....even if we were dirt poor.

I'll fully admit I'm not the smartest of my siblings, or the best seamstress. I don't have the green thumb my sister has, or the kind heart my brother has. I laugh when people say "You're such a talented artist!" because my "art" pales in comparison to the mad skillz both my brother and sister have. I wouldn't consider myself the best cook either... But, I've learned to appreciate how soothing and fulfilling a hard day's work in the garden is. I'm crafty and creative and have tons of interests and hobbies. And I will say that I have always been fearless in the kitchen.

I think I must have been in maybe 4th grade or so when I took my first cooking class at summer camp--and I mean REAL cooking. We would all get on the bus with our paring knives and head over to the kitchens at Nunez and learn to cook with Ms. B. We did everything from knife handling 101 and how to crack and separate an egg to homemade onion rings and buttercream roses. I remember one day after we learned to make onion rings my best friend and I stayed home from camp so we could make them at my house. Hot stove...hot oil...sharp knives and I don't remember having any adult supervision. I do however remember when my mom called to check in and see how we were doing...I think shrieking would be how to describe what happened when I told her what we were up to. Followed by, "Yanna Maree, if you burn down the house, so help me god, I am going to scalp you." Mom was always worried I was going to burn down the house...that and ending up in gutters in the street. And what was up with the scalping? I don't know where that came from, but there sure were plenty of threats growing up...

Anyways, I digress. The point is, I love making things. There are few things in this world that are more exciting to me than having someone appreciate something I made with my own hands. I get all these crazy ideas in my head for costumes, and cakes, and crafts, and I love trying to figure out how to make the insanity in my head actually become something in reality.

Today I made mayonnaise for the first time. It was super easy and way tasty. I don't think I'll ever go back to the crap in the jar. I also brewed some tea using leaves from the fig tree in the backyard. Both experiments were a success and sooo much fun.

Projects for the weekend: I have to make Crawfest! version 2.0 for a friend's party. Make a hat to wear to Butterfly Tea at Windsor Court. Maybe make some ricotta cheese for a friend's housewarming/birthday/wine and cheese bash Saturday night. Make some kind of bib, toy or cute something or other for a baby shower Sunday...looks like a typical weekend!

Now if I had just learned how to pick up after myself too... Thank god my husband puts up with my crap and still loves me to boot! I guess that makes me just Susie Homebaker-esque, which is fine by me. I've always thought I'm too funky and bitchy anyway, but I'm still surprised every time someone thinks I'm so housewifey...

Recipe: Squash Fritters with Roasted Creole Tomato and Shiitake Mushrooms

As I've said before, I've really just been making things up as I go along this food adventure. Some meals are actually based on recipes...others I've just been making up depending on what I have on hand.

I didn't submit any recipes to the recipe contest because 1. I didn't really think I made anything of note of my own creation until well into the challenge. 2. I'm actually really bad at keeping track of what I use and the amounts when I'm just making things up on the fly. Even the amounts for this recipe below are a complete guestimation. At the time, I just did what looked right and then thought about how much I used of each ingredient after the fact and took a stab at it.

But this meal in particular was so yummy I wanted to share the recipe. I even shared it on ehow's Rachel Ray contest. So if you like it, go vote for it here: http://www.ehow.com/contest/rachael-ray/20400838/. I'll fully admit, I'm not a big Ray fan--I think I have a grand total of two of her recipes I've tried and liked--but I do like the concept of the contest: sharing meaningful meals. This whole Locavore experience has been educational and makes me feel more in touch with our community. This recipe in particular I was very excited about, so here it goes...

Squash Fritters with Roasted Creole Tomato and Shiitake MushroomsMakes 4-8 fritters
2 c. grated raw squash (I used patty pan and zucchini)
1/4 cup flour (I used corn flour)
2 eggs, beaten
3 oz. grated asiago cheese
salt to taste
2 large creole tomatoes, cut in thick slices
1 cup shiitake mushrooms

Pat the squash dry with a paper towel. Whisk together the eggs and flour. Add in cheese, squash and salt. Form fritter patties and drop into a greased griddle. (I made 4 really good sized fritters since it was a entree, but you could get more if you make them smaller.) Cook until delicate brown, turn and brown on other side.
While the fritters are cooking, place tomatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil on high until the edges are crisp. Once the fritters are done, melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan and saute the mushrooms. Serve while hot with the fritter topped with tomato slices, sauteed mushrooms and a few sprinkles of cheese.

Blog? What Blog? I've been cooking my heart out over here...

So it's day...what? 21 of the locavore challenge so we're in the home stretch here. Just 9 more days to go, and guess what? It's not that bad. Granted earlier today I was having a bit of a crisis in the grocery store, but in all honesty it was completely my own fault--I should know better than to go to the store hungry. It's bad enough any time because I just start grabbing junk I don't really need, since I couldn't do that today...well...yea, it wasn't fun.

Other then that minor meltdown, I've actually been doing great! I supper happy that I've been getting yogurt for breakfast, which has become my go-to breakfast during the week. I've actually been thinking less and less about the things I haven't been able to eat. I haven't had chocolate or pasta or bread in what seems like forever and I'm actually not letting it get to me because I'm having way too much fun exploring new foods.

The first week was definitely the most difficult--I really didn't have any kind of plan and I was just winging it, which normally works out for me, but I did feel overwhelmed at the time. I've been way more creative with what I've been cooking lately and if for nothing else, getting out of my cooking funk has most definitely made this whole experience worth it.

I still don't have a plan and I am most definitely still flying by the seat of my pants, but I'm having a damn good time doing it!

Side note: June 21 is National Peaches and Cream day, so I celebrated with boozy peaches and cream custard. Check out the recipe on Crumby--it was magnificent.

Anyway, here are some highlights of what I've been eating lately:

Day 21, Dinner: Tomato sauce with creole and heirloom tomatoes, bell pepper, eggplant, garlic and alligator sausage served over a bed of grated patty pan squash.

Verdict: WINNER! Tasty and totally let me imagine I was eating pasta instead. It was yummy and I will definitely be making it again before the month is out.
 

Day 20, Dinner: herbed chicken breast, feta tomato salad, cheesy potatoes with asiago and cheddar cheese.

Verdict: WINNER! The tomatoes were SUPERB. A dash of salt, vinegar and tossed with some feta and mmmmm. I was loving it.  

Day 16, Dinner: Sweet potato medallions with eggplant, pecans, bell pepper, and vache sante cheese. 


Verdict: WINNER! Veggie and delicious. I picked up the cheese at St. James Cheese Company and it's a little pricey (somewhere in the $22/lb range) but it really complimented this dish perfectly. I threw it on there on a whim and I'm so glad I did because it totally made the dish!

Day 16, post workout snack: yummy cantaloupe.
 

Day 16, Lunch: crab meat, pecans and cherry tomatoes with feta tomato dressing over mixed greens.

Verdict: Great quick meal on the go. I had quite a few of these for lunch last week. Tasty and easy to pack while I'm running out the house in the morning.

Day13,  Dinner: zucchini and patty pan squash fritters with roasted tomatoes, sauteed shiitake and asiago cheese.

Verdict: DING DING DING, WINNER! I've been struggling to figure out what the heck to do with all that patty pan squash I keep getting in the Hollygrove box. I had been thinking about fritters for a while and when Judy Walker mentioned it on her post in the forums, I figured it was about time to get on it. The roasted tomatoes and sauteed mushrooms totally made it work as a full meal. I can't wait to make it again. I put some asiago in the fritters too and it hit the spot.

Day 13, lunch: mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, crab meat, feta tomato dressing.

 Day 12, snack/dinner: watermelon cucumber salad. 


Verdict: One of my favorite super easy summer salads. A few dashes of vinegar, a few drops of oil, salt really makes the watermelon shine. Great light dinner after stuffing my face with crawfish for lunch.

 Day 12, lunch: crawfish, I love you. :)

Day 12, breakfast: yummy omelet with mushrooms, tomato, onion, bell pepper, asiago cheese.

Getting back to my Guatemalan roots

So I was really excited when I got an email from Nola Locavores that they were loving the posts and wanted to know if I could put together a breakfast, lunch and dinner recipe post for the challenge... Then the excitement that someone besides my mom was actually reading the blog wore off and I had my oh crap moment. What am I going to do? I've just been making things up as I go.

Thankfully when Lee stopped by to get some pralines to satisfy his sweet tooth, he said something that stuck in my head and finally set off that spark, "Don't be afraid to try something different--everybody's done the yogurt and fruit variation for breakfast."

That at least got me thinking about eggy breakfasts. I really had my breakthrough when my mom and I went to the Crescent City Farmer's Market and I picked up some green beans. She suggested I make some caites (I have no idea if I spelled that right and endless Googling has left me still clueless. My mom didn't even know how to spell it.)

My Mami Olga always made them and mom was super exited that I was going to make some since we haven't had them since my grandmother passed away a few years ago. She promptly invited herself over for dinner "to make sure you make them right, Yanna."

With the caites or envueltos de ejotes (wrapped green beans) as my inspiration, it was easy to build the other meals that would fit in. The green beans are usually served with rice and salsa and whatever meat you can afford (or none if you can't). I liked the simplicity of the veggie option for lunch. Since I would already need a salsa for the beans, huevos rancheros was the logical option for breakfast. For dinner, I did caldo or caldito, another staple my grandmother made with whatever veggies and meat she had handy--sometimes it had chicken, sometimes it had beef... maybe some yucca, carrots, green beans, garbanzo beans, potatos...it depended on the season.

So I made the caites for day seven dinner. I'll probably do huevos tomorrow morning with the left over salsa. Whenever I actually get around to buying something other than seafood, I'll definitely make some caldo.

Another fun experiment today was dessert. Canillas de leche!! It's been a while since I've had these because we usually only get them when my aunt comes back from Guatemala (with entire Tupperware containers full of candies). I never thought about making them until I was brainstorming sweets that I could make without flour. My mom was REALLY excited to be the official taste tester for these and I know my aunt will be psyched to know I've learned how to make them. Special props to my mom for helping me with the translation since all of the recipes I found were in Spanish and mine is quite...er...I think rusty is putting it mildly. Check out the recipe post on Crumby.

Here's the rundown for the day. Hopefully I'll get around to posting the candy recipe on Crumby soon.

Breakfast: Coffee. What? Who needs food when I can just have that heavenly deliciousness.

Lunch: Mom and I stopped at Mat and Naddie's and FYI, they're really only doing a dinner option for Locavores, so I did my best since we were already there. I'm not 100% if the rice was locally sourced. The veggies were actually from Florida but considering the rest of the options it was as close as I was going to get. The shrimp was great. We also split the blueberry peach cobbler.

Dinner: Caites or envueltos de ejotes. I'll do a full recipe step by step soon.

 

Dessert: Canillas de leche