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.