Eat. Drink. Better.

Hard to believe with this balmy weather we’ve been experiencing out here in the Midwest, but really, truly, Thanksgiving is around the corner.  But even though there’s a chill somewhere heading our way, don’t pack up the grill.  Break out of the traditional root vegetable recipe box and break out the grill one last time this season  with some unique kabobs as a Thanksgiving side dish.  

I confess:  I’m on a personal quest to generate a little respect for root vegetables.  Easy to grow and store and with a decent serving of nutients, sometimes root crops need a little spiffying up with a dash of flavor and presentation value to earn some appeal.

Kabobs make a particularly easy dish as all the marinating and prep work can be done beforehand. All you need is to quickly roast them on the grill before serving.  Make a hearty batch as this flavorful tak approach to root crops adds up to tasty leftovers.  Grilled beets, turnips and rutabagas taste surprisingly good cold and also work great on an open-faced sandwich with grilled cheese on top.

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I’ve scored some fantastic organic sweet potatoes from the market lately. Here are some ideas for cooking with them:

1. Sweet Potato Coconut Mash: This is another option for making mashed potatoes, try mashing and blending soy, regular or vanilla almond milk into a bit of long baked sweet potatoes. Smart cafes like Lettus, are known for mixing healthy organic virgin coconut oil into it, and pairing it with pumpkin seed encrusted tempeh, with a magical homemade green sauce, mmm…
2. Moroccan Roasted Organic Spiced Sweets: Bake or boil a couple sweet potatoes moist. Chop and mix a pinch of cumin, ginger, salt, cinnamon, allspice (optional) and a sprinkle of coriander and cayenne in a small bowl. Mix in skillet with a teaspoon of organic olive oil or pop in the oven until browned. Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever cracked open a bottle of your favorite wine to find it didn’t taste as good as you remembered? 

Or taken a sip from the House wine at some fine dining establishment, and tried to quickly recover from the pursed lips that would reveal it tasted a bit sour?

You probably chalked these experiences up to simply a bad bottle, or the Sommelier at the restaurant likely whisked it away uttering something about the batch of grapes that particular year. 
But did you know that the culprit was most likely the continually changing climate?

Experts say that grapes grown to make wine are more adversely effected than any other crop, making it even more critical for wineries to focus on reducing the negative effects on the environment.  So, from organic wine (wine that has been produced from organically grown grapes) to biodynamic agriculture (organic farming that excludes the use of artificial chemicals on soil and plants), the wine industry is committed to this important initiative. 

In addition, certified ‘green’ programs like the ‘Napa Valley Green Certified Winery’ are popping up all over the world, establishing sustainable and green business practices for wineries.  Certified wine production facilities demonstrate a commitment to conserving water and energy, reducing waste and preventing pollution with the primary goal of reducing their overall carbon footprint.  The result is less carbon emissions and more flavorful grapes.   Read the rest of this entry »

The first year we grew beets on our farm, it was on a serendipitous whim because neither me nor my husband had ever cooked with beets. As serendipitous gardening fate would have it, we pulled out a bumper beet crop that fall — quickly necessitating research in what to do with them.

Which led us to developing this Beet Burger recipe, a new twist on the veggie burger. It’s a very adaptable, forgiving recipe—feel free to modify and experiment with ingredients, like substituting carrots for some of the beets. The burgers freeze well (freeze them on a tray before placing in a freezer bag so they don’t stick together) and taste surprisingly good cold. The recipe is a bit complex, so I usually make a triple batch in a jumbo bowl and stock up for a while.

Recipe after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Even those who cannot commit to an extravagant chocolate creation or a rich fruit dessert will find solace in the satisfying sweetness and texture of this simple and moist dessert.

This cake has the texture of a quick bread and the autumn flavors of pumpkin and “pumpkin pie” spices. Pumpkin is one of those tastes that you either love or hate. This cake is designed so there is no doubt that you are eating pumpkin.

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My choice for this weeks unusual vegetable is Parsley Root (Petroselinum crispum variety tuberosum), also known as Rooted parsley, Turnip-Rooted Parsley, Dutch Parsley, Hamburg Parsley or Heimischer. It’s a winter root that has been used for centuries for soups and stews in the “Old World” but is fairly unknown and underutilized everywhere else - at least in the culinary community.

Parsley root extract has been shown to be useful for chronic liver and gallbladder diseases. It is a diuretic, blood purifier, carminative, and hepatic.

The parsnip-like root is white, dry and has a flavor somewhat like celery, turnips, and, of course, parsley. It’s usually available August through April, being at it’s peak in November through February. Use it like you would a parsnip, carrot, celery root or turnip. Think aromatic, a little aggressive, herbal and pungent.

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Although fall means the end of summer’s abundance of produce, the end-of-season crops are nothing to sneeze at.  Butternut squash, with its earthy sweetness and versatility, can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.  I whipped up this simple, hearty soup from local squash, then froze the extra for quick lunches throughout the season.

What makes this soup extra special is its creamy sweetness and vanilla flavor; it’s practically a dessert soup.  You can alter the sugar to taste, but I like the hint of sweetness that the small amount listed here provides.  Roasting the squash imparts a deeper, richer flavor as well.  The recipe, after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

Went to Princeton again this past Sunday to indulge in a wonderful communal meal with the Suppers For . . . people. It was Supers for Sobriety, but the spectrum of people interested in participating goes beyond recovery from alcoholism, so the group is a diverse range of people who need to learn more about how food affects their depression or blood sugar challenges, people who are in OA (Overeaters Anonymous) who are looking for something more. In any case, we are all foodies and just love to cook it, talk about it, learn about it and of course eat it.

Our host, Dor had a cornucopia of mostly locally harvested foods. Walking in the kitchen door, I passed a bucket of green tomatoes on the porch. As cooking assignments were doled out, Kay and I were elected to create a green tomato salsa to go with the black-eyed peas and brown rice, hearty vegetable and chicken soup and turnip slaw.

Here’s what we came up with . . .

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Today marks Karva Chauth, a traditional Northern Indian festival that harks from the villages of Punjab. Married women fast for the long life of their husband. Even though it is a challenging fast, Karva Chauth is welcomed and celebrated by Indian women in and outside of India as it celebrates camaraderie among married women.

Women traditionally eat sargi, the (Punjabi) name given to the delicious vermicelli kheer (pudding), early in the morning and then fast all day. Following a community prayer and storytelling at sunset, they break their fast after the moon rises. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve always been thoroughly fascinated with this fruit. The texture and cool demeanor of these seeds makes it almost impossible not to want to pinch them between your fingers and find ways to play with them. These complex little gems sometimes remind me of candy and other times of great colored corn kernels.

This ancient Medditeranean and Middle-Eastern fruit was the legend of Greek myths for its health benefits and Chinese medical practitioners recognize the juice for its help in promoting longevity. Western science has been catching up for the past few years with hundreds of studies on the health benefits of the pomegranate. The seeds, also known in more technical nutritional/botanical circles as ‘arils’ are packed with antioxidants.

Nutritional qualities and potential health benefits . . .
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