Finance for a Freelance Life» Recipes and Cooking Tips

Community Supported Agriculture – One Month Report

Mrs. Micah — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:00:35 +0000

We’ve received a month’s worth of shares from the community supported agriculture group we joined and I thought it was time to update on how it’s worked out for us.

The first couple weeks were what they predicted—almost entirely greens. This meant we had some good salads, but it didn’t really affect our grocery bill. However the last two weeks have been much better. We’ve gotten broccoli, beets, radishes, rhubarb, potatoes, scallions, snow peas, and a variety of greens. We’ve still have to buy the protein part of the meal, but it’s cut our grocery bill at least in half.

It’s also required a good deal of flexibility in the kitchen. I discovered what a rhubarb even looked like (word of warning, don’t try to eat a small slice, they taste like death without being cooked in sugar) and how to make yummy roasted beets. (Sliced, olive oil, salt & pepper, place on tin-foil-covered cookie sheet, cover with tinfoil, bake at 400F for 30 min.) Some of this stuff I’d never even tried before either because it wasn’t interesting or because I was convinced I wouldn’t like it. I think the summer is going to broaden my recipe base and my tastes too.

The Best Thing About Community-Supported Agriculture

The best thing hands-down is the taste! The food is incredibly fresh and the flavor is fantastic. I knew that it was going to be better than what we were getting at Giant, but I was still surprised by how much better it tastes.

Nothing is over-ripe or under-ripe because it’s been shipped hundreds or thousands of miles, so far everything we’ve gotten has been at its peak. This tastes like the way food is supposed to taste. I’m very excited about that and looking forward to the rest of the summer!

Because it’s fresh, you do have to use it sooner than you might have to use something you bought at the store that’s already been on the road for a week and was picked early so it wouldn’t spoil. But I haven’t had a problem with the food lasting less than a week and we get weekly shipments.

The Worst Thing About Community-Supported Agriculture

It’s not all that bad, but one doesn’t get to select what one gets every week. If you’re able to go to a Farmer’s Market and actually do go, then that might be the better option for you. (If you don’t actually go, then a CSA is better than the regular grocery.)

Besides not being able to pick the type of things you get, you also have a bit less selection when it comes to quality. So far we’ve only gotten one head of lettuce that I chucked for poor quality and we got an apology note saying that the farmer was trying a new washing spinner and had set it too high. Otherwise it’s been about the same kind of quality toss-up one experiences at a grocery store (but better flavor all-round), mostly good stuff.

On the whole, we’re feeling very pleased with our decision to join.

The fruit shares start in July, more exciting possibilities!

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We’ve Joined a Community Supported Agriculture Association

Mrs. Micah — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:00:47 +0000

This spring, we’ve joined a Community Supported Agriculture association. We pre-pay a certain amount (due in the late winter since it helps buy supplies) and then get fruit and veggies from a farmer’s cooperative from May until November. It’s not quite local, but it’s not too far away and we’ve heard from friends who did this last year that the taste is vastly superior to our local grocery store’s veggies.

It’s certified organic, though I’m never sure how much that means or how much better for you it is. I think it depends on the type of food and the farmer. I doubt the veggies will be any worse for us and it’s quite possible they’ll be better.

We bought 1/2 a vegetable share and a whole fruit share (which is smaller than a vegetable share) because we’re only two people. I’m a little worried that in the richest months we’ll end up with more food than we can eat. In that case, I’ll be looking into preserving it and see if a couple nearby friends would like some.

Why We’re Doing It

1. We want to eat more fruit and veggies.

I think we already eat pretty healthily. I prepare almost all of our meals. One major meal a day has meat and the other generally has some kind of beans for protein. Even when we’re eating meat, I make it stretch (and we can both tell the difference when we’re eating elsewhere or in a restaurant).

I stretch meals using veggies and (generally) brown rice. Sometimes couscous or quinoa. I’ve become stuck in a rut, however, and I’m looking for ways to branch out. So far I’ve had some real successes and am looking forward to what I have to work with this summer.

And we almost never buy fruit. I like fruit very much, but the area we live in is rather poor and it’s reflected by our grocery store. It’s very hard to find good fruit there. We can drive farther away or even farther to the Farmer’s Market, but it seems a waste just to look for fruit. I’m really looking forward to that!

2. I need to expand my recipes.

I didn’t start cooking regularly until I got married in the summer of 2007. Even at times when I was cooking frequently for my parents, it was still my mother who came up with ideas. I just made whatever she told me to make.

Many people start cooking what their parents ate, but I’m limited by price and by not wanting to cook every night after work (my mom was a SAHM and she developed excellent cooking skills). I like recipes that make good leftovers and keep well. As I said above, I’ve gotten into a bit of a rut.

Lucky for me, we got a copy of Simply in Season as a wedding present to go with our More With Less cookbook. More With Less has been great, but I haven’t really followed the seasons in my cooking. Now that I’m going to be getting all these in-season foods, I’m hoping for a lot of help from Simply in Season.

3. We want to support the community.

Micah believes very strongly in voting with your dollar. If these people are growing better food, then we should patronize them if we’re able (and we are). We’ve heard good things—and if they don’t pan out then we won’t buy from them next year. The first year is a risk, but that’s where friends’ recommendations come in.

And I want to support this group for even more reasons. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m a Mennonite. I’m not “Plain,” nor am I Old Order or even Conservative. Many of these farmers are Mennonites and Amish, and even if we’re not all the same sort, we’re all part of a community. The farming branch of our community feels a real pinch at times, family farming is not always financially successful even when the crop is good—so I want to make what difference I can.

4. Flavor.

The fresh stuff is nearly always better. We’ve already found this with farmers’ markets.

Why Not Use a Farmer’s Market?

“Because I’m lazy” isn’t a good answer, is it? Convenience is a motivator, however. There’s a co-op close to us that we sometimes patronize for veggies (it’s hard to tell ahead of time what they’ll have), but all of the farmers’ markets are farther away and driving in this area sucks. I used to work near one, which was convenient…but then I had to take the food with me on the metro.

Anyway, the local CSA drop-off is much closer to us than any of the farmers’ markets, which is a big point in its favor.

I’m also looking forward to the spontaneity of basing our meals around what showed up this week. This could turn out to be incredibly frustrating, but I’m feeling optimistic.

Have you even been in a CSA? How did it work out for you?

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Content Â© Mrs. Micah 2007 – 2010. This content may only be reproduced in excerpts by legitimate bloggers.

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Avocado Chicken Salad Recipe

Mrs. Micah — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 11:00:54 +0000

Last week, I made a delicious avocado chicken salad with a recipe I got from Cooking Light. Here’s my variation–not guaranteed to be as light as theirs, but definitely delicious.

Ingredients

1 package chicken thighs
2 TB cooking oil
1 avocado
2 chopped tomatoes or 1 15 oz can
1 lime
1/2 bunch scallions
2 TB minced cilantro (or to taste)
salt and pepper

Prep and cook time: approx 40 min.

Preparation

1. To prepare the chicken, remove any skins. Heat small amount of oil in a skillet, approx. 2TB, and brown chicken on all sides. Add 1 cup water, cover, and cook for 30 min, turning approx. every 8 min.

Mix in a bowl, the following:

2. Peel and chop the avocado into fine pieces and add.

3. Chop tomatoes or drain can and add.

4. Chop cilantro and scallions to taste and add.

5. Cut lime into approximate halves, one half slightly bigger than the other. Squeeze bigger half over salsa. Add approx 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper or to taste.

Once chicken is cooked.

6. Remove chicken from pan and cut into medium pieces. (Or do all this in advance and retrieve chilled chicken now) Squeeze other half of lime over the chicken.

Putting it all together.

7. Mix together chicken pieces and salsa. Serve over brown rice if desired.

This recipe has a few changes from the Cooking Light one. For one thing, the prep steps are more realistic. It’s fast, but not 3 minutes unless you’ve pre-cut everything. Cutting the avocado took me 3 minutes. Also, I think scallions are better than normal onions and the cilantro tastes much better as a garnish in the salsa than cooked with the chicken.

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Content Â© Mrs. Micah 2007 – 2010. This content may only be reproduced in excerpts by legitimate bloggers.

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Happy Halloween – Cookie Recipe

Mrs. Micah — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:34:05 +0000

Happy Halloween everyone! I’ve been quite busy for the last couple days, so I haven’t had much time to write a post.

But I’d like to recommend a seasonal recipe, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies at Frugal Upstate. I’m not exaggerating when I say that these are the best cookies I have had in a while. I’m making another batch today for an event at our church.

I like to think they’re a bit healthier than the normal Toll House recipe (which they’re pretty similar to) because they use a can of pumpkin and only 1 stick of butter. That’s got to be good, right?

Everyone have a safe and happy evening!

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Content Â© Mrs. Micah 2007 – 2010. This content may only be reproduced in excerpts by legitimate bloggers.

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Badami Chicken Recipe – Indian

Mrs. Micah — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:30:53 +0000

Big fan of Indian food. Previously, I’ve posted recipes for:tandoori chicken, curried chicken, and masala rice.

This week, we tried out a Badami chicken recipe. A delicious medley of spices held together by yogurt. Goes well with broccoli that’s been cooked with a little ginger & curry over rice that’s been cooked with turmeric and chicken bullion.

Ingredients

Chicken thighs (skins removed)
2 packages lowfat plain yogurt (or nonfat)
2 small onions, chopped
1TB ginger
10 cloves of garlic (mashed)
6 cloves (ground)
1TB cinnamon
1TB cardamom (or 6 mashed pods)
1TB peanut butter
1 can coconut milk
2TB oil
Salt to taste
½ tsp turmeric
1TB chili powder

To Prepare:

Make a paste of the ginger, garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and peanut butter. If you don’t have a garlic press, use the back of a fork to mash the garlic. Slice thinner for easier mashing.
In a large pot, heat oil. Add the chopped onions. Fry them till they turn golden. Add the paste and fry.
While frying, add about 1TB of water. Stir in yogurt until smooth. Add salt, turmeric, and chili powder.
Add chicken. Stir to cover chicken.
Cook for 10 mins, then add the coconut milk.
Cook till finished, perhaps another 20-30 minutes.
Cut up thighs and replace meat in pot. Add any cooked vegetables and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve over rice, or on its own. You can find the original recipe here. I had to substitute some ingredients for convenience, and reduced the onions from 6. That just seemed like too much. Black beans make a good substitute if you want a vegetarian option.

Bonus: For a delicious fall treat, try these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies posted by Frugal Upstate!

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Content Â© Mrs. Micah 2007 – 2010. This content may only be reproduced in excerpts by legitimate bloggers.

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Tandoori Chicken Recipe

Mrs. Micah — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:00:33 +0000

Micah and I both love Indian food, especially chicken. This recipe is easy to make and pretty inexpensive if you already own these spices. It’s one of the most delicious new recipes I’ve found in a while. It takes about 20 minutes to prepare, requires at least 2 hours of marinating time, and takes 25-35 minutes to cook. You also need space for the marinating chicken to chill in your refrigerator. Your best bet is probably preparing it in the early afternoon and then popping it in about 45 minutes before dinner.

Ingredients

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
4 skinned chicken thighs (boneless or boned)

Also be sure you have aluminum foil and a wire rack. I’m grateful we have some neighbors whom I know from church, because I was able to borrow some foil from them. I didn’t read well enough ahead.

Steps

Stir together yogurt, garlic, and onion in a dish large enough to hold 4 pieces of chicken. Add everything except the chicken and stir until thoroughly blended. Then add the chicken and coat well. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for minimum of 2 hours and possibly overnight.
Preheat oven to 500F (this mimics the tandoori clay oven). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Coat wire rack with cooking spray (or use a nonstick one) and set it over baking sheet. Place chicken on the rack.
Bake chicken until no trace of pink in the center. Serve hot.

I served it over brown rice which was cooked with 1/4 tsp cumin and 1 tsp chicken bullion. For a side, I made cooked broccoli with a couple cloves, a pinch of curry, and a small piece of cinnamon bark. Turned out really well!

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Content Â© Mrs. Micah 2007 – 2010. This content may only be reproduced in excerpts by legitimate bloggers.

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Recipe for Tofu with Peanut-Ginger Sauce

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 15:00:33 +0000

Second tofu recipe this week, I know. But despite it’s reputation, tofu is delicious if used in the right places. In the recipe I recommended on Sunday the tofu feels and tastes more like egg. In this one, it’s masked by the delicious sauce. But if you don’t like tofu, you can make this recipe with eggs, chicken, or beans. Just prepare them properly beforehand, cut if necessary, and then start where the recipe does.

I got this recipe from the EatingWell Diabetes Cookbook. Since Micah has low blood sugar issues I’ve found this a helpful cookbook.

Ingredients

Sauce

5 tablesppons water
4 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons reduced sodium (or regular) soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons minced ginger (or 1tsp or so ground ginger)
2 cloves minced garlic

Tofu & Vegetables

14 oz extra-firm tofu
2 teaspoons oil (extra-virgin olive or enova)
4 cups baby spinach (6 oz)
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (4 oz)
4 scallions, sliced (1 cup)

Preparation

Preparing Sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix until fairly smooth.
Preparing tofu: If water-packed, you may want to prepare an hour ahead of time by putting tofu on one plate, covering with another, and putting something on top to push out the water. Or pat dry if there isn’t time. Slice and crumble into small, uneven pieces, perhaps 1/4″ wide or smaller.
Heat oil in nonstick skillet until hot. Add tofu and cook in single layer, don’t stir, until pieces start turning golden brown on the bottom, perhaps 5 minutes. Then gently stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all sides are golden brown, 5-7 minutes or more.
Add spinach, mushrooms, scallions, and peanut sauce. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are cooked—perhaps 1-3 minutes.

I served it over rice, cooked with 1 tsp turmeric and 1 1/2 tsps chicken bullion. Obviously if you’re vegan you’d want to leave out the bullion, but it adds a nice flavor for non-vegetarians/vegans.

Really delicious. After two successful tofu recipes in one week, I think I’m a bit of a convert. Even Micah’s ok with it as long as it “tastes like something…not tofu.” So curry, peanut-ginger sauce, both winners!

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Recipe Thursday: Homemade Chinese Turkey/Chicken Meatballs

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:00:55 +0000

Discovered a fun recipe in The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines: China, Greece, and Rome this week. I hadn’t used it until now, but I got it for free so I’d kept it around. This gem of a recipe makes that decision worth while.

I served the meatballs with plain brown rice and broccoli, along with a dash of soy sauce. Also, instead of using a fryer, I mixed cooking oil and natural peanut butter in a deep frying pan…just enough to coat the meatballs…and cooked it that way. I don’t know if it’s healthier, but it felt that way. It was also more convenient. You may have to do two shifts, however.

Ingredients:

Meat and spices:
1.5-2lbs ground chicken or turkey (turkey happened to be cheaper)
1/2 tsp pepper (he specifies white pepper, we didn’t have it)
1/2 tsp salt (it’s important, remember? )
2 TB cornstarch
1 TB soy sauce (or more if you like)
2 egg whites (we left these out since we didn’t have eggs, no biggie)
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger. Or 1/4 tsp ground.
2 tsp cooking sherry or vinegar
4 cloves crushed garlic (I used 2)

Coating:
1 cup cornstarch
1 cup water-chestnut flour…if desired.

4 cups peanut oil for frying. Or 1 cup natural peanut butter and 2TB cooking oil.

Cooking:

1. Rinse ground poultry and put in mixing bowl. Add all spice/vinegar/egg/2TB cornstarch ingredients. Mix thoroughly. By hand, unless you really need a mixer.

2. Put 2 cups cornstarch (or 1 cup with 1 cup of the other flour if you’d like) in a smaller mixing bowl.

3. Roll the meat mixture into meatballs of desired size. Roll each meatball in the starch/flour.

4. Either put them to deep fry in several batches in 360 degree oil until balls float and are golden brown (5) or… Put 1/2-2/3 of peanut butter and oil in frying pan. Add balls and make sure they’re coated. Fry for as long as necessary…make sure that a few are well-cooked all the way through. Then taste for flavor. Repeat with reserved peanut butter and oil and any meatballs that didn’t fit. If they’ll all fit, no need for stages.

Didn’t take too long to make and wonderfully yummy. It’s hard for me to believe how good they tasted…I had mild expectations. Micah and his sister also loved them. They’ve got a definite nutty flavor and the ginger and soy sauce go with it quite well.

Let me know how this turns out for you!

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Recipe Thursday: Ravioli and Simple Veggies

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:00:01 +0000

This is a simple recipe, a light (ish) summer meal. It also takes less than 45 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 bag ravioli or tortellini or plain noodles
1 28oz can of chopped tomatoes, 1 15oz can of chopped tomatoes. Or cut up about 5-6 medium tomatoes.
1-2 cloves garlic
1 scallion
1 green pepper
fresh or dried (chopped) basil)

1. Start pasta cooking according to directions on box or bag. Consider adding extra noodles (like egg noodles). I put in half a bag’s worth. Be careful if they cook at different speeds.

2. While water is boiling, chop garlic (very finely), scallion, and green pepper. Reserve in a small bowl.

3. Either chop or drain tomatoes and reserve in a larger bowl. Chop (if necessarily) and add basil to taste. Recommended at least 2 tsp of dried basil.

4. Stir in the chopped garlic/scallion/pepper mixture.

5. When pasta is done, drain and set in serving dish. Stir in tomato+ mixture.

I like that it’s not a heavy sauce but it has a great flavor. Done this way, the garlic, scallion, and pepper are all crunch (which is why the first two should be small) for an almost salad-like feel. My aunt always recommends red, green, and white for a meal. Once you’ve got that, you know it’s Italian!

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Salt — Really Handy and Important Stuff

Mrs. Micah — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:00:25 +0000

Salt has been a valuable commodity throughout history. Until refrigeration became common, it was a main ingredient in preserving perishables like meat. According to etymonline, the English word “salary” comes from Latin for “salt ration,” “salt buying money.” Apparently it was pretty important for the soldiers to buy their salt.

All that to say that I’m immensely grateful for salt after I managed to leave it out of all my cooking this week. Even curry and chipotle seasonings don’t substitute for salt. Bleh.

Fortunately, salt is also something that can be fairly easily added afterwards. I just take it less for granted now.

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