Meatless Munch: Garlic Scape Pesto

The first fruits of summer are upon us.

Chock full of strong flavor with that green crispness- Garlic Scapes.

If you are not familiar with Garlic Scapes- here is some info I learned on the interwebs:

- They are the tops of the garlic plants that are harvested just as they start to curl.

- If left to their own devices- the ends of garlic scapes will turn into tiny bulbs to be replanted.

- The longer and curlier they are, the 'hotter' they are and more cooking they require

 So what do you do with these cool looking green things?
- Chop them up finely and use as you would green onion
- Saute them with other veggies as you would regular garlic
- Make this delicious pesto!!

When I was at the market on Saturday, I was eyeing the scapes at the Grade A Garden stand. The girl working the stand said: 'If you want to buy some garlic scapes, you need to try this pesto I made.'
So she handed me a pita chip topped with green slime and I was in heaven.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I love garlic.
I pretty much never measure it any recipe because I always add extra.
Creating a  pesto with garlic as the base? GENIUS.

After trying another sample (hey she offered!), I was sold. I scanned the recipe and quickly realized I had all the ingredients so I promptly purchased 2 bundles and set off home to make some lunch.

If you've never made pesto before, it's pretty much the easiest thing ever. Put your ingredients in a blender or food processor and go.

Then find something to dip in it. Pronto.

Grade A Gardens Garlic Scape Pesto

1 1/2 c finely chopped garlic scapes
3/4 c olive oil
1/2 c finely grated parmesan 
1/3 c walnuts
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped and mixed. Season with salt and pepper.

My first attempt turned out just as good as the kind I sampled at the market!

Then I made the best lunch ever.

Uncle Wendell's Roasted Garlic Focaccia, toasted in the oven, then smothered with pesto on both sides.
Coyote Run Farm Fresh Egg, fried and stuffed between the bread. Side of local, organic, baby heirloom tomatoes.

A meal that was locally sourced.
A meal that tastes like summer.

And then, just because I couldn't resist...I cut off another hunk of bread to dip in that pesto.
Garliciousness.

How do you feel about garlic? I find most either love or hate it. 

Have you cooked with garlic scapes before? I'd love to hear what dishes you've used them in!

From the La-bora-tory: Springy Summery Foods

Do you remember that cartoon Dexter's Laboratory? With the pudgy little scientist kid and the goofy lanky sister? Every time I hear the word 'laboratory' I think of that show and how he used to say 'laboratory' all drawn out...La-bor-a-tory. 

When I'm cooking up things in my kitchen and trying out stuff I read on the internet or in one of Mama Pea's cookbooks (and usually subbing ingredients because it never fails I forget something at the store) I feel a little like a mad scientist.

I mean I definitely have the hair for it.

And while most of these are not my own creation, I have been enjoying trying out some new things in my La-bor-a-tory!

Before we left for Colorado, I wanted to use up all my fresh foods (I hate wasting food!) so I made up some randomness:

Corn salad with avocado & tomato, roasted squash and asparagus topped with a fried egg

Cucumber with edamamme hummus, greens topped with edamame salad & tomato

More corn/avocado/tomato & roasted broccoli and asparagus

As you can see I had some corn salad to get rid of! But it is great as a salad topper over greens or on it's own with some additional veggies added. 

This time of year there are so many good fresh veggies that I can get locally grown and organic: rainbow swiss chard, asparagus by the truckload and spring radishes. I also found a couple farmer that were growing heirloom tomatos indoors so I snagged up as much of those as I could.

And last but not least, EGGS. There is nothing better than farm fresh eggs! I don't eat much meat but I really, really love eggs.

Avocado toast, fried egg with tomato, sauteed swiss chard & spring radishes

 Sauteed swiss chard is a great spring side- just put it in a pan with some water and garlic and a little olive oil. Put a lid on and let it wilt. Stir a couple times. Viola! It has a pretty distinct flavor but goes excellent with mushrooms and of course...eggs :)

Where all the magic happens

 I have found that spending time in my kitchen preparing delicious food that I can trace back to a local farm makes me feel grounded and calm and healthy. I like knowing I'm putting good into my body most of the time!

I think salads are such an easy and delicious way to get your veggies in and pack your lunch for work. Here, I'm using mixed greens, spring radishes, tomatos, and cucumber (all locally purchased via my CSA or local market). 

Check out these amazing golden beets! I roasted them in the oven and sliced them to top over mixed greens and a little balsamic vinegar. So. good. 

If you can find in season and locally, ethically grown food in your hometown- you should always check it out. I've found that it tastes better and the quality seems to be much better.

They were so pretty!

Last night I gave a try to something I've been meaning to make forever: Polenta Fries

Um...where have you been all my life?

You can find the recipe here. 

I forgot to bake them and didn't do the extra topping, but they still turned out DELICIOUS.

I mixed a little Veganaise and Siracha to make a dipping aioli.

Might be the smartest decision I made yesterday. 

I paired my fries with some purple roasted asparagus. It looked so pretty on the plate and tasted pretty great too!

I had fresh pea shoots and strawberries from the market so I tossed them with a little balsamic and olives for a side salad. So fresh and springy. 

Best part of enjoying this season's eats?

Eating outside!

Do you like to cook? What are your favorite foods of the season? 

Do you also love Siracha this much?

Staging My Own Mutiny: An Update

It's sort of ironic that it's taken me almost 2 months to give an update on my 7 Experiment when the most recent fast was media, specifically social media. :)

I just really enjoyed not feeling attached to my phone. And I realized how much time I wasted during the day just scrolling thousands of tweets or double-tapping Instagrams. (I'll be honest though- I really still love Instagram).

I thought I would write and blog more during that time but I really didn't.
I thought I would accomplish a ton of projects. But I didn't.
There was a whole week of just adjusting to idle time. It's strange when you are not used to it.
Also what I figured out: all those things you thought you wanted to do but didn't have time for?
You actually just don't want to do them.

So there are a few things I have let go of. Or learned to deal with being in flux. It was definitely a lesson in learning how I spent my free time.

I was able to spend more quality time with family and friends. Even if it was just a walk or coffee date or phone call.
Also, I didn't miss TV AT ALL. I got rid of cable a year ago and just use my AppleTV for Netflix and Hulu. But now, I hardly watch that either. I'd much rather put on some music and read or just be in the silence.

I liked not knowing what everyone was doing every second. Although, when I was bored or waiting in a line or something, it was tempting to look at my social media apps to keep me entertained.
And why is it we have to be constantly entertained? I'm really not sure and that newer need is bothersome.

I looked back at our group discussion and it's interesting to me how many of us noted how bored we were. I was at first, but then I learned to adjust and use that time a little more mindfully. A lot more reading. A lot more walking. Overall- very good for my mental and physical health.

I cheated one time when I posted a tweet in support of the Boston bombings. It was really hard not to look at twitter when that was happening, but I didn't. I read some news on the internet for about 30 minutes then shut it down.

The main after effect of this one is I have spent considerably less time on twitter and Facebook. I still Instagram and post those to Facebook and twitter for family and friends, but I'm trying to be more mindful of what I put online.

During the media fast, we went to dinner with some friends and someone commented about how I wouldn't be taking pictures of the food like I normally would. I was a little embarrassed. Is it that annoying of me? I didn't realize people even noticed that much.

That made me think about what people might think about my media presence.
I haven't found the perfect balance yet, but this was a good start.

After the media fast, I went on 2 trips and sort of fell out of the loop of the 7 experiment and my church group wrapped up.
I still have 3 sections to go and I'm not giving up. :)

So, next section is WASTE.

Jen makes some great points in the video:
- We can't say we worship the creator and destroy creation. We are called to be stewards of God's creation.
- Creation care is a real thing. The world was created to sustain humanity. We don't have to choose between people and the earth.

And some of the statistics are staggering:
- Americans make up 5% of the population, but we consumer 1/3 of all the world's paper products.
- Together with China, America accounts for 40% of the earth's depletion (p 115).
- Human demands on the world's natural capital measure 30% more than the earth can sustain (p 115).

What the what?? Those statistics are really disturbing to me.

I just finished reading 100 Thing Challenge by Dave Bruno. It was recommended to me by numerous people (thanks readers!) and it lines up with what Jen is saying here.
As Americans, we consume too much stuff.
Whether that be clothes, food, 'disposable' items, etc. We have too many things and we use and abuse too many things.

(I'm also reading The Omnivore's Dilemma right now which talks about our overuse of land and food as well).

Between moving to a much smaller place and doing the 7 experiment, I feel like I have drastically changed my lifestyle. My need to buy and consume is diminishing. I try not to waste a single scrap of anything.

Here are Jen's suggestions for the fast from waste:

-Eliminate convenience products: paper towels, water bottles, baggies, fast food, coffee (bring your own mug!), plastic grocery bags, etc
- Eliminate heavily packaged items
- Buy in bulk
- Buy concentrated cleaning and soap products and reuse old bottles for refills
- Replace paper with cloth
- Eliminate products that are completely unnecessary
- Reuse containers
- Recycle everything
- Buy local food
- Conserve water
- Shop second-hand and thrift
- Drive less
- Use urban transit
- Join a CSA
- Grow a garden

I've put in bold all the things I already do.

I am a member of 2 CSA's where I get 90% of my food needs met. I get the rest from a local grocery store and when it's the right season- the local farmer's market.

I always use cloth or paper bags. I rarely, if ever, buy paper towels. I use rags to clean and a cloth napkin or dishtowel when eating at home. I use mason jars and glass Pyrex to store food and transport it for my lunches at work. I try to remember my own coffee cup when I pop into my favorite shop. I recycle everything I can. Since I didn't have a license for a period of time and I live within walking distance of almost everything I need- I only drive to work.
And I absolutely HATE plastic water bottles. I'll buy one if I'm traveling or there are no other options, but I use a Nalgene bottle daily. I try to buy local as much as possible (even when I'm out of town).

One thing I don't really agree with is buying in bulk. I find that Costco and places like that encourage us to consume more.

The one area I could try to work on more is thrifting. I've garage-saled and thrifted for household goods, but not really for clothes. However, since my Fashion Fast 2013 is still in full swing- that's not really an issue.

The other day I listened to this NPR podcast with Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed. She discusses the high cost of cheap fashion- both social and environmental costs. It occurred to me just how much a global economy can be detrimental to our sustainability. I think another area to add to 'waste', could be buying fair trade and organic clothing- preferably made local.

I know all of this sounds like a lot of work, but once you make small tweaks over time, it really becomes second nature and you see how much you are saving. Even before we went out of town for my birthday I tried to eat up all the fresh produce in my fridge and freeze what I couldn't. I even froze my remaining mixed greens in baggies and used them for smoothies the week I got back. It felt good not to waste or throw things away.

Coming up next...spending.
Yikes.
More to come on that one!

How do you refrain from wasting? Do you recycle or reuse? Do you use public transportation? How do you feel about buying in bulk? See any other ways I could reduce waste in my life?

Sunday Seven 3/3/2013

It's been a couple weeks since I've done a real Sunday Seven.

You know, all kinds of things cutting into my blogging time...you know, like life. :)

So you are going to get a random assortment of all the things I've been loving these past 3 (wow, has it really been 3??!) weeks:

1. This little lady graced the world with her presence.

Meet my newest niece- Gwendolyn Mae. Already a Hawkeye fan!

2. I made a 4 course meal for T for Valentine's Day. It was so fun to take a day off and cook and clean and do something super yummy and sweet for the day of love.

I made beet and goat cheese hearts for salad with BLT tomatoes, an antipasto tray, pasta puttanesca (thanks for the recipe Lisa!) and my very first cheesecake. It was fun and tasty.

3. I did some volunteering with the American Heart Association.

It was a great excuse to wear bright red lipstick!

I also started volunteering 2 times a month at the local youth shelter- serving an afternoon meal. I cannot tell you how much I LOVE it. It is probably the most rewarding experience I've ever had to date.

4. I have been having some GREAT runs. I'm keeping close to about 20 miles a week and the random 45 degree days here and there are a blessing.

After a great 7 miles in the warm Sunday sunshine. 

5. I got to spend some time little people. T and I took my nephews and one of my nieces to lunch and to the Science Center. It was fun and chaotic and crazy. 3 kids under age 6. I have no idea how people do that!

I love this picture. Perfectly captures the day. 

Little girls are slow walkers and get free rides. from Uncle T. 

Someone loves the camera!

Then we all went to my sisters house where the kids played and played and I got to snuggle this one. It was a great day! (I was asleep by 9 PM on a Saturday night- I'm so old. HA).

6. I met a girl named Deena through my run group. We clicked and became fast friends. But now she's getting married and moving to Mexico! We still sent her off in style- girls night at Louie's Wine Dive complete with mini cupcakes!

The delicious butternut squash flatbread I had

Mushroom soup- SO GOOD

Our little run group! (horrible pic by waiter)

Because every celebration needs cupcakes!

I am so glad I met Deena- she's the coolest! Check out her blog about training for a 100K!

7. We've had a lot of snow lately. And wind. And ice. I'm over. it.

Roxy is sick of it too

What happened to that fat groundhog and his spring predictions???
Hmmm.

What have you been up to? 

Can you believe it's March already??

Meatless Munch: Busy Week Lunches

This week I work approximately 70 hours between 2 jobs.

Most days I go straight from one job to another- which means I'm eating at least 2 of my daily meals (and both my snacks) somewhere outside of the house.

Last week, I gave some tips for a busy life, one of which was 'Plan Ahead: Food.'

Lunch staples for me are as follows:

- Salads made up of whatever veggies and fruits are in my fridge

- Leftovers

- Veggie and hummus or Egg Less Salad Sandwiches 

This year, I decided to step outside my box and try some new vegan and vegetarian recipes. I've tried to make one or two a week. 

A couple recipes have already stood out as winners.

Each of these are:

1. Easy to prep

2. Easy to store and transport

3. Easy to eat (I can't handle messy foods at work- think spaghetti or something that oozes- yuck)

4. Last but not least- Delicious and Nutritious!

Angela at Oh She Glows has great vegan recipes- many of which are tested on her omnivore husband so you know they are good!

I saw picture on Instagram about a Back on Track salad and thought 'What better way to kick off the new year?'

I am now on my second round of making this salad and I absolutely love it. It makes enough servings that I can make it on Sunday and it covers me for lunch every day of the normal work week (M-F)

Here is the version that I made:

Back on Track Salad

as inspired by Oh She Glows

• 1 cup dry wheat berries, cooked and drained 
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 2 Persian cucumbers diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced (I omitted this the second time- mostly because I didn't have any tomato...weird)
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup fresh parsley, diced with large stems removed
• 4 green onions, diced
• salt + pepper, to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard (I heart Grey Poupon so if you don't, use only 1 tsp)
• 1 tbsp Tamari (or soy sauce)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (fresh if possible)

Cook the wheatberries according to the package

**So she mentioned soaking them overnight and then cooking them but i cooked them up just like rice before I read all the instructions...still turned out okay**

Combine all the salad ingredients in a bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. When wheatberries are fully cooked and cooled, add them to the salad ingredients. Mix well then pour the dressing over the top and give it a few good stirs.

Done!

You can then store it in the fridge or go ahead and divide into containers for the work week. 

It made 5 decent servings for lunch. I served it atop fresh spinach or baby salad greens.

At my favorite grocery store in town, there is an Edamame Salad that I LOVE.

I decided to try my hand at making it based on the listed ingredients and it turned out amazing. 

Edamame Salad

as inspired by Gateway Market Des Moines

1/2 cup frozen corn

1 cup frozen edamame

1/2 block sprouted tofu, cubed

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

3 green onion, chopped

2 tbsp oil (I used grape seed)

1 spoonful minced garlic

lemon juice + salt + pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate overnight.

The corn and edamame will thaw and the tofu will absorb the flavors. 

This salad is very light and summery. you can eat it plain as a side dish (how I normally eat it) or as a salad topper. If you eat it as a side dish, I'd consider 1/2 cup a serving. This will make about 2-3 cups. 

Last week I had a work food day and I wanted to make something relatively healthy that would also yield a little bit leftover for lunches. I saw this salad at Gateway and knew I had all the ingredients to make it- so I gave it a try with a little twist!

I'll be honest, it doesn't taste a ton like Falafel to me...maybe because the texture is not bread-like? So I'm renaming it as well. :)

Greek Bean & Broccoli Slaw

as inspired by Gateway Market 'Falafel Salad'

1 can garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)

2 cups broccoli slaw (roughly chopped into smaller pieces in food processor)

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 lemon squeezed

1 spoonful minced garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp coriander seeds (chopped in a food processor or you can use 1/2 tbsp ground)

Cumin and chili powder to taste (depending on how strong of flavor you like, I think you can never have enough cumin!)

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl together.

Mix the remaining ingredients together in a bowl as the dressing.

I'll be honest- I've never used coriander in anything so I was excited to finally open this spice that has been hanging out in the rack since I got it...

Whisk together the dressing...

Pour dressing over the salad mix and stir!

Ta-da! This was pretty easy and I got some good feedback on it so I'm going to say 'winner'!

I'm not sure on servings since I took it to a food day...I'd say you could eat 1-1&1/2 cups of it over top a pile of mixed greens as a lunch with a side of fruit. I also think this would be good with some kind of grain mixed in...maybe couscous? I'll have to give that a try next time...

I also tried this Red Quinoa and Black Bean Salad from Oh She Glows. It reminded me a lot of Iowa Girl Eats Black Bean, Quinoa & Citrus Salad...which is one of my favorites. 

Seeing how the ingredients of this salad are my high school colors (red and black!), maybe this salad should be called Scarlet Pride Salad? :)

Red Quinoa & Black Bean Salad

as inspired by Oh She Glows

For the salad:

• 1 cup uncooked Red quinoa (cook according to package)
• 1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 Green Onions, chopped
• 1 cup fresh corn (optional and I used frozen- just nuked in the microwave first)
• 1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces (I omitted for storing purposes, but this would be a good topper)

For the dressing:

• 4-5 tbsp of fresh lime juice (Juice from 2 small limes)
• salt + pepper, to taste
• 1-2 garlic clove, minced (everything is better with more garlic)
• 1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin, or more to taste

After the quinoa is cooked and cooled, mix it with the remaining salad ingredients in a bowl.

Combine dressing ingredients and mix well. Pour over salad ingredients and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors soak in. 

Cumin makes it tasty!

Such a colorful salad!

The black beans, corn and quinoa keep me full all afternoon

The finished product!

I really love how this salad turns out- it's colorful and filling and excellent over a pile of mixed greens. It makes about 5 1 cup servings. 

(I serve a lot of stuff over mixed greens or spinach to get all my vitamins in!)

I can make one or 2 of these salads on the weekend and have enough lunches and  'away' dinners for a week!

How do you prep food for a busy week?

What is your favorite meatless lunch?

Do you hate beans?

I have a few friends who can't stand them. I eat them all the time. 

'Beans, beans, the wonderful fruit!'