I'm a student, again.

I recently started a Holistic Nutrition Educator program at Bauman College. I'm a distance learning student, so I can do the program from Raleigh (instead of moving to Berkeley). This allows me to work full time while doing school part time.  I'm excited to learn more about holistic nutrition and educate people about the benefits of eating organic, seasonal, local foods. Hopefully I'll find some free time to blog about the fascinating things I'm learning about! 

Summer bounty

The farmer's market has introduced me to new goodies this summer that I wanted to share. 

1. My apartment smelled of lavender for several days. It brought a smile to my face each morning when I walked into the kitchen. I bought a bunch for $2. 

2. I found a new vegetable called patty pan squash. I enjoyed it roasted with onions & mushrooms. 

3. I love fresh summer salads made with whatever vegetables I have that week (with lemon tahini or olive oil & vinegar dressings).

4. Cold bean salads pack a nice protein-rich punch. I make a big salad at the start of the week to enjoy for a quick, healthy lunch at work. 

Any new vegetables, herbs or fruits that you've had this summer season?

DIY Oatmeal

Why buy instant oatmeal when you can make your own? I grew up on cinnamon sugar and peaches&cream as a kid. I know my mom bought them out of convenience, as most people do. But if you make your own (or even buy the instant original flavor) you skip the preservatives and tons of sugar. You can customize your own by adding your own toppings such as almonds, berries, peaches, walnuts, brown sugar, milk, honey or coconut.

I made a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast with honey, banana, blueberries, cinnamon & unsweetened shredded coconut. Mmm. It was just what I needed before a morning walk and bike ride. 

Make this tonight

I stumbled upon a recipe the other day, and bookmarked it with a specific person in mind. Then when my Papa Spud's arrived on Wednesday, it delivered just what I needed: Yukon gold potatoes & squash. This recipe is simple, but the flavor is incredible. I'm excited about experimenting with different cheeses, herbs and vegetables. 

The original recipe was from Bon Appetite in 2001, but I found it on the lovely smittenkitchen.com. 

My take: Squash & potato gratin

Squash, sliced thin

Zucchini, sliced thin, *added for color

Yukon gold potatoes, sliced thin

Green onions, sliced

1 cup grated Gruyere

2 tbsp spelt flour, (or regular flour)

Thyme, as much as your heart desires

olive oil

s&p

Preheat the oven to 375. Slice the potatoes, squash and zucchini thinly. In a separate bowl, mix the green onions, cheese, flour, thyme, s&p together. Butter or spray a dish with cooking oil. 

Start with a layer of potato, then add a layer of squash. Drizzle a tbsp of olive oil, then sprinkle with the cheese mixture. Repeat with another layer of potato, then squash (if this is your final layer, add the zucchini). Top with a drizzle of olive oil and the cheese mixture. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and let it bake for another 15 minutes. Let this cool before eating. Scatter with green onions and serve. We enjoyed this with local sweet corn and a locopop for dessert! It would be delicious with a tomato-cucumber relish on the side too.

*I used a shallow dish, but you could make as many layers as your dish allows. I promise it tastes better than it looks!

A must read

It's summer time. A time for cookouts, beach trips & long days. If you're looking for a new book to read by the pool or on the beach, I know just the one. Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It's very inspiring. A story about a family living off their land and eating local for an entire year. You learn their struggles and triumphs. It makes you stop and think before picking up those bananas at the grocery store. There are also delicious seasonal recipes sprinkled throughout the book, written by the author's daughter. 

A small disclaimer: Thoughts of trading your desk job & city life for farming & the countryside might occur.  

Southern sweets

I spent the weekend at my parents' house in western North Carolina. My mom's side of the family was in town from Georgia–Athens, Duluth & Homerville (smallest town ever). I spent the weekend swimming in the lake with kids, making coffee, peeling cucumbers, sleeping on an air mattress with my 9-year-old cousin, and enjoying people I love, but never get to see. It reminded me of going to my grandaddy's house when I was young and he was still alive. He would make a low country boil or have a huge fish fry. I would load up my plate with fresh vegetables from the garden and eat around the meat. Pretty much like I still do today. 

I know this is a food blog, but I couldn't resist. Look at that sweet face. 

Speaking of sweet, I made a blueberry-peach crisp this afternoon. This is a special southern crisp with blueberries from the fields of Homerville, Georgia that my uncle picked with his own hands. I also used peaches, which are the official state fruit of Georgia, and a nickname of mine. My mom always makes cobblers, but I tend to like crisps more. 

Toss your fruit-of-choice (blueberries & peaches) into a pyrex dish, add the topping (cinnamon, brown sugar, nutmeg, rolled oats, flour, butter), bake for 30 minutes or so & voila! A delicious comforting treat that might remind you of childhood summers, chasing lightning bugs & sleeping under the stars. 

Delicious served over homemade ice cream or eaten for breakfast with coffee (like I'll be doing tomorrow).

Lunch dates

I love coming home for lunch. I'm trying to do this more, especially when the weather's nice and the farmer's market is open (one block away)! 

It's soothing to make lunch at home, read, & take a moment to pause during the busy work day. Lunch dates with yourself are one of the best kinds. Give it a try.

8 ball zucchini

Last night at a lovely dinner party, I was lucky enough to receive a few free vegetables from the garden. Two cucumbers and an eight ball zucchini. Just like the name describes, it's round like an 8 ball, instead of long and skinny. I knew immediately what I would do with it. Stuff it.

On my way to work this morning, I was thinking about what ingredients to stuff inside it. I didn't soak any beans, so I would have to go with some sort of grain. I decided on brown rice instead of quinoa and chopped walnuts instead of almonds. 

When I got home from work, I started cooking the rice. A little later, I cut the top off the zucchini and scooped out the flesh. I put the insides into a bowl and set aside. I diced up ginger, garlic, shallots while the zucchini was steaming (5 to 8 minutes). When the rice was done, I removed from heat and sauteed the ginger, garlic, shallots in a splash of olive oil. I tossed the rice back into the pan along with the chopped walnuts and (a little) zucchini flesh. I turned off the heat, tossed the rice mixture with lemon juice & basil. Then I stuffed the zucchini with the rice and tossed in the preheated oven. It cooked for almost 20 minutes. I drizzled with olive oil, a splash of fresh lemon juice and salt & pepper. 

I used a spoon and scraped the side so I got bites of zucchini with the rice. It reminded me of my first experience with a bread bowl–the Renassiance festival in seventh grade. I loved spoonfuls of bread with the hot broccoli soup. Delicious. There's something fun about using foods as bowls, like peppers filled with veggies, cheese & beans. Squeezing another vegetable into your meal is also great for your health. Enjoy!

A Quiet Sunday

Last week was a blur. It was filled with lots of work, too much coffee, a day trip to Chicago and little sleep. This weekend was the opposite. It was just what I needed–relaxing and slow. 

I went to the beach on Saturday, and I've spent most of today catching up on a little work, reading and cooking. I love being in my apartment when its just me & Fiona (I mean look at that face). Don't get me wrong, roommates are great, but having the space to yourself is a nice change.

I went to the farmer's market early Saturday morning. I bought romaine, broccoli, cucumbers, green peppers, and tomatoes for less than $15. Awesome. Fresh, simple salads ahead.

I diced up the green pepper, julienned the cucumbers, picked dill from my balcony and marinated it all in a little rice vinegar. Delicious as a side or eaten as a snack.

The tomatoes were delicious sliced and drizzled with olive oil, drops of balsamic, and salt & pepper. Throw that on a rustic baguette with a smear of goat cheese for a simple lunch.

Cut up the romaine, toss with lemon tahini dressing, cayenne and cucumbers. Add chickpeas and olives for a hearty salad.

Slice fresh peaches (peel the skins), sprinkle with sugar & pour Rose' over the top. Cover, marinate for several hours in the refrigerator. Enjoy a chilled glass on these hot & humid nights. 

Hope your weekend was just what you needed. 

My weekend

I hope you all had a great weekend. It flew by. I can't believe its almost Tuesday. 

I bought more beets at the farmer's market as well as some of the most beautiful carrots I've ever seen. They were yellow, orange and purple. I cut the beets and carrots, and roasted them with coconut oil. Then I tossed them into a bowl of quinoa along with orange juice and green onion. Mmm.

I also picked up some vidalia onions. I roasted them in the oven with olive oil & balsamic. They would be delicious way to dress up a veggie burger.

Busy week for me, including a day trip to Chicago on Wednesday. But I'm excited to start reading this The Ayurvedic Cookbook. 

Have a great week. Eat your vegetables.