Sagetribe- Adventures From Our Village

Rhubarb Apple Crisp

Until quite recently, I'd never heard of rhubarb. I'd never seen a stalk, and didn't even know it was a stalk, but two weeks, determined to try something new, a rather cute old farmer complete with straw hat and bibs sold me my first bundle. I paid my five dollars, not knowing if that was a good price or not, and happily stuck them into my bag determined to make a pie that afternoon. 

The stalks sat in my crisper drawer and sat. I'd open it to retrieve lettuce and carrots, more lettuce and assorted other greens, but never did I pull the poor rhubarb out. The stalks, I could tell, were beginning to get tired of their place in the crisper drawer. They begin to wilt and brown...

I knew they were going to end up like so many veggies I have, in the past, let go to rot simply because I was too weary of them.

No, not this time! Last night, as I tucked the big kid into bed, I found myself wanting something sweet. Then I remembered. The rhubarb...I have the rhubarb, if it's not too late. I soon found myself pouring spices and cutting apples and...rhubarb. Yes, I managed to save many of the stalks from my neglect and they cut quite beautifully while omitting a smell quite unlike any I have experienced. To be honest, I'm not sure if it was pleasant...

Not feeling in the mood to dirty too many dishes or spend all night mixing dough, I simply made the pie filling and covered the top with oats, brown sugar, and pecans. 

It was

DELISH! Especially with Brown Cow Maple Syrup yogurt on top!

Here's what I did. The spice mixture was taken from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors. (Do you have this cookbook? Have you tried Brown Cow?)

Preheat oven to 350

In a bowl toss-

2 large or 4 small apples cut into small bite sized pieces

5 stalks of rhubarb sliced, also cut into small bite sized pieces

1tsp of cinnamon

1/4 tsp of allspice

1/4 tsp of cloves

1/4 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 c of maple syrup (real)

2 TB of flour (white or whole wheat)

Once everything is nice and coated, put the filling into a glass dish, and sprinkle the top with the following

1/2 c of oats

Sprinkling of brown sugar

pecans (chopped)

Bake at 350 for an hour covered. When it's done, give it a good stir and serve warm with yogurt or ice cream or maybe just eat it out of the big dish. 

I'm not sure how other rhubarb pies/crisps taste since this is my first, but I can say that we'll be planting these lovely stalks in the years to come and we may just be having dessert every night!

Happy Rhubarb trying to you!

Well, Hello Again- Grilled Porks and Rainbow Chard

So maybe it's this cold I'm fighting which is keeping me from sleep or the fact that we're back to eating greens and I'm feeling all foodie, or maybe when I log into my site and see how many of you read these little diatribes of mine (THANKS!!), it just makes me so !!!!!; whatever the reason, here I am again, with another really easy meal that one of my two kids loved, and I'm not really sure it's fair to count the two year old because, well, she's two and was in a characteristically sassy mood; she was NOT going to eat THAT. 

And THAT was sauteed onions, garlic, potatoes, and rainbow chard with a little fresh rosemary, served over seasoned grilled pork chops. 

That's the recipe...Just cut, sautee, season, and grill. 

Keep reading if you want the detailed recipe with photos.

Except it's not that easy if you're like me and can't seem to light the grill. Then you have to wait until the Big Guy gets home from working at your daughter's day care so he can try to light it, fail, and then end up throwing a lighted stick into the grill. 

So, maybe you'll eat even later than late, which you would have done even if you hadn't had trouble with the grill because you promised your son that he could take the money he got from being a Psyc. lab guinea pig to Target to buy the latest Batman Lego set.

And maybe while this dinner was in fact quite lovely, the small person who was temper tantruming all over the house because she didn't want to eat THAT, made you think that maybe had you had the guts to just throw the match and get dinner on the table earlier, maybe she would have eaten THAT. 

Maybe...

But regardless, you should go to the farmer's market on Saturday and buy some rainbow chard.  And you should also get your meat directly from a farmer because while it may be just a little bit more pricey, when you see how thick the cuts are and you taste how much better the meat is, you'll just sink you teeth into it and not really care who or what is throwing themselves at your feet insisting that they should be able to eat a forth yogurt instead of THAT. 

Here's the recipe if you'd rather skip over all this and just make the food:

1. Four local, boneless pork chops (We love http://www.schachtfleecefarm.com/- also found at the farmer's market)

2. Season with salt and pepper, olive oil, and either sage, rosemary, or thyme

3. Grill

4. Heat oil in pan on medium high (I used coconut oil- a new fav. but olive oil works)

5. Add chopped onion and garlic

6. Add seasoning (salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, sage, or thyme)

7. Add cut up potatoes- continue to cook and stir when you remember 

8. While the veggies are getting cooked down and wonderful, wash your chard and remove it from the rib. I didn't do this the first couple times we ate chard or collards and it was very chewy! Then rip the pieces into smaller pieces and soak/rinse/soak/rinse to clean. 

9. Add chard to pan, turn heat down and let it cook down into the onions and potatoes. It will turn bright green and reduce a lot. 

10. Serve THAT! 

 

Simple Supper- Mashed Potato Bar

Heather, from beauty that moves, (who by the way is having another cooking class in May- a 30 day Vegan cleanse, which I am taking simply because her recipes are so damn good that I need MORE) had the brilliant idea to replace the traditional baked potato bar with the MASHED POTATO BAR. 

Brilliant!

Like I mentioned here, I'm not one to follow recipes (ironic how much I love them...), but this meal I don't think really needs one- just a love of mashed potatoes (check!) and a love of foods that could go on said mashed potatoes (check!). 

I chopped and sauteed, boiled and mashed. 

The toppings were piled on a platter and each person was served a bowl of mashed potatoes (with skins of course because they really are good for you!) 

Each of us took what we wanted (with a little help choosing from the mama) and all of us had seconds.

This might be another weekly meal- which means we're up to like 10 dinners a week that are a must- yet another reason why my weeks need to get longer!

There was a lot of shoveling (mindfully of course) into happy bellies. I'm thinking sweet potato bar, roasted squash bar, roasted/mashed cauliflower bar---oh the possibilities!

Embracing

the green!

Have you?

Green (Call it Goddess- You'll feel all sparkly with kale bits in your teeth) Smoothie

-Any fruit

-Any juice

Honey, nuts, yogurt optional

-Ice

-Handful of kale or spinach

BLEND!

This was apple juice (like a swig), orange, half of banana (the left overs from my kids' snack) and kale. 

Feeling goddessy, healthy, and closer to only having ONE chin! 

Blend on!

Simple Supper- Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, Ricotta, and Mozzarella

I love putting simple ingredients into a pan and calling it dinner. We're hungry and tired when we get home from school. The kids want something with cheese or peanut butter on it, we big people want comfort to transition us from work to home, and we all just want food NOW (which we're working on- oh those French for making us realize that waiting for things is actually a good thing...I mean, I had NO clue...sarcasm intended- good article, but not all of us Americans are clueless.)

Last week- We had the staples- onions, kosher salt, olive oil, and pasta. 

We also had some ricotta cheese, a ball of fresh mozzarella, and a bag of frozen brussel sprouts. 

It was EASY

EXTRA CHEESY

and DIVINE!

Of course- finishing the meal off with some good ole fashion Thin Mints (thank you Girl Scouts) 

made it even more DIVINE!

Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, Ricotta, and Mozzarella

Saute onions and thawed brussel sprouts in olive oil and kosher/sea salt until slightly brown and tender. 

Add cooked pasta with 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Add 3/4 cup of ricotta cheese.

Add 1 cup of cut up fresh mozzarella cheese. 

Stir to coat and melt.

ENJOY!

Instant Oatmeal

Oatmeal is comfort- when it's dark, and yet I'm up and dressed and walking late out the door. It's comfort when it's freezing out and sometimes in, and all I really want to do is snuggle back in the warmth of our bed.

The kids really like it too, except when I make it with real oats and then they are like, "Uggg...what are these little oval things- this is not oatmeal..."

We were at a loss, because I do not like what flavored, packaged oatmeal has in its convenience. Too many things I can't spell or pronounce, so we fought over eating real oatmeal, and mostly I ate it alone and they had something else. 

BUT...when I got this season's ChopChop,

and I saw how easy it was to take those lovely oval oats and turn them into the happily eaten instant oatmeal, I quickly made a batch. 

and, yes, it says sugar, but what I love is I know what kind of sugar it is, and I know how much I put in. I also know that I put a whole bunch of walnuts in the first batch and a lot of dried apples and flax seed in the second. 

The kids though...they just know that, "It's the best you've ever made, Mom".  

Instant Oatmeal- 

Put 3-6 cups of oats in a food processor

Add 1-2 TB of brown sugar (organic)

Add 1-2 tsp of salt

Add 1-2 tsp of cinnamon

Add dried fruit, nuts, flax as you like

Blend until powdered. 

Store in air tight glass jars or containers. 

Add hot water and enjoy!!

ChopChop really is a great magazine. I've blogged about it here if you need more reason to join. 

Roasted Veggie Sandwiches

I love to ask people what they are making for dinner- I love food- and I love getting new ideas because eating the same thing each week equates to me not wanting to cook and us therefore going out, which I usually regret after we spend a lot of money on food that isn't usually that great, SO.. 

Each week I make a menu with six or seven meals on it- ranging in complexity- so each night we have a number of choices. Except for Friday, of course, because we've eaten everything, and we're tired and we're DONE, so our Friday choice is always homemade pizza. 

This week, after talking to a best bud, KH, I ended our chat with, "So, what are you making for dinner?"

She, who like me loves to cook, and who is always making something healthy and wonderful that is always COVERED in cheese (why I love this woman) of course was making something wonderful- Roasted Veggie Sandwiches. 

I was intrigued. 

I never thought of putting roasted veggies on a sandwich. 

Brilliant!

OH YES, they were!

So here is my version- totally stolen from my wonderful friend- Enjoy!

Roasted Veggie Sandwiches

Roast whatever veggies are in season or you like or you think you might be able to get into your kids. We used broccoli, cauliflower, onion, and carrots. I think KH used squash as well. 

(By roasting I mean cut veggies up, cover them in olive oil, some kosher salt, and put in oven @400 for 1 1/2 hours or until they are mushy and crispy and wonderful. Just keep an eye on them after the first hour.)

Once the veggies are done, slice some fresh bread. KH used Chabatta. I used Sourdough. Place them on a cookie sheet. 

Brush olive oil on the bread and put it under the broiler for about 5 mins- just to get it toasted. 

Smear hummus or goat cheese or something lovely on it, then pile on the veggies, then add more cheese! You can also put another piece of bread on top. We ate our open faced allowing for more veggies and cheese. 

Put sandwiches under the broiler for another minute or two to melt cheese. 

LOVELY!! BC ate two, I ate mine plus all the veggies S pulled off (ugg..at least she licked all the hummus off afterwards), and LC, well, LC is going through something right now so he wasn't a fan, but we big people loved them, and the little ones will learn. These might even replace pizza night! 

Eat and Enjoy!!

A Joy Up Dinner

Once again, I have loved finding a Joy Up email in my inbox each morning suggesting that I take life a little slower, be more intentional, and seek happiness in the things I'm already doing. 

Sunday, after a day of lounging, napping, and crafting, I moved slowly into the kitchen with my other half and begun to chop and peel, boil and bake. Our soulwork that day was to make a meal full of joy- to cook extra special things, to focus on the food and family. 

I cook a lot, we eat dinner together every night. The tv is never on, no one is on the phone or checking anything on the computer. It's our time, and it's sacred. 

But, I'm not always as intential as I'd like to be about putting joy into our food. Sometimes, out of necessity, I rush. Sometimes I just make whatever easy meal is on our list, even though I have time, because it's easy. 

Sunday it was so nice to cook the onions and ground beef slowly, letting the smell of garlic and oregano saturate the air. It was nice to have someone in the kitchen with me, peeling those potatoes I was not looking forward to peeling. We didn't get in each other's way, we didn't snap at the kid underfoot who wanted something we had declined, we drank coffee and talked about the last news story we'd listened to. 

It was joy. 

Then, when it was all said and done, we ate

which I'm quite sure might just be a new favorite. It's my version of Shepard's Pie with a twist. 

The husband thanked me over and over, the big kid conceded, tried it, and gobbled it up, and the girl, well, she really liked the bread.  

The great thing about soulework is it's not just for today or day nine. I can remember to "be" in my kitchen, with our food, and be in JOY at dinner time, anytime. 

Shepard's Pie (Sage style)

Ingredients: 

Olive Oil for browning onions, garlic, and ground beef

1 Onion

Chopped garlic (I used TB chopped)

1 lb of ground beef

frozen or fresh peas

2 butternut squashes roasted, with pulp scrapped out

2-3 lbs of potatoes (I used red and white- about 8)

milk and butter for mashed potatoes/squash

cheese

salt, pepper, oregano

worcestershire sauce

How to do it: 

**I don't measure- so you'll have to eyeball it to follow along

1. Squash was cooked a couple days prior- you could by frozen pureed, bake it before hand, or omit- although it was awesome with it! so I wouldn't omit. 

-To cook- slice squash in half, cut out seeds, and bake face up on a cookie sheet at 350 for an hour. Once it's cooked and cools, scoop it out of it's shell. 

2. Saute/cook onion and garlic with spices until golden

3. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink

4. Add a couple of swirls of worcestershire sauce (1/2 TB maybe?)

5. Add peas- I did about 1/2 cup

6. While this is cooking, preheat oven to 450 and bring potatoes to a boil. Once cooked, make mashed potatoes like you would normally- I use an immersion blender b/c I don't like lumps. Add squash to potatoes while blending. They turn a beautiful bright orange. 

7. Add as much cheese as you desire. 

8. Pour meat and onions into a baking dish and top with mashed potatoes/squash. Bake 30 minutes. 

9. When done, sprinkle more cheese on top and put back in until melted. 

LOVELY!! Let me know if you try it!

A New Way to Combine Our Favorite Ingredients

Some sort of egg dish is on our menu every week. Usually it's a frittata, which if you've never made, you must, because you'll think how did I ever live without this dish. Your kids will gobble up veggies they usually pout over and they will gladly ask for seconds and maybe thirds. Mine, like many a meal, do love theirs with ketchup. Of course they have no clue that the ketchup they are eating is purely tomatoes, so HA the jokes on them!

Back to this Vegetable Gratin. I modified the recipe from Local Flavors, my new favorite cookbook.

I sauteed our local and home grown veggies (onions, peppers, zucchini, eggplant) in garlic and olive oil.

Pour it into a baking dish.

Poured four eggs, a cup of milk, and a cup of parm. cheese (all mixed) with a bunch of torn basil, on top of the veggies.

Baked at 350 for 40 minutes.

My oven is not great so you might check it after 30. The eggs will be a little wet. They are cooked. Don't worry.

And you might want to make two or double the recipe because we ate it FAST! Thankfully we had our wonderful farmer's market (stand in a line all morning, it's so good) corn on the cob and a big salad to go with it.

So, yea for another way to eat eggs and sauteed veggies for dinner!

Enjoy :)

CSA Week 10

This week we turned our plentiful supply of cucumbers into

which in my opinion is a much better way to eat these green friends!

It was easy and inexpensive, and it gave me this serene Little House on the Prairie and I am Woman Hear Me Roar type of feeling.

Yes, I know there are an uncountable amount of people out there who do this all the time. Perhaps it's ironic how much our summer of getting back to basics has made me feel empowered when really I'm simply doing the mundane tasks many have always had to do. My three little quarts of pickles to many would be nothing special- just the start of what one must do to get ready for winter.

But for me, each new thing I bake or can, it's like I'm back in art class paint brush in hand or in composition class getting feedback on my latest short story. It's exhilarating!

My sink is never without piles of dishes, but I'm using the bowls that sat dusty since our wedding shower and the tools I had to have only to never know what to do with them.

I'm finding recipes that once scared me less daunting, and I'm finding this mundane work, quite meditative. I read once that the Dalai Lama said the best way to find inner peace was to wash dishes. While I'm not sure I'll ever love dish washing as much as he proclaims to, I can see a connection. There is a stillness- a calmness in kneading bread or measuring flour. Once a recipe has landed on my table a couple times, there is no need to re-read it, I just go with it. Lost in thoughts here or there, but keeping myself in the moment so I am able to remember the basic steps. 

I'm finding a new patience in cooking. The bread requires me to stay home and return to it time and time again. The pickles needed soaking and simmering. The jars washing and sanitizing. Normally, I would find all of these things a nuisance, sucking time I did not have. I'm finding the time now, because I have it. Soon I will be making the time because it's what I need.

This week the kids and I are making

:: vegetable frittata with asparagus, ham, string beans, roasted potatoes, and mozzarella

:: zucchini bread

:: corn cakes

:: pickles

:: chicken/veggie pasta with cream sauce

Here's to meditative moments in the kitchen and enjoying the mundane a little more!