Not Too Nutty of a Solution

Oh, PETA may roast me for this post.

Apparently Britain is enjoying a new delicacy available everywhere from farmers markets to butcher shops and even restaurant — squirrel. Or, more specifically, North American grey squirrel. Since arriving across the pond, the little rodents have taken over the turf of the native red squirrel population. British marketing campaigns have launched since to popularize squirrel as the hip entree in order to save the local species.

It's a commendable approach, really, rather than wasting the animals when they cull the population. Not a whole lot different than the extra deer tags passed out in this neck of the deer-packed woods.

Squirrel is available in Britain in such creative executions as "squirrel and hazelnut pâté." You can also dine on squirrel braised with bacon, porcini and shallot, or baked in pastry or even Peking-duck-style squirrel, and Spicy Squirrel Popcorn. Even Heston Blumenthal, with his three Michelin stars is preparing the rodent du jour.

I've confessed my rural roots and borderline road kill consumption. I would expect it could be passable with bacon — lots and lots of bacon. And it is certainly better than possum. But, who knows, maybe I should try it again, this time fixed by a three-star chef.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew

Even though Battle Orange is pretty much over except for an occasional skirmish, I still stockpile the ammunition. The last weekend in October, I brought home a 40 lb. box of sweet potatoes. They do keep quite well in the basement where it is cool and dark. And, hey, this whole "root cellar" thing is in now, right?

Be sure the farmer leaves the dirt on them as well. This keeps them from sprouting.

As I mentioned in my Predictions and Resolutions, (and Cheryl asked about) I plan on making more vegetarian meals this year. This dish definitely fits the description. It could even be vegan if you leave off the Cotija cheese. Either way, it has a lot of flavor, very little fat and a lot of nutrition.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew
1 tbs. canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Ancho chile powder
2 cups vegetable stock
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and small dice (1/2 inch cubes)
1/4 cup diced tomatoes, canned is fine, preferable this time of year in fact
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup quinoa grain
1/4 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled (can also use Queso Blanco)

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan. Add the onion, garlic and red pepper. Saute for about five minutes. Add the Ancho powder and cumin. Add the tomatoes and any juice from them. Add just one cup of the vegetable stock. Heat to a boil.

Add the sweet potatoes. Lower the temperature to a simmer and cover the pot. Stir just once or twice, letting the sweet potatoes steam from the liquid simmering, until fork tender, about 20 minutes. In a small sauce pan, heat the other cup of vegetable stock and the 1/2 cup quinoa to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and the inner germ spirals out.

When the sweet potatoes are cooked, add the black beans and heat through, about five more minutes. Add the cilantro, reserving a tablespoon for garnish. Salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the cooked quinoa. Serve, garnishing with the Cotija cheese and remaining cilantro.

You can also omit the quinoa, and serve with rice. I like to make Coconut Rice for variety. The grains complete the protein for a vegetarian meal and make it more satisfying.

Coconut Rice
1-1/2 cups white basmati rice
1 15 oz. can coconut milk
1/2 can of water
1 tsp. sugar

Bring rice, water and coconut milk to a boil. Cover, lower heat to a simmer and cook until rice is fluffy and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff the rice, stirring in the tsp. of sugar.

More Sweet Potato Recipes
Basil Orange Sweet Potatoes
Honey-Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes (and some fritters)
Sweet Potato Parmesan Fries
Maple Orange Sweet Potato Souffle

Slideshow of This Blog

Day One: Starting a Community Garden

I am not a gardener (this is not a photo of my garden). I skimmed Square Foot Gardener last year and had a few container gardens do okay. I made mistakes; not enough sun, broccoli eaten by cabbage worms, wrong things planted together, things planted too close together.

I kill EVERY houseplant I have. I try to compost, kind of. I have no idea what good drainage looks like.

So, why did I sign up to be on a planning committee for a community garden?!

I don't have much authority to be on a planning committee, other than just signing up. It will be a learning experience. In eleven short days from now, we will have our first meeting. I asked a friend who is an experienced urban farmer for advice and she directed me to this site. And this one, too.

Long before we worry about what to plant, or even when to plant it, we have to consider what the goal of the entire project is, who will be planting, why and what we hope to gain from it.

Step 1: Why Garden?
It's a good question. During the Great Depression and WWI and WWII, having a garden meant food security and survival in uncertain times. Victory Gardens were also known as "food gardens for defense." Growing your own food was a way to help reduce the strain of the war effort on the public food supply. Gardens meant food security and also doing your part in the war effort. In the early 1940s, over 40 percent of the fruits and vegetables consumed in America were grown in victory gardens.

We are in a war (still) and we just experienced the third worst year in history for the stock market (Depression-included). But thanks to industrial ag and processed food industry, we can still expect to find food on the shelves of the grocery store and all the most travel-friendly tasteless produce that the average person recognizes. Indeed, why garden?

1. Food security is still a concern. Actually more so. If you read the news at all, you are certainly aware of the record number of food recalls in recent years. Food safety. Rising food costs. Global warming. Growing demand. All are compelling reasons.
   
   
2. Diversity. I've tried more new produce in the last few years than I had my entire life. There are so many varieties that you will never find in a megamart. It's a precious resource, this diversity, and we have already lost 75 percent of the world's agricultural diversity. With home and community gardens, we can all choose to plant and save seeds for heirloom varieties to preserve what is left of this precious resource.
   
   
3. Education. We've lost touch with our food and how it is grown. By participating in the process, we can begin to learn again about what real food is and how important it is to preserve farm lands and resources. We can teach our children about where food comes from (and it is NOT a drive thru) and reverse some of the damage our fast food culture has brought.
   
   
4. Food Justice. A community garden can become a source of fresh, healthy foods in urban areas where there are few markets or sources. It can help make healthy foods affordable and accessible to those who can least afford them. Produce from a community garden can be used to donate or to support food banks, even if the surrounding community is food secure. Read more about Food Justice programs like People's Grocery.
   
   
5. Environment. Preserving vacant land for food production instead of more strip malls. Green space. Reduction of global warming. Beautification. There's a whole lot that a community garden can offer the surrounding community.
   
   
6. Community. Community gardens serve as a gathering place for the surrounding neighbors. Cultures mix, people meet, communities thrive.

There's a lot of reasons to build a community garden, school yard garden, or even backyard garden.

The next step is Setting Goals, or deciding which of these resaons are important to the surrounding community and building the plan for those goals.

Predictions and Resolutions for 2009

No, I am not Jean Dixon (is she still alive?). But each year I take a shot at predicting what's ahead. Some times I am just hopeful such as my 2008 projections including the decline of Rachel Ray overload, and sometimes I nail it right on such as the reduction of HFCS as an ingredient.

Soda Tax
Of all my forward-looking, I would say I was most pleased to see this one come about. Back in July, I posted a rant that we should tax junk food and soda and use the revenue to fund health care. Similar to a cigarette tax, this would help decrease the consumption of unhealthy foods as well as offset the massive toll the obesity crisis has had on health care costs. I was shocked and delighted to see that NY Gov. David Patterson proposed an 18 percent sales tax on soda just this month. I would love to see this get passed. It likely won't, but it will start a trend and just like banning trans fats and putting calories on fast food menus, it will eventually succeed.

Health Care Costs According to Your Habits
No secret the health care system is in turmoil. If the current diabetes/obesity epidemic continues, there is simply no way the system can absorb the costs. Look for health insurance cost breaks for people who eat right, stay the right weight, stay healthy, and don't smoke. Look for penalties and increased costs for those who don't make healthy habits part of their lives. In fact, I see a lot more ahead where we Americans have to be accountable for our actions.

Return of Real Food
I guess I am dreaming, but I always have to put this one forward. The economy is down and people are eating at home more, it's not out of the question. Additionally, this idea of cooking real food at home goes hand-in-hand with our nation's own struggle to get back to what is real and right. I will put this one forward once again.

Vegetarian Chic
Meat has been the centerpiece of the American meal, but a growing awareness of the environmental toll this dietary approach has will shift to a new embrace of vegetables. Maybe not a total shift to vegetarianism, but certainly putting the green back on the plate both for our health and our planet. Maybe it's just my optimism, or maybe it's that we will have a president who likes broccoli running the show. Either way, time to get reacquainted with the forgotten food group! Look for more creative vegetable recipes from me in the coming year.

Community Activism
With a renewed political spirit in our nation, not unlike the Kennedy years' "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You," the coming year will see a new focus on being involved in our communities, our state politics and our national politics. Grab your bootstraps, kids. As for myself, I have volunteered to be on planning committees for a community garden and this year's urban farm tour. I will also be taking the eating local philosophy into more volunteer projects, and highlighting inspiring food justice issues (and the people behind them) here on the site. One guy in the white house isn't going to be enough for all the changes we need. It is up to us still.

Resolutions
Well, you got the main one for me — more community involvement. I will be documenting the work here on the site in the hopes that others will share their stories and inspiration, too. I also got spread too thin this past year with my work at eatdrinkbetter.com. I've shifted some of that weight and will be spending more time here with you and hope to add some cool new features to the blog in the coming year.

On the personal side, for me, more yoga and getting back into shape. I've finally realized that I will just have to pry bits and pieces of time for it instead of trying to find a whole hour or more. Just not realistic. What is real is my almost high cholesterol level (genetic!) and the fact that I really do want to stick around to see how my kid turns out. And survive my 40s without aging too much. I'll post a bit about my efforts on that front as well.

Wishing You a Happy New Year
It's been a rough one, not without a few history-making bright spots, though. This is the worst shape I have ever seen my country in, economically, morally, health-wise, infrastructure, technology-wise, environmentally. The years past that got us here were brutal. I've watched friends lose jobs, lose one another, watched the death of good ideas and the growth of violence. I think we are all a bit ready for the turning of the year and good changes ahead. I hope those changes help us all, that we help each other, and that we can all be a force of change for good in the coming year. My best to you.

Turkey Pot Pie

Post-holiday, I found myself felled by a stomach virus and a chest cold courtesy of whatever germ stew had been brewing up at preschool the week before. After a couple days of not eating, you tend to get hungry, cautiously hungry. Comfort food is in order. Though, I have to admit, it was tough rallying myself up to create a recipe.

We cooked a turkey for Christmas, and I had about a pound of meat left once I pulled it off the bones. I wanted something more substantial than soup, but not too much. Pot pie. What's great about this recipe is that, unlike it's .99 cent foil-cupped Banquet brethren, you could actually serve this to company. For that, thank the herbs, fresh ingredients and the puff pastry top. If you are still tired of turkey post-Thanksgiving, just bookmark this one for next year's leftovers.

Before the recipe, a note on puff pastry. It is much easier to buy this prepared. Read the label. I had to search for "real" stuff that does not contain HFCS, trans fats and wheat gluten. Try a Whole Foods or similar store. The common brand you find at most grocery stores contains the bad ingredients.



Upscale Turkey Pot Pie
2 large parsnips, peeled and diced fine (1/4 inch dice)
5 carrots, peeled and diced fine
2 leeks, white and lightest green parts, rinsed well, chopped
1 small shallot, diced
8 oz. button mushrooms, cleaned, remove tough stems, chop the tops
2 large sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
3-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 lb. diced, cooked turkey
3 tbs. butter
1 tbs. olive oil
4 tbs. flour
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
black pepper to taste
1 box puff pastry, thawed

Place carrot and parsnip in a pot with 1-1/2 cups chicken broth. Bring to boil and simmer for about 20 minutes until tender crisp. No mushy veggies, not even in pot pie. Meanwhile, melt 3 tbs. butter in another sauce pan. Add the mushrooms, leeks, shallot, herbs and 1 tbs. olive oil. Saute until leeks are translucent and mushrooms are cooked. Add flour and saute for a couple minutes to cook the flour. Add 2 cups stock and stir until thickened.

Drain the carrots and parsnips, reserving the cooking liquid. Add the carrots and parsnips to the mushroom mixture, plus 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. (I drank the extra cooking liquid. It was very tasty and seemed like a good snack for a tired stomach.) Add the chopped turkey. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. Add the salt and pepper, taste and adjust.

Transfer mixture to a 2 qt. souffle dish. Heat oven to 375. Roll the puff pastry sheet out to a square. Cut to fit the round souffle dish with 1 inch of overhang. Place dough on top of souffle dish, fitting to the sides. Cut a small "x" in the center to vent steam. Place dish on a baking sheet (who needs to clean the oven if it boils over a bit?).

Bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes until the top is puffed and deep golden brown. As for the leftover puff pastry, you can roll it into rectangles, put dark chocolate squares in the center, fold, seal and bake. Serve these with ice cream for an easy, elegant finish.

Humbug ... Humbled.

The season, or subzero weather, is wearing on me a bit. At this point, it's like, hurry up and bring on the fun part already.

For starters, I don't think I can listen to the "chickamunk" song one more time. Again.

My child burst out the eff word today. She must have gotten it from The Grinch. Or Daddy. All are on the naughty list.

In an email I got from Healthy Toys.org, I learned the ballerina Barbie my kid wanted (and I gave in on) has a dress tainted with a high level of mercury. Thanks, Mattel. Scrooge you.

After schleping through the store to find a less toxic cheap plastic crap item, I arrived at school late to get the kid. At this point the Ghost of Christmas Past arrived. The Kiddo looked up and said, "Mommy, my stomach hurts." Next thing I know, we're both covered in barf. This would be the second year of the last four she's gotten stomach flu just before Christmas.

I am wondering, as I type, just how long until my Christmas Present of stomach flu arrives. Could it possibly be when the 20-plus people invade our house for dessert tomorrow? Oh, joy.

Still, could be worse. I watched the clip on the news of people walking out of a closing GM plant, all jobless. Crashes, deaths, mayhem followed that news item.

We're together, warm, healthy (mostly). What's there not to be grateful for there?