Jessica

Mark Bittman’s Dandelion Greens with Double Garlic

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I’ve mentioned dandelion greens (in one of my first posts – sorry for the quality!) here in the past, but they don’t show up often because we don’t eat them often. they are incredibly bitter, and therefore not a house favorite. However I spotted them in a grocery store recently and decided to give them another shot, thinking that maybe farm grown would be less bitter. While I was very wrong in thinking that I don’t think we are going to stop trying them. There is a saying that Momma Chuck always says that goes something like “you have to try something 17 times before you know if you like it or not”. I like this because if forces us to move out of our comfort zone, keeps things interesting and adds to our health

The recipe I used this time is one that is adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. I liked this recipe because it was easy and it helps mask some of the bitterness. I think next time I might serve them with a red sauce or something with something higher in acid to balance out the bitter taste.

I also tested out this recipe with a few other greens and found it lent itself well to kale, chard, and spinach, though perhaps best with spinach. I think it might be a nice method to cook broccoli rabe, which is one of my favorite vegetables. Really anything with oil and garlic is good. There is no going wrong there.

Dandelion Greens with Double Garlic

Ingredients

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound dandelion greens with stems, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1 clove of garlic minced

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced garlic, pepper flakes, and some salt and black pepper and cook for about 1 minute. The garlic should soften and become fragrant.
Add the greens and stock. Cover and cook until the greens have wilted slightly, about 5 minutes.
Remove the lid, but continue to cook and stir until the liquid has all but evaporated, about 5 more minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Adjust seasonings and serve.

4 Ways to Cook an Egg

By Jessica

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So far in this cooking series I’ve gone over terms, gadgets, knifes & cuts, and while there are a lot more fundamentals to discuss I decided to jump ahead a bit and talk about some actual cooking. Your ready aren’t you? I think so.

There is a lot to be learned from cooking something as simple as cooking an egg and there are about a million ways to actually do it. In this post I’ll talk about a few standard methods.

First up is scrambled. Personally I think Scrambled eggs are the easiest way to cook an egg, though they may use up a few more dishes than some of the other options. However this is my proffered method when feeding a crowd.

Step 1: Crack an egg into a small bowl. Using a fork proceed to “beat” the egg (essentially whisking it) until it is well blended and set aside.

Step 2: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a non stick skillet over medium high heat.

Step 3: Gently pour the beaten egg into the center of the pan. All the egg to rest for a bout 30 seconds, you will see the egg begin to become opaque.

Step 4: With a spatula lift one side of the egg and fold it over. Continue to cook and fold the eggs until they have become completely opaque, thickened and mostly dry looking.

Step 5: Remove from heat and serve.

Next is Pan Fried. This is my favorite method because I really love a good runny yolk and crispy brown edges. There are a couple ways to pan fry and egg. Sunny side up is when the egg is only cooked from one side, resulting in a very uncooked yolk. Over easy is when the egg is flipped once but only cooked long enough to produce completely cooked whites and an runny yolk. Over hard is when the egg is flipped and cooked until there is no liquid left in the egg.

Step 1: Heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat until melted and foamy.

Step 2: Crack the egg and gently open it over the pan so that the yolk stays in tact Then reduce the heat to medium low.

Step 3: Let the egg cook until the whites are opaque and firm. The yolk should begin to thicken, but not become opaque (this is sunny side up).

Step 4: Using a spatula carefully left the edges of the egg to be sure they are free from the pan. Slide the spatula under the egg and flip it over. Allow it to cook to desired doneness. For over easy the yolk should move when lightly prodded with the spatula, while over hard til be firm throughout.

Hard Boiled eggs are another pretty easy method to cook eggs, though you are then forced to take the time to peel the eggs, which is why it’s not my favorite. Similarly to pan fried there are many different ways to hard boil an egg. Soft boiled eggs are still runny on the inside (and super messy to eat). The Kitchn has a great example of a soft boiled egg. Hard boiled eggs can also be boiled medium or hard, resulting in different yolk colors and textures.

(right: Hard Boiled egg Left: Medium boiled)

Step 1: Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch.

Step 2: Place the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil over high heat. As soon as a rolling boil is reached cover and remove the pot from the heat.

Step 3: Let the pan rest (6 to 7 minutes for Medium, 8 to 10 for hard). Once desired doneness is reached drain the eggs and cool them in ice water.

Step 4: Remove the eggs from water, dry, peel and serve.

The final method of cooking that we are going to talk about today is poached egg. Poached eggs are some of my favorite to eat, but they can be a pain to cook, and many people struggle with cooking a perfect poached egg. The key to a perfect poached egg is pillow-y whites that are completely cooked and a runny yolk.

Step 1: Fill a pot up to about 3/4 full and add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Bring it up to a boil and then reduce it to a brisk simmer.

Step 2: Crack an egg into a small bowl or measuring cup. Carefully sure the bowl to lower the egg into the water and then tip it out. The egg should kind of roll out of the cup into the water.

Step 3: Allow the egg to cook for roughly 4 minutes. Be sure the water is simmering for the entire cooking time.

Step 4: Very carefully remove the egg using a slotted spoon. Be sure it is well drained and serve.

Again these are just the 4 basic methods for cooking eggs, there are many more methods and variations, but this is enough to get you started. Now go practice!

The leftovers from this experiment

Here’s my recipe for Curried Egg Salad.

The One Thing You can do to Save the Planet, Money and Live Better

By Jessica

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There’s this one thing. One little thing out there that we can all do that would have a huge impact on our entire world.

It also has a huge impact on individual lives, by allowing us to save money, eat better, breath cleaner air and find peace within ourselves.

I get that this sounds like a bunch of hippy dippy woo-woo crap but it’s not. Please here me out.

I promise this is not a scam, in fact even if everyone started doing this I would not make a penny (unless you click my affiliate links then might make a few bucks, but that’s a big maybe since I’m not exactly striking it rich on blogging over here).

It’s a little in that it requires everyone to take only a moment out of their day, to put in a little effort, but those moments will fill your heart and give you time to reflect. Studies have shown that taking part in this one thing can reduce stress and improve overall wellness, perhaps even lower the risk of developing dementia. We all know time is our most precious resource, and in today’s world we are busier than ever, but if taking a few minutes each day to do this one task gives you health benefits while also feeding the poor and helping the environment and saving you money don’t you think it’s worth that time? I certainly do. I would be here trying to tell you this if that wasn’t the case.

So what’s this one amazing thing that can change everything? It’s as simple as a plant.

Yep, you read that right.

Even those living in the tiniest of apartments can grow a single vegetable or herb on a window sill. It will take a moment of your time to water or otherwise care for that plant each day, but it will provide you with food; food that can be grown organically, locally and sustainably right inside your own home.

There are personal benefits to growing your own food, even if it’s just a single basil plant. That one basil plant will provide a huge boost of flavor in your diet, encouraging you to cook more, and freshen your air as it grows. It will save you money from buying fresh basil from the store and allow you to make great things like pesto. It also reduces the amount of transportation costs and packaging making its way into our environment. Now imagine if you everyone did this? The environmental consequences would multiply exponentially. Imagine if you alone took on 2 or 4 plants of different varieties. How much money could you save? How many more meals with vegetables would you eat? How much would you help the environment?

(12 best Plants to Grow in Containers)

I think everyone should be a backyard farmer, even if they only grow a tiny salsa garden that produces a harvest once or twice. The idea of victory gardens during WWII was one of the best campaigns our government has ever run. I’m tired of seeing tick-tacky little houses in rows with grass everywhere. There are billions of species of plants on this planet and vast numbers of those are edible, so why are we spending our time planting grass? Grass lawns have high water requirements; with low wildlife value (Are Lawns Bad? – Huffington Post & Another Downside to your Lawn – Smithsonianmag.org) so why do we continue to waste precious resources cultivating lawns?

Our current model of factory farming is not working. It is not sustainable.

Modern farming practices rely on pesticides, monoculture crops (crop specialization or growing a single crop), fertilizers, and long distance transport. None of these things are conducive to a viable system. Each year we have to add more fertilizer, water, and pesticide to produce the same volume of crops, while the human population continues to grow. It’s obvious that this system is not working. A single blight or draught could cause food shortages across the country.

Transporting food from across the globe is by no means a sustainable practice either. The US ships in beef from other countries while paying our own ranchers subsidies to not produce as much cattle, because (the government claims) it’s cheaper. Perhaps they are right on this one, maybe it is cheaper but at what cost? For each pound of food grown in our back yards or in our neighbor hoods the volume of carbon emissions is reduced by 2lbs. What do we know about the quality of the food grown in other countries? What about the nutrition lost as fresh produce is being transported.

The easiest way to combat this is not in legislature but in our own homes. If we start growing more food, buying locally the system will be forced to change due to supply and demand. There will never be more flavor, and nutrients than in a vegetable grown organically in your own backyard.

http://www.1001gardens.org/2014/03/urban-garden-mandala/

Starting a garden is easy, the best advice I can give you is to just start. Purchasing easy to care for plants from a nursery is probably the easiest thing you can do. With a little water, sunlight and care they will be producing and you will be hooked in no time.

So you live in the city? Start with a small window sill garden, or a mini hyroponic garden. There are plenty of books (like this one) on small space gardening that can help you.

Convinced you have a black thumb? Be mindful about where your produce comes from, buy local and organic if possible, better yet join a CSA, shop at a farmers market or participate in a community garden.

Our world is struggling beneath the weight of an ever growing human population as well as the quest for advancement. As we advance we as a people are getting sicker and so many others are starving, when there is no reason for it. It’s time that we give back to the earth and to ourselves. It really only takes each of us to grow one edible plant to get this movement started to improve our lives and the lives of countless others.

Meal Plan 4.10.16

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

This is a meal plan based on the the typical meals that I actually cook on a regular basis. It is not an exact diary of what we eat, but it’s pretty darn close. Enjoy!

Monday – Tuscan Bean soup with Chicken & Salad

Tuesday – Vegetarian Burrito Bowls

Wednesday – Pork Chops with sauerkraut & Roasted Fingerlings

Thursday – Chucks Venison Chili & Salad

Friday – Thai Glazed Salmon w/ rice & steamed veggies

Weekend Links

By Jessica

This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

There is so much being said in this little speech. I can’t even. Just watch it!

OCCUPY THE ECONOMY : Andrew Faust – Permaculture – OWS from Costa on Vimeo.

You may or may not have noticed that I’m kind of on a permaculture bender right now (nearly 500 pins later). It stems from finally owning a place and being able to garden the way I want. Right now I am totally into and loving Ben Falk’s book The Resilient Homestead. There’s so much to implement.

I recently bought these and love them. I always hated those flimsy veggie bags available at the grocery stores. These are so much better.

I also recently discovered and fell in love with this blog. She is so sweet, her kids are adorable and so are her animals.

This is another permaculture lecture, but the images in this one are seriously captivating.

Edible Utensils. Possibly one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a while.

This Hobo Life. I admit it’s romantic to not be a part of the mainstream dude, and I see the allure of partying it up, but wheres the happy medium?

The next big thing in cooking. I’m all for it. Whose going to help me bring Atlantic Northeast food to light? BTW we are not talking about just New England food here (Philly, Upstate NY, MD, Jersy, DE count too).

A beautiful tribute from Lindsay at Pinch of Yum.

Jessica

OCCUPY THE ECONOMY : Andrew Faust – Permaculture – OWS from Costa on Vimeo.

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