Practically Organic Farm Tour

Posted on June 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

Last weekend my roommate and I visited our CSA farm, Practically Organic. Below are a few pictures from our adventure.

Red & Gold Beets

Beets

Pulling Fresh Beets

Picking Beets

Beautiful Romaine Lettuce

Lettuce

Miniature Pony

Minature Pony

Miniature Pony

Minature Pony

Squash Plant

Squash

Field

Field

Shawn, one of the owners of Practically Organic and my roommate Dawn discussing the tomato varieties.

Explaining Tomato Plants

Tomato Plants

Tomato Plants

More Tomato Plants (they are growing over 50 varieties, including blue tomatoes!)

Tomato Plants

Tomato Plant with Thorns

Tomato Plant with Thorns

Tomato Plant with Thorns

Tomato Plant with Thorns

Checking Out the Tomato Plant

Tomato Plant

Miniature strawberry that my roommate found growing in the grass.

Strawberry Plant

Onions, Peppers & Tomatoes

Onions & Peppers

Bees

Bees

Bees (these are critical for pollination.)

Bees

More Bee Hives

Bees

The bees create their honey combs inside the boxes.

Bee Hive

Different varieties of chickens.

Chickens

The coop where the chickens lay their eggs. Did you know that the very hot and humid weather minimizes the amount of eggs that that chickens will lay? On a normal day, the chickens will lay about 120 eggs combined, but when it is warm, they may only lay 40–60.

Chickens

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Posted in CSA, Environment, Gardening, Travel

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Greens Galore (CSA Week Two)

Posted on June 12, 2011 | 1 Comment

In the CSA this week from Practically Organic we got all greens…greens galore! We brought home cabbage, romaine lettuce, kale and kohlrabi (and our usual 6 eggs). We made a salad with the lettuce and have yet to use the kohlrabi (we plan to roast it with some other vegetables). With the cabbage and kale I searched for recipes and found Provençal Kale and Cabbage Gratin on The New York Times website. It was an easy way to use up two of the veggies, so I figured I’d give it a shot…and boy was it worth it! The bitter kale and smelly cabbage transformed into a delicious meal. It was very easy to make and definitely worth all the time it took to chop everything. See below for some pictures of the recipe and the fresh cabbage and kohlrabi.

Provençal Kale and Cabbage Gratin

Provençal Kale and Cabbage Gratin

cabbage

kohlrabi

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Posted in Environment, Food, Gardening, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Beets, Sweets & Eggs (CSA Week One)

Posted on June 4, 2011 | 4 Comments

Beets and Sweets

Beets and Sweets

CSA Eggs

The CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that my roommate and I joined started this past week. We are sharing a full share of vegetables and a half share of eggs (6 eggs per week). The CSA we joined is called Practically Organic which is locally owned and operated by Shawn Sizer and Mary Ann Owens. To learn more, check out their website. This first week we received red scallions, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, beets and six eggs. My roommate was nice enough to make us dinner one night using the CSA veggies. It was a baguette cut into mini crostini pieces toasted with olive oil and then on top was a ricotta and lemon zest mixture. On top of the crostini, we added shredded beets, carrots, broccoli and the red scallions. Very refreshing and delicious dinner!

We had one beet leftover and I was looking for a recipe to try beets in a new way. I found this Roasted Beets and Sweets recipe on All Recipes and decided to give it a try. It turned out delicious. The onions started to caramelize and the vegetables became very tender and flavorful. Definitely a recipe worth trying even if you aren’t a huge beets fan!

Also above is a picture of the first six eggs we received. Aren’t they just gorgeous? I love the little brown egg. I used some of them in a birthday cake I made for my little brother. Next week, I can’t wait to scramble up my eggs and have them for breakfast!

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Vegetarians Know How To Grill

Posted on May 31, 2011 | 2 Comments

Vegetarian Grilling

Vegetarian Grilling

Yesterday was Memorial Day and I hope you all had a chance to remember and honor those who have died in our nation’s service as well as a chance to spend some time with loved ones and enjoy good food. I had a chance to do some grilling last night. I made vegetarian kabobs with onions and red, green and yellow peppers and Tofurky® Italian Sausage (a great meat alternative that is really well seasoned and has a great texture….my roommate who’s not vegetarian ate them!). Also on the grill were some yellow squash and zucchini that I cut lengthwise and coated with olive oil and salt and pepper. Pretty basic, but still quite tasty.

The food took about 20 minutes to cook and turned out pretty good. I’d change a few things (I overcooked the kabobs a bit), but overall a success. I just had the leftovers for lunch…even better the second day! Oh…and another huge plus, because we weren’t grilling meat and there wasn’t grease everywhere, the grill was super easy to clean!

What foods have you been grilling lately?

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Posted in Food, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Meatless Monday: Risotto with Asparagus & Peas

Posted on May 15, 2011 | Leave a comment

Risotto

Risotto

RisottoI’ve been missing in action for a few months, but am going to try to get back into blogging. With that said, here’s a simple and tasty recipe for Risotto with Asparagus & Risotto that I want to share with you. OK, I have to admit….I love risotto. It’s one of those easy meals to make, that looks impressive. Good for dinner guests and it couldn’t be simpler to make. This recipe is from Vegetarian Times Fast & Easy:

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large leek or 1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
  • 4 cups veggie broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I used a blend of Parmesan, Asiago & Romano cheese)
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (I added more, so add to taste)
  • pinch of nutmeg (my addition)
  • ground pepper (my addition)

Directions

Saute the onions in the olive oil until transparent. Then add the wine and rice and turn the heat up until the wine evaporates. Then add the salt and 1/4 of the broth. Stir the rice and add more broth as it is absorbed. Keep stirring. After about 20-25 minutes when the rice is almost done cooking add the peas and asparagus. Cook until asparagus is crisp. Then stir in pepper, nutmeg, vinegar, cheese and parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Risotto also makes great leftovers and you can pretty much use any vegetables you like to make it: mushrooms, red peppers, broccoli, arugula and any of your other favorites!

Do you have a favorite risotto recipe?

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Meatless Monday: Anything Goes Burritos

Posted on January 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

burrito

burrito

Why go out and get a mediocre burrito when you can make a tasty one at home? This burrito was fantastic and simple to make. In time it would take you to start the car and drive to a Mexican chain restaurant, you could be making these delicious and HEALTHY burritos in the comfort of your own home. Don’t be stupid! Make the right decision and give these a try!

Below are the ingredients my boyfriend and I used to make our burritos. The best thing is that you can use what you have on hand and be creative with your burrito ingredients.

  • whole wheat wraps
  • black beans
  • guacamole
  • tomatoes
  • red onions
  • rice
  • lettuce
  • cilantro
  • sautéed red, yellow and green peppers
  • salsa or pico de gallo
  • pineapple
  • lime
  • cumin
  • cayenne
  • red pepper flakes
  • hot sauce
  • chili powder
  • salt & pepper

We put everything out on the table and made gigantic, delicious burritos. So good! You could add other vegetables, different beans, tofu etc.—the options are endless!

What do you like to put on your burritos? Do you have any favorite combinations? Share with us below!

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Meatless Monday: French Country Stew

Posted on January 16, 2011 | 2 Comments

French Country Stew

French Country Stew

My new favorite vegan cookbook is The Get Healthy, Go Vegan Cookbook by Neal Barnard, MD and Robyn Webb. The recipes contain lots of colors and flavors and are very low fat. They use a wide variety of ingredients in each recipe—ingredients that you can find at almost any grocery store. So, I wanted to share this French Country Stew recipe with you, since its perfect for cold winter days.

Here’s what you need (makes four 1-cup servings):

  • 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 3 cups green cabbage
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (I bought the pre-packaged kind at the grocery store to save myself a little time)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 (16-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
  • salt
  • pepper

To make the soup, in a large saucepan saute the onion and garlic in 1/4 cup broth for 5 minutes, then add everything but the beans and tomatoes. Cook until the squash is tender (about 30 minutes). Then, add the beans and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 more minutes. Add salt and pepper and you’re ready to eat!

I tried this soup because I wanted to give cabbage a try. Cabbage isn’t my favorite vegetable, but when mixed with the squash and beans, I really enjoyed it. I added a little too much thyme to my recipe, so be careful to add what the recipe calls for (or even a little less) and taste to see if you need more. Thyme has a very strong, over powering flavor.

What I also liked about this soup is that it has less than one gram of fat, around 200 calories per serving, 11 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber. It’s health and nutrient packed!

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Posted in Food, Meatless Monday, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Meatless Monday: Grown Up Mac & Cheese with Tomatoes

Posted on January 10, 2011 | 4 Comments

Mac and Cheese

Mac and Cheese

I grew up with macaroni and cheese being one of my absolute favorite foods, so when my boyfriend suggested that we make it, I didn’t object. We made a recipe from Food Network called Grown Up Mac & Cheese. We didn’t use bacon or blue cheese. Instead of the blue cheese we substituted a little ricotta (I’m just not a blue cheese fan). We also added tomato slices on top to add a little more flavor to the dish. The result was delicious! I’d definitely make this again and maybe even incorporate some broccoli next time.

Do you have a favorite mac & cheese recipe? What do you like to put in your mac & cheese?

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Posted in Meatless Monday, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Guilt-free Apple Bake

Posted on January 5, 2011 | 2 Comments

Apple Bake
Apple Bake This is an easy recipe that’s perfect as a healthy dessert or as a side dish to accompany dinner. Here’s what I use in this apple bake:

- Apples (your favorite kind), peeled and sliced thinly
- Raisins (or currants, cranberries, etc.) You can also soak the raisins in rum for a kick.
- Cinnamon stick
- Ground cinnamon (or cloves, nutmeg, etc.)
- Apple juice (enough to cover the bottom of the pan)

All you need to do is combine all the ingredients in a baking pan and bake in a 350º oven until the apples are soft. You can add orange or lemon juice for a more complex flavor or add sugar if you want the apples sweeter.

If you want to make more of a cobbler you can add oatmeal, butter (or margarine) and extra sweetener.

You could also use pears in this recipe instead of apples or do a combination. This is an easy, delicious and very flexible recipe.

How do you like to use up left over apples or fruit? Do you have any easy recipes?

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Posted in Food, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Eating Animals

Posted on December 28, 2010 | 1 Comment


I’m reading this new book called Eating Animals by Jonathan Saffran Foer. It’s an interesting book about the food we eat and how we justify eating it culturally and socially. It’s a powerful book to inform and to help us consider what we eat and don’t eat.

There’s a part in the book that I wanted to excerpt below because I felt it was a memorable part of the book that really gives us insight into factory farming:

“We spend several minutes like this, looking for an unlocked door.
Another why: Why would a farmer lock the doors of his turkey farm?
It can’t be because he’s afraid someone will steal his equipment or animals. There’s no equipment to steal in the sheds, and the animals aren’t worth the herculean effort it would take to illicitly transport a significant number. A farmer doesn’t lock his doors because he’s afraid his animals will escape. (Turkeys can’t turn doorknobs.) And despite te signage, it isn’t because of biosecurity, either. (Barbed wire is enough to keep out the merely curious.) So why?”

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Posted in Books, Food, Vegan, Vegetarian

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