And in other green news, one more reason to love fungi:
" 'Growable' Homes Made With Mushrooms"
Spores as the latest means for fire-proof insulation? Sweet.
[Discovery Channel News]
I dedicate this post to the delicious sautéed morels that my dear friends and April roomies Adam and Julia made the other week...
I'll have to follow up with the recipe when I can pin it down.
So far, today's favorite reads are all green.
The official announcement of Slow Food Nation '08 in none other than the glorious S.F. [SFGate.com]
Barbara Kingsolver's non-fiction debut, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
[Bon Appétit Editor's Blog]
I'm inspired to plant a midsummer garden and harvest my own veggies...I bet my new roommates won't care. Mom, Dad, objections?
I did some very light grocery shopping at Gelsons last night (sometimes avoiding the disastrous Trader Joe's parking lot situation is worth the extra $10 on food) and for whatever reason the teensy fingerling potatoes, all squished together in a little package, caught my eye. But I had been craving a grilled chicken salad...Which led me to discover quite possibly my new favorite salad: Mixed baby greens, roasted fingerlings and grilled chicken tenders with sliced avocado. Toss it all together with olive oil, lemon juice, tarragon, honey and a dash of apple cider vinegar...mmmm. There's a lingering sweetness that is just wonderful with the creamy potatoes and avocado. A couple of paper-thin slices of red onion would have been nice...but it was still a lovely spring salad: fresh, light and filling...
4 C. mixed baby greens (or one pre-washed package)
1/2 lb. fingerling potatoes
1/2 lb. chicken breast tenders, washed, dried and sprinkled lightly with: salt, pepper, garlic salt & garlic powder.
1/2 ripe avocado
Dressing (amounts are estimated, play around with them to taste):
6-8 T. olive oil
2 T. Lemon Juice
1/2 T. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 T. Honey, plus additional to taste
1 T. chopped fresh tarragon
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
For the dressing: combine all the ingredients in a jar, mix well, and taste for adjustments. Set aside.
Toss potatoes lightly in olive oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary. Roast until well-browned and tender in the middle, about 20-25 minutes. While potatoes are roasting, heat a grill or sauté pan, lightly coated with olive oil over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken tenders for about 4 minutes a side, until well-browned. At this point, I covered the grill-pan with a loose foil lid, and moved it into the oven to finish cooking the chicken. This keeps it very tender! Once the chicken is done, allow to cool slightly.
Toss the greens with enough of the dressing to coat. Cut the fingerlings into bite-sized pieces and add to the salad. Slice in 1/2 the avocado, and top with sliced chicken breast. Lightly toss to mix the ingredients, adding more dressing if necessary. I like to mix in the avocado especially well, as it lends a subtle creaminess to the salad that is a great substitute for cheese.
I finally had the time to indulge in the entire April issue of Bon Appétit yesterday. If you don't subscribe, go get it, or find the time to browse it online, because there is truly some awesome material in this particular issue. My favorite article, though, was At the Market: Beets
Fresh ideas, creative recipes, and they highlighted my absolute favorite: The Dr. Seuss-esque Chioggia beets. I love them, even though I can never find them. I welcome any suggestions on finding these little treats.
Beautiful, just beautiful...
By contributing writer the raven is dead
Here's a recipe that I adapted last night from an Epicurious listing, using mostly ingredients from Trader Joe's - total shopping budget: $15. This feeds at least five people if paired with a simple salad and baguette.
Bella Red Chard Risotto
Ingredients:
5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1.5 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used shitty Charles Shaw, but something better would be way more fun)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 big handfuls sliced cremini mushrooms
1 white or yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large shallot, sliced
1 bunch red chard, ribs removed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup grated good Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
Heat stock to a simmer and cover, keeping a low flame.
Meanwhile, saute onions, garlic, shallots, and mushrooms in olive oil on medium heat until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Add rice and chard and saute, stirring often, until chard is slightly wilted and rice becomes translucent on the edges. Add wine and stir constantly until all liquid is absorbed. Grab a ladle and add three or four ladle-fuls of stock to the rice mixture (just enough to cover it completely). Stir to incorporate the stock. Simmer on medium, stirring every minute or two, until all of the liquid is absorbed (about 10 minutes). Add another 1/3 of the stock and repeat until all of the liquid is absorbed. Finally, add the last of the stock and, stirring constantly, cook until all liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese, mixing thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
By contributing writer the raven is dead
After a pretty disgusting chocolate and alcohol gorgefest in December, I'm for reals committing to eating more fresh vegetables this year. A lovely organic foods delivery service is making it all that much easier.
For $29 a week, Organic Express will deliver a box of super fresh seasonal organic vegetables and fruit to your home or office in the SF Bay or LA areas.
My roommate and I subscribed just last week, and in our first box, we got some gorgeous red chard, cauliflower, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, an acorn squash, oranges, grapefruits, and pretty little fingerling potatoes. It's all really fresh and pretty affordable, especially if you factor in the amount of time it normally takes to battle your way into the nightmare that is Trader Joe's on any given weeknight or some other horrendously overcrowded market filled with "organic" Mexican imports.
So, anyone know how to cook chard?
