Purple Roasted Potatoes

Margaux loves all things purple so when saw purple potatoes at the CSA pick up on Saturday, it wasn&

CSA Box Week of January 21

I think we are officially settling into life in Texas now that we have found a new CSA! CSA stands f

Tuna & Tomato Pasta Sauce

Not only is this pasta sauce adult & kid friendly, but it’s a great way to get healthy fis

 

Purple Roasted Potatoes

January 23, 2012 in vegetable

Margaux and the Purple Potato

Margaux and the Purple Potato

Margaux loves all things purple so when saw purple potatoes at the CSA pick up on Saturday, it wasn’t even a question that we would be taking some home.

Frankly I wasn’t thrilled. Sometimes purple potatoes are too starchy and they don’t cook as I expect them to. Even so – they are always cool – so they’ve always got that going for them. I didn’t feel like mashing them, so roasting felt like the right alternative.

Roasted potatoes are one of those things that – done right – are impossible to beat! My favorite way to roast potatoes is to get the oven HOT, cut them into approximately 1-inch cubes, toss them in a generous amount of olive oil, salt & pepper, and give them time. So that is what I did.

Purple Potatoes

Roasted Purple Potatoes

Oh – you want more of recipe!?  OK here goes – really it’s so easy!

  1. Heat the oven to 425 or 450. Let it heat for about 30 minutes at least – you want it nice and hot!
  2. Toss cubed potatoes in a generous tablespoon or two of olive oil. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of salt and pepper.
  3. Spread on a baking sheet – preferably stone or cast iron. If you use a cast iron skillet, you can get it hot in the oven while you heat it up.
  4. Stir each 15 minutes, trying to flip over potatoes. Cook approximately 45 minutes or until potatoes are nicely crisp and brown! Time may vary!!

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CSA Box Week of January 21

January 22, 2012 in CSA

I think we are officially settling into life in Texas now that we have found a new CSA!

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. I’ll post more about CSAs soon, but if you are not familiar, it is a way to buy produce directly from a farm. Your support their growing season and share in the production from the farm. It is an amazing way to get truly fresh produce, as well as support local agriculture. Another benefit is that you often get to try produce you have not encountered before. So it helps you to be a more adventurous eater which Brad and I enjoy!

We decided to join Cold Springs Farm CSA. The farm is located in Weatherford (west of Ft. Worth) the owner, Beverly Thomas, has developed a really great distribution method. She sets up a food “drop” in Ft. Worth each Saturday. You show up to gather your produce – Beverly gives everyone the first 5 same items then you get to pick the next 5 items you want. It’s really a great idea!

Yesterday we went to pick up our first batch of veggies for the winter season. What a haul!!

CSA Veggies - January 21, 2012

click image to see full size

Here is the list of items we picked up yesterday – the first 5 are the ones Beverly chose:

  1. Green Garlic
  2. Baby bok choy
  3. Taku choy
  4. Chinese celery
  5. Fenugreek – fresh!
  6. Purple potatoes
  7. Celeriac (Celery Root)
  8. Garlic
  9. Japanese sweet potato
  10. Dried Anasazi Beans

There was also had a table full of fresh fruits from south Texas, preserves & honey for sale, and a Texas lamb rancher representative (more on this later), and great local bakery selling a few goodies. This is such a cool way to run a CSA and we are really excited about the seasons to come.

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Tuna & Tomato Pasta Sauce

January 19, 2012 in general, pasta

Tuna & Tomato Pasta Sauce

Tuna & Tomato Pasta Sauce

Not only is this pasta sauce adult & kid friendly, but it’s a great way to get healthy fish into anyone’s diet! In addition, it can be made almost entirely with pantry staples. Plus it’s quick and simple to prepare – so add this one to your list of good fall back options for weeknight dinners.

The most important thing about this recipe is using the best tuna you can find – that doesn’t mean the most expensive – but the most delicious. Tuna in olive oil tends to be of a higher quality and that is what I prefer to buy and use. No matter what type or style of tuna you decide to use, adjust the seasonings at the end and enjoy a delicious pasta dish!

A note on quantity – this recipe will make about 2 cups of sauce. Feel free to double the recipe and play with ratios, it is a fairly forgiving recipe!

Ingredients:

  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 small chopped onion
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 can of chopped or diced tomatoes (plain, fire roasted, with garlic, etc. anything goes but avoid green chile type additions)
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 1/2 t balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 t sugar (optional)
  • 1/4 – 1/2 t mixed herbs (mixed italian spices, thyme, herbs de provence, etc.)
  • 2/3 can of tuna (preferably tuna in olive oil) drained & flaked
  • 2 T cream cheese
  1. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan over medium to med-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes until soft.
  2. Add all other ingredients except tuna and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat uncovered for about 12 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Reduce heat to low, add flaked tuna and heat through.
  4. Stir in cream cheese until melted, remove from heat.

This sauce keeps very nicely for a few days in the fridge. I have also frozen it in cubes for the baby with no problem.

Based on a recipe from First Meals by Annabel Karmel.

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FoodBuzz Blogger Festival

November 9, 2009 in general

Foodbuzz_festivalid_webbadgeIt will be hard for me to say enough positive things about the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival that took place in San Francisco this past weekend!  Not only was the event just fantastic, but I met amazing people: bloggers, farmers, artisan producers.  Amazing!!!

Friday night we started with drink & h’ors d’oeurves at Hotel Vitale. We had a spectacular view of the Bay Bridge – slightly shrouded in fog – and the Ferry Building. Afterward we walked over to the Ferry Building for a special street fare dinner that featured some local yummy treats.

Saturday afternoon was an amazing Tasting Pavilion event.  This event had another spectacular view from the top of the Metreon. The layout was fantastic – far larger than I would have ever predicted. And so many generous and talented purveyors sharing samples of their food.  For me, the sparkling wine fiend, one highlight was the California Sparklers Tasting hosted by Alder Yarrow of Vinography.com.  Well done & delicious!

Saturday night was a dinner hosted at the Greenleaf distribution center. What a treat to see their headquarters (immaculate!) and have such an amazing dinner served to us.  I was lucky enough to share a table with folks from Greenleaf, Frog Hollow Farms, and some other local bloggers.  We had wonderful conversations and found a lot of common ground.

I wanted to simply thank FoodBuzz again for hosting this event. I loved it and look forward to future years of exciting food blogging! What a great community you have created!

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Prune Puree

November 2, 2009 in kid friendly

Prunes never really scream YUM to most people.  Its really a cultural sadness that we think of them only as a health food.  They are so delicious and worth a try as a snack.  Additionally I’ve found that making prunes into a puree is delicious, and can be used in so many things! Its naturally sweet and flavorful.

For Margaux I often mix prune puree into oatmeal.  Or with ricotta cheese.  She is wild for prune puree no matter how its served, but those are some ideas that are baby and adult friendly.

The best thing is – its super fast and easy to make:

  • Put about 8 prunes in a small pan with ~1 c. of water.  Bring to a simmer & cook about 10 minutes (covered).  The prunes should be plump and soft.  Puree the prunes and water together or just the prunes alone.  Add to anything!

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Greek Yogurt

October 30, 2009 in kid friendly

Have you tried greek yogurt yet? Its AMAZING! Thick, rich, & creamy. It is perfect as is, or in place of ingredients such as sour cream.

For Margaux: I love to take greek yogurt and add in special seasonings.  A few favorites (for her & me!):

  • yogurt + applesauce + cinnamon
  • yogurt + sugar free jams (fruit only jams)
  • yogurt + veggies

Give this type of yogurt a try. The best thing is to purchase it plain and add in your favorite items. Then there is no extra sugar, and certainly no hidden HFCS.

Note: a LOT of yogurts have high fructose corn syrup – including Yoplait which I used to love. AVOID any yogurt with HFCS!!  And especially don’t give it to a baby.

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