Gimme some of that yummy food mommeee!

The Kitchn [...]]]> I have several cooking blogs in my Google feed reader which inspire me daily to try new ingredients and recipes. Recently family members have been turning to me for vegetarian meal ideas, so I thought I would share some of my inspirations with you.

Gimme some of that yummy food mommeee!

The Kitchn – this blog is part of the Apartment Therapy blog series and pulls from many blogs. There are often 10-15 posts in a day, so only add this blog to your feed reader if you can keep up. They address all kinds of topics (cleaning, cooking, alcoholic beverages, sweet treats, meats, cheeses, and more) and answer reader questions. They scope out many other cooking blogs/news articles and condense the information on their blog. I often skim through their posts, but something usually catches my eye and is saved for later to be tried out.

Smitten Kitchen – I’ve tried a couple of her recipes recently and have had great results (Tomato Corn Pie and Barley Risotto w/ beans and greens). I love the way these posts are organized with pictures both of the finished result and several shots of the different cooking steps. Not all her recipes are vegetarian.

101 Cookbooks – One of the more recent blogs to enter my feed reader, this blog shares recipes focused on natural, whole foods and is vegetarian.  I think the only thing I’ve made is the Double Broccoli Quinoa, but I have many other recipes saved for another day.  Again, the photography on this blog makes me want to cook, and the stories behind the recipe are nice to read as well.

Two Blue Lemons – A vegetarian/vegan recipe blog with emphasis on cooking with fresh food from local farmers’ markets written by two sisters.  I’ve tried several recipes (Tostones, Taquitos, Peach/Blackberry and Mango Lassi ice cream, Honey Apple Challah, and others I can’t remember) and saved many more.  I love this blog for its fresh ideas and emphasis on eating in season.

Bakerella – So this blog is more fun than nutritious and good for you. Bakerella’s site rose to fame with her adorable (and tasty) cake pops. I had previously made cake balls, and at some point stumbled on this blog and fell in love with all her creativity. While I haven’t made cake pops, I’ve made cupcake bites several times due to their demand by friends and co-workers. I’ll probably never make the cute shaped cake pops, but her treats are fun and inspiring to look at.

Bake or Break – Bake or Break’s posts are similar in format to Smitten Kitchen, and I’ve saved many of her posts and am eager to bake her treats for birthdays and special occasions. Again, this is not a health food site, but if you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, check out the archives for something great.  I’ve made Cookies & Cream Cheesecakes and I can’t remember what else…although, maybe I’ve just salivated over the rest!

ChowMama – Great blog for ideas on baby food with adaptations for allergy sensitive ingredients. We’ve made Zucchini Orzo Risotto, Orange Cardamom French Toast, Sesame Noodles, Edamame Hummus,  Sweet Potato Muffins w/ Cream Cheese Filling, Pumpkin Walnut Cream Cheese, Cheddar Crackers – although mine never turned out right, and Fresh Corn and Ricotta Crostini, and you’ll enjoy the food as well as your baby/child. I made all of Arcadia’s baby food, except when we traveled, and believe home made food is the best thing for babies. Plus, I think it has contributed to Arcadia eating everything we give her and eating such a great diet.

Food Network – This is not a blog, but a great recipe source. When we had cable TV, I could sit and watch the food network channel for hours. My favorite hosts/chefs are Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) and Giada DeLaurentis – I know that their recipes always turn out well and are extra tasty. Recently I made Ina’s Buttermilk-Cheddar Biscuits and they were delicious. I’ve also made her Lentil Soup and can’t remember what else.  Tysen really likes Giada, but that’s more for her looks. I don’t recall what I’ve made of hers, but I know it was good.

Plus, for more inspiration or to see what’s inspiring me, you can check out my new ‘Recipe Box‘ on the blog — check out the link at the top of the blog.  Basically its a place where I can save and tag all the recipes I come across so that I can easily find and make them later.  If we’ve tried the recipe, I’ve included a ‘tried’ tag.  This recipe listing doesn’t include all the recipes I’ve found on the internet, but I’m hoping to build a nice collection moving forward.  Enjoy!

Arugula, Mustard Greens, Mixed Salad Greens, Apples (3 Stayman, 3 York), Dozen eggs, Parsley, Michihili Cabbage, Black Spanish Radishes, Snap [...]]]> You may remember I indicated earlier that we joined a new CSA, Olin-Fox Farms, mid-way through the Fall program.  Here’s the farm share we got:

Arugula, Mustard Greens, Mixed Salad Greens, Apples (3 Stayman, 3 York), Dozen eggs, Parsley, Michihili Cabbage, Black Spanish Radishes, Snap Peas

Cooking slowed down last week.  Due to illnesses all around, neither of us were up for much cooking.  Finally this weekend I cooked.  [...]]]> Corn, sweet potatoes, double garlic, honey, tomatillos (all but two had buggies), salad greens, mixed greens, mustard greens, “stuffing” peppers, hot peppers, and apples (Arkansas Black, Staymen, Winesap, and Virginia Gold)

Cooking slowed down last week.  Due to illnesses all around, neither of us were up for much cooking.  Finally this weekend I cooked.  We had pumpkin soup (nothing spectacular about this recipe), autumn harvest bread (made with carrots, pumpkin, and applesauce), pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (cake-y oat-y chocolate-y goodness), and sweet potato biscuits (the first time I ever made these–someone else has always taken care of making these).

Stay tuned for news and reviews on the new CSA we signed up for.  In considering whether to sign up for the 2010 CSA share at Bull Run Mountain Farm, I wanted to check out other CSA options.  Here’s what I found:

Olin-Fox Farms – organic produce from a network of farms in Reedville, VA.  This CSA offers, Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and year round CSA memberships.  Also has a separate summer fruit share.  Farm fresh eggs are delivered with the share when available.  We signed up for the remaining Fall 2009 CSA at a prorated price.  I’ll try to keep up with posting pictures and recipes of what we get.

Dragonfly Farms – this one is the cream of the crop as far as CSA options go.  Tysen got really excited about this one, but its a bit too pricey.  But check out their options.  Pretty fancy!  They offer spring/summer and fall shares.  Offers traditional and premium shares.

Graceland Farms – another organic/sustainable farm with summer and fall options. Shares may include berries, honey, and fruit from other farms.  Can add on local cheese.

Great Country Farms – Some organic, but not all.  This one has the added bonus of being able to go to the farm and pick berries and additional items, but its far away from us.  They also have a lot of activities for kids, which are free to CSA members.  Offers full and half shares.

Potomac Vegetable Farm – “Ecoganic” – they’ve been organic for years, but no longer subject themselves to certification.  Summer and Autumn shares available in multiple share sizes (mini, regular, and robust) with add-ons of eggs, flowers, and breads.

The share: Corn, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, garlic, hot peppers, radishes, salad greens, mustard greens, basil, and apples

Here’s what we made this week:

Skillet Mac & Cheese – I halved this recipe, otherwise we would have had way too much pasta.

Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash – this didn’t turn out as [...]]]>

The share: Corn, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, garlic, hot peppers, radishes, salad greens, mustard greens, basil, and apples

Here’s what we made this week:

Skillet Mac & Cheese – I halved this recipe, otherwise we would have had way too much pasta.

Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash – this didn’t turn out as well as I had hoped.  I think part of it was the acorn squash, and the other part was the custard texture.  I just wasn’t a fan.

Tysen is trying out Pickled Hot Peppers – It will be another week before Tysen can try out his pickled peppers.

Zucchini and Squash “Pasta” w/ Alfredo Sauce – I made this with last weeks squash/zucchini.  The dish was yummy, but could have used some pasta to make it heartier.

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta – Because this recipe called for sausage, I substituted tempeh.  The dish was good, but not great–the recipe needs some tweaking for vegetarians.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread – This weeks pumpkin bread recipe.  Yum!  I made 2 loaves of bread (froze one) and 18 mini muffins.  I used half whole wheat and half all-purpose flour and applesauce for all the oil.  The whole wheat flour gave the bread nice texture and kept the bread from being too moist from the applesauce.  Only 1 container of pumpkin puree left, but I have 4 pumpkins left to cook with!

Last week’s share: Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Cucumber, Zucchini, Salad greens, basil, tomatoes, garlic, and apples

Last week we picked up more pumpkins from the local produce stand.  Tysen enjoyed the roasted pumpkin seeds I made last time so much that he needed more.  So, we got 3 pie pumpkins and [...]]]>

Week 17

Last week’s share: Sweet Potatoes, Red Potatoes, Cucumber, Zucchini, Salad greens, basil, tomatoes, garlic, and apples

Last week we picked up more pumpkins from the local produce stand.  Tysen enjoyed the roasted pumpkin seeds I made last time so much that he needed more.  So, we got 3 pie pumpkins and one neck pumpkin.  On Friday night I gutted two of the pie pumpkins and ended up filling three 27-oz containers with pumpkin puree and one 16-oz container with pumpkin seeds.  I put two containers of puree in the freezer and the third in the fridge, which was used to make pumpkin pie oatmeal.  I foresee many more pumpkin recipes in the near future as I still have two pumpkins left!

Recipes for last week:

Double Broccoli Quinoa – This recipe made lots of pesto, so what we didn’t use for the dish we froze.

Pumpkin pie oatmeal – Arcadia enjoyed this as well, just without the sugar nut topping.

Sweet Potato Pie – Tysen proclaimed this as the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever made.  Guess I fooled him since it is sweet potato pie!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi w/ Brussel Sprouts and Walnuts – Super yummy!  The gnocchi takes a bit of effort to make, but the combo of brussel sprouts, walnuts, and fresh gnocchi is worth it!  I’ll definitely make this again.