touches of springtime

I noticed chives sprouting in one of my old garden pots that had been sitting, neglected in the corner of my porch. Today we fall back on an old favorite of mine. This one takes some time, but little effort

Spring Spread

first, as always, gather your ingredi...i mean spell components.
you will need:

2 cups plain nonfat yoghurt
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup minced chive
1/2 cup cucumber,peeled, seeded and diced
salt and pepper

dishtowel
strainer
bowl


put the strainer over the bowl
place the dishtowel over the strainer and add the yoghurt
wrap the yoghurt with the dishtowel and squeeze slightly untill you feel the towel dampen
place a small weight (no more than 1 lb) over the towel wrapped yoghurt ( i find a small plate works well, as long as it is of a size to press on the yoghurt and doesn't get hung up on the sides of the strainer)
refridgerate for at least 12 hrs and up tp 24 hrs ( the longer you press the liquid out of the yoghurt, the thicker the spread)
remove the yoghurt from thw towel (retain any liquid that may remain in the bowl) and place into another (dry) bowl
add the garlic and chives. ( you can return some of the reserved liquid if the spread is too thick for your taste.)
add the cucumbers
add salt and pepper to taste

return to the fridge for at least an hour

serve as a spread with crackers or as a dip for veggies

Did you know?

Eat your protien first and feel satisfied faster! When protien reaches your intestines, they begin to produce a hormone that tells your brain that there is food present. This hormone is not triggered by carbohydrates....

cravings

the first sprouts of kale have started to raise their heads in my garden pot, prompting a run to the grocery store because I couldn't wait for the harvest. Kale, by the way, ranks quite high on EWG list of contaminated foods. Only go organic here!!

serves 4

gather your ingredi...I mean spell components....

2 cup kale leaves (stems cut out- juliene the leaves)
2 slices bacon chopped
1/4 cup diced onion
salt and pepper
1 lb chicken (tenders or sliced breast meat)

add bacon and onion to a cold, med sized fry pan w/lid
turn heat on to medium
sweat the bacon and onions untill fat has cooked out of bacon and onions have gone glossy/shiny
and salt and pepper
add chicken and raise heat to high
saute for approximately 7 minutes, untill chicken is cooked through
add the kale,reduce the heat to medium and steam the kale for 2-3 minutes

serve over your favorite whole grain and enjoy!

food for thought/thought for food

as Spring produce begins to enter the market i find my self ruminating over pesticide. Our friends at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have released their annual study of pesticide Contamination in foods. The EWG tracks the concentration of chemical pesticides that are known to have effects from skin, lung and eye irritation to hormonal system effects, nervous system damage and cancer-- even at levels deemed safe by FDA. You can check out their full list at http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

The folks at EWG state that we can reduce our pesticide exposure by up to 80% by switching to organic only for the top 5 items and aiming for organic on the bottom 5.
Spring produce to only buy organic include Strawberries, lettuce, carrots, spinach and potatoes
these foods have some of the highest concentration of pesticides when purchased without the organic certification.
We should aim for organic in all foods, but Broccoli,sweet peas, asparagus and onions are great buys if you can't find organic; they contain the lowest concentration of pesticides of the foods EWG track

Cravings

I've been craving cabbage lately. I keep rumaging around in my larder seeking certain flavors and this delicious recipie created itself out of what I found.

serves 4 as a side dish

First, as always, gather your ingredi... I mean your spell components.

1 white candle
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp carroway seed
1 large apple of choice - diced ( i prefer a tart, crisp apple here)
4 cups chopped cabbage (about 1 inch or so pieces)
1/2 cup onion chopped (about the same size as the cabbage)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup brandy
salt and pepper

light your candle. Imagine that the energy of the universe is coming through this candle and infusing your meal with love and light, that its nutritional propperties are augmented by this light

add the olive oil to a large fry pan on high heat
add the onion and saute for about 2-3 minutes, just until the onion starts to brown a little
reduce the heat to medium-high and add the cabbage
stir infrequently until cabbage has softened. You want the cabbage to start to turn golden in color, but not burn. Depending on your stove-top this should take about 10 minutes
add salt and pepper to taste
reduce the heat to medium -low and cover the pan. let this steam away for about 15 minutes
remove the cover and raise the heat back to high
carefully add the brandy (away from the heat, it could flash and burn)
return pan to heat, stir and let liquid reduce by 1/2
add apple juice, stir and reduce until the cabbage has become glossy and little liquid remains
toss in the diced apples and serve

this dish goes great with pork chops or ham

Did you know

red peppers contain up to 20% more of the vitamins found in the green. Orange peppers can contain up to 20% more than the red. Cook with a rainbow of peppers for better health, flavor and spell craft.

Yet another giveaway

Check out Walk in the Woods and Win a Whimsey! http://whatrosemadetoday.blogspot.com/2009/02/win-whimsy-when.html
This site is not about food, but Rose's Craft is a gift