Eating Local,even in Winter

While working in the fields of a local organic farm last summer,  I had a lot of time to think ... One of the many bonuses to working outside with your hands :)  During harvest season life was great , fresh local veggies everyday , just picked 10 minutes before heading home :)   But what about winter ?  When I can't just simple pick something fresh, either from the field or from the grocery store.   I decided this year , I was going to challenge myself to continue to eat local thru the worst two months for fresh, local food here.  January and February ...   So i started stocking up ,  between a few farms and my own garden I managed to pack away a few hundred pounds of veggies...  lots to see me thru the two months I promised myself.    Quick numbers are 150 lbs of potatoes , 75lbs of acorn and butternut squash, 100lbs of tomatoes, jarred and frozen as a garden sauce,  50lbs of red peppers mostly all roasted and frozen , along with onion and garlic ( quick flavour adders ) ,100lbs of onions and 50 head of garlic .   I did have ambitions to put away more, but simply ran out of time and freezer space ...  It didnt help that the 20lbs of carrots went bad on me lol ..   Looks like I wont have a huge variety to choose from , but it should be fun , and best of all LOCAL :))  I'm already thinking ahead to next year ...   more frozen soups or puree's for sure , and more root vegetables carrots, parsnips, turnips etc...  More variety in canning , not just tomatoes :)

Four weeks in ,  Im really craving a nice big Caesar salad lol .... but its been fun,  Here are a few of my creations so far :)

Roasted Red Pepper n Garlic Hummus :) 

Roasted Red Pepper n Garlic Hummus, garden tomato sauce, red onions, garlic ,  ground beef , and roasted red peppers...  all local :)) Making  homemade hamburger helper :)   

Less Words, More Food 8

I cant believe its been almost a week since Ive posted.   Sorry about that , Ill try and make it up with 2 posts in 2 days for you all :)   So please enjoy LWMF #8 !!

Cajun Shrimp n Bacon Stir Fry

Thick cut pork sirloin with roasted veggies and mushroom sauce ,

A recent first for me sardines on toast
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2011/02/sardines-on-toast-final-10-with-5.html

Chili and Honey Rubbed Roasted Pork Sirloin 

Finished plate ,  tried to a little fancy with a 3 cheese n mushroom sauce ,  despite the looks, it tasted great!   

The latest batch of Crispy Chili Cheese Bites.
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2011/02/crispy-chili-cheese-bites-10w5-8.html

And there you have a few of the dishes Ive made in the last week.  I do hope you have enjoyed this Less Words, More Food post .  Any comments or suggestions are much appreciated.
Happy Cooking :)

Well, that was an interesting year :) Bring on 2011!!

Happy New Year Everyone :) Best wishes and dishes to all ! 

For me, like most people , 2010 was a bit rough. Times are tough , prices keep going up and salary's never keep up. So what did I do ??  LOL I quit my job !  I'd had enough of the office life , it was time to move on.  And that's just what I did, without a plan or a direction I found myself a little lost .   That was until I ran into a farmer friend who offered my some temporary work building a greenhouse.... I think I have found my calling .  I love working hard, getting dirty and most of all I LOVE food!!  Especially local organic & free range kinda food. So to be a part of that process is fascinating and exciting!! :)  Sadly tho, the growing season is over up here, at least until we get closer to March.  But Ill be back there finishing the greenhouses, and helping with the planting soon enough.  This month I have the privilege of taking care of the chickens, feeding , cleaning and egg collection duties.  So very cool.  I think the chickens are getting to know me finally , as no longer run away from me , and have even tried pecking at my shoe laces or gloves. 
Here I go babbling away again , when all I wanted to post today was a quick recap of the 6 most popular posts from last year ... two of which are related to working on the farm :) Which I am so happy about!! As that is the direction I wanted my Good Food Revolution to go in !! 

#1 http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/11/very-vnteresting-day-for-garlic-lover.html

 #2 http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/11/roasted-double-stuffed-pork-tenderloins.html

Click the link below to see the rest :)

Roasted Red Pepper & Garlic Hummus

You've seen them. At the grocery store , all those stacks and stacks of plastic tubs with different colours , and flavours gleaming at you from near the deli isle :)  I used to stop there every week, and drop $5 on a small tub of Hummus... usually it was a roasted garlic , or red pepper.  That was before I started making my own. My first attempt was almost identical to this posts version, Which I must say I enjoyed immensely. So  I thought Id try to recreate how it all happened for me and share.The best part is that after my second batch turned out as well as the first I swore myself off the store bought, and now enjoy a healthier, tastier and cheaper hummus made by me, with my tastes in mind.  Plus I get to control all the ingredients, which can be as few as three. I do try not to add more than eight or ten , as you tend to start losing some flavours. 

Okay, enough babbling.  Time to show you how easy this is. 

The most cost effective way to make this is to buy a bag of dried chick peas ( also called garbonzo beans ) , If you can find organic ones, grab them. Besides the lack of chemicals, I find them to have a better texture. .   

  Pour them into a bowl, and pick out any green or black ones. They always mention to look for stones too, but I have yet to find one. 

The dried peas do require an overnight soak.  If you don't have the time or the patience for this step ,  buy some good quality canned ones and skip the next two steps :)  If your in Canada the PC Organic Chick Peas are really good for canned ones

Dried chick peas NEED to soak overnight . Make sure the are well covered in water and simply soak for 24 hours.  I think the alternative is to boil them for 4 hours, but I have not tried this. 



Once they have soaked, or if you are using canned ones instead. You will need to give them a good rinse, and have a double check for any funny coloured ones.  Notice one on the right that slipped thru the initial inspection. 

Next up, add them to a large pot of boiling lightly salted water. You will want lots of water, about 4 cups for every cup of peas.  The packages always say to boil for 45 minutes, which is fine for using the  chick peas in dishes, for hummus I like to add more water at the 45 minute mark and boil for a further 30 minutes.

If, like me and using the whole bag. You will have way more garbonzos than you know what to do with. Give them all one more good rinse. Then I like to freeze the extra  in 3 cup portions.  That way the next hummus you make will eliminate all the above steps.

Now the fun begins, assemble all your flavours.  I'm using organic garlic, black sesame seeds ( for garnish ), Tahini Paste, L&P, Sea Salt, Black Pepper , Olive Oil, Of course chick peas ( I used 3 1/2 cups of boiled ones. ) and as in my first attempt a jar of fire roasted peppers these were water packed ones.   

Chuck everything into a food pro.  I only chop the garlic, the rest is whole.  I used 2/3rds of the jar of peppers,  you can use more or less. But I have a plan for the remaining 1/3.  (Future Post Hopefully)  plus I added a shake of my chili powder and a few pinches of basil at the last moment. 

I usually start it up on slow speed with a few good glugs of olive oil.. once it gets going I increase the speed and add oil until you like the consistency.

Don't forget to stop and have a good look and taste, It may seem like your adding a lot of salt,  but your making 4 cups of hummus .. that is quite a lot.  ( 4 grocery store tubs worth! )

Once you've reached the consistency you're looking for. ( I don't like it lumpy ,  but do stop before it gets creamy ) Pour it, with the help of a spatula into a resealable container.  I also like to sprinkle something on top.  This time its black sesame seeds and coarse sea salt.

That's it, you now have 4 cups of an amazing roasted red pepper and garlic hummus :) About 4 times what you'd get in a prepackaged one at the store , all for about the same price as one 1 tub.   PLUS you should have at least a few packages in the freezer.  Now all that's left to do is grab yourself some homemade bread and veggie sticks and you've got a great lunch , or even a light dinner.  Or like tonight, a great late night snack. 

Happy Cooking!

Enjoy :)

Rich

Roasted Double Stuffed Pork Tenderloins, with Roasted Carrots, Portabellos, Turnip, Red Pepper & Onion, Broccoli and Potatoes all in about an hour :)

Do roast dinners intimidate you ?  Too many pots , pans and ovens to keep track of? How would you like to be able to do everything , in the oven ?  All you need is 2 or three oven safe baking trays, lasagne pans or preferably some cast iron cookware and about 20 minutes of prep time.  The rest is simply timing.  This is something I came up with out of laziness :) For those long days , when you dont really want to cook, but know you should eat something good.  Besides,  who doesnt like a good roast dinner!  Especially without all the fuss and dishes !

The ingredients, I buy my potatoes and carrots from a local farm, so i simply scrub and do not peel them, the rest is just wash and slice:)

A little sunflower oil and chili powder for the roast potatoes :)

Next is the stuffing , I used fresh rosemary, sage , red onion, garlic,  jalapeno, chili pepper , and sea salt . 

Take your pork tenderloin , and slice almost 3/4 the way thru length wise, wash and pat dry. 



Add your minced goodness to the pockets in the pork, unfortunately I missed the next photo somehow .  But I folded the two tenderloins together . < > Over lapping each other to create 4 layers.  If you have kitchen twine or silicone straps, now would be a good time to truss it up . I couldn't find mine and just let them sit :)  Into a preheated oven @ 350F , set the timer for 30 minutes.   





 Add a drizzle of sunflower oil, honey , Lea & Perrin's , and a couple of cracks of sea salt and black pepper add them to the oven, and set the timer for 15 minutes.  While your adding the veggies, check on your pork and potatoes...



At the 30 minute mark, while adding the veggies. Check on the roast and rotate the potatoes for ultimate crispiness! 



After the 15 minute timer goes off (total cook time 45 minutes) add the mushrooms and broccoli, a little S&P, and sunflower oil.  I also lightly rubbed the broccoli tops in the pork drippings for a little extra flavour:) Set the timer for 10 minutes. 

Total cook time 55 minutes , (if your unsure of it being fully cooked, please check with a thermometer) remove the pork to a warm plate and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Check the veggies, if they are done, just leave them in the oven , but turn it off..  I tend to like them a little extra roasted , so i left it on. 

I transferred all the veggies to the pork pan, to soak up some extra flavour. Set the timer for 10 minutes and back into the oven.  On or off your choice at this point. 

After ten minutes of resting, move the pork to your cutting board.  If you like warm plates, like I do,  now would be a good time to put them in the oven.

I don't normally start by cutting it in half, but I knew I had forgotten the assembled raw pic and wanted to show the layers .  They came a part a little as I didn't tie it , but Ive got to say it worked great anyways!  Slice as you like it , I prefer large piece, and will cut on my plate. 



All that's left is to take the veggies from the oven , and arrange on a warm plate! Grab a knife and fork and a glass of red wine and Enjoy ! 

Ive got to add, the reason for the one small turnip is , Ive never liked them .. but have recently found that organic veggies are changing my previously disliked foods. So far this makes, Beets, Turnips, Parsnips and yes even Brussel Sprouts that I have enjoyed in the last month , all organic and delicious.  

I hope you enjoyed my : Roasted Double Stuffed Pork Tenderloins, with Roasted Carrots, Portabello Mushrooms, Turnip, Red Pepper & Onion, Broccoli and Potatoes. 

Happy Cooking :)

Rich

Roasting

Roasted Chili Chicken & Local Veggie Stir-Fry

Ever take something out of the freezer, then realize you really didn't have a plan for it?? LOL happens to me all the time, or I ll have 3 plans for it and wont be able to decide what to do.  I'd taken a couple of free range chicken breasts out of my freezer, two days before and now needed to do something with them.  Even come dinner time I still couldn't decide , but figured Id better get something started .  So I decided to roast the breasts, and at least that way even if I didn't decide what to do I could always have a sandwich.



One of my favourite way to make chicken, roasting!  So easy and the taste is hard to beat .  These were simply rubbed with my chili powder, a little sun flower oil, S&P and a splash of L&P.  Into the oven for 45 minutes @ 360F.




A quick deglaze of the pan with a few glugs of a craft brewed ale:)  Makes for a great sauce, that can be saved for up to a day in the fridge. 




Here's the result, a little chili chicken ale sauce, good for all sorts of gravies or sauces.

 Click the link below to see the rest :)