#brussel sprouts just need a good roasting some salt pepper & that’s that they are perfect

[rockoblanco]

brussel sprouts are a minimalist vegetable while cauliflower is a maximalist vegetable

[meshpiner]

Steamed parsnips

Steamed parsnips full#

Steamed parsnips code#

Steamed parsnips mac#

Here are some tips to make this dish the highlight of your dinner: buy block cheese and shred it yourself, cook your cavatappi just a bit less than al dente, and make sure your butter is cold for the perfect roux! Pesto Pasta

Steamed parsnips mac#

Said to be the grown-up version of mac and cheese, this dish has kids and adults alike coming back for more. The best thing is, this dish is completely vegetarian.

Steamed parsnips full#

The creamy taste and texture may make you think there is butter or cream in this dish, but don’t be fooled – the avocados provide a creamy texture that is packed full of antioxidants. The best part is that it only takes 10 minutes to steam! Pasta and Noodle Side Dishes Avocado PastaĪvocados, basil, garlic, lemon and olive oil are all you need for this dish. When you steam broccoli, it removes the acidic taste and brings out that natural sweetness that you crave for your dinner. Steamed BroccoliĪnother side dish that is chock full of vitamin C but also low-carb and keto-friendly, steamed broccoli is the ideal side dish for grilled tuna. However, if it is the taste that you’re focusing on, remember to choose the smaller parsnips as they are sweeter, tender and less woody. Said to be a close cross of a potato and a carrot, parsnips are a good source of vitamin C and fiber. This is a delicious and simple side dish that, once prepared, will provide a sweet and tender taste. Keep in mind that you will want to cook these at a higher temperature in order to bring out that sweetness and crisp taste. Using fresh Brussels sprouts for this recipe provides a great texture and has more nutrition compared to frozen ones. Staying on the healthy side of things, roasted balsamic Brussels sprouts are the perfect option. To top that all off, the recipe is quite simple-all you need is some salt and pepper to season, and parmesan to garnish! Like they say, once you try it, you’ll never go back! Roasted Balsamic Brussel Sprouts Vegan, low-carb and keto?! What more could you ask for? Air Fryer asparagus is a delectable side dish for tuna steak and provides a crisp bite. We comply with the Federal Trade Commission 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).Easy Apple Salad to Serve with Tuna Steak What Vegetables Go Well with Tuna Steak? Air Fryer Asparagus

Steamed parsnips code#

The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress, protected by code 18 USC 707. Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned. This information is for educational purposes only. Quentin Tyler, Director, MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI 48824. Issued in furtherance of MSU Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer, committed to achieving excellence through a diverse workforce and inclusive culture that encourages all people to reach their full potential. In the spring, harvest before tops begin sprouting.ĭeveloped by James Manning, Undergraduate Research Assistant, and Daniel Brainard, Vegetable Extension Specialist MSU Department of Horticulture Gary Heilig, MSU Extension educator. Any that aren’t harvested in the fall can be mulched and overwintered for spring harvest. Harvest roots when they reach 1 inch in diameter. Major pestsĭiseases: Alternaria and Cercospera Harvesting and storage Their longer growing period requires vigilance for weed management. They require consistent moisture, but are relatively untroubled by insect and disease pests. CareĬultural requirements for parsnips are very similar to those of carrots. Be careful not to let the soil dry out and crust during this period or the small seeds may have difficulty breaking through. Some gardeners sow radishes in the row as a marker crop and to help break soil crusting. Even at these temperatures, seeds may take three weeks or more to germinate. Seeds germinate best when soil temperatures are 50☏ to 70☏. Like carrots, parsnips like a deep, well-drained soil. Parsnips are one of the hardiest vegetables. Though a biennial, it is grown as an annual. Parsnips are a nutritious member of the carrot family, a source of vitamins B6 and C and potassium. It has a sweet, nutty flavor that enhances soups and stews. Parsnips are an under-appreciated vegetable, but devotees insist that few dishes are better than parsnips steamed, sliced and served with butter.

[tech-mobilereviews]

Best Deliciously Easy keto Recipes

                                       Introduction

The ketogenic diet or as like some people prefer to call it; the Keto diet or low carb diet is about consuming a lot of protein and fats but fewer carbs. This diet makes the body send the fats that we consume to the liver, which the latter transform it into energy to keep the body strong and active for a long time without feeling tired quickly.

The ketogenic diet or as like some people prefer to call it; the Keto diet or low carb diet is about consuming a lot of protein and fats but fewer carbs. This diet makes the body send the fats that we consume to the liver, which the latter transform it into energy to keep the body strong and active for a long time without feeling tired quickly.

The keto diet prevents you from consuming the lot for carbs that are the main reason of gaining weight because the sugar makes you hungry most of the time. When you consume carbs with small portions and focus more on protein and fat; your body doesn’t push you most of the time to eat; instead, it uses those fats to satisfy your hunger and keep you active.

If you are looking for a diet that will help you lose weight in a very short term, the ketogenic diet is the perfect diet for you because it not only helps you achieve great lean body; but also provides immense health benefits.

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The Benefits of The Ketogenic Diet

So far, there are a lot of great benefits of the keto diet, but no negative effects have appeared yet at all; which makes it the delicious diet that fits everybody. Here are other health benefits of keto diet:

1. Increases the level of HDL:

One of the best aspects of the ketogenic diet is that it increases the level of HDL in the body, which is the good cholesterol that helps in lowering the risk of heart diseases.

2. Helps in Alleviating Diabetes Type 2: 

By removing carbs from your daily meals, you say goodbye to sugar and insulin because your body already has what it needs, and you won’t have to be worried about what you eat.

3. Lowers Blood Pressure: 

High blood pressure is a catastrophe because it might lead to kidney failure, heart diseases, strokes... 

With this diet, you can say goodbye to all those worries and live a healthy life away from all those malignant diseases that threaten your life.

4. Gum Disease: 

Gum disease is one of the worst and most painful diseases which is commonly caused by the consumption of too much sugar. When you eliminate sugar from your daily meals, you can avoid gum diseases and toothaches. 

While on the keto diet, most of your diet will consist of foods high in fats coupled with a measured intake of proteins and low carbohydrate intake. Some of the food categories allowed in this diet include:

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1. Proteins

Poultry: Free-range Cornish hen, quail, goose, pheasant, chicken, duck, and turkey.

Fish and Seafood: Cod, tuna, scrod, anchovies, mackerel, flounder, catfish, trout, mahi-mahi, halibut, sole, sardines, salmon, halibut, snapper, and calamari. Always opt for wild caught fish to avoid toxins present in commercially reared fish.

Grass-fed Meat: These include beef, venison, goat, and lamb. Meat from wild animals are also acceptable; however, avoid sausages and meats that come with sugary sauces and those covered in breadcrumbs. Choose the chunks of meat with more fat since they contain less protein and more fat.

 Pork: Boston butt, pork chops, ham pork, and loin. When choosing ham, be on the lookout for added sugar. 

Bacon and Sausages: Preferably, you should buy these at specialty health food stores. If this is not possible, always read the labels to avoid those which contain fillers such as soy or sugars.

Canned Tuna and Salmon: Canned tuna and salmon are okay to consume while you are on the keto diet. However, avoid seafood rich in fillers, breaded seafood, and fried seafood. 

Vegetable Protein Powders: Protein supplements such as whey protein, hemp protein, pea, and rice are acceptable. 

Whole Eggs: This includes chicken eggs, and quail eggs which you can prepare through any mean desired; fried, soft or hard boiled, deviled, scrambled, or omelet style. 

Shellfish: Oyster, mussels, lobster, shrimp, crab (not imitation crab that contains additives), clams, scallops, and squid.

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2. Fats and Oils

Because these are your main sources of energy while you are on this diet, go for the types of fats and oils you enjoy. These may include:

* Omega 3 fatty acids from fish such as tuna, shellfish, and salmon

* Fish supplements or krill

* Monounsaturated fats such as egg yolks, avocado, and butter

* Vegetable oils such as olive oil, coconut oil

* Non-hydrogenated beef tallow, ghee, and lard.

* Duck and chicken fat

In order to make it easier to stick to this diet, be aware of which types of fat your body can tolerate. Many people seem to have zero or very low tolerance of vegetable oils and mayo. This may be a good thing because most of these oils are rich in omega 6 fatty acids - the kind that is bad for your body’s cholesterol levels.

In this case, work with the listed monounsaturated fats to reduce the inflammatory effect brought about by polyunsaturated fats. Nevertheless, work to balance both fats because you cannot survive on monounsaturated fats alone (You need a lot of fats and oils). Even then, avoid hydrogenated fats such as margarine to reduce the amount of trans-fats you eat.

3. Fresh Vegetables

For these foods, opt for organic ones or better yet, grow your own to avoid all pesticide toxins. Avoid starchy vegetables (corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, peas, and winter squash) that are high in carbs. Instead, opt for moderate intake of sweet vegetables (squashes, peppers, tomatoes, and carrots). Vegetables that make it to the list are:

Celery

Collard Greens 

Onions (high in sugar; moderate intake)  

Alfalfa Sprouts  

Beet Greens  

Broccoli  

Spinach 

Dandelion Greens 

Bamboo Shoots  

Cabbage 

Brussels sprouts  

Garlic 

Mushrooms  

Shallots 

Kale 

Bok Choy  

Sauerkraut  

Chives 

Celery Root  

Swiss chard  

Cauliflower  

Snow Peas 

Bean Sprouts  

Olives 

Cucumbers 

Salad greens and lettuces: Romaine, Arugula, Fennel, Bok Choy, Boston lettuce, Endive, Mache, Escarole, Sorrel, Radicchio, Chicory Water Chestnuts 

Turnips 

Scallions 

Dill Pickles 

Leeks 

Radishes  

Chard 

Asparagus

4. Dairy Products

Mascarpone cheese 

Unsweetened whole milk yogurt (limit intake of this type of yogurt because it is a little high in carbs) 

All soft and hard cheeses 

Cream cheese 

Full fat sour cream (do not forget to check for additives) 

Full fat cottage cheese 

Heavy whipping cream

In any case, always go for raw milk products and if you do not have easy access to them, go for the organic ones.

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5. Beverages

Bulletproof coffee 

Decaf Tea 

Flavored seltzer water 

Decaf coffee 

Water 

Herbal tea 

Lemon and lime juice (limit intake) 

Clear broth or bouillon

6. Nuts and Seeds

Nuts: almonds, macadamias, pecans, and walnuts are the nuts with the lowest level of carbs meaning you can consume them in small amounts. Other nuts such as chestnuts, pistachios, and cashews contain a higher amount of carbs; thus, you should carefully monitor their intake. Nuts are best soaked for some time before roasted. 

Nut flours: these are necessary because while you are on this diet, it does not mean baking no longer fits into your life. Nut flours such as almond flour will suffice.

7. Sweeteners

Some options include:

Erythritol 

Splendor-liquid 

Inulin and Chicory root 

Lo Han Guo 

Liquid Stevia  

Xylitol 

Swerve

8. Spices

Here are spices allowed on the keto diet:

Sea salt 

Peppermint 

Ginger 

Basil 

Chili pepper 

Cloves 

Thyme 

Cilantro or coriander seeds  

Rosemary 

Black pepper 

Cumin seeds 

Oregano  

Turmeric 

Cayenne pepper 

Cinnamon 

Mustard seeds 

Parsley 

Dill 

Sage

As you can see from the above very detailed list, keto diet is NOT a highly-restrictive dieting lifestyle, it also offers you a variety of foods to choose from; thus, you should not feel overwhelmed.

However, there are foods you should avoid to achieve optimal ketosis as your body makes the switch from using glucose to synthesizing fats for ketones.

In the next section, we shall outline the foods you should avoid:

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Achieving Optimal Ketosis: Foods to Avoid

If you stick to the food listed in the previous section, you do not have to worry about not achieving optimal ketosis. On the same note, as you increase intake of those foods, you should also be on the lookout for the following foods that may hinder ketosis:

Avoid all grains, whole meal included (rye, wheat, oats, barley, corn, millet, rice sorghum and buckwheat). Also, avoid all products made from grains; these include foods such as crackers, pasta, pizza, and cookies.

Avoid refined fats and oils like sunflower, canola, grape seed, corn oil, soybean, and Trans-fats such as margarine. 

Avoid milk (only full-fat raw milk is acceptable). For coffee, replace milk with reasonable amounts of cream. 

Avoid tropical fruits such as bananas, pineapples, mango papaya, etc., and some high carb fruit.

Avoid fruit juice.

Avoid factory-farmed pork and fish.

Avoid all artificial sweeteners containing Aspartame, Sucralose, Saccharine, etc.

Avoid alcoholic sweet drinks such as beer, and sweet wine

Avoid Soy products

Now that you know what to eat and what to avoid, is there a way to guarantee faster adoption of ketosis? The answer is yes. The following section illuminates such tips:

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How to Get Into Ketosis ‘Fast’: Invaluable Tips

It takes 48 hours to get into ketosis. To get there, you must correctly adapt the keto diet. Below are tips that should help you do just that and get your body into ketosis faster:

Tip 1: To get into ketosis faster, eat less than 20g of carbs a day. 

Tip 2: Drink water, about 100 ounces per day. Drink more to lose more. 

Tip 3: Purchase some Ketosis. Getting some validation that the diet is actually working will be a great motivation to keep you on a diet considering the intimidating nature of the first few days of the diet. 

Tip 4: Do not panic. Be aware of the keto flu coming your way. The dizziness, the irritability, and fatigue you will be feeling on the first three days may have you experiencing mood swings; but don’t give in just yet. Reward yourself with bacon and delicious keto friendly foods as you crave for carbs and sugars. The craving will disappear as long as you’re full. 

Tip 5: Consume more salt. This is really important. While on a keto diet, your body does not retain water as it normally would; hence, electrolytes like sodium quickly flush out of your body. Therefore, you need constant replenishing; otherwise, you will feel awful. As indicated earlier, opt for sea salt. 

Tip 6: Never open the door to hunger. When you feel the tiniest bit of a hunger pang, immediately eat high-fat low-carb foods. The moment you get too hungry, it forms the temptation pathway. Remember: go simple. Do not over plan things because when you do, you may end up making everything strict and less fun. The keto diet is fun; keep it so. 

Tip 7: Remember: this is not a high protein diet. The keto diet is high fat, low carb, and moderate protein diet. Moderate is the key word here. 

Tip 8: Embrace the fat. Eat fat to lose fat that is your new motto. Do not shy away from the fat because it is your ticket to a healthier you.

Common Keto Diet Mistakes You Should Avoid 

Nobody is perfect, and no diet is perfect. As you adopt this diet for good health and weight loss, you are bound to make several mistakes; this is normal. The best way to avoid, or minimize the effects of mistakes is by learning and preparing for common mistakes. Below is a list of common keto diet mistakes dieters make:

Eating Too Many Carbs 

There is no exact definition of what ‘low carb’ means. Some would say it is simply anything under 100 to 150 grams a day simply because they get amazing results with this range. However, this may be excessive if your aim is to have plenty of ketones in your bloodstream. Most keto dieters go for under 50-grams of carbs per day to get into optimal ketosis. Anything beyond that is termed as excessive.

Eating Too Much Protein 

Remember: the keto diet is all about protein moderation.

Impatience 

As you adopt a keto diet, you need patience: patience to get into ketosis and patience to adapt to ketosis. Understand that previously, your body’s main source of energy was carbs; now, it has to adapt to a new source of energy, fats. The body requires time to do this; therefore, be patient.

Obsessing Over The Scale 

The number on your weigh scale should not determine your keto diet success. Let this be the least of your worries. Just live life and enjoy your diet. Weight loss will happen; do yourself a favor and keep away from that scale.

Not Eating Enough Fats 

The unrestricted consumption of fats may seem excessive. However, the keto diet is a high-fat diet. Just trust keto and enjoy the fat. However, you should eat the right kind of fats, preferably monounsaturated and saturated fats.

Eating Processed Keto’ Foods 

When you are on a keto diet, always think about it this way: the intention is to eat natural ingredients and not foods that come in wrappers such as Atkins bars and Quest bars. Although you can occasionally eat these, the idea is for a large portion of your diet (we are talking about 70-80% of your entire diet) to consist of natural ingredients.

Being After A Quick Fix 

If this is your aim, do not start the diet. The Keto diet is more of a lifestyle change than a short-term diet plan. Dropping a few pounds and then going back to your normal bad eating habits will be a waste of time.

Indecisiveness 

Half-heartedly adopting the keto diet could be the worst thing you could do to yourself because you are just wasting time. If you are not all in, you will not survive through the temporary effects that come with adopting the diet. Decide on what you want and think of everything you will gain by going keto to keep you motivated.

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Product Information

Our custom meal plan service was designed to help men and women all over the world turn their lives around and take charge of their health and figure.

The custom keto diet is a brand new product that allows someone to create their very own keto diet plan based on their food preferences, daily activity levels, height, weight and target weight goals.

We use scientific research and proven studies to create personalized ketogenic diet plans that maximize fat burning via the correct calories and macronutrients for each individual.

The customers keto diet plan is available to access immediately after payment.

Here’s what they will get:

An eight-week meal plan created based on the expertise of certified nutritionists, personal trainers, and chefs.

Meals that have calorie and macronutrient content tailored to their specific situation and goals.

A nutrition plan with food variety to ensure they will get a wide range of nutrients and boost the likelihood of sticking to their diet.

Meals that are based on personal food preferences to make their diet enjoyable and help them stay on track with their plan.

Detailed recipes with step-by-step instructions to make meal preparation super simple (no prior cooking experience needed).

A downloadable shopping list each week that details every needed ingredient they will need in the upcoming seven days.

Options on how they can customize every meal even more to suit your taste buds.

We’ll show them what to eat every day to reach their goals in the fastest and most enjoyable way.

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[etlunainmorte]

❄❄❄

***

*German Christmas Goose ( Weihnachtsgans )*

Total - 2 hours and 30 minutes

Prep - 30 minutes

Cook - 2 hours

Yield - 4 servings

*Ingredients

For the Goose:

4 1/2 - pound goose ( cleaned and dressed, no gizzards )

Dash salt ( or to taste )

Dash pepper ( or to taste )

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 apples ( peeled, cored, and quartered )

1 small onion ( cut lengthwise into 1/4 - inch - wide strips )

1 tablespoon salt ( mixed with 1 cup water )

For the Gravy:

2 tablespoons goose drippings

2 tablespoons all - purpose flour

1 ( 14 - ounce ) can chicken broth ( or homemade chicken stock )

Optional: salt

Optional: pepper

Optional: dried thyme

*Steps To Make It

Note: while there are multiple steps to this recipe, this dish is broken down into workable categories to help you better plan for preparation and cooking.

*Make the Goose

1. Gather the Ingredients.

2. Heat oven to 350 F.

3. Wash and dry the goose, like you would a chicken or turkey. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and thyme inside the cavity and fill with apple quarters and onions. If they don’t all fit, you can cook them alongside the goose in a small, buttered dish.

4. Mix 1 tablespoon salt with 1 cup of water and pour that into the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the roasting rack on top. Pierce the goose skin in several places to let the fat drip out as it cooks.

5. Put the goose, breast - side down, on the roasting rack and place in oven for 50 minutes. Use the salt water mixture to baste the goose several times during this period. Add more water to drip pan if necessary. Turn the goose over onto its back and cook, basting as needed, for 50 minutes.

6. Let the goose rest for 5 minutes as you make the gravy.

*Make the Gravy

1. Gather the ingredients.

2. Mix 2 tablespoons of the fat drippings with 2 tablespoons flour in a small saucepan and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring well after each addition. Add salt, pepper, and thyme, if desired, to taste. Keep warm.

3. Serve the goose and gravy with canned peach halves decorated with currant jelly ( if you don't want to make currant jelly or can't find it prepared, cranberry sauce is a fine substitute ), buttered Brussels sprouts, potato croquettes ( or mashed potatoes ), and the cooked apples and onions.

***

❄ Three Wishes ❄

***

V

***

A plump, elderly woman with very gentle and motherly features clapped her hands and addressed everyone in the room. "Let's get to work, everyone!"

"Let's go, V." You told the poet as you motioned for him to follow you into one of the classrooms.

At first, V didn't understand it when you said you needed someone to play the violin during a book reading session. But, now, he understood. Turned out you're working as a teacher in a kindergarten a few blocks away from Avery's mansion. 

Well, for one thing, V could totally imagine you spending your time around lots of children who adore you and play a lot with you. He felt you were just that perfect kind of person in this type of working environment: warm, caring, protective, nurturing,...

... loving,...

I wonder how she would be like as a mother of,...?

"Here it is." V was brought back from his musings and reverie when you handed him your partner's violin, which you were carefully carrying.

The poet examined the instrument and hummed in satisfaction. But, then,...

"I have a question." V quietly asked.

You hummed in question as you positioned yourself in front of the cabinet piano.

"Why did she leave this here?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean, this instrument. This actually looks," He muttered, once again looking at the delicate instrument in his hands. " ... very well taken care of. I can't imagine someone just leaving an instrument like this here."

"Oh, you're a keen observer." You answered as you took out the sheet music you bought from the music store with V from your (F/C) hand bag. "My partner never really tells me anything too personal, actually. But, one day, she just,... I don't know,... kind of became depressed.

"She stopped practicing the violin, which was affecting our work in a way. I wanted to help her so, I asked. And you know what she said? She just said, it's hard to love someone who could never love you back, you know? I actually never knew if she had a boyfriend, or not but, all I know is that there was this really tall guy with white hair who used to visit her. Then, for some reason, he stopped visiting her. A day later after we talked, she asked for a short break. And, here we are!

"It was kind of intriguing, really." You said as you shrugged your shoulders. 

“It sure is.” V answered as he thought of the violin’s owner, who must be tending to a broken heart as of the moment. "Love can do many things to you. It could lift you up to the highest of heavens, and one wrong move, it could drop you to ground without you ever knowing it."

“Then, she must have one heck of a fall from the highest of heavens.”

"Hmm. Well," V replied as he plucked the strings of the instrument to check how much it was off tune. " ... who am I to judge?"

"Yeah, me too." You sighed, allowing yourself to slouch as some unsavory experiences regarding that stupid thing called love came back to haunt you. Forcefully pushing those thoughts aside, you sat up straight and hit the C note on the piano. "Let's practice, V."

A few hours later, the place began filling up with excited little children in cute, fluffy sweaters together with their parents. The faculty members, which consisted of the kindergarten's headmistress called Sister Christina ( the retired catechist from Germany who cooked most of the meals for the feast later on ), the teachers Alicia ( a sweet young lady from Spain who did the colorful and really festive decorations ) and Natasha ( a very tall, very lovely and very haughty - looking Russian who made the desserts ), you ( the music teacher ), together with the invited guests V ( who was honestly overwhelmed by the presence of all these adorable little children ), Avery ( who took a day off from work just to participate in the event ), and Nico ( who was doing something pretty suspicious in her van together with Griffon and Shadow ) all greeted the children and parents and made them gather in one of the classrooms. The program started off with a prayer by Sister Christina, followed by a simple, little opening speech from Alicia. 

V watched in awe as the little children ( now wearing cute costumes ) performed with so much energy. Some of them danced ( there was this adorable little number from a group of sugar plum fairy princesses and a fawn prince ), some of them sang ( he couldn't help but smile as they did a Christmas medley of Hark The Herald Angels Sing, Away In A Manger, and Joy To The World ), and some of them even acted out some scenes from Frozen, playing as its popular characters ( the most famous act was the one from, of course, Elsa the Ice Queen ).

And then, there was this little boy ( who was in his early nineties costume ) who came forward and simply bowed down. A resounding aww was heard all over the place from both parents and teachers, and when he took a deep, exaggerated breath, everything went silent.

"The Lamb." The little boy announced with his clear voice, then bowed once more. It surely perked up V's interest in an instant, being a huge fan of William Blake, himself.

Blake at such a young age?��He thought with such admiration. How commendable!

"Little Lamb who made thee, dost thou know who made thee? Gave thee life and bid thee feed. By the stream and o'er the mead."

"Aww, how cute is that?" V heard you whisper next to him.

The little boy went on. "Gave thee clothing of delight, softest clothing woo - "

"Woo?" You whispered, realizing that the child was probably forgetting the poem.

The poor boy shook his head and tried to recite once more. "Gave thee clothing of delight, softest clothing woo,... wool,... wooloo,... "

"Wooloo?" Avery, who was sitting on the floor right next to you, questioned. "Isn't that a Pokémon?"

"Oh, no!" V saw you awkwardly divert your eyes as you were unable to bear the situation. 

"Gave thee clothing of delight, softest clothing woo,... wooloo,... " The little boy tried once more to recite. He was about to give up as he became more and more frustrated with his inability to pronounce the word properly, until his eyes landed on V, who was smiling at him while pointing at his own lips. And as the little boy looked at V, he noticed the way he was forming his lips, like he was saying something,...

Woo,... lee,... V mouthed. 

The smart child picked up on this immediately and went on with his poetry. "Gave thee clothing of delight, softest clothing wooly bright."

The crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief as the boy finally remembered the lines. Smiling wide from ear to ear, he went on, "Gave thee such a tender voice, making all the vales rejoice! Little Lamb who made thee, dost thou know who made thee?"

Cheers erupted from the crowd as the little boy finished his recital. After the little program, everyone proceeded to the canteen to partake of the feast that was prepared for all of them, the German Christmas Goose dish that was lovingly made by Sister Christina being the center of attention ( it was very well noted how Griffon felt horrified looking at the poultry meal on the table, which made Nico almost collapse in wild laughter ).

About two hours of feasting later, all the guests were gathered into the same classroom, this time, for the book reading session that you and V were preparing for.

The story was about Little Red Riding Hood, and how she escaped the wolf who pretended to be her grandmother to eat her. And the main protagonist was played by none other than Avery, herself.

"One morning," Alicia read as you started playing simple notes on the piano. " ... Little Red Riding Hood asked her mother if she could go to visit her grandmother as it had been awhile since they'd seen each other. That's a good idea! her mother said. So they packed a nice basket for Little Red Riding Hood to take to her grandmother. When the basket was ready, the little girl put on her red cloak and kissed her mother goodbye.

"Remember, go straight to Grandma's house, her mother cautioned. Don't dawdle along the way and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous.

"Don't worry, mommy, said Little Red Riding Hood, I'll be careful. But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she forgot her promise to her mother. She picked a few, watched the butterflies flit about for awhile, listened to the frogs croaking and then picked a few more. Little Red Riding Hood was enjoying the warm summer day so much, that she didn't notice a dark shadow approaching out of the forest behind her,...

"Suddenly, the wolf appeared beside her!"

The little children, who gathered around Alicia, gasped in fright as Shadow, who was strangely, and yet cleverly, disguised as a wolf, appeared and growled. The overall tense atmosphere of the book reading session was amplified by V's skillfully ominous violin playing.

"What are you doing out here, little girl? The wolf asked in a voice as friendly as he could muster." Alicia went on as V played the violin.

"I'm on my way to see my Grandma who lives through the forest, near the brook." Avery replied. 

"Then she realized how late she was and quickly excused herself, rushing down the path to her Grandma's house." Alicia read. "The wolf, in the meantime, took a shortcut. The wolf, a little out of breath from running, arrived at Grandma's and knocked lightly at the door."

"Oh, thank goodness dear! Come in, come in!" Griffon, who was ridiculously dressed in gingham clothing and a pair of glasses to look like a grandma, acted out as he waited in his makeshift prop bed in one corner of the room. Then, with slight frustration, he whispered, "How the fuck did I end up dressed like this?"

"Ya, stupid chicken!" Nico, who was positioned behind the bed and hidden from the viewers, whispered savagely as she kicked the wooden prop, making Griffon squawk. "Ye're pretendin' to be a grandma, right?!"

"Oh, sheesh! Right! Ah," projecting his voice once more as he made it sound like an elderly woman, he spoke, " ... I was worried sick that somethin' had happened to ya in the forest."

"Said Grandma thinking that the knock was from her granddaughter." Alicia went on. "The wolf let himself in! Poor Granny did not have time to say another word, before the wolf gobbled her up!"

"Watch out, granny goose! The wolf is gonna eat you!" One of the children screamed and pointed as Shadow attacked Griffon and used her powers to swallow the screaming ( and swearing ) demonic bird whole.

"Nice effects!" Complimented one of the parents. "I wonder how they did that,..."

"The wolf let out a satisfied burp, and then poked through Granny's wardrobe to find a nightgown that he liked. He added a frilly sleeping cap, and for good measure, dabbed some of Granny's perfume behind his pointy ears." Alicia read as Shadow did all those things that she just mentioned. "A few minutes later, Red Riding Hood knocked on the door.  The wolf jumped into bed and pulled the covers over his nose."

"Who is it?" This time, someone from the faculty was voicing the wolf, and not Alicia, and it sounded suspiciously strange for a female teacher. It almost sounded like someone's husky - voiced middle - aged aunt,...

"It's me, Little Red Riding Hood." Avery acted.

"Oh, how lovely! Do come in, my dear," croaked Shadow.

"When Little Red Riding Hood entered the little cottage, she could scarcely recognize her Grandmother." Alicia read as you and V stopped playing for a while, plunging the whole classroom in silence.

"Grandmother! Your voice sounds so odd. Is something the matter?" Avery asked.

"Oh, I just have touch of a cold." Squeaked Shadow, adding a cough at the end to prove the point.

"But, Grandmother! What big ears you have!" Said Avery, exaggerating each word, as she edged closer to the bed.

"The better to hear you with, my dear." Replied Shadow.

"But, Grandmother! What big eyes you have!"

"The better to see you with, my dear."

"But, Grandmother! What big teeth you have!" Said Avery, making her voice quiver slightly.

"The better to eat you with, my dear!" Roared Shadow and she leapt out of the bed and began to chase Avery, making the little children yell excitedly as you and V began playing once more.

"Help! Wolf!" Avery, who was suppressing her laughter, pretended to cry as she ran around the room away from Shadow, who was doing a pretty good job of being a wolf.

"I'm here!" Nico, who was dressed as the woodsman, appeared from behind the makeshift bed and chased after Shadow. She grabbed the familiar and made her spit out poor Griffon ( now soaked in Shadow's saliva ) who was a bit frazzled by the whole experience, but still in one piece. Fortunately.

"Oh, Grandma, I was so scared!" Avery sobbed. "I'll never speak to strangers or dawdle in the forest ever again."

"There, there, child." Griffon, who still somehow managed to act despite his coughing fits, croaked. "Ye've learned an important lesson. Thank goodness ya shouted loud enough for this fuckin' woodsman to hear ya!"

"Was that fuck just now?" One of the parents whispered.

"No! You must've misheard it." Another answered. "This is a classroom! No one's allowed to swear."

"Oh, you're right! It must be an old English word from the medieval times."

Nico pretended to knock Shadow out with her prop axe and carried her away from the classroom.

"Little Red Riding Hood and her Grandmother had a nice lunch and a long chat." Alicia read. "And they lived happily ever after. The end."

The children and the parents applauded as the characters, along with Alicia, you, and V, all bowed. The book reading session was, then, followed by gift giving, and after that, you were called in front to perform one last thing on the piano.

"Hailing from the uber romantic city that is Paris, the winner of the 73rd annual European piano concours last October," Avery announced proudly. " ... I give to you - my cousin, (Y/N)."

V watched as you shyly took a seat in front of the piano once more and positioned the music sheet in the music rack. Then, with beautiful and skillful fingers, you started playing.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are." The children excitedly sang as they gathered around you in utter curiosity as you played the simple tune.

However, it was anything but. As the music progressed, V found out how complex the piece really was. It was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, after all. It looked really difficult, indeed. Despite that, he saw how you smiled as you performed.

He saw how eager and excited you were to play for the children.

And it warmed his heart.

When it was almost time to go, Shadow and Griffon made one selfless and surprising move to serve as petting animals for the children, a Christmas treat courtesy of them.

"Hey, do those creatures kinda look dangerous?" The confused parent from earlier asked.

"Hmm, I don't think so." The parent next to him answered. "They're not biting the kids, anyway."

"Oh, you're right."

"Wait, they're battery operated!" Another parent chimed in.

"How did you know that?"

"Animals can't speak."

"Okay, gentle lads and lasses, one hug at a time!" Griffon announced, trying to be heard amidst little, excited voices and numerous, itty bitty hands. "Ouch! Don't pull a tail feather! Sheesh, calm down! I'm not a Thanksgiving turkey!"

"Did you tell them to do that?" You asked V as you watched the scene with total interest.

"Hmm, actually, no." V answered as he savored this moment to be close to you.

"Such a good child." That husky middle - aged aunt voice from earlier spoke, startling both you and V.

"Who was that?" V, who was still looking at the scene before him, asked as he crossed his arms and knitted his eyebrows.

"I have no idea." You answered. You were just as baffled as him with this whole mystery voice thing that was using Shadow as a -

"I have never been hugged by master V before!"

V's eyes darted to his familiars just in time when he saw one little girl hugging Shadow like she was a huge stuffed animal.

"So soft and cuddly!" The little girl said, then kissed Shadow on the forehead. "Thank you so much, big kitty!"

"Why, thank you, little girl." The mysterious voice answered. "And Merry Christmas to you, darling."

"My turn to hug the big kitty!" The little boy, who recited Blake earlier, came forward and engulfed Shadow in a bear hug.

"Oh! And Merry Christmas to you, too, little lad." The voice greeted just in time when V saw something tied around Shadow's neck - a red ribbon with a little, golden bell dangling from it like a dog tag. "My master is truly pleased with your William Blake recital."

Shadow's voice acting earlier,...

The voice greeting the children,...

That little bell dangling from the red ribbon tied around Shadow's neck,...

Could it mean,...

Could it be - ?!

Is it even possible?!

***

❄ Special thanks to @la-vita for suggesting the Christmas Goose Dish. ❄

❄ @clevermentalitybeliever , @v-vic , and @birdgirl69 .❄

***

❄❄❄

***

[lemonsandstrawberries]

Family Style

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony), MCU 

summary:  The Avengers are preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for all their friends and family and the captains of the team decide to sneak out for some alone time.

length: 1 293 words

a/n: Happy Thanksgiving! I am European, so we don’t celebrate it, but this prompt was so perfect to turn into an Autumn-Thanksgiving fic I had to write it like this. and we need more happy time for Avengers, so yeah. hope you will like it!

——————–

Family Style

Pling.

"Ready!" Natasha turned the oven off. "Thor! Can you take it out?"

"Ay," sporting the biggest and brightest smile on his face, the god of thunder walked to Natasha in bold steps, his hands proudly clad in oven mitts with an image of a turkey with a colorful feathery tail embroidered into the material. He opened the oven and the small kitchen filled up quickly with an amazing scent of roasted vegetables and meat. "Ah, a feast fit for the kings," Thor beamed holding a tray with a massive, golden turkey, big enough to feed at least ten people. In reality, it was supposed to feed more, but there was so much food, no one would leave Clint's farmhouse hungry.

"Just don't cut it yet, it needs to rest," Bruce called, straining the gravy, making sure it would be lump free and velvety smooth. All Avengers were helping in the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner. Wanda and Vision were setting up the table, putting the food out, Clint went to his cellar, looking for some homemade apple cider and cherry liquor for dessert, while Bruce was putting finishing touches on every dish.

"Hey, how many plates do we need?" Wanda popped her head into the kitchen.

"Uhm, let's see - Scott is coming with his family, May and Peter, Peter's friends, T'Challa and Shuri, Strange, Wong, Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, Sam, Bucky, our eight… Just give everyone a plate and put like twenty nearby," Natasha advised. In addition to all the food the Avengers prepared, including Steve's apple pie, various braised meats in Asgardian spices prepared by Thor, roasted brussels sprouts according to Bruce's secret recipe that didn't make them taste awful, but sweet and crunchy, three types of stuffing the recipes for Vision found online, and, of course, the main star of the event, the turkey, all guests offered to bring some homemade dishes. Shuri promised something special, (although Thanksgiving was not celebrated in Wakanda, the royal siblings still got an invitation which they gladly accepted) and everyone was curious what it could be, most of them never tasting Wakandan cuisine, while Peter personally warned everyone about May's famous walnut and date meatloaf - just give it a taste, hum in delight and spit it out when she won't be looking.

"Nat, are the potatoes done?" Bruce asked, helping Wanda gather the utensils and plates and bowls. Luckily, Tony was on top of that and made sure to order everything needed.

"I thought Steve wanted to make potatoes," Natasha pointed out, looking at the stove and a massive pot where whole potatoes were gently simmering. Somehow, Steve was very demanding when it came to mashed potatoes - they had to be fluffy, properly salted and have the perfect balance of milk and butter. They were perfect each year and Steve never allowed anyone else to prepare the side dish. Maybe because mashed potatoes with gravy were unofficially one of Tony's favorite Thanksgiving dishes, one he couldn't get enough of and always filled up his plate to the brim and Steve wanted to treat his boyfriend, serving him the finest mashed potatoes in the USA.

"Don't count on it," Clint said, walking in heavy footsteps out of the cellar, holding a crate with bottles of apple cider, "I saw him and Tony escaping into the field, laughing and skipping. They better not mess up with my crops."

Natasha smiled to the words, and maybe she should dart outside and drag her teammates back, but she had enough help as it was. The captains of the Avengers team deserved a break. "Okay, people!" Natasha clasped in her hands, disciplining the team. "We have an hour left to make this perfect, all hands on board!"

There was a collective call of agreement (and an 'ay' from Thor) and the Avengers resumed their preparations of a family style Thanksgiving for a very unusual family.

The farmhouse was located out of the city, among trees and endless green fields stretching for miles. Autumn was already present and there was some cold wind blowing the colorful leaves around and hinting on upcoming winter, and carrying laughter. The source of laughter was Tony, wrapped in a faux leather coat and waving a blue scarf like a trophy, chased by Steve in a warm blue sports jacket and a black beanie, clearly missing a scarf. Tony was running, his eyes shining and cheeks colored from the cold, hiding behind the trees with the biggest smile on his face and Steve was following, play growling and searching for his boyfriend. It was a classic game of cat and mouse, something both of them wouldn't do back in New York, but here, in the opened field, alone, and surrounded by nature they felt playful as never before.

"AAH!" Tony screamed when out of nowhere, he was hoisted up and tossed into a crisp pile of leaves, Steve diving right after him. There was more laughter, more screaming and their voices were echoing in the empty field.

"Give it back!"

"Why?! You are already all wintered up as it is! You possibly can't be cold!"

"Tony, come on!"

"No, enjoy the wind on your neck!"

Laughing and wrestling, Steve managed to get his scarf back. He trapped Tony more in the leaves and wrapped the scarf around Tony's exposed neck and to complete the picture, he took off his beanie, pulling it on his boyfriend's head, ignoring the protests that he was ruining the carefully planned hairstyle.

"And now you won't get sick," Steve said, sounding pleased and leaned in to place a delicate peck on the dark and cold lips, warming them up.

"Spoilsport," Tony complained in a whiny voice, that didn't reflect in his bright smile.

"I am just looking after you! Your nose is really cold," Steve justified himself, pinching Tony's button nose and squeezing it between his thumb and forefinger.

"AH! Stop it!" Tony protested, laughing more, the hold on his nose making his voice sound funny, almost duck-like. With a laugh on his own, Steve let go and looked at his boyfriend with a loving smile, as the silence was stretching between them, filled with little puffs of breath coming out as white swirls and soft, mutual looks.

"Autumn colors suit you," Steve said with love, brushing both hands at Tony's cold cheeks and kissing him over and over again. Tony's olive complexion seemed to be glowing and the warm colors of the leaves were bringing out golden reflexes in the brown eyes.

Tony smiled, laid down on a canvas of red, yellow and orange. "And you look good in blue," Tony said back, meaning not the jacket, but the clear sky above them, acting as a background from Tony's point of view. The sky never was so flawlessly clear and bright in the middle of busy New York and Steve presented himself especially beautiful, his hair appearing almost gold in the sunlight and the pink of his lips becoming a lovely rosy color from the cold and kisses.

They just wanted to stay here. Under the trees, in the leaves, kissing and warming each other up until the sunset and watch the sky turn dark so they could look at the stars together. The team would understand.

Steve gasped, drawing himself away suddenly. "POTATOES!" he bellowed, dreading what would happen if he won't be the one preparing them. Thanksgiving would be ruined, for sure.

"Just come here," Tony laughed and urged Steve, pulling him back into the leaves and on himself, demanding more affection. Eventually, they would have to go back and celebrate with their team and friends in cheerful chaos, but before that, some things needed to be celebrated slowly and in peace and in private.

[battersbybrooklyn]

Sides with pork chops

There are many side dishes for pork chops. Traditional comfort foods like mashed potatoes and gravy work well with pork chops. For health conscious diners, try roasted vegetables, such as carrots and butternut squash. Besides that, you can even make a delicious dessert. Here are some easy and quick recipes. You will love them all. But if you want something healthier, you can serve the pork chops with a fruit salad or baked corn pudding.

For side dishes, try a simple salad, such as a green bean, arugula, and clementine toss. This dish goes particularly well with seared pork. Plus, it's surprisingly easy to prepare. It's also great with any light protein, and the clementine goes well with pork. But if you want to go beyond the classics, you can try some more inventive sides.

For a change, you can try a crunchy version of a salad. This recipe pairs apples and spinach with tender pork chops. It also adds a bit of savoriness to the meat. If you're not a heavy eater, stop reading now. Fried rice is the only side dish for pork chops that should be eaten with these chops. It is not only good with pork, but with just about any type of meat.

If you prefer a side dish that is simple and cheap to prepare, you might want to consider serving some green goddess lettuce wraps with your pork chops. They can be made by mixing together garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Then, they can be popped into the oven to bake for about half an hour. That way, they can stay warm and healthy without sacrificing flavor.

Brussel sprouts are another great side dish for pork chops. They are versatile and have a mild flavor that works well with most meats. They can also be served with vegetables. Sauteed spinach, for example, is a wonderful side dish for pork chops. You can serve them hot or cold, depending on your mood. The vegetables can also be eaten as a snack. But you need to plan ahead so that you can eat enough food.

Fried tomatoes are another option. These are easily made at home. They are dredged in breadcrumbs and then fried in oil. Often served with pork chops, fried tomato sides are a great accompaniment to pork chops. If you want to serve them with a side dish, you should make them at least one day before serving. It is best to choose sides that are light and go well with pork chops.

Creamy potato salad is one of the best side dishes for pork chops. It is an easy recipe that includes mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, paprika, celery seed, and shredded cheddar cheese. It can be made the day before, but you should make them at least one day before the dinner to ensure you have enough time to prepare them. If you want a light side dish, you can try a fresh tomato salad.

Sauteed mushrooms are another perfect side dish for pork chops. These tasty side dishes pack several nutrients into each bite. You can serve them as an appetizer or as a full meal side dish. You can also add sauteed mushrooms to your pork chops as a side dish. You can find plenty of delicious recipes for pork chops online. You can try them at home and then share them with your friends and family.

Aside from potatoes, a wide variety of side dishes for pork chops are a must-have at any dinner party. The right side dishes can make a meal more memorable. By making sure that all of the ingredients are in your pantry, you can keep the pork chops moist and juicy. They will taste better when they are prepared with the right side dishes. It also gives them a more complete flavor.

You can also serve them with side dishes. Macaroni and cheese are heavy and filling and make the perfect side dish for pork chops. You can also add mashed potatoes to the dinner to complement the meat. If you want to serve fried pork chops, try using fried rice and apples. These are both low-maintenance options, but you can get creative with your choices. Regardless of the occasion, you will be sure to find the best sides for your pork chops.

View more: https://www.battersbybrooklyn.com/side-dishes-for-pork-chops/

[loadedliterature-blog]

Recipes to follow at the bottom.

Roasted Chicken with Oranges, Brussels Sprouts, and Green Olives

Stuffed Artichokes

Butternut Squash Soup

Fruit Salad

Macaron Tree

Can-died Pears

Crimson Thread and Menage Trois wines

Reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, I was a bit daunted by how to create a menu in theme with the book. In a dystopian society, what do they eat? How do they eat? How do they cook? Thankfully, Miss Anya Spector came to my rescue. “Why don’t we do a Birth Day Party?” Duh. A Birth Day Party. Though this is an oppressive society, they seem to splurge when it comes to the day their Handmaid’s gave birth. This fact opened up options for me. Here, I want to explain my research, as well as my choices for the menu for this week. The three stages in this process are as follows: research, prep, and cooking.

1. Research

The background of the book is a bit vague. We don’t really learn what happened to the US until page 174 of the Anchor Books edition. I tried to mark down any mention of food, but I also found a list on the website Bookmenus.com. There were many foods mentioned, but the most mentioned were oranges and coffee. Because Anya Spector and I live on coffee, this would automatically make the menu. It is now tradition to begin a recording session with a strong cup. Oranges, however, stumped me. I knew we should do a luncheon, but what savory options would be included?

That’s when I found an interview with the production crew of the new Hulu TV adaptation. A lot of research went into making decisions of what to include in grocery stores like Loves and Fishes in the show. Production designer Julie Berghoff said to a Marie Clare writer visiting set, “Every piece of fruit had a thought process behind it—when she gets oranges, the implication is, ‘Okay, they conquered Florida.’ If they had artichokes, it meant they conquered California. The evolution of Gilead was always in mind.” So that was it. Oranges and artichokes were enough inspiration to start a menu.

In Gilead, there seems to be a black market where rich wives can find luxury gifts, from cosmetics and lotions, to exotic cheeses and canned goods. Following the logic of Berghoff, assuming Florida and California had been conquered, and the Marthas had access to their agriculture, as well as some black market items, they could create a bountiful Birth Day banquet, fit for a Gilead luncheon.

One thing that stood out to me in the books was that cooking had become a bit more pure. No longer are there processed, pre-made foods in Gilead. Everything is homemade, so that was something that we wanted to emphasize in our own work… Not that we’ve actually served anything store bought other than the Harry Potter Candy. However, the homemade bread from P&P, and homemade macarons are very different. Everything to follow is made by us.

2. Preperation

Because I agreed to make quite a big spread for this book, my preparation began days before our actual recording. Quick tip: most soups can be made in advance and frozen! Almost all soups have a base that can be separated and frozen, while garnish can be made the day-of.

So I made the soup first. Butternut squash is hard, so make sure you have a sharp knife, sharp peeler, and strong grip. When roasting, make sure you dice vegetables as uniform as possible for even cooking. Metal spoons work wonders at scraping out squash. Save the pulp for a squash bread, especially pumpkins. The seeds can be roasted and salted for a healthy snack! When roasting the squash (see recipe below) toss roasting vegetables in the combination canola oil and EVOO. This mixture lowers the smoke point and help avoid over caramelizing the vegetables. Then I place a small piece of butter at each end of the roasting sheet for the nutty browned butter flavor. Finally, just barely cover the roasted vegetables with vegetable broth. You can always add more, you can’t take it out. However, if your soup becomes more like a puree, thin with more broth. Remember the more you thin, the less seasoning it will have so be sure to continue to taste. Separate into servings and freeze for freshest taste. Thaw the morning-of.

Next I prepped the artichokes. Artichokes have a low yield, so we try our best to avoid cutting the yield down further by wasting much of the plant. Cut the stems off to make the artichokes sit flat on a cutting board. Next cut tips off, at least an inch and a half down the artichoke. Trim the other untrimmed leaves with kitchen sears. Soak in water with fresh squeezed lemons, and be sure to rub the leaves and stem in lemon to prevent discoloration. I’m soaking mine for half a day. When they are done,  I will steam them until the are tender, around half an hour. The day of the book club meeting, I will stuff them and roast them.

For the chicken, the oranges can be sliced the day before. Beware! You will smell like oranges all damn day. The Brussels Sprouts can also be cleaned. I tear the outside leaves off the sprouts, cut the stems off, and slice them in half. Store in water and lemon to prevent discoloration. The chicken can also be cleaned and trussed the night before. Run under cold water, and pat dry. Stuff with garlic cloves, onion halves, lemon and orange halves. Truss chicken to prevent the stuffing falling out.  Rub in butter. Salt and pepper the chicken just before it is cooked. Pan sear for a beautiful golden brown color. For the gravy, make sure you pre-make the veloute base (blonde roux with stock, reduce until thickened. Skim the scum it creates to reduce floury flavor!). Mix veloute base with drippings and reduce.

Finally the fruit. For your fruit salad, make sure you have a good arrangement of fruit. Too many tart fruits together will make your mouth turn inside out (i.e. pineapple, oranges, grapes, green apples, raspberries…). Instead, mix with softer flavors like strawberries, red apples, melons, etc. For the “can”-died pears, we’re using canned fruit so it is already soft. Don’t overcook these, or they will turn to mush. You only want to heat these up. Immediately mix in the butter with spices. Finish with the whiskey. Be careful! Any time you are cooking with a high-alcohol content liquor, there is a chance it will go up in flames! This is called flambe. Don’t panic if it happens. Enjoy the pretty colors! Alcohol burns off very quickly. As long as it stays in the pan, you are safe. If you try to fling it into the sink, you risk spilling it on something that will actually catch fire. Instead, tend it carefully and it will go out.

**Macaron vs Macaroon

Okay let us get one thing straight. There is a difference between these two cookies, so let me educate y’all. For this podcast, Hale graciously cooked us macarons and we put them on a painted foam tree for pictures. However, many people will think they are macaroons, which would be untrue. Many of you may know the double-O Macaroon. This meringue cookie is popular in the US during Passover, and to understand that you need to understand the history of the cookie and how the French macaron became the coconut macaroon you find in cookie tins.

So the “French” Macaron actually came from Sicily (shout out to my fellow Sicilian co-host Hale).  Macaron is actually related to the Italian word ammaccare, meaning “to crush.” This relationship probably refers to the act of crushing almonds into powder, the process necessary for your perfect French Macaron. However, until the 18th century, the cooks in the United States could not get their hands on many nuts or nut powders. Instead they substituted potato starch for a bit of texture, and substituted coconuts for almonds or other nuts, which were more perishable. Because the cookie has no leavening agent, they are considered acceptable for Passover! Thus, we have tins of chocolate dipped coconut macaroons for Passover in the US! However similar in history these cookies are, in the 18th century with the rise of French cuisine, these cookies deviated from each other. Though both are egg white meringue based cookies, the “flour” used is quite different. The French style is said to be more tedious and particular. Below you will see the difference between the coconut macaroon and the French macaron, respectively.

3. Cooking and Final Product

Roasted Chicken with Oranges, Olives, and Brussels Sprouts:

Ingredients:

Whole chicken (for 3-4 people)

3 Oranges

2 Cans Olives

1 lb Bussels Sprouts halved

1 Small Onion

Butter/Oil

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Process:

Preheat oven to 400

Clean, stuff, and truss chicken, salt and pepper to taste with a bit of butter rubbed over it

Line greased pan with oranges, halved Brussels sprouts, and green olives

Place chicken on top

Mix orange juice and honey and pour over chicken and everything on roasting tray

Roast in oven until done; start checking around the hour point.

When the chicken comes out of the oven, save drippings.

Mix drippings with veloute sauce. Reduce to desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper, orange juice if needed.

If the sauce isn’t thick enough, add a corn starch slurry

Fruit Salad

Banana, Papaya, Oranges, Grapes, Watermelon, Honeydew, Cantaloupe, Mango

Cut uniformly and serve

Butternut Squash Soup:

Cubed squash oiled on a roasting tray with salt and pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, rubbed sage, rosemary, and thyme

Roast at 400 until tender, about 30 mins

Puree with warm vegetable stock to desired thickness

Season to taste

Garnish with bacon lardons

“Can”-died Pears:

Canned pears quartered sautéed with butter and cinnamon/nutmeg

Saute in butter until they turn golden, mix in brown sugar

Finish with honey whiskey–flambe

Top with ice cream

Stuffed Artichoke:

Ingredients:

3 large Artichokes (for 4-6 people)

Lemons

1 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs

8-10 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1/2 cup Parsley, Basil chopped

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 cup Grated Romano Cheese

Butter/Oil

Process:

Clean artichoke, soak, steam until tender (see tips above)

Mix together breadcrumbs, garlic, herbs, cheese, and melted butter or oil

Spoon mixture between leaves of artichoke

Roast until brown at about 375 degrees

Macarons (not Macaroons. See note)

For the macaron shells:

300g ground almonds

300g powdered sugar

110g liquefied egg whites (see below)

+ 300g caster sugar

75g water

110g liquefied egg whites

Liquid food dye to splatter: pink, blue and yellow

Frosting:

1 batch fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting

1 drop each of yellow, green, blue, purple, red and orange food gel

Process:

For the process, use the directions the creator of this recipe uses. Follow the link below.

https://www.thescranline.com/yay-gay-macarons

For a butter cream recipe, look to our Harry Potter themed birthday cake from last months’ recipes: https://loadedliteraturepodcast.com/2018/07/04/unicorn-blood-and-candy/

Macaron vs Macaroon; or Forever Smelling of Oranges Recipes to follow at the bottom. Roasted Chicken with Oranges, Brussels Sprouts, and Green Olives Stuffed Artichokes…

[edgewaterfarmcsa]

FALL CSA WEEK 3

- P I C K L I S T -

SWEET POTATOES - BRUSSEL SPROUTS - LETTUCE - BASIL - ROSEMARY - SWEET ONIONS -

CARROTS - CELERY - PUMPKIN - APPLE OATMEAL BREAD

HOT TIPS (getting right into it):  

BASIL: First, I need you to know that this crop goes on record for the second longest growing basil we’ve ever seen.  For the past 12 years of growing food, I became accustomed to basil as a short season crop.  Every year around August we would see the leaves develop a purple/grey powder on their underbellies- which is a sure sign of downy mildew.  This is also a sure sign of the end for basil.  Downy Mildew is an airborne disease that typically begins in the south and travels north through the air.  For example, Georgia and Florida could experience their decimation of their basil crop in May, and it would arrive on New England farms and gardens in July or August.  Now that we are all experts in disease, this concept of airborne travel is completely relatable.  However, science is gold, and all is not lost.  Seed breeders have worked to bring forth new varieties of organic, NON-GMO basil seeds that are downy mildew resistant, thus elongating our basil crop, and allowing for PESTO making to commence in late OCTOBER, rather then a very rushed, very exhausted night in August.  All that said, downy mildew is no longer a basil issue, BUT the army worms could not be stopped.  For this, we had Anne and her crew of little people ( the grand-kiddos) head to the greenhouse to hunt for army worms.  The intention was to pick off the hungry squatters and drop them into soapy water where they would meet their maker.  UNFORTUNATELY, Anne and crew of Hobbes (4yrs) and Rozzie (2yrs) were no match for these nocturnal tiny beasts.  Bottomline here, we had a good run with basil, but now it's time to call it a day- pick the whole greenhouse and make some late season pesto.  As always, pay no mind to the massive bites out of the leaves, they will not alter the taste of the sweet fresh basil plant and you can rest assured that this crop fed not only you and yours, but also a team of army worms.

Makes about 1½ cups

 The key for this classic pesto recipe is to add the basil at the very end instead of blending everything all at once. That way the basil doesn’t get bruised or lose its flavor and maintains its vibrant green color. 

½ cup pine nuts

3 oz. Parmesan, grated (about ¾ cup)

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

6 cups basil leaves (about 3 bunches)

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once halfway through, until golden brown, 5–7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool. Add cheese and garlic and pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add basil and place the top back on. With the motor running, add oil in a slow and steady stream until pesto is mostly smooth, with just a few flecks of green, about 1 minute. Season with salt.

Do Ahead: Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Top with ½" oil to prevent browning. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto the surface, and chill.

Cooks’ Note: If you want to use this with pasta, cook 12 oz. dried pasta (we prefer long pasta for pesto) in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.

Place pesto and 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces, in a large bowl. Add pasta and ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid. Using tongs, toss vigorously, adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until pasta is glossy and well coated with sauce. Season with salt.

Divide pasta among bowls. Top with finely grated Parmesan. 

JENNY’S NOTE: PESTO FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY FOR DEAD OF WINTER EATING (OR ANYTIME)

ALSO- ROAST YOUR SWEET POTATOES AND DALLOP  ATOP WITH FRESH PESTO AND YOU’RE WELCOME.  

Onto ROSEMARY written by my dear friend Rachael Keener of Alkeme co

(GO PEEP THE WEBSITE, IM IN LOVE WITH ALL THAT THIS WOMAN CREATES) 

ALKEME CO is a collection of everyday elixirs and herbal tonics made and formulated by herbalist Rachael Keener.  Our powders are skillfully crafted and make having a daily wellness ritual easy and enjoyable. Scooped into a drink, blended into a smoothie or mixed into your food—ALKAME CO formulas are here to help.

Rosemary

-- bringer of light. Herb of the kitchen and the apothecary. A mint-family member whose medicine comes in the form of warmth, movement, invigoration and aromaticity.🌿✨

Rosemary, like most every herb, wears many hats. It is traditionally used as a circulatory stimulant for when there is coldness or stagnation in the mind or body (think poor circulation and cold extremities, sluggish digestion, brain fog, heavy, aching menstrual cramps, etc.).

A shaman that I used to work with taught that rosemary brings light into dark places--medicine that I am holding onto and finding strength in during the darkness of these times. This ability to illuminate and transform mirrors the way that it works in the body to unstick energy that is dark, heavy and sometimes toxic. 🌞💡

The darkness that has been festering in our country and is coming to a boil right now can feel sad, scary and anxiety-producing to witness. At times it can bring up feelings of powerlessness. Plants are a good salve for reclaiming our power and providing comfort and unwavering, unconditional support. If you are experiencing any of these things I really encourage you to find some plant allies to connect with--perhaps rosemary or perhaps heart medicine like rose, nervous system tonics like milky oats or mood brighteners like lemon balm.

To incorporate rosemary, chop some up and add it to your soup, drink it as a tea, place a sprig on your altar, windowsill, etc, add it to your potted plant collection and take time to connect to it everyday, smudge with dried stocks of it, add it to your bath--or whatever else you may be called to do with it!🌿🌿  -Rachael Keener

MIREPOIX: 

I will not go into too much detail over mirepoix (because i am starting to sound like a broken record over here with recipes) However, when celery is involved in a CSA box, I can not help but to include onions and carrots.  Because it is officially SOUP SEASON, and a mirepoix of carrots- onion- celery is the backbone to every good soup.  If you are unfamiliar with mirepoix, give it a google!

ROASTED SWEET POTATO SALAD: 

From my new favorite cook book, start simple by lukas volger

2 med sweet potatoes

½ medium onion cut into 4 wedges

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for roasting the sweet potatoes

Salt

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon honey

Fresh ground pepper

½ cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

½ cup cubed sharp cheddar cheese

1 tart apple, cored and cubed

4 cups tender greens (lettuce mix!)

Preheat oven to 425*f

Arrange sweet potato and onions or onion on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and use hands to coat.  Transfer to the oven and roast until the onions are soft and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes, then remove them from the pan.  Return the sweet potatoes to the oven and bake until tender and a bit blistered, another 10 to 15 minutes.

To make the dressing, finely chop the roasted onion and place in a small bowl or jar.  Cover with the vinegar, honey, and a big pinch of salt, then stir in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  season with additional salt and black pepper as needed.

To assemble salad, combine the warm or cooled potatoes with the nuts, cheese, apple, and greens, then toss with most of the dressing, adding more to taste if necessary.  

A NOTE ON YOUR BRUSSEL SPROUTS:

These brussels stalks are not for the faint of heart!  This crop has been hit by Alternaria leaf spot and has hosted a community of aphids during the month of September.  As a result you get a wand of brussels that looks a little gnarly on the outside (yellowed leaves, aphid casings- no active aphids) but when plucked from the stalk, and peeled back reveals the perfect teeny tiny mini cabbage.  For storage, if you are short on fridge space, feel free to leave them in your garage/ or cold mudroom.  

 1½ lb. brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more

Freshly ground black pepper 

¼ cup honey

⅓ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

¾ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

Place a rimmed baking sheet on bottom rack of oven; preheat to 450°. Toss brussels sprouts and oil in a large bowl; season with salt and black pepper.

Carefully remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, arrange brussels cut side down on baking sheet. Roast brussels on bottom rack until softened and deeply browned, 20–25 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring honey to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until honey is a deep amber color but not burnt (it will be foamy, that’s okay), 3–4 minutes.

Remove from heat and add vinegar and red pepper flakes, if using, and whisk until sauce is smooth (it will bubble up quite aggressively when you add the vinegar before settling). Return saucepan to medium heat, add butter and ½ tsp. salt, and cook, whisking constantly, until glaze is glossy, bubbling, and slightly thickened, 3–4 minutes.

Transfer brussels sprouts to a large bowl. Add glaze and scallions and toss to combine. Transfer to a platter and top with lemon zest.

[easyfoodnetwork]

Until I Can Go Back to My Favorite Restaurant, This Jerk Paste Is the Next Best Thing

I don’t know how I lived so long without a jar of Walkerswood jerk seasoning | Elazar Sontag

Walkerswood Jamaican jerk seasoning has quickly become a kitchen staple

I smear the dark brown paste on everything. I pat it onto salmon filets before I slide them into the oven and sneak it between tightly stacked leaves of cabbage layered into a steamer basket. I use my hands to massage it into Brussels sprouts, roughly chopped carrots, and broccoli florets. And every time I pull the container from my fridge, I ask myself how the hell I lived so long without a jar of jerk seasoning.

I didn’t grow up eating much Jamaican food in Oakland, California. This city, awash with some of the best Ethiopian and Eritrean, Filipino, Mexican, and Laotian food in the country, has comparatively few spots offering flavors of the Caribbean. And neither of my vegetarian Jewish parents were making a whole lot of curry chicken or braised oxtails.

My introduction to jerk chicken — its skin soaked in the flavor of sweet smoke, of Scotch bonnet peppers, allspice berries, ginger, and green onion — was during my first year of college, across the Hudson river from a New York town called Kingston. That’s where I had my first meals at Top Taste, where you’ll find the best — and more or less only — jerk chicken, curry goat, and oxtails in town. The snug restaurant, painted with wide stripes of yellow and green in the colors of the Jamaican flag, and set on the corner of a sleepy residential street, sells all sorts of groceries you can’t find elsewhere in the area: ackee, saltfish, canned callaloo and Tastee Cheese in vacuum-sealed aluminum containers.

As soon as the door swung open on my first visit four years ago, I was greeted by booming dancehall coming from a boombox propped above the entrance and the smiling faces of owners Melenda Bartley and Albert Samuel Bartley, known to a stream of friends and loyal customers as Sammy. For many, Top Taste brought familiarity and reminders of faraway homes. To me, everything about the experience was new, a welcome and deeply needed change of pace and scenery from the always-boiled, never-baked food of my college dining hall. I didn’t own a car, but whenever I could convince one of my new friends to drive me there, I was at Top Taste.

This wasn’t the sort of recipe I could transcribe, fold up, and stash away for safekeeping.

Over the years, Melenda and Sammy became friends, and their restaurant felt more like home than the cement-block dorm where I slept. I’d order from the menu scrawled on a piece of neon green cardstock on the wall, and while Melenda was filling my square plastic plate with rice and peas, stew chicken, oxtails, and plantains, I’d walk around to the restaurant’s snug concrete patio, where a plume of smoke tipped off the whole neighborhood that Sammy was making a fresh tray of jerk chicken.

That chicken was like nothing I had eaten. The meat was almost blackened by the time it absorbed the smoke, and while the skin was crisp, it gave way between my teeth. The flesh was ever so slightly past the point of juiciness, the fat and connective tissue broken down over hours of gentle cooking, so that the meat melted with each bite, mixing with starchy sweet plantains, steamed cabbage and peppers, and a dot of ketchup and scorching hot sauce.

A few months into my often twice-weekly trips to Top Taste, I asked Sammy how he made his jerk chicken. He sat down next to me with his spice-smudged apron still on, and explained the process in very matter-of-fact terms: The meat gets marinated overnight in a rich jerk seasoning blend (very, very heavy on the ginger), and the next day — rain or shine — he lights a spark under the pimento wood in his old barrel grill, caked with a thick layer of seasoning from good use, and cooks the chicken until it’s done.

I’d known as soon as Sammy first walked me through his process that this wasn’t the sort of recipe I could transcribe, fold up, and stash away for safekeeping. He’d made the dish on so many occasions that each step was second nature: an inkling that more scallion, garlic, or Scotch bonnet was needed, a sniff test confirming the salt, heat, and herbage was balanced to his liking.

When I moved to the city after leaving college, I made it a point to seek out jerk chicken whenever and wherever I could, always comparing it to the meat that came off Sammy’s grill. Some restaurants in Brooklyn had plantains more plump than the ones at Top Taste. Others had the perfect rice and peas, each grain and bean whole and separate, never mushy. Many served a jerk chicken that was good — exceptional, even. But despite following every recommendation, no one’s chicken compared to Sammy’s.

I came back to Oakland to spend the first month of shelter-in-place with my family. But like so many others who up and left cities with no real plan, a month turned into three, and then four, and now here I am, writing from my childhood home six months later. When I lived in Brooklyn, I hadn’t once tried to make jerk chicken in my own kitchen, knowing when a craving really hit — which it reliably did — I could buy an Amtrak ticket for $38 and be perched comfortably at one of Top Taste’s plastic-upholstered booths by lunch. Now, I feel pangs of sadness thinking about Sammy and Melenda and the plate of jerk chicken and rice and peas I could be eating 3,000 miles away.

But on YouTube, where I spend so much of my life now, I recently came upon Terri-Ann, a Saint Lucian home cook who walks viewers through hundreds of incredibly appealing recipes. They include pandemic classics — banana bread and dalgona coffee, our old friends — but also some favorite dishes I didn’t get a chance to peek into the kitchen and watch Sammy or Melenda make on visits to Top Taste. Terri-Ann has recipes for oxtails robed in velvety gravy, flaky golden beef patties, and, to my great satisfaction, jerk chicken. In one video showing viewers how she makes her chicken, Terri-Ann pulls out a glass jar of Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, a pre-blended mixture of spices and herbs which she says she swears by. She plops a generous spoonful of the deep brown mixture into a bowl of chicken drumsticks, along with a big spoonful of her herby green seasoning blend and a drop or two of browning sauce for color. I hastily switched tabs and bought three jars of the seasoning blend with expedited shipping. It wouldn’t be the same, but maybe it’d do the trick.

Since then, the Walkerswood blend has become a staple in my kitchen. The spicy mixture of scallions, Scotch bonnet, allspice, nutmeg, and plenty of thyme finds its way into more or less everything I cook. It’s notably lacking in the generous heaps of grated fresh ginger I know Sammy adds to his blend, but still, it’s excellent. I live just blocks from Minto, one of few Jamaican markets in Oakland, and I regularly stop in to add new sauces and seasoning blends to my growing pantry. I have a jar of browning sauce now, and I’ve bought as many of the hot sauces I remember seeing on the tables at Top Taste as I can find. But nothing I’ve added to my pantry since coming home comes close to my jar of jerk seasoning. In addition to using it in recipes from Terri-Ann and other Caribbean and Caribbean-American YouTubers and food bloggers, I add the paste to fried rice, to tofu, to — you get it.

The boldly flavored mixture is a perfect match for chicken, but that’s where I use it least, instead opting to put it on a thick slab of salmon or slather it on vegetables before roasting. Perhaps there’s just too much dissonance when I pair it with chicken, the bar too high to meet.

I miss Sammy’s jerk chicken like I’ve never missed food before. It’s a yearning that’s become familiar during this pandemic, for those things I know I can’t have. There is no takeout order that will meet the craving, which is as much about the environment surrounding a plate of chicken as it is about the blend of spices or the kiss of smoke that permeates each bite. Those meals were colored by a sort of care and hospitality that you can’t pay for and that’s hard to even seek out. The extra steamed cabbage and carrots because Melenda knew I liked to run the mixture through a pool of curry goat gravy on my empty plate. A piece of bubblegum set on the table as I finished eating, just something to chew on during the drive back to campus. Later, Melenda would send me off with a warm slice of her homemade rum cake wrapped in aluminum foil. It sat in my coat pocket and warmed my hand as I boarded Amtrak to go back to Penn Station.

The first time I bit into a piece of baked chicken I’d marinated in the Walkerswood seasoning blend, I felt pulled in two directions: It was delicious — fragrant and hot, every spice and herb present but not overwhelming. I also felt a little disappointed, as if I’d really expected my thrown-together Wednesday night dinner to taste anything like what Sammy pulled off his smoker after hours and hours of slow cooking and constant attention. I know now, as I go on seven months without a single meal in a restaurant’s dining room or even on a reopened patio, that what’s missing isn’t a handful of grated ginger or the smoke from pimento chips (though both would improve my chicken game dramatically). What’s missing is something only a restaurant like Top Taste can provide, that can’t be found in a jar of seasoning. But right now a jar of seasoning is what I’ve got, and until I find myself in that tiny dining room again, this one is pretty damn good.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/32ZNWqa https://ift.tt/3mNPQlT

I don’t know how I lived so long without a jar of Walkerswood jerk seasoning | Elazar Sontag

Walkerswood Jamaican jerk seasoning has quickly become a kitchen staple

I smear the dark brown paste on everything. I pat it onto salmon filets before I slide them into the oven and sneak it between tightly stacked leaves of cabbage layered into a steamer basket. I use my hands to massage it into Brussels sprouts, roughly chopped carrots, and broccoli florets. And every time I pull the container from my fridge, I ask myself how the hell I lived so long without a jar of jerk seasoning.

I didn’t grow up eating much Jamaican food in Oakland, California. This city, awash with some of the best Ethiopian and Eritrean, Filipino, Mexican, and Laotian food in the country, has comparatively few spots offering flavors of the Caribbean. And neither of my vegetarian Jewish parents were making a whole lot of curry chicken or braised oxtails.

My introduction to jerk chicken — its skin soaked in the flavor of sweet smoke, of Scotch bonnet peppers, allspice berries, ginger, and green onion — was during my first year of college, across the Hudson river from a New York town called Kingston. That’s where I had my first meals at Top Taste, where you’ll find the best — and more or less only — jerk chicken, curry goat, and oxtails in town. The snug restaurant, painted with wide stripes of yellow and green in the colors of the Jamaican flag, and set on the corner of a sleepy residential street, sells all sorts of groceries you can’t find elsewhere in the area: ackee, saltfish, canned callaloo and Tastee Cheese in vacuum-sealed aluminum containers.

As soon as the door swung open on my first visit four years ago, I was greeted by booming dancehall coming from a boombox propped above the entrance and the smiling faces of owners Melenda Bartley and Albert Samuel Bartley, known to a stream of friends and loyal customers as Sammy. For many, Top Taste brought familiarity and reminders of faraway homes. To me, everything about the experience was new, a welcome and deeply needed change of pace and scenery from the always-boiled, never-baked food of my college dining hall. I didn’t own a car, but whenever I could convince one of my new friends to drive me there, I was at Top Taste.

This wasn’t the sort of recipe I could transcribe, fold up, and stash away for safekeeping.

Over the years, Melenda and Sammy became friends, and their restaurant felt more like home than the cement-block dorm where I slept. I’d order from the menu scrawled on a piece of neon green cardstock on the wall, and while Melenda was filling my square plastic plate with rice and peas, stew chicken, oxtails, and plantains, I’d walk around to the restaurant’s snug concrete patio, where a plume of smoke tipped off the whole neighborhood that Sammy was making a fresh tray of jerk chicken.

That chicken was like nothing I had eaten. The meat was almost blackened by the time it absorbed the smoke, and while the skin was crisp, it gave way between my teeth. The flesh was ever so slightly past the point of juiciness, the fat and connective tissue broken down over hours of gentle cooking, so that the meat melted with each bite, mixing with starchy sweet plantains, steamed cabbage and peppers, and a dot of ketchup and scorching hot sauce.

A few months into my often twice-weekly trips to Top Taste, I asked Sammy how he made his jerk chicken. He sat down next to me with his spice-smudged apron still on, and explained the process in very matter-of-fact terms: The meat gets marinated overnight in a rich jerk seasoning blend (very, very heavy on the ginger), and the next day — rain or shine — he lights a spark under the pimento wood in his old barrel grill, caked with a thick layer of seasoning from good use, and cooks the chicken until it’s done.

I’d known as soon as Sammy first walked me through his process that this wasn’t the sort of recipe I could transcribe, fold up, and stash away for safekeeping. He’d made the dish on so many occasions that each step was second nature: an inkling that more scallion, garlic, or Scotch bonnet was needed, a sniff test confirming the salt, heat, and herbage was balanced to his liking.

When I moved to the city after leaving college, I made it a point to seek out jerk chicken whenever and wherever I could, always comparing it to the meat that came off Sammy’s grill. Some restaurants in Brooklyn had plantains more plump than the ones at Top Taste. Others had the perfect rice and peas, each grain and bean whole and separate, never mushy. Many served a jerk chicken that was good — exceptional, even. But despite following every recommendation, no one’s chicken compared to Sammy’s.

I came back to Oakland to spend the first month of shelter-in-place with my family. But like so many others who up and left cities with no real plan, a month turned into three, and then four, and now here I am, writing from my childhood home six months later. When I lived in Brooklyn, I hadn’t once tried to make jerk chicken in my own kitchen, knowing when a craving really hit — which it reliably did — I could buy an Amtrak ticket for $38 and be perched comfortably at one of Top Taste’s plastic-upholstered booths by lunch. Now, I feel pangs of sadness thinking about Sammy and Melenda and the plate of jerk chicken and rice and peas I could be eating 3,000 miles away.

But on YouTube, where I spend so much of my life now, I recently came upon Terri-Ann, a Saint Lucian home cook who walks viewers through hundreds of incredibly appealing recipes. They include pandemic classics — banana bread and dalgona coffee, our old friends — but also some favorite dishes I didn’t get a chance to peek into the kitchen and watch Sammy or Melenda make on visits to Top Taste. Terri-Ann has recipes for oxtails robed in velvety gravy, flaky golden beef patties, and, to my great satisfaction, jerk chicken. In one video showing viewers how she makes her chicken, Terri-Ann pulls out a glass jar of Walkerswood Jamaican Jerk Seasoning, a pre-blended mixture of spices and herbs which she says she swears by. She plops a generous spoonful of the deep brown mixture into a bowl of chicken drumsticks, along with a big spoonful of her herby green seasoning blend and a drop or two of browning sauce for color. I hastily switched tabs and bought three jars of the seasoning blend with expedited shipping. It wouldn’t be the same, but maybe it’d do the trick.

Since then, the Walkerswood blend has become a staple in my kitchen. The spicy mixture of scallions, Scotch bonnet, allspice, nutmeg, and plenty of thyme finds its way into more or less everything I cook. It’s notably lacking in the generous heaps of grated fresh ginger I know Sammy adds to his blend, but still, it’s excellent. I live just blocks from Minto, one of few Jamaican markets in Oakland, and I regularly stop in to add new sauces and seasoning blends to my growing pantry. I have a jar of browning sauce now, and I’ve bought as many of the hot sauces I remember seeing on the tables at Top Taste as I can find. But nothing I’ve added to my pantry since coming home comes close to my jar of jerk seasoning. In addition to using it in recipes from Terri-Ann and other Caribbean and Caribbean-American YouTubers and food bloggers, I add the paste to fried rice, to tofu, to — you get it.

The boldly flavored mixture is a perfect match for chicken, but that’s where I use it least, instead opting to put it on a thick slab of salmon or slather it on vegetables before roasting. Perhaps there’s just too much dissonance when I pair it with chicken, the bar too high to meet.

I miss Sammy’s jerk chicken like I’ve never missed food before. It’s a yearning that’s become familiar during this pandemic, for those things I know I can’t have. There is no takeout order that will meet the craving, which is as much about the environment surrounding a plate of chicken as it is about the blend of spices or the kiss of smoke that permeates each bite. Those meals were colored by a sort of care and hospitality that you can’t pay for and that’s hard to even seek out. The extra steamed cabbage and carrots because Melenda knew I liked to run the mixture through a pool of curry goat gravy on my empty plate. A piece of bubblegum set on the table as I finished eating, just something to chew on during the drive back to campus. Later, Melenda would send me off with a warm slice of her homemade rum cake wrapped in aluminum foil. It sat in my coat pocket and warmed my hand as I boarded Amtrak to go back to Penn Station.

The first time I bit into a piece of baked chicken I’d marinated in the Walkerswood seasoning blend, I felt pulled in two directions: It was delicious — fragrant and hot, every spice and herb present but not overwhelming. I also felt a little disappointed, as if I’d really expected my thrown-together Wednesday night dinner to taste anything like what Sammy pulled off his smoker after hours and hours of slow cooking and constant attention. I know now, as I go on seven months without a single meal in a restaurant’s dining room or even on a reopened patio, that what’s missing isn’t a handful of grated ginger or the smoke from pimento chips (though both would improve my chicken game dramatically). What’s missing is something only a restaurant like Top Taste can provide, that can’t be found in a jar of seasoning. But right now a jar of seasoning is what I’ve got, and until I find myself in that tiny dining room again, this one is pretty damn good.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/32ZNWqa via Blogger https://ift.tt/2EBMbWY

[sameats]

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna ft. Veggie Bolognese

I'm not a religious person, but I sure am thankful that God invented spaghetti squash. 

Before, squash was never a huge part of my diet. I thought they did not have much flavor. To me, they were more fall decorations than dinner entrées. However, if any squash were to be one, the spaghetti squash is the gateway squash. 

Just the name makes it sound so exciting! Spaghetti! Squash! How playful! And hey, sure, no one is really fooled that this is pasta. (And if we’re being reallllly honest, this squash done wrong can be just as bland as I thought.) But that makes it a perfect canvas for adding all kinds of stuff. And eating half a squash has never been so easy (or fun). 

This recipe is a result of my love for lasagna and my vegetarian tendencies. I wanted to create a red sauce that was filling like a meat sauce, but from veggies that I had at home.

Armed with a fridge of hearty vegetables, a can of whole peeled tomatoes, and a food processor, I set about this mission of creating a delicious –and nutritious!– meal. 

I had a bunch of Brussel sprouts and I postulated that a nice caramelized mince of sprouts might be a satisfactory dupe for a ground meat. Of course, sprouts are not beef. But, the texture becomes nice in the sauce and getting a good browning on the sprouts is key for flavor in this sauce.

I set off with this recipe kind of with no guidance, just a hunch and some cooking intuition. What I walked away with was a new recipe–definitely still to be tweaked–but a yummy one at that, and one that I could call my own.

–––––

Cook time: 40 mins Prep time: 10 mins Ingredients: - 1/2 onion - 3 cloves of garlic, minced - 2 cups of Brussel sprouts, chopped roughly - 1/2 cup of carrots - 1/2 large can of whole peeled tomatoes + liquid - spices (Italian herbs, red chili flakes, etc.) - spaghetti squash - cheese (cheddar, ricotta, parm, etc.) - olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400º. Start with the squash; cut it in half, lengthwise. Be careful! Use a large knife, a cutting board, and be direct.

Scoop out the inside goop with a spoon. (Wash and separate the seeds to roast if desired! #NoWaste!) Rub the insides with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place both halves cut-side-down on a baking sheet. I pierce the outside skin to vent in a few places, but I don’t know if this is necessary. Leave to roast in the oven for. ~40 minutes or until tender on a middle rack.

For the sauce:

Heat a large skillet with some olive oil over medium-high heat.

Cut the Brussel sprouts in half (so they fit) then pulse half of them a few times in a food processor until they are chopped in medium pieces. Put these in the pan to sauté. Now, pulse the rest of the sprouts with the onion and garlic. Pulse until a fine dice. Add these to the larger sprout pieces–the larger pieces add some nice texture to the sauce and can get browner than the diced stuff. Season with salt, pepper, spices (red chili flakes, oregano, basil, etc.).

Sauté and reduce the veggies in the pan. Stirring only every few minutes, allowing browning to happen. Continue for about 10 to 15 minutes or until mixture has reduced, veggies have shrunk and begun to caramelize. 

Once the mixture is nice and browned and reduced in size, crush your tomatoes by hand and add them to the skillet with the sauce in the can. Season again.

Let simmer for at least 5 to 10 minutes to reduce slightly and for flavors to marry. Sauce should be thick and almost jammy, but can be adjusted as needed.

Once spaghetti squash is ready and tender, take out of the oven, flip cut-sides-up and fluff a little of the squash in the middle. Turn on the broiler.

Fill each half of the squash with the tomato sauce about halfway. Sprinkle with cheese! Fill with more sauce. The top with more cheese–dollops of ricotta and a grating of parmesan are very nice touches!

Stick under the broiler until cheese is melted and browned just slightly, about 4 minutes. Take out, let cool, top with toasted seeds, and enjoy your delicious vegetable creation!

[paleorecipecookbook]

The Expert’s Guide on How to Cook Mouth-Watering Vegetables

Overcooked, stinky Brussels sprouts seems to be the culprit of every veggie-fearing adult I know. If you were a victim of being served overcooked, boiled-to death, sulfuric, canned, bland, or soggy vegetables as a child, you never stood a chance. It’s not your fault that you have no idea what vegetables are capable of. Vegetables are actually tasty—really tasty.

Real Food Tastes Great

Most folks, even if they weren’t tortured by mushy broccoli, can find themselves in a rut with veggie preparation. Steamed green beans day in and day out is less than inspirational.

Vegetables are nutrient dense and a vital part of a healthy diet. The more vegetables you eat, the better you look and feel. The trick is to learn to love them. There are so many varieties, textures, flavors, and preparations—there is something for everyone’s tastes, even if you don’t know it yet.

While there are tricks for sneaking veggies into your meals when you’re convinced that you hate them, like hiding them in smoothies, how many pureed beverages can one take before insanity sets in?

Choosing produce seasonally and preparing it properly will highlight natural flavors and make your vegetable dishes delectable, desirable, even craveable. The goal is to actually enjoy eating your veggies so you don’t even want to mask them behind that protein powder!

10 Ways to Cook Mouthwatering Vegetables

Vegetables can taste great without hours of cooking or prep work. Here are 10 simple ways to get the most out of your produce, and some of them don’t even require cooking.

1. Blanching

When you do cook your vegetables, it should be done gently. Boiling tends to get out of hand and quickly turns your vegetable into flavorless, dull mush. Instead, give blanching a try!

Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt well.

Fill a large bowl with ice and water. This ice bath is an important step in the blanching process.

To blanch, gently simmer your veggies, never more than a few minutes, sometimes even just a seconds, and then immediately stop the cooking process by plunging the veggies into the water bath.

Under blanching can stimulate vegetable enzymes and over-blanching will leave you with the colorless, flavorless, less-nutritious mess like over-boiling can, so it is important to check out proper blanching times for each veggie. When you blanch rather than boil you will find it easier to control the final outcome.

Once blanched, you can properly freeze for later use, sauté on the stove top in desired fat to enjoy warm, incorporate into omelets and frittatas, create salads, add to casseroles, or simply dress with a vinaigrette!

The best vegetables to blanch are:

Broccoli, Broccolini, and Broccoli Rabe (with lemon and olive oil, or chili flake, garlic, olive oil)

Asparagus (with orange and garam masala)

Cauliflower (with paprika and olive oil, or with capers, lemon, garlic, chili flake, and olive oil)

Collard Greens, Broccoli leaves, Cabbage leaves (use as a wrap or stuffed woth ground bison, chicken, pork, or turkey)

2. Steaming

Steaming vegetables is similar to blanching in that this method will maintain the brightness and yummy texture when done properly. Steaming has been made popular by dieters who shun fats. Steaming allows you to cook without added calories yes, but to me, this is not the point of steaming.

Creating delicious vegetables means creating appetizing textures, and steaming is just another great way to achieve delectable vegetables. You can use a steam basket or purchase a steamer with a fitted lid to steam your way to tasty dishes. Steaming also takes very little time, seconds for more delicate leafy greens like spinach, and just a few to several minutes for sturdier veggies like sweet potatoes, depending on the shape and size of your cuts.

Check out vegetable cooking time charts to get an idea about different veggie steam times, but it also doesn’t hurt to use a glass lid so you can see when items, like leafy greens, are steaming. Once they are wilted, they are done! Keep a fork on hand too for checking items like beets and hearty squash. Once they are fork tender, you are good to go.

The best vegetables to steam are:

Eggplant (use with a marinade, like coconut aminos, ginger, and avocado oil) Spinach (with lighly pickled red onion) Carrots (with a little orange and thyme or sweet basil)

3. Roasting

Roasting is one of the best ways to prepare vegetables because it involves zero to little processing beforehand, and then you just throw it all in the oven and forget it until the timer goes off.

Cruciferous veggies like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts often get the brunt of vegetable hatred due to common association with egg and sulfur vibes. Veggies like these contain a compound called sulforaphane, and when overcooked, that stinky smell and taste is released. The ideal method for preparing items like these so that they are delicious is to gently roast them.

Roasting creates yummy caramel and nutty flavors and delightful textures. Be sure the vegetables are clean, dried, and cut into like-sizes to ensure even roasting. Lightly toss your Brussels, broccoli, or cauliflower in a high smoke point oil—like avocado oil—and season and roast right away in a preheated 350ºF oven, agitating once or twice every 5-10 minutes or so, until golden and with crispy edges. Pro tip: once oiled up, roast right away. Leaving cruciferous veggies out once coated with fat will make for a soggy final product after roasting.

Roasting root vegetables is popular, too. I love to roast my roots by lining a sheet pan with parchment paper, loading it up with chopped sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets, and the like, rub with coconut oil, and season. Pop in a hot 400ºF oven and 20 or so minutes later you have amazing roasted roots, with no clean up thanks to the parchment paper.

The best vegetables for roasting are:

Kabocha or acorn squash with cinnamon and coconut oil

Whole sweet potatoes, stuffed with steamed spinach and coconut butter or manna

Brussels sprouts with bacon fat and hijiki

Shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly and roasted in avocado oil

Beets, roasted whole with coconut oil (the skins peel right off after roasting)

4. Braising

Another popular root vegetable cooking technique is braising, when you sear an item stove top and then stew it slowly, covered. This can happen all on the stove top, or use a dutch oven and transfer from stove top to oven.

Braising vegetables along with meat roasts is super tasty. The glory of a one-pot-meal, like a braise, is that you can get a ton of different veggies into one dish, and a richer flavor for both the meat and the vegetables. If you are making a pot roast, see how many different veggies you can braise along with your beef, or add to a vegetable soup, or even toss in your morning egg scramble.

The best vegetables for braising include:

Leg of lamb with beets, parsnips, and celeriac

Pork shoulder with acorn squash, carrots, and apples

Beef roasts with turnip, rutabaga, and collards

5. Seasonal Eating

Choose your veggies seasonally and organic when possible. Tomatoes in the winter taste like mealy mush because they do not typically grow in the cold. When you eat produce without chemicals and pesticides, and from nutritious soil in the proper corresponding season, the produce just simply tastes better. Choosing to purchase from small batch and sustainable farmers is also a great way to experience the optimum potential of vegetables!

Once you are hooked on a particular vegetable, you can take a deep dive into varieties of early season, late season, and heirloom varieties of any given vegetable. When veggies taste amazing on their own, less processing or cooking is needed.

6. Knife Skills

Learning knife skills is one of the major building blocks of becoming a better cook, especially when it comes to vegetables. Knife cuts can seriously make all the difference. Whenever I am asked for tips on how to eat better, I always encourage taking a knife skills course. Consistent cuts create more even cooking, can speed up your prep skills, and creates surface area when you need it for marinades and more.

I once brunoised (1/8’’ dice) eight butternut squashes for a Thanksgiving dinner for my family. I was in culinary school and up for the practice, and these tender little, teeny tiny dices of orange flesh were just titillating! My mom has asked for them every year since. When you have specific knife cuts under your belt, you can reach higher levels of cooking.

7. Mouthfeel

We eat with our eyes first. If the dish in front of you is beautiful and appetizing, your brain will want to eat it! We are similarly triggered by images and cravings, but mouthfeel is also important. Using different knife cuts, tasty fats, dressings, marinades, and cooking methods will change the mouthfeel significantly. You have the power to make your veggies more delectable by finding the mouthfeel that appeals to you.

8. Dressing

Vegetables are made for vinaigrettes. If you are hip on simply prepared vegetable dishes by way of blanching, steaming, or raw, you must up your vinaigrette game! Lightly dressed, steamed asparagus, or blanched broccoli, will elevate your dining experience. Flavor is also in fat, so try sautéing in bacon or duck fat, or drizzling olive oil or nut oils like hazelnut over your veggies. With a little salt and pepper, this can make for melt-away and yummy textures, in a flash.

The best vinaigrettes for vegetables are:

Raw apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, and avocado oil, and whisk

Lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper, and whisk

Avocado, basil, spinach, lemon, olive oil, and blend

Carrot, ginger, coconut aminos, sesame oil, and avocado oil, and blend

9. Raw

Raw preparations are perfect when you purchase produce in the peak of their season. My favorite tool for raw vegetable prep is the mandolin.

But aren’t mandolins scary to use? You should be cautious as they are sharp and definitely not the tool to use while catching up on Game of Thrones. Focus and go slow.

Anything that will create noodles is also perfect when it comes to preparing raw items, like a spiralizer. A bowl full of noodles, no matter what the kind, is always fun! Dress them with pestos, add meatballs, or even eat as a salad and use your favorite dressing. If you don’t want to eat your vegetable noodles raw, you can quickly blanch.

The best vegetables for eating raw are:

Beets and zucchini (either paper thin or spiralized, marinated in a vinaigrette, with fresh and chopped herbs)

Heirloom tomatoes (slice or eat like an apple)

Daikon radish (do a quick pickle in a bit of raw apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and fresh pressed apple juice or a touch of maple syrup for sweetness)

Cucumbers

10. Herbs

Herbs can offer buckets of fabulous taste to your veggie dishes. Grow them yourself with minimal space and gardening efforts for a whole new level of enjoyment! Some herbs have detoxifying qualities, soothe digestion, and can even be anti-inflammatory. They also taste amazing!

Making a pesto is a great way to utilize your herbage.

The best pestos are:

Parsley, arugula, walnut

Basil, spinach, pine nut

Dill, caper, almond

Oregano, pistachio, garlic, chili flake

Bottom Line

Eat your vegetables. There is no way around it. Veggies are nutrient dense and good for you. You need to learn to love them, and a variety. Vegetables are loaded with antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, fiber, and tons of essential nutrients. If you start with quality veggies, you don’t have to be a wizard to make them tasty. Get creative, make friends with local farmers and other veggie lovers, bend their ears on their favorite ways to make them tasty, plate nicely, make them beautiful, or grow them yourself. And if all else fails, go ahead and throw them in that smoothie.

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[rdclsuperfoods]

We all know that eating vegetables is important, but it’s easy to get stuck in a spinach and broccoli rut. Both Harvard Medical School and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommend adding a wide variety of vegetables to your diet, since each veggie contains a different micronutrient profile of vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids, and minerals. More standard options, like carrots, bell peppers, and mushrooms, are great, too, but if you’re looking to switch things up, consider introducing some of these less popular nutrient-dense vegetables to your plate.

Celeriac 

Also known as celery root, celeriac makes a great low-starch alternative to white potatoes. It has a similar flavor and texture when cooked, but celeriac has about one-third the amount of carbohydrates. Dana Lis, director of performance nutrition at the University of California at Davis, notes that this is ideal for athletes who are trying to fuel appropriately on an easy day. “On a rest day, you don’t need the same amount of carbohydrates that you would need after a hard effort,” she says. “So something like this is a perfect way to add nutrients while lowering carbohydrates without sacrificing satiety or flavor.” It’s also high in potassium, vitamins K and B6, and fiber, which are important for digestion and bone, nerve, and brain health.  

Kelp

In 2017, researchers at the University of Southern Denmark theorized that the human brain evolved partially as a result of nutrients found in seaweed—like iodine, which is important for thyroid function, plus iron and vitamin K. Lis explains that kelp is a tasty way to add new flavor and texture to your next meal, and it makes a great alternative to salt, with only 186 milligrams of sodium per full cup. Vegetarians and vegans missing fishy or umami flavors can mix it into salads and stir-fries, and it even makes a mean imitation tuna salad.

Watermelon Radish

This cute radish is a crowd-pleaser. Slice it and you’ll discover a bright-green outer ring and a hot-pink filling—it resembles a tiny watermelon. A satisfying crunch and crisp, slightly peppery flavor make it a fantastic raw vegetable to munch on, while scoring vitamin C, phosphorus, folate, and potassium in the process, all of which contribute to good cellular health (among many other benefits). Use it as a salad topper, in a vegetable tray, or for easy at-home pickling.  

Red Cabbage

While you’ve probably encountered red cabbage as a garnish for your fish tacos or house salad, you should consider making it a bigger part of your diet. A single serving contains 85 percent of your daily dose of vitamin K plus 54 percent of your daily vitamin C. It’s also richer in antioxidants than regular cabbage: it contains 36 different anthocyanin antioxidants, which have been linked to cancer protection, improved brain function, and better heart health. “Typically, the more colorful, the higher the nutrient density,” Lis explains. Red cabbage also makes a crunchier, more colorful coleslaw than its pasty-white counterpart. 

Dulse

If you’re eating a plant-based diet, dulse should be on your radar: its robust nutrient profile covers vitamins like B12 that are hard to find when you’re not eating animal products. Dulse is a type of seaweed that can be bought in flakes (don’t be dismayed by its similarity to fish food), which makes it great for seasoning dishes without increasing sodium. It’s rich in vitamins B6, E, and A, contains the same bioactive peptides as milk—which are great for heart health and more—and has similar amino-acid levels to most beans or legumes. 

Beet Greens

You may already be on the beet bandwagon, but don’t throw away the leafy tops. Beet greens cook down into a tasty sauté with a bit of butter or olive oil, says Lis, and the sturdy leaves are packed with vitamins A and K, copper, iron, calcium, and manganese—all of which the brain and nervous system rely on to function properly. And a bunch of beets offers more bang for your buck in the veggie aisle, because you get nitrate-rich beetroot as well as the fiber-packed leafy-green tops. 

Broccoli Microgreens

Small but mighty microgreens have exploded in popularity in recent years and for good reason: studies have shown that they contain more micronutrients than many of their fully grown versions. Broccoli microgreens are some of the easiest to cultivate at home but are also now available at most grocery stores. They’re packed with twice as much vitamin C as a serving of spinach, as well as vitamin A, antioxidants, and key amino acids. Their crunchy texture holds up equally well in salads and stir-fries.

Yugoslavian Red Lettuce 

If you love crisp, sweet lettuces like romaine and iceberg but are looking for something more nutrient-dense, try Yugoslavian red. It’s higher in vitamin A and K, antioxidants, and iron than romaine but maintains the same sweet flavor and crunch. Those antioxidants help your body efficiently process free radicals—the potentially harmful chemical by-products of metabolism. Yugoslavian red lettuce is easy to grow at home, so if you’re looking for cheap, simple options to add to your garden, it’s a good choice. 

Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads, the bright-green curled tips of young ferns, are easy to identify and make a great entry-level foraging food. They’re only in season for a few weeks each spring, when you can also find them at specialty grocery stores or farmers’ markets. The curlicued spirals taste a bit like asparagus but are packed with more micronutrients, including vitamin K, iron, and potassium, as well as 5.6 grams of protein per one-cup serving. However, fiddleheads need to be cooked well to release a toxin that can cause symptoms of food poisoning, so make sure to steam or sauté them for at least ten minutes. 

Romanesco

This vegetable is similar to broccoli in terms of its nutrition profile, with vitamins C and K as well as antioxidants, but it’s a dinner-party showstopper thanks to its neat whirling patterns. A single-cup serving packs in four grams of protein and two grams of fiber, making it a good option if you’re hoping to cut down on your meat consumption. It tastes a bit nuttier than broccoli or cauliflower and adds a bit of depth to a roasted-vegetable medley.

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is shaped and sized like a turnip, but this root vegetable is more similar to brussels sprouts in flavor. It’s extremely low calorie—just 37 per cup—and contains a whopping five grams of fiber per serving in addition to calcium, iron, potassium, and 139 percent of your daily recommended vitamin C. It can be eaten raw or cooked and makes a great cabbage substitute. Keep the stems and use them in a sauté for bonus fiber, iron, and antioxidants.

via Outside Magazine: Nutrition

[lynccycling]

Meal Prep Monday

Go behind the scenes and into the kitchen with our LYNC instructors. We asked them what their favorite meals were to prep to stay healthy and fueled for all of their classes. Read on & grab the recipe for your own meal prep adventures!

 Everything in moderation has its place in a healthy diet, even bacon!! Sometimes I add 1-2 pieces to a salad as encouragement to eat leafy greens, and a few more to this awesome breakfast casserole. I typically wake up feeling starving, so I need a lot of protein to get my morning off to a good start! I love mixing this dish up by adding bell peppers and mushrooms or swapping out the bacon for turkey sausage.

Get the recipe here --> https://www.staysnatched.com/low-carb-bacon-egg-and-spinach-breakfast-casserole/

Chili is my favorite meal on this planet. It’s filling and it’s easy. This recipe uses turkey for a learner alternative to the classic. I usually add a little extra chili powder.

Get the recipe here --> https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/seriously-the-best-healthy-turkey-chili/

I love this recipe because it never gets old! Sometimes we put regular potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, corn tots, etc... even better: it lasts most of the week.

Get the perfect quinoa recipe here --> https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-63344 then add in as much as you’d like to make it yours: black beans, and all the veggies - jalapeños, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, cilantro, red onion, garlic, + seasoning.  Eat as a bowl, with tortillas, add eggs for breakfast! Yum!

This is one of my favorites especially during the cold days of the year. It is quick, Healthy, and easy.  I always have frozen chicken on hand and make this when I’m in a pinch. The pressure cooker makes the chicken so tender you won’t even know it came from the freezer.  I choose to omit the noodles when I am trying to cut back on carbs a bit and I honestly don’t miss them since it’s so hearty!

Get the recipe here --> www.lynccycling.tumblr.com/recipes

This is my GO TO! Regular chicken gets boring quick. It’s super easy and the 3 ingredients go a long way! Can’t go wrong when you add CHEESE 🤤

Get the recipe here --> https://www.simplysissom.com/pestochickenbake/

This is soooo easy to make & I love to prep a bunch of tuna for the whole week for an easy lunch option. My life is insane and I’m constantly on the go from here to there so the easier it can be, the better! Whip this up on Sunday & pop it in the fridge for a M-F quick meal. Pro tip: add a drizzle of shredded swiss cheese & you’re golden. 

Get the recipe here --> www.lynccycling.tumblr.com/recipes

My meal prep hack for getting random nutrients throughout the week: SMOOTHIES. I’m a sucker for a good breakfast smoothie. It’s easy, quick, and allows you to start the day with all kinds of good stuff.

Pro tip: add the stuff you don’t want to eat, but need, into smoothies throughout the week. I don’t eat a lot of omega-3 foods so chia seeds are great! I always add turmeric during weeks I do a lot of workouts to help recover and fight inflammation. Collagen protein is always a great add for after class!

Get the recipe here --> www.lynccycling.tumblr.com/recipes

I love grilling up any meat or seafood, adding in some rice, then mixing in veggies. Love that I can change up the seasonings and taste... varieties are endless and it’s so easy.

Get an easy grilled salmon recipe here --> https://www.thestayathomechef.com/simple-grilled-salmon/

I’ve always struggled getting enough veggies in my diet, I tend to prefer eating fruits. So by meal planning and roasting all my veggies early in the week, I have zero excuses! After they’re done cooking, I just portion them off in easy grab ‘n’ go containers and voilà! Veggie intake conquered!

Get the recipe here --> www.lynccycling.tumblr.com/recipes

Kelsey actually turned me on to this recipe, so you can all thank her for that. This is my go-to healthy dish. And a bonus is you always have leftovers. Booyah! I am not a good cook by any means but this dish is hard to mess up. It’s super filling and you can really add any kind on seasoning you like. I like mine a little spicy so I add some extra red pepper!  

Get the recipe here --> https://www.primaverakitchen.com/ground-turkey-sweet-potato-stuffed-peppers/

I made Chicken Taco Chili from Lync30 (thanks Whitness Nutrition) again in the crock pot the other day when it was cold. Love it. Put it on top of butternut squash and zucchini.

Other than that I’m pretty basic with my meal prep protein (usually ground turkey or baked chicken with Paleo Pink Powder)/green (green beans or brussel sprouts tossed in olive oil, salt, garlic powder)/carb (roasted potatoes in olive oil, garlic). Happy eating!

Get the recipe here --> www.lynccycling.tumblr.com/recipes