Swinging the Meal Venue and the Style

Most Sundays during the outdoor season we plan our meals around a picnic in a park or wildlife area.  The change in venue, with new scenery and fresh air adds excitement to our daily routine.  The menu I chose today was inspired by an article in Fine Cooking Magazine on the classic Nicoise Salad. I learned that "tossing" the salad is a big no-no, a given for my picnic packing arrangement.  I simply packed each ingredient separately to assemble at table-side, and took the tomato knife with us to cut the egg and tomato at table side.  The author suggest to tailor the salad, varying the vegetables, olives and dressing to suit your taste.  Here is our salad (before we cleaned our plates):

Our salads include small servings (1/3 cup each) of edamame and red potato wedges.  Not pictured is the small slice of Onion Rye Bread (from the local bakery).  That's a tiny piece of Carrot Cake from the local Farmers Market which was the perfect way to top off a perfect meal.

Vinaigrette

(Serves 3)

1 tablespoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash

I put a small amount of this vinaigrette in the potatoes to marinate on the trip to the park. 

Our picnic today was at Cathedral State Park in Aurora, West Virginia.  The park is surrounded by forests of ancient hemlock trees with easy walking trails.  The park is on top a mountain, where the temperatures are cooler than home.

 

  

Farmers Market Challenge: Eggplant

When my farmer market friend handed me a couple of her home grown eggplants and said "make something for me and bring it back" I happily took on the challenge. Sudawan "Sue" Richardson (from Richardson's Farm) is originally from Thailand, where she was a school teacher.  Her farm is a 5-acre plot near Fairmont, West Virginia.  It  is covered in a large variety of produce from a few fruit trees, a berry patch, herb garden, rows upon rows of tomatoes and peppers, and a large variety of other veggies that can be found at her market table. Sue happily invites people to visit the farm for events, tours, or if you have a desire to pick produce.  Sue has mentored many a university student in the few years I have known her.

The recipe I made was in a free magazine I picked up at Krogers Grocery Store.  I don't stock spicy peppers at home, so my product has sweet peppers.  While I'm a good fat advocate (this recipe has extra virgin olive oil and anchovy fillets) I always cut down on the amount.  The student at Sue's table enjoyed the dip!  So I repeated the recipe at home and enjoyed a platter for breakfast!

Spicy Eggplant Dip

(Serves 3-about 1/2 cup each)

Pierce eggplants several times with fork.  Roast on foil lined baking sheet at 450 for 40 minutes, turning frequently.
2 medium eggplants (about 8 ounce each) 
Cool roasted eggplant.  Peel and dice.



Mix paste, vinegar, paprika and Mrs. Dash.
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash

Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes, stirring.  Add eggplant, tomato paste mixture, peppers and anchovies.  Cook 10 minutes.
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/3 cup onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup peppers, diced
2 canned anchovy fillets, chopped

Garnish with chopped cilantro.
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped 

 
 

Harmonious Palette

I didn't change a thing in the Raspberry Peach Mango Smoothie Bowl recipe from Eating Well other than use skim milk in place of reduced fat and use the rum soaked peach I'd cut yesterday for dessert.  The recipe creates a base for substituting any fruit, nut or seed in the protein and calcium rich smoothie.  

Smoothie Bowl

(Serves 1)

Base
Blend yogurt, fruit, milk and extract.  Pour into bowl.
3/4 cup Greek yogurt, nonfat
1 cup fruit, diced
1/4 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Toppings
Arrange fruits, nuts, seeds and coconut on top.
1/4 - 1/3 cup each (2) assorted fruits
1 tablespoon nuts
1/2-1 teaspoon seeds
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconut

Enjoy!
The recipe touts this as a way to get a fruit quote by 9 am!  
This was a filling brunch for me after my early morning water aerobics glass.

  

   

Peachy Picnic

It was one of those meals when I was tempted to eat the dessert first.  The Peach Parfait with Mascarpone, assembled at table-side, looked so good.  (I'd sampled each layer as they were made and each was delicious).  But the Salmon Platter with three vegetables, olives and a lemon-mustard dressing was a refreshing "start" so my temptation subsided.

The dessert recipe was inspired by Food and Wine Magazine.   

Peach Parfait with Mascarpone

(Serves 2)

Crumbs
Process crackers and buttery spread in a mini food processor.  Store in a small covered container (I used a mason jar) in refrigerator.
3 graham cracker squares
1 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread

Mascarpone Cream
Whip mascarpone, syrup and evaporated milk in an electric mixer bowl.  Store in a small covered container in refrigerator.
1/4 cup mascarpone
2 teaspoons maple syrup
3 tablespoon evaporated skim milk


Peaches
To peel peach, place in boiling water one minute, then immerse in cold water.  The peel comes right off!
Mix rum, juice and sugar.  Pour over diced peaches in a jar to transport. 
1 peach, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon dark rum
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar

At table-side, divide peaches into two parfait glasses.  Top with mascarpone cream, then graham cracker crumbs.

The salmon platter was modeled after the one in Real Simple Magazine.   I baked the fish in the toaster oven last night, then brushed with the dressing before storing in the refrigerated.  The red potatoes were cooked in boiling water for 10 minutes and refrigerated in a ziploc bag.  I also stored the servings of cooked green beans in a zipper bag, as with the cut kalamata olives.  We cut our little tomatoes (from my container garden) at table-side.  The platters were assembled at table-side, with salmon fillet, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans and olives.  We garnished the platters with the rest of the dressing, packed in a mini-cruet.

Lemon Mustard Dressing

(Serves 2)

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons cilantro, snipped
1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash

Our picnic today was at New Germany State Park in Maryland.  My Mom camped here as a girl scout in the 1930s, when it was the former Swauger's Dam. 

 What a beautiful spot, about 50 minutes from home!   

 
   

Farmers Market Demos: "You Have to Try It"

Customer response to culinary demos at the summer farmers markets is nothing short of enthusiastic.   Together with the Hardesty family of Working H Farms, I conduct one a month.
 
"Can't wait to see what you have" customers say as they navigate to our table the first Saturday of every month.  "I love it when you come" and "Everything you make is good" are comments from vendors and customers.  The support from the farmers is remarkable.

This month's demo features Mid East Chicken Kebabs:

The Working H Farm family processes the free range chickens on Monday and cut the meat for the samples on Tuesday.  I made the marinade and Terrie Hardesty (the Mom) added it to the 16 pounds of meat Thursday.  On Friday I went to the store and baked the chicken, then assembled 300 samples of the Kebabs.

Here is the ingredient amount I used for 300 samples:

Marinade
Juice from 20 lemons
28 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
14 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounce allspice
2 ounce cinnamon

16 pounds (raw weight) chicken thigh meat, boneless, skinless

14 pounds pickling cucumbers
14 pounds cherry tomatoes

Sauce
8 cups Greek Yogurt
46 tablespoons almond butter
20 garlic cloves, crushed
20 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/4 teaspoon cumin  

.

At the market, I scooped a scant tablespoon of the sauce into a 3 ounce dixie cup, then topped with a skewer of meat, cucumber (sliced about 1/2 inch thick) and cherry tomato.

Customer response was fantastic:
"The tomatoes are great!"
"Great combination."
"I love the sauce."
" I love the flavor in the chicken."

The water today featured the watermelon-rosemary recipe from WVU Extension, where we scooped 1/2 seedless watermelon into the water and added a sprig of rosemary to the mixture.  The kids are really attracted to the water.

With such enthusiasm, "I can't wait till the next demo!"

A Peachy Start to the Day!

As the sun rises, I gather tomatoes, cucumbers, thyme and basil from my container garden to cut and adorn with a fresh peach dressing.  Sound good?  It was!  The recipe was inspired by Cooking Light.  I enjoyed this dish with a whole grain bread, aged cheese and skim milk. 

Peach Dressing

(Serves 4)

3 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh snipped thyme
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ripe peach, finely chopped
2 teaspoon olive oil
Arrange thinly sliced cucumbers and tomatoes on plate.  Top with peach dressing.  Garnish with fresh basil.

    

 

Fort-ify Picnic

So glad most of my food preparation for our Sunday picnic are done on Saturday, as our power went out soon after we arose on Sunday morning.  I did not open the refrigerator to gather additional sauce ingredients, rather I reached in the cupboard and opened a home canned jar of salsa from my RD friend Erika.  That was the perfect topping.  We packed our perishable foods with ice and stopped on the way to the park to grab a cup of coffee.  When we came home, the power had returned.

Our menu today included:

Jamaican Eye of Round

Red Potato & Fresh Pea Salad 

Berry Berry Cornmeal Cobbler

Berry Berry Cornmeal Cobbler

(Serves 7)

Biscuits

Mix dry ingredients together in a food processor.

2 tablespoon corn flour

2 tablespoon whole wheat cornmeal

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cut in buttery spread.

1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread

Add buttermilk to food processor through the lid while running until a dough ball is formed.

5 tablespoon buttermilk

On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a round about 3/4 inch high.  Cut with 2 inch biscuit cutter.

Cobbler

Mix honey, juice cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch with water.  Pour over berries.

2 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash salt

3 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoon water

2 cups black raspberries

2 cups cherries, pitted and halved

Pour berry mix into bottom of medium oval baking dish sprayed with Pam.

Arrange biscuit dough rounds on top of berries.  Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

1 teaspoon turbinado sugar 

Bake at 350 F. for 40 minutes.

The jerk marinade for the meat was better when made with pork.  I will post that at a later date.

Our picnic today was at Pricketts Fort State Park in Fairmont, West Virginia.