Healthy Meal / Veggies

Now that Fall is officially here I've been getting into some new recipes for one of the seasons most versatile vegetables: cauliflower and her cousin, romanesco.  Part of the Cruciferous family, one cup of cauliflower has more than 73% of your daily vitamin c!  Cauliflower can also help you to detox, it's got anti-inflammatory properties and is an excellent source of dietary fiber.  As you'll see from the wide variety of recipes I've gathered here, cauliflower is super versatile and full of as much flavor as nutrition.  Happy Autumn eating! [caption id="attachment_737" align="aligncenter" width="538"] From LowCarbSlowCarb.com[/caption] My first recipe suggestion is to make rice out of cauliflower, a low carbohydrate, high fiber, nutrient packed alternative to a grain side dish.  I've eaten this rice as a side with baked chicken, in lettuce wraps with shredded pork, basically it can be substituted anywhere you'd usually use rice.  How cool is that?  Check out this super simple recipe on www.lowcarbslowcarb.com under, you guessed it, Cauliflower Rice! [caption id="attachment_738" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Cauliflower Steak au Poivre by Jacky Hackett[/caption] Next up, Cauliflower Steaks.  This recipe was sent to me by a friend who I have shared many a steak tartare and pork chop with so I knew it had to be delicious.  I was a bit skeptical but he assured me this was no wimpy vegan alternative, it's filling, awesome plant food thank you very much!  The recipe I like best comes from www.jaxhouse.com, aka Jacky Hackett, a food enthusiast mom blogger.  You can find her simple and easy recipe under 'Cauliflower Steak au Poivre.  The trick is using your cast iron skillet in a very hot oven and the results are wickedly good. [caption id="attachment_739" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Photo from TheIronYou.com[/caption] This last recipe is sure to convert you to the power of what you used to think of as a bland white vegetable: The Cauliflower Grilled Cheese.  Yes, it's gluten free, it's a full serving of veggies and it's got a gooey cheese center.  This recipe can be found on www.TheIronYou.com a blog run by a guy named Mike who thinks we could all eat better and exercise more for a more awesome us, I think he's onto something!  Search for 'Cauliflower Grilled Cheese' and you'll find a recipe for what will become one of your fall favorites, no matter what your relationship is to gluten.  Pair this with a hot bowl of tomato soup and call it lunch. Be sure to check out the other recipes and ideas these bloggers have to offer!

This past Father's Day weekend I did what all good children do: grilled with my dad!  It was really fun, especially since I was trying out a new marinade that Chef and Butcher James Burden recommended to me.   I went to Berkshire Organics in Dalton to stock up on everything we needed for dinner.  I picked up fresh, organic veggies: eggplant really soaks up marinade so it's great for grilling, plus onions, zucchini and some red and orange bell peppers. Red Apple Butchers, at Berkshire Organics, had 30 day, dry aged steaks, so I had to try a few of those.  And I also bought about 2 and 1/2 pounds of chicken thighs with the skin on.  Here's the marinade recipe plus a bonus curry mix from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything, which is as useful as it sounds.   Last week I wrote to Mr. Bittman about Fire Cider and his assistant wrote me back saying she had tried it the last time she was in the Berkshires and would be happy to share a sample bottle with her boss.  How cool is that?! Marinade for 2-3 pounds of Chicken  Yes, of course you can use this marinade on tofu, fish or veggies.  For fish and veggies, about 20 minutes in the marinade will do.  For meat, like the chicken, make the marinade the day before and let the meat marinate overnight.  I made double this recipe, one half for the chicken and one half for the veggies. Ingredients: a generous 1/4 cup Fire Cider 2 Tablespoons olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, crushed 2 teaspoons salt 1 big tablespoon fragrant curry powder blend (see photo below for the recipe! Yes, you can use store bought as well.) a pinch of asafoetida a pinch of chipolte pepper 1 teaspoon garam masala   Method: First, make up the fragrant curry powder blend, this will make enough for this recipe plus plenty left over for all your curry spice needs, it's awesome on pop corn! [caption id="attachment_618" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Mark Bittman's curry blend.[/caption] Get the spices together and toast the spices in a dry skillet. [caption id="attachment_619" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Whole spices ready to toast![/caption] [caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Mmm, toasty and very fragrant![/caption] [caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Use a small spice grinder to turn toasted spices into powder and then add powdered ginger and turmeric.  Homemade curry powder![/caption] Once you've made the curry blend,  combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. [caption id="attachment_624" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Yes, that's a gallon of Fire Cider. Beware the underdose![/caption] Pour all the marinade over the chicken and marinate over night in a sealed bag or sealed container. The next day, when you are ready to cook, remove the chicken, discard any leftover marinade and grill the chicken til it's done! For veggies: chop bite sized pieces of onion, bell peppers, zucchini and eggplant, make up more marinade and marinate for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat each piece.  Slide onto skewers and grill with the chicken. [caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Grill ready chicken, veggies and steak.[/caption] The 30 day dry aged steaks were perfect as is so I let them sit out at room temp for about an hour, lightly salted them and then grilled them for a few minutes on each side for perfectly rare, melt in your mouth awesomeness. [caption id="attachment_623" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Happy grilling, all summer long![/caption]

Just add green beans!

[caption id="attachment_299" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pretty beans in the garden.[/caption]

This is Brian’s raw salad recipe and it's ready to eat in just a few minutes.  If you have a garden or know someone who does, chances you've got fresh, crispy green beans in your fridge or backyard right now.  I love to eat them raw, straight off the plant, something I started doing as a kid, grazing in my dad's garden.  If you want to fancy up your beans a bit, try this:

Grab a couple of fistfuls of fresh raw green beans and cut each one into bit sized pieces. Chop up some red onion and colorful bell pepper. Combine all the veggies in a container with a fitted lid, like a wide mouth mason jar.

Dress with a drizzle of olive oil to coat plus course ground salt and a healthy splash of Fire Cider.

Put the lid on and shake well to combine all the ingredients.

Eat now or pack it for lunch or a picnic!

I love Joe's new recipe, it's made using many of my favorite foods and flavors.  Avocados are full of vitamins, fiber and healthy fats, the kind that protect your heart, have anti-inflammatory properties and also taste really, really good.  Black beans, and beans in general, have a bit of a bad reputation for being difficult to digest.  Don't avoid this super food because of improper cooking!  It's easy to cook delicious, digestible beans, using a crock pot and adding kombu seaweed during the cooking process.  You can find easy to follow instructions on the website Nourishing Days.com under the post titled, 'Why Beans Are Hard to Digest & 8 Tips For Making The easier on the Belly' Alternatively, canned beans are super convenient and when combined with plenty of good for you fats, like the olive oil and avocado in this recipe, they are an easy to digest source of vegan protein and fiber.  This quick and easy salad is full of flavor that gets better with time. Take this to your next picnic or pack it for lunch! The following recipe was created by local Berkshire County Chef Joe Dewey.  Joe has been helping us in the Fire Cider kitchen and he's come up with a whole bunch of exciting new recipes for us.  So if you love this, stay tuned for next week's Fire Cider blog post by our new guest chef!

• Garlic 1-3 cloves
• 1/2 medium white onion
• 4 ears corn cut off the cob
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1-2 cups Black, kidney or other beans
• Fire cider
• Lemon juice
• Cajun spices, for example: one teaspoon each paprika, coriander, cumin and dried oregano; one-quarter teaspoon each cayenne pepper and cinnamon.
• Cumin
• Salt
• Pepper
• Honey

[caption id="attachment_127" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Winter squash roasted with Fire Cider and honey.[/caption] Here's an easy recipe sent to us from my sister Elise: Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Cut in half one winter squash and scoop out the seeds. Peel the squash and then chop it into roughly 1 inch cubes. Mix the squash with butter or olive oil to coat, a few splashes of Fire Cider and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.  Drizzle on some more honey if you like.  Taste and adjust the seasonings. Spread everything evenly on a shallow baking tray (or two, depending on how much squash you have) and bake in the pre-heated oven,  until the squash is cooked through and browned just a bit, about 15-25 minutes.  If you want the squash to brown more evenly, take it out of the oven once or twice to mix and flip the pieces. Enjoy this healthy, hearty winter dish as a side or mix it with sautéed greens and cooked tempeh for a filling meal.  Tell us how you made this recipe your own by commenting below : - )