Holiday Roast Made Easy

Although I don't make a holiday roast (my holiday being over and all), I've had a great big hunk of meat taking up space in my freezer, and I thought now is as good a time as any to serve it. This time of year is great for a good, hearty roast. Rich foods are a perfect comfort on a cold, snowy evening, and that's just what we've got here in the Northeast.

Roasts are often all-day cooking affairs, but that doesn't mean they have to be complicated or difficult. On the contrary, making a roast can be the most worry-free, hands-off choice for entertaining. Roasts pair especially well with root vegetables, which are in season anyway, and the veggies can cook right alongside the roast, making entertaining with a dish like this incredibly simple.

I made this dish with a beef roast, but I don't see why you couldn't use any number of other meats - lamb, bison, venison, elk, wild boar (if you're lucky enough to have access to these). But whatever you do, do yourself, your community and the planet we all share a great big favor - make sure your meat comes from grass-fed (or wild) animals from an ethical, local farm. Animals given the opportunity to roam freely, raised on a natural diet, are far less prone to disease, have much higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids, and are generally more nutrient-dense than their factory-farmed counterparts. Buying locally raised meats supports your local economy and avoids the huge carbon toll of transporting food over long distances.

A happy and DELICIOUS holiday to all!!!

Holiday Roast Made Easy
2 Tbsps. safflower oil
3.5-5 lb. boneless roast
6 small or 3 large turnips, cut into 1/8ths
3 large carrots, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup water
2 Tbsps. dried tarragon
1-2 Tbsps.coarse salt
black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsps. butter

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the safflower oil over high heat. Sear the roast for 3 minutes on each side.

In a slow cooker, add the turnips, carrots, onion, garlic and water. Place the roast on top of the vegetables so that the meat drippings help to flavor the veggies.

Combine the tarragon, salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl and whisk together. Spoon the mixture over the top of the roast. Add the butter in small bits over the top of the roast. For an even richer flavor, you can add the pan drippings from the skillet to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain. If you like, strain some of the juices and reduce in a saucepan for about 15 minutes, and serve as a sauce to accompany the meat. Serve sliced meat alongside the carrots and turnips.

Serves 6-12.

Breakfast for Dinner

My husband has asked me to make eggs for dinner for ages, and I've always resisted. Finally, one night when I had almost no time to cook, I decided to give it a shot. OK, he was right (Did I just say that?). Eggs are not just for breakfast.

I served this very fluffy frittata alongside some baked veggie latkes, making it a sort of eggs and hash browns.

Greek Frittata
5 large pastured eggs
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. safflower oil
1/2 bunch spinach, washed and dried well and trimmed of tough stems
10 grape tomatoes, halved lengthwise
10 fresh basil leaves
4 oz. crumbled grass-fed goat's milk feta

Preheat the oven to 350F. Preheat a 12" cast iron skillet on the stovetop over high heat.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Add the oils to the skillet, spreading them evenly around the pan. When hot, add the egg mixture and reduce the heat to medium-low. Scatter the spinach, tomatoes and basil leaves around the pan. Allow the eggs to cook for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the feta around the pan, and cook for 2 minutes more.

Move the pan into the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until springy to the touch. Cut into 6 wedges and serve hot.

Serves 2-3.

Sustainable Holiday Table

Think about all the ways you impact the planet when you make your holiday meal a sustainable one:
- Holiday meals are bigger than most, so the effects of one meal are multiplied;
- It's a great way to honor the spirit of the season;
- You'll support your local farmers when they need it most (winter is pretty lean);
- You'll be enjoying fresh, wholesome foods, and sharing them with your guests;
- If family or friends have come a long way to be with you, perhaps your food's short commute can offset some of those carbon emissions;
- Your guests may come home with more than a full stomach ... they may come away with new wisdoms that could carry into their daily lives.

Here are some links to help you find sustainable foods to put on your table this holiday season:
Find local farms, CSAs, farmer's markets - http://www.localharvest.org/
Find sustainable local meat - http://www.eatwild.com/products/
Find out what's in season in your area - http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?id=Seasonalfoodguides
Saving money on green foods - http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/save-money-local-holidays-christmas-meal-451202

Baked Veggie Latkes

With Hanukkah just around the corner, it's high time that I post a good latke recipe. Latkes are a traditional Jewish potato pancake served on Hanukkah. Typically, they're made with grated potatoes, onions, matzoh meal and eggs. The mixture is fried in plenty of oil. The oil really is essential, because oil is so central to the Hanukkah story in which a tiny amount of oil miraculously lit the Temple menorah for 8 days. So, virtually everything for Hanukkah is fried.

Of course, we all know frying is not particularly healthy. So, how to get around this? Well, I say it's still a latke if oil is employed, but in lesser amounts. How much more in keeping with the story of Hanukkah would it be if, by some miracle, I could coax from a minute amount of oil something as delicious as a fried latke? I'll go one better! What a miracle it would be if I could use a tiny amount of oil to make latkes full of all kinds of good-for-you, seasonal veggies (that means no zucchini, folks) that kids would actually like!

Well, that miracle happened (yes, I know I'm tooting my own horn a bit too excessively here). I made these latkes (in bite size form) for my daughter's nursery school class's snack. I expected the batch to last for 2-3 days, but they lasted only one day (kind of a reverse Hanukkah miracle). The kids loved them, and apparently the teachers did, too, as I was asked for the recipe.

Happy holidays, everyone! Enjoy, but with a little less weight gain this holiday season.

Baked Veggie Latkes
6 Tbsps. safflower oil, divided
4-6 russet or yukon gold potatoes, peeled and grated
1 onion, grated
1 large carrot, shredded
1/2 bunch leafy greens (I used mustard greens), shredded
4-5 scallions, finely chopped
2 Tbsps. potato starch
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F. On a cookie sheet with a rim (jelly roll pan), spread 2 Tbsps. of the oil evenly.

Place the grated potatoes and onion in a tea towel or cheese cloth. Squeeze the liquid out, and then empty the potato and onion into a large bowl. Add the carrot, greens, scallions, potato starch, and egg and combine thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon potato mixture onto the cookie sheet in small dollops, flattening each pancake. Bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through. Repeat with remaining batter (should be about 3 cookie sheets full). Best served hot with applesauce or sour cream for dipping.

Makes about 1.5 dozen full size latkes, or 4 dozen bite size latkes.

Olive Oil Poached Salmon

Poaching is not usually my cooking mode of choice, and so I'm not very experienced in doing it. Poaching in oil, I've never done ... until now. I don't know what came over me, but I had a vision of olive oil, capers, lemon, and fish, and I said to myself, "I have to do this!" And I'm glad I did!

Now, the olive oil component is certainly not cheap, but the oil can be reused for the same application mutliple times, so consider that the oil's expense is only partly attributable to this meal. So, say a bottle of good, organic olive oil on sale goes for $11, which is what I usually pay. If you use this oil four times, then the cost for this meal is less than $3 (which is less than $1 per serving) ... not too bad. And who's to say you'll only use the oil four times? You might get more out of it!

And what of the health component? Am I just going to break all the rules of this blog (chuck health and cheap ... maybe we'll keep the green part)? The oil that is consumed by this recipe is actually quite minimal. Measure your oil before and after cooking, and you'll see what I mean. Besides, fat is not our enemy, particularly the kind of fat in olive oil (monounsaturated), which has been shown to help lower bad cholesterol (LDL). In fact, extra virgin olive oil, which is generally cold-pressed, is as close to a whole food as you can get without eating raw olives (does anyone do that?); it is not heated, not refined, and since it is from the first press of the olives, it contains the highest concentration of vitamins and minerals of any other type of olive oil. Have some antioxidants with your fat and flavor, why don't you?

Given its non-refinement, extra virgin olive oil is a very poor oil to use in high heat cooking, because it has a low smoking point, but it's excellent in poaching, which is a fairly low heat, simmering application. And it is not simply used as a heat conductor either. Yes, it does function to impart heat, but more importantly, it imparts some serious flavor.

So, forget your dieting rules about avoiding cooking in oil, and enjoy a meal full of healthy fats and lots of deliciousness!

Olive Oil Poached Salmon
4 fillets of wild, Alaskan salmon (4-6 oz. each), skinned
3-4 cups of extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, sliced into rounds
several sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
1/4 cup capers
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
salt to taste (capers are salty, so go easy)
white pepper to taste

Pour olive oil into a stainless steel skillet to the depth of the salmon's thickness (about 2 inches). Heat the oil over medium heat until it is quite warm, but not hot (you should still be able to touch the oil without being in excruciating pain). Lower the heat to medium low to keep it at a simmer. Do not allow the oil to boil.

Add half the lemon slices and the sprigs of thyme to the pan. Lay the fish fillets (in batches, if necessary) to the pan. The fish should be fully submerged in the oil. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from the pan, and allow excess oil to drain on a cooling rack.

In a small bowl, combine the capers, parsley, salt, white pepper and 4 Tbsps of the simmering oil. Serve the fish topped with the a slice of lemon and drizzled with the caper mixture. I served this with a side of wild rice with wilted seasonal greens.

Serves 4.

Tip: To reuse the oil, filter it through cheesecloth and store in a glass bottle (the original bottle is fine) in the refrigerator. Remove the oil from the fridge about an hour before you plan to use it to allow the oil to re-liquify.

Photo of olive branch from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Olivesfromjordan.jpg).

Coriander-Pineapple Acorn Squash

Thanksgiving is fast-approaching. This year, I'm not hosting, so my chance to play around with Thanksgiving flavors is now, just on a smaller scale.

This recipe is reminiscent of the sort of sweet yam dishes many people serve on Thanksgiving, but with squash instead of yams. No, there are no marshmallows ... sorry, kids.

Coriander-Pineapple Acorn Squash
1.5 lb. acorn squash
safflower oil spray
1/3 cup canned crushed pineapple
1 tsp. ground coriander seed
1 tsp. coarse salt
2 Tbsps. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsps. brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F. Trim the top and bottom of the squash to create a flat surface on either side. Cut in half between the two ends, and remove the seeds and strings. Spray an 8x8" baking dish with safflower oil, and place the two haves of squash in the dish, trimmed side down. Bake for 30 minutes.

Cool the squash until you can handle it comfortably with your hands. Scrape the flesh of the squash into a mixing bowl. Add pineapple, coriander, salt and vinegar. Mix well. Scoop the mixture into the same 8x8 baking dish, and spread evenly. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Place under the broiler for 5 minutes, or until the top is browned. Serve hot.

Serves 4-6.

Trader Joe's? The Jury is Out

I'm new to the wonders of Trader Joe's. I've heard such great things about it: the low prices, the large selection of organic and whole grain foods, the unique products. It seems like everyone I know raves about it. So, now that one opened just 10 minutes from my daughter's nursery school, I thought I'd better check it out.

I went for the first time last week and left empty-handed and a little let down and confused. I was unaware that most of the products they sell are their own brand. I suppose there must be a way to make such a variety of products and still have them all meet high quality standards, but it still doesn't make much sense to me. I always thought better products (food and otherwise) are made by companies that specialize in something. Now, I haven't actually eaten any of their products yet, so I really can't say if they break this rule. But that issue aside, there several other issues I have with TJ's.

I was a bit saddened by the focus on processed foods. It seems like at least 50% of the store is their store brand of stuff in a box - frozen meals, cereals, canned products, refrigerated prepared foods. I found it troubling to be in a store like that, especially when it has the reputation of being a healthy food store. Healthy food is whole food, not processed foods. I suppose there isn't a grocery store on the planet that doesn't have lots of processed foods (even most health food stores do), but I was expecting to get great deals on real foods, like grains, beans, spices, baking supplies, etc. (incidentally, some of those things can be found at TJ's, but they are less prominent than the processed stuff).

I thought TJ's was a mostly organic store, and although they do have quite a variety of organic foods, you have to be careful to look for the organic symbol. Many times, I thought I was spotting a great deal, only to notice upon closer inspection that the product wasn't organic, hence the low price. I was a bit thrown to see so much conventional produce, in particular.

There are also some environmental concerns that I have with TJ's. Although they certainly do some things right (using paper shopping bags instead of plastic, for example), their products (even in produce) are clearly not locally-focused. That means that buying produce from them, or any other potentially local product (dairy, meat, bread, eggs, honey) is not supporting your local farmers, and it is adding to your carbon footprint by transporting foods that could be sourced locally.

So, I obviously had some negative first impressions about TJ's. But in the week that followed, I thought about it again and reconsidered some things. I do buy some processed foods: bread, cereal, canned tomatoes and dry pasta, to name a few. So, I may as well save some money at TJ's and buy that stuff there, if it's good, and if it's truly a savings. I also don't buy everything locally: I try to buy nearly all local produce, and as much as possible I buy local meats, eggs, honey and dairy. But I can't buy local grain, flour, sugar or nuts, to name a few. So, I may as well save some money and buy that stuff there, too. Finally, although I buy nearly all organic products, I would consider buying some non-organic products at TJ's because their products are GMO-free, and that is a major concern for me in most conventional products.

I went back to TJ's today, and I did buy a few things, and at very good prices:
- Organic boneless chicken breasts @ $6.99/lb. - I have yet to find local boneless chicken breasts, and this is an excellent price
- Whole wheat organic spaghetti @ $1.29 for 16 oz. - that's $0.70 less than the spaghetti I usually buy, when it's on sale
- Organic whole wheat min-pitas @ $1.79 for 8 - I've never seen these anywhere else
- Whole wheat pizza dough (non-organic) @ $0.99 - I still would like to start making my own pizza dough, but for now (with the little one only 3 months old), I'll forgive myself
- Whole wheat small flour tortillas (non-organic) @ $2.29 for 10 - I haven't seen this size whole wheat non-GMO tortillas anywhere else
- Whole wheat large flour tortillas (non-organic) @ $2.69 for 10 - not sure this is such a great deal. If it were organic, it would be a great deal. At least it's non-GMO.
- Organic light brown sugar @ $2.99 for 24 oz. - this is a real bargain - the same amount would normally go for more than $5. Only problem is that it's not fair trade.
- I also thought about buying their dried unsulphured mango, but then I saw that the first ingredient is sugar, so I nixed that.

I have some guilt about buying all this stuff. None of it is ideal, but it's hard to argue with the prices given that they required only small compromises. Still, what good are ideals if you're willing to compromise them for a bargain? I don't know ... I have figured this one out yet.

Ultimately, I think what made TJ's a less than life-altering experience for me is the hype. I went in expecting a revolutionary shopping experience, and I came away feeling like all I saw was a different business model for the same old, same old.