We're back!

My daughter and I are back from our camping trip to St Augustine for a T@B camper rally and trick-or-treating at the St Augustine Alligator Farm.

I'll share a few of the highlights (I only got photos of some of the T@Bs) and then get back to my regularly scheduled programming....recipes!

Here is the back side of mine...

...and some of the others....

  

...dancing at the Old City farmers market...

...even Daddy stopped by to sit by the fire.  (As you all know he's not a camper, but that's ok, we'll keep him around anyway.)...

...eatin' some candy and checkin' out the alligators at the trick-or-treat event at the St Augustine Alligator Farm...

...one of the 'treats' was a gator treat to feed the gators!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Reminder for two upcoming events for my local friends!

Join KYV Farm and Yoga Den for

                 Free Range Yoga

Benefiting Slow Food First Coast

Saturday, November 5^th at 10:30AM

KYV Farm 1670 Borrow Pit Road, Switzerland, FL

www.kyvfarm.com

http://www.yoga-den.com/

http://slowfoodfirstcoast.com/

Workshop will be an all-levels appropriate 1-hour class.

Bring your grocery bags as fresh, organic veggies will be for sale after!

Pricing

** Please bring cash or check made out to Slow Food First Coast

$10 KVY farm share members

$15 non- KVY farm share members

What to bring:

Mat

Towel

Water

Weather appropriate clothing

Contact Info:

Organizer          Dawn Hutchins              904-534-4252 www.floridacoastalcooking.com

KYV Farm          Vivian Bayona                 (787) 232-2234

Yoga Den          Alyson Foreacre            (904) 268-8330

**Please note that workshop will be weather permitting and will be canceled in inclement weather.

__________________________________________________

FARM TO TABLE DINNER

Benefiting Slow Food First Coast

 NOVEMBER 15^TH

  “It’s going to be the freshest and tastiest event of the fall!”

Vivian Bayona, KYV Farm

Four course meal will be served at

The Floridian, St Augustine.

Participating farms include

KYV Farm, Cartwheel Ranch and Terks Acres Goat Farm.

Call The Floridian for Reservations:   904-829-0655

First seating at 6pm followed by a second seating at 8pm.

$35* for meat option

       $25* for vegetarian option

         *Price increases $5 after Nov. 8^th

Questions?

      Call the Floridian at 904-829-0655 or Dawn Hutchins at 904-534-4252

 “Events like this are great for bringing more awareness of the farm to table movement on the First Coast.” - Genie Kepner, The Floridian

Black Eyed Peas

My 3-year old and I made up a song about our trip to the farm last weekend since my description of the trip was turning out REALLY boring.  So here goes.

  You have heard the story of Old McDonald, right?  This is the story of Old McFrancisco and his Black Eyed Peas.  (Cows, dogs, chickens and seedlings too.)

Old McFrancisco had a farm, it's called KYV. 

And on this farm there was a cow. He was named Sir-Loin.

With a moo moo here, and a moo moo there.

Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo.

Old Mc Francisco had a farm.  Ei ei oh. 





And on this farm there was a dog. He was named Whis-key.

With a ruff ruff here, and a ruff ruff there.

Here a ruff, there a ruff, everywhere a ruff ruff.

Old McFrancisco had a farm. Whiskey loves Sir-Loin. 





 And on this farm there were chick-ens. Ei ei oh.

With a cluck cluck here, and a cluck cluck there.

Here a feather, there a feather, everywhere a fea-ther.

Old McFrancisco had a farm. We should make ear-rings.

And on this farm there were seedlings. ei ei oh.

With a yum yum here, and a yum yum there.

Here a yum, there a yum, everywhere a yum yum.

Old McFrancisco had a farm. We can't wait to eat.

And on this farm he had some peas ei ei oh.

With a black eye here and a black eye there.

Here a pea, there a pea, everywhere a pea-pea (hehehe).

Old McFrancisco had a farm.  It's called KYV.

The end.

________________________________________________

We left the farm with our bag of scary Halloween worms aka. black eyed peas (see below) and sat down to shell them.  Who knew my daughter would have so much fun she would fight me pea for pea.

And what did we do with them? Since I didn't have a lot of experience with fresh black eyed peas I had to wing it.  We tried them raw, cooked, and in a wrap.

Here's a salad I made with them raw.  Isn't it pretty?  I hope this inspires you to both get creative and keep it simple.

roasted beets

red onion

lettuce

raw black eyed peas

drizzle of my favorite vinaigrette

______________________________________________

We also made a pickled black eye pea recipe from Epicurious.  Simple and delicious.

Pickled Black Eyed Peas

Epicurious

Ingredients

1 pound dried black-eyed peas

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons salt

2 red bell peppers

1 small onion

2 large garlic cloves

6 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves

Directions

Click here for the directions as I didn't change much other than to use less oil and cook the fresh black eyed peas as directed until tender to my taste.

___________________________________________

Finally I made a lettuce wrap recipe.

Lettuce Wraps with Pickled Black Eyed Peas and Barley

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce leaves

Cooked barley

Pickled Black Eyed Peas (recipe above)

Directions

1. Layer barley and black eyed peas in the center of each romaine lettuce leaf.  Wrap and enjoy.

What are your favorite ways to use black eyed peas?  We may just try it next time!

Pumpkin Chili Mole

Everyone knows what chili is right?  When you ask most folks what they put in theirs you typically hear beans, beef, tomatoes etc. 

But how do you make a meatless chili that is also filling and flavorful enough to satisfy those die hard meat lovers? 

By adding a few elements of mole sauce.  And beer.

Mole is a sauce that can vary greatly by ingredient list but typically involves chili and, yes, a bit of chocolate.   I know this can sound a little weird but what it adds isn't necessarily sweetness; it provides a deep rich layer of flavor, and with the added full bodied beer, this makes for a pretty hearty meal. 

As for the pumpkin?  That was all me.  I can't seem to get enough of it, especially when the weather gets cooler and the fall season settles in.  It is a bit sweet, adds tons of fiber, is low in fat and high in vitamin A.  But don't tell the meat lovers about that part.

My meat eating, self proclaimed non-vegetarian hubby went in for two bowls and ate leftovers over some barley I had cooked up.

I feel enough has been said here.

Pumpkin Chili Mole

About 6 1-cup servings

Vegan, Dairy Free

Printable Recipe

Organic Ingredients


1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
14 sweet peppers or 2 bell peppers, chopped
1 hot pepper of choice, diced (optional) such as arbol
1 15 oz (425 g) can kidney beans
1 15 oz (425 g) can black beans
1 15 oz (425 g) can pumpkin puree (or butternut squash puree)
1 28 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 12 dark beer


Seasoning Mixture


1 tsp raw cacao powder (or unsweet baking cocoa)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp chipotle powder


**Add salt to taste.  I didn't add any as with the canned beans and tomatoes it was salty enough.


Directions


1. Heat a Dutch Oven or large stock pot over medium high heat; spray with cooking spray, add onions and peppers; saute about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic; saute an additional 2 minutes.


2. Meanwhile mix spice mixture in a small bowl.


3. Add spice mixture to pot and all remaining ingredients; bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

About 6 1-cupServings
Amount Per Serving


Calories 250.9
Total Fat 1.1 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 765.5 mg
Potassium 720.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 45.3 g
Dietary Fiber 14.2 g
Sugars 5.6 g
Protein 12.8 g


Vitamin A 118.2 %
Vitamin B-12 0.2 %
Vitamin B-6 14.2 %
Vitamin C 130.5 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 1.2 %
Calcium 8.6 %
Copper 18.0 %
Folate 40.5 %
Iron 22.7 %
Magnesium 21.6 %
Manganese 33.1 %
Niacin 7.7 %
Pantothenic Acid 4.9 %
Phosphorus 21.4 %
Riboflavin 11.6 %
Selenium 4.1 %
Thiamin 20.4 %
Zinc 9.9 %


*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Maple Walnut Peanut Butter for my Second Bloggiversary

This month I celebrated two milestones; the first being my tenth anniversary, October 6^th, and the second  being my (belated) bloggiversary on October 8^th .

Looking back, I remember coming across a recipe on the blog Closet Cooking; the curried honey Dijon roasted chicken in particular was both where I learned about food blogs and why I started blogging.  (Just writing this reminds me that I do want to try this recipe with tofu.)  So a special thanks to Kevin.

To celebrate my bloggiversary I wanted to make something special.  The only problem is I didn’t have the time to make something very elaborate.  I thought and thought......

Rewind back twenty years; every October my family would head up to Stowe Vermont and stay at the Stowe Motel. We would then partake in the same activities as the year before; ride the gondolas high up Mt Mansfield to stare at the surrounding hyper-color mountains, ride the Alpine Slide flying through the fall foliage, enjoy rich, dark and oh so sweet black forest cake from the restaurant at the Von Trapp lodge, walk the charming village of downtown Stowe, dance the polka at the folk festival (yes very random but I'm Polish and I can polka baby), and, of course, visit the Cold Hollow Cider Mill. 

Source

There we could buy fresh cider from the apples we watched being pressed. 

Source

I loved the cool mountain air, sweet and heavy with the scent of apples. Afterwards we would stroll through the orchard and munch cider donuts with their unexpected texture; crumbly yet somehow moist with a lightly crusted exterior. 

Source

 I guess I was a foodie even back then. Sadly, the closest I get nowadays is the catalogue they send me.  I was paging through it and came across maple walnut peanut butter. 

I had found my recipe idea worthy of my 2^nd bloggiversary that also fit the requirements; 1) I had all the ingredients on hand and 2) it was easy enough to make one morning before work…no cooking involved.

For me, maple is the epitome of fall.  This recipe takes it to the next level by combining it with my most favorite ingredient outside of chocolate….peanut butter!

I used the peanut butter that you grind from actual whole roasted peanuts at the natural food store.  Don’t use the kind that is salted because we will be adding salt in.

This has a lovely nutty texture so if you want something smoother simply put it in a blender.

 Maple Walnut Peanut Butter

Inspired by my beloved Cold Hollow Cider Mill

Makes about 13 to 14 Tbsp

Printable Recipe

Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Ingredients

1/3 cup salt free, fresh ground, roasted peanut butter

¼ cup real maple syrup, (not the fake brown pancake syrup)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 to ¼ tsp sea salt

1/3 cup walnut halves, toasted, chopped finely

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together and store in the refrigerator.

Estimated Nutrition Facts

13 Tbsp

Amount Per Tbsp

Calories 71.6

Total Fat 4.6 g

Saturated Fat 0.6 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.2 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg

Sodium 46.0 mg

Potassium 22.5 mg

Total Carbohydrate 5.5 g

Dietary Fiber 0.5 g

Sugars 3.9 g

Protein 1.9 g

Vitamin B-6 0.6 %

Vitamin C 0.1 %

Vitamin E 0.3 %

Calcium 0.6 %

Copper 2.1 %

Folate 0.6 %

Iron 1.2 %

Magnesium 1.1 %

Manganese 13.9 %

Niacin 0.2 %

Pantothenic Acid 0.2 %

Phosphorus 0.8 %

Riboflavin 0.2 %

Selenium 0.2 %

Thiamin 0.5 %

Zinc 2.2 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Chinese Five Spice Miso Soup with Shitakes and Edamame

I'm still working on cutting back after my recent trip to San Francisco and wine country.  With the weather getting a bit cooler I thought a nice warm but light soup would be nice.

I simply sauteed onions and garlic, added in shitakes and edamame.  The flavor balance of almost sweet Chinese five spice powder is really nice with the salty miso.

This brothy little number fit the bill perfectly and I plan on having a cup with my lunches this week.

 Chinese Five Spice Miso Soup with Shitakes and Edamame

Serves 5 1-cup servings

Vegan, Gluten Free
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup, 5 oz (142g) shitake mushrooms (I used frozen organic)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1/2 cup shelled edamame (I also used frozen here too)
5 cups water
4 Tbsp light miso paste


Directions


1. Heat olive oil over medium high heat, cook onion until translucent, about 5 minutes; add Chinese five spice, mushrooms, edamame and garlic and cook an additional 5.


2. Pour water into pot; bring to a boil; remove from heat and stir in miso paste.

Nutrition Facts

5 1-cup Servings
Amount Per Serving


Calories 49.5
Total Fat 1.7 g
Saturated Fat 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.8 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 52.4 mg
Potassium 130.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 5.8 g
Dietary Fiber 1.0 g
Sugars 1.1 g
Protein 3.4 g


Vitamin A 2.2 %
Vitamin B-12 0.4 %
Vitamin B-6 5.4 %
Vitamin C 4.4 %
Vitamin D 5.4 %
Vitamin E 0.9 %
Calcium 3.7 %
Copper 9.2 %
Folate 2.8 %
Iron 4.8 %
Magnesium 3.5 %
Manganese 9.6 %
Niacin 6.3 %
Pantothenic Acid 5.1 %
Phosphorus 5.6 %
Riboflavin 9.2 %
Selenium 5.5 %
Thiamin 3.5 %
Zinc 3.8 %


*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Fall Panzanella with Kale and Cranberry Walnut Bread

Happy Friday 

Just a super quick post because I miss ya.

And ‘cause I threw this together for a pot luck at work and I got lots of requests for the recipe. 

And ‘cause I’m proud of myself for throwing together a season appropriate recipe that people actually liked that had kale.

I don’t think everyone knew it was kale though.  Someone called it kelp.  

He said; “Like from Sponge Bob.”  “I didn’t think I would like it since I usually eat iceberg lettuce but it was really good.” 

I said; “Ha!  You just ate KALE.”

And please don’t hate me but I didn’t do the nutrition info on this one.  If I get a spare minute I will go back and do it and update the recipe.

XOXO
Dawn

  Sorry about the iphone photo. I didn't make the salad until I was at work!

Fall Panzanella with Kale and Cranberry Walnut Bread

Serves about 10 1 cup servings.  This is totally estimated.

Dressing Inspired by Forks Over Knives 3-2-1 dressing
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 large bag pre-cut and washed kale
1/3 red onion, sliced thinly
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 apple, sliced
1 pear, sliced
½ loaf cranberry walnut bread, sliced, toasted and cut into cubes

Dressing (This will make a bit extra.)
6 Tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
4 Tbsp coarse ground mustard
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp maple syrup
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Place kale and onions in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Pour about ¾ of the dressing into the kale and onions and massage about 30 seconds or longer until the kale wilts to desired texture; top with cranberries, walnuts, apple, pear and bread. Put the remaining dressing off to the side for anyone who may want extra.