pot pie

{Voluptuous} I love the comfort of a golden crusted pot pie fresh from the oven, the goodness within steaming our faces as we sit together talking over the days highs and lows.  I love when it tastes so good you scrape your plate clean with the edge of your fork and contemplate having more, not out of hunger, but of pure sensory delight. 
A pot pie in January is like no other time of the year; the root vegetables are prime warmers during this season, the holidays have sweetened our palette and we crave a reprieve.  The creamy pie filling melds with the variety of textures , potato, corn, cauliflower; and the herbs make savory what the crust makes flaky. As the wind howls and the snow piles, warm and toasty on the inside, our bellies full, all is right with the world and we can turn inward and toward each other to share in the comfort.

2 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 tbsp earth balance vegan margarine (I use the soy free)
1/2 C flour
1 C nutritional yeast flakes
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 C plain almond milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
3/4 C frozen peas
3/4 C froz
1 C frozen cauliflower & brocoli blend

*maybe cubed extra firm tofu

Saute celery, onions, and carrots in butter for about 8-10 minutes.
Add the flour and yeast, stirring constantly for 1 minute, i like to whisk at this stage~
Add broth and milk to mixture while stirring constantly
Cook over medium heat until bubbly then stir in the peas, cauliflower, & brocoli, salt, cumin and pepper.

pour into pie crust~
Bake at 375 F for 30-45 minutes
you could also use cauliflower, earth balance butter and a vitamix (or food processor if your awesome husband didnt buy you one!) to make a top crust not unlike a shepherds pie, instead of a top layer of crust.  it is delicious and has far less carbs~
I used a frozen spelt flour crust that i bought at the food co-op, you can make your own or you could add the pot pie mixture into a 2 qt baking dish or individual ramekins and cover with this:

1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup earth balance
2-3 tbsp cold water

Mix flour and salt together, cut in butter, add the water, then shape into a ball and chill. Once it's chilled roll out the dough to fit over the casserole dish.

yum!

soup-a!!!

[Voluptuous] Craving soup, nutrtion to refuel from a workout, and, use of limited produce, i made a pot of soup yesterday that turned out yum, if i do say so myself!

i had a quart of no-chicken broth
2 cups of almond milk
1 cup of nutritional yeast
2 cups water
2 white onions
3 organic yukon gold potatoes
1/4 head of organic cauliflower
1 bag frozen organic butternut squash
1/2 bad of sliced carrots
1TBSP cumin
sea salt to taste
1TBSP Tamari

I could have used miso for the broth too, so dont forget that if you try this at home! I used what I had.  I would have added garlic if I had it, but it was all old and squishy.  i was so good, and did the job soup should so well, i would make this again on purpose! i would however get myself a loaf of french peasant bread from crescent bakery in frankfort, next time.  instead, i served it over a little brown rice.  this was a nice textural addition, even though i dont usually go for so many starchy foods all together like that. i loved it for lunch.  at dinner i ate it with a little frank's hot sauce added and that was delish also~ the spice was nice! today i am looking forward to seeing how the flavors merged over night. i would have liked it to be a little thicker, too.  it was much more runny than i was craving.  any suggestions for how to thicken it without adding calories would be most welcome! thanks for reading today!

When the kids meal just won't do

What to do you do when the kids are begging for Kraft Macaroni and cheese but you know you can't stomach the powdered cheese and pasta? Last night it was actually pancakes that the kids wanted and don't get me wrong, I like pancakes, but they're more like a Sunday morning breakfast treat. Anyway when I don't have the time or desire to make two different meals, a salad is always a fast and easy "grown up" dinner that can be prepared in minutes. Last night's salad was mixed greens, thin sliced granny smith apples,  red onion, dried cherries, candied pecans, blue cheese crumbles and my homemade balsamic vinegarette, YUM!! Ladies, don't let anyone tell you that a salad isn't a meal, with a little creativity a salad for lunch or dinner can easily fill you up and include a number of food groups. Rice, couscous or pasta are also great salad mix-ins and don't take any time at all to prepare and add to a salad.

Day After

[Voluptuous] After 2 days of feasting with family and friends, today was a pale comparison, gastronomically speaking.  However, you just can't go too wrong with farm fresh eggs from Aral Peak's Happy Chickens and ciabatta from Stone House Bread.  After perfectly poaching the eggs (if I do say so myself) and toast with Land of Goshen Feta Cheve Spread with Spicy Arugula Pesto, I sat down and gave thanks for such simple beauty and, after my first bite, gave thanks again for beauty that is delish!

Eggs are practically perfect food! The goodness is not only in their taste and versatility, but from a nutritional perspective, farm fresh eggs pack a serious punch!

Thanks to a 2007 study by Mother Earth News that took egg samples from 14 different flocks, there is some pretty good data to back up the claim that free range or pastured eggs are better for you. Here are some of the benefits:

1) Less Cholesterol: According to the study there was 1/3 less cholesterol in the free-range eggs. This is good news for an egg lover like me who also has a family history of high cholesterol.
2) Less Saturated Fat: Mother Earth News found 25% less saturated fat in the pastured chicken eggs. Saturated fat is a buzz word in the food world now, with reason, so anything with less is always a plus.
3) More Vitamin A and E: Vitamin A helps in all sorts of areas including vision, skin health, immune function, and so much more. There isn't as much information out there on Vitamin E, but I think we can assume it does have a purpose.
4) Extra Omega-3s: We are constantly learning more about the Omega-3s, but there has already been a lot of research pointing to benefits for people with heart concerns. Double the Omega-3s is a good thing!
5) They Just Taste Great: I suppose this is more of an anecdotal thing, but I believe pastured eggs just plain taste better.

100% of this meal was locally produced in the great mitten state.  Even better? Aral Peak eggs were hand delivered and 'made' in Honor,MI, Cheve made by Chris & penny Halpin in Manistee County and Ciabatta from Stone House Bread made in Leland, MI and purchased at Oryana food Co-op in Traverse City, MI.

empty pantry punt

(Voluptuous) I havent been shopping since getting back from house & dog sitting for Skinny while she was surfing in Costa Rica, so the options for dinner seemed pretty scarce. 
I took the last large handful of baby portobellas, a white onion, tamari, garlic, soy free Earth Balance, nutritional yeast, almond milk, and mustard greens and capellini and made a fantastic meal!  i sauteed the onions, shrooms, garlic in the earth Balance until the onions were translucent, then added the almond milk and nutritional yeast and whisked with Fleet Foxes playing Mykonos in the background.  Right at the end I put the tamari in and whisked a little more.  As this simmered, I flash wilted the mustard greens with about a TBSP of flax oil, a dash or two of sea salt, and fresh ground pepper.  Voila, in about the time it took to boil the capellini, i had a tasty and nutrient dense meal for 2.

So we decided to take the first step together....

Last night, inspired by champagne, Skinny's recent trip to Costa Rica, and the new year presenting us with an upcoming opportunity for transformation, we finally decided, after years of talking about our food dreams, to begin a blog.  We will be sharing recipes, reviews, photos, and inspiration. We will also be sharing the rituals of sharing food with family, friends and during travels; the history and psychology of our personal relationships with food, and the determination to manifest our cocreated dream of being the proprietors of a foodie's dream cafe.  Thank you for joining us and let us hear from you!