Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs with Carrots


Adapted from Epicurious.com. I think that this recipe would also be very good with tofu, though admittedly, not cooked as long as the chicken thighs. Serves 4-6.

8 small chicken thighs with skin and bone (2 1/2 to 2 3/4 lb total), trimmed of excess fat
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then cut lengthwise into1/4-inch-wide strips
1 lb carrots (6 medium), cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 cup water
2 TB apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dried, crumbled parsley
1 tablespoon dried, crumbled cilantro

Pat chicken dry. Stir together 1 1/2 teaspoons salt with paprika, cinnamon, and pepper and rub onto chicken. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken in 2 batches, turning over once, about 10 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken as browned to a plate.

Discard all but 3 tablespoons fat from skillet, then add onion and carrots. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.

Return chicken, skin sides up, to skillet, nestling it into vegetables. Stir together water, vinegar, honey, parsley and cilantro until blended and add to skillet, then cook over moderately low heat, covered, until chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. If necessary, skim fat from sauce, then add salt to taste.

Jamaican Veggie Patties


I adapted this recipe from 101cookbooks.com, who got the recipe from Vegan Soul Kitchen: Fresh, Healthy, and Creative African-American Cuisine by Bryant Terry. I have unveganized the recipe by using butter instead of coconut oil and brushing the pastry with an egg wash. According to Heidi Swanson, You can certainly experiment with different sizes here, but don't go much smaller than a 4-inch cookie cutter. Also, be sure to roll the pastry dough thinly - a true 1/8-inch. Makes six big patties, or up to 2 dozen smaller ones.

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1/2 cup 1/4-inch-diced yellow onion
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Coarse sea salt
2 larges cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced carrots
1/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced yellow potatoes
1/2 cup frozen corn (or used some small diced celeriac and toss in with the carrots & potatoes)
1/2 cup sprouted beans
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Pastry:
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour 1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup chilled butter
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons ice water
egg wash made with 1 egg and warm water

For the filling: In a medium-size saute pan over medium-low heat, combine the sunflower oil, the onion cinnamon, allspice, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are caramelized. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, carrots, and potatoes, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the sprouted beans, cabbage, thyme, and lemon juice, cover, and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with additional salt and the white pepper (or to taste) and set aside to allow the flavors to marry.

For the pastry: Combine the white flour with the whole-wheat flour, turmeric, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set the remaining 1/4 cup white flour aside. Add the butter to the flour mixture and rub with your fingertip until the mixture resembles fine sand, about 10 minutes (Heidi has also made this dough by pulsing ingredients in a food processor with good results).

Combine the vinegar and water and mix well. Then, without overworking the dough, add the vinegar mixture by the tablespoon, while stirring, just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl and begins to coalesce. Squeeze into a tight ball, flatten, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties
Jamaican Veggie Patties

Bacon-Wrapped Trout with Rosemary


From Epicurious.com. Trout should be thawed in the fridge the night before, then rinsed and patted dry before proceeding. Serves 2.

2 (10- to 12-oz) whole trout, cleaned
4 (4- to 5-inch) fresh rosemary sprigs
6 bacon slices
6 (1/8-inch-thick) lemon slices

Preheat broiler. Put fish in a shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) or a large heavy ovenproof skillet, then pat dry and season cavity with salt and pepper. Put rosemary inside cavity and season outside of fish with salt and pepper, then wrap bacon slices around fish, 3 slices each.

Broil fish 5 to 7 inches from heat until skin of fish and bacon are crisp, about 5 minutes. Turn fish over gently with a spatula and broil 2 minutes more. Add lemon slices to pan in 1 layer alongside fish and continue to broil until fish is just cooked through and rest of bacon is crisp, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes more.

Mediterranean Braised Lamb


This recipe is adapted from JamieOliver.com. Serve with steamed couscous, barley or wheat berries. He has many good lamb recipes up there that would work for this cut or others in the meat share. Serves 4.

1 small onion, peeled and sliced
light olive oil or sunflower oil
1 lb. shoulder of lamb, diced into small pieces
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 red pepper, diced
1 teaspoon tomato puree
14 oz tomato puree from Pete's, or can whole tomatoes seeded and chopped
14 oz water
3 medium parsnips, peeled and sliced into disks
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into disks
1 TB dried, crumbled basil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large saucepan and gently fry the onion in a little olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the diced lamb, the garlic, red pepper and tomato puree. Stir in the tomato, water and basil. Add salt to taste cover with a lid or a couple of tight layers of foil, then simmer on a low heat for around 1 hours or transfer into a deep baking tin cover with foil and finish cooking it in the oven at 300F for about 2 hours. Add carrots and parsnips about 30 minutes before meat is finished. Remove from heat when the meat is tender.

Applecheek Beef Stir-Fry


Turn your top round london broil or sirloin tip steak into a tender, tasty stir-fry. Prepare the marinade the night before. Stir-fry is a great way to stretch meat, creating a quick, family meal that incorporates meat, vegetables, and grains. Stir-fry cooking goes very quickly, typically taking less than 10 minutes to complete the dish, once you start to cook. Prepare and chop all vegetables prior to heating the pan.

1/4 cup rice wine
1/4 cup teriyaki or oyster sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 Tbsp. Maple syrup.
1 pound top round london broil or sirloin tip steak., cut into thin strips
oil to cook
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced very thin
1 cup shredded cabbage
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz wild mushrooms, chopped
cooked brown rice, barley or wheat berries

Mix the first 5 ingredients. Pour over steak and marinate overnight, refrigerated, in
a covered stainless steel or glass bowl. Pour off marinade and reserve. Meanwhile, heat a wok or large frying pan. Add 1 Tbsp. oil. Add meat and stir fry until rare to medium-rare (the meat will cook a bit more in the second step). Remove meat from pan, wipe clean, add another tablespoon of oil and stir fry the vegetables. Add the onions and carrots to the pan, saute two minutes, add cabbage and garlic. After two more minutes, add the mushrooms. Cook another few minutes before returning meat and reserved marinade to the pan. Simmer to heat through. Serve with hot, steamed rice, barley or wheat berries.

Polenta Gratin with Mushroom Bolognese


Adapted from Epicurious.com. Serves 8.

For the Bolognese sauce
2 TB sunflower or olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1/3 cup celeriac, peeled and diced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
8 to 12 ounces mixed wild and cultivated mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and diced
1 TB fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried and crumbled
2/3 cup tomato puree, or canned tomatoes seeded and chopped
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

For the polenta
Kosher salt
1 cup polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, crumbled

To prepare the Bolognese sauce: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it moves easily across the pan. Add the onion, carrot, celeriac, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, then add the mushrooms and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato, cook about 2 minutes more, then add the stock, 2 tablespoons at a time, bringing the pan to a simmer before each addition. Simmer the Bolognese until it is concentrated but not yet dry, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

To make the polenta: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add a pinch of salt and gradually whisk in the polenta. Stirring constantly, bring the polenta to a boil, then adjust the heat to low. Cook the polenta, stirring occasionally, until it is no longer grainy, about 30 minutes. Whisk the oil and salt to taste into the polenta and remove it from the heat.

Assemble the gratin: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spoon half the polenta into a medium baking dish (an 11-inch oval dish works fine) and cover with half of the sauce. Spoon in the remaining polenta, spread it evenly, then sprinkle with the crumbled cheese. Transfer the remaining sauce to a small saucepan and reserve.

Bake the gratin until the top is golden, about 40 minutes. Just before serving, warm the reserved sauce over low heat. Divide the gratin and sauce among 4 plates, top each serving with sauce, and serve.

Veal Patties with Mushrooms


These individual meatloaves are incredibly moist and juicy. Adapted from a Feb 2006 recipe in Gourmet. Makes 4 servings

2 slices firm white sandwich bread, coarsely crumbled
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or parsley
1 lb ground veal
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs (not seasoned)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
.5 lb oyster or shitake mushrooms, trimmed and diced
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.

Soak bread in cream in a large bowl 5 minutes. Stir in egg, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon chives/parsley until blended well. Add veal and mix with your hands until combined well. Form veal mixture into 4 (4-inch) patties. Spread dry bread crumbs on a sheet of wax paper and coat patties all over.

Heat oil with 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then cook patties, carefully turning over once, until golden brown, firm to the touch, and thermometer inserted into center of each registers 148°F, 8 to 10 minutes total. Transfer patties to an ovenproof platter and keep warm, covered with foil, in oven. Do not clean skillet.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender (4-10 minutes, depending on mushroom type). Stir in remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons chives and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve veal patties topped with mushrooms.

Optional - add a little cream and or garlic to mushrooms at end of cooking for a bit more sauce





Lamb Steaks with Mustard Butter


This one is adapted from a recipe in Dishing Up Vermont by Tracy Medeiros. Serve with mashed potatoes and wilted greens.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 TB mustard, peeled and pressed or minced
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic
1 TB fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 lamb steaks

In a medium bowl cream together butter, mustard, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and pepper until fluffy. Set aside at room temp. Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Prepare a hot grill. Place on grill and sear for 2-3 minutes. Turn steaks over and cook 7-8 minutes longer until desired doneness is reached. Serve chops on a plate and top with mustard butter. Mmmmmm.

Asian Lamb Steaks


lamb steaks
soy sauce
garlic, chopped
ginger, grated

Marinate lamb steaks in soy sauce seasoned with chopped garlic and grated ginger. Let the meat stand in this mixture for 5 to 6 hours and turn it often. Grill as for lamb steaks , brushing with the marinade during cooking. Omit salt and pepper.

Lamb Steaks Two Ways


Recipes submitted to House and Garden in 1956 by James Beard. Both are very simple and delicious methods to prepare lamb.

Lamb Steaks
garlic
melted butter or oil
salt and pepper

Rub each steak with a cut clove of garlic and brush with melted butter or oil. Grill over coals, turning to brown evenly, until the steaks are nicely browned on the outside but still pink and rare in the middle. Season to taste with salt and pepper as they cook.

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