Pie as Promised

 

     As promised, I will now post about the pie I created a few days ago; Strawberry-Blue-barb with walnut streusel topping. A couple of factors were at work in the creation. As always I was trying to take advantage (again for both health and ecology) of fresh local produce. I grew the rhubarb and picked the blueberries myself.

That said, I'm not a big dessert eater, and am always trying to super-food up every dish I make. How can I tweak a traditional recipe to make it better for my body and the earth?
     With old fashioned desserts I start by reducing the white sugar that the recipe calls for. It's simple to do and often can be as much as halved. I find this actually improves the taste most of the time. Even though the strawberry jam I use is sweetened only with fruit juice it still does the trick quite nicely, especially when combined with the streusel topping.  Then I eliminated the top crust usually called for, reducing the fattening pastry by 50%. The addition of the streusel topping with both oats and chopped walnuts boosts the nutrition factor a bit. To stick with the super-food concept I would serve this with vanilla frozen yogurt if going a la mode. Anyway you slice it, this version got a lot of thumbs up.

Strawberry Blue-barb Pie with Walnut Streusel Topping

1 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries, drained
small jar of all natural strawberry jam
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pastry for double-crust pie (9 inches)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup oats
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 chopped walnuts


Directions:

1.In a large bowl, combine rhubarb, blueberries and jam. Combine sugar, flour and salt. Sprinkle over the fruit; toss lightly. Line a pie plate with pastry; add filling.
2. Cut butter into last three ingredients to make a streusel and sprinkle on top of pie.
3. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350; bake 35 minutes longer or until golden brown. Let stand awhile before slicing.

Grilled Striper and Corn on the Cob

     Came across this site, located in Germany, on another blog. This group seeks to offset the carbon dioxide emissions of my blog by planting a tree just for me. I'm all for that. Check them out;
 

     Had a guest griller in last night to cook freshly caught striper for us. It was a decent meal, all of the dishes cooked over charcoal in my back yard. Both the fish and the corn on the cob were steamed, the fish in foil with an Italian marinade and some fresh herbs. The corn right in the husk (actually half schucked first) after soaking in cold water for several hours. It is my favorite way to prepare corn on the cob. learned in my childhood growing up in a corn growing town. The potatoes were tossed in herbs as well, with turmeric (I add that to most of my dishes for it's health benefits) and olive oil and also grilled in foil. Fresh mushrooms were pan sauteed in butter and herbs. Last a garlic focaccia was heated on the hot grill too. We had this meal with a locally brewed oatmeal stout. The result as I think the pictures show was a little bit too monotonous. It needed something green. The fruit pie I made for dessert was quite colorful though,and will be the subject of my next post. Here are a couple of before and after photos for you;

Holiday Meals

      Happy Memorial Day. Hope it was celebrated with healthy and happy meals all around. At our house, we have a tradition of having a Clam Bake in a Pot, often cooked over an open fire out back. This was the first year that I omitted the kielbasa. We didn't miss it. Here is a photo of our pot just before we dug into it a few hours ago.

     As with many of my recipes I really don't feel there is one correct way to prepare a clam bake. If you have good fresh ingredients and pay close attention to cooking time you will end up with something very tasty. This pot was just for me and the two teens, but I do include enough here to make a chowder with the leftovers (which you'll hear about in a couple of days).

     So to start - in your large stock pot saute some garlic and chopped onion in butter and olive oil until soft. Then add six new potatoes which have been washed and chopped in half and enough water to cover. Boil til almost done. Then add fresh chopped herbs, I used parsley and chives with pepper, sea salt, and gomasio, then layer in 3 ears corn cobs halved, a large white onion quartered, 3 pieces kelp, 2 lbs. mussels, 2 lbs. steamers, and whole lobster. Pour one cup white wine (beer or stock work too) and another cup or two of water. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over all and toss the rinds in. Cover and keep on a strong simmer until all foods have been fully steam cooked. I serve straight out of the pot at the outdoor table with fresh rolls and melted butter mixed with fresh herbs from the garden. And of course a glass of good wine for me.
    Here is my pick of the week from Meatless Mondays, which I think would also make a great holiday meal. Artichoke Spinach Strata

Have a happy and healthy holiday weekend.

Technical glitches

     My computer has been dying out on an alarmingly frequent basis, and my camera has completely died, so I am having a hard time posting lately. Hope to correct these problems, (and many others), soon. Really wanted to show you photos of some great meals I had in the last few days; fish tacos last night that were excellent, and a couple of home-made shrimp spring rolls with chili sauce that I picked up at the farmer's market this morning. I was there purchasing the bulk of my herb and vegetable plants because this weekend is devoted to getting the garden finished. I'm heading back out there now to get another hour of work in before calling it a day. Until I am able to post again I leave you with these helpful hints about getting enough fruit and vegetable servings each day, which I know can be tricky.
     http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/nutrition/ways-to-eat-more-fruits-and-vegetables.aspx

Why I'm a weekday vegetarian

     This is Graham Hill, founder of Treehugger.com, sharing his take on eating meat. It's the 70% solution. It makes a lot of sense, especially during the difficult to negotiate party and picnic season I was talking about in my last post. The video is quite short, please hear him out.
      Graham Hill: Why I'm a weekday vegetarian Video on TED.com

Picnics and Parties

      Well, that season is here - the season of picnics, parties and cookouts. Food temptations all over the place and usually served in social settings where celebration is expected. I find this hard. Fun, but hard. It must be much harder for kids. Last weekend I was at an evening outdoor party where duck was served (I crazy love duck) and lamb and goat sausage, in addition to the usual dishes. Then there are the potato chips that I have a lot of trouble saying no to, high fat salads that are doused in things I wouldn't cook with at home, and lots of sweet desserts, which I don't have so much trouble saying no to.
     I have given considerable thought to what I bring to the party, and want to share two ideas that work well for our family. I fall back on these two recipes often throughout the summer. With both dishes I have actually spent years tweaking the recipe so that it still tastes like a special summertime treat, but with both I have made several healthy modifications so that I can feel good about eating it myself as well as feeding it to my kids.
       The first is one of my specialties;

Yankee Baked Beans

     I use small white beans and do soak them overnight or simmer awhile. This version qualifies as a super food in my book because in addition to being vegetarian I have replaced molasses with honey. I got lots of compliments on the last batch.
     Drain beans, reserving liquid in case needed later, and put in bean pot. Saute a chopped white onion in a small amount of butter and olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder. Add chopped fresh herbs, and a rib of celery. Slowly stir in a bit of tomato paste, a half cup ketchup, a half cup barbecue sauce, and a half cup honey, salt and pepper. When blended add a bottle of beer. I sprinkled in a generous shake of seaweed gomasio and vegetarian b'con bits too. Pour into pot and mix gently. Cover pot and bake at 250 for 6 or 7 hours.

Better Potato Salad

       I promise that this still tastes like your Mama's not so very good for you potato salad, but a small scoop of this has lots to offer your body. Boil  six medium potatoes and 4 small eggs til cooked. Let cool. In a large bowl pour 1/3 cup pickle juice, add chopped potatoes and eggs. Season with fresh chopped chives and parsley. Season with salt, pepper, seaweed gomasio, celery seed, tumeric, mustard, garlic powder, and paprika. Slowly fold in one chopped pickle, one chopped rib of celery, and some chopped onion, with just enough mayo made from olive oil to combine. Add it slowly so that you don't overdo. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

     And here is an idea for a really original  green salad from this weeks offerings at Meatless Mondays. It's one that I think young children would enjoy making and eating.

      http://www.meatlessmonday.com/recipe_spinach_blackberry_pistachio.html

     These three recipes should get you (and me) through the long cookout season with dishes that everyone at the party can, and should, enjoy. Enjoy!