Liz On Food

Grilled Beets with Balsamic Vinegar

2010-07-06T15:39:31-06:00

Fresh Chioggia beets from the Boulder farmers' market were the impetus for this delicious summer side dish. You can grill other varieties of beets, but Chioggias are my current favorite, both for their beauty and flavor. The Chioggia beet is an heirloom variety that originated in a coastal town in Italy by the same name. With an early maturity of about 55-65 days, these beets start appearing in our local farmers' markets in mid to late June.

I simmer beets prior to grilling them. Take care not to over-cook Chioggias if you are used to preparing deep red varieties. Chioggia beets are more tender and require less cooking time than their deeper-colored cousins.

I recently served Grilled Beets with Balsamic Vinegar as an accompaniment to grilled fish. The flavors in this dish pop at room temperature so, conveniently, you can prepare it prior to grilling meat and fish and set the beets and greens aside.

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

1 bunch of fresh Chioggia beets (about 7-8 medium)
1 T olive oil
1/8 t black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 t salt
2 T balsamic vinegar

Cut off beet greens about 1/2 inch from bulbs. Scrub beets thoroughly. Wash and drain greens; set aside. Place beets in medium sauce pan, cover with water. Bring to boil and let simmer 20-25 minutes until just tender. Remove from heat; drain and cover with cold water. When cool, peel skin from beets. Skin should peel off easily, revealing beautiful pink and orange hues.

Place beet greens in medium sauce pan; add water to about 1 inch depth. Bring to boil and let simmer 15 minutes. Drain beet greens and set aside.

Preheat grill. Place beets on a cutting board and slice into quarters. Chioggas have dramatic striping, which shows well whether quartered or sliced crosswise.

About 3 minutes before grilling, place grilling tray on grill to preheat. Place quartered beets in medium mixing bowl; add oil, salt and pepper. Toss gently. Spread beets on preheated grilling tray.

Grill about 5 minutes, turning several times. Remove from grill when edges begin to brown.

Plate individual portions by centering beet greens and arranging beets on top. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar just before serving.

Per-serving Nutritional Profile:
    Calories, 100
    Fat, 3.5 g
        Saturated Fat, .5 g
    Cholesterol, 0 mg
    Carbs, 15 g
        Dietary Fiber, 4 g
    Protein, 4 g
    Sodium, 400 mg
    Vitamin A, 110% Daily Value
    Vitamin C, 35% Daily Value
    Calcium, 10% Daily Value
    Iron, 15% Daily Value

Unbaked Oatmeal Cookies

2010-07-02T08:51:26-06:00

I looked at my online recipe index recently and realized I have a lot of dessert recipes compared to other categories. This from a dietitian. What I can say is I celebrate the role of enjoyment in sustaining healthful eating habits. And the sweetest things in life are worth sharing. So from my family recipe archives, here's another dulcet recipe coming at you.

Unbaked or uncooked oatmeal cookies have been a round for a while but the recipe bears mention during the sweltering summer, because it's quick, simple, scrumptious and doesn't require turning on the oven. I like to serve these cookies chilled, accompanied by a glass of ice-cold skim milk.

Yield: 48 cookies

Preparation Time: 30 minutes, plus about 1 hour refrigeration

1/2 c unsalted butter
1/2 c milk (I use whole)
1/2 c creamy or crunchy natural-style peanut butter
2 c sugar
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1/2 c sweetened coconut flakes
3 c uncooked old-fashioned oatmeal

Place first six ingredients in a medium sauce pan. On medium heat, stir and let ingredients melt and dissolve.

Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute only.

Remove from heat. Add remaining three ingredients.

Mix thoroughly.

Let cool 5-10 minutes. Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheets. Before serving, let cookies cool and set by refrigerating at least 1 hour. Store cookies in refrigerator.

Per-cookie Nutritional Profile:
    Calories, 100
    Fat, 5 g
        Saturated Fat, 2 g
    Cholesterol, 5 mg
    Carbs, 13 g
        Dietary Fiber, 1 g
    Protein, 2 g
    Sodium, 30 mg
    Vitamin A, 2% Daily Value
    Vitamin C, 0% Daily Value
    Calcium, 0% Daily Value
    Iron, 2% Daily Value

Backyard Garden Early Season

2010-06-06T08:00:00-06:00

This year, I purchased Abbondanza's locally cultivated seeds for my backyard garden. You can find the dirt (pardon the pun) on the whys and wherefores of this investment in this post: Can I Make My Back Yard Garden More Local? I am excited to see what my locally purchased seeds will do in my garden compared to longer-distance seed sources in years' past. I will be updating my blog throughout the growing season so you'll have a chance to check out the progress as well.

While early June may seem like mid-season in those in more temperate climates, it's early season here on the Colorado front range, especially considering we had snow mid-May this year. So far, I have healthy seedlings signally a solid harvest to come, in large part due to the seeds, but also because of rabbit fencing, compost and irrigation.

One row of green and wax bean seeds were eaten by blackbirds, so I replanted those a few days ago. Oddly enough, the birds discovered only one of my two rows originally planted so a have a line of nicely progressing plants. And those pesky birds may have actually done me a favor, as now my bean harvest will be spread out over several weeks.

I planted several varieties of leaf lettuce. Sprinkling the seeds together in a row will result in a blend of greens later in the season. The charcoal-colored tubing is soaker hose we installed last year. The timed drip system allows for water conservation, ideal in arid areas such as Colorado where gardens required irrigation.

Here's how zucchini and yellow summer squash look when they pop up. It will be a few weeks before fried squash blossoms are on our home menu.

Carrots always seem to take a while to get started. These little Nantes Scarlet seedlings are so small, I had trouble focusing the camera! This is the same cultivar that produced Carrot Love last season. Notice the cottonwood fluff that has settled in the garden.

Turnips are one of my favorite vegetables, especially when harvested as young, tender, small globes. You can see some bugs have been enjoying the leaves, but not to the extent that it will deter the growth of the plants.

Our beet seedlings are coming along. These could have been planted sooner but it was tough to get motivated when it was still snowing in April and May! No worries, we'll have luscious beets in no time. Well, not quite no time. With a growing time of 45-65 days, we should have beets by mid-July. I'll get back to you on that.

I've limited this particular season preview of my garden to seeds purchased from Abbondanza. Within the last week, herbs, eggplant and tomato plants from local green houses and farmers' markets have thickened the plot (pardon another pun). Stay tuned for the next episode.

2010 Colorado Farm Fresh Directory

2010-06-02T12:03:22-06:00

If you live in Colorado or if you're thinking about visiting, you might find Colorado Farm Fresh Directory useful. Published annually by the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), the directory includes statewide listings of farmers' markets, food, wine and ag festivals, farm and ranch vacation destinations, a crop calendar, and more. The 2010 Farm Fresh Directory was just published. To entice you with Colorado's offerings, I'm interspersing this post with photos I took at the Boulder County Farmers' Market, Longmont, a couple seasons ago.

Historically to present, agriculture has made significant contributions to the Colorado economy generating $20 billion annually and supporting 100,000 jobs.

Here are a few Colorado stats from the 2007 US Ag Census, the latest edition published:

More 80% of Colorado’s farms and ranches are family or individual owned.
Most of the top 10 ag revenue generators are related to animal products (beef, dairy, grain for feed, eggs and poultry, lamb and pork), with some notable exceptions. Wheat is #3 and produce is #6.
Many people may not think of Colorado as being suitable for fruit and vegetable production but producers know better. Comparing fruit and vegetable production by state, Colorado ranks 3rd in head lettuce, 4th in summer and fall potatoes, 5th in cantaloupe and onions, 6th in sweet corn, 7th in peaches, 8th in cabbage and pears, and 9th in edible dry beans.

In looking at these numbers, you might have noticed that our state's production and processing is not limited to local distribution. While the CDA encourages buying local, it also touts that "Colorado's produce is shipped throughout the US and to over 115 countries around the world." And CDA also notes Colorado is home to several prominent food and beverage brands with national and international distribution, including Celestial Seasonings, Coors, Engstrom's Toffee, Hot Pockets, Leprino's, New Belgium and Rudi's Organic Bakery.

Don't these fresh veggies look like the start of a great meal..or two...or three?

In Praise of Home-Delivered Milk

2010-06-01T21:39:14-06:00

With three teenagers in our home, we go through a lot of milk. Several years ago, I decided to switch from store-bought to home-delivered milk. My primary motive at the time was convenience. I found myself running to the store too often for my busy schedule. Royal Crest Dairy delivers milk and other products in our rural neighborhood once a week, so I stock up on a weekly supply of milk and recruit family members to bring it in off the porch. On Wednesday mornings, our top refrigerator shelf is nearly full of milk (save the space allotted for microbrewery beer).

While I value the time-saving aspect of the home delivery, other benefits exist as well:

Royal Crest is a Colorado family-owned dairy processor, a rarity in dairy industry consolidation.
If I can reduce my trips to town (10 miles round trip), I'm reducing fuel consumption. Royal Crest milk delivery vehicles run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). According to the federal government, LPG-fueled vehicles produce fewer toxic and smog-forming air pollutants. Royal Crest has earned several environmental awards for its efforts.
Royal Crest milk is packaged in sturdy reusable/recyclable plastic milk bottles made with #2 recyclable plastic (HDPE, high-density polyethylene). According to Royal Crest, these bottles can be reused up to 100 times before recycling. HDPE is considered safe and is approved by the FDA for use in a variety of food packages. Just like other plastics, HDPE is not biodegradable so it's a plus that Royal Crest reuses the containers, unlike the one-time use of store-purchased milk jugs.
For those interested, Royal Crest milk comes from cows that have not been treated with recombinant bovine somatotropin (also known as rBGH). From a food safety perspective, this feature did not influence my decision to go with Royal Crest. However, Colorado Front Range consumers might find the price appealing as it is often lower than the store-purchased certified organic milks. (Note, Royal Crest milk is not certified organic.)
Consistently over the years, our home-delivered milk has tasted great and had a long-lasting shelf-life.

No, this is not my photo - but it's a great splash, eh? Every once in a while, I rely on Fotolia to spice up my blog photography. and when I see photos like this, it makes me glad I have a day job as a culinary dietitian! None-the-less, It's the simple domestic management tools, like home-delivered milk...and Fotolia, that allow for less stress and more creativity with a busy family. That leaves more time for culinary pursuits, gardening and blogging.

By the way, Happy June Dairy Month!

Confetti Salad with Shrimp and Bacon

2010-05-13T16:08:03-06:00

Confetti Salad with Shrimp and Bacon is a nod to my Alabama FoodBuzz friend, Drick, whose recipe for Creamy Shrimp Salad was the source of inspiration. If you like Southern and Cajun cuisine, Drick's Rambling Caf é is a wonderful blog full of mouthwatering recipes.

This creation brings a lively twist to the many variations of confetti salad with the addition of bacon and cayenne pepper. I happen to like the kick of cayenne pepper, but if you have young, sensitive taste buds in the house, the salad will stand on its own without the hot stuff. I used red onion, celery, peas and corn in this recipe but black beans and chopped red bell pepper would be welcome additions.

A quick, light-yet-flavorful, one-dish summer meal, Confetti Salad with Shrimp and Bacon is a good source of fiber and vitamin C as well as an excellent source of vitamin A and iron (using FDA food labeling jargon). No added salt is needed for the recipe: The shrimp and bacon provide just enough.

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation Time: 45 minutes

1 lb raw wild-caught shrimp, 12-16 per pound
2 garlic cloves
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c red onion1/2 c celery
2 slices bacon
1 c frozen green peas
1 c frozen or canned yellow corn kernels
1 T fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/4 c mayonnaise
4-6 romaine lettuce leaves

Place three quarts of water, garlic cloves and Worcestershire sauce in a large stock pot; bring to a boil. (Thanks to Drick for cuing me in to perking up the water with Worcestershire sauce.) Add shrimp, bring back to a boil and boil 3-4 minutes. Drain shrimp in a colander and run cool water over shrimp. Peel (and devein, if desired) shrimp; cut in thirds cross-wise. Refrigerate while preparing additional ingredients. Chop onion and celery. Cook bacon in nonstick frying pan; remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain fat and crisp bacon. When cool, crumble into small bits. Simmer frozen peas for five minutes in small sauce pan; drain and rinse with cool water. Place all ingredients, except Romaine leaves, in a mixing bowl and fold gently until well mixed. If you make ahead of time, wait to add bacon until just before serving, to preserve crispness. Plate individual servings by arranging lettuce and mounding salad on top.

Per-serving Nutritional Profile:
    Calories, 240
    Fat, 8 g
        Saturated Fat, 1.5 g
    Cholesterol, 175 mg
    Carbs, 19 g
        Dietary Fiber, 3 g
    Protein, 23 g
    Sodium, 550 mg
    Vitamin A, 25% Daily Value
    Vitamin C, 15% Daily Value
    Calcium, 6% Daily Value
    Iron, 20% Daily Value