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Filtering by Tag: local

red beet risotto

Andrea

I do believe that beets are my very favorite spring vegetable. They are quickly overshadowed by tomatoes in Summer, but in May and June I could eat beets every other day. Typically I am a fan of simply roasting the globes and tossing them on a salad with chevre and a light vinaigrette. But every now and then, when I am feeling the need for something a bit more toothy and substantial I'll whip up a batch of risotto. I love the sweetness that roasted beets lend to the savory dish, and of course the vibrant hue that even a picky toddler wouldn't be able to resist.

I"ll admit...I've already written about red beet risotto here, years ago, when we were growing beets in our very own garden. The recipe has changed a bit, and the photographs have certainly improved, but I still love that first post because of its words about our little veggie patch. We're still growing beets this year, although out on Maple Hill Farm rather than just to the side of our house. And this recipe is still a favorite, one that I felt was appropriate to bring up again now that we're at the height of beet season here in Charlottesville. Plus, I just couldn't resist the urge to re-photograph the dish in all of its neon-pink glory, in proper lighting, with less distraction. It deserves to be the star of the show!

These days, I'm adding the beet greens directly to the risotto, rather than cooking them up on the side. They don't add much flavor to the dish, but I do like the additional texture and all of the nutrients packed into the deep green leaves. Thanks to the New York Times for that little suggestion.

Red Beet Risotto

from the new york times

serves 4 as a main course

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound beets (1 small bunch of 3 to 4)
  • 1 bunch beet greens, stemmed and washed (from your beets, if fresh and unwilted. leave them out if they are past their prime)
  • 6 to 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock, as needed
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1-1/2 cups arborio rice
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

  1. First, roast the beets. Preheat your oven to 400°. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the beets are easily pierced with a fork.  Remove from oven and allow to cool, then peel and dice the beets.  The skin should slide off easily.
  2. Slice the greens into 1-inch strips, set aside.
  3. Place the stock in a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low.
  4. In a large, wide, heavy-bottom saute pan, heat the oil over medium. Add the onion and stir while cooking until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and the garlic and stir while cooking until the rice is separate and starting to crackle, about 3 minutes.
  5. Stir in the wine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. When the wine has just about evaporated, add in 1 ladleful of stock (about 1/2 cup) just to cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly (adjust heat). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the stock is nearly absorbed, then add another ladleful. Continue to cook in this fashion, not too fast and not too slowly, stirring often and adding more stock when the rice is dry, for about 10 minutes.
  6. Stir in the diced beets and sliced greens. Add more stock and continue cooking as before, for another 10-15 minutes, adding stock when the rice is dry. The rice should be tender but not mushy, with no hardness at the middle. When it has reached the correct consistency, season with salt + pepper. Add the parmesan cheese and the parsley, and stir to combine. The rice should be creamy, if it is not, add another 1/2 cup of stock.
  7. Adjust seasonings and serve.

the best egg salad...ever

Andrea

egg salad-4.jpg

I have big, big plans for picnics in 2011. Last summer, I think, Brian and I were cheated...busy lives kept us from really taking the time to relax on weekends and enjoy each other's company on weekday evenings. Life is still moving quickly, but this year we've adjusted our priorities. And picnics are close to the top of my new list. Nothing quite says summer like packing a basket of simple foods, folding up your favorite quilt, and driving out to the country. Or, if you really want to get your picnic quota up, simply walking out to the backyard and plopping down on a patch of shady grass. That can happen any old day, and this year I plan to make it happen quite often.

A few weeks ago I started a list. My 'foods fit for a picnic' list, as I call it. On this piece of gridded paper I placed edibles such as 'not-too-crumbly biscuits' and 'pulled pork' and 'spicy coleslaw'. Also, there were 'buttermilk cookies' and 'dill pickles' and 'egg salad'. These were all recipes that I wished to research and experiment with, to really nail down so that I would be prepared for outdoor eating at any point between April and October. As of this week, I've crossed one off.

For some reason I've always had a thing for egg salad. Most versions I've ever had have been very bland, and I am never fully satisfied after choosing it for a sandwich over deli meat or roasted veggies. Regardless, for all these years, I've told myself and others "I really love egg salad!" And so when it made an appearance on my 'foods fit for a picnic' list (because of course, egg salad belongs at a picnic) I immediately started thinking about creating a fantastic herbed pesto that I could drizzle over top. You know, to make the egg salad more interesting.

Armed with this Alice Waters recipe recommended by a friend, I set about preparing what was to be the ultimate picnic sandwich...egg salad drizzled with chive pesto served on artisan bread. I smeared one slice of bread with the pesto, piled a heap of egg salad on another slice, and debated how to photograph my creation. While debating, I sampled the salad...and kept eating. This salad is so delicious, the exact opposite of bland, that the beautiful, emerald-toned pesto was immediately packed up and stashed away. Chopped eggs tossed with mayonnaise mixed with fresh chives, dijon mustard, and capers requires no accompaniment aside from a thick slice of good bread. Its the capers that make the salad, truly. I'll never eat egg salad without capers again. That would be like having a whole summer go by without a picnic, and that just won't do.

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egg salad-2.jpg
egg salad-1.jpg

Egg Salad (the best ever...)

from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters

serves 4 (unless you're a big, big fan like me...then you might want to double the recipe)

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs*, at room temperature (if you can, please buy happy, organic, farmer-raised chicken eggs)
  • 2 tsp capers - rinsed, drained, and chopped
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives*
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley*
  • salt
  • freshly-ground black pepper
  • pinch of cayenne 
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise (Alice recommends homemade, which I'm sure is simple and lovely, but I used store-bought)
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup diced celery

Method

  1. Cook the eggs in simmering water for 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and cool in a bowl of ice-cold water. Peel and chop the eggs coarsely.
  2. Mix together the rest of the ingredients. Add the chopped eggs and mix well.
  3. Adjust seasoning if necessary.

*Eggs from Double H Farm. Chives from the Local Food Hub. Parsley from Stephanie + Evan. Thank you!

egg salad-6.jpg

celebrate summer with local beer, local music [giveaway!]

Andrea

A few weeks ago I received an email with the subject “Does Bella like beer?”. Well yes, Bella does like beer, and so I opened that email and kept on reading. In it, a very nice woman named Stephanie asked if I might like to visit an award-winning local brewery for a complimentary tour and tasting. She also asked if I thought the followers of Bella Eats might be interested in reading about that visit, and then submitting a comment on that post for a chance to win a pair of tickets to two separate music festivals in Virginia. Well gosh that all sounded like a lot of fun and, while product promotion and giveaways aren’t very typical in this web space of mine, I really liked the idea of reviewing a local company and hosting a giveaway that supports local music.

And that is how, a flurry of emails later, Brian and I found ourselves driving west out of Charlottesville two Sundays ago. Our destination, Devils Backbone Brewing Company, was recently named Champion Brewery and Brewmaster in the small brewpub category at the 2010 World Beer Cup. They also earned one gold medal and three bronze medals for individual beers entered in the same competition, and last year brought home four medals from the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. With stats like that, the not-even-two-years-old brewery had been on our "things to do/see in/around Charlottesville" list for good reason.

The brewmaster, Jason Oliver, has over 14 years of brewing experience and 15 medals for beers he's brewed. We were lucky to have a semi-private tour of the brewhouse scheduled with Jason, who is incredibly knowledgeable about his craft and patient with those of us who are not. He took us through the entire process, from steeping barley in water to fermenting with yeast to flavoring with hops. We were able to try several types of barley from a handful of different countries so that we could see for ourselves how different grains influence the final flavor of the beer we drink. It was fascinating, and very enjoyable. If you live in central Virginia, or are planning to visit the area, I highly recommend scheduling a tour of the brewhouse at Devils Backbone Brewing Company.

[thank you Brian for the above pictures of Jason and me]

After our tour Brian and I found our way to a couple of stools at the long copper-clad bar. DB Brewing Company has 10 beers on tap at all times, 4 that are brewed year-round and 6 rotating seasonal beers that are created by Jason. We decided to split the sampler, and Jason lined up our ten samples alongside a menu with their descriptions. The beers ranged in color from the champagne-toned Azreal (my favorite) to the cola-dark Inspirado (Brian's favorite).

They were each unique, some were surprising, all were quite good. The Wintergreen Weiss, a Bavarian-style hefeweizen, had my attention, as well as the Gold Leaf Lager. But the Azreal...oh, the Azreal (aka Gargamel...a little Smurf reference for you). Fruity on the nose and the tongue, so easy to drink yet nearly 8% alcohol...that one is dangerous, and I loved it. Brian's favorite, the Inspirado, was also excellent with its deep, dark color and rich, fruity flavor.

If you're in the area, make the drive out to Nelson County to visit Devils Backbone Brewing Company. Take the tour, try the sampler, stay for lunch. And be sure to go home with a growler or two. DB Brewing Company beer is available on tap at a few restaurants around Charlottesville, but the only way to take it home with you is to get it straight from the brewery.

Many thanks to Jason and Devils Backbone Brewing Company for hosting us, and to Stephanie for setting it all up!

Music Festival Tickets Giveaway!

Devils Backbone Brewing Company is hosting two music festivals on their Concert Grounds at Devils Backbone, the Brew Ridge Music Festival and The Festy. Bella Eats is giving away one pair of tickets to each music festival! You have three opportunities to win tickets:
  1. Leave a comment on this post specifying that you are interested in winning the tickets and which festival you would prefer to attend.
  2. Become a friend of both BRTMF and The Festy on Facebook and leave a second comment on this post telling me you've done so. (Honor system here folks!)
  3. Follow The Festy on Twitter and leave a third comment on this post telling me you've done so. (Again, honor system!)
Post comments by Friday, August 13th. I will pick the winners using a random number generator and announce them on Saturday, August 14th. Good luck!

Brew Ridge Music Festival: The second annual Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival is an all ages event featuring top musical artists and sixteen local beers on tap. Scheduled for Sat, August 21 at the Concert Grounds at Devils Backbone (Nelson County, VA, 45 miles from Charlottesville), Cerberus Productions, 106.1 "The Corner" and the Brew Ridge Trail members are thrilled that this year's festival will be headlined by Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk. Additional confirmed acts include Devon Allman's Honeytribe and William Walter & Co. For overnight accommodations, Wintergreen. Gates open at noon, rain or shine. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit Brew Ridge Trail Music Festival.

One winner will receive two Taphouse Tent tickets, which include admission to the festival and (8) 4oz beer tasting tickets!

Follow on Facebook

The Festy: The Infamous Stringdusters, The Artist Farm, Cerberus Productions and Devils Backbone Brewing Company present The Festy Experience, a 2-day camping festival over Columbus Day weekend (Oct 9 & 10) at The Concert Grounds at Devils Backbone in Nelson County, Virginia (45 mi. from Charlottesville). Hosted and curated by The Infamous Stringdusters, The Festy Experience will celebrate and combine the best in live music, outdoor sports and lifestyle, craft beer culture and raging good times.

In addition to two nights with The Dusters, confirmed acts include Railroad Earth, Josh Ritter, Toubab Krewe, The Tony Rice Unit and a slew of musically diverse acts that embody The Festy Experience spirit.

Wanna festy, but don't wanna camp? Weekend day passes are available, but bypass couch surfing for the Wintergreen Resort Experience. All rooms booked at the Wintergreen Resort in association with The Festy Experience will receive an exclusive 20% off.

One winner will receive two tickets to The Festy! Follow on Facebook Follow on Twitter
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happy, happy day

Andrea

Last year at this time I was posting regularly about our backyard vegetable patch. I’d shared potato salad with our sugar snap peas, an earthy, herby frittata, and a rosy beet risotto. The garden was, while a bit overgrown, orderly and walkable. I visited it every day, scurrying through the gate in the morning after my runs to pick raspberries for breakfast, losing myself to daydreams as I stood with a hose each afternoon and soaked the soil under the tomatoes and peppers. I was oh-so-proud of our little plot, and oh-so-excited to share its progress with you all.

In December, after harvesting the last of the carrots for our Christmas dinner, Brian and I mourned the fact that those were probably the last vegetables we’d see come from our current backyard. We were planning to move this Summer, and didn’t think it would be very smart to put a lot of time, money, or energy into a piece of land that would no longer be ours in just six months’ time. It made me sad. Very, very, sad.

March came and went without us ordering organic compost to till into soil already rich from three years of amendment and gardening. There was no sprinkling of lettuce, kale, carrot, or beet seeds; no elaborate map drawn to show the exact location of each plant to come. May 15th, the last frost date for our part of Virginia, rolled by without us spending a Saturday planting tiny tomato, cucumber and pepper plants. The weeds grew, and grew, and grew...and I just let them.

Multiple friends who don’t know our plans to move, but do know the joy we get from growing our own food, have asked “how’s that garden of yours?”. This single question, innocent as it is, elicits a panicked look from Brian, who tries to change the subject before I can launch into our sorrowful (to me) tale. About how, no, we didn’t plant any vegetables in our backyard this year. And no, we don’t think we’ll be moving into a new house in time to establish a new garden. And yes, I am devastated that we’re not spending a portion of our weekends weeding and watering and planting and harvesting. Harumph.

In hindsight, we should have planted summer veggies. Things never move as quickly as anticipated, and our putting the house on the market was no exception. By now we could have been eating our own lettuce, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, and beets. Instead we’re buying them at the farmer’s market, which is the next best thing, but still not quite as satisfying. I’m getting over it. Really.

However...our berries have been AMAZING this year. Strawberries, red and golden raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries. Thank goodness for hardy perennial fruit that grows no matter the neglect it’s received! Those shots at the top of the page are from my visit to the garden last Friday morning, when I first noticed that the blackberries are starting to ripen. I did a little dance, hurried back inside for my camera and a bowl, and proceeded to pick every single fully-black berry on the vine. Happy, happy day.

This cake was actually made with blackberries that we grew last summer and froze. We had 8 quarts in our own freezer, and many more were given to friends. I'm betting that our harvest will be doubled this year, and we're not moving until I am proven right.  Stubborn?  Not me.

Even if you have fresh blackberries on hand, you should still freeze them for at least 4 hours before adding them to the batter. The frozen berries, with the help of the syrup, will stay firmly rooted to the bottom of the pan without rising to the top (which will become the bottom) of the cake.

The whole wheat flour provides the cake with a dense crumb, perfect for picking up between two fingers.  I made it for dessert, but I think it is even better for breakfast.  Not too sweet, hearty with whole grains, a nice compliment to a cup of coffee.

Blackberry Upside-Down Cake

from Sweet and Natural Baking, by Mani Niall serves 10 Ingredients fruit
  • 1/3 cup liquid fruit juice concentrate (or, agave nectar)
  • 2 tbsp canola oil
  • 3 cups frozen blackberries
cake
  • 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
  • 3/4 cup liquid fruit juice concentrate (or, agave nectar)
  • 2/3 cup skim milk
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Method
  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 10-inch ovenproof skillet or springform pan with vegetable oil spray.
  2. For the fruit:  In a small saucepan, bring the fruit juice concentrate and oil to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes. Pour into the prepared pan. Immediately arrange the blackberries in the pan in a single layer. Work quickly, as the syrup will harden rapidly. Place in the freezer while preparing the batter. (This will keep the fruit from floating to the top of the batter while baking.)
  3. For the cake:  In a medium bowl, using a handheld electric mixer at high speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the fruit juice concentrate, beating until stiff peaks form. Reduce the speed to low and add the milk, oil and vanilla, mixing until well combined.
  4. In another medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt until combined. Add to the liquid ingredients and whisk until smooth. Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the batter over the fruit.
  5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool on a cake rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the skillet or springform to loosen the cake. Invert onto a serving plate. Let stand for 5 minutes so that the cake can absorb the juices. Remove the skillet of release the sides of the spring form and carefully lift off the bottom. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
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truly, I do

Andrea

The mosquitoes are out in full force, covering my skin with pink welts each time I venture into our overgrown garden. My hair frizzes to twice its volume as soon as I consider stepping outside. I can’t walk down the block without tiny beads of sweat popping up on the back of my neck, yet my office is frigid enough to require a sweater. Spring seems to have moved on early this year, leaving in her wake an abrasive and demanding Summer.

But, despite all of this personal discomfort, I love this time of year. Truly, I do.

I love the thunderstorms that sweep in like clockwork each afternoon, lending the sky an ominous tone and the air an electric buzz. I love the booths at the farmer’s market, the tables full of greens and berries and cucumbers and beets. I love that the water is warm enough to take the dogs swimming at the reservoir, and that those trips are the perfect opportunity for a picnic. I love drinking Moscow Mules on the back deck while watching fireflies glow in the trees, and the smell of sun screen and citronella and bug spray made sweeter by the intoxicating aroma of freshly-mown grass and trampled mint.

Those are all compelling arguments, I know, but what I love most about this Almost-Summer time of year is the local Virginia fruit. Those few days where I find myself wandering between tidy rows of strawberries, or ducking under tree branches dripping with both rainwater and cherries, are worth every welt on my itchy legs. Filling our basket with blueberries and melons at Charlottesville's City Market makes the sweltering heat just bearable as we make our way between stalls. And folding homegrown raspberries into whipped buttercream...oh my. There aren't many discomforts that fresh raspberry buttercream can't fix.

But today, let's focus on those cherries. Ten-year-old Andrea would probably tell you that they are her favorite fruit...ever...for their appearance at the grocery store was always perfectly timed with the end of school and the beginning of Summer vacation. My momma, a teacher and just as excited for the break, would plan day trips to Florida’s fresh water springs for my friends and me. A bag full of sweet cherries was always packed as part of our lunch. After a few hours of swimming and snorkeling and sharks’ tooth hunting the dark-skinned globes would come out of the cooler, icy cold and immediately covered in tiny beads of condensation.

We’d find a spot in the grass, out of the shade of our claimed pavilion. The spring water was frigid, and the sun felt good on our skin as we spread a blanket and chose our places for the competition that was sure to follow. Small hands reached into the Ziplock bag, pulling out handfuls of tangled fruit to place in cross-legged laps. One-by-one, plucked from the mass by rubbery stems, the cherries were popped into eager mouths.  Rolled around and around the tongue, the pit was picked clean before being spat from juice-stained lips across the sun-soaked lawn.

Oh, summer.

I won't deny that my adult days have seen the occasional cherry-pit-spitting contest.  Yes, I do that.  But 28-year-old Andrea has also learned how to bake and how to make jam, and that cherries pair well with savory partners as well as sweet.  Take this dish, for instance, a variation on the classic tomato and basil bread salad.  In it, sweet cherries are paired with the tang of  balsamic vinegar and spicy arugula, all held together by a base of crisped bread and a topping of creamy chevre.  It is a very adult meal, a lovely, rustic dinner for two on the back deck that is complimented nicely by an effervescent vinho verde.

Just be sure to save some of those whole cherries for dessert...you never know when your inner child will demand a little friendly competition.

Bread Salad with Cherries, Arugula and Goat Cheese

from A Homemade Life, by Molly Wizenberg makes 4 first-course servings, or a meal for 2 Ingredients
  • 6 oz rustic bread, preferably a day old (I used a whole wheat baguette)
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 pound cherries, halved and pitted (I used sweet cherries, and a cherry pitter was SO handy)
  • 1/8 tsp pressed or crushed garlic
  • balsamic vinegar
  • salt
  • arugula
  • fresh chevre, coarsely crumbled
  • black pepper
Method
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Trim crust from bread, and discard the crust.  Tear the bread into rough, bite-size pieces (you should have about 4 cups, total).  Dump the bread onto a rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle it with olive oil.  Toss to coat. Bake until crispy and golden in spots, shaking the pan once, 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, put about one-third of the cherries in a small bowl and mash them lightly with a fork to release their juices.
  4. When the bread is nicely toasted, turn it into a large bowl. While it is still hot, add the crushed garlic and toss well.  Set the bowl aside to cool for a minute or two, then add all of the cherries, both mashed and halved, and toss. Add 2 tsp balsamic vinegar and toss again. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch or two of salt and toss again.
  5. Taste, and adjust the vinegar, oil and salt as needed.  The bread and cherries should taste good on their own. When you're satisfied with the flavor, add about 2 handfuls of arugula and toss one last time.  Finish with a generous amount of crumbled goat cheese and a few grinds of the pepper mill, and serve.
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farmers' market frittata

Andrea

Even though we've only lived here four years, Brian and I have fallen completely in love with Charlottesville.  One of the things we enjoy most about this little city is the strong local food movement.  We visit the farmer's market each weekend during the season to gather our meat, eggs and produce for the week (whatever we're not growing in our own garden) and have long conversations with our favorite farmers. We get to see photographs of the chickens who lay our eggs pecking the ground in their grassy field, the cows and their new calfs, and the bee hives housing the bees that are pollinating the plants from which our vegetables grow. fritt merge 1 It is undoubtably our favorite part of the week, and we make sure to leave ourselves with plenty of time to talk to Richard about the problems we are having with our own tomato plants and to gush to Jean about the magic of her hens’ eggs. We have a direct connection to the people who supply the food on our table, something that I think the majority of the world population doesn’t have and may not understand. fritt 3 I know that we're very fortunate, and was reminded of it again last week when I made this vegetable frittata.  As we sat down to eat I realized that every single ingredient, except for the parmesan cheese and olive oil, was locally grown.   The eggs, milk, bell pepper, leeks and zucchini all came from the farmers' market, and the herbs were grown in our own garden.  How cool is that?!? I'm not trying to rub it in, I'm really not, I just had to share with you all the amazing feeling that I had knowing that our dinner was not only delicious, but also supporting our local farmers. fritt 4 With Food, Inc. just out (which I haven't seen yet, gasp!) I've read a lot more chatter in the food blog world about being aware of where our food comes from.  Its exciting, and I'm so glad to see bloggers with serious readership and influence supporting the cause.  To join in, I wanted to share a couple of sites I've recently read about that may help you discover local food providers in your area.  And, for my Charlottesville readers, I've added a new local page to the top bar.  I know that I am probably missing a lot of great resources so if you have any to add, please leave a comment! fritt 5 I challenge you all to make this frittata and try to include at least one local ingredient, even if it is just herbs from pots on your porch.  Every little bit counts! Feel free to switch up the veggies, the recipe is very versatile.  And delicious too, I might add. Farmers' Market Frittata Ingredients:
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (for a silkier texture) or 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 4-5 good grinds of sea salt
  • pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp fresh chives, minced
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped to 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 zucchini, chopped to 1/4-inch dice
  • 1 leek, white and pale green part only, halved then sliced thinly
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Method:
  1. Whisk together eggs, salt, pepper and yogurt or milk until smooth.  Add minced herbs and stir well, set aside.
  2. Heat oil in 10 or 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add bell pepper, zucchini and leek.  Cook for 8-10 minutes, until veggies are tender.
  3. Increase heat to medium-high.  Pour egg mixture over veggies evenly.  Cook on medium high for 3-4 minutes, tilting pan and lifting edges of frittata to allow raw egg to run underneath.
  4. Lower heat to low, cover pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes, until frittata is mostly set.  Shake pan occasionally while cooking.  Meanwhile, place a rack at the top of the oven and turn broiler on to high.
  5. Remove frittata from stovetop when it is mostly set.  Sprinkle cheese across top and place in oven, under broiler.  Broil for 1-2 minutes, watching carefully to not let it get to brown.  You just want a few spots of brown across the top, and bubbly cheese.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes.  Remove to cutting board or large plate, cut into wedges and serve.
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pink ladies

Andrea

Happy Sunday evening! Sorry I haven't posted all day...it was a busy one! :) This morning I woke up craving cereal, as is usual lately. I mixed 1/2 cup Kashi Heart to Heart with 1/2 cup Back to Nature Maple Nut Medley. I topped it off with the golden raspberries I got from my garden yesterday, pom seeds that I slaved over this morning and Silk plain soymilk. These were my first pom seeds of the season....so yum!!! (and pretty!) 081109-b1 081109-b3 Brian and I decided to go apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard, about 10 minutes from our house.  Its so beautiful at the top of the mountain, the perfect place to go in the fall for an overlook of Charlottesville. 081109-apples-1 081109-apples-2 I love fall in Virginia!!! [but am angry at the black speck on my lense :( ] The best part.......we picked Pink Ladies!!!!!!!!  My FAVORITES! 081109-apples-3 081109-apples-4 13 pounds of beautiful Pinks.....I am a happy happy girl.  :) And of course I had to eat one while we were picking...who could resist? 081109-apples-51 We also gathered 5 pounds of granny smith apples from the bin so that I can make Brian's Nana's famous apple crisp. 081109-apples-6 After a lovely morning apple picking trip I had a vinyasa yoga class at Studio 206.  Hilary is my favorite instructor and the class was WONDERFUL.  I felt so loose and gushy and fabulous afterwards.  :)  I snacked on a chocolate chip Clif Z-Bar immediately after class because I was starving!  This was my first Z-Bar and I LOVED IT!  It tasted just like a chocolate chip cookie.  Now, it could have been my ultra-serene, after-yoga state of mind, but I'm pretty sure I will love these bars no matter the situation! 081109-s1 081109-s2 Unfortunately I had to work for a few hours this afternoon, so I packed my lunch this morning before our apple picking trip.  A veggie wrap with  
  • whole wheat tortilla
  • 2 tbsp roasted garlic hummus
  • alfalfa sprouts
  • cucumber slices
  • red bell pepper slices
  • banana peppers
  081109-l1 And a side of leftover quinoa. 081109-l2 It was yummy and filling and got me through my afternoon of work. For dinner I wanted to try a Mushroom Barley Risotto recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop.  I love that he substitutes barley for arborio rice in the risotto because barley has much greater nutritional value and was a wonderful, earthy compliment to the mushrooms.  FYI, the barley takes a bit longer than arborio to cook. 081109-d1 Brian made lacinato kale as a side dish...another of my favorites! 081109-d3 081109-d4 081109-d5 081109-d6 I also had 2 small glasses of wine... 081109-d7 The meal was great, but risotto is very time-consuming and not something that I cook very often.   Whew!  I'm beat!!!  And...today I was tagged by Amy at CoffeeTalk!  Which means that I have some interesting facts to come up with about myself....I will post tomorrow on that. Goodnight!  :)
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