Dark Days Weeks #5&6

Meal #5

Frittata Muffins

Ingredients:

Egg from Keeds Farm, Woodbury, CT

Carrots from Riverbank Farm, Roxbury, CT

Spinach from New Gate Farm, East Granby, CT

Shallots from Hidden Brook Gardens, Ledyard, CT

Whip eggs to incorporate air, pour into molds, add veggies, and bake at 375 for 10-15min to get light fluffy frittatas.

Dark Days Weeks #3&4

This entry is mega late, but with the holidays and traveling there was little time for blogging.

Dinner #3

SOLE Stir-fry

The Real Dark Days Weeks #1&2

It seems I was a bit overzealous and thought the challenge started a few weeks ago. It did not. So here is my meal for weeks 1&2 for real this time. First, here is a map of my foodshed:

The green is a 100 mile radius, which I try to source as much of my food from as possible. During winter, however, I sometimes have to extend a bit further to a 150 mile radius (yellow circle).

The Challenge is Back

Yaaaaaay!

Eat local. Eat organic. And do it every week.

Visit (not so) Urban Hennery for details.

Dark Days Challenge #14

I’ve neglected to blog about my Dark Days meals for the past few weeks since I was away, but I’m back in the game with #14 – Saturday Lunch consisting of homemade potato leek soup, green salad and side of tofu salad.

The soup I made a while ago and had frozen so after returning home to an empty fridge I decided to thaw it out for the week to come. To make it I used leeks from my garden, organic potatoes from CT Farm Fresh Express, homegrown herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano), Starlight Garden garlic.

Salad of Two Guys from Woodbridge Red Butterhead, Old Chatham Sheepherding Company’s Camembert cheese, and croutons I made from some Plasko Farm sourdough bread.

And tofu salad (I’m addicted) from The Bridge.

Dark Days Challenge #9-2

Tonight’s SOLE dinner:

Red and yellow onions from my garden

Homegrown garbanzo bean, lentil, and pea sprouts

Garlic from Starlight Gardens

Zucchini from Robert Treat Farm I bought fresh over the summer and froze

Kielbasa from Eagle Wood Farms

Homemade whole wheat ravioli with goat cheese filling from Beltane Farms.

I sautéed the garlic, onions, and minced sprouts in a small amount of sunflower oil. Once lightly browned I added the pre-thawed zucchini and chopped kielbasa. Fresh pasta (I made it today) only takes about one minute to cook. Again, no sauce – I like to let the ingredients shine and flavor the dish naturally.

Dark Days Challenge #8

This meal resulted from my recent trip to Whole Foods where I found the sausages and potatoes. It’s my local organic version of bangers and mash! These are Bilinski’s organic chicken sausages. It was actually one of the very few local meat products I could find there and while it is on the outer range of my local zone being 140 miles away, I figured I may as well try it anyway. There was a little sign next to it in the refrigerated section with a picture of the father-daughter team that produce this product in upstate New York, which, seemed endearing. The sausages turned out to be delicious, flavorful, and so well seasoned that I didn’t have to do anything except heat them up. ALSO: they were only 90 calories each! I’m not big on counting calories, but in my head I always think sausage = fat so that was a nice surprise. For sides I made mashed fingerling potatoes with the skins from a farm in Kent, CT (bought at Whole Foods) and julienne carrots from my garden. Then for desert – Siggi’s Skyr.

Dark Days Challenge

It’s on. Me versus the 100 mile radius around me in search of SOLE (sustainable, organic, local, ethical) food throughout the dark days of winter. I…will….be…VICTORIOUS!

OK so it probably sounds like I’ve eaten a poisonous mushroom or something. Here’s the deal: I just found out about the 3rd Annual Dark Days Challenge and am stoked about it. Basically it’s just a way to encourage locavores to keep at it through the winter months even though the produce is lean and farmers markets scarce. So I’m supposed to make one such “SOLE” meal each week and blog about it. Done. I pretty much already take pictures of all the food I make and ramble on abut it to just about anyone who will listen. Hmmm I think I see homemade pasta in my future this week.