Yesterday afternoon I gave the strawberry muffins another go. This batch was pretty good. While I don't think anyone would be disappointed with them if I shared the recipe as is, I still feel like I want to change a couple of things. I am working on increasing the whole grain factor without sacrificing the texture, and I would like to decrease the amount of sugar. I mean, let's face it, muffins are really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.
After eating out for two days, last night I was in the mood for something lighter and healthier. Whenever I have a lot of veggies sitting in the fridge that need to be used sooner rather than later, I like to grill (roast in the Winter) and use them in salads, pastas, and sandwiches. It's very simple: Take whatever vegetable you have on hand (last night we used halved red bell peppers, quartered red onions, green onions, and thick sliced zucchini and yellow squash), toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill them until slightly charred and soft. With the abundance of greens in my fridge, I decided to make a salad, but I knew a salad with just grilled vegetables wasn't going to cut it for the rest of my family. I decided to mix the grilled veggies with some of the spelt berries from week two and splash them a simple balsamic vinaigrette. I served the mixture over mixed greens for dinner, but leftovers were an excellent lunch on their own today. The dish is so easy you don't even need to follow a recipe, just use any vegetable and grain combination that strikes you. It would also be a great side to take to a summer cookout as it can be served hot, cold, or room temperature.
I am usually a meal planner, but for the past few weeks I have pretty much been winging it based on what items look like they need to be used, or on what I might be craving. Today I had a craving for cornbread, so I whipped up another batch of dairy-free cornbread with the cornmeal from week one and served it with grilled chicken brats and braised spinach. It's a good thing my family likes greens because I think I have made a huge batch of them every week for the past month! Cooking greens is also a great way to use the tops from beets, radishes, etc. rather than sending them to the compost pile. I don't even follow a recipe; I just cooked some bacon in a large pot, sauteed a chopped onion in the drippings, then added the greens and some chicken stock and cooked until tender.
For those who may still have the yogurt we recieved in week one, I have been meaning to share one of my favorite breakfast recipes for Muesli. I created this recipe when I was pregnant with Jack and ate it almost everyday last summer.
Melissa's Muesli
-1/2 cup old fashioned oats
-1/2 cup plain yogurt
-1/2 cup milk
-1/3 cup chopped dried apricots, raisins, blueberries, or whatever you prefer
-2 tablespoons chopped nuts (I vary between walnuts, pecans, and almonds)
-Cinnamon to taste
-Fresh Fruit
Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to eat, thin with a little more milk or yogurt if desired and add fresh fruit (I use whatever is in season. In the Summer I use a lot of peaches and berries, in Fall and Winter I use apples and bananas).
My herb garden is out of control right now, especially my thyme, basil, chives, and sage. I am thinking of trying something with the basil and chives and the garlic scapes and spinach linguini from the CSA. Maybe some sort of dairy-free pesto pasta? I also made extra spelt berries with the idea of turning them into some sort of breakfast porridge. Results to come!
I realize I forgot to share the results of the pickled radishes from a few weeks ago. At first bite I wasn't sure if I liked them, but they definitely grew on me. The vinegar flavor is strong, and I think adding some herbs to the mix would add some nice flavor. They would be good to serve on a crudite platter. I may try this again with the addition of other vegetables and seasonings.
Finally, for those who were wondering, I received the Brie in this week's delivery. As much as it calls to me everytime I open the fridge, we are trying to hold onto it until we can actually sit down and enjoy it one evening. Hopefully over the holiday weekend we'll get that chance. Pin It
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