Food Matters Project: Black Rice & Garden Vegetables

photo by scott haydon

This week's Food Matters Project recipe was selected by Sara and you can see her take here.

I am late to the party. Although we ate this yummy dish on Monday I'm only now getting around to posting about it. We had one of those great holiday weekends. The kind where you have the perfect mix of doing nothing and everything. I got the house cleaned up, enjoyed a bbq with friends and managed to relax quite a bit during the break from my normal work schedule. I hope you enjoyed your weekend too.

Food Matters Project: Roasted Potatoes with Green Romesco

Hello! This week's Food Matters Project recipe is hosted by Mireya and you can see her recipe here.

I spent the weekend outside as much as possible. I went with some of my favorite people to the Golden Gardens Park in Seattle to kick back and watch musicians play at the Artist Home Bonfire Series. It was an amazing (and FREE) experience and I highly recommend that if you find yourself in Seattle on August 26th you should check out the last Bonfire Series event of the summer. I know I'll be there.

This week's recipe came in handy. I had a dinner potluck to attend and wanted to bring along something quick and easy and tasty. I am mildly obsessed with tomatillos so I took this opportunity to make a green version of Bittman's Romesco sauce.  Otherwise I followed the original recipe pretty closely.

Adapted from the Food Matters Cookbook.

Romesco Sauce
1/2 cup almonds, roasted
1 large green bell pepper, roasted and roughly chopped
5 small green tomatillos, roasted and quartered
1 garlic clove
1 cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

Combine the above ingredients in the food processor. Drizzle with olive oil until you've reached the consistency you want. I think I ended up with 3 tablespoons or so and my romesco was still a little chunky.

Place in refrigerator until use.

I roasted red potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper in a 405 degree oven for about 30 minutes. I recommend cutting your potatoes into consistent sized chunks and stirring occasionally until roasted to your preference.

Serve the roasted potatoes with the green romesco, and enjoy!

Food Matters Project: Raspberry-Tequila & Peach-Coconut Sorbet

 

 

I'm having a difficult time putting into words just what the Food Matters Project means to me: participating (mostly) weekly with a group of amazing food bloggers, seeing the wide variety of dishes all beginning with the same source recipe, branching out and away from my normal selection of favorite dishes and creating new favorites. All of these things combine to equal something greater than the parts. Each food matters member has a goal to, at minimum, participate in a movement. It's mostly a simple movement. Make good food! Share your enthusiasm for good food with others! But if you think about it, in today's society of Go Go Go and On Line On Line On Line, we are all managing to take one day each week to slow down and make something special and good that we then share with the people we love.

I've been thinking a lot lately about living simply. This can lead to surprisingly grandiose thoughts like: Maybe I'll buy a farm! or Live off grid! or Hike the Pacific Crest Trail! or Travel the USA with my Vintage Teardrop Trailer! I know the reality of it is that - at least for most people - life equals a 9 to 5 job, a mortgage, and a schedule largely dictated by forces outside of ourselves. I can't help but desire something that involves hard work but a carved out freedom instead. Right now, I'm content to take small and constant steps toward the future, and today that means homemade sorbet.

Sorbet strikes me as the kind of recipe where you improve your skills with each making. This might be because I've never made it before but still chose to experiment with the ingredients instead of following a recipe exactly. Neither of my recipes turned out exactly the way I expected but I still like them. I anticipate that I will continue to try out new and interesting combinations until I find some favorites. I'm especially interested in combining fruits with fresh herbs. I also wouldn't mind trying out some fizzy options (aka. sparkling drinks with a spoonful or two of sorbet). I guess we'll just see what happens!

Food Matters Project: Chicken with Corn & Black Bean Tacos

photos by scott haydon

This week the Food Matters Project dish is especially beautiful. You can meet the host, Jen, and see her recipe here. Summer has officially hit the Pacific Northwest and meals like this one are perfect for relaxing or celebrating this time of year.This meal was both brilliant and delicious and we will definitely be making it again. I stuck with the recipe, mostly, but instead of frying up tortilla strips I went with quick and easy tortilla wraps. Oh, and I added some black beans to the mix too.

adapted from the food matters cookbook

1 pound chicken breast, cut into strips
2 TBS olive oil
4 ears of corn, cut for the kernels
1 cup black beans (from a can or prepared ahead of time)
1 red onion, diced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced
1 tsp chile powder
salt & pepper
1 tomato, chopped
1 orange, juice
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, sliced

Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet with the stove top set to medium / medium high. Season the chicken with a bit of chile powder, salt and pepper and lay the strips in the pan. Turn the chicken over midway through cooking and then place the meat off to the side on a plate. My chicken pieces were pretty small and only took a couple of minutes per side.

Wipe out the empty skillet. Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet and return to the stove top. Add the corn and red onion and allow the ingredients to brown, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the prepared chicken, black beans, bell pepper, jalapeno, chile powder, salt and pepper.

Allow the mixture to cool somewhat and then add tomato, avocado, and orange juice. Toss with cilantro.

Serve with tortillas and avocado slices.

The Food Matters Project: Berries & Chocolate Bread

Hi. I didn't really follow this week's food matters project recipe. Sure I utilized some kind of berry, some kind of chocolate and some kind of bread. But not cherry and not in panini form. You can check out Margarita's host post here.

We spent our Father's day weekend charter fishing in Westport. It was cold, wet and mildly nauseating. I know I'm making it sound fantastic. I think it would have been a way better experience if I'd caught a fish instead of letting the only one I hooked get away. I wouldn't call it a complete wreck of a weekend. I spent some quality time with the boy side of my family and Scott. I saw the ocean from both the shore and while at sea. I learned that if I take a dramamine, wear accupressure bands on my wrists and chew ginger gum I'm mostly not as nauseated as I'd expect (I'm positive this will come in handy some day). Besides, I love adventure.

On the car ride home, after spending hours eating nothing due to a large fear of accidentally throwing it right back up, I ate a ton of delicious homemade bread.

The Food Matters Project: Mexican-Style Fruit Salad w Fish

I had a lot of fun with this week's Food Matters Project. Thank you, Sarah, for picking such a fun recipe! I've been wanting to try out a sweet potato crusted fish recipe I ran into quite some time ago while lurking on pinterest. This gave me the perfect opportunity.

I don't know about you guys but this life is busy. I just tried to schedule hiking with a friend on a Sunday coming up and realized that I have 3 unplanned Sundays between now and SEPTEMBER. That's crazy. I can't wait for it to be true summertime when the sun doesn't go down until almost 10pm and it becomes easier to go play outside after work. Slowing down to plan out a meal, prepare the ingredients and share the results with the people I love best feels so important and so good.

The Food Matters Project: Quick Salsa (and other stuff)

Hello everyone! I just got home from the most wonderful birthday weekend. We started out our weekend early with a very small get-together Thursday night. We barbequed all sorts of burgers (beef/turkey/veggie), roasted some sweet potato fries and ate the most delicious cake I've ever tasted. I am lucky enough to call Jacqui, of Good Things Grow, my friend. The darling birthday cake she made for me is literally the prettiest cake I've ever received.

Strawberry-Pistachio with Cream Cheese Frosted Deliciousness.

photo by scott haydon

We followed up our lovely Thursday evening with a three day trip to Pacific City, Oregon and the always amazing experience of Cirque du Soleil when passing through Portland on the way home. I had such a good time. The weather was great and we could see the ocean from our balcony. I can't think of a better way to spend my 32nd birthday.

Oh, and I forgot to mention it - but I am quite possibly the luckiest girl alive. My boyfriend's birthday gift to me was the creation of "our song". He collaborated with Elk & Boar and came up with a song that pretty much sums "us" up. I'm not one hundred percent sure how to share it with all of you but here's a sound cloud link if you're familiar with that application: http://soundcloud.com/scott-haydon/dark-eyes . Thursday night, in front of a small group of our friends, Scott played this song for me for the very first time. He wrote all of the lyrics down on a large sketchbook and flipped through the lyrics while the song played. It is the single most romantic experience of my life. Sharing that moment with people we love, although a little embarrassing for someone as shy as I am, is one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I love you, Scott Patrick Haydon, and you are my dream.

The Food Matters Project: Roasted Asparagus & Sweet Potato Soup

photo by scott haydon

I didn't participate in last week's Food Matters Project recipe. As much as I love whole wheat anything, we're taking a break from grains for the time being. We're also taking a break from lentils so I've taken some definite liberties with this week's recipe as well. The lovely Adrienne selected Mark Bittman's Roasted Asparagus and White Bean Soup for the group. Asparagus in any form is amazing and it's a definite staple in our house.

We shared this meal with a couple of our favorite people and everyone attested to its tastiness. It also came together rather quickly and easily so we'll definitely be making it again.

The Food Matters Project: Mostly Whole Wheat Pizza

photos by scott haydon

I had an excellent weekend in two huge ways. (Three if you count the pizza!)

One, a friend who is like a sister to me had her first baby ever. We got to meet him last night and he is beautiful. He is new. His life is just beginning and we got to witness it. He might have flipped me off while I was holding him but I think it's the beginning of a beautiful friendship anyway. Michelle Ann, I am so proud of you and so glad to meet your baby and share a part of your life.

Two, Scott got his hands on a brand new Canon 5d Mark iii - which means I just inherited a Canon 50d.  I have a goal of taking my own food blog pictures. I also have a goal of being at least 1/10th of the photographer/life documenter that my favorite boy is already.

The Food Matters Project: Tofu Braised in Rhubarb Sauce

Hello again! Welcome to this week's Food Matters Project recipe! The recipe chosen by Camilla is Fish Nuggets Braised in Rhubarb Sauce.

I love fish. But I didn't make fish nuggets. I chose to make tofu braised in rhubarb sauce instead. Rhubarb is not for the faint-of-heart-or-loves-everything-sweet type. Rhubarb is strong and sour and bitter. It needs a lot of sugar to turn into the strawberry-rhubarb pie or crisp that most of us grew up eating. I've never made a crisp before and now, after working with rhubarb, I'm curious about using it in a dessert and will probably try a crisp later this spring.

On a side note, Scott and I are jumping on the paleo bandwagon (with some built-in cheat days) so the Food Matters Project might get a little more complicated for us. Whenever possible I'll try to adapt the recipes to meet paleo requirements. I already know that I'll make pizza from scratch though, so SHHH, I'm pretending that doesn't count. Paleo in the summertime is a fantastic thing. I am practically drooling from thinking about all the barbeques and salads and kebabs and fresh vegetables and fruits we'll be enjoying all summer long.

Okay, back to rhubarb sauce. . .

The Food Matters Project: Vegetables au Vin with Coq

photo by scott haydon

Welcome to the 8th recipe in the Food Matters Project. Evi and Sam chose this weeks recipe and you can see that take here.

While I enjoyed working on this recipe I'm just going to come right out here and say, I don't like eggplant. I thought that maybe I didn't like eggplant as it has been a very hit or (a lot more of a) miss for me in the past. But I have faith in Mark Bittman and his cookbook so I went for it anyway. I love the wine and garlic and shallots and mushrooms and bacon and asparagus and chicken. I don't love the eggplant. Next time I make this I will cut out the eggplant and throw in some zucchini or additional asparagus.

Here's my rendition of this recipe:

adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook.

2 slices bacon (I only had thin, if thick, only use 1! oh heck, use as much as you'd like.)
3 shallots, sliced
1/2 pound crimini & oyster mushrooms
2 pounds chicken breast
3 cloves garlic, sliced
salt and pepper
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup pinot noir
rosemary and parsley
1/2 an eggplant, cut into cubes
7 stalks asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces

In a pan, on medium high heat, saute bacon til brown. Remove bacon and add a dash of olive oil. Add chicken breast, salt and pepper, and brown, turning periodically. Remove chicken.

Add a dash of olive oil and the eggplant, shallots and mushrooms. Saute for 5 minutes and then add garlic. Saute for another 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables brown. Add broth, wine, rosemary and parsley. Add asparagus and chicken. Bring to a mellow boil, and place lid on pan. Boil gently for about 15 minutes, or until chicken is done, but tender.

Remove chicken, increase heat, and boil until roughly half of the liquid is gone and remaining concoction has thickened into a sauce.

When I removed the chicken I placed it in a warm oven. So instead of adding the chicken back to the sauce to warm back up, I placed the chicken on a plate and topped with vegetables and sauce.

Serve with wine!

The Food Matters Project: Curried Tomato Soup with Poached Egg (and popovers)

photos by scott haydon

Hello! Welcome to another Food Matters Project post. This weeks recipe was chosen by Joanne and can be found here.

We actually made this recipe on Saturday. And I've had the post sitting on my computer desktop since then. Mainly because Sunday was my best friend's 32nd birthday and we spent the day having the most amazing time. We baked a cake, set up Beatles Rock Band, broke out a pinata and created an impromptu photo booth. If you ever have the opportunity to create a photo booth at a party I highly recommend it. It brings out the silly nature in your friends and family and takes away a lot of the fear some people have of getting their picture taken. Scott and I spent Friday night making "props" such as: mustaches, lips, beards, glasses, hats, batman mask, etc. It was so amazing and I know that I'll be looking at all of the pictures and cracking up for a very long time.

The Food Matters Project: Hummus Served Hot with Pita Chips

photo by scott haydon

This week the Food Matters Project was chosen by Erin and you can see her take here.

I have never made hummus before. I know, I know, it makes me sound like less of a human being. But it's true. I grew up hating all beans and although I've (thankfully) outgrown most of my childhood food complaints I still find myself avoiding specific food types for no valid reason. Like beans, and turnips, and soups with meat. That said, homemade hummus is brilliant. And homemade hummus with homemade pitas turned into homemade pita chips? Awesome.

The Food Matters Project: Seared Bean Sprouts with Beef and Sesame Orange Sauce

photos by scott haydon

Hi everyone! I love love love that the Food Matters Project gives me a culinary challenge every single week. This week's recipe (Seared Bean Sprouts with Beef and Sesame Orange Sauce) was hosted by Dominica and you can see her take here.

I've never really spent much time thinking about, preparing, or eating bean sprouts and I was a little nervous when I bought them at the store the other day. I could see eating them raw in a salad but I was pretty hesitant about what would happen to them in a stirfry. I should have known that Mark Bittman would steer us in a solid direction. This dish was very tasty.

The Food Matters Project: Baked Casarecce with Brussel Sprouts, Apple & Gruyere

photos by scott haydon

Welcome to the fourth week of the great Food Matters Project. I'm having an excellent time participating in this project. When I first checked out the Food Matters Cookbook from the library all I could think was: oh but it's so basic. Now I see that the very nature of the majority of Mark Bittman's recipes leads to an unfurling of the creative culinary mind. You can see this quite clearly when you look at all of the different directions people participating in this process take when given a single recipe each week.

This week the assigned recipe is Baked Rigatoni with Brussels Sprouts, Figs, and Blue Cheese. You can find the original recipe (and the host for this recipe) here.

The Food Matters Project: Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

this photo by scott haydon

Hi there, this is the third week of The Food Matters Project and I was especially excited about this week's recipe, Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut "Pesto", which can be found here.

I substituted the walnuts with almonds. And I really like the result. The basil, red peppers, garlic, almonds, and olive oil complement each other wonderfully. So far I've only tried it on a couple of crackers but I have plans on using it on some kind of pasta-type supper in the next couple of days.

The Food Matters Project: Chipotle-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

photo by scott haydon

The kick-off recipe for the Food Matters Project, Chipotle-glazed squash skewers, was hosted by 20 Something Cupcakes and can be found here. Yes, the original recipe is a squash recipe, and yes, I made it with sweet potatoes instead. I like squash but I had sweet potatoes on hand so went with them.

I followed the glaze portion of the recipe without any adaptations. Instead of skewers, I cut my sweet potatoes into fries. I "marinated" the fries in glaze and threw them in the oven. I also made a dipping sauce for the fries. I have a favorite chipotle dip that uses many of the same flavors as the Food Matters recipe.

The Food Matters Project: Seasoned Popcorn

photos by scott haydon

Guys, I am really excited! I am participating in the food matters project (you can click the link to learn more)! I like the idea of branching out and trying new recipes and coming together with a community of people who love good food as much as I do. I DO have to admit, however, that one of the first recipes I'm attempting for the project, Seasoned Popcorn, isn't much of a stretch for me.

I adore popcorn more than most people adore anything.