Fall Vegetable Hash and Quinoa with Poached Eggs

Here is another seasonal recipe to add to your repertoire.  It is a fantastic combination of pumpkin, root vegetables, leeks, beet greens, and quinoa. I like to think of quinoa as a miracle food.  Though quinoa is grain, it is also a complete protein!  A complete protein is a protein that contains all the essential amino acids, and it is truly amazing to be able to get this from a non-animal source.  Of course, in this recipe, you also get a complete protein from the egg.  In other words, this is a great meal for vegetarians....and anyone else who is trying to reduce meat consumption.  Besides that, it is truly delicious! Enjoy!

Fall Vegetable and Quinoa Hash with Poached Eggs

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 small pie pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 small or 1 medium turnip (larger turnips tend to be woodier, so look for small ones), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 beets, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (rinse and reserve beet greens)
2 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
1 (additional) Tbs olive oil
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4 inch half-moons, then rinsed well
3/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/4 tsp dried)
1 Tbs white vinegar
4 large eggs

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Stir in quinoa, cover, reduce heat and cook for 12 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed.  When cooked, fluff with fork and set aside.

Meanwhile, coat the turnips, pumpkin, and beets with the 2 Tbs olive oil.  Spread out on two baking sheets and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, stirring the vegetables and rotating the pans halfway, or until all the vegetables are tender.  [Note: I noticed that the beets took longer to cook, so you could put the beets on a separate sheet from the pumpkin and turnips, so that they could stay in the oven a little longer, if needed.  I simply cooked mine longer.  The pumpkin was over-soft, but it tasted great, anyway!]

While the vegetables are roasting, thinly slice the reserved beet greens.  Heat the other 1 Tbs oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the beet greens and the leeks and season with about 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Cook until tender, approximately 8-10 minutes.  Stir in the cooked quinoa, the thyme, and the roasted vegetables.  Cook 2 minutes or until all ingredients are warm.  Turn the burner off, but leave the skillet on the burner to keep warm while you cook the eggs.

In a large saucepan, heat a couple inches of water until almost boiling. [If you don't know where almost boiling is on your stovetop, just bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat until it stops.]  Add the vinegar to the water.  Crack an egg into a small bowl or teacup.  Lower the bowl until it is slightly in the water and slide the egg, very gently, into the water.  Use a spoon  to push the whites back toward the yolk if the the egg separates too much.  Repeat with the rest of the eggs.  Cook for about 3 minutes, until the whites are cooked, but the yolk is still runny.  Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon.  Divide the vegetable mixture onto 4 plates and and top each with a poached egg!

*Though I changed this recipe significantly, it was originally a Martha Stewart recipe on wholeliving.com

Broiled Broccoli and Chickpeas Over Pasta

Regular broccoli, substitute for broccoli rabe, made for a tamer, but still delightfully flavorful, meal.

 

Broccoli, broccolini, and broccoli rabe, though similar in appearance, are very different vegetables.  They are not even in the same family, believe it or not!  But, when my local stores did not have one single bunch of broccoli rabe, and only a few pitifully brown bunches of broccolini, I very reluctantly decided to use regular broccoli in my recipe.  I was a little afraid that the dish would end up being bland, as broccoli rabe is a pungently flavorful member of the turnip family, while regular broccoli is a member of the much tamer cauliflower family.  However, much to my surprise, the dish ended up being delightful....though I have every intention of trying it, again, with the first broccoli rabe I find!

 

Broiled Broccoli and Chickpeas Over Pasta

(The recipe is the same for broccoli rabe.  Simply substitute a bunch or two of broccoli rabe for the head of broccoli.)

 

1 package of pasta, any type

1 large head of broccoli, washed and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 15oz. can of chickpeas, drained

2 cloves (or more) of garlic, thinly sliced

3 Tbs olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Salt

1 cup ricotta

Crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tbs lemon juice

 

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

 

Meanwhile, heat broiler on high.  Toss the broccoli, chickpeas, and garlic with the olive oil.  Spread mixture on two baking sheets and season with salt.  [Broil in two batches, if both baking sheets won't fit in the oven at the same time]  Broil for approximately 5 minutes, or until broccoli begins to brown. Flip the broccoli over and broil for another 5 minutes, or until the broccoli is slightly browned on both sides.

 

Serve the broccoli mixture over the pasta.  Top with the ricotta, a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

 

*This recipe is adapted from a recipe on wholeliving.com

Egg-cellent Pizza!

This unique pizza can easily be customized to accommodate your tastes or the ingredients you have on hand.

 

Egg-cellent Pizza!

 

1 unbaked store-bought or homemade pizza crust (see recipe, below, for homemade)

4 eggs

1 cup mozzarella cheese (adjust the amount of cheese to suit your taste and the size of your pizza)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Scallions, chopped

Chives, minced

For drizzling: white pizza sauce or olive oil

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 

Stretch pizza crust to cover a lightly greased, non-stick baking sheet, rolling the edges slightly to make a lip.  Top crust with mozzarella and parmesan [I also added some thinly sliced poblano peppers from the garden.  Feel free to use any ingredients you have on hand].  Crack eggs onto pizza crust.  Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is crispy and browned and the eggs are cooked through.  Take the pizza out of the oven and top with a sprinkle of parmesan, the scallions, chives, and any additional herbs that you like.  Drizzle with white pizza sauce or olive oil and serve!

 

*This recipe was adapted from a recipe on smittenkitchen.com

 

Easy Homemade Pizza Crust

 

1 (.25 ounce) package active yeast

1 tsp white sugar

1 cup warm water (110 degrees)

2 1/2 cups bread flour

2 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp salt

 

In a medium bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

 

Stir in flour, salt and oil.  Beat until smooth.  Let rest for 5 minutes.

 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a round.  Transfer crust to a lightly greased pan and top with ingredients.

 

*This recipe is from allrecipes.com



Good Fences and Tidy Gardens

The very untidy side yard garden.

 

Widely accepted is the notion that good fences make good neighbors.  So, too, I reluctantly concede, must tidy gardens. 

 

For as long as we have lived on Townville Street, the house next door has been uninhabited.  In reality, "uninhabited" is not an unpleasant enough word to describe the falling down, gutted wreck (and home to vermin) that this house truly was.  Now, seven years later, the house has been rebuilt and brand new neighbors have moved in.  The house, lovely in its newly-reconstructed pristineness (I may have just made that word up), abuts my side yard garden. This side garden was my original garden site and, though too shady for most crops, provided a modest supplement to my family's diet, mostly in the form of tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce.  However, when growing healthy, organic food became a priority for me, my garden grew significantly and the side yard beds, no longer used for annual crops, became home to some perennial edibles that embraced the moderate shade as a welcome respite from the heat of South Carolina summers: asparagus, rhubarb, artichoke, and a few miscellaneous herbs.   Now, while the neighboring house was lying in ruination, I developed the very bad habit of never worrying too much about the state of my side yard garden. This disinterest only worsened as my focus shifted to newer beds and annual crops that required more regular attention.  The culmination, this December, is a very, very untidy side yard.  The new neighbors must find the view from their kitchen window dreer, indeed. 

 

Because I desire to be, as well as to have, a good neighbor, I came to the conclusion that, though I would usually leave the onerous task of garden clean-up until Spring, the side yard garden needed immediate attention, and, as it did not rain today, it was decided that today was the day.  With much grumbling and sighing, I got under way, but was truly surprised at how drastically my perception of the chore changed as I began my work.  Cutting back the rampant asparagus that I have been babying for the past three years (and that will be ready for some serious harvesting, come Spring), I thought back to the few precious spears that I allowed myself and my step-daughter to harvest this year.  None of them ever made it into the house.  We stood in the garden, dirt on our hands and under our nails from weeding or planting, savoring the delightfully green taste of the raw spears.  As I stood among the dried, dead fronds, I found myself looking forward to the first spears this coming Spring, and wondering if any of them will make it inside.  As I worked, raking and weeding, I thought about dividing rhubarb and artichoke plants, of laying fresh mulch on the paths, and of planting new crops.  As I cleaned the herb garden, I spied the crowns of the horseradish just below the earth and carefully covered them with soil, thinking of recipes I've been wanting to try.  Licorice-scented air enveloped me as I trimmed the dead fronds from the fennel, and the mingling scents of sage and rosemary brought to mind the first meals eaten out on our back porch, under a bower of roses and twinkling lights, as the weather warmed in Springtime.  This is how I found myself, after days of rain and fog and mist, truly enjoying time spent in the garden, despite the fact that it is the middle of  December.  And though the job is not completely finished, as I sit here with my clothes smelling of rosemary, I have a feeling of satisfaction and contentment that I rarely feel at this time of year.  A contentment that only comes with dirt under your nails and on your boots, an ache in your back, the heady scent of herbs on the breeze...and with knowing that the neighbors, surely, will appreciate the improvement in their view.

Spinach Quiche

Today, there is no news from the garden, here on Townville Street....but a delightful bit of news wafts from the kitchen!  And I can happily report that this beautiful Spinach Quiche is made, almost entirely, of organic ingredients!  Organic free-range eggs, fresh organic spinach, organic onion, organic garlic, organic cream...even the olive oil was organic!! The only ingredient that was not organic was the Parmesan.  Well, that and (I sheepishly admit) the store-bought crust. I like to make the majority of my meals from scratch, but I was tired and was not in the mood to make a crust from scratch!  The truth is, I have gotten so used to (spoiled, even) making food from garden-fresh ingredients that, when I burned myself getting the quiche into the oven and decided that I was now too grumpy to make the fresh-from-the-garden roasted carrots (that had to be scrubbed and trimmed and sliced and buttered and cooked) I had planned for a side, I just could not (as my husband suggested) bring myself to make a canned vegetable for a side dish! So, instead, we had fresh-from-the-garden radishes, simply cleaned and sliced (and for my step-daughter, lightly dressed), as our side dish.  Quiche and radishes may sound a strange combination, but it was mighty delicious...and easy on the tired, grumpy, freshly charred cook!

Spinach Quiche

1 store-bought deep dish pie crust!!!
2 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated or shredded Parmesan
approximately 5 oz fresh spinach
Salt and pepper

First, bake your pie crust according to the directions on the package for a baked-crust pie.  Mine baked for about 12 minutes at 400 degrees.  Don't forget to prick the sides and bottom with a fork before baking!

Then, while the pie crust is cooling, reduce the oven temp to 375 degrees and prepare the filling.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute until soft and slightly browned, about 10 minutes, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute longer.  Stir in the spinach and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and cream. Add about 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and the Parmesan. Whisk to combine.  Stir in the spinach mixture and pour into the pie crust.  Bake for about 40 minutes or until the center is just set.

Home[made] for the Holidays

Scraps of fabric, torn into strips, were used to cover unattractive ornaments and to make bows for the Christmas tree.  Clay hearts that were part of an old, unused garland were turned into ornaments, as well.

First, I would like to thank all of you who have stopped by to check out my blog and those of you who have "liked" our Facebook page!  Both are still very new and I appreciate your support.  This time of year, my many obligations keep me from being able to post as often as I would like.  Very soon, though, I will be gearing up for the Spring garden, so there will be many more posts about planning, planting, and caring for your garden.  There may also be a few projects, as well.  I am really looking forward to sharing my exploits with you!  Though the pickings are slim right now, I hope to fill out both the blog and the Facebook page in the very near future.  So, please, stick around!

Now...on to the post.  Though the garden is the central focus of this blog, I also want to share with you many other elements of our organic lifestyle.  Here on Townville Street, we strive to do better, not only for ourselves and our own health, but also for the environment and its health. I will endeavor to share the things that I feel are important for a simpler, kinder, more natural, and more self-sufficient life.  Some of the things that you will find here include vegetarian recipes (as you may well have noticed), tips on ridding your house of chemicals (better for you and the environment), searching for better options in the grocery store (finding organic and non-GMO products and stretching your "organic" dollar), preserving your harvest (and that of your local farmers)...and also, recycling items in your home.  It absolutely amazed me how much less our household sent to the landfill when I really started recycling in earnest.  I had always recycled the few things that the city will pick up, curbside...glass and plastic bottles, mainly.  I decided, though, that this was not enough.  I researched what my county will accept at the recycling center and, though it means a trip to the dump instead of a quick walk to the curb, began recycling everything I could.  Now, instead of having to take a full trash can to the curb every week, it can ususally go for a month without completely filling up!  As I continued my quest to reduce what we were sending to the landfill, I started finding new ways to reuse items in the house, as well.  I wanted to share some photos with you of some of the Christmas decorations here on Townville Street that utilize recycled materials...some from our own home, some sourced from thrift shops and salvage shops, and even a few from the side of the road!  I hope you enjoy this tour of Christmas on Townville and I hope that it inspires you to look around for items that you can use to decorate your house this holiday season!  Have fun!

Here, scraps of fabric were used to create "trees."  The "trunks" are crepe myrtle trimmings from the yard and the base of each tree is made from old spindles found at a local salvage store.

 

Discarded doors, found on the side of the road, were used to make this room divider (adorned with a "vintage" Santa).  Two handmade Santas sit primly in a salvaged child's chair.

 

These two handmade Santas were made from vintage fabrics found in a thrift store.

 

Even the kitchen's tree (obviously not recycled) got a trimming of vintage family silverware instead of store-bought ornaments!