Won Ton Chips
A key ingredient in Eggs in a Basket (besides the eggs, of course) is the thin won ton wrappers that hold it all together. However, after recently seeing these wrappers turned into a simple salty snack on one of our favorite sites, I knew I had to give it a try. The best part is that I baked them at the same time as when I was making my breakfast baskets! Ideal for dips, as noted here in the original recipe, I ate them plain and was very pleased with the taste and crunch.
Won Ton Wrapper Chips
Originally posted here on Not Eating Out in New York
Preheat the oven to 350 (which you have already done if you are making Eggs in a Basket) and slice the won ton wrappers diagonally to make a nice “chip” shape. Pour a very small amount of olive oil on a sheet and coat both sides of the won ton by light brushing (or my less culinary way of laying them on one side and then flipping to the other, thus coating both sides). Sprinkle with sesame seeds (although mine didn’t stick) and coarse salt (which stuck really well) and bake for approximately 5 minutes. Once they start to brown and the edges curl, you know your done.
Whether you serve them warm, or let them cool completely, the result is a healthy salty snack!
Super Bowl Snacks
Whether you are hosting or pitching in at at Superbowl Party this weekend, rather than picking up the processed chips and cheese dip at your local supermarket, we suggest going for the extra point and bringing one of these healthier snacks instead:
- Black Bean Hummus
- Chewy Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies
- A Sweet & Spicy Snack Mix (Pictured above)
- J-E-L-L-O
- “Beet” This Salad
- Edamame Dip
- Spinach, Mushrooms & More Melt (Make ‘em mini!)
And don’t forget to make a twist on traditional pizza with this Whole Wheat Zucchini Tomato & Onion recipe or this Whole Wheat Squash one!
Okey Dokey Artichokey
Finding healthy vegetarian snacks often requires me to be a bit more adventurous in the produce section at the grocery store. Sometimes it leads to sweet surprises and other times it introduces me to a brand new food. Artichokes are a fairly common vegetable, found in dips and on top of pizza, but the first time I was introduced to this spiky veggie was as a kid at my friends house, where her mom boiled it and served it as a fun and healthy snack. So when I saw a whole artichoke as on option in my Farm Fresh Delivery order, I added it to my list and rang my friend for preparation tips.
Artichokes are great sources of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium and potassium and can be boiled, steamed, grilled and microwaved. Eating artichokes can be a bit intimidating, but this web page gives step by step instructions (including photos). The other fun part of eating artichokes is discovering your favorite dip for the petals. Suggestions include melted butter, mayo, sour cream, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, salsa, salad dressing or olive oil. Or depending on your taste buds, you may enjoy them plain!
So next time you are wandering the produce section or market stand, pick up an artichoke to try as a flavorful and healthy snack. Like edamame or pomegranates, it may be a bit of a challenge to eat, but is totally worth the effort!
Dip Into Something Different
It may look like guacamole, but if your taste buds are expecting avocado, they’re in for a surprise. When I first saw this recipe for Edamame Spread on The Daily Green, I thought that it sounded right up my alley. It’s base was one of my favorite legumes, and the ingredient list was short and simple.
I’ll admit it was a little difficult to get the desired consistency (I don’t have a food processor) and my husband gave me the “Are you serious?” look when he saw me tossing edamame in the blender, but with a little patience and a lot of pulsing, I got the consistency to be where it was supposed to be.
Follow the full recipe here, or use my version below, which is cut in half, and uses less oil. Next time, I will probably use even less (or an alternate?) oil, in hopes of making it a little healthier.
Edamame Dip
1/2 lb shelled soybeans
2 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2/3 cups canola oil
salt and pepper
rice crackers for serving
1. Cook soybeans on the the stovetop until tender and then drain water. (1/2 pound took less than five minutes.)
2. In a food processor (or blender!), mix all the ingredients. Serve with rice crackers and enjoy!
Asian Inspired Local Meal
Upon the arrival of my Farm Fresh Delivery, I received some items that had never graced my kitchen before… namely cabbage and green onions (or scallions). I did some searching for a dinner that used some of these ingredients and came across Spicy Soba Noodles with Shiitakes and Cabbage over at SmittenKitchen.com.
I wont re-post the recipe, because I pretty much followed it to a T (which is rare for me) — however, I did use red cabbage instead of napa. Despite the asian flair, I was able to use Farm Fresh Delivery’s local cabbage and local mushrooms, both of which play a large role in the recipe. I also used FFD’s green onions and a few carrots (not included in the recipe). I had most of the other ingredients (such as edamame) on hand, and only had to go buy some organic soba noodles.
This meal was a great example of how you can use local foods, to create a very non-local sounding meal!
Liz’s Wrap Up
The following are some highlights of the costs of some of the foods and vendors I encountered this week. I would say it was comparable to what I normally spend most weeks as I already shop predominately at the co-op and farmer’s market and buy organic and even local products frequently. However, I would say that I purchased more meat and dairy products this week which were some of the more expensive items on the list. Also, while my husband did not participate in our going local challenge, about 50% of his diet this week came did com from the local foods I was eating so I was kind of shopping for two.
$63-Troy Waterfront Market purchasing lots of fruits and veggies, meat, and cheese. Some of the produce bargains I found include a $2 squash from Charlie and 5 big seriously flavorful heirloom tomatoes for $3.50 from Witenagemot Farm. Some of the bigger ticket items included the cheddar cheese for $8.70 ($15 per pound), the Colebrook Wine for $11, and the jar of Saratoga Garlic for $6. The highlight was the huge bunch of edamame for $2.
$45- The Honest Weight Food Co-Op came in handy to pick up a few things unavailable at the market and to restock on some favorites mid-week. The co-op does an awesome job of labeling each item either conventionally or organically grown and whether it is local. Also the staff (made up of mostly volunteers who own shares in the store) was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about the the 100 mile challenge. The highlight here was 3/4 of a pound of black beans for $1.15!
$ 8 - At Indian Ladder Farms it was very easy to figure out what was local as everything had a little card near it with the farm and it’s location listed. Here I found the whole wheat bread flour which was $5 and bought about $3 worth of freshly picked apples.
$13 - At Breese Hollow Farms I bought eggs for $3, 1 lb of ground beef for $5, and a gallon of raw milk for $5.
While some call it an eat local challenge, I would have to say it has been more of an adventure. Sure, it took a little more planning, and a little more time in the kitchen a few nights, but it has been well worth it as I have experienced new foods, new recipes and new places (like the apple orchards at Indian Ladder Farms pictured above). More importantly though, I have also learned a lot this week. Beyond just a few new skills in the kitchen (like how to cook a squash), I have learned to speak up and ask the important questions about where my food is coming from. And, I have learned to really consider what is in season and to take advantage of the great flavor and nutritional quality that the local foods have to offer.
Who’s Your Farmer?
This is Charlie from R & R Farm in Easton, NY, just about 25 miles north of the Albany, NY area, and he introduced me to spaghetti squash this past weekend at the Troy Waterfront Market. I have to admit, I have always wanted to try it but have never really known how to prepare it. But low and behold, the $2 squash became dinner for night #2 and it was so easy and very delicious.
Going Local: Liz’s Day 2
Breakfast was a pre-run peach and a post-run maple flavored sheep’s milk yogurt from Old-Chatham Sheepherding Company.
Lunch was a big fresh greens and veggie salad topped with a few cloves of pickled garlic from Saratoga Garlic. I also had a handful of carrot sticks and side serving of potato salad.
Mid-afternoon I snacked on some more edamame.
As mentioned above, dinner was all about figuring out how to use this squash. So, I ended up taking the advice of a friend and decided to do something simple and just bake it. To prep the squash I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds* and placed the 2 halves face down in a baking dish. Baked it at 350 for 30 minutes. Then after it had cooled enough to touch, I shredded the inside of each half with a fork into a saute pan with a some olive oil, salt and pepper. I cooked everything on medium until heated through. Just before taking it off the heat I stirred in some chopped fresh basil and just a tad of shredded chedder cheese. It was great, but after I finished eating and read Rhaya’s Day #2 post, I thought it would have been great to add some chopped fresh tomatoes too!
*After scooping out the seeds I cleaned them off and tossed with a little olive oil and salt and then put them on a baking sheet in the oven with the squash for about 10 minutes. Yum!
Pleasant Surprises Already
Going Local: Liz’s Day 1
While I can’t say that I am an experienced cook, I really do love to experiment in the kitchen. And I can already tell this week will be quite an experiment with lots of new recipes and even new foods to try. Here’s a summary of today…
Breakfast was an egg frittata made with local eggs from Cooper’s Ark, zucchini, tomato and onion from various farms at the Troy Waterfront Market on Saturday.
I had an early lunch, so I ended up having an amazing peach from the market and some Maple flavored Old Chatham Sheep’s Milk Yogurt. Later on, I snacked on some Edamame from Cornell Farms in Rensselaer County, NY and some local cheddar cheese. (Pleasant surprise #1: Edamame grows right here in New York!)
For dinner, I made stuffed red peppers and a salad with veggies from the market. For the peppers, I used grass-fed, hormone-free beef from Sweet Tree Farms in Carlisle, NY and sauteed it with onions and garlic from the market. I then mixed the beef with black beans, tomatoes and a little basil. I stuffed everything into fresh red pepper from the farmer’s market and topped it off with a little local cheddar cheese and baked it until heated through. (Pleasant surprise #2: the local co-op carries black beans in bulk that are grown in New York!)
So in the first day I have already enjoyed two foods, edamame and black beans, that I never would have thought were grown in New York. Over the weekend while shopping for groceries for this week, I was really surprised to learn that foods like these can be purchased from local sources and it made me think about how out of touch I am, as are many others I’m sure, with where my foods really come from and what the local farm community really consists of.
Healthy & Yummy Edamame
Edamame is my favorite Japanese appetizer, and who knew that despite it’s fancy name, it is SO simple to make at home? (Okay, so maybe you did.)
Edamame (a.k.a soybeans) is such a healthy snack considering it is loaded with fiber and protein. You can get them frozen at Trader Joes, or even buy them organically in bulk at Costco. I recommend buying the variety that is still in the pods, because like pomegranates and peanuts, I think food is more satisfying when you have to work for it.
To make them, just steam or boil them for about 5 minutes, sprinkle with sea salt, and enjoy!
