gah, sorry for the severe lack of posts lately. aside from getting a job since starting this blog, i've been having a hard time deciding what to put next-- it's hard to be objective enough to truly start explaining an entire lifestyle from square one without skipping over some pivotal things. there's a lot to talk about! and a lot i don't know. i think i'm going to keep doing a combination of how-tos, recipes, and other random ideas in no particular order, rather whenever i think of them. i mean, does it really matter if you learn about how to make hummus before how to save water? not really. in fact, this incredibly wide-ranging set of info is, in my opinion, not most effectively presented in blog form because it's chronological whereas the information is not at all. but alas...
let's talk about how DELIGHTFUL this season is! i had a hard time adjusting to the sudden temperature drop but i'm getting used to it, especially now that we finally got a hot water heater (long story) and i can wear my favorite clothes. yesss. but best of all is the FOOD!!! squashes and roots, mmm. there's a reason we think of pumpkin pie and apple cider when we think of fall...
it's important to get into the habit of adjusting your diet with the season. i was a little broken up about the tomato and berry selection dwindling at the farmers market as september went on, but summer foods are being replaced with some equally delicious but different choices. a good indicator of what you "should" be eating (that is, what's most sustainable) is what's at your local farmers market. then you'll get a better feel of what to get and what not to get if you shop during the week. but if you do go to larger groceries, their produce is most likely from a warmer climate where everything's in season anyway, so even if you do get a couple yams this week, they probably aren't local (unless you're lucky, but agro-corporations really do control goddamn everything), so stick to the farmers market as much as possible for produce. i've probably gone on about this before and likely will in the future, but support small-scale farmers and your local economy!! don't buy butternut squash in may or tomatoes in february, no matter how much you want them! it means you are buying them from a corporation and that they are being forcibly grown with sick ass chemicals and that they are traveling 3000 miles or more in a semi-truck to get to you. RESIST!!!
the foods that are in abundance in the fall are more starchy and hearty than they are leafy and juicy like summer foods. that means we must prepare different sorts of dishes in different ways now. some october foods are: apples, [last month for] broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, parsnips, onions, mushrooms, pumpkins, squash - many varieties, turnips, yams, sweet potatoes, (yes, they are different) and a good number of others that are just beginning or ending this month. so, it comes as no surprise based on this list and our expectations for fall dishes that we've got to make a transition from everything-in-the-fridge salads into everything-in-the-fridge soups, roasts, breads, and such.
i'm lucky enough to get a ton of free, in-season veggies because my roommate works at a local/organic produce stand, so she brings home ALL of their throw-aways-- even places like that have to toss anything with a brown spot on it-- meaning the 3 of us have to get quite creative in the kitchen when she brings home 4 squashes we've never seen before or 2 pecks of apples. most recently we've had an overabundance of squash, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, and sweet potatoes, plus a few others that are hanging on but won't be around much longer, like kale, cherry tomatoes, sage, basil, and peppers. since i tend to get WAY excited about new and different things, i've been making the same couple of things lately:
-soup with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, black eyed peas, and as many herbs as i can manage.
-oven-roasted veggies (sweet potato, bell pepper, onion, potato, squash)
-mushroom gravy and biscuits
-squash muffins (fall version of zucchini bread)
i'm going to explain how i made them and give some tips, but remember that everything i make is merely a general idea on how to make this stuff. i hope that you will be bold and get creative with your ingredients. it's part of learning to cook. you will mess up a LOT before getting it right, but you just gotta choke it down and try to fix your mistakes next time.
everything-in-the-fridge soup - october version
the trick is knowing when each thing should be added to the pot and how to achieve the right consistency.
1. before anything else, get out your ingredients (carrot, squash, broco, cauli, potato, beans, onion, garlic, herbs) and gauge how much of each you will need for your soup. it usually turns out to be way more when cut up and in the pot, so plan accordingly. keep in mind that if your soup is horrible you still have to eat it or else you're a wasteful and therefor horrible person, so try not to make too much.
2. (this is the rushed way to cook beans): in a medium/med-small pot, put desired amount of beans with a bit of salt and enough water to cover with an extra inch or 2 and turn the burner on medium-high.
3.get out your big *sharp* knife (chef's knife works best) and a paring knife and/or peeler and start cutting up the things that take longest to cook: carrots, potatoes, onion, and squash. don't rush it, as the chunks should be as uniform as possible so they cook evenly. NOTE! don't peel carrots or potatoes but do peel squash! carrots don't actually have a peel; they are ready to eat straight out of the ground. i don't know why we were all taught to peel them but it's just wasteful of carroty goodness and your time. just slice them fairly thinly. potatoes aren't as often peeled but in case you were inclined to, uh, don't. the skins have a ton of fiber and vitamins. without them, potatoes are essentially just taking up space in your stomach. so, with a small knife or the end of a peeler, scoop out the eyes, cut them into 1/2 inch chunks, and they're ready to go. you don't have to gouge deep into the potato (waste!), you can even use your thumb nail if you have one. also, because you're preparing so many veggies, i recommend getting systematic with it by getting out 2 large bowls, one for waste and one for the stuff that's ready to cook and goes in at the same step.
4. dump aforementioned veggies into a large pot with about 2 T. oil (and dry spices if you choose) and turn the heat on medium or medium-high. this heat setting helps the veggies stay together better throughout the soup cooking. if it were on low or med-low, they not only wouldn't have enough chance to cook before other ingredients are added (or else take forever), but they would fall apart after more moisture is added. you don't have to stand over the pot-- you can start cutting the next round of veggies-- but don't walk away completely. stir them around about every 30 seconds to 1 minute.
5. cut up garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, and most other non-starchy veggies, like peas or peppers. once the first round looks most of the way done, i.e. when the onions are becoming translucent, add and stir. another waste note: we've also been taught that broccoli stalks are waste. uhh, no. you don't have to use the whole thing if you don't like how incredibly fibrous it is, but don't just snip off the florets and toss the rest!
6. cook round 1 and 2 veggies with the lid on for about a minute and turn down the heat to low or just above it.
7. add chopped herbs, about 1/2 c. water, and salt. stir and cover.
8. slowly add more water until it's as soupy as you like it. don't add it too fast or the whole soup could take a weird consistency from being cooled while cooking.
9. if you find that it's too thin or kind of flavorless, make kind of a gravy substance to add. place a large handful of white flour in a pan or shallow bowl. add about 1/4 cup of the liquid in the soup to it while vigorously mixing with a rubber spatula. once most of the way mixed, you can add another 1/4 cup while still mixing so it doesn't get lumpy. add as much nutritional yeast as you'd like and mix. when it reaches the consistency of pancake batter or a bit thicker, slowly pour it into your soup while mixing. don't stop mixing til it's completely combined.
10. don't stir the soup too much, too vigorously, or too often or everything in it will fall apart. just mix it enough that pretty much everything is in a different place in the pot so that it all cooks evenly.
11. when the beans are done, drain and add, then cook a bit longer so they take on some of the soup's flavor.
oven-roasted veggies
my mom used to make these every winter. they're SO GOOD and easy.
1. cut into 1/2 to 1-inch chunks any/all of the following: potatoes, yam/sweet potato, any winter squash (remove skin and seeds), bell peppers, onions, carrots, parsnips.
2. set oven to 425.
3. place them in a mixing bowl large enough that there's plenty of extra room to do some stirring. you can use 2, it doesn't matter, they're all going to the same place.
4. pour a generous amount of oil over them-- i couldn't even tell you how much, but to know if it's enough, stir the veggies around until they all have an even coating of oil. there shouldn't be more than about 1 T. left in the bottom. now add 2 or 3 good pinches of salt and stir around again.
5. place them in a single layer on cookie sheets or large baking dishes, preferably oiled for good measure, and bake for 30 minutes. take pans out, close oven!, and with as sharp a spatula as you have, scrape and toss the veggies. try to release them from the bottom of the pan in as few scrapes as possible so they don't fall apart. bake for another 20 or so minutes.
biscuits and gravy
so much easier than they seem! and require very few dishes to boot.
biscuits:
1. set oven to 450.
2. in a large bowl, sift together 2 c. flour, 3 t. baking powder, 1 t. salt until there are no more lumps.
3. add 1/4 c. oil and 3/4 c. water (no more than 1/4 c. more if too dry) and, if you want, flax or sesame seeds. note: if you use butter, melt it first but make sure it's not HOT, and warm up the water a little bit so that the butter won't congeal as soon as you add one to the other in the flour.
4. with a rubber spatula, stir together with big, slow strokes so as to not over-mix. as SOON as it's combined, stop! otherwise they won't be fluffy.
5. with a spoon, scoop batter (smaller than the size of a clementine) onto an oiled cookie sheet
6. bake about 12 minutes or until the edges look crispy. and the bottoms are fairly brown. note: don't open the oven more than once or twice! it wastes a TON of heat, so you're slowing down the baking and using a ton of fossil fuels.
gravy:
1. chop up enough mushrooms to equal about a cup chopped and about 1/2 a medium onion. combine them + 2 or more T. oil (more than you would add for a stirfry) in a medium pot and set to medium heat.
2. sautee them (don't stir TOO much, let them cook) until the onions are translucent. take off the heat and turn down to low.
3. in a pan or shallow bowl, place 2 large handfuls of white flower. 1/4 cup at a time, add water and stir quickly with a flexible rubber spatula (or fork or wooden spoon if you absolutely must) to combine evenly without lumps. when almost totally combined, add the next 1/4 cup, continually stirring and adding water, until it's about the consistency of pancake batter. add as much nutritional yeast as you want, stir completely, and slowly (stirring contents of pot) add to the mushrooms and onions.
4. add salt, chopped sage (the more the better-- it blends in a lot), and ground pepper. make sure to keep the residue on the sides of the pot in the gravy by scraping them downwards with each stir. you no longer have to stir vigorously, just don't leave it for more than 10 seconds or so or it will get a dry coating on the top. be sure to consistently scrape the bottom, too.
5. at this point, you've essentially got gravy, you just have to add more of some of the ingredients you've already added in order to achieve the right consistency. be careful adding too much more flour, though, because as the gravy heats it firms up a lot.
6. it might taste a little floury. try adding more sage, pepper, or nutritional yeast. keep stirring. it should be done within 5 minutes.
