Sweet Poratoes: Round 2

If you've stopped by the Fresh Gatherings Harvest Market lately, you may have noticed some massive sweet potatoes.  The most common question regarding these beasts are, "What could you possibly do with a sweet potato that size?!"  Well, to ease your sweet potato woes, here is a five-star recipe that requires 5 sweet potatoes.  Instead of cleaning and peeling five little sweet potatoes, save time by just cleaning and peeling one!  Just be sure to cut it up into smaller chunks when roasting, so it bakes faster!  For another look at sweet potatoes, check out our post from September 19th that features a more in-depth look at this sweet little veggie, and another recipe!

Gourmet Sweet Potato Classic

 

Ingredients

• 5 sweet potatoes (or one giant one!)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation 

•  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
•  Bake sweet potatoes for 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until they begin to soften.  (If you're using a giant sweet potato, cut it up into smaller chunks before baking!)  Cool slightly, peel, and mash.
•  In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potatoes, salt, 1/4 cup butter, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, sugar, and heavy cream.  Transfer to the prepared baking dish.  
•  In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 cup butter, flour, brown sugar, and chopped pecans.  Mix with a pastry blender or your fingers to the consistency of coarse meal.  Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture.  
• Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until topping is crisp and lightly browned.  
• Makes 8 servings.

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Diving in with Delicata

Delicata squash is characterized by its distinctive dark green stripes that run lengthwise down its yellow or cream colored background.  It has sweet, orange-yellow flesh.  The delicata squash is an heirloom variety, originally introduced by the Peter Henderson Company of New York City in 1894, and was popular through the 1920s.  It has fairly recently mad its reentry into the culinary world, pleasing the taste buds to all those who dare to try its sweet, orange-yellow flesh that is reminiscent of corn and sweet potatoes. 

To help you celebrate the delightful delicata, here's a recipe from Allrecipes.com!

Baked Delicata Squash with Lime Butter

Ingredients:

• 2 delicata squash, halved and seeded
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon lime zest (optional)
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

•  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Place the squash cut side down into a baking dish.  Pour water into the dish about 1/4 inch deep.
• Bake in preheated oven until the squash pierces easily with a fork, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, blend the butter with the lime juice and chili powder in a small bowl.  Mix in the lime zest, if desired.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Spoon the butter mixture into the cooked squash, and serve immediately. 

October 24th: Food Day

Food Day is a nationwide celebration and a movement toward more healthy, affordable, and sustainable food. Food Day, created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), is powered by a diverse coalition of food movement leaders, organizations, and people from all walks of life. Food Day takes place annually on October 24 to address issues as varied as health and nutrition, hunger, agricultural policy, animal welfare, and farm worker justice. The ultimate goal of Food Day is to strengthen and unify the food movement in order to improve our nation’s food policies. 

There are Food Day events going on all over the country, even here in St. Louis!  Saint Louis University’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics (DND), the City of St. Louis Department of Health, and Les Dames d’Escoffier International are celebrating the second anniversary of “Gardens to Tables Food Day” on October 24 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.  This event will be held in the organic teaching garden run by the DND just a block and a half away from our office in the Allied Health Building at the corner of Compton and Rutger.  This event is held to promote the sustainable, healthy, and just agricultural practices the DND teaches throughout its curriculum.  "Gardens to Tables Food Day" specifically targets students from all of the colleges in the St. Louis area to increase their awareness of the need for sustainable food systems and allow them to become involved with local food.  There will be stations throughout the garden teaching about food deserts and food access, composting and vermiculture, how to get involved with CSA's, fighting childhood obesity, and humane agricultural practices, and many more.  With each station, there will be a menu item served using local produce.

For more information about Food Day, or to search for other Food Day events, visit the Food Day website.  If you are unable to attend a Food Day event, on this Wednesday, October 24th, challenge yourself to eat at least one locally grown food with each meal!  

October: National Popcorn Popping Month

...And the list goes on!  October is, in addition to a month celebrating a host of other foods, National Popcorn Popping Month!  Buying microwave popcorn is definitely a way to celebrate, but you can try popping popcorn in your own batches of locally grown kernels.  Braggadocio popcorn is available at various places in the St. Louis area, including Local Harvest Grocery and City Greens Produce.  Unsure of how to pop popcorn without the microwave directions? Not to worry! Here are two different ways to pop it yourself - in the microwave and on the stove!

Stove Top Popping, courtesy of Popcorn.org
Assemble the following:

• A 3 to 4 quart pan with a loose lid that allows steam to escape
• At least enough popcorn to cover the bottom of the pan, one kernel deep
• 1/3 cup of oil for every cup of kernels (Don't use butter!)

Heat the oil to 400 - 460 degrees Fahrenheit (if the oil smokes, it is too hot). Test the oil on a couple of kernels. When they pop, add the rest of the popcorn, cover the pan and shake to evenly spread the oil. When the popping begins to slow, remove the pan from the stove-top. The heated oil will still pop the remaining kernels.

 

Pre-salting kernels toughens popcorn. So, salt the popcorn after it has been popped -- or skip salt altogether and add salt-free spices.

 

The General Measure Rule is one (1) ounce of un-popped popcorn equals a quart popped.

 

Microwave Popping, courtesy of wikihow.com and tipbusters.com

1. Buy some brown paper bags (lunch bags), but make sure the package is labeled as being microwave-safe.  (Bags not meant for use in the microwave could potentially catch on fire.)

2. Add 1/4 cup popcorn to the bottom of a brown paper bag. If desired, add 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil and a bit of salt - of wait until after to season!

3. Fold the bag over twice and stand it up in the microwave. Cook on high for 2-3 minutes until popping slows down to pops 1-2 seconds apart. 

4. Remove from microwave, add seasonings if desired, and enjoy! 

October: National Pizza Month

October is clearly a month fit for celebrating.  This month gives a great big nod to one of the nation's favorite foods: pizza!  To celebrate, here's a history of National Pizza Month, courtesy of Pizza.com!

Anyone in the business of serving pizza probably does not need to be reminded that October is National Pizza Month here in the United States. While the contribution of the first pizzerias in this country cannot be ignored, it was really the returning American soldiers who fought in Italy during World War II that brought a hunger for pizza home with them and pushed its popularity over the top. America's love of pizza continued to grow and now October is the official National Pizza Month across most of North America.

First observed in the United States during 1984 (although many people incorrectly claim it was 1987), October was designated as National Pizza Month by Gerry Durnell, the founder of Pizza Today magazine, who chose that month because the first issue of his magazine debuted in October of that year. Durnell was a pizzeria owner in the small town of Santa Claus, Indiana when he realized there were no periodicals or tradeshow publications to support his growing pizza business or the industry in general. Creation of a national pizza-oriented magazine along with the introduction of a national pizza month served his purposes perfectly and solved the problem.

Today, National Pizza Month is observed each October across the USA and in much of Canada too. The designation might be a bit redundant in this country though, as nearly every month could be considered Pizza Month in the United States these days. People don't really need a special month for pizza in a country where there are an estimated 63,000 pizzerias and 94% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month. The figures equal the consumption of about 45 slices of pizza per person in the U.S. each year and show that Americans definitely love their pizza as evidenced by devouring 100 acres of pizza per day, or 350 slices per second.

So get out there and do your part to keep those pizza-loving numbers up! 

Pumpkin-palooza

'Tis the season to be eating pumpkins! Here are a couple recipes to help you put all those pumpkins to good use!

Skinny Pumpkin Pie Dip

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 5 oz. nufchatel cheese (or fat free cream cheese)
• 4 packets nectresse (or other zero calorie sweetener)
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• dash of ginger
• cinnamon chips for garnish (optional)

Preparation 

• In a medium bowl, blend softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy.  Add in remaining ingredients and mix well.  Cover and chill at least a few hours to let it set up (optional: chill over night).  Sprinkle with cinnamon chips and serve with graham crackers. 

 Source: Back For Seconds 

 

 

Rigatoni with Pumpkin Ricotta Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked Rigatoni pasta
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 10 sage leaves, cut into strips
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Salt to taste

Preparation

• Cook the Rigatoni in a pot of salted boiling water until al dente.
• In a bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, ricotta cheese, milk, and sage leaves.
• In a pan on medium heat, add the olive oil followed by the pumpkin sauce.  Gently mix together until all creamy.  (Add more milk to reach a more desired consistency).  Add the nutmeg, salt and pepper. 
• Add the cooked pasta into the sauce and add freshly grated Parmesan cheese to finish off. Serve hot. 

 Source: Soni's Food for Thought

 

 

October: National Farm to School Month

October is National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the connections that are happening all over the country between schools and local food. 

Farm to School is broadly defined as any program that connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers. Farm to School programs exist in all 50 states, but since Farm to School is a grassroots movement, programs are as diverse as the communities that build them.

Farm to School programs are based on the premise that students will choose healthier foods, including more fruits and vegetables, if products are fresh, locally grown, and picked at the peak of their flavor and if those choices are reinforced with educational activities. Farm to School programs provide benefits to the entire community: children, farmers, food service staff, parents, and teachers.

• The choice of healthier options in the cafeteria through Farm to School meals results in consumption of more fruits and vegetables with an average increase of 0.99 to 1.3 servings per day, including at home.
• Schools report a 3 to 16 percent increase in school meal participation when farm-fresh food is served through Farm to School programs.
• Farm to School programs open new markets for farmers and help expand their customer base by raising awareness about local food systems.
• Farm to School programs are also known to increase school meal participation rates.

Here in Saint Louis, farmers partners in providing Maplewood Richmond Heights School District as well as Saint Louis Public Schools with local, healthy food.  These partnerships are the result of grant funding to establish Healthy Eating with Local Produce (HELP).  To learn more about our area's Farm to School connections, check out the National Farm to School Network's website. 

Source: National Farm to School Month

Apple Butter Comes Alive

The annual Apple Butter Festival in the Historic City of Kimmswick, is one of the largest events in Eastern Missouri.  Since its start in 1977, this two-day event now brings close to 100,000 visitors to the area annually to explore the hundreds of vendor booths that fill the city park and line the streets.  Food items and a variety of crafts are for sale while live entertainment captures attendees.  Of course, the Kimmswick Historical Society makes and sells their famous Apple Butter at the Apple Butter Pavilion of Market Street. 

The festival starts at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, October 27th and 28th, and concludes at 5 p.m.  Visitors to the festival pay no admission fee, but may have to pay $5-$10 to park.  At just a 30 minute drive from downtown St. Louis, the Kimmswick Apple Butter Festival is certainly worth checking out for a great fall activity this month!

For more info, check out Go Kimmswickt and Visit Kimmswick. 

 Kimmswick Historical Society makes Apple Butter, letting attendees lend a hand in the process!

October 1: World Vegetarian Day

Today, October 1, is World Vegetarian Day - the kickoff for Vegetarian Awareness Month that runs throughout October.  There are many health benefits to vegetarianism, in addition to environmental benefits.  For a great list of reasons to explore a plant-based diet, check out Vegetarian Times'  "Why Go Veg?" article. 

If you're willing to participate in one day a week of a vegetarian lifestyle, check out Meatless Monday and think about taking the pledge to eliminate meat just one day a week.  And to celebrate World Vegetarian Day, try eating a vegetarian meal tonight for dinner! Here are a couple well-balanced vegetarian dishes. Happy World Vegetarian Day!

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

•  1/2 pound lentils, cooked and drained
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon crumbled fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 pinch dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• a dash of cayenne pepper
• 2 large potatoes, cooked
• 1/2 to 1 cup of hot milk
• butter or margarine to taste

Preparation: 

•  Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• In a large mixing bowl, mash the cooked lentils thoroughly and add the onion and seasonings.  Put the lentil mixture in a lightly oiled casserole dish.
• In a separate bowl, mash the potatoes and add the hot milk, butter and salt.  Beat by hand or with electric mixer until fluffy. 
• Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the mashed lentils and bake for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are dry on top. 
• Place the pie under the broiler to brown on top. Serve warm. 

Source: About.com

 

Mexican Enchilada Casserole with Black Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped onion, fresh or frozen
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red pepper, fresh or frozen
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 15.8 ounce cans black beans, drained
• 12 6-inch corn (or flour) tortillas
• 2 cups Monterey Jack and Cheddar blend shredded cheese  
• 3 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 cup low-fat sour cream (optional)
• 1/2 cup sliced black olives (optional)

Preparation: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Combine onion, pepper, garlic, salsa cumin and black beans  in a large skillet and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes.
• Arrange 6 tortillas on the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking dish, overlapping them as necessary.  Spread half the bean mixture over tortillas and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Repeat layering process with remaining tortillas, bean mixture, and cheese. 
• Cover dish with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Carefully remove foil and serve warm.
• Garnish with tomatoes, sour cream and olives.
• Make 8 servings of Mexican enchilada casserole.  

Source: About.com 

 

 

 

Week 20 - Last Share of the Season!