Cheddar Grits with Greens and Caramelized Onions

One of the things I love about my place of employment is all of its wonderful quirks -- we potluck once a month, have chili cook-offs, Wednesday afternoon walks, donut Fridays, "Monster Chases," Muffin Mondays, send out way too many agency-wide emails, (and occasionally hit "reply all" to those agency-wide emails,) write haikus about salad, have an agency vehicle named "Marge," (and we talk about her like she's a real person,) enjoy epic holiday parties with gourmet, homemade food and a talent show, have unusual names for our large meeting and conference rooms, and rush the front desk en masse when someone's toddler accidentally presses the "panic" button.  However, one of my most favorite quirky things about my place of employment is "Grits Club."

What is "Grits Club," you ask?  Well, Grits Club is nothing more than a bunch of folks who love grits, band together, and order cases, stone-ground to order, en masse from Hoppin' John's.  I had the opportunity to join Grits Club this year, and I'm so glad I did.  I can't think of a better supper on a cold, blustery, damp, late fall evening than a big plate of cheddar grits, covered with sautéed greens and caramelized onions, can you?

Cheddar Grits with Greens and Caramelized Onions

serves 2

Ingredients:

1 c whole milk

1 1/2 c water

1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1/2 c stone-ground grits

1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese, at room temperature

sautéed greens (kale, collards, chard, spinach, whatever)

caramelized onions (at least 2 tbsp per serving)

Directions:

1. Bring the water, milk, salt, and pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Whisk in the grits slowly, and continue whisking constantly for about three minutes.  (You may need to turn the heat down to medium-ish at some point.)

2. Turn the heat down to low (and use a heat diffuser,) cover the grits, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.

3. Whisk in the butter and cheese.  Serve big plates of grits covered in sautéed greens and caramelized onions.  Eat immediately.

Note:

I recommend making only as many servings of grits as you will consume in one sitting.  (So, if you are cooking for just yourself like I am these days, cut the grits recipe in half.)  I find leftover grits much less appetizing, although many don't mind them at all.  Greens and caramelized onions both keep beautifully, so feel free to make a big batch of each up front.  (Caramelized onions freeze well, too -- I recommend making TONS in the fall, freezing them in 1/4-cup size plops on a parchment lined baking sheet, then transferring to a zip-top baggie to be enjoyed throughout the winter.)

What are your favorite toppings for grits?  What makes your workplace quirky?

boo!

Happy Halloween! We didn't really do too much Halloween-y stuff today, but I did manage to spend some time in the kitchen!

We observed "All Saints Day" in church this morning, and it was, frankly, kind of a bummer of a way to start the day. Important, but still not exactly uplifting, ya know? So, regardless of what church is about, there is one constant -- church ALWAYS makes me hungry! Enter, breakfast burritos:

So decadent. So packed with protein. SO TASTY! MMMMMMMM.

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I cooked up a gorgeous pumpkin last night, and I just HAD to show you a picture of some of the finished puree:

LOOK AT THAT COLOR! Courtney described it as, "Crayola crayon macaroni and cheese color!" Right on! This will make one gorgeous batch of pumpkin soup in our near future!

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I also made granola this afternoon:

Loaded with the usual good stuff, I am always impressed by how heavenly the granola smells when it comes out of the oven! Toasty, roasty, sweet, maple-y goodness! I am on a quest to eat better breakfasts, (I'm not huge on breakfast in general, but do need to eat something substantial,) so I hope bowls of granola will help me get to lunch without eating a bunch of crap at work!

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Dinner tonight was another success from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers:

"Whole-Grain Pasta with Greens and Tomatoes" ROCKED! Yum! I had been feeling a serious lack of veggies this weekend, and this pasta, along with a side of roasted broccoli, helped fill the void. Mmm!

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BOO!

eggs, pie, and PIZZA!

We had a "throwback brunch" today!

(Sorry for the blurry photo . . . don't know WHAT was wrong with the camera this morning!?!) We haven't had poached eggs, hashbrowns, and kale in AGES, and it was nice to go back to an old standby! Yum. :)

Here's a slice of the pumpkin pie I made yesterday:

I followed a pretty traditional recipe, except that I didn't have any evaporated milk in the house, so I used a combination of fat-free greek yogurt and regular milk in place . . . and the finished pie has a slightly tangy, almost cheesecake-like flavor. Mmmmm! What a great surprise!

After an afternoon of lounging, biking, and seeing a play, I made Dan and I some pizza for dinner! Woo!

Pie #1:

Half whole-wheat Artisan Bread crust, topped with caramelized onions, mozzarella, parmesan, four different kinds of mushrooms, (white button, cremini, shiitake, and chanterelle,) a teensie sprinkle of salt, a generous amount of black pepper, and a few dashes of dried thyme. Sublime! Rich, slightly sweet, and incredibly flavorful from all of the different fungi. MMMMMMMMMM.

Pie #2:

Half whole-wheat Artisan Bread crust again, topped with organic pizza sauce, mozzarella and parmesan, red onion, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, broccoli, and a sprinkle of dried oregano. A completely different species than the pie above, but just as good, in its own bright and assertive way.

Plated, with salad:

I fixed us a little side salad of local micro greens, dressed with a simple lemon juice, olive oil, s/p dressing. I could have eaten gallons of this salad! Thank goodness we still have half a clamshell of micro greens left!

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I think it's funny that my impulse buys at the co-op this week were pomegranate-flavored licorice, wild mushrooms, and micro greens! I'm such a dork. :)

What goofy stuff do you impulse buy when food shopping?

meals and Merry!

Here's what we've been noshing these past few days . . .

"Jerk Tofu" and "Coconut Rice," with a side of kale, from Vegan with a Vengeance:


"White Bean and Garlic Soup with Greens," from Love Soup:


And "Smoky Grilled Tempeh," from Veganomicon, with roasted sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and leftover Coconut Rice:


And last but not least, just in case you haven't enjoyed enough treats yet, here are all of the cookies, arranged together to take to work:

I still haven't found out whether I won the second baking contest!!! We shall see. :)

Dan and I are headed out of town tonight, in an attempt to beat the winter storm headed our way. Merry Christmas to all who celebrate! (And enjoy your time away from work, to those who don't!)

delicious dinners

Monday night:

Spinach Lasagna with Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce, from The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook. I was pleasantly surprised by the filling richness of this dish, being from a "healthy" cookbook and all, plus the portion size was just right! Yum. Next time, I need to work on finding whole-wheat lasagna noodles. (I think my co-op has them in bulk . . . !!)

Tuesday night:

"Brooklyn Pad Thai," round 2, from Vegan with a Vengeance. I've been pulling that cookbook out more and more lately . . . I forget how fantastic many of those recipes are! You'll see more from V-WAV this weekend. :)

Thursday night:

Cannellini Beans with Wilted Greens, again, from The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook. Served this one over a quick, homemade soft polenta. Polenta falls into the same category as couscous, in my book -- quick, simple, tasty foods that I tend to forget about! :)

As you can see, I've really been trying to amp up our veggie and lean protein servings lately, to counteract all of the holiday junk food that we've both been around lately. :) Also, I was so proud of Dan yesterday -- he was tempted to go out and get himself a sandwich or burrito or something after work, but instead he came home and made himself a spinach and cheese omelette! Yay Dan!

In other news, we had a holiday baking contest at work yesterday, and I WON! Woo! 8 extra hours of PTO for me! Wahoo! My sea salt caramels were the winning entry -- everyone kept joking about how they were going to pull their fillings and other assorted dental work out, but it didn't stop anyone from eating one! :)

I'm very excited to tackle my cookie-baking this weekend, and I also have several more delicious meals on our agenda. Until then!

local!

First, a couple of dinners from this week:


Local potatoes, local kale, and local eggs. An oldie but goodie.



Sushi and miso soup again -- avocado rolls for me, tuna rolls for Dan. (He ate a bunch of avocado, too!)

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I woke up at 7:10 this morning, and couldn't get back to sleep because I was too excited about going to the Farmer's Market. So, I gave up on sleeping in, hopped in the car, and loaded up on local goodies:

This week's haul ran us about $50, but as you can see from the grocery shop picture below, we got almost all of our produce for the week from the market! Yay, local! Clockwise from bottom left: plums, salad mix, eggplant, Yukon Gold potatoes, watermelon, red onions, "Kellog's Breakfast" heirloom tomatoes, beets w/tops, carrots, baby heirloom tomato mix, fresh mozzarella, cucumber, apples, garlic, artichokes, wild rice, and basil. (Yes! Local artichokes! They were a buck apiece, which is why I only bought two, but still! How exciting!)

A post-Farmer's Market lunch:

Heirloom tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Slice of homemade bread not pictured.

And the week's co-op (and grocery store) haul:



BAKERY:
local multigrain bread

BULK:
locally-roasted, organic, fair-trade coffee

FROZEN:
organic grape juice concentrate

HERBS & SPICES:
kava

PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic extra-virgin olive oil
locally-bottled, organic, fair-trade vanilla extract
organic crushed tomatoes
Seventh Generation dish soap

PRODUCE:
organic lemons
local, organic mint

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
local, organic, whole-wheat pita

Also, a package of dried lima beans from the regular grocery store, since the co-op doesn't carry them! Do you think this is strange? I do.

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And last . . . the final grocery budgeting results for August! Given all of the stocking up we did on sale items, (and all of the stocking of the freezer, too,) we did well sticking to our budget of $500, coming in at a grand total of $488.57 spent! I think this is a budget we can live with, comfortable without feeling deprived.

I must confess . . . I wasn't sure, when we started this budgeting adventure, that we could do it. And I'm still unsure that I can keep up with the level of work required for this type of eating -- especially the volume of dirty dishes! However, I'm pleased with how our eating habits have changed. We are eating a lot more beans and a lot less cheese than we ever used to, slightly less organic overall, but still very healthy, in my opinion. And even less processed food, too!

How has the economy changed your family's eating habits?

budget woes, groceries, and meals

I've been saving reciepts during the month of July, and keeping careful track of how much we've been spending on groceries. I had a feeling it was much higher than we had guessed, and I was right.

We have been spending about $600 per month on groceries for two people.

Now, keep in mind we eat mostly organic, local, and/or fair trade. And I seriously feel like I'm doing almost everything I can to save pennies -- I cook as much from scratch as humanly possible, we hardly ever eat out, I shop the farmer's market and bulk bins largely, stock up on things when they are on sale, etc.

But still! I guess I could start shopping at a "regular" grocery store, and buying conventional produce, but I don't know how I feel about that. I know where the expensive areas of our budget are (fresh produce, especially fruit, coffee, and nuts are usually the big ticket items,) but I promise you, we are eating nearly everything we buy in a given week!

Hm. I'm at a loss. Any ideas?

Anyhow, here's this week's load from the co-op:

(You won't see coffee on the list this week, even though it's pictured, since Dan and I bought a pound from "Coffee and Tea Ltd." as a treat. I can't wait to try the Tanzania Peaberry tomorrow!)



BREAD:
local spelt bread

BULK:
organic dry-roasted peanuts
organic, fair-trade, dark chocolate chips
organic dried cranberries
dried apricots
organic golden raisins

CHEESE:
"Treasure Cave" Feta

FROZEN:
organic apple juice concentrate
organic orange juice concentrate (2)
organic rasperry juice concentrate

HERBS & SPICES:
local, organic star anise
local, organic thyme
local decaf English Breakfast tea
kava kava

PACKAGED GROCERY:
kalamata olives
artichoke heart quarters
organic diced tomatoes
ginger ale (a treat for Dan)
coconut juice w/pulp (a treat for me!)
Seventh Generation dish soap
Seventh Generation paper towels

PERSONAL CARE:
organic cotton tampons

PRODUCE:
local, organic cucumber
organic bananas
organic cantaloupe
organic cherries
organic pluots
organic ginger root
local hydroponic tomato

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
local, organic butter
organic Vegenaise
local, organic whole milk
local, organic heavy cream
local, organic eggs

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I made a couple of simple, yet Earth-shattering meals today . . .

Lunch:

Roasted Yukon Gold potatoes, beets and greens, and chickpea cutlets with mustard sauce from Veganomicon. I must confess . . . I did add ketchup to my potatoes after I took the picture, and it made them that much more awesome. :)

Dinner:

Awesome Greek-ish salad with local lettuce, local cucumber, local tomato, artichokes, home-cooked chickpeas, kalamata olives, feta, and homemade dressing.

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I'm sure I'll have a post for you tomorrow, since Courtney and I are going blueberry-picking in the morning, and THEN to the Farmer's Market!! Fresh produce, here I come!

catching up some kitchen happenings

I was wondering why I hadn't blogged in a while . . . and it's because I haven't cooked much! We were out of town last weekend for the holiday, and have just been sort of throwing meals together since then. :) I do have a few things for you, though:

A dinner from last week:

Breakfast for dinner is always a good thing, especially when it involves roasted potatoes! Dan scrubbed and quartered these baby reds from the Farmer's Market and roasted them with olive oil, garlic, S&P, and a little dried thyme. I could have eaten my weight in these potatoes, but restrained myself. :)

P.S. Leftover roasted potatoes topped with chickpeas and salsa made for an AWESOME lunch the next day!

Another pie:

We took this pie to Dan's parents' house with us over the weekend, and it was quickly gobbled up. :) Strawberry-rhubarb seems to be a hit with everyone I meet!

Dinner last night:

Homemade pizza is always such a tasty thing. Artisan Bread crust, topped with olive oil, sliced local heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and S&P. Yum. I'm even excited for leftovers in my lunch today!

And we received a late-night phone call from Dan's brother, which resulted in this:

Free veggies! Dan's brother has a half-share of a CSA, which means he gets a full share every-other week. To quote Ryan, "a ridiculous amount of vegetables for one person." So, we scored basil, green onions, chard, broccoli, radishes, kohlrabi, fennel, and scapes.

Any ideas for cooking up the scapes? I've never used them before, but am excited to try them!

really healthy meals

We have had a plethora of produce around here lately -- between strawberry-picking, a trip to the Farmer's Market, and Dan's brother sharing half of his CSA for the week with us, the fridge has been at capacity with fresh fruits and veggies!

Result? Some really healthy meals.


A strawberry-mango-blueberry-banana-orange smoothie.


Sliced tomatoes sprinkled with salt, a couple of slices of baguette smeared with herbed goat cheese, and steamed beets and greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette.


Beans and rice and steamed broccoli!

I've also had cinnamon-peach oatmeal for breakfast the last two days in a row, which has been yummy and filling. Hooray for healthy food!

Yoga Challenge (day 14,) over-budget, and FLOG

Dan and I went to see a play last night, and when we got home, I convinced Dan to do the dishes :) while I did twenty minutes of Yoga Journal's "Step-by-Step Session 1." The more I do the sun salutes, the more I love them! (And boy, are my arms and legs tired when I'm done!) This might have been a little bit too much physical activity for me at 9:30 at night, since I could barely crawl my butt into bed when I was done, but it was fun while it lasted. :) I may choose an easier practice today!

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I went grocery shopping yesterday morning, and I am officially already WAY over budget for groceries this month. (This will be okay in the end, since it's a three-paycheck month for me.) I think I may go to a cash system next month, however -- take out $87 per week, leave my debit card at home, and be smarter about my shopping. I'm also watching to see what expensive things I've been picking up, so I can maybe make better choices next time. (For some reason, anything over four dollars seems to catch my eye on my reciepts. These items include coffee, health and beauty items, organic canola oil, cheeses, and some high-cost produce items such as the pineapple, grapes, beets, and pound-and-a-half of mushrooms I bought this week!)

Budgeting, like anything else, is a learning process, right??

Here's the loot:


BULK:
organic green lentils
egg noodles (so glad I found these in bulk! They are SO EXPENSIVE pre-packaged!)

CHEESE:
local queso fresco

FROZEN:
local, organic edamame (in-pod)

HERBS & SPICES:
local, organic, ground white pepper

PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic canola oil
wild capers
organic tomato juice
organic firm silken tofu
organic dried shiitake mushrooms
organic diced tomatoes
organic stoneground wheat and flax crackers
organic "harvest whole wheat" crackers
Seventh Generation TP

PERSONAL CARE:
two bottles of Nature's Gate shampoo
two packages organic cotton tampons (on sale!!)
Burt's Bees orange essence facial cleanser

PRODUCE:
organic cucumber
organic bananas
organic avocados
organic pineapple
organic green grapes
organic limes
organic red pears
organic green beans
organic eggplant
organic garlic
organic red chard
organic dino kale (two bunches)
organic cilantro
organic Italian parsley
local, organic, white button mushrooms
organic yellow onions
organic green onions
organic green bell pepper
local, organic russet potato
local hydroponic romaine
organic zucchini
organic beets
organic cherry tomatoes

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
flour tortillas
local, organic, low-fat sour cream

To stay in budget, I'm considering switching to conventional canola oil next month, and will also make smarter fruit choices. I must admit, though, it's that time of year when I'm just so SICK of apples and oranges, I want to SCREAM! (Don't get me wrong . . . the Minneolas are still tasty, but it's been ages since I've had grapes! Let's hope the grapes and pineapple were worth the cost!)

I also need to plan my internet orders for heath and beauty items better -- I had to pick up a couple of things we ran out of, because I had just placed an order. Oh well!

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Enough budget talk; on to yesterday's FLOG!

Breakfast #1:

Pre-grocery store muffin. Coffee, too, of course.

Breakfast #2:

Post-grocery store dates. Dan managed to sneak some of these out of my dish!

Lunch:

Our weekly brunch, with freshly-squeezed grapefruit juice on the side! (P.S. My hashbrown-making skills improve with each week. Crispy deliciousness!)

Treat:

I have been savoring last weekend's batch of sprinkle-cookies.

Dinner:

I made Agean Eggplant with Lentils, brown rice, and steamed beets for dinner last night. I haven't made this recipe in a couple of years, and I can't for the life of me figure out why! These lentils and veggies are so healthy, comforting, and delicious. Yum. This should be a good recipe to keep in mind for late-summer farmer's market bounty, too!

(P.S. I didn't use canned lentils, per the recipe instructions -- I cooked up a big pot yesterday morning, and portioned out and froze the rest.)

Treat:

I made a tofu, chocolate, and peanut butter mousse yesterday, which turned out SO thick and rich, I couldn't finish my entire portion! I think I'll skip the peanut butter next time -- I tasted barely a whisper of peanut butter flavor, and in my opinion, the last thing this recipe needs is more richness! Cook and learn, right?

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Stay tuned -- more yoga and delicious food to come today!

classics and fantastic treats!

While I may have been feeling a little bit uninspired when planning meals for the weekend, "classics" are still tasty and healthy!

Dinner Friday night:

A regular repeat at my house, Thai coconut soup with tofu and mushrooms, garnished with plenty of green onions and cilantro. (Jasmine rice hiding underneath.) The soup was not nearly spicy enough this time around . . . I wonder if my curry paste is getting old? Hm.

Saturday brunch:

Another classic, this weekend with two-potato hashbrowns instead of our regular Yukon golds. I asked Dan if he was getting sick of this brunch; he replied, "nope." It's healthy, easy, and keeps both of us happy -- what's not to like?

Valentine's Day Dinner:

Falafel in homemade pita (Artisan Bread, as usual,) with a giant, delicious salad on the side. Dan helped a ton with this meal, which was very nice -- he made the tahini sauce, cooked the falafel, and made half the pita. I was glad for his help, even though we trip over each other in my tiny kitchen. All I did was make the salad and chop the veggies to go in our falafel! An easy night for me. :)

AND NOW . . . on to the treats:

Valentine's Day Dessert:

Chocolate Fondue!! I used this recipe, courtesy of Eating Well, which was a cinch to prepare (measure ingredients, microwave, stir, voila!) and incredibly delicious. The recipe serves two, although it still made too much chocolate for the two of us after our filling falafel. A keeper recipe for sure, though -- look at all of that delicious fruit! And dark chocolate IS a good source of antioxidants, after all! A heart-healthy treat for a heart-holiday! ;-)

Last, a heart-themed baking project:

I made the sugar cookies from Joy of Vegan Baking, and made a pink vegan buttercream to top them off -- 1/4 cup Earth Balance, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon almond extract, red food coloring, and 3 tablespoons almond milk. This made enough frosting to generously cover the 24 cookies the recipe yielded, plus enough leftover for copious bowl-licking. I used to loathe almond extract as a child . . . I'm so glad my tastebuds have grown up!

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We're off to brunch with Dan's family this afternoon, so there won't be much more cooking left this weekend. Hope you all had an enjoyable, treat-filled holiday weekend!

What special Valentine's Day meal or treat did you make?

I like good food!

Dinner Friday Night:

Macaroni and Cheese with Cauliflower, from Real Simple. (Green cauliflower, you ask? Nah . . . broccoli. I guess Dan doesn't like cauliflower??) The dish was relatively easy to prepare (much simpler than a traditional bechamel-based baked mac and cheese,) delicious, nutritious with broccoli and whole-wheat pasta, and even reheated well! If you decide to make this, beware . . . it's a LOT of food. We had this Friday night, for lunch again on Saturday, and there were still two helpings left! (One I sent home with Dan, one for a work lunch for me this week.) P.S. More beet 'n' goat cheese topped salad on the side. MMMMMMMMMMMM.

Saturday breakfast:

Not brunch, mind you, breakfast! We had things to do, so we had an earlyish start Saturday morning. I varied our brunch this week a little bit by roasting Yukon Golds and sweet potatoes, (I had a sweet potato that needed to be cooked STAT!), instead of our usual hashbrowns.

Dinner Saturday night:

I finally cracked Vegan Planet, (I swear I've owned this cookbook for three years and have never cooked from it,) and made the "Very Veggie Chili," adding a package of Boca "Meatless Crumbles." (I rarely buy "fake meat" products, but I must admit, a package of soy crumbles really makes a chili, in my opinion.) We topped the chili with shredded sharp cheddar, sliced avocado, and light sour cream. Corn muffin, (from Veganomicon,) coleslaw, and homemade pickle on the side!

Lunch Sunday:

"Tempeh and Red Bean Jambalaya with Chipotle Chiles," again from Vegan Planet, served over brown rice, with a side of coleslaw. This was good, but not stellar. I wonder if this is one of those dishes that gets better the longer it sits? It was spicy, smoky, and tomato-ey, but that was about it. I was hoping for more complexity . . . alas!

Last, a couple of weekend baking projects:

Lemon Shortbread:

I based these off a recipe I found in an old issue of Cooking Light, but I didn't really follow the recipe completely. Regardless, the shortbread are lemony, crunchy, slightly sweet, buttery (even though I used Earth Balance,) and vegan, to boot! Yum.

More Artisan Bread:

I may never buy bread again. (Just lots of flour.)

I can't tell you how many sinks full of dishes I've washed this weekend, but it was totally worth it! I like good food!