Vergennes Laundry

I love love love this place because they really take care in making their food and drink. Pictured is their grapefruit-zested "morning buns," potato tarte with rosemary and creme fraiche, and what remains of a cappuccino.

Dumplings At Last!

For those of you that know me well, you know that steamed dumplings are high on my list of favorite foods. My aunt recently gave me a recipe and vague instructions and I finally worked up the courage to make them. Biting into this hot, salty pocket made me SO HAPPY. Making these little babes is exciting and actually quite simple.

A cup of cabbage (napa or savoy works best)
One grated carrot
About a cup of ground pork, beef, or bean curd
A bit of grated fresh ginger
One egg
Salt and pepper
Wonton or dumpling wrappers

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Place about a tablespoon of filling in the center of the wrapper, wet the edges with a paper towel, and pinch tightly shut. Heat a pan with a small tablespoon of olive or peanut oil. Fill the pan with dumplings, making sure not to stack or overlap them. Let them sear for a minute, then add a cup of water, cover, and let steam until all water is evaporated, about ten minutes. Cook off all dumplings in batches and enjoy with soy sauce!

Photos by Dustin Underhill and me.

[Aforementioned toast and cappuccino]

Saturday.

This here is a moment of cappuccino, toast, and oversized turtleneck bliss. August First in Burlington, Vermont is my favorite coffee shop to go when I want someplace warm and quiet. Have a great weekend!!

Portuguese Kale Soup

Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables.

This soup is warming, filling, and an excellent use of winter vegetables.

Half a bunch of kale (usually about half a pound), collards or beet greens
1 pound boiling potatoes, I used yellow russet
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 carrot
Optional: chicken or pork sausage
Extra-virgin olive oil

Remove the stems from the kale, wash the leaves, and cut them into bite size strips. Chop the carrot into wheels. Peel the potatoes and chop them into small chunks. 
Bring the stock to a boil and add salt. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for about four minutes. Add the kale and cook for a few more minutes. Add a splash of olive oil. If desired, add the sausage.

I eat this with a dash of hot sauce (food repair kit). I also added chopped sweet potato because I had one already cooked in the fridge.

Nut Butters

I found this jar of pure magic that is macadamia nut butter that I made with a friend while in Hawaii. If you're living on your own and a variation of a peanut butter sandwich is often what's for lunch/dinner/(breakfast), it helps to switch up which butters you use so you don't feel like you're eating a dog food diet.
This article from Cooking Light explains the various textures and flavors for different nut butters:
Nut Butter Primer

Open Face

Here are two of my favorite sandwiches to make for lunch:

Delicious open-face bagel sandwich:
Toasted and buttered bagel 
Ripe avocado
Grated carrots
A hard boiled egg
A generous handful of mung bean sprouts
Salt and pepper

Good peasant bread
Herb goat cheese
Baby arugula
A hard boiled egg
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Grocery Getter

A lot of people that I talk to want to eat well and prepare beautiful food but don't think they can afford to do so. I am always surprised by how little I spend on groceries for how much pleasure I get out of cooking and eating well. So here's what my (winter) shopping list usually includes:

kale
carrots
baby arugula/salad greens
avocado
eggs
milk, sometimes yogurt
rolled oats
peanut butter
good bread (ezekiel bread is my splurge: http://www.foodforlife.com) 
goat or cheddar cheese
sweet potatoes
apples
lemons
salted sunflower seeds

I also have on hand: sea salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic.
With these ingredients I make soups, salads, sandwiches, oatmeal, granola, and snacks, and my grocery bill is rarely over $25.
Over the next couple posts I'll share how I make these ingredients into meals!

Winter Excursions

To take advantage of the relatively warm sunshine yesterday, I drove to Shelburne Farms to visit the few remaining winter animals. I learned that goats enjoy both scratching their heads and eating discarded Christmas trees, and that even well-loved cows stand around in several inches of their own poo. So what do you do to get outside in the winter?

"All cooked vegetables, whether boiled or roasted, become wonderful salads. They need only a handful of tasted nuts, chopped fresh herbs, a few vinegar-soaked onions, and a sharp vinaigrette. It's really all most food ever needs. The combination may be the universe's only reliable youth serum."

-Tamar Adler, An Everlasting Meal 

Roasted Vegetables with Rice and Relish

I made on this little dish Christmas as a light lunch after hours of nothing but sugary treats.

Seared asparagus, brown rice with cranberry relish, and roasted beets and carrots

Put carrots, beets, and any other vegetables you want roasted on a pan and rub them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook at around 400 for roughly an hour, or until you can easily poke a knife into them.

Cook brown rice (I prefer short grain) according to the package (usually about 45 minutes).

Heat a half inch or so of water in a cast iron skillet and add clean, young asparagus. Cook with a cover until you can stick a knife into them with little resistance. Pour the water out of the pan, drizzle olive oil on top and sear until nicely brown. Crack pepper and salt on them, and add good balsamic vinegar if you have it. 

Combine a few cups of cranberries with a whole orange, a few tablespoons of cane sugar (or honey), and a dash of cinnamon in a food processor. Mine is broken, so I chopped it all by hand, which was enjoyable because I had plenty of time but not recommended if you do not. Pulse or chop until the ingredients look like relish!

Enjoy this meal with some seared salmon or maybe a slow-cooked meat like rabbit or pork if you have some.