Roasted Beets

Beets are amazing and extremely underrated. I ate beets for the first time about 6 months ago when they appeared in my CSA box from Johnson’s Backyard Garden here in Austin. I roasted them whole in the oven and was blown away. 

Beets have such a great flavor. A little earthy, a little sweet, all delicious. The two varieties that I have tried are Golden Beets and the more common Red Beets. Reds are a little more earthy, but easier to find. Golden Beets usually require a trip to the farmer’s market for me.

My favorite way to eat them is roasted. Many roasting recipes require that you dice them and while this may cut down on the cooking time, you’ll end up with a big, red mess. I recommend roasting them whole. 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash your beets thoroughly as they tend to hold onto a lot of dirt. Rub the outside of the beets with olive oil and wrap them tightly in foil (I recommend double-wrapping). Place the beets in the oven, directly on the oven rack. 

Now, all you do is wait! The roasting process can take anywhere from 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, maybe even longer depending on the size of your beets. You will know the beets are done when the largest beet is VERY easily pierced with a paring knife. It’s hard to overcook the beets, so an extra 15 minutes won’t hurt. 

Let the beets cool until they are easy to handle. Wearing gloves (otherwise you’ll have bright red hands for a long time), remove the skins with a small knife and enjoy!

I eat mine plain with a little feta or goat cheese. The leftovers get tossed into salads. There are tons of possibilities. All of them delicious. 

Tomatoes Stuffed With Couscous

I made stuffed tomatoes for the first time recently. It’s very simple and easy, and the filling could be almost anything. I stuck with a vegetarian filling this time, but chicken, beef, or another protein could easily be just as great. 

I first preheated the oven to 350 degrees. Next I took my two large tomatoes and lopped off the top!

Next, scoop out the insides of your tomatoes and put it into a food processor. Process this until the insides are smooth. Next, take your filling, for me it was roasted garlic and olive oil couscous, and mix it with about 1/4 of a cup of the tomato puree. Then put the filling + tomato puree into your tomatoes, and place the tomatoes into a lined baking pan. Rub olive oil around the outsides of the tomatoes. 

Bake the tomatoes for 15-20 minutes, until the outsides are soft. I served them with a pita and homeade tzatziki sauce. Yum yum!

CSA Box

I recently joined my first CSA! I did a little research, found a fairly affordable one that caught my eye, and went for it. The CSA I chose is called Johnson’s Backyard Garden.

 It’s only about $30 per week, you get a ton of organic and seasonally grown produce, and it’s a fun adventure. I’m able to pick up my box in my neighborhood on the Fridays I selected. Each week I receive a newsletter that tells you about things going on at their farm, produce you can expect this week, and what’s coming up. Further, their website lists every single vegetable they grow, how to store it, and different ways to prepare. I feel like this really takes the overwhelming element out of unfamiliar produce that you’re “stuck with.”

Below is my first box. As you can see, I got several types of greens: baby bok choy, kale, and chard. I got some mint and cilantro as well.

Below you can see a bag of salad greens, different types of squash, onions, sweet potatoes and peppers. This box has made me a cooking machine, which is so much fun. I can’t wait to share all the great things I’ve made so far.

For more info on Johnson’s Backyard Garden, visit http://jbgorganic.com

Recent Eats.

I’ve been bad. I quit updating. I’m back! Some things I’ve eaten in recent history:

Steamed Artichoke

Beef & Vegetable kabobs with mashed potatoes, couscous and greek yogurt. 

A towering grilled hamburger at my lakehouse. 

Delicious Chicken Nachos, my specialty.

Some of the best eggs benedict I’ve ever had, on a first attempt I might add. 

More adventures to come soon. 

Leftovers

That is the salad that I made with the leftover nacho ingredients. A salad at my desk. Chips, iceberg, white onion and ranch and french dressings (I’m a condiment mixer). It was crisp, light, simple, and sufficed when I’m running out of groceries (a common theme here).

Work lunches can be hard. I try to stay in bed as long as possible. Often times, I give little thought the night before to what I’ll do the next day for lunch. I try so hard to avoid eating lunch out during the week. It’s expensive, and it makes long weekend lunches with friends seem like such a treat. 

But anyways, I’ve learned that, for me, the key is to always have greens on hand and the rest will come together. Whether with some chips, some nuts, a can of beans, leftover meats, etc., a great salad can come together when you’re staring into an (almost) empty refrigerator or pantry.

Nachos on a Saturday night.

Few things taste better than chips piled high. On Saturday night, a friend and I were seriously hungry and made some seriously delicious nachos.

We started with taco milagro chips (the best kind!), and put mexican cheese on top, liberally. On top of that went seared chicken that had been seasoned with taco seasoning, olive oil, and a myriad of other spices. Next came refried beans, diced red and green peppers, and then white onions. All of this went in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Next, I added tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, and sliced avocado. Excuse the blurry photo. Trust me, it was amazing. And so easy. 

Lunch at the Desk

Today I ate lunch at my desk. My mom made a coleslaw for our easter dinner (soo good!) and I got the leftover cabbage. I made it into a salad. Salad is one of my favorite foods and I hadn’t been to the store in a while. Yum yum. 

Ugh

I took a serious hiatus. As you can obviously tell. 

I’ve gone through a couple transitions since my last post, and during my last posts. I have a new job with different, longer hours, that has required adjustment in my eating habits and the time I have to prepare meals, research food, etc. 

I also broke up with my boyfriend (we are still great friends, so fret not!) but I’m typically just cooking for one now. Previously there was someone to share with, or at least pawn the leftovers off on. 

But that doesn’t mean I will give up. I’ll post more about lunches. More about snacks. More about what I do and see on the daily. I’m back my friends!

Teeny Tiny Hiatus

I live in Austin, and it is SXSW. Consequently, I am at work or running around, basically not cooking. But! I’ll be back soon. And I’ll be sure to post some of the good stuff I encounter!

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts and I had our last hurrah this evening. It was great, and I will miss them til the fall. And I finally prepared them in a way that I’ve been meaning to for quite some time: roasted. 

This recipe was as simple as it gets. I first washed the sprouts, trimmed them, and cut large sprouts in half. Next, I took 1 tbsp olive oil, and tossed brussels sprouts in the oil and a bit of cracked pepper and salt. I placed these in a baking dish with 1/2 of a red onion and put it in the oven for about 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Roast them until the outside leaves get a little crispy and slightly browned.

They came out great. You need to shake the pan and flip the sprouts about halfway through, just to make sure nothing sticks. The flavor of the sprouts really comes through with this preparation. There’s nothing to camouflage their great taste. 

So pretty and tasty.