For the love of Produce...

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  • mrsstoll2016
    mrsstoll2016 Posts: 5 Member
    Like SpicyWater I am vegetarian in a small community in Western PA so my options are limited but I do eat some form of fruits or vegetables on a daily basis (even if it's just frozen)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    We stumbled across the Bangkok edition of Din Tai Fun, an international chain purveying Taiwanese food. Less exorbitant than the London branch and I couldn’t resist stopping in for my favourite vegetable. Stir fried pea shoots topped with shrimp. I grow pea shoots but never harvest enough to make this dish.
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  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,260 Member
    I had another huge salad today. Assorted greens. Carrots. Shredded golden beets. Red onion. Very lightly dressed. Added nutritional yeast, fresh ground black pepper, and sesame seeds. I finally remembered to open a can of anchovies and chop half of 'em up. I poured half of the fishy oil in too. Good stuff.

    Tri-color quinoa will be off the stove soon. I am skipping the roasted vegetables tonight.

    I also started soaking some black beans and myocoba beans to cook tomorrow.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    I imitated a dish we had at a restaurant on Friday. Caprese salad where layers of tomato were replaced by beetroot between thin slices of fresh mozzarella. At the restaurant the veg was topped with anchovy but at home we used smoked salmon.
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  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,260 Member
    edited January 12
    Jicama!!!!

    I found it! Well, I found some that wasn't sad and soft. I had found some at a higher end grocery, but it was hidden behind some other produce, there were only a few of them out, and they really didn't look or feel that good.

    There's another grocery across town not far from my gym that's more of a budget store. I go there every few months (or more often) for shelf-stable things. Better-than-bullion is three bucks instead of seven. Canned fish is much cheaper, although there's just a few that I get there, but that's another story. Nancy's yogurt and cottage cheese are a lot more affordable than anywhere else in town. Bulk items like rolled oats, rye, and dried beans are SO much less expensive. Same with produce; for things that I don't prioritize getting organic, I can stock up there, like onions, cabbage, carrots, and other things on the "Clean 15" list. Many of their produce items are higher quality than the higher end stores. One of the reasons they have lower prices is volume, and another is that they don't take credit cards. No problem.

    A lot of people of diverse ethnic background shop there, so they have a lot of varied produce. It's where I get Napa and daikon for fermenting. They have nopales. They have many kinds of chiles. They have chayote. They have burdock. They always have bok choi. And ... they have JICAMA!!!! Well, after all, another name for it is "Mexican Turnip," and there was a whole big pile of them. They were firm. OH. YEAH! I took one home.

    I just cut into it to put a bunch on a big salad. Oh, it's so good. I forgot how good. Crisp. Sweet. Delicious.

    Adding some nutritional yeast to my salads means I get all nine essential amino acids. I am embarrassed to admit that until recently I didn't realize that yeast is a complete protein. It is! Adds fiber, too.


    I also roasted some more sweet potatoes this evening. Tonight I used hazelnut oil instead of olive oil, and I seasoned them with salt, pepper, Hatch green chile powder, and cinnamon. The cinnamon and hazelnut oil, combined with the green chile made them DIVINE.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,260 Member
    This one had ~some~ produce. Not much. Just carrot, celery, onion, and LOTS of garlic. It had other plants though. I just don't consider dried split peas or hulled barley "produce." Should I describe it? No? Well too bad; here it is.

    I have been picking up and putting down a container of dried split peas for weeks. I know I wanted them, I just had other things I wanted to cook. I'm trying to use up any dried legumes from last year so I can get some fresh. They last a long time, but they can take longer to cook if they're old. Plus - they are so tasty.

    I also have been wanting to cook barley for weeks. Instead I have been making some kind of brown rice, wild rice, or quinoa. Because I like those too. Well today I used both.

    I perused some recipes after searching for "split pea and barley." I found some, and I took inspiration and made some soup. It was super easy to make, and it is already delicious. If any lasts until tomorrow, it will be better. I should go put some away because a quart of soup is probably enough for one meal....

    I started with a pound of split peas and some hulled barley (not pearl barley - it has the hull removed but not the bran). I usually buy Streaker Barley which doesn't even have hulls, and to be honest, that might be what I had. I put it in my wonderful 6-quart enameled cast iron Dutch Oven and added some water. I added some salt, the obligatory seven bay leaves from the yard, and some herbs and spices (cumin and thyme mostly). After about 20 minutes simmering with the lid on, I added a bunch of chopped carrots and celery, a half onion chopped, a chopped serrano chile (seeds, placenta, and all), and a whole glove of garlic coarsely chopped. Lid back on for another half hour while I searched for my two "extra" hummingbird feeders (we're going to have very cold temperatures and not go above freezing for several days, so I wan to alternate them to keep my little friends happy and healthy - and I still haven't found them).

    That's it.

    I sprinkled a little Maldon Salt over my bowl as I used a light hand when I salted the peas and grains. It's a complete protein, it's filling, and it warmed my head to toe. I needed that. I ate two large bowls. I bet it would be good with a little ginger. Maybe next time because I'll make it again.

    I still have some of my garbanzo salad from two days ago, I'm soaking some mayocoba beans to cook tomorrow, and my bean sprouts should be ready soon. I think the next thing I want to cook is short grain brown rice with lentils. I have LOTS of brown lentils, but I think I'll go with French green lentils. Either way - it will help me use up the rest of last year's legumes and then I'll restock.

    Did I mention I love beans? And cast iron? And now that pressure cooker, but it wasn't the right tool for this job.

  • SuzanneC1l9zz
    SuzanneC1l9zz Posts: 456 Member
    I never posted what I did with the leftover Christmas turkey. Similar produce content to @mtaratoot's post above me, actually. First I cut the meat into bite-sized chunks. We weren't able to go out this year due to illness in the household so we had care packages dropped off from both sides of the family and the turkey hubby's cousin cooked was tough. Not dry, but the meat was hard to cut. I don't understand it eithet. But I digress....

    I chopped a bunch of carrot and celery, and minced a fair bit of garlic. I love Russian red but only had 1 clove left, so I used some of the white one that's easiest to find here year-round (not sure of the variety name) as well. Dumped it in the slow cooker with brown lentils and pot barley, some Better Than Boullion - I used some of each, chicken and vegetable - and water.

    7 hours later... soup that not only I but my whole family (and the kid's a picky eater) were very happy with!
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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    Bagna cauda is a great way to eat lots of raw or blanched veg. It is not exactly low calorie being garlic, anchovies, olive oil and butter. Bread is used to help transport the veg from the communal pot to the plate. It gets eaten once it is soaked in the garlicky, salty dip. This was a starter for six people who couldn't believe we finished all the veg.
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  • widgit808
    widgit808 Posts: 194 Member
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  • 888Angie888
    888Angie888 Posts: 890 Member
    Hmm....looks outstanding....strawberries, blueberries, dill, jalapeno????
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,225 Member
    888Angie888 wrote: »
    Hmm....looks outstanding....strawberries, blueberries, dill, jalapeno????

    What looks like dill could also be fennel fronds.

  • widgit808
    widgit808 Posts: 194 Member
    888Angie888 wrote: »
    Hmm....looks outstanding....strawberries, blueberries, dill, jalapeno????

    @888Angie888 correct to all 😀 there's also some onion pickled in lemon juice hidden in there. Topped with chopped mixed nuts and a piece of salmon post produce photo 😉
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    I roasted and peeled a bunch of red peppers this week. Any ideas on what to do with them besides eating them plain as a side?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    I roasted and peeled a bunch of red peppers this week. Any ideas on what to do with them besides eating them plain as a side?

    I like them on sandwiches/tacos, in pasta dishes, pureed as a sauce for pasta or veggies, on pizza, in hearty soups or stews, in egg salad or similar, . . . .

    I don't think I've ever just eaten them plain as a side. Hmmm. ;)
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,260 Member
    @acpgee

    If you have a vacuum sealer, seal and freeze some to use later. They are good to add to so many things.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    So I stretched the peppers in a salad containing roast cherry tomatoes, chopped olives, toasted pepitas (because pine nuts are exhorbitant), mozarella, red onion. The hubby complained the roasted peppers got stretched too far, as their flavour was a bit lost.
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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    Second atttempt at a salad with the roast paprikas. This time with mozarella, a little red onion, and capers. It needed the crunch of some nuts or seeds.
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  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,484 Member
    edited February 18
    acpgee wrote: »
    I roasted and peeled a bunch of red peppers this week. Any ideas on what to do with them besides eating them plain as a side?
    I’m too late .. … but I love all peppers in a gumbo! Also have you had Moroccan taktouka?

    In Morocco, Taktouka is a warm salad, like zaalouk, using: roasted peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil.

    I have some orange bell peppers - I’m now inspired to go eat them. :)
  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 1,484 Member
    edited February 27
    acpgee wrote: »
    @SafariGalNYC
    Thanks for the taktouka tip, which I have never had before. While I was at it, made some Moroccan carrots with chermoula.

    I finally have the roasted peppers routine down, so that it is quick and easy. Do as many as your air fryer will hold. Put in whole peppers and air fry on high about 25 minutes turning twice so that skin is blackened or withered all over. Immediately transfer to an air tight container such as a large tupperware box. This is important because cooling in an airtight container will cause a layer of liquid to form between the flesh and skin making them easy to peel. Try not to puncture the skin while moving the peppers. When cool and you have the 10 minutes to do the manual work, save the liquid at the bottom of the container which is delicious. Rub off the skins. Discard the seed core and get rid of excess seeds stuck to the flesh by scraping with a spoon or blunt knife. Do not rinse, as the liquid clinging to the peppers is delicious. You can put all the waste (seeds and skins) in a strainer to eek out a little more of the elixir.

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    @acpgee - that looks amazing!!! Thanks for sharing the routine for the peppers! Those carrots looks delicious!

    I love all recipes with peppers. 🫑
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,960 Member
    I discovered a tip for peeling acorn squash. Pop into the microwave for a minute on high heat. Softens just enough to make peeling less of a chore.

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