Injured in the Line of Duty

Several night ago, while working the grave yard shift (at her own request) my Director of Pest Management got into an altercation with unknown feline invader and is now on a medical leave of absence.  Since there is not much going on in the garden this time of year, it’s not a problem, except for the vet bill.   

Orange Pistachio Quinoa Salad

My favorite winter fruit is the perfect satsuma mandarin orange.  They have no seeds and they’re very juicy and sweet and travel well.  By this I mean that you can toss a couple of them in your bag and they won’t make a mess of things.   They’re easy to peel and divide into segments so they don’t make a mess when you eat them either.  They’re also loaded with vitamin C.  The only problem I have with the satsumas is that they aren’t available all year like other varieties of oranges, so I have to get my fill of them while they last.  

Corn Casserole

It’s a rare thing to have a bag of fresh organic corn on the cob in the middle of winter, but that’s the situation I found myself in.  The corn was a little past it’s prime, but it was free, so I sat down at my computer to find a recipe for corn casserole.  The first recipe I encountered was by Paula Deen, and as it turns out, was essentially vegan.  By which I mean that I could convert it without much trouble.  All of the other recipes I found on the internet were just variations of hers.

New Year's Hoppin John Soup

Happy New Year Blog friends!  For a number of years now, I’ve been cooking black eyed peas for New Year’s Day dinner.  Last year, I made them into a tart with a brown rice crust.  (see link at the bottom of the page) Eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day is thought to bring prosperity.  It’s not that I’m really superstitious, it’s just that it’s a very old tradition and I’m fascinated by the history of food. 

Black eyed peas are also an inexpensive, healthy protein that is high in calcium, vitamin A and folic acid.  Since I can no longer eat dairy products, finding non animal foods high in calcium is important.