This basic paleo blueberry muffins recipe comes at a perfect time. It’s blueberry season around here. Blueberries are showing up at our local farmers’ markets in huge quantities. People flock to the u-pick farms for the pleasure of plucking these little nutrition powerhouses from the bushes themselves. Blueberries are anti-inflammatory and filled with good things like manganese, … Read more
Much has already been written about the wonderful new book “Beyond Bacon: Paleo Recipes That Respect The Whole Hog” – here, here and here. Matthew McCarry and Stacy Toth (The Paleo Parents) have created a true Masterpiece of a cookbook that excels in all categories. I don’t know about you, but I have become pretty … Read more
Today we have our second pick up at Uncle Bill’s Farm CSA where we will choose from among the lovely produce picked fresh this morning. New Jersey spring season means lots of greens overflowing in our bushel baskets. One of the most beautiful of them all is rainbow chard. It’s considered one of the healthiest veggies around, with high amounts of vitamins A, K and C. Rainbow chard is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein.
I grew rainbow chard in my raised bed gardens last year and that is when I fell in love with the beauty of this healthful leafy green. We harvested some of it when my mother-in-law was visiting and together she and I enjoyed the beauty of the deep greens of the leaves and strikingly bright and varied colors of the stems.
In order to make use of the produce while it is still fresh we need a few different quick and easy recipes that combine some of the ingredients. After seeing the absolutely perfect rainbow chard last week at the farm, I determined to create a dish that makes use not only of the chard but of the wild garlic that was also available. The addition of the shiitake mushrooms makes this a heartier side dish that could pass as a main dish for you vegans and vegetarians.
Rainbow Chard with Shiitake Mushrooms and Wild Garlic
Being the mother of boys is a wonderful thing. I have never been a “girly girl” so perhaps God, in His infinite wisdom, knew I would be a better mother of boys than girls. Of course I might be saying the exact opposite if I had been blessed with girls. But there’s just something special about the relationship between mothers and sons and I am so grateful I have the opportunity to raise these two precious souls.
“…and she loved a little boy very, very much – even more than she loved herself.” – From ‘The Giving Tree’ by Shel Silverstein
Our boys like to get dirty. My husband and I have an ongoing joke about our differing views on the acceptability of how dirty they get when playing outside. G is a stickler for cleanliness and even though he knows it’s not a big deal, he cannot help but cringe when he sees the boys in the dirt or mud. Meanwhile I have always maintained – at least when being contrary with G – that “a dirty boy is a happy boy”. My point is when they are outside getting dirty it means they are using their imaginations and bodies. They are not just vegetating inside playing computer games (hey, computer games have their place). But even I was a bit mortified when I spied Nathaniel in the back yard recently.
He started out looking innocent enough. I thought perhaps he was planning on helping me garden. He likes to garden. So I figured he was gearing up to assist with planting or weeding or something productive like that. But no, evidently not. He had something much more important to attend to.
He was making mud pies, people!
“Whoa, I really am kinda dirty now. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this” I imagine him thinking. But no, he doesn’t care. I assure you he does.not.care.
And how can I resist this face? The only thing to do with a sweet boy covered in mud from head to toe is to kiss him on the cheek, while keeping a safe distance from his mud-covered parts, and hose him down.
And maybe, after he’s cleaned up a bit, you can feed him chocolate chip cookies. Well, make that paleo chocolate chip cookies.
This recipe for grain-free chocolate chip cookies contains walnuts. But the walnuts are an optional ingredient. And, in fact, my Nathaniel can eat most nuts except for walnuts and pecans. So for him I leave them out. But the day I was testing this recipe, the boys had a good friend over who is not allergic to nuts. I asked their buddy Jonah to help in a couple of ways. First, he agreed to help with photos (that’s him holding the plate) with the promise of a couple of cookies. And he was also asked to offer his opinion on those cookies. It was my version of market research. And according to Jonah, who is one of my most favorite people in the world, by the way, these paleo chocolate chip cookies are awesome!
You will not miss “regular” chocolate chip cookies one bit.
So make these cookies soon and share them with someone you love – boys OR girls. Who knows, you might get a mud pie in return.
Even though we’ve frequented farmer’s markets for years, this is our first year joining a CSA (community supported agriculture). This past Saturday was the first weekend for pick-up and I took my camera to capture the occasion. Our local CSA is Uncle Bill’s Farm which is owned and operated by Sarah Carden and Alex Cookfair. The farm is right smack in the middle of New Jersey horse country. In fact, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters is practically around the corner. Given that we’re in horse country, it should come as no surprise the 40 acre property is a former horse farm which has been slowly converted over the last few years to a small scale produce and poultry farm.
After visiting the Uncle Bill’s Farm in April for a tour I have been anxiously awaiting opening day of the CSA. And because I was so excited to feast my eyes on the veggie bounty I was one of the first to arrive. (Well, that and I was getting nagged to hurry so we could drive down to Philly for Comic Con.)
Upon entering Uncle Bill’s Farm, the first thing I encountered was the veggie washing station that included a groovy claw-foot tub.
Getting closer to the pick-up area, I spied a cool table holding some herbs and veggie plants for sale. Those are some serious table legs.
The first step was to sign in. Sarah verified my purchase of one full share (one bushel basket) and one full egg share (one dozen eggs) per week.
Now it was time to check out what was available for the week – all picked fresh that morning.
First up, wild garlic. I swear this is the stuff I have been weeding out of my yard! I had no idea it was actually edible.
Next up – beautiful, fresh radishes in different varieties and baby turnips. Lovely.
And then my favorite – beets! It never ceases to amaze me how many people have never eaten fresh beets. Beets and their greens are both wonderful. I’ve posted several beet recipes because I love them dearly. (Links at the bottom of this post).
The freshly picked greens were in abundance, delighting the early members. The offerings included common curly kale, lacinato (dinosaur) kale, mixed greens, arugula, butter lettuce and chard.
The rainbow chard was especially spectacular. (I’ll be posting a recipe for rainbow chard in a day or two.)
What do bacon and flowers have in common? Well, nothing, really. But before I show how to bake bacon in the oven I just have to share what is blooming in my garden this week. Last week was lilacs and now we have some purple iris. We have lived in our house for thirteen years and I have divided and moved the iris several times over the years. Now we have dozens and dozens of these purple and blue flowers all over.
Iris are exquisite.
We also have some False Blue Indigo behind the garage overlooking the vegetable garden.
And the Columbine have emerged and bloom proudly in the shady part of the back yard.
Along with our flowers are three raised beds where we planted a square foot garden. The strawberries are in their own free form part of one bed. I spied some fruit forming under the bright green leaves. So exciting!
Today’s post is by my husband G who did a great job making a beautiful, delicious, healthful (uh, yes, I think it is – at least relatively speaking!) birthday cake for me recently.
My wife’s birthday always falls near – and sometimes on – Mother’s Day. This often makes for a fun and enjoyable weekend as we celebrate both events, but it can also be kind of hectic as the boys and I shop for gifts and attempt to divvy them up appropriately and in secret.
Well, this year I vowed to get an early and efficient jump on things. The boys and I did our shopping, wrote our birthday and Mother’s Day cards, wrapped our gifts, and were busy clapping each other on the back for our efforts when my wife suddenly asked the dreaded question:
“Are you making me a cake?”
A cake?!?!
D’OH!!!
I forgot the cake!
After hemming and hawing about whether she REALLY wanted a cake (lame, I know), and whether I had enough time to make one, she said “Just look at my website. You know I’ve posted cake recipes!”
My eyes quickly darted back and forth like a deer caught in the headlights. “Ummm…yeah! Duh! Of course I…hee-hee…of course I know that, Sweetie!”
She rolled her eyes, handed me my iPad, and said “Here. Get busy!”
And I have to admit it…it WAS easy. And it DID have avocado in the chocolate frosting. An avocado chocolate frosting. And it WAS delicious!
We’ve had this cake (Chocolate Paleo Snack Cake) before, but it’s the first time I’ve actually made it myself. Now, I’m fairly competent in the kitchen so I wasn’t wary of the task…but I was a tad skeptical when my wife told me that avocado was a primary ingredient in the frosting.
Avocado?
Isn’t that for guacamole? I mean, I love guacamole but this is chocolate frosting! Well, what it all comes down to is trust, and I trust my wife. After all, she’s like the Professor on Gilligan’s Island – she can make ANYTHING with coconut! – so I had to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Not only is this frosting really tasty, but it doesn’t taste anything like avocado! It tastes exactly how it’s supposed to taste – like rich, creamy chocolate cake frosting. In fact, when you serve it to your friends don’t tell them it’s made with avocado until after they eat a piece! Just enjoy their surprised expressions.
Weekends have been so perfect lately I can’t really complain about the last two days of rain. The only downside is this is the exact week the lilacs are blooming in our backyard. Every year I look forward to the days when I can sit on the back patio and drink in the intoxicating fragrance … Read more
Weekends around here are super busy now that Lacrosse season is upon us. Tennis is the sport I always envisioned my boys playing. They’ve had some lessons and seem to enjoy it and I will admit to having spent time imagining them as high school tennis stars. Tennis is sensible because it not only works for … Read more
There is almost nothing better in spring than taking walks to enjoy the first flowers of the season. The emergence of daffodils always signals for me that winter is truly over and all the wonderful weather months of the year are yet to come. William Wordsworth also appreciated daffodils, writing a masterpiece of a poem dedicated to these symbols of rebirth. The poet not only exulted in the sight of the daffodils but realized his indulgence in such displays of natural beauty carried over to more mundane times when they would “flash upon” his “inward eye”. More reason to make time to appreciate beauty as a way to enrich your life and sustain your health.
Daffodils
by Williams Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed–and gazed–but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Mango and Mandarin Orange Paleo Cheesecake Tart
Daffodils* blooming is also the time of year when fresher flavors are in order. Following on the heels of the Paleo Key Lime Pie I share this recipe for a frozen paleo cheesecake tart that also incorporates the refreshing flavor of citrus. This no-bake, grain-free paleo dessert contains a dairy-free “cheesecake” layer of mandarin orange flavored cashew cream topped with a puree of mangos and mandarin orange juice.
