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Sweeten Up The Fall Vegetables

10/19/2015

I love meat. Braised, grilled, smoked, roasted...you name it, I enjoy it immensely. With such a statement, you might think to never ask me how to liven up a vegetable dish. Ooooh, but you should think twice before passing me off on such a request. As much as I love meat, I also adore a tasty vegetable dish. Something that can walk hand in hand, meat and vegetable, like a cliche couple on a beach at sunset. In all the dishes I create, I try as hard as possible to get local ingredients. I admit that choice becomes harder as we get into the throes of Autumn and the hard bite of Winter but do not be discouraged. There is a large list of beautiful vegetables still available that will blow you away with its fresh flavor. It's farms like Crisp Country Acres who grow gorgeous vegetables, BLiS who creates such luxurious Bourbon Maple Syrup and Epicurean Butter who elevates butter with such creamy richness that prods me to make veggies a true star on the plate.

Maple Glazed Vegetables
2 tsp Sesame oil
3 medium carrots sliced thin
1 cup quartered Brussel Sprouts
1 1/2 cups beans cut in 3rds
1 TB Maple Syrup
2 tsp Maple Butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions: Heat sesame oil in saute pan on medium/medium high heat. Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes, Stir often. Add brussel sprouts and beans. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often. Add salt, pepper and maple butter, stir, add maple syrup, remove from heat and stir. Serve warm.

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Simplistic Joys of Fall

10/11/2015

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BThe explosive bounty of summer is now over. The unbelievable array of food at the farm market is an after thought. This means we are only left with 6 months of boiled vegetables or the food we pickled in August. Nothing fresh with it's own beauty of flavor. Winter is like a death for our taste buds and we lament on how much we miss our local farm market food. Wait....this cannot be! Right?

The answer to that rhetorical question is a resounding NO! How we plan our meals and use what the fall harvest gives us can open new doors that are far from boring. Local farms Crisp Country Acres and Heidi's Farm Stand are two testaments to what is possible with locally grown food this time of year. Fresh beets, butternut squash, blue gold potatoes and much much more help in creating dishes that are both stunning in appearance but also astounding in flavor. Don't let this time of year pull you into a cooking malaise. Take the time to explore the taste of fall. It will amaze you. If you need a recipe to jump start your cooking...I have supplied one for your enjoyment.

Roasted Fall Vegetables with Chicken
6 Chicken legs
3 medium carrots sliced an 1/8 of inch thick
1/2 onion diced
3/4 cup large diced blue gold potatoes (yukon gold are fine)
3/4 cup large diced butternut squash
1 cup cauliflower florets
2 Tsp chopped rosemary
1 tsp chopped sage
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock
1 TB Roasted Garlic and Herb Butter by Epicurean Butter
1 TB olive oil

Directions: In a casserole dish, place all vegetables. Toss in Olive oil, rosemary, sage, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper and roast for 20 minutes, uncovered, at 400 degrees.

Remove and stir vegetables. Place Chicken on top of vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, stir vegetables and add chicken stock. Roast for 30 minutes. When vegetables are tender, remove from oven. Remove chicken and set aside. Stir in Roasted Garlic and Herb Butter. Serve immediately.

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Sweeten Up The Fall Vegetables

Simplistic Joys of Fall

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