Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Cravings

I have been craving dark leafy green veggies a lot lately.  My girls just won't eat them anymore, which frustrates me for two reasons.  One, they used to love them, and devoured them like they were candy, so why the change?  Two, I love them and don't get to eat them when they're with me.  I could cook them, but I'm doing double duty, making two different meals.  So, another way to appreciate my time alone - I'm devouring them while they're not here with me.  I started with spinach.  That was great, but I wanted chard.  Unfortunately the store on my way home didn't have any chard.  All through winter, when it should be growing, not a single bunch of chard.  And what really irked me, is they cut the greens off of their beets.  I mean really!  WTH?

I was getting a little tired of spinach.  Luckily I found myself in a different store in a different town and lo and behold!  They had beets with the greens attached!  Even though that's not what I was shopping for, I grabbed a bunch.  Oooo!  And they had chard.  Rainbow chard!  And they had mustard and kale and collards.  I stopped myself at the chard.  Then, for some reason I had a sudden urge for radishes and grabbed a bunch of those too.  So I left the store with my booty of greens ( and a bunch of strawberries and rhubarb too).  Two bags for less then $30. A lot cheaper then I usually pay for 2 bags of groceries.  This craving is saving me some bucks.

I got home and I roasted those beets in olive oil, kosher salt and fresh sage.  I sauteed the beet greens in olive oil, then tossed them with the beet infused oil from my roasted beets, which I had mixed with a little balsamic vinegar.  I topped the roasted beets with a little chevre cheese and I was one happy camper.  This meal ended up being quite a lot and I was able to squeeze a couple more meals out of it.  That same night I also made a strawberry rhubarb compote, so for breakfast I had whole milk honey yogurt topped with granola and my fresh homemade compote that tasted a little like summer.

But back to my greens - unfortunately I haven't been able to cook up my chard yet, that will be tomorrow, but tonight I got into my radishes.  I had a big lunch, so I didn't need a huge meal, and something crunchy and fresh sounded good.  So I made myself a butter and radish sandwich for dinner.  Perfect!  The sweetness of the butter against the peppery, slightly bitter flavor of the beets was just what I was craving.  And sprinkled with a little kosher salt on top.  Perfect.  But then I got to thinking, what about the radish greens?  (See, I really am obsessed with greens these days).  So I did a little searching and figured out I could make soup with them. I had everything I needed on hand.  A couple of potatoes, onion, chicken broth, butter, garlic, the radish greens and milk.  Very simple.  I sauteed the onions in the butter, threw in the diced potatoes, garlic and radish greens, tossed them in the butter and poured a couple cups of chicken broth on top.  I simmered for 30 minutes, cooled it and pureed it in my blender.  Then I put it back in the sauce pan and added about 1/4 milk and a dollop of sour cream, just because, and heated it through.  I seasoned with salt and pepper to taste and I have a yummy lunch waiting for me tomorrow.  I was surprised at how tasty something with radish greens in it could be, and very pleased with myself for not wasting any part of the plant.  Waste not want not they say.

So tomorrow will be a baked potato, with sour cream of course, and chard sauteed in olive oil and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and beet infused olive oil.  I'm getting my fill of dark leafy greens and feeling very healthy for my efforts.  I can't wait for the farmers markets to open up so I can start fulfilling some of my other cravings - like purslane, zucchini blossoms, and heirloom tomatoes ripened on the vine!  Oooo I can't wait for that!

Annapurna The Goddess of Nourishment

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

omnivoresdelight.blogspot.com is awsome, bookmarked!

[url=http://www.buzzfeed.com/bookie/unlock-samsung-blackberry-nokia-lg-motorola-an-39dn]Unlocking mobile phones[/url]

Anonymous said...

Hi Dear, are you actually visiting this web site
on a regular basis, if so after that you will without doubt obtain fastidious
knowledge.
Feel free to visit my webpage :: Quick Loans

Anonymous said...

Hello! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give
a quick shout out and tell you I really enjoy reading through
your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the
same subjects? Thank you!
My webpage > FastCashLoans

Anonymous said...

Wonderful goods from you, man. I've understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely fantastic. I really like what you've acquired
here, certainly like what you're saying and the way in which you say it. You make it enjoyable and you still care for to keep it sensible. I cant wait to read much more from you. This is actually a terrific web site.
my web page > instantloans960

Anonymous said...

Good post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon
on a daily basis. It will always be exciting to read through articles from other writers and use something from their web sites.
Look at my page ... Fast Loans 1080

Anonymous said...

Hey very nice website!! Guy .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I'll bookmark your web site and take the feeds additionally? I'm happy to find
so many helpful info here in the publish, we want work
out extra strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing.
. . . . .
Feel free to visit my website - Samedayloans118

Anonymous said...

Your method of telling everything in this paragraph is really nice, all be able to without difficulty understand it, Thanks a
lot.
Also see my page: quick payday loans

Anonymous said...

Hey! Do you use Twitter? I'd like to follow you if that would be okay. I'm undoubtedly
enjoying your blog and look forward to new posts.
Also see my site - http://saffronjb.Com

Anonymous said...

I am extremely impressed with your writing skills
as well as with the layout on your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify
it yourself? Anyway keep up the nice quality writing, it's rare to see a great blog like this one these days.
My webpage > Http://Hajphone.Se/

Anonymous said...

I just like the valuable info you supply to your articles.
I will bookmark your weblog and take a look at once more here frequently.
I am relatively certain I will be informed a lot of new stuff
proper right here! Best of luck for the following!
Here is my weblog : instantpaydayloans180

Anonymous said...

Hmm is anyone else encountering problems with the pictures
on this blog loading? I'm trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it's the
blog. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Feel free to surf my blog - CashLoans

Anonymous said...

I am really grateful to the owner of this web page who has shared this
great post at at this place.
Here is my webpage instantcashloan

Anonymous said...

What's up, just wanted to mention, I loved this blog post. It was helpful. Keep on posting!
Review my web blog :: fastcashloans444

Anonymous said...

Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one! It's on a completely different topic but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Excellent choice of colors!
My blog :: FastPaydayLoan360

Anonymous said...

Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Spending some time and actual effort to generate a top notch article…
but what can I say… I procrastinate a lot and don't manage to get anything done.
My page :: www.theyuppypuppy.co.uk

Anonymous said...

Thanks very interesting blog!
Also visit my web page : instant payday loans

Anonymous said...

This article will assist the internet users for building up new weblog or even a weblog
from start to end.

Here is my web-site; http://final-end.net

Anonymous said...

Incredible points. Outstanding arguments. Keep up the amazing spirit.


my web-site ... Social Booster