HeatherKatsoulis.com

Syna enjoying some farm fresh Caprese Salad

Week 2 from Intervale Family Farm’s CSA (in Westhampton, MA) we received:

• flower bouquet
• lettuce
• summer squash & zucchini
• carrots
• eggplant
• cubanelle or italian frying pepper
• cucumbers
• garlic
• cherry tomatoes
• new potatoes
• jalapeno
• sweet corn
• kale (didn’t use in time – went bad):
• bunch of basil (didn’t use in time – went bad):
• arugula (didn’t take)
• herbs (didn’t take)

And this week we received:

• flower bouquet
• lettuce
• sweet onions
• carrots
• kale
• eggplant
• cubanelle or italian frying pepper
• green beans
• cucumbers
• chard
• leeks
• broccoli
• garlic
• jalapeno
• tomatoes
• cherry tomatoes
• red potatoes
• sweet corn
• summer squash & zucchini
• arugula
• herbs/basil

And with that fresh picked goodness I’ve made:
Tuesday

• Garden Vegetable Soup Recipe
  (farm leek, onion (didn’t have enough leek), garlic, carrots, potatoes, green beans, corn & i added kale)
  
• Refrigerator Dill Pickles with Syna (left out spring onion this time)
  (farm pickling cucumbers, garlic)
  
• Caprese Salad
  (farm tomatoes)
  

I’ve also started picking up farm eggs, Hillman Farm herb & garlic goat cheese and Mapleline Farm milk each week.

Planned:

• Gazpacho Green Beans
• Cucumber Salad with Sweet Thai Chili Vinaigrette
• Oven Baked Rosemary Potato Chips
• Punjabi Baingan Bharta – Punjabi Style Eggplant
• warm salad of roast beets, lentils & balsamic onions recipe

This week from Intervale Family Farm’s CSA (in Westhampton, MA) we received:

• 1 flower bouquet (pictured above)
• 1 large head of romaine lettuce
• 6 summer squash
• small bunch of beets
• 6 ears of corn
• 1 medium sweet onion
• 8 carrots
• 1 lb swiss chard
• .25 lb arugula
• 5 slicing cucumbers, 5 pickling cukes
• 1 lb green and wax beans
• 1 small bulb garlic
• some basil, mint & chives
• kale (forgot to grab; bummer – i would have made Crispy Kale Chips)
• new potatoes (forgot to grab)

And with that fresh picked goodness I’ve made:
Monday

• Salad
  (farm arugala, romaine, cukes, carrots, onion)
• Cucumber Salad with Sweet Thai Chili Vinaigrette
  (farm cukes and onion)
  
• Garlic Green Beans
  (farm beans and garlic)
• Sautéed Swiss Chard With Garlic
  (farm chard and garlic; i added the greens from the bunch of beets, too)

Tuesday

• Salad
  (farm arugala, romaine, cukes, carrots, onion)
• Easy Dinner Parmesan Zucchini
  (farm zucchini)

Wednesday

• Refrigerator Dill Pickles with Syna
  (farm pickling cucumbers)
  
• Raw Corn and Zucchini Salad
  (farm corn & zucchini)
  
• Organic version of Sweet Corn Ice Cream
  (farm corn)

Friday

• Basil Tomato Soup (recipe below)
  (farm basil)

Basil Tomato Soup Recipe – 9 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (26.46 oz) carton Pomi Chopped Tomatoes*
• 1 (26.46 oz) carton Pomi Strained Tomatoes*
• 20 oz vegetable broth
• 18 fresh basil leaves, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 3 Tablespoons butter

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring the tomatoes and broth to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes
2. Add basil and sugar, and reduce heat to low
3. stir in cream and butter and cook until butter is melted

*Many of us are concerned about BPA these days, and with the chemical lining most metal cans as well as jar lids, where to find BPA-free canned tomatoes is a frequent question. If you’re not into putting up your own (with BPA-free canning lids), then Pomì might be the answer.

I am lucky, blessed, really.

Each day I

• wake up to the sweetest alarm: my almost 4 year old daughter
• enjoy a calm, un-rushed healthy breakfast with my whole family at the dining room table
• work from home on my dream career: children’s photographer
• am grateful for free part-time childcare from my parents and mother-in-law
• eat a natural, whole foods, vegetarian dinner with my whole family at the dining room table
• relax in my cozy home
• read stories and snuggle with my daughter
• go to sleep next to the love of my life in an always cozy bed

In addition, each Wednesday is family day with Jim and Syna.

Each Friday night is date night with my husband. (We’ve been together for 19 years.)

Each Saturday is family date night with Jim and Syna.

Each Sunday is family breakfast with my dad’s family (whoever decides to show – 4-15 people)

I have nothing to complain about. Truly. And I worry about others. Most of the world doesn’t have it nearly as good as I do. I feel extravagant, even when I appreciate what I have and do what I can to minimize my impact on the planet.

We’ve downsized to 1 car, we got rid of cable television, we compost our food waste (and it’s most of it since we’re vegetarian) and recycle to the extent that our family of 3 “throws out” 1 grocery bag of trash per week, we telecommute, we used cloth diapers for our daughter, we bring our own reusable bags to stores and purchase items with limited packaging, we switched our heating system to a high efficiency solution, we shower every other day… We’re conscious of many of our decisions.

And yet we use so much. We have so much. We are never even uncomfortable. We have heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, food available 24/7, constant electricity, transportation, money, instant communication devices, we’re safe. Even on the coldest/hottest days, if I travel, I walk 30′ outdoors to my garage protected car, start it up, turn on the heat/air and I’m comfortably on my way.

It has long been my belief that to truly help others I must start with myself.

To put the world in order, we must put the nation in order.
To put the nation in order, we must put the family in order.
To put the family in order, we must nurture our personal life.
To cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.
- Confucius

But it doesn’t seem like enough when I have so much. And, really, it’s all by luck I ended up being born into my situation.

“There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

How do I stay happy when I am aware of so much suffering?

Thanksgiving is all about family and food. Most families have recipe traditions that have spanned generations, and everyone looks forward to sharing the feast. Vegetarians and vegans can feel left out when those recipes have meat in them, and the cooks may not know what to make that will be cruelty free as well as satisfying.

The good news is that most of the side dishes on the Thanksgiving table are naturally meat free. Vegans usually have fewer traditionally made choices because of cream, milk or butter, but there are really tasty and readily available substitutes at most chain grocery stores.

Below you’ll find delicious vegetarian Thanksgiving menu with highly rated recipes including main dish, sides and desserts.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Pot Pie
substitute turkey with Chik’n Strips
and No-Chicken Broth for chicken stock
the veg safe frozen pie crust I use
with Vegetarian Apple "Sausage" Stuffing
or
VeganYumYum’s Thanksgiving
Seitan Roulade with Chestnut Stuffing

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Vegetarian Gravy
Cranberry Sauce
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Green Bean Casserole
Boston Market Butternut Squash
Turnip and Carrot Mash
Le Sueur peas
Corn Pudding
Pumpkin Eggnog Pie

Vegan Beer – Vegan Wine – Vegan Liquor

For dinner tonight:

• Fall Salad
• New England Clam Chowder
  (for a vegetarian version see Vegetarian New England “Clam” Chowder. Or use the original recipe and just substitute the clams with the arame from the vegetarian recipe and add oyster mushrooms for the texture.)
• Homemade Quick Rolls with Homemade All-Purpose Herbed Butter
• Grandma’s Apple and Honey Muffins* with Homemade Whipped Honey Butter

*The muffin recipe is from a great book we picked up at the library, The Beeman:


It’s an easy and healthy recipe with only flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, whole wheat or bran cereal flakes (we use whole grain with flax), apple, raisins, egg or Ener G Foods Egg Replacer, milk, oil & honey.

“One day is for amateurs. Grist is your resource for making every day earth-tastic, and this year we’re offering an exclusive free download of our award winning book, Wake Up and Smell the Planet. All you have to do is register for a Grist account (also free!) between April 9-23. Not enticey enough? You’ll also be entered for a chance to win tickets and airfare for two to the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, TN June 11-14.”

[via grist.org/screwearthday]


This post is entered in the Squidoo Earth Day Contest for the chance to win some great eco-friendly/organic products from Chartreuse. Check ‘em out.

“The time for “small steps” is long past. It’s time for people to wake the hell up.” David Roberts

Your kitchen is full of natural dyes. Common food items such as red cabbage, onion skins, and coffee can be used to transform plain white eggs into colorful Easter gems. Kids will especially love discovering all the different colors they can create – let them experiment using hard-boiled eggs and bowls of cold dyes.


Here you can learn how to stencil eggs, marble eggs and fill eggs with chocolate: Natural Egg Coloring

Also, check this video out: