Gluten-free Shepherd's Pie and Berry Smoothie

Once again, this is from last week when I was really on a roll with the whole cooking thing.  I bought cauliflower because I was determined to mash them and see how they compared with potatoes.  After brainstorming, I figured that shepherd's pie would be simple and easy to add veggies to.  It was delicious, and Brad enjoyed it, even with the veggies mixed in.

I also made an anti-oxidant smoothie based on the ones that my aunt Joani used to make when she was fighting breast cancer.  I didn't use a recipe, and it ended up separating in the fridge.  I probably did something wrong there, but I like it.  Brad, sadly, didn't.  And that was after I strained all the berry seeds out of it for him!  (Well, he didn't know I was making it for him, and I didn't ask if he liked smoothies. My mistake.)

I'm not a food stylist, so this was the best shot I could get.
 Not really a pretty food.  Tasty, though.

Gluten-Free (Healthier) Shepherd's Pie

Potatoes (I used leftover red potatoes, about 6-8 med.)

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets (organic)
3 carrots, cut into small pieces (organic is best)
1 lb ground beef (all natural, organic if you can)
1/2 stick butter
1 cup milk (I used water)
Fresh veggies and herbs to taste, but I used:
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Onions
Red Pepper
Basil
Rosemary
Garlic 


Add carrots and potatoes to large pot of boiling water.  Boil for 15 minutes or until tender. 
In a lidded saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 1/2 stick of butter.  Add cauliflower, stir and cover.  Let braise until very tender.  Stir often.
Brown beef on the stove top.  Saute all other fresh vegetables with garlic and herbs until softened.  Puree with food processor.  Pour browned beef into a greased casserole dish and mix with pureed veggies.  Top with cooked carrots. 
Place cauliflower, butter, and potatoes into pot and mash until smooth.  Top carrots and beef with mashed potatoes.  Broil in oven until potatoes are browned.


I used this video as a reference for the mashed potatoes and cauliflower.  And the overall recipe is adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe.  And you really couldn't taste the cauliflower.

Anti-oxidant Berry Smoothie

blueberries
raspberries
blackberries
Knudsen's anti-oxidant juice
apple-sauce
silken tofu
soy milk
fruit yogurt
*Use however much of each tastes good to you, but more liquids than solids.
Blend berries, strain.  Blend remaining ingredients.  Chill and stir before serving.

Failure

Failure is supposed to be a learning experience, but I'm often too anxiety/shame-ridden to take in the life lessons that are undoubtedly there.  With the whole garden thing, I'm relaxed and have little money or time invested.  And it's a solo-venture.  Therefore, my first failures have provided large amounts of learning for me.

Growing like a champ?

Oh, my leggy darlings.

The microgreens, which sprouted quickly and even said "quick and easy" on the label, have proven to be almost too easy...  The tall, fast-growing sprouts that I was so proud of are, in fact, signs of poor lighting.  The  sprouts are too tall, growing as fast as they can in order to reach the light they need.  My remedy was to move all of the Dixie cup babies to the window sill which faces east (south is best).

They seem to be doing better with one large exception.

I've been careful to water all of my seedlings frequently, but for some reason ALL of the microgreens that were planted in the peat cells dried up and withered into little, sad strings.  The good news is that I wasn't really looking forward to eating all of those greens, and now I don't have to.  A few of the lettuce and one or two chive seedlings have gone the same way, alas. 

Now, I check to make sure that any new sprouts are growing upward and developing strong stems and leaves.  The soil that the dead microgreens were planted in is currently being reused for more lettuce and one experimental apple seed.

 

Gluten-Free Turkey Spaghetti with Red Sauce

This is a meal I made last week.  I had some gluten-free pasta and a jar of dollar store tomato sauce, but I jazzed it up.

1 lb Jennie-O lean ground turkey
1 pck gluten-free spaghetti
1 jar tomato sauce
1 can sliced carrots
garlic
onion
red pepper
zuchinni
broccoli
basil
oregano
(add vegetables and herbs to taste)


Cook turkey until opaque and somewhat browned.  (I have no idea how long that is.  About ten minutes?)


Slice and saute all fresh vegetables in olive oil on medium heat.  Cook until tender.  Puree cooked vegetables in food processor until smooth.  Puree canned carrots.  


Cook spaghetti as per package instructions, do not overcook.


Mix pureed fresh/canned veggies with 1/2 jar of tomato sauce in a saucepan.  Add about half of ground turkey, mix well.  Save leftover turkey for meatloaf, dirty rice, etc.  Mix in drained pasta.  Top with fresh basil.


This was so simple, but I got some extra fiber and nutrients in there with the carrots, zucchini, broccoli, and red peppers.  My husband thought the sauce tasted "spicier".  It seemed fresher to me.  I put some goat cheese on top of mine, too.  Excellent.

Mission: Learn to Cook

So, I pretty much understand how to cook (thank you Food Network, Alton Brown, Food Jammers, etc), but I rarely put pan to heat and do it.  With my time off this summer, I've had a chance to spread my culinary wings and cook.  Gluten-free, of course.

My goal is to make healthy dishes for my husband and I.  I am attempting the whole "sneak veggies into your food" deal.  So far, I've had a couple of successes and one or two failures.  But it is so fun!

My method is this: buy stuff that looks good/interesting at the grocery store, take it home and brainstorm meal ideas, research recipes online, and then attempt the recipes (which usually end up taking some twists and turns along the way).

The first dinner was fresh new potatoes, corn on the cob, burgers (w/out buns), salad, and fresh fruit.  Not much cooking, but it was awesome.  So far, I am excited about what I've learned and grateful that I have the time to do it.

Farmer's Market and Thai Eggplant

The BFM was great, as usual.  We got a later start than I'd hoped, but oh well.

We bought:
4 lbs ground longhorn beef ~$20
1 doz large brown eggs ~$4
6 lbs new potatoes ~$9
4 bell peppers ~$1
1 jar marinated feta goat cheese ~$10
1 stalk of Genovese basil ~$1
4-5 Thai eggplant and a handful of banana peppers ~$1

Lots of fresh stuff for around $50.  Not sure how I'm going to cook the Thai eggplant.  Maybe a dip.

Beaumont Farmer's Market Tomorrow!

Now, I didn't go once during the BFM's inaugural season,and I'm worse for it.  We really have an amazing group of vendors and offerings at the Beaumont Farmer's Market.  When I went to the Brenham Farmer's Market, it made me a little sad.  No offense, Brenham.  It was cozy and authentic, but it didn't have the vibrancy and variety of the BFM.

I'm going tomorrow, Saturday, for the first time in a while, and I have a list of things that I hope to get.  BUT I have to wake up early enough to get there around 8:30, so we'll see.

To buy:
Eggs, probably from Dan Foret
Goat cheese, from Mia Bella Farm
Blue/black/raspberries
Tomatoes
Potatoes
Zucchini
LONGHORN BEEF from the absolutely lovely Gentz family farms.
Anything else that looks healthy and easy to cook

And maybe, if I feel like splurging:
Bath and body products, from Beau-tanicals

See you tomorrow...

Great Gardening Website: Savvy Gardener

Lots of simple, accessible advice for beginners.

I found this little gem from a google search about growing herbs from seed.  It's full of great gardening ideas and tips. 

Things I want to check out/do:

Worm composting

Growing herbs

Houseplant care

Organic pesticides

An Indoor Herb Garden Begins

I've wanted an herb garden since I saw a demo given by the Herb Society of Beaumont at the McFaddin Ward House.  My husband and I have tried to eat better since we saw the documentaries The Future of Food, Food Inc, and Fresh.  The idea of growing something for our own use seemed important, not that difficult and fun.  So, with all of my teacher-summer-time-off, I went out and bought stuff to start my own herb garden.


Questions that I didn't ask before I started this:
If I start herbs from seed, how many should I plant?
How will I re-pot my seedlings?
What will I do with the plants?

I bought on Tuesday, June 21st:
Miracle Grow seed starter, bag (couldn't find organic seed starter)
Seeds
Pretty copper watering can

Pretty, I think.

Went home and took out my Dixie cups and realized that I needed gloves for the seed starter mix.

Went to Family Dollar and bought:
2 3pk of peat moss seed starter trays
Spray bottle for water
nitrile gloves

Already had:
Dixie cups
leftover toothpicks from Jason's Deli

My seed starting station.

I set up my seed starting station on our side porch that is off of the dining room.  I found out the peat moss trays are a lot better than punching holes in the bottom of one million Dixie cups, but I ran out of trays pretty fast.  I put everything onto a cardboard box that I had cut in half.  My procedure was as follows:
Fill cups/trays with starting mix, wet, tamp down, place seeds, cover with more mix, water lightly and press down again.

I bought two packages of microgreens, which are supposed to be easy to grow.

Quick and easy, it says.

I planted A LOT of microgreens.

Tiny microgreen seeds

Yellow toothpicks are microgreens, green are garlic chive, blue are lettuce, and red is basil.

I also planted organic lettuce, organic Genovese basil, and garlic chives.

All the planted seeds from Tuesday.

I left the little things to grow in my art studio that I've neglected.  I put them close to a window in a room with the AC vent off.  I hoped that the soil would be warm enough for them to germinate.  Watering was done with  a couple of doses from the spray bottle every day.

I moved them on the tray into my studio/greenhouse, and only knocked over a couple.

And they grew, by golly!

But I need to answer those questions...

We're the Whiteheads.

Hi, I'm April Whitehead.  I'm a teacher who lives in Southeast Texas with my best friend/husband.  We rent a house in Beaumont, although we're both from out in the country.  We don't own land, but we will one day.

We're trying to live better.  That includes eating better, exercising, and enjoying our time on this earth.  I want to record our progress and our dreams for the future.

Things to read about in the future:
Our bikes
Old houses
Sneaking veggies into food
Cooking fresh, organic, and gluten-free
Growing plants without a garden
Community involvement
Miniature donkeys
And probably more stuff that may or may not make sense...