Thursday, July 31, 2014

Real Food Inspiration



Food Revolution July Challenge #3: “Why do you eat real food? What inspires you to eat real?”

When I read the last Food Revolution challenge for July, I immediately knew what I wanted to write about. Before I started my Food Revolution in 2010, I was in a book club and we read Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. I loved it. I immediately wanted to read more of his books. My favorite is Food Rules. One of his rules rings so true and I think of it very often. “Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” I was lucky enough to live close by and grow up with two of my great grandmothers. I think of them often when I’m in the store looking at go-gurts, fruit snacks and blue anything. It makes me giggle. What would my great grandmother think of blue go-gurt? 

My oldest was only eight when I started cooking my way through Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cookbook but she is almost 12 now. She has been a big help this month with my food revolution challenges. She helped make the stuffed zucchini for the first challenge and she helped pick a good Maryland crab recipe for the second. She asked what the third challenge was tonight while the two of us were on a walk. She said, “Real food is when you take the time and put in some love to make food for your family.”  Wow. I was super proud. Memories of all the meals I struggled through to learn to cook during my Food Revolution came flooding back. She was there watching. We had never talked about it but there it was. While Michael’s book is why I eat real food and Jamie is the one that taught me to make it, they aren't what inspires me. She does.


Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Crab Imperial

For July’s second challenge, “share a staple dish from your country,” I decided to go a step further and do a recipe from my region of the USA. Raised in the great state of Maryland, I knew the dish I picked had to have Maryland Blue Crab in it. Below is my great grandmother’s recipe for Crab Imperial.

Lena’s Crab Imperial

Ingredients

Imperial
1 Tbsp green pepper (diced small)
1 Tbsp pimento (diced small)
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
6 saltine crackers
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1/2 tsp Old Bay (or more if you’re a fan of Old Bay!)
1 lb lump crab meat

Topping
2 egg yolks
2 Tbsp mayonnaise

Mix all of the above Imperial ingredients except the crab meat. Add the crab last and fold in gently. Put the mixture in an oven proof casserole. 

Now for the topping…

Mix together 2 egg yolks and 2 Tablespoons of mayonnaise. Spread this over the top.


Bake at 425 degrees about 1/2 hour.

Enjoy!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Stuffed Zucchini

For July’s first challenge (make a healthy meal for 4 for just $10), I made Stuffed Zucchini. It is one of my childhood favorites and something I often asked for as my birthday dinner. The recipe serves 8, if you cut it in half for four, you can feed a family of 4 for just $7.30! For the sake of the recipe, and if you happen to be making it for friends for YOUR birthday dinner, I’ve left it to serve 8.
One other note, my mom uses rice instead of quinoa. I forgot to buy rice at the store and used quinoa in its place and it turned out great! Feel free to substitute rice back in for the quinoa if you’d like.

Stuffed Zucchini
serves 8

1 lb ground beef ($5.59)
1 cup quinoa ($4)
1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes ($1)
1/2 cup of pasta sauce (.50)
4 medium-large sized zucchini ($3)
2-3 slices of bread (.50)
butter
salt and pepper to taste

Serving 8: $14.59
Serving 4: $7.30

Preheat oven to 375. 

In a large pot of boiling water, boil your zucchini until they are tender. 

While you wait for the zucchini, prepare quinoa according to its package directions. 

When the rice and zucchini are done set both aside.

In a skillet, brown the ground beef. 

Add in the can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of pasta sauce (I just use whatever happens to be in the fridge at the time). 

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and let it simmer for a few minutes. 

Add the quinoa to the mixture and season to taste. 

Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise and place open on a baking sheet.

Stuff the quinoa/meat mixture into each zucchini half.

Break up the slices of bread or pulse them in a food processor to make bread crumbs. 

Melt about 3 tablespoons of butter and soak the bread crumbs in it to make buttered bread crumbs.

Top the stuffed zucchini with the buttered breadcrumbs.

Bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the zucchini.

Remove from oven and serve with corn on the cob and garden fresh sliced tomatoes for the perfect summer dinner!




Tuesday, July 15, 2014

July 2014 Food Revolution Challenge Overview

One thing I love about being one of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Ambassadors is that each month we are sent Food Revolution challenges to complete. I've never really talked about them in my blog but that's about to change. Each month I'll let you know what our challenges are and how I complete them. There may even be a few that you want to try.

Here are the July Ambassador Challenges:

1. Create a healthy meal on a budget for a family of four. The budget should be 10 US dollars.

2. Share a staple dish from your country.

3. Why do you eat real food? What inspires you to eat real?