2 Mexi Options for a Meat Free Monday

Every now and again I like to offer up options for people who are trying to curb their meat intake.

I have previously done posts about Meatfree Mondays, 

an initiative spearheaded by Sir Paul McCartney and his daughters.

If you are looking for the nutritional info on beans (or beans and rice together) - check out this link to my previous post.

Here is another in that series of posts:

Meat Free Burritos

I have posted this recipe before - but its so good, I'm posting it again.

I make a bean and rice dish that was inspired by something husband and I loved in Costa Rica.

Basically its black beans cooked in a little oil with lemon juice, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, coriander, onions and S&P to taste.

Add in rice (I use a mixture of wild and brown rices) and simmer a bit more.

I add the beans and rice mixture to the wraps and top with spinach, tomatoes, 

sweet bell peppers, shredded cheese and plain Greek yogurt.

(Previously I have shown eating these with ranch dressing - but the Greek yogurt is awesome too)

What you get is a delicious, healthy and filling meal!

Pretty cheap too, if you happen to grow yer own veggies!
Beans and rice keep forever (in the proper conditions) so they really are a great investment for your grocery dollar, whether they be canned or dried.


I use the same bean and rice mixture in another dish...

Vegetarian Nachos

I take the same beans and rice mixture and scoop them into the center of a dinner plate.

Surround the scoops with nachos chips (shown here is Tostitos Cantina chips)

I sprinkled the last of my Roma tomatoes, chopped, and some sweet bell peppers, chopped.

Homemade salsa gets spooned around too.

Grated cheese (marble cheddar and hot pepper brick cheeses) on top of the whole mess and bake at 400 degrees C until cheese is melty!

I've been able to find these chips for quite a good deal, so the overall price on these nachos is still way below pub or restaurant rates.

ENJOY!

What have you been making meat-free these days?

Fun with Phyllo!

As always, when I see a good recipe with more than 2 ingredients that can be home-grown...I grab it.

More often than not, it is a pretty healthy meal...but this one piqued my interest.

Not particularily healthy, but definitely tasty and different.

Not to mention we are BIG breakfast-for-dinner people.

I had intended to make a particular recipe but had to substitute an ingredient...the recipe called for puff pastry...but I couldn't find any frozen puff pastry at my local grocery store...

I bought Phyllo sheets instead...and what ensued was an evening of pastry delight!

I'll reprint the original recipe here:

(Found in Chatelaine magazine in a feature about brunch ideas)

Sunny Side up Tart

6 slices maple bacon, chopped (i used regular, not maple)

8 cups of baby spinach (i only had about 3 cups)

1 x 397 g package of puff pastry (i used phyllo)

8 eggs (i used 4)

(Original recipe calls makes 2 dishes in total)

1-position racks in top and bottom 1/3s of the oven.  preheat to 375 degrees. 

2-line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil

3-heat a large non stick frying pan over med heat.  add bacon and onion. cook until onion if soft.

4-add spinach, cook until wilted and set aside.

5-roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface into 2 10x10 squares.

6-transfer each square to a baking sheet.

7-divide spinach mixture between 2 sheets and spread evenly, leaving 1 inch border on each sheet.

8-with the back of a spoon or spatula, make 4 shallow wells in the spinach mixture.

9-bake in top and bottom 1/3s of oven, switching sheets every 6 mins through until pastry is lightly golden, approx 12mins.

10-remove from oven and crack eggs into wells.  continue baking until egg whites are set and yolks are still runny, switching sheets halfway through (another 12mins approx)

11-serve immediately & enjoy!

So as I stated before, I only made 1 sheet with 4 eggs and the phyllo pastry.

Due to our relative lack of spinach, I substituted some chopped tomatoes.

I spread out one sheet of phyllo on the parchment papered baking stone.

I melted some marg and brushed it between the phyllo layers...5-6 in all.

I folded down the long and rough edges to form a neat edge.

During the time while I was creating this breakfast masterpiece...my husband noticed there were some leftover phyllo sheets.

He swiftly made off with them to another corner of the kitchen.

I was completely unaware of what he was concocting...

The desert he made was utter heaven...

He cored some apples and stuffed the pommes with a mixture of oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon.

Then he wrapped the apple with the phyllo and brushed it with melted butter.

The final touch was the sifted icing sugar on top and the rhubarb/raspberry drizzle on the bottom.....sigh....

Here is a shot of the inside of the treat.

What started out as a nice meal turned out to be an evening of phyllo fun.

And to think it was all because I couldn't find frozen puff pastry at my local grocery strore!

I discussed this challenge with my husband (the only actual trained cook in the family)

and he listed reasons why you wouldn't want to commit to making your own puff pastry.

The process is long, intense and did I mention long?

He talked about the folding and folding and folding some more...and I couldn't imagine going through all that trouble for desert or dinner.

I probably would have just served bacon, eggs and a side of spinach and onions.

But thats what cooking and discovering is all about!

Finding and pushing your boundaries.

Tell me...

"Is there anything you wouldn't make and why?"



Baked Flying Saucers - Mexican Style!

Its been a while since I did a recipe post...

In case you are wondering, I have been posting those all to my facebook page and group.

(It just seemed to happen like that this summer)

But I promise to stop that and even things out a bit!

We raided my mother in law's garden recently,

grabbing stuff that was just finishing up.

Like more flying saucer squash!

Ideally you want to pick those squashes when they are fist sized,

but like zucchinis, if you blink, they will grow to enormous proportions!

What you see above is ONE paddypan squash!

We halved it and scooped out the seeds and inner flesh.

What you get left over looks kinda like when you scoop out a pumpkin!

You can dry these seeds and roast them in butter and salt just like pumpkin seeds,

but we rinsed the seeds and dried them off for planting next year.

In a frying pan, we added cooked brown/wild rice, black beans drained and rinsed, roma tomatoes chopped and seeded, yellow tomatoes chopped and seeded, pressed garlic, 1 chopped white onion and spices.  The spices include cumin, cayenne powder, S & P to taste.

Cook off the mixture until the moisture is all but gone.

Fill the squashes, top with shredded cheese and bake at 350 degrees C for 30-40 mins.

Each half served one.

AMAZING!

Super healthy and filling for these cool fall evenings.

This dish also qualifies for Meat-Free Monday!

This dish is easily a meal in itself but you can serve it with a small green salad or cucumber/tomato salad.

I was STUFFED with just the squash...(pun intended)

Anyway, check out my facebook group or page (link beside this post)

for more tips, tricks, recipes and photos from other readers and their garden creations!

Enjoy this wonderful fall!

Shrimp and snow peas stir fry

Remember my recent post that included a reasonably priced bag of frozen shrimp?

Well...we're moving and I needed to use it up.

This was sort of what I had in mind...it made me crave white wine.

I stopped at the store and was noticed a slight drop in produce prices now that spring has arrived.

Trying to buy as little as possible for this meal, I grabbed a lemon, a bag of snow peas and a small pack of bean sprouts.  THAT WAS IT!  Less than $6.00 later...for the meal items, I'm not including wine there...and you don't need to know how much I spend at that store...

We already had the garlic and the brown and wild rice.  Veg oil, onions, had those too.  Strangley enough we had a small bottle of wite wine vinegar ini the pantry from a previous recipe attempt.  We also already had the coriander in a grinder.  At the least minute I threw in some slivered almonds I snagged at the Bulk Barn!

Salt and pepper?  Check!

Boil rice.  Fry onion and garlic in a pan in veg oil.

Toss in the thawed shrimp, handful of sprouts, handful of snow peas, splash of lemon juice and coriander ground up.  Add a tablespoon of butter or marg if you like a thicker sauce. 

Insert white wine here...or in the pan if you wish.

Add some white wine vinegar if you want some zip...but it's fine without it too.

S & P to taste.

Heat pan until aromatic (makes the house smell yummy) and serve on rice (drained)!

You can eat this with chopsticks if you like to add flare to a meal...but its not required.

Enjoy!

Asparagus is back!

In honour of springtime and the return of the mighty asparagus...

Here's a fun recipe to try!

It's by far one of the cheapest dishes I've ever made...I already had everything in the pantry with the exception of the shrimp....a whole $6.99 at the store.

My mainstays:

Brown & wild rice

Cashews

Garlic

Onions

Chili Powder

Red pepper flakes

ground coriander

S & P

Lime Juice (cuz we ran out of lemon)

The shrimp was on sale and I only used about a handful from the bag, leaving tons left for another day.

The asparagus just started to emerge from their winter's slumber.

Poking their purple heads up from the dry garden soil.

Asparagus are a part of the Lily family (Liliaceae). Various species of asparagus were cultivated by Egyptian cultures beginning as early as 3000 B.C., and by Europeans including early Greek and Roman cultures.

Although it does take 3 years from planting to picking, if you have the patience and the time, it is certainly worth the wait!  (especially when you see what they sell for in the stores!!!)

Asparagus Care Guide:

Asparagus' very high respiration rate makes it more perishable than its fellow vegetables, and also much more likely to lose water, wrinkle, and harden. By wrapping the ends of the asparagus in a damp paper or cloth towel, you can help offset asparagus' very high respiration rate during refrigerator storage. Along with this helpful step, you will want to consume asparagus within approximately 48 hours of purchase or picking.

Chop to nice lengths and rinse.

I already had cooked rice in the fridge.

Pressed garlic and slivered onions into a frying pan with a bit of veg oil.

Simmer and add the chopped asparagus, rice and shrimp.

Add the spices and nuts.  Simmer until warmed thoroughly.

I like my fresh asparagus crunchy, so I just threw in the raw veggies and warmed them up...if you like a softer asparagus...then nuke for a min or steam them (about 30sec).

Asparagus Nutrition Guide:

Asparagus contains anti-inflammatory nutrients such as saponins, including asparanin A, sarsasapogenin, protodioscin, and diosgenin. Other anti-inflammatory nutrients in asparagus include the flavonoids quercetin, rutin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin.

Like chicory root and Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus contains significant amounts of the nutrient inulin. Inulin is a unique type of carbohydrate called a polyfructan, and in practical terms, healthcare practitioners often refer to it as a "prebiotic." Unlike most other carbs, inulin doesn't get broken down in the first segments of our digestive tract. It passes undigested all the way to our large intestine. Once it arrives at our large intestine, it becomes an ideal food source for certain types of bacteria (like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli) that are associated with better nutrient absorption, lower risk of allergy, and lower risk of colon cancer.

Alongside of its unusual inulin content, asparagus is rich in fiber (about 3 grams per cup, including about 2 grams of insoluble fiber and 1 gram of soluble fiber) and also contains a noteworthy amount of protein (about 4-5 grams per cup). Both fiber and protein help stabilize our digestion and keep food moving through us at the desirable rate. (By contrast, too much fat can slow down our digestion rate more than desired, and too much sugar or simple starch can speed it up more than desired. We're not surprised to see species of asparagus like Asparagus racemosus (commonly known as Shatavari) having a long history of use in treatment of digestive problems in certain healthcare traditions (like ayurvedic medicine), and it makes sense to us that asparagus be considered as a great food for improving digestive support in most diets.

In short: 

Loads of fibre, high in vitamin K, anti-inflammatory.  Good for digestive tract, great for diabetics!

They also make your pee smell funny.  Its not dangerous, just one of those funny human things (like corn in your poop).

A Stir Fry for the Family!

This recipe started off with a question...

"What am I gonna do with this leftover steak???"

I sliced it up thin and then it hit me....STIR FRY!

The above picture shows the sliced steak thrown on top of thin sliced orange and yellow peppers, thin sliced onion rings, several pressed garlic cloves, S & P to taste, a handful of raw, whole almonds (could have used sliced almonds...but this was all I had to work with) and red pepper flakes.

Basically you want to quickly cook the veggies and then heat up the steak (so as not to over cook it).

When everything smells good, you'll want to add in a handful of spinach so it can wilt properly but not melt away.

I served everything on top of brown and wild rice

(which I had made several days prior and needed to eat up)

alongwith my trusty chop sticks for full effect!

I'm pretty sure I didn't add any additional flavours or spices to this dish, attempting to let the flavours of the foods stand on their own.  It was a wonderfully colourful and flavourful meal!  If you find it a bit bland for your tastes, you can try adding in some white wine vinegar for an extra zip.

Owen wasn't a fan of the stir fry...but he did like the chop sticks!  He spent the dinner time trying to manipulate the chop sticks like mum was doing...and in the end just liked stabbing his noodles.

Try making something out of the ordinary...from another culture, another flavour...you'll never know how your kids will interpret the event.  It may just open up a whole new world for your kids!

What weird and wonderful things have you been making in your kitchen?

2 Meat-free Recipes Just for You!

Although I don't grow black beans, they are something I really love to use in my cooking.  Especially since I've been trying to integrate vegetarian meals into my famil diet.  Luck for me, our home grown tomatoes and black beans are wonderful eating companions!

In light of the whole "Meat-free Mondays" thing I mentioned in a previous post, I thought I would add a few of my favorite dishes using both black beans and the tomatoes we grew last year and froze.

For the record, black beans are a great source of vitamins and nutrients.  The website called the world's healthiest foods (or whfoods.com) says "The amazing protein-plus-fiber content of black beans. From a single, one-cup serving of black beans you get nearly 15 grams of fiber (well over half of the Daily Value and the same amount consumed by the average U.S. adult in one entire day of eating) and 15 grams of protein (nearly one third of the Daily Value and equivalent to the amount in 2 ounces of a meat like chicken or a fish like salmon). You won't find this outstanding protein-fiber combination in fruit, vegetables, grains, meats, dairy products, nuts and seeds, or seafood. The almost magical protein-fiber combination in legumes--including black beans--explains important aspects of their health benefits for the digestive tract, the blood sugar regulatory system, and the cardiovascular system."

First we have a big feed of vegetarian burritos!

Burritos are an easy and quick way to feed your family healthy, nutritious food.

I fry up some onions and garlic in a frying pan.  I add black beans, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, chili powder and cumin.  S & P to taste.  Then I add some pre-cooked brown and wild rice.  (I always keep some cooked rice in the fridge in case)  FYI beans and rice served together make up a complete protein!  Livestrong.com says "Beans and rice combined provide all of the B vitamins except B12, including thiamine (41 percent DV), vitamin B6 and niacin (23 percent DV each) and 8 to 9 percent of thiamine and pantothenic acid. Beans supply 230 micrograms (mcg) of folate; rice has 128 mcg, for a huge total of 90 percent of the recommended daily value."Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/96675-nutrition-beans-rice/#ixzz1okGgEzC6

Then comes the fun part!  I lay out the ingredients in small bowls so it feels like a buffet!  (Plus i don't have to build everyone's burrito...)  I shred cheese, chop lettuce and spinach, chop tomatoes, chop orange peppers (thats just what I had on hand, you can use any flavour or colour).  I use white tortilla wraps (because I find the whole wheat kind breaks easily)  I also set out some home made salsa and ranch dressing for those who want it.

My husband Ches made home made salsa back in September when all of our veggies were ripening at the same time (or so it felt like it).  Everything went into the salsa and placed in jars. 

Next you fill the wrap and roll it.  Bibs may be required but at least you'll know its all good stuff.

----------------------------

Another recipe I made was Southwest soup.

Take a large pot and add onions and garlic with a bit of oil.  Simmer until translucent. 

Add a dozen or a dozen and a half of frozen tomates (we had both red and yellow tomatoes).

Add some water and simmer until the tomatoes are all thawed.  I always add a tsp of white sugar to lessen the bitterness of the tomatoes.  Then I add black beans (I use canned and then rinse thoroughly) and corn (frozen from last fall), as well as lemon or lime juice.  Next you add the yummy spices that give it its southwestern flavour.  Chili powder and cayenne...1/4 tsp each or more depending on your taste.  Or go the easy route and add taco seasoning...but you can't control the salt as easily with this method.

You can simmer this soup all day if you like and serve with corn bread (aka johnny cake) or sprinkle with bits of seasoned taco chips.

So now you can enjoy some meatless alternatives that really don't feel like alternatives.

Try something meat free today! (start planning for this Monday...)

And as always, check out my facebook page for Small Purse, Big Garden...it has loads more recipes, photos, links and helpful tips for growing and cooking your own food, living green and living a bit more gently on this earth.

Steak and Veggie Pie...on the Wild Side

We had a big venison steak feed a few days ago...sadly we cooked waaay too much steak and had a ton of leftovers.  We also had leftover pie crust in the freezer too.

To me, that means just one thing...time for meat pie!

I scrubbed, peeled and chopped some of our garden potatoes and cooked in the microwave for 4 min.  Sliced some onions too, also from the garden.  The wonky carrot in the picture below was also from our garden and here is where I digress...

This wonky carrot was tasty and delicious!  You'll never see its equal in any store.  Going into stores now creeps me out, as everything is so damned uniform.  Each and every thing looks identical from the next.  Like you are actually shopping in the clone aisle instead of the produce aisle.  Aberration in produce stores is akin to disease! 

Ok...I feel better now after that rant.

Back to the recipe!

I also grabbed some garlic which I bought at the Verona Garlic Festival from my friends Cam & Michelle Mather.  I pulled out the leftover venison steak (supplied by my step dad Rob Cory) and chopped it coarsely.  The dough came out of the freezer, thawed, and left until the stew was well under way.

The onions get fried with veg oil, followed shortly by the chopped carrot and nuked potatoes.  Simmer for a bit until it starts to smell good.  Then dump in the chopped venison.

On the side, you'll be boiling a kettle of water to add to the beef broth...

not too much though, we're not making soup here. 

We've since run out of the peas from our garden (they do go fast),

so these are store bought sweet baby peas. 

Once the beef broth powder has completely dissolved in the boiling water, you can go ahead and add it to the pot.  The potatoes add a thickness to the broth after a while so there is no need for flour for thickening.  I don't know what it is about wild game that makes me always want to add beer, but here I've done it again. 

This time it was a large splash of a nice dark lager, Steelback's Tiverton Bear.  Dark beer and wild game combine in the most unexpected way.  I was going to add some worchestershire sauce, but the beer was sweet enough that I didn't have to add anything else.  S & P was about it.

Once the whole mix has simmered together for a bit...you can divide it between a couple of small ramekins (or other small, oven-safe dish).  Try not to eat some while you're dividing it!!!  (unless you made extras, in which case good for you!  You were thinking ahead!)

Next step is to roll out the dough and cut out two circles, slightly larger than the ramekin.

Arrange dough circles on the ramekin dish and pierce the top. 

I just used scissors like my mom did on apple pie crusts. 

I whipped up one egg and brushed it over the crust.

Place in an oven at 400 degrees C and bake for 30 min.  Check on them after 20 min though.

A helpful tip I would suggest...place a baking sheet under these suckers whilst baking them.  If you fill the ramekins too full of stew, they will overflow while bubbling.

I couldn't have been prouder with my first attempt at pot pies.

I was even prouder to take a look at my costs:  Beer from father-in-law, venison from step dad, carrots, onions and potatoes from our garden, garlic from a local provider, and one hellvua home made crusty topper!  Seems like the peas and beef broth were the only thing we had to get from a store. 

Recipe Feature...3 meals in one post!

I've been away all week again...so I find the post ideas have been piling up...

I was about to make 3 posts with a lot of details about each meal.  Instead...I want my readers to get the most bang for their buck.  Here is a post that features 3 hit meals from the past week.  All were delicious.  Some were planned, some were accidental...some used recipes, some were made up on the spot.

Here are the delectible servings of seasonal, easy and CHEAP meals (they all required at least ONE ingredient that DIDN'T come from the backyard).



Dinner last Sunday, some for family and some for friends



Aubergine & Courgette Bake

1 large eggplant

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 large onion (chopped)

2 garlic cloves (crushed)

2 lbs tomatoes (peeled and chopped)

a handful of fresh basil leaves (chopped)

1 Tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)

2 zucchinis (sliced lengthwise)

whole wheat flour for coating

shredded mozzarella

parmesan cheese

1.  Slice the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 45-60  min.

2.  Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan.  Fry the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes until softened.  Stir in the tomatoes, half the basil and the parsley.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cook, stirring, for 25-35 minutes until sauce has thickened.  Mash the tomatoe to a pulp.

3.  Rinse and dry the eggplant.  Dust the eggplant and zucchinis with the flour.

4.  Heat more olive oil in another frying pan and fry the eggplant slices and zucchini slices until golden brown.  Set aside.

5.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an overproof dish.  Put a layer of eggplant, the zucchini in the dish, pour a layer of sauce and scatter with some mozzarella.  Sprinkle over most of the remaining basil and parsley.  Repeat the layers, ending with mozzarella.  Sprinkle with the parmesan and remaining herbs on top and bake for 30-35 minutes.  Serve at once.

(REF:  The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking, by Roz Denny & Christine Ingram, 1997)



Saturday Lunch at Home



Swiss chard noodles with Pesto sauce

a dozen large leaves of Swiss chard, sliced in long lenths

walnuts

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion cut in lengths

2 cloves garlic crushed

handful of basil leaves

a tsp of parmesan

handful of cherry tomatoes as topping

whole wheat bagels toasted with butter & a dash of parmesan

S & P

Fry up the onions and walnuts in some of the oil.  Add garlic and chard and simmer.  Grind salt over the whole mess.  Add basil and some of the parmesan.  Heat and serve in bowls with cherry tomatoes and toasted bagels.  Top greens with more parmesan.  



Dinner on Saturday night



Squash and Tomatoes on noodles

1 Flying saucer squash

1 pit red and black cherry tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups chopped chicken breast

2 tbsp fresh oregano and parsley

2 tbsp olive oil

spaghetti noodles

shredded cheddar

S & P

Microwave the chopped flying saucers for 2 minutes.  Fry up the heated squashes in olive oil until browned.  Add garlic and chicken and simmer for 5 min.  Add sliced cherry tomatoes, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper.  Simmer a 5 more minutes.  Serve over noodles and top with shredded cheddar. 

REVIEW:

These meals were a hit each time.  Each dish hit a different flavour of the season.  The first recipe was wonderful but WAY too much oven and frying for a hot summer day.  I could see me making that dish and freezing it for a fresh taste of summer in the mid-winter season (not sure how these ingredients would stand up to freezing...but worth a shot!).  The second two recipes were completely made up from stuff we needed to eat up.  Both required a minimal amount of frying and served up hot and fresh.  

If you wonderful readers make this dish, let me know, post a pic of your creation on my facebook page!  Lets all share our accomplishments.  

That's me...saving the planet one low carbon footprint meal at a time... 

Delightful Summer Starter!

I've been so obsessed with foraging lately that my garden (in its infant stages) is losing some of its luster.  Don't get me wrong, I'm loving how the garden is taking off right now.  Its just hard to be patient for each thing to mature.  I definitely don't like waiting.  While I wait for the bounty that my garden will provide eventually...I've started to open my eyes to what nature is already offering...to those who know what to look for....and when.

I look around me and see the supermarket at our door steps now.  The cattail is something I've always seen in the landscape but rarely do they ever make it to my plate...ok never have they made it to my plate.  I read an article about them in Outdoors Canada magazine.  It was the Food Special Edition called "The Best of Living Off the Land" October 2009.  The article talked about what you could do but was lacking in pictures.  I need a visual to help me through the process.  Thats when I discovered The 3 Foragers blog!  See below for the link to their cat tail post:

http://the3foragers.blogspot.com/2011/06/foraging-cattails.html

Best pics ever!

Then they went and posted this video of their outing with Blanche Derby.  It made me wish we had a Blanche Derby around these parts.  Then I figured I might as well become the local Blanche.  Why not?

FYI Verona, Ontario is host to the 2nd annual Cattail festival and hopefully I can wow them with my recipe further on down the post! 

http://the3foragers.blogspot.com/2011/06/cattail-video-with-blanche-derby.html

Its the time of year for picking cattails, but its also a great intro to the season of purslane.  I first heard of eating pursland from Brigitte Mars.  Her video shows her in the garden and pointing it out, but alas, no recipes.  Turns out we're regular purslane farmers and didn't know you could eat this stuff!  They grow in abundance in our garden patches and we've been weeding it out every year. 

Here is Brigitte Mars talking about purslane, Ghandi's favorite food:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwMNaPx77VE

I showed my darling husband the cattail posts...the next thing I knew he was bringing home a bunch of the male cattail flowers!!!  He also harvested the tender shoots at the base of the plant.  Then he had a basket in the garden and was grabbing purslane leaves.  The result was an amazing summer breakfast-for-dinner affair!




A shot of the whole brilliant meal

Sunny-side up Dill eggs, Cattail on the cob, Tomato, Onion & Cattail shoot salad on purslane with whole wheat toast

I'll break this down for you:

Sunny Side up Dill eggs with fresh dill from the baby herb garden.  Just another reason why we're seriously contemplating raising hens in our shed....

Cattail on the Cob is what I'm going to call this from now on.  You take the male part of the flower before it has pollenated the female part (which eventually puffs out and becomes the brown part we all identify with cattails).  You simmer in water for a few minutes then brush with butter and sprinkle on salt just like corn on the cob!  Strange but true.


Close up on the cattail on the cob





Eats just like corn on the cob!





Don't eat the stem...

Tomato, Onion and Cattail shoot salad served on purslane is a wonderful fresh salad.  The cattail shoot are like artichoke hearts...tender and soft.  They taste like a strange hybrid of cucumber and celery with a cucumber texture.  If you can't bite through it easily, you'll need to peel off a few layers and try another bite.  I chopped up 2 tomatoes, not even 1 half of an onion, a dozen or so cattail shoots, fresh cilantro from the garden then added a tbsp of veg oil, a half a lid of white vinegar, a full lid of lemon juice and fresh ground salt and pepper to taste.  It was like a fresh tomato-cuke salad but way better!  The purslane adds a peppery taste to the mix.  Like you added hot spinach or something.  A very interesting twist on the usual fare.  We would definitely have this again...perhaps as a side to fresh caught fish? 




The salad that rocked!




All dressed up with purslane and ready for eating! 

 A great resource for purslane recipes is the link below:

http://sustainable.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/98promotions/april/recipes.html

I look at the swamps and my garden with eyes wide open now.  It's amazing what you can find, when you train your eyes.  You can literally find food ANYWHERE!  Its a very liberating feeling.