Breakfast: Cantalope. Half of an oatmeal raisin cookie.
Lunch: Grass-fed beef burger, Chapel Hill Creamery cheese. Cantalope.
Dinner: Sirloin Tip Steak; mashed potatoes with Greek yogurt alfredo sauce; mozzarella, tomatoes and basil salad; corn on the cob
Tonight proved that you can cook an incredible meal made entirely from food you buy at the Farmers’ Market. I’ve already had some incredible dishes, but tonight I went all out.
I had this huge sirloin tip steak from Meadow Lane Beef that I’ve been dying to cook up, but it was way too big for me. So I invited my gal pal Lauren over and told her I was cooking. Here’s what I made:
* Mozzarella, tomato, basil, garlic salad coated in seasoned olive oil. I cut the crust off my sesame and sunflower seed bread and diced up the bread to add, per my boss’ wise suggestion and tossed that in too.
* Sweet corn. The best sweet corn I’ve had since childhood. I bought a couple of ears last weekend at the State Farmers Market, and those were OK. But tonight I made ears from the Durham market that I bought yesterday (sorry, I don’t remember which farm they came from) and seriously, it was like candy. So sweet. So delicious.
* Mashed Potatoes. I made some of my Greek yogurt alfredo sauce to use as a gravy.
* Steak, coated in spices and olive oil. It was a little tough, which I expected because I’ve learned that grass-fed beef is intended to be cooked rare or medium-rare. Lauren and I both like our steak medium well, so we decided we would deal with chewy steak if it meant it wasn’t bleeding. I made a red wine reduction sauce, complete with fresh garlic and onions per my boss’ suggestion and it honestly was one of the most savory things I’ve ever made in my entire life.
I even have leftovers for lunch tomorrow, hooray.
This meal may not seem particularly mesmerizing to foodies or regular farmers’ market shoppers. But for me, this project is about me breaking my processed food, dining out habit. Yes, I want to eat local and support farmers in my backyard in the process. But I’m not trying to make a greater statement here. Mostly, I just needed motivation to stick with a big life change like this. I haven’t cheated once in the 9 days since I’ve started. And I’m learning a lot about food, cooking and my lifestyle as a result.
I have 21 days to go and my food world has already changed for the better. I can’t even imagine what it will be like in three weeks.
Breakfast: Watermelon. Half of an oatmeal raisin cookie.
Lunch: Ginny Hash (see recipe). Sliced tomato with malt vinegar.
Snack: Watermelon.
Dinner: Mint Green Pea Ravioli with Greek yogurt alfredo sauce.
So how did I score that fabulous ravioli and make an amazing Farmers Market alfredo sauce to go with it? Well, I hustled over to the Durham Farmers’ Market after work (it’s open from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays). And I saw a woman standing behind a folding table with a small sign advertising Ravioli for $7.50. My stomach ached for some pasta, so I snatched up the locally made pasta. She said it was her first time at the Market and that she planned to be back on Saturday. I think there were about 10 Raviolis inside the package. The price seemed a little steep, but I’m told by my best friend that pinching raviolis is hard work, so maybe that’s why.
As for the Greek yogurt alfredo sauce, that was a concoction I mixed up out of desperation. I bought this Greek-style yogurt from Chapel Hill Creamery on Saturday and I wasn’t that fond of it. Not that there’s anything wrong with it, just Greek yogurt really isn’t my thing. But then I had an idea, my recipe follows.
* Heat several spoonfuls of Greek yogurt (however much you plan on eating in one setting) over low heat.
* Add ground Parmesan cheese (I had some left over from before my project, so I tossed it in, but that’s the only non-Farmers’ Market cheese I’ve had so far) and Raw Milk Hickory Grove cheese from Chapel Hill Creamery.
* Stir slowly until cheese melts. Enjoy.
Breakfast: Watermelon, half of an oatmeal raisin cookie from Durham Farmers’ Market and one small coffee (sorry, but I indulged, don’t hate me).
Lunch: Grass-fed beef burger topped with Chapel Hill Creamery Cheese. Cucumber, Tomato and Basil Salad.
Snack: Watermelon.
Dinner: Ginny Hash (see recipe). Corn on the cob.
I totally had a small cup of coffee today. Worse yet, it came from Starbucks. I know, I know, I know. But seriously, for the past seven days I haven’t slipped once. I’ve ignored the cakes, burgers, popcorn and cupcakes at two baby showers and a Durham Bulls game. I’ve turned a blind eye to the the pastas, pizzas and cupcakes that my boyfriend has eaten in front of me. And today, I just went for it. And let me tell you, that small coffee was the best coffee in recent memory. It was so good. I’m sorry if I let you down by downing the java, but “I just needed a little pick me up.” (geez, I sound like Kit from “Pretty Woman” … bonus points to any readers get that reference).
I ignored all of this food at my boss' baby shower Friday. We had a separate baby shower on Monday and I ignored cupcakes too.
Food wise, I haven’t slipped. Not even once. Every bite of food I’ve consumed in the past seven days has come from the Farmers’ Market, with the exception of some spices and condiments. And, you know what? I’m loving it. Seriously, there’s something empowering about choosing your food, knowing where it comes from, chopping it up yourself and devouring it. For those of you who already do this, you’re probably rolling your eyes. But anyone who is like me … the type of person who will jump at a chance to eat out if it means avoiding messing up the kitchen … will recognize that this is a true food awakening for me.
Tonight I had the most amazing concoction, made entirely of local food. I’m learning that if you only want to cook what’s in season locally without adding any real outside ingredients, then you have to get creative. I’m going to call it Ginny Hash! Sounds risque, doesn’t it? Really it was just this:
* 3/4 potato, shredded
* 1/4 small red onion, chopped
* 1/2 Tbsp. Margarine (sorry, not from Farmers’ Market)
Fry on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, flipping half way through. Then dice it up and fry it for another 5 minutes.
* In separate frying pan combine 1/2 zucchini and 1/4 red onion chopped with olive oil. Fry until cooked.
* In separate frying pan combine 1/3 lb. grass fed ground beef with your favorite hot sauce (I used a curry-based hot sauce that I love). Add one slice of farm fresh bacon and fry until crispy. Chop bacon piece up and stir bits into beef.
Mix all of the above ingredients on a plate, grate 1 Tbsp. of local cheese over the top and enjoy!
If you follow my directions you should end up with something looks like this:
"Ginny Hash" is good for all occasions: breakfast, lunch or dinner.
And it’s truly wonderful.
Breakfast: farm fresh bacon, egg over medium and bakery bread. Plum.
Lunch: Bacon, Tomato and Cheese sandwich.
Dinner: Grass-fed beef tacos with cheese, yogurt, tomatoes, banana peppers? (not sure what kind of pepper this is, looks like a banana pepper, but it’s sweet and not spicy).
Dessert: Oatmeal raisin cookie from Durham Farmers’ Market.
Breakfast: Nothing. I slept until noon, so I didn’t need breakfast.
Lunch: Grass-fed beef burger on white bakery bread.
Dinner: White bakery bread layered with crumbled ground chuck, homemade pasta sauce and mozzarella from Chapel Hill Creamery.
I called my mom six times today for help. The first time, I wanted to know the difference between ground chuck and ground beef (ground chuck is a better cut, less fatty, she said). The second time I wanted more advice on how to make homemade pasta sauce (would coring the tomatoes before I blanched them make them lose flavor in the boiling water, I asked … she said no). After that it was out of control.
Question: How long should I simmer my tomatoes?
Mom: Until their rendered into sauce … you’ll just know. It’ll take a while. (90 minutes it turns out).
Question: What seasoning am I missing, because the sauce doesn’t taste quite right?
Mom: You need onions, basil, garlic, salt and oregano.
Me: I don’t have any oregano.
Mom: Well, that’s probably why it doesn’t taste right. Also, if it tastes too bitter add sugar.
Me: OK.
And on, and on.
Sometimes my mom is better than Google. I’ll take her feedback from 50+ years of life experiences over some whacko on Yahoo Answers any day.
Anyway, I was attempting to make eggplant parmeasan. But after starting my first batch of pasta sauce, I realized I didn’t have enough tomatoes. So I made an emergency trip to the State Farmers Market and spent $18.69 on three pounds of tomatoes, squash, a red onion, two lemons and BACON!
My homemade pasta sauce wasn't pretty, but once I finished it, it sure was good.
I came home and finished my pasta sauce, which took two hours and didn’t look pretty, but it was delicious. So fresh. The onions (scallions and red onions) were a perfect touch. I was ready to fry up my eggplant for eggplant parmesan, so I sliced the perfect purple body and decided to take a bite. It was really bitter, which I expected based on what I’ve read. But what I didn’t expect was for my tongue, throat and mouth to start itching almost instantly. I called my mom and she said I was probably allergic. Turns out she’s allergic to eggplant too.
My tweep @JohnHinnant said it could be because I ate it raw and that you should only eat eggplant cooked. But after that experience, there was no way I was going to fry up that eggplant. Four hours later, and my throat and tongue are still itchy. Turns out I’m not alone on the itchy eggplant thing. Google (not my mom) pointed me to this blog, NotEatingOutinNY.com, where the blogger talks about experiencing the same issue.
I had to figure out what I was going to eat. I asked my boyfriends if I could make pasta … and he said technically it would be against my rules. But there was no way I was wasting that pasta sauce.
My meat, sauce, cheese bread.
So I improvised. I sliced up some of my white bakery bread, topped it with some fried ground chuck, pasta sauce and mozzarella from Chapel Hill Creamery. Then I put it in the broiler for a few minutes and voila — a filling, flavorful meal.
No, if only my tongue would stop itching.
Breakfast: One peach. Oatmeal Raspberry Bar, bought at the Durham Farmers’ Market.
Lunch: Grilled cheese and tomatoes, featuring cheese from the Chapel Hill Creamery and bread from a baker at the Durham Farmers’ Market.
Dinner: Nothing. So, I actually got pretty sick after eating my big grilled cheese sandwich. Not sure if it’s because my body rejected it because I ate veggies for three days prior or if it’s because I took a nap right after I ate it. But no matter what, I definitely am not feeling well tonight. 
I was like a kid in a candy store at the Durham Farmers’ Market this morning. I was starving and pretty much out of food from my paltry Tuesday shopping trip. My eyes lit up when I saw a sandwich dry erase board advertising steak and chops.
The Durham Farmers' Market was packed at 9 a.m. Saturday.
I ignored the Farmers’ Market advice I’ve heard about scoping out what’s available before making final purchases and immediately bought a Sirloin tip from Meadow Lane Beef. The Market had only been open for an hour and the filet and a few other selections were already crossed off the board. I had to act quick. And it’s a good thing I did, I scored the last sirloin tip they had. I think I paid $16 for the 1.3 pound piece of beef.
I have no idea how I’m going to prepare it. But according to Meadow Lane Beef’s very cute website, grass-fed beef has high protein and low fat levels. That means my steak will need about 30 percent less cooking time. There are a bunch of great tips on cooking grass-fed beef on their site, so I’m really glad I jotted down their URL. I also bought up a pound of ground chuck and a pound of ground beef, so I’ll keep that in my freezer as the weeks wear on so I always have some meat to turn to.
If you have any recipe ideas or cooking suggestions for my meat, please let me know.
Durham’s Farmers’ Market is like a mini festival. Shoppers were serenaded by a violinist. Three local chefs squared off in the 2nd Anual Chef Challenge, each using their own special ingredients to turn squash into something delectable. “The State of Things” host Frank Stasio emceed the challenge. I left before they handed out samples, but I loved that the market featured more than food vendors. You could buy a hand-turned wooden bowls. There was handmade soaps. You could even get your bike tuned up.
The side show: A local chef cook off.
Bonus: I ran into one of my blog readers! I’m sorry, I don’t remember her name (give me a shout out in the comments if you like). But she came up to me and said “are you the blogger …” and it made me so happy to know that it’s not just my mom and tweeps reading my blog. I really don’t think I could truly stick to this quest if I didn’t have support, encouragement and advice from my readers. So thank you all sooooooo much!
I spent $97 at the market today. As you can see, I splurged on some rich cheeses and yogurt from Chapel Hill Creamery. I also bought two loaves of bread, plenty of veggies, and the most beautiful blackberries I’ve ever seen in my life ($5 for a pint). I also bought some oatmeal raisin cookies and an oatmeal raspberry bar, which I ate for breakfast!
I spent $97 at the Durham Farmers' Market.
I’m feeling really encouraged about my project now that I have a wider variety of food. I’m hoping to make some eggplant parmesean soon. I called my mom to find out how to make homemade tomato sauce, so I plan to try that tomorrow. I may also make a trip to the State Farmers Market tomorrow to pick up a few miscellaneous items I didn’t grab at the Durham market.
I also interviewed a farmer about organic farming, and I’ll be posting her feedback soon. So if you’ve ever wondered what’s so special about organic veggies, I’ve got you covered.
Also, I created a Flickr set with my Farmers’ Market photos. You can see more here.
