Full Sun Farm 10th Week

What's in the Box
Green Leaf Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Summer Squash
Cucumber
Eggplant
Potatoes
Heirloom Tomatoes
Basil
Parsley

It seems that all CSA members got different varieties of the heirloom tomatoes - we got Aunt Ruby's Green and a Striped German. Yum!

I also couldn't resist getting myself that gorgeous bouquet of sun and wildflowers. They make me smile every time I look at them.

If you follow my menu plans you know I love frittatas. They are made quickly and easily and use up the abundance of eggs from our chickens. This recipe for trouchia (chard and onion frittata) is from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone, one of my favorites.

The trick is to cook everything slowly so that the onions become carmelized and sweet and the flavors deepen.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large red or white onion, quartered and thinly sliced crosswise
1 bunch chard, leaves only, chopped
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove
6 to 8 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped basil
2 tbsp chopped thyme
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
2 tbsp grated Parmesan

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a 10-inch skillet, add the onion, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely soft but not colored, about 15 minutes. Add the chard and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has cooked off and the chard is tender, about 15 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, mash the garlic in a mortar with a few pinches of salt, then stir it into the eggs along with the herbs. Combine the chard mixture with the eggs and stir in the Gruyere and half the Parmesan.

Preheat the broiler. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and, when it's hot, add the eggs. Give a stir and keep the heat at medium-high for about a minute, then turn it to low. Cook until the eggs are set but still a little moist on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining Parmesan and broil until browned. Serve trouchia in the pan or slide it onto a serving dish and cut it in wedges.

What's Cooking 7.12-7.18

This is a very full week, so I am getting our weekly menu out a little late. My parents actually came by on Sunday and brought a chicken and other food for us and that helped us postpone a trip to the store until today. Their thoughtfulness was especially appreciated because I worked full days in clinic on Monday and Tuesday. My husband filled in the rest of the gaps with one shopping trip (with our 4 year-old no less! he's my hero!) at our pricey whole foods store for a total of $49.22.



Monday:
Curried Split Peas
Brown Rice
Sweet Potatoes
Green Salad

Tuesday:
Green Chili
Brown Rice
Green Salad

Wednesday:Late Night at the Pool!
Grilled Bratwursts
Whole Wheat Buns
Coleslaw
Watermelon

Thursday:
African Groundnut Stew
Whole Wheat Couscous

Friday:
Pizza with homemade dough and sauce
Pepperoni and Roasted Peppers
Green Salad

Saturday:
Whole Wheat Pancakes
Sausage
Grapefruit

Sunday:
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos
Green Salad
Chips, Salsa and Guacamole

Providence Moves

I just found out on Friday that Verve - a fabulous local magazine - wants to publish an article about the time I lived and worked in Mexico with Doctors Without Borders in 2002. A full version of this article will be published in an upcoming issue, but I hope you will read this abridged version and see how my committing to a decision 7 years ago opened the door to the life I love!

When I started working as a midwife 11 years ago I joined a wonderful private practice. I worked in a clinic 5 days a week and was on call for births 7-8 days of the month. I’ve always loved helping women achieve the birth of their dreams.

After almost 4 years at this practice, however, I found myself wanting more. I found that I enjoyed interacting most with the few Latina women who came to a public health clinic I staffed one morning a week.

I realized that I wanted to be fluent in Spanish to better serve Latina women. I also wanted part-time work that would give me the opportunity to do what I loved and fulfill my dream of becoming a mother.

I didn’t know there was a job that would fulfill my desires, but I felt compelled to lay the groundwork for finding it, inspired in part by this quote from Scottish mountaineer WH Murray: The moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision.

And sure enough, as I took my first step, providence moved. Thinking that I needed to improve my Spanish and better understand Latino culture, I applied to Doctors Without Borders and within a month was offered an interview in their New York office. As it happened I was going to be in New York anyway to run in the NYC Marathon and could easily set up a time to talk with the director of the organization.

During my interview, however, I learned they had no positions for midwives in Latin America. I explained I wasn’t interested in any other placement. So the director said she would keep my application, but didn’t think there would ever be a desirable position for me.

I continued to think of other ways I could meet my goals and trusted something would come to me. Less than two months later the phone rang, and it was Doctors Without Borders telling me that they were starting a new maternal health project in Mexico—and that the director of the project wanted me to join the medical team!

People thought I was crazy to leave my life in the States for a volunteer position in a remote Mexican village. But I knew, like Murray, that I had created this opportunity by committing to my dream and I was not going to be dissuaded.

So I went and I had an amazing experience – you’ll have to read the upcoming article in Verve for more details of that trip!

What I want to share here is that when I got back to the States I quickly found a job - not just any job, but the job that I had hoped would come my way.

And I still am at that same job today and it is wonderful—I work in a public health practice that serves a large volume of Latina women, using my fluency in Spanish and my knowledge of Latino culture I gleaned through my work with Doctors Without Borders. What’s more, it is part-time, and the salary matches the salary of the full-time job I had left to go to Mexico.

My time in Mexico changed my life in other, more profound ways. What I appreciated most about Mexican culture is how they value family and community, and I have taken great pleasure in fostering the same values. I know that my life, and the lives of those around me have been enriched because of this appreciation.

In the end, my time in Mexico opened a window on life in a dramatically different culture and a setting. It also opened the door to a new life for me here at home.

This week I'm rejoicing in the amazing alchemy that occurs when you decide to create a life you love.

Full Sun Farm 9th Week!

What's in the Box:
Red or Green Leaf Lettuce
Swiss Chard
Beets, topped
Summer Squash
Green Onions
Garlic
Cherry Tomatoes

The picture really doesn't do justice to the tomatoes - the first pint from the farm! - they are gorgeous and absolutely delicious. Our Sungold cherry tomatoes from our own vines are also ripe - the ones G calls "chocolate 'matos" because they are so sweet. He pulls them down and eats them by the handful and I think he has eaten more than his dad and I combined! He is really taking after me here: Tomatoes are truly my favorite seasonal offering - I gorge myself on them during the summer and shun them for the rest of the year.

Beets were the most abundant offering from the farm this week so it seems fitting to offer a recipe for Beet Risotto. It is from Almost Vegetarian and described as "brilliant in color with a sweet burst of beet in every bite." I think it will make a perfect lunch on Saturday!

2 medium beets, topped
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp orange zest
1 cup arborio rice
2 tbsp raspberry or lemon vinegar
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp sour cream or yogurt cheese

1. Put beets and bay leaf in a saucepan and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, over medium heat, until the beets are cooked through, about 40 minutes.

2. Remove the beets with a slotted spoon, then strain the cooking water and discard the bay leaf. Pour the cooking water back into the saucepan. Slip the skins off the beets.

3. Chop 1 of the beets and set aside. In a food processor puree the other beet and stir into the strained broth. Cover the broth and keep it at a gentle simmer over low heat.
(The portion of the recipe above--the beet broth--can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator, and used as a base for things other than the risotto that follows.)

4. In another large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onion and orange zest, and saute over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the chopped beet, and stir well. Add the rice and stir until it is well coated with the seasonings and is glistening, about 2 minutes.

5. Add the vinegar and stir until it evaporates, about 2 minutes.

6. Using a ladle, add about 1 cup hot broth. Stir constantly over medium heat until the broth has been absorbed. Add another ladleful of broth and keep stirring until it has been absorbed.

7. Continue the process, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and stirring in this way until the kernels are plump and no longer chalk white in the center. This should take 25-30 minutes altogether. the rice is almost done when the kernels are still separate but starting to bind, and there are pools of broth on the surface. It is done when the liquid had been absorbed, and the kernels are bound in what looks like very ricey, yet somewhat creamy, rice pudding.

8. When the risotto is done, stir in the sugar, cream or yogurt cheese, and stir well to blend. Serve at once.

Enjoy!

What's Cooking 7.6-7.12

I managed to make it to Amazing Savings for the bulk of my shopping and stocked up on organic cereal, vegetables and cheese. I spent $60.46. Then I went to our pricey whole foods store to complete my list. There I spent $23.26. For a grand total this week of $83.72. Nice.




Summer squash, carrots, onions and swiss chard are still plentiful from our CSA share, so if any recipe calls for mixed veg or greens you know what I'll be adding to the dish!

Monday:
Guadalajaran Swiss Chard Quesadillas
Chips and Salsa

Tuesday:
Ratatouille
Whole Wheat Pasta

Wednesday:Late Night at the Pool!
Grilled Portobello Pizzas

Thursday:
Leftovers

Friday:
Pizza with homemade crust and sauce
Roasted Peppers and Pepperoni
Green Salad

Saturday:
Mixed Vegetable Kootu
Brown Rice

Sunday:
Spinach Feta and Tomato Quiche
Green Salad

Lessons of the Albatross

Last week a friend and I were talking about some challenges in his life and I remembered a line from a poem by Robert Bly:

The albatross that lands on the mast began flying a thousand years ago.

A long time ago, back when we were pure positive energy, we didn’t doubt for a minute that manifesting would be pretty cool. But when we arrive in our physical forms and challenges pop up, we forget that every experience is an opportunity to discover what we really want and to become our best selves.

We don’t need circumstances to be pleasing, or for others to make things easier for us, or to give us praise, or even acknowledgement. It’s wonderful to get those things - but not at all necessary.

What’s necessary is to know that we’ve got everything we need inside us for a great journey. By the fact of our existence we are worthy of love and all good things. We already are love and all good things.

It’s funny, I think my albatross metaphor distracted him, because, as it turns out, he is quite a bird lover and has a bit of an issue with the albatross.

“Wait a second,” he said, “The albatross? That’s like a dodo bird. And it symbolizes adversity.” Moments after we hung up I received an email from him, citing a Wikipedia entry:

An albatross is a central emblem in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is from the poem that the usage of albatross as a metaphor is derived; someone with a burden or obstacle is said to have 'an albatross around their neck', the punishment given in the poem to the mariner who killed the albatross.

So he didn’t like the metaphor, but after learning more about the albatross, I think it is very apt.

First of all, going back to the poem, the sailor was punished because he had destroyed something that was considered sacred. When we forget or are unable to see that we have come to this planet to accomplish something special, it is a similar waste.

We are here to do good work and do it well. Experiencing joy is the greatest measure of our success. And when we focus on what is not going well, it’s like we are hanging the albatross around our necks.

On the other hand, live albatrosses are symbols of effortlessness. And here again, I think the metaphor is apt. Also from Wikipedia:

Albatrosses are amongst the largest of flying birds, and the great albatrosses (genus Diomedea) have the largest wingspans of any extant birds…They are highly efficient in the air, using dynamic soaring and slope soaring to cover great distances with little exertion.

Knowing some of the cool attributes of albatrosses, who wouldn't love them? And you know what's also cool? Covering great distances with little exertion is what my coaching practice is all about!

I hope you will visit my website and discover more: I offer a free E-Book about the benefits of humor, lots of inspiring articles and science-based coaching programs - all intended to help you create a life you love!

This week I'm rejoicing in the lessons of the albatross!

Happy 4th!

We just got back from a spectacular show of fireworks. It was the first we've ever shared with G. He loved it! We also lighted some sparklers and I think he enjoyed them as much as our town's grand display. I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th!