Braised Lamb with White Beans and Aromatic Vegetables

Four out of five finicky eaters enjoyed this meal.  Surprisingly, all the young'ins gobbled this meal up.  Time is a luxury, I just don't always have...thank goodness for the pressure cooker.  Of course I did not pre-soak the beans over night.  This is where the pressure cooker is golden.  As you can see in the photo, I slightly under cooked the beans since they would continue cooking in the oven.

 

pressure cooked beans

 roasted vegetables and fresh herbs

 

rosemary growing in our garden

 

beans and vegetables so very very good

Pressure Cooker Great North Beans

2 1/2 cups great north beans
8 1/2 cups water
3T oil

~ put all items in pressure cooker
~ bring pressure cooker to high
~ maintain pressure for 18 minutes
~ turn heat off
~ allow pressure to release naturally

Braised Lamb  with White Beans and Aromatic Vegetables

from Maria Helms Sinskey's

The Vineyard Kitchen

adapted

10 medium organic carrots
4 organic celery stalks
1 large sweet onion
8 garlic cloves
5T extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 14oz can organic chopped tomatoes in their juices
6 sprigs italian parsley
12 fresh thyme springs
2 2" fresh rosemary
precooked beans
3 large lamb steaks
one bottle of dry white wine (two buck chuck pinot grigio)

~ preheat oven 450
~ wash and trim carrots and celery cut into 1/2" pieces
~ peel and cut onion into thin slices
~ peel and trim, cut garlic in half
~ place vegetables in roaster and toss with 2T olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper
~ roast in preheated oven 30-40 minutes, stir occasionally
~ remove pan from oven and place on stove so you can add other ingredient before placing back in oven
~ add to roaster can of tomatoes with juices, herbs and half of the beans
~ heat large cast iron skillet over medium high heat
~ add 2 T olive oil
~ season lamb with salt and pepper
~ sear on both side until browned (turn with kitchen tongs)
~ remove lamb from pan and place on top of vegetables
~ pour oil left in pan into roaster
~ add wine to skillet and bring to boil then simmer until reduced by half
~ pour wine into roasting pan over the lamb as well as any brown bits
~ cover toaster with lid or aluminum foil and place in preheated oven for 20 minutes
~ remove lamb, 1/4 vegetables and all of the liquid from roaster and place in pressure cooker
~ cook in pressure cooker high 18 minutes maintain high heat
~ allow to pressure to release naturally
~ serve with extra beans (my youngest favorite) on the side

Chinese Curried Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

Chinese, noodles and chicken: magical culinary words according to my kids.  I hear cheering and shouts of happiness while I chop, dice, boil and so on and the ever present, "When will it be done.  I am so hungry".  "Ummm smells so good.  I am the taste tester!" and the arguing begins.  Everyone wants to be the official "Taste Test".  Requirements of the Taste Tester, tasting the pasta and announcing al dente, perfect or just a minute more. 

mini whisk...a must have item

2 for .99 at 99 cent only store

Chinese Curried Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables

from Kitchen Life

Art Smith

adapted

1 lb of thin egg noodles
3 T safflower oil ( you will need 1 1/2 at a time)
4 boneless chicken breasts cut into bit size pieces (I use kitchen shears)
2/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
2T low sodium soy sauce
1T dry sherry
1t corn starch
1 organic red bell pepper cut in either strips or squares
4 large organic carrots cut in rounds
4 organic celery ribs cut into thin bit size pieces
2 scallions white and green parts chopped
2T grated ginger (use micro plane)
2 garlic cloves (I used trader joes frozen cubes)
3t madras style curry powder
1t sugar
sesame oil to taste

~ bring large pot of salted water to boil over high heat and add noodles
~ cook until al dente
~ return noodles to pot
~ in warm large cast iron skillet heat 1 1/2 T oil over high heat
~ add chicken stirring often until cooked through
~ transfer chicken to plate
~ mix broth, soy sauce and sherry in a small bowl
~ add cornstarch and whisk until dissolved (set aside)
~ heat remaining 1 1/2T oil in skillet over high heat and add red pepper, carrots, celery and stir fry about 2 minutes or until softened
~ add scallions, ginger and garlic 1 minute
~ add curry and sugar 15 seconds
~ stir broth mixture and add to skillet, bring to boil
~ add chicken and cook until heated throught
~ stir in pasta
~ throw it all in a bowl and serve
~ add sesame oil to taste


*side notes - looking back I don't think I added the broth, oops.  Also unbelievable to me, I was out of thin egg noodles (like a chow mein noodle) so I used spaghetti and the noodles were too thick. 

Everyone loved the dish and hopes for leftovers were dashed when everyone had seconds.  Deemed a make again.

Planting Day and list of pesticides in fruits and vegetables

 Today we are planting seeds to start our winter garden, yeah! Seeds purchased from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company.

*cauliflower (purple of sicily)*cucumber (hmong red)*cardoon (gobbo di nizzia)*herbs (borage, cumin, thai dill, caraway, fenugreek)*squash (zucchino rampicante)*pepper (purple beauty,corno di toro giallo)*lettuce (rouge d'hiver)*radish (chinese red meat)*beans (aquadulce fava)

list from

Food News

The Full List: 49 Fruits and Veggies

from best to worst

Rank Fruit or Veggie 1 (Best) Onions 2 Avocado 3 Sweet Corn (Frozen) 4 Pineapples 5 Mango (Subtropical and Tropical) 6 Sweet Peas (Frozen) 7 Asparagus 8 Kiwi Fruit (Subtropical and Tropical) 9 Cabbage 10 Eggplant 11 Cantaloupe (Domestic) 12 Watermelon 13 Grapefruit 14 Sweet Potatoes 15 Honeydew Melon 16 Plums (Domestic) 17 Cranberries 18 Winter Squash 19 Broccoli 20 Bananas 21 Tomatoes 22 Cauliflower 23 Cucumbers (Domestic) 24 Cantaloupe (Imported) 25 Grapes (Domestic) 26 Oranges 27 Red Raspberries 28 Hot Peppers 29 Green Beans (Imported) 30 Cucumbers (Imported) 31 Summer Squash 32 Plums (Imported) 33 Pears 34 Green Beans (Domestic) 35 Carrots 36 Blueberries (Imported) 37 Lettuce
DIRTY DOZEN
38 Grapes (Imported) 39 Potatoes 40 Kale / Collard Greens 41 Cherries 42 Spinach 43 Sweet Bell Peppers 44 Nectarines 45 Blueberries (Domestic) 46 Apples 47 Strawberries 48 Peaches 49 (Worst) Celery

Save the bees don't use pesticides