Farm to Table

In honor of Earth Day, I thought it would be fun to have a Farm to Table Party this weekend. Basically everything that was served came from local farms, or brought in from farms not far away. The menu was subject to the items I could get my hands on. Fortunately, lots of good items in abundance:

Menu - Elk and Venison Tacos (Thanks to Kristen and Leigh for Venison from Wimberly and Elk from outside of Waco) with grilled peppers and onions,

2 day soaked fat free refried beans (totally reminded me of food that my grandmother and mother prepared growing up...a favorite from Laredo)

tomatoes, salsa verde and fire-roasted salsa,

white and yellow corn tortillas

farm fresh strawberries

and, yes, mini-"poptarts"

Oh, yeah, some lovely local beer and wonderful gifts of local biodynamic and organic wine

The weather was perfect, and eating this goodness was a true Saturday night treat. It was wonderful to spend time with friends!

To top it off, the leftovers made beautiful taco salads last night! What a great way to end the weekend. YUM!!

Creative juices are flowing this week. The farm is calling, so let's see what I can come up with next??

Salad

Anyone who knows me, even a little, knows just how much I LOVE salad!

Luisa brought Paul a huge container of Lobster Bisque from Carmelos, and I thought it best to offer up a light side to the creamy creation.

I got some wild salmon and coated it with fresh herbs. I, then, baked it in parchment and crumbled it on top of a salad filled with fresh veggies. Yum!

I didn't take a picture, but sent Paul with roasted chicken pasta made with tomato, spinach, and wheat fusili. My friend, and her excitement for a post-race Whole Foods visit, reminded me of just how fortunate we are to have so many great places to shop at our fingertips.

An important finale to this post is that JT ate a STRAWBERRY while on the phone with me the other night!!! Katie was there for confirmation. So proud :)

Easter Feast and Lots of Pics

I had so much fun coming up with our Easter Feast: Eggplant Lasagna, Foccacia Bread, salad with orange and yellow tomatoes, and homemade "pop-tarts." YUM!!

The lasagna consisted of slivered eggplant instead of pasta noodles and their meaty flavor was an incredible replacement. Then layers of fresh spinach and venison sauce (thank you Kristen). don't know what made me think of replacing the noodles with the eggplant, but this will definitely go into the rotation.

The very fun highlight of the meal were the "pop-tarts." I saw the recipe in Bon Appetit, and it called for 1 teaspoon of sugar. I thought I could definitely leave it out and then all of a sudden it would be a dessert I could eat!!! And, then, instead of jam or preserves in the middle I just pureed fresh strawberries. The "whipped cream" was just greek yogurt! All went just beautifully with the wine I got in Dry Creek, CA.

The only misstep on the meal was heading to the grocery on my way home from Smithville on Saturday. I definitely don't recommend hitting the grocery the day before Easter when you have only had about 30 minutes of sleep.

So much to share:

JT has really stepped up his eating. It is just so exciting to be part of. What is even more than the changes are the wonderful results he is feeling! Keep it up!!!

Jamie sent me a pic of her pre-race meal in PA! Check out this 14:58 meal :) Now that's what I am talking about.

And, finally, check out Kristen's healthy meal!! This is her version on my onion rings. I love it!

Have a great week, and enjoy all of the springtime goodies!!

Bon Appetit!

mer