Tasty Tuesday!

Tomato and Escarole Soup

   I had to do something with all the tomatoes taking up space in my refrigerator, on my counter tops, and a table in my dining room. Tomatoes will continue to produce until the first frost of the year so even though the weather is getting colder, the tomato vines are still producing and I'm always trying to find new ways to use them. I'll be talking more about food preservation in the coming weeks but this week I bring you a great soup recipe. This soup uses escarole, a leafy green similar to kale, which I have never used before so I was curious to try a new ingredient. Escarole, like most leafy greens, is really good for you and also very cheap (which is nice). This recipe also produces quite a bit of soup so make it for a small group of people or you'll be having leftovers for a while.

If you are curious as to what my house looks like overrun by tomatoes it looks a little like this.

• 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (I used about 6 medium sized)
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium bunch of escarole (chopped into bite sized pieces)
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1. You have to remove the skin from the tomatoes so bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Using a knife, cut and "x" into the bottom of each tomato (not too deep). When the water begins to boil, gently place the tomatoes into the water until the skin becomes loose and easy to remove.
2. Once the tomatoes are cool, cut them in half and gently squeeze out any excess water and seeds (you don't have to be incredibly thorough).
3. You can place the tomatoes into a blender and puree if you like but I just finely chopped the tomatoes to create a chunkier consistency.
4. In a clean pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
5. Add the chopped escarole and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. The vegetable broth will usually have salt in it so be careful. Stir the escarole once in a while and allow it to wilt and become tender.
6. Add the tomatoes, and the remaining vegetable broth. Cover and cook over low heat until all the flavors have blended.

Let the tomatoes cool after you remove the skins.

The escarole ready to be chopped

The soup is almost ready.

Take care of yourself and each other...

Tasty Tuesday! Late Edition

Spaghetti Sauce

     When life gives you tomatoes make spaghetti sauce. And recently, life has been giving me tons of tomatoes! I've made spaghetti sauce several times over the past few months and I have ended up canning all of it. I'll have plenty of tomato sauce to get me through the winter. So, this got me thinking. Why not for this week's Tasty Tuesday I make spaghetti sauce and then have a short tutorial on how to can and preserve food. If you are using fresh tomatoes like me you may want to drain some of the excess water from them (see below) so your sauce won't be too runny.

     Once colder weather comes and subsequently ends my role in the garden I planned to start blogging about food preservation anyway but I might as well start now. So, if you are looking for an easy spaghetti sauce recipe or looking for a short tutorial on canning use this recipe. Feel free to ask questions too. There is a lot to learn. Look for more posts about food preservation in the coming weeks!

1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 small carrot
About 10 tomatoes (skin removed and crushed) You can also substitute canned tomatoes.
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of fresh oregano (or 2 tablespoons of fresh)

To remove skin from tomatoes:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Drop tomatoes in a few at a time. Once the tomato skin starts to crack and loosen, remove the tomatoes and plunge into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Remove skin and place the now skinless tomatoes in a bowl. Over time, water will collect in the bottom of the bowl. Drain the water before you add the tomatoes to the sauce.

To make the sauce:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Saute until soft (about 10 minutes). Add the carrot, salt and pepper, and let cook for another 5 minutes. 
2. Add the crushed tomatoes (or canned tomatoes), bay leaves, and all the spices. Simmer for about an hour until the sauce has thickened. If you want your sauce to be a little less chunky, blend the sauce (in small batches) until you reach the desired consistency. 
3. You can eat immediately or store in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
4. If you choose to can and preserve your sauce read below.

The canning process:

1. Canning takes a little time to master but it is really easy once you learn the basics. Keeping everything clean is the key to successful canning. Do not touch any part of the jar, lids, or jar rings during the process. You may want to invest in a quality pair of kitchen tongs for this. 
2. Fill a large pot (at leaste a 5 gallon pot) with water and bring to a boil. You will need enough water to cover the jars completely. Once the water begins to boil, add your jars and lid rings to the boiling water (using tongs) and allow them to sterilize for no less than 10 minutes. Your jar lids can be placed in the boiling water too but some resources advise against this as it may affect the seal of the jar. So, instead, place the jar lids in a small pot of water that is heated on low heat if you desire.
3. After the jars have been sterilized, carefully remove them form the water, and set aside. Pour the spaghetti sauce into the jars leaving about an inch of headspace, clean any excess that may have spilled onto the threads of the jar, place the lids on the jars, followed by the jar rings, and place the jars back into the water bath to process for 40 minutes. It is recommended that you process tomatoes for no less than 40 minutes but canning other items usually takes less than 10 minutes.
4. Once the jars have been process for 40 minutes, remove them from the water bath and allow them to cool over night. The jars should have a tight seal by this point.

Placing tomatoes in a pot of boiling water will allow you to remove the skin easily.

Skinless tomatoes

Crushed tomatoes

Saute the onions and carrots.

The sauce after it has simmered for 1 hour

The water bath for canning and sterilizing

Take care of yourself and each other...

Ben and Jerry's Stands with Occupy Wall Street Protesters

     I know I said I wouldn't talk about my political beliefs here but I consider this a grey area. If you are a regular visitor to "A Beer with Brad" you may remember my blog post about my short conversation with Jerry Greenfield (co-founder of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream) regarding the current and future states of business ethics (link). Today, the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Board of Directors released a statement lending their support to the Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York and around the country. I'll let you read it here if you would like.

     Their post echos the very tenets and company mission statement that Jerry Greenfield spoke of that night so it is no surprise that they chose to release this statement.

Take care of yourself and each other... 

Tasty Tuesday!

Vegan Breakfast Burritos

     Breakfast, the best meal of the day. I have always loved breakfast for as long as I can remember. I think my love of breakfast can be attributed to it being the first meal of the day and the "anything goes" attitude of most breakfast menus. There is nothing better than going out for a large breakfast with a few friends on a Saturday morning. There is no better hangover cure than a giant, greasy breakfast platter with gallons of black coffee. In my less health conscious days I wouldn't hesitate to polish off an entire plate of runny eggs, hash browns, toast, and a country fried steak (breaded and deep fried steak, an "anything goes" breakfast item), but things have changed. I've given up fatty foods for a healthier diet but that doesn't mean my love of all things breakfast had to change as well.

     Even today I will make it a point to travel great distances in search of a terrific breakfast. I'll scour food blogs and ratings guides just to find a new place where I can gorge myself. I'll call up friends who live near and far and ask for their opinions on the best places to find breakfast. It really is an obsession.  But, I don't need help....I can stop anytime I want.....I'm fine....no big deal.

     So, this week, I give you breakfast burritos but not just any kind of breakfast burritos. Vegan breakfast burritos. I know, I know. I can almost sense the hatred radiating from across the interwebs. Trust me. I wouldn't post anything that tasted like bland garbage. I've had this recipe kicking around for quite a while so I had to give it a try. The texture was just like scrambled eggs and I honestly wasn't expecting that. I didn't know what I was expecting really but in the end I became a fan. I would be happy to serve this dish to a few of my breakfast fanatic friends. I added a little kale, beet greens, and chopped tomato to my version for color and extra nutrition. You don't have to though because the possibilities for this dish are almost limitless. So, in the mean time, have an open mind and enjoy.

Let me hear from you guys. Any breakfast junkies out there? What are your favorite places and why?

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• garlic (I used 3 cloves)
• 1 jalapeno (optional)
• 1 handful of kale, chopped
• 1 handful of beet greens, chopped
• 1 package of firm or extra firm tofu (cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of turmeric
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (optional)
• tortillas (burrito size)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and peppers and saute until soft (about 8-10 minutes). Add the garlic, jalapeno, chopped kale, and chopped beet greens. Cover until the greens are wilted and soft. Salt and pepper to taste.
2. Once the greens have wilted, add the tofu. I chose to cube my tofu but you can break the tofu up into the pan using your hands if you desire. Add the turmeric, mix well, and cover again for a few more minutes until all the ingredients are warm and tofu has broken down a little. At this point you can add a little vinegar if you choose to use it. Add the chopped tomato last.
3. Warm burritos in the microwave or in a skillet over low heat, spoon ingredients into the center of the tortilla (as mush as you want) and wrap.
4. Don't forget the Sriracha. 

So green! So good for you!

The greens after they have wilted

Almost ready to eat!

Take care of yourself and each other...

The Towson University Urban Farm Farmer's Market

Check out my recent post over at the T.U.U.F. blog regarding the first Towson University Urban Farm Farmer's Market.

Take care of yourself and each other...