Cheese Frittata

This recipe is so quick and easy you can have it on the table very fast but it is still versatile enough to add extras and change it completely by different herbs or cheeses, adding a chutney to serve or as a main with veggies or green salad.

If you have more people then add more to your frittata and serve with vegetable dishes  and salads to extend it.

To serve 2

• Beat or whisk 4  large eggs or 6 small bantam eggs (organic or free range best)
• Heat olive oil (about 2 tablespoons, more or less according to size your your pan, heavy based pan best so it will not burn.
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Pour into hot pan
• When Frittata is set on the base add sliced cheese, sprinkle herbs
• Set under the grill to puff up and brown

We like this served with a peach chutney, or  tangy Tamarillo  or  Tomato salsa, crisp French Baguette  and a green salad

I use a Magic Bullet to quickly whisk it up and have it cooking in minutes

Extras to add to expand the recipe or make it a more satisfying meal

Cooked potato, pumpkin, beans, peas, celery, mushrooms, egg plant, zucchini and practically anything else you may have on hand or in the garden.

Serve with baked potato crisps and a glass of your favourite wine

Quick Hummus Recipe for 1 1/2 cups of Dip

• 1 can chick peas
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika – optional
• 1 clove garlic  minced or chopped finely if not using a processor

Combine all ingredients and blitz in a blender or food process until smooth or the consistency you desire.  Serve with Pita Bread, crackers, on pizza as a base, corn chips

Chilli Sauce is a great addition

I made Western, shuddering noises from my home whilst I watched our chickens scratching in the garden.  They are pets too.

His response was fast coming.  You eat chicken though he said,  you are supporting the very industry that keeps chickens caged  in cramped conditions, with no quality of life to end up on a conveyor belt in terror, knowing their turn and their end is coming soon and not being able to do anything about it.    Wouldn’t you rather eat a fresh bird that has led a happy life,  free to roam and scratch at will and when it has to end that end comes quickly, at its own home and it will know nothing about it.

This is how  the conversation went :

Son:  thats where chickens come from you know

Me:   Yes, I know but,  ohhhhahahahhhh  nooooooo

Son:  not wrapped in  plastic out of the fridge :-0

me:   ours just smile and eat

Son :  Dont be so Western   –  they have a great life   not stuck in a battery coop being fed antibiotics until they get their heads cut off watching their mates on a conveyor belt

He’s right.

We do need to know where our food has come from, how it is farmed, how it reaches us, how fresh it is, what is in it, how far has it come, how is it kept fresh until we eat it, how many additives are in it , how many chemicals ?

This raises a zillion questions:

• What is food ?
• What is not  ?
• Is food cultural ?
• Why do some cultures find some dishes delicious and others scorn them ?
• Why are  some forms of life sacred to some cultures and edible to others ?
• How do we know our food source is produced humanely ?
• How do we know it is killed humanely ?
• If we want fresh do we need to look at producing more  of it ourselves ?

Does this mean we need to keep a few Goats and a Water Buffalo in the back garden in case we fancy a steak or two and want to be sure of the food source ?   Should we learn how to kill our own food ?  If we all had to kill our food, then a lot of us probably would  be vegetarians.

Perhaps the Buffalo example is a teensy bit extreme !

We can all watch what we buy, look for organic, farm produced produce,  grow more of our food,  even sprouts are a start and micro and salad greens can be grown in containers in even  the smallest apartment and provide a healthy boost to everyday food.

Chicken ?   I’m still thinking on that one ………..

Would he eat his cat ? I think not.

Green hens eggs from an Aracana Hen are quite varied in color – they lay blue and green eggs and bluish green depending if they are crossed with another variety and are said to have lower cholesterol.  Inside they are similar  to normal hens eggs but the ultimate in novelty factor !  Eggshell color is determined by  pigments when eggs are being formed, everyone knows the white and brown eggs but blue and green eggs are a bit of a rarity.

In the case of an Aracana hen the  pigment called oocyanin is responsible for the green-ish blue color and is a product of bile formation.

A very rough guide to egg color in cross breeds :

Blue X Blue                                              = Blue
Blue X White   (eg, Leghorn)                     = Blue
Blue X Brown                                          = Green
Blue X Dark Brown                                   = Olive Brown

Emma Peel, Chief Executive of Egg Production

Fresh Organic Produce - the life force of your body

This is Emma Peel,  chief exective of Egg Production !! Regular as clockwork she delivers a completely balanced meal completely enclosed in its individual hygienic case.  Things that are good for you have simple names, they are not shrink wrapped, dosed in additives and sprayed with chemical concoctions.  They arrive without ornate packaging, without expensive advertising if you discount the proud cacklings of the hens as they announce their most recent achievement in the form of an egg !

Consider for a moment how  Emma Peel, would have spent her days,  trapped  in a small cage the size of an A4 sheet of paper had  she had been raised in the Poultry industry,without  access to sunlight, fresh air and unable to scratch around or forage and do what hens do.  I invite you to consider this when you purchase eggs next time  and ask yourself is there really any comparison between  fresh organic eggs and mass produced poultry industry ones ?

Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook

Yes, fresh is best, local markets, farmers markets and simple food, preferably collected or  dug up right in front of your eyes is the sustainable way to go.   How much will a packet of Cheezels will enhance your life force  ?

How far will Chicken Nuggets sustain you ?  How much energy will a hamburger provide and more importantly, how much of a taste sensation will some woolly, cardboard tasting snack give you ?

Healthy Urban Kitchen Cookbook

Yep, things that are good for you do have simple names, like eggs, fruit, milk, vegetables and yes, even carrot – how simple is that ? I have a “recipe” for you today, take one carrot, pull it from the ground, eat it, that’s it !    I bet you it will be the sweetest carrot you have ever eaten !

Carrot and Raisin Salad

• 2 large grated carrots
• Large handful of raisins
• 2 Tablespoons olive or salad oil
• orange juice or lemon juice from one fruit
• pineapple pieces ( fresh if possible)

Gently stir the whole lot together

Serve garnished with coriander, chives, parsley or what ever herbs take your fancy.

Consider the Lilies ...

Beautiful, symbolic, photogenic but could they be food ?

Check out the latest ideas on Chef-a-G0-Go’s blog here

Consider the Lilies ...

The beautiful Lotus is a multi purpose and sustainable  food source that is very versatile, from lily seeds to Lotus root there are more ways to serve it up than you can poke a Lily stem at.

Monk Style Mixed Veggies – Vegan

This recipe is a wee bit longer than usual but well worth it so give it a go

• 50gr/2 0z dried tofu sticks
• 115gr/4 oz fresh lotus root – or 50 gr/2 oz   dried lotus root
• 10gr/1/4 oz  dried wood ears
• 8 Dried Chinese mushrooms
• 15 ml or 1Tablespoon veg oil
• 75 gr/ 3 oz  canned straw mushrooms ( just use what mushrooms you can find-  button mushrooms  are OK – don’t stress which ones )
• 115 gr/ 3 oz  baby corm
• 30 mls 2 TBS light soy sauce  ( I use Tamari)
• 15 ml/1 TBS dry sherry
• 10 ml/2 tsp  caster sugar
• 150 ml   or 2/3 cup vegetable stock
• 75 gr snow peas (mangetouts, trimmed and halved)
• 5 ml/ 1 tsp cornflour
• 15 ml/1 TBS water

To Prepare and Make

• Soak Tofu sticks, dried lotus root, for one hour ( no need if fresh)
• Soak Wood ears & other dried mushroom in separate bowl as they only take 15 mins
• Drain both well
• Heat oil, stir fry wood ears, chines mushrooms and Lotus for about 30 seconds – don’t overcook
• Add tofu, straw mushrooms ( or button mushrooms) baby corn, soy sauce, sherry, castor sugar and stock
• Bring to the boil, cover, lower heat and simmer about 20 mins
• Stir through the snow peas, cook uncovered 2 mins
• Mix cornflour to a paste with water and add
• Cook until thickens and serve

I quite like to mix and change this around to suit what is available as we prefer what is in season and what is on hand and you can experiment with other ingredients.  This is also great with lily buds either instead of Lotus root in as well.

Love Good Food  ?  More Vegan Recipes

If you have never tried Lotus root I invite you to give it a try. Go on, extend your taste buds, but I am assuming you haven’t already tried it aren’t I  ?

Check out the latest ideas on Chef-a-G0-Go’s blog here

Link to More Lotus Seed Ideas here

Take a look at this site about insects and protein – I found it fascinating.  It has all the elements of healthy eating, its a snack food, a quick healthy meal, finger food, could be a salad with extras but is not vegan I guess with six times more protein than  fish and beef and its quick and easy to prepare.

Insect Cuisine

Yep, insect cuisine !   Problem from our Western perspective would be getting our heads around the whole thing but its green, it rids the planet of insect “pests” and could be pretty sustainable, its not over processed, no additives, emulsifiers or additives and could be as instant as you like !   There is a steady supply, they are inexpensive and found everywhere.

What is it   ?  Take a look here and find out …

.http://chef-a-gogo.blogspot.com/2010/06/bonus-for-cricket-fans-insect-cuisine.html

In a mortar, pound coriander, lemon grass, ginger and garlic to a paste.
Heat the oil, stir in paste and add coconut milk.
Stir briefly then add potatoes, soy sauce, sugar, salt and curry.
Bring to the boil and add vegetable stock. Add onions and simmer until cooked.
This is a really scrummy curry and can be adjusted to your personal taste.
The recipe looks longer than it takes to prepare and is a dish you can fling on and sit back relaxing while it cooks and will be sure to be a favorite in your household.