This delicious and hearty salad was inspired by Cooking Light’s Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto. It makes for a great side to grilled pork chops or can stand on its own as a delicious and healthy lunch!

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Honey
Cooking Spray
2 Peaches, pitted and cut into wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
Dash of ground black pepper
Dash of sea salt
5 oz (1 box) of fresh spinach
¼ cup goat cheese to crumble on top
¼ cup sliced almonds

Directions:

• Bring vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan then turn down heat; simmer to reduce for about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in honey. Let cool to room temperature.
• Prepare grill or grill pan to high heat, coat with cooking spray.
• Place peaches on skewers and grill each side for 30 seconds. Remove from grill, set aside.
• Toss spinach with oil, salt and pepper. Top with peaches and almonds. With a spoon, drizzle salad with balsamic syrup and then top with goat cheese crumbles. Enjoy!

Last week while in San Francisco, I had the pleasure of chatting with Luke’s Local founder Luke Chappell over a delicious Blue Bottle coffee in the Ferry Building.  His recently started Bay Area based company brings fresh produce and prepared meals to commuters who frequent the Hillsdale train station and shoppers in twelve grocery stores throughout San Francisco.

It’s a simple concept yet brilliant at the same time. Basically, the five people who make up the Luke’s Local team – including chef Jessy Manuel whose resume includes stints at Quince and RN74 – make 300 prepared meals each day using local ingredients (sourced primarily from VegiWorks and Golden Gate Meat Co.) and sell them in grocery stores for $7.99.  True, it is more than some of the frozen meals out on the market, but I guarantee if you look on the back of one of Luke’s Local packages, you’ll actually recognize all of the ingredients! Plus, what you’ll find inside is far from the mushy mac n’cheese and frozen peas other prepared foods offer. The menu changes every week – including items such as salmon and brown rice salad with wild mushroom risotto – so you’re bound to get variety with what you eat…check out this week’s menu to see what I mean.  And when they aren’t preparing the meals, they run a daily pop-up produce market at the Hillsdale train station during the morning and evening commute times.

Luke told me that he started Luke’s Local in 2009 after seeing how much oil was being spent on food transportation.  He was also inspired by reading books including Michael Pollan’s, The Omnivore’s Dilemma (a personal inspiration as well!) and working on a 200-acre farm on Nantucket Island off the coast of Massachusetts. “In the process, he was able to sharpen his understanding of the importance of small local farming in today’s food supply chain,” his bio boasts.

The new company focuses on obtaining all its ingredients within “a day’s drive” and strives to give consumers a “gourmet experience” while eating on the go. At the same time, Luke said he tries to keep produce affordable for consumers by having a team member pick up fruits and veggies directly from growers rather than having it delivered and closely monitoring their inventory so produce isn’t wasted.

So next time you’re at the Hillsdale train station or find yourself in a Blue Fog Market, be sure to check out what Luke’s Local has to offer… since I’m guessing it isn’t long before you hear this company’s name start popping up all over the Bay Area food community.

As some of you probably know, when I made the leap to the East Coast not only was I getting a new apartment and new city life. I finally got to make the jump to working on food in my professional world too. So now I’m embarking on my first roadtrip a la a country-wide Farmers Market Tour (I mean seriously? This is my job?)

Throughout July and August, Epicurious will be making stops in San Francisco, Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, and New York. Epicurious editors will be in the Epicurious booth sharing market tips and recipe ideas, handing out goodies, and giving cooking demos. Plus, in support of the White House’s new initiative “Chefs Move to Schools”, local chefs in the program will join Epicurious on the market tour. Read more about it here and visit me and Epicurious’ editor-in-chief Tanya Steel at the Ferry Building between 10am and 2pm. Hope to see you there!

As if going bi-coastal wasn’t enough, Jillian and I thought it only fair to get other cities in on the action. We’ve already got two new amazing bloggers on board who start writing for us in the coming weeks and will focus on the Los Angeles and Denver local food scene –welcome Jacqueline and Erin!-  and we’re looking to expand out even further.

We feel this will give our readers a more holistic view of the United States’ local, sustainable food scene. And maybe it’s just us (hopefully not), but we find it fascinating to learn what people are eating when and where throughout the year!

So if you’re living in a city that you think would be a great fit for the blog – and have had an inner itch to blog your little heart out – let us know.  You can email us at contact@farmandafryingpan.com. We want the heart and soul of our blog to remain the same, so we’re looking for voices that echo our mission!

And as our blog grows, please give us feedback on what works and what doesn’t…we want Farm and a Frying Pan to remain an invaluable resource to the locavores in all of us. Cheers!

Did you know that pesto means paste? It’s not just limited to basil plus all of those yummy aromatic ingredients like garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil. I didn’t realize this either, until I read Mark Bittman’s recent article the NYT.

So, that means practically anything can be transformed into “pesto”. Think arugula, sun-dried tomato, spinach, and even asparagus.

Given that it takes all of five minutes to make, pesto is a great staple to keep at hand. Every time I whip up a batch of pesto, I find that I’m always opening up the fridge to sprinkle, stir or melt it into my meals throughout the week. A love to stir it into warm pasta, dollop it on grilled chicken, spread it on sandwich bread, and – yes – just sneak a spoonful straight into my mouth.

dI also find that it is a good way to use arugula or spinach that may be on it’s last leg (i.e. not crisp enough for a salad, but perfectly fine ground into a paste).

Now that I know there is a whole world of pesto awaiting me, I’m dying to try some different varieties like 101 Cookbook’s Broccoli Pesto, Local Lemon’s Asparagus Pesto, and Giada’s Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, Country Living’s Parsley-Walnut Pesto, of course there is my recipe for Arugula Pesto Potato Salad.

*Image compliments of Vegalicious.

Last week, I filled out a survey at Boudin Bakery and they sent me home with a free loaf of fresh sourdough bread! (So random, I know!) I happily ate me way through about half of the loaf until it turned stale, so I decided to turn the rest into homemade crumbs. I’ll admit, it was the first time and I made fresh bread crumbs – but certainly not the last! It is so easy and just takes three quick steps:

1. Slice the bread into 1/2″ strips and then into 1/2″ cubes. You may want to remove the crust if it is really stale and hard.

2. Chop the bread cubes in a food processor for 1-2 minutes until the crumbs are the size of small pebbles.

3. Toast them on a dry skillet for a few minutes until the crumbs are golden brown.

Use them within a few days or freeze them.

Since I have been living without sugar for a while now, I thought it would be a fun challenge to see what a crumble tastes like with my good friend, honey, instead. Turns out, delish as ever. This is a super simple dessert that uses ingredients you probably have laying around your kitchen. By the way, for those of you – like myself – who might be curious to know the difference between a crisp and a crumble, apparently in a crisp the fruit is topped with a mixture of butter, sugar, flour and nuts. A crumble is the same but has oatmeal added to the topping.

Filling
1 basket of strawberries, stems removed, halved
1 pink lady apple, cut into bite sized cubes
¼ cup agave nectar
Zest from one orange

Topping
½ cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
3 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup butter, at room temperature

Serves 4.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix the halved strawberries with the honey and orange zest in a medium bowl. Pour evenly into a shallow pie or baking dish. To prepare the topping, mix together all the dry ingredients then fold in the butter until fully incorporated. Sprinkle over the fruit mixture and bake for 30-40 minutes, until top is golden brown and fruit is bubbling.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This crumble tastes great reheated for breakfast too!

After traveling for almost a week, I was begging for fresh, homemade food the moment I walked through my front door late Sunday night. I had faced more artificially sweetened yogurt, CAFO raised meat, and highly processed snacks than I’d encountered in a long time. It’s not that I don’t see that stuff every time I enter the supermarket, it’s that I have a choice to avoid it!

At one hotel, my window’s view included a Dennys, TGI Fridays, Tony Romas, and Chilis…all on the same corner! One menu at a restaurant where I dined featured “corn fed beef, aged for 4 months” (even the iceberg wedge sounded more appealing). And the waitress looked at me like I was speaking another language when I asked if the orange juice was fresh squeezed for a Mimosa I ordered at brunch. Needless to say, anytime you leave the Bay Area and venture out to cities across America, you are reminded of just how lucky we have it in this locally-produced food mecca.

I often lament over how to eat healthy and consciously on the road. The simple answer is, you probably can’t. Plus, it would take all the fun out of a trip if you over-analyze and question every morsel you put in your mouth. So if a few high-fructose corn syrup filled cookies or a chip whose ingredient list features several words you cant pronounce make their way to your stomach, don’t sweat it.  Trips are meant for some indulgences!

I do, however, have a few tips I practice to help be prepared for my journeys and keep some food balance in my life:

• Bring your own breakfast: If I’m going on a several day trip, I make a large batch of granola and separate it into single-serving baggies. You can almost always find some milk (if not plain yogurt) for a quick, healthy breakfast option. Starting off your morning on the right foot sets the tone for the rest of the day.
• Pack fruit, snacks, and your in-flight meal: Grab fresh fruit that is sturdy so it survives the journey (think apples and oranges rather than bananas) and make your own trail mix and nut snack pack. Almonds and an apple go a long way to stave off hunger! Also, I bring a meal – anything from a Whole Foods salad to a homemade PB&J – with me during my first flight. This helps me avoid the Starbucks muffins and in-flight sammies that I might succumb to when it’s staring me in the face and I’m starving.
• Bring an empty water bottle: It’s a total pain that airport security won’t let you bring water into the terminal, but rather than paying 5 bucks for an over-priced bottle, bring your own Sigg and fill it up at the water fountain in the boarding area. You get really dehydrated when flying, so drink up!
• Ask the flight crew where they eat: If you’re stuck at the airport thanks to delays, there is nothing worse than staring at McDonald’s and Burger King and deciding which is the lesser evil. Most members of the flight crew have eaten at every place in the joint and will know your best bet, so ask for a recommendation. And if you are stuck with just fast food as your options, this site is a great resource for the “healthier” options.
• Bring something sweet: Maybe it’s just me, but the dense volume of candy, ice cream and Cinnabon rolls found in airports and on the road make my knees weak. I’ve started packing dried fruit and dark chocolate almonds so I can manage my sweet tooth while still feeling like I’ve indulged!

I’d love to hear your tips and tricks for healthy, happy traveling!! And if you’re traveling abroad, Uncornered Market has some good tips to keep in mind in order to stay healthy overseas.

I can’t wait until hump day this week. Not only is the weekend just around the corner, but I get to feast away at a Moroccan-themed potluck party! Since it’s with a few other foodie friends, I feel like I need to pull out the big guns and bring something truly authentic to the table. And that means dusting off my tagine from the top shelf of my kitchen cupboard!

A tagine (or tajine) is the name for both a dish and cooking vessel found in Morocco and other North African countries. The cooking vessel is made of two parts – a round shallow dish (sort of like a pie pan on steroids) that is topped by a conical shaped lid. The conical lid isn’t just for looks; it helps trap moisture, which then drips back down onto the food cooking in the shallow part below. As a result, tagines (I’m referring to the food now) are incredibly tender and juicy.

Traditionally, tagines are made of ceramic but you can find them in cast iron and stainless steel as well. Ceramic or terra cotta tagines are less expensive (around $25 to $30), but they break easily so take care. More durable tagines made of other materials can run over $200.

If you don’t want to spend money on a tagine, you can substitute a dutch oven in most recipes – but I promise you won’t get the same “oohs” and “ahhs” as you would with the real thing!

The supermarket provides so many yogurt options, it can make your head spin. But with those options usually comes artificial sweeteners, mushy fruit or a funky flavor that should never be disguised as yogurt (Key lime pie? Peanut butter fudge? It’s yogurt people, eat dessert if you want that!). I’m a yogurt purist and always opt for plain. I also love the thick, creamy texture of Greek yogurt but its higher price point keeps it an occasional luxury. 

Reading Barbara Kingsolver’s fabulous book Animal Vegetable Miracle first inspired me to attempt my own at-home version. And it’s really easy! Plus, you can control where the dairy comes from, create a version that has less sugar than its supermarket counterpart…and even if you don’t want to spend the time or energy on making your own yogurt on a regular basis, its one of those things that is a long, lost art everyone should try once.

1. Buy your milk (I like Clovers and opt for fat-free) and a starter yogurt. Look for a yogurt that doesn’t have additives or a lot of sugar. You only need a few tablespoons so a small jar will do.  Its very important to use FRESH milk and yogurt, so that the bacteria still has growing power.
2. Heat your milk. Using a double boiler (which prevents the milk from burning and lessens the time needed spent over the stove stirring), slowly bring your milk to 185 degrees over low heat. Stir occasionally so milk doesn’t burn on the bottom. If you don’t have a thermometer, you are looking for the milk to just start to bubble, right before it begins boiling.
3. Set your starter yogurt out on the counter, so it warms up a bit.
4. As soon as your milk hits 185 degrees or begins to bubble, take it off the heat. Let your milk cool to about 110 degrees. Again, if you don’t have a thermometer, it reaches the optimal temperature once you can put a finger in the milk without having it burn, but make sure its still warm as you don’t want it below 90 degrees.
5. In clean containers – I use Mason jars – add about two tablespoons of your starter yogurt then pour your cooled milk in the jars. Seal tightly.
6. Let your yogurt “incubate”. I usually turn my oven on for about 5 minutes at 200 degrees, turn it off, place my jars in the oven and leave them overnight. Turning on your oven light will give it just enough warmth. If you don’t have an oven light, wrap the jars tightly with several kitchen towels and let sit the in the pre-warmed oven. Let them “incubate” for about five to seven hours.
7. The yogurt is done when its a custard like consistency and has some excess liquid on top. This will result in a thinner yogurt. If you like a Greek style yogurt, strain yogurt through cheesecloth (or I use coffee filters set over a mesh strainer).  Let it strain for several hours, until it reaches desired thickness. Oftentimes I make two jars. I drain one and not the other, then mix the two.
8. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours before eating. Whey, a thin yellow liquid, will form on the top. You can pour it off or stir it in before eating your yogurt.
9. Eat it! Love it! Be proud of your homemade yogurt!
10. If you love your at-home yogurt and want to continue making it, make sure to make your next batch within a week so your current batch’s bacteria is still nice and powerful!