Posts Tagged ‘organic’

Hi guys! Last night I made the most incredible blue cheese burgers on the grill, but of course, forgot to take a picture of them!!!

Let me start off saying that I am usually not the biggest fan of blue cheese, I only like it in SMALL amounts. However, I thought I would give these a try and they were to die for! That being said, I will most likely make them again before the summer is over and remember to take a picture for you guys!

I found this recipe in the August edition of Better Homes and Garden magazine. The recipe was actually for meatballs, but I turned it into burgers instead!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb beef (organic, grass-fed preferably)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp red wine
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 4 buns (I used Trader Joe’s pretzel rolls!)
• Whatever burger extra fixings you prefer

In large bowl combine garlic, parsley, wine, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add beef and mix with hands until well combined. Carefully mix in the blue cheese and form into 4 burger patties. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before grilling.

I served mine with some corn on the cob, grilled zucchini, and fresh fruit. These burgers were so flavorful all by themselves that I totally forgot to put ketchup on mine! You HAVE to try these, they are YUMMY! I love summer grillin!

Enjoy this post? Share it with your Facebook friends!

Today I challenged myself to buy local food during my trip to Whole Foods! While not everything is from Illinois, I allowed my self a one-state-away radius.

Here is what I came home with:

Kilgus Farmstead Skim Milk (Fairbury, IL) – At Kilgus Farmstead, milk is produced all-natural, without added rBST, in small batches and delivered at the peak of freshness. Kilgus Farmstead is Central Illinois’ only farmstead milk bottling creamery. Kilgus sells All-Jersey Creamline milk including whole milk, two percent milk, skim milk, half and half and heavy cream.

Traders Point Creamery Wildberry Yogurt (Zionsville, IN) – The happy and healthy herd at Traders Point Creamery produce organic, 100% grass-fed milk high in the proteins and naturally occurring healthy fats like omega 3 fatty acids. The products are made without preservatives, additional coloring or flavoring.

Milk & Honey Cinnamon Raisin Granola (Chicago, IL) Milk & Honey Granola was first produced in spring of 2002 when Milk & Honey Cafe opened in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood.  Milk & Honey Granola is made from all natural ingredients with no preservatives and no trans-fat.  It is made of whole grain oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, almonds and dried cherries combined with hints of coconut, honey and brown sugar and is naturally high in fiber and antioxidants.

Farmers’ All Natural Creamery Organic Authentic Low Fat Cottage Cheese (Kalona, IA) – Farmers’ All Natural Creamery is a full-line, organic dairy processing plant owned and operated by Amish and Mennonites that started in 2004. All of their products are minimally processed and come straight from Midwest family farms surrounding the Creamery. Their purpose is to maintain high quality dairy products, so that every nutrient is left in as natural a condition as possible.

DCI Cheese Co. Great Midwest Habanero Jack Cheese (Richfield, WI) – Nestled in the heart of America’s Dairyland for more than 30 years, the Richfield, Wisconsin-based DCI Cheese Company is committed to supplying their customers with the highest quality, handcrafted, domestic and imported cheeses.

Some may argue that buying local food is more expensive then conventional. I bought 1/2 gallon of milk, a 30 oz bottle of yogurt (about 5 servings), 1 lb of granola, a 16 oz container of cottage cheese and an 8 oz wheel of cheese for $25. You be the judge, but extraordinary flavor, great nutritional value, and the opportunity to support local farmers is well worth the price for me!

Enjoy this post? Share it with your Facebook friends!

As spring grows near, I wanted to start my very first windowsill herb garden!

I have never grown my own herbs and can barely keep my one inside plant alive, so this will surely be a challenge. Luckily the gardener at Whole Foods gave me some great tips to get me started. I can’t wait to have beautiful fresh herbs to cook with once summer arrives!

I planted a variety of herbs including rosemary, cilantro, parsley, basil, and oregano.

I planted the seeds in Coast of Maine soil which is an organic compost based soil.

I planted the seeds according to instruction in a long windowsill planter in a window that faces east. I watered the seeds by filling the bottom tray with water so that they can slowly soak up the water as needed. Doing it this way prevents disrupting the newly planted seeds, which would occur if you pour water on top of the soil.

I covered the pot with plastic wrap to hold in moisture. Once the seeds sprout (hopefully they will!) I can remove the plastic wrap and start watering the plants from the top.

Any tips on growing an indoor herb garden would be greatly appreciated! Wish me luck!

Enjoy this post? Share it with your Facebook friends!

TGIF! And what better way to start out a Friday then a trip to the farmer’s market!

At this weeks UIC farmer’s market I bought a green bell pepper, an onion, a tomato, green beans, and bartlett pears!

I also could not pass up a cute little stand selling vegan muffins. I ended up buying a Masala Chai vegan muffin, which included a delicious mixture of Indian spices and herbs. It ended up being the PERFECT fall breakfast — it was so moist, spicy, and flavorful!

I am off to the gym, an American Dietetics Association seminar, and then some shopping downtown!

Happy Friday everyone!Enjoy this post? Share it with your Facebook friends!

Dinner tonight was leftovers from last week.

Pasta with sundried tomatoes, olive oil, and parmesean cheese.

And of course one of my newly puchased farmer’s market nectarines for dessert!
Hope everyone survived Monday!Enjoy this post? Share it with your Facebook friends!