Kale Update

Well...after Sunday one bunch of kale was polished off, and I am quickly and surely making my way through the second bunch of kale.  Let me tell you that it seems I will continue to be stocking up on kale weekly.  It's just as good raw as steamed or sauteed, and shichimi togirashi (Japanese seven-spice) works really well with both kale and zucchini.  I find that the intensity and texture of the kale compliments the watery mushiness of steamed zucchini.

Pumpkin Market

With my friend in tow for a day of adventure, I decided this past weekend that it was the perfect opportunity to test out Pumpkin Market, from which I had been receiving non-stop tweets about awesome local produce and organic products but have been unable to explore.  Well...their french pressed coffee was absolutely fantastic.  I got the Tanzania Peaberry, and it had the bold yet bright flavors I have come to expect from good, well-brewed African coffees without too much of a citrusy note like a Kenya or a Sidamo from Starbucks might contain.  Don't get me wrong; I love Starbucks' coffee, but I am more of a dirt-Sumatra and muddy, earthy Komodo dragon sort of person.  The clerk was absolutely wonderful to chat with about the coffees, smoothies (which my friend ordered and adored) and the gigantic vegan cookies, which we had to buy for some post-dinner savoring.  I recommend if you are in Philadelphia around south street, or not, that you come check it out.  It not only has amazingly fresh and fairly-traded beverages and foods made with love, but also fresh produce more likely to be labeled local than not local as only a few things (bananas and lemons for instance) are.  In the fall spirit, since it is my favorite season, I purchased a locally-produced and jarred pumpkin butter with the name of the family involved in its production as well as the farm clearly stated on the label.  I love this city!

Lovely autumnal facade, no?

Last Night's Adventure

Yesterday I had the pleasure of not only hosting but cooking for a good friend visiting on her weekend off from academia.  I made stuffed acorn squash, since i had them and all the ingredients on hand from having made the stuffed peppers, so there is no real need for a new recipe post.  I used kidney beans as opposed to black beans and added the goodness of kale which I had purchased from the farmers' market that morning.

Funny story actually...I picked up a bunch of kale which looked small sitting next to all of the other loosely bound greens, so I decided to purchase a second bunch as well.  It doesn't all fit in the fridge back in the dorm.  Therefore, I resorted to putting a bunch of it on top of the microwave for snacking.  Note that the bunch you see on top is a result of having used quite a bit of it for dinner yesterday evening.  Once you unbind a bunch of kale...it really gets a lot bigger.  Just remember that!

My First Attempt at Collegiate Cuisine

This opportunity came to be via the Penn Vegetarian Society deciding that a veg-love potluck was in order for last night's meeting along with riveting discussions and movie-watching.  I was a little hesitant at first never having "cooked" in the college environment and a little fearful of the sketchy kitchen two floors below my room with a countertop version of a convection oven supplementing a perfectly good oven as part of the stove unit.  I was not sure what to expect.  Having raided the free fruits and veggies given as part of the "Eat Local Challenge" day on Tuesday, I was prepared with all sorts of bell peppers, and my apple stock returned to an acceptable level for possibly the rest of the week!