Tri-Market Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Over the last 8 days, I've been to 3 farmers markets in honor of National Farmers Market Week 2010.  Okay, you got me -- I'll use any excuse to hit the farmers markets.  I usually head to my local farmers market (in Newmarket, NH) on weekends, but this week I also went to Exeter on Thursday and Portsmouth today.  I love our local market, which happens to be the first town farmers market in our area that was open all winter long, but the Exeter and Portsmouth markets are much bigger and have a greater variety of produce.  I was in heaven!

I got all sorts of wonderful things and have been doing tons of cooking this week.  Tonight, using ingredients from all three farmers markets, I created these Tri-Market Stuffed Poblano Peppers.  I made mine with local sweet Italian sausage (from the Newmarket farmers market), but if you want to make this recipe vegetarian*, just make the veggies without the sausage and bulk them up with some brown rice and beans.  I'm sure I'll be making the vegetarian version soon because they were incredible!

Tri-Market Stuffed Poblano Peppers

(makes 4 peppers, 4 servings)

Here's What I Used:

• 4 poblano peppers [Portsmouth]
• 4-5 leaves dinosaur kale [Exeter]
• 1 medium sweet onion [Portsmouth]
• 8 roasted Roma tomato halves (I roasted my own tomatoes earlier in the week, but you could also use sun-dried tomatoes) [I roasted tomatoes from Newmarket & Exeter]
• 2 cloves garlic [Newmarket]
• 2 sweet Italian sausages (*see above for veggie option) [Newmarket]
• 1/2 cup sharp goat cheese ("cheddar"), crumbled [Portsmouth]
• olive oil to sautee filling

Here's What I Did:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare peppers by cutting in a "T" pattern to remove seeds.
3. Prepare filling by sauteeing onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent and browning, add crumbled sausage and continue to cook until browned, and finally add chopped tomatoes and kale and cook another minute.
4. Stuff peppers with veggie & sausage mix.
5. Add crumbled goat cheese (or sharp cheddar or manchego?) to peppers.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until peppers are browned.

Do you love your farmers market(s) like I do?  Better yet, have you been eating from your backyard garden all season?

What have you created for dinner from your local, seasonal foods? 


Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Eat Local.

How Will You Celebrate the Summer Solstice?

A Solstice Meditation for Transformation.

Good Morning!  Today is the Summer Solstice - the beginning of summer, the longest daylight of the year, the beginning of a season of active energy, growth, and maturation.

We are coming off of spring, which is a time of intentions and ideas, of cleansing and clearing out the clutter.  Whether you did it consciously, on paper, or simply in the back of your mind, during spring you probably found yourself with new ideas about what you want to change or bring into your life.  Now (summer) is the time to make those changes happen.

Whenever we arrive at another solstice or equinox, I try to celebrate in some way.  I come up with a special event or ritual to acknowledge and harness the power of the seasonal shift that is taking place.  This year, this morning, I decided to start the day with some outdoors, sunny meditation.  I walked down to the river behind my building (with Keeley the dog) and sat next to the river, facing the sun.  The sun was already blazing and it felt warm and powerful on my shoulders.  I took a few minutes to mentally gather the major ideas, intentions, and changes I've been contemplating throughout spring.  I sat there, feeling the sun on my shoulders and face, feeling the light breeze off the water, and silently repeated those intentions to myself several times.  Then I took five or ten minutes to seal those intentions by breathing.  What a rejuvenating, powerful, and seasonal way to start the day!

Here's the step-by-step on how to practice my 2010 Summer Solstice Transformation Meditation:

• Find a place that feels right (and Solsticey) to you -- ideally this will be someplace outdoors.  If you can't get outside, then at least find a comfortable spot where you can sit facing out a window.
• Take a moment to jot down (mentally or on paper) your intentions.  This could be as simple as one thing you have been hoping to change or do, or you may have a list of changes.  Either way is fine, but it may be easier to focus on one or two of the biggies.  For example, one of my intentions went something like this: I will let go of the old stories I tell myself that hold me back and make room for the new realities that move me forward. (Your intentions can be more specific than this, but for me this intention had specific meaning.)
• Review your intention, or your list of intentions, several times so that it fills you up. 
• Once you feel that your intention(s) is strong and clear, close your eyes (if they aren't already) and begin to breathe in and out through your nose.
• At first just observe your breathing.  Are your breaths short and quick or are they long and fluid?  Just observe this for a minute or two.
• Then, when you feel ready, intentionally deepen your breathing.  Breathe fully into your belly.  In fact, you may want to imagine that you are breathing in and out through your bellybutton, rather than through your nose.
• Once you feel that you're in a nice deep rhythm with your breathing, add these silent phrases to accompany your exhalations and inhalations.
• Exhale.  Say silently to yourself, "Let go of the old" (habits, patterns, behaviors, stories).
• Inhale.  And say silently to yourself, "...to make room for the new" (habits, reality).
• As you sit and breathe your intentions, feel the warmth and power of the sun on your face, on your skin.  You may want to visualize harnessing that warmth to power your transformation.
• Repeat this guided breathing for a few minutes, or for as long as you like.

Let us know how this meditation felt for you. 

Or, do you have your own Summer Solstice ritual that you can share with us?  Please do.

I hope you enjoy this Summer Solstice Meditation.  And I wish you a happy and powerful summer of action, transformation, and fruition.

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Be the Change.

June is National Iced Tea Month! -- Who Knew?

One of my loyal readers (thank you!) just informed me that June 10, 2010 is National Iced Tea Day.

When I checked it out online, I discovered that not only is today Iced Tea Day, but June is National Iced Tea Month. So, why don't you give my Hibiscus-Mint-Chamomile Iced Tea a try. I just made a batch last night -- it is so tasty and refreshing! Enjoy.

Has anyone tried the Hibiscus Iced Tea yet?

What's your favorite kind of iced tea? 

Let us know...comment below to share your own recommendations.

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Sip Well.

A Belated (Borrowed) Beltane Meditation.

I subscribe to an e-newsletter, called Nourishing the Teacher, about living on a yogic path. On Sunday, I received the latest newsletter with a story written by Anjali Budreski and Danny Arguetty. I really enjoyed reading their thoughts and wanted to share them with you. I feel that the best way to share them is simply to offer you their full story, rather than my interpretation of it. Here it is. Enjoy…

"And the day came, when the risk to remain tight in the bud, was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
-Anaiis Nin

may.2010.the choice to blossom

May 1, May Day, or Beltane as it is called in the British Isles, is a sacred cross-quarter holiday that marks the time between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. It is the time of the blossoming. Beltane is a celebration of the return of the light and green plants, abundance, blossoms, the first flowers, fertility, frivolity and sensuality. It is also a time to celebrate the return of the Sun God, Bel, signified by large bonfires lit on the hillsides in Ireland.

At this sacred holiday we each have the opportunity to reflect on what is ripe to blossom and unfurl in the rich, warm soil of our souls. We can choose to stay tight in the bud, or we can choose to bravely begin exploring, pushing and opening toward the warm light of spring. The choice is really ours so there is no judgment around our own ability to blossom. It is important to recognize that most of us, all the time, are in various stages of blossoming, just like the spring ephemerals in the forest. This compassionate approach to opening is how we might approach a delicate new wildflower in the woods. Patiently we wait, through days of sun and cold, only to go out one day and see that our favorite flower is in full bloom. We offer gratitude and appreciation, but we could not have forced this unfolding. There is a mystery to divine timing, and we can only assist things through self-inquiry, patience, and faith in others and ourselves.

The time of the bud holds such beauty and promise, but at some point, the bud needs an inner impulse to reveal more of what is inside. The other day, as I was hiking up my favorite mountain path, I felt deeply awed and touched by each flower's willingness to open, despite the fact that it had been a really cold night the night before and that a late spring snowstorm was in the forecast (not uncommon in Vermont). I feel this same awe and appreciation when someone I love demonstrates courage and takes the risk to reveal more of their authentic selves. This might come in the form of sharing their truth, even if it’s painful, a change of life’s direction even at the risk of other’s not understanding, or showing a part of themselves that is wanting to be seen and to ‘come out’ into the light of day like a new hobby, passion or pursuit. What the flowers taught me, and as Anaiis Nin points out, is that there is inherent risk in the blossoming. The flower can’t go back into the bud once it has opened. It is undefended and unprotected, yet for that short time that it is blooming, it offers as a gift its outrageous beauty, sweetness, and intoxication. Invite the blossoms of spring to inspire you to open up to more of who you are. And, if you are anything like me and the courageous little flowers, you might just find that it’s worth the risk.

Joy!

Anjali Budreski (& Danny)

How will you choose to blossom this spring?  What, for you, is worth the risk?

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Be Authentic.

Happy Mothers' Day!

Do you like to give flowers for Mothers’ Day? Well, consider a new way share flowers with the people in your life. It’s always nice to have a centerpiece of flowers on the table, but don’t stop there. Why not add flowers to your meals as well? You can garnish (but eat your garnish!) with violets, dandelions, or chrysanthemums, or you can stuff squash flowers as part of your meal. The other day I added blue violet flowers to my salad and topped it with avocado dressing. It was tasty and beautiful, and nutritious --- violets are a great source of Vitamin C.

I encourage you to start cooking with flowers because many are very nutritious and make for wonderful presentation, but it’s important to realize that not all flowers are edible. Be sure that any flowers you intend to eat are safe and pesticide free (not from a nursery, but from your garden or purchased as edible flowers). Rather than include all those details here, I’ll advise you to check up on your favorite flowers before nibbling. Check here for some good, concise information on edible flowers Dos & Don’ts.

Do you toss aside the flower garnish at restaurants? Or are you someone who already cooks with flowers? If so, which kinds of flowers do you use, and how?

By the way, I saw an ad the other day for edible flowers bouquets, so if you forgot to send that Mothers’ Day or Birthday present (or just want to send another), ask your local florists about edible flowers options.

Eat Well. Live Well. Be Well.

Happy International Herb Day!

Today is International Herb Day.  I just got back from the Herb Day celebration at The Herbal Path in Dover, NH.  There were tasty dishes to try, fun giveaways, and free 10-minute massages, reflexology, and reiki.  If you live in the area, go check out The Herbal Path at the Dover or Portsmouth locations.

I'm told that dill is the 2010 herb of the year.  So, consider experimenting by adding some dill to your meals this year.  Dill is great with fish (mmmnnn...salmon with lemon and dill), eggs, potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, millet, and cukes (think pickles!), and check out those beautiful flowers... 

In addition to adding great flavor to your meals, the dill plant also has a number of known energetic and healing properties, including the following:

• Dill leaves can be a mild stimulant.
• Eating cooked dill regularly has been shown to aid digestion and prevent constipation.
• Adding 1-2 tsp of a decoction (essentially, make a tea) of fresh dill leaves to your baby’s food can help prevent digestive disorders and encourage restful sleep.
• Regular ingestion of dill by nursing mothers has also been shown to increase breast milk production.
• An infusion of dill seeds mixed with honey (3x/daily) can ease the symptoms of colds, flu, and bronchitis.
• Chewing dill seeds can cure bad breath

What is your favorite use for dill?

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Eat Dill!

Happy Earth Day!

Today is the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. What a great day to set some new intentions about food and exercise. Maybe you can make personal committments to get outside to exercise and enjoy the warmer weather and to purchase local, sustainable, and seasonal foods as much as possible. Or maybe you'd like to take actions towards creating that backyard garden you've been thinking about? However you choose to honor yourself and the environment today, have a Happy Earth Day!

Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.