Garden 2017

With a LED grow light, tomatoes were started indoor several weeks ago with good results. Now set out into the warm sunshine outdoors. Seeds started in Grodan Rock wool grow plugs and placed into the lava rock net pots. A small heating pad was used. Some buds already forming.

Already the need for trellising.

5 sites for tomato and one for greens, at right. Tomatoes are a mix of  Burpee and High Mowing Organic small container sized tomatoes, same as last year.

The PVC pipe constructed tomato tower. Better than the rigging I had in the past. Let’s see if they get to the top , 7 ft height.

Setup is hydroponic DWC , 6 site. Easy to tend to , no watering or weeding required (just the mixing of nutrients and changing periodically).

The small 12 site NFT system also in the works for greens under construction.

Eggplant calzoné

Sliced, salted and drained eggplant , with a simple tomato sauce with oregano and garlic. Add some mozzarella and a sprinkling of parmesean. Wrapped in the tipoOO flour based dough. 

The eggplant  was fried in olive oil, till browned slightly.

Ready!

Sorry didn’t get any pictures of filling when done, too delicious, they disappeared !!

But wait! Extra dough left over for supper the next night……

Chicken three cheese pizza, 1/2 chicken , 1/2 sauce and cheese. Parm, mozzarella,Romano.

stuffed eggplant

Eggplant is one if those ingredients that can replaced meat or augment it. Usually I prepare one type of eggplant recipe most often, sliced , breaded, and fried, or baked. That  method requires preparation. If you follow the salt and drain routine to remove the moisture from the eggplant this is  more prep time. Occasionally viewing cooking shows on TV gave me the idea to change the routine breaded eggplant recipe.

Stuffed eggplant seemed like a straight forward recipe, remove the eggplant interior  from the eggplant, once sliced in half lengthwise, and return it to the shells after being cooked and mixed with stuffing components and baked.

 

A quick search for Lydia’s stuffed eggplant recipe gave me the starting point for the recipe. Ground chicken thighs would replace the ground beef.  Also I would being using one rather large eggplant.

No breadcrumbs were available so stubborn me, resisting the quick trip to the market to get some, made a quick biscuit recipe. Then when done, further baked  at a low heat to dry it out some what. Finally this was cut to resemble cubes of bread. This biscuit was in the form of one large round biscuit , the dough being pressed into a large diameter cake pan which fit in the microwave/convection oven.

Time wise the stuffing had be be cooled when completed so there was sufficient time to prepare the cubed bread substitute. 

 

The ground chicken was cooked and then added some rice wine, another substitution as I don’t usually have white wine available as an Italian kitchen would. No green bell pepper available either.The Parmesan cheese only measured about 1/2 cup. Now the recipe was coming together, this was along the lines of a meat stuffing one would prepare for a turkey for example.

Didn’t get any pictures when this was done from the oven but the result did remind me of a stuffing for poultry with a filling meatloaf like texture, the biscuit substitute actually better than bread due to the fact it was denser. Cherry tomatoes (we are fortunate to have a small amount of hydroponic cherry tomatoes available, more on that endeavor to be posted) also rounded out the stuffing and thyme instead of parsley, perhaps that accented the the poultry flavor with the ground chicken thighs.

All in all a good meal and as I am partial to cold meatloaf sandwiches, this meal was better the next day un-reheated.

I’m going to rework this recipe as far as the stuffing combination, rice will be used instead of the bread and it most likely will have a more spicy flair.

http://createtv.com/recipe/meat+stuffed+eggplant

 

 

 

Summer 2016

Now that the hot weather is upon us, menus have switched to meals requiring less heat indoors for preparation, except for late hour bread baking.

Here just a few meals via photos

grilled meal

rice and veggie

bread still bakes during the hot summer

simple greens

BBQ pizza

risotto with greens

take out salad

small breakfast

chicken and greens salad

hydroponics greens

Couscous and leeks

couscous, salad , topped with grated cheese

take out roasted veggies

Saturday AM

One egg omelettes served this morning. 

One , Egg , a bit of milk, sweet onion, garlic, tat soi, kale, cheese, mushrooms. Side of orange.

One just sweet onion.

Coffee is a blend of Mexican and Columbian , roasted together , very good considering it was roasted just before brewing.

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What’s on your plate today ?

Friday Night Meal

No,  not breakfast,

Bread slices with egg , sausages and cheese, broiled.

Greens dressed with balsamic , oil and garlic.

# 60 Golden Ale

dessert : Diane’s Sour Cream Pound Cake

One net pot harvest from the hydroponic DWC

(Vignette effect is from the IPad case not aligned with lens)

Centimetre scale

Chicken n’ rice soup

Prepare rice, as much as needed for your amount of soup and reserve.

Utilizing veggies, dice small , in this soup , onion, peppers; green, orange and red. Carrot,  celery and small amount of garlic. In a small amount of olive oil , better yet chicken fat or a combination of both sauté the diced veggies.  Add chicken stock, another household members poaches chicken breasts and reserves the stock for me. Also the trimmed chicken tenders from the breast are reserved for the soup. 

Add water or additional stock to bring the soup up to quantity desired figuring the additional rice to be added.

To round out soup I added about 1/4 cup Bob’s Red Mill  soup mix. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper and other spices to your palate. (A dash of curry, cumin, hot pepper, etc.)

Add the chicken meat diced, and greens, I was fortunate to have kale, Tat soi, and brocolli leafs.  

 Simmer slowly, I prefer to have the rice added to the bowl when served rather than mix into the soup. 

Garnish with grated Romano. 

  
Accompanies a cold damp night. A side of toast or croutons perhaps?