My Vintage Cookware

The weather is warming, but we still have a lot of winter vegetables on our hands! The spirit of spring did come alive in me this week though...I saw Canadian rhubarb at the grocery store!

I received my new delivery from Mama Earth Organics – A company devoted to being part of a sustainable food system, by providing the freshest and best tasting organic fruits and vegetables, with a local-first focus.

Sign up for MEO has been the simplest yet! It can all be done online – not even a confirmation phone call...my kind of business! MEO offers delivery weekly or biweekly, and there’s the option to completely customize the box for an additional $2 per delivery – I used this option on my first delivery to avoid adding another bag of carrots and potatoes to the pile I’ve already got. Payment can be made with credit card, cheque or cash, and there is a $10 sign up fee (non-refundable – recall FDO also had a $10 deposit for the use of the box  It was returned to me when I cancelled the service and returned the box).

As with FDO, you get an email the Friday prior to your delivery week updating you on the content of the following week’s box – My delivery is on Tuesdays, giving me plenty of time to customize should I feel the need. Customization is done by logging on to your account, and pointing and clicking the choices you want to cancel – a list of the items available to customize your order automatically populates; it couldn’t be simpler.

Box options and prices include:

vegetable basket $25 & $35 (small and regular)
fruit basket $25 & $35 (small and regular)

small, regular, large, and family baskets $25, $35, $45, $55

an additional $2 for unlimited customization option

I went with the regular basket, which I am to receive biweekly. These prices are on par with FDO, and the services they offer are very similar. MEO also offers additional, non-produce grocery items, which can be added to your order online – there is a great selection of ON jams, spreads, honey, juice, ciders, cheeses, and nut butters...neat!

The quality of the produce that came with the first delivery was excellent! Interesting additions include miniature blood oranges (juicy and sweet!), and some fun elongated beets (picture small red yams).

I haven’t made anything exciting with this box’s content just yet, but I do have a couple of yummy meals to share that I made before I got this delivery.

First, Roasted Kobacha Squash Risotto with leek and shrimp

This squash was left over from my final FDO delivery. Look at how much there was! Once roasted (it took me FOREVER to prep it, and my pipes were sore then next day!), it was pleasantly sweet – I would say the flavour is a mixture of butternut squash and pumpkin.

The risotto was a standard risotto recipe (minus wine – didn’t have any):

1 cup Arborio rice
1-2 Tbsp evoo
1-2 cloves garlic
1 leek sliced (FDO – I sliced and froze one of my leftover leeks before we went on vacation)
4 cups chicken stock (I used campbell’s low sodium – but homemade is infinitely better)
½ - ¾ cup grated parmesan
roasted kobacha squash – however much you want to put in – I used about 1/3 of the squash
1 lb Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
s&p to taste

Directions:

1. Heat EVOO over med heat
2. Add leek and garlic, and sautee until translucent
3. Add rice, sautee for a minute or so, all the rice grains should get a coat of oil
4. On a separate burner, heat 4 cups of chicken stock over a very low heat (this is done so when you add your stock to the risotto, it doesn’t stop the cooking process)
5. Reduce heat of rice pot to med-low
6. Add 1 ladle-full of heated stock to the rice at a time – stirring constantly until most of the stock is absorbed – continue doing this for 20-30 minutes. At the 20 minute mark, start taste testing the risotto – it’s done when it’s tender with a slight ‘bite’.
7. When you think the risotto is ‘almost done’ – add your shrimp – the shrimp will only need 2-3 minutes to cook. If you’re not sure when to add the shrimp, you could always cook it separately (bake, fry whatever) and serve it on top of the risotto.
8. Add squash and stir
9. Add stock and stir to desired consistency - the risotto should still flow like a really thick soup.
10. Removed from heat, add parmesan and serve immediately. Risotto is not a great re-heatable dish – it’s best served right away!

Annndd... the squash was a really yummy addition – sweet and earthy. I wish I would’ve had something green to add to freshen it up – arugula or spinach would’ve work well. You can’t go wrong with risotto though, it’s one of my go-to dishes for company. I haven’t met a soul that doesn’t like it!

Next we have a nostalgia flavoured dish – a regular visitor to my childhood dinner table – Sloppy Joes! Homemade ones though – My hardworking mother took advantage of a lot of the new convenience foods available in the 80s – one of them being Manwich!! These Sloppy Joes will take you right back to the glory of childhood Manwich night! (Thanks to Jasmine for the killer recipe)

Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

2 lbs extra lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 ¼ cups ketchup (yes, you read right!)
1/3 cup water
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp yellow mustard
3 Tbsp white vinegar
3 Tbsp Worchestershire sauce
1 Tbsp of chilli powder
¼ - ½ tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

1. In a large skillet cook ground beef, onion, garlic, until meat is browned. Drain off any excess fat.
2. To your slow cooker, add... EVERYTHING and stir.
3. Cook on low for at least 6 hours, mine cooked for almost 12 before I ate it
4. Serve over buns – mine were multigrain loblaws bakery buns, look for something hearty!

These were sooo good. THIS is comfort food! Not exactly textbook healthy eating here, but having a small portion, on a whole grain bun with a big salad or pile of greens on the side certainly balances the plate out. And THAT is what healthy eating is about!

This recipe makes a huge portion obviously. I froze over half of it, and the other half fed Rory and I generously for dinner and lunches the next day. Rory had a great idea to make these feasible (not too sloppy!) for lunches – he cut the buns up in to cubes, put them in a large container, and packaged the meat in smaller containers for heating. Heat the meat, pour it over the bread cubes and eat up with a fork!

I do want to also point out my amazing slow cooker. This was a wedding gift for my mother in I think 1970 (give or take a year), an orinigal Crock-Pot! Rory is constantly trying to buy me a new slow cooker – no can do, this is vintage baby! Safety-code shmafety code!

Hope you enjoyed the post. I’m always hungry for new recipes, and I’m seriously lacking inspiration to cook with root veggies these days – if you have any ideas, please post them!

Enjoy the weekend!