Guest Chef for Prairie Farm Corps 2017

It was such an honor to guest chef with the Prairie Farm Corps team last week and help them set the farm crew's lunch table! It's my favorite food education location to teach and learn in Lake County!

Introducing this Summer's PFC Kitchen Lead, Chef Aleks Semova (there she is instructing with measuring cup in hand!) She taught us all how to make vegan mayo and a 6 ingredient quick bread. I cannot wait to make them for my home plates!!!

Stay tuned... Her recipes are coming soon:)

I taught the kitchen team how to make my "I Lime You Very Much Tuna Salad" and "Sriracha Egg Salad".  I decided not to bring in the recipes to look at and copy. We simply eyeballed, taste tested and followed our instincts. These two salads are pretty fun to free-wheel (I like to call it "gumption" cooking) and it was really fun to watch them taste, add more and make it their own!

Sriracha = YES PLEASE!

Aleks: "How in the world shall we cut this beautiful loaf!?"

We looked at each other and said almost simultaneously, "ANYWAY WE WANT!"

Before serving the guests and PFC crew, the kitchen team introduces the lunch. They take turns explaining the ingredients, fun facts about the food, how they prepped it all, and perhaps some tid bits on what they learned in the kitchen for that day. Each kitchen team spends two weeks in the kitchen over two months. The rest of the time is spent in the fields learning how to cultivate and grow food seed to farmer's market + plate!

A quick snap shot of my PFC lunch plate.

We also whipped up a simple Radish Butter recipe from Mardi Michel, one of our Food Revolution Super Ambassadors from Canada! A MUST TRY!

Needless to say, there was no bread or radish butter left. Just a little egg salad for leftovers the next day:)

After lunch, Jen and Jeff Miller, the owners and farmers of Prairie Wind Family Farm, presented to the PFC team about their journey into becoming organic farmers. I think I jumped up and down when I found out their team were our lunch guests!

Cheers to becoming a little more food savvy (inside + outside) every day! 

I love everything about you PFC! Thanks so much for having me for the third year running; Time sure flies when you're working hard and having fun. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

It all starts at home plate!

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

Set the Table 2017 | Week 25

It's my gorgeous Mom's 65th birthday today! She taught me how to make egg salad a long time ago and I've tweaked her super simple recipe today in honor of her, my best friend, my neighbor, my workout buddy, the AMAZING woman who taught me EVERYTHING.

I love you Mom. Happy happy BIRTHDAY!

Sriracha Egg n Vege Salad

2 hard boiled pastured, organic eggs diced (I got some this week from Radical Root Farm Stand.)

1/2 cucumber diced

1 red pepper diced

1/2 avocado diced

1 Tbsp Vegenaise (or mayo)

1 tsp sriracha

sea salt and pepper to taste

1 dill pickle slice diced

Small handful of fresh cilantro (stems finely chopped + leaves rough chopped)

Red Lettuce rough chopped

Mix eggs, cucumber, pepper, avocado, cilantro stems and mayo a medium bowl.  Taste and season with salt and pepper. Arrange red lettuce on a plate and add egg salad over the top. Add the diced pickle to the top and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

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• Each #SettheTable2017 post begins with a featured recipe(s) + upcoming week's game plan followed by a picture diary of last week's chaos. I sign off every post with a handy reference list of my favorite foodie articles (some new, some repeated). 
• #CatchmyGrit on my Instagram throughout the week to capture the fun, the food and the family table reactions (good and bad). C'est la vie, I selfy-ishly light it UP in pics and videos to keep truckin! 
• New to this series? Here's the STORY behind my #SettheTable2017 food adventures with Pure Barre Kildeer.
• My two go to's for meal planning organization (the grocery list app features are rad): 1. Jamie's Ultimate Recipes App 2. Sarah's My New Roots Recipe App 

Week 25's Game plan:

• Colossal Cauliflower Gratin (J app) or this similar recipe online

• Taco Tuesday

• Quick and Easy Tray Baked Cod (J app) or this similar recipe online

• Cookout

• Sanity-Saving One Pot Pasta (S app + online)

Wrap it UP with last week's action:

Tacos. How about that crazy green tortilla on my plate? It was pretty darn good! Find them here.

Sarah Britton's Carrot and Red Lentil Soup (you can find the recipe on her New Roots App) was AMAZEBALLS. I get my kids to eat soup by serving it with pizza. They have to finish their small bowl of soup to have more pizza. It worked for Tommy and Mac. Not so much for Abbie:)

Take out Sushi makes me so happy.

So does meeting friends on the farm for produce pick up! Looking good Matt!

Slow-cooked Onion Jam Chicken

6 organic chicken thighs + 1 jar Holcomb Hollow onion jam + 1/4 cup water + 3-4 Tbsp freshly chopped oregano + sea salt n pepper 

Cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 4 hours 

🌱🍗💜 SHRED

Homemade Strawberry Ice cream

1 cup organic heavy cream
2 cups organic half n half
3 cups organic strawberries (from my Prairie Wind Family Farms CSA!)
1/2 cup organic sugar

Purée 1/2 of the strawberries in a blender or nutribullet. Mash up the rest in a bowl by hand and mix in the sugar. Combine everything in a bowl and pour liquid into an ice cream maker. Process for 25 minutes. Transfer to a container and keep frozen.  

I cannot wait to make brownies this week!

I am in love with my new brass family table do-dah's! Find them on sale here. I just bought another set to make a perfect 10.

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

ps

My Top 10 #SettheTable2017 Topics:

1. Come to the table - Join Slow Food USA!
2. Stay on TOP of the global Food Revolution.
3. How to Cook With Oils.
4. Buy Antibiotic Free and Know the Source of Your Family's Meat.
5. The EWG "Clean Fifteen + Dirty Dozen produce guidelines helps you save money + reduce the pesticides and herbicides = Antibiotics harmful to our gut microbiome + mycobiome at home. 
6. Avoid artificial colors and preservatives to keep your gut, your "second brain" happy + healthy.
7. Why, When and How to Eat Wheat.
8. 50 Years Ago, the Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists to Point Blame at Fat.
9. Kimbal Musk Says Food is the New Internet. 
10. Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Starts With Ignoring the Guidelines (Video)