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 26

A Party Time Tuna Salad - HAPPY 4th of JULY!

5 cans of tuna (3 tips for buying the healthiest tuna)

1/2 c vegenaise (I used the soy free version) 

1/2 c organic whole fat greek yogurt

5 McClurg's spicy pickle spears diced

2 Tbsp spicy pickle juice

1 small organic lemon zest + juice

1 organic orange's zest only

3 Tbsp fresh dill (clipped from my kitchen garden) or 1.5 Tbsp dried dill is fine too!

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Add a good pinch of sea salt and pepper to start and taste. Add more if needed. If you like your tuna salad more runny, add a spoonful of vegenaise and yogurt each until you have the perfect consistency. Serve with fresh greens, assorted vege (I love cucumber rounds with this!), crackers, rolls, nuts... Party people LOVE options! 

Here is my new tuna salad paired with my Sriracha Egg Salad! I made these yesterday for my soon to be sister-in-law Diane's Bachelorette party! I am so happy the salads were such a huge hit:) 

And here is one more tuna salad incarnation I made for lunch a few weeks ago (with more yogurt/mayo and minus the dill + citrus zest). I have to say, I love the addition of fresh zest and dill!!!

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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 26's Game plan (I CANNOT BELIEVE I'M ALREADY HALFWAY THROUGH!):

• Taco Tuesday - Taco Turkey Burgers

• Sanity-Saving One Pot Pasta (S app + online - Didn't get to it last week)

• Jumbo Shrimp Kebabs (J - app)

• Caramelized pineapple with chili and lime (J - app) or this recipe

• Italian-Style Grilled Veg (J - app) 

Wrap it UP with last week's action:

Leftover carrot and red lentil soup, greens and pizza. Yes... frozen freakin grain free pizza.

Want another slice kids? Eat your greens pretty please.

The Diamond loves decking out the sriracha egg salad.

Cauliflower night! I switched up recipes and went to one of my fav's, Gwyneth's Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea salad. I swerved off the recipe by adding a little greek yogurt and vegenaise in place of the dijon, as my kids don't love the tangy flavor I much as I do yet... so this was my "ranchy" version. Organic brown rice ramen and bread on the side.

Taco Tuesday =  The most delicious taco turkey burger I have EVER made on our barest home plates yet.  I will make these again this week (per Mac and Tommy's request) and I'll post the recipe next Sunday Fun Day... with more veggie sides please!!!

Do we go out to eat? Yes we do. I took Tommy to my old Northwestern University breakfast stomping grounds - Le Peep of Evanston! Oh the friend + food memories!!! I showed him all around campus and then grabbed Abbie from her last day at the NU women's basketball camp. I cannot BELIEVE I have kids old enough to be in athletic camp... It's pretty crazy rad!

It all starts on home court!!!!!!

Home made pizza night! I am still dreaming about Krissy's cauliflower crust, with my blackcurrant jam, organic turkey sausage, grilled onions and Manchego cheese on top.

Have the most fabulous 4th of July!!!

I hope it's FULL of good friends, the best fire works and GOOD FAMILY TABLE FOOD. 

Cheers to living on the Diamond with my Shifley sisters forever!!

It all starts on home plate.

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)

it's ok to socca

without a single doubt, the hardest thing when you start cooking more is that you have no.idea.what.you're.doing.  there are a lot of "first times".  you must be an adventurous spirit as recipes usually don't go so well on the first go around.  perhaps not even on the second.  do you have enough gumption, enough backbone, enough perseverance to try again?  try try try.

tommy tried peeling a carrot for the first time.  mac kept wanting to take it from him because he struggled a bit with the peeler.  it's so hard to watch sometimes when you know you could do the job better and quicker.

here is my first try at making socca.

abbie and her girlfriend made fresh lemonade in the meantime.

socca is gluten free, full of protein and super simple to mix up.  three ingredients!!!  water, evoo and garbanzo/fava bean flour.  i found this article helpful on how to make socca.

oye on the flippage part.  hmmmmmmm, must practice that a little more:)  perhaps i'll try the oven method next time and see how that works out!

i altered the tuna salad a bit as i didn't have all the ingredients on hand.  here is what i changed about the open-face tuna salad on socca from goop:

1 jar tuna (i had tonnino brand!  wild caught, dolphin safe baby)
1/2 organic zucchini diced
2 organic dill spears diced
2 T vegenaise
pepper

simple sally.

so the socca wasn't super pretty and perfect, but you know what?  i can't wait to make it again.  i can't wait to flavor it up a bit and experiment with it.  i could even pop this in the kids' lunches this year... :)

the kids tried tuna salad and socca for the first time.

they didn't clean their plates, but you know what?

it didn't socca.

the perfect summer lunch.

thanks goop.

i like simple so i can go jump in the lake.

and chase the sun.

xoxo