meatless mondays

the wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings. let food be your medicine." - hippocrates

 superfoods!

many of you who have followed us from our inception know that from maggie's farm was born of a desire to feed ourselves, and others, deliciously and nutritiously.  we want to offer you our best, and the way to do that is to raise that food ourselves, whenever possible.  we know what's going into the food we produce and we follow it often from seed to stomach. our own diets are based primarily on these healthy staples, sometimes called 'superfoods', with some additions from 'out there' (since we haven't gotten that salmon stream put in yet...). 

but oy vey! isn't there a load of information out there on what we should eat to remain healthy?!  how do we know what has value, and if we agree on that, how do we know how much to include in our diets to have benefit?  i think we've all heard that green tea is good for us, for example, but how much green tea do we consume to reap the rewards?  is that in addition to the 8+glasses of water we require?  and the two cups of coffee we hear revs up the metabolism?  and the one or two glasses of red wine that's good for the heart, we hear?.  it's just all so....so MUCH. 

so often we become overwhelmed, and continue to eat on auto-pilot from meal to meal, without thought for what could replace that plate of macaroni and almost, something, nothing like cheese in order to sustain our health and support our busy lifestyle.  perhaps you've had the experience, too.  and that got us to thinking that sharing the information we've collected over the years as a 'certified foodie' with a focus on healthy eating might be helpful.  if nothing else, it will motivate us anew, and we can always use motivation. there are occasions that we are 'the cobbler's children who have no shoes' and are far from our optimal healthy lifestyle.  but we're moving towards that goal, like so many of you, too.  and this is what we're learning........ 

over the next few weeks, we'll be focusing our attention on these 'super' foods, and sharing some ways to use them in your own meals, and for the diets of all those you nourish. we'll even help make eating them a pleasure, not a punishment.  gone are the days of shoveling that detested vegetable under your plate to hide them from mom (but thank heavens liver isn't on our list.....).  we'll cover:

bone builders, including alaskan king crab, prunes, bok choy, oysters, bananas, kiwi, broccoli, spinach, leeks, and artichokes

immunity boosters:  black and green tea, ginger, blueberries, cinnamon, sweet potatoes, tomato, figs, mushrooms, and pomegranates

inflammation fighters: pineapples, olive oil, bing cherries, dark chocolate, turmeric, wild fatty fish, flaxseed, almonds, apples, and whole grains

muscle enhancers: quinoa, grass-fed lean beef, nonfat ricotta, tofu, lentils, eggs, greek-style yogurt, vegetable-based meat substitutes, chocolate milk, and wild salmon

and metabolism revvers: graperfruit, peanuts, lean turkey, chile peppers, oatmeal, and the broccoli, green tea, ginger, cinnamon, of other categories, too.

linguine with spring vegetable
in rosemary chevre sauce

we've already shared some recipes that are full of some of these 'superfoods'.  last friday's post offered you a superfoods smoothie for mom that included the immunity boosting of blueberries, the inflammation fighting of pineapple, ginger, and flaxseed, the muscle enhancing of greek-style yogurt, and the bone building of bananas.  you can find that recipe, at this link,  we shared linguine with spring vegetables in rosemary chevre sauce as our meatless monday main dish a week ago, that also included the bone building of greens  and artichokes and the inflammation fighters of whole grains (and if it weren't meatless monday that day, a little wild salmon would have worked beautifully, give that a try!).....and you can find that recipe at this link . today, in honor of meatless monday and with an eye towards filling our dish with as many superfoods as we can, we offer:

from maggie's farm ricotta, spinach, and mushrooom crustless quiche

serves 4

8 whole eggs
1/2 cup skimmed milk
1 cup ricotta cheese, nonfat

2 cups trimmed and chopped spinach  (or any greens you wish)

2 cups trimmed, sliced mixed mushrooms (such as cremini, shitake, button, portabello, or whatever you can find, or have on hand)

hey! what are those red things she's stirring in there, you ask?  well, i had a little swiss chard so i chopped that up and put it in, too!   remember, a recipe is a guideline,  nothing is engraved in stone,  so make that thing your own.

in a large bowl, combine eggs and milk.  whisk well to blend.  stir in ricotta cheese, sliced mushrooms, and chopped spinach.  fill a lightly greased small casserole with egg mixture, and cover with aluminum foil. bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  uncover and allow to brown, an additional 5 minutes, approximately.  remove from oven and allow to rest 15 minutes prior to slicing, and serve.

we love this for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  we'd enjoy it with, say, stewed fruit, maybe veggie sausage links, or a slice of bread and jam in the morning. we'd accompany a healthy tossed salad at lunch, and perhaps alongside a steaming bowl of our roasted summer vegetable soup for dinner.  think of it as quiche without apologies, no crust, no cream, no salt, but with the addition of all that is good for you.
on friday, we'll have a recap of all the superfoods we've enjoyed so far, why they are good for you, how much to include in your diet to reap their rewards, plus a few new ones, and some more tasty ways to pack them in.  until then---happy healthy eating from maggie's farm.,