Things are starting to bloom out there and, before we know it, we will be enjoying fresh produce and cooking Pasta Primavera, Pappardelle with fresh spinach, and a Greek favorite - Tourlou Tourlou (seasonal roasted vegetables with tomatoe sauce and olive oil).
I'm really psyched because we have joined a CSA this year - Community Supported Agriculture (or ownership in a local farm, with receipt of a box of "whatever is growing" each week) . It looks like CSA's are gaining popularity. In my latest issue of Healthy Cooking magazine, there is a nice article on them, complete with recipes for the early crop produce most of us should be receiving in just over a month or so. According to the article, there are around 2,500 of them (that they know of) nation-wide. Once we start receiving our produce, I will cook from the box each week and share with you the meals we come up with. It'll be a challenge, but a pretty fun one that I have been eagerly awaiting. We were actually on the waiting list for our CSA, but found out we got in at the end of January.
Besides my son's baseball win, I am also celebrating some good news today health-wise. All the body parts that have been scanned so far show no signs of cancer. We still have the dreaded liver left, but that won't be for another month or so and, even though it does hurt quite a bit, it's no different than it's been in the past. I truly believe it is merely my "solar system" expanding its territory. It kind of provides a visual for the Big Bang theory... What we did discover is that my most annoying symptoms are due to a spasming aorta. Now, is that bizzare or what? So, we are celebrating. Anything that is not cancer is worthy of a celebration over here. Thank you so much for your prayers. I can't tell you how much I appreciate them. It always made my day to see a Facebook comment to one of my posts that ended with a prayer for my health.
Food-wise, tonight was another Taco Bell Fresco Bean Burrito night. I actually like them - they have no cheese, but are loaded with beans and mini chopped veggies. I put a little of the green chile and roasted pepper sauce on them and create a fast-food treat.
Last night our dinner was much healthier than tonight's drive-through meal. I made a vegetarian Moussaka, with Greek green beans cooked in a tomato-based sauce. We all thought it was delicious, but it was a lot of work. From start to finish, it took me over 2 hours to make and, sadly, I rarely have that kind of time for meal preparation these days. But, if you do have the time, it is worth trying. The link for the recipe is in the right column. It was from the March 2011 issue of Cooking Light magazine. It is not a non-dairy recipe, but we do eat dairy sporadically through the Lenten period since there are too many foods that are commonly eaten during the fast that my son and I are allergic to.
Hope you are enjoying the beginning of what I pray will be a beautiful spring. Until next time, Happy and healthy eating!
Thank you "Anonymous" for pointing out that I had posted a bad picture of the Vegetarian Moussaka. It really was! Your description of it was quite colorful...
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