Turkey Sloppy Joes

I was considering what to make as a main dish for a potluck when out of nowhere I thought about sloppy joes. I hadn't made them in years, but I had a simple recipe from my mom that I liked. I decided to change the recipe and use ground turkey instead of ground beef. I also wanted to see if I could make a good sloppy joe without Worcestershire sauce or canned gumbo soup (which apparently many stores have stopped carrying). You can save some time by cooking the rice and corn ahead of time. I experimented with spices and additions -- taste the meat and add more flavor as you like. The recipe below got good reviews from the potluck attendees!

Turkey Sloppy Joes

2 lbs. ground lean turkey
olive oil
2 T molasses
2 T apple cider vinegar
3 T stone-ground mustard
16 oz (2 small cans) tomato sauce, no salt added
15 oz (1 large can) diced tomatoes, no salt added
1/4 cup dry brown rice, cooked
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 green onions, chopped
1 jalapeño, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 ears corn, boiled and cut off cob 
2 carrots, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
fresh parsley, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

Season with:
coriander
cloves (a pinch)
cumin
turmeric
cayenne (a pinch)
sea salt and pepper (generous)

In a large pan over medium heat, sauté yellow onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add carrots, tomatoes and meat. While meat browns, add tomato sauce, molasses, vinegar and mustard. Season and add remaining ingredients. Let meat cook completely (about 15-20 minutes). Makes about a dozen sloppy joes.

(Recipe by H. Farrell)

Old Rag trail never gets old

My favorite place to go on a gorgeous day in Virginia is Shenandoah National Park. And one of the best trails in the park is the Old Rag mountain trail. What the popular hike lacks in solitude it more than makes up in views of the Shenandoah Valley.

(Photos by H.Farrell)

Salmon cakes, rice and balsamic broccoli

For this recipe, I wanted to see if I could do without the usual can of soup, so I replaced it with plain yogurt, spices and a little oil. It turned out great, and didn't have all the cream, starch and sodium from the soup. Salmon cakes (or salmon loaf, depending on what you bake it in) take a while to make, but it's enough for multiple (inexpensive) dinners. The salmon has a light taste, so serve with a grain and vegetable that won't overpower or compete with the flavor. I served it with brown rice cooked with rosemary, and broccoli sautéed with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and sea salt.

Salmon cakes with parsley and green onion

2 large cans pink salmon, bones and skin removed
1 cup plain bread crumbs (such as Panko)
2 eggs, beaten
1 T olive oil
1 T stone-ground mustard
6 oz (one container) plain, low fat yogurt
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
pepper to taste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4-1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 small jalapeño, diced
3 green onions, chopped
grated parmesan cheese

Break apart salmon and mix with bread crumbs. Combine eggs, oil and mustard, and mix with salmon. Add yogurt and lemon juice. Add spices, parsley, onions and jalapeño; mix well. Fill muffin tin with salmon mixture (makes about a dozen cakes) and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Pull out of oven and dust parmesan cheese over the top. Bake for another 25 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes before serving.

(By Heather Farrell)

Breakfast: Multi-grain banana bread

The simple truth: I love banana bread. Warm, right from the oven with butter melting over it banana bread. The recipe I have is one my mom and I have used for many years. But, like a photograph, a recipe could always be better, or at least different, the next time. So I decided to change up the trusty banana bread recipe and see how it came out. The recipe below makes a good, solid breakfast bread -- one to have with tea or coffee -- not too sweet, but not too dry either. I used a wide variety of sugars, grains and oils in an attempt to preserve the moisture and taste. It's definitely different than the usual banana bread, but I'd say just as good.

Multi-grain banana bread
(makes two large loaves)

1 egg (with yolk)
2 egg whites, beaten until fluffy

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar

2 T ground flaxseed
2 T oil (such as canola)
3 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
8 oz unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 cup soymilk (or milk)

2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup regular oats

optional additions: 
raisins
chocolate chips
nuts

Beat whole egg with sugars. Add oils and other liquids. Mix in beaten egg whites. Mix together and add all dry ingredients except oats and any additions -- fold these in last, after the batter has been stirred smooth. Bake in two loaf pans at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

(Recipe by H. Farrell)

Eat local, eat well

There's something beautiful about picking food right from the plant, rinsing off the dirt and tasting the sun in produce so recently attached to the earth. There's also something beautiful about paying $1.60 per pound for organically grown strawberries. 

Last weekend, while in Virginia Beach, I spent an hour in the morning sun, crawling down rows of strawberry plants, sweeping aside leaves to check for deep red fruit. It was hard to stop picking fruit when my bowl was full. The farm also had veggies at its stand, and I left with not only berries, but also vidalia onions and two massive sweet potatoes. These are about three times the size of the ones in the store, all for $1 each.

Produce farms weren't the only local businesses I supported that weekend. About half an hour drive away, in Knotts Island, N.C., are two family-owned vineyards, more than 10 and 20 years old. The marshland itself was lovely, as was the tasting at the Moonrise Bay Vineyard. More than the boardwalk and tourist attractions in Virginia Beach, I enjoyed getting a taste of the area from the land itself.

(Knotts Island, N.C.)

(Marshland near the Virginia-North Carolina border)

(Moonrise Bay Vineyard on Knotts Island, N.C.)

(Virginia Beach, Va.)

(Bald Cypress trees at First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach)

(Photos by H. Farrell)