June 27, 2012
Breakfast:
Nada.
Lunch:
Off the wagon meal at the Tabasco sauce factory in Avery Island: crawfish corn maque choux
Dinner:
Another off the wagon meal from Parkway Bakery: caprese po-boy and sweet potato fries with ketchup
Non-local food items: Popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids, snoball
Off the Wagon Meals Left: -2
Showing posts with label Eat Local Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eat Local Challenge. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 26
June 26, 2012
Breakfast:
None
Lunch/Dinner:
Roasted fairytale eggplant and grape tomatoes in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pepper and local salt over local brown rice.
Non-local food items: Popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids, snoball
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Breakfast:
None
Lunch/Dinner:
Roasted fairytale eggplant and grape tomatoes in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, pepper and local salt over local brown rice.
Non-local food items: Popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids, snoball
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Eat Local Challenge: Day 25
June 25, 2012
Breakfast:
Nil.
Lunch/Dinner:
Half off-the-wagon meal at Domenica. I didn't realize that the Eat Local Challenge dish was going to be $28, so since we were there during happy hour, I got the eggplant pizza instead for $7.50. The waitress said that the majority of the ingredients they use are local, so I thought figured that I put my best food forward on this one without having to not order a meal.
Non-local food items: Popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids, snoball
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Breakfast:
Nil.
Lunch/Dinner:
Half off-the-wagon meal at Domenica. I didn't realize that the Eat Local Challenge dish was going to be $28, so since we were there during happy hour, I got the eggplant pizza instead for $7.50. The waitress said that the majority of the ingredients they use are local, so I thought figured that I put my best food forward on this one without having to not order a meal.
Non-local food items: Popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids, snoball
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Eat Local Challenge: Day 24
June 24, 2012
MY BIRTHDAY!!!
Breakfast/Dinner:
Finished off the leftover blueberry cornbread
Snack:
Ginger and satsuma snoball at Hansen's -- I was really craving a snoball after going on a nature walk at the Jean Lafitte Barataria Preserve in 90+ degree heat!
Dinner:
Another off-the-wagon meal with friends at Pho Noi Viet - spring rolls and shrimp bun
Non-local food items: Popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids, snoball
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0.5
MY BIRTHDAY!!!
Breakfast/Dinner:
Finished off the leftover blueberry cornbread
Snack:
Ginger and satsuma snoball at Hansen's -- I was really craving a snoball after going on a nature walk at the Jean Lafitte Barataria Preserve in 90+ degree heat!
Dinner:
Another off-the-wagon meal with friends at Pho Noi Viet - spring rolls and shrimp bun
Non-local food items: Popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids, snoball
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0.5
Eat Local Challenge: Day 23
June 23, 2012
Breakfast:
Leftover blueberry cornbread!
Lunch:
Local grits with local salt and a few plums
Dinner:
Off-the-wagon meal at a Thai restaurant in Covington -- spring rolls with masaman curry and Thai iced tea. Later went out for an Irish ale.
Non-local food items: popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 1.5
Breakfast:
Leftover blueberry cornbread!
Lunch:
Local grits with local salt and a few plums
Dinner:
Off-the-wagon meal at a Thai restaurant in Covington -- spring rolls with masaman curry and Thai iced tea. Later went out for an Irish ale.
Non-local food items: popcorn, Diet Coke, sour patch kids
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 1.5
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 22
Late Night Snack:
Jason and I went to see the midnight showing of Disney Pixar's 'Brave' and I fell pretty to the corporate junk food system and indulged in popcorn, soda, and Sour Patch Kids. >.< =D
Breakfast/Lunch:
Local grits with seasoned with local salt and a few local plums.
Dinner:
Made a second attempt at stuffed local patty pan squash, which went a lot better than my attempt on Day 2, probably because I didn't use under-cooked beans! I used instead local grape tomatoes, onion, green pepper, garlic, salt, and shredded Asiago cheese with not-so-local ground cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano, and sage leaves. I also made some blueberry cornbread to go on the side! I used local blueberries, sugar, and salt, but the egg, cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and baking powder weren't local.
Non-local foods for the week: Popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, Diet Coke
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 2.5
Jason and I went to see the midnight showing of Disney Pixar's 'Brave' and I fell pretty to the corporate junk food system and indulged in popcorn, soda, and Sour Patch Kids. >.< =D
Breakfast/Lunch:
Local grits with seasoned with local salt and a few local plums.
Dinner:
Made a second attempt at stuffed local patty pan squash, which went a lot better than my attempt on Day 2, probably because I didn't use under-cooked beans! I used instead local grape tomatoes, onion, green pepper, garlic, salt, and shredded Asiago cheese with not-so-local ground cayenne pepper, thyme, oregano, and sage leaves. I also made some blueberry cornbread to go on the side! I used local blueberries, sugar, and salt, but the egg, cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and baking powder weren't local.
 |
| Blueberry cornbread and stuff patty pan squash! |
Non-local foods for the week: Popcorn, Sour Patch Kids, Diet Coke
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 2.5
Eat Local Challenge: Day 21
June 21, 2012
Breakfast:
Nil.
Lunch:
Leftover pizza and salad from Day 20.
Dinner:
Semi-off the wagon dishes at Three Muses. They only had one completely local dish, but almost all of their dishes incorporate local ingredients.
 |
| Official Eat Local Dish: Heirloom tomato gazpacho w/ crostini with Ryal's farm feta cheese |
 |
| Gnocchi with ratatouille, spinach, and feta cheese |
 |
| Peach and blueberry cobbler with buttermilk ice cream |
Non-local Foods for the Week: Rotel, pizza dough, couscous, apple
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: -0.5
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 20
June 20, 2012
Breakfast:
Nada.
Lunch:
Leftover couscous salad and red cabbage.
Dinner:
We had homemade pizza, with the wheat dough and pizza sauce both made from scratch. It was quite a process (well, compared to popping a frozen pizza in the oven), so this post obviously warrants a photo series.
I followed this recipe for the pizza crust, using the whole wheat flour from Carenco, LA and local salt and sugar. The olive oil, yeast and white flour weren't local. While the dough was resting I started the tomato sauce, which was pretty simple. I blanched about 2 pounds of local heirloom tomatoes in order to peel them, and while they were boiling I chopped up the herbs.
 |
| Local basil, rosemary, and garlic |
 |
| Tomato sauce simmering on the stove! |
It took Jason and me a while to figure out how to shape and stretch the dough, but we finally figured it out. I forgot to take photos of him tossing the dough in the air. =( He was a lot better at it than I was.
Then we spread out the sauce; the amount was *perfect* for the size of the pizza.
 |
| Starting the pizza assembly process... |
 |
| The pie right before going into the oven... |
 |
| ...and after! |
 |
| Veggie pizza slices + Salad |
Non-local foods for the week: Rotel, pizza dough, couscous, apple
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 19
June 19, 2012
Breakfast:
Nada.
Lunch:
Leftover red beans and rice from last week.
Dinner:
I made a cucumber salad with local cucumbers, red onion, salt, and sugar and not-so-local vinegar and black pepper. We also had a black bean couscous salad with Camellia brand black beans, local green pepper, yellow onion, and salt with not-so-local couscous, crushed cumin, olive oil, and vinegar. Finally, we had a red cabbage dish with local red cabbage and salt with not-so-local vinegar, black pepper, and Braeburn apple.
I've come to the conclusion that it's really hard for me to make dishes that are 100% local, but I can get pretty close! The vinegar in my pantry is getting pretty low, so soon it'll be time to get some Steen's Cane Vinegar!
Non-local foods for the week: Rotel, pizza dough, couscous, apple
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Eat Local Challenge: Day 18
June 18, 2012
Breakfast:
Nada.
Lunch:
Leftover Moros y Cristianos and roasted vegetables from Day 19.
Dinner:
Jason and I went to Ancora Pizzeria and Salumeria for dinner, and it was really good! We started off with roasted zucchini and yellow squash with garlic and stuffed peppers with ricotta and anchovies. The flash on my phone's camera completely washed out the photo, so it doesn't do the meal justice at all, but it was delicious nonetheless!
I got the Eat Local dish, which was a panzanella salad with Creole tomatoes, locally grown cucumbers, and house made bread. I ate a little bit of Jason's Bianca pizza, only because I was still hungry and the waiter said everything was local except for the dough.
Then afterward we got dessert at La Divina Gelateria and I got the blueberry basil gelato -- yummy!
Non-local foods for the week: Rotel, pizza dough
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 16
June 16, 2012
Breakfast:
Nothing!
Lunch:
Off-the-wagon meal: spinach and artichoke dip and chips with a portobello sandwich at Caesar salad Abita Brew Pub. Jason, my friend, Emily, and I spent the day at the Louisiana Bike Festival in Abita Springs!
Dinner:
Made a dish with local eggplant, tomato, and onion. Used local salt and not-so-local crushed cumin, coriander, and black pepper.
Non-local foods for the week: TBD
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Eat Local Challenge: Day 17
June 17, 2012
Breakfast:
Off-the-wagon meal of roasted garlic and spinach quiche and blueberry ginger muffin at Satsuma Cafe. I met up with some friends for breakfast and when we got there the power was out so we couldn't order any of their other dishes.
Lunch:
None. Though I decided to bake some wheat rolls using the same recipe as I used for hamburger buns for Day 12. I just divided the dough into 16 parts instead of 8 and it worked well. I ate mine with ginger pear butter from White Wood Farms, while Jason spread some butter on his.
Wheat rolls minus two that Jason snagged before I could take a picture
Dinner:
Roasted local potatoes, eggplant, and green peppers with local rosemary and raw cane sugar and not-so-local balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I tossed the veggies together with the rosemary, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Then roasted the potatoes in the oven for a half-hour. Immediately after, I tossed the remaining veggies with balsamic vinegar and a little bit of sugar and let it sit until the potatoes were done. I added the them to the potatoes and roasted for another 30 minutes. The eggplant and green pepper really absorbed the balsamic vinegar this way.
We also had an adaptation of Moros y Cristianos using local rice, salt, onion, garlic, and Camellia brand beans that I had cooked on Day 12. The non-local ingredients were thyme, bay leaves, ground cayenne pepper, and canned Rotel. Had another wheat roll with apple cider butter from White Wood Farms and washed it down with some Abita Golden Ale.
Yummy!
Non-local foods for the week: Rotel
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 0
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 15
June 15, 2012
Breakfast:
Zilch.
Lunch:
Oyster po-boy and crawfish. Today was my last day at my internship so the office had a nice lunch for us.
Dinner:
None. The lunch was pretty heavy and the po-boy was rather big, so I wasn't particularly hungry for dinner.
Non-local foods for the week: TBD
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 1
Breakfast:
Zilch.
Lunch:
Oyster po-boy and crawfish. Today was my last day at my internship so the office had a nice lunch for us.
Dinner:
None. The lunch was pretty heavy and the po-boy was rather big, so I wasn't particularly hungry for dinner.
Non-local foods for the week: TBD
Off the Wagon Meals Left: 1
Eat Local Challenge: Day 14
June 14, 2012
Breakfast:
Fresh peach juice! Each cup contained juice from 3 local peaches. It was really tasty and had the consistency of a smoothie.
Lunch:
Leftover black bean burgers and homemade wheat buns with arugula and red onion from Day 12.
Dinner:
Off-the-wagon meal at Fox and the Hound in Elmwood Mall. Spinach and artichoke dip with basil and mushroom pizza.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine, orange juice, cupuacu juice
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: -1
Breakfast:
Fresh peach juice! Each cup contained juice from 3 local peaches. It was really tasty and had the consistency of a smoothie.
Lunch:
Leftover black bean burgers and homemade wheat buns with arugula and red onion from Day 12.
Dinner:
Off-the-wagon meal at Fox and the Hound in Elmwood Mall. Spinach and artichoke dip with basil and mushroom pizza.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine, orange juice, cupuacu juice
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: -1
Eat Local Challenge: Day 13
June 13, 2012
Breakfast:
Nothing.
Lunch:
Leftover red beans and rice from Day 11.
Dinner:
Eat Local Dish from Cafe Carmo: Pecan-smoked, Des-Allemands Creole catfish served over Haitian “Pickles” and a slaw served with crispy lavash and spicy sweet corn mirliton relish. I also washed it down with cupuacu juice since I was already way off the wagon with my non-local foods for the week. The cupuacu had an interesting flavor. Kind of fruity, but also had a cocoa, chocolate-like hint to it.
The dish was pretty good, though Jason and I concluded that our meals were a tad overpriced for the portion sizes.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine, orange juice, cupuacu juice
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
Breakfast:
Nothing.
Lunch:
Leftover red beans and rice from Day 11.
Dinner:
Eat Local Dish from Cafe Carmo: Pecan-smoked, Des-Allemands Creole catfish served over Haitian “Pickles” and a slaw served with crispy lavash and spicy sweet corn mirliton relish. I also washed it down with cupuacu juice since I was already way off the wagon with my non-local foods for the week. The cupuacu had an interesting flavor. Kind of fruity, but also had a cocoa, chocolate-like hint to it.
The dish was pretty good, though Jason and I concluded that our meals were a tad overpriced for the portion sizes.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine, orange juice, cupuacu juice
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 12
June 12, 2012
Breakfast:
Null.
Lunch:
Leftover mashed potatoes, cucumber salad, and corn on the cob from Day 9.
Dinner:
Black bean burgers on top of homemade whole wheat hamburger buns. I used Camellia brand black beans and local onion, salt, and basil. The bread crumbs, black pepper, and oregano were already in my pantry, and I forgot to add the garlic powder. As for the hamburger buns, the sugar, salt, and whole wheat flour were local, but everything else was from my pantry.
Except, I lied. Jason and I literally have been going on an egg hunt the last week: Crescent City Farmers Market on Thursday, Hollygrove Market on Saturday, and Hollygrove Market today. All three times they were out, so I said screw it. We made a considerable enough effort to find local eggs. Jason bought local beef at Hollygrove today to make up for it.
The one totally awesome thing about this bun recipe (besides the fact that it received the Jason stamp of approval) is that it doesn't require twelve billion hours to rise before throwing in the oven. The recipe called for 10 minutes, though I probably let is rest for closer to 20-30 while waiting for the beans to cook.
I also dressed the black bean burgers with some local arugula and red onion. The burger as a whole was a tad dry since I didn't take the time to come up with a local sauce or spread (maybe an arugula pesto next time?). Since I was already off the wagon with respect to my non-local food allowances, I decided to wash it down with some orange juice.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine, orange juice
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
Breakfast:
Null.
Lunch:
Leftover mashed potatoes, cucumber salad, and corn on the cob from Day 9.
Dinner:
Black bean burgers on top of homemade whole wheat hamburger buns. I used Camellia brand black beans and local onion, salt, and basil. The bread crumbs, black pepper, and oregano were already in my pantry, and I forgot to add the garlic powder. As for the hamburger buns, the sugar, salt, and whole wheat flour were local, but everything else was from my pantry.
Except, I lied. Jason and I literally have been going on an egg hunt the last week: Crescent City Farmers Market on Thursday, Hollygrove Market on Saturday, and Hollygrove Market today. All three times they were out, so I said screw it. We made a considerable enough effort to find local eggs. Jason bought local beef at Hollygrove today to make up for it.
Getting ready to go into the oven!
The one totally awesome thing about this bun recipe (besides the fact that it received the Jason stamp of approval) is that it doesn't require twelve billion hours to rise before throwing in the oven. The recipe called for 10 minutes, though I probably let is rest for closer to 20-30 while waiting for the beans to cook.
Twelve minutes later, they're nice and risen!
I also dressed the black bean burgers with some local arugula and red onion. The burger as a whole was a tad dry since I didn't take the time to come up with a local sauce or spread (maybe an arugula pesto next time?). Since I was already off the wagon with respect to my non-local food allowances, I decided to wash it down with some orange juice.
The final arrangement, topped off with the arugula and red onion
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine, orange juice
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
Monday, June 11, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 11
June 11, 2012
Breakfast:
Two donuts from Blue Dot Donuts. Definitely not local, but they're super yummy!
Lunch:
Another donut. I went up to a gathering in the Northshore today, and the group had tacos for lunch. Since I don't have any off the wagon meals left, I opted to skip out.
Dinner:
I decided to honor the New Orleans tradition of Monday red beans and (brown) rice, though I didn't do my laundry while making them since I did that yesterday. I used Camellia beans and local onion and green pepper along with some not-so-local bay leaves. I haven't figured out if Tony Cacherie's is technically local, but I'll live in denial thinking that it is if it turns out not to be the case.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
Breakfast:
Two donuts from Blue Dot Donuts. Definitely not local, but they're super yummy!
Lunch:
Another donut. I went up to a gathering in the Northshore today, and the group had tacos for lunch. Since I don't have any off the wagon meals left, I opted to skip out.
Dinner:
I decided to honor the New Orleans tradition of Monday red beans and (brown) rice, though I didn't do my laundry while making them since I did that yesterday. I used Camellia beans and local onion and green pepper along with some not-so-local bay leaves. I haven't figured out if Tony Cacherie's is technically local, but I'll live in denial thinking that it is if it turns out not to be the case.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
Eat Local Challenge: Day 10
June 10, 2012
Brunch:
Made some local grits with local onion and not-so-local cheddar cheese that I needed to get rid of. Plus, wheat chapati using the same recipe as Day 8 + blueberry sauce -- with local wheat flour and local blueberries, of course!
Snack:
Jason and I went to see Prometheus, and I ended up getting popcorn, which wouldn't be so bad, but I already used up my 3 non-local foods for the week. Totally didn't realize it until after the fact. This challenge reminds me of Lent in a lot of ways.
Dinner:
A good friend of mine came over for dinner, and I made cucumber and red onion salad with fresh mint and sweet basil with mashed red potatoes and not-so-local buttermilk that I've been trying to get rid of and corn on the cob with not-so-local butter. I accidentally had some non-local white win with dinner -- another oops.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
--
The cheese, buttermilk, and butter should be added (if not already on it) to the list of exempt non-local foods since I had them in my fridge before I started the challenge.
Brunch:
Made some local grits with local onion and not-so-local cheddar cheese that I needed to get rid of. Plus, wheat chapati using the same recipe as Day 8 + blueberry sauce -- with local wheat flour and local blueberries, of course!
Snack:
Jason and I went to see Prometheus, and I ended up getting popcorn, which wouldn't be so bad, but I already used up my 3 non-local foods for the week. Totally didn't realize it until after the fact. This challenge reminds me of Lent in a lot of ways.
Dinner:
A good friend of mine came over for dinner, and I made cucumber and red onion salad with fresh mint and sweet basil with mashed red potatoes and not-so-local buttermilk that I've been trying to get rid of and corn on the cob with not-so-local butter. I accidentally had some non-local white win with dinner -- another oops.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels, popcorn, white wine
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
--
The cheese, buttermilk, and butter should be added (if not already on it) to the list of exempt non-local foods since I had them in my fridge before I started the challenge.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Eat Local Challenge: Day 9
June 9, 2012
Breakfast:
Leftover piece of wheat chapati and ginger-pear butter.
Lunch:
Nil. Saved my appetite for a wedding reception later on.
Dinner:
Jason and I went to a wedding, so I ended up using an Off the Wagon meal at the reception. However, it was catered by Cafe Hope, another awesome organization that trains youth for the food service and hospitality industry. I ate tossed salad, red beans and rice, roasted veggies, pumpernickel roll, shrimp pasta, fruit, and of course, cake!
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
Breakfast:
Leftover piece of wheat chapati and ginger-pear butter.
Lunch:
Nil. Saved my appetite for a wedding reception later on.
Dinner:
Jason and I went to a wedding, so I ended up using an Off the Wagon meal at the reception. However, it was catered by Cafe Hope, another awesome organization that trains youth for the food service and hospitality industry. I ate tossed salad, red beans and rice, roasted veggies, pumpernickel roll, shrimp pasta, fruit, and of course, cake!
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 0
Eat Local Challenge: Day 8
June 8, 2012
I survived Week 1 without making too many concessions! Let's see how Week 2 goes...
Breakfast:
Donuts and bagels. I went to the New Orleans Urban Congress "Right to the City" Day of Action and succumbed to the temptation of breakfast offerings.
Lunch:
They also served lunch of salad, white beans and shrimp, red beans and rice, and jamabalaya. Although they're local dishes, I doubt the ingredients were all local.
Dinner:
It was a long day at work and I didn't get home until 8:30 pm. I ate a local plum and made chapati using the wheat flour from Carencro, LA that was for sale at the ELC kick-off party. Topped it off ginger and pear butter from White Wood Farms in Mandeville, LA.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 1
I survived Week 1 without making too many concessions! Let's see how Week 2 goes...
Breakfast:
Donuts and bagels. I went to the New Orleans Urban Congress "Right to the City" Day of Action and succumbed to the temptation of breakfast offerings.
Lunch:
They also served lunch of salad, white beans and shrimp, red beans and rice, and jamabalaya. Although they're local dishes, I doubt the ingredients were all local.
Dinner:
It was a long day at work and I didn't get home until 8:30 pm. I ate a local plum and made chapati using the wheat flour from Carencro, LA that was for sale at the ELC kick-off party. Topped it off ginger and pear butter from White Wood Farms in Mandeville, LA.
Non-local Foods for the Week: donuts, bagels
Off the Wagon Meals Remaining: 1
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