Indian Fry Bread--the Quest for the Indian Taco

Once a year, I attend Mountain Heritage Day, a festival hosted by Western Carolina University. As an alumni of WCU, Mountain Heritage Day is my absolute favorite event hosted by the school. Football certainly isn't much of an attraction as 1) I hate football and 2) WCU hasn't won more than half the games in a (good) season in the last 20 years or so. WCU does have an excellent marching band though, in case you were wondering!

Back to Mountain Heritage Day. A large part of Appalachian heritage is the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. Officially called the Qualla Boundary, the Cherokee live on the "reservation" where historically, their people were held until the Cherokee were able to buy back the land (and then some, over the years) the was theirs originally. During the time that the Cherokee were held on the reservation, they were given "rations" to survive. One of those rations was flour, which the Cherokee didn't have a great idea of what to do with. This was standard on all Indian Reservations in the 1800's by the way. It lead to the advent of Indian Fry Bread, sometimes called Navajo fry bread (though it certainly wasn't exclusive), which most Native American tribes still serve today.

Once a year, at Mountain Heritage Day, I wait in line for an hour (yes, an hour!) to eat this treat. Preferably served as a "taco". Traditionally served with beef, ranch-style beans, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. This year, I was super excited to see that the Cherokee Fry Bread taco was being served vegetarian style!

So how to make it? Part one...track down a recipe for fry bread. I tried Ree Drummond's recipe on her blog: The Pioneer Woman. (Follow the link for the recipe). It came out amazing! Note: While this recipe is from Oklahoma and uses milk, the Cherokee are often lactose intolerant and do not use milk in their traditional fry bread recipe. But as a home cook...well, go for it. -Also, I didn't have shortening so I used lard. 

Part two...figure out the beans....because Ranch-Style beans aren't the easiest thing to find. More on that in a couple of days.

For now...here is a picture of the fry bread I made. You should try it!

Enjoy!

Suzanne

Teriyaki duck and roasted vegetables

I am not a meat and 3 kind of girl. On occasion, I might get talked into fried chicken and mashed potatoes, especially the skillet fried chicken at The Blue Rooster in Clyde, NC...or maybe the fried chicken breast with mushroom gravy at Homegrown in Asheville, NC. But given the choice, I'll choose a burrito or stir-fry. If it can be done in one pan, even better. 

But sometimes, you just want that traditional meat and vegetable. Right? So I make duck breast and roasted vegetables, because duck is as normal as it gets.

So here it is: Duck Breast!

Ingredients:
2 fresh duck breasts, skin on
1 c. teriyaki sauce
1 sweet potato, diced
1 blue potato, diced
1 small head cauliflower, in florets
1 small head broccoli, in florets
sunflower oil, or other neutral oil
1tsp thyme leaves
orange, sliced in half-cut one half into 4 wedges

Directions:
1. Marinate duck breasts in teriyaki mixed with juice of half an orange for 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, toss potatoes with 1-2tsp oil, salt, and thyme. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Stir.
3. Toss cauliflower and broccoli with 1-2tsp oil, salt, and juice of orange wedge. Add to cookie sheet. Return to oven for 20 minutes. Stir halfway through.
4. Heat a little oil in a skillet on medium high. Add the duck breasts and marinade. Cook, 5-6 minutes until starting to sear. Flip duck breasts over, and cook another 3-4 minutes, until medium (unlike chicken, duck is often served medium or even medium rare)
5. Plate and Serve with orange wedges for garnish!

Enjoy,
Suzanne

Tuna Poke Bowls

My husband and I love sushi night. "Love boats" selected by the sushi chefs, pork gyoza, rolls that are cooked, rolls that are raw, tuna tataki, and more make us swoon and drop $50 or more on sushi. This is not sustainable. Neither is the laughable attempt at sushi my husband and I tried. Our rolls fell apart in our hands!

So...the inspiration of Hawaii with the fusion flavors of Japan it is! The Poke Bowl. I can assemble these at home without destroying the flavors or the ingredients. 

Ingredients for 2:

2 fresh tuna steaks (about 6 oz each)
1 avocado, diced (do last so it doesn't brown)
1 cucumber, peeled and julienned
2 radishes, sliced
Mango salsa (recipe below)
fusion ponzu sauce (recipe below)
1 tbsp sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste
6 oz udon noodles, cooked according to package (optional)
wonton crisps (optional-find in the crouton section of the grocery)
sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Sprinkle tuna with salt and pepper. Allow tuna to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
2. Meanwhile, make the fusion ponzu and mango salsa.
3. Chop/dice remaining ingredients.
4. Heat the sesame oil in a medium skillet on high for 1-2 minutes. Add tuna steaks, and sear for 3 minutes. When the tuna comes up easily, flip and sear another 2-3 minutes for rare. Longer if a higher cook is desired. 
5. Remove to cutting board and allow to cool for 1-2 minutes. Slice into bite size pieces. 
6. Assemble the poke bowls. Place noodles equally in bottom of bowls. Arrange cucumber, radish, avocado, and tuna over noodles. Top with mango salsa, ponzu, sesame seeds, and wonton crisps. Serve at room temperature.

Mango Salsa:
1 mango, diced
1 shallot, minced
3-4 green onions, sliced
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp lime juice
2 small peppers, such as jalapeno or lunchbox, diced (choose variety based on desired heat level)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Allow to sit for 30 minutes before serving. Refrigerate leftovers. Use within 3 days. 

Fusion Ponzu Sauce:
Traditionally Ponzu sauce is made with mirin and bonito flakes. I like this version better at home, but feel free to make or buy actual ponzu.

I make this using a souvenir shot glass, but feel free to measure! 1 shot equals about 2 tbsp.

1 1/2 shots soy sauce
1 shot rice vinegar
1 shot sesame oil
1 tbsp sugar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate until use. May be sealed and kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 

Enjoy!

Homemade Bread

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! We have been very busy around here.

I have been experimenting with bread for a while, and I have found that this is the loaf that everyone in our household will eat! My household includes my husband who is on a high fiber diet, myself, and our 2 foster kids (ages 14 and 4). We get no complaints (except if it comes out shaped funny....sigh).

I hope you enjoy!

Homemade High Fiber White Bread

Ingredients:

·      3 c. organic all-purpose white flour + more for board

·      3 tbsp. flaxseed meal

·      1 tsp. salt

·      ½ tsp. baker’s yeast (about ½ packet)

·      1 ½ c. warm tap water (not chlorinated!) plus 2 tbsp.

·      ¼ c. sesame seeds

Directions:

Mix flour, flax, salt and yeast in a large bowl. Add 1 ½ c. water to form a stiff dough. If excess flour is in the bowl, add remaining water. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 8-24 hours. (I have noticed little difference based on temperature).

Preheat an enameled cast iron dutch oven (or similar) in a 425°F oven. Meanwhile, remove bread from bowl onto floured surface. Shape into loose dough (do not knead). Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise while dutch oven is heating.

Put loaf in dutch oven and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake 35 minutes with the lid of the dutch oven on, remove lid and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Immediately remove to wire rack to cool. May be stored uncut in brown paper bag 2-3 days (depending on humidity). May be stored cut in a plastic bag 5-7 days. 

Step One on the way to avoiding GMO's (chicken pot pie)

I am a biology instructor. While that doesn't make me an expert, it certainly helps with the understanding of the new it topic in the news: gentically modified organisms, which are commonly called GMOs. 

A GMO is a biological organism, such as an animal, plant, or bacteria, that has been altered at the genomic level, in its DNA. The implications of this technology is phenomenal. From blue jeans to insulin to your favorite cereal, all are made or influenced by GMOs. It's an amazing concept really, take a little piece of DNA from a bacteria resistant to round-up that is put in corn and voila! Round-up ready corn. And the same concept applies to all GMOs. 

Now the question is, what does that mean for us Americans (who don't have labeling on GMOs like most of Europe), and our diets? I'll let you think on that for a while.

Meanwhile Chicken pot pie using local and GMO free ingredients! The only way to guarantee you are eating a GMO free diet is to eat organic or from local farmers you have talked too. Most local farmers will tell you what they grow and how they treat their crops. If they won't, don't buy from them!

You will need:
1 carton Pacific cream of mushroom soup (it's GMO free!)
2 large carrots, diced (buy organic or local)
1 potato, peeled and diced (organic or local)
1 cup peas (organic or local)
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup corn (organic or local)
1 cup milk, divided (organic)
1 cup flour (organic)
1 tbsp sour cream (organic)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vinegar
1/4 c. shredded cheese
2 cups cooked chopped chicken, preferably local
Olive oil or organic cooking spray

Here's How:
1. Mix the flour, 3/4 c. milk, parsley, vinegar, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375.
3. Mix soup, remaining milk, and sour cream in a bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. 
4. Coat an 8x8 baking dish with oil. Add in chicken cream mixture. 
5. Top with biscuit mix.
6. Bake for 25-35 minutes until biscuit is brown and cooked through. 
7. Serve warm with a salad or fresh fruit.

Enjoy!

GMO labeling

Vermont became the first state to mandate GMO labels. In the NY Times just one week ago, a new article appeared in the blog The Consumer entitled "Information Not on the Label". Obviously, GMO's are a hot topic. But why?

A GMO or genetically modified organism, is an organism, typically a bacteria or plant, that has been altered to contain DNA (the genetic material that codes for all life) from another species of organism. For example, Bt corn is a variety of corn plant that contains a toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis, a bacteria. This toxin allows the corn to be insect resistant in order to reduce pesticide use. Other examples include papaya designed to be resistant to a virus that almost wiped out the plant in the 1990's, and E. coli altered to produce cotton for blue jeans. GMO's are also used to produce life saving medications, such as insulin for diabetics. 

But the issue at hand is not the safety of GMO's. Or why or where they are being used, though those issues certainly come up. The issue is whether GMO's in our foodstuffs should be labeled. The FDA has no opinion of GMO's being labeled, but supports companies that voluntarily label their food, "provided that such labeling is truthful and not misleading."

People want to know what they are eating. Whether the food is safe, nutritious, organic, heirloom, genetically engineered, whole, or processed. 

My question to you is this: What do you think? Do you have an opinion? Do you know enough about GMO's to form an opinion?

I strongly encourage each and every one of you in the ether to tap on your keyboards and research GMO's. You'll find a lot of opinions and very few facts. And that, my friends, is the problem. There is just not enough research on GE foods and organisms to know what the long term effects can be. Just to make it a little easier, look at the table below. I have put some pros and cons of GMO's and GE foods for you so that you can make an informed decision.

Pros and Cons of GMO’s

Pros:	Cons:
Food: (includes Golden rice, soy, corn, papaya, squash, etc) Drought tolerant crops Pest resistant Less pesticide use Higher nutritional value Higher yields	Food: Less variety No research on long term side effects Increases use of high fructose corn syrup Encourages processed foods
Medicine: (includes insulin, chemo, and antibiotics, and more) Higher yields Faster turnarounds Reduces costs Greater availability	Medicine: No known cons
Industry: (includes cotton, dyes, biofuels, etc) Higher yields Reduces costs Environmentally friendly	Industry: Rougher textures What if the plants cross-pollinate or the bacteria escape and grow in the wild?

What do you think?

~Suzanne~