Refrigerator Chowder - YUM!

Tonight's dinner was a use-what's-in-the-fridge chowder, a repeat of last week's well-liked chowder with salmon instead of clams. It's so good, in fact, that I'm going to pass along the recipe. It has worked both with canned clams and canned salmon, and I'll be trying it again with canned crab as I work my way through the canned pantry goods, and I anticipate it being equally delicious. This is not a creamy chowder, but is thickened by pureeing some of the soup before serving, making it not only low fat and hearty but CORE as well. If you want it to be creamier, you can reduce the stock to 3 1/2 c. and add 1/2 c. milk or cream or half and half when you add the uncooked corn. It is adapted from a chowder recipe in Lorna Sass's cookbook, "Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure."

Salmon Chowder with corn, celery, leeks, and potatoes
Serves 8

2 t. canola oil
2 c. leeks, cut into 1/4 inch half moons, or 2 c. onions, diced
4 large celery ribs, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
4 c. vegetable or fish stock
1 lb. thin-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
4 c. fresh or frozen (defrosted) corn kernals, divided (fresh is best, and you can cook the shucked cobs with the soup for added sweetness and flavor)
14 oz. can of wild-caught salmon, or 2 small cans of clams in their juice, or whatever seafood you have on hand, or no seafood at all for a vegetarian chowder
1 T dried dill
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t. dried thyme

In the pressure cooker over medium-high heat, saute the leek/onion, celery, carrot, and red bell pepper in the canola oil until softened, stirring frequently. Add the stock, potatoes, 1 cup of corn, corn cobs (if using), thyme, and seafood (if using). Lock the lid in place and bring to high pressure. Cook for 4 minutes on high pressure. Use quick release to reduce pressure and remove the lid away from you.

Remove the corn cobs. With a slotted spoon, transfer about 2 cups of the cooked veggies to a food processor and puree them together with 2 cups of the uncooked corn kernals. Do not overprocess. Stir the puree back into the soup with the remaining cup of uncooked corn. Add dill, salt, and pepper, and simmer until the just-added corn is tender, 2 to 3 minutes.

Daily menu for Sunday, November 4

It's day four of November's pantry challenge, and I haven't purchased any food until today. I haven't eaten out, and have been pretty consistently on plan (besides the blintzes at yesterday's pot luck.)

Our CSA box this week includes the following veggies:

Red Daikon
Spinach
Pomegranates
Kabocha Squash
Leeks
Lettuce
Corn
Tokyo Turnips

From the newsletter this week:

The food grown at Full Belly Farm has not been irradiated, fumigated, chlorinated or pasteurized. It does not contain genetically modified organisms, hormones or antibiotics. Nor have we implanted it with tracking devices. For these reasons, the food safety technicians may tell you that it is not 'safe.' On this we have a difference of opinion: Full Belly strives to deliver nutritious, tasty food in its pure state and we have 100% confidence in its high quality and integrity.

Hooray for Full Belly Farm, giving us food in its natural state!

I'm excited about pomegranates! Do you have any favorite ways of using them?

We're having corn and clam chowder for dinner, using up two cans of clams from the pantry and several ears of corn that are sadly shrivelling in my fridge from last week. I'm also adding celery, leeks, and new potatoes from the fridge and pantry. The recipe calls for1/2 c. heavy cream for 6 servings, which is definitely not Core, so I'll be counting the small amount per serving (2 Points per serving of heavy cream). I'll be buying milk, a tiny container of heavy cream, and clam juice to complete the recipe, and eggs for the week, for a low, low weekly food expense of under $20. There are advantages to eating out of the pantry!

We're purchasing 1/3 of a local, pastured pig later this month and I'm so excited about the flavorful, humanely raised pork that will soon fill my freezer! TLC Ranch, where the pig is from, has been at the farmer's market over the summer and I've bought small hams from them. Not all pork cuts are Core, of course, just like the beef that we've been working our way through, and some pieces will have to be counted. It's worth it! Some of the sausage will be used in my Thanksgiving stuffing - I'm making an apple, sausage, sage, and caramelized onion stuffing with home made bread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Daily Menu
Breakfast
Cereal with soy milk

Lunch
Lentil-barley soup with kale and tomatoes (yummy leftovers!!)

Dinner
Clam-corn chowder in the pressure cooker (not local clams, dairy from Clover Stornetta, local produce from Full Belly Farm)
Pomegranates

November's Pantry Challenge, and a daily menu for November 2

Our pantry and freezer are stuffed with food and I still spend my regular $90 or so a week adding to the stock. For the month of November, I'm limiting myself to $30 a week for fresh food like dairy, eggs, and fresh fruits, and am going to try to use up some of the extra stuff cluttering up my cabinets. My menu plan includes quite a few non-local products that have sat idly by while we ate local or ate out. Cans of coconut milk, clams, and pineapple, frozen edamame, and lots of frozen fish will make an appearance in this month's menu plan. (Thanksgiving is not included in my $30 a week, and will be a Locavore holiday. I'll post more about my plans in the coming weeks.)

I posted about the big box of tomatoes and the 5 or so pounds leftover, looking for suggestions. Thanks to those of you who e-mailed me suggestions! I'm dicing and freezing the remaining tomatoes for soups and chili over the winter.

Daily Menu
Breakfast
Applesauce oatmeal, milk

Lunch
Sweet and sour lentils, carrot sticks

Dinner
Mexican style wheatberry-cranberry bean salad