The Wild Leeks of Spring-time
Filed under: Food & Cooking Tips, Living Green, Potatoes & Veggies
Some call them Ramps, others Ramsons. Folks from the far South and the West of
our country don’t know them at all because they’re a wild spring vegetable
of northern hardwood forests from South Carolina to Ontario.
Ramps are a delightful relative of the onion family (also closely related to the lily family). Their flavor is strong and earthy. They have tones of garlic, shallot and onion, yet have an elusively unique gingery spiciness.
Pioneers made certain to hunt their ramps for the nutrients they offered, being one of the very first green edibles of spring after a long winter of subsistence on stored vegetables. They say that the city of Chicago got its name from the native Potawatami “Checagou” which means “onions” or “skunk”, most likely due to the aroma from the proliferation of ramps that could be collected in the hardwood forests on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Stuffed Pork Chops
Stuffing…
Stuffed Pork Chop
We all love it, but what diet did you ever see with stuffing on it? The truth is, if you stuff something with delicious, healthy foods, then you can eat all you like.
Our stuffed pork chops are stuffed with veggies, herbs and some dry bread crumbs, held together with a little pasteurised egg product. Absolutely no fat at all.
This one is a keeper.
Pork Medallions in Pepper Wine Sauce
This is a recipe that is simple but it looks like it took you all day to prepare. The best part is you typically will have all the ingredients on hand.
The sauce is simply chicken stock, wine and a little mustard. Shhhhh, don’t tell anybody 
Chicken Pot Pie
Most diets would put Chicken Pot Pies on the “no way” list.
Not in this case. The trick is to eliminate that heavy gravy and instead make a healthy sauce. Don’t worry, once you slice a piece and see all that crust and chicken and sauce running all over your plate, you won’t miss the Chicken “Fat” Pies of the past.
Oh. Are you worried about making the pastry? No bother. We use the ready made pastry from the dairy case.
Cesar Salad
In the 80’s, there was a “somewhat” famous restaurant locally here in Rhode Island that made Cesar Salad at the table for you. It was great. They mashed up anchovies, added the yolk of a raw egg, all those things we try to shy away from now.
I became friends with a waiter there and after quite a bit of pleading, he gave me the recipe. I swore that I would not reveal my source because it would have meant his immediate dismissal from the establishment.
Now that the restaurant is gone, there is no harm in sharing this fabulous recipe with all… with a few adjustments like anchovy paste instead of little fishes out of a can, and egg product for the raw egg.
Roasted Carrots
Don’t let the simplicity of this recipe fool you. Carrots and olive oil; that’s it. But something happens when you roast carrots in the oven for a while. They get so sweet, just a little color from roasting.
I always make these whenever I roast chicken or beef. The oven is running anyway. Might as well take full advantage of it.
Orange Chicken
Bright orange citrus flavors makes this dish look as great as it tastes. This is a real simple way to dress up baked chicken with ingredients you typically have on hand.
Warm Salad
This salad serves 4, but you can top it with scallops or grilled chicken and easily make it a meal for two.
BELTCHO
Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, CHeese, Onion.
Just a variation on the basic BLT, but a little better for you. We use egg product instead of whole eggs, cutting down on fat and calories. And, we use Canadian bacon instead of regular bacon. It has the same smokey flavor without all the fat.
Rhode Island Clam Chowder
New England clam chowder has milk or cream. Manhattan clam chowder has tomatoes. Rhode Island (where I live) clam chowder has neither!
This may be one of the simplest clam chowders to make, and it’s most likely the healthiest because it has no salt pork and no cream or milk.
Not to mention better tasting then cream and tomato chowders.