Moved!

I totally neglected to say that I got a domain for this blog (www.thedailynom.com) and am hosting it on my own server with WordPress software.

See you there!

whatever-veg stir fry

This is a nice, flavoursome Asian style stir-fry. My favourite part is that you can adjust the recipe according with the seasonal availability of different veg. We like capsicum, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and broccoli. If I'm feeling like cheating I'll add cashew nuts :)

Chop up the veg into manageable pieces. Heat a neutral oil (rice bran, peanut, etc) and stir-fry the onion until translucent. Add garlic, ginger and stir-fry for another minute, then add the rest of the vegetables in sequence, bearing in mind that some take longer than others to cook. For example, we buy beautiful capsicums from the market that are deliciously sweet and caramelise well in this recipe - they should be added with the onions. At some point, add some soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

pizza from scratch

We really love making our own pizza. Almost everything is from scratch - as soon as we get our Vitamix we'll even be grinding our own wheat. But almost everything else is made from fresh ingredients. :)

I think what really helps make great pizza is nice, fluffy crust. We use our Bakehouse bread maker to prepare the dough (recipe from the bread maker book) though I've done it by hand, too.

The key to a gorgeous, pizzaria crust is to use a pizza stone. Heat the stone in a oven to 220C/425F (if you put a cold stone straight into a hot oven, it might crack). Prepare the pizza - roll out the dough onto parchment paper and put toppings on it: 4T pizza sauce - recipe below, and top with whatever veg you want. Place the raw pizza, parchment and all, onto the pizza stone.

A favourite of ours is capsicum, Kalamata olives, onions, fresh New Zealand mozzarella and Cloudy Mountain feta, all purchased at the local farmers market.

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I make my own pizzaiola sauce from fresh tomatoes - it's absolutely divine. Store-bought pizza sauces just don't compare.

800g fresh tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1/2c olive oil
1T fresh oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Heat the oil over high heat in a wok or other large, shallow pan (I use a cast-iron pan) almost until the smoking point. Add the tomatoes, garlic and oregano, but be careful not to get splattered with the hot oil. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce becomes thick.

Use a food mill to remove the skin and seeds. If you don't have one, you could use a colander, but it would be messy ;) If you want a thicker sauce, it can go back in the pan for a few minutes. You should end up with a smooth, glossy sauce that tastes rich and really takes pizzas to the next level.

I use plastic popsicle molds to freeze 4T portions (enough for a single pizza) and use them as I need them.

Watch this space: I'll post some pictures later :)

tortillas with garden veg and kiwifruit salsa

This morning I was out in the garden (of course!) checking on the newly planted carrot seeds (we've got about 10% of the shoots coming up. For lunch I felt like something light and summery. So we made tortilla wraps!

For the salsa:
3 large or 4 small ripe kiwifruit, peeled and carefully chopped
seeds from 1/2 pomegranate
1/2 avocado, peeled and chopped
1 heaping tablespoon thinly sliced green or red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chili peppers - discard seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 teaspoon olive oil (we used Echo Valley Olives' grassy olive oil)
Salt and pepper

We have friends who love visiting Oaxaca in Mexico and who have a proper tortilla press. We don't have access to one of those, so we did have to use some store-bought tortillas. But they were whole wheat.

Add some Tararua sour cream, tomatoes, fancy lettuce, capsicums, and cheese (all local and NZ produced).

Delicious!

first nom - colcannon with sauteed mushrooms and garden peas

Colcannon is a Scottish recipe that uses kale and potatoes in a very simple but delicious recipe.

Scrub clean and cut 6 medium potatoes into large chunks. Bung everything into a steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the stalk out of the kale leaves (essentially cutting them in half) and toss those in the steamer for the last 5 minutes.

Mash the mix, add as much butter, salt and pepper as you want.

Serve with steamed peas picked and shucked that day, and sauteed mushrooms.

the garden!

Since moving here have started five garden plots growing a variety of vegetables. As of 7 December, we are growing:

fruit/vegetables: apples*, artichoke, beetroot, blueberries, boysenberries, broccoli, capsicum (red and yellow), cauliflower, corn, carrots, cucumber, grapes (Concorde, unidentified*), kale (curly, Red Russian), lemon*, lemon balm, orange* (Mandarin, Valencia), olive, onion (white, red, spring), peas, passionfruit (Black Beauty, Robinson's Black), potatoes, raspberries (Yellow Ivory), shallots, strawberries, tomatoes (Red Russian, Sweet 100, Gardener's Delight, Beefsteak, Grosse Lisse, Black Krim, Black Cherry), watermelon (Sweet Summer), zucchini (Zorro).

herbs: astragalus milk vetch, basil, bay tree, chamomile (Roman and German), chives, lemon balm, lemongrass, marjoram, mint (chocolate, pepper, English), oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme

random: borage, catmint, catnip, lavender, marigolds, Venus flytrap ("Bitey")

* already established when upon arrival in August

intro

We moved to New Zealand about four months ago from Calgary, Canada. It's just the two of us, both vegetarians. I knew next to nothing about gardening when I started, and through trial and error (it's very forgiving here so not so much error, thankfully) I've learned so much in these months. The purpose of this blog is to publish recipes for those wanting to start their own exercise in sustainability.

We are currently in the North Island of New Zealand and hope to get a lifestyle block of rural land to start a proper organic garden. For now, we're living in town on a 1/8 acre block. We visit the farmers' market every week (sometimes twice!) in an effort to try to eat as locally or homegrown as possible. Coming from Canada, where the farmers market is open year-round but most produce is imported, it's a wonderful feeling to grow your own noms.

This is mostly just a food blog and collection of recipes. There aren't any rules involved, just a personal decision to start eating more locally. Feel free to take these recipes, use them, pass them on, do whatever with them. Tell me about your own results in the comments! :)

It shows that even someone with little to no gardening knowledge can get out there and start living (semi-)sustainably!