Thoughts on "Eating Local" (the book)

Scott and I really enjoyed eating from "Eating Local" this week. There were many successes and only one "dud".



This is a cookbook that is destined to become the one I reach for when planning meals. I've added it to my kitchen counter cookbooks, that stack of books that sit all splattered with sauces and oils, marked with post-its and smeared fingerprint marks.



I am so looking forward to cooking more from this cookbook. I can't wait to use more fresh Farmer's Market fruits and veggies. I'm especially excited about the Fig and Lemon Preserves, I plan to make when Figs are in season later this summer.

Eating Local - Baby Greens with Fig, Blue Cheese and Walnuts + Grilled Flat Iron Steak

Tonight's dinner was another aim toward healthiness. I made the Baby Greens with Fig, Blue Cheese and Walnuts and added the Grilled Flat Iron Steak to make the salad a bit more substantial.



The beef was supposed to be marinated for 8 hours but since I didn't remember to do that before work, it ended up being marinated for 2 hours while I attended yoga class.



The salad was super easy to put together and the only change I made was to add some dijon mustard to the salad dressing. I believe dijon mustard makes any salad dressing even better.



I used dried figs since it is not fig season yet but I had to have them once I had spotted this recipe in the "Eating Local" book.

All in all, this salad was a win. It's one that I can see making again and again. Quite delicious!

Eating Local - Grilled Scallops with Wilted Spinach and Lemon-Caper Butter

I have to be honest here. Last night's dinner was a bit of a let-down. After our lamb heavy day on Sunday, I decided to lighten things up by making "Grilled Scallops with Wilted Spinach and Lemon-Caper Butter" on page 148 of "Eating Local".



Scott and I really enjoy our seafood but I just don't think that we love scallops. They tend to be bland and no matter how I cook them, they just don't retain any flavor.



Now don't get me wrong, the dish was super easy to make and the lemon-caper butter was divine. I just think if I were to make this again, I would substitute shrimp for the scallops and asparagus for the spinach, making an entirely different dish than this one.



I also decided to try my hand at the Vietnamese-Style Carrot and Daikon Pickle on page 142 of "Eating Local". I wasn't a fan of that either. I'm letting the flavors settle a bit before trying them again. I've never had Daikon and Scott said that it tasted like pickled Daikon. Maybe I'm not a fan of Daikon?



Well you can't win them all and these weren't complete losses. In fact, I suspect that other people would LOVE them. These recipes just aren't for Scott and I.