Cooking in Season: Baked Potatoes

I just couldn't help but make some baked potatoes this week since we got a 50# bag of potatoes from Maine (in a local farm store) for $12. Part of the great part about cooking in season is that things are usually very affordable! So here's my meal this Monday:

Baked Potatoes with yummy toppings:

Ingredients:
-1 medium/large potato per person
-sour cream
-chives or green onions
-cheddar cheese
-Ingredients for chili to top potatoes:
-2 cans kidney beans
-1 lb ground beef from Twist of fate farm
-2 cans diced tomatoes (I would have used my frozen ones, but I've used them all up already!)
-chili seasoning mix
-1 small onion

Directions:
Bake Potatoes in oven: I covered them in foil and baked at 375 for 1hr 20 min. Make chili: saute the onion, add ground beef until browned, add chili seasoning, beans, and diced tomatoes and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 10 minutes or more. When potatoes are done, cut open on a plate and cover with all your favorite toppings.

...total cost for feeding 6 adults and one preschooler: $13.10 or $1.87 per person (potats $1.50, sour cream $2, beef $4, beans $1, tomatoes $1.50, onion $.10, green onions $1, cheese $2)

Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos

Black Bean Sweet Potato Burritos
yields 8 burritos

Ingredients:
3 Cups/750 ml sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
1/2 onion (chopped)
2 cups/500ml cooked black beans
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups/375 ml cheddar cheese (shredded).

Directions:
-Saute sweet potatoes and onion in a large frypan and in 1 tablespoon oil until just tender. Add water or apple juice as needed to prevent sticking.
-Add black beans, cumin, cinnamon, and salt and cook until heated through.
-Divide bean mixture and cheese among the tortillas and roll up. Place in a 9x13 baking pan. Lightly spray with olive oil if desired. Bake at 350F/180C for 20-25 min. Garnish with sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro.

I also sprinkled cheese on top of all the burritos before putting it in the oven and the meal was a big hit at my house!

Cooking in Season

I've been reading a lot about food lately (is it obvious from my posts?) and I've decided to make a concentrated effort to eat more locally and in season (for the sake of the economy, local farmers, my carbon footprint, my health, and cause it's just plain fun). So, I bought an AWESOME cookbook to help me out...it's called "Simply in Season" which is a book comissioned by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) to promote the understanding of how the food choices we make affect our lives and the lives of those who produce food. MCC also created the "More-with-Less" cookbook which you may have heard of. I am really enjoying this cookbook for the recipies are simple and yet really yummy.

So, since it is very obviously winter here in Massachusetts, I'm trying to cook with the suggested items of: apples, beets, cabbage, carrots, citrus, parsnips, potatoes, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, and turnips. We also still have a lot of winter squash.

So far in the local spirit I've made butternut squash soup, leg of lamb (from a local farm) with cabbage, whole chicken, roasted root vegetables, and guiness pie with beef and root veggies. To help me remember what I've made, I'm going to start posting recipies to my blog...please feel free to share your favorite seasonal recipies with me as well!