Visions of pot pie....

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. ~Jim Davis

Trying to learn to balance a passion for good food and health can sometimes be a little tricky. I try and approach everything with an "as close to the earth" approach. By eating food in its most basic, whole form you only reap the benefits of all the naturally occurring nutrients.

Tis the season for ROOTS! This is one of the first things that I look forward to every fall, a big pile of sweet carrots, parsnips, little baby potatoes and whatever else I can find at the market that's different and fun. There really is no wrong way you can prepare roasted roots. There are only three essentials: your favorite veggie (I'm a huge fan of roasting brussel sprouts), a little oil and salt. After few minutes in the oven and ta da ! Recently, I have begun whisking up a vegetable marinade consisting of good quality extra virgin olive oil, maldon sea salt, fresh black pepper, garlic (try using your zester, its incredibly fast), and a touch of local honey. This marinade is extremely versatile and is delicious on all different vegetables.

A Friday night...

Miniature baby red carrots, new purple potatoes, local brussel sprouts, sweet parsnips, fragrant celery root, fresh baby red onions, and wonderfully full flavored cremini mushrooms all marinaded and roasted until just barely tender. Having gone a little overboard in the preparation of this, we had nearly enough to feed 5 people. This was served along with an incredible chicken pot pie, something I never thought I would be excited about eating. It was filled with local organic chicken, and packed with sauteed vegetables. All of this was placed into a oven proof skillet. A brown rue was used to help thicken the cooking liquid, and savory pie crust was placed on top. The hardest part of this entire process was waiting....and waiting....and waiting. The only cure I can find for this is to sit back and sip some really good wine, and maybe play a game of scattegories one of my all time favorite games. Once the smells began to flow out of the kitchen and the pie was golden brown and bubbling, it was time. I think the first slice you make in anything you have created that has that golden beautiful crust is always a time for pause. Its one of those times that you get to savor, the sound of the flaky crust breaking apart, the smells that erupt and the wonderful image of all the vegetables and chicken packed in and just holding together enough to form a nice fat piece of pie. This is also one of those times that I don't feel guilty about eating a huge piece, or going back for seconds. Between cooking with these wonderful local colorful ingredients, the great dishes we created, good wine and just time to hangout and relax playing games, I'd say this was a great Friday night worth repeating.

me, myself and I

My name is Abby and I'm a foodie. I love to eat, drink, cook, talk and read about food. This is going to be my first attempt at writing about these experiences and sharing them with you. By trade, I'm a new professional in the field of nutrition and dietetics. I currently work in research at the University of Vermont overseeing subject recruitment and various testing. I also dabble in consulting part-time for a local physical therapy company which usually involves general healthy eating and overall weight loss, although occasionally the more complicated issue will arise. I also have a background in cooking, working for a few years in pastry and commercial kitchens. Which I must admit, is a little comical that someone that has an interest in health and food truly enjoyed working with pounds of butter, flour and sugar daily. Everyone needs to let loose once and a while and I wanted to be the one taking them to their "happy place".