Summer Treat

Every chance the weather is sunny and I am surrounded by friends I make this dessert.

I made it in Florida during spring break and I made it again in June this summer.

Frozen Key Lime Pie!

yum.

I won't bother showing you how to make it because I snagged the recipe from my idol, Ina Garten. Here it is-- delish!

However, I will let you know that making the pie as advanced as possible (perhaps even the night before) is key because it takes a little while for the pie to freeze.

Also!

I was happy to discover that I already had much of the organic ingredients around the house and therefore, it was a very inexpensive, yet organic, summer treat.

{ And yes, unlike puff pastry, organic sweetened condensed milk does exist. In fact, before making this recipe I wasn't quite sure what sweetened condensed milk consisted of... But it is only milk that is dehydrated and sweetened! Not as if that means it's necessarily good for you...}

So seriously. Go make this uber refreshing, delicious, simple dessert tonight and enjoy it tomorrow!

Cheers

Hello Hilo

I'm back.

I have just recently returned from the most amazing trip to Hilo, Hawaii!

While I was there, I was unable to stay faithful to an organic diet... However, I did not fail to notice (and was actually impressed by) the extensive existence of organic shops, restaurants, and opportunities.

But most what I found most fascinating--

The Hilo Farmer's Market!!!

This was by far the best farmers market I have ever been to. Not only was there a remarkable variety, but everything was so inexpensive!

My favorite find was apple bananas. These look like mini bananas and when you bite into them there is a wonderful synthesis of sweet and tart.

YUM!

Plus, they were only $1 a pound!

This definitely inspired me to go explore more markets here in Wichita...

I can't wait to see what my hometown has to offer

Good Karma

Let me start by saying..

I LOVE GREEN ACRES!

Now, I'll explain--

Yesterday, I went to Green Acres to to shop for the ingredients in my key lime pie (post coming soon). Since I brought my own reusable shopping bag, I was asked if I wanted to enter a contest for a full bag of groceries and a $10 gift certificate. Of course, I jumped on that as quick as lightning! I mean, I never thought I'd win...

But guess what...

I won!

This started to make me wonder...how truly crucial is the usage of reusable bags? I enjoy using them because I love the variety of bags! It's easy to have fun with it.

But I never really understood the impact of single-use plastic bags until now!

Did you know?--

Every year, the U.S. goes through 100 billion single-use plastic bags a year!

&

Plastic bags are the second most common type of ocean refuse next to cigarette butts!

&

Plastic bags are not biodegradable, so they become a toxic threat to soil, waterways, and animals!

(All according to reuseit.com)

Like with so many things, it is easy to constantly consume and toss bags, but it is not sustainable for the environment and planet. By simply keeping reusable bags in the car or next to the door, each of us can make an impact (and maybe even win a contest)!

Join the reusable revolution

There's No Place Like Home...

Hello Kansas!

Last weekend, I drove the 24 hour drive from Manhattan to Wichita.

Woohwee! What a trip! But boy oh boy am I glad to be home.

I suppose I just missed nature too much..

Nonetheless, I definitely do miss the perks of New York City.

Like living steps away from the Union Square Greenmarket where there are nearly 140 sellers of fish, breads, honeys, veggies, and fruits.

Today, I went to the Andover Central Park Farmers Market, which is located 5 minutes from my house by car. Though the quality of the market was excellent, the quantity..eh...there were three stands.

Toto, I don't think we're in Manhattan anymore...

New location, new challenges!

I won't give up hope.

There are many more farmers markets in Wichita that I plan to explore. And if local produce doesn't work out, there is also the locally owned healthy grocer Green Acres.

So, plan on a new organic cooking experience to be posted soon!

Whirlwind of a Week

With papers, quizzes, schedule planning, and approaching finals, perhaps this wasn't the best timing to start a blog...

Nonetheless! I still managed to whip up a delicious & nutritious organic meal this Wednesday. The meal was inspired by a staple dish that I had growing up:

Spaghetti squash.

The full menu included an arugula salad with apples, garlic butter bread, spaghetti squash, tomato sauce, and a brownie pie. But of course, the healthy highlight of the meal was surely the squash!

the layout

I started by preheating the oven to 375 degrees.

I cut the squash in half and proceeded to scrape out the seeds with a spoon.

I brushed the inside of the squash with olive oil, then sprinkling it with salt and pepper.

I placed the squash face down a baking sheet and baked it for approximately 45 minutes, until tender.

After I pulled the squash out of the oven, I let it cool for a bit. Then I scraped the inside with a fork and it easily gave way into spaghetti form.

And that's it! What a healthy alternative to pasta!

Final outcome?

A seriously scrumptious, healthy, cheap, & quick meal that I will be making often on weeknights!

Easter Appetite

Happy Belated Easter!

So yesterday--

As all my roommates escaped New York City and journeyed home to enjoy home cooked meals laden with motherly love... I was alone. In the dorm. Contemplating whether I should attempt to make puff pastry from scratch for the first time. Or not..

Well, let me back up--

It's not as if I did not try to take the short cut. I scoured the freezer sections of both Whole Foods and Trader Joe's for frozen puff pastry. Nada.

I must admit, I did briefly think: Oh, the good old days when I was completely ignorant to everything organic and could fold out a sheet of perfect puff pastry from Pepperidge Farms.

But then I remembered that those sheets aren't even made with butter. Instead, they use Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean and Cottonseed Oils Colored with Beta Carotene).... uh, no thanks.

Ultimately, I took one glance at my kitchen and vetoed the whole puff pastry experiment.

Note the counter space:

But I still wanted Easter treats followed with an Easter food baby and coma.

So, here we are! Easter Crostini & Salad.

YUM.

Ingredients:

1 Baguette

6 (2 for Bread, 2 for Onions, 2 for Salad) Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Salt

Ground Pepper

Fig Jam

1/4 cup of grated Gruyere Cheese

2 Yellow Onions, chopped

1 tablespoon of thyme leaves

4 oz of Goat Cheese

Prosciutto

Arugula

I started by preheating the oven to 375. While the oven was warming, I sliced the Baguette diagonally into 3/4-1 inch thick slices. Then, I brushed olive oil on the tops of each one and sprinkled salt. I placed them in the oven for about 10 minutes or until crusty, but not burnt!

I heated 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and added my chopped yellow onion. I allowed the onions to caramelize (yumyumyum) for about 15 minutes. I then added salt, ground pepper, and thyme and cooked them (stirring occasionally) for about 5 more minutes.

--Side note: I could honestly eat caramelized onions by themselves all day. So delicious.

After the sliced baguette was out of the oven & cooled and the onions were caramelized, I was ready to start assembling (yeehaw)! I spread fig jam liberally on every slice, sprinkled gruyere on the jam, and onions atop of both the jam and cheese.

Finally, I crumbed goat cheese atop the hot onions, letting them settle in and make themselves at home. Then, added half of a slice of prosciutto to each slice.

I made a quick salad with arugula, olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon for a bit of freshness on the side.

The outcome? Delicious. The creaminess of the goat cheese, bit of the gruyere, saltiness of the prosciutto, the caramelized onions (which don't need a descriptive adjective because they are simply amazing), and the crunchiness and carbi-ness of the baguette...they were all gone in 10 minutes. :)

I am Morganic

Hi. Hello. & Howdy.

My name is Morgan and here is a boring spiel about myself:

I am business school student at Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University. I am also committed to the organic food counter-revolution against GMOs and the overall industrialization of food.

I am the synthesis of both number crunching and spoon lickin' goodness.

Therefore, (voila!) I am Morganic.

This blog is dedicated to the adventure into the world of cooking and living organically, seasonally, and locally.

YUM!

Organic food!? What? How? Where? Why?

This, we will discover together.