"No Salt" Seasoning Mix

This past weekend I made a recipe that called for Lawry's Seasoned Salt. Since anything with salt in the name is pretty much taboo around here, I took a stab at creating my own. There are several variations of the original, but all were high in sodium. This is a low (no) sodium version of the original.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and store in an empty spice container. These quantities make about 3 tablespoons or 1 ounce of seasoning mix.

Spring Greens Frittata

Even though we are officially into Summer now, I wanted to make sure I captured this dish I made late last month. I purchased a box of organic mixed veggies and wasn't quite sure what to make. We happened to have a decent stockpile of fresh eggs, so I decided I would combine the two.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large green onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 cups spring greens (this was a combination of kale, chard, broccoli, turnip greens, and some other stuff)
1 diced wax pepper (I used a frozen one from last summer's garden)
ground pepper
5 eggs
fresh thyme or other herbs

Directions
1. Slice the onion (including the whites) and saute it with the garlic in the olive oil. I used a 10 inch frying pan.
2. Roughly chop the spring greens and add to the onion and garlic. Saute until soft
3. Beat the 5 eggs in a separate bowl then pour over the vegetables. I added pepper at this point for some spice.
4. Flatten the greens and make sure the eggs are covering them.
5. Sprinkle the fresh thyme and some more pepper on top.
6. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes or until set.

This was a quick and easy dinner on a weeknight. It could also be served for breakfast or a brunch as a great vegetarian side.

Mmmm....Blueberries

That was a sound heard repeatedly this morning as we enjoyed our first harvest of blueberries. We planted the bushes last year and the few berries we yielded were snatched by my husband before they were ripe. What a great way to start the week, freshly picked blueberries. Yum!!

Our New and Improved Coop

Wednesday was another moving day for our flock. We have been building this new coop in our limited spare time for the last couple of months. It is not completely finished, but is secure enough to house the chickens. We proceeded to snatch the chickens at dusk and place them in the coop. Here is how we found them yesterday morning:


Later in the day, I checked and saw that they were making use of the roosts I installed.
They are still "cooped up" today. We are trying to have them learn where home is so they come back to sleep here in the future.

They're coming...

During a garden inspection earlier this week, I happily noticed that there are little tomatoes out there. They are the Sun Gold cherry type. I am excited for them to ripen, but am a little torn. The typical hot weather that allows the tomatoes to thrive has not yet arrived and I am not sure I am missing it.

Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw

I was looking for a dairy-free coleslaw and found an assortment of recipes out on the web. Ultimately, I pulled from several recipes to create this version.

Slaw Ingredients
1 head green cabbage, sliced into narrow strips
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Granny Smith apple, finely diced

Dressing Ingredients
1 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
4 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon garlic powder

Directions
1. Mix the cabbage, onion, and apple to form the slaw.
2. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the slaw mixture.
4. Let marinate overnight and serve.

This coleslaw was great as a side dish or served on top of a tri-tip slider. It stored in the refrigerator for a week and was still tasty.

Lemon Yogurt Cake

For Mother's Day last year, I made a tasty lemon cake. I didn't want to make the exact same recipe again this year, so I found an alternate that was just as tasty. This recipe was adapted from this adaptation.

Ingredients
1 cup whole milk plain unsweetened yogurt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup lemon juice (I used a Meyer lemon from our tree)
2 eggs
1 2/3 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (the no sodium kind)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour your pan. I used Baker's Joy sprayed into my new Bundt Pan.
2. Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl.
3. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ones.
4. Stir until just combined.
5. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.

After letting it cool and turning it out onto a cake stand, I sprinkled it with some powdered sugar to dress it up a bit. The cake was wonderfully moist and light, even on the second day. Next time, I may add some Grand Marnier for an extra citrus kick.

Free Ranging

The newest batch of chicks explored the backyard for the first time on Friday. We were out in the yard and I decided to let them out so we could monitor the introduction between the two generations. White Chicken had been chasing the chicks through the fence for a while, so given the opportunity to actually make progress, she caused some commotion. She was able to get a few pecks in before the new chicks realized they could outrun/outfly her.

Today, was the third day of letting them out of the PVC run. The California Whites are quite adventurous and are always the first two out the fence. A couple of the Golden Laced Wyandottes and one of the Buffs seem to always hang back in the pen. They appear to be more timid than the others.