Seattle Local Food

FOOD DAY is here! Food Day local calendar is here!

After months of hard work, Food Day is upon us. Food Day events in Washington State have already started, and there are some amazing things coming up this weekend and next week. Seriously, a field trip to the fascinating urban ag model at Hilltop Urban Gardens in Tacoma, a tour of the new Seattle Tilth farm in Auburn, the wonderful Eat Local Now! dinner in Seattle, a workshop on the Farm Bill in Seattle, a Seattle Farm Co-op launch party in Seattle, Nourish food + community film screenings all over Klickitat County, a day of events at WSU, a symposium at UW, an event about ending hunger in Skagit County, a feast and educational event in Clark County, screenings of The Greenhorns with the director in attendance… and SO. MUCH. MORE.

I’m excited. And getting hungry. (No, seriously. I’ve been working on Food Day since I woke up and forgot to eat. Ironic, right?)

Okay, details: There’s a wordpress calendar of WA activities here. PLEASE share this calendar on with others. These events are amazing and you should check them out, along with a few hundred of your closest friends.

A bit about the flagship dinner for the area, the Eat Local Now! event. Here is the press release for the event. If you’ve never been to Eat Local Now! and can afford to go, please do. It’s one of my favorite events of the year. I’m actually flying in for it straight from Food Day events in San Francisco, just to make sure I don’t miss it.

Eat Local Now!
Monday, October 24, 2011, 6-9:30pm.
at Herban Feast SODO Park

About the event and the organizations running it:

The 8th Annual Eat Local Now! Dinner Celebration encourages participation in local food systems, bolstering food equality for all. The event is at Herban Feast in Sodo Park at 3200 1st Avenue South in Seattle on October 24. Get tickets and more information for the 8th Annual Eat Local Now! dinner at EatLocalNow.org or by calling 1-800-838-3006. This year’s event presented by Sustainable West Seattle, CoolMom.org, Herban Feast and The Seattle Good Business Network.

CoolMom.org unites families to affect climate change through education, lifestyle change, and advocacy. CoolMom’s vision is to inspire moms, families and communities to practice sustainable living in how they live, learn, work and play to build a better future for our children.

Herban Feast is continually finding new ways to use regional suppliers, assist the area economy and agriculture community by sourcing ingredients from local producers and farmers, and employing sustainable practices. Herban Feast provides off-site catering at venues throughout the Puget Sound region and on-site catering at our distinctive event venue, Sodo Park. You can also find us at our farm-fresh, full-service restaurant, Fresh Bistro in West Seattle.

Seattle Good Business Network (formerly BALLE Seattle) is a non-profit venture that connects, empowers, and promotes Seattle-area business owners who care about the future of our place. Members are locally owned, independently operated businesses of all kinds.

Sustainable West Seattle educates and advocates for urban sustainability in our local community. SWS envisions a West Seattle community of empowered citizens who actively lead toward greater self-reliance, local democracy, social justice, and existence in harmony with life on earth. SWS meets the 3rd Monday each month at 7 PM.

Event contact: Christina Hahs
info (at) eatlocalnow.org
206.307.4860

Media contact: Kate Kaemerle
katekaemerle (at) gmail.com
206.743.4468

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I’ve been busy getting ready for Food Day, hence neglecting the poor blog lately. I’ve ended up the West Coast Coordinator of Food Day, focusing primarily on the Bay Area and other parts of California, as well as Washington State. I haven’t had much time for many of my favorite autumn activities like mushroom hunting, but I did take a few hours after services on Rosh Hashanah to head out into the woods with a friend and find some delicious chanterelles.

They were so fresh, and I was somewhat disciplined, so I still had some left and in good condition by the day I was preparing for my meal before the Yom Kippur fast. I wanted to eat something that would be filling but very digestible, and definitely delicious.

I settled on something coconut-milk-based, for its long-satiating fat and easy digestibility. I cooked chicken thighs with a little onion in coconut milk, added a little lemon juice and fish sauce, and served it with brown rice and cilantro. The meal was simple to prepare and even tastier than I expected, particularly because the flavor from the chicken cooked out into and mixed with the coconut milk sauce. Also, when the time came to break the fast on the next night, I wasn’t ravenous.

~

Chicken with Chanterelles, Coconut Milk, and Lemon

Serves two

• chicken thighs and/or other parts (I made one thigh per person, but you may want more)
• chanterelles or other mushrooms – about 1/2 pint or a generous handful
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 1/2 small/medium onion
• dash of fish sauce
• black pepper
• a few pinches of fresh cilantro
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• coconut oil

1. Cook rice separately if you’re making it.

2. In a heavy skillet, like a cast-iron skillet, heat coconut oil. Place chicken parts into hot oil and cook about a minute or two on each side to brown. When you turn them to the second side, add onions all around them and stir.

3. When onions are softening and turning clear and a little brown, add the chanterelles and a little more coconut oil. Let them cook for a minute or so, stirring to make all sides touch the pan.

4. Add most but not all of your half-can of coconut milk to the chicken. Add a dash or so of fish sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and turn the heat to medium. Let it cook for a while, probably in the 20 minute range, until the chicken is cooked all the way through and liquids run clear when you poke the thickest parts with a knife.

5. Taste the sauce and adjust for salt/fish sauce. Grate in some fresh black pepper. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice and remaining coconut milk.

6. Serve with or without brown rice, and with cilantro sprinkled on top.

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