Welcome to the New & Improved Blog for Jolie Donohue!

Happy Autumn dear friends! The first day of autumn seems like an auspicious day to begin my blog again. Autumn is my favorite season and September my favorite month of the year! Dear readers, as you may know-I actively wrote the Miss Jolie Ann Kitchen Garden blog from 2008-2010. Then I took a 2 year hiatus to go to school while continuing full-time work. From 2012-2014 I actively updated my Facebook profile: Jolie Ann Donohue, Gardening Goddess in lieu of this blog. I've decided to return my energies to the blog and no longer the Facebook page. In 2013 I got married, hence the name change. You can find here expert organic gardening tips focused on the Pacific Northwest climate, delicious seasonal recipes from the kitchen garden, creative floral designs, and musings on my wanderings in nature as a goofy plant nerd. Please take some time to enjoy the blog archive for recipe ideas. Soon I will begin posting new tips and photos. Drop me a line sometime. Have a joyful Autumn Equinox and many blessings for a wonderful season.

Dear Friends, For all your gardening updates and questions, you can now find me at my newly updated facebook page In Health, Miss Jolie

Vegetable Gardening Classes in February

Portland Friends,

Spring gardening season is right around the corner! I am teaching a free vegetable gardening for beginners class on Sunday February 17th 1pm at Portland Nursery 9000 SE Division Street: 

If you are excited to grow your own food but have little to no experience, this is the class for you! Edible gardening expert & enthusiast Jolie Grindstaff will discuss the basics of site preparation, crop selection based on site elements, planting and care techniques. With her years of experience, Jolie will demystify growing your own food and share her tips and techniques for beginner success. 

Registration is required and space is limited to 35. Please follow the Portland Nursery website link to register. I hope to see you soon!

Warmly,
Miss Jolie 

Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Swiss Chard

Black-Eyed Pea Stew with Swiss Chard

1/10/13

Makes about 8 servings

Prep time 20 minutes

Cooking time 90 minutes

Hoppin’ John is dish of black-eyed peas and rice from the southern United States traditionally served on New Years Day to bring good luck during the New Year. It is thought to eat this dish on New Year’s Day will bring you prosperous year filled with luck.

The black-eyed peas are symbolic of pennies or coins and a dime is sometimes thrown into the cooking pot. Hoppin’ John is traditionally served with cooked greens like collards or mustards. This bright green food is symbolic of money, further adding to your wealth in the New Year!

On the day after New Year’s Day, leftover Hoppin’ John is called Skippin’ Jenny.

My black-eyed pea stew is perfect on a cold wintery night. It incorporates the greens right into the stew. It’s not a quick weeknight meal, but one I put on the stove in the late afternoon on a day-off. The savory, spicy and sweet flavors all compliment each other. It’s delicious served over my garlicky-cheesy grits, brown rice, quinoa or with a side of cornbread.

“Eat poor on New Year’s and eat fat the rest of the year!” Here’s to a prosperous 2013 for all of us!

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp dried basil

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried smoked paprika

1 tsp sea salt

pinch of dried chipotle chili powder

pinch of black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped

2 large swiss chard leaves, stems removed and finely chopped, leaves sliced into fine ribbons

1 cup dried black-eyed peas

28oz can chopped tomatoes

5-6 cups water

1 vegan sea salt & herb bouillon cube

1 tsp prepared Dijon mustard

1 tsp agave syrup

Optional: 6 vegetarian breakfast “sausages”, sliced into chunks 

1. In a large pot warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until browning, approximately 10 minutes.

2. Add the basil, thyme, paprika, chipotle, salt & pepper. Stir and cook with onions for a few minutes until aromatic.

3. Add the garlic, celery, carrot, fennel, swiss chard stems, black-eyed peas, tomatoes and stir until mixed.

4. Add the water, bouillon, mustard and agave. Cover with lid and bring to a boil.

5. Once boil, reduce to medium heat and let simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

6. After one hour add the swiss chard leaves and optional sausage. Let cook for 5 minutes.

7. Taste and check spices. Adjust with more basil and salt as needed for your preference.

8. Serve over grits, rice or quinoa. Or with a side of cornbread. 

Happy New Year 2013!

Happy New Year my friends!

2013 is the long-awaited return of the Miss Jolie Ann’s Kitchen Garden blog. It’s hard to believe it’s been two years away from my beloved blog and all of you treasured readers. I hope the New Year finds you healthy and happy!

The past two years have been full of academic study in horticulture and horticultural therapy, a career promotion and transfer at the nursery, nesting into my amazing new home, building new gardens at home and in my neighborhood community garden, and falling in love. I studied commercial floral design and landscape design, two long-term interests of mine. I am truly blessed!

I joined the twenty-first century with the purchase of an iPhone and MacBook. This modern technology is bound to keep this generation X technophobe more connected!

2013 hold so much promise and I enjoy embracing it one day at a time. I look forward to planning our wedding, gardening, cooking, and sharing a joyous life with friends. I believe enjoying simple pleasures is how I build an abundant life. Every day I attempt to consciously acknowledge what brings me joy and create a gratitude list. My motto in 2013 is “limitless expansion.”

I am excited to share a year of gardening and cooking with you. I have an arsenal of ideas I’ve been storing up the past 2 years. This is going to be fun!

Warmly,

Miss Jolie Ann

Farmers Markets in Portland

Good Morning!

This Saturday is May 1st and that means lots of the farmers markets in Portland are opening up. This is very exciting news for a seasonal eater! It's been a long 6 months without my favorite farmers market. And, I've been without my own garden since November. I am so ready for some farm fresh produce. And, since my new community garden isn't even planted yet, I'm going to be completely reliant on the farmer's market for a few months.

In 2009 I began attending my small neighborhood farmers market. I attended every week the entire season. I got to really know the farmers and vendors. My favorite non-produce vendor was the goat cheese stand staffed by a 10 year old girl who's family owns the farm. She is a great salesperson and can tell you all about living on a goat farm and working with her goats. Plus, the chevre is amazing. I highly recommend the blueberry lavender chipotle chevre. It is phenomenal.

Farmers do not make a lot of money from these small neighborhood farmers markets. The larger heavily attended farmer's markets like Downtown or Hollywood District on Saturdays are what sustain them. But, what I love about the smaller neighborhood markets is the slower less frantic pace. I have ample space to peruse all the booths without being crowded by masses of people. I have the opportunity to talk with the farmers and vendors. And, there's always easy parking.

Here's a link to all of the Portland area farmers markets. If you have a favorite, let me know. I'd love to check it out this Summer.

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann

Big Bowl of Happiness for Catherine

Dear Readers,

My BFF Catherine and I were talking about her recent travels and how we sometimes find ourselves without healthy vegetarian food. This is especially complicated if one is gluten-free, or has food allergies such as eggs or dairy. When returning from such trips cooking and enjoying nourishing food is vital. It is in this spirit that I whipped up tonight's recipe.



It's just a big bowl of happiness and health. Looks great and tastes delicious. Big bowl recipes are simple and improvisational. I got the idea originally from Heidi at 101 cookbooks. 2 years ago I was inspired by her recipe and created my own "Quinoa Big Bowl with Garlic Spinach & Roasted Yams" recipe. What's funny, is now when I went back and checked out Heidi's original recipe she talked about traveling and how much she craved healthy earthy quinoa and cooking for herself as soon as her plane landed. Whoa. Seriously, I did not read that before coming up with tonight's recipe. I guess it's a universal experience for healthy eating foodie cooks.

For a Big Bowl, start with a tasty whole grain. Usually I choose quinoa, but tonight it's short grain brown rice. Followed by delicious sauteed potatoes, wilted spinach & chard with garlic, sauteed fresh local asparagus, rounded out with garbanzo beans, and finished with toasted walnuts. Mix. Devour. Yum. In my photos it looks very composed. But, when I eat it, I just mix it all together.

This kind of meal helps me feel so nourished. It's gluten-free, vegan, and loaded with fiber, protein and fresh vegetables. Olive oil and walnuts give a boost of omega fatty acids. Trust me, this big bowl is all around goodness. And I hope it makes my Catherine very happy. It's making me happy right now.

In Health,
Miss Jolie Ann



Big Bowl of Happiness Recipe
Makes 4 large servings

1 cup short grain brown rice
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 yukon gold potatoes, diced
1/4 tsp tumeric
sea salt & black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch spinach, washed & chopped
1 bunch chard, washed & chopped
1 bunch asparagus, washed, tough ends cut off, sliced
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1. Put the brown rice with 2 cups water in a pot and cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 50 minutes. Set aside.
2. While the brown rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the recipe. In a skillet warm a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and the tumeric. Cover and cook over medium heat about 15 minutes. Potatoes should be tender and browned. Set aside.
3. In the now empty skillet, add another splash of olive oil. Add the garlic, spinach, and chard. Ad a pinch of salt and black pepper. Cook uncovered over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Greens should be wilted, still bright green, and the garlic should be fragrant. Set aside.
4. In the now empty skillet, add another splash of olive oil . Add the asparagus and another pinch of salt. Cook uncovered for about 5 minutes. Asparagus should be bright green and still firm. Set aside.
5. In the now empty skillet, add the walnuts. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until they are starting to brown and have released their fragrant oils.
6. Assemble the brown rice, potatoes, greens, asparagus, and garbanzo how you would like in individual bowls or family style on a large platter. Top with the toasted walnuts.