Locavore

Listening to The Splendid Table on my mp3 player during a workout a couple of weeks ago, I learned about their new project: Locavore Nation. They asked 15 people across the country to try to get 80% of their food from local sources in 2008 and to write about their experiences. I've been following the adventures of the Central Region Locavores. It's a struggle for us to get local fresh produce this time of year! But, lots of other things are available.

I went to Local Harvest Grocery yesterday with a couple of friends. It's in St. Louis just south of Tower Grove Park. I bought locally made balsamic herb mustard (used it last night in a sauce for chicken and it was amazing!), honey, and salsa. I also bought agave nectar, which wasn't local but I'd been hearing about it as an alternate sweetener. We really liked it both in hot tea and in that chicken sauce.

As far as local produce, about all they had was dried mushrooms, hydroponic lettuce, and sprouts, which were very expensive. Does anyone have advice about growing your own sprouts? I'd like to try that.

We use a grilled chicken breast recipe from the July & August 2007 Cook's Illustrated magazine. They hide their recipes behind a firewall, which makes them tempting to steal -- I found it here online. I changed the sauce part of the recipe enough to make it my own, I think, and managed to reduce the fat and increase the flavor.

Sauce for Chicken:
1 Tbl olive oil
1 Tbl Terrapin Ridge Balsamic & Herb Mustard
1 Tbl lemon juice
1/4 tsp agave nectar
1 clove minced garlic
2 Tbl minced flat leaf parsley
Salt and pepper

Whisk the liquid ingredients together until well-blended. Add the garlic, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour over grilled chicken breasts. We usually split one piece, these days, and don't use all the sauce. I mix the leftover sauce with yogurt cheese and a little mayo to make a sandwich spread for the leftover chicken.