Hi there. If you haven’t been following, go back to this post for more of an intro. 

EATING BY COLOR  Having a visually-organized mind, I’ve instinctively used color as a dietary framework for over 30 years. It’s a fun and practical way to get a broad spectrum of nutrients without obsessing. It’s also a good way to hear the body’s subtle voice, as it can easily  draw attention to a certain color, whereas communicating nutrition facts is strictly an intellectual endeavor that can inadvertently stray far from our innate natural wisdom, blown by the winds of advertising and trends.

Usually I reach for more neutrals and warm colors in cold weather, and more greens and vivid hues in hot weather. That happens to correspond to what Nature makes most available at those times, which is always a good indicator of appropriateness. Here is the minimum I aim for every day in every weather:   

3 servings of GREEN

3 of YELLOW – ORANGE – RED – PURPLE

5 of BEIGE – BROWN 

— and proportionately more of each as appetite and activity level require. The beige and browns are plentiful wherever one is eating, so by dinnertime I think about whether there were enough of the brighter colors on my plate that day. If it was a day without the full spectrum I’ll just increase vigilance in seeking more greens, oranges, or purples by lunchtime tomorrow.

Sticking with the warming winter foods and palette today, here’s another beige recipe, from the Four Seasons of Goat Cheese section of the book. After 27 years hand-producing and direct-selling countless tons of goat cheeses, I accumulated quite a few options for creating variety with what’s at hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WINTER: POTATO PANCAKES                                                           prep time: 25 min.

This recipe is the Winter one not only because it is so hearty, but because it works best with older potatoes. They are drier and tend to stick together easily.  Serves 1-2, depending on appetites and what else is on the plate.

2 cups grated potatoes

2 T chèvre (soft fresh goat cheese)

⅛ tsp salt

5 grinds of black pepper (Tellicherry preferred)

Thoroughly toss the grated potatoes, salt, and pepper. Let sit 5 minutes. If the potatoes are on the “new” side they will release a good amount of liquid. Some of the salt will go with, so you may need to salt again at the table.

Put a heavy skillet on medium heat. Squeeze the potatoes to get them to start sticking together and then shape into four equal pancakes, each approximately 4” across.  When ready to add the pancakes, generously coat the hot skillet with oil. Immediately slip two of the rounds into the hot oil.

Put 1 T chèvre in the center of each. With a fork, spread and press the cheese slightly. Leave at least a ¾”  border all around that is free of cheese. 

Put the other two pancakes over the top of the first two, making a sandwich stack. Gently press down with a spatula or your fingers, to get the layers to start fuse. The potato starch will continue the process as they cook.  If there are stray potato strands, herd them back against the pancakes with a spatula.

Cook 4 minutes on the first side. Lift carefully, first making sure to unstick all parts first, so the pancake doesn’t rip.  Add a bit of oil to the pan if needed. Flip pancake back into pan, turn heat down to medium low and cover. Cook for approximately 8 more minutes, until golden brown on the bottom.  Carefully lift and flip again to finish crisping and browning  first side, without cover. That should be 1-3 minutes more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laurie Goodhart and her husband co-founded and operated two certified organic artisanal goat fromageries, Nettle Meadow in Warrensburg, NY from 1990 to 2005 and Domaine De Courval in Waterville, Quebec from 2006 to 2017. She created and trademarked the multiple award-winning cheese, Kunik,

Goodhart lives in upstate New York and continues her work as a professional artist and avid gardener. Since 2007 she has devoted her studio time to an extensive suite of paintings and mixed media work titled, The Remnants And Residents Of A Lost Sanctuary Of Aphrodite. She describes the work as, “resonant totems for liminal times”.

Laurie can be reached through her website, lauriegoodhart.com