Slow Down and Taste the Carrots

The Beginning of an Era

2012-01-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

1/16/11

So I got sick this past weekend. Luckily it was a holiday weekend so I actually get one day off feeling well. Even though I’m not using it to do anything other than laundry, fuck around on my computer and go to the gym. Also, thinking heavily about the decision to follow this plant-based-whole-foods diet.
Of all of the crazy ways of eating I ever tried the one I enjoyed the most and which was easiest for me to follow was vegetarianism. After a year or two of not venturing far past pre-packaged vegetarian patties and entrees and supplementing heavily with eggs and dairy I finally embraced beans and dairy alternatives. I never stopped eating eggs, cheese or soy but they became something I ate a few times a week instead of several times a day.
Eventually, for the purposes of my education and also because I generally do not have a sense of moral obligation not to eat meat, I began eating meat again. That was about two years ago now, I guess. I cannot remember feeling worse since I was a teenager. Some things I have noticed since returning to eating meat that hardly existed for me when following a vegetarian diet are; intense hunger, strong cravings, the desire to eat excessively even though my stomach feels full, bloating and lethargy.
I’ve been off and on with going back to being veg. since culinary school but still make exceptions because even in Portland things like convenience and courtesy sometimes affect the choices you are able to make when you eat. I guess I have to go back to being a nuisance and eating vegetarian.
Actually, the way of eating I’m talking about now is far more involved than simply not eating meat or even avoiding animal products. This is a whole-foods-plant-based diet. That means eating raw as much as possible with no added fats with the exception of some nut butters.
You might ask, why do something so ridiculous; especially as someone who particularly likes to eat? The reason is, I actually believe the seemingly outrageous claims that this kind of diet allows your body to function at its optimal capability. The reason I believe this is this past summer I spent a month eating a strict raw vegan diet and then juicing for two weeks and during that time I felt the effects first hand. Unfortunately, after the juice was over I quickly returned to eating as I had before I started that process.
My concern from the beginning of this is that it is unsustainable for me. At any rate, I’m giving it a shot. Hopefully it doesn’t ruin my relationship. You can watch all of the pain, heartache, and satisfaction right here. For all you food voyeurs out there, I will post pictures, recipes and descriptions of meals, when possible.
This is going to be more difficult than any other time I’ve tried to implement this kind of change in my life because now I work in a kitchen that does not produce food like this and I’m the cook so the food is really good. ;)

Thanks to my aunt Marilyn, aunt Margie, brother Tom, and Miss Mary Malisia for their (possibly unintentional) persuasion.

2010

2010-01-03T07:45:00.001-08:00

For November and December, I decided I was tired of new recipes. I wanted back my go-to meals. The meals I could come home and make without a recipe. Where I knew the ingredients would already be in my cabinet. These months are notoriously busy and often call for less cooking on my part(I do not have to host holiday parties *thankfully*) I also became comfortable with the vegetables we were getting from the CSA and felt less of a need to dress them up for a meal.
I thought, for the next few weeks, I will continue on by preparing and posting my favorite go-to meals. Almost all of which can be used with any vegetables you have on hand.
I also plan to experiment with grains, which I have not done in the past. Namely, amaranth, spelt, quinoa and buckwheat. I will be taking an introduction to grains class in the coming weeks, so that should be helpful. Any recipe suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Romanesco Cauliflower

2009-11-11T08:49:00.000-08:00

The produce we received from the CSA this season was flavorful, fresh, and lasted much longer in the refrigerator than produce purchased at the food store; it was also gorgeous. There were many varieties of vegetables that never show up in the produce section of chain super markets. I wish I had taken more time to photograph the most visually interesting of the vegetables; Savoy cabbage, Russian kale, cranberry beans, dragons tongue beans, Misato radish, husk fruit (tomatillos and gooseberries), purple broccoli, purple peppers, rainbow Swiss chard, and finally Romanesco Cauliflower.

This heirloom vegetable is one of my favorites that came out of the CSA. It's as tasty as it is beautiful. I simply sautéed it with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and tossed with pasta.

Remove the cauliflower heads and cut the larger pieces in half or into bite sized pieces. I tried to keep the integrity of each floret in tact. Blanch the pieces in water about 1 inch deep for a minute or two. In a separate pan, heat 1-2 tbsp. of oil and a few cloves of crushed garlic, turning the heat to low when the garlic is added. Drain the cauliflower and add immediately to the oil/garlic mixture. Add salt & pepper, raise the heat to medium and sauté until edges begin to brown.

THE END CSA (our) weeks 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22

2009-11-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

Our week 18, November 12th, 2009

1. Lettuce
2. Mei Quing Choi – Green OR Red
3. Broccoli
4. Leeks
5. Turnips: Golden Globe AND/OR Red Japanese
6. Pepper: Anaheim (flesh is sweet and the seeds are hot)
7. Beans: Green (the last of these)

Our week 19, November 19th, 2009

1. Garlic
2. Kale: Russian, Red
3. Cauliflower: Green
4. Sweet Potatoes
5. Radicchio
6. Winter Radish: Daikon

Our week 20, November 26, 2009
1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Rutabagas
3. Broccoli Raab (Rape/Rabe)
4. Fennel
5. Sage

Our week 21, December 3rd, 2009

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Tat Soi
3. Kale: Curly
4. Beets
5. Cauliflower: Romanesco
6. Cabbage: Savoy

Our week 22, December 10th, 2009 (THE END)

1. Sweet Potatoes
2. Rosemary
3. Celeriac (Celery Root)
4. Beans: Black Turtle (dried)
5. Cauliflower: Romanesco OR White
6. Carrots

CSA (our) week 17 November 5th, 2009

2009-11-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

1. Lettuce
2. Fennel
3. Cauliflower
4. Kale: Russian, White
5. Turnips, White (with purple shoulders)
6. Potatoes, Sweet
7. Beans: Cranberry (shelling)

Lettuce...

Fennel: Last time things did not work out so nicely between me and fennel. I think I have an idea for creamy fennel mashed potatoes. I will let you know how that goes.

The kale is a variety I haven't tried before. Its leaves are really beautiful. I haven't decided if I want to make them into kale chips or use the bunch in some other way.

Sweet Potato Chili

2009-11-04T11:51:00.002-08:00

The sweet potatoes we've been getting from the CSA are the best I've ever had. I am a huge fan of the sweet potato. I love a baked sweet potato with the insides mashed and mixed with applesauce. However, I haven't quite figured out how to incorporate protein into that combination (nor do I actually foresee anyone being as in love with the idea as I am.)
6 Lbs is a lot of potatoes. Some were used in the sweet potato falafel but that still leaves me with close to 4.5 lbs with more to come [most likely].

So I thought I'd play down the sweetness of the sweet potato with a savory dish and make some chili (SPICY, of course)

This makes about 6 servings

3 lbs sweet potatoes
1/2 sweet onion
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 can of beans (or 1 cup of dried or fresh beans)
[I used cranberry because they were fresh from the CSA. In general, I use kidney or garbanzo beans]
1 1/2 cup stock
Chili powder
Chipotle pepper powder (chipotles in adobo or smoked paprika can be substituted)
Red or cayenne pepper ground

Bake the sweet potatoes for about 1 hr making sure they are soft all the way through
If you're looking for a chunkier chili you can leave them a little firm.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and allow them to cool before removing the flesh from the skin. Remove the flesh into a bowl and mash with a potato masher until you have the desired consistency. They don’t have to be as smooth as mashed potatoes but whatever lumps you have left will probably stick around.
Dice the onion, carrots and celery.
Heat the oil and add your diced vegetables. Allow the vegetables to cook until they are soft and then add in the sweet potatoes.
Thin out the chili to your desired consistency using the stock. Add a little at a time.
Add the seasoning to taste. I never measure.
I probably use somewhere around 4 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 tablespoons of chipotle (more if you're using smoked paprika) and 1/2 tablespoon of red or cayenne pepper.
Allow the chili to cook covered for about 30 minutes.

CSA (our) week 16 October 28th, 2009

2009-10-29T09:51:00.004-07:00

1. Lettuce

2. Kohlrabi

3. Cauliflower / Broccoli: Purple

4. Eggplant

5. Misato (watermelon radish - Japanese)

6. Potatoes, Sweet

7. Beans: Cranberry

Lettuce: Salad.

Misato: Eaten raw. This radish is really beautiful. I don’t think I would eat it any other way. May use the remainder for a salad similar to the radicchio salad from our first share.

Kolrabi: I'm stumped here. I met a few people who said this was a staple for them growing up but I have never seen or heard of it before. Cooked in a tomato sauce? Seems like a no fail.

Lo Bak Goh

2009-10-29T09:51:00.003-07:00

Please do not take this as a suggestion to try this recipe as it is an adaptation of the original using the ingredients that were available to me. I have never made nor eaten these before so I'm not sure if they turned out correctly.
I am including it simply to catalog the recipes I have used for our CSA veggies.

In short... I'm not sure I like the finished product here.

1/2 cup crab meat in oil (in place of dried shrimp)
1 large daikon radish, shredded
1 handful dried shitake mushrooms
2 green onions finely sliced
2 cups non-glutinous rice flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp honey (in place of sugar)
1 1/2 Cups Water
12 very mini hot dogs (This is all I had that was remotely similar to sausage) [this is in place of Chinese sausage]

Start by soaking the shitake mushrooms in hot water 20 -30 mins.

In the meantime, peel and shred the daikon and place it in a small saucepan with water. (You can use a cheese shredder for this) Bring mixture to a boil, than reduce the heat to a low and simmer for 15 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

Remove radish from liquid (do not discard the cooking liquid) and place in measuring cup. Add in cooking liquid to bring the amount to approximately 3 cups.

Drain the mushrooms and squeeze out excess liquid. Dice the mushrooms.

Heat your pan and add in the crab, sausage and black mushrooms. Cook for Approximately 2 minutes then add the green onion and honey and cook for 30 seconds more.

Start the steamer. I used a large pan with a rack and covered it.

In a bowl, combine rice flour and salt. Add the radish and cooking water, and stir to a batter-like consistency. Stir in the hot mixture. Pour mixture into a 8×8 cake pan, or a 9 inch round cake pan.

Place the pan into the steamer and steam at a medium boil for 35 - 45 mins.

Remove from steamer when ready and let it cool. Once cold, cut into square pieces or wedges and pan-fry until it starts to brown and get crispy on both sides.

If you were to use dried shrimp (Which I would suggest if they are available) you will want to soak them at the same time as the mushrooms and use a bit of oil to fry them with the sausage, mushrooms and onions.

Eggplant Caponata

2009-10-29T09:51:00.001-07:00

Another 'Thank You' to my Aunt Barbara. Without whom I would not have thought to try this recipe.

1/4 cup virgin olive oil (actually called for 1/2 cup but I couldn't do it)
1 large sweet onion, diced

3 tablespoons almonds (pine nuts would have been better but they were no where to be found)

Large handful of golden raisins
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, plus extra for garnish

2 Japanese eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
I left the skin on but in the future I would definitely peel them because I wasn't crazy about the texture.

2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1/4 tomato sauce
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a 12 inch skillet. Add the diced onions, nuts, raisins, and chili flakes until the onions are soft.

Add the eggplant, cinnamon, and cocoa and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Add the thyme, tomato sauce, honey and balsamic vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes. I allowed it to chill in the refrigerator overnight before eating. Served once over bread and once over pasta. Very good. I will definitely make this again.

CSA (our) week 15: October 22nd, 2009

2009-10-28T08:20:00.000-07:00

1) Red leaf lettuce - 1 bunch

2) Daikon -1

3) Mizuna - 1 bunch

4) Sweet potatoes - 2 lbs

5) Japanese eggplant - 2

6) Peppers - 2 lbs

The lettuce went into a salad.
The Daikon was used to make Lo Bak Goh [recipe to follow]
I plan to sauté the Mizuna and serve with the Lo Bak Goh and rice noodles.
The Japanese eggplant was used to make a Caponata (finally and inspired by a facebook post by my Aunt Barbara) [recipe to follow]
The peppers will again be sautéed with onions and served with black fish.

Sweet Potato Falafel

2009-10-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

Sweet Potato Falafel

The website the original recipe came from cautions that these are not your typical falafel. There is a lack of crunch and texture found in a traditional falafel. However, the flavor is there and the potatoes add a nice sweetness.

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 small cloves of garlic, chopped
2 big handfuls of fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup chickpeas (This is my modification. The original recipe called for 1 cup of chickpea flour which I did not have on hand.)
olive oil
sesame seeds
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425F degrees (220C) and roast the sweet potatoes whole until just tender - 45 minutes to 1 hour. Turn off the oven, leave the potatoes to cool, and then peel.
Cook the chick peas in a small pot with some of the canning liquid until soft. Then add to a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground and fresh coriander, lemon juice and chickpea mixture into a large bowl. Season well, and mash until smooth with no large chunks. Stick in the fridge to firm up for an hour, or the freezer for 20-30 minutes. When you take it out, your mix should be sticky rather than really wet.

Reheat the oven to 400F. Using a couple of soup spoons (put a well-heaped spoonful of mix in one spoon and use the concave side of the other to shape the sides) create 1 inch balls of the mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake in the oven for around 15 minutes, until the bases are golden brown. I turned mine about 1/2 way to caramelize more than one side.

Served with pita bread (naan in my case) arugula and yogurt sauce.

Roasted Pepper Tapenade

2009-10-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Roasted Pepper Tapenade

1 lb of peppers
2 cups pitted kalamata olives
1 (3.25-ounce) jar capers, drained
4 garlic cloves, chopped
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

The original recipe called for 1 handful of basil chopped, 1/2 cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. However, after mixing these ingredients together I liked the flavor and texture so much that I decided not to add anything else.

Preparation
1. Broil red pepper 3 inches from heat 15 minutes or until charred on all sides, turning occasionally. Place in a paper bag, seal, and let stand 10 minutes to loosen skins. Peel peppers, discard skin and seeds, and chop roughly.

2. Place roasted peppers, olives, capers, and garlic cloves in a food processor, and pulse until combined.

I think typically this is served on a crostini. I plan to mix part with some tomatoes sauce to create a puttanesca of sorts. I'm also thinking I'll thin some out with a bit of oil and use it as a sauce for chicken breast. I imagine it can also be used as a spread for a sandwich (maybe mozzarella with roasted red peppers and eggplant)

CSA (our) week 14: October 15th, 2009

2009-10-19T10:09:00.004-07:00

1. Lettuce

2. Carrots

3. Broccoli Rabe

4. Pepper, Sweet

5. Scallions

6. Potatoes, Sweet

7. Beans: Green

I barely cooked at all this week.
The green beans dried out.
The scallions have been used to flavor a few random dishes.
The carrots were not yet used.
The lettuce was put into a salad.
The broccoli Rabe was sautéed with garlic and used in several Panini style sandwiches with sundried tomatoes and goat cheese.
The peppers were used to make a roasted pepper tapenade (recipe to follow)
The sweet potatoes which were used to make sweet potato falafel
[suggested by my Aunt Barbara :) ] (recipe to follow)

Vegetable Quiche

2009-10-19T10:09:00.001-07:00

Quiche
(will get you to eat your vegetables)

As a child, I absolutely loved when my mom made quiche. It was so rich, flavorful, and creamy. It was full of sliced ham and Swiss cheese with a buttery crust. Today, this is not a quiche I would consider making on any regular basis.
This recipe is for a less rich but satisfying (and easy!) alternative. It is really not a true "quiche" as there is no milk or cream involved. For this version I also tried out a potato crust which is a great alternative to those packaged pie crusts. It's also gluten free. While I’m not so interested in unnecessary restrictive diets (I understand gluten free is a new fad in the diet world) there are many folks out there who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity and many others who chose a gluten free diet for personal reasons.

You will need:
4-6 red potatoes
1 small head of broccoli
1/2 yellow onion
8 eggs
cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, Gruyere)

Slice the potatoes THIN. This is a real pain (unless you happen to have a mandolin) but completely necessary if you want the potatoes to be pliable enough to shape into the pan.
Brush the bottom of your 8 x 8 cake pan or 9 inch pie pan with melted butter or cooking spray. Position the potato slices on the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of your pan slightly overlapping. They will shrink with cooking so make sure to overlap them well. Brush with melted butter or cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Chop the 1/2 yellow onion and sauté in olive oil until soft.
Chop the broccoli (should be 1 1/2-2 cups)
If you choose to chop some of the broccoli stems (which I do) I suggest you add them to the pan first and allow them to cook for about 2 minutes before adding the broccoli heads. Cook until the all of the florets have turned a bright green.

In a bowl, mix together 4 whole eggs and 4 egg whites. Add cheese (reserve some for the top) and pepper to taste.

Remove the potato crust from the oven and allow it to cool.
Add the broccoli and onion mixture.
Pour the egg mixture over the top and sprinkle with cheese. Make sure that all of the broccoli pieces have some egg covering. The pieces do not have to be completely submerged in the egg but spoon some egg over the top if there are pieces without.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until middle is cooked through. You can test that just as you would a cake.

CSA (our) week 13: October 8th, 2009

2009-10-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

1. Lettuce

2. Pak Choi, Red

3. Broccoli

4. Pepper, Sweet

5. Leeks

6. Arugula

7. Cranberry Beans

8. Squash, Summer

I've be come a lazy cook in the past couple of weeks. Between work and life in general I just haven't felt like cooking or eating anything I had planned to make. Hopefully that will change after this week.

The lettuce and arugula went into a salad.

The summer squash and cranberry beans were not used.

I julienned the peppers and sautéed in olive oil and butter with some onions and served them under black fish cooked the same way with lime juice and pepper added.

The Bok Choi was added to a pad Thai mix (just rice noodles and pad Thai sauce from the food store with pan fried egg and shrimp, peanut butter and chili flakes added)
When working with Bok Choi, make sure you slice the stems separate from the leaves and cook them about 2 minutes longer.

The broccoli was used in a quiche (recipe in next post.)

The leeks have not yet been used. I have noticed they keep very well in the refrigerator though so I believe I will still have the opportunity to use them within the next week or two.

CSA (our) week 12: October 1st, 2009

2009-10-05T11:49:00.001-07:00

1. Lettuce

2. Tat Soi

3. Squash, Winter: Butternut

4. Pepper, Sweet

5. Eggplant

6. Mint

7. Beans: Green

8. Husk Tomatoes (Ground Cherry/Cape Gooseberries)

9. Squash, Summer

I think I came up with a way to make sure I don't waste my lettuce this week. Clean it, dry it, separate the leaves and put it in a large covered bowl in the refrigerator. Sounds simple enough but preparing it right away really makes a huge difference for me. I also purchased some Arugula from the farmers market.

The tat soi was used in a shrimp stir-fry. A spur of the moment recipe done like this:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1 tablespoon raw cashew butter
red pepper flakes
(If I had the ingredients in the house I would have used a bit of chili paste, peanut butter and fresh toasted peanuts. This wasn't nutty or spicy enough for my taste.)

1/2 medium yellow onion
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 small bunch tat soi
1/2 can water chestnuts
10 large shrimp

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil and add onions. Cook on medium heat until soft and lightly caramelized. Add the mushrooms and cook until brown on one side. Stir the mixture and add the shrimp. Allow to cook through on one side (until they are pink and begin to curl). Then stir the mixture making sure all of the shrimp get flipped to the uncooked side. Add the water chestnuts, tat soi and sauce, cover with a lid and allow tat soi to begin to wilt. When the tat soi turns a brig green (about 2 minutes) stir the mixture and cover for another 2 minutes.

CSA (our) week 11: September 24th, 2009

2009-09-24T07:55:00.002-07:00

1. Tomatillo
2. Lettuce: Leaf, Red
3. Scallions
4. Cilantro
5. Mei Quing Choi
6. Eggplant
7. Pepper, Sweet
8. Beans: Green

Tomatillos- See Salsa Verde recipe which is part of the Fish Tacos post
Lettuce- used as a wrap for black eyed pea cakes (see previous post)

Cilantro: Green Rice

Make 1 cup of jasmine rice cooked in vegetable or chicken broth with 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil.

Chop 1/2 cup of cilantro and add to the cooked rice
add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed cumin seeds and 1/2 teaspoon of crushed coriander seeds
cayenne pepper to taste
add 2 tablespoons lime juice

I've read a few recipes that suggest toasting the rice with onions or garlic and/or nuts. I like the sound of that.

Green Beans: Roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Egg Plant and Peppers: Roasted with olive oil, balsamic, herbs (whatever is on hand), salt and pepper.

The scallions were used to make scallion and egg wontons. My new obsession.

Mei Quing Choi was sautéed with onion and covered in a sauce of cider vinegar, soy sauce, honey, red chili paste, peanut butter and red pepper flakes.

That's all folks.

CSA (our) week 10: September 17th, 2009

2009-09-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

1. Tomatoes, Mini – 1 pt

2. Beans: Black-Eyed Peas

3. Carrots – 1 bunch

4. Basil: Red OR Green – 1 bunch

5. Squash, Summer

6. Beans: Soy

The soy beans I used simply by blanching and sprinkling the unshelled pods with salt.

The mini tomatoes and Summer Squash made a simple dinner:

1 carton mini tomatoes
2 yellow squash
4 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 can crushed tomatoes or about 2 cups of tomato sauce
1 can garbanzo beans
4 fresh basil leaves

Dice the onion and add to heated oil
crush 4 cloves of garlic into the pan and allow to cook until just before the garlic browns.
Chop squash into bite size pieces (I like mine 1/2 moon shaped and about 1/2 inch thick)
slice the mini tomatoes in half
Add the squash and tomatoes to the pan and allow it to cook on one side
Stir the vegetables and add crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, basil leaves, as well as 1 can of garbanzo beans. Allow this to cook for 5 minutes and serve.

The carrots were used as garnish and they will also be used in a recipe for pan fried black eyed pea cakes (to follow in a later post).

This was kind of a boring CSA share. Luckily I still have a lot of leftovers from previous weeks.

Acorn Squash Soup

2009-09-16T10:17:00.001-07:00

This is a pretty basic Acorn Squash soup recipe with a few of my own additions.

2 Acorn Squash
olive oil
salt
pepper

1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1 can garbanzo beans

2 Cups of vegetable stock
1 yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons butter
curry powder
nutmeg
cinnamon
1/2 can light coconut milk
salt and pepper

Start by cutting the acorn squash into quarters
place in a brownie pan and brush with olive oil, salt and pepper
cover with tin foil and roast at 450 for 30 minutes

Put garbanzo beans and 1/2 cup vegetable stock into a sauce pan.
Bring to a boil and then reduce. Cook until soft.

Remove squash from the oven and let cool.

Chop 1 medium yellow onion.
Heat 2 teaspoons of butter in a large pot and add onion. Crush one clove of garlic into the pot and allow it to cook until onions are soft.
Add 2 cups of vegetable stock and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.
Then, scoop the flesh of the squash into the pot and allow that to simmer for 10 more minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool.

Puree the garbanzo beans in a food processor and put aside in a separate bowl.
No need to clean excess from the food processor because it's all going to get mixed together eventually.

When the squash mixture is cooled, puree in food processor until smooth and then return to pot. Add pureed garbanzo beans and mix until smooth.
Add about 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, adjusting for your personal taste. Thin to soup consistency with the coconut milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.

CSA (our) week 9: September 10th, 2009

2009-09-10T19:24:00.004-07:00

Our 1st summer turning to autumn share. On this rainy morning I'm thinking about some squash soup and caramelized root vegetables. I'm also very excited to prepare the Tatsoi. In the coming weeks, I guess I should consider freezing part of my share for those months when the CSA share will be limited or unavailable. I'm feeling hesitant about starting this process because I’m not sure how well and for how long everything will keep.

1. Eggplant -1

2. Lettuce -1

3. Beets -1

4. Tat Soi -1

5. Squash, winter: Acorn -1

6. Cilantro -1 bunch

7. Cantaloupe -1

I actually worked the cantaloupe table and all of the melons smelled delicious. I must have chosen the worst one because it had no flavor at all. What a disappointment.

The beets were used in a simple salad

Beets
Celery
Red Onion
Garbanzo Beans

Peel and roast the beets for 20-30 minutes... until fork tender
slice the beets into 1/4 thick circles
slice 1/4 of the red onion
chop 2 stalks of celery
add one can of garbanzo beans
mix together with Italian dressing.

The cilantro I'll be using in a pan black eyed pea cake recipe. I will post that recipe later.

Grilled vegetable wraps and Panini’s

The Eggplant will be marinated in Olive oil, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and then grilled.

CSA (our) week 8: September 3rd, 2009

2009-09-03T10:24:00.002-07:00

1. Eggplant
2. Radishes
3. Tomatoes, Mini
4. Cabbage, Red
5. Peppers
6. Beans: Romano
7. Basil

I learned from this week's share: Red Cabbage lasts a ridiculously long time in the refrigerator (like 4 weeks.) Basil, does not. Also, I do not so much like cooked radishes. I should (and will) probably try using them in a raw salad from now on.

Eggplant: Broiled

Peppers: Broiled

Beans: Cooked in a red sauce with mini tomatoes.

Radishes: Broiled with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Cabbage: Used randomly (salad, egg rolls)

Summer Squash Chocolate Cookies

2009-09-03T10:24:00.001-07:00

This I got from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
An interesting book about Kingsolver's life for a year on her family farm. During the time the book was written in, the diet of Barbara and her family consited of only what they could grow or buy locally (with a very few exceptions). The cocoa powder in this recipe is my addition.

1 egg, beaten
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Combine in large bowl.

3/4 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg

Combine in a separate, small bowl and blend into liquid mixture
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
12 oz chocolate chips
Stir these into other ingredients, mix well. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350°, 10 to 15 minutes.

Tuna Tacos

2009-09-03T10:21:00.001-07:00

Tuna

1/2 lb tuna marinated in salsa, hot sauce or my favorite; a mix of paprika, Cayenne pepper and olive oil.
Cook over a grill or pan fry.

Corn Tortillas

2 Cups Corn Masa mix

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 1/8 Cup Water

Mix all ingredients together until they form a ball. Add a bit of water if it's not coming together for you.

Once you have formed a large dough ball, start pulling off pieces about the size of a golf ball and rolling them into smaller balls. You should get between 12 - 16

Now, if you have a tortilla press you probably don't need to be reading this recipe.
If you don't, all you really need is a rolling pin and a couple of plastic bags or wax paper.

If you use wax paper, make sure you have a bunch because one piece will probably only make it through one or two tortillas.

Lay out one plastic bag/piece of wax paper, place one dough ball in the center, cover with another plastic bag or piece of wax paper and start rolling. I found that if you turn the paper/bag in a circle as you are rolling you will come out with a much rounder shape.

Heat a non-stick skillet on high
From all the recipes I read, you should be cooking these over cast iron. I don’t have cast iron and I will say they came out a bit gummy. I'm assuming it's because they weren't cooked at a hot enough temperature. Either way, they were still very good and more satisfying than having grabbed some tortillas off the shelf.

Salsa Verde

1 1/2 lb tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon honey
2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 Serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste

Cut the tomatillos in half and roast them under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Then give them a fine chop or add them to the food processor.
Chop the onion, cilantro, and jalapenos and add them to the tomatillos.
Mix in lime juice and honey. Add salt to taste.

Assemble with chopped purple cabbage, carrots, lettuce, sweet peppers, etc.

Eggplant Rollatini and Stuffed Peppers

2009-09-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

Once a month, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship that provides the space for our CSA pick-up also holds a cooking class. The girl that conducts the class is an expert in specialized diets. For the class, she prepares relatively simple vegetarian dishes, not unlike what I'm use to cooking at home. However, all of her recipes are gluten free, which is something very different and interesting for me. I've gotten a few really great tips so far. The Kale chips came from one of her classes along with the following two recipes.

Eggplant Rollatini

A somewhat healthier version of the original (they're not fried).

I would suggest using the Japanese style eggplant for this recipe. I find it's more tender and sweet.

1 eggplant for every 2 people serving

1/2 cup light or fat free ricotta
This is a recipe where light ricotta will actually work better, because it is less milky and will hold together better

2 cloves garlic
Red pepper
Salt and pepper
Strong flavored medium-hard cheese (something like an asiago, manchego or swiss)
Tooth picks
Tomato Sauce

Slice the eggplant into long 1/4 inch pieces. Season on both sides with S&P.

Mix together 1/2 cup of ricotta with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of shredded asiago, manchego (or other strong flavored melty cheese) to the mix.

Spread ricotta over strips of eggplant. Roll the eggplant and secure with a toothpick. Cover with tomato sauce and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Stuffed Peppers

1 cup black sticky rice (or any flavorful whole grain rice)
1 cup tomato sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion diced
1/2 bunch swiss chard washed and drained
2 green/red/yellow sweet peppers
Cheese

Prepare the rice and set aside
Heat oil in a pan and add diced onions. Cook until soft.
Chop the swiss chard into 1 inch pieces (approximately) and add it to the pan.
When the swiss chard has wilted 1/2 way, add the tomato sauce.
(Black sticky rice is generally used in sweet and savory dishes. At this point, you might also add some honey, nutmeg and cinnamon. )
When the swiss chard is fully wilted into the sauce, remove from heat and stir into the rice. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour or overnight to allow the flavors to come together.
Remove the tops, core and seeds from the sweet peppers. Fill the peppers with the rice mixture, top with shredded cheese and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until the pepper is fork tender.

CSA (our) week 7: August 27th, 2009

2009-08-27T06:22:00.001-07:00

1. Lettuce
2. Tomatillos
3. Cilantro
4. Swiss Chard
5. Peppers, Green (sweet NOT hot)
6. Eggplant
7. Green Beans/Cranberry Beans/Dragons Tounge
8. Summer Squash

Lettuce... what to do with lettuce. I will probably have it for lunch one day... maybe. Poor lettuce.

Our share consisted of Green Beans, Cranberry Beans or Drangons Tongue beans. I thought we had to take all three and ended up with 1/3 lb of each. I had intended to make a chili with the cranberry beans. However, after shelling 1/3lb of cranberry beans you end up with less than a handful. So... not much came of them. The Green and Dragons Tongue beans were roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.

So the menu this week consists of Eggplant Rollatini, Stuffed peppers, Tuna tacos, Thai pasta and vegetables with potato samosas and spicy zucchini......and pizza topped with swiss chard and 3 cheeses (mozzarella, asiago and parmesan that's what I've got)

Buffalo Shrimp and Peach Salsa

2009-08-27T06:20:00.001-07:00

Buffalo Shrimp

These spicy fried shrimp are a favorite of mine. They are a pretty good substitute for Buffalo wings, I wouldn't exactly call them healthy but they are very easy to make.

Peel and de-vein shrimp

mix together one egg, 1/4 cup milk and hot sauce in a bowl and add the peeled shrimp.
Get together a plate of flour.
One by one remove the shrimp from the egg and coat in flour. Then repeat the process, egging and flouring the shrimp a second time.
Heat at least 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan to 375 degrees.
You can test this with the handle of a wooden spoon. If the oil bubbles when you put the handle in, it's ready.
Fry the shrimp to golden brown on each side 1-2 minutes per side.
drain on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet.
When all shrimp are dry, put them in a bowl and cover with buffalo sauce, turning shrimp gently in the sauce.
If you don't want to serve them immediately, you can then let the shrimp sit overnight in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap.
Heat at 400 degrees

Peach Salsa

2 Ripe peaches
1/4 red onion
1/2 jalapeno seeded (reserve the seeds to add a little kick)
1/2 tomato or 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes
Cilantro to taste
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt to taste

Peel and slice the peaches. Chop the onion, jalapeno and tomatoes and combine in a bowl. Add lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of jalapeno seeds. Mix gently and taste. Season as necessary.

Summer Squash

2009-08-27T06:14:00.001-07:00

There were 4 types of squash available at the CSA this week; zucchini, Italian, 8 ball, and zorah (?) [I hope I am remembering this correctly] It was not until after I had taken my share and was manning the squash/cucumber table that I realized I was not taking full advantage of the diversity of my CSA share. The majority of people went for the 8 ball and zorah squash while I had stuck to what is familiar, zucchini. This is a mistake I promise to not make another time. Part of this experience is trying new things. Next time, I will choose the unfamiliar.

I don't make my eggplant or zucchini Parmesan than I generally see it prepared in restaurants. My vegetables are baked and juicy. The way I remember my mother making this dish growing up was tedious; cut the vegetables, press/drain the water, egg and bread crumb, stand over a hot pan of oil and fry them, then begin to layer the veggies, cheese and sauce and finally bake. Mine is still time intensive but much easier and no or very little oil is used.

Zucchini or Eggplant or both!
Flour
Bread Crumbs
1-2 Egg(s) mixed with water or milk
Tomato Sauce
Cheese

Cut the vegetables into 1/4 inch pieces. This will insure that you have juicy pieces of vegetables in your dish. The #1 reason I don't like eggplant parmesan or fried eggplant that I've found at restaurants and delis is because the vegetable is cut so thin it is lost under the fried coating.

Flour the vegetable strips, then egg, then coat with bread crumbs.
Grease a cookie sheet using oil or cooking spray. Lay the pieces of coated vegetables on the greased pan and brush with oil or use cooking spray. Try to keep like sized pieces together (they will have the same cooking time) Bake at 350 until soft. This probably takes about 15-20 minutes. The outside should be crispy. Zucchini tends to be less crispy because of the water content of the vegetable. Also, you will get more crunch using oil than cooking spray.

Coat the bottom of a casserole or lasagna dish with sauce. Put down one layer of the cooked vegetables. Add a layer of cheese (I use ricotta, mozzarella or goat cheese) then sauce and another layer of vegetables. Continue doing the same until all of the vegetables have been used. Top with sauce and cheese and bake until heated through. About 20 minutes at 350.

I have also used cooked chick peas between layers in lieu of cheese. I cook the chick peas in broth with dried oregano, garlic, red pepper, S&P. Or, broth, garlic, fresh oregano, lemon juice, S&P.

CSA (our) week 6: August 20th, 2009

2009-08-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

1. Basil - 1 bunch
2. Mini-Tomatoes - 1 carton
3. Beans - 1 lb
4. Squash, Summer -2 lb
5. Cucumbers - 1 lb
6. Lettuce - 1 head

Being a part of this CSA means that 5 times throughout the season I (or John) need to help out for two hours on pick-up day. If you don't work then you loose a $100 "will work deposit" that you put down at the beginning of your share. (If you complete all of your work time for that season you won't have to put down the deposit next year) This is actually something I was excited about. It only takes 5 minutes to pick-up a share. Not long enough to get a good idea of who you are sharing this CSA with, something I am naturally inclined to be curious about. I was also interested to see what goes on behind the scenes, and I did.

I chose the later hours 5:30-7:30 because I work. It just so happens that those are the least desirable hours to work (which makes me wonder how so many people can be available from 3:30-5:30?)

The most uncomfortable part of this job is "policing" the table. I don't mind explaining what each person is supposed to take but having to look over their shoulder and make sure they're only taking what I told them too is just too much for me. I understand that every ounce counts but if someone has to look through 5 different zucchini because the scale is 1 ounce over I say... take the 1 ounce, there are plenty of zucchini. Last week there were 2 large boxes (probably close to 50lbs) left over.
I understand the idea behind this; everyone pays the same everyone should get the same. Unless, of course, you have some special affiliation with the CSA [sarcasm] but that is an off-web topic. I just mean let’s cut people some slack. You don't need to "police" the pick-up. If people have read what they're supposed to take, and it is explained to them, and you can tell they clearly understand, then I honestly believe that 99% of people are not going to cheat on their share. And the other 1%? Well, you can tell pretty well if someone is taking 5 zucchini that it's not going to equal 2lbs and then you can politely confirm that they understand it's 2lbs of zucchini they are getting.
So those are my thoughts (bit of a rant) on that.

From my basil I made pesto. Basically I fought with the only machine I have in the house capable of chopping anything (a blender meant to [pretty much exclusively] make mixed drinks) to chop up the basil best it could and mix it with oil so it would not spoil before I could do something with it. It worked as well as I needed it too. Luckily, I received a call today that my mom has purchased a food processor for me. Hallelujah! I did not expect it but it is a welcomed and much needed gift. That's two down (dehydrator and food processor.) I will be mixing the garlic and parmesan into the basil and oil just as soon as I can get that food processor over here.

I also used quite a bit of the basil making tomato sauce from the tomatoes John's mom has given us plus those we've been getting from our garden. I've made the equivalent of 5 jars so far.

The beans were blanched, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Served with buffalo shrimp and peach salsa (courtesy of Sam's peaches which were the best I've EVER tasted) Recipe for both will follow in another post.

The cucumbers were used for the ricotta topped cucumber slices. Whatever didn't make it into the mix, I will be using to make a very simple cucumber and tomato salad. That is, cucumbers sliced, tomatoes sliced, red onion and dressing. I'll probably use our leftover beans in this as well.

I have actually been using the lettuce...sort of. I have used it for sandwiches and our roommate Chris' guinea pig has been enjoying it as well.

The zucchini was used for zucchini parmesan. See following post.

Beer, Leeks and Potatoes

2009-08-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

If you came to our recent Beer Tasting BBQ then you experienced some food from our CSA and local farmers market first hand.

A week prior I received a huge bunch of leeks as part of our share. I already knew I wanted to adapt the recipe for scallion pancakes posted under 'Asian Inspiration' to make some meat free fried wontons.

Leek and Egg Filled Friend Wontons
1/2 cup chopped leeks
6 whole eggs
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1 package pre-made wonton wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying

Fry the leeks in olive oil until they start to brown.
Scramble the eggs together with salt and pepper.
Add eggs to the pan with the leeks. Cook just as you would scrambled eggs.
Remove pan from heat. The wontons have directions on them and are very easy to use.
Lay out the wrapper, put a small amount of the egg mixture in the middle, wipe two edges with water or egg wash and bring them together to form a triangle over the egg. Pull the bottom corners up to criss cross over the front dabbing one with water or egg to keep them together. Then fry them in a light oil or steam them if preferred.

The dipping sauce is:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey

Leek Dip

2 cups sour cream
1 cup chopped leeks
1 tbsp olive oil
garlic powder
salt and pepper

Part of the flavor of this dip definitely came from the sour cream I used which had a very yogurt like taste to it. It was Trader Joe's organic sour cream.

Heat the oil and add most of the chopped leeks (reserve some to add raw to the dip and to use as garnish)
Fry the leeks until they begin to brown. Then remove from heat.
Season the sour cream with garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.
Add the fried and raw leeks and garnish with raw leeks.

Guacamole inspired Potato Salad

2 avocados
1 lemon
garlic powder
2 lb potatoes
3 tbsp cider vinegar
kosher salt
1 jalapeno
1 green or red pepper
2 celery stalks
red pepper flakes
fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup mayo

Start by boiling the potatoes until fork tender.
Drain the potatoes and set in an ice bath. When cool to the touch you can remove the skins and chop.
Add chopped potatoes to a bag with the 3 tablespoons of vinegar and let sit overnight (if possible).

The next day, drain the potatoes and put them into a bowl. Salt the potatoes.
Add chopped green or red pepper, chopped jalapeno without the seeds and chopped celery to the bowl. Reserve the jalapeno seeds.

In a separate bowl, mix together mayo with red pepper, black pepper and jalapeno seeds. I think I used about 1/2 the seeds from 1/2 of a jalapeno pepper. About 1/4 of the seeds in a full jalapeno.
Add this mixture to the potatoes and give it a few turns in the bowl.

In a separate bowl, prepare the avocado. Slice the avocados into small pieces and add to the bowl. Squeeze 1 the juice of one lemon over the avocado pieces and add garlic powder to taste. Season more than you would if just making guacamole because part of the flavor will be lost when you add this with the mayo.

Add this to the bowl and mix lightly.

Honey Mustard Potato Salad
MAYO FREE

2 lbs potatoes
1/4 cup spicy mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon juiced
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp cider vinegar
fresh summer savory

Cook potatoes until for tender. Cut into bite sized pieces leaving the skin on.
Salt the potatoes and add herbs or spices.

In a separate bowl combine the mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, honey and vinegar. Add mixture to potatoes and mix lightly.

Victory in Vegetable Lasagna

2009-08-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

I was very excited when I found out for week #5 we would be getting both eggplant and zucchini. I had wanted vegetable lasagna for weeks. My experience so far prepared me for the limited number of both that we would get in our share. Still, plenty to make a small dish. John's mom also provided 2 additional eggplant so we were able to make enough lasagna for the whole week.
I have been experimenting with making some easy cheeses, Ricotta and Mozzarella, at home and was eager to try them out in a dish. As it happens, John and I had a mix up that weekend and both went to the farmers market. We came home with a combined 10 lbs of tomatoes, 2 bunches of carrots, 8 lbs of potatoes, 8 green peppers, and then some. So, we would have homemade vegetable lasagna with homemade ricotta, mozzarella and tomato sauce. The pasta came from a box. That's for another time.

My tomato sauce is really basic and probably not at all the way it "should" be made (I didn't take any of the seeds out of the tomatoes and I don't process or strain it at all)

Peel and dice the tomatoes ahead of time
Sautee about 4 cloves of garlic in oil add dry herbs, oregano, savory, basil, parsley, red pepper whatever you like. I like mine pretty spicy. My dad swore by cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice or marjoram. I have heard of this since but still not my taste. There are only a few rules I follow...fresh tomatoes, lots of garlic and lots of basil. Add tomatoes, 1 tbsp of honey, salt and pepper to taste and let the sauce cook down. I'm working without a food processor. John suggested I mash the sauce with a potato masher, which I did, but I really like an extra chunky sauce.

I wanted to grill the vegetables but didn't have a working grill at the time. I baked them instead. I used:

4 carrots
2 zucchini
3 Japanese eggplants
1 cup ricotta
10 2" pieces of sliced mozzarella
About 3 cups of sauce

Slice all of the vegetables about 1/4 inches thick
I don't remove the skin from the zucchini or eggplant. However, the eggplant can be pretty tough so you may want to. Also, you may want to press the zucchini to remove some of the water.
Bake the vegetables at 350 until tender.
The carrots will probably take the longest. Make sure those are fork tender.
In your Lasagna or Casserole dish start with a layer of tomato sauce. Then lay one layer of noodles then layer the vegetables the opposite direction (john's suggestion) on top of the noodles. Layering the vegetables that way made it so much easier to cut the finished product. I like to mix all my vegetables together.
On top of the vegetables, spread (or glob) ricotta. It's much easier to do if the cheese is warm or at room temperature.
Then more pasta, I spread some sauce over the pasta at this point before adding more vegetables, then ricotta and so forth until everything is used up. Top final layer of pasta with sauce and mozzarella.

Heat for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

This is a really fresh summery dish and very filling. P.S. the fresh ricotta really makes it!

CSA (our) week 5: August 13th, 2009

2009-08-24T07:28:00.001-07:00

Week 5
1. Eggplant (Japanese)-1 lb
2. Lettuce - 1 head
3. Cucumber - 1 lb
4. Cabbage, Green - 1 head
5. Squash, Summer - 1 lb
6. Beans: Dragon Tongue 1 lb
7. Leeks - 1 bunch

This week, again, our lettuce went to waste. I really have to be better about that. Does anyone have ideas on how to keep lettuce fresh? Mine always wilts within 36 hours of getting it home.

The cucumbers were used as an appetizer with ricotta cheese on top.
Slice the cucumbers 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt. Top with Ricotta cheese and fresh ground pepper. I thought it came together pretty well. Sean really enjoyed them with my leek dip (recipe to follow).

The squash was used in a similar recipe to last (with mixed vegetables in a tomato sauce) this is really a go to dinner for me. It's satisfying and can be made with pretty much any vegetable combination.

The cabbage I used to make what I'm going to call my
"not just for rabbits cabbage combination"

Yes, I'm all cheese.

So, anyway, eat cabbage because it's great for you, it's extremely filling, filled with vitamins and good for your digestive system, although it can be difficult to process. Get ready for some stink bombs. Was that inappropriate?

You will need: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 onion, 2 carrots, 1/2 head of cabbage, 3 cups vegetable stock, 1 bay leaf, 1 can chick peas.
You will also need 2 tablespoons olive oil, the 2nd 1/2 of that onion and 1/2 lb potatoes. The smaller the potatoes are the better.

Start by cleaning and slicing the potatoes into 1/4 inch pieces. Thinly slice 1/2 of your onion.
In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil with salt and pepper. Toss in potatoes and onion and coat thoroughly. Lay potatoes and onions on a cookie sheet.
Another option is to spray your pan with cooking spray, lay out your potato and onion slices. Spray the top of your potato and onions with cooking spray and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder and I like to spice it up with a little red pepper. If you have any hearty fresh herbs they would also work well, chili powder, curry powder, etc.
Cook in oven at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes or until crispy and browned.

Cut the other 1/2 of the onion and the carrots into bite size pieces and sauté in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cut cabbage into wedges and place in pot to sauté for 5 minutes. Flip cabbage and sauté on the other open edge for another 5 minutes. Then add 1 can of drained and rinsed chick peas, 3 cups of vegetable stock and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender.

It's Not Easy Being Greens

2009-08-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Leafy greens are probably the least respected of all vegetables. Their nutritional value is high, they're low in calories and filling, they are easily enhanced with any of your favorite flavors and they are readily available year round. Here are a couple of ideas to get more greens into your diet. Most of the greens listed below can be used interchangeably in these recipes.

Arugula, Broccoli/Rabe, Collard Greens, Dandelion Greens, Kale, Mustard Greens, Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Escarole, Beet Greens, Bok Choy, Endive, Watercress. Just a few of many.

A simple way to eat more greens is to add them to a salad. I also think this is the most boring. I also suggest adding them to a tomato sauce with other mixed vegetables. If you cook the greens right in the sauce you won't lose the nutrients you would if they were first blanched and then added to the dish.

See my first post for a Mustard Green soup.

Escarole Bread
You can make your own pizza dough, if you are so inclined. I bought mine from a local pizzeria.

1 pizza dough
3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunches of escarole
1 can chick peas or cannellini beans
2 table spoons pine nuts toasted
4 anchovies or 1 tsp anchovy paste (just try them... they're not fishy)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (I would have preferred fresh cooked down)

Finely chop all ingredients. Rinse your escarole and chop.

Heat the olive oil and chopped onions add minced garlic sauté until onions are translucent.
Add anchovies, pine nuts, escarole and beans. Sautee for a minute and then add salt and pepper. Add cranberries and sauté for another minute then remove from heat.

Spread out pizza dough on a well flowered countertop, as if making a pizza. Spread escarole filling down one half of the dough. Fold the dough on top of itself and press the edges sealed. Put 3 or 4 slits in the top of the bread. Brush with a mixture of crushed garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Bake for about 30 minutes at 400 or until the edges have browned.

Mozzarella cheese is also a nice addition to this bread. Sprinkle it on top of the escarole mixture before sealing the bread.

Spinach Bread

1 pizza dough
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
2 1/2 cups spinach
3 cloves of garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Wash and chop your spinach
Heat oil and sauté with 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste
Add spinach and sauté for a minute until it begins to wilt
Mix salt and pepper and one clove of garlic crushed into the ricotta and then mix in the mozzarella
Add cooked spinach to the cheese mixture

Roll out the pizza dough into a rectangle. Spread cheese and spinach mixture evenly over the dough, with a bit more at one end. Start rolling from the end with the most stuffing. Brush the top of the roll with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Swiss Chard Stuffed Shells
Swiss Chard and onions from week #2

1 box of pasta shells
1 head (about 12 ounces) red or white Swiss chard
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (I used about 4 small-medium green onion bulbs)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 cup chopped fresh or frozen basil
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Boil your pasta in salted water. When cooked, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Chop your onions and swiss chard
Heat olive oil in pan and add onions. Let the onions sweat until translucent.
Add some garlic to brown.
Add the swiss chard and cover. Reduce by 1/4 then stir.
Let the rest of the chard wilt in the pan then remove from heat.
The greens should still be bright. The longer you cook them the more nutrients you will use. However, you don't want them to be too difficult to chew.

Let your chard mixture cool.

In a large bowl mix together your ricotta with 2 cloves of crushed garlic, chopped basil, salt and pepper to taste.

Add the ricotta to the chard mixture (not the other way around.) You may find you like a bit more or less ricotta than I used. Doing it this way will allow you to control that. Basically you just want to bind the chard together and add some creaminess.

Coat the bottom of your baking dish with tomato sauce to keep the shells from sticking (no need for oil or butter here!)

Fill each shell with approximately 2 tablespoons of the ricotta-chard mixture. Line the shells up in the dish and cover with sauce enough to keep them from getting dry.

**These are so good. The flavor of the swiss chard is not lost which is excellent. The swiss chard has such a nice earthy flavor that goes really well with the tomato sauce. I was able to make about 2 dozen stuffed shells from this recipe. At least 10 of them are sitting in my freezer for another dinner <3

Kale Chips!!!
Using Kale from week #4 Please, try this recipe. I think you will love it.

1 head of Kale
Salt & Pepper
Your choice of seasoning

These are so easy to make and they're delicious. A little messy to eat but totally worth it.

Wash and dry your kale. Strip the kale leaves from their stems. Lay flat on a cookie sheet or elevate using a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (if possible)

Spray kale with olive oil spray or drizzle with olive oil from a bottle.
Add salt and pepper. I also add minced garlic and red pepper. Any seasoning works well.

Cook at 250-300 degrees until they are dry and crispy but before they start to brown.

**I could easily finish off two heads of Kale a week, by myself, because of these**

Asian Inspiration

2009-08-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

In my childhood Chinese was a celebratory food. New Years, a Birthday request, a visit from a family friend, any day that was special where my parents wouldn't want to cook. That is a Chinese food day. Pizza is weekend food. Chinese is something to look forward to. As years progressed, Chinese food took a new roll as a once in a while weekend meal. However, its rarity kept it special.
There was a period of time when I would not eat Chinese food. Too greasy, too many unidentified objects floating around there. What is "brown sauce" made of anyway? Alas, Chinese food won out. Some sacrifices must be made for pleasure. Over the years my palate has expanded to include Thai, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and Indian cuisine.
As I have started experimenting with the food I cook, I have tried more to cook more Asian or Asian inspired foods. I am often hesitant to try an Asian recipes because they require ingredients I do not keep in the house, sesame or peanut oil, fish sauce, ginger, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, and special soy sauces. Recently I have been substituting and hoping for the best. Cross your fingers, this is what experimenting is all about.

The following four recipes have been tested and approved by John and myself and promise to be both exceptionally easy and delicious.

Recycled Pea Pods with Shrimp in a Brown Sauce
Including ingredients from week 1 and 2

The pea pods I used for this recipe were from the sweet peas that were used in the Alfredo with Peas sauce (posed earlier) I also added some left over snap peas.

Shrimp or other protein (as many as you like)
Flour
2 cups of pea pods (any kind; snap peas, sugar peas, Romano beans)
1 medium onion (I used 2 small green onions)
2 cloves Garlic
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 table spoon oil
1/8 cup Water
1 table spoon Corn Starch

Prepare the sauce in a small bowl. Mix soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oil, water and 1 clove of crushed garlic. Taste and add more water if the soy flavor is too strong for your taste. Then add corn starch, mix and set aside. (you can add oyster sauce, sesame oil, ginger, rice wine or apple cider vinegar or honey to this recipe for a slightly different flavor) See the next recipe for more ideas.

Peel the shrimp, rinse and dredge in flour. No need for egg here you just want a light coating of flour to thicken the sauce a bit and also help to coat the shrimp with the sauce. You can use this technique with any protein.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add onions and allow them to cook to translucent. Add 1 clove crushed garlic and let it begin to brown. Add the shrimp placing them directly on the oil so they will brown. Add beans. Let cook uncovered until the shrimp are brown and then turn. Pour the sauce over everything in the pot and toss. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for a minute. Mix together once more to cover everything with the sauce and let simmer until sauce is a desired thickness.

** I will never need to get Chinese takeout again ;) **

The Improvisation
Uses ingredients from week 4
I had beets and Romano beans I needed to use and this is what I came up with.

1 can garbanzo beans
1 cup beets
1 cup Romano beans (string beans or pea pods)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup water
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey

This recipe is made exactly like the one before except the sauce adds 1/8 cup cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon honey.
Add the beets, Romano and garbanzo beans at the same time.

So easy and tasty.

Scallion Pancakes
Scallions from week 4 cut just the tops of the green onions for this recipe. The bulbs can be used just as you would yellow onions. However, they have a much milder flavor so you will want to account for that in your recipe.

(This is a Rachel Ray recipe)

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 table spoons cider vinegar
1 table spoon honey
7 eggs (3 whole and 4 whites only)
4 bunches of scallions
Oil
5 whole wheat tortillas
Salt and Pepper

Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar and honey. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Chop the scallions and fry them lightly.
Scramble the eggs. Add salt and pepper. Add egg mixture to the pan.
When the eggs are cooked, remove them from the pan onto a plate and set aside.
Wipe down the pan and spray with cooking spray/oil
Fry a tortilla until it starts to blister. Remove from the heat and add some of the egg mixture on top of the side that has been fried. Fold in half twice and set aside. (It should end up looking like a triangle and ours were pretty fat so you may need 6 of the tortillas) Continue doing this until all of the egg is gone.
Spray the pan and brown the exposed sides of the pocket.

Use sauce for dipping.

** I am ecstatic about this recipe. I miss fried Chinese dumplings like crazy but I won't eat the pork filling and I've not yet found a vegetable dumpling I really enjoy. This is an excellent substitute and I will be attempting to make them as dumplings or wontons in the near future **

Raw Thai Vegetable Pasta Salad
I haven’t made since we started the CSA but it’s still a great Asian inspired dish

1/4 box whole wheat spaghetti
1 zucchini shredded
1 carrot shredded or thinly sliced
1 red pepper thinly sliced
1 tablespoon raw nut butter (peanut gives the most flavor but any will do)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon red curry
A pinch of red pepper flakes
A pinch of chili pepper
1 clove crushed garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Cook the pasta in salted water. When done, rinse with cold water and set aside in a large bowl.
Shred and slice your vegetables and add them on top of the pasta.

Mix the sauce together combining the soy sauce, nut butter, garlic, curry, red pepper and chili pepper. Whisk together until combined. Pour this sauce over the vegetables and pasta and mix together. Chill overnight for best flavor. Serve cold.

** Yes! This recipe is as easy as it sounds but you would never know it from the flavor you get. I would add some fish sauce to this recipe but I haven't recently and don't know what quantity. I will update this when I figure it out. **

CSA (our) week 4: August 6th, 2009

2009-08-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

Week 4

1. Beets – 1 bunch
2. Radicchio – 1 head
3. Lettuce: Bibb, Green OR Leaf, Green – 1 bunch
4. Onions, Spring – 1 bunch
5. Beans: Dragon Tongue, Green, Romano – 1 lb total
6. Kale, Green – 1 bunch

The radicchio and letuce were used in the same recipe I used for the radicchio in the first week.

The rest will follow with recipes

Mac and Cheese Challenge

2009-08-03T06:32:00.000-07:00

If you couldn't tell from my 'Sunday Indulgence' post, I take cheese and cheese sauces very seriously. So, when John told me his very favorite macaroni and cheese comes from a blue box and is made from powdered cheese I took this as a direct challenge.
I won't lie; I like the taste of Kraft macaroni and cheese. I just don't want to swallow it. This is not real food. The recipe has literally been "krafted" to entice your taste buds without adding any significant nutritional value.

Here is my recipe for an excellent cheddar cheese sauce.
My macaroni preference is shells.

1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 of one stick)
Flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 block of cheddar cheese (Very sharp or smoky, something with lots of flavor unless you plan on adding flavor such as chipotle, jalapeño, sundried tomatoes, etc.) Add any flavoring to the cream base before adding your cheese.

I served this with steamed Romano beans. The beans were nicely complemented by the cheese sauce and added nutritional value and vitamins to the meal. I might try mixing in some spinach or other greens, another time.

The base of this sauce will be milk and cream thickened with a rue:

In a sauce pan melt the butter slowly, not boiling.
Add flour, should be about 1/4 cup, slowly until the mixture has formed a cohesive ball.
Add milk and cream to the rue and heat slowly, stirring constantly, until the rue is incorporated into the milk without lumps
Add pepper to the milk
Add your shredded cheddar
Melt the cheddar and taste. Add pepper if needed.

Cheese sauces tend not to re-heat very well so use this sauce quickly after it is finished or leave on a very low heat stirring occasionally until you are ready for it.

CSA (our) week 3: July 30th, 2009

2009-07-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

1. Lettuce: Boston, Green – 1 head
2. Radishes: French Breakfast – 1 bunch
3. Savory, Summer: 1 bunch
4. Fennel: 1 bunch
5. Beans: Romano 1 lb
6. Zucchini : 1 lb

This was definitely not the most productive week for our CSA share.

Lettuce: Basically unused.

Radishes: with these I made Radish chips which would have been good over a salad if I didn't eat the whole bowl as a "snack".

To make radish chips:

Slice the radishes about 1/4 inch thick. Toss with a mixture of olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper (or whatever dry spices you like) then bake them until they begin to brown.

That poor fennel was really a disaster. I attempted to roast it but it turned out rubbery and gross. I think I'll stick with Fennell salad next time. The beets, however, were very nice.

The dish I prepared with the zucchini is pretty basic:

1 Zucchini chopped, 1 Yellow Squash chopped, 2 Tomatoes diced, Garlic, 1 tbsp Olive Oil, Basil & Summer Savory or any other fresh herbs that you like in a tomato sauce.

Finely chop or press your garlic and add to heated olive oil
Before the garlic browns add your squash and zucchini and allow them to cook on one side
Flip the zucchini and squash and add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to taste
Cook until tomatoes have reduced into a chunky sauce
Serve over pasta

This leaves the summer savory and Romano beans, with recipes to follow.

Thoughts on Food and Eating

2009-07-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

For as long as I can remember I have had a confusing relationship with food. In my innocence food was my pat on the back, my comfort, my escape, and my greatest enjoyment. Later it became my obsession, my nemisis and my control. Yeah, it felt as crazy as it sounds.
Sometime around my 8th year I became an eating zombie. I devoured whole bags of Sour Cream and Onion chips (or BBQ, Cool Ranch, Nacho Cheese, etc.) in a single sitting. At every dinner I ate until I thought I might throw up, and sometimes did. And if I did...I ate some more. You get the picture. I used food like people use crack (sugar high) or heroin (what my sister likes to call an eat-a-coma). My experience is unfortunately not uncommon in the United States, and increasingly the world. As children are burdened with more anxiety and a weaker social network to help them cope, along with a natural inclination to choose processed foods, it seems that childhood obesity could one day become something that is considered normal; or at least a natural part of growing up.
Not long after my graduation from high school I began to channel my anxiety through food in a different way, by obsessively counting calories, limiting the types of food I was willing to eat and exercise. A typical lunch went from a turkey sandwich with 1/2 lb of meat and cheese slopped with mayo to a grapefruit. I stopped eating meat. Gradually, I stopped eating on a daily basis. I developed what has become a more commonly recognized, and accepted, eating disorder. But a person can only lead a productive life with those habits for so long and above all else I hold productivity in importance. I needed to make peace with food and with my body and I needed help to get there.
It was not until my early 20's that I actually learned to enjoy food and its nutrients collectively. Thanks to a nutritionist, for the first time in my life, I learned what feeling an appropriate level of full felt like (3-4 on a 0-5 scale).Working on my side was the fact that I had grown up exposed to a variety of healthy foods, fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, I had also grown up with a love of Entenmann's cakes, French fries and chicken nuggets but I was one step up on anyone who had no desire to eat fresh foods at all. Also, it is astounding how the mind works when it comes to food and fairly easy to recondition yourself to desire whole foods, as your body is already craving the nutrients found in them. Still, I was a diet food junkie and calorie counter until relatively recently. I also continued to exclude meat from my diet (although I eventually added fish) for reasons I will discuss in another entry.
I have now entered into a new phase in my eating life, following the most basic and time tested diet I know of, eating locally and seasonally. There are a number of exceptions to this, which I hope to begin making myself or buying locally(cheese, yogurt, tomato sauce, salsa, pasta, bread, ice cream and beans if I can find them local or grow them on my own.) I am really enjoying the challenge, using vegetables I wouldn't generally buy in the store and learning new recipes for them. Above all else I appreciate the realization that food can be both sustaining and comforting. I can both eat to live AND live to eat and, indeed, have my cake and eat it too.

A Sunday Indulgence

2009-07-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

I love cheese. I could do without milk all together but never without cheese. I respect cheese. This is a food to be eaten with care, savoring each texture and flavor. The sweetness of goat cheese, the nuttiness of brie, the sharp creaminess of parmesan, the earthiness of a blue cheese etc...I am not a cheese snob. I rarely spend the extra money on a gourmet cheese but I'm also not in the habit of buying Kraft. In the near future I hope to be writing about my experiences making my own cheeses.

This love in inherited. My mom makes a mean cheddar cheese sauce and she knows it. Always with intent to please our taste buds as well as hers, it was a staple with broccoli, chicken, rice and of course macaroni and cheese (which was also crusted with a bread crumb butter mixture [thank you grandma]) Delicious.

Where my love of Alfredo and peas originated I cannot tell you. As far as I can remember I've never enjoyed Alfredo at any restaurant, out of a can (big surprise) or any of my handful of attempts at making it. Still the idea of this beautiful creamy, tangy, salty sauce with sweet peas was tantalizing. Now I had fresh sweet peas at my fingertips. There is no way I could resist giving it a shot.

1 lb of unshelled peas or 1 cup of frozen peas
2 large cloves of fresh garlic
1/4 cup of unsalted butter
1 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

In a medium sized sauce pan, melt the 1/4 cup of butter
crush your garlic right into the melted butter and let it turn a light golden brown (not too crusty).
*** A note about garlic*** If you haven't tried really fresh garlic (I just did recently) It is worth the trip to whatever farm stand or market you have to go to get it. It is unbelievably sweet with no bitterness that grocery store garlic often has. ~ Garlic's #1 Fan
Add the heavy cream and allow to heat. Keep the liquid moving in the pot or it will burn. Once the cream is hot add your grated Parmesan cheese. (Make sure it's a decent quality Parmesan cheese. The kind that's mixed with lot of other cheese friends, not the kind you buy off of a shelf. Also, I have at least 3 times before tried to use Romano cheese and it does not melt)
Keep mixing until the sauce is creamy. Now add your peas. I just cooked the peas right in the sauce you can also defrost your frozen peas the same way.
Keep it moving (this is the only bad part about making cream based sauces)

I served this over whole wheat pasta. I would have liked to serve it over carrots, green and yellow squash shredded and steamed but I didn't have any.

There were no leftovers.

CSA (our) week 2: July 23rd 2009

2009-07-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

1. Lettuce: Oak Leaf, Red – 1 head
2. Peas, Sugar Snap – ½ lb
3. Chard, Swiss: Green/White – 1 head
4. Onions, Green – 1 bunch
5. Beans: Green, Romano -1 lb
6. Peas, Shelling – 1 lb

We also went to a local farmers market and purchased:

2 Cucumers
2 Zucchini
2 Bulbs of Garlic
Locally produced honey

Bean Salad

2009-07-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Mixed Bean Salad

This is so simple it's silly to call it a recipe. However, we did have it for dinner one night and this is meant to be a catalog of how our produce was used so I'm including it.

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1/4 red onion
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic pressed

Trim the green beans and cut or snap them into a reasonably eatten in one bite kind of size (bite size just sounds too small for this) Boil a pot of water and blanch the green beans.

Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic in a bowl large enough to accommodate all of the beans.

Drain and rinse the garbanzo and kidney beans and put them into the bowl. Chop the red onion and put it in the bowl.

Drain the green beans and put them into the bowl while hot. Cover the bowl and shake.

Let this marinate in the refrigerator overnight. We had this with whole wheat pasta for dinner but I also had it over rice for lunch and it was great.

** This is one of my favorite salads. I was so excited to see we were getting green beans again this week. Although I'd like to try new recipes with every ingredient we get, I will definitely be making this again.

The Lonely Zucchini and Others Leftover

2009-07-27T09:12:00.000-07:00

This week we received a lone Zucchini with our share. I was somewhat disappointed, as zucchini is a favorite of mine and usually a staple of my summer diet. There is nothing like the flavor of a farm fresh Zucchini. My parents have a good friend/neighbor in upstate NY who sent my mom home with some from her garden. They were the biggest and most delicious Zucchini I have had to date. Our poor lonely zucchini sat in our refrigerator for nearly a week. I found it Thursday morning and cooked it up for breakfast in one of my favorite zucchini dishes:

Zucchini and Eggs

The ratio of eggs to zucchini should be 1 egg:1 small-medium zucchini (the size you'll find in your supermarket), 2 eggs:1 medium-large zucchini

If you happen upon a very large or overgrown zucchini I would suggest saving it for baking.

1 zucchini
1 egg
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 oz cheese (I used a smoked cheddar but mozzarella, Swiss, parmesan, any type will work really)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Slice your zucchini into circles approximately 1/4 inch thick. I always keep the skin on.
Position the zucchini slices in the pan so as much of the zucchini is touching the pan as possible. (This can get tricky when you're trying to make larger quantities so I usually do this in batches)
While the first side of the zucchini is browning dice your onion.
Flip your zucchini and add the onion to the pan.
Let sit for a few minutes to brown. Onions should start to become translucent and may brown on the edges.
In a bowl, beat egg(s), cheese and pepper together
Poor the egg mixture over the zucchini and let sit for a minute. When it looks like the eggs have started to firm up mix everything together in the pan and continue to cook until the eggs are finished.

***I definitely recommend trying this recipe. I could eat this for breakfast lunch and dinner and it's so easy to throw together. When I make larger quantities (using more eggs) I will substitute 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg in the recipe.

The others leftover this week were the lettuce which I used throughout the week with my lunch and Snap Peas which we snacked on and I have plans to use in a stir fry next week.

Overall, I would say this first week was a success. The single share seems to be enough to use as main dishes for 5 dinners for John and I and another 5 lunches for me. We are spending the same amount of money that we would have at the grocery store for conventionally grown produce. In return we are getting organic produce with optimal nutritional value because it is in our hands within 24 hours of being picked. Also, I get to support a local farmer in an are where I grew up and have seen farms slowly become housing developments. Maybe most important to me is knowing that my food is safe, where it came from, and who grew it.

Preparing for the Work Week

2009-07-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

I try to cook most meals at least a day before. There are a few reasons for this:
1) It takes away that “housewife” feeling. I hate the pressure of having to get dinner on the table while my boyfriend is busy making fantasy trades.
2) It takes the guess work out of timing. It keeps me from eating a meal while I’m preparing the meal. If I cook when I get home from work I’m usually so hungry I’ll eat a portion of the meal while I’m cooking it. No good.
3) It lets me enjoy cooking. That, for me, is half reason for cooking (the other half is nutrition.) If I didn’t like cooking there are plenty of pre-cooked frozen meals out there for me to eat (hey, at least half the country is already sustaining on them.)
In keeping with preparing meals at least a day before, I made these on Saturday Morning:

White Bean Soup with Mustard Greens

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 carrots diced
½ large onion diced
1 celery stalk diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 cans white beans (3-4 cups if you’re using dried beans)
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 head mustard greens
Kosher salt fresh black pepper
Whole grain brown & long grain rice mix. (any brown rice will do)

Dice your carrots, onion, celery and garlic. (I start heating the oil about half way into this.) Add the diced vegetables to the oil. Add some fresh black pepper. Cook until soft.
Rinse your beans and add them to the softened vegetables. Add the leaves from your sprigs of thyme and the 2 bay leaves. Bring this to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat and let simmer about 20 minutes-1/2 hour.

About this time I started the rice in a separate pot, cooking it in vegetable stock rather than water.

Take this time to chop your mustard greens. I always chop less then I think I’ll need because it’s easy to add more. Hold the head of greens together and cut 1 inch strips across. If you like smaller pieces, do the same and then cut those strips in half or into three pieces.

Remove the bay leaves from your soup. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper if needed. Add the mustard greens. They shouldn’t take more than 2-3 minutes to wilt.

I served this with the rice on the bottom. The original recipe called for ham as flavoring. Instead, I threw a bit of smoked cheddar over the top.

Pasta with Fava Bean Sauce

Thanks to Silence of the Lambs there's only one thing I can think of when it comes to Fava Beans, and I happen to know all of the fresh livers available to me have been damaged by alcohol consumption ;)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
1-1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 Lemon
1 1/2 lb Fava beans in the pod
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Remove the beans from their shells
Heat a large pot of water and cook the beans until they are tender
Heat oil on medium and add minced garlic
Chop some fresh oregano and add to the pan
Add 1 cup of vegetable stock and the cooked Fava beans
Add salt and pepper to taste

Remove from heat and let cool. The puree the mixture in a food processor or blender. Add remaining stock as needed, until smooth.

Remove mixture from the food processor or blender and back into your original pan to heat before serving. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon.

I served this over whole wheat pasta (the one that resembles egg noodles, my favorite)

***Not bad. High in protein and fiber and low in fat and calories. This sauce was filling and satisfying. A little parmesan cheese over the top would have perfected it.

Balsamic-Marinated Radicchio with Fresh Ricotta

2009-07-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

I will preface this by saying, I do not like Radicchio and was not jumping up and down to see it on our list for the week. It is too bitter for my taste. This recipe did a good job of cutting down the bitterness and it would have been even less if I had cooked the radicchio a bit longer.

½ cup balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, pressed
The juice of ½ fresh lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (use the best quality you can afford for this. The taste will be well worth it)
1 head radicchio
basil leaves
½ cup fresh ricotta
Kosher salt fresh black pepper

Cut the radicchio into 2 inch pieces. I had a small head of Radicchio to work with so I cut it vertically down the middle and vertically again on each half. Then I separated the leaves of each piece (leaving them in bunches of 3-4) so that I ended up with between 8-10 pieces total.
Lay the radicchio onto a 4 sided baking sheet and drizzle evenly with olive oil. Broil them in the oven approximately 6 inches from the top.
Keep a good eye on them. When the tips start to brown and the leaves begin to wilt they are done. This takes less than 5 minutes.

You have that 5 minutes, mix together your marinade. In a medium-large bowl (preferably one with a top although one that can be covered with a plate will work too) mix together the balsamic vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Remove radicchio from the oven and add it to the marinade. I only let it sit for 30 minutes and it was just fine. However, as with all marinades, longer can’t hurt and is usually better.

I mix the ricotta together with some fresh pepper and garlic powder. Fresh pressed garlic or lemon zest are great additions too.

To serve: I took 8 pieces of the fresh lettuce we got and laid them on 2 plates (4 on each). I placed 1 basil leaf on each, 1 section of the radicchio on top of that and topped it off with a teaspoon of the ricotta mixture. The flavors work really well if you roll it up in the lettuce and eat it that way. We had 4 medium sized shrimp on the side but it would have been just as satisfying without.

***This recipe gets an A+ for being simple (my #1 requirement for a Friday night dinner) and also for being at least half raw. If you don’t mind the bitterness, you can keep it all raw and not cook radicchio.

CSA (our) week 1: July 17th, 2009

2009-07-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

1. Lettuce: Crisp, Green – 1 head
2. Peas, Snow – ½ lb
3. Radicchio, Chiogga – 1 head
4. Greens, Mustard – 1 bunch
5. Beans, Green – 3/4 lb
6. Summer Squash (Costata Romanesco, Zohra, Zucchini) -1
7. Beans, Fava – 1 1/2 lb

Our produce comes from Halseys Green Thumb Organic Farm

Here is a link to the farms website http://www.greenthumborganicfarm.com/CSA.html

Why Thursdays are like Christmas

2009-07-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

I learned young that presents are better when they are a surprise. I think this developed sometime around 4th grade when my mom was desperately trying to hold together my belief in Santa Claus. There was only one gift I really wanted that year, a Ouija board. It turned out (according to my mom) that every store was out of them. Lucky for her, I didn’t get out much. What a surprise when I found just what I had been looking for under the Christmas tree that year. My faith was rekindled (at least for one more year). I might add, I felt doubly duped the following year but would still thank my Mother for that one last “Christmas miracle” of sorts. The excitement has stuck with me to this day.

Now I get to experience that same feeling week after week thanks to my local CSA. After years of attempts to “perfect” my diet with various diet products, reduced fat foods, and supplements, I have decided that maybe the healthiest way to live is as naturally as possible. This plus an inspiring trip to see Scott and Amy (who were already part of a CSA in their area) lead me to seek out and join the Huntington CSA (that’s Community Supported Agriculture.) I pick-up our [John and my] produce on Thursday afternoons but, for me, the fun starts first thing Thursday morning. That is when I receive the e-mail telling me what we will be getting that week. Characteristic of my patience, I start checking my e-mail on Tuesday. I look to see what the group received on the same week last year. I mull over what is currently in season. I revert to my 6 year-old self searching for the [toy] pony I know my parents bought me. “Self, have you not learned anything in the past 20 years?”

The list finally arrives and I examine the prospects; Shelling Peas, Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Scallions, Sugar Snap Peas and Green Beans. To make the process a bit more interesting for myself, I have vowed to make every dinner (Monday-Thursday) using one of these as a main ingredient. These meals will also become most of my lunches for the week and part of the weekend. It should be said that dinner is always vegetarian and almost always a one pot meal. At first glance, Swiss Chard and Mustard Greens don’t look like the most exciting possibility for a main course but it can be done (and has been for hundreds of years.)

Now I get to work. Researching recipes for these exciting vegetables (some I’ve never worked with before.) When looking for a good dinner recipe I have certain criteria 1) the vegetable I will be using should be the focus of the dish and enhanced by the ingredients it’s cooked with 2) It should be hearty enough to sustain as a main course. 3) It should sound delicious. What follows will be a description of and recipes for the vegetables we received in last weeks share. I hope to keep this up for the remainder of the season as a catalog for myself and maybe some entertainment for any of you who are interested. I intend to get some pictures this week, as well. If you have any recipes for this weeks vegetables please share!