Sometimes the best meals are also the simplest. Tuesday's dinner was one of those meals. After a long day of swim lessons and errand running with two kids in tow, I wanted to relax with a good meal that required little time to get on the table. Garlic Scape and Basil Pesto on fresh spinach linguini and sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil, coarse salt, pepper and torn basil fit the bill. The best part was that it took virtually no cooking (perfect for a hot summer day)! Just a few minutes to boil the pasta, a whirl of the food processor, and dinner was ready in 10 minutes. The pesto was also great on top of the tomatoes, and it would be equally delicious as a dip for crusy bread. Be sure to save some of the pasta water to help moisten the pasta and distribute the pesto throughout the dish. Bonus: You will definitely be safe from vampires for the night after eating this meal.
If you don't have garlic scapes, just increase the amount of basil and toss in a couple of cloves of garlic.
Dairy-Free Garlic Scape & Basil Pesto
-1/4 cup pine nuts
-4 garlic scapes, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
-2/3 cup packed basil
-1/2 cup olive oil
-salt
Combine pine nuts, garlic scapes, basil, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in food processor. With the processor on, drizzle in remaining olive oil until pesto reaches desired consistency. Taste and season with additional salt if desired (I used about 1/2 teaspoon salt). Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days or frozen.
Last night was mom's night out at Bar Cento. Knowing I would definitely be indulging in their amazing french fries (or as they like to call them, Pomme Frites), I wanted to eat a light and healthy meal before heading down to West 25th Street. I also needed to make sure I used the remaining items from the CSA to keep with my goal of zero waste. I was still sitting on the Luna Burgers (Ohio Veggie Burgers), a bunch of beets with tops, and some green onions. I usually roast beets, but I really wanted to try something different this time, and I really wanted to incorporate the beet greens. What I ended up with was an easy beet relish that can be served as a side dish or even as a topping for burgers. My three-year-old asked for seconds, so I know it must be good.
Sauteed Beet Relish
-1 bunch beets with tops
-1 bunch green onions, sliced
-olive oil
-stock or water
-balsamic vinegar
-salt & pepper
Remove beet tops, chop greens and set aside. Peel and dice beets. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add diced beets and sautee 2-3 minutes. Add just enough stock or water to keep beets from burning (about 1/4 cup depending on pan size), and cover. Cook, covered, until beets are almost tender, 10-15 minutes. Remove cover and increase heat to medium-high, allowing any remaining liquid to evaporate. Add another 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil and the green onions. Sautee 2-3 minutes. Add beet greens and continue cooking until greens are wilted. Stir in a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more vinegar if desired.
My refrigerator is now pretty much empty; a good thing considering tomorrow's CSA pick-up is a big one. Here is what I'm expecting:
-1 bunch of beets with tops
-1 bunch of carrots with tops
-1 head of cabbage
-2 zucchini
-2 squash
-1-2 cucumber
-1 quart of yogurt
-1 head of bibb lettuce
-1.5 lbs tomatoes
-2 lbs sweet black cherries (Oh yeah!)
-1 lb grassfed ground beef
-1 bunch kale
-1 bunch spinach
-1 bunch swiss chard
-1 rack pork spareribs
-1 lb chorizo sausage
Holy food, Batman. It is definitely going to be a challenge to use all this food without letting anything go to waste, especially since we are heading out of town for a couple of days to visit family. I really need to sit down later tonight and create a meal plan. Some of my previous posts should have given you some ideas for using a number of these items, including the chorizo, swiss chard, beets, and yogurt, but I will try to post some new ideas tomorrow when I've had a little time to think about it more. Right off the bat a cucumber salad with mint from my garden comes to mind, and I am definitely going to put those spareribs on the smoker. Oh, and tomorrow night is the night I will finally get to indulge in the Brie. Here's hoping that little Jack has outgrown his dairy sensitivity and I can kick this diary-free diet!
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Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
More Spelt Berries, Muesli, and Strawberry Muffins - Take Three
Update: As soon as I finished my last post, the countertop installers arrived. Phase one of kitchen makeover complete. I am sure I will be put on hiatus again when we finally choose the tile for our backsplash.
Yesterday afternoon I gave the strawberry muffins another go. This batch was pretty good. While I don't think anyone would be disappointed with them if I shared the recipe as is, I still feel like I want to change a couple of things. I am working on increasing the whole grain factor without sacrificing the texture, and I would like to decrease the amount of sugar. I mean, let's face it, muffins are really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.
After eating out for two days, last night I was in the mood for something lighter and healthier. Whenever I have a lot of veggies sitting in the fridge that need to be used sooner rather than later, I like to grill (roast in the Winter) and use them in salads, pastas, and sandwiches. It's very simple: Take whatever vegetable you have on hand (last night we used halved red bell peppers, quartered red onions, green onions, and thick sliced zucchini and yellow squash), toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill them until slightly charred and soft. With the abundance of greens in my fridge, I decided to make a salad, but I knew a salad with just grilled vegetables wasn't going to cut it for the rest of my family. I decided to mix the grilled veggies with some of the spelt berries from week two and splash them a simple balsamic vinaigrette. I served the mixture over mixed greens for dinner, but leftovers were an excellent lunch on their own today. The dish is so easy you don't even need to follow a recipe, just use any vegetable and grain combination that strikes you. It would also be a great side to take to a summer cookout as it can be served hot, cold, or room temperature.
I am usually a meal planner, but for the past few weeks I have pretty much been winging it based on what items look like they need to be used, or on what I might be craving. Today I had a craving for cornbread, so I whipped up another batch of dairy-free cornbread with the cornmeal from week one and served it with grilled chicken brats and braised spinach. It's a good thing my family likes greens because I think I have made a huge batch of them every week for the past month! Cooking greens is also a great way to use the tops from beets, radishes, etc. rather than sending them to the compost pile. I don't even follow a recipe; I just cooked some bacon in a large pot, sauteed a chopped onion in the drippings, then added the greens and some chicken stock and cooked until tender.
For those who may still have the yogurt we recieved in week one, I have been meaning to share one of my favorite breakfast recipes for Muesli. I created this recipe when I was pregnant with Jack and ate it almost everyday last summer.
Melissa's Muesli
-1/2 cup old fashioned oats
-1/2 cup plain yogurt
-1/2 cup milk
-1/3 cup chopped dried apricots, raisins, blueberries, or whatever you prefer
-2 tablespoons chopped nuts (I vary between walnuts, pecans, and almonds)
-Cinnamon to taste
-Fresh Fruit
My herb garden is out of control right now, especially my thyme, basil, chives, and sage. I am thinking of trying something with the basil and chives and the garlic scapes and spinach linguini from the CSA. Maybe some sort of dairy-free pesto pasta? I also made extra spelt berries with the idea of turning them into some sort of breakfast porridge. Results to come!
I realize I forgot to share the results of the pickled radishes from a few weeks ago. At first bite I wasn't sure if I liked them, but they definitely grew on me. The vinegar flavor is strong, and I think adding some herbs to the mix would add some nice flavor. They would be good to serve on a crudite platter. I may try this again with the addition of other vegetables and seasonings.
Finally, for those who were wondering, I received the Brie in this week's delivery. As much as it calls to me everytime I open the fridge, we are trying to hold onto it until we can actually sit down and enjoy it one evening. Hopefully over the holiday weekend we'll get that chance. Pin It
Yesterday afternoon I gave the strawberry muffins another go. This batch was pretty good. While I don't think anyone would be disappointed with them if I shared the recipe as is, I still feel like I want to change a couple of things. I am working on increasing the whole grain factor without sacrificing the texture, and I would like to decrease the amount of sugar. I mean, let's face it, muffins are really just an excuse to eat cake for breakfast.
After eating out for two days, last night I was in the mood for something lighter and healthier. Whenever I have a lot of veggies sitting in the fridge that need to be used sooner rather than later, I like to grill (roast in the Winter) and use them in salads, pastas, and sandwiches. It's very simple: Take whatever vegetable you have on hand (last night we used halved red bell peppers, quartered red onions, green onions, and thick sliced zucchini and yellow squash), toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill them until slightly charred and soft. With the abundance of greens in my fridge, I decided to make a salad, but I knew a salad with just grilled vegetables wasn't going to cut it for the rest of my family. I decided to mix the grilled veggies with some of the spelt berries from week two and splash them a simple balsamic vinaigrette. I served the mixture over mixed greens for dinner, but leftovers were an excellent lunch on their own today. The dish is so easy you don't even need to follow a recipe, just use any vegetable and grain combination that strikes you. It would also be a great side to take to a summer cookout as it can be served hot, cold, or room temperature.
I am usually a meal planner, but for the past few weeks I have pretty much been winging it based on what items look like they need to be used, or on what I might be craving. Today I had a craving for cornbread, so I whipped up another batch of dairy-free cornbread with the cornmeal from week one and served it with grilled chicken brats and braised spinach. It's a good thing my family likes greens because I think I have made a huge batch of them every week for the past month! Cooking greens is also a great way to use the tops from beets, radishes, etc. rather than sending them to the compost pile. I don't even follow a recipe; I just cooked some bacon in a large pot, sauteed a chopped onion in the drippings, then added the greens and some chicken stock and cooked until tender.
For those who may still have the yogurt we recieved in week one, I have been meaning to share one of my favorite breakfast recipes for Muesli. I created this recipe when I was pregnant with Jack and ate it almost everyday last summer.
Melissa's Muesli
-1/2 cup old fashioned oats
-1/2 cup plain yogurt
-1/2 cup milk
-1/3 cup chopped dried apricots, raisins, blueberries, or whatever you prefer
-2 tablespoons chopped nuts (I vary between walnuts, pecans, and almonds)
-Cinnamon to taste
-Fresh Fruit
Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to eat, thin with a little more milk or yogurt if desired and add fresh fruit (I use whatever is in season. In the Summer I use a lot of peaches and berries, in Fall and Winter I use apples and bananas).
My herb garden is out of control right now, especially my thyme, basil, chives, and sage. I am thinking of trying something with the basil and chives and the garlic scapes and spinach linguini from the CSA. Maybe some sort of dairy-free pesto pasta? I also made extra spelt berries with the idea of turning them into some sort of breakfast porridge. Results to come!
I realize I forgot to share the results of the pickled radishes from a few weeks ago. At first bite I wasn't sure if I liked them, but they definitely grew on me. The vinegar flavor is strong, and I think adding some herbs to the mix would add some nice flavor. They would be good to serve on a crudite platter. I may try this again with the addition of other vegetables and seasonings.
Finally, for those who were wondering, I received the Brie in this week's delivery. As much as it calls to me everytime I open the fridge, we are trying to hold onto it until we can actually sit down and enjoy it one evening. Hopefully over the holiday weekend we'll get that chance. Pin It
Friday, June 24, 2011
Week 4: Beets, Brie, and Babies
I must admit that I am a little disappointed in myself this past week. Although I accomplished my goal of zero waste, I don't feel as though I really did anything "wow" with my ingredients (those quotation marks are for you, Anna). A brief recap of how I used my contents:
-1 lb of ground beef, tomato, corn chips, cilantro, and lettuce were used for taco salad
-radishes were glazed and zucchini roasted and served with chicken
-spinach wilted and served with steamed potatoes and a fried egg
-strawberries sliced and served with breakfast or as snacks
-milk drank by my preschooler
-1 lb of ground beef sent to the freezer
Today begins a new CSA week, and here is what I am expecting to pick up today:
-1 package of chicken bratwursts
-1 bunch of garlic scapes
-1.5 lbs tomatoes
-1 quart of strawberries
-1 bunch green onions
-2 bunches spinach
-2 heads leaf lettuce
-2 zucchini or squash
-1 tub of fresh goat cheese or 1 wedge of Brie
-1 bunch of red beets
-1 package Luna Burgers (veggie burger)
-1 lb spinach linguini
As I have mentioned before, I am currently following a dairy-free diet due to my infant son's sensitivity to dairy protein. No way am I going to be able to pass on trying this cheese! I am slowly trying to reintroduce dairy, so this will just have to be my test run. I love the tangy taste of goat cheese on salads, in quiches and frittatas, and on pasta. And the Brie I would simply slice and enjoy with some crusty bread and a glass of wine on the patio after the kids go to bed.
Until a few years ago, I had never even tried a beet, but my husband loves them. The first time I made them I roasted them in the oven and tossed them in a salad with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. I was instantly in love. Now I make beets all the time. One of our favorite meals is a Beet, Cheddar, and Apple Tart from Martha Stewart. A mini version of these would be a great party appetizer. And if you like shortbread cookies, I recommend trying Beet Cookies (Yes, cookies. Stop gagging, they are strangely addicting). I have quite a few beet and tomato salad recipes that I want to try, so that's what I plan to do this week. Some of the farmer's markets have cherry tomatoes coming in already, so I am thinking a simple cherry tomato pasta dish with the spinach linguini. Maybe I'll slice the chicken brats and toss them into the pasta as well, or possibly use them in a white bean and sausage soup of some kind with the spinach. After the grilling disaster with my garlic scapes, I'm going give it another go and serve them with Luna Burgers topped with avocado, tomato, lettuce and onion. The zucchini or squash can be used interchangeably, so I am thinking a zucchini/squash pancake, or maybe a grilled pizza? I also plan to finalize the strawberry muffin recipe this week so I can pass it on to you.
My son Jack just turned six months this week, and I am having fun introducing him to new foods. He's already tried sweet potato, butternut squash, peas, banana, apple, apricot, peaches, and watermelon, to name a few. I even finely pureed a Roasted Eggplant Spread that I made for a PTA meeting and tried it out on him. Sometimes he doesn't take to new foods immediately, but I keep trying and after a few days he usually likes it. This week I plan to steam and puree some of the spinach, zucchini and beets for him to try. As you can probably tell, I'm not one who believes in kid food. My three-year-old has been eating what I eat since the beginning, and I never make him a separate meal. He loves things like black beans, salmon, and brussel sprouts, and eats risotto, guacamole, and even sushi with a smile on his face. Of course he also like hotdogs and chicken nuggets, but those are the exception and not the rule at our house. I can only hope Jack is as adventurous an eater as his brother! My best advice to those already dealing with picky eaters is to just keep serving the food over and over, and eventually they may give in and try it. One day Steven loves broccoli, the next he won't touch it. Kids are funny that way. I just continue to serve him the same meal the rest of the family eats and try not to make a big deal if he doesn't eat something. I am also careful to never say I dislike a new food in front of him, and I act as though it's a privilege to try new foods. As I mentioned in a previous post, I used to hate sweet potatoes, but I made sure he never knew it. And start cooking with your kids! I really believe kids are more likely to eat something if they had a hand in making it.
I know I promised to share some of my food philosophies, and I do plan on doing so this week. I also hope to share some newly created recipes, that is if I ever get back my kitchen! My new countertops are supposedly being installed today, but as of 2:19 pm, there's not a worker in sight. I've pretty much resigned myself to the idea that we will be eating out tonight, but with a fridge full of fresh veggies, I refuse to do so all weekend. Should make for an interesting weekend of cooking if they don't show up soon. Hmmm...I wonder if I could dig up my old college hotpot... Pin It
-1 lb of ground beef, tomato, corn chips, cilantro, and lettuce were used for taco salad
-radishes were glazed and zucchini roasted and served with chicken
-spinach wilted and served with steamed potatoes and a fried egg
-strawberries sliced and served with breakfast or as snacks
-milk drank by my preschooler
-1 lb of ground beef sent to the freezer
Today begins a new CSA week, and here is what I am expecting to pick up today:
-1 package of chicken bratwursts
-1 bunch of garlic scapes
-1.5 lbs tomatoes
-1 quart of strawberries
-1 bunch green onions
-2 bunches spinach
-2 heads leaf lettuce
-2 zucchini or squash
-1 tub of fresh goat cheese or 1 wedge of Brie
-1 bunch of red beets
-1 package Luna Burgers (veggie burger)
-1 lb spinach linguini
As I have mentioned before, I am currently following a dairy-free diet due to my infant son's sensitivity to dairy protein. No way am I going to be able to pass on trying this cheese! I am slowly trying to reintroduce dairy, so this will just have to be my test run. I love the tangy taste of goat cheese on salads, in quiches and frittatas, and on pasta. And the Brie I would simply slice and enjoy with some crusty bread and a glass of wine on the patio after the kids go to bed.
Until a few years ago, I had never even tried a beet, but my husband loves them. The first time I made them I roasted them in the oven and tossed them in a salad with goat cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. I was instantly in love. Now I make beets all the time. One of our favorite meals is a Beet, Cheddar, and Apple Tart from Martha Stewart. A mini version of these would be a great party appetizer. And if you like shortbread cookies, I recommend trying Beet Cookies (Yes, cookies. Stop gagging, they are strangely addicting). I have quite a few beet and tomato salad recipes that I want to try, so that's what I plan to do this week. Some of the farmer's markets have cherry tomatoes coming in already, so I am thinking a simple cherry tomato pasta dish with the spinach linguini. Maybe I'll slice the chicken brats and toss them into the pasta as well, or possibly use them in a white bean and sausage soup of some kind with the spinach. After the grilling disaster with my garlic scapes, I'm going give it another go and serve them with Luna Burgers topped with avocado, tomato, lettuce and onion. The zucchini or squash can be used interchangeably, so I am thinking a zucchini/squash pancake, or maybe a grilled pizza? I also plan to finalize the strawberry muffin recipe this week so I can pass it on to you.
My son Jack just turned six months this week, and I am having fun introducing him to new foods. He's already tried sweet potato, butternut squash, peas, banana, apple, apricot, peaches, and watermelon, to name a few. I even finely pureed a Roasted Eggplant Spread that I made for a PTA meeting and tried it out on him. Sometimes he doesn't take to new foods immediately, but I keep trying and after a few days he usually likes it. This week I plan to steam and puree some of the spinach, zucchini and beets for him to try. As you can probably tell, I'm not one who believes in kid food. My three-year-old has been eating what I eat since the beginning, and I never make him a separate meal. He loves things like black beans, salmon, and brussel sprouts, and eats risotto, guacamole, and even sushi with a smile on his face. Of course he also like hotdogs and chicken nuggets, but those are the exception and not the rule at our house. I can only hope Jack is as adventurous an eater as his brother! My best advice to those already dealing with picky eaters is to just keep serving the food over and over, and eventually they may give in and try it. One day Steven loves broccoli, the next he won't touch it. Kids are funny that way. I just continue to serve him the same meal the rest of the family eats and try not to make a big deal if he doesn't eat something. I am also careful to never say I dislike a new food in front of him, and I act as though it's a privilege to try new foods. As I mentioned in a previous post, I used to hate sweet potatoes, but I made sure he never knew it. And start cooking with your kids! I really believe kids are more likely to eat something if they had a hand in making it.
I know I promised to share some of my food philosophies, and I do plan on doing so this week. I also hope to share some newly created recipes, that is if I ever get back my kitchen! My new countertops are supposedly being installed today, but as of 2:19 pm, there's not a worker in sight. I've pretty much resigned myself to the idea that we will be eating out tonight, but with a fridge full of fresh veggies, I refuse to do so all weekend. Should make for an interesting weekend of cooking if they don't show up soon. Hmmm...I wonder if I could dig up my old college hotpot... Pin It
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Week Three: Lettuce Be Creative
It's shaping up to be one of those weeks. You know, the kind of week where the days fly by and you have no idea what you accomplished, but you suddenly look at the clock and realize you should have started dinner half an hour ago. And, quite frankly, you really have no motivation to make the meal you originally planned for the day. My original menu for tonight: Grilled chicken marinated in lime juice, olive oil and cilantro, fingerling potatoes sauteed with herbs and garlic, and braised spinach. What I made: Wilted spinach, steamed potatoes, and a fried egg. The day didn't start too badly: my three-year-old, Steven, actually slept past 6:30 am, and 6-month-old Jack was generally happy and took a decent morning nap. Cut to 12:30 pm when I go to pick up Steven from Itty Bitty Fun Camp. Apparently It was a little too much fun today and Steven refused to leave with me. In fact, he had a complete meltdown and began screaming and crying for me to "go away". He might as well have been yelling "stranger danger" because it probably appeared to the teen helpers staring at us that an abduction was taking place as I struggled to carry him to the car. By the time my husband arrived home shortly after five with a full propane tank for the grill, I was mentally fried. I didn't feel like chopping onions and garlic, or stripping tiny leaves of thyme, nor did I feel like standing next to a hot grill in this humidity. No worries, though, we couldn't get the propane tank hooked up properly anyway, hence the fried egg. The moral of the story: days don't always go as you planned, and neither do meals! Don't be afraid to change your game plan, and simplify or substitute as needed. My meals so far this week have been fairly basic: A taco salad with lettuce, ground beef (seasoned with cumin, smoked paprika, and chipotle chile powder), green onions, tomato, guacamole, salsa, and the most delicious corn chips from the CSA; and sauteed chicken breasts, glazed radishes (delicious!) and roasted zucchini. One of the best parts about joining a CSA is the fact that you really don't have to do much to the food to make it taste great. It's all in season, fresh, and full of flavor.
A number of people in other CSAs have remarked about the abundance of "lettuce" they received thus far, and that they are getting tired of salads. I for one love greens, but I can see that preparing them only as a simple salad would get old quickly, especially when you have an abundance that needs to be used in a short amount of time. Since I don't seem to be do much creating this week, I thought I would share some ideas and recipes for what to do with all those greens. Orrecchiette with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese from Giada De Laurentiis is an easy dish if you have some baby lettuces or mixed salad. Or try making a pizza and putting a salad dressed with a lemony vinaigrette on top, such as in Ina Garten's White Pizza with Arugula (one of my favorites!). Remember, you don't have to have the exact lettuce or greens the recipe calls for - experiment! You can even try grilling lettuce slightly and dressing the wilted greens with your favorite vinaigrette (check out the newest edition of Cooking Light magazine for a grilled salad recipe). Create new dressings with different vinegars and herbs; if you have a vinaigrette recipe that calls for lemon juice and basil, try replacing them with lime and cilantro. Sautee spinach, swiss chard or other greens with onions and mushrooms for a taco filling (see my first entry) or wilt them into an omelette, frittata or quiche. Create a hash with greens, potatoes and your favorite sausage or eggs such as in Fingerling Potato-Leek Hash. I hope that's enough to get you started - please feel free to share your ideas and creations.
Tomorrow promises to be another busy day, capped off with about 20 women at my home for a meeting. That, and the need to demo my kitchen in preparation for my new countertops, means the theme for the week will continue to be simple. Some readers have requested I share my food "philosophies," so look for those along with meal ideas for next week on Thursday. For now, I will retire with my glass of vino, a piece of dark chocolate with sea salt, and a little Rocco's Dinner Party on Bravo. Pin It
A number of people in other CSAs have remarked about the abundance of "lettuce" they received thus far, and that they are getting tired of salads. I for one love greens, but I can see that preparing them only as a simple salad would get old quickly, especially when you have an abundance that needs to be used in a short amount of time. Since I don't seem to be do much creating this week, I thought I would share some ideas and recipes for what to do with all those greens. Orrecchiette with Mixed Greens and Goat Cheese from Giada De Laurentiis is an easy dish if you have some baby lettuces or mixed salad. Or try making a pizza and putting a salad dressed with a lemony vinaigrette on top, such as in Ina Garten's White Pizza with Arugula (one of my favorites!). Remember, you don't have to have the exact lettuce or greens the recipe calls for - experiment! You can even try grilling lettuce slightly and dressing the wilted greens with your favorite vinaigrette (check out the newest edition of Cooking Light magazine for a grilled salad recipe). Create new dressings with different vinegars and herbs; if you have a vinaigrette recipe that calls for lemon juice and basil, try replacing them with lime and cilantro. Sautee spinach, swiss chard or other greens with onions and mushrooms for a taco filling (see my first entry) or wilt them into an omelette, frittata or quiche. Create a hash with greens, potatoes and your favorite sausage or eggs such as in Fingerling Potato-Leek Hash. I hope that's enough to get you started - please feel free to share your ideas and creations.
Tomorrow promises to be another busy day, capped off with about 20 women at my home for a meeting. That, and the need to demo my kitchen in preparation for my new countertops, means the theme for the week will continue to be simple. Some readers have requested I share my food "philosophies," so look for those along with meal ideas for next week on Thursday. For now, I will retire with my glass of vino, a piece of dark chocolate with sea salt, and a little Rocco's Dinner Party on Bravo. Pin It
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Week Three: Taco Salad
This week's CSA pick-up is pretty basic. There is nothing out of the ordinary, so I am sure my fellow Fresh Forker's have had no problems figuring out what to do with their haul. I took a couple days off from cooking (I'm not ashamed to say dinner Friday night was a hotdog at the Tribe game!), but now I am ready to get back to it.
The theme of this week's contents is "Taco Salad," and this is what I received:
-2 lbs grassfed ground beef
-1 qt. strawberries
-1 head leaf lettuce
-1 bunch green onions
-1 bag heirloom corn chips
-1 bunch of cilantro
-2 zucchini
-1 bunch field grown spinach
-1.5 lbs slicing tomatoes
-1/2 gallon 2% milk
-2 lb roll of butter
-1 bunch of radishes
-3/4 lb assorted braising greens
I can't remember the last time I ate a taco salad, and I have a bag of ripe avocados begging to turn into guacamole, so it looks like that's our dinner tonight. I'm not quite sure what I plan to do with the other pound of ground beef, but a couple of family favorites I would suggest to you are Red Flannel Hash and Couscous Casserole. A simple BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato) sandwich with the slicing tomatoes and leaf lettuce may creep into the rotation this week as well.
Last Thursday I spent some time working on recipes and developed a spelt berry salad with chicken and apricots. I can't say the recipe couldn't use a little tweaking, but my husband loved it and insisted I share the recipe. This recipe is extremely flexible and easy! Try barley, quinoa, or wheat berries in place of the spelt, and peaches or plums in place of the apricots. I used lime juice for the dressing, but lemon would work just as well if that's what you have on hand. You could subsitute spinach for the arugula, but we think arugula's peppery bite is really what makes the salad. Leftovers made an excellent lunch the next day.
Spelt Berry Salad with Chicken & Apricots (serves 4)
1 cup uncooked spelt berries
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 lb fresh apricots, pitted and sliced
4 oz arugula
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
Bring 2 cups water to a boil and add spelt berries. Cover and cook until tender, about one hour. Drain excess liquid if needed. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Combine spelt berries, chicken, and apricots in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Just before serving, add arugula and toss. Can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.
I am also working on a dairy-free strawberry muffin recipe that isn't quite ready. Initial results are good, but I definitely need to play with it a little more before sharing. Since Steven already put a good dent in the CSA strawberries, I'll have to stop by the farmer's market to pick up another quart or two.
As a side note, my kitchen is getting a make-over later this week! New countertops are being installed Friday, and my husband plans to rip the old ones out himself before then, so it should make for an interesting few days of meals. I'll be praying for some good grillin' weather, and just maybe I'll bust out the smoker as well. Pin It
The theme of this week's contents is "Taco Salad," and this is what I received:
-2 lbs grassfed ground beef
-1 qt. strawberries
-1 head leaf lettuce
-1 bunch green onions
-1 bag heirloom corn chips
-1 bunch of cilantro
-2 zucchini
-1 bunch field grown spinach
-1.5 lbs slicing tomatoes
-1/2 gallon 2% milk
-2 lb roll of butter
-1 bunch of radishes
-3/4 lb assorted braising greens
I can't remember the last time I ate a taco salad, and I have a bag of ripe avocados begging to turn into guacamole, so it looks like that's our dinner tonight. I'm not quite sure what I plan to do with the other pound of ground beef, but a couple of family favorites I would suggest to you are Red Flannel Hash and Couscous Casserole. A simple BLAT (bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato) sandwich with the slicing tomatoes and leaf lettuce may creep into the rotation this week as well.
Last Thursday I spent some time working on recipes and developed a spelt berry salad with chicken and apricots. I can't say the recipe couldn't use a little tweaking, but my husband loved it and insisted I share the recipe. This recipe is extremely flexible and easy! Try barley, quinoa, or wheat berries in place of the spelt, and peaches or plums in place of the apricots. I used lime juice for the dressing, but lemon would work just as well if that's what you have on hand. You could subsitute spinach for the arugula, but we think arugula's peppery bite is really what makes the salad. Leftovers made an excellent lunch the next day.
Spelt Berry Salad with Chicken & Apricots (serves 4)
1 cup uncooked spelt berries
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1 lb fresh apricots, pitted and sliced
4 oz arugula
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper
Bring 2 cups water to a boil and add spelt berries. Cover and cook until tender, about one hour. Drain excess liquid if needed. Whisk together lime juice, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Combine spelt berries, chicken, and apricots in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Just before serving, add arugula and toss. Can be served warm, room temperature, or cold.
I am also working on a dairy-free strawberry muffin recipe that isn't quite ready. Initial results are good, but I definitely need to play with it a little more before sharing. Since Steven already put a good dent in the CSA strawberries, I'll have to stop by the farmer's market to pick up another quart or two.
As a side note, my kitchen is getting a make-over later this week! New countertops are being installed Friday, and my husband plans to rip the old ones out himself before then, so it should make for an interesting few days of meals. I'll be praying for some good grillin' weather, and just maybe I'll bust out the smoker as well. Pin It
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Week Two, Part Three: Breakfast for Dinner!
I have a love-hate relationship with sweet potatoes. I love that they are full of vitamins. I love the way they look on a plate. I love that my kids love them. I want to love the taste of them, but for most of my life I have hated them. I think that's because until the past couple of years my only experience with sweet potatoes has been the sickly sweet, marshmallow topped disgustingness that people serve at Thanksgiving. I never got it, and I still don't get it. Then, last summer, while visiting family and friends in the Columbus area, I ate at a wonderful restaurant called the Northstar Cafe. My sandwich came with sweet potato fries, which, being the sweet potato hater that I am, I assumed I would just hand them off to my son. Since I believe you should always try something before deciding you don't like it, I ate one of the crispy, salty thin cut fries before scraping them onto my son's plate. Suddenly, I had a newfound respect for the sweet potato. I realized it wasn't neccessarily the sweet potato I didn't like, it was the preparation. I now look for more savory ways to cook sweet potatoes, and I recently began trying out recipes for sweet potato hash. Last night's was a winner, perfectly spicy and crispy on the bottom with the rest of my chorizo sausage and a perfectly cooked egg on top. This meal can serve as breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner (or linner or lupper, if you like). I of course failed to write down the recipe, but I am sure memory will serve well enough that you could replicate it pretty easily.
Sweet Potato Hash (serves 4)
8 oz Fresh Chorizo Sausage
1 medium red onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic
2-3 sweet potatoes, diced small (2-3 cups yield, depending on the size of your potatoes)
smoked paprika
salt & pepper
4 eggs
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Remove chorizo from casings and brown in skillet, stirring to break up clumps. Add onion and garlic, sautee until translucent. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender. Increase heat to medium-high. Add about 1 teaspoon paprika and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, or until potatoes start to brown. Taste for seasonings and add more paprika, salt or pepper as you deem necessary. Make 4 spaces in the sweet potato mixture and crack one egg into each space. Sprinkle eggs with paprika. Cook 2-3 minutes, then put the cover on the skillet and cook until whites are just set but the yolks are still runny. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been waiting for fresh shell peas to use with the fresh whole wheat linguine I received last Friday. I also have a number of recipes that call for fresh peas or pea shoots that I want to try and I was sure I would get one or both in one of the early CSA packages. Yesterday I took my boys strawberry picking at Fitch's (Well, I picked, one ate, and the other slept. Picking strawberries with a 20 lb child strapped to you is no small feat.) and was hoping the shell peas would be ready. Alas, they informed me that due to the heavy rains, everything is running a few weeks behind and I should check back on the 20th. Boo. Determined, I searched the stores and found fresh, already shelled English peas at Trader Joe's. Spring linguine with Basil is an easy, yet delicious vegetarian meal my family loves. You could substitute frozen peas, but I think fresh makes all the difference and they are only available here for a short time. I served it with sliced tomatoes and a glass of sauvignon blanc.
Rumor has it I am receiving strawberries again in Friday's CSA pick-up, plus I have the three quarts I picked yesterday, so I tomorrow I will be making strawberry muffins or scones in addition to a spelt berry salad. I have almost made it through the week and haven't let anything go to waste. Bonus that all recipes have been a success!
I should also mention that when I spoke to my mom this morning and mentioned I made sweet potato hash last night, the first words out of her mouth were, "You didn't update your blog!" Geez, Mom, I'll try to do better. Pin It
Sweet Potato Hash (serves 4)
8 oz Fresh Chorizo Sausage
1 medium red onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic
2-3 sweet potatoes, diced small (2-3 cups yield, depending on the size of your potatoes)
smoked paprika
salt & pepper
4 eggs
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Remove chorizo from casings and brown in skillet, stirring to break up clumps. Add onion and garlic, sautee until translucent. Add sweet potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender. Increase heat to medium-high. Add about 1 teaspoon paprika and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, or until potatoes start to brown. Taste for seasonings and add more paprika, salt or pepper as you deem necessary. Make 4 spaces in the sweet potato mixture and crack one egg into each space. Sprinkle eggs with paprika. Cook 2-3 minutes, then put the cover on the skillet and cook until whites are just set but the yolks are still runny. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.
As I mentioned in my last post, I have been waiting for fresh shell peas to use with the fresh whole wheat linguine I received last Friday. I also have a number of recipes that call for fresh peas or pea shoots that I want to try and I was sure I would get one or both in one of the early CSA packages. Yesterday I took my boys strawberry picking at Fitch's (Well, I picked, one ate, and the other slept. Picking strawberries with a 20 lb child strapped to you is no small feat.) and was hoping the shell peas would be ready. Alas, they informed me that due to the heavy rains, everything is running a few weeks behind and I should check back on the 20th. Boo. Determined, I searched the stores and found fresh, already shelled English peas at Trader Joe's. Spring linguine with Basil is an easy, yet delicious vegetarian meal my family loves. You could substitute frozen peas, but I think fresh makes all the difference and they are only available here for a short time. I served it with sliced tomatoes and a glass of sauvignon blanc.
Rumor has it I am receiving strawberries again in Friday's CSA pick-up, plus I have the three quarts I picked yesterday, so I tomorrow I will be making strawberry muffins or scones in addition to a spelt berry salad. I have almost made it through the week and haven't let anything go to waste. Bonus that all recipes have been a success!
I should also mention that when I spoke to my mom this morning and mentioned I made sweet potato hash last night, the first words out of her mouth were, "You didn't update your blog!" Geez, Mom, I'll try to do better. Pin It
Monday, June 13, 2011
Week Two Continued: Strawberries, Greens, and Garlic Scapes
My head has been spinning with ideas these past two days as I try to ensure I use all the items I received on Friday before they spoil. Saturday night's Zucchini Mushroom Tacos with Chorizo (plus a margarita or two) left Paul and I way too full to enjoy the strawberries for dessert, but I knew I needed to use them ASAP or they'd end up in the compost bin. Sunday morning is usually pancake morning at our house, and I figured I could just throw the strawberries on top. As I made the coffee that morning, I noticed a french baguette that was going stale and french toast popped into my head. I couldn't remember the last time I made french toast, nor did I have a recipe, so I created this milk-free french toast recipe that was a huge hit at our house. Regular, soy, or almond milk would work just fine in this recipe. Feel free to add some fresh whipped cream or powdered sugar as well.
Easy Vanilla French Toast with Strawberries
1 french baguette
1 1/2 cups rice milk
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 quart of strawberries (any berry or combination of berries would work)
sugar
maple syrup
Hull and slice strawberries. Sprinkle with sugar if they need a little extra sweetness. Set aside.
Slice the baguette thick on a diagonal (you should have 10-12 slices). Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the baguette slice to the bowl and allow to soak, turning occaisonally for five minutes.
Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray (butter or oil would work as well) over medium heat. Add 4-5 baguette slices to the pan and cook on one side until golden, about 5 minutes. Flip and finish cooking. Repeat with remaining baguette slices. Top with a generous amount of strawberries and serve with maple syrup.
Later that afternoon I noticed that the two huge bunches of beautiful spinach were beginning to wilt and I knew I needed to use them for that night's dinner. This was a hearty, thick spinach that reminded me more of heavier greens like kale. After frying some bacon in a heavy pot, I cooked a diced onion in the grease, then added the chopped spinach to the pot with a half cup of chicken stock. After the spinach wilted, I added a little salt and pepper, then crumbled the bacon back into the pot. Mmmmm. You really can never go wrong with bacon. I served the spinach alongside the chicken bratwurst and some smashed redskin potatoes with some finely chopped garlic scapes (Thanks for the idea, Scott).
Speaking of the garlic scapes, I could not get the idea of grilling them out of my mind. I also received some green onions that I was dying to grill, so tonight I grilled a pork tenderloin and attempted to grill the scapes and green onions with it. I say "attempt" because I ran out of propane while everything was cooking. Oops. Fortunately the grill was hot enough to finish cooking the pork, and although the scapes and onions didn't get as charred as I would have liked, both were delicious. The onions became almost sweet as they cooked, and the garlic scapes mellowed a bit but still had that garlicky bite.
After all this cooking, I still have a number of items left: spelt berries, fresh pasta, tomatoes, eggs, and the rest of the chorizo. I'm working on a sweet potato hash recipe with the rest of the chorizo and the eggs, and if I can find fresh peas, I have a terrific recipe for a fresh pasta dish. I'll keep ya posted... Pin It
Easy Vanilla French Toast with Strawberries
1 french baguette
1 1/2 cups rice milk
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 quart of strawberries (any berry or combination of berries would work)
sugar
maple syrup
Hull and slice strawberries. Sprinkle with sugar if they need a little extra sweetness. Set aside.
Slice the baguette thick on a diagonal (you should have 10-12 slices). Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the baguette slice to the bowl and allow to soak, turning occaisonally for five minutes.
Heat a large skillet coated with cooking spray (butter or oil would work as well) over medium heat. Add 4-5 baguette slices to the pan and cook on one side until golden, about 5 minutes. Flip and finish cooking. Repeat with remaining baguette slices. Top with a generous amount of strawberries and serve with maple syrup.
Later that afternoon I noticed that the two huge bunches of beautiful spinach were beginning to wilt and I knew I needed to use them for that night's dinner. This was a hearty, thick spinach that reminded me more of heavier greens like kale. After frying some bacon in a heavy pot, I cooked a diced onion in the grease, then added the chopped spinach to the pot with a half cup of chicken stock. After the spinach wilted, I added a little salt and pepper, then crumbled the bacon back into the pot. Mmmmm. You really can never go wrong with bacon. I served the spinach alongside the chicken bratwurst and some smashed redskin potatoes with some finely chopped garlic scapes (Thanks for the idea, Scott).
Speaking of the garlic scapes, I could not get the idea of grilling them out of my mind. I also received some green onions that I was dying to grill, so tonight I grilled a pork tenderloin and attempted to grill the scapes and green onions with it. I say "attempt" because I ran out of propane while everything was cooking. Oops. Fortunately the grill was hot enough to finish cooking the pork, and although the scapes and onions didn't get as charred as I would have liked, both were delicious. The onions became almost sweet as they cooked, and the garlic scapes mellowed a bit but still had that garlicky bite.
After all this cooking, I still have a number of items left: spelt berries, fresh pasta, tomatoes, eggs, and the rest of the chorizo. I'm working on a sweet potato hash recipe with the rest of the chorizo and the eggs, and if I can find fresh peas, I have a terrific recipe for a fresh pasta dish. I'll keep ya posted... Pin It
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Week Two: Chorizo!!!!!
It's as though this week's CSA delivery was designed specifically for me. In addition to some of my favorite foods, I also received some items I have never used but am excited to try. I haven't decided how I will use all of items yet, but here are some ideas to get you started.
What I received:
-1 lb Berkshire chorizo sausage
-2 lbs spelt berries
-1 lb fresh whole wheat linguini
-1 bunch garlic scapes
-2 heads leaf lettuce
-1 quart Honeyoye strawberries
-2 lbs hoop house tomatoes
-1 dz eggs
-2 bunches field spinach
-1 bunch of green onions
-1 lb chicken bratwurst
-2 large zucchini
I love, love, love chorizo. In fact, it is almost considered a staple in my house. This spicy fresh Mexican sausage adds wonderful flavor to a number of dishes, and a little can go a long way. On tonight's menu: Zucchini Mushroom Tacos with Chorizo, from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday. It only calls for 4 oz of chorizo, leaving me just enough left over to make what is arguably my family's favorite meal, Mexican beans with Chorizo and Greens (from the same cookbook) later this week. Can you tell we're fans of Mexican food? If your not a fan of Mexican, try using the chorizo in place of italian sausage on top of a homemade pizza, layered into a lasagna, or added to a chili or stew. I could go on and on with ideas. Did I mention I love chorizo?
We eat a lot of spinach in this house, but this spinach is different than the spinach you buy at the grocery store. It is a braising type spinach, so I am going to try cooking it in a style similar to collard greens and serve it as a side to the chicken bratwurst. I am also going to try making a tomato "relish" as a topping for the brats.
The most intriguing item in this week's delivery is the garlic scapes. According to the Fresh Fork newsletter, a garlic scape can be used much like garlic or onion. It also suggests grilling them, which is what I am leaning towards trying this week, maybe with a flank steak and roasted potatoes. Spelt berries are another unfamiliar food to me, but I am guessing it is similar to other whole grains such as barley, farro, or wheat berries. I am going to work on a recipe for some sort of spelt berry salad with chicken and apricots and will share the results.
Ohhhh, and the strawberries (which look beautiful) are tonight's dessert, drizzled with a balsamic syrup. To make a balsamic reduction, simply bring a cup of balsamic vinegar to boil in a small saucepan and reduce it until it is thick and coats a spoon. Depending on the quality of your vinegar, you may want to add a bit of sugar to it first. Serve the strawberries and syrup on vanilla ice cream to make it even better. YUM.
What I received:
-1 lb Berkshire chorizo sausage
-2 lbs spelt berries
-1 lb fresh whole wheat linguini
-1 bunch garlic scapes
-2 heads leaf lettuce
-1 quart Honeyoye strawberries
-2 lbs hoop house tomatoes
-1 dz eggs
-2 bunches field spinach
-1 bunch of green onions
-1 lb chicken bratwurst
-2 large zucchini
I love, love, love chorizo. In fact, it is almost considered a staple in my house. This spicy fresh Mexican sausage adds wonderful flavor to a number of dishes, and a little can go a long way. On tonight's menu: Zucchini Mushroom Tacos with Chorizo, from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday. It only calls for 4 oz of chorizo, leaving me just enough left over to make what is arguably my family's favorite meal, Mexican beans with Chorizo and Greens (from the same cookbook) later this week. Can you tell we're fans of Mexican food? If your not a fan of Mexican, try using the chorizo in place of italian sausage on top of a homemade pizza, layered into a lasagna, or added to a chili or stew. I could go on and on with ideas. Did I mention I love chorizo?
We eat a lot of spinach in this house, but this spinach is different than the spinach you buy at the grocery store. It is a braising type spinach, so I am going to try cooking it in a style similar to collard greens and serve it as a side to the chicken bratwurst. I am also going to try making a tomato "relish" as a topping for the brats.
The most intriguing item in this week's delivery is the garlic scapes. According to the Fresh Fork newsletter, a garlic scape can be used much like garlic or onion. It also suggests grilling them, which is what I am leaning towards trying this week, maybe with a flank steak and roasted potatoes. Spelt berries are another unfamiliar food to me, but I am guessing it is similar to other whole grains such as barley, farro, or wheat berries. I am going to work on a recipe for some sort of spelt berry salad with chicken and apricots and will share the results.
Ohhhh, and the strawberries (which look beautiful) are tonight's dessert, drizzled with a balsamic syrup. To make a balsamic reduction, simply bring a cup of balsamic vinegar to boil in a small saucepan and reduce it until it is thick and coats a spoon. Depending on the quality of your vinegar, you may want to add a bit of sugar to it first. Serve the strawberries and syrup on vanilla ice cream to make it even better. YUM.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Week One (oops!)
Yes, I totally dropped the ball for week one of the CSA. The plan is to actually provide you with recipes and ideas for each week's harvest, but seeing as I am picking up week two tomorrow afternoon, this is a condensed version of what I did this past week.
What I received:
-1 whole pasture raised chicken
-2 lbs organic cornmeal
-1 bunch of cilantro
-1 bunch of radishes with tops
-1 head of lettuce
-1 cucumber
-2 hothouse tomatoes
-1 quart of farmstead yogurt
-1 lb grassfed beef
-1 head bok choi
-1/2 lb mixed salad greens
-1 bunch of swiss chard
-1 jar pickled hot hungarian peppers
When I saw swiss chard I knew immediately that I wanted to make swiss chard tacos from my favorite Rick Bayless cookbook, Mexican Everyday. They may sound strange, but they are the perfect light vegetarian meal on a hot day. I added some of the mixed salad greens to the chard mix, and I used part of the cilantro on top of the tacos. I wanted to really taste the beef, so I simply sprinkled it with salt & pepper, added a couple of dashes of worcestershire (yes, I had to use spell check for that one) and made a humble hamburger. WOW. You really can tell the difference between high quality grass-fed beef and the mass produced grain-fed beef you buy at most grocery stores. Alongside the burgers I served the tomatoes sliced, drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper, and torn basil from my garden; as well as the rest of the mixed salad greens with a homemade dijon mustard vinaigrette. The chicken was roasted whole and served with southern style green beans (bought at the store), and a dairy-free cornbread made from the cornmeal. (I should probably mention that my five-month-old is sensitive to dairy, so I am currently following a dairy-free diet. And yes, it sucks.) If you currently only use a store-bought mix to make cornbread, corn muffins, etc, STOP NOW! It is so simple to make from scratch and you probably have everything you need on hand. It really is worth the extra effort and you can change it suit your tastes. I have plenty of cornmeal left over, so I will share more ideas for it in future posts. With the bok choi I made a stir fry of rice noodles and leftovers from the roasted chicken, adding some bean sprouts, chile paste, and oyster sauce from the store, and I sprinkled the remaining cilantro on top. This was not my most successful meal. The idea was good, the flavors were fine, but it definitely needs some tweaking. Good thing were getting another batch of bok choi tomorrow. I am thinking a cold rice noodle dish with peanuts?
As for the remaining items, my three-year-old loves cucumber, so he ate that for lunch one day. Since I can't have dairy, I will use the yogurt to make him smoothies and ice pops. At the suggestion of the CSA newsletter sent each week with your pick up, I pickled the radishes. I am still waiting for them to be finished, but I will share the results when they're ready. I used the leaf lettuce on sandwiches, and the hot peppers are in the fridge ready to be thrown into salads, stuffed into calzones, added to pizza, or anything else I can think of. And yes, I did have a small amount of waste. I failed to use the radish tops, which in hindsight I should have added to the swiss chard tacos, and my husband threw out the chicken bones that I could have used to make stock.
Whew. So that's week one in a nutshell. From here on out I promise to stay on top of things. Really. I swear. Pin It
What I received:
-1 whole pasture raised chicken
-2 lbs organic cornmeal
-1 bunch of cilantro
-1 bunch of radishes with tops
-1 head of lettuce
-1 cucumber
-2 hothouse tomatoes
-1 quart of farmstead yogurt
-1 lb grassfed beef
-1 head bok choi
-1/2 lb mixed salad greens
-1 bunch of swiss chard
-1 jar pickled hot hungarian peppers
When I saw swiss chard I knew immediately that I wanted to make swiss chard tacos from my favorite Rick Bayless cookbook, Mexican Everyday. They may sound strange, but they are the perfect light vegetarian meal on a hot day. I added some of the mixed salad greens to the chard mix, and I used part of the cilantro on top of the tacos. I wanted to really taste the beef, so I simply sprinkled it with salt & pepper, added a couple of dashes of worcestershire (yes, I had to use spell check for that one) and made a humble hamburger. WOW. You really can tell the difference between high quality grass-fed beef and the mass produced grain-fed beef you buy at most grocery stores. Alongside the burgers I served the tomatoes sliced, drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper, and torn basil from my garden; as well as the rest of the mixed salad greens with a homemade dijon mustard vinaigrette. The chicken was roasted whole and served with southern style green beans (bought at the store), and a dairy-free cornbread made from the cornmeal. (I should probably mention that my five-month-old is sensitive to dairy, so I am currently following a dairy-free diet. And yes, it sucks.) If you currently only use a store-bought mix to make cornbread, corn muffins, etc, STOP NOW! It is so simple to make from scratch and you probably have everything you need on hand. It really is worth the extra effort and you can change it suit your tastes. I have plenty of cornmeal left over, so I will share more ideas for it in future posts. With the bok choi I made a stir fry of rice noodles and leftovers from the roasted chicken, adding some bean sprouts, chile paste, and oyster sauce from the store, and I sprinkled the remaining cilantro on top. This was not my most successful meal. The idea was good, the flavors were fine, but it definitely needs some tweaking. Good thing were getting another batch of bok choi tomorrow. I am thinking a cold rice noodle dish with peanuts?
As for the remaining items, my three-year-old loves cucumber, so he ate that for lunch one day. Since I can't have dairy, I will use the yogurt to make him smoothies and ice pops. At the suggestion of the CSA newsletter sent each week with your pick up, I pickled the radishes. I am still waiting for them to be finished, but I will share the results when they're ready. I used the leaf lettuce on sandwiches, and the hot peppers are in the fridge ready to be thrown into salads, stuffed into calzones, added to pizza, or anything else I can think of. And yes, I did have a small amount of waste. I failed to use the radish tops, which in hindsight I should have added to the swiss chard tacos, and my husband threw out the chicken bones that I could have used to make stock.
Whew. So that's week one in a nutshell. From here on out I promise to stay on top of things. Really. I swear. Pin It
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
How it all began...
I love food. I actually don't think there is one food I absolutely refuse to eat. Of course there I things I don't prefer, but overall I will try anything. And I used to call myself a writer some years ago, before my life became centered around wiping noses and PTA meetings. A couple of years ago I reconnected with my boss from the very first job I had out of college. I had been doing the stay-at-home thing for about a year at the time. In a message to me she commented that she hoped I was still writing at least a little each day. I was not. In fact, I couldn't remember the last time I had written anything. I began to toy with the idea of blogging. Problem was, I had no idea what to blog ABOUT. "Write about kids or food," everyone suggested. But what about them? There are thousands of writers with much more talent than I (and much more knowledge on both subjects!) already writing about these things. Then this spring, after much begging and pleading, I finally convinced my husband to join a CSA. Oh the excitement of receiving a weekly bag of local produce that could actually ripen on the vine as opposed to being picked prematurely, then shipped across the country before being blasted with gas to "ripen" it for sale. Even better, the "share" we were purchasing wasn't just from one farm, but it pulled products from over 70 local farms and included produce, meats, dairy, and other food goods. As I spread the news to family and friends about my excitement, I was often met with blank stares and questions such as, "What do you do if you get 5 heads of lettuce in one week?" Or, "How the heck do you cook (insert weird vegetable here)?" I also found a number of people buying a share in the same CSA wanting me to share my recipes and ideas with them. The light bulb finally went off. For the next 22 weeks I will share with all of you what the heck I actually do with my weekly "share." The good, the bad, and the ugly. The goal is to use it all, NO WASTE. Some of the recipes I will pull from other sources, and some I will create on my own. During this time I will also be introducing my now five-month-old to solids (and of course I will make all of his food), so I am sure that will creep into some of my posts as well. And I must give a shout out to my very clever friend Anna (who is also one of those much more talented writers) for creating the name of this blog. Because, really, what do you do when the share hands you rutabagas? At the end of 22 weeks, who knows? Maybe I'll find a reason to keep blogging...
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