Two Hearty Winter Mac 'n Cheeses

Two winter veggie versions of Mac n Cheese to get you through the long, cold nights.

Cold Season Mac n Cheese

1/2 lb. of pasta
1 lb. of ground lamb (or beef or chicken)
1 bunch of Kale, coarsely chopped
1 turnip
1 butternut squash
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
2 cups cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Nutmeg

Pre-heat the oven to 400.

Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place on a roasting pan with a thin layer of water. Roast the squash until the top collapses - about 40 minutes. Once roasted, scoop out the flesh.

Meanwhile, peel the turnip and grate it in a food processor. Add the meat to a pan and begin to cook on medium-high heat. Once the meat begins to brown add the kale and turnip to the pan and cook until the meat is cooked through and the kale is bright green.

While the meat is cooking, add the oil and butter to a pan. Once it's melted, add the thyme and onion. Cook the onions for a minute then add the flour and cook while stirring for another minute or two. Whisk in the stock and then the squash. Once it's evened, stir in the cream and bring the sauce to a bubble. Stir in the cheese and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Mix the pasta, meat & veg mixture, and sauce together.


Hearty Mac n Cheese

1 box of Mac n Cheese
4 strips of bacon
1 bunch of kale, coarsely chopped.

Make the mac n cheese per directions (or use the recipe above. You can make the sauce with or without the squash. If you don't use the squash, cut the amount of broth in half and/or use milk for all or some of it).

Cook the bacon as you like - as for me, I'm a microwave kind of girl.

Saute the kale in olive oil until bright green.

Mix together. Grate in extra cheese if you like.

Gorgonzola Ravioli w/ Squash & Kale, & a Creamy Walnut Sauce

Squash, kale, blue cheese, and sage taste like winter to me.

Gorgonzola Ravioli w/ Squash & Kale & a Creamy Walnut Sauce

For the squash --
1 butternut squash
1 turnip (optional)
Olive Oil
Sage
Allspice
Pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the squash and cut it into cubes (not necessarily in that order) and peel the turnip and cut into cubes. Place the squash and the turnips in a roasting pan then drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with a generous amount of sage and pepper and a pinch of allspice. Put the pan in the oven for about 30 minutes until the squash and turnips begin to caramelize.

For the Kale --
1 bunch of Kale
Olive Oil
4 gloves of garlic
1 cup of Chicken Broth (or Vegetable or Beef)

Coarsely chop the Kale. Mince garlic and put it in a pan with with a few tablespoons of oil and the kale. Once the garlic begins to brown, pour in the broth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale turns bright green and most of the broth has evaporated - about 20 minutes. Drain the kale if needed.

For the Ravioli --
1 package of Trader Joe's Gorgonzola Ravioli (What? You think I make ravioli myself? Okay ... I did try a few times and failed miserably).

Cook to directions on package.

For the sauce --
1 cup walnuts
1 piece of bread
1/2 cup of half and half
2 cloves of garlic
Olive Oil

Spread the walnuts out on a pan and toast in the oven with the squash for a few minutes. While the walnuts are toasting, put the bread in a bowl with the half and half. Let the bread stand for a few minutes. Once the walnuts are toasty and the bread moist, put the walnuts, bread (leave any extra liquid), and garlic in a food processor and pulse until uniform and pasty. Slowly pour in olive oil while running the food processor until it's the right consistency.

Put it all together --
Mix the kale, squash, turnips, and ravioli together in a bowl. Add the walnut sauce and mix well. Throw on some cheese if you'd like and mix it in. Then enjoy!

To make vegan - omit the cheese at the end, use regular pasta or non-cheese ravioli, and use soy milk or omit the bread altogether in the walnut sauce.

To make gluten-free - use gluten-free pasta or ravioli or replace pasta with sausage or just have the veggies with the walnut sauce.

First Winter Share Pick Up of the Season

I was very excited today for our first winter share pick up of the season. This year our farm - Garden of Eve - offered a "shopping basket" option for their winter share which would include local grains, diary, and fruit. I couldn't wait to see what we got!

First the veggies:
- Kale
- Collard Greens
- Turnips
- A Massive yellow carrot
- 2 bunches of baby orange carrots
- 1 small head of garlic

Fruit:
- Apples
- Fuji Apple Juice from Red Jacket Orchards

Other Stuff
- Jar of Honey from South Paws Farm
- Kasha
- Cream of Buckwheat
- Hawthorne Valley Farm Yogurt

Since I'm not really a big breakfast cereal fan, especially not hot cereals, I'm trying to figure out what to do with the buckwheat and Kasha. The back of the buckwheat box has a tasty looking recipe for "Cheesy Buckwheat with Green Chilies" which I might try. I also found a recipe for Gluten Free Italian Buckwheat Gnochi. There a few Kasha recipes on the Pocono site which sound good: Kasha and Honey Bread, Applesauce Kasha cookies, and Savory Kasha Apple Suffing.

We are also doing the Winter Sun Farms share which starts in about a week and a half. That one is preserved food from the summer: pureed squash, frozen tomatoes, etc. All and all it's looking to be a yummy, not quite as filled with beets winter of local eating!

Winter Squash, Kale, & Sausage w/ Gorgonzola Sauce

Winter Squash, Kale, & Sausage w/ Gorgonzola Sauce



1 small delicata squash
1 sweet sumpling squash (feel free to use other types of winter squash or 1 large squash)
1 bunch baby kale (or mature)
1 lb. of sweet italian sausage links
Sage
Rosemary
1 tblsp+ Olive oil
2 tblsp of apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cup of chicken broth
1 tblsp butter
1/4 onion, diced
2 tblsp of flour
3/4 cup milk
5 oz of Gorgonzola cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and chop the squash. (If using a larger squash, you can boil it until the skin softens before peeling and cutting). Place the squash on a greased pan, season with sage and rosemary, and put in the oven. Bake until soft and the edges are crisp.

While the squash is baking, heat 1 tblsp of oil, 1 cup of chicken broth, and 2 tblsp of apple cider vinegar in a large pan. Add the sausage and cook on medium-high until the liquid has evaporated and the casing is crisp. Slice the sausage and add the squash and kale to the pan.

While the sausage, squash, and kale are cooking, heat a drizzle of oil and 1 tblsp of butter to a sauce pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for a minute. Add the milk and broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the cheese and simmer until the cheese in melted.

Once the sausage is cooked through, pour the sauce over the sausage, squash, and kale mixture.

The Way to Eat Beets: Grated!

It's official. The way to make beets awesome and/or not gross, depending on your perspective, is to grate them. A food processor, especially one with a grating attachment, makes this super easy but you can also use a cheese grater.

Here are two recipes: A simple one (Pulled Pork w/ Chard, Beet, & Carrot Saute) and a more intensive one (Spicy Sausage Beet-Balls & Mustard-Dill-Beet Mashed Potatoes).

Pulled Pork w/ Chard, Beet, & Carrot Saute


Chard, Beet, & Carrot Saute
1 Beet
1 Carrot
1 bunch of Swiss Chard
1 bulb of garlic
Olive Oil

Grate the beet and carrot either with a food processor or grater. Heat oil in a skillet with the garlic. Add the beets and carrot. Saute for a minute or two and then add the chard. Saute until the chard has wilted. Bam. Done

Pulled Pork
This is kind of a bonus recipe. We often get ~1 lb. pork steaks from our meat CSA. The best and easiest way I've found to make them is in a crock pot. Put the pork steak into the pot and cover with water. You can use bbq sauce or other sauce but top off with water to cover all of the steak. Heat it on Low for 8-10 hours. It's done when the pork easily shreds with a knife. Scoop out the pork with a slotted spoon and put in a colinder on top of plate. This allows the fat to drip off the pork. That's it. Yay!


Spicy Sausage Beet-Balls & Mustard-Dill-Beet Mashed Potatoes



This was awesome if I do say so myself! The measurements are approximate - sorry to all you anal ones out there.

Spicy Sausage Beet-Balls
1 Beet
1 Carrot
1 lb. Spicy Italian Sausage
1 Egg
1/4 cup Milk
1 1/2 handfuls of bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 small handful of TJ's Provolone, Parmesan-Reggiano & Asiago Shredded Cheese Mix (or any shredded cheese)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Grate the beet and the carrot in the food processor. Reserve half for the mashed potatoes. In a bowl combine the sausage, half the beet-carrot mixture, egg, milk, bread crumbs, and cheese. Form the mixture into balls and place on a pan. Bake for ~ 30 min. (I didn't really pay attention - I took the balls out of the oven when everything else was done.)

Mustard-Dill-Beet-Potatoes

1/2 of the grated beet-carrot mixture from above
2 med & 2 small potatoes
1 tblsp of dijon mustard
Dill Weed
4 large spoonfuls of sour cream
1 tblsp butter

Boil the potatoes. When the potatoes are pierced easily with a fork, drain them and return to the pot. Add the butter and smash. Mix in the beet-carrot mixture and then the mustard, dill, and sour cream.

Cheese Sauce (for meatballs)

Olive Oil
1 tblsp butter
1/4 onion, diced
1 tblsp flour
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 cup of chicken broth
5 oz of TJ's Provolone, Parmesan-Reggiano & Asiago Shredded Cheese Mix (or shredded provolone cheese)
Nutmeg

In a sauce pan, add a drizzle of oil and the butter. When the butter has melted, add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and chicken broth and bring to a boil. One boiling, stir in the cheese and let simmer until the cheese melts. Sprinkle with nutmeg to taste.

~~~

Seriously, even if you think you hate beets, at least try this last recipe. Adam said he couldn't even taste the beets in the meatballs.

Balsamic Eggplant "Pizza" with Ham and Ricotta

I adapted this from my new favorite cookbook, Rachel Ray's Just In Time. (I know, I know! Rachel Ray? I've never seen her show but I love her cookbooks!) I've made the recipe quicker than her 60 minute recipe which I, frankly, have to take some pride in.

I actually ended up with 7 little pizzas ... but as I was moving them to the plate, I dropped the tray on the ground. Whoops! Maverick, my pug, seemed to enjoy them too! :)

Balsamic Eggplant "Pizza" with Ham and Ricotta

1 small Eggplant
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tbsp Parsley Flakes
Prosciutto Slices - 1 for each slice of eggplant, ~ 6-8
Tomato Sauce
Log of Mozzarella Cheese - enough for 1 slice for each eggplant

Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 375.

Oil a large skillet and put over high heat. Take a small, lengthwise slice on the eggplant so that it sits nicely on your cutting board. Then cut the eggplant into 1/2 in slices (I got 7 out of mine - 2 of which were very small). Put the eggplant in the skillet. Once the first side has finished cooking (use your spatula to check if it's soft), flip the eggplant slices and then splash each one with Balsamic Vinegar.

While the eggplant is cooking, combine the Ricotta, Parmesan, and Parsley flakes in bowl. Slice the Mozzarella - 1 slice per eggplant.

When the eggplant has finished cooking, place each slice onto a baking sheet. Top each slice with a heaping spoon full (or two depending on the size of the slice) of the Ricotta mixture then with a slice of prosciutto. Add a spoonful or so of Tomato Sauce to each slice and top with a slice of Mozzarella.

Place the baking sheet in the oven until the Mozzarella begins to melt.

What I Ate - Summer '08

Who doesn't love a rhyme?

I know I've been remiss dear readers of my cooking blog (Are there any anymore? Were there ever?)

So here's a little slide show of some of the things I've made this summer:

Meat, Meat, & more Meat!

Lately I've been seeing a lot of articles/posts/info about the environmental happiness that would result if everyone just stopped eating meat. Vegetarianism, among other issues, has always been a huge sticking point for me and the environmental movement. Not eating meat never really seemed like the solution it was proposed to be. Truthfully, I had thought about going veg but could never, sometimes inexplicably, bring myself to do it. Maybe because I really love bacon.

As I've gotten involved in the CSA/locivore movement, I've had a chance to see, eat, and read about sustainable, grazed meat and dairy. Especially after reading Omnivore's Dilemma, I felt justified in eating meat. Here was an example of a farm that was sustainable precisely because it raised animals. For me, it goes back to a tenant of existentialism (what in my mind, I see as the essential paradox of life for the existentialist): that we are both a part of the world and a part from the world; that, yes, we have an ethical responsibility, because of our consciousness, to treat animals humanely, but we are also a part of the interconnected ecological system and cannot entirely extricate ourselves from it, nor should we.

Then there is the whole "health" issue. Thanks again to Michael Pollan and his newest book, In Defense of Food, I'm not sure we can buy this argument either. Nurtritionism - or the science that determines what is good for us and what we should eat - has been a miserable failure, he argues. Studies show that reducing red meat and fat-intake doesn't decrease your risk of heart disease. Vitamins supplements don't have the same effect as food. Maybe it's not what we eat but how we eat it and what each food is eaten with. Maybe it's also how it's raised. It seems like all these anti-red meat studies attempt to compare industrial feedlots to grass fed beef. They are not the same, in terms of the quality and nutritional value of the meat and in terms of the treatment and health of the animals.

Recently, Adam and I joined a Meat CSA with Eight O'Clock Ranch in upstate New York. I was so excited to find it because I had been fighting to bring meat to our CSA. At our last CORE meeting, it was brought up and the typical ethical concerns turned to environmental concerns and I thought 'ugg.' Perhaps it's because I have 10 pounds of frozen beef, pork, and lamb in my freezer and consequentially my meal planning has been centered on it, but I feel pretty frustrated by the claims of these articles. Like I said, not all meat eating is as bad as they say and is it really ok for me to buy a Hummer but go Veg?

In case you're curious, here are some links:

• Bitten article on cutting down on meat
• Treehugger post on study that shows that eating meat ruins the environment
• Eco-Chick post on eating locally sourced, grass fed meat
• Green-luvin post on grass fed meat
• Eight O'Clock Ranch - East Coast Meat CSA
• Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan - this book seriously changed my life
• In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
• The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend - I haven't read this but it got a good review (by a vegetarian no less) in Bust. It's on my good reads "to-read" list.
  

Pizza with Ramps, Bacon & Tomato

I had never heard of Ramps until recently when reading about them on some very excited food blogs. Now I know what all the hoop-la is about.

Ramps are the Vidalia onions of leeks and they are wonderful. I ripped the idea for tonight's dinner from the Ramps-Arugula-Bacon-Goat Cheese Pizza off of What Geeks Eat.

Pizza with Ramps, Bacon & Tomato

1 pre-made pizza crust (or make your own - see above links for some instructions)
1 roma tomato, sliced (canned tomatos would work here too ... and could make this super local)
1 bunch Ramps
1 bag of shredding cheeses (I used Organic Valley's Italian cheese mix) or shred some cheese
4 slices of fresh mozzarella
handful of fresh chives
6 slices of bacon
marinara or pizza sauce (I used TJ's Tomato Basil Marinara sauce)
Olive oil

Cook the bacon how you like (Personally, I'm a bacon in the microwave kind of girl). While the bacon is cooking, cut the leaves off the ramps and coarsely chop leaves and bulbs. Then coarsely chop the chives. Put ramps and chives into a bowl and toss with a drizzle of olive oil. Slice tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. Pour and spread the sauce onto the pizza crust and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Then cover with the ramps & chives mixture. Place the mozzarella and tomato slices evenly around the crust. Crush the bacon into small pieces and sprinkle on the pizza.


Cook the pizza according to the instructions for the crust. Generally, if the cheese is melted and the crust brown, it's done. Duh.


The pizza was pretty much awesome - I highly recommend it and so does Adam (which means it was really really good).

While waiting for the pizza to cook, I threw together some left-over pizza ingredients, some of what I got at the Farmer's Market yesterday, and other things in the fridge to make a salad to take to work for lunch.

3 handfuls of baby salad mix
Grape tomatoes, cut in half
Shredded carrots
Rest of the Organic Valley shredding Italian cheese mix
Rest of the package of bacon ( ~ 6 slices), cooked and coarsely crushed into small pieces
Handful of fresh cilantro
1 Avocado, sliced (not pictured, whoops)

Combine in a bowl. I'll probably eat it with Ranch dressing because Ranch + fresh Cilantro = awesome.



Yum. I can't wait for noon tomorrow ...

*Gluten-Free: If using a gluten free pizza crust and tomato sauce then both pizza and salad are gluten-free
*Low-carb: Salad is pretty low-carb and could cut down on veggies if needed.

Hello Greens! + Burdock Leaves = Gross & Veg-tastic Chili

After a (sorta) local winter filled with squash, beets, and cabbage, I was thrilled to see greens at the farmers market today!! Greens!! Hooray!



From top left, clockwise: Baby Salad Mix, Ground Angus, Chives, Cilantro, Burdock leaves, Portobello mushrooms, Oyster mushrooms, Ramps, Eggs


I've been seeing Ramps on some food blogs I read lately so I was excited to see them. I'm even more excited to try this Ramps-Arugula-Bacon-Goat Cheese Pizza. I'll let you know how it goes.

After lounging on the couch watching Because I Said So for the 85th billionth time and then going roller blading, I was desperate for dinner and without enough energy to spend too much time. I nixed any idea that involved some of the meat I have in the freezer because it required defrosting. This left me with cans of Trader Joe's Beef Chili, tuna, or eggs for protein. I decided the chili sounded good.

I also decided I would try the Burdock leaves I picked up at the market. I had no idea what they were or what to do with them but since they looked like Chard I figured that I couldn't go wrong with a stir fry.

Yeah so not so much. Apparently, they are only good to eat if you're a goat. I took a little bite to see what they were like and it left an awful bitter taste in my mouth. Then I figured that they obviously needed a blanching. While I was waiting for the water to boil and dug around and prepped the other ingredients:


Once the water was boiled and the leaves blanched, I coarsely chopped them and begin the meal. I tasted the leaves after everything was added and had been cooked and they were still a mouthful of bitter disgustingness. They were definitley inedible so I picked all of them out and added 2 handfuls of baby spinach.

Here's the final recipe for Veg-tastic Chili:

olive oil for sauteing
1/2 an onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
2 roma tomatoes
Bunch of cremini mushrooms
1 11 oz can of corn
Bunch of fresh cilantro
Carrots - shredded or sliced into thin strips or rounds
1 can of chili (or beans)
2 big handfuls baby spinach
cheddar cheese, grated (optional)

Add oil, garlic, and onions to a large skillet and put on medium heat. When the onion begins to look translucent, add the mushrooms, cilantro, carrots, spinach, corn, and tomatoes. Once the spinach has wilted a litte, add the can of chili and turn up to medium high heat. When the chili is warm, spoon into bowls and top with grated cheese.

Despite the burdock disaster, the meal turned out quite well.

*Gluten-free: Use gluten-free chili or just use a can of beans and a can of crushed tomatoes
*Low-carb: Use low-carb chili or no beans and extra meat; don't use corn

Walnut (or Cashew) Cheese!

Since I've become obsessed with Google Reader and recently discovered the nifty "Suggestions" area, I've found a few new foodie blogs. One of them - Maybe Local Vegan? - constantly extolled their love for Cashew Cheese. It's not really cheese - more of a cross between pesto and mole sauce - but it's pretty damn good.

As an experiment - and because I didn't think plain old tomato sauce would go - I made some Walnut Cheese (half a batch) to go with my Trader Joe's Walnut Gorgonzola Ravioli.

Here's the recipe:

1 1/2 cups walnuts (or really any nuts would work I think)
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 tblsp of lemon
1 tsp of sea salt
1/2 cup of water

Then blend until it's a paste.

My only beef is that it was a bit too salty for me. The next time I make it I think I'll use half the salt. What I really love about it, though, is that it isn't too thick so it's perfect for a sauce and since we always have nuts around, it's an easy, healthy, protein-filled addition to any meal.

I have a cashew crusted chicken and stir-fryed veggies with cashew cheese meal idea in my head ...

Making Mother's Day a little greener ...

I'm not really one for Hallmark holidays but I'm feeling a lot of family love lately. We've all been going through a bit of a hard time and since I gave Dad a big birthday surprise, I thought I'd send Mom some love too.

Since I've become totally addicted to TreeHugger, I decided to check there for some interesting and earth friendly ideas. The most obviously, of course, is organic flowers but at $50+ a pop plus shipping they were a bit out of my price range. Fortunately, TreeHugger had both a Mother's Day Gift Guide as well as some other posts on the topic.

My first idea was to go with Equal Exchange Chocolate bars for my chocolate loving mother. I think she would have *loved* them but all the good gift baskets were unavailable until October and I wasn't about to spend $50 on a case of chocolate bars.

Finally, I settled on a Heirloom Tomato plant for my mom and my aunt. My mom grows conventional tomatoes in her garden so it's not too out of her league crazy and it'll introduce her to the super yummy-ness of heirloom tomatoes. And at $20 what could be better!

I'll let you know how it goes over ...

Pinneaple Cashew Quinoa "Pad Thai"

We ran out of veggies from our winter share two weeks early ... which is great because it means that I am getting adept at using the veggies. After trying to tough it out with frozen meals bought months ago, I finally broke down and bought spinach ... and pineapples. I know, I know! But I was craving greens.

I recently bought Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook and was looking forward to making some of the interesting recipes in it. This is an adapted version of the "Pinneaple-Cashew-Quinoa Stir-Fry."

1 1/2 cups of uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups of pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 tsp + 6 tblsp of soy sauce

1/2 - 1 cup of cashews
peanut and/or sesame oil for stir-frying
2 shallots, diced
1 tsp of chili-garlic paste
2 tsp of ginger puree
1 package of frozen peas
1 bunch of baby spinach
2 cups of sliced pineapples
6 tblsp of chicken (or vegetable) stock
2 tblsp of lime juice
2 eggs

Cook the quinoa by pouring, quinoa, pinnaple juice, water, and 1/2 tsp of soy sauce into a pot and bring it to boil. Quinoa is done when all the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, turn the stove on low and pour the cashews into a large pan. Toast for a few minutes but don't let burn (like me ...). Remove the cashews from the pan and set aside.

Add the oil to the pan and turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the shallots. Stir-fry until they begin to become translucent. Add the spinach, peas, chili-garlic paste, and ginger. Stir-fry until the spinach begins to wilt then add the pineapple and quinoa.

Mix the rest of the soy sauce, stock, and lime juice in a bowl. Pour the mixture over quinoa mixture then add the 2 eggs and scramble with the mixture until eggs are cooked.

Spiced Apples, Cabbage, Carmelized Onions, Candied Pecans and Sausage

I threw this together using the last of February's winter share and am quite proud of myself ... perhaps I'm getting a hang of this whole cooking thing.

1 onion
2 apples, cored and sliced
1 tbsp of butter
1 tsp each of nutmeg, allspice, and cloves
1/2-1 cup of pecans (or other nut)
1 tbsp of maple syrup
1 head of cabbage
4 pre-cooked sausages (I used TJ's Chicken Apple Sausages)
oil for sauteing

Pre-heat the oven to 350. Slice the onion, spread out on pan, and place in oven. Stir occasionally until brown.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a large pan over medium high heat. When the butter is melted, add the spices and then the apples. Stir-fry the apples until brown then remove the apples from the pan and set aside.

Turn the heat to low and add the pecans. Toast for a few minutes then pour in the maple syrup. Mix until nuts are completely covered then remove from pan and set aside.

Add a little bit of oil to the pan if needed and turn the heat up to medium high. Add the sausage and cabbage and stir-fry until cabbage begins to wilt. Add the apples and pecans back into the pan and cook until everything is warm.

Sweet Potato Quesdaillas

This recipe is from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life and can be found online here.

I altered it a little, partly on purpose and partly by accident ...

2 medium sweet potatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp cumin
olive oil for saute
4 tortillas (I used Trader Joes Spinach tortillas)
1/2-1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese or "mexican" mix

Cut sweet potatoes into chunks, place in microwave safe bowl, and microwave for 8-10 minutes until soft then mash.

Chop the onion and saute it along with the garlic in a large skillet. Add the spices and sweet potato. Mix. Turn the burner of low.

Preheat the oven to 400. Oil a baking sheet. Spread tortillas one at a time onto the sheet and press into the oil. Spread the sweet potato mixture onto half and top with cheese. Fold the other half of the tortilla over. Repeat with each tortilla. Bake until brown and crisp.

Notes:

• These were pretty good although I felt like they needed a bit more - I topped them with cream cheese (since I was out of sour cream) and it was quite tasty.
  
• I have extra sweet potato mixture left over so I think I will try it with brie as in the original recipe and also with cream cheese on the inside.
• The original recipe calls for adding shredded swiss chard along with the cheese. I didn't have any but will surely try this if I have chard, kale, or spinach next time.
  

Celeriac and Apple Salad: Take Two

This is my second experiment with celeriac and apple salads. The first one is here.

4 cups of water
3 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into strips
1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into to thin strips

Put the the apples & celeriac into a bowl with water and lemon juice to prevent browning. Leave approximately 15 minutes.

1/2-1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds or combination

Toss the walnuts in a skillet over high heat (don't add oil or anything) until they start to brown.

1 1/2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp of greek yogurt
1 tblsp heavy cream
2 tsp of Coriander
1/2 tsp Pepper

Drain the celeriac and apples and return to bowl. Pour apple cider vinegar over and mix. Add the nuts.

Mix the yogurt, cream, coriander, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the celeriac and apples and toss to coat.

Chill over night.

This was pretty good, however, I have some thoughts on improvement:

• Replace the 1 tbsp of heavy cream with orange juice and/or add 1/4 tsp of orange extract
• I used walnuts in this one and I think almonds would be better
  

Adapted from Farmer John's Cookbook.

Sweet Beet & Goat Cheese Pita-dilla

I'm always in search of new things to do with beets (and kale and celeriac) and for some reason, I had mexican on the mind. So I googled 'beet quesadilla.' While I didn't find a recipe, I did find a scrumptious and inspiring image on flickr.

Adam says this is almost dessert. Sweetness can be adjusted to your liking.

• 2-3 large beets, 4-5 small beets, cooked with your preferred method, peeled, and chopped into chunks.
• sausage or chicken sausage or other meat or protein (optional)
• 4 pitas
• honey or maple syrup or agave nectar syrup (I used Trader Joe's Apple Chicken Sausage)
  
• cinnamon
• allspice
• cloves
• goat cheese

While the beets are cooking, cut the pitas in half and spread goat cheese on the inside.

If you are using meat, lightly oil a pan and sauté the sausage over medium heat. When the sausage starts to cut through (before it browns), add some cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and maple syrup.

When the beets have finished cooked, puree them in a food processor or blender. Add a dash of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, and a drizzle of maple syrup and run through the food processor again.

Mix the beets and sausage and scoop into the cheese lined pita halves. Place pita-dillas on a pan, sprinkle with goat cheese, and bake in the oven or toaster oven until the pitas become crisp (5 minutes or so).

How to Cook Beets

There are generally two ways to cook beets and from my perspective that don't taste that different for most recipes.

Boiling Beets

• Cut the beets into chunks and peels if you like
• Place the beets in a pot of boiling water until tender (i.e. you can easily pierce with a fork) usually about 15-20 minutes
  
• If the beets are not peeled, place them in cold water and slip the skins off

Roasting Beets

• Peel the beets
• Cut beets into chunks
• Preheat the oven to 350
  
• Option 1: Place beets on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil and any spices you'd like. Fold the top the the aluminum foil into a tent and place it in the oven
• Option 2: Place the beets in a roasting pan with a inch or so of water. Sprinkle with any spices.
• Roast until tender (i.e. easily pierced with a fork) usually about 15-20 minutes.

Roasted Beet and Ginger Quinoa Rissoto

I basically used this recipe: Roasted Beet Rissoto except:

- I added 3 tsp (I'd recommend 1-3 tsp) of pureed ginger at the end
- I used 1 cup parmesan cheese
- I used Quinoa instead of arborio rice
- I didn't use onions although I think it would have tasted better if I had (I'd try onions, shallots, or leeks)
- I replaced the 1/2 cup of red wine with 2 tblsp of red wine vinegar because I didn't have red wine

It wasn't pretty good - not earth shattering but I'll probably make it again.

Celeriac & Apple Salad: Take One

Adapted from Farmer John's Cookbook.

The description says it will make your mouth water. I was very skeptical, especially after misreading the recipe and adding 2 1/2 tablespoons (not 2 teaspoons) of mustard. But it really does get better after being refrigerated for a while. In fact, it was best on the 3rd and last day I had it.

4 cups of water
3 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice
2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into strips
1 large celeriac, peeled and cut into to thin strips

Put the the apples & celeriac into a bowl with water and lemon juice to prevent browning. Leave approximately 15 minutes.

1/2-1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds or combination

Toss the walnuts in a skillet over high heat (don't add oil or anything) until they start to brown.

1 1/2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp of mayonaise
1 tblsp heavy cream
1-2 tblsp of Dijon Mustard
1-2 tsp of Marjoram
1/2 tsp Pepper

Drain the celeriac and apples and return to bowl. Pour apple cider vinegar over and mix. Add the nuts.

Mix the mayo, cream, mustard, marjoram, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the celeriac and apples and toss to coat.

Chill over night.

Cheesy Kale, Quinoa, and Black Bean Burritos with Cheesy Turnip Casserole (with Celeriac).

The burritos get a huge thumbs up; the turnip casserole gets an "eh." I have yet to be convinced that I like turnips.

Cheesy Kale, Quinoa, and Black Bean Burritos
Adapted from Cheesy Greens and Easy Green Enchiladas

Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped (I used red because that was what I had)
2-3 gloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of cooked quinoa (which is 1 cup of uncooked quinoa) or any rice you like
1 large bunch of kale (or chard or spinach or green of your choice)
1/2 cup of grated cheese (or more!)
Soy Sauce
1 can of black beans
Tortillas
1/2 cup of vegetable broth (if using kale)

First, cook the quinoa. Rinse it in a sieve (very important as it will get rid of the bitterness!) and then add 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of quinoa to a pot and bring to a boil. The quinoa is done when it has absorbed all the water.
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until the onion just starts to get translucent. Add the rice and then the chopped greens. If you are cooking kale, add the vegetable broth. Cover and cook over low heat until the greens are wilted and bright green (up to 20 minutes for kale).
Place tortillas in the oven or a toaster oven to warm.
Add the beans, soy sauce to taste, and cheese and stir until cheese is melt. Scoop the mixture into a tortilla, top with more cheese if you want, and roll like a burrito.


Cheesy Turnip Casserole

This dish didn't deviate much from this Easy Turnip Casserole recipe except - I used 3 turnips (don't know the poundage) ; I used 1 celeriac instead of the bell peppers and celery; I used xanthum gum instead of flour (lower carb and gluten free).

EDIT: the Cheesy Turnip Casserole wasn't half bad topped with salsa and rolled in a burrito.

Oh Ambercup Squash, how I love thee: Gorgonzola Ravioli with Ambercup Squash and Sage

In our last winter share, we received a squash that looked like a small, bright pumpkin. I turned to my trusty source on types of squash, Squash Glossary, and discovered it was Ambercup Squash.

I did not use my tried and true Acorn Squash method for cutting - boil the squash for 10-20 minutes until the skin is soft and then cutting it is a breeze - but I suspect is would make things a whole lot easier. When I cut the Ambercup, the fragance filled the room - it was sweet and hearty and delicious. Seriously, I have never been so taken with the smell of a squash. I cut it into cubes and then cut off the skin. (Although I missed a few cubes and the end result with the skin on tasted just fine.)

The is recipe is a combination of 2 recipes from the most awesome CSA website, Green Earth Institute Recipes: Winter Squash & Sage Ravioli and Pasta with Winter Squash and Sage.

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 Ambercup Squash (Acorn, Pumpkin, Butternut or Buttercup can also be used) - cut into cubes
1 onion (I used red because that's what I had)
fresh Sage leaves
2 pkg of Trader Joe's Gorgonzola Ravioli (or any frozen cheese ravioli)
1-2 tbsp of butter
1 cup Vegetable Broth
Shredded Parmesan Cheese to your liking
2 tbsp pine nuts (optional)
1-4 tbsp of half and half, milk or cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash, olive oil, onion, and a couple sage leaves with salt and pepper to taste. Put in a baking dish (I used a 9 x 15 pyrex pan) and roast for 20 minutes. Cook the Ravioli according to the instructions on the package and drain. Melt butter over medium high heat and fry the sage leaves. (I kind of stir-fryed them) until crisp. Remove the sage from the sillet. Reduce the heat to low and add the broth to the skillet. Simmer. Add the ravioli, pine nuts, milk/half & half/cream and squash mixture to the skillet. Garnish wit sage and Parmesan cheese.

Seriously, sometimes I almost think I can cook.

Cabbage, Cabbage, Everywhere!

My winter share has been filled with cabbage. Being the novice that I am, I mistook the green cabbage in our first pickup for lettuce. The biggest dilemma I've had with cabbage is that the obvious cabbage choices - sauerkraut, coleslaw - are despised by my boyfriend. It's true that I'm quite the fan of coleslaw and find sauerkraut delicious on a hot dog but I think, in order to eat all the cabbage in our winter share, I'd have to eat sauerkraut and coleslaw 5 times a day. Who wants that?

So I had to find other cabbage recipes. Interestingly enough, the best non-coleslaw cabbage recipes I found were in the 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes cookbook.

Eggs Fu Young

It may look a little gross but don't let that fool you. I've never had actual Eggs Fu Young so I have no basis of comparison but this was pretty freakin' good. I modified it a bit of the recipes in the book.

Note that I cooked the entire head of cabbage with the vegetables (and feel free to use whatever is in the fridge). This will leave left over cabbage/veg mixture unless you are cooking for more than 4 people. I stored the cabbage/veg mixture and made this dish twice.

1 Head of Cabbage - finely shredded (I used red, but you can use green)
2 Eggs per Person
1/2 to 1 tblsp of Soy Sauce per person
Mushrooms
Scallions (or try onions)
Peanut or other bland oil for frying.
Meat - I used chicken strips
Any other left over vegetables you have.
Dry Sherry or Red Wine (optional)

Beat the Eggs with Soy Sauce (and some dry sherry or red wine if you wish) and set aside. Heat the oil in a skillet, add the meat and vegetables. Stir-fry. Pour the meat and vegetables into the egg mixture and mix. Add a few more tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet and stir it like scrambled eggs.

It's not pretty but it's pretty damn good.


Pork & Cabbage

1 lb boneless pork loin
head of cabbage (I used red)
1 onion
peanut oil
Sauce 1:
1-2 tblsp of Black Bean Sauce
1-2 tblsp of Chili Garlic Paste
OR
Sauce 2:
1 can of black beans
Garlic - minced or powder

I recommend brining the Pork. Then slice thinly. Chop the cabbage. Heat the oil in the skillet. When it's hot add the pork and stir fry for 3 to 5 minutes then add cabbage and onions (and garlic if using it) and continue stir-frying until the cabbage is tender crisp. Stir in the Black Bean Sauce/Chili Garlic Paste or the black beans.


So despite the boyfriends hatred, I, like the daddy's girl I am, love coleslaw. Here's the recipe I've made and it's pretty awesome. It's a combo a recipes in 15-Minute Low-Carb Recipes and Farmer John's Cookbook.

Cole Slaw:

Basic recipe:
Head of Cabbage - shredded
2 large carrots - peeled and grated
3/4 cup mayonaise
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tblsp honey
salt to taste

Optional:
Crumbled bleu cheese
Carraway seeds (which I couldn't find but apparently help you digest cabbage)

Combine cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Mix the mayo, vinegar, honey and carraway seeds if using in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the cabbage and toss. Stir in salt and bleu cheese if using. Chill until ready to serve.

Time to Brine ...

I confess - I am not a good cook. In fact, despite the pasta making and cookie backing obsessions in high school, I didn't really know how to cook up until 3 or 4 years ago. And still, I have fumbled my way through at best.

Therefore, when a coworker began talking about brining at work, I was very confused. I looked it up online and discovered that brining is the process of soaking meat in salt water (and often suger or something sweet) to keep it tender. I then called my mom with posing the question: What's the difference between brining and marinading?? (As well as the question: What the difference between baking and roasting?)

A few weeks ago, after making Pork and Cabbage for the second time (and not wanting to repeat the dry pork from the last time), I brined the pork - sort of. Turns out I did it with only salt and for too long. Nevertheless, it was awesome! The pork was so so tender (albeit a little salty).

So if you, like me, are confused about brining, I have compiled some resources because, baby, it's time to brine!


Generally about brining:

http://bbq.about.com/cs/barbecuetips/a/aa112000b.htm

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/70/Brining


Some recipes that were recommended as both the best meat you've ever had and the way into a man's proposal:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_35141,00.html

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33782,00.html


Answer to the burning question: Brining vs. Marinading?
My synopsis: Brining is a type of marinading and basically, marinading is typical with a acidic solution and brining is always a saline solution.

http://www.bbqlodge.com/brine/brine.htm
http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/package/0,14343,734675,00.html (bottom of article)

The Mission ...

Get ready for a shocker: Food in New York City has been my biggest disappointment about living here. The restaurants are just not that good and too expensive for what they are. Grocery stores are terrible. Adam once opened a frozen hot pocket only to find it moldy. Think about that - it had to thaw, sit out long enough to get moldy, and then be frozen again. Gross. And they are expensive. So now I'm a Trader Joes girl all the way.

In a visit to St. Louis, my friend Alissa told me about her CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and about some friends of hers in NYC who are a part of one. I looked it up and found one in our neighborhood. Last spring, with much excited anticipation, Adam and I joined our local CSA.

It's been awesome. Amazing. I love it and preach the gospel of CSA to everyone I know. AND it forced to me to learn to cook and bake. Our first week, we got 2 quarts of fresh, off-the-vine-ripe strawberries. They were amazing ... and gonna go bad quickly. So I decided to bake a pie. I went to the amazing kitchen store down the street, The Brooklyn Kitchen, walked shyly up to counter with my rolling pin, and asked tentatively 'Do I need anything else to make a pie?'

A couple hours later I called my mom, ecstatic: "Guess what I did? I made a PIE!" She laughed. I even rolled my own crust (although I didn't make the dough) and the pie didn't turn out half bad.

After reading and loving The Omnivore's Dilemma, I really hopped on the local food movement (mostly) and decided to get involved with organizing the CSA.

I created this blog to share my joys, triumphs, and failures as I embark on a cooking and baking journey with my organic, locally produced fruits, veggies, eggs, and flowers. Join me.