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Author: mo

  • Arugula Salad.

    Arugula is a tender green in the brassica family. Its flavor is nutty, spicy and peppery. Some people describe it as ‘bitter’ and don’t like the pungent ‘bite’ of the undressed leaves. Fair enough, let’s fix that! By adding just a little (or a lot!) fat (oil, cheese, olives, nuts, avocado) and acid (vinegar, lemon, lime, orange) this dressing tames and rounds out the heat and bitterness of the arugula. Now you can customize the salad further with your favorite additions of protein, fruit or nuts you’ll have a really interesting satisfying salad.

    Arugula Salad

    •  Arugula (a CSA portion is what I used, it’s about 7 ounces), washed and dried

    • 2 tablespoon oil (olive, walnut are both great but any kind), more as needed

    • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice or vinegar, more as needed

    • Kosher salt and pepper to taste

    • 2 ounces, shaved or grated cheese (goat, parmesan are great) again, more as needed.

    • Optional add-in ingredients; any chopped fruit (fresh or dried), flavored oil, nuts (candied nuts are especially good) any cooked protein, salmon and grilled tofu are really good.

     Directions

    In a serving bowl, drizzle the arugula with the oil, squeeze in the lemon juice (or vinegar), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands, make sure all of the leaves are covered with dressing and taste for seasoning. If it is too tart add a little oil and toss, if it isn’t tart enough add a little lemon or vinegar and toss and taste again, it should taste bright but have a nice mouth feel of oil coating the leaves. Don’t forget salt and pepper. Add the optional add-ins if using now.

    I really hope you non-arugula lovers try this. You arugula lovers already know how good this is!

    Have a great week.

    Mo

     

  • 5 Ingredient Green Chile Relleno Casserole

    Some of you might remember this Relleno Casserole was popular in the late 1970’s and 1980’s when Tex-Mex food was hitting it’s stride.
    This baked casserole has the hallmarks of traditional fried rellenos, but soooooo much easier!! It’s got fluffy egg custard, lots of cheese layered with perfectly roasted chilies from your CSA share.
    This is the ultimate make-ahead brunch or cozy-quick weeknight dinner.
    5 Ingredient Green Chile Relleno
    • 6 eggs
    • 3/4 cup milk, cream or 1/2 and 1/2 or milk alternitive, not sweetened
    • 2 tablespoons flour gluten free is fine here
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1 pound roasted Anaheim or Poblano chiles
    • 1 1/2 to 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheese, Jack, cheddar, pepper jack pretty much use what you like

    • Grease an oven proof 8X8 pan and preheat oven to 350F
    • Mix the custard ingredients in a bowl, eggs, milk, flour and salt
    • peel and deseed the peppers
    • Spread half of the green chiles in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared dish, then top with half of the shredded cheese. Top with the remaining chiles and then the remaining shredded cheese. Pour the custard over the casserole.
    • Bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until puffy and golden. It kind of pulls away from the sides when it’s done and collapses like this after a few minutes out of the oven.

    This is great for potlucks and leftovers taste almost as good as just made. Add some beans and a salad for a nice filling meal.

    Have a great week.

    Mo

     

  • Roasted Carmen Peppers and Romesco Sauce

    Roasted Carmen peppers are a really thick walled sweet red pepper.

    The possibilities are endless with what you can do with these. I love them added to grilled cheese or any pasta dish, add them to egg or tuna salad, top a pizza with them, any rice or grain bowl would be so delicious with roasted peppers. I really like to make Romesco sauce. Like roasted Carmen peppers, this sauce makes just about anything more delicious.

    The ingredients are almost exactly the same for making pesto if you swap the peppers for basil. Nuts, oil, garlic (hard to see but there) and acid (vinegar, I ended up adding lemon too) same as pesto. Anything dish you like with pesto I think you will like with Romesco sauce.

    This couldn’t be any simpler to make. The hardest part is cleaning the blender or food processor, depending which you use. Oh, I usually use tomatoes or sundried tomatoes. I didn’t have any so I left them out. I didn’t miss them. I liked the texture better I think without.

    Romesco Sauce

    • 1 pound of roasted red peppers seeded and peeled
    • ½ cup raw or roasted almonds or any nut
    • 2 medium-to-large cloves garlic peeled
    • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 tomato or 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (optional)
    • 1/2 the juice of a lemon. I added this after I tasted it. Taste yours and see if you want a little more zip

    Put everything in a blender or food processor and blend until you are happy with the texture. I made it smooth this time. Sometimes I like it a little chunky so I can taste the almonds. Both ways are nice.

    I was at a Farm to Table dinner one time (exactly one time) and the vegetarian meal was roasted vegetables served with Romesco sauce. It was delightful. It was made with summer vegetables but winter vegetables make just as lovely a dish I think.

     

     

     

     

  • Tiger Vegetable Salad

    I don’t know why this is called a Tiger Salad, but I like the name so I’ll go with it.

    Tiger Salad is a zesty clean tasting salad made with sliver thin cut vegetables-usually Anaheim or bell peppers, zucchini, cucumber and onions-lots of fresh herbs too. You can vary the vegetables to whatever you have. This is a rough amount and enough for two main dish salads or for several people as a side salad.

    The 5 ingredient tangy dressing makes this so fast to make in 15 or 20 minutes start to finish.

    Tiger Salad

    • 1 cup soft herbs, like cilantro, basil, mint or parsley chopped. Feel free to mix whatever herbs you have
    • 2 or 3 peppers like Anaheim or bell as thinly sliced as you can manage
    • 1/2 to 1 cup of thinly sliced onions
    • 1 cucumber or zucchini sliced into thin strips
    • optional extras, almonds, sesame seeds, tofu, pan fried dumplings or salmon are all good additions to make it more of a meal.
    • Dressing
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons rice or sherry vinegar
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
    • 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
    • 2 teaspoons sugar or agave syrup
    • salt to taste

    Mix the salad ingredients in a bowl and the dressing in a separate small bowl. Toss about 1/2 the dressing with the salad ingredients and tasted it and see if it is enough, add more if needed. You don’t want it soggy. I usually only use 1/2 the dressing.

    Tiger Salad with dumplings makes a really nice meal.

     

     

     

  • Blistered Shishito Peppers

    Blistered shishito peppers are favorites at Tapa and Sushi Bars. Shishito peppers are a favorite staple crop here at Red Wagon.

    The seeds of most peppers are bitter, you almost always discard them. But the seeds of the Shishito pepper are almost a caviar texture, creamy and succulent and very juicy and part of their appeal. Shishitos are a thin-walled pepper, sort of like sweet peppers, Jimmy Nardelo if you are familiar with those.

    You can grill Shishitos or pan sear them. Both are equally delicious.

    Start by heating a heavy steel or cast iron pan to medium high olive oil slicked in the pan and put your washed peppers in the hot pan.

    Sear the peppers on all sides-it only takes a few minutes so don’t walk away. The peppers will puff up and some even pop open!! that’s ok-they pop and spit sometimes for some reason!

    That is it. A little salt and pepper and maybe a squeeze of lime or lemon and you have a restaurant worthy appetizer or side dish.

    I seared some shrimp and Cajun seasoning with shishitos for a super fast and fancy feeling meal.

     

  • Baba Ghanoush

    Roasting eggplant renders the flesh a creamy magical smoky rich texture. This simple dish elevates anything you want to serve it with, beyond the classic pita and toasted bread- it’s a great dip with seasonal vegetables, a creamy rich accompaniment to roasted meats or vegetables or tossed with pasta for a creamy low carb sauce.

    You only need a few ingredients; a couple roasted and peeled eggplant, tahini, juice of  one lemon, garlic and olive oil. I took the below photo after I roasted and peeled the eggplant…not too pretty:(

    Baba Ghanoush

    • 2 or 3 medium-sized eggplants-roasted and peeled
    •  1/2 cup (130g) tahini
    •  1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
    •  3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
    •  3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
    •  1/8 teaspoon chili powder -optional
    •  1 tablespoon olive oil
    • Chopped fresh herbs are great-dill, basil, chives, cilantro. Any soft fresh herb you like will be delightful.

    To roast the eggplant you can use a stove top-gas or electric, an oven or grill. All work equally well. The key is to poke the eggplant before you roast it, so it doesn’t explode (no kidding) and cook it with a really high heat for at least 15 or 20 minutes on a grill or stovetop. It takes a good long time to blackened and collapse like this.

    Put all the ingredients in a bowl (peel the eggplant!) and mash it up. You can use an immersion blender if you want it smooth.

    Taste is, it should be bright and creamy and a little bite of garlic at the end. It looks like poi….tastes a lot nicer than poi :)

    This is a great dish to add to your repertoire of simple farm meals.

  • Grilled Zucchini

    Original post by Amy 2015,  photos updated 2026 by Mo.

    This is by far my favorite way to have zucchini. I feel like squash and zucchini often get mushy when you cook them. Grilled zucchini is crisp and has a slightly caramelized flavor.

    They key is to make your zucchini slices an even thickness so they cook evenly. Thinner slices are crisper, but burn more easily. Thicker slices are a little more forgiving. Start by heating up your grill to a pretty high temperature. Slice your zucchini while you’re waiting for the grill to heat.

    Trim the top and bottom off your zucchini. If you’re cutting the zucchini with a knife, start by cutting a thin slice down one edge. Now you can put that flat edge face down on your cutting board and it is somewhat easier to cut the rest of your slices without having your zucchini roll around. I am not great at cutting straight, so I like to use a mandoline slicer. (I highly recommend getting a mandoline slicer if you don’t own one already. You can use it to make even slices of all kinds of vegetables. McGuckin has a good selection of inexpensive mandoline slicers.)

    Season the zucchini with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss until the zucchini slices are thoroughly coated.

    Grill for about 5 minutes on the first side–until there are nice grill marks. Turn the zucchini only once. It will take about half as long to cook the second side. The zucchini is great served straight off the grill. You can also sprinkle it with a little bit of grated Parmesan. Or you can dip it in my favorite secret guilty pleasure–ranch dressing.

     

     

     

  • Glazed Carrots

    Here is a simple way to prepare carrots, so simple it’s just a ‘picture recipe’. It’s one notch up from simply steaming them with a couple added steps to make it feel fancy!

    Start with some great carrots.

    red wagon carrots

    Wash and cut the carrots into bite size pieces and cut an orange in 1/2 (I only pictured 1/2 of the orange, sorry) and juice both 1/2’s, you need about 1/4 cup of juice.

    cut into pieces

    Steam the carrots in lightly salted water, use enough water to just cover the bottom of your pan cover the pan with a lid and simmer until the carrots are just tender.   cooking in pan

    Drain the cooked carrots, you’ll add them back to the pan soon.

    drain

    In the same pan you cooked the carrots, toast a handful of nuts on a medium heat for a minute.

    toast nuts

    Take the nuts out and set them aside for a minute while you finish the dish.
    Add a couple tablespoons of butter into the same pan you have been using and when it melts….

    melt butter

    …..add the drained carrots and the juice from the orange to the melted butter. It will spatter so beware of the steam, it all comes together quickly. See the top right bubbly stuff in the pan? That is the juice caramelizing.

    add carrots back in

    Stir everything together adding the nuts back to the pan.

    mix it all together

    …and serve.

     

  • One Pan Greens and Dumplings

    Here is a super fast ‘make everyone happy’ meal you can make in minutes using frozen dumplings and any green you like, even Bok choi or cabbage would work well. Now is a great time to use that jar of chili crisp or chili oil you have in your refrigerator door!

    This is a NYT recipe I barely adapted, to make it you’ll need;

    • 2 tablespoons avocado or other neutral oil
    • 1 pound frozen, unthawed dumplings, any flavor
    • 1-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, finely chopped I used more and advise you to do the same!
    • 1 bunch kale, collards, spinach, cabbage or chard, thick stems cut off, coarsely chop the vegetables You can easily use more!
    • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
    • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar, plus more for serving
    • Optional- toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, basil, sliced scallions or chile crisp, or a combination as topping.

    Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the dumplings flat sides down and cook until golden brown underneath, 1 to 3 minutes.

    Transfer the partially cooked dumplings to a plate.

    Put the garlic and ginger and kale to the skillet and top with the partially cooked dumplings you just took out of the skillet. Add ¼ cup water into the skillet, and quickly cover the skillet with a lid or baking sheet to hold the steam in the skillet. This will steam the dumplings. Steam them until the dumplings are tender and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Mine took all 5 minutes.  In the photo below you can see the dumplings are brown on the bottom but raw as is the kale, this is before covering and steaming. 

    When the dumplings are tender drizzle with the soy sauce and rice vinegar, then serve with more of both at the table and any other toppings you like. I used scallions and chili crisp, have fun with the toppings! Sesame seeds and chile crisp, for me next time!

     

  • Simple Sauteed Zucchini

    Sauteed zucchini is a CSA basic recipe you need to have in your back pocket. You can take this simple vegetable prep almost anywhere. As is, it is a simple side dish. Add some noodles for a pasta meal, top with eggs for a filling lunch, add some grains and greens for a hearty dinner salad.

    Today I topped my noodles with sauteed zucchini, goat cheese and roasted nuts. Yum.

    Here is a ‘no recipe-photo recipe’.

    Start with your zucchini cut into coins pretty much the same size and either garlic or onions.

    Heat a pan with a slick of oil on medium heat. You want a big pan to cook this in, you don’t want to crowd the vegetables, they will sweat and not brown if they are crowded. Add the vegetables and some salt and pepper.

    Don’t move the zucchini around too much or it will lose it’s shape and not brown, but do gently turn them a time or two. This happens pretty fast, maybe 5 minutes so don’t walk away. You can make a big batch and happily use leftovers as needed through the week.

    Happy eating.

    Mo