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Category: 2012

  • Fresh Tomato Salsa

    *Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

    • 1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, diced
    • 1/2 cup red onion (or any onion), diced
    • 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (removing the seeds and veins will get rid of a lot of the heat, keep them if you like it spicy)
    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
    • 2-6 teaspoons lime juice
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
    • Pinch black pepper

    Start by dicing your tomatoes. I had some beautiful heirlooms, including a Green Giant from the Friday harvest.

    Heirlooms

    Put your diced tomatoes in a colander set over a medium-sized bowl, so the juices can drain while you chop everything else. You can either leave your salsa chunky or run it through your blender for a smooth version. If you are planning on blending your salsa (which I did), don’t worry about chopping things too perfectly.

    Next, chop your garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and onion and layer on top of your tomatoes in the colander.

    Chunky Salsa

    I used about half of a Red Wagon jalapeno with the seeds and veins. You can either remove the seeds and veins for a little less heat, or leave them in to turn it up a notch. Either way, be forewarned, our jalapenos definitely pack a punch.

    Once you think enough juice has drained from your tomatoes (15 minutes was fine for me), you can empty the bowl and add your chunky vegetables. Next add your lime juice, salt, cumin, and pepper and blend until smooth or leave it chunky. This is what mine looked like when it was finished.

    Salsa

    Homemade Tortilla Chips

    Just for fun, we made our own tortilla chips to go with the salsa. I realize this doesn’t involve any of your CSA veggies, but it’s really fun and tasty!

    Heat some oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. The exact temperature isn’t that important, just make sure it isn’t going to burn your chips. While your oil is heating up, take some nice corn tortillas and cut them into quarters.

    Chips

    Fry them in oil, flipping a few times, until they are bubbly and a nice golden brown. Don’t overcrowd your skillet.

    Frying Chips

    Remove the chips from the oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with a little salt, and voila! Happy munching.

    – Maddie

  • Magical Mystery Muffins

    Yield: 2 loaves of bread or approximately 24 muffins

    • 3 eggs
    • 1 cup olive or vegetable oil
    • 1 3/4 cups sugar
    • 2 cups grated zucchini
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
    • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
    • 1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

    Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners (or grease and flour 2 8×4″ loaf pans).

    Grate your zucchini using a box grater, or a food processor if you have one. 2 cups is about half of a big zucchini or a whole medium zucchini. If you have a big one on hand, make a double batch with 24 muffins and 2 loaves of bread and freeze the bread for later. It really freezes well wrapped in plastic wrap a few times, and will be great to have a few months from now when you’re in zucchini withdrawals.

    Grated Zucchini

    In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Add the oil, sugar, zucchini and vanilla.

    Whisking Ingredients

    In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients and then add to egg mixture.

    Pour batter into muffin cups and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

    Baked Muffins

    – Maddie

  • Easy Broccoli Raab

    I wanted to show you another way to cook greens. You can use this method for any greens. Collards, kale, broccoli raab, chard…any of the greens you get in your CSA share.

    First roughly chop your washed greens.

    Broccoli Raab

    Then throw those into a hot pan that has oil in it and maybe some garlic too.
    Saute
    This will really steam up and sputter. It cooks down pretty fast.

    Pour about a cup of broth or water in the pan and let that simmer until the greens sort of melt.
    Add broth

    At this point you can add some beans and serve it over rice for a really quick healthy meal. This is great with eggs and toast too or just a quick side dish. Use your imagination.
    Have a great week.

    – Mo

  • Chocolate Zucchini Bread

    adapted from Joy of Baking

    • 1 1/2 cups shredded raw zucchini
    • 1 cup white whole wheat flour
    • 1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (not Dutch-processed)
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
    • 1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar
    • 2 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
    • 3/4 cup (125 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips and a handful of nuts.

    Preheat oven to 350F.

    Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients in separate bowls then mix together. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips, and nuts.

    Scrape batter into a greased 9×5 loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

    I like to leave my zucchini really big when I bake bread with it. I like to see the vegetables, because then it is good for you, right?

    Chocolate Zucchini Mix

    Baked Bread

    – Mo

  • Massaged Kale Salad

    Submitted by Amy (CSA member)

    This is a suggestion I received from Amy a few weeks ago. She said she doesn’t really measure anything. Just use any and all of the ingredients to taste and according to your personal preferences.

    • Kale
    • Salt
    • Olive oil
    • Lemon juice
    • Maple syrup
    • Red wine vinegar
    • Craisins
    • Toasted almonds/sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds

    More protein/fiber additions:

    • Avocado
    • Smoked salmon

    Massage kale with salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Add maple syrup and red wine vinegar to taste. Toss with craisins and nuts of your choice and top with avocado and/or smoked salmon.

  • Beet and Carrot Coleslaw

    Submitted by Susie (CSA member)

    “This beet and carrot coleslaw has been popular with my six year old and pretty simple.”

    • beets (boiled and chilled), diced
    • carrots, diced
    • cabbage, diced
    • apple cider vinegar
    • olive oil
    • honey, optional

    Blend diced vegetables with apple cider vinegar and a small amount of olive oil.  We like it on the drier side so for half a head of cabbage I did 4 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. I also added a bit of honey to counter the vinegar for the kids.

    Also I have found that blending cooked beets with applesauce is a great way to introduce the beets to 1 and 2 year old types.

    Susie

  • Carrot Puree

    I enjoy cooking with things that remind me of home. Having grown up in New England, two of my favorites are sharp Vermont white cheddar and maple syrup. One of my favorite ways to prepare carrots, which I picked up from eating at fancy restaurants with my grandparents as a child, is a warm puree.

    Ingredients:

    • Carrots, boiled until tender (enough to feed your party)
    • Pure maple syrup, to taste
    • Cinnamon, to taste

    Optional

    • Nutmeg, to taste
    • Cayenne pepper, to taste

    Simply boil the carrots until they are soft enough to easily stick a fork into, throw them in a food processor and add cinnamon and maple syrup to taste. Nutmeg as well as cayenne pepper also go really well in here. Tread lightly when adding the syrup and the spices so you don’t mask the flavor of the carrots too much. I find our carrots from the farm to be particularly sweet anyway. I prepared this back in June as a side paired with our ripe sugar snap peas for a new take on peas and carrots, but I find this carrot puree to be a very versatile side that goes well with any sort of white fish or chicken. I’ve also used it in burritos with rice and beans in the same fashion that one might use a sweet potato.

    Connor

  • Kale Salad

    I love this salad. If you try it let us know how you like it. You could use any of the greens you get this week to make this salad. Mizuna, spicy salad mix, or kale.

    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
    • 2 tablespoons of shoyu or soy sauce
    • 1 bunch of kale (or any green), chopped with ribs removed
    • ½ to ¾ cup unsweetened large-flaked coconut. If you use small flaked use less coconut
    • Some crushed red pepper (optional)

    Preheat the oven to 350F
    Dump the washed and chopped kale and coconut with the oils and the soy sauce (and crushed red peppers if using) into a bowl.
    Kale Salad
    Make sure you mix the sauce all over the kale and coconut evenly.
    Chopped Kale
    Spread the contents of the bowl on a baking sheet and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes until the coconut starts to toast. You might need two baking sheets. Stir the kale once or twice while it’s cooking.

    You can eat this as a side dish or I like to add some grains for a meal. I had some leftover jade rice. This is a great make-ahead dish and the leftovers are really good for lunches.
    Sauteed over rice

    – Mo

  • Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

    You can eat the blossoms raw in a salad or they are really nice in a quesadilla. Just put it in with the cheese and it will soften with the melted cheese. The blossoms have a sort of ‘condensed’ zucchini flavor, but very mild. The stem is very tasty, so make sure you include that in whatever you make. Some recipes say to discard the stem. Don’t do that.
    I made some fried and stuffed blossoms. It really isn’t complicated and it is just delicious. First you will want to remove the stamen before you do anything with your blossoms. The stamens are a little bitter.
    This is a male stamen. I just gently tear the blossom and remove the stamen.

    Zucchini Blossom
    You can stuff your blossoms with anything, grains, cheese of any kind, herbs, anything.
    I had some goat cheese and basil. So I mixed that up. And stuffed my blossoms.
    Basil and Chevre
    Stuff Blossom
    Get a couple bowls and put a beaten egg in one and some seasoned flour in the other.
    Pull the flower around the cheese and dip the blossom in the egg then the flour. You don’t have to be that careful with these. They are really forgiving.  Eva stopped by when I was making these and she can’t eat gluten and I just fried some with cheese and without cheese for her and they were really good. Anyway…
    Fry the dipped, stuffed blossom in a hot pan with oil. Make sure you press the stem down in the pan so it cooks.
    Turn it over and fry the other side and there you go.
    Fried Blossom
    Three or four of those with a salad and some bread and wine makes a great summer dinner.
    The blossoms will keep in the refrigerator for several days so don’t feel like you have to make these right away. I kept last week’s blossoms for 6 days in the fridge before I used them and they were fine.

    – Mo

  • Kale Chips

    Stop me if you have heard this one before.
    Kale Chip

    • 1 bunch of kale leaves, any kind of kale works. I used curly kale. Rinse, dry, and tear into bite-sized pieces, center ribs and stems removed.
    • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

    Preheat oven to 300°F. Toss kale with oil in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt. Arrange leaves in single layer on 2 large baking sheets. Give them lots of room or they will steam and not crisp up.
    Kale with Oil
    Bake until crisp, about 20 minutes for flat leaves and up to 30 minutes for wrinkled leaves. Just keep checking. I find that opening the oven a few times during cooking to release the steam really helps to dry the chips.

    You can add a little sesame oil or truffle oil for added flavor with the olive oil, or sprinkle the chips with a little parmesan cheese or brewers yeast about 5 minutes before they are fully done.

    Before and after.
    Before and After Kale
    These need to be fully dried and not soggy or chewy or they are really not tasty. They kind of shatter in your mouth when they are done right. Everyone loves  these, even kale haters. I hope you do too.

    – Mo