Become a Working CSA Member!  See details →
🔍

Category: Recipes

  • Grilled Beet Burger

    This recipe is a little more involved then I usually post but these burgers are so darned good I felt like I needed to share it with you.

    We entertain a lot and at any given gathering about 1/2 the people here are vegetarian. Serving vegetarian burgers is somewhat unsatisfying to me. It feels like a cop-out, especially if I put any effort at all into the meat dish.

    Until now. This is a deliciously interesting and satisfying burger.

    Beet Burger

    I found the recipe here and pretty much follow amounts exactly. Most beet recipes want you to roast the beets. In the summer using the oven is off putting to me. In this recipe you grate the raw beets and then you saute them with the other ingredient, so this comes together pretty quickly.
    Sometimes I use sunflower seeds instead of walnuts or I sub chipoltle powder for smoked paprika. The smokiness of one or the other of the spices is an important element of the burgers so don’t use plain paprika or omit it, you’ll be missing out.

    The other tip I can give you in this recipe is to make sure you caramelize the onions. The char sweet taste of the onions with the smoked paprika bring a really satisfying element to this (and other vegetarian) dishes.

    Onions

    The recipe is pretty straightforward once you have all the ingredients assembled. You throw it all in the food processor and form patties. The author of the recipe says that she had trouble forming the patties and that the mix is crumbly. That has not been my experience, ever. The burgers hold together well, and aren’t dry or crumbly.
    Here they are on the grill. When I grill them I wipe a little oil on the patties so they don’t stick, that is why they are kind of shiny.

    Grilling burgers

    Add a little cheese if you like.

    Adding cheese

    And yum. Here you go.

    Burger

    This recipe is easily doubled or tripled. You can make these ahead and they freeze really well.
    Leave a comment if you make these and let me know how you liked them.
    Until next week.
    Mo

  • Cauliflower ‘Alfredo’ Sauce

    *This post was updated with photos and notes on 10-2025

    This one of my favorite dishes to make and eat. Cauliflower ‘Alfredo’ is lush and creamy without being heavy and rich and is really satisfying.

    This is a super adaptable dish, you can make it vegan, or add milk, or cheese or chicken stock.  You can soak a handful of cashews overnight and blend them into the sauce to add fantastic richness and protein or add some leftover rotisserie chicken for a delicious weeknight chicken alfredo pasta that is healthy!  Try this sauce on pasta or with on roasted vegetables, or even on pizza instead of red sauce.

    I sauteed some chard and mushrooms and topped it with some cauliflower sauce here.

    It’s rich but not overly so. Most recipes I have seen for this cauliflower sauce use milk, you can use any milk-plant or animal base or add nutritional yeast or any hard cheese. Use what you like and what you have, and I think you will be very happy with the result. Seriously you guys, you should make this.

    Cauliflower ‘Alfredo’ Sauce

    • 1 whole garlic bulb, minced
    • 2 tablespoons oil. I used olive oil
    • 5-6 cups cauliflower use the stems and all trimmed and cut into small pieces.
    • 2 cups water
    • salt and pepper
    • ½ cup milk (optional, any milk is fine)
    • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast, soaked cashews or Parmesan cheese, optional but really good
    • a squeeze of lemon to finish
    INSTRUCTIONS
    1. Bring the water  to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Do not drain, you will use some of the water to thin the sauce.
    2. Sauté the minced garlic and oil  in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Cook until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned (browned or burnt garlic will taste bitter). Remove from heat and set aside.
    3. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add 1 cup cooking liquid, sauteed garlic, salt, pepper, and milk if using. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more cooking liquid or milk depending on how thick you want the sauce.

    Pureed Cauliflower

    Taste and see if it needs any salt and if you are adding cheese or nutritional yeast do that now and taste it again and add a squeeze of lemon.

    Cauliflower is packed full of all the B vitamins, loaded with antioxidants and also contains carotenoids, and phytonutrients, so it’s not just delicious it’s so healthy too!

     

  • Potluck Grain Salad

    Once a month I get together with a group of food loving girlfriends for dinner. We take turns hosting the meal at our homes, and each month we pick a different theme for dinner. Saturday we were at my friend’s Amy’s house and she picked  “Summer Party Food” for the theme. As always there was lots of good food, but one dish stood out. Karin, another friend, made a salad made based on this recipe http://eating-made-easy.com/2014/05/31/corn-salad/

    Karin changed some of the components of her salad based on what she had. She used Israeli couscous (basically pasta) instead of grains, omitted the corn, and used cilantro instead of basil. The salad was delicious and complemented everything else on the plate.

    I made the salad last night and I used some of the vegetables I got in my CSA share this week, kale, basil, garlic scapes, and peas. I had some strawberries in my garden so I used those. Any of the salad ingredients can be substitute for whatever is in season, or what you have on hand. The dressing seems really basic, but it hits all the right notes for balance.

    This is hearty, travels well, keeps well, is versatile, is good for you, and delicious! What more could you ask for in a salad? I wish I took a picture of Karin’s salad, it looked totally different than mine.

    Basil topped salad

    Here is the recipe as written, with my changes to the side.

    Ingredients

    • For the Salad:
    • 3 cups cooked grains (I used faro)
    • 1 English cucumber, seeds removed and sliced into thin half moons (I used peas)
    • 1 cup fresh blueberries (I used strawberries)
    • Kernels from 3 ears of cooked corn on the cob (I used shredded kale)
    • 1/2 cup chopped red onion (I used about 1/4 cup of chopped garlic scapes)
    • Handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional, I didn’t use any cheese)
    • For the Dressing:
    • 1/2 cup  whole milk yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
    • Juice of 1 large lemon
    • 3 Tbsp honey (I used less, like 1 1/2 tablespoons)
    • 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil leaves
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

    Instructions

    1. In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
    2. Add the grains, cucumber, onion, basil and corn kernels and gently toss together.
    3. Gently fold the blueberries and goat cheese (if using) into the salad and taste for seasonings. Add more salt & pepper, or more lemon juice if needed.

  • Fava Bean Preparation and “How-To” Grill Fava Beans

    Here is a basic fava bean preparation for most any recipe calling for favas, save grilled favas.

    There are three steps to preparing a Fava Bean:
    1. Removing the beans from the pod.
    2. Blanching the beans in boiling water, that you removed from the pod, to soften for easy removal of the outer shell.
    3. Peeling off the outer shell before eating or cooking to end with a bright-green, tender-scrumptious bean!

    In the picture you can see the steps, except I didn’t show blanching the beans. You know what boiling water looks like, right?

    first peel

    The bright tender inner bean is what you are after.

    second peel

    A pound of fava beans yields a heaping 1/2 cup of recipe ready fava beans. You can simply eat favas with a little butter and salt, or add them to almost any pasta dish or salad.
    I hope you enjoy your favas, I know I will!!

    If Fava beans seem a bit too fiddly for you, you might like to grill your favas.
    Grilled Favas

    Toss the fava bean pods with olive oil and salt and some herbs if you have some on hand. Arrange them in a single layer on a grill over medium-high heat. Grill until blistered on one side – 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and grill for a few minutes more on the other side. You want the fava beans to be smooth and creamy when you pop them out of their skins – not undercooked. They will keep steaming in their pods for a few minutes after they come off the grill. Season the grilled favas with a bit more salt. To eat: tear open the green pods, take a fava bean, pinch the skin and slide the bright green fava from its skin into your mouth. All the char, oil, herbs and fava juices stick to your fingers…so lick them. The whole experience is really tasty. I hope you try it.
    Grilled Favas
    See the bright green beans that have been removed from the pod and then the skin? That’s what you eat.

  • Arugula Salad. Let’s talk about arugula.

    Arugula, either you love it or you…don’t love it. I am in the love it category and to date, I haven’t felt the need to evangelize it’s merits.

    I just read a book called “Eating on the Wild Side” by Jo Robinson. A book review is beyond the scope of this blog. But, encouraging CSA members to try some food outside of their comfort zone, like arugula, that I have learned is rich in cancer-fighting compounds  glucosinolates and high in antioxidant activity is not.

    I often hear how people don’t like the peppery bite or bitterness of arugula. Let me show you how to tame arugula a little with a very simple preparation. Olive oil, lemon and Parmesan cheese. The fat in the oil and the cheese tame the heat and the bitterness of the arugula. Also, tearing the arugula bruises the leaf a little and that tones the sharpness of the greens as well. The lemon’s tartness detracts your taste buds from the bitterness too and the salt adds a brightness as well.

    Ingredients
    1 bag of arugula, washed, dried, and torn into small bite size pieces.
    a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil
    1/2 lemon
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    A chunk of Parmesan
    Directions
    In a serving bowl, drizzle the arugula with the oil, squeeze in the lemon juice, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss with your hands, make sure all of the leaf is covered and taste for seasoning. Use a vegetable peeler to shave thin pieces of Parmesan over the top.

    If you don’t have Parmesan use any cheese. You can add anything from here, fruit, dried or fresh. Nuts are great and again help tone down the sharpness of the arugula and add protein-win!

    In these pictures I am trying to show you the small amount of oil and lemon you need to dress the greens. The first is arugula torn into small pieces with oil, lemon, salt and pepper. The second is mixed. It is a very light dressing but takes the edge off the peppery bite.

    Dress Arugula Arugula

     

    Now add what ever else strikes your fancy that you have in your pantry and enjoy.

    Salad with Toppings

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

    Have a great week.

    mo

     

  • Sorrel and Garlic Scapes Pesto

    This week, and probably next, you will be getting either garlic scapes or green garlic. See my previous post on both here on how they grow. Scroll down a bit past the recipe.

    Sorrel is probably the one item on the Farm, at CSA pick-up and at the Farmer’s Market we get most questions about.

    Sorrel

    It looks a lot like spinach but is related to rhubarb and buckwheat. If you ever see buckwheat or rhubarb going to seed you will see the similarities. Sorrel is tart like rhubarb too.

    I think of sorrel as somewhere in-between a green and an herb. It’s tart pungent flavor isn’t great alone, or I don’t think it is. But sorrel is great as an accompaniment with other pungent flavors like kale, garlic, or arugula. I tell people to use it in dishes you would use basil, parsley or cilantro. You will get an unexpected tart, bright ‘bang’ in your dish.

    I don’t know why but sorrel leaves always have some wear and tear and holes. Very few leaves are ever perfect, and that is just fine. You almost always shred, process, or cook the sorrel so it doesn’t matter if the leaves aren’t perfect. This is my bunch of sorrel leaves washed and ready to cook with. This is actually a really nice looking bunch of sorrel. Very few leaves are beat up. I would be fine with much worse.

    Washed Sorrel

    Wyatt suggested I make a sorrel pesto. I had never made sorrel pesto, so why not? I used my ‘go-to’ pesto recipe. You can sub any ingredients for like ingredients in any pesto recipe. So, please, play with this through the season with what you have. Sub kale, or spinach, or cilantro for the sorrel. Use any allium or nuts you like. Try walnut or pumpkin seed oil.
    I got green garlic this week, but if you got garlic scapes you can use those in the same amount. You could also just use a few cloves of garlic if you want to make this later in the season when scapes and green garlic are gone.

    Sorrel and green garlic pesto

    INGREDIENTS

    1 1/2 cups (1 3/4 ounces) loosely packed washed sorrel leaves (or any leafy green), trimmed if there are tough stems.
    3 or 4 garlic scapes or green garlic bulbs or cloves of garlic washed and trimmed.
    1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (any cheese will do) (about a 1-ounce piece)
    1/4 cup nuts, any kind you like. I used almonds today.
    1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I thought I would skip the lemon because the sorrel is so tart, but the tartness was diminished from the fat in the oil and cheese and the lemon was very nice here. Taste before you add it though)
    Salt and pepper
    1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
    DIRECTIONS

    Process sorrel, Parmesan, pine nuts, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until coarsely ground. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is emulsified. Pesto can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Put a light film of oil on top of the pesto if you are storing more than a day so it doesn’t turn brown. If it does turn brown it is ok to eat, it just looks unappetizing.

    This recipe makes about a cup of pesto. I really like it made with sorrel, good suggestion Wyatt!
    If I’m being honest I am not a classic basil pesto fan. I don’t like the clove undertones of sweet basil and I really don’t like pine nuts in anything. This sorrel pesto has a nice, clean balanced flavor. I hope you try it.

    Finished Pesto

  • Storing Herbs and Creamy Herb Salad Dressing

    I LOVE that herbs are being added to our CSA share. I thought I might post on how to store your herbs and a really basic recipe for a salad dressing that you can adapt to any herb you might have on hand.

    Clockwise, top to center we have; chives, oregano, garlic chives, cilantro and thyme.

    Various Herbs

    Tender herbs like basil, cilantro and parsley should be treated like fresh flowers on your counter. Just put them in a container with water and make sure the stems are touching the water. Change the water every day or two until you use all the herbs.

    Parsley

    Woody herbs like oregano, thyme, tarragon, and grassy herbs like chives need to be stored in the warmest part of your refrigerator; in the door, or where you store your butter. You can wrap them loosely in plastic wrap, Ziplock bag, or in a small Tupperware like container with the lid slightly ajar. Don’t seal them tightly or they will mold. Oh, and don’t rinse any of your herbs before you use them. They don’t store well wet or even damp. I put a little piece of papertowel in a Ziploc with my herbs to keep them dry and really fresh.

    Herb Bags

    I also put them in front of everything on the shelf so I can see them. That way I don’t forget about them and I use them.

    Here is a basic recipe salad dressing. It makes at least enough for 12 or 15 single salads and keeps for two weeks. I keep this on hand and put it on any greens I have, lettuce, arugula, kale, chard. Keeping greens washed and ready to eat and having a nice fresh dressing on hand makes me really happy.

    Creamy Herb Salad Dressing
    1 cup (about) loosely packed dill, parsley, basil, cilantro, or chives washed and most of the stems removed. Any combination of these works.
    2 or 3 tablespoons loosely packed leaves of woody herbs like thyme, oregano or tarragon.
    3/4 cup mayonnaise, low-fat, or not, or even yogurt works here.
    1/2 cup buttermilk
    2 Tbs. vinegar, any type.
    1/2 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
    1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
    3/4 tsp. hot sauce _optional.
    In a food processor, combine everything and process for a minute or two. Pour into a bottle or jar and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

    Jarred Dressing

    Dressing Ready to Use

  • Radish and Arugula Salad with Honey, Almonds and Mint

    It is so great to hear from CSA members. Keep those comments and emails coming. I am here for you. Let me know what you like and don’t like, and what you want to know more about.

    Last week I got an email from Dorothy saying her family wasn’t crazy about radishes.
    Dorothy wrote; “THEN I saw this recipe and thought it had possibilities. I have tried the process on arugula (whose peppery bite sometimes also is a problem) and found that the marinade of lemon juice really improves the flavor. I’m assuming that the marinade for the radishes will work as well!” She found the recipe in the Daily Camera.

    I made it with a few changes. I used braising mix since that is what we got in our CSA share this week. I tore the braising mix up with the mint into smaller pieces and rubbed the lemon and oil into the mix. I also added a hakurei turnip to the radishes. I had cashews, not almonds. and I used about 3 times more mint than the recipe calls for. Oh, I forgot the cheese too, and didn’t realize it until I proofread this. Clearly it wasn’t missed, but I bet it would be good in it though.

    This is a great basic recipe to play with and change with ingredients you like and have.
    Delicious! Thanks Dorothy.

    Radish greens salad

    Radish and Arugula Salad with Honey, Almonds and Mint
    Source: Fresh from the Farm, Taunton Press, 2014, by Susie Middleton
    Makes 4 servings

    6 or 7 large fresh radishes-and or hakurei radishes (4 oz) thinly sliced
    2 t fresh lemon juice plus 1/4 lemon, seeded, or more as needed
    1/4 t sugar (I used honey)
    3/4 t salt (divided use), or more as needed
    4 cups loosely packed baby arugula or braising mix, leaves (about 2 1/2 oz)
    4 t small fresh mint leaves (I used a LOT more) or large leaves torn into smaller pieces
    1 t Olive oil or more as needed
    1/4 c sliced almonds, toasted and coarsely crushed (see note)
    2 oz wedge Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (preferably a few inches long, for easier shaving)
    1 T honey, for drizzling
    4 small edible flowers, such as violets, chive blossoms or short mint sprigs, for garnish (optional)

    Directions:
    Combine the sliced radishes in a small, nonreactive bowl with the 2 t lemon juice, sugar, and 1/2 t salt. Let sit for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.
    Combine the arugula and mint in a medium bowl. Squeeze the juice from the remaining 1/4 lemon over the greens, then drizzle on the oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 t salt and toss to incorporate. Taste, and season with more lemon juice, oil, and/or salt as needed.
    Divide the arugula-mint mixture among 4 individual plates, mounding each portion. Sprinkle some of the crushed almonds on top.
    Drain the liquid from the radishes and arrange them in the center and around each mound of greens.
    Use a vegetable peeler to shave 5 or 6 thin curls or shards of cheese over each portion. Sprinkle each portion with the remaining almonds; then drizzle with the honey. Garnish with the edible flowers or mint sprigs, if using.
    Serve right away.
    NOTE: Toast the almonds in a small, dry skillet over medium-low heat, shaking the pan to avoid scorching, until the nuts are fragrant and lightly browned. Cool completely before using.

  • Grilled Walking Onions

    Amy asked me to show you one of her favorite ways to eat walking onions, grilled.
    Grilling onions makes them meltingly sweet and mild.

    First you want to heat up your grill good and hot, and wash your bunch of walking onions.
    Walking Onions

    Cut off the root end and the tough tops and toss the onions in a bowl with some olive oil and some salt and pepper.

    Trimmed Onions

    Put the onions on your hot grill, and keep turning them every 2 or 3 minutes. You want a good even char on the outside of the onions and the inside to be cooked through, not raw. It will probably take 12 to 15 minutes total to grill the onions.

    Grilled Onions

    Blackened Onions

    Blackened Onions

    See how the inside of the onion is translucent and the outside is charred? That’s what you want.

    You can serve them right off the grill like this. I made a mushroom risotto with the fabulous mushrooms from Hazel Del so I added my grilled onions to that dish.

    Chopped Onions

    Yum. I am so happy CSA has started again. Yay for fresh local food!

  • Rutabagas and Storing Winter Squash

    Rutabagas might be new to some of you.

    rutabaga

    Rutabagas are a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. I think they taste a bit like broccoli, but they have a completely different texture than brocolli. I use them like I would a potato. Mash them, roast them, or add them into soups and stews with other root vegetables. Rutabagas add a great taste and texture to mashed potatoes. I posted a blog about rutabagas last year here http://redwagonfarmboulder.com/2012/10/23/root-vegetables/ you might want to check out.

    Rutabagas will store in your refrigerator for a long time so don’t feel like you need to use them right away if you are overwhelmed with vegetables right now. They will be just fine a month from now.

    Same with the winter squash you have been getting, they will store until at least Christmas. I sometimes hear people at pick-up saying, “I haven’t used up my squash from last week so I think I’ll swap mine this week”. Don’t swap it! Take it!! Winter squash will keep for a long, long time. This is how I store my squash.

    storing squash

    On a little shelf, off the floor in the garage. Don’t put them on the floor in the garage. It gets too cold and the squash will start to rot where it is touching the floor. All these squash will store for at least 2 or 3 months in a cool dark area in a garage, or a cool area in your house. If you have pumpkins they won’t store as long, so you might want to use the pumpkins before you use your winter squash. You can almost always interchange pumpkins for winter squash in most dishes.
    Some houses I have lived in have a cool closet by the front or back door. That would be a good place to store you squash, until you use it, if you don’t have a garage.
    However you use them, take them, store them, enjoy them! They are one of my favorite foods. I have lots of recipes here to use your winter squash up and there are tons more ideas and recipes out there.

    Well, I guess this is really it. The end of a great season. Cheers, thanks, stay warm, have a restful off season and hopefully we will see you back here next year.
    Thanks for reading my posts and all the great feedback!
    Mo