A New Breakfast Food!

As mornings get cooler and sunshine is scarce, I find myself craving warm breakfasts!  With my early morning schedule (I'm a teacher) I don't have much time for complicated warm breakfasts and am not that organized to do anything the night before.  So I came up with a CSA friendly breakfast that is surprisingly DELICIOUS!!!  You may be very surprised at how good greens are in the morning...

Cottage Cheese and Greens

1 bunch of greens (kale, swiss chard- both work really well), stems removed, chopped
1/8-1/4 of and onion, chopped
6-10 sun-dried tomatoes chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp zatar, or other seasoning you like
 sea salt to taste
1/3-1/2 c. cottage cheese

Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion until starting to get soft and fragrant.  Add chopped greens and seasonings, saute until soft, add chopped sundried tomatoes and season with seas salt.

Serve over cottage cheese.

Squash, Delightful Squash

Special maneuver on my part... thought I hit publish about 2 weeks ago... UGH!  So here it is... :)

Although it may seem I was smothered by one of my giant, magnificent CSA boxes, I have not.  I have just been entirely too busy cooking delicious fall foods that I neglected to share my creations with you all. :(  Well, that all stops today!  I have two recipes to start with that will change the way you view a CSA box filled with squash!

The Ultimate Fall Pizza!

As many of you know, I have become a pizza princess... not quite the queen, striving for that title!  I recently was missing my weekly dose of kale (I know, I am a food geek) and I needed a new pizza to make on Fridays.  I looked in my fridge and thought..... hmmmmm.... squash???

Here is the result! (This is not a quick pizza, and when you are roasting the squash, you may want to do a bunch and toss the left  overs into pasta with some goat cheese for a delicious meal on Saturday night with minimal prep!)

1 recipe of pizza dough (I use Martha Stewart's recipe, but TJ's premade dough is FABULOUS!)  I recommend for the fall pizza to use the whole wheat one for more depth of flavor.
1 package sliced crimini mushrooms from TJ's (I think they are about 8 oz)
1 good size delicata squash, peeled, cut into 1/2 in chunks. (You can really use any squash you want.)
1 onion thinly sliced.
2-5 gloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
spray olive oil, or about 1-2 TBSP. drizzled
1/2 c. quattro fromaggio
4 oz. goat cheese

Put mushrooms, squash, onions, and garlic on cookie sheet and toss/spray with olive oil.  Cook on upper rack in oven for about 30 minutes at 375 degrees.

Prepare your pizza stone by preheating in the oven to 475 degrees. 

Meanwhile, brush the rolled out dough with olive oil, sprinkle about 1/4 c. of the quattro fromaggio onto the pizza, then distribute the roasted squash, onions, and mushrooms.  Crumble goat cheese over the veggies, then sprinkle remaining quattro fromaggio.

Bake until golden on edges, about 10-12 minutes.

Curried Spaghetti Squash

(Yes, you read that correctly!)

I have to admit, I borrowed (but did alter) this recipe from JR. Organics, a CSA in San Diego County that my sister subscribes to.  I think you will find it is the most delicious way to eat spaghetti squash EVER!!!!

1 medium-large spaghetti squash
1 1/2 TBSP. Coconut oil
1 TBSP. curry powder
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp. salt (or more to taste)
1 small hot pepper, seeded, chopped
1/3 c. chopped sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
juice of one lime

Bake spaghetti squash for about 45 minutes at 375 degrees. 

Put coconut oil in a large pan, heat it up, add curry powder, salt, pepper, and garlic, saute until fragrant.  Scrape out spaghetti squash into pan and turn off heat.  Toss until combined.  Add sun dried tomatoes and squeeze of lime.  Serve immediately!  You will never believe how good this really is!!!!

Bell Pepper Deliciousness!

As a kid I hated bell peppers! Every time my mom would make Spanish rice with peppers I would cringe.  Well, I hate to admit it, but now I love them!!!  But I must clarify, I love my organic bell peppers, the ones from the store are so flavorless, bitter and give me a stomach ache.  So imagine my delight when I saw this week I had gorgeous bell peppers to enjoy!  These peppers are just so amazing.  One recipe I had wanted to try for years is stuffed peppers.  The only problem was most recipes had meat in them or were weak on flavor.  This inspired me to make a vegetarian version (for those of us who are too lazy to cook meat in the summer!) and I think you will really enjoy this Mediterranean style stuffed pepper. :)   In my version I have used bulgar wheat.  This grain is high in protein and a delicious replacement for ground meat in this dish since it has a similar texture.  The best thing about it is that you cook it like you do couscous.   Simply pour boiling water over it, put a lid on it and let it absorb for a little while.  Very simple.  Happy eating!

Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350
4 bell peppers
1 cups bulgar wheat
1/2 red onion (or yellow if you don;t have red) finely chopped
2 small/medium zucchini, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, or one big tomato chopped
handful of chopped parsley
2 carrots grated
15 kalamata olives, cut in fourths
6 oz. crumbled feta cheese
4 TBSP.  grated quattro fromage, or other grated cheese
1 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Begin by cutting the tops off the peppers and cleaning out the inside.  I like to slightly cut the bottoms of the peppers to make them stable in the pan.  Then spray a 9 in square pan with oil and place the four peppers in the pan.
2. Prepare the bulgar wheat. Place 1 C. of bulgar wheat in a saucepan and pour 1 1/2 C. boiling water over the bulgar and put the lid on for about 20-30 minutes to soak.
3. Saute the onion, zucchini, tomato, and carrots until cooked.  Stir in parsley, bulgar wheat, olives and feta and stir until well combined.  Then turn down the heat to low, out the lid on the pan and cook for about 5 minutes.
4.Stuff the peppers with the mixture.  Be sure to really stuff them.  Then top with a tablespoon of grated cheese. 
5. Cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Cauliflower Summer Squash Tomato Curry

Light Summer Dinner

In an effort to eat up all my summer squash and not do it in the ordinary way (read fried zucchini), I combined a delicious cauliflower tomato curry dish with some squash as well as a few other items from this week's box.  It proved to be a DELICIOUS summer lunch/dinner meal!

Cauliflower Summer Squash Tomato Curry

1- medium onion
slivers of fresh ginger to taste (I used about a pinkie sized piece and sliced it into tiny match stick pieces)

     Saute above in about a teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt for about 10 minutes.
     Then add:
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. allspice
2-3 cloves garlic, minced

     Saute for about 5 minutes.
     Stir in;
1/2 c. water
1-2 chopped summer squash
1 head of cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces (I tried to make the squash and the cauliflower about the same size)
1/2 tsp. salt

     Cover and cook over medium heat or until cauliflower is tender. (about 10 minutes)
     Stir in:
4 c. pureed stewed tomatoes, or 1- 1lb 14oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1-2 c. baby spinach (or chopped spinach)

     Serve over hot rice.  Will be a little soupy, so serve in bowls.

I enjoy my curry very spicy, so I added red pepper flakes, and if you like a more curry flavor, I would double all of the spices.

Veggies as dessert!

Carrot cake to indulge!

It's fairly easy to have vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but the challenge comes when trying to incorporate my CSA veggies into dessert.  Always up for a challenge, I decided to start first with an easy veggie dessert, carrot cake.  When I searched through familiar recipes (including my grandmother's decadent recipe from the 1950's), I realized that carrot cake was perhaps the most over sugared and fatrfilled cake out there.  All recipes contained 2 or more cups of sugar and 1-2 cups of oil... simply too much to enjoy eating, plus the shock my body would have when consuming.  I decided to convert my grandmother's recipe to a modern day healthy version that doesn't taste flavorless and like rubber.  Luckily, it was very simple!  I promise you WILL NOT miss the sugar and oil and will be bringing this cake to your next gathering!

Simply Carrot Cake        (Preheat oven to 350)

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (plus 1/2 tsp. each of other spices of your choice- nutmeg, cardamon, allspice, etc)
     Mix above ingredients in a LARGE bowl and whisk to remove lumps.
     In a separate bowl combine:
1 c white sugar
1 1/2 c. nonfat yogurt (I used the TJ's organic nonfat European style)
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon

     Mix together and mix into dry ingredients until combined, do not over mix.
     Fold in:
2 c. grated carrots
1- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice.
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Pour into 9 X 13 greased pan.
Bake 35-50 minutes depending on oven, I started checking for done-ness at 35 minutes.  Look for dark golden on the top.  It's great if you cook it in a glass baking dish so you can see how it's progressing.

I made this simple poured icing.  I only used 2/3 of the recipe to keep it lighter, but if you like icing, you'll love this!

Lemony Poured Icing

1 block reduced fat cream cheese (room temp.)
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
3 c. powdered sugar

Combine all ingredients with mixer.  Pout over carrot cake.  Enjoy!!!

Summer Veggie Love!

Summer Soup!

This summer I had the great fortune of traveling over much of the Midwest.  It was a very fun and HOT trip!   On my travels I was inspired to try new foods and recipes.  One highlight from my trip was a stop for lunch at the Moosewood restaurant, AKA vegetarian mecca. :)  I had an amazing meal and bought a cookbook with some delicious recipes!  Upon arriving at home I also purchased a few more of Mollie Katzen's books and below you will find two recipes I found to be too yummy for words...

Gazpacho

This recipe is based on Mollie Katzen's recipe in the New Moosewood cookbook.  I made alterations according to what veggies I had in my CSA box.

The best part of this recipe is that it requires no cooking and is refreshing on a hot summer day! 

Best served with fresh crusty bread and butter.


4 cups tomato juice or pureed stewed tomatoes
1/2 large onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, finely minced (or pressed through a garlic press)
1 bell pepper, finely diced
2 green onions, minced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced
2 cups fresh diced tomato

juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 lime
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 c. fresh, mined parsley
1 TBSP. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste (I prefer the hot sauce from Trader Joe's, made with just red ripened jalapenos!)

Combine all ingredients, puree to desired consistency, ENJOY!!

Marinated Cold Cauliflower Salad (taken from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest)

This is a surprisingly delicious, refreshing cold salad.  It's perfect for a summer picnic since it has no eggs or mayonnaise in it.

First, make this marinade to cook the cauliflower in:

1/3 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. water
3 large cloves of garlic
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves

1 medium cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces (head about 6-7 inch diameter)

Combine all the ingredients above and bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender (not soft).

Remove cauliflower with slotted spoon, put into serving dish, cover and chill until cold.

Meanwhile, prepare the following ingredients:

1/2 c. finely minced red onion
1/2 c. minced fresh parsley
handful of minced fresh basil
1 medium carrot, grated

When cauliflower is cooled, toss with other ingredients and serve.  You will be pleasantly surprised!

 

The Ultimate Veggie Pizza!

Let's face it, pizza is one of the best things to have for dinner... and lunch... and breakfast.  But, pizza isn't always the most healthy choice.  In an attempt to create a healthier version of pizza that is a flavor explosion in your mouth, I successfully created "the Ultimate Veggie Pizza!" 

Yes, my friends, it is no oxymoron.  Veggies and pizza do get along.  (And please note, I'm not counting black olives as veggies like some pizza joints do!)  I must admit, I got some inspiration from the amazing food blog Budgetbytes.  I'd like to think this version is even better, (mostly because it has cheese!), but you can be the judge!

The Ultimate Veggie Pizza!

• Pizza Crust (I use Martha Stewart's recipe, but Trader Joe's dough is a great substitution, and you can get whole wheat!)
• 1/2 cup hummus
• 1 leek- slice thin and washed
• 3 summer squash- sliced thin (I used zucchini and crooked neck yellow)
• 1/2 cup Italian cheese blend
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (if using a pizza stone, put stone in oven before heating)

1. Roll out dough to desired shape, brush with a little olive oil.
2. Spray a saucepan with oil, saute leeks.  (I also season them with some salt and pepper)
3. Remove leeks when wilted and some are golden brown.  Spray again with oil and add squash, saute until light golden, or cooked.  Also, be sure to season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread hummus on pizza.  Place one layer of squash over hummus.  Sprinkle half of the cheese.  Put another layer of squash, sprinkle remaining cheese, then sprinkle cooked leeks over the top.  (If you want to add more cheese, please do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
5. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until golden on edge of crust.

ENJOY!!!

PS.  This pizza was EXCELLENT for breakfast the next morning!

I can practically smell summer!

Got Veggies?

Over the past few weeks life has gotten quite hectic!  As a middle school teacher nearing the end of the school year, my days are full!  Some days it seems I cannot get one moment to sit down to relax, let alone prepare some fabulous meal.  It's days like this that I fall back on time tested favorites like Creamed Spinach/Chard over rice, or basic salads highlighted with roasted pickled beets and cheese, or my new favorite kale pizza.  But even old favorites start to get boring, especially when I see all the wonderful veggies missing out on great recipe opportunities each week.
Fortunately, some of my students have been participating in a program with Join the Farm! called Rooted Futures.  In this program my students are given access to healthy foods through field trips, special guests, and projects... opportunities that would not be available to them otherwise.  Their enthusiasm and genuine excitement about eating "greener" has certainly renewed my own enthusiasm for seeking out new and exciting ways to prepare food from my CSA box.  If you have the opportunity to ever help out with a school garden or wellness program in your area, I encourage you to do so.  It may change your life... just sayin'!

With my renewed excitement, I ran across a delicious carrot slaw and a wonderful risotto.  Both started as recipes from Everyday Food and Cooking Light, but I slashed and modified to meet my CSA box needs.  Enjoy!

Carrot Slaw

(I served this with baked buttermilk chicken, and it was amazing!  Basically soak your chicken- breasts or cut up chicken- in buttermilk with a splash of hot sauce, then dip into a mixture of equal parts flour and Parmesan cheese with a little black pepper and dried thyme.  Bake at 400F for about 35min. or until golden brown.)

1/4- 1/2 head cabbage, shredded
3-4 carrots, grated
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
Juice of 1-2 limes (or lemons)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro and/or parsley (a combo of the two is great!)
1/2 tsp. cumin
drizzle of good quality olive oil (to your taste and diet specifications)
1/4-1/2 c. golden raisins

Combine all ingredients.  Let sit a few minutes so the raisins plump.  Best the next day and serve with baked buttermilk chicken.  This is also a great picnic food for summer, since there are no eggs or mayonnaise.

Risotto with Greens

4 C vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large leek, thinly sliced, soaked to remove grit, dried on a towel
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 small zucchini, sliced thin
4-5 handfuls greens... kale, chard, spinach (chopped)
1/4 c. Romano cheese, or Italian shredded cheese blend
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 C uncooked Arborio rice

1. Bring broth to a simmer in small saucepan (do not boil); keep warm over low heat.
2. heat large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil and cook zucchini until cooked through and slightly browned.  Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add leeks and saute until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. (You can add a little salt at this point)
4. Add rice, garlic and cook, stirring, for one minute.
5. Stir in wine and scrape pan to loosen brown bits.  Start adding broth, 1 C. at first, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed.
6. Continue adding broth 1/2 C. at a time, stirring constantly.
7. Once all broth is used, remove from heat, add zucchini and chopped greens, stirring until they wilt.  Top with cheese and serve.

I enjoy this risotto with a light white summer wine mixed with some seltzer, for a lovely late spring/summer meal.

Holy Kale!

Confession time... the first time I got a CSA box I had to look up what the mysterious, bumpy, green-leafy thing was!!!??? I'd like to say I fell in love quickly with kale, but it took a while for us to become "friendly" with each other.  Now, thankfully, we are well acquainted, and I can say that my week never feels the same without a bit of kale.  I'm thinking that the folks at Join the Farm! heard my heart longing for kale and decided to play a joke on me and give me three weeks worth!  Good thing I love this stuff! :)

Kale is now the "in" food... every food publication on the planet features some sort of kale recipe, food television programs tell about the benefits of kale, and even movie stars are singing it's praises.  I'm concluding that I am super "hip" because I am totally down with kale.

The easiest place to start is kale chips, but if you don't cook them right they can taste slightly like old shoes.  I prefer to saute it and throw it in all sorts of pastas and casseroles.  It really is a simple veg to add to anything to give it a nutritional boost! (Haven't tried it in brownies yet, but thinking I might soon!) Today I'm enjoying it chopped up into tiny pieces in my egg-white egg salad sandwich. YUM-O!  But my new comfort food is creamed kale.  Super easy and the recipe can be used for spinach and Swiss chard.

Creamed Kale and Brown Rice

1 bunch kale de-stemmed and chopped
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 TBSP olive oil (or more, depending on your dietary needs
2 TBSP flour
3/4 c. milk
1/4 c. 1/2 and 1/2
salt to taste
(additional flavor options... curry powder, red pepper flakes for kick, zatar seasoning for more middle eastern flavor)
Brown Rice - cooked (I cheat and use the Organic frozen cooked brown rice from TJ's)

1. First, put olive oil and minced garlic in a skillet (I like to use a deep one with a lid), cook on medium heat until garlic is sizzling...
2. Next, sprinkle the flour over the oil/garlic and, using a wooden spoon, saute the flour for about one minute.  (This process helps to make your milk thicken in the next step.)
3. Pour the cup of milk and 1/2 and 1/2 (you can do a whole cup of milk of you don't have any 1/2 and 1/2, the 1/2 and 1/2 just makes it slightly richer), and whisk briskly until four is combined.  Simmer over medium heat until it starts to thicken.  This is a good time to add additional herbs and/or seasonings. 
4. Add chopped kale and stir to combine.  I like to put the lid on my skillet at this point to let the kale wilt and cook into the sauce.
5. Serve over brown rice, add salt to taste!  I hope it becomes your new comfort food!

Spring Boxes Have Arrived!

Welcome Spring!

I don't know about you, but this week's box blew me away!  Sometimes I feel like the Join the Farm! folks are in my head (which may be a scary place to be, they may want to get out quick!) :)... Before I get into all the exciting things I am (hopefully) going to make with this week's box, I thought I'd take this opportunity, since it is the beginning of a new season, to tell you how I eat an entire box each week, by myself. 

First, you need to know that I do have people over for dinner frequently, so that helps me out, and when I have an abundance of something I do try to gift it to someone I know will use, need, or appreciate it.  I use those "abundance" times as an opportunity to feel giving, and less wasteful.  Also, I do a lot of preserving and pickling to make sure I have some items on hand for when they are not in season and I get a craving for tomatoes in April, or broccoli in July.

Each week when I get my box, I treat it like a present that someone has given me, (and really it is!).  I never peek inside until I get home, get into my comfy clothes, (read put on standard yoga pant uniform), and make sure that my kitchen and sinks are clean,and clear of dishes/garbage.  I find that when there is less chaos, I can really enjoy and appreciate the box.  The other thing I do is block time on Wednesdays for ME. It is my time for me to prep my veggies and it is VERY important.  No meetings allowed.  (It's also a great time to do other things for myself, like a pedicure/manicure, face mask, or television show that is a guilty pleasure (Dance Moms!). 

I begin by filling my sink with cool water and placing dish towels on the counter.  I always being with the greens and the lettuces.  Separating the leaves and soaking for a few minutes.  I recently learned a trick from Rachel Ray about how to separate the tough stems from the leaves of the kale and Swiss Chard.  In one hand hold the bottom of the stem and then with your other hand put the stem between your index and middle fingers and pull quickly.  It really works and saves TONS of time.

I then wash and prep everything for cooking that week.  This saves lots of time and I actually use the items when they are ready.  I use ziplocks, and some really great veggie keepers made by Progressive, but the trick is to use freezer ziplocks with the slider closure, these can be rinsed, turned inside out and dried to be used again.  I can use the same baggie for an entire season.  This cuts down on cost and waste.

Another thing I do to limit waste s to make veggie stock with my cuttings.  I simply fill a large stock pot with the cuttings, add a roughly cut onion, a few cloves of garlic, some salt to taste and perhaps a few dried hers if I need to.  Then add water and simmer on medium low for about 30-45 minutes.  When the cuttings are cooked down pretty well, you can strain the liquid and you have the most delicious organic veggie broth!  I haven't bought veggie broth in years, and it's saved me TONS of money.  I found some plastic (BPA free) containers made by Ball that are for the freezer.  They come in many sizes and stack nicely in the freezer for veggie broths.

Here is a great recipe from budgetbytes.blogspot.com that I LOVE!
http://www.budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/03/kale-swiss-tomato-pizza-522-recipe-131.html
Kale Pizza
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Pizza Dough (either homemade or store bought)
2TBSP Olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic (minced or paste)
6 oz Mmozzarella cheese
2 oz. Parmesan cheese
1 large bunch of kale
1-2 tomatoes or a handful of dried tomatoes (if using dried tomatoes, rehydrate by pouring boiling water over them and letting them steep for a few minutes)

1. Begin by rolling out dough into pizza shape you prefer.
2. Brush pizza dough with combination of olive oil and minced garlic.  (I also add 2 frozen basil cubes from TJ's)
3. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese on the pizza.
4. Saute kale (de-stemmed) in a skillet with a spray of olive oil and, if you want, more minced garlic.  Saute until wilted, then place on the pizza.
5. Cover kale with remaining cheeses and top with tomatoes (or other veggie toppings you enjoy).
6. Bake until crust is golden.
ENJOY!

It really is delicious!!!

Yikes! Spring break hit and I fell asleep... literally.  This week's box (the last of the season- I can't believe it!) was amazing!  I almost flipped when I saw the onions!  Sometimes I think the farmers at Join the Farm! are in my head!  I don''t know about anyone else, but I have a TON of lemons!  Normally I would relish in this fact, but since it's still early spring and not quite hot enough to make thirst quenching lemonade everyday, I started to stress out about what to do with all these lemons!  The solution came from a wise Mexican cook.  My friend Maria is always raving about her mother's authentic Mexican cooking and each time I've eaten her food it is AMAZING!  (The drawback being that I can never eat at Mexican restaurants again!)  Last Friday I experienced her ceviche, and of course she told me it was easy.  I was a bit skeptical, but risked it and man, was I glad I did!  I think you'll be glad you risked it if you try this very simple recipe that will use your CSA onions, lemons, avocados and cilantro.  (You can also serve it over shredded cabbage!)

Authentic Mexican Ceviche
2 fillets of firm white fish (I used tilapia) chopped into small pieces (about 1/4 inch)
1 onion - diced (small pieces)
1 cucumber - peeled, and diced small, (Trader Joe's  has delicious organic Persian       cucumbers right now, I used about 3 of them)
1 serrano chili pepper, seeds removed, minced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced
juice of 3 lemons (or 4 depending on how much juice you get from the lemons)
Cilantro, small handful, minced.
Salt to taste
Optional: avocado, diced into small pieces.
Optional: Hot sauce a few dashes depending on how hot you like it! (I love the red jalapeno one from Trader Joe's, great heat!)

1. Cut everything up, put into a bowl, cover with lemon juice. (Leave out avocado and hot sauce if adding and add before serving)
2. Cover and refrigerate for 3-5 hours. (I would make this in the morning to serve for dinner.  If your fish pieces are tiny the fish "cooks" very fast, larger pieces take a bit longer)
3. If using avocado, stir in right before serving.  Serve with tortilla chips, tostada style tortillas (best ones are at the Mexican market), over a bed of shredded cabbage, or in taco shells as a cold taco appetizer.
4. This is also best served with an extra cold beer!

I also found another great plan for all those lemons... I made a lemonade concentrate mix that I froze for those hot summer August afternoons...

Lemonade Concentrate
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
1 cup sugar

1. Put all ingredients into saucepan, warm until sugar is dissolved.
2. Remove from heat, cool, put in freezer safe container and label for a hot summer day!

As with most adventures in life, my “living on the box” adventure began accidently.  A trip to Virginia to visit a friend who is always up on the “latest,” and a conversation about food sourcing and suddenly I was hooked!  Before I even left Virginia, I had found my local CSA online (Join the Farm!) and set up my first box delivery!  All the credit for my lifestyle change to true healthy living goes to my friend Christy.

I remember the first box I got; it was like Christmas had come in July!  The smell of fresh produce wafted from the box with such temptation you would have thought it was a box of chocolates!  As I took each item out of the box, I was amazed at the freshness and the depth of color.  These were not the vegetable of the supermarket, nor were they the veggies of the farmer’s market.  I knew exactly where these veggies came from, who picked them and how much work went into their growth.  A new relationship with my food had begun.

From the first box to almost two years later, I still have excitement each week when I pick up my box.  Although I have begun to anticipate what my box will contain based on having been a CSA member for almost two years, and my new found knowledge of what plants are truly in season where I live, I still am excited to see the veggies and fruits that I know took time to grow and harvest before they came to me.

My life of “living on the box” has been quite an adventure… sometimes easy (I love late summer tomatoes!) to extremely challenging (what the heck am I supposed to do with collards???!!!), but always satisfying.  And this is why I decided to start this blog.  I want to share my experience (good and bad) with those of you trying to “live on the box.”  Each week I will highlight some of the things I’m doing with the veggies in the box.  I hope you will find some new favorites and be re-introduced to some old favorites.  

Happy Eating!

The Week of March 12, 2012.

In my quest to find new and delicious food, I have recently been intrigued by Indian cuisine.  Fueled by my foodie friend Christy and my foodie sister Jill, my adventures in Indian cuisine are taking shape.  Up until last week I only got as adventurous as Indian curry, and that’s a pretty easy thing to do (and a great way to use up extra veggies!), but I wanted to taste the distinctive flavors I had experienced at Indian restaurants, so I needed some really good recipes… Since spring is upon us, spinach is everywhere!  The cuisine of India has some amazing spinach dishes, my favorite being saag paneer.  Below you will find a delicious recipe for slow cooker saag paneer that I got from my friend Christy.  She spent a lot of time modifying it to reduce the heat in the original recipe and the result is so delicious even a child will love it (her three little girls love this stuff)!  This is a great recipe to do on a Saturday when you are around the house.

Saag Paneer: Curried Spinach with Fresh Cheese

·         2 pounds fresh spinach, washed well

·         2 large yellow or red onions, roughly chopped

·         3 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped (or 4 whole stewed tomatoes, roughly chopped)

·         1 (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

·         10 cloves (1/2 of a head) garlic, peeled

·         5-10 green Thai, serrano,or cayenne chilies, stems removed OPTIONAL!!!

·         2 tablespoons ground cumin

·         2 tsp red chili powder (Indian is best, but you can use a less hot variety)

·         2 tsp tablespoon garam masala (an Indian spice blend available at most grocery stores, or any speciality market)

·         1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric powder

·         1 tablespoon salt

Cooking Directions

1.    Place 1/2 the washed spinach into the bowl of a 5 quart slow-cooker. You don't need to dry the spinach, or even remove the stems. They get blended in the end. Top with the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT FOR SALT: onions, tomatoes, ginger, peeled garlic, chilies, and spices. Put the rest of the spinach on top. The bowl will be brimming with spinach. Squish it down and put the cover on. It will cook down quickly.

2.    Cook on high for 3 hours (or low for 4-5). Stir once or twice if you're around to get any spinach sticking on the sides from drying out too badly.

3.    Blend until smooth with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender and puree. Make sure the curry is smooth and well blended. Return the puree to the slow-cooker.

4.    Taste the curry and add salt to taste if needed. Continue to cook on low for another 2 hours. The dish might look done, but the extra cooking allows the flavors to fully develop.

5.    After cooking, add about 12 ounces of cubed fresh or fried paneer to the curry (if you want to add more, feel free to!). Turn the slow cooker off, then replace the lid and let sit for about 10 minutes to gently heat the cheese. If you are using homemade paneer, add just before serving so the cheese maintains it's shape.

6.    Serve with rice, roti, or naan.

7.    The recipe yields about 10 cups so you will have leftovers for lunch the next day.

*Paneer is sold at all Asian/Indian markets.  There is a great Indian market in midtown Ventura on Main St. called “Asian Market.”  The woman that works there is very helpful and can direct you to the paneer and spices.  She also sells fresh naan, and other Indian items to serve with your saag paneer!

Not wanting to neglect my Irish roots, here are a few traditional Irish recipes to impress everyone with this St. Patrick’s Day!

Champs

This recioe is from Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen.

One of the best-loved ways of cooking potatoes was (and is) to mash them with boiling milk, add chopped scallions or chives and serve this creamy, green-flecked mixture with a blob of yellow butter melting in the center. Leeks, nettles, peas and brown crispy onions are all delicious additions.

·         6 to 8 unpeeled baking potatoes, e.g., Russet or Yukon Gold

·         1 bunch scallions (use the bulb and green stem) (OR use 1 medium sized leek)

·         1 1/2 cups milk

·         4 to 8 tablespoons butter

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

Scrub the potatoes and boil them in their jackets. Finely chop the scallions. Cover the scallions with cold milk and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse. Peel and mash the freshly boiled potatoes and, while hot, mix with the boiling milk and scallions. Beat in some of the butter. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve in one large or four individual bowls with a knob of butter melting in the center.

Champ may be put aside and reheated later in a moderate oven at 350°F. Cover with foil while it reheats so that it doesn't get a skin.

Parsley Champ:
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley to the milk, bring to a boil for 2 or 3 minutes only, to preserve the fresh taste and color. Beat into the mashed potatoes and serve hot.

Cabbage

This recipe is also from Irish Traditional Cooking.

·         1 lb fresh cabbage

·         2 to 4 tablespoons butter

·         salt and freshly ground pepper

·         an extra knob of butter

Remove all the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into four, remove the stalk and then cut each quarter into fine shreds, working across the grain. Put 2 or 3 tablespoons of water into a wide saucepan, together with the butter and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, add the cabbage and toss over a high heat, then cover the saucepan and cook for a few minutes. Toss again and add some salt, freshly ground pepper and the knob of butter. Serve immediately.