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.