Even if you aren't a member of a CSA, the meal plans and written or linked recipes that will be the focus of my reinvigorated blog can still be of interest because the vegetables referenced will be seasonal and should be readily available at good prices at most grocery stores (though seasonal fruits and veggies do vary in accordance with geography).
Key items in this week's box (for those of you that don't also receive a box from Abundant Harvest Organics) are: broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, spinach, carrots, potatoes (Idaho and Sweet). There were other goodies, too, but I'm just listing the stars that I'm focusing on this week.
Here's a list of the recipes on the menu for the next week or so. Subsequent blogs will provide more details (and maybe even photos) of recipes, particularly those without links.
Cauliflower & Sausage Casserole (a blog on Cauliflower is definitely coming soon. It's a great ingredient - and a wonderful carb substitute.)
Sweet Potato and Kale Pizza - the recipe references kale, but given our box I'm going to do some with arugula and some with Spinach. I'm also making mine mini pizzas, instead of a big pizza, because I have pita that needs to get used.
Potato Salad with Arugula and Herbs - I always have plain yogurt on hand, so this recipe was naturally attractive. I'm not using dill, but might use mint or just not include an herb. Sandwiches have been a common lunch meal in our house, so this potato salad will be a perfect side dish.
Penne with Spinach Sauce - I was going to try Jaime Oliver's Creamed Spinach recipe, but then realized I had absentmindedly boiled some penne. Oops. So, I'm going to do this pasta dish instead, adjusting the sauce a lot based on the ingredients I have on hand.
White Bean and Radicchio Gratin (I still have radicchio leftover from a previous box) - details coming soon.
Ethiopian Stew - I still have turnips from a previous box and plan on adding my rutabaga in with this. I'll be making major spice adjustments to fit what I have on hand and won't be including the leeks, so I'll let you know how it turns out.
I hope these recipes are helpful. I'm sure I'll also make stir fry one night as it is one my favorite ways to use broccoli. I'll also report back on which items the 2 year-old will actually eat. I know his favorite items from the box will be the pears and oranges. He LOVES fruit. I'll take it!
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
I'm in Heaven!!
The main reason I can't ever seem to keep my blogs up as much as I would like these days is that I am a proud mother of two little, little boys!!I have a 2 year-old and a 4 month-old.
And, since my husband and I run our own business, though I am technically at home with the little ones, there is still quite a bit to be done by me for work. Yet, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love that I get to spend so much time with them, and I LOVE not having to commute -- I live in Greater LA and used to commute - yuck!!
For the New Year, I'm hoping to blog more frequently. I love cooking and am committed to not doing take out and frozen dinners regularly, despite the hectic life we live. I am also committed, despite a tight budget, to being a part of the local food movement, so I'm part of a CSA, Abundant Harvest Organics. I love it and would recommend it to anyone who lives within their service area in Central and Southern Cali - or see if there is a CSA near you!
So, my plan for the New Year is to post meal plans, recipe links and actual recipes (and maybe even some photos) about this cooking journey.
Today's post is called I'm in Heaven because, for a very brief moment, both boys were sleeping (I hear the baby waking right now) and I had prepped a simple and amazing salad and was indulging in quiet, deliciousness.
It was a tomato cucumber salad with avocad0 (and the avocado was the most perfect and buttery avocado). It was so simple, but so magical. (Single serving size described below)
1/2 cucumber - chopped
less than 1/4 of a red onion - diced
a handful cherry tomatoes - halved or quartered
1 avocado - diced
I layered it in a bowl and drizzled with a little balsamic and olive oil and sprinkled some black pepper on.
Heaven!
(The photo was taken with my photobooth on my computer, so it doesn't do the salad justice).
Here's to hoping the baby puts himself back to sleep. It's sounding as if he might. If so, the question becomes: to cook or nap!!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
A Better (Healthier) Burger
I love burgers -- in fact burgers were the thing I missed the most when I was a vegetarian for 10 years. However, as I try to get back in shape after the 2nd baby (with little time to exercise because of the 1st and 2nd baby), burgers are not a great menu item. So, I've been making some healthy alternatives and last night's mushroom swiss turkey burgers were a great alternate.
This is the recipe I found online -
http://gastronomist.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/the-430-calorie-burger/
I used our George Foreman grill to make the burgers, which is great for having the turkey burgers be as lean as possible, but the mushrooms are the key. The mushrooms add back in some moisture that the burger lacked. When you put the swiss on top of the warm burger and then pile the hot mushrooms on top of that, the cheese melts perfectly.
I put mine on a whole grain roll with spicy mustard, red leaf lettuce, red onion and tomatoes. My husband prefers his no bun (so even less calories), so he ate just the patty topped with the swiss and the mushrooms. As for my toddler - he took a piece, licked it and gave it back (I did not eat it), so if you really wanted to cut calories and time, you could eat what he had for dinner: orange slices, raisins and whole grain goldfish.
I really recommend making some mushroom swiss turkey burgers. It was so popular at our house, that my husband wants them again tonight.
And while I'm on a mushroom kick, here's a preview of the recipe I'm going to try out tomorrow or Saturday. It was inspired by the sage that came in my farm share produce box and my love of mushrooms.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_breasts_with_mushroom_sage_sauce/ - or Friday night's dinner.
This is the recipe I found online -
http://gastronomist.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/the-430-calorie-burger/
I used our George Foreman grill to make the burgers, which is great for having the turkey burgers be as lean as possible, but the mushrooms are the key. The mushrooms add back in some moisture that the burger lacked. When you put the swiss on top of the warm burger and then pile the hot mushrooms on top of that, the cheese melts perfectly.
I put mine on a whole grain roll with spicy mustard, red leaf lettuce, red onion and tomatoes. My husband prefers his no bun (so even less calories), so he ate just the patty topped with the swiss and the mushrooms. As for my toddler - he took a piece, licked it and gave it back (I did not eat it), so if you really wanted to cut calories and time, you could eat what he had for dinner: orange slices, raisins and whole grain goldfish.
I really recommend making some mushroom swiss turkey burgers. It was so popular at our house, that my husband wants them again tonight.
And while I'm on a mushroom kick, here's a preview of the recipe I'm going to try out tomorrow or Saturday. It was inspired by the sage that came in my farm share produce box and my love of mushrooms.
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_breasts_with_mushroom_sage_sauce/ - or Friday night's dinner.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Healthy Cooking - Mac N'Cheese
Here's a healthier and lighter take on homemade mac n'cheese (and much better than boxed mac n'cheese that is so processed). It was inspired by a recipe in Jamie Oliver's Meals in Minutes. I also like this recipe because it is much easier than traditional homemade mac n'cheese, which I always find so labor intensive. Easier and healthier. Win. Win.
A testament to how good this healthy mac n'cheese is that my husband even ate it (and had more than one serving, which means he liked it and wasn't just being polite). This is a big deal because he doesn't really like pasta and he never eats vegetables. With this, he ate both (and happily)!
I used tri-colored rotini pasta, which is one of my favorite types of pasta. I usually make pasta salad with it, but it worked very nicely for this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 box (12 oz-16 oz) of pasta (rotinia, penne, elbow macaroni or something similar would work best)
1 head of cauliflower (cauliflower has been really cheap lately, so I'm using it a lot and love it!!)
1 bag (9 oz) of shredded cheese (I used sharp)
1/2 cup (about) of sour cream, cream fraiche or plain yogurt (I used sour cream because that's what I already had on hand)
4 slices of whole wheat italian bread (day old is fine)
Here's what you do:
1. Quarter the cauliflower and put it in a large pot with your pasta
2. Cover with water and boil (for about 8 minutes - until pasta is cooked) - add some salt and olive oil to the water
3. Put the sliced bread (torn into pieces) in the food processor with the shredded cheese and some olive oil and pulse until you get a good breadcrumb consistency (you could also add herbs into the food process. Jaime recommends Rosemary, but I didn't have any fresh herbs, so I just made it without).
4. Drain the pasta and cauliflower with a bowl underneath your colander so that you can catch some of the pasta water.
5. In your roasting pan (mine was 9 x 9 because we have a small oven), put the pasta and cauliflower, mashing the soft cauliflower up a bit. Add about 1-1 1/2 cups of the pasta water and your sour cream/cream fraiche or yogurt. Taste and correct seasoning (you could add shredded cheese into this mixture as well if you want, but to keep it lighter, I didn't). You don't want it to be soupy, so keep that in mind when judging how much pasta water to add.
6. Top with breadcrumb/cheese mixture and cook at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes (until golden and bubbly).
Some tips - if you have a tea kettle, put the kettle on while you're prepping your cauliflower (quartering and talking the stalks and tough base off) and then pour the boiled/hot tea kettle water over your cauliflower/pasta. This way your boil time is shorter. I use this Jaime tip when making potatoes as well (or anything that calls for bringing water to a boil). It's easy and speeds things up a bit, which is nice when you are trying to cook quickly because you have a baby and a 2 year-old vying for your attention.
Also, I had a little bit of pancetta that needed to be used, so I put it in my 9X9 and threw it in the oven (top shelf) to cook up and then added it in the food processor with the bread and cheese, so you could add pancetta or bacon if you want (though, then it is less healthy). I only had one slice, so it didn't really add much bad. (Jaime recommends 8 slices of pancetta).
You could also just use pre-made breadcrumbs if you don't have a food processor and don't want to hassle, but it definitely tastes better when you make them yourself.
A testament to how good this healthy mac n'cheese is that my husband even ate it (and had more than one serving, which means he liked it and wasn't just being polite). This is a big deal because he doesn't really like pasta and he never eats vegetables. With this, he ate both (and happily)!
I used tri-colored rotini pasta, which is one of my favorite types of pasta. I usually make pasta salad with it, but it worked very nicely for this recipe.
Ingredients:
1 box (12 oz-16 oz) of pasta (rotinia, penne, elbow macaroni or something similar would work best)
1 head of cauliflower (cauliflower has been really cheap lately, so I'm using it a lot and love it!!)
1 bag (9 oz) of shredded cheese (I used sharp)
1/2 cup (about) of sour cream, cream fraiche or plain yogurt (I used sour cream because that's what I already had on hand)
4 slices of whole wheat italian bread (day old is fine)
Here's what you do:
1. Quarter the cauliflower and put it in a large pot with your pasta
2. Cover with water and boil (for about 8 minutes - until pasta is cooked) - add some salt and olive oil to the water
3. Put the sliced bread (torn into pieces) in the food processor with the shredded cheese and some olive oil and pulse until you get a good breadcrumb consistency (you could also add herbs into the food process. Jaime recommends Rosemary, but I didn't have any fresh herbs, so I just made it without).
4. Drain the pasta and cauliflower with a bowl underneath your colander so that you can catch some of the pasta water.
5. In your roasting pan (mine was 9 x 9 because we have a small oven), put the pasta and cauliflower, mashing the soft cauliflower up a bit. Add about 1-1 1/2 cups of the pasta water and your sour cream/cream fraiche or yogurt. Taste and correct seasoning (you could add shredded cheese into this mixture as well if you want, but to keep it lighter, I didn't). You don't want it to be soupy, so keep that in mind when judging how much pasta water to add.
6. Top with breadcrumb/cheese mixture and cook at 425 degrees for about 8 minutes (until golden and bubbly).
Some tips - if you have a tea kettle, put the kettle on while you're prepping your cauliflower (quartering and talking the stalks and tough base off) and then pour the boiled/hot tea kettle water over your cauliflower/pasta. This way your boil time is shorter. I use this Jaime tip when making potatoes as well (or anything that calls for bringing water to a boil). It's easy and speeds things up a bit, which is nice when you are trying to cook quickly because you have a baby and a 2 year-old vying for your attention.
Also, I had a little bit of pancetta that needed to be used, so I put it in my 9X9 and threw it in the oven (top shelf) to cook up and then added it in the food processor with the bread and cheese, so you could add pancetta or bacon if you want (though, then it is less healthy). I only had one slice, so it didn't really add much bad. (Jaime recommends 8 slices of pancetta).
You could also just use pre-made breadcrumbs if you don't have a food processor and don't want to hassle, but it definitely tastes better when you make them yourself.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Learning to Cook Chicken
I never really was into chicken - eating it and certainly not cooking it. I was a vegetarian for ten years, from age 12 to 22, so when I really started cooking myself, I wasn't cooking meat. Even after I started eating meat , I still didn't cook it very often, and I almost never cooked chicken.
However, I've been on a major cooking kick lately and have been cooking more and more for my family. My husband LOVES chicken. He eats it almost nightly, so I've been learning to cook chicken and have been glad to be able to feed us free range, organic chicken, rather than having him pick up take out chicken for himself on a nightly basis.
So, I'm going to dedicate a few posts to chicken - the meat I used to fear (and not like very much) that I have discovered I do like - when I cook it.
To start, I'm going to share an easy, oven-based chicken preparation inspired by the preparation used in Jamie Oliver's Proper Chicken Caesar Salad. This chicken is very good (and very easy) and there are basically just four ingredients. Instead of an ingredient list, I'm just going to put ingredients in all caps.
1. Take 4-6 CHICKEN THIGHS (I used boneless, skinless thighs) and season, lightly, with sea salt and black pepper.
2. Take SOURDOUGH, FRENCH BREAD OR CIABATTA (day old or fresh works fine) and tear into bite-sized pieces (enough to line your baking pan).
3. Line a baking pan (that has been sprayed with cooking spray) with the torn bread and lay chicken thighs on top of the bread.
4. Drizzle with OLIVE OIL and mix the olive oil around (so that it gets on the thighs and bread). After mixing the olive oil, make sure the thighs are resting back on top of the bread.
5. Cook chicken (and bread underneath) at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
6. Top chicken with PANCETTA and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.
The result is delicious chicken. The bread is perfect as croutons tossed in a salad and the pancetta is great tossed in your salad as well (tear the pancetta into smaller pieces).
I used this chicken in a Caesar salad (that I also put the bread/croutons and pancetta in).
On another night, I prepared chicken the same way, but this time used chicken breast tenders and ended up cutting up the chicken and using it as a pizza topping (for delicious chicken pesto pizza) and I put the pancetta and croutons into a side garden salad to go with the pizza.
Yum. Yum. Yum. Easy. Easy. Easy.
I'm starting to think I don't have to hate chicken -- eating it or cooking it and love having control over the type of chicken our family eats.
However, I've been on a major cooking kick lately and have been cooking more and more for my family. My husband LOVES chicken. He eats it almost nightly, so I've been learning to cook chicken and have been glad to be able to feed us free range, organic chicken, rather than having him pick up take out chicken for himself on a nightly basis.
So, I'm going to dedicate a few posts to chicken - the meat I used to fear (and not like very much) that I have discovered I do like - when I cook it.
To start, I'm going to share an easy, oven-based chicken preparation inspired by the preparation used in Jamie Oliver's Proper Chicken Caesar Salad. This chicken is very good (and very easy) and there are basically just four ingredients. Instead of an ingredient list, I'm just going to put ingredients in all caps.
1. Take 4-6 CHICKEN THIGHS (I used boneless, skinless thighs) and season, lightly, with sea salt and black pepper.
2. Take SOURDOUGH, FRENCH BREAD OR CIABATTA (day old or fresh works fine) and tear into bite-sized pieces (enough to line your baking pan).
3. Line a baking pan (that has been sprayed with cooking spray) with the torn bread and lay chicken thighs on top of the bread.
4. Drizzle with OLIVE OIL and mix the olive oil around (so that it gets on the thighs and bread). After mixing the olive oil, make sure the thighs are resting back on top of the bread.
5. Cook chicken (and bread underneath) at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.
6. Top chicken with PANCETTA and cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.
The result is delicious chicken. The bread is perfect as croutons tossed in a salad and the pancetta is great tossed in your salad as well (tear the pancetta into smaller pieces).
I used this chicken in a Caesar salad (that I also put the bread/croutons and pancetta in).
On another night, I prepared chicken the same way, but this time used chicken breast tenders and ended up cutting up the chicken and using it as a pizza topping (for delicious chicken pesto pizza) and I put the pancetta and croutons into a side garden salad to go with the pizza.
Yum. Yum. Yum. Easy. Easy. Easy.
I'm starting to think I don't have to hate chicken -- eating it or cooking it and love having control over the type of chicken our family eats.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Soup Week - Soup #3 - TPP Soup (Turnips, Potatoes and Pears)
I'm a few days past the official "week" of soup week, but I had to share today's soup inspiration. TPP soup may sound a bit odd to some, and I was a little worried about trying to make a soup with these key ingredients, but I also thought it just might work -- and it did. This soup is smooth and tasty. It is definitely one of my most creative and unusual recipes/soups, but was inspired by the items in my Farmshare box. I had lots of pears and some turnips, so I decided to try it all together in a soup.
Ingredients:
1 white onion (diced)
2 russet potatoes (diced, I didn't peel them, but you could)
3 pears (diced and peeled-make sure pears are ripe and soft)
4 turnips (diced, I didn't peel them, but you could)
1-2 pats of butter (or so)
About 4 cups of chicken stock (I used homemade, but you could use store bought or use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian).
1 tsp cinnamon
2-3 tsp thyme
2 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large, heavy, thick-bottomed pot, melt the butter. then add the onions and cook until translucent about 5 minutes. Next, add the diced turnips and potatoes and stir to coat with the butter (add more butter, if necessary. I did).
2. Pour in enough chicken stock to just cover potatoes, turnips and onions. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low - adding salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turnips and potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Add pears and the rest of chicken stock and spices and stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 more minutes, until all vegetables are tender. (This is the part where the soup starts to smell amazing because of the spices).
4. Puree in food processor or blender.
5. Enjoy!!
Ingredients:
1 white onion (diced)
2 russet potatoes (diced, I didn't peel them, but you could)
3 pears (diced and peeled-make sure pears are ripe and soft)
4 turnips (diced, I didn't peel them, but you could)
1-2 pats of butter (or so)
About 4 cups of chicken stock (I used homemade, but you could use store bought or use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian).
1 tsp cinnamon
2-3 tsp thyme
2 tsp curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1. In a large, heavy, thick-bottomed pot, melt the butter. then add the onions and cook until translucent about 5 minutes. Next, add the diced turnips and potatoes and stir to coat with the butter (add more butter, if necessary. I did).
2. Pour in enough chicken stock to just cover potatoes, turnips and onions. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low - adding salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turnips and potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Add pears and the rest of chicken stock and spices and stir. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 more minutes, until all vegetables are tender. (This is the part where the soup starts to smell amazing because of the spices).
4. Puree in food processor or blender.
5. Enjoy!!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Soup Week - Soup #2 - Taco Soup
This Taco Soup is really, really easy and really perfect for leftovers. It also takes very little dishes -- I make mine in my crockpot. It can be made vegetarian or with meat. I'll give you the run down on what I dumped in my crockpot this time, and give examples for swap outs. It's great for a busy week because you can literally dump and turn the crockpot on and it will be done. Plus, the soup can be used as a great baked potato topper as well.
So, my ingredients this time were:
1 cup (about) of ground turkey (leftover from tacos a few nights before)
1 can of red beans
1/2 cup of black bean soup (or you could use 1 can of black beans)
1 cup or can of white beans (or whatever other bean you like - chili beans, garbanzo beans, etc. I had some white beans leftover from another recipe)
1-1 1/2 cups of corn (I used frozen corn that I had shaved off the cob when corn was in season and cheap. You could also use 1 can of corn, if you wanted).
1-2 cans of diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes, 1-2 cups, depending on how tomato-ey you want it).
1 packet of taco seasoning
I just dump all of these items in the crockpot and a few hours later you really do have a great soup. Just add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnishing with this soup is key - it's a great way to use up the crumbs at the bottom of a tortilla chip bag and anything you would top a taco with, is great on this soup, notably shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, diced red onions, etc.
I also topped a baked potato with the soup one night, which was also quite good.
For swap outs, I recommend any ground beef you have or leftover fajita meat or even shredded chicken. It's also a great vegetarian soup in which I just up the amount of canned beans (usually putting two of kidney and two of black because those are my favorites. My mom usually adds frozen green beans as well.) You might also need to add more taco seasoning, if you make an extra full pot of it.
Enjoy!!
So, my ingredients this time were:
1 cup (about) of ground turkey (leftover from tacos a few nights before)
1 can of red beans
1/2 cup of black bean soup (or you could use 1 can of black beans)
1 cup or can of white beans (or whatever other bean you like - chili beans, garbanzo beans, etc. I had some white beans leftover from another recipe)
1-1 1/2 cups of corn (I used frozen corn that I had shaved off the cob when corn was in season and cheap. You could also use 1 can of corn, if you wanted).
1-2 cans of diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes, 1-2 cups, depending on how tomato-ey you want it).
1 packet of taco seasoning
I just dump all of these items in the crockpot and a few hours later you really do have a great soup. Just add salt and pepper to taste.
Garnishing with this soup is key - it's a great way to use up the crumbs at the bottom of a tortilla chip bag and anything you would top a taco with, is great on this soup, notably shredded cheese, avocado, sour cream, diced red onions, etc.
I also topped a baked potato with the soup one night, which was also quite good.
For swap outs, I recommend any ground beef you have or leftover fajita meat or even shredded chicken. It's also a great vegetarian soup in which I just up the amount of canned beans (usually putting two of kidney and two of black because those are my favorites. My mom usually adds frozen green beans as well.) You might also need to add more taco seasoning, if you make an extra full pot of it.
Enjoy!!
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