Curried Zucchini Soup from Everyday Food, Great Food Fast

The soup was simple to make and tasty plus I got to use the immersion blender. I am trying to use all the gadgets stuffed in the back of the cupboard to justify the accumulation of more kitchen gadgets to stuff in the back of the cupboard.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• coarse salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons curry powder (More or less depending on the strength of you powder and how spicy you like your soup)
• 1 1/2 pounds zucchini (about 3 medium), sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 baking potato peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds toasted for garnish

1) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1 tablespoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and curry powder; cook, stir constantly, until fragrant about 1 minute.

2) Add the zucchini, potato, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

3) In batches, puree the soup in a blender (do not fill more than halfway) until smooth or use the immersion blender right in the pot. Serve and garnish with almonds.

Something to do with all those orange peels.

My composter is on strike because of all of the citrus peels and so we came up with this:

It is basically a chocolate cup cake recipe that I added a tablespoon of orange oil and a couple of tablespoons of orange juice to. If you don’t want to make it from scratch you could use the box mix and use orange juice instead of water. The frosting is cream cheese that I also spiked with orange oil and orange juice.

The combination of orange and chocolate especially at the bottom of the cup cake was great!

I just baked them in regular cupcake tins. We were going to add candied orange peels to the top but they were all gone before we got around to it. Enjoy!

Apple Chips our new favorite snack!

Sometimes the apples get a little too mushy before we get a chance to eat them or maybe we just need a change, but this snack is a big hit at our house.

You will need one or two apples, a mandolin slicer (makes nice thin slices, I got mine at Target for about $10 but you can spend up to a hundred for an adjustable one.) an oven set to 250 degrees,  two cookie sheets and either parchment paper or sil-pads.

Step 1.) Slice the apple using the mandolin.  I usually slice one side and the other finally making small slices on either side leaving only the core.

Step 2.) Arrange the slices on the sil-pad or parchment paper in a single layer.

Step 3.) Put it in the oven at 250 degrees for at least an hour. You are basically dehydrating them and want a light golden color. When you take them out of the oven give them a moment to cool and then enjoy.

If you want to make it even fancier you can sprinkle cinnamon sugar on them before the go in the oven. Enjoy!

Farmer Steve – June

I have not kept this blog very active lately, and I apologize!  I’ve recently become obsessed with making soy candles and have spent a lot of time in the kitchen with melted wax and essential oils!  Perhaps I should start a blog about that, but it may be another thing that I clearly don’t have time to keep up with!

However, back to the fruits and veggies!!!  Farmer Steve delivered a beautiful selection of fruits today!  Here is a photo:

Farmer Steve Fruit Box - June 2010

In addition to the wonderful citrus and avocados he normally brings, we are starting to get summer fruits!  This box on the left is a regular-sized box and contains Valencia oranges (sweetest juicing orange), tangelos (end of the season), lemons (I think they are Lisbon’s), limes, oro blanco grapefruit, passion fruit, Haas avocados, a smooth-skinned avocado, and a bag of early season nectarines and plums.  Yum!

The jumbo box contained the same, but also had a melon (cantaloupe type), 2 clamshells of blueberries, and more stone fruits, avocados, and citrus.  The jumbo boxes always have the best of the best!

I often make an easy vinaigrette using a few ingredients from my citrus box.  This weekend, I mixed together olive oil, white balsamic, juice from one lemon, juice from one orange, chopped Maui sweet onion (from my Tanaka box) and some chopped fresh herbs from my garden (savory, thyme, and sage).  Yum!  You can use this dressing for any regular salad.  I also used it for a simple salad of red leaf lettuce, roasted beet, feta cheese, and walnuts.  The lettuce and beets were also from my Tanaka box.

It is fun to work with different farmers and eat such fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis!  Here is an inspiring photo of all of the yummy fruits that came today in the jumbo box!  The nectarine and plum still have early-season flavor, but they are getting there.  Can’t wait to try the melon!

Cauliflower recipes

We have been getting a lot of cauliflower and romanesco in our boxes lately from Tanaka Farms.

If you can’t think of anything more to do with it, a good friend of mine posted some great cauliflower recipes on her blog, so check them out here!!!

Easy Cabbage Salad

Here is an easy way to chow through a bunch of cabbage in one meal!  I worked at the Coffeehouse at UC Davis many moons ago, and still have some favorite recipes that come from my days there.  Although the original recipe focuses on cabbage, you can add other veggies/chicken/tofu/noodles and change it up. The simple dressing makes is super tasty.

Dressing:

• 2 T Sesame oil
• 1 T + 1 t Soy sauce
• 3 T  Rice vinegar
• 3/4 T Cane sugar
• Salt & pepper to taste

Salad:

• 4 T Peanuts, chopped
• 2 T Sesame seeds
• 6 cups Green or Napa cabbage, shredded
• 2 Carrots, shredded

Optional:

• Spinach, bean sprouts, snap peas, snow peas, cilantro, or any other veggies you want to throw in.
• Leftover Chicken or tofu, chopped
• Rice noodles, soba noodles, cooked rice of your choice.

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1. Whisk together sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cane sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

2. Roast chopped peanuts and sesame seeds over low heat in a small frying pan, stirring constantly until golden brown.  Remove from heat and set aside.

3.  In a large bowl, toss the veggies, nuts, noodles, chicken/tofu, and dressing.

4.  Serve immediately!  It also keeps nicely for a few days!

There are CSA programs for more than just vegetables!

We tend to think that Community Supported Agriculture is all about vegetables, but did you know you can buy many other farm good directly from Farms?  I buy directly from 4 farms now, a veggie farm, a citrus/avocado farm, a grass-fed beef ranch, and a poultry ranch.  The poultry CSA program is the most recent one that I added to my list (herbivores beware!)  We receive monthly deliveries of chickens from Rainbow Ranch.  Have you ever tried a truly pasture-raised bird?  They are quite delightful.  My 2 favorite ways to cook chicken are on the grill.  The first method is roasting the chicken upright on one of those funny beer can holders, holding 1/2 can of beer.  My husband usually dry brines the chicken the night before and puts some garlic cloves under the skin.

For the second recipe, you need a cut-up chicken.  Since we get our CSA chickens whole (budhist style), we had to do a bit of carving first.  Then the marinade, Portuguese-style Piri-Piri, adopted from Sunset Magazine.  This is enough marinade for 2 small chickens (not those crazy pumped up ones).

Ingredients

• 1  cup  lemon juice
• 1/2  cup  olive oil
• 1/4  cup  minced garlic
• 2  T chili flakes
• 2  t dried oregano
• 1  t dried thyme
• 1  t ground cumin
• 1  t sea salt
• 1 beer

Mix all of the ingredients, minus the beer, in a bowl.  Pour over the chicken, add the beer.  Let it soak in the goodness for at least 4 hours, or up to one day.

The beer isn’t in the original recipe, but I find that it disperses the oil a bit more so that you have less flare-ups on the grill.  Plus, it just tastes good!  You can play with the herbs and spices, too.  If you have something fresh in your garden, use that.

Grill over medium heat for 35-40 minutes, turning once.  Brush on the marinade a few times while grilling if desired.  Cut into a couple of pieces to check for doneness (juices should be clear).

Serve up with some yummy, fresh bread, a nice salad.  I even cooked up the chard recipe listed on this blog as a side and served it to some out-of-town guests.  Delish!  Enjoy!

[Photo to come soon]

Beet Salad with Parmesan Dressing

I am always looking for new tricks to get my kids to eat  vegetables. Apparently telling my four year old that her pee would turn pink was all it took to convince her to eat beets. Victory! Here is one of my favorite recipes adapted from a Martha Stewart magazine article. Click on the link to see the original recipe. I cut the dressing in half because I felt the original recipe made too much.

• 1 Shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1.5 tablespoons Red-Wine Vinegar
• 4 medium Red Beets, scrubbed and trimmed
• several stems of fresh Thyme
• 2 ounces or 1 cup of Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup of Heavy Cream
• 2 cups Watercress or Mesclun
• 1/4 cup Pistachios, chopped

1. Preheat your oven to 375. Combine shallot, 1 tablespoon oil, and the vinegar in a bowl and set aside. Line a piece of foil with parchment paper. Place the beets and all but two stems of thyme in the center of the parchment paper. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil and season with salt and pepper. Close the foil packet, crimping the edges. Place the packet on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast beets until tender, about an hour. Let beets cool slightly, then peel and slice.

2. Place Parmesan, cream and remaining 2 stems of thyme in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Gently simmer, stirring often, until cheese melts and dressing thickens. It takes about five minutes. Discard the thyme. Place beets on top of the greens. Drizzle with warm dressing, top with shallot mixture and pistachios.

Swiss Chard With Currants and Pine Nuts

I did not think I would ever like cooked Chard but another mom gave me this recipe and success it was eaten! The original recipe came from Martha Rose Shulman at the New York Times.

• 3 tablespoons currants, raisins, or golden raisins
• 2 pounds Swiss chard, stemmed and washed in several changes of water, stems diced and set aside
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), minced
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Place the raisins or currants in a bowl and pour on hot water to cover. Soak 10 minutes and drain.

2. Fill a bowl with ice water. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the chard. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until just tender. Transfer to the bowl of ice water and let sit for a few minutes. Drain and squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop coarsely.

3. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the chard stems and cook 3 to 5 minutes, until tender. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, until they begin to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, about 1 minute or just until the garlic begins to smell fragrant. Add the chopped greens and raisins or currants and toss together until they are well coated with oil and heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

Yield: Serves 4

Advance preparation: You can make this several hours before serving. Reheat gently on top of the stove if you want to serve it hot. The blanched greens will keep in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days.

Beautiful Bok Choy

Bok Choy is something that I had probably only eaten in an Asian restaurant until is started appearing in my CSA box recently.  Here is my favorite recipe, modified from ‘Perfect Vegetables’ by Cook’s Illustrated.  The husband and small child enjoyed it thoroughly, accompanied by teriyaki chicken rice bowls.

Sesame-glazed Bok Choy

2 T Soy sauce

1 T Rice vinegar

2 t toasted sesame oil

1 t sugar

3 T Peanut oil

1 Large bok choy OR 4 baby bok choys, sliced length-wise into 1-2 inch chunks

3 Medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 T Fresh ginger, minced

2 medium scallions, sliced thin

1 T Sesame seeds, toasted

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1.  Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet or toaster oven over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned.

2.  Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

3.  Heat 2 T of the peanut oil in a large skillet over high heat until almost smoking.  Place the bok choy, cut-side down, in the skillet in a single layer and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a platter.

4.  Add garlic, ginger, and scallions to the empty pan and drizzle with 1 T of peanut oil.  Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 20 seconds.  Add the soy sauce mixture and simmer for about 20 seconds.

5.  Return the bok choy to the pan and turn until glazed, cooking about 1 minute.

6.  Remove the bok choy from the pan onto a platter.  Drizzle boy choy with remaining glaze and sprinkle the sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.