Ingredients:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• 1 medium to large onion, chopped
• 2-6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound greens, such as kale or spinach. Fresh or frozen.
• (optional) 1 pound spiced meat, such as hot italian sausage, chorizo, italian or breakfast ground pork, venison or beef. If starting with unseasoned ground meat, add in some dried herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, hot pepper flakes or cayenne powder, fennel seed, black pepper, etc.
• (optional) approx. 1 cup sweet peppers, chopped. Fresh or frozen.
• (optional) dried tomatoes, broken into quarter-sized pieces
• (optional) 1/2 – 2 cups grated or cubed cheese, such as parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella.
• (optional) fresh herbs you need to use up, like basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, etc.
• salt and pepper

As of this writing, I have made this four times and had consistently great results with this method:

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Grease a 9×9 pan with butter or coconut oil.
3. Using butter or coconut oil, saute onions, garlic, (optional) sweet peppers and (optional) sausage or ground meat until onions are soft and meat is browned.
4. (optional) add in chopped dehyrated/sun-dried tomatoes.
5. Add about 1 pound of coarsely chopped greens like kale or spinach.  If using frozen, either thaw and squeeze off extra water, or in a pinch just cook off the extra moisture in the pan.  Only cook until bright green (or until enough moisture is gone) since they will be getting more cooking in the oven too.
6. Crack 12 eggs into a bowl, EXCEPT! for 3-6 eggs first separate the whites into a different bowl.
7. Add salt, pepper, and 1/2 can of coconut milk to the yolks & eggs, and beat with a fork or whisk until well scrambled.
8. With the separated egg whites, beat or whisk until frothy and foamy. [This helps the quiche to be light and fluffy.]
9. Pour the frothy egg whites into the yolky egg mixture, and gently stir together a bit.
10. Pour the eggs into the 9×9 pan.
11. Add the onions/meat/greens/etc.
12. (optional) Add grated or cubed cheese like parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella.
13. (optional) Add any fresh herbs you are trying to use up.
14. Gently stir or poke the added ingredients under the eggs, so they don’t burn while baking.
15. Bake at 350 until knife inserted in center comes out clean. This takes 30-60 minutes??  Usually the quiche will be beautifully puffed up in the oven, but will collapse as it cools.  This is normal, don’t worry.  Also, if it is not quite done in the middle but the top is getting so browned you have to take it out, that’s OK. It will firm up a bit more as it sits in the pan on the counter to cool.  Or, in a pinch, when you get to that piece in the middle that still has runny egg, just microwave to re-heat and finish off the cooking at the same time!
16. Eat hot right away, or cold throughout the week as a quick grab-and-go healthy meal!  This is a super satisfying meal in that it is nutritious, does not spike your blood sugar, and keeps you full for a long time. It is what I refer to as “long-burning fuel.”

I originally heard about it on the Splendid Table.  I have copied it below, and made note of my changes…  Also, I usually only follow a recipe the first time, and then customize from there.  However, what is written down below is SO GOOD that I have made multiple batches following the exact same steps.  While I was visiting a friend I made it with olive oil instead of coconut oil and basmati rice instead of arborio rice.  It was good, but it didn’t have the same creamy and super satisfying mouth-feel as it does when I make it at home.  So, for best results, spring for the specialized ingredients listed below!

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Basic Green Soup

Creamy Cucumbers
from the St. Pat’s church cookbook

2 cukes or 1 long seedless cuke
1 med onion
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
½ cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Thinly slice cucumbers and onion.  Mix into vinegar, salt and sugar.  Let stand for 30 minutes, then drain off the liquid.  Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, dill and parsley.  Pour onto cucumbers and mix.  Makes about 2 ½ cups.

Thanks for sharing, Lynn!
Others (CSA members or not), please feel free to share your favorite vegetable-based recipes too!  You can just put them in a comment and I will paste them into their own post.  And, if you can, send along a picture too, since people love to SEE what it’s going to be like.

Asian Green Bean Salad 

 2 pounds green beans, ends trimmed

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce, more as desired

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon honey (I used Mirin about 2 tblsp)

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and drained

1 1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts, rinsed (I didn’t have so I didn’t use)

In a 6-quart pan over high heat, bring 3 quarts water to a boil.

Add beans and cook until tender-crisp to bite, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, immerse in ice water until cool, and drain again.

In a serving bowl, mix vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce to taste, ginger, sesame seeds, garlic, and honey.

Add green beans, onion, and bean sprouts and stir gently to coat.

Serve at room temperature, or chill airtight up to 3 hours, and serve cold.

May & June 2011, planting, mulching, and playing

 Unwrapped Spring Roll Salad 

1 pack thin rice noodles – cook and save some of the water.
2 small bunches of Bok Choy thinly sliced including the greens.
1 bunch green onions thinly sliced including some of the green.
1 cup diced cucumber.
1 grated carrot.
handful of chopped mint
handful of chopped cilantro

Toss together. 

Make a dressing using:

½ cup of the reserved water
½ cup chunky peanut butter
¼ cup Hoisin sauce (or less depending on your taste)
And for a little kick a dash of garlic chili sauce

If serving later, wait to add the dressing.   I had some shrimp left over from the night before so I tossed these in with the salad.  You could add just about any vegetable.

Sadly, it is not quite time for cucumbers yet, but we are enjoying an abundance of early June veggies.  In your box this week:

1. Rhubarb
2. Green Onions (the perennial kind.  we’ll switch to the smaller annual ones soon)
3. Bok Choy (maybe for one more week?)
4. Mint
5. Garlic Chives
6. Chamomile
7. ARUGULA  (like a spicy lettuce.  Eat it raw or cook like spinach.  Loose leaves of various sizes in a bag.)
8. Red Russian Kale — purplish stem, wrinkly edged leaves, mostly green with some purple.  Rubber-banded together at the stem.
9. Dill leaves
10. Radishes.  Little known fact:  you can eat the radish leaves too, but because they are prickly most people would cook them first.  You could saute them or flash steam by dunking in boiling water, or you could chop them up into eggs or hotdish.  (No pressure of course if you don’t want to eat them, most people do just compost them.  But most people also do not know that the leaves are great sources of vitamin C and calcium!)

In your box this week:

1. Rhubarb
2. Bok Choy
3. Green Onions
4. Garlic Chives
5. Oregano
6. Lemon Thyme
7. Mint

• Our box is $500 this year.
• We are only having on-farm pick-up (in St. Francis, MN).
• Veggies will be ready for pick-up on Tuesdays, anytime between 4 – 7 pm.
• Our season runs approximately June 7th to October 4th.

Click on the tabs above for the 2011 details.  “2011 General Info” has an intro to the CSA model and a table of what crops you might see in your box when.  “2011 Registration & Logistics” has the registration form to download and other 2011 specific details.

Happy Spring Equinox!