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Thank you “Better Homes & Gardens” for this really tasty recipe! We all enjoyed it for supper tonight, and recommend it heartily to you!
Beet, Blue Cheese and Almond Salad
- 7 medium beets
- 1 small clove of garlic
- salt
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces creamy blue cheese (we didn’t put in this much, and we thought it was perfect with less)
- 2-4 ounces of toasted almonds sliced or slivers, you choose
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, arugula, or cilantro
Trim and peel beets. Cut six beets in bite sized pieces. Place in a steamer rack over a pot of boiling water. Cover the pot and steam for 20-25 minutes until tender.
Coarsely grate the remaining beet, place in a large bowl. For dressing, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt to a paste, add to grated beet along with the oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. When the beets are cooked, toss them with the dressing. Cool to room temperature.
Crumble blue cheese over the salad and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.
Makes 6 servings
Here’s a recipe that some kid gardeners made me — it was delicious and offered a different taste family than the usual Minnesota quick marinated cucumbers. The recipe is originally from Martha Stewart.
The longer the cucumbers have to soak up the flavors of the marinade the more delicious they will be.
Photo courtesy of Martha Stewart’s website.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 3 Israeli or Kirby cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
- 1 scallion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
Directions
- In a shallow dish whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, salt, and cayenne. Add the cucumber, scallion, and garlic. Stir to combine. Press down and spread out cucumbers in dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour but up to 2 days.
Technically I think this would be called a Frittata, not a Quiche, since there is no crust.
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:
- Heat oven to 350.
- Grease a 9×9 pan with butter or coconut oil.
- 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.
- (optional) add in chopped dehyrated/sun-dried tomatoes.
- 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.
- Crack 12 eggs into a bowl, EXCEPT! for 3-6 eggs first separate the whites into a different bowl.
- Add salt, pepper, and 1/2 can of coconut milk to the yolks & eggs, and beat with a fork or whisk until well scrambled.
- With the separated egg whites, beat or whisk until frothy and foamy. [This helps the quiche to be light and fluffy.]
- Pour the frothy egg whites into the yolky egg mixture, and gently stir together a bit.
- Pour the eggs into the 9×9 pan.
- Add the onions/meat/greens/etc.
- (optional) Add grated or cubed cheese like parmesan, cheddar, or mozzarella.
- (optional) Add any fresh herbs you are trying to use up.
- Gently stir or poke the added ingredients under the eggs, so they don’t burn while baking.
- 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!
- 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 love love LOVE this soup! It is satisfying, creamy, umami, with TONS of nutrition. It is also a great way to use up A LOT of greens. You could even make this soup when there are too many greens, freeze it in pint jars, and bring it to work for lunch throughout the year!
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!
.
Basic Green Soup
Reprinted from Eating Well by Anna Thomas. © 2011 Eating Well, Inc. Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 8 servings
To make ahead: Prepare through Step 4 (omitting the lemon), cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Season with lemon just before serving.
This kale, chard and spinach soup gets complex flavor from slowly cooked onions and lemon juice, while a sprinkle of rice gives it body and a velvety texture. Serve with a swirl of fruity, fragrant extra-virgin olive oil for richness.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish [I USE COCONUT OIL INSTEAD. IT IS A HEALTHIER COOKING OIL AND MAKES IT TASTE RICHER & MORE UMAMI. Unrefined coconut oil tastes and smells coconutty, while the refined coconut oil does not taste nor smell. Both are healthy high temperature oils and either will work well in this recipe. Save the olive oil for garnish & dipping bread in.]
- 2 large yellow onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons plus 3 cups water, divided
- 1/4 cup arborio rice (the kind used to make creamy risotto)
- GREENS. Aim for 1.75 – 2 pounds total, which is:
- one (=~1/2#) bunch of KALE. I recommend the Dino/Lacinato variety, which has more slender & darker leaves than the frilly kinds. It has the most nutrition of any kind of kale. Here is a nice article about the amazingness of Kale.
- one (=~1/2#) bunch of CHARD (stems removed) or BEET GREENS
- and ~14 cups (=~3/4#) gently packed SPINACH leaves (tough stems removed). For price and convenience, I recommend buying a bag of frozen spinach, which at my co.op comes already in the needed 12oz size, without any tough stems included.
- 4 cups vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade [I USE CHICKEN BROTH, WHICH AGAIN MAKES IT TASTE RICHER AND MORE UMAMI.]
- Big pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or more to taste
Instructions
- Heat a generous 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, add 2 tablespoons water and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 30 minutes. [They basically turn into onion jelly, and add a lovely deep flavor to the soup.]
- Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add 1/4 cup arborio rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Trim the central rib out of the chard and kale leaves.
- Coarsely chop the thicker chard and kale greens.
- Coarsely chop the spinach leaves [if using fresh] and leave in a separate pile from the other greens. [If using frozen, you can skip this step and just be ready to open the bag and empty the contents into the pot later.]
- When the rice has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the chard and kale greens. Return to a simmer; cover and cook for 5-10 minutes.
- When the onions are caramelized, stir a little water or some of the simmering liquid into them, loosening the scrapings on the bottom of the pan;
- To the pot of rice/kale/chard add the onions, 12 oz. spinach, 4 cups broth and the big pinch of cayenne.
- Return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once, until the spinach is tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes more.
- Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth (or carefully use a regular blender and do it in batches). Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Taste and add more lemon juice, if desired. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of olive oil.
- FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS SOUP!
My Grandma Vangie made this recipe for us at lunch today, and it was totally DELICIOUS! Best of all, the four garden ingredients are in your box this week — just waiting for you to make Creamy Cucumbers!
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.
CSA member Lynn sent along this recipe, saying, “I couldn’t handle the heat and didn’t want to eat hot food. This was great!”
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.
What to do with all the bok choy we’ve been blessed with lately, from CSA member Lynn:
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.
Thanks to CSA member Amy for sharing this recipe!
“Yummy acorn squash recipe from Weight Watchers. Makes the squash really taste light and creamy. Enjoy! (I used maple syrup instead of brown sugar and omitted the butter.)”
Ingredients
3 medium acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
3 spray(s) cooking spray
3/4 cup(s) fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp ginger root, fresh, minced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp orange zest
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Coat a roasting pan or baking dish with cooking spray. Place acorn squash, cut side down, on pan and spray outside of squash with cooking spray. Roast until desired doneness, about 30 to 45 minutes.
About 6 or 7 mintues before squash is finished cooking, in a medium oven-safe bowl or pan, combine orange juice, ginger, butter, sugar and zest. Place in oven and cook just until butter and sugar melt; remove from oven and stir. (Or you can heat the dressing on the stovetop over low heat.)
Serve each squash half like a bowl with dressing poured inside. Yields 1 squash half and about 3 tablespoons of dressing per serving.
Notes
You can also scoop out and mash the squash with the dressing and serve it like mashed potatoes.
You can thank your farmer (and my mom) Carol for finding this recipe!
Fennel Salsa
Ingredients
1 English (seedless) cucumber, diced
1 large fennel bulb, diced
1 avocado – peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup pickled banana peppers, diced
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Combine the cucumber, fennel, avocado, red onion, banana peppers,
cilantro, honey, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Allow mixture
to sit 20 minutes before serving.
Hey everybody, I got a kick out of seeing that Gwyneth Paltrow loves Asian Bok Choy Salad too! Their version is a little different, without the hard-to-find wasabi peas, so you may want to check it out yourself:
Reimann Family Farm 