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This is my newsletter for this week. I am including a recipe I shared last week because it is so flippin' good!
Just
when you thought you knew our friend kale, it pops up in a fabulous recipe for
vegetarian chili. I am not kidding when I say that this chili was the most
popular dish I have made in at least a year. Everyone loved it! This chili
joined the elite “3 meals club”. This club consists of meals so good they are
eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner until not a morsel is left. I finished
yesterday. I cried.
Crazy Sexy Bean Chili
Based
on the recipe from Crazy
Sexy Kitchen
by Kris Carr with Chad Sarno
Serves 8
1 1/2 T cumin seeds
2 T olive oil
1 white onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeño chili, finely diced
2 T chili powder
2 cups finely diced mushrooms ,ground seitan or crumbled tempeh
1 zucchini, diced – I skipped this as it isn’t in season.
1/2 cup diced potato
2 15-oz. cans of black beans, rinsed
2 15-oz. cans of kidney beans, rinsed
1 14-oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 T maple syrup
1 t sea salt
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish (optional)
2 cups kale, chopped
Diced avocado, for garnish, optional
Toast cumin seeds in dry soup pot over medium heat for 2 minutes or until aromatic.
Add oil, onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Stir until onion is golden and translucent. Add chili powder, mushrooms, zucchini (is using), and potato. Stir well. Sauté́ ingredients 3 to 4 minutes stirring constantly. Add beans, tomatoes, 2 cups water, maple syrup, sea salt, and cilantro. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
Remove from heat; stir in kale. Garnish with diced avocado and sprigs of fresh cilantro, if using.
I bet you 2 dollars you will love this chili.
Please donate my winnings to your favorite charity.
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Mint
In our front yard the
mint goes wild and crazy into the grass. It’s neat because when we mow the yard
it smells heavenly. In the back yard the oregano grows like mad and mowing back
there always makes me crave Italian food.
:-)
Things You Didn’t
Know About Mint… But Should
by Cookie Curci
by Cookie Curci
Just hearing the words "fresh mint" on a warm summer day and my mind conjures up the southern symbol of hospitality, a lengthy sprig of green mint submerged in frosty tumblers or icy silver cups of mint juleps.
Later, when the cold weather rolls around and the holiday season appears, with its warn and traditional dinners, mint changes its look and adapts itself to the coming season. Mint will then be used dried or frozen to flavor and garnish pork roasts, vegetables, jelly sauces, and creamy desserts. Mint has its last harvest in the fall, so this is the time to pick the leaves for drying or freezing for the winter.
Whichever way one eats it, drinks it, or prepares it, mint is an herb with many beneficial uses for good health. In fact, the reason most of our ancestors grew this pungent herb was for its many health benefits. Even today, naturalists still employ peppermint to treat gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome and the common cold.
The herb, mint, belongs to a large family with over 30 species, the most common being peppermint and spearmint.
There are oodles of
mint uses and recipes on line. Try this site for just some of those oodles:
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Sunchokes
It makes me happy when
my computer spell check doesn’t recognize a vegetable. That always tells me we are
in for an eating adventure!
We have had sunchokes
before but here an update on storage:
Handle
sunchokes with care as they will bruise easily. Raw sunchokes should be stored
in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area away from light. They may also be stored
in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, wrapped in paper towels to absorb
humidity and sealed in a plastic bag. Depending on how long they have been
sitting at the market, raw sunchokes can be stored from 1 to 3 weeks. Cooked
sunchokes should be refrigerated and consumed within 2 days.
Herb-Roasted Squash and
Jerusalem Artichokes
Recipe from Vegetarian Times
Serves 4
When roasted, sunchokes
turn soft and starchy and have an earthy taste that pairs well with sweet
butternut squash. In this recipe, Jerusalem artichokes are cooked with the skin
on for extra flavor and texture.
Ingredients
1 lb. butternut
squash, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces (2 cups)
1 lb. small Jerusalem
artichokes, unpeeled and scrubbed
1 medium red onion,
trimmed and cut into wedges
1 ½ Tbs. garlic oil
1 T minced fresh
rosemary
1 T minced fresh
thyme
Preparation
Preparation
Preheat oven to
425ºF. Toss together all ingredients in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper
if desired, and spread on baking sheet. Roast 1 hour, or until vegetables are
soft and golden, turning several times with spatula.
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Kale
What more can I say
about our favorite green winter staple?
I just bought a great
book called, “At the Farmer’s Market with Kids” by Leslie Jonath and Ethel
Brennan. They have really fun recipes that kids can help with. They even list
which recipe steps can be happily done by the kids. We have already covered the
kale chips phenomenon of which this book has a recipe. I am going to give you
their recipe for a smoothie that sneaks in our delicious kale.
Green Smoothie
I will note what the kids
can help with.
1 C trimmed kale
leaves (or spinach) – Kids can rinse and dry leaves and remove stems (kids LOVE
a good salad spinner!)
½ C freshly squeezed
orange juice- Kids can squeeze the oranges
¾ C low fat vanilla
yogurt- Kids can measure the yogurt
½ apple, peeled,
cored and chopped- Kids can chop the apples with adults help
1-2 T honey or maple
syrup- Kids can measure either of these ingredients and the cinnamon
1/8 t cinnamon
Blend and enjoy!
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Collards OR Chard
I love a good choice
and what could be a better one! Whether you choose the chard or the collards
they should be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and not washed until
ready to use.
Freezing collards,
kale, chard and spinach is a great way to save some of that green goodness for
later.
Minday at http://www.theworldinmykitchen.com
shares her tips for freezing.
The trick is to blanch them
first. What is blanching you ask? We'll get to that in a minute, but
first you need to prepare your greens. Wash them in cold water. At
this point, I usually chop my greens roughly since most of my recipes call for
sliced or chopped greens. You don't have to do this, but I find it makes
it easier for me later on.
Once you've prepared the greens, it's on to blanching. Blanching means that you cook the greens in boiling water just for a couple of minutes to stop the bacteria and enzymes from breaking down your veggies in the freezer. (You can find the specific blanching times here.) Start the timer as soon as you place the greens in the water and cover the pot. You can use the blanching water up to five times before having to replace it with clean water.
When the timer goes off, you will need to shock the greens in ice-cold water to stop the cooking. I use my big pasta pot with the strainer. Then all I have to do is pull the strainer out and move the greens to the ice bath in a large bowl. You keep the greens in the ice bath for the same amount of time that you cooked them for.
Once you've prepared the greens, it's on to blanching. Blanching means that you cook the greens in boiling water just for a couple of minutes to stop the bacteria and enzymes from breaking down your veggies in the freezer. (You can find the specific blanching times here.) Start the timer as soon as you place the greens in the water and cover the pot. You can use the blanching water up to five times before having to replace it with clean water.
When the timer goes off, you will need to shock the greens in ice-cold water to stop the cooking. I use my big pasta pot with the strainer. Then all I have to do is pull the strainer out and move the greens to the ice bath in a large bowl. You keep the greens in the ice bath for the same amount of time that you cooked them for.
Once they've cooled, take them out, squeeze as much water out as you can and
let it drain a little. I like to make one-cup-sized balls (so I know how
much each packet is in the freezer) and set them on a clean kitchen towel to
drain a little more. Once they're drained to your satisfaction, put them
in freezer bags, remove all of the air and then layer them in the
freezer. Make sure you label them with the contents and the date.
You can store them for about 9 months in a regular freezer or up to a year in a
deep freeze.
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Braising Mix
Greens are my thing.
To prove it, for breakfast the other day I had a heaping (and I am HEAPING)
bowl of sautéed greens. I use the beautiful mixuna, arugula and kale from last
week’s share and I threw in the broccoli for good measure.
De-licious.
Now we don’t expect
everyone to go quite so overboard but the braising mix in your share today will
be a great addition to any meal. I have given you the usual uses in soups, stews
or sautéed but how about served over pasta? This is a super quick recipe easy
enough for a busy weeknight dinner. I haven’t tried this recipe but I think I’ll
try it tonight. I’m going to use whole wheat linguini in mine. The fact that it
also uses this week’s garlic is a
bonus!
Braising
Mix with Pasta
A recipe from http://www.stonofarmmarket.com
Ingredients
5 cloves garlic,
chopped
Olive oil
braising mix
red wine vinegar
cooked pasta
Pine Nuts (optional)
Honey(optional)
Dijon Mustard(optional)
Walnuts or Peacans(optional)
Olive oil
braising mix
red wine vinegar
cooked pasta
Pine Nuts (optional)
Honey(optional)
Dijon Mustard(optional)
Walnuts or Peacans(optional)
Preparation
Sauté five cloves of garlic in olive oil until they soften; turn the heat to high and toss in the braising mix until it wilts. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar and stir until it disappears. Serve over pasta.
Sauté five cloves of garlic in olive oil until they soften; turn the heat to high and toss in the braising mix until it wilts. Sprinkle with red wine vinegar and stir until it disappears. Serve over pasta.
Sauce: (optional)
2 tsp. honey (from
the farm of course!)
1 T Dijon mustard
A bit of chopped
walnuts or pecans.
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Garlic
Our
old friend garlic. Our garlic is so much better than anything you can get at
any store! You already know that. Prove it once again by using some of this
week’s garlic share in the above recipe.
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Beets
Beets! The candy of
the farm! Did you know that beets are supposed to be good for your skin?
http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-cook-beets-beet-recipes
says to blend one beet root with 1/2 cup of cabbage, set some juice aside. Mix
1 tbsp of mayo or olive oil with beets and cabbage, add apply to your face. If
you have wheat germ or hemp oil, use it instead of olive oil. Mix beet juice
with water and freeze the ice cubes and use them to cleanse and tone your skin
every morning and before the bedtime. Hmmmm. If you see someone wandering
around the farm with an artificial looking sunburn we’ll assume I tested this
for you.
When I see beets I am
even more interested in the greens and look for nice healthy ones. Here at the
farm, since your food is harvested that day, you always get nice greens. I love
them. I even made chips out of them and they were delicious. Throw them in with
this week’s braising mix but do it toward the end if you have smaller delicate
leaves. They are great in salad as well.
When people think of
beet recipes, they generally think of roasted beets or borscht. Let’s get out
of that box and try something completely different.
One of my two
favorite food blogs is http://www.thebittenword.com
. The premise is that 2 guys, Zach
and Clay, cook recipes from monthly food magazines and they do an amazing job of it. This recipe is from their recipe index.
Beet and Tangerine Salad with
Cranberry Dressing
Bon Appétit (December 2010)
6 servings
PREP TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes
PREP TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes
Ingredients
3 2 1/2-inch-diameter
red beets, tops trimmed
3 large tangerines
(such as Murcott)
3 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons frozen
cranberry juice cocktail concentrate, thawed
1 tablespoon
raspberry vinegar or red wine vinegar
1/3 cup paper-thin
slices red onion
1 large bunch
watercress, thick stems trimmed
Preparation
Place beets in deep
large microwave-safe bowl. Add enough water to reach depth of 1 inch. Cover
with plastic wrap and microwave on high until beets are tender, about 15
minutes.
Meanwhile, finely
grate enough peel from tangerines to measure 2 teaspoons. Cut top and bottom
off each tangerine. Cut off all peel and white pith, following contour of
fruit. Cut each tangerine horizontally into 1/3-inch-thick rounds, removing any
seeds. Whisk oil, cranberry juice concentrate, vinegar, and reserved tangerine
peel in small bowl to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Mix
in onion.
Hold 1 beet under
cold running water and rub off skin. Repeat with remaining 2 beets. Cut beets
horizontally into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle beets with salt and
pepper.
Arrange watercress
sprigs on large platter to cover. Arrange beet rounds and tangerine rounds atop
watercress. Using fork, lift onion slices from dressing and arrange over salad.
Drizzle with dressing.
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Green Cabbage
Cabbage is very low
in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Thiamin,
Calcium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber,
Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Potassium and
Manganese.
Store the
whole head of cabbage in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week,
two weeks if it is fresh from the garden. But remember, the older it gets, the
stronger the flavor and odor will be. Cabbage will lose freshness rapidly once
the head is chopped, so plan on using it within a day. If you only need half a
head, place the remaining half in a plastic bag and shake a few drops of water
onto the cut side. Close the bag and refrigerate. The cut half should last
another few days if it was fairly fresh when you cut it.
This is a recipe I
crave. I will eat the leftovers cold from the fridge. I can’t wait to make it
tonight. For my dessert. :-) This recipe is in a collection from a blog I
adore. http://orangette.blogspot.com/
Molly Wizenberg is my idol. Her blog is fabulous!
Braised
Green Cabbage with Onions, Carrots, and a Poached Egg
Adapted from All About Braising, by Molly Stevens
Adapted from All About Braising, by Molly Stevens
I’ve long been a fan of braising and braised green cabbage may be my new regular. It couldn’t be simpler—provided, of course, that you have two hours to spare—and its soft, subdued flavor makes it an easy pairing for many foods, from corned beef to sausage, roasted chicken, or, as I’ve shown here, a plain old poached egg. And perhaps best of all, it keeps beautifully in the fridge and, as with many braises, actually improves with rest. I like to cook it during the weekend and eat it over the busy days that follow, warmed in the microwave or a low oven.
1 medium head green cabbage, about 2 pounds
1 large yellow onion, sliced into rough 1/3-inch slices
1 large carrot, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
¼ cup good-quality chicken stock, or water
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 egg, poached according to the directions here
Maldon salt, or fleur de sel, to taste
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and position a rack in the middle of the oven.
Peel off and discard from the cabbage any bruised or messy outer leaves. Give the cabbage a quick rinse under cool water, and dry it lightly. Cut it into 8 wedges and trim away some of the woody core, leaving enough to hold each wedge intact. Arrange the wedges in a 9 x 13 baking dish. They may overlap a little, but you want them to lie in a single—if crowded—layer. If they don’t fit nicely into the dish, remove one wedge and set it aside for later use in a quick sauté, salad, or soup.
Scatter the onion and carrot over the cabbage, and pour the stock and oil over the whole mess. Season with a couple pinches of coarse salt, a couple grinds of the pepper mill, and the red pepper flakes. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and slide it into the oven. Cook the vegetables for 1 hour; then remove the dish from the oven and gently turn the cabbage wedges. If the dish seems at all dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Cover the dish, and return it to the oven to cook until the vegetables are very tender, about an hour more.
When the cabbage is completely tender, remove the foil over the baking dish, turn the oven up to 400 degrees, and continue cooking until the vegetables begin to brown lightly on their edges, another 15 or so minutes.
Serve warm, topped with a poached egg and sprinkled with plenty of good, flaky Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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