Category Archives: Vegetable Highlight

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Warm Butternut Squash And Chickpea Salad

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Ryan B.

Ingredients

For salad:

  • 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
  • 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (I skip this)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Salt
  • One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

For tahini dressing:

  • 1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.

To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.

Do ahead: Molly says this salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge, that you should hold a little of the dressing on the side and that it can be reheated in the microwave. I, for one, have never had any leftovers.

Source

Smitten Kitchen

Black Rice And Broccoli With Almonds

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Ryan B.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup black rice
  • 1 pound broccoli, cut into small florets, stems peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  • 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions

In a heavy-bottomed medium pot, bring rice and 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss broccoli and garlic with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast, stirring once, until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove and reserve garlic; transfer broccoli to bowl with rice.

Remove garlic from skins. Place in a small bowl; mash. Whisk in mustard, vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Drizzle over salad. Add almonds, parsley, and scallions; toss. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Source 

Martha Stewart

Mango Slaw With Cashews And Mint

Posted on August 31, 2017 by Ryan B.

Ingredients 

  • 2 mangoes, peeled, pitted and julienned
  • 1 to 1 1/4 pounds Napa cabbage, halved and sliced very thinly
  • 1 red pepper, julienned
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, from about two limes
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons oil of your choice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (or omit this and whisk in a chili paste to taste)
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
  • 1/4 cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Toss mangoes, cabbage, pepper and onion in a large bowl. Whisk lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt and red pepper in a smaller bowl and pour over slaw. You can either serve this immediately or leave the flavors to muddle for an hour in the fridge. Before serving, toss with mint leaves and sprinkle with cashews.

About your mango: This salad will work with almost any variety or ripeness of mango, whether sour or sweet. Use the one you can get, or that you enjoy the most. In general, a firmish not overly ripe mango (unlike the very ripe, sweet one I used) holds up best but all will be delicious in this salad.

Source 

Smitten Kitchen

Zucchini Rice And Cheese Gratin

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Ryan B.

Ingredients 

  • Butter for dish
  • 2 1/2 pounds (about 1 1/8 kg) zucchini
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I use Diamond brand, use 1 1/2 of other brands)
  • 1/2 cup (90 grams) plain, uncooked white rice
  • 1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
  • 5 tablespoons (75 ml) olive oil, divided
  • 2 large cloves garlic, mashed or finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons (15 grams) all-purpose flour (optional)
  • 1/2 cup milk, as needed, although water or broth of your choice would work just fine [1/2 cup needed for streamlined directions, less for original]
  • 2/3 cup (55 grams) grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Oil or butter a 2-quart baking dish, or 2 smaller 1-quart dishes (as I did, with the intention of freezing one).

Prepare zucchini: Wash zucchini and trim ends. Halve lengthwise, and if seeds are particularly large, core them out. Coarsely grate and place in a large bowl.

Prepare remaining ingredients: In a large frying pan, cook the onions slowly in 3 tablespoons oil for 8 to 10 minutes until tender and translucent. Raise heat slightly and stir several minutes until very lightly browned. Stir in garlic and cook another minute. Add uncooked rice and sauté for another two minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Assemble gratin: Transfer to bowl with zucchini and stir together with 1/2 cup liquid of your choice and all but 2 tablespoons cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

Bake gratin: Cover tightly with foil and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until rice within is cooked but not mush. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Remove foil, drizzle top with remaining olive oil (or dot with butter), sprinkle on remaining cheese and bake uncovered until browned and crisp on top, about another 10 to 15 minutes. For extra color, you can run it under the broiler for one minute at the end.

Source 

Smitten Kitchen

Pesto Potato Salad With Green Beans

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Ryan B.

Ingredients 

  • 4 pounds small Yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes, quartered
  • 1 pound green beans, cut into one-inch segments
  • 1 to 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 bunches of basil (about one ounce each)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 6 tablespoons (or more to taste) mild vinegar, such as champagne, white wine or a white balsamic
  • 1/4 cup chopped green onions (scallions)
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • Parmesan cheese to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add beans; cook four minutes longer. Drain well and let cool, then transfer potatoes and beans to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, discard the stems from the basil and wash and dry the leaves. Puree them in a food processor with garlic, drizzling in enough olive oil that it gets saucy. Season the pesto with salt and pepper. [Alternately, you can swap this step with one cup of prepared pesto, but seriously, I think you’ll be missing out.]

Toss the beans and potatoes with pesto. Stir in vinegar, green onions, pine nuts and season with salt, pepper and/or additional vinegar to taste. Finally, shave some wide flecks of parmesan over the salad with a vegetable peeler.

Serve immediately, or make this up to two hours in advance. It can be stored at room temperature.

Source 

Smitten Kitchen

How To Use Mizuna

Posted on July 28, 2017 by Matt E.

Several of you have been asking how to use this uncommon green that we have been giving out at distribution. After doing a bit of research I found a variety of methods, and I included a link to a recipe of Mizuna Quinoa Salad. Enjoy!

Using Mizuna

Mizuna is an Asian green that is commonly found in baby lettuce mixes. It’s a mild tasting green that can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Here are a few easy ways of how to use it.

Salad. Wash and chop the salad into bite size pieces. Mix with lettuce or any greens for salad. Try spinach and arugula, or even by itself.

Pasta. Even Asian greens can be tossed with pasta and fresh parmesan. One option is to use Mizuna with bok choy, penne, and parmesan. Boil noodles of your choice al dente. While the noodles are cooking sauté chopped mizuna in olive oil with garlic. When the noodles are ready, drain and reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Toss the noodles, parm, and a bit of the pasta water together in a skillet over low heat. Add more pasta water if the mixture looks dry. Can be served with crushed red pepper and more cheese.

Risotto. Another Italian-inspired use for mizuna! Stir chopped and cleaned mizuna into a batch of risotto at the end of cooking, and pair with mushrooms for an earthy dish.

Stir-fry. Asian greens are of course perfect for stir-fry! Pair with any vegetables in your share, lots of garlic, ginger, and tofu if you prefer.

Soup. Goes well with miso soup, and can be tossed into any vegetable soup at the end of cooking. Mizuna would also pair well with chicken noodle or light creamy soups.

Grain Salads. Here is a link for Mizuna Quinoa Salad with Lemon Scallion Vinaigrette. Toss raw mizuna with farro, quinoa, rice, barley, or any grain for fresh salad.

Sauté. The simplest of all…Wash mizuna and then toss in a pan with garlic and olive oil.

Reference:

7 Ways to Use Mizuna, https://www.earlymorningfarm.com/7-ways-to-use-mizuna/

Smokey Eggplant Dip

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Ryan B.

Ingredients 

  • 2 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt, or to taste
  • 6 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste), well-stirred if a new container
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed
  • Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste, if desired
  • Pinch of cayenne or aleppo pepper
  • Pinch or two of ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons well-chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
  • Toasted sesame seeds or za’atar for garnish

Instructions 

Heat oven to 375°F. Brush a baking sheet or roasting pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Prick eggplants a few times with a fork or tip of a knife. Over a gas flame, grill or under a broiler, evenly char the skin of your eggplants. I like mine quite smoky and like to leave no purple visible. Transfer to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle, trim off stem and cut lengthwise. Place cut side down on prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until very, very tender when pressed. Let cool to room temperature.

In a blender or food processor: Scrape eggplant flesh from skin and into the work bowl. Add tahini, lemon, cayenne, cumin and 1 tablespoon parsley. Blend in short bursts (pulses) until combined but still coarsely chopped.

By hand: Scrape eggplant flesh from skin and onto a cutting board. Finely chop the eggplant, leaving some bits closer to pea-sized. In a bowl, whisk together tahini, garlic, lemon, cayenne, cumin and half the parsley. Add chopped eggplant and stir to combine.

Both methods: Taste and adjust ingredients if needed. I usually need more salt and lemon.

To serve: Spoon into a bowl and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter with second tablespoon of parsley, and some toasted sesame seeds or za’atar, if desired. Serve with pita wedges.

For a big delicious summer meal, you could serve this with a tomato-cucumber salad, ethereally smooth hummus and pita wedges. If you’d like to be fancy, grilled or pan-roasted lamb chops are wonderful here too.

Source

Smitten Kitchen

When Life Gives You Carrot Tops… Make Carrot Top Soup

Posted on July 10, 2017 by Ryan B.

Ingredients

  • 6 small to medium carrots with tops and roots
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons white rice
  • 2 large leeks, white parts only
  • 2 thyme or lemon thyme sprigs
  • 2 tablespoons chopped dill, parsley, or celery leaves
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, or water

Preparation

Pull or pluck the lacy leaves of the carrot greens off their stems. You should have between 2-3 cups, loosely packed. Wash, then chop finely. Grate the carrots or, if you want a more refined-looking soup, finely chop them. Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the carrot tops and carrots, rice, leeks, thyme, and dill. Cook for several minutes, turning everything a few times, then season with 1 1/2 teaspoons slat and add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer until the rice is cooked, 16-18 minutes. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and serve.

Source

Epicurus

Farm Lunch: July 7th

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Matt E.

It takes a bit of time to master the art of smoothie making, but since I make smoothies almost every day with our farm produce, I may someday get there! They’re nutritious, quick and easy to make, and they can make things like Kale and Chard a bit more enjoyable and sweet (in my opinion of course!). Since I like to make smoothies using several different combinations of greens and fruit, I wanted to offer a few of my favorites. I usually use soy milk since it seems to have the highest amount of vitamins, minerals, and protein amongst all the non-dairy milks, though cashew and almond milk work well in its place.

If you love blended strawberries, I suggest buying a few quart size packs at the supermarket (unless you have saved some already, which I highly doubt!) and freezing them. First lay as many berries as possible that will fit onto a baking tray, and freeze for 4 -5 hours.  After berries have frozen, store them in a plastic bag in the freezer. This prevents berries from clumping and sticking together since they were able to first freeze separately from each other. Strawberries frozen this way should last several months, and can be thrown into smoothies directly without thawing.

In the recipes below I say 2 – 3 cups worth of soy milk since I adjust the amount depending on how thick, or watered down I wish them to turn out. The more Kale I use for example, the more milk. Simply throw all of the below mentioned ingredients into your blender, and blend according to specified times.

Strawberry and Kale

  • 4 frozen strawberries
  • 2 cups kale
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 2 – 3 cups soy milk

Blend on medium speed for about 45 seconds, or until creamy consistency

Banana, Strawberry, Greens

  • 1/2 of one large banana
  • 3 medium-sized frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup kale or swiss chard
  • 1 – 2 tbsp honey depending on desired sweetness
  • 2 – 3 cups soy milk

Blend on medium speed for a half-minute, then high until desired consistency is reached. I like the greens to be well processed so I blend this one for about 1 full minute

Avocado, Banana, Kale

  • 1/3 of pulp from one avocado
  • 1/2 of one banana
  • 1 cup kale
  • 1 tbsp sugar, or 2 tbsp honey
  • 2.5 cups soy milk

Blend on medium speed for half a minute, or untill desired consistency reached. This one is a personal favorite!

Strawberries and Kale with Soy

Finished product. Yum

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farm Lunch: July 2nd

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Ryan B.

Crushing Colorado potato beetles all day is hard work, especially on a hot July day. After washing the blood of countless beetles and larva from my hands, I turned my attention to lunch and the heap of zucchini and summer squash residing on my kitchen counter. While debating how best to jazz up the zucchini, I quickly realized that I had the ingredients to make grilled cheese! With that in mind, I took to the Internet and found a recipe for zucchini grilled cheese. For the most part I followed the recipe, except when it came to the cheese. The recipe calls for Gruyere, fontina, and Parmesan, but I only had a block of cheddar and some leftover Parmesan, so I made do with these ingredients. Overall, I was well pleased with the results, a tasty success and a great use of zucchini and summer squash.

Post beetle lunch of zucchini grilled cheese, veggie chili topped with cilantro aioli and Greek yogurt, and a beetnik martini.