Sauteed Young Turnips with Fennel, Sweet Onion and Thyme

Sorry this is a "google image" picture, I dropped my camera at my Aunt's house last week and the lens is completely broken and well the whole thing is %#*$^ed. But picture or no this was a fun experiment. I took a TON of extra young turnips from the "swap" box where we pick up our vegetables. I guess no one likes them? I think they are good but I hadn't really ever made just turnips, they have always just been added to things. I also had never cooked fennel, I've eaten it but I wasn't sure what to pair it with and we only had a small bulb. So in my mind these two vegetables would be forced to become friends and if it all tasted terrible no one would be the wiser. I washed and sliced up the turnips in half moons (about 16 of them). I sliced a small sweet onion similarly and washed and chopped the fennel (the bulb only and I removed the wonky outside leaves). I sauteed everything together with 5 or 6 thyme stalks, olive oil and a little butter. I let them cook for a good while on medium heat, maybe 20 minutes. I also made another butterflied pork tenderloin (see my sage recipe from week one or two). It all married really nicely. Don't forget to remove the twiggy little thyme stalks before you eat.

Week Six's Vegetables

Radishes
Young Turnips
Cucumbers
Zucchini
Collards
Mizuna (baby greens)
Leaf Lettuce
Thyme
Sweet Onions
Green Peppers
Carrots
Broccoli
Fennel
Eggplant (Italian and Asian)

Week Five's Vegetables

Dorothy Food

I was pretty lax this week with cooking (it's flipping hot and we don't have air conditioning in our kitchen) but I did manage to enjoy some of the raw veggies. What I did cook was for Dorothy. She is very fond of pasta with vegetables to that's what she had several times. We shredded summer squash and sauteed it with some basil and chopped it all up (ala. food processor). I also made her these very labor intensive baby meatballs to go with it. And when i say baby meatballs, they were not only tiny but made just for babies. I used some chicken breast that I ground up, then I added baby Oatmeal, two egg yolks, some fresh thyme and basil, and shredded Pecorino cheese. I fried them in a little Olive oil and wow, they were so delicious. They tasted like a rich little appetizer on a silver tray at a swanky wedding. But Dorothy thinks they taste like crap so I have to break them up and sneak them into her precious pasta without eating 6 of them myself.

Week Four's Vegetables

Cucumbers
Broccoli
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Baby Greens
Kale
Scallions
Onion
Radishes
Young Turnips
Basil
Parsley
Lettuce

Cabbage and Chicken with Peanut Sauce

THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE BEST THING I HAVE CREATED FROM OUR ORGANIC VEGETABLES SO FAR. I was eating it for breakfast the next day and hiding it in the back of the fridge so Tim wouldn't find it. Here's what I did. I took half of a small green cabbage washed it and sliced it in long thin pieces. I also chopped up three scallions (green and white). I started by cooking the chicken, boneless/skinless breasts diced about 1inch pieces. I cooked them over medium heat with some oil until they were browned. Then I sprinkled some ground ginger (about 1 tsp), ground garlic (1/2 tsp), white pepper (you can use black), red chili flakes and soy sauce (2 tbsp). I added the cabbage and scallions and sauteed everything until the cabbage was tender and the chicken cooked through (about 5 more minutes). I made a little circle of space in the center of the pan, I added 1 big tbsp of peanut butter, a little more soy sauce and some Siracha (hot sauce, use this to your heat level, I probably used about 1 tsp). When this sauce was all warmed up I combined everything. I didn't' eat it with any rice but you could. I also used three chicken breasts and you could just use one or two. I found myself scraping for the cabbage so I would double it next time or use less chicken. So good though, seriously they had better send some more cabbage so I can make this again!

Everything Slaw

I tried to use up as many vegetables as possible in this so I wouldn't feel guilty or have to throw away anything. I'm so damn cheap that come Friday night before our new veggie box arrives I freak out that I haven't used up everything and I make some crazy stuff. For this slaw I just diced up a ton of raw things: cucumbers (seeds removed), radishes, young turnips, kolrahbi (shredded) and carrot (also shredded and from the grocery store. Give me a break, Dorothy likes carrots!) I tossed it all with a little cider vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt and olive oil. Then I added some fresh basil (just torn up) and a little sweet chili sauce.

Vegetable Curry

Oh man the Chard in this was the best part. Tim and I were both sifting through all the other veggies to get to it. To make this curry I used a canned curry base KYOTI I believe is the name and Masala is the flavor. I chopped up a large amount of Kale, a little Chard, some greens from out beets and a summer squash (some of the squash went to Dorothy). I sauteed everything in a little olive oil (squash first) and then added the sauce. I served it with brown Basmati Rice and a little plain yogurt drizzled over.

Week Three's Vegetables

Broccoli
Cabbage
Baby Kale
Leaf Lettuce
Iceberg Lettuce
Zucchini
Summer Squash
Cucumbers
Popcorn
Anise
Chard
Scallions
Turnips
Beets (one Golden!)
Radishes

Grandma McEvoy's East Indian Bean Dip

I made this yesterday for a 4th of July Barbecue with one of our Organic (tm)zucchinis. It was a big hit. Recipe reprinted courtesy of "Weight Wacher's Annual Recipes for Success 2003" cookbook (2003 was a great year for weight loss - remember how slim we all were while watching "Mystic River?"). I would recommend going light on the yogurt and heavy on the chutney for producing a less gloopy dip.

1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 16 oz can navy beans, rinsed and drained
1 small zucchini, chopped
3/4 cup choopped yellow bell pepper (about 1 small)
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup hot mango chutney
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp plain fat-free yogurt

cook spices in a small skillet on low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat

combine beans and next 5 ingredients in a bowl, add spice mixture, stirring well. Stir in chutney, yogurt, and mint.

Beans and Greens Pasta with Sweet Italian Sausage

Tim really loved this. It's something I make a lot but for this version I used every last little green I could find from our box-beet greens, radish greens, and some beautiful little greens they sent for salad (baby spinach mostly). First I removed the sausage from the casings (just squeeze it out) and browned it. I used mild Italian pork sausage this time but I usually like to use turkey. I drained one an great northern white beans and added them to the pan. I also added two cloves chopped garlic. Then I sprinkled it all generously with dried basil, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I add the salt later if it needs it, **you'll see why. I added the baby greens and let them wilt a little. Then about a 1/2 cup each of broth (or water) and white wine. Let the wine come to a boil so the alcohol burns off. Lastly I added about 1/4 cup diced Pecorino and Parmesan cheeses (I had two heals that were almost done so i just cup the up, too small to shred). I let this all simmer for a few minutes then serve with pasta of your choice and more shredded cheese too! **The broth and cheese usually add plenty of salt but you may need to add a little more at the end.

Kohlrabi-Choy Stir Fry and Teriyaki Chicken Thighs

Our family is big into boneless skinless chicken thighs. They have tons of flavor and are a nice portion size. Tonight we browned them on both sides in a hot pan with a little cooking spray. Before I put them in I also sprinkled both sides with salt, pepper, garlic powder and ground ginger. When both sides are browned nicely (about 4-5 minutes each side) I turned the heat down, poured some Teriyaki Sauce over them and put a lid on the pan. I let the chicken cook in the sauce for about another 8-10 minutes on low. For the stir fry I used two Kohlrabi and a 1/2 bunch of Choi and some scallions. I usually peel the outside of the Kohlrabi with a vegetable peeler but lots of recipes say it's unnecessary. I don't know, it can be a little tough, I say peel it but don't waste a ton of the bulb. I cut up the Choi into half in or so pieces (greens and stalks) and the scallions about the same size. As the vegetables were cooking I added soy sauce (about 1 tbsp maybe more), garlic powder, sweet chili sauce and Sriacha (hot sauce). Hey do you all see a trend here? Yep, I use a lot of the same spices for a lot of recipes. You don't need to re-invent the wheel every time you make a new dish. Choose flavors you like (for me garlic, hot sauce, ginger, curry, etc) and apply them to new foods you're trying.

Dorado Steak with Wholly Frijoles Salad

Tortellinni with Summer Squash Sauce

The colors were vibrant and so was the garlic flavor. Maybe a little too vibrant. I haven't used Garlic Scapes all that much so I thought I'd try something new and put them in a sauce fresh (as in hard, not cooked). It was definitely a strong taste. Not bad really but next time I'd saute them a bit first. Anyway here's what I did:

1 summer squash (cut into half moons)

1/2 cup diced roasted red peppers

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with olive oil and garlic

1 diced garlic scape

Cheese Tortellini

I sauteed the squash in a little olive oil until it was tender and browning on both sides. Then I added the peppers and tomatoes. I added the scapes just at the end but don't do this, cook them with the summer squash it will be better. Then I just boiled the tortellini and served it all with grated cheese.

This recipe is indicative of my disregard for common sense in the kitchen. I sometimes get defensive about cooking and think I can make anything work. This attitude usually comes about when I haven't been cooking in a while and I feel guilty I guess. This vegetable share for sure makes me feel guilty if I haven't used a vegetable of if "GASP" I have to throw it out. I am a super cheapskate and I hate wasting anything. Back to my disregard for common sense. I was starving when I made this recipe up and rushed through it, also it was like 100 degrees in my kitchen and I made HOT TORTELLINI? I often fall under the title of "good cook, bad planner," this was one example (this is also why I didn't cook the scapes first, I forgot about them and threw them in at the last second thinking I was brilliant and that the sauce would just get more garlicky and better, whoops, it did not, it got WAY garlicky and not better). Over all this sauce tasted good and I would recommend making it in the winter. I am done beating myself up for now.

At Long Last, Vegetables

I have not been as dutiful with our vegetables as Erin has, but I hope I will be forgiven since I am juggling working full time, raising my nine-month old daughter, and nursing our new puppy through kennel cough. Oh wait, that's Erin, who does all the former while making pork tenderloin with sage rub. Thanks Erin, if you need me I'll be on the couch licking my Cheetos-stained fingers and watching "Law and Order" reruns.

Anyway, the first week all we did with our vegetables was make salads. And by make salads, I mean cut stuff up and then put things in our new salad spinner. An inauspicious debut, to be sure, but we liked them and enjoyed using the new salad spinner.

But last night, we made potato-beet hash and choy in a buttery ginger sauce. The hash was made with shredded beets, potatoes, and onions. It was pretty tasty but it probably could have used more onion (the recipe called for two but I just used one). The choy was delicious and couldn't have been easier. I blanched* the choy and then melted some butter in a sauce pan, added two tablespoons of soy sauce, some freshly grated ginger, and the choy and stirred it around for two minutes. Here is a helpful tip for this dish: melt the butter on medium heat like the recipe tells you and not hight heat, under the mistaken assumption that the butter will melt faster. Otherwise when you add the soy sauce it will visciously splatter all over the stovetop and the wall behind your stove and will cause lengthy clean-up. Then I mixed it up with some basil from this week's delivery. The original recipe tells you to use cilantro, but I didn't have any. The basil was very tasty in there, however.

Pictures to come!

*Blanching is a term that professional cooks like to throw around and which you probably have never heard before unless you yourself are a professional cook. It involves mercilessly plunging the vegetables in a pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes. I had never done it before last night and it was exhilarating