Bored on my second day off

While avoiding working on my meet sheets, I decided to cook. I used the recipe from the farm to make a potato and turnip gratin. I sliced the potatoes and turnips pretty thin, seasoned them, covered them slightly in a mixture of half heavy cream/half vegetable stock, and baked them for 40 minutes at 350 while my peach cobbler was baking.

I also made fried green (red) tomatoes using flour, egg whites, and panko bread crumbs. I only have olive oil, so I fried them in that. Delicious.

Beet and Carrot Burgers

Ingredients:
butter/pam for greasing the baking sheet
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups peeled grated beets (i've both steamed and roasted them - whatever works for you. also i don't really have luck grating beets so i just mince them)
2 cups grated carrots (i buy a bag of the matchstick carrots to make it easier)
1/2 cup onion (about 1 medium onion, sweet or yellow)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parlsey (or a few shakes of dried parsley)
1.5 cups flour (i'm now thinking toasted breadcrumbs would be even better)
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 clove garlic, inclued or pressed (let's be honest, i do at least 2 cloves if not more)
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1) if you are baking the burgers, preheat oven to 350 and lightly coat a baking sheet with butter/pam. if you are pan frying, wait until closer to when you are ready to start cooking the burger to turn on the burner to medium.

2) place a small heavy skillet over medium heat. add the sesame seeds and stir them on the dry skillet just until lightly browned and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes - watch close or they'll burn. immediately remove from heat and transfer to a dish to cool. repeat with the sunflower seeds

3) combine the beets, carrots, and onion in a large bowl. stir in the toasted seeds, eggs, rice, cheddar, oil, flour, parsley, soy sauce, and cayenne. at this point i use my hands to mush it all together and make sure everything is combined fully.

4) shape into patties however large you'd like

5) bake until brown around the edges (about 20 minutes). unless they are large and thick (that's what she said) there is no need to turn them. OR turn the burner on medium, spray the pan, and cook the patty until browned, then turn and do it on the other side.

6) i eat mine on those flattened buns with a slice of tomato, a couple slices of avocado (duh) and some plain greek yogurt with lemon and garlic powder, but i'm sure there are other fun variations.

Note: this makes about 12 patties or so, depending on how big you make them. i make up all the patties and wrap them individually in tin foil and freeze them. about a minute on defrost in the microwave does the trick.


Adapted from Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables

I forgot this existed

While avoiding lesson plans, I remembered there was some sort of blog floating around on my Google homepage. I found the site after a couple hundred clicks of the mouse and the previous page button.

I must say, y'all have done some work in the weeks that this thing has been running.

I share my bag with Margo and I always give her my half of the weird and/or gross vegetables. Also, I don't really do recipes or make actual dinners (I'm more of a side dish cook), but I have a fabulous collection of recipes.

I steam string beans, broccoli, and peas. I tried roasting broccoli last time and it was disgusting. I saute squash and zucchini. I make zucchini bread using my mom's low-fat/low-cal banana bread recipe. Any greens I get, I cook like collards. I do nothing with the cucumbers except eat them with hummus, but I did actually try a cucumber salad this week.

Cucumber Salad

• A random amount of cucumbers, depending on how much you like them, I used two
• 1/4 C rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
• Salt
• Pepper

Combine and let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. I added parmesan the second night.

Vegetarian Collards

• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lb collard greens, chopped
• 3 C vegetable stock
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil and butter. Saute onion til softened and then add the red pepper flakes and garlic. Cook for another minute. Add collard greens and cook another minute. Add vegetable stock, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook til greens are tender, about 40 minutes. Add tomatoes and season. 

Zucchini Bread (original recipe for banana bread)

• 1 1/2 C flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Dash salt
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 C zucchini, finely shredded and wrung out (for banana bread, 2-3 mashed, ripe bananas)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (zucchini bread only)
• 3/4 C sugar (I use a little less)
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk dry ingredients and set aside. Combine wet ingredients well and slowly mix in the dry ingredients. Spray loaf pan and pour in batter. Bake for 50 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. 

Lazy Man's Peach Cobbler

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and melt one stick of butter in a casserole dish in the oven. 

Slice four peaches and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix:

• 1 C flour
• 1 C sugar
• 3/4 C milk
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Pour into butter - do not stir - and top with fruit. Bake for 55 minutes.

Turnip Fries (from Hungry Girl, so I'm sure they might be bitter, possibly soak in sugar water first)

• 2 medium-sized turnips
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray baking sheet. Cut turnips into spears and lay in a single layer and season. Bake about 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Bow-Tie Pasta with Broccoli and Potatoes

• Salt and pepper
• 2 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 large bunch of broccoli
• 12 oz. bow-tie pasta
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts sliced into half-moons
• 1 head lettuce, torn into pieces
• 1 1/2 C fontina, grated (about 4 oz.)
• 1/2 C parmesan, grated (about 1 oz.)

Boil potatoes for 10 minutes. Add broccoli and pasta and cook as package directs. Melt butter in a skillet. Add leeks and 1 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Cook til softened, 7 minutes. Reserve 1 C of cooking water. Drain pasta and broccoli over lettuce. Return to pot. Add leeks and moisten with cooking water. Stir in cheese and season.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

• 1/4 lb multi-grain bread, cut roughly into 1 inch cubes
• 5 Tbsp basil-infused olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 C balsamic vinegar
• 2 lbs tomatoes
• 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with 2 Tbsp oil and season. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Toss cubes and bake til golden, another 3-5 minutes. In a small saucepan, over low heat, add the vinegar and simmer until reduced by half. Cut the tomatoes and cucumber (length-wise, in half, and sliced into half moons). In a serving bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumbers, and the remaining oil and season. Add the bread cubes and toss. Drizzle with the reduced vinegar.

Tomato Baby

My first tomato is starting to grow!! :)

I am an especially proud momma because these tomato plants were started from seed in our school greenhouse. The four runts of the tomato plant litter came home with me to be nursed back to health...and I must say, they are looking pretty good!

Squash are taking over my fridge!

Any recipes for squash? I keep getting more and more each week in my bag and I always just turn to sauteing them. Creative suggestions?

The (Green) Jam

This is my favorite recipe that I've made so far with anything from my CSA:

Arugula Pesto

• 2 cups of packed arugula leaves, stems removed
• 1/2 cup of shelled walnuts
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup  olive oil
• salt to taste

1 Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown.

2  Combine the arugula, salt, walnuts a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

easy and delicious!

I think turnips are the worst.

So I've been getting turnips and radishes in my CSAs and I don't like either of those things, so if anyone wants them, please let me know!