Winter Cooking!

The CSA may be over, but I'm getting back to my cooking ways... Last night my little sis and I made a delicious and healthy dinner. It was full of colorful vegetables - all of which we normally would get from the CSA. This recipe is going to look overwhelming because at first glance there a lot of ingredients, but its a pretty straightforward recipe. It's basically Red Snapper over Veggies. I used all of the vegetables listed below, but really you could just do carrots and cauliflower or carrots, cauliflower and zucchini - this won't make or break the recipe, so it's up to your taste buds and/or what you have in the fridge!

Red Snapper over Veggies with a Chile Sauce
Chile Sauce
1 tsp EVOO
1 cup chopped leeks
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 tsp fresh oregano (chopped)low
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp allspice
some ground black pepper
2 cups chopped tomato
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Fish
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 zucchini, cut into chunks
red snapper fillets for 4
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

--> Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line an ovenproof dish with aluminum foil and set aside. In a big saucepan, over medium heat, sauté the leeks, garlic, oregano, curry, allspice and ground black pepper. Stir occassionally until the leeks start to become see-through, ~3 minutes. Add the tomato, green pepper, celery and soy sauce. Cook until the pepper starts to soften, another 3 min. Then add the 1/2 cup of stick and simmer, covered for 25 min.

--> Put the carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and second 1/2 cup of stock into your prepared baking dish. Bake ~10 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften. Then add the zucchini (if you put the zucchini in with the carrots, etc at first, the zucchini would get too mushy). Place the fish on top of the vegetables and drizzle with the sauce you prepared in step 1. Bake until the fish is cooked through and veggies are tender - probably ~15-20 min depending on how thick your fillets are. Just before the fish was done, I sprinkled the dill over the fish (it adds interesting flavor though isn't necessary if you don't have dill lying around).

Yum - eat and enjoy!

Twist on the TBM

For two weeks in a row we've gotten lemon-basil. It has a totally delicious smell of both lemons and basil and I just couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it. I'm not in the mood for pesto, plus I can't eat the pesto fast enough before it goes bad (I've tried freezing it too but it's just not the same - when you want fresh pesto, you want it fresh, not frozen!). So, I decided to try making a homemade vinaigrette. After I made the vinaigrette, I figured - why not drizzle some over a tomato mozzarella salad since I have plenty of tomatoes. So, that was my lovely appetizer tonight. Picture to be posted later - I'm working on a temporary computer and I can't figure out how to upload a photo!!

Lemon Basil Vinaigrette
About 1/2 cup of lightly chopped basil or lemon basil leaves
1/4 of a medium sized onion or a shallot, lightly chopped
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
~1/4 cup red wine vinegar
~1/2 cup EVOO

--> This is an eye-ball type recipe. Basically, you put the basil, onion/shallot, mustard, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse until everything is combined and chopped more finely. Scrape the sides and then add the vinegar. I probably added a little more vinegar and a little less EVOO but it's all to your liking - you can't go wrong here - well, try not to have too heavy a hand with the liquids or you'll have super soupy dressing... Pulse a few more times after the vinegar is added then slowly add in the EVOO while pulsing - be careful the mixture can splatter out. Once you are done adding the EVOO blend a little more and that's it.

1 Eggplant, 2 Peppers, 1 Leek, 1 Tomato

Yes, that is what I ate for dinner. It sounds blah, but it was delicious. Maybe that is also a lot of vegetables for 1 person to eat all in 1 meal, but I don't really care. I also don't have a picture of this one because it basically just looked like a veggie stir fry... but I used a splash of red wine vinegar that just brought out the deliciousness of the fresh vegetables. Also, since I live in NYC, I don't have a BBQ, but I do have a great grill pan which is what I used to grill the veggies.

Summer Vegetable Griller with Red Wine Vinegar

1 light green pepper
1 red pepper
1 medium eggplant
1 medium leek
1 medium tomato (I think mine was a roma)
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt & pepper
EVOO

--> I sliced the peppers into big pieces and then placed them on the grill pan over medium-high heat. Then I sliced the eggplant in smaller chunks (make rounds and then cut each round into 6 littler pieces) and also added to the grill pan. Sprinkle with salt & pepper then let them grill for about 10 minutes, turning over once or twice.

--> After the pepper and eggplant have been grilling about 10 minutes, I heated some EVOO in a medium pan that would fit all the veggies eventually. I added the sliced up leeks and then about 5 more minutes into the grilling (so ~15 min total) I started to add the diced eggplant into the pan with the leeks. I let the pepper grill a little while longer because I like my grilled peppers really grilled. Finally once the pepper, leek and eggplant are all in the pan together, I diced up the tomato and added it in. Mix the vegetables together well, sprinkle with salt & pepper and then add the red wine vinegar after a couple of minutes. Mix a little more and then you're ready to eat. I ate my veggie mix over some pearl couscous. Delicious and super healthy.

Springtime Vegetable Stew

We have made hearty salads from all the greens that the CSA brings each week. Summer squash also came early this year and with this week's delivery, we had 4 really pretty squash varietals in our fridge. We also have been getting a lot of herbs - thyme, oregano, sorrel, and our first bunches of basil came this week! For tonight's dinner I was trying to think of something that would use some herbs as well as squash and scapes. So, I decided to make a springtime vegetable stew... I found a recipe in my Local Flavors cookbook (by Deborah Madison) that calls for a lot of veggies including ones that I know will be arriving in the next few weeks though n the meantime, I supplemented from my local market.

Summer Vegetables Stewed in Their Own Juices (serves 4) with Basil Puree
Ingredients:
2 tbsp EVOO
2 bay leaves
1 medium onion, chopped into large pieces
2 garlic scapes, chopped into large pieces
3 thyme sprigs
6 sage leaves
2 large carrots, peeled & chopped into ~4-inch lengths
sea salt & freshly ground pepper
1/2 pound small new potatoes
1/4 pound green beans, ends trimmed
3 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped into large pieces, juice reserved
1 bell pepper - yellow or orange - cut into 1-inch strips
2 medium summer squash, cut into large pieces

--> Use a Dutch oven on the stove over low heat- add EVOO and bay leaves. After the EVOO starts to get warm, add the onions, garlic scapes, thyme & sage. Cover and cook while you cut up the other vegetables.

--> I don't use baby carrots, but if you prefer those, you can add them whole to the pot. Otherwise cut up a bigger carrot into small chunks and add to the pot. Season with salt & pepper as you add each layer of vegetables. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you will want to halve or quarter them. Add to the pot; salt & pepper. Cut the beans in half and add them along with the tomatoes, pepper and squash to the pot. Salt & pepper one more time. Pour the tomato juice over the top, cover and cook until all the vegetables are tender - about 45 minutes. Check and stir the vegetables every so often - if the pot looks dry, add some white wine. I found that my vegetables gave off enough juices that this wasn't necessary.

--> Serve the veggies in bowls and spoon the Basil Puree over the top if you want to make that too (recipe below the pic). I think the basil puree (almost like pesto) is delicious!!



Basil Puree:
Ingredients:
1 cup of basil leaves
1 garlic scape
EVOO
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

--> Put the basil & garlic scape in the food processor and turn on. Add EVOO and a couple of tablespoons of water (this is all eyeball - don't want the mixture to be too dry or too wet). Once mixed together, add the Parmesan cheese and pulse the food processor a few more times. That's it!

Homemade Breakfast Bars

The first week's CSA delivery every season brings a bunch of rhubarb and it's just about the only time I ever use or eat rhubarb. I realized I've never posted anything on this interestingly sour vegetable that resembles celery. This year I found a recipe for a homemade cereal bar and baked them with my CSA partner. They are super crumbly, but delicious.

Strawberry Rhubarb Bars
Ingredients:
1.5 cups fresh rhubarb, diced
1.5 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1.5 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2-3/4 cup butter softened
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

--> Combine the strawberries, rhubarb and lemon juice in a non-stick saucepan and cook on medium heat for ~10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sugar and cornstarch to fruit mixture, bring to boil, and allow it to boil 1 min until the sauce thickens a little.

--> Meanwhile, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, baking soda and salt in a bowl and mix with electric mixer until the mixture resembles course crumbs — it will be very dry.

--> Reserve 1.5 cups of crust mixture and pat down the rest of the crust mixture into a 9x13 pan that has been sprayed with PAM. Spread fruit mixture over bottom crust and then sprinkle the rest of crust mixture evenly over the top. Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes until golden brown.

YUM :)

New year, new recipes!

The CSA season has begun! Week 1 brought lots of lettuce (red sail, buttercrunch, mizuna), radishes, and garlic scapes - a CSA favorite! We made overflowing green salads and used up all of our lettuce that week. Week 2 brought more salad lettuce (butter head, romaine, red sail), radishes, more garlic scapes, escarole and summer squash! The summer squash doesn't usually arrive until mid-July but apparently all of the rain and hot weather in June ripened the squash early. We grilled up some zucchini last week and it was delish. You just don't get that much flavor in the zucchini from the supermarket.

Anyway, as we are 2 days away from Week 3's delivery, I thought I'd saute up the escarole and made myself a great Sunday night dinner!

Escarole and grilled chicken with linguine (serving for 1)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt & pepper
1 tsp EVOO
1/2 garlic scape, chopped
a few dashes of red pepper flakes
2 cups chopped escarole
linguine

--> Grill chicken on the BBQ or in a grill pan with salt & pepper.

--> While the chicken is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add the garlic scapes and red pepper flakes - saute, stirring occasionally for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the escarole and cover the skillet. Leave covered for about 4-5 minutes and then uncover and cook until the escarole is wilted and tender, stirring often. Add salt & pepper.

--> Third thing to cook is the pasta - follow directions for your pasta, cooking in a large pot of boiling salted water. Leave al dente - drain and add to the escarole mixture. Stir in the chicken and season with salt & pepper and then serve when all is mixed together and heated through.

One thing to note is that the escarole cooks down a lot - it's similar to spinach or swiss chard in the way it cooks - so you want to use more over less. Also I added a few grape tomatoes to the pan with the escarole once I took the top off - it was a nice touch of color and added a little more flavor.

Ail des bois

Everything sounds better in french, no? Here is a test - would you rather eat an "ail des bois" or a "ramp" - yes that's an English word and yes it is a vegetable. A ramp is a type of spring onion - it looks like a mix between a mini leek and a scallion. Its quite flavorful too. This afternoon I had decided that I wanted to make scallops for dinner and since ramps are in season right now, I figured I'd use them in my simple scallops dinner...

Seared Scallops with White Wine & Ramps
Ingredients:
8 Sea Scallops (I figure ~6-8 per person - this recipe is for 1 person)
1/2 cup white wine
a bunch of ramps - chop up the white bulb-y part
a dab of butter

--> First step is to sear the scallops. Now I know making scallops can be a little daunting, but it's really easy! You are going to want to use a pretty hot saute pan - set your heat to medium-high. Make sure your scallops are dry - pat them good with a paper towel. Then add them to the well-sprayed pan and cook on each side for ~2-3 min (sprinkle with salt & pepper before and after flipping them in the pan). Take the scallops out of the pan and place on a plate when they are done. If you aren't sure, cut into one and see how easy it is to cut with a fork.

--> In the same pan, turn the heat to medium-low and add the ramps and butter. Saute for a min and then add the white wine - let reduce for another 1-2 min and then pour sauce over your scallops. Serve - it's delish.

I heart risotto

I'm ready for the CSA season to begin again, but I have another month to wait for some quality vegetables. In the meantime (and since multiple foreign object sightings in my lunches has led me to bring my lunch to work) I have resorted to purchasing produce at the local supermarket with all of my neighbors - sigh... Anyway, tonight we bought some lovely mushrooms and made some mushroom risotto - yummmmmm.



Mushroom Risotto:
Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable broth
EVOO
10 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
small box white mushrooms, chopped
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup white wine
salt & pepper
fresh thyme
shredded Parmesan cheese

--> Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and then turn the heat to low to simmer.

--> Meantime, warm some EVOO in a pan and saute the mushrooms over medium heat. Cook until soft. Set aside.

--> In a separate pot, add some EVOO over medium heat and then stir in the shallot. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stir to coat with the olive oil - when the rice has turned golden-ish in color, add in the wine. Stir constantly until the wine is absorbed. Now time to start adding the warm broth 1/2 cup at a time. Stir continuously and wait to add each next ladle of broth until the liquid has been absorbed. You may not need to add all of the broth - taste towards the end for your ideal al dente.

--> Remove the cooked risotto from the heat and stir in mushrooms, salt, pepper, thyme and Parmesan cheese.

It's delicious :)

While I am so sick of this cold winter we are having in NY, one thing I love about winter (well, aside from skiing), is filling up on hearty root vegetables. Those of you that know me would definitely think I would never go near anything called "Shepherd's Pie" - but a few weeks ago, I came across this recipe and I knew it would be delish. And so, tonight I had my first Shepherd's Pie...

Root Vegetable Shepherd's Pie (courtesy of Chow.com)
Ingredients (the way I made it):
1 medium regular potato - peeled & diced
1 medium sweet potato - peeled & diced
1/2 cup Fage fat free yogurt
salt & pepper
drizzle EVOO
10 oz mushrooms - cleaned, stemmed & quartered
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp thyme
2 cups veggie broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup frozen peas

--> First we make some mashed potatoes (white & sweet together). In case you don't know how to make mashed potatoes, here are some easy instructions. Fill a large pot with water and the potatoes (and a few dashes of salt) and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a knife - about 5-10 min. Drain, then return the potatoes to the pot, mash coarsely, add the yogurt and some salt & pepper. Set aside.

--> Now we get started on the veggies. You should also turn your broiler on now - set it to low and move the rack to the upper third of the oven. In a large frying pan over medium heat, heat up your EVOO until it simmers. Then add the mushrooms and cook, stirring rarely, until browned - about 6 min. Add onion, salt & pepper and cook for another 3-5 min, until the onion starts to soften. Then add the carrots, celery, tomato paste and thyme. Stir around to coat the veggie mixture. Then add the vegetable broth and soy sauce and stir until incorporated. Bring to a simmer, stir occasionally, and cook until the vegetables are just tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 more min.

--> Now time to put all of this in a casserole dish - 7x11 is probably the best size. Put the vegetables in and then spread the reserved mashed potato mixture on top. Broil until the top starts to brown, about 5-10 minutes.

This is an incredibly filling vegetarian dish - and it's so delicious too!

5 Ingredient Supper

It's been a while. I have lots of excuses most of which center around the freezing winter we are having. But, tonight it is warmer out so I am back at it... My sister and I made a super easy and healthy dinner with just 5 ingredients (not including salt, pepper and margarine, but still - that's only 8 ingredients!): tilapia, onion, lemon, potatoes and mushrooms!!

Grilled Tilapia with Onions & Mushrooms... and Mashed Potatoes
Ingredients:
2 tilapia fillets
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 lemon
2 medium potatoes
salt, pepper, 1 tbsp butter


--> Let's get the mashed potatoes started because they take the longest to make. Peel and quarter the potatoes and put in a medium-sized pot with water. Bring the water to a boil and then lower the heat to medium (be careful not to let the water boil over!). Eventually, when the potatoes have softened, mash them up with the butter, some salt & pepper.

--> Now we'll work on the fish. If you have a grill pan, it's time to bring it out. Or, if you have a BBQ, turn it on. For this dish, we are simply grilling the tilapia. I used a grill pan - I put the pan over medium heat and then added the fish. Sprinkle the fish with salt & pepper and then squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the fish. Cook for about 3-5 min and then flip over. Repeat with salt & pepper and cook until the fish is done.

--> While the fish is cooking, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and saute the onions and mushrooms together. When the fish is done, pour the onions & mushrooms over the fish and serve with the mashed potatoes. There's dinner!