October 29 - November 3, 2011

In the box:

Gala apples
cilantro - W
Beets - M
Bok choi - W
Broccolini - W
Green beans - R
Red Russian kale -T
Leeks - W
Lettuce - Su
Radishes
Rutabagas (with their fresh green tops) - M
Summer squash - W


In the house:


potatoes - T, R
peppers - R
carrots - S, 

Groceries:
ginger, 
stew beef


Menu:


Sunday: Make veggie broth, Baked Chicken Salad,


Monday: Beef Root Vegetable Stew (in the Crock Pot, prepare ingredients Sunday night)


Tuesday:  Loaded Baked Potatoes, Kale Chips


Wednesday: broccolini, bok choi, zucchini, tofu stir fry


Thursday: Green Bean Potato Curry


Recipes:
Beef and root vegetable stew
from member Mary Lyn Azar

Since we got a number of root vegetables last week, I thought I'd share a recipe I've been using a lot this winter. This comes from my sister-in-law's method of cooking potatoes, carrots, onions, and stew beef but I've expanded it to include whatever made sense from that week's box.  This week, I took the rutabagas, beets (both peeled and cut into chunks), half the carrots (washed well and cut into 1/2 inch segments), and two of the green garlics (cut in half lengthwise and sliced up to where the leaves split off).  All of that goes into an oven safe pot with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil, salt, and pepper and is tossed.  Then I put about a pound and a half of stew beef on the top, drizzle on a bit more oil and a little more salt and pepper and put it in the oven at 350 (beef still on top).  When the beef browns, I flip it, when it's browned on the other side I give the whole pot a good stir and then stir it every 15-20 minutes until it is done (vegetables are easy to pierce with a fork, roughly 1 1/2 hours total cooking time).  Over the winter I've also used winter squash, potatoes, and parsnips.  When I don't have green garlic I do half an onion and several cloves of garlic.  The recipe is really flexible and I use it with whatever I have available.

GREEN BEAN and POTATO CURRY
Recipe from the Live Earth Farms Recipe Database This is a simple curry to be served with rice, pickles, and chutney if so desired. [we served it with brown basmati rice]

2 medium potatoes (about 1/2 lb.), cut into 3/4 inch dice
1/2 tsp. turmeric 
3 tbsp. oil of choice
15 basil leaves
1 C very finely chopped leeks, mostly the white part (I also use the tender green part)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. finely chopped ginger
3 green chilis cut into fine rings [I used the padrone peppers in our share, but I sauteed them separate and added as a garnish to mix in to the adult dishes, so the majority of the dish was kid-friendly]
3/4 lbs. green beans, cut on a diagonal at 1/4" intervals
4 tsp. curry powder (or to taste)
1 can coconut milk
1 stick cinnamon
1 1/4 - 1/2 tsp.sea salt
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice [oops...forgot this step - it was still good!]

1. In a medium pot, combine the potatoes, enough water to cover them well, and 1/4 tsp. turmeric. Bring to a boil. Cover partially, turn the heat down a bit, and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, but still hold their shape well. Drain.
2.Put the oil in a large saute pan or frying pan, and set over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, ginger, garlic, and green peppers. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then add the basil leaves. Add the green beans and saute for another minute. Add in the curry powder and stir at once. 
3. Pour in the coconut milk, 1C water, the remaining tumeric, the cinnamon stick, salt, and potatoes. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low, cover and cook about 15 minutes, or until the beans are just tender. (I like my beans on the crunchy side, so I don't cook them for the whole 15 minutes).
4. Add the lime juice and stir in.
5. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve. 

RJ asked for SECONDS!!! Kale, Black-Eyed Pea & Lentil Soup

RJ has been entertaining a greens aversion lately, so imagine my surprise when he not only ate the soup, greens and all, but then after eating his lollipop treat, claimed that he was still hungry and asked for seconds (which I was happy to dole out!).

Kale, Black-eyed Pea & Lentil Soup
from a SF Chron. clipping
serves 6 – 8

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 yellow onions (or equivalent in young onions), chopped [I used leeks because I had them]
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. mild Italian sausage 
1 bunch kale, washed
1 qt. water [I only used a pint - I meant to refill the measuring cup and put in the other pint but I got distracted and forgot, it was a bit more stew-like, which works better with the messy kids anyway]
1 qt. chicken broth
1 14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes and juice [I used 6 small fresh tomatoes chopped up because I had them]
2 C black-eyed peas fresh, frozen or canned
1 C lentils
1 lb. waxy potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 tbsp. fresh)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. kosher salt or to taste
Pinch of black pepper
2 tsp. sherry vinegar or to taste

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat; add onions and garlic and sweat until translucent. Meanwhile, remove sausage from their casings and brown in a separate skillet over medium heat, breaking into small pieces. [I used pre-cooked Full Circle brand italian chicken sausage, so I just sliced it and tossed it in where it said to below - I didn't have to brown it because it was cooked already] De-stem the kale [my favorite way to do this is to hold the stem in one hand and 'strip' the greens off with the other - Debbie] and chop into bite-sized pieces, discarding stems. Once onions and garlic are sweated, add water, broth, tomatoes and their juice to stockpot. Bring to a simmer. Add sausage, kale, black-eyed peas, lentils, potatoes, thyme and bay leaves. If using canned black-eyed peas, rinse and drain them, but add them about 30 minutes later. Continue to simmer until the kale is tender and the lentils, peas and potatoes are cooked through, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sherry vinegar. If desired, add a touch of cayenne or Tabasco. [I forgot to add the heat for my bowl, but it was good without it it too]

The newspaper clipping indicated that this soup goes well with Merlot (if you don’t add too much cayenne or Tabasco), and cheese toasts: Split baguette or foccacia in half, brush with olive oil, sprinkle w/grated Gruyere or Parmesan and bake at 375 degrees until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

October 15-20

In the box:

Gala apples
Beets - R
Red Russian kale - T
Green beans
Leeks - T
Lettuce - Su
Chard - R
Sweet peppers & Hot Peppers
Summer squash - M
Dry-farmed tomatoes

In the house:

Basil - Su
Napa cabbage - W
Hot peppers (Hungarian yellow/red; Padrons) - Su, W
Yellow Finn potatoes - T
Sweet peppers - Su
Summer squash - M
Dry-farmed tomatoes - Su, M, T

Menu:

Sunday: Fresh tomato pizza with salad

Monday: Squash Spaghetti, make bread

Tuesday: Black Eyed Pea and Lentil Soup

Wednesday: Cabbage and chicken burritos

Thursday: Roasted Red Pepper Chili with Green Beans

Co-op: Pumpkin Zucchini Bread (Snack), Beet & Chard Waffles with Apples and smoothies.

Other cooking tasks: Throw leftover veggies in stock pot to make veggie broth, skin and puree the rest of the tomatoes to can, roast all peppers and freeze leftovers.

Groceries:

Italian Sausage
mozzarella
tortillas
nutritional yeast
organic black eyed peas (if they have them)

Recipes:

http://southernfood.about.com/od/summersquash/r/Summer-Squash-Pasta-Recipe.htm

Kale, Black-eyed Pea & Lentil Soup
from a SF Chron. clipping!
serves 6 – 8

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 yellow onions (or equivalent in young onions), chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced (or equivalent in green garlic)
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
1 bunch kale, washed
1 qt. water
1 qt. chicken broth
1 14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes and juice
2 C black-eyed peas fresh, frozen or canned
1 C lentils
1 lb. waxy potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
1 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 tbsp. fresh)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. kosher salt or to taste
Pinch of black pepper
2 tsp. sherry vinegar or to taste

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat; add onions and garlic and sweat until translucent. Meanwhile, remove sausage from their casings and brown in a separate skillet over medium heat, breaking into small pieces. De-stem the kale [my favorite way to do this is to hold the stem in one hand and 'strip' the greens off with the other - Debbie] and chop into bite-sized pieces, discarding stems. Once onions and garlic are sweated, add water, broth, tomatoes and their juice to stockpot. Bring to a simmer. Add sausage, kale, black-eyed peas, lentils, potatoes, thyme and bay leaves. If using canned black-eyed peas, rinse and drain them, but add them about 30 minutes later. Continue to simmer until the kale is tender and the lentils, peas and potatoes are cooked through, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sherry vinegar. If desired, add a touch of cayenne or Tabasco.

The newspaper clipping indicated that this soup goes well with Merlot (if you don’t add too much cayenne or Tabasco), and cheese toasts: Split baguette or foccacia in half, brush with olive oil, sprinkle w/grated Gruyere or Parmesan and bake at 375 degrees until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.

Janet’s Sautéed Cabbage Burritos
from member Portia Halbert, who says, “I was reading your cabbage section [from the last newsletter] and thought I'd send along the recipe I use for almost all of the cabbage I get from you. It's from ‘The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook.’ I know this recipe by heart, and it can be made in about 15 minutes; it's always surprising how good cabbage can be.”

1 onion chopped
4 tbsp. oil
One head of cabbage cut into eighths, then sliced crosswise
2 tbsp. soy sauce or Braggs [a kind of soy sauce]
½ tsp. vinegar (I use white wine vinegar, but any other vinegar will work)
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1-2 tbs. Sriracha depending on how spicy you like it - this is my addition and I think it's essential. [Sriracha is a Thai hot sauce made from chile peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. I had to look it up because I hadn’t heard of it before! - Debbie]
2 cloves of garlic or 1 tsp. garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. additional oil (optional)

In large pot, sauté onion in oil until transparent. Add remaining ingredients and cook until cabbage is soft and golden. Wrap in warm tortilla and enjoy.

Debbie’s Ground Beef and Roasted Farm Peppers Chili
Onion, chopped (medium sized, or half a big one)
Ground beef (I used a 1lb. pkg. of my Morris Grassfed Beef)
Salt
Garlic, minced or crushed (as much as you like!)
Some ground cumin
Some ground red chili pepper
Half a dozen or more peeled farm tomatoes, chopped [dont’ know how to peel a tomato? See end of recipe]
A can of cooked pinto beans (or cook your own)
A bunch of chopped up roasted peppers [see above for how to roast them, if you’re jumping to this recipe from the database]
A generous handful of chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Pat ground beef dry, break apart with your hands a bit, sprinkle with salt and set aside. In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, sauté onion in some olive oil, until starting to brown. Crumble ground beef over this and cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is also starting to brown (this way you kinda continue to caramelize the onions while the beef is cooking). Add garlic, stir and cook another minute or so. Sprinkle on some cumin (maybe ¼ tsp), and chili powder (less if you just want that ‘chili’ flavor, more if you like more heat). Add chopped peeled tomatoes and any accumulated juice and cook awhile (covered, if you like) until the tomatoes start to disintegrate. Add the can of pinto beans, bean liquor and all (i.e. the liquid in the can). Add the chopped roasted peppers. Cook and stir until heated through and bubbling. Turn off the heat and add the optional chopped cilantro at this point. Serve with a bunch of corn tortilla chips, which can be used to scoop and eat the chili with! This also would freeze well for later use.

Martha was a Hit

I'm not a Martha Stewart fan by any definition.  However, this recipe was really yummy.

http://www.marthastewart.com/312966/stuffed-tex-mex-yellow-squash?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/summer-produce-recipes&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/zucchini#slide_13

We had some pale green squash and it was delicious.  I used Monterrey jack cheese instead of the parmesan though.

October 1 - 6

In the box:

Gala apples - M, Lunches
Arugula - T
Napa cabbage - M
Carrots - Sa
Green beans - Su
Red Russian kale - W
Leeks - M
Lettuce - Sa
Purslane - Su
Sweet peppers - Sa, M, T
Summer squash - W
Dry-farmed tomatoes - Sa, T, W, Th

In the house:

Pac Choi - Su
dill - Su

Grocery List:
Garbanzo beans

feta
caraway seeds
orzo
shrimp

Menu:
Saturday: Meat and Salad and Bread
Sunday: Potato Salad, Green Beans,
Monday: Bread and Sweet and Sour Beef Cabbage Soup
Tuesday: Greek Orzo Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Wednesday: Squash Pasta
Thursday: Roasted Prawns with Romesco Sauce

Recipes:

Debbie's Potato Salad with Mei Qing Choi, Purslane and Dill
This is a variation on the salad I made last week, and I'm including it just to show you how easy it is to play with and modify recipes to suit the ingredients you have (I know we're not getting the choi, purslane or dill this week, but again, if you're like me, sometimes your veggies last more than one week. We ARE getting celery, cucumbers and basil though, so see below how you could change the recipe to use these instead). I highlighted the differences in purple.

4 medium-sized potatoes (red or yellow, doesn't matter)
4 stems of mei qing choi, with leaves
Several stems of purslane
2-3 tbsp. finely minced fresh dill fronds
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed and/or finely minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
3 tbsp. olive oil
finely diced red onion (optional)
kalamata olives
feta cheese

Put washed whole potatoes, with skins, in a pot; cover with cold water, add some salt, bring to a boil, then turn down heat to medium and cover/boil 15 - 18 minutes or so, until they pierce easily with a sharp knife.

While potatoes are boiling, wash any dirt away from choi leaves, and chop into small dice (like you would celery for tuna salad, say). Chop up the darker green leaves too.Pinch off purslane leaf clusters and/or chop coarsely, until you have a small pile - maybe a cupful or more, and mince your dill (or basil).

Combine vinegar, garlic, salt, sugar, oil and dill and whisk together.

Drain potatoes when done (save the water for soup-stock making, along with that bag of veggie trimmings in your freezer I told you about earlier), and when cool enough to handle (but still warm!), slice as carefully as you can (to keep the skins intact; do the best you can - sometimes it works better than others but don't worry about it, it still tastes good!), and then dice the slices. Toss warm* diced potatoes into a bowl with choi, purslane, optional red onion and olives. Crumble in some feta cheese. Re-whisk the dressing and pour over the warm potatoes and veggies. Stir well to mix, then refrigerate until completely cooled.

*the dressing seems to be absorbed better when the potatoes are warm.

SWEET and SOUR BEEF CABBAGE SOUP
Serves 6
This wholesome sweet and sour soup combines beef, caraway seeds, sweet paprika and cabbage - ingredients that star in a number of German dishes. It is particularly nice with a crusty rye bread. For an even heartier soup add potatoes along with the cabbage. I am not a meat eater, but this is a comforting, delicious soup on a cold evening; the flavors are amazing! Remember to use only organic, grass-fed meat!

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. organic, grass-fed ground beef
1 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 1/2 C sweet peppers and onions, chopped
1 medium apple, diced
6 C broth
1 1/2 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. sweet paprika
3 C coarsely chopped Napa cabbage
1-2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat ( any large pot will work). Add beef, caraway seeds, and thyme and cook, stirring and breaking up the beef with a spoon, until mostly browned, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onion-pepper mix and apple; cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes more.


2. Stir in the broth, honey, tomatoes, and paprika and adjust the heat so the mixture gently boils. Cook for about 8-10 minutes to blend the flavors. Stir in the cabbage and cook until barely tender, 3-4 minutes more. Season with vinegar, salt and pepper, to taste.

GREEK ORZO STUFFED SWEET PEPPERS
Serves 4
This basic recipe will work with just about any filling. Try substituting different types of cheese, herbs, or beans.

4 sweet peppers
1/2 C whole-wheat orzo
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 mediums onion, chopped
6 ounces arugula, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp. chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried
3/4 C crumbled feta cheese
1/4 C oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (or 1/2 C fresh tomatoes), chopped
1 tbsp. red-wine or sherry vinegar
1/4 tsp. sea salt

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Halve the peppers lengthwise through the stems, leaving the stems attached. Remove the seeds and the white membranous veins. Place peppers cut-side down in in a large baking pan and roast for about 7 minutes, or until just barely soft (you want the peppers to still be firm, but somewhat pliable). Let cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add orzo and cook until just tender, about 8-10 minutes, or according to package. Drain and rinse with cold water
4. Mash the garbanzos into a chunky paste with a fork, leaving some whole.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the arugula and oregano and cook until the arugula is wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the orzo, chickpeas (garbanzos), 1/2 C of the feta cheese, the tomatoes, vinegar, and salt; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Divide the filling among the peppers and sprinkle each with the remaining feta cheese.

Stephanie's Secret Squash Creamy Pasta Sauce

Puree 2 zucchini [or any other summer squash] and half an onion to a slightly runny paste-like consistency.

Sautee the other half of the onion, finely diced, with 4 cloves of finely chopped garlic in 2 tbsp. of butter until garlic is brown and onions are translucent. If you like, add a handful of coarsely chopped basil.

Add a couple of handfuls of small fresh mushrooms, whole - you can also add some coarsely chopped peppers, squash, kale, etc. [all of which we have this week!]. Stir in the zucchini-onion puree and let it come to a simmer.

Sprinkle in red pepper (to taste-depending on how hot you like it).

Add 2 cups of whole milk, stir to mix and let come back to a simmer.

In a small cup, pour 1/4 cup of milk and add 2-3 tbsp. of cornstarch. Mix well. Gradually stir this into the simmering sauce by pouring from the cup while straining out any lumps with a fork.

After sauce thickens, add your favorite cooked pasta and toss. Sprinkle the top with chopped tomatoes and parmesan cheese.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/oven-roasted-prawns-with-romesco-sauce-recipe/index.html