Friday, July 30, 2010

Summer Vegetable Ratatouille

Thursday, June 29, 2010
We had a lot of vegetables piling up from our farm share and this was the perfect way to use them.  I used the slow cooker and threw it all in.  I added 1 cup of vegetable stock and two cans of garbanzo beans per recommendations on AllRecipes.com.  We served it on whole wheat cous-cous.  It was good, but a bit bland for our taste so we added some Creole spice to give it some kick.  Very good, but a lot of work in the prep - took over an hour to chop everything.

Summer Vegetable Ratatouille
2 onion, sliced into thin rings
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, cubed
2 zucchini, cubed
2 medium yellow squash, cubed
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cubed
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 chopped red bell pepper
4 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 sprigs fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. In a large skillet, heat 1 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and saute the zucchini in batches until slightly browned on all sides. Remove the zucchini and place in the pot with the onions and garlic. Saute all the remaining vegetables one batch at a time, adding 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet each time you add a new set of vegetables. Once each batch has been sauteed add them to the large pot as was done in step 2. Season with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf and thyme and cover the pot. Cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and parsley to the large pot, cook another 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Remove the bay leaf and adjust seasoning.
* Recipe from AllRecipes.com by Rani

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

Wednesday, June 28, 2010
We had bell peppers & hot peppers, garlic and tomatoes from our farm share, so this was perfect!  The hot peppers were definitely not as hot as the normal diced chiles.  It was a blander version, but still yummy.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
3 cans black beans
2 yellow or green bell peppers
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
5 to 6 medium-sized garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon lime juice
two 4 oz. canned diced green chiles (or 1-2 medium-sized minced Anaheim or poblano chiles)
2 teaspoons dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh basil)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato puree
Heat oil in skillet. Add garlic and all other seasonings, lime juice, bell peppers, and chiles. Sauté over medium heat until peppers and chiles are tender (about 15 minutes). Add sauté to beans and tomato puree. Simmer covered over low heat for about 20 min., stirring occasionally. Serve with dollop of light sour cream, sprinkle of cheese, or without any toppings. We served with taco chips.
*Recipe from FitSugar.com.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Chicken Nuggets, Buttered Noodles & Baked Green Beans

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
This was a delicious and kid-friendly meal.  My veggie loving kid didn't finish his nuggets or pasta, but had three helpings of the green beans (which were actually green and white/purple varieties from our farm share).  The green beans were outstanding - I replaced the salt and pepper with 1.5 tsp of Roman Salt (Italian seasoning with salt).  For the nuggets I replaced the butter with buttermilk (1/2 Tbsp lemon juice in 1/2 cup and fill with milk - in 5 minutes you have buttermilk) as I read that it leaves the chicken more juicy. 

Buttered Noodles
Hodgson Mills multi-colored elbow macaroni
oil butter
salt

Baked Chicken Nuggets
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter/margarine in a bowl or dish for dipping.  Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter/margarine first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place well coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
* Recipe from AllRecipes.com by Teresa

Oven Roasted Green Beans
1 1/2 pounds green beans
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Trim the ends of the green beans and add to a large bowl. Toss with the extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until lightly caramelized and crisp tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
* Recipe from FoodNetwork.com courtesy of Emeril Lagasse.

Monday, July 26, 2010

Flapjacks & Eggs

Monday, June 26, 2010
It was just my son and I for dinner tonight.  We had some beet greens and fresh oregano that needed to be used.  So I asked Greysen if he wanted Oscar Pasta (pasta with pureed greens) or Green Eggs and he voted for the eggs.  Then he wanted pancakes, too.  So we had a fun little dinner, just the two of us!

Buttermilk Flapjacks (small batch)
1/2 cup flour (used 1/4 c white, 1/4 c wheat)
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg white
1/2 c buttermilk (use 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice in 1/2 cup and fill with milk)
1 Tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil (sometimes we use a butter/oil/flaxseed combo)
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a mixing bowl. In a 2-cup glass measure or small bowl, beat the egg lightly. Whisk in the buttermilk and melted butter or oil until well blended. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing only until the batter is evenly moistened; it will still contain small lumps. Grease your nonstick frying pan lightly with a paper towel moistened with vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat for about 1 minute. Ladle 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Spread out to 5 inches. Cook until golden brown on the bottom with tiny bubbles all over the top, 1 to 2 minutes. Shake the pan or slip a spatula underneath the flapjack to loosen it.  Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve the flapjacks hot out of the pan. Makes about 4 pancakes
* Recipe from A Man And His Pan

Green Eggs
5 eggs
milk
butter/oil
greens (we had beet greens)
fresh oregano
salt & pepper to taste
Steam and puree the greens and mix them with a fork with eggs, a little milk, a chunk of butter, fresh oregano and salt & pepper. I've never used beet greens before but it sort of made the green eggs brown due to the pink hue of the stalks.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Ramen Noodle Salad

Sunday, July 18, 2010
We needed something to take to a picnic.  We had two smaller heads of cabbage from our farm share and thought of this salad tha my mom has made before.  It was the perfect use for our cabbage.

Ramen Noodle Salad
1 lg. head cabbage - chopped
5 green onions, chopped
1/2 sm. carrots, grated
2 pkg. Ramen noodles (broken)
1/2 c. sunflower seeds
1 pkg. slivered almonds
1/2 c. butter
Brown noodles, sunflower seeds, almonds in butter; set aside.
DRESSING
1 c. salad oil
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
Mix until well blended. Add dressing and noodle and nut mix to cabbage 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
* Recipe from Cooks.com

Sirloin Beef Tips & Prizewinner Green Beans

Saturday, July 17, 2010
We served the sirloin beef tips over brown rice - yum!  These green beans really are wonderful!!!  Hence the "Prizewinner!"

Sirloin Beef Tips
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. paprika
2 lbs. boneless sirloin top roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 lg. onions, chopped
1 beef bouillon cube
3/4 c. boiling water
Combine flour, salt, pepper, and paprika in a plastic bag; shake to mix. Place beef cubes in bag and shake well. Heat oil in Dutch oven; add beef and cook until browned. Add onion; cook until tender.  Dissolve bouillon cube in boiling water; add to beef mixture. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve over noodles or rice. Serves 6. (Recipe may be doubled.)
* Recipe from Cooks.com

Prizewinner Green Beans with Tomatoes & Herbs
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
about 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 c sliced onions
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried ground thyme
1 lb green beans, ends clipped, beans cut in half
1 sprig rosemary, leaves torn off the stem
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges (peeling is optional)
salt to taste or 2 Tbsp salted butter
Heat olive oil in deep pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and pepper flakes; sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Add 1/4 cup water, the dried spices, and green beans.  Stir, cover, and steam-cook beans until nearly done, 10-15 minutes.  Stir in the rosemary and tomatoes.  Cook very briefly, until tomatoes are warmed through and beans are done,  Season with salt, or, if you prefer, melt salted butter over the beans before serving.  This recipe won a prize in the 2002 Food for Thought Recipe Recipe Contest in Madison, Wisconsin.  Makes 4 servings.
* Recipe by Mara Rosenbloom from From Asparagus to Zucchiuni

Lamb Ragu with Penne & Baked Veggie Fries

Friday, July 16, 2010
I made the veggie fries and Allen was in charge of the pasta/meat.  So he created the Lamb Ragu with Penne.  It was all quite delicious.

Lamb Ragu
1lb ground lamb
2 Tbs EVOO
2 Tbs chopped fresh oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup tomato sauce
1 sprig fresh roesmary
1 clove garlic chopped
1 onion chopped
1 cup shredded parmesan
1 Tbs chopped fresh basil

Baked Veggie Fries
Eggplant, Sweet Potato and Turnips cut into small sticks
Toss them in a bowl with some oil to coat.  Spread evenly on baking sheet.  Salt and spice as you like and bake at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes.  Then flip or stir.  Bake another 15 minutes.  You need to watch them as cook time varies depending on thickness of cuts.

Pan-Fried Spiced Cod & Cucumber Moons

Monday, July 12, 2010
I found a yummy looking pre-packaged butternut squash ravioli that I just had to try.  So we decided to pair it with the following delicious recipes.  The cod and ravioli paired quite well.  The cod was Allen's creation and it was to die for!  While the cucumber was delicious it was not complementary to the others.

Pan-Fried Spiced Cod
1 lb wild cod
1 Tbsp EVOO
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1tsp lemon juice
dash or ground ginger
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Cucumber Moons Sauteed with Fresh Dill
2 large or medium cucumbers
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp minced shallots or chopped green onions
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper
Peel cucumbers with potato peeler and clice in half lengthwise.  Scoop out all the seeds with a spoon.  Slice about 1/4 to 1/3-inch thick.  Heat butter in large, heavy skillet over medium flame.  Take care not to let the butter brown, but get it good and hot.  Add the cucumbers and shallots and cook, tossing often, until cucumbers begin to get tender, about 4 minutes.  Stir in dill plus salt and pepper to taste.  Continue to toss and cook until crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.  Makes 4-6 servings. 
* Recipe from MACSAC in From Asparagus to Zucchini

Pancakes & Green Eggs

Sunday, July 11, 2010
We've been out of town a lot and eating things that we've put in the freezer.  Now I'm back to it - although a bit behind! 

We returned home from a weekend away and thought breakfast for supper sounded great.  So we made pancakes and snuck our veggie into our eggs.  Pancakes are great even if you don't sift in the first step - also we have a griddle so we haven't tried the flipping instructions.  Our families always used a pre-made pancake mix, but this is so easy and so delicious that we don't need a mix anymore!  I've also premade the dry mix when we took it on an extended family vacation and it worked well adding the eggs, milk and butter/oil later.

Buttermilk Flapjacks
1 cup flour (we use 1/2 c white, 1/2 c wheat)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 c buttermilk (use 1 Tbsp lemon juice in 1 cup and fill with milk)
2 Tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil (sometimes we use a butter/oil/flaxseed combo)
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a mixing bowl.  In a 2-cup glass measure or small bowl, beat the egg lightly.  Whisk in the buttermilk and melted butter or oil until well blended.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing only until the batter is evenly moistened; it will still contain small lumps.  Grease your nonstick frying pan lightly with a paper towel moistened with vegetable oil.  Heat over medium heat for about 1 minute.  Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan.  Spread out to 6 or 7 inches.  Cook until golden bron on the bottom with tiny bubbles all over the top, 1.5 to 2 minutes.  Shake the pan or slip a spatula underneath the flapjack to loosen it.  Then take a deep breath, jerk the pan up and away from you, flipping the pancake and letting it slide back into the pan, browned side up.  Good luck!  You'll find this takes some practice and a certain amount of trial and error.  When you get it right, repeat with the remaining batter.  Serve the flapjacks hot out of the pan.  Serves 3 or 4.
* Recipe from A Man And His Pan

Green Eggs
eggs
milk
butter/oil
greens (we had turnip & radish greens)
We steamed and pureed the greens and mixed them with a fork with the eggs and a little milk.  Yum!