Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup and Maple Soy Tilapia

Both delicious dishes, but I'm not sure that they went well together.  I combined a few different soup recipes to come up with the following.  It was absolutely wonderful.  The kids loved this dinner - it was like candy for supper.  The best part is that it was very healthy!

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
about 12 cups/4lbs variety chopped root vegetables (such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, parnsips, carrots, turnips, beets, radishes)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups onions, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh heirloom celery
2 Tbsp garlic, finely chopped
6 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups tomatoes, chopped and seeded
1/2 tsp fresh gingerroot, minced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp curry
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine vegetables in a large pot or Dutch oven. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread vegetables evenly on jelly roll pan. Roast in the preheated oven until the vegetables are easily pierced with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in your previously used large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the celery and onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a simmer, uncovered. Add tomatoes.  Stir in the roasted vegetables and continue simmering for 10 minutes. Puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary. If the soup becomes too thick, add more vegetable broth.

Maple Soy Tilapia
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp maple syrup
couple squirts of lemon juice
3 tilapia filets
Cook filets with oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, salt and pepper for about 2 minutes on each side.  Add maple syrup cook another 2 minutes per side.

Fresh Greens Pasta Pie

This was really delicious and fairly easy.  The whole family enjoyed it.  I didn't have vermicelli or spaghetti, so I used rotini and make it in a casserole dish.  In the second step I pureed the 3 eggs with beet & radish greens.  We can't wait for leftovers!

Fresh Greens Pasta Pie
6 oz vermicelli
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
5 eggs
2 tsp cooking oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 c chopped fresh spinach or other greens
1 c shredded mozzarella cheese
1/3 c milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large pie plate.  Cook vermicelli according to package directions; drain.  Stir butter and Parmesan cheese into hot vermicelli.  Beat 2 of the eggs and stir well into pasta.  Spoon mixture into pie plate, and use a spoon to shape vermicelli into a pie shell.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake 10 minutes.  Set aside.  Heat oil in small skillet, add onion and saute until tender.  Beat the remaining 3 eggs and combine with spinach, mozzarella, milk, seasonings, and sauteed onions.  Spoon spinach mixture into pasta shell.  Cover pie with aluminum foil.  Bake 35 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.  Makes 6 servings. 
* Recipe in From Asparagus to Zucchini by Crystal Lake Gardens

Friday, October 22, 2010

Oscar Pasta (a variation) and Roasted Root Vegetables

We usually make Oscar Pasta with spinach and nutmeg, but we had a lot of cooking greens and thought we would try this recipe.  It was delicious as were the roasted root veggies.  Both fantastic dishes we would do again.

Pasta with Dark Greens (or Oscar Pasta)
2 pounds mix of broccoli raab, and Braising Greens
Kosher salt
1 pound orechiette, penne or other pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Pinch dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper and salt
In a large pot, bring 2 to 3 quarts of water to a boil.While the water heats, trim the greens and wash them well. Cut the greens crosswise into 1-inch pieces or strips.When the water comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt. Toss the greens into the boiling water; cook until they are almost tender but still bright green, 8 to 10 minutes. (The time will vary somewhat depending on what kind of greens you use. Testing them is the best way to know when they are done.) With a slotted spoon, remove greens from the pot and toss into a large bowl of cold water.Add the pasta to the pot of water in which the greens were cooked. While the pasta cooks, squeeze the greens to remove as much water as possible. Fluff the greens to separate them, then set aside. In a large, heavy skillet or a wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, just until the garlic begins to color. (Take care not to let it burn or the dish will taste bitter.) Add the pepper flakes. When the pasta is almost done, 10 to 12 minutes, add the drained greens to the pan and cook together for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove pan from the heat. Drain the pasta, leaving a bit of water clinging to it. Add the pasta to the cooked greens; toss well. Season to taste with pepper and salt. Serve immediately with a loaf of the thick-crusted, whole-grain bread. Makes 4 to 6 servings. [I put the cooked greens and other ingredients into the Magic Bullet and pureed them to make a kid-friendly pasta sauce]
* Recipe from Keewaydin Farms.com

Roasted Root Vegetables
3 cups radishes, halved (use watermelon and Spanish Black if available)
2 cups turnips, in 1 inch cubes
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water or white wine
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbs mustard
1 tbs honey
1 tbs tarragon
1 tsp garlic powder
Put Radishes and Turnips in a greased oven pan. Mix all other ingrediens in a bowl and spread on the vegetables, making sure to turn them so they are fully coated. Place pan in oven a 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Turn vegetables every 10 minutes. If dry add 1/4 cup water.
* Recipe from GroupRecipes.com from "legoflamb"

Burgers, Salad and Goat Cheese Chive Potatoes

We got some goat cheese in our farm share last week and had to find a way to incorporate it with some of our vegetables.  These smashed potatoes were wonderful.  We served them with burgers from the grill and a big mixed greens salad.

Allen's Best Burgers

1 lb lean burger
He puts a little of each of the following in our Magic Bullet: olive oil, dash of worchestershire sauce, oregano, basil, rosemary, salt & pepper, Lawry's salt (and a special new ingredient - a quarter of an onion, finely diced in our Magic Bullet). Mixed it with the burger and made patties.
* Recipe from my husband :)

Smashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Chives
Yield: 12 servings (serving size: about 2/3 cup)
3 pounds peeled baking potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup (6 ounces) goat cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
Place potatoes in a saucepan, and cover with cold water to 2 inches above. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until tender; drain. Return the potatoes to pan over low heat; add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and butter to pan. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency. Add cheese and pepper to potato mixture; stir until cheese melts. Stir in milk; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in chives.
* Recipe from Cooking Light

Freezer Spaghetti Sauce

It has been far too long since I've posted something.  Yes, my family is still eating.  We got behind this summer with vacations and have barely been able to keep up with our vegetable farm share.  Most days we look at what veggies need to be eaten (and what can be frozen to use later) and we build a meal around that.  This is one exceptional recipe that we used recently.  Even my picky son, who won't eat "spaghetti & meatballs" with jarred tomato sauce, loved this.

Stephanie's Freezer Spaghetti Sauce
4 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
16 cups chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried basil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
In a slow cooker saute together the onion, garlic, green pepper, and vegetable oil. Cook until onion is transparent. Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, basil, parsley, sugar, salt, and ground black pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 hours on low heat. Stir frequently. Let sauce cool. Pour sauce into quart size freezer containers. Store in freezer. When ready to use sauce, stir in can of tomato paste. [I only did 1/8 c sugar and 1.5 Tbsp sugar, and after having made this with pasta would double the tomato paste]
* Recipe from allrecipes.com by Stephanie Lane