Sunday, February 28, 2010

CSA Week 26

The past few weeks have been very busy! I have a long list of dishes to blog. Those should begin to appear soon.

The weather has also finally taken a turn toward spring here. The constant rains have stopped and the sun has returned. Our friends at Orchard Pond Organics report there are a number of crops in the field now - after several weeks of damaging frost and wet.


Our share at this half-year mark contains:

  • Russian Red kale (in the bag)
  • collard greens
  • shungiku
  • cilantro
  • sour oranges (with the cilantro, I believe a pork dish is forthcoming!) 
  • eggs

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Sunday, February 21, 2010

CSA Week 25

Sorry there is no information about our share this week. We were out of town visiting family. We asked our friends, Dina and Kim, to take our CSA goodies this week. The share included broccoli, arugula, eggs, sour oranges, and ... something else I have forgotten!

I hope to be begin blogging again regularly very soon.

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Sunday, February 14, 2010

CSA Week 24


Oranges? Yes, citrus continues to thrive in Florida despite the recent cold and wet weather. These are sour oranges - perfect for making mojo, a Cuban marinade for pork and chicken.

  • Russian Red Kale
  • Broccoli
  • Arugula
  • sour oranges
  • eggs

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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Kale Crisps - Three ways

Every now and then you discover a way of preparing something that is so simple, you have to marvel. I give you kale crisps. I love kale raw, especially on sandwiches. This is a fabulous alternative.

** Oh, no. I just had the first food disaster due to blogging. While writing this, I forgot that I had set a pot of collard greens on the stove. The water boiled off. I now have a house filled with smoke, ruined 2# of greens, and destroyed a ham bone I'd been saving for weeks.**

Ah well, back to the kale...

The Method
I'm offering three variations on these crisps.

  • 1 large bunch of kale leaves, washed, drained, and dried
  • olive oil
  • sea salt
  • curry powder (optional)
  • shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. Toss the kale with olive oil. (Do not do this if you are topping it with shredded cheese.)
  3. (Optional) Sprinkle with curry powder and toss to very lightly coat.
  4. Place on baking sheet in a single layer.
  5. Sprinkle very lightly with salt.
  6. (Optional #2) Sprinkle with grated cheese.
  7. Bake for 8-11 minutes, until the edges just begin to brown.
The Results
Amazing! I need say nothing more.

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CSA Week 23

It was a cold, wet evening. Things were a bit improved this morning, but I still didn't linger long at the market. Mary did allow us to select some additional items. The kale looked terrific - and I've been wanting to try "kale chips," so that was my choice.

  • turnips
  • carrots
  • cauliflower (Very interesting! Mary, I forgot the variety.)
  • collard greens
  • kale
  • eggs

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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Bean and Cheese Loaf

One of my talents is that I can discover culinary gems in a cookbook.The title of this post is identical to the recipe I discovered in "New Natural Foods Cookbook" by Jean Hewitt (1982). Not exactly inspiring. Nevertheless, it seemed a reasonable way to make a vegetarian meatloaf - and that sounded good. I give you: Bean and Cheese Loaf (page 104, by the way).

The Method
The only modification I made to this dish was the inclusion of OPO turnips and carrots. I reduced the milk slightly to account for this, but not enough. 3/4 cup would have been plenty.

  • 1 C whole wheat bread crumbs (I made mine with honey wheat bread from Three Sons Bakery)
  • 1 C milk
  • 1 20 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and coarsely ground (I used my nifty Kitchen Aid attachment)
  • 1/4 C parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
  • 3-4 small turnips, diced (optional)
  • 2-3 small carrots, diced (optional)
  • 3 TBs oil
  • 1 1/2 C walnuts, finely chopped
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 TB soy sauce
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 C cheddar cheese, shredded
  1. Preheat the oven to 350.
  2. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk.
  3. In a large bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley, and salt.
  4. In the oil over medium-high heat, saute the onion, celery, turnips, and carrots until tender but not browned.
  5. Add vegetables to the chickpea mixture.
  6. Stir in the soaked bread crumbs, nuts, eggs, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, and cheese.
  7. Pour into an oiled bread pan.
  8. Bake for 50 minutes. 
  9. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing. (Mine was too moist to remove.)
The Results
Good ingredients, of course, make an enormous difference. Here, it is important to have good bread because this is a dominant flavor in the dish. The loaf is savory and a nice complement to a big salad. We enjoyed ours alongside a strawberry and mixed greens salad topped with a Dijon mustard and honey dressing.

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Monday, February 1, 2010

Fantastic Frittata

Sunday morning. Peaceful.Ah, what to eat? Our typical Sunday is a slow start. Saturdays are for pancakes, waffles, and other creations requiring active cooking. Sundays are for easy morning meals. A standard for us is the frittata. These can be as complicated or simple as you like. I view them as an ideal opportunity to use leftovers. Rummage in the fridge and pantry. Put everything that sounds good (or needs to be eaten) on the counter. Then cook.

The Method

  • potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
  • 1 small onion
  • 10 eggs (depending upon the size of your pan; you need enough beaten egg to almost cover the other ingredients)
  • cheeses (cheddar and cream)
  • veggies of any sort (I chopped some OPO broccoli and broccoli leaves, sweet orange pepper, and tomato)
  • ham or other breakfast meat, chopped


  1. Preheat the oven to 375
  2. Precut all of your ingredients. Beat the eggs in advance. 
  3. Heat oil in an oven-ready skillet over med-high heat.
  4. Add the potatoes and onions. Saute until they are browned on both sides and the onions have softened.
  5. Add the remaining vegetables. Saute until they begin to soften.
  6. Pour the beaten eggs over the vegetables.
  7. Place shredded cheese and/or dollops of cream cheese across the top.
  8. Cook until you see the eggs have just begun to set. You want them to remain runny on top.
  9. Place the pan into the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the eggs are fully cooked. Shake the pan to check if they are set. They will expand to cover everything.

The Result

Wonderful every time. I don't often season the dish while cooking. This allows the natural flavors to shine. A few coarse grinds of black pepper and a nice cup of coffee go well with this. Enjoy!

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Kudya Bwino Bwino (Eating Well) © 2009