Sesame Kale Salad

Poolside Potluck Picnic

The weather was not picture perfect pool weather, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t gather at the poolside for a picnic. We were having so much fun my husband called and asked where we were. I assured him we’d be home soon with picnic leftovers!

Picnic Contributions – Sesame Kale Salad, Claremont Salad
Farm Share Food – Kale, Garlic Scapes, Carrot, Scallions, Arrowhead Cabbage

Claremont Salad – a non-creamy coleslaw with a lighter dressing
http://www.auntruthskitchen.com/recipes/claremontsalad.html
Getting kids in the kitchen – my kids love helping me shred cabbage with the food processor.

Sesame Kale Salad
A recipe in “From Asparagus to Zucchini”

Printable Version
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/83196924/Sesame-Kale-Salad

1 pound fresh Kale
2 T soy sauce
2 T sesame oil
1 T toasted sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, minced (I used a garlic scape)
2 t honey
1 T apple cider vinegar

Separate Kale – leaves from stems. Chop stems into ½ inch pieces. Rough chop the leaves.
Steam stems for 4-5 minutes, then add the greens for an additional 3 minutes, until tender. Drain the Kale and let cool. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Place in serving bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seed, garlic, honey, and vinegar. Toss with the greens. Chill for at least 1 hour. Serve.

NOTES: I loved that the stems of the Kale were used. This cooking time allowed them to be soft enough to chew. They gave the salad texture. This salad had great flavor!

Simple Spinach Salad

Tuesday Menu – Quesadillas, Simple Spinach Salad
Farm Share Food – Garlic Scapes, Scallions, Spinach, Zucchini

Simple Spinach Salad
Based on http://www.marthastewart.com/315091/herb-crusted-salmon-with-spinach-salad

Printable Version
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/83131561/Simple-Spinach-Salad

3-4 cups Spinach, cleaned, stems removed and rough chopped if necessary
2 Scallions, cut into 2-3 inch lengths
3 T lemon juice
1 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Toss Spinach and Scallions in a medium bowl.

In a small bowl whisk together lemon juice, oil, and salt and pepper. Toss dressing with Spinach and Scallions.

Here is my write up on quesadillas. They are great for using lots of CSA veggies. Last night’s quesadillas had a vegetable mixture with Zucchini, Spinach, Garlic Scapes, Mushrooms, and Onions.
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/06/spinach-and-mushroom-quesadillas.html

Week 2 of 2011

We got…

Cabbage, Carrots, Kale, Scallions, Snap Peas, Spinach, Zucchini, Basil and Parsley
Fruit – Cherries

My plans…

Cabbage
I plan to make a Claremont Salad, a lighter coleslaw, for a potluck.
http://www.auntruthskitchen.com/recipes/claremontsalad.html

Carrots
The young, spring carrots we got this week would be perfect for these Israeli Carrots.
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/israeli-carrots-50400000111126/

Kale
I’ve wanted to try this dish for a long time, Kale Caesar Salad. I think it will be great in the summer. You don’t want the usual Kale dishes – like soup with Sausage and Kale.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/kale-caesar-salad-recipe/index.html

Snap Peas
Here is a recipe for Soft Polenta with Roasted Portobellos and Snap Peas. My guess is they will just get eaten as snacks again at our house.
http://www.marthastewart.com/349745/soft-polenta-roasted-portobellos-and-snap-peas

Spinach
I rushed home tonight from CSA pick up and made a Simple Spinach Salad. Stay tuned to the blog tomorrow for a recipe.

Basil and Parsley
I plan to make pesto to share and freeze with both of the herbs.

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, Basil, and Lemon

The Orecchiette dish originally called for fresh oregano, but with all those fresh herbs from the farm in the fridge I consulted “The Flavor Bible” by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg and discovered that basil also pairs well with Broccoli Rabe.

Meatless Monday Menu – Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, Basil, and Lemon, and Frittata
Farm Share Food – Basil, Broccoli Rabi, Garlic Scapes, Parsley

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe, Basil, and Lemon
From http://www.marthastewart.com/352659/orecchiette-broccoli-rabe-oregano-and-lemon

Printable Version
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/82995358/Orecchiette-Broccoli-Rabe

Salt and Pepper, to taste
¾ pound orecchiette
1 bunch Broccoli Rabe, stems removed and roughly cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
¼ olive oil
3 T garlic scapes, minced
½ heaping t red-pepper flakes
1 T fresh Basil, cut into strips
2-3 t lemon juice

In a large pot of salted water cook pasta according to package directions. Add Broccoli Rabe when 4 minutes of cook time remains. Drain pasta and Broccoli Rabe and return to pot.

While pasta cooks heat oil in a small skillet. Add Garlic Scapes and red-pepper flakes and cook over medium heat until garlic begins to brown, 2 minutes.

Toss oil mixture with pasta mixture. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with basil and drizzle on lemon juice.

Roasted Turnips and Mushrooms

Sunday Menu – Tuna with Sesame Bok Choi, Roasted Turnips and Mushrooms, Brown Rice
Farm Share Food – Bok Choi, Cilantro, Turnips

Roasted Turnips and Mushrooms
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/roasted-turnips-and-mushrooms-recipe/index.html
Minutes after putting these into the oven to roast they smelled so good. The cook time given is 25-30 minutes, I would give them closer to 40 minutes next time. I left my golf ball size turnips whole. Or I might cut the turnips in half.

Tuna with Sesame Bok Choi
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2011/05/tuna-with-sesame-bok-choi.html
I used mushrooms this time, as called for in the original recipe, as opposed to peppers. Still a super yummy meal.
Also, last time I had mini Bok Choi, this time I had a large head. Instead of searing the halves, I gave the Bok Choi a rough chop and again treated it like spinach.

Skillet Eggs with Kale and Chorizo

I have been freezing the Kale from our CSA, but I wanted to provide a recipe in “From Asparagus to Zucchini” in case you were wanting to put your Kale to use on your dinner table.

Skillet Eggs with Kale and Chorizio
“From Asparagus to Zucchini” pg. 97

¼ pound Chorizo, diced
1 bunch Kale, stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
Lemon Juice
Pepper
4-6 Eggs
Grated Parmesan or Asiago

Heat large, nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add chorizo and cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Add the Kale and cook, tossing often 3 minutes, until wilted. Sprinkle with lemon juice and pepper and toss Kale mixture well. Push mixture to the outer edges of the pan. Reduce heat to medium and crack eggs one at a time in the center of the pan. Cook briefly uncovered, then sprinkle 3 T of water over Kale and eggs, cover and cook until eggs are set, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle a little grated cheese over the dish and serve immediately right from the pan.

Freezing – Kale, Broccoli, Herbs

My goal with a whole share for our family was to get items stored. I have frozen the kale the past two weeks, this week I froze the broccoli, and herbs will likely get frozen every week.
Kale in Ice Bath

Freezing Kale

Bring several inches of water to a boil. Discard stems and rough chop Kale. Add the Kale to the water and set a timer for 3 minutes. Immediately remove the Kale from the water and place in an ice bath. When the ice has melted drain Kale well. Freeze – I use zip top freezer bags.

Broccoli Cooling Before Being Bagged

Freezing Broccoli

Remove woody sections and leaves off the broccoli stalk. Cut the stalk into thin disc and prepare florets. Bring an inch or two of water to a boil and add steamer to pot. Steam stalk discs 2 minutes, then add florets and steam and additional 5 minutes. Remove broccoli and immediately rinse with cold water. Freeze.

Freezing Herbs

My favorite way is chopping the herbs and freezing them in ice cube trays. Here is my post on the method from last year.
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/07/freezing-herbs.html

Later this summer I’ll work on freezing pesto made from Basil, Parsley, and Cilantro.

Sites I found helpful in freezing these vegetables.
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=GH1503
http://www.notmartha.org/archives/2009/06/12/how-to-blanch-and-freeze-kale/

Odds and Ends for the Weekend Menu

Saturday Menu – Garlicky Spaghetti with Arugula, Salad
Farm Share Produce – Garlic Scapes, Arugula, Red Leaf Lettuce

Garlicky Spaghetti with Arugula
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/garlicky-spaghetti-with-beans-greens-10000001911373/
I used the one garlic scape minced to get the 2 T of garlic needed for this recipe.

Here are my thoughts from when I discovered this recipe a year ago. We love this dish!
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/05/garlicky-spaghetti.html

For my salad I took the leftover Parsley Pesto and diluted it with some lemon juice to create a dressing. I really liked it.
Parsley Pesto
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2011/06/parsley-pesto.html

Skillet Zucchini

We were cabin camping – we had a small kitchen. I made zucchini super simple, but yummy.

Friday Menu – Hamburgers, Skillet Zucchini
Farm Share Food – Zucchini, Red Leaf Lettuce for the burgers

Skillet Zucchini

2-3 medium zucchini, rough cut into 1 inch cubes
½ small onion, sliced
1 t butter
1 t oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Season salt to taste

Heat skillet on medium high heat with butter and oil. Add the zucchini and onion. Toss in the skillet with salt, pepper, and season salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until zucchini begin to brown.

Strawberries

We were able to go strawberry picking early this week. I love strawberry season.

I made my favorite strawberry sauce. Use it for pancakes, waffles, ice cream, and so on.
I also froze a whole bag of strawberries. This link has the information and recipes for these.
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/06/strawberry-sauc.html

I also made a strawberry crumble based on this recipe. It’s in the freezer waiting for an occasion. July 4th possibly? I'll let you know.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/strawberry-and-almond-crumble-recipe/index.html

Pasta Feast

We had lots of people to feed last night. We had a couple types of pasta and with it we had a Parsley Pesto, Red Sauce, and Meatballs. We also had the Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta. We had a Pasta Feast.

Monday Menu – Spaghetti, Tortellini, Parsley Pesto, Red Sauce, Turkey Meatballs, Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta, Loaves of Bread, Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Farm Share Produce – Parsley, Garlic Scapes, Radishes with Greens, Red Leaf Lettuce, Bibb Lettuce

Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta
http://www.marthastewart.com/344894/buttery-shrimp-and-radish-pasta

Parsley Pesto
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2011/06/parsley-pesto.html

Balsamic Vinaigrette
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/cafe-green-salad-recipe/index.html
I don’t rub the garlic on the bowl, I usually use garlic powder in the dressing. If you want fresh – finely mince ½ a garlic clove. Right now a garlic scape would be perfect minced.

Parsley Pesto

Parsley pesto

½ cup toasted walnuts
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup packed flat leaf parsley
¼ cup vegetable broth
6 cloves garlic peeled
1 T bread crumbs
½ tsp coarse salt

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Add more broth or water if pesto is too thick.

Week 2 of 2011

This week we got…

Arugula, Bok Choi, Broccoli, Broccoli Rabe, Garlic Scapes, Kale, Red Leaf Lettuce, Snow Peas, Summer Squash, Turnips, Zucchini, Basil Parsley, Cilantro

My plans…

The snow peas are gone. They got washed and put on the table for dinner and got gobbled up.

I will freeze the Broccoli and the Kale.

Garlic Scapes – just use these like you would a clove a garlic.

I think I’ll split the bok choi into quarters, brush them with olive oil, and grill it.

The Red Leaf Lettuce will provide plenty of salads.

With the turnips I want to try these roasted turnips and mushrooms.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/roasted-turnips-and-mushrooms-recipe/index.html

Whatever herbs are left I will chop and freeze in ice cube trays.
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/07/freezing-herbs.html

I would like to try this Chicken, Broccoli Rabe, Tomatoes, and Beans.
http://www.marthastewart.com/349636/chicken-broccoli-rabe-tomatoes-and-beans

Sautéed Spinach with Tomatoes

The spinach from the farm smelled so GOOD! It smelled good fresh and it smelled heavenly cooking. It brought Grandma and the boys inside from playing to find out what was cooking.

Sunday Menu – Grilled BBQ Chicken, Mini BBQ Pizza, Sautéed Spinach with Tomatoes, Salad
Farm Share Food – Garlic Scape, Spinach

Sautéed Spinach with Tomatoes

1 t olive oil
1 t butter
1 Garlic Scape, minced
½ red onion, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into thirds
1 small bowl (CSA pick up measurement) baby spinach

Heat oil and butter in a skillet on medium high. Cook onions and scapes until beginning to brown. Add tomatoes and continue to cook until tomatoes are easy to flatten. Add spinach and toss with tomato mixture until beginning to wilt. Remove from heat and serve.

Ranch Dressing

Tuesday Dinner – Grilled Salmon, Naan, Salad with Ranch Dressing
Farm Share Food – Red Leaf Lettuce, Garlic Scapes
Other Local Food – thyme from the garden

Ranch Dressing
From Everyday Food June 2011

1 cup buttermilk
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 ½ t chopped fresh thyme
1 garlic scape, finely minced
1/8 t cayenne pepper

Whisk ingredients together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Week 1 of 2011

This week we got…

Broccoli, Bok Choi, Garlic Scapes, Kale, Radishes, Spinach, Summer Squash, Zucchini, Boston Bibb Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Salad Mix, Basil, Parsley

My plans…

Broccoli, Bok Choi, and Summer Squash will be made into a stir fry.

Garlic Scapes – just use these like you would a clove a garlic.

Kale and Zucchini I will store. The Kale I will just rough chop, blanche, and freeze to be used like spinach. The Zucchini I plan to bake into this snack cake and freeze.
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/healthy-good-for-you-recipes/chocolate-zucchini-snack-cake

With the radishes and their greens I plan to make this Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta.
http://www.marthastewart.com/344894/buttery-shrimp-and-radish-pasta

With the Boston Bibb, Red Lettuce, and Salad Mix we will have salad every night this week.

I plan to make pesto out of both the Basil and Parsley.

Toasts with Asparagus and Soft Boiled Eggs

Check out the link for a picture because while this tasted good, it didn’t look neat and pretty on the plate and was one of those meals you weren’t sure how to approach. We used steak knives, didn’t ever think we’d see that on a Meatless Monday.

Meatless Monday – Toasts with Asparagus and Soft Boiled Eggs
Local Food – Baguette for Toasts, Asparagus

Toasts with Asparagus and Soft Boiled Eggs
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/fast-recipes/ricotta-toasts-with-asparagus-and-poached-eggs

I used turkey bacon and I soft boiled the eggs, they poached them.
I just find it easier to soft boil and egg. I get the water boiling put the eggs in for 5 minutes and 30 second, then put them in an ice bath for 5 minutes and then peel and serve.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

I was so excited to see early broccoli as the market on Sunday. This is a tried and true recipe.

Sunday Menu – Asian Grilled Chicken, Oven Roasted Broccoli, Grilled Potatoes
Local Food – Broccoli

Oven Roasted Broccoli
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/good-eats/oven-roasted-broccoli-recipe/index.html

Sautéed Spinach with Curry

I had spinach from the market for dinner, but wasn’t sure how to cook it. I got the idea for this recipe from the cooking tips for Spinach in “From Asparagus to Zucchini”. By the way, "From Asparagus to Zucchini" got the most votes in the recent poll. Every week during the regular CSA season I will try a recipe from this cookbook with one of the items we receive.

Wednesday Menu – Seafood Curry and Rice, Sautéed Spinach with Curry
Local Food – Spinach

Sautéed Spinach with Curry

1 t butter
1 t olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 small onion, sliced
1 t red curry paste
¼ cup broth
2 small bunches of spinach, stems removed
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add onions, garlic, and curry paste. Cook until onions just begin to brown. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add spinach leaves in batches and toss with broth mixture until the spinach wilts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Simple Peas/Frozen Peas

Shelling peas were at the farmer’s market when I went Sunday. I bought a whole bunch.

Tuesday Menu – Steak, Potato Salad, Simple Peas and Onions
Local Food – Peas

Simple Peas and Onions
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/simple_peas_and_onions/

I halved this recipe. You cook the onions until they begin to brown. The onions give this simple side dish a wonderful richness. YUM!

Frozen Peas
The peas I didn’t use in this recipe got blanched for 1 ½ minutes and then cooled and frozen. I love having my own frozen veggies.
For tips on how to freeze a variety of vegetables, I always use this site.
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=GH1503

Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli

The second 40 pound vegetable box from the winter share is now officially gone – I’ll be happy not to see another beet until next year’s winter share. It’s good, because we will have CSA vegetables in 11 days (but who’s counting). Our CSA is delayed by a week, the farm had a terrible thunder/hail storm and some early crops were destroyed. Very sad. In other more upbeat and adventurous news I will have a full share this year. I’m hoping to store many things and write about methods and ideas for filling the freezer and pantry shelves.

Thursday Menu – Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli
Farm Share Produce - Beets

Seared Fish with Beets and Broccoli
http://www.marthastewart.com/335096/seared-fish-with-beets-and-broccoli

My review would be, it’s a dish with beets. It was actually an okay beet dish. I didn’t change anything, but be sure and follow the link to see a beautiful purple representation of the dish.