Recipe Reviewed: Bacon Broccoli Rice Bowl

A favorite special occasion recipe in our house is Bibimpop – a Korean dish.  We love this Cooking Light version.  The Bacon Broccoli Rice Bowl can become the quick, easy version. The kids loved it because bacon, rice, stir fried broccoli, and fried eggs are some of their favorites.   I read a couple of reviews of this recipe.  Two valuable suggestions – add avocado as one of the toppings and substitute tofu for bacon to make it vegetarian.
 
Bacon Broccoli Rice Bowl is a keeper!

Week Sixteen of 2013

We got...

Arugula, Broccoli, Carmen Peppers, Garlic, Leeks, Plum Tomatoes, Potatoes, Salad Mix, Tomatoes (Slicing), Tomatoes (small)
 
Fruit: Pears
 
My ideas....
 
Arugula and Carmen Peppers – The peppers will need roasted, but this Chickpea, RedPepper, Arugula salad looks tasty.
 
Broccoli – This Broccoli Cheese Soup looks so easy I might even make it for lunch one day.
 
Garlic, Potatoes, Salad Mix – This fairly quick recipe for Garlic Chicken and Potatoes and a Salad and you’ve got dinner.
 
Leeks – I told MyRecipes.com that I had Leeks and Peppers in my pantry and it told me about this Pasta with Leek, Pepper,and Chive Sauce.  It’s on this week’s menu.
 
Tomatoes – How about Chicken Parmesan?  This Chicken Parmesan with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce uses Grape Tomatoes and GrilledChicken Parmesan calls for Plum Tomatoes.

Recipe Reviewed: Ricotta Pizza with Fresh and Roasted Tomatoes

Ever so rarely the tomatoes come in such abundance that they just don’t get used up by the next CSA pick up.  I couldn’t believe we hadn’t even touched the Ping Pong tomatoes we got Week Fourteen.  That was okay with me because I have wanted to try Cooking Light’s Aromatic Slow Roasted Tomatoes for years and in the October 2013 issue they have updated the recipe as SlowRoasted Grape Tomatoes.  The updated version is quicker.  I roasted myself some Ping Pong Tomatoes.
 
Then I didn’t know what to do with them.  That’s when I found the recipe for Ricotta Pizza with Fresh and Roasted Tomatoes.  YUM!
 
Other uses for Roasted Tomato:
 
Crostini with Ricotta and Roasted Tomato
Mix with Olive Oil and Serve with Crusty Bread
Pasta and Roasted Tomatoes
Add to Salad or Scrambled Eggs

Links:
Aromatic Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Slow Roasted Grape Tomatoes
Ricotta Pizza with Fresh and Roasted Tomatoes

Recipe Reviewed: Sausages with Squash and Onions

So Simple!  My husband ate separately from us last night.  He came to find me to tell me how delicious this dish was.  You can’t beat a delicious and simple meal for a busy weeknight.
 

Wednesday Menu – Sausages with Acorn Squash and Onions, Orzo Pilaf
Farm Share Food – Delicata Squash, Sweet Dumpling Squash
 
Sausages with Squash and Onions
 
The original recipe uses Acorn Squash.  I used both Delicata Squash and both Sweet Dumpling Squash from the CSA share to make this dish.  They were all small and I appreciate leftovers for lunch the next day.  You can eat the skins of these small squash.  If roasted well, the skins just melt in your mouth.
 
I used chicken sausage.  The links were already cooked.  I added them to the tray after the squash had been cooking for 9-10 minutes at 475 degrees.
 

I used Parmesan cheese, dried Sage and Craisins instead of Asiago cheese and dried cherries.  If using dried Sage I would use ½ T. 

Week Fifteen of 2013

We got...

Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Broccoli Rabe, Carmen Peppers, Cauliflower, Garlic, Green Beans, Leeks, Salad Mix, Tomatoes (Slicing), Tomatoes (Small)

Fruit: Plums
 
My ideas....
 
Peppers (Bell and Carmen) – School has started and evenings are busy, this Slow Simmered Seafood Stew made in the crock pot will make sure dinner is ready for us when we get home from practice. 
 
Broccoli and Cauliflower – I’ve been waiting for years to get Broccoli and Cauliflower the same week to suggest this party pleasing salad that I’ve made many times, Parmesan Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad.
 
Broccoli Rabe and Garlic – Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Golden Raisins would make a great side dish.  Follow the link for the recipe and find 3 additional variations on this recipe. 
 
Green Beans and Small Tomatoes – Greek Green Beans will be a great way to pair up Green Beans and the Small Tomatoes in this flavorful dish.
 
Leeks – This Sweet Leek Ricotta and Tomato Lasagne is so versatile.  You can make it in individual ramekins or in one large dish.  You can also freeze the individual or large group portions for later.
 
Slicing Tomatoes and Salad Mix– I’m serving these Crispy Grilled Chicken Thighs that include grilled Tomatoes in the recipe with a Salad and Crusty Bread.

Reader Suggested Recipe: Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce

Peach Crisp with Maple Cream Sauce
 
A friend of mine suggested this peach crisp several weeks ago.  I promised to try it if I got peaches one more time in the CSA share.  As luck would have it we got some last week and I was hosting a meeting at my house Monday night.  Snacks should be served at this meeting and I knew this crisp would be perfect.
 
There are few items in the CSA share sacred to my husband – Corn on the Cob, Slicing Tomatoes, and Peaches.  With these items I am to do the bare minimum and let him enjoy them.  This makes up for the items that are not his favorites – bitter greens.  So last week’s peaches were maybe not well advertised.  Come Saturday he finds them and says “You didn’t tell me we got peaches!” and proclaims them delicious.  Shoot!  I still had enough on Monday to make the crisp.  He comes home from work, searches out a peach and says “Are the peaches in the oven?”  I had to admit that they were.  So, no more peaches for him, but all the ladies at my meeting proclaimed the crisp well worth it.

Arugula Salad with Mock Caesar Vinaigrette

I saw an idea for a Caesar Arugula Salad.  I was intrigued and always on the look for something to do with Arugula – one of the tougher greens to sell at our dinner table due to the bitterness.  While we love Caesar Salad, I don’t love buying anchovy fillets or a tube of anchovy paste because I just don’t use enough to make it worth it.  I combined two Caesar Salad recipes to come up with this Mock Caesar Vinaigrette.

 
Sunday Menu – Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese, Arugula Salad with Mock Caesar Vinaigrette, Corn on the Cob
Farm Share Food – Arugula, Garlic, Corn

 

Arugula Salad with Mock Caesar Vinaigrette
 
printable version

2 T plus 2 t olive oil, divided
¾ t favorite spice blend (Old Bay, Cajun Season)
2 clove garlic minced, divided
2 cups bread cubes (from leftover crusty bread)
2 t Dijon mustard
2 t Worcestershire sauce
½ t lemon zest
1 t lemon juice
1/8 t ground black pepper
4 cup Arugula
2 T parmesan cheese
 
Combine 2 t of olive oil with spice blend and half of the minced garlic.  Microwave for 20 seconds.  Add bread cubes and toss to coat.  Spread bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until golden.
 
In small bowl combine the other half of the garlic, Dijon, Worcestershire, lemon zest and juice, and black pepper.  Add 2 T of olive oil slowly to create vinaigrette.
 
Toss Arugula, bread cubes, vinaigrette, and parmesan cheese to create salad.
 
This recipe was created by combining the recipes Creamy Caesar Salad with Spicy Croutons and Arugula Salad with Caesar Vinaigrette.
 
NOTE: The Parmesan Crusted Grilled Cheese sandwiches also use Arugula.  Follow the link above in the menu for the recipe.

Simple Marinated Peppers

This recipe is from
Masala Farm: Stories and Recipes from an Uncommon Life in the Country
by Suvir Saran

 
Saran is an accomplished chef who is from India and has a farm in upstate New York with his partner Charlie Burd.  This makes for an interesting collection of recipes!  I’ve loved every one I’ve tried. 
 
We got several peppers in this week’s CSA share, both Carmen and Poblano.  I still had several Carmen Peppers left from the previous week.  I also had a Jalapeno from some weeks back.  I needed to use all these peppers and my friend reminded me of how she made these marinated peppers last year when we were in the same situation.  I thought it would be interesting to have the contrast of both the sweet and spicy peppers to serve on crusty bread.  They all turned out delicious.
 
Simple Marinated Peppers
from Masala Farm by Suvir Saran
 
Printable Version
 
10-12 Peppers of any variety (Bell, Carmen, Poblano, Jalapeno)
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 T Balsamic Vinegar
Kosher Salt
3 fresh Garlic cloves
 
Heat broiler to High.
 
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Lay peppers out on baking sheet.  Broil until blackened on all sides about 20 minutes.  Rotate peppers often while broiling.
 
Once blackened, wrap each pepper in a damp paper towel and place in a paper bag to steam.  Set bag aside for 20 minutes.
 
After the peppers have steamed do the following with each pepper.  Unwrap the pepper from the towel and pull out the stem.  Turn the pepper upside down over the sink or bowl to drain.  Peel off the blackened skins.  Make one cut down the length of the pepper and lay out flat to scrap off the seeds with a knife. 
 
In a glass dish whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt.  Thinly slice the Garlic Cloves.  Place an open pepper in the baking dish and sprinkle a few slices of garlic, then fold the pepper closed.    Do this for each pepper.  Cover the glass dish and refrigerate at a minimum overnight.

Recipe Reviewed: One Pan Pasta

So intrigued when I saw this tip for One Pan Pasta! 
 
Wednesday Menu: One Pan Pasta, Salad
Farm Share Food: Plum Tomatoes, Garlic, Basil, Parsley, Salad Mix, Carmen Peppers
 
One Pan Pasta Link
 
The idea is you pile all the ingredients together in a skillet – pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, broth or water, olive oil, crushed red pepper, herbs, salt and pepper.

 

The original recipe calls for 4 ½ cups of water.  I used chicken broth for a richer flavor and I recommend 3 ½ cups.  The larger amount of broth made for a soupier version.  I had no fresh basil from the CSA this week, but had frozen cubes from earlier in the season, see them in the picture?  I did have some fresh CSA Parsley and did add some of that.

Then I brought the whole thing to a boil and stirred it a bit.  Covered it and let it simmer 10-15 minutes, until pasta is cooked.

 

And you get something that looks like this and is a delicious, simple pasta dinner!

Recipe Reviewed: Hummus Pita “Pizza”

You know dinner was a success when your youngest comes up and says, “Thank you for making such a yummy dinner Mom” and your husband says, “These are delicious!”

 
Monday Night Dinner: Hummus Pita “Pizza”, Garlic SautéedSpinach
Farm Share Food: Onion, Garlic, Tomato, Spinach
 
Hummus Pita “Pizza” - link
 
I used ground turkey instead of lamb because I had some in the freezer.  I toasted the pine nuts on the stove in a dry skillet stirring regularly until they began to brown.  I didn’t have any fresh herbs, but I did have a Mariachi pepper left, so I sliced that up small and thin to sprinkle on instead of cilantro.  I might have to make this again this week because we got all kinds of tomatoes and cilantro.
 
Follow the link above for the method I used for the Garlic Sautéed Spinach.

Week Fourteen of 2013

We got...

Arugula, Carmen Pepper, Corn, Delicata Squash, Fennel, Garlic, Green Beans, Poblano Pepper, Salad Mix, Spinach, Tomato (Ping Pong), Tomato (Plum), Tomato (Slicing), Cilantro

Fruit: Peaches
 
My ideas....
 
Arugula, Garlic, Tomatoes – On this hot and humid day this Grilled Chicken Salad with Gazpacho Dressing looks good.
 
Carmen Pepper, Poblano Pepper – to continue the” it’s hot out” theme, this Spicy Thai Basil Chicken could be a good lettuce wrap.
 
Delicata Squash – and then when it cools down, we can all enjoy these Delicata Rings with Sage.
 
Fennel and Spinach – sounds like a heavy dish, but picture looks like a light dish – will have to try Shrimp Linguine with Ricotta, Fennel and Spinach.
 
Green Beans and Ping Pong Tomatoes – I recently had a delicious green bean and tomato dish.  I’ve been looking for another recipe to make with this combination, Penne and Green Beans with Burst TomatoTarragon Sauce looks like a good candidate.

Recipe Reviewed: Braised Beans and Chickpeas

A lovely layered dish that took care of itself while I prepared the rest of dinner.

 
Sunday Menu: Pad Thai, Braised Beans and Chickpeas, Corn on the Cob
Farm Share Food: Garlic, Onion, Green Beans, Basil, Corn
 
Braised Beans and Chickpeas
 
I used my CSA onion in place of the shallot in this recipe.  I used only about ¼ of the onion, thinly sliced.  I had basil frozen from earlier in the season.  I used two cubes for yesterday’s version.  The recipe suggests leaving some of the water from cleaning the beans on so that the beans remain tender during the cooking process. 
 
This dish required very little attention.  I heated the olive oil, then tossed in the onion, red pepper flakes, and salt.  I put the green bean on top of this and didn’t stir.  10 minutes later I added the chickpeas and basil.  Again I didn’t stir and after another 10 minutes and a sprinkle of lemon juice this dish came out perfect. 

Week Thirteen of 2013

We got...

Broccoli, Carmen Peppers, Corn, Garlic, Green Beans, Onion, Salad Mix, Spinach, Squash, Tomatoes (Slicing), Tomatoes (small)

Fruit: Apples
 
My ideas....
 
Broccoli – In my notes about this Cheesy Penne with Broccoli it says my oldest will eat this.  With that said, seems like the perfect meal for back to school.
 
Garlic – Interested to try these Shrimp Scampi Meatballs in Garlicky Broth.
 
Green Beans – Always excited about ground turkey recipes, this Spicy Turkey and GreenBean Stir Fry looks like a winner.
 
Spinach – I was looking for a quick and easy Spinach Salad and came across this list of options.  I haven’t decided which one to try yet.
 
Sweet Dumpling Squash – After poking around on the internet I can report that these cute little squash are perfect for roasting and stuffing.  An all-time favorite recipe of mine are sausage meatballs with spaghetti squash, so I think I’ll like this Sausage StuffedSweet Dumpling Squash.
 
Tomatoes and Corn – This Tomato Stack Salad with Corn and Avocado looks like a wonderful way to say goodbye to summer produce.
 
Apples – Tried the apples and they were tart.  Thought it might be time to make an Ooey Gooey Apple Cake.