Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas

This recipe was suggested by a reader. She said much like pizza, quesadillas are great for CSA veggies because you can add almost anything to them. The seasonings in these were delicious and I will make them again with some other combination of protein and veggies.

Meatless Monday Menu: Mom out to the PTO Picnic with Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas to share. Additional quesadillas left at home along with leftover salad for the rest of the family.
Farm Share Produce: Garlic Scapes, Spinach

Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas
Adapted from http://annies-eats.com/2008/06/04/chicken-and-spinach-quesadillas/

1 T olive oil, plus more for brushing on tortillas
¼ t red pepper flakes
1-2 cloves garlic crushed or garlic scapes chopped
½ t fajita seasoning (see below to make your own)
8 oz. mushroom sliced
1 bunch fresh spinach
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
6 whole grain tortillas

Heat the olive oil on medium high heat in a skillet. Add red pepper flakes, garlic, and fajita seasoning. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add mushrooms. Cook 3-4 minutes until tender. Add spinach and cook until it wilts. Take mushroom and spinach mixture off the heat.

Brush the tortillas with olive oil. Place on grill or grill pan flat. Add mushroom and spinach mixture to half of the tortilla. Add a handful of the cheese. Fold the tortilla in half and grill until grill marks appear.

Homemade Fajita Seasoning
From my aunt who loves to cook!

2 tablespoons Cumin
1 tablespoon Chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon each
garlic powder
onion powder
dry mustard
black pepper
allspice

3 Vegetable Sides – Grilled Lita, Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions, Salad

I was taught to plan a dinner by making sure there is a protein, vegetables, and a starch. I still follow that basic rule. I tried to come up with a starch last night, but there were too many fun vegetable recipes to try, especially after I found the Lita at the market yesterday.

The Lita was great. The farmer had said it was less moist than zucchini or summer squash. It was therefore perfect for the grill. It held its shape and got great grill lines. It had a mild flavor on its own. I made a quick little sauce to go with it.

Sunday Menu: Cilantro Pesto Salmon, Grilled Lita with Peanut Sauce, Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions, Salad
Farm Share Produce: Broccoli Rabe, Cilantro, Garlic Scapes, Head Lettuce, Parsley, Salad Mix
Other Local Produce: Lita (farmer's market)

Grilled Lita with Peanut Sauce
Based on an easy side dish in Food Network Magazine June 2010, Eggplant with Peanut Sauce

1 Lita
1 T peanut butter
1 t chopped garlic or garlic scapes
1 t lemon juice
1 T olive oil for sauce, olive oil to brush on sliced Lita
1 t chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper

Slice Lita in ½ inch slices. Brush with olive oil and place on grill, 3-5 minutes per side. Combine the rest of the ingredients and brush on Lita when it comes off the grill.

Broccoli Rabe with Caramelized Onions
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/broccoli_rabe_with_caramelized_onions/

Cilantro Pesto Salmon

2 salmon fillets
2 T Cilantro Pesto (leftover from the other day)
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/06/strawberry-sauces-and-cilantro-pesto.html

Spread pesto on salmon fillets and grill for approximately 10 minutes on the George Foreman Grill. When the fillet comes easily away from the grill.

I'm only going to buy...

I left for the market this morning and I was only going to stock up on muesli and get some eggs and green garlic. But then I found these treasurures.

The zucchini looking item is called a Lita. I had never heard of it, so had to buy it. The farmer described it as drier than a regular squash and great for the grill. I'll let you know.

My kids LOVE to shell peas. I love to freeze shelled peas to have on hand for recipes and a quick veggie side dish for the kids. They adore frozen peas and eat them for dinner at least twice a week.

The peas are in the freezer now on this tray. I like to freeze them like this and then put them in a bag. I find they don't clump this way.

Don't forget the great site with tips on freezing vegetables. It's in my list of links too!

http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/foodnut/gh1503.htm

Bok Choi and Chicken Stir-Fry

Stir-Fry…another great method to put those CSA veggies to use. I have a couple different stir-fry methods I’ll share over the next couple of weeks. This one is a straight forward recipe I found years ago. The others are like a Chinese menu where you pick some ingredients from column A and some from B and put it all together to create endless combinations.

Saturday Menu: Bok Choi and Chicken Stir-Fry, steamed Brown Rice
Farm Share Produce: Bok Choi, Garlic Scapes, Parsley
Other Local Produce: Basil (from the garden)

Bok Choi and Chicken Stir-Fry
Adapted from http://www.recipeamerica.com/recipes/show_recipe.php?id=737

1 T olive oil
2 cups pre-cooked chicken (leftovers work great)
1 T corn starch
½ head of bok choi, roughly chopped
½ cup bell peppers, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup frozen peas (got sugar snap or snow peas from your CSA? USE those!)
½ cup scallions, chopped
½ cup broth (vegetable, mushroom, chicken, etc.)
3 t garlic scapes, chopped
1 T fresh ginger, minced
2 T sherry
2 T soy sauce
½ cup cashews, halved
Basil and parsley, roughly chopped


Heat olive oil in a wok or deep skillet. Cube the cooked chicken and toss with the corn starch to coat. Add more corn starch if needed. Reheat chicken in the skillet, allowing a nice crust to form. 5-8 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove chicken and reserve.

Add a touch more oil if necessary to the wok or skillet. Add bok choi, peppers, mushrooms, peas, and scallions. Saute 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove and reserve with chicken.

Add the broth, garlic, ginger, sherry, soy sauce, and cashews to the wok or skillet. Cook 2 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken slightly. Return chicken and vegetables and heat through, 1 minute. Sprinkle with basil and parsley and stir through once. Serve with rice.

NOTE: You can use any meat or vegetables you have on hand. I already used the snow peas from the CSA in the pasta primavera, but those would have been great here. Any fresh herbs would also be good. Cilantro would have been great, but mine was all in the pesto. BUT, I forgot how tasty the parsley was from the farm. It was really good.

Steamed Brown Rice
I found this great method for steaming brown rice. You make a bunch and the recipe includes freezing directions. I freeze them in dinner portions. They defrost quickly and it’s a great way to have brown rice on hand.
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Perfect-Brown-Rice-in-a-Steamer-298971

Strawberry Sauces and Cilantro Pesto

That’s a weird title, but then at the end of a busy day dinner is often a weird combo.

Thursday Menu: Grilled Chicken with a Spicy Strawberry Sauce, Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette, and leftover Angel Hair Pasta with Cilantro Pesto
Farm Share Produce: Cilantro, Garlic Scapes, Salad Mix
Strawberry Sauce (berries picked locally and turned into this sauce)
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/06/strawberry-sauc.html

Cilantro Pesto
http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cilantro_pesto/
I have seen so many variations for cilantro pesto. I liked this one because of the heat provided by the chile. It freezes well because there is no cheese.
PESTO TIP: freeze pesto without the nuts and cheese and add those when you defrost it

2 cups packed cilantro, large stems removed
½ cup blanched almonds
¼ cup roughly chopped onion
1 rehydrated in hot water dried chile
¼ cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a suitable container and combine with immersion blender.

No immersion blender????? Ask for one for your next birthday or gift giving occasion!!! They are the best. You could also combine in a blender of food processor.

Grilled Chicken with Spicy Strawberry Sauce
Based on http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/dinner-recipes/Pork-Tenderloin-with-Spicy-Strawberry-Sauce

4-6 boneless chicken thighs
2 T lime juice
2 T coarse-grain mustard
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 t garlic scapes, finely chopped or 2 cloves garlic
1 T Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of allspice and crushed red pepper

Coat chicken with lime juice, mustard and olive oil. Allow to marinade for up to one hour.
Grill chicken approx. 5 minutes per side. (I cheat and use the Foreman Grill, ALL the time).
In a sauce pan heat the oil, add the onion and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add Worcestershire, allspice, red pepper, and strawberry sauce (see link above). Simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Keep warm and serve grilled chicken with sauce.

Strawberry Vinaigrette
http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-index/salad-recipes/Frisee-Salad-with-Strawberry-Vinaigrette

3 T red wine vinegar
2 T Dijon mustard
3 T strawberry sauce (see link above)
1 t pure maple syrup
2 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together. Keep extra in the refrigerator.

Pasta Primavera and Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette

Wednesday Menu: Pasta Primavera and Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Farm Share Produce: Basil (our garden), Garlic Scapes, Radishes, Salad Mix, Snow Peas, Turnips, Zucchini

I planned this as dinner last night because I thought it would be a good way to use this week’s veggies. As I was eating I decided it’s a great basic CSA meal that will be new every time you make it. The sauce was basic and quiet in the background. Each bite highlighted the vegetables it contained.
Instead of a regular recipe, I’m going to write the recipe in basics and make suggestions for possible vegetables for this dish.

Basic Pasta Primavera
Based on http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/classic_pasta_primavera/

½ pound angel hair pasta, spaghetti or fettuccini
Vegetables for blanching, approx. a handful of each, 2-3 varieties
Vegetables for sauté, approx. a handful of each, 1-2 varieties
3 minced garlic cloves
3 Roma tomatoes, or ½ pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
¼ cup chicken broth
½ cup half and half
½ tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
½ parmesan cheese
8 basil leaves, cut into strips

In a large pot boil water and salt heavily. Have an ice bath on hand. Add vegetables for blanching in the order of toughness (broccoli and asparagus would go first, peas would go last). Boil each vegetable for approx. one minute and then add the next. Remove all the vegetables at the end and plunge into ice bath. Cool, drain, and set aside.
Save the water to boil the pasta. Starting with fresh water for pasta can also be done.

Melt butter and heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and vegetable for sauté, cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes and continue sauté for another 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add cream and blanched vegetables, stir to combine. Add crushed red pepper if using. Turn the heat down so mixture is simmering. Add parmesan cheese and combine. The sauce should be thick, but add more broth, cream or water to achieve desired thickness.

Boil the pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is done transfer it to the sauté pan and add basil, salt and pepper for taste.

For last night’s dinner I blanched snow peas. Other vegetables for blanching: Asparagus, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Green Beans.

Last night I sautéd the radishes and turnips I had roasted earlier in the day and the zucchini. Other vegetables for sauté: Beets (if roasted first), Carrots, Onions, Sweet Peppers, Summer Squash.

Roasted Radishes and Turnips - http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/06/radishes.html

Basic Balsamic Vinaigrette
From Around – I read it at my friends on some scrap of paper and I’m not sure I remember the quantities right

3 T balsamic vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Combine ingredients.
You can play around with this forever. I often add the main spices that are in the rest of the meal and so on.

Radishes

Roasting radishes is a wonderful cooking method for them. This is especially true if you don’t like them because of that bite a raw radish has. Roasting them also allows them to be used in numerous ways beyond a salad.
This is a picture of the radishes and turnips I roasted from this week’s share. The following recipe is for radishes, but I just did the radishes and turnips together.

Roasted Radishes
From “Fresh Every Day” by Sara Foster

1 bunch radishes, cleaned and stems removed leaving ½ inch of stem
1 T unsalted butter, melted
1 T olive oil
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place radishes on a baking sheet. Toss with butter, oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the thyme. Roast 10 – 15 minutes until the radishes are tender but still slightly crunchy.

These can be a side dish, tossed into a salad, or I put them in Pasta Primavera last night (see post).

In addition here is a link from the new Cooking Channel about radishes.
http://blog.cookingchanneltv.com/2010/05/27/craving-radishes-some-of-yours-some-of-ours/