Delight-L-T

These sandwiches were delicious!  My husband said I should just title this posting delicious, but I wanted to play on the BLT theme that inspired these sandwiches.
 
I saw a recipe for T-L-T’s (Tofu, Lettuce, Tomato) Sandwiches that I really wanted to try.  I knew the kids needed something a little more, or at least something I knew they would eat, so I added turkey bacon to the mix.  The tofu could really replace the mayonnaise on a regular BLT.  It adds enough creaminess, while being a little healthier.  As I was making the sandwiches I felt like they needed a little something more and the bit of cilantro that was left in the fridge was calling to me.  The end result was a tofu, turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato, and cilantro pesto sandwich, which we will refer to as Delight-L-T.
 
Monday Menu – Delight-L-T sandwiches, Salad
Farm Share Food – Head Lettuce, Cilantro
 
Delight-L-T Sandwiches
inspired by Mitchell’s St. TLT’s found in Penzey’s Spices Summer 2012
 
1 12oz. package extra firm tofu
2 T grill seasoning or a favorite spice blend
2 T olive oil
turkey bacon slices, prepared using package directions
lettuce pieces for sandwiches
tomato slices
whole wheat bread slices
Cilantro Pesto
 
Remove tofu from package and wrap in paper towels for several minutes.  Cut the brick into thin slices.  Heat the oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet.  While the oil is heating, sprinkle 1 T of the grill seasoning on the tofu slices.  Place the tofu slices season side down in the pan.  Then sprinkle the other side with the remaining 1 T of grill seasoning.  After 4-5 minutes flip over the tofu slices.  Cook the tofu slices on the other side for another 4-5 minutes.
 
To assemble the sandwiches spread cilantro pesto on two slices of bread.  Place three tofu slices on one piece of bread, place turkey bacon slices on top of the tofu, pile lettuce and tomato next.  Place the other piece of bread on top and enjoy. 
 
NOTE:  I love this Cilantro Pesto recipe.  I had sunflower seeds in the house and not almonds this time.  It was delicious.

Week One of 2012

We got...
 
Arugula, Bibb Lettuce ,Broccoli, Garlic Scapes, Kale, Kohlrabi, Napa Cabbage, Radishes, Romaine Lettuce, Salad Mix, Summer Squash,  Turnips, Zucchini
 
My plans...
 
Salads of course!  We have Bibb, Romaine, and Salad Mix to get through.  Please share your salad ideas or dressing recipes in the comments or email me.
purplecook8@gmail.com
 
With all this lettuce I will be making a Lettuce Wrap of some sort.  I’ll put a few ideas below.
 
Arugula – already gone into last night’s dinner of Pasta with Lentils and Arugula.
 
Bibb Lettuce – Here is a Bibb Salad with Radishes, OR the first of the wraps, a Stir Fried Turkey in Lettuce Wraps.
 
Broccoli – I’ll be making my brother’s signature dish of Broccoli and Chorizo Noodles.  He created this with the ingredients he had at home one night and needed to make dinner quick.  Now it is his wife’s favorite dish and was gobbled down by our family on a recent visit.

Garlic Scapes, Summer Squash and Zucchini – I’m looking forward to trying a recipe for Grilled Squash Tossed in Herb and Garlic Marinade.  The rest of the Scapes I’ll just use like garlic in recipes.
 
Kale – Kale always makes me think of fall foods, so with summer just around the corner I thought it would be fun to try this Kale and Parmesan Coleslaw.
 
Kohlrabi, Radishes, and Turnips – My friend made Punjabi Kohlrabi with her Kohlrabi and Tatsoi last week.  I think I’ll try that recipe with the Kohlrabi, Turnips, and Radishes.  I will likely use some of the Kale for the greens the recipe calls for. 
 
Napa Cabbage – I might try this Chicken Peanut Stir Fry or these Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps using the Napa Cabbage.  The Cabbage seems like it would make a good holder and is delicate enough to make this recipe work.
 
Romaine – I’m fascinated by this Charred BLT Salad.
 
Happy Cooking this week.  I’ll post the recipes for the Broccoli and Chorizo Noodles, Grilled Squash, and Punjabi Kohlrabi after we’ve sampled them.  I don’t have links for those. 
 
As always, please e-mail me questions, suggestions, or requests for recipes.
purplecook8@gmail.com

Tatsoi-Pea Salad with Grilled Salmon

When I was learning to cook my mom gave me a great piece of meal planning advice.  She suggested that each meal have a protein, a vegetable, and a starch component.  We needed a light, but well-rounded meal last night.  This salad has a grilled piece of salmon (protein), the main salad components are Tatsoi and Peas (vegetable), and pita chips (starch). 

 
Sunday Menu – Tatsoi-Pea Salad with Grilled Salmon
Farm Share Food – Tatsoi, Cilantro
Other Local Food – Shelled Peas from the Farmer’s Market  (I had them frozen from a couple weeks ago)
 
Tatsoi-Pea Salad with Grilled Salmon
based on Spinach-Pea Salad with Grilled Shrimp from Cooking Light
 
Printable Version
 
1 cup frozen peas
1 6 inch pita
3 T extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 ½ t grated lemon zest, divided
Salt & Pepper
2 Salmon fillets
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
3 T  Cilantro, chopped
6 oz. or CSA small bowl of Tatsoi, stems removed
1 oz Mozzarella cheese cubes
 
Preheat grill to medium-high, or Grill Pan, or George Foreman grill.
 
Place peas in a bowl, cover with water and microwave for 1 – 1 ½ minutes.  Drain and set aside.
 
Grill pita for 1 minute on each side.  Remove from grill, let cool, and break into chips.
 
Combine 1 T oil, 1 t lemon zest, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Brush onto Salmon fillets.  Grill for 6-8 minutes, until done.
 
Combine remaining 2 T oil, remaining ½ t lemon zest, Salt and Pepper, vinegar, lemon juice, and garlic in a large bowl.  Add peas, onion, cilantro, Tatsoi and toss to coat.  Serve by plating salad and then placing a salmon filet on the salad, sprinkling with cheese crumbles and pita chips.
 
NOTE: Tatsoi is new to many of our CSA members.  I wanted to have a recipe specifically calling for Tatsoi on the blog.  This salad would be great with Spinach too!

Sweet, Creamy Kohlrabi Slaw

This was gone before I could get a picture!  I took it to a picnic where there were lots of folks that are members of the same CSA.  Most of us were new to Kohlrabi, but our CSA’s newest member found this great recipe!  Kohlrabi has a mild flavor.  We liked this slaw because the tang of the cranberries was balanced nicely by the tomatoes and Kohlrabi.  The walnuts add the needed crunch.  The slaw dressing with mayo and honey mimic the mild, tangy, and sweet flavors of the fruits and vegetables.  
Keeper!
 
Sweet Creamy Kohlrabi Slaw
based on a recipe from lifeasaplate.com
 
Printable Version

1 medium Kohlrabi, peeled and shredded (I shredded mine in a food processor)
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup granny smith apple, diced
1 T onion, diced
¼ cup dried cranberries
¾ cup walnuts, chopped
2 T apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup mayonaise
1 t honey
2 T plain yogurt
salt and pepper, to taste
 
Toss together Kohlrabi, tomatoes, apple, onion, cranberries, and walnuts in a large bowl.
 
In a separate, medium bowl whisk vinegar, mayo, honey, and yogurt.  Stir this mixture into the Kohlrabi mixture to coat.  Salt and Pepper to taste.
 
Refrigerate at least 2 hours. 

Keeping up with the CSA - Bonus Week

I had a chunk of time today and got the Broccoli Rabe, Red Russian Kale, and Turnips into the Freezer.
 
Freezing Turnips
I referenced my favorite site on how to freeze veggies and now have a bag of frozen turnips I will eventually use for Biryani.
 
Red Russian Kale
I did make the Sausage, Potato, and Kale Soup I planned to make.  I have two meals worth in the freezer.
 
Broccoli Rabe
I also froze the pasta starter I wanted to make.  I thought I would write a clearer recipe here.
 
Broccoli Rabe Pasta Starter
 
1 bunch Broccoli Rabe, stems removed and roughly chopped
¼ cup olive oil,
2-3 garlic cloves, sliced
½ t crushed red pepper
 
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil.  Add Broccoli Rabe and boil for 4 minutes.  Drain and reserve.
 
Heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add garlic slices and crushed red pepper.  Cook 2-3 minutes until garlic begins to brown.  Remove pan from heat and add Broccoli Rabe.  Toss mixture together. Allow to cool and freeze mixture.
 
When ready to serve....
 
1 Broccoli Rabe Pasta Starter, defrosted
½ pound cooked pasta (Penne or Orecchiette)
1 package chicken sausage, sliced and browned
Lemon juice, to drizzle
Parmesan Cheese, to serve
 
Once the chicken sausage slices have browned add the Broccoli Rabe mixtures and warm through.  Toss in the pasta to warm through.  Drizzle with lemon juice and serve with parmesan cheese.

Shrimp and Radish Pasta

I couldn’t wait to make this pasta dish with spring radishes.  So glad we got some in the first week of our CSA.  The original recipe includes a tip to use carrots and spinach as a substitute for radishes and their greens.  I’ll have to try that when those two items show up in our share.  I made a fewchanges for a slightly healthier option.  I cut the butter in half and did a mixture with olive oil and I cut down on the amount of pasta.  I found the yummy items – radishes, greens, and shrimp got lost in that much pasta.  I also added a little heat, feel free to skip that part.  
Wednesday Menu – Shrimp and Radish Pasta, Salad
Farm Share Food – Head Lettuce, Radishes – Greens too!

On last night’s salad I use Italian Dressing Base from Penzey’s Spices.  Local folks – we have a new store!  Their spices are fabulous.  Don’t have a retail store near you, you can shop on line.

 
Shrimp and Radish Pasta
From Everyday Food
 

Printable Version
 
Salt and Pepper, to taste
½ pound linguine
2 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1 bunch radish greens, roughly chopped
½ t crushed red pepper
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
 
Cook pasta according to package directions.  Reserve 1 cup pasta water.  Drain pasta and return to pot.  Add 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil and toss into pasta.  Keep warm.
 
In a large skillet melt ½ T butter and heat ½ T olive oil together.  Add garlic and radish slices, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes.  Add radish greens and cook until wilted.  Season with salt and pepper.    Add radish and greens mixture to pasta and stir to combine.  In the skillet melt ½ T butter and heat ½ T olive oil.  Season the oil with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Add shrimp, stir occasionally, about 4 minutes until cooked.  Add shrimp to pasta and toss.  Add enough of the reserved pasta water to create a light sauce that coats the pasta.

Week Bonus of 2012

A beautiful, new to me, purple vegetable to start the CSA season!  It's Kohlrabi.

Our CSA started a week early!  Last night’s dinner plan went haywire and I wound up eating some odd leftovers in the fridge along with a salad of the Head Lettuce.  One bite, CSA heaven!

This week we got…

Broccoli Rabe, Cilantro, Head Lettuce, Kohlrabi, Radishes, Red Russian Kale, Summer Squash, Tatsoi, Turnips

My plans…

Broccoli Rabe – I’ll make this pasta starter for the freezer.

Cilantro – I’m making Asian Guacamole for a picnic.  I didn’t expect to get Cilantro in our bonus week, but I’m sure glad I did because I forgot to get some at the store when I was planning on the guacamole for the picnic.

Head Lettuce – Salad Heaven!  A friend who is new to our CSA sent along this recipe for Green GoddessDressing.  She skips the anchovy, I likely will too!

Kohlrabi – this one is new to me, but I do have a few tips to share.  Our CSA suggests peeling it and eating it raw or stir fried.  My sister’s CSA suggests using it to replace cabbage in any slaw.

Radishes – I’ve been looking forward to having this Buttery Shrimp and Radish Pasta again since we early CSA season last year.  I’m also intrigued by this Glazed Radish recipe.

Red Russian Kale – I love to freeze this Sausage and KaleSoup.

Tatsoi – here is a great post on what Tatsoi is and how to use it from Food Blogga.  That Tatsoi I brought home yesterday reminds me of spinach.  I might try it in this Spinach Pea Salad with Grilled Shrimp.

Summer Squash and Turnips – no plan yet.  I’ll let you know where they wind up.