I’ve never had pickled carrots, but with the big bag of carrots I’m bringing home each week from the CSA, I needed to come up with something new to make with them. I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine.  It really was very easy to make. I let the carrots sit about 5 days before we tried them. They were really, really good. Crunchy, dilly, slightly sweet, and with a great tang. I’m a fan. This got two thumbs up from my pickle lovers as well.

Pickled Dill Carrots

 

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Ingredients

• 7 medium carrots (1¼ pounds), peeled and sliced ¼ inch thick
• 4 sprigs dill
• ¾ cup white vinegar
• ½ cup sugar
• 2½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dill seeds
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Boil a medium pot of water and add the carrots until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and rinse under cold water until cool. Place in a 1 quart jar with the fresh dill.
2. Combine vinegar, ¾ cup water, sugar, salt, dill seeds, caraway seeds and pepper in the saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Pour the hot brine into the jar and allow to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for up to a week.

3.2.1249

I’ve never had pickled carrots, but with the big bag of carrots I’m bringing home each week from the CSA, I needed to come up with something new to make with them. I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine.  It really was very easy to make. I let the carrots sit about 5 days … Read more →

I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like, but I am expecting to get back on track next week once school starts and my days are my own. I have so many posts in my head from our trip that I will get to. I also have to admit I’ve been feeling really uninterested in cooking. Usually I come home from a trip excited to be in my own kitchen again, able to make exactly what I want. This time I just came home tired. I’ve been making really simple dinners lately, mostly because I can’t get to the kitchen before 5 or 5:30. The only thing saving me at this point is the CSA produce. It’s an automatic infusion each week of veggies that I then try to use up.

Last night I made this simple squash casserole from this week’s CSA produce. It’s a recipe I learned from my mom. It’s incredibly easy to pull together.

Easy Squash Casserole

 

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Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 small yellow squash thinly sliced
• 1 small zucchini thinly sliced
• 1½ large tomato thinly sliced
• salt and pepper
• ½ teaspoon Italian herbs (dried but you can absolutely chop up some fresh)
• beef broth
• ¾ cup shredded mozzarella

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8x8 glass baking dish. Layer in half the onion, squashes and tomato. Season with salt and pepper and half the herbs. Layer the rest on top, add more salt and pepper and the rest of the herbs. Pour in enough beef broth to come halfway up the dish. Sprinkle the cheese on top and cover with foil. Bake for an hour and a half, until the squash is tender. Drain off as much of the beef broth as you can. Serve.
2. Note: You can use vegetable or chicken broth if you prefer, but I like the flavor the beef broth gives.

3.2.1249

I haven’t been posting as much as I’d like, but I am expecting to get back on track next week once school starts and my days are my own. I have so many posts in my head from our trip that I will get to. I also have to admit I’ve been feeling really uninterested … Read more →

What to do with all those tomatoes? I make tomato pie a few times each year during tomato season and it’s always a satisfying dinner. This is also good the next day. Sometimes I  will take it out of the fridge the next afternoon and just eat it at room temp after it warms up. It’s also easy to reheat in the microwave.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Tomato Pie

 

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Ingredients

• 1½ cups seasoned breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free)
• 4 large tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 1 small onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh basil leaves (10-20 depending on your tastes)
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Spray a square 8x8 glass baking dish and sprinkle half the breadcrumbs on the bottom. Layer half the tomatoes onto this. Sprinkle half the onion and half the basil leaves (ripping them as you do so). Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half the cheese.
3. Repeat layering tomatoes, onion, basil, salt and pepper, and cheese.
4. Pour the eggs over the dish. Top with remaining breadcrumbs. Spray the top with cooking spray.
5. Bake for 50 minutes, until the top is brown and the eggs are cooked. Allow to rest at least 10 minutes before serving.

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What to do with all those tomatoes? I make tomato pie a few times each year during tomato season and it’s always a satisfying dinner. This is also good the next day. Sometimes I  will take it out of the fridge the next afternoon and just eat it at room temp after it warms up. … Read more →

Ok, I’ll admit it. I don’t really love kale. Yeah, I know how great it is for you, but I just can’t come to grips with eating it. I bring home lots of kale from the CSA. Fortunately, my son’s tortoise eats some of it. I like kale chips, but I don’t want to eat them all the time. I don’t want to waste it, so I cut off the stems, boil it, drain it, food process it and divide it into sandwich bags. I add some water to each, so that it will freeze like the block of chopped spinach you get at the store. I freeze it and then I use it throughout the year in place of frozen chopped spinach in recipes. You would never notice the difference. It’s particularly great in lasagna.

Ok, I’ll admit it. I don’t really love kale. Yeah, I know how great it is for you, but I just can’t come to grips with eating it. I bring home lots of kale from the CSA. Fortunately, my son’s tortoise eats some of it. I like kale chips, but I don’t want to eat … Read more →

I planted lemongrass in the herb garden this year and have been enjoying using it in a variety of ways. Recently we grilled some trout that I had sprinkled with chopped lemongrass. I also seasoned it with salt and pepper. I grill it on a little grill tray so it won’t stick. While it was grilling, I browned 2 tbsp of butter until it was a lovely brown color. When I took it off the heat, I squeezed in the juice from half a lemon (careful – it might spatter!). The result was a piece of fish that tasted rich and wonderful – as if I had worked very hard to make an intricate sauce.

I planted lemongrass in the herb garden this year and have been enjoying using it in a variety of ways. Recently we grilled some trout that I had sprinkled with chopped lemongrass. I also seasoned it with salt and pepper. I grill it on a little grill tray so it won’t stick. While it was … Read more →

Soon it will be August, when zucchini becomes like fruitcake – in over abundance with no one really wanting to eat it. I’ve been bringing home a few zucchini each week from the CSA so I’m already working hard to come up with new ways to enjoy it. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit (July 2013) and it was another way to use some up. The dipping sauce is what makes these different. Ours were a bit mushy in the middle, so I would suggest spreading your batter very thinly if possible.

3 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce (I used gluten-free tamari)

1 1/2 tsp sugar

crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 lbs zucchini (3 medium), grated

1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more for seasoning

1 egg

1/4 cup flour (I used gluten-free)

3 tbsp chopped chives

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/2 cup vegetable oil

Mix the vinegar, soy, sugar and a pinch of red pepper in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved and set aside for the dipping sauce.

Place the zucchini  in a colander in the sink and toss with 1/2 tsp salt. Let stand for 10 minutes, then wring it out in a clean kitchen towel. Place the zucchini in a large bowl and mix in egg, flour, chives, and cornstarch, and season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and working in 2 batches, drop 1/4 cupfuls into the skillet, flattening slightly. Cook until golden and crisp about 2 min per side. Transfer to a paper towel and season with salt. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Soon it will be August, when zucchini becomes like fruitcake – in over abundance with no one really wanting to eat it. I’ve been bringing home a few zucchini each week from the CSA so I’m already working hard to come up with new ways to enjoy it. I found this recipe in Bon Appetit … Read more →

Purslane was part of our latest CSA share. I’d never had it before. This small green is actually considered a weed, but it’s edible. I was game to try it. After some noodling around on the web, I decided to just go with a simple salad (you can see the purslane best up at the top left of the photo – the small leaves). I cleaned the purslane and stripped most of it from its stems which I didn’t want to eat. I mixed it with an equal portion of other salad greens, then I cut up some black cherries to add to the salad. I mixed up a simple vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, herbs, a bit of sugar and some garlic and dressed it with that.

The purslane has a mild flavor. It’s a milky, juicy kind of green. I didn’t mind it, but I wasn’t wildly excited about it either. I would probably skip it in favor of other greens, but it’s nice to be familiar with something that grows wild and is free for the foraging if you ever come across it. Have you ever tried purslane?

Purslane was part of our latest CSA share. I’d never had it before. This small green is actually considered a weed, but it’s edible. I was game to try it. After some noodling around on the web, I decided to just go with a simple salad (you can see the purslane best up at the … Read more →

There are two things my family loves: meatloaf and Greek food, so why not combine the two? This easy meatloaf was a quick solution for a weeknight meal recently.

Greek Chicken Meatloaf

 

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Ingredients

• 3 garlic scapes (substitute 2 garlic cloves if you would rather)
• 1 pound ground lean chicken
• ¼ cup feta cheese, plus additional for topping
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cherry tomatoes
• 5 large leaves of fresh oregano
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs (I used gluten-free)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Process the scapes in a food processor until finely ground. Add the other ingredients and process until completely mixed.
3. Place the mixture into the loaf pan and smooth it. Sprinkle the top with additional feta.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

3.2.1249

There are two things my family loves: meatloaf and Greek food, so why not combine the two? This easy meatloaf was a quick solution for a weeknight meal recently. Greek Chicken Meatloaf   Print Ingredients 3 garlic scapes (substitute 2 garlic cloves if you would rather) 1 pound ground lean chicken ¼ cup feta cheese, … Read more →

I like to prepare healthy meals, but once in a while a girl has got to splurge. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I was sold. It sounds pretty simple. There aren’t a lot of ingredients. Believe me, this will knock your socks off (and make you feel really fat too). This is totally worth the calories. We scraped the bowl clean. I found this recipe here, but there are versions floating all around the internet. I altered this slightly since I didn’t have garlic oil. To lighten this up, I would use half cream and half skim milk. I would also use less oil and butter and see if I could achieve the same crispiness. I would likely add some fresh chives or some chopped scallions to this at the end for a little more flavor next time.

You will die when you taste this. It’s crunchy, creamy, buttery, cheesy and downright fan-friggin-tastic.

4.0 from 1 reviews

Absurdly Amazing Potatoes

 

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Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• ¼ cup butter
• 2½ pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet with the garlic slices. Cook over low for a few minutes, allowing the garlic to infuse the oil. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon.
2. Add the potatoes and cook 20-30 minutes over medium heat, turning frequently until golden brown.
3. Remove the potatoes from the pan and add the cream. Cook until it reduces in half.
4. Stir in the cheese until it is melted.
5. Add potatoes and bacon and stir until combined.

3.2.1249

I like to prepare healthy meals, but once in a while a girl has got to splurge. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and I was sold. It sounds pretty simple. There aren’t a lot of ingredients. Believe me, this will knock your socks off (and make you feel really fat too). This is totally … Read more →

I came home with more garlic scapes from the CSA. I’m trying to make something fresh with them and also freeze some as pesto so I will have a stash for the winter as well. This week I had some leftover rice hanging out in the fridge, so I decided to combine that with the scapes to make a crust for salmon. The scapes are really garlicky if you taste them raw, but they always mellow when you cook them. This was delicious and easy. I made mine on the grill, but you could also do yours in the oven. I just love the super fresh taste the sacpes give this and it saved me from having just boring grilled salmon for dinner!

Salmon with Garlic Scape Rice Crust

 

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Serves: 2

Ingredients

• 8 garlic scapes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free)
• ½ cup cooked rice (any type)
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 6 ounce pieces of salmon filet

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients but the salmon in the food processor and process until it is finely chopped and completely combined. Heat the grill to medium high and place the salmon on a greased fish grill pan. Place the filets on it and cover them with the rice mixture, patting it down so it is firmly in place. Grill until salmon is cooked through.

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I came home with more garlic scapes from the CSA. I’m trying to make something fresh with them and also freeze some as pesto so I will have a stash for the winter as well. This week I had some leftover rice hanging out in the fridge, so I decided to combine that with the … Read more →