Radish Dip

So, this is the second week of our CSA (crop share association), and this is the second week that we've had an inordinate amount of radishes in our share.

I'm not really a fan of radishes.

But my friend clued me into this dip, and I'm thrilled about it.

1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese
8-12 radishes, washed and chopped in half
3/4 - 1 t. salt

Optional ingredients:
dill
garlic

1. Put radishes in a food processor and pulse until radishes are in teeny-tiny pieces....think crushed candy canes...it'll look similar. =)

2. In a bowl, mix the radishes with the cream cheese and salt (and optional ingredients, if you like) with a spoon or stand mixer.

Serve with tortilla chips, celery, cucumber....really, it's all delicious.

Minestrone Soup

Today was a cold day, and I was craving soup. However, I was low on groceries. I made minestrone with what was in the back of the refrigerator produce bin---and it turned out to be delicious.

pasta pot full of veggie broth
pinch Italian seasoning
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, diced fine
1 cup frozen chopped spinach
8 oz dry egg noodles
2 onions, diced fine
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
few grinds of fresh pepper
pinch of salt

Before I get to the recipe, I have to talk about one of my most favorite things. Trader Joe's makes these little packets of concentrated vegetable broth. They come in a small green box. Inside are a dozen tubes of...vegetable syrup? Basically, that's what it is. Really concentrated, thick broth. You add 1 tube to 1 cup of water. They save sooooo much cabinet space, are very light to carry, and are perfect for backpacking meals. Also, they have amazing flavor and are low-sodium. Can you tell how much I love them?
So anyway, that intro is just to say--when I made this recipe, I used a pasta pot full of water with 4 or 5 packets of broth mixed in.

1. Bring the broth to a simmer. Add a small pinch of Italian seasoning ground between your fingers. As the broth is heating, dice the celery, then add it to the pot.

2. Dice the carrots, and sautee them in a tablespoon of olive oil. (Don't skimp on the olive oil, it's the only fat in the dish.) While the carrots cook, dice the onions and garlic.

3. When the carrots are "al dente", add them to the pot, and saute the onions and garlic in the pan. When the garlic and onions are translucent, add them to the pot along with the frozen spinach, and bring the pot to a boil.

4. Add the egg noodles and cook according to package directions. (Mine only took 4 minutes.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with grated Parmesan.

P.S. This was so good that after we ate the whole pot for lunch, I turned around and made another batch before the stove cooled down. Now that is a good recipe.

Guacamole Salad

(by Ina Mae Garten)

Ingredients

* 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
* 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and 1/2-inch diced
* 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 1/2 cup small diced red onion
* 2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (2 peppers)
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
* 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
* 1/4 cup good olive oil
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
* 2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced

Directions

Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.

Just before you're ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad. Check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

(Note: This is an amazing side dish, but it would also be really yummy served over romaine as a main dish salad. I usually leave out the onions, jalapenos and cayenne because I don't like things too spicy.)

Black Bean Veggie Burgers

To give credit where credit is due, I got this recipe at allrecipes.com. Link here. I made this last week, and they were fan-tas-tic. Loved them.

1 (16oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green pepper, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1T cumin
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 T chili powder (optional)
1 t Thai chili sauce or hot sauce (optional)

1. if grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees (F) and lightly oil a baking sheet.

2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans until thick and pasty.

3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Stir into mashed beans.

4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, cumin, chili powder (opt) and chili sauce (opt).

5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into 6 patties.

6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

I cooked mine on an electric griddle, at 375 degrees for 10 minutes on each side.

Spinach Pasta Chicken Salad

Recipe given to me from BWeed (who recommended involving a lawyer to sort out who gets the leftovers...and it is that good).

Spinach Pasta Chicken Salad
Dressing:
1/2 C. oil
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sesame oil
3 Tbs soy sauce
2 Tbs seasoned oregano rice vinegar
1/2 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp grated fresh garlic

Salad:
1 sm package baby spinach
1 package bowtie pasta (cooked, drained, and cooled)
2-4 Tbs sesame seeds
1/2 C. sunflower seeds
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 C. sprouts
3 chicken breasts (cooked, seasoned heavily with lemon pepper and cut into bite-sized pieces)

Mix dressing ingredients together, set aside. In large bowl, combine salad ingredients. Add dressing to salad and mix together. Enjoy.

**I topped each serving with a few chow mein noodles**
**I used olive oil instead of sesame oil (b/c I didn't have any)...still tasted great**
**I used 1/2 tsp of jarred minced garlic instead of grated fresh**
**I couldn't find seasoned oregano rice vinegar, so I used seasoned rice vinegar**

Couscous Salad with Tomato and Mint

So in an attempt to cook with less salt, I have a goal of trying one new fresh herb every week. This week the herb was mint, which has always scared me...I've tasted some dishes with mint that were really bad. Anyway, this couscous salad (from the Food Network website) was my first mint attempt (I made it for lunch today) and I thought it was great! The method of boiling the couscous water gave really great flavor, and I ended up loving the combination of parsley and mint.

3 cups (about 1 1/2 pints) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 kirby cucumbers, seeded, and diced
1 lemon, juiced
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups instant couscous (a 10-ounce box)
2 cups water
2 wide strips lemon zest
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch cayenne
1/2 cup torn mint leaves, stems saved
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley, stems saved
3 scallions (white and green), chopped
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, optional

Toss the tomatoes, cucumbers, and lemon juice in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of the salt. Set aside.

Put the couscous into a large bowl. Bring the water, lemon zest, 3 tablespoons of the oil, the remaining salt, cayenne, and herb stems to a boil over high heat. Pour the liquid over the couscous, stir to separate any clumps. Cover with a lid, plate, or plastic wrap, set aside for 5 minutes. Remove the zest and herb stems and fluff with a fork.

Add the tomato mixture, scallions, mint, parsley, and pine nuts. Drizzle the remaining oil over the salad, toss and serve.

Easter Dinner a la Michael Chiarello

For our Easter dinner, I literally ripped off an entire episode of Michael Chiarello's Food Network show. It's a lot of recipes, so I'm not going to post them all... but I'll put up the links in case you're feeling adventurous. It took a long time to prepare everything, but it was all really delicious.

-White Bean Waffles with Asparagus-Leek Ragout (pictured above).

(On the show Michael made some individual baked egg dish, but we had a lot of people eating so I just made a big pan of scrambled eggs with thyme and we used that to top off the waffles instead.)

-Brunch Panzanella

(The thing that made the brunch panzanella especially delicious was the balsamic strawberries. Wow! I'd never had strawberries with balsamic vinegar before, but they were so delicious. They're easy to make: I sliced up two cartons of strawberries, then mixed them with 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt. That's it! YUM!)

Lentil, Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Salad... and a Mistake

First I'll give you the original (very simple) recipe... then I'll tell you what I ended up making after I managed to mess everything up :)

2 1/2 cups water
1 cup lentils
2 large carrots, peeled, diced
1 bay leaf
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 basket cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup chopped fresh parsley (I used basil and thyme instead)
4 green onions, chopped (I only used 2)
4 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper

Combine water, lentils, carrots and bay leaf in saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are just tender, about 25 minutes. Drain; transfer to large bowl. Cool. Mix all remaining ingredients into lentils. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared four hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.)

* * *

Sounds simple enough, right? Well, this is what I did. For the first step, I substituted ingredients that I had on hand: red lentils (not realizing they are softer and smaller than regular lentils), red potatoes instead of carrots, and chopped fresh basil and thyme instead of the bay leaf. After 15 minutes I picked up the lid to check on the lentils and they were MUSH. Apparently the red lentils cook more quickly...

So instead of lentils, I popped some quinoa in the rice cooker (no risk of overcooking it that way), then mixed the cooked quinoa with all the other recipe ingredients. It came out DELICIOUS. Really, I can't imagine that the lentils would be as good as the quinoa because it was fantastic. I also thought that the basil and thyme made all the difference.

But I didn't want to waste the lentil-potato mush, so I added olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mixed everything together well...and I had it for lunch. It was actually quite delicious--it tasted like a combination of mashed potatoes and hummus. Let's call it: Herbed Red Lentil-Potato Mash. You should try it :)

Reccomendation

So I tried this Pioneer Woman Cooks recipe. It was yummy, of course. Every recipe she makes is delicious. I cut it in half and I still had enough food to feed at least 12 people. :)

Impossible Garden Pie

2 c chopped zucchini
1 c diced tomato
1/2 c chopped onion
1/3 grated Parmesan
1 c milk
1/2 Bisquick
2 eggs
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper

Preheat oven to 400º
Mix zuke, tomato, onion, and cheese together in bowl; spread evenly in lightly greased pie pan. Combine remaining ingredients and beat until smooth (15 secs in blender, 1 min. w/ hand mixer). Pour into pie pan (pan will likely be tip-top full). Bake until golden and knife comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes or more before cutting.

This resembles quiche. My husband despises quiche. He really liked this. It would be really good with pieces of ham in it, too. And definitely let it stand and setup before cutting into it.

Elephant Stew

Ok, I lied. One more recipe.

1 medium elephant
2 rabbits
Brown gravy
Salt and Pepper

Cut elephant into bite sized pieces. Cook over kerosene fire at 460 degrees for 4 weeks. Add gravy, salt and pepper. Serves 5 -630. If more stew is needed add rabbits. However, this is an emergency measure only because most people don't like hare in their stew.

Chicken Salad

1 1/2 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
1 c. pineapple tidbits, drained
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. diced celery
1/2 c. sour cream
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. seedless green grapes, cut in half


Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, and salt together. Add remaining ingredients and chill. I like to eat this as a roll or croissant sandwich.

Tofu 202: Tofu Stir Fry

OK. I don't have a recipe for this. But it's our favorite way to eat tofu. Here's the narrative:

Freeze the tofu, then cut it into 1-inch (or smaller, if you want it to cook faster) cubes. Place it in a marinade, which can contain ingredients like:

Soy sauce
Italian dressing
Cumin
Curry powder
Adobo
Garlic powder
Paprika
Sesame seeds
Store-bought marinades
Lemon juice

Sorry that's so vague, but you'll just want to choose the ingredients that most appeal to you. Use a base of soy sauce or other liquid marinade, then add the spices and extra ingredients that you like the most (or just what you have in hand).

Let the tofu soak up the marinade for at least half an hour. In a large saucepan, heat some olive oil and add chopped onions and garlic with a bullion cube. When the onion is golden, add the tofu to the saucepan. Let it cook on medium-high for 10-20 minutes...check the texture; when it's almost as firm as you want it, then add your choice of the following:

Canned water chestnuts
Frozen stir-fry vegetable blend
Fresh bell peppers, chopped
Broccoli, chopped
Whatever other vegetable you like

You will probably need to add a little more soy sauce when you put the vegetables in. Cook until everything is heated through and serve over rice.

Sorry this recipe was so vague and un-recipe-like. If you decide to attempt it, let me know if you have questions...

once a week wraps for two

- 2 whole grain burrito size tortillas
- turkey bacon
- lettuce
- 1 tomato
- 1 avocado
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 cucumber
- grated mozzarella cheese
- Kraft Sun Dried Tomato dressing

Cook the bacon. Wrap it all up in the tortilla. Eat.

Focaccia and Chicken Salad

Bread Ingredients

1 can refrigerated pizza dough *
4 large cloves garlic, minced

4 TBS olive oil

1 TBS dried rosemary

* I made dough in the bread-maker

Bread Preparation

1. Roll dough into a circle and place on greased cookie sheet.


2. Mix garlic, olive oil and rosemary, and brush 1/2 the mixture onto the bread dough.


3. Cut the dough into quarters (making one horizontal cut and one vertical cut.)Fold each quarter over, making a triangle out of each piece.


4. Brush remaining olive oil mixture over the tops.


5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until light golden brown.

Chicken Salad Ingredients

1 Avocado, peeled and sliced

3 boiled chicken breasts, shredded (The recipes actually calls for a drained 12 oz. can of dark and white meat chicken.)

2 Celery stalks, chopped into small bits

Red wine vinegar

Mayonnaise

2 Green onion stalks

(I think sliced grapes or chopped almonds would be fun to add sometime.)

Chicken Salad Preparation

1. Mix chicken, celery and green onions with desired amount of mayonnaise. (The recipe calls for 1/3 cup, but I bet I used more than that.)


2. Add a few dashes of Red Wine vinegar to a create a subtle flavor. (Probably just about 2 teaspoons.)


3. Let refrigerate while focaccia is baking. (Even more flavorful and delicious the second day.)

Sandwich Preparation

Peel open baked focaccia and add sliced avocado, sliced tomato and desired amount of chicken salad. (I think a small amount is best, so the focaccia's flavor can come through.)

Cafe Rio Salad

Ok, so I figure I should post this because all you Cafe Rio fans might like it. However, I have NOT yet tried it so I am breaking the blog rule. But it sounds like it is really good and I have heard it is really good and if it even comes close to the real thing, I will be making it all the time! Let me know if it really is close to the real thing. I just haven't taken the time to get all the ingredients and make it. I got it off a blog that got it off a website....

Recipe By: pinkdaisy (as found at Mormonchic.com)

Sweet Pork:

• 1 (3-5 pound) pork roast-boneless pork loin recommended

• 1 cup salsa-use Pace or one similar, not the fresh salsas

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed

Place ingredients in a greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW heat for 8-10 hours. Shred pork with a fork or potato masher before serving. Keep lid off after shredding for about 15 minutes so juice will thicken. Use meat in burritos, tacos, or salads. If freezing, keep juice and freeze with meat.

Cilantro-Lime Rice:

• 1 cup uncooked rice

• 1 teaspoon butter or margarine

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon lime zest

• 1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

• 1 1/4 cup water

• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime peel, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice.

Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing:

• 1 cup light sour cream

• 1 envelope Ranch salad dressing

• 1 1/2 envelope Fiesta Ranch Salad dressing

• 6 tomatillos, husked and cut in half

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• Juice from 2 limes, freshly squeezed

• 1 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Combine all ingredients in a blender (put the liquids in first!) and blend until smooth. Store in the refrigerator. Can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Black Beans:

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 1/3 cup tomato juice

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Crispy Corn Chips:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice corn tortillas into thin strips. Bake for about 8 minutes.

For the tortilla we like the tortillas from Costco that you bake yourselves. If using these bake as directed and add cheddar cheese to the top until lightly browned. If using regular tortillas, you can put the tortilla in a pie pan in the oven with cheese sprinkled on top until warm

Tomato Pasta Sauce

This sauce is very fresh-looking, and doesn't have any paste-like qualities. It is more like seasoned tomatos to eat over pasta. And I like that this sauce is savory instead of sweet.

Ingredients
1 head garlic
2 10 oz. cans whole stewed tomatos
1 10 oz. can diced tomatos
1/2 TB olive oil
1 onion

Preparation
Use a large frying pan or skillet.

1. peel and chop garlic cloves
2. chop onion
3. saute garlic and onion in olive oil until garlic is lightly browned and onions are translucent
4. drain tomato cans but keep juice
5. add tomatos
6. set heat to Medium High and cover for 5 minutes
7. jab whole tomatos with wooden spoon to seperate into smaller pieces
8. add a minimal amount (1-2 TB) of reserved tomato juice if desired
9. turn heat down and let simmer for 10-15 minutes

Serve over hot pasta

Feeds 6+

Maccherun’ ca pummarola

This is an 'authentic' Italian recipe my brother brought back from his mission. It's pretty easy, super healthy, and great for using up basil and tomatoes from the garden (that I don't have... but I hear it's good for that).

Ingredients:
300 g. Penne pasta
6 medium tomatoes
1 clove garlic
7-8 medium-size fresh basil leaves cut into small strips
5-6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4-5 tbsp grated Grana Padano (or parmesan, fresh is best, but the other stuff works too)
salt

Directions:
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and dump in the tomatoes. Let them boil for about 30 seconds and then remove them to a bowl of cool water. Remove the peel, seeds, and vegetation water and slice the meat of the tomato into ½ inch pieces & set apart.
2. In a small frying pan heat up the 5-6 tbsp of olive oil & add the clove of garlic (sliced into about 5 or 6 slices) into the oil and saute it on medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until it begins to brown. Once it begins to brown, take the garlic out of the oil and throw it away.
3. Place the previously cut up tomatoes into the oil and add the basil leaves, cut into strips, into the tomatoes. Add salt to taste (I like a lot). Let it simmer on medium heat for 15-20 min.
4. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil (preferably not the same water you used to boil the tomatoes). When the water begins to boil, add salt to the water (a handful or two). Add the pasta to the water and let it boil, mixing every so often to keep it from sticking. When the pasta is “al dente," drain the pasta, return it to the pot and add the sauce. Mix well and serve immediately. Top with the grated cheese.

Number Of Servings: 2-3

Preparation Time:15 min. preparation, 30 min. cooking