Arugula and Spinach Stir-Fry (with a bonus lesson on herb-infused oils!)

People are always looking for ways to use up spring and summer greens. This recipe, from one of our CSA members, is another great one to have on hand.

But first, let me talk about one of the ingredients in this recipe: sweet-basil-infused olive oil. Infused olive oils can be very expensive and often found only at specialty stores. However, they can be made very easily and cheaply at home. I actually prefer to make it myself because you can control what types and how much of every flavor goes in. Plus, you can come up with your own herb combinations and get really creative! And an added bonus: bottles of your own herb-infused oils make wonderful gifts.

Use about 1/4 cup of fresh herbs for every cup of olive oil. You can roughly chop the herbs to help release the flavor, or leave them whole (especially if you want to leave the herbs in the bottle for decoration). Heat the oil up to about 200 degrees F (I use a candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pan for this) with the herbs included. Cook at this temperature for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain herbs if desired, and pour into a sterilized glass bottle. I recommend not using a jar with a wide opening for easier pouring, and not using anything with a metal top - this might add a metallic taste to your oil. Use a bottle with a plastic or cork topper and make sure that the opening is completely sealed. Let sit for about 48 hours before using. If you add raw herbs to your oil as decoration after cooking, make sure to refrigerate - the water content of the herbs can promote bacterial growth in room temperature oil. If you do not add raw herbs, you can store your oil in the fridge or with your other oils at room temperature.


Arugula and Spinach Stir-Fry
Courtesy of Jed Fahey

Use about two cups of spinach and two cups of arugula, coarsely chopped. Heat sweet-basil-infused oil in a wok, and add arugula and spinach, sauteing for about one minute. Add 1/4 cup amontillado sherry and 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar, and then steam it down for another minute or two. Serve with couscous, quinoa, or any one of your favorite starches!



Photos courtesy of Benjamin Chun, sweet mustache (respectively) - Flickr.com

Corn and Radish Salad

Adapted from Food Everyday: From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living (2007):

Coarse salt

4 ears corn (substitute with 2 cups frozen corn)

6 radishes, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced (or finely chopped in a food processor)

1 jalapeno chile, finely chopped (or substitute with hot sauce)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

After cooking the corn in boiling salted water until tender, slice the kernels from the cobs (to yield about 2 cups). Toss with the radishes, jalapeno, lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt. Serve chilled or a room temperature.

When I tried this recipe, I used frozen corn instead of fresh corn. It was tasty, though the corn seemed a bit mushy. Once fresh corn is in season, I might try this with raw or undercooked corn to preserve some of the crispness.

This is a great way to utilize a hefty bunch of radishes!

Palak Paneer (spinach)

I used two shares worth of spinach (I traded in my garlic scape for a 2nd spinach, via the handy new swap-box feature) to make Palak - minus the Paneer, since I didn't have any cheese. Delicious! Tonight, if I'm feeling adventurous, I may try the same recipe but with chard instead.

From allrecipes.com: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Absolutely-Perfect-Palak-Paneer/Detail.aspx

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
2 dried red chile peppers
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 cup sour cream
3 pounds fresh spinach, torn
1 large tomato, quartered
4 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves
8 ounces ricotta cheese
Salt to taste

In a large saucepan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute garlic, 1/2 tablespoon of ginger, red chilies (optional ingredient) and onion until brown. Mix in the cumin, coriander, turmeric and sour cream (add more or less to achieve desired creaminess). Add the spinach, handfuls at a time until it is cooked down, about 15 minutes total. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Pour spinach mixture into a blender or food processor and add the tomato, the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of ginger, and cilantro (add more or less according to taste). Blend for 15 to 30 seconds, or until the spinach is finely chopped. Pour back into the saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

In a medium frying pan heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, and fry cheese until browned; drain and add to spinach. Cook for 10 minutes on low heat. Season with salt to taste.

- Brent

Have A Happy, Healthy, and Green Thanksgiving!

No, I don't mean you should celebrate Dr. Seuss-style and dye your Thanksgiving turkey green. There are less extravagant ways, though, to green up your table this holiday season - specifically your holiday dinner table. The central focus of Thanksgiving is always the turkey (how about a tofurkey this year?), but the vegetable side dishes and desserts can be just as attention-grabbing and delicious as the main course. Below are some of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts that focus on local, in-season foods - and just happen to be vegan! Don't let that fool you though, a pumpkin pie with tofu in it can be just as scrumptious as one with dairy. Give these a try this holiday season, and your family and friends (and the earth!) will all be thanking you.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

2-3 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch thick slices
2-3 turnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch thick slices
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch thick slices
A few handfuls of Brussels sprouts, halved
5-7 smallish white, red, or purple potatoes, cut into 1-inch thick slices
1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
Enough olive oil to fully coat vegetables
Sage, thyme, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper, to taste

Directions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a shallow, large baking dish with olive oil. Place all sliced vegetables in a mixing bowl and add desired herbs and spices. Fully coat vegetables with olive oil, tossing together well. Transfer the vegetables to the baking dish, spreading out evenly. Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring the vegetables once or twice.

Vegetarian Gravy
Courtesy of vegweb.com
1 vegetable bullion cube
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
few good dashes garlic powder
2 heaped tablespoon nutritional yeast
few good dashes of soy sauce or tamari (add more or less for your tastes)
1/2 teaspoon mustard
1/4 - 1/2 cup flour (start with less until it's as thick as you would like it. I use brown rice flour in mine.)
1 tablespoon vegan butter (this adds to the richness)
sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Combine all ingredients in pot, and bring to boil. Cook on medium low heat until done.

Apple Pie
Courtesy of ‘The Joy of Vegan Baking’
1 package pre-made pie crusts (or you can make your own crust if you have the time!)
5-6 medium-large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick*
½ cup sugar
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons nondairy butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons sugar (for sprinkling on crust)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for sprinkling on crust)

*Certain apples are much better than others for baking. I suggest using Empire, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, Newton Pippin, Winesap, Crispin, or Granny Smith apples. Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, McIntosh, Pink Lady, and Red Delicious are usually the most common in grocery stores, but do not do very well in pies.

Directions: Roll out your bottom dough into a 13-inch round and fit it into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the overhanging dough to ¾ inch all around. Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling. Roll out the dough for the top crust, fold it in half, cover, and place in the refrigerator as well. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Combine your sliced apples with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Let it stand for 10 to 15 minutes while the apples soften slightly. Pour the mixture into the bottom crust and gently level it with the back of a spoon. Dot the top with the pieces of nondairy butter. Brush the overhanging crust with cold water. Cover with the top crust, and tuck any excess pastry under the bottom crust. Crimp the edges using your fingers or a fork. Using a sharp knife or skewer, make 5 slits from the center of the pie out toward the edge of the pie to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake for 30 minutes. Slip a baking sheet underneath (to catch the juices), reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake until the fruit feels just tender when a knife is poked through a steam vent, or 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 3 to 4 hours before cutting. This allows the filling to thicken properly. If you’d like to serve it warm, place it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Though it will keep for a few days (on the counter – not in the fridge), I think it’s best served the day it’s baked.

Pumpkin Pie
Courtesy of ‘The Joy of Vegan Baking’

1 pie crust
16 pecan halves (optional)
12 ounces silken tofu (firm)
2 cups pumpkin puree
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your pie crust or remove a store-bought crust from the freezer/refrigerator. Spread the pecans, if using, on a cookie sheet. Toast for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the smell of nuts fills the kitchen. Set aside for a garnish. In a food processor, blend together the tofu, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy. You may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. Pour the filling into the baked crust, and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned and the outermost inch of the filling is set. Don’t worry if the center is still soft; it continues to firm up as the pie cools. Transfer the pie to a wire rack. Gently press the 16 toasted pecan halves into the filling in any design you like. Cool to room temperature and then chill until set, 1 to 2 hours. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Broccoli

Broccoli is an extremely versatile vegetable, and is a good addition to almost any recipe. Below are some of my personal favorite recipes - the broccoli soup is an especially excellent dish for the coming cold winter months!





Broccoli Soup
Adapted from the Food Network test kitchens

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
a pinch or so dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
4 cups vegetable stock
about 1 lb. fresh broccoli, roughly chopped
2-4 tablespoons cream, optional

Directions: Melt/heat the butter/oil in a deep pan and add the onion and garlic, cooking about 5 minutes until translucent. Then add the potato, thyme, salt and pepper, and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Decrease to a simmer and cook until the potato is tender when poked with a fork, about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and simmer until broccoli is also tender. Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender. Return soup to to the pot and add the cream. Return to a simmer, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve with optional toppings like shaved parmesan cheese or toast points.

Oven-Roasted Broccoli

1 lb. broccoli, trimmed
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon or so sea salt
pepper, to taste
1/3 cup bread crumbs, preferably panko if you have them on hand
1/4 grated cheese, preferably parmesan or cheddar

Directions: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cut the broccoli into bite-sized pieces, and mix well in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic, sea salt, and pepper. Spread the bread crumbs on a large baking sheet, and lightly toast in the oven until brown, about 2 minutes. Remove the crumbs from the oven and add to the broccoli mixture, tossing again. Put the entire mixture baking on the baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes, until broccoli is slightly tender. Remove from the oven, toss in the cheese, and serve immediately.

Leslie's Broccoli, Wild Rice, and Mushroom Stuffing (just in time for Thanksgiving!

courtesy of Leslie Eikhoff-Davis, allrecipes.com

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
1 1/2 cups water
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped onion
1 16-oz. package herb seasoned stuffing mix
1 14-oz. can vegetable stock
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Directions: Bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to boil in a pot. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Place broccoli in a pot with enough water to cover, and boil 5 minutes, or until slightly tender. Remove from heat, and drain. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking dish. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the mushrooms and onion until tender. Mix in cooked rice, cooked broccoli, stuffing mix, stock, and almonds (if using). Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Swiss Chard, Sausage and Ricotta Pie

This recipe is from our Homewood CSA member Julia Galeazzi! It was a hit at her recent dinner party.

From the September/October 2009 issue of "Tastes of Italia":

As soon as there is a cool breeze in the air, you will love this "green" pie. Of course, you may use spinach, but try this with cooked Swiss chard. Serve it hot, although it is delicious at room temperature also. This is a conversation piece. your family and friends will want to know what's inside the pie.

1/2 pound Italian sausage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
2 cups cooked Swiss chard, drained well*
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup ricotta
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 prepared pastry crusts, such as Pillsbury
1 egg white, beaten

Remove sausage from casing and crumble it in a large saucepan with the olive oil. Brown it 8 to 10 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

There should be about 2 to 3 tablespoons fat in the pan; if there is more remove and discard or reserve for another use. Saute onions 5 minutes until they turn color.

Remove pan from the heat, and add the cooked Swiss chard. Mix it with the onions. Then, add the Parmesan and ricotta cheeses, 4 beaten eggs and the sausage meat, and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fit one pastry into the bottom of a 10-inch pie dish. Brush the inside of the pastry, including the sides, with the beaten egg white, reserving a bit for the top pastry, and fill the pie. Cover with the second pie crust, merging the 2 crusts into a decorative pattern, and brush the remaining egg white over the top. With a sharp knife, make 4 or 5 small slits in the top pastry. Bake for about 40 minutes until a rich golden color is achieved. Remove from oven, rest a few minutes and slice.

Makes 8 servings.

*To cook Swiss chard: discard overgrown leaves, remove white stems and peel them (as if destringing celery stalks) and cut into 1-inch lengths. Chop leaves into 1-inch square pieces and cook in salted boiling water with stems. Drain very well and finish them off in 2 tablespoons olive oil with 2 garlic cloves. Remove cloves and cool and then add to the other ingredients in the filling.

Julia's notes: I omitted the salt, and it came out fine. The part that takes the longest is washing and cooking the swiss chard. If you don't have all day or the patience to prep, I suggest you buy pre-washed spinach and skip the cooking in boiling water. You can just go to the "finish in olive oil and garlic" step, which I did in a saute pan. (Spinach leaves wilt quickly in a saute, unlike swiss chard, which requires the boiling first.) Also, when the recipe says to "rest a few minutes", I'm pretty sure that means to rest the pie, but it is also a good time to take a rest yourself before digging in! Enjoy :)

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a relatively unknown vegetable in the Americas, so good and easy recipes can be hard to come by. Luckily, though, kohlrabi is a surprisingly versatile food to work with. You can substitute most dishes with broccoli, potatoes, or turnips with kohlrabi to change up some of your normal meals, or add it to soups or sautes. It sure is an odd thing to behold, but once you try kohlrabi for the first time, you'll be wanting more. The following recipes are ones that I've been able to try out in the short time I've had since discovering it. Feel free to respond with some of your favorite kohlrabi dishes - I am also looking for more to try!


Easy Roasted Kohlrabi

1-1 1/2 lbs. kohlrabi, skinned and diced
a tablespoon or so of olive oil (enough to coat the kohlrabi)
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt to taste
good vinegar

Directions: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the diced kohlrabi in the olive oil, adding the garlic and salt as you mix (feel free to add additional herbs and spices to your taste). Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Kohlrabi should be tender when poked with a fork. Sprinkle with a good vinegar right before serving.

Kohlrabi Puree
courtesy of http://www.foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com

4 kohlrabi bulbs with leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces mushrooms, quartered
3 tablespoons cream (or milk, water, stock, or olive oil - whatever you have on hand)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: Trim the kohlrabi bulbs, peeling them if the skins seem tough. Rinse the leaves (discarding any that are yellow) pat them dry, and coarsely chop. Set aside. But the bulbs into 1-inch chunks. Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, and add the kohlrabi chunks. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, another 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let garlic brown. Add the mushrooms and the reserved kohlrabi leaves to the skillet. Cover, and cook 5 minutes. Then uncover, and cook, stirring, until all the liquid has evaporated, 3 minutes. Set the skillet aside. Drain the kohlrabi chunks and place them in the bowl of a food processor. Add the mushroom mixture and all the remaining ingredients. Purée until smooth. Transfer the purée to a saucepan and reheat over low heat, stirring, 2 minutes.

Kohlrabi & Apple Slaw with Creamy Coleslaw Dressing
adapted from A Veggie Venture blog

1 pound kohlrabi, peeled and grated
2 apples (or enough to equal the quantity of the kohlrabi), peeled and grated
1/4 cup cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon good mustard
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh mint, chopped
about a handful of craisins

Directions: whisk cream into light pillows, about a minute. Stir in all other ingredients, including the kohlrabi and apple. Serve immediately.