Curried cauliflower

Many thanks to Joan from One Straw Farm for sharing this with me a season ago! It has quickly become my go-to cauliflower recipe.

Joan holding One Straw Farm cabbage, 2011

Cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil
Curry powder
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss cauliflower, a few glugs of olive oil, as much curry powder as you like (it's hard to add too much here!), a few dashes of sea salt and pepper. Transfer to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet (or forget the parchment paper if you don't have it) and roast for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so until florets are soft and have browned a bit. Boom. Cauliflower candy.

Potato-Leek Hash with Swiss Chard and Eggs

Freshly washed chard

Swiss Chard is a nutritional powerhouse and versatile green that goes well in many dishes. According to WebMD, chard is an excellent source of vitamins K,A, and C as well as Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, and Fiber. Because this week's chard looked so amazing, I decided to try out this hash recipe. It was my first time using leeks and they are now one of my new favorite vegetables to cook with! They gave the dish a subtle onion flavor without being too powerful. The thing I love about this recipe is that it is so customizable. You can easily substitute ingredients that you don't care for. This dish is perfect for brunch but it is so delicious that really any time of day works for me!


This recipe was slightly adapted from Cooking Light.

Makes 4 servings

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups of sliced leek (about 2 large)
• 2 cups of pearl or fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 2 cups of sweet potato (about 1 large)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/4 tsp paprika, divided
• 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper, divided
• 4 cups thinly sliced trimmed Swiss chard (about 1 bunch)
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shredded Gruyère cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan. Add leek; cook 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add potatoes. I decided to add a mixture of sweet and pearl potatoes, and I loved the combination of sweet and savory. Add garlic. Cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1 teaspoon of paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chard. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Using a spoon, push potato mixture aside to make 4 egg-sized spaces. Crack 1 egg into each space. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon of paprika over eggs. Cover and cook for 3 minutes; sprinkle cheese over potato mixture. Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until egg yolks are lightly set. Immediately enjoy!

Leeks: my new favorite cooking veggie

All chopped and ready to be cooked!

Yum! 

Butternut squash soup

It's starting to feel like fall! Time to put that 10-liter soup pot to work.

2 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

1-2 tbsp fresh ginger (optional)

4 small-medium butternut squash, seeded, peeled & chopped

Salt + pepper

2 cups vanilla or plain almond milk

Cinnamon, to taste

Photo from WikiMedia Commons

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot on medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until they soften a bit (5 min). Add butternut squash, ginger, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until squash begins to soften (10 min). Add almond milk and enough water to just cover the veggies. Bring down to a simmer and cover for 20-30 min or until all veggies are tender. Add cinnamon and more salt + pepper to taste. Blend with an immersion blender if you have one, or let the soup cool a bit before pureeing it in a blender or food processor. I like to puree this soup just enough that it gets creamy, but not enough that it loses all texture. Enjoy!

Summer squash frittata

6 eggs

grated cheese

salt + pepper + red pepper flakes

butter or oil for pan

1 tbsp olive oil

salt

1 onion

1 - 2 yellow squash / zucchini, sliced thinly

3 - 4 small potatoes, sliced thinly

4 cherry tomatoes

handful or two of basil, chopped

more grated cheese

balsamic reduction, if you're feeling fancy

I don't have a cast iron skillet (yet), so I make frittatas by baking them - without starting them on the stovetop. Bear with me.

Preheat oven to 450 and grease a small baking dish or pie dish. Beat the eggs, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a small bowl and mix in some grated cheese. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add onions and salt. Saute until tender, 5 minutes or so. Add yellow squash / zucchini, potatoes and tomatoes (and whatever else you want to use up, of course). Cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. 

Pour eggs and veggie mixture into baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, top with basil and grated cheese. Return to oven and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and serve. 

Corn & black bean salad

Sweet corn! How sweet it is. I had some dried black beans on hand and (after soaking and cooking them on Thursday), tossed this up last night. All the veggies I used were from my CSA share, except the jalapeno I picked fresh from my container garden(!) I usually finish this off with some chopped cilantro but didn't have any on hand. Chopped bell peppers are a nice addition, too. Happy August!


6 ears fresh corn
2-3 cups cooked black beans (1 can drained & rinsed is fine)
few handfuls cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1 jalapeno, diced
1 bunch scallions (and/or some diced onion)
juice of 2-3 limes
1 tbsp cumin
salt & pepper, to taste
(optional) chopped avocado, if you want to get really serious

Cut corn (raw) off of cobs. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl and enjoy. This is especially delicious after it marinates in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Delicious the next day for lunch!

Strawberry basil bruschetta

Happy strawberry day! A BIG thanks to One Straw Farm for the surprise delivery of 200+ pints of pre-CSA season berries today! If you manage to resist eating them on your way home, try this. It's one of my favorite things to make this time of year.



1-2 pints fresh strawberries, diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
baguette
goat cheese




Combine strawberries, balsamic vinegar and basil in a small bowl. Slice baguette diagonally and toast in a preheated oven (broiler) or toaster oven on a baking sheet (1-2 minutes per side). Spread goat cheese on toasts and top with bruschetta. YES.

The bruschetta will last for a day or two in your fridge, but it will lose its form fairly quickly. Would make a delicious salad dressing at that point!

Bok choy, tomato & egg stir-fry

I used 4 of today's CSA - Bok choy, tomato, habanero pepper, and collard greens! Simple and yummy. Especially, when you are hungry, this recipe only takes 10 minutes.

Stir-fry

3-4 bok choy leaves
1 tomato
2 eggs
1/2 habanero pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1tsp fish sauce
1tsp cooking wine
1Tb olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil

photo credit: http://karenrothnutrition.com

0. Chop tomato and bok choy, thinly slice habanero pepper (take out the seeds)
1. Preheat the pan with olive oil on high heat
2. cook eggs, roughly scramble
3. throw in bok choy, tomatoes, habanero peppers
4. season with salt toss for about a minute
5. add fish sauce, cooking wine, and sesame oil
6. cook for another 30 seconds
7. serve over rice*

If you don't have fish sauce, feel free to season it with soy sauce or salt.

*Tip: I cook my rice with collard green stems (cut into small circles). Great way to use up stems!