Stuffed Baby Bella's (Crimini's)

No photo for this but, trust me, it looked good enough to eat. I made some thing similar to this using yellow sunburst squash and it was equally delicious. trim the bottoms of the squash so they will sit flat on the baking sheet.

CSA box- garlic, onion, stems from swiss chard, zucchini, basil

Heat oven to 400.
Take about a pound to pound and a half of the biggest Crimini mushrooms you can find, wipe off signs of earth, and remove the stems. Chop stems fine. Set caps, hollow side up, on a baking sheet. Drizzle in a little balsamic vinegar.
Chop 1 onion and 2 garlic cloves and begin cooking them in olive oil, over medium heat, while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Finely chop about 4 large stems from swiss chard and 1 medium zucchini and add to the
pan along with the chopped mushroom stems. Cook until everthing is tender. Stir in a handful of chopped fresh basil.
Remove from heat and mix in 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan and 1/2- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs. Salt and pepper to taste.
Melt about 1 Tb. of butter and mix into another 1/2 cup of panko.
Fill caps with the vegetable mixture, mounding up on top. Sprinkle with the buttered panko and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the mushrooms start to release their juices.
Serve warm.

The Mister cooks Grilled Tuna Steaks

Giving the site host a night off from cooking is my hubby who presents the following post for you:

CSA box- garlic, cilantro



Grilled Tuna Steaks

2 4oz Tuna Steaks (probably yellowfin, don’t know for sure. Got them frozen from…where else Grocery Outlet)
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil: 2 for the marinade, 2 for the grilling

Marinade:
1 clove garlic
2 tbs rough chopped cilantro
1 tbs lime juice (juice of a half a lime)
1 tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp sea salt

Combine marinade ingredients in a mortar and pound until the garlic is well crushed and the mixture comes together. Rinse tuna steaks and pat dry. Place tuna in a small dish or bowl where they will lay flat and pour marinade over the fish. Turn to coat, cover with lid or plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes, turning half way through. The fish may have a whiteness along the edges from the lime juice, this is normal.
Heat the grill to hot hot hot, 450-500 on the built in thermometer, 3 second rule
(can hold your hand over heat for 3 seconds) if your grill doesn’t have a thermometer or you are using charcoal. Remove fish from marinade and wipe off excess. Brush lightly on both sides with oil. Using a wadded paper towel and tongs brush the hot grill with the other tbs. of oil. Place fish on grill and close lid. Cook for about a minute and a half and, using tongs, turn a quarter turn, same side down. Cook for another minute and half. There will be signs of fat and moisture along the sides. Turn fish over, pat self on back. The non public side will cook fast, between 1 and 2 minutes. (This recipe is for fish that were 1.5’ thick and cooked to rare. Thinner = quicker. Thicker = rarer which in good tuna is not a bad thing. Cooking it more gives it a “fishier” taste.) After a minute, use a fine bladed paring knife to gently flake the fish in the center to see doneness. For medium/fully cooked fish remove while there is still a layer of pink in the center (about 3 minutes) and tent under foil for 5-10 minutes. The residual heat will finish cooking it. Fish cooked to done on the grill will be over cooked everywhere but the center. At desired doneness remove and slice across the grain for presentation. Serve immediately.
You can leave it whole if you want to show off your grilling technique. Also I recommend using tongs for handling, as tuna will break apart even while not fully cooked.
Tuna steaks cook up perfectly in a pan as well. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat until your parakeet keels over. Pluck and serve as “budgie tartar’ for first course.

Beluga Lentil update!

At the risk of losing my source of inexpensive beluga lentils, I want you to know that the Grocery Outlet at 130th and Aurora has them for 3 cans for a dollar.That is an amazing price. they are usually well over 2 dollars a can at the regular market.
Stock up!

Black Beluga Lentils look like caviar! They are delicious as a side dish and are excellent in soups and salads. They are unique and hold their small round shape.

• Good Source of Fiber
• Cholesterol and Fat Free Food
• Good Source of Iron
• Low in Sodium

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/2 cup (122g)

Servings Per Container: about 3.5

Amount Per Serving

Calories 100
Calories from Fat 0

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0g

Saturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 120mg

Total Carb. 16g

Dietary Fiber 4g

Sugars 0g

Protein 6g

Calcium 6% Daily Value

Iron 10% Daily Value

This is a cold salad made with the lentils. I roasted some corn on the BBQ, added some red peppers, onions, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, garlic, coriander and mixed it all up. got rave reviews- the hostess at the party I took it to kept the leftovers.

Asian Salmon Cakes

CSA box-chives, cilantro



I used chives in place of the green onion. You can also use the pearl onions or a combination of both. I served this on a cold rice noodle salad that had veggies and a dressing made from peanut oil, soy sauce, fresh grated giner, rice vinegar and lime juice.
Today, for lunch, I took a leftover patty and a half and put it in a whole grain wrap with some butter lettuce and some mayo seasoned with cajun spice mix. Yuuuuummmmy!
I'll do that again-


1 1# can pink or red salmon, drained
3 cups panko, divided
1/3 cup scallions, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 eggs
3 T. fresh lime juice
3T. soy sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
2 T. jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 t. kosher salt
1/4 cup sesame seeds or black sesame seeds or a combination of both
oil for frying


In a large bowl combine salmon, 2 cups of the panko, scallions, and cilantro.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, lime juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, jalapeno, and salt.
Combine egg mixture with the salmon mixture
Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.
Mix together remaining 1 cup panko and the sesame seeds.
Sprinkle 3/4 c of this mixture onto baking pan.
Using a 1/4-cup measure, portion out patties onto baking sheets.
Sprinkle tops with remaining panko mixture and, using hands, gently flatten to form cakes.
Chill cakes 1 hour.
Over medium high heat, fry cakes in vegetable oil (I like peanut oil) until nicely browned, flip and cook other side until warmed through.
Using a spatula to transfers cakes to pan will help keep coating intact. Also, I find using two spatulas when turning them gently keeps them from falling apart.

Garlic Galore!

We have had a little garlic and shallots harvest this week.
The shallots, which can be seen in the first image above, are french grey shallots. We got our first bulbs from Gordon and Amy 4 years ago and save some of the harvest each year to replant in the fall.
The garlic are both hardneck varieties, Music and German Brown. Also planted in the fall, the garlic overwinter and then are ready for harvesting when there are only one or two green leaves left. They cure in a dry place for a day or so before Matt cleans them all up and makes them purty for the kitchen.
Garlic ( Allium sativum ) has two subspecies, softneck( sativum ) and hardneck( ophioscorodon ). The softneck has two main varieties, Silverskin and Artichoke. Supermarket garlic is almost all Silverskin garlic from China or California. Silverskins can be planted mechanically and are good keepers. The soft neck allows easy braiding. Under some conditions a softneck type of garlic will produce a scape.

The hardneck varieties do well in the cooler climates. The hard neck refers to the scape, or flower stalk, with its topset of bulbils. Hardnecks take a little more care to grow because they need to be hand planted right side up, and to have their scapes snipped off.

Fresh garlic is often kind of sticky and hard to peel.
To peel garlic, place your knife flat on the garlic clove and whack with your other hand. The covering will burst open and the clove can be easily removed.
Also, if you have a good quality garlic press, such as a Zyliss, you don't need to peel the clove before pressing. Just push it thru and the skins remains in the press.
Those rubber tubes work great, too!

Bridal Shower

Thanks to Nari and Maggie for hiring me as the "surprise" for Ashley's bridal shower last week. I was the guest chef and taught a group of women my recipes for vegetarian Caeser Salad wih garlic toasts, Pressure Cooker Vegetarian Risotto, and Tiramisu. It was really a fun evening. You know how I like to go on and on about the wonders of the pressure cooker- I think I may have a few converts!

Carrot- Coconut Soup

CSA box- carrots, garlic, onions, cilantro






1 Tb. Oil
3 Garlic cloves minced
1 cup chopped Onion
2 Tbsp. fresh Ginger, minced
1 Tsp. Coriander
1/2 Tsp. Cumin
1/2 Tsp. Each curry powder, salt and pepper
4 Cups of grated carrots
3C. Veggie Stock
2C. Coconut Milk
Chopped cilantro for garnish

In a saucepan heat oil with garlic, onion, ginger, coriander, cumin, curry, s&p for about 5 minutes or until onion is soft.

Stir in carrots. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered until carrots are soft.

Blend in batches in a blender or food processor or use a stick blender in the kettle. Careful! It's hot!

Whisk in the coconut milk and then reheat, adjust seasoning and serve. Garnish with cilantro

Fresh Corn Salad

CSA box- corn, tomato, cucumber, zucchini




This is a great salad for a party or a picnic. Add the optional protein and it makes a light dinner or nice lunch.

8 ears fresh corn,husked and kernels cut off
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 cucumber, peeled, if waxed, then seeded and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
6 Tb. olive oil
2 Tb. red wine vinegar
2 Tb. Italian herb mix
Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
Optional protein* smoked tofu, shrimp, surimi

In a large bowl mix together all the vegetables, then pour over the oil and vinegar and then stir in herbs, salt and pepper. Sitr in optional protein.
Chill at least an hour before serving.

Cream Salad Dressing- Delish!

CSA box- oakleaf lettuce, butterhead lettuce and radicchio





There is a comment under the Cajun Pasta recipe that has this recipe in it. We tried it last night and it was fabulous! I overheard Matt tell his Mom that if she had made dressing like this he would have eaten more salad. We'll never know.

4 Tb. of heavy cream
1 Tb. red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
and a little water if the vinegar thickens it too much.
Whip the cream until it is foamy - well short of soft peak, and then added the rest of the ingredients. Mix until blended.
I mixed it right in the bowl I was going to toss the salad in.
Tear the lettuce into large pieces- it looks prettier and holds up well under the dressing.

Cajun cream pasta

CSA box- Zucchini, peas, onions

This is a great dish for all types of eaters, as long as you like a little spice in your life.
There are many options in terms of meat, poultry, or seafood.
Or leave all that out and make it vegetarian.


olive oil
1 medium onion, large dice

optional meat/seafood:
spicy sausage, 4 oz., removed from casing
or
1 chicken breast, cubed
or
large shrimp, peeled and deveined
or any combination of optional meat/seafood items

1-2 Tb. cajun spice mix, depending on how spicy you want it
2 small zucchini cut into 1/2 inch slices
3/4 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1 cup chopped mushrooms, optional, but recommended if not using meat or seafood
1 cup heavy cream
Parmesan, optional

8 oz penne or other sturdy pasta, cooked, with 1 cup of cooking water reserved

Saute' onion in a bit of oil until beginning to soften. Add sausage and/or chicken and cook until no longer pink. Stir in cajun spice and cook until fragrant. Add zucchini and peas, stir to coat with seasonings. Add cream and simmer 5 minutes. Add shrimp. Cook until just pink.
Add pasta and enough pasta water to keep the sauce a bit loose.
Top with parmesan and serve.

About my CSA- Helsing Junction Farm

Helsing Junction Farm
We really love the idea of Community Supported Agriculture. What this means is that we invest in our farm each year and then get a share of what our farms produces. It is organic fruit, flowers and vegetables that fill the brown box each week. Most food is from field to table in ONE day. That is amazing. The food is fairly humming with life energy. The beauty of it is always a welcome sight and the flavor...well nothing compares to it. You just cannot, in my opinion, buy supermarket produce that is as good as this. Those organic items trucked up from California or Chile, while an option during much of the year, lose something (flavor, nutrients?) during the ride.
Our farm owners are women, Sue and Annie, and they have several dedicated long term employees who work with them throughout the season.
The cost of a full share, enough for 3-4 people, is $600.00 for about 16 weeks of deliveries. We split a share with friends and we pay early so we get ours for $540.00 for the season. So it averages about 17.00 per family per week or $34.00 total.
I feel really blessed because we get berries, fruits, and flowers included with our share. Not all farms offer those items.

This weeks box contained

1 bunch spinach
2- 1/2 pint boxes raspberries
2 heads lettuce
1 bunch Swiss Chard
1 bunch carrots
1 bunch basil
1# snow peas
2# shelling peas
1 bunch fennel
1 bunch lavender
# of baby zucchini
At the supermarket, this week, these items were:

1 bunch spinach----------------------2.98
2- 1/2 pint boxes raspberries--------6.00
2 heads lettuce----------------------5.96
1 bunch Swiss Chard------------------2.89
1 bunch carrots----------------------2.59
1 bunch basil------------------------2.89
1# snow peas-------------------------4.98
2# shelling peas---------------------9.96
1 bunch fennel-----------------------4.50
1 bunch lavender---------------------6.98
# of baby zucchini-------------------4.98
For a total of 54.71

Of course, at the beginning of the season the boxes are a little smaller but the farmers really strive to provide a value of about 10% over what was paid for the share. I think it usually works out to more than that.
Just at this level, it is a good value. But think of it in terms of the health of the planet. It is even more valuable! It keeps us healthy. Even more value! It supports small family farms. It saves farmland from development. What global warming?




Here is a picture of part of the land the farmers are leasing while some fields are lying fallow. I took it last year when the farm hosted an open house.

Braised Salmon and Fennel with Greens

CSA Box- garlic, fennel, onion, greens, and, eventually, tomatoes...

For you non-vegheads or pescetarians out there- you know that salmon is soooo good for you- the heart healthy Omega 3's and all that. Did you know that canned wild salmon is just as good for you as fresh wild salmon? Well, it is!

One of my favorite haunts is Grocery Outlet @ 130th and Aurora. They often have canned salmon for as little as 1.29 a can. Buy several and stock up.

Look for recipes where you can substitute the canned fish for fresh. It is really good in dips, spreads or cold salads.
If you want "smoked" salmon flavor, add a drop or two of liquid smoke. Liquid smoke is a fairly natural product made by burning hardwood chips and condensing the smoke into a liquid form.



1 pound canned salmon, drained and skin and bones removed

1 Tbs. butter

1½ tsp. olive oil

2 garlic clove, sliced

1-2 small bulbs fennel, sliced (reserve fronds for garnish)

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, cut into 1" cubes

4 roma tomatoes, cut into quarters or a cup or so of cherry tomatoes

1 small bunch spinach or arugula , or some chopped chard

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Melt butter and olive oil together in a 10 " non reactive saute' pan over medium heat.
Put sliced garlic, fennel, and onion in the pan. Saute for a minute or two.
Add red pepper and tomatoes. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add chunks of salmon and then the greens over the top of salmon
Cover and heat thoroughly until greens are wilted and tender. Salt and pepper to taste.

Peach and Cantaloupe Soup

6 large ripe peaches, about 2 1/2 pounds , peeled, pitted, and chopped

1 medium cantaloupe, very ripe, peeled, seeded, and chopped

juice from two medium size oranges

1/4- cup apple juice

dash cayenne pepper

pinch of salt

1/4- cup plain yogurt

blueberries for garnish, optional

In a food processor or blender, puree the peaches and melon until smooth. With the food processor running, add the orange juice, apple juice, and cayenne pepper through the feed tube. Add salt. Continue to process until smooth.
**Depending on the size of your processor you will probably have to puree in batches. Just combine all batches in a large non- reactive bowl or storage container.
Cover and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
To serve, stir well and ladle into 6 small soup bowls. Top each serving with a small dollop yogurt and a sprinkling of blueberries.
Edible flowers (pesticide free!!) would look lovely as a garnish, as well.

Caribbean style beans and black-eyed peas

CSA box- onion, garlic, green onion, radish, cilantro


3 Med Bananas, green tipped
1 tb. Butter, divided
1 Onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 Lg Garlic cloves, pressed
1 tart apple, cored and sliced thinly
2 tsp. Curry powder
1/2 inch piece of fresh Ginger, grated
1/8 tsp. Turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. Lemon zest
1 tsp. Coriander
1/8 tsp. Cayenne
1 1/2 to 2 cups cooked Kidney beans, with cooking liquid
1 1/2 to 2 cups Black-eyed peas, drained
1/3 c Raisins
1/2 c plain yogurt (optional)
3 Green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 c. Salted, roasted peanuts, chopped
6 Radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 c. Cilantro, chopped
hot cooked rice

Cut bananas in half crosswise, then lengthwise to make 12 pieces. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat and saute' bananas with 2 tsp butter until lightly browned. Remove to plate.

Add 1 tsp butter to skillet. Saute onion, garlic, and apple until soft.

Combine curry powder, lemon peel, ginger, coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Stir into onion mixture. Cook a minute.

Add black-eyed peas, undrained kidney beans and raisins. Simmer 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Serve on rice, if desired. Top with radishes, green onion, cilantro and peanuts and bananas.

MMMM...Artichokes

CSA box- Artichokes



Preparation: whole artichokes: Wash under running water.If your artichokes are organic they may be a home for earwigs. I soak my artichokes in saltwater for about an hour. Anything that's in there will sink or swim.
Pull off lower outer petals of artichokes; cut stems to inch or so. If they are really fresh leave an inch or two of the stem and peel it. It is as good as the heart. Snip off (scissor) the sharp tips of petals all the way around. Give it a good squeeze or two to open up the petals a little bit. If it is a little squeaky you got a fresh one!

Steaming Artichokes: Stand artichokes upside down on a rack over boiling water. This helps the steam penetrate into the cavity of the artichoke and it will cook faster and more evenly. Cover and steam 25 to 40 minutes, depending upon size, or until a petal near center pulls out easily.

Pressure Cooking: Fanatic that I am, I, of course, pressure cook mine. Place upside down in your steamer basket and put into pressure cooker with about 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to high pressure, reduce heat to just enough to maintain pressure and cook for 11 minutes for a medium size. Quick release pressure and check for doneness. If it needs more time, just bring back up pressure and cook another couple minutes. Quick release again and enjoy!

Dip in butter or mayo or aioli or anything that sounds good to you. Take your time. Savor. You get to eat with your hands.

When you get to the center, scoop out the fuzzy choke and discard. What is left is the prize for all that work.

Braised Beluga Lentils and Swiss Chard

CSA box- onions, carrots, fennel, chard, garlic



MMMM! Don't throw away those beautiful stems from your Swiss Chard! Use them in
this simple dish. Quantities of ingredients are approximate. Use whatever you have.


extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cups chopped onion
2 large carrots cut into medium dice
fennel bulb ( or two, depending on size!) cut into small dice
1 bunch Swiss Chard, cleaned and stems separated from leaves. Cut stems into small dice and coarsely chop leaves.
3-4 cups cooked Beluga lentils with some cooking liquid
1 large clove garlic, put thru press

Heat a couple big glugs oil to medium high. Add onions, carrots, & fennel and cook until quite softened and beginning to caramelize. Do not try to cook to fast or they will burn. Will take about 15 minutes or so. Stir occasionally. If they are browning too fast, reduce heat to medium.
Add stems from chard. Cook five minutes more.
Stir in the leaves and cook until wilted, but still bright green.
Stir in the lentils with enough liquid to keep loose.
Bring up to a boil. Stir in garlic and let simmer a few minutes.
Done!
If you are a vegetarian this is great as is or with a grain.
For fish eaters, serve under a nice fillet of salmon or halibut.

Phad Thai

CSA box- green onions, garlic, cilantro

If you like Phad Thai and try this recipe you will find it hard to order it in a restaurant again. If you are not vegetarian you can substitute 1 T. of Thai fish sauce for the rice vinegar and soy sauce.

Phad Thai

1/4- cup peanut oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Tb. tomato sauce or ketchup
2 tsp. sugar
1 Tb. Rice vinegar
1 Tb. soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp dried (pure) red chili powder (not cayenne or chili powder mix) or 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 lb. Dried rice stick noodles, soaked in hot water for 15 to 20 minutes, drained well - you should be able to pinch the noodle in half easily, but it shouldn't be mushy
1 egg, beaten
1 -cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup preserved radish ( optional)

Garnishes:
2 green onions, thinly sliced crosswise
2 Tb. Peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup torn cilantro leaves
Lime wedges

Optional ingredients to stir in at the end:
Fried tofu
Cooked vegetables

In a small bowl mix together the tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, limejuice, and chili powder. Set aside.

Heat a 12 inch non-stick skillet over high heat, add the oil and fry the garlic until it changes color. Add the sauce mixture and cook for one minute. Making sure the heat is up high, add the noodles. Toss and stir until they are coated with the sauce. Push the noodles slightly off to the side and add the beaten egg. Let it set slightly and then mound the noodles on top. Wait for twenty seconds and then stir. Add the bean sprouts and preserved radih and cook until the sprouts are clear. Stir in tofu and/or veggies, if using.
Arrange noodles on a platter and top with garnishes. Serve immediately.

4 servings