csa

Sweet potato chili…….again

Oct 14th, 2011

by ben.

Date: 10/12/2011

Recipe:

28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
1 cup dried black beans (or one 15 oz can)
1 medium sweet potato, cubed
1 onion, diced
1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauced, seeded and diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 small bell peppers, diced
1 packet of chili seasoning (or make your own)

Soak the beans overnight (if you’re using dried beans)

In the morning, chop up all the veggies.

Put the tomatoes and water into the crockpot with the seasoning and mix it in well

Add all of the ingredients

Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream if that’s your thing (and it is most definitely OUR thing). I also love having my chili over pasta, ever since my friend Scott introduced me to that concept a couple years ago.

Time to table: 45 minutes prep, 6 hours cook time

Servings: 4 adult dinners, 2 toddler dinners

Ben: Love

Erin: Love

Annie: Love

Notes: I totally screwed up the beans here. I let the soak overnight and then put it all in the crock pot in the morning, but the beans didn’t finish cooking by the time we ate it, so the beans were hard on the outside still. Certainly edible and it was still delicious, but it would be even better with fully cooked beans. I partly blame our crockpot because it doesn’t seem to get as hot as other crock pots. We served this with leftover frozen cornbread muffins. Annie devoured all of this with reckless abandon.

Corn bread skillet

Oct 4th, 2011

by ben.

No comments yet

Date: 9/27/2011

Recipe: This recipe was from our CSA newsletter and it was great because it used a ton of the veggies from our box:

2 T oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 medium bell pepper, diced
juice & zest of 1 lime
5 tomatillos, cored and chopped
1 large tomato, cored and chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 can pinto or black beans
3 T cilantro, minced
1 c cornmeal
1/3 c all purpose flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 c plain yogurt
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Heat oil in oven proof skillet and saute onions for a couple minutes and then add the leeks. After another minute add the garlic, cumin, coriander, potatoes, and peppers. Saute for a couple minutes and add the lime juice/zest, tomatillos, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook, stirring periodically, for about 8-10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 and prepare the cornbread topping: sift together the dry ingredients. Whisk together egg and yogurt and mix into dry ingredients and set aside. Stir beans and cilantro into skillet and top with cornbread batter. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Add shredded cheese and return to oven for 3-5 more minutes, until golden and browning on the edges.

Time to table: 75 minutes

Modifications: I didn’t use any tomatoes because we didn’t have any, and we had also just used the all the leeks in the soup the night before, so we didn’t include that.

Servings: 2 adult dinners, 3 adult lunches, 1 toddler dinner

Ben: Dislike

Erin: Like

Annie: Like

Notes: This was kind of blah. Definitely should use more cheese than is called for. I think the cornbread is a little too dry and crumbly for this kind of dish, it would have been better with a fluffier dough I think. Oh well, we got some lunches out of it and it used up a lot of veggies.

Looks like scrambled eggs with cheese!

Homemade salsa

Sep 7th, 2011

by ben.

5 comments

Date: 9/4/2011

Recipe: The recipe we used was modified from a recipe that Brian sent us:

Original recipe:

1 ice cream pail of tomatoes, blanched and peeled
3 medium onions, chopped
3 green bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
12 oz. tomato paste
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon oregano
2 cups vinegar
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 jalapeno peppers

Simmer all ingredients together for 1/2 hour, over low to medium heat,
stirring it frequently. Process in pint jars (remember if the jars
and lids are super hot from being sterilized and salsa is boiling when
you fill the jars they may seal without the boiling water bath).

Modifications: We made a couple changes to this recipe. I don’t think we had an entire ice cream bucket of tomatoes, but it was close. We added several other ingredients that we had from our box: tomatillos (sauteed and pureed), diced garlic, and cilantro.

Time to table: 2 hours total

Servings: We got a little over a half gallon of salsa.

Ben: Like

Erin: Like

Annie: Like

Notes: Our neighbors had just given us a bag of tomatoes from their garden and then we got two more bags from our CSA this week, so we were inundated with tomatoes. Salsa was the perfect solution as it used all the tomatoes as well as several other veggies we had from the CSA box (tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, bell peppers, jalapenos). I don’t believe canning salsa to be worth the effort in general, but this was a great way to relieve the pressure of all the veggies we’ve had for the past two weeks.

Cooking the tomatillos

Tomatoes ready for blanching and peeling.

Peeling garlic WHILE holding a child.

Annie helped by throwing the garlic into the food processor.

Peeled.

Getting the seeds and juice out of the tomatoes makes a mess.

Ready to start cooking.

The finished product.

Baked Rotini with Ricotta and Collard Greens

Aug 23rd, 2011

by ben.

No comments yet

Date: August 20th, 2011

Recipe: http://foodallaputtanesca.blogspot.com/2009/04/baked-rotini-with-ricotta-and-collard.html

Modifications: The recipe is confusing a bit because the title says rotini and the picture is of rotini, but the recipe says to use rigatoni or penne. We prefer the rotini and this time (we’ve made it several times) I used less than a pound of pasta because it has always seemed a little too pasta-heavy and it turned out better, in my opinion.

Time to table: 30 minutes

Servings: 4 adult dinner, 2 toddler dinners

Ben: Like

Erin: Like

Annie: Love

Notes: This is a great meal to use up our collard greens from the CSA as well as a lot of cheese Very tasty and has enough for an entire meal of leftovers, perfect!

Finished product

Pre-baking

Spinach & black bean enchiladas

Aug 22nd, 2011

by ben.

1 comment

Date: August 18th, 2011

Recipe: http://ellysaysopa.com/2011/03/07/meatless-monday-chipotle-and-tomatillo-sauced-black-bean-enchiladas/

Modifications: I doubled the amount of cream cheese because we had half of a package left and I wanted to use the whole thing up.

Time to table: 75 minutes

Servings: 4 adult dinner, 2 toddler dinners

Ben: Love

Erin: Like

Annie: Love

Notes: We used a salsa verde recipe from our CSA newsletter this time that used some stuff from the box (tomatillo, jalapeno, garlic, cilantro) and we used a green pepper instead of a red pepper because that’s what we had on hand. This was a delicious recipe that we’ve made before and we’ll definitely make again as it’s so easy and would probably be a good freezer meal. I used a dry, white cheddar cheese that didn’t melt too nicely and while it tasted fine, the pics don’t make it look too appetizing.

Veggie cobbler

Aug 10th, 2011

by ben.

1 comment

I put sriracha on mine.

Date: August 8th, 2011

Recipe: Source: Simply Organic Cookbook

Crust:
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached All-purpose flour (used bleached all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup whole wheat flour or cornmeal (used cornmeal)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, grated
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup buttermilk

Filling:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, minced
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour (again, used bleached flour)
2 cups milk or vegetable broth (used milk)
1/4 cup Madeira wine (did not use this)
2 tablespoons chopped sage
3 cups cooked vegetables - we used eggplant, zucchini, and sweet peppers, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

To make the crust: in a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal or whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne, and parsley. Add the butter and cheese and stir in the buttermilk just until blended. Refrigerate while you make the topping.

To make the filling: Prehat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a 3 quart baking dish. I do not own a 3 quart baking dish, so I used a 2 quart dish. It did end up bubbling over just slightly at the very end, so we put a cookie sheet under the dish.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes, or until the mixture turns golden brown. Slowly whisk in the milk or broth and wine, if using. Whisk until slightly thickened. Add the sage, vegetables, salt, and pepper.

Transfer the creamed vegetables to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the cheese. Drop the crust mixture by the tablespoon on top of the vegetables. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust is browned. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Time to table: 90 minutes

Servings: 4 adult dinner, 2 toddler dinners

Ben: Like

Erin: Like

Annie: Love

Notes: I have to admit that this was better the last time we made it, which makes me sad because I remember it being so damn good. Still used up a lot of CSA veggies and it was a hit with Annie, so this was still a winner in spite of it taking a long time to make. I actually made the crust and filling on Sunday night and kept them separated in the fridge overnight and then assembled it (5 minutes) and cooked it (45 minutes) on Monday after work. We had the leftovers on Tuesday night for dinner, and they were even better than the first day!

Precooked cobbler

Finished product

Annie eating it up!

Pasta with vegetables

Jul 23rd, 2011

by ben.

1 comment

Date: July 19th, 2011

Recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/07/farfalle-with-zucchini-a-yummy-summer-meal/

Modifications: We used a zucchini and a summer squash because that’s what we got in our csa box.

Time to table: 30 minutes

Servings: Enough for 4 adults and 2 toddlers

Ben: Dislike

Erin: Dislike

Annie: Dislike

Notes: This didn’t turn our nearly as well as the last time we made it. Annie was NOT A FAN. I think I used too much pasta which diluted the creaminess of the sauce, so it just kind of tasted like pasta with veggies and no sauce, not very tasty at all. I’m making spaghetti sauce tonight and we’ll use the leftovers with some red sauce. Better than chucking them

Spaghetti with fried eggs

Jul 22nd, 2011

by ben.

2 comments

Date: July 20th, 2011

Recipe: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/recipe-of-the-day-spaghetti-with-fried-eggs/

Modifications: Since this was just for me I only used three eggs. I also added sauteed spinach cause we had some, and you might as well make it a little healthier, right?

Time to table: 10 minutes, but I had leftover pasta so I didn’t need to cook any.

Servings: 1 adult

Ben: Like

Notes: This was really good, but a little rich with the undone egg yolks. I needed to use up the eggs and pasta though, so it was perfect for that.

Smoked spare ribs with roasted veggies and potatoes

Jul 21st, 2011

by ben.

1 comment

Date: July 16th, 2011

Ribs recipe: http://www.thesmokerking.com/page1b.html

Modifications: I used the same rub we use for our pulled pork: http://www.crumblycookie.net/2008/05/30/crockpot-pulled-pork/. I didn’t use a mop or a spray for the ribs, just smoked them for two hours, wrapped them in foil and smoked for another hour. The rack I had was 2.65 pounds, and following the “one hour per pound” rule worked perfectly.

Veggies recipe:

1 head of cauliflower
1 head of broccoli
olive oil
salt and pepper

Cut up the broccoli and cauliflower and toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and put on a hot grill for 20-30 minutes, until the veggies are tender.

Potatoes recipe:

3 large russet potatoes
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
0.5 cups sour cream
salt and pepper

Cut the potatoes into fourths and boil for 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Drain the water and add the cream cheese, butter, salt and pepper, and sour cream. Stir (don’t even need to mash) until all the ingredients are worked in and the potatoes are broken up and creamy.

Time to table: 3 hours smoking, 40 minutes for the potatoes and veggies, while the ribs were smoking.

Servings: 4 adults, 2 toddlers, with a little leftover potatoes. The ribs were gone.

Ben: LOVE

Erin: Like

Annie: Love

Notes: We made the food and then ate this at our neighbors with them and their daughter. The ribs were heavenly, and incredibly easy to make. Smoking food is easy as long as you have the time to do it, and the food comes out so awesome it’s unbelievable. Erin tricked Annie by combining the cauliflower and broccoli with her mashed potatotes, and she ate them. It’s not lying though, because Erin TOLD Annie she was doing it!

Ribs, pre-rub

Ribs, post-rub, mmmmmmmmm

The ribs were nearly too long to fit on the smoker

Roasted broccoli and cauliflower

Mashed potatoes

Annie with her meal, making good progress on her potatoes with hidden veggies!

Salad with smoked chicken

Jul 20th, 2011

by ben.

No comments yet

Date: July 16th, 2011

Recipe:

8 large lettuce leaves, chopped
0.5 lb cut up chicken
2 carrots grated
3 green onions, diced
0.5 cup grated cheddar cheese

This one is pretty easy, just take all of the ingredients, mix them together. Add your favorite salad dressing and toss to combine.

Time to table: 15 minutes

Servings: 2 adults

Ben: Like

Erin: Like

Notes: This was made with the remaining smoked chicken. The other ingredients were from our CSA box we got on Thursday, it’s always a little daunting when you unpack the CSA box and you have a fridge full of produce that needs to get used in a timely fashion; salads are a great way to use it up.

csa

Sweet potato chili…….again

Corn bread skillet

Homemade salsa

Baked Rotini with Ricotta and Collard Greens

Spinach & black bean enchiladas

Veggie cobbler

Pasta with vegetables

Spaghetti with fried eggs

Smoked spare ribs with roasted veggies and potatoes

Salad with smoked chicken

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