Curried Parsnip and Cauliflower Soup

I have been on furlough due to the government shutdown for three weeks and have had some extra time to tackle our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) veggies that we get weekly in our share from Lancaster Farms. Today, I made some soup using parsnips and cauliflower from the share. You could also add some potato or even some chickpeas if you want to make it heartier (add more spice and liquids accordingly). Here's the recipe I made up (approximately!).

2 T. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
4-5 large parsnips
1 head cauliflower
2 cups chicken broth (may sub veggie broth)
2 cups water
1 t. cumin
1 t. curry
1/2 t. powdered ginger (may use fresh)
salt
paprika for garnish (optional)

Cut parsnips and cauliflower into 3/4 inch pieces, toss with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt & pepper. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until slightly tender (but not mushy). I then added the veggies to some water I used to steam some cabbage (stuffed cabbage roll recipe to come!), but you can use water or any veggie broth. Then I added chicken broth for some extra flavor. You want to have enough liquid to just cover the veggies, about equal parts water and stock. Add the cumin, curry and ginger and some salt (use suggested amounts above or to taste). Stir and bring to a boil, then let simmer until the veggies are fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Blend with an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor) and add paprika for garnish. Serves 4-6. Enjoy!







 

15-Minute Mediterranean Flatbread pizzas

Ingredients:
1 package flatbreads (4)
1/2 package lite cream cheese
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic
Handful sun dried tomatoes (about 8-10), soaked in hot water
8 oz feta cheese
Dill, ground pepper
Shitake mushrooms, capers, olives, or walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Sauté garlic in 2 T olive oil, adding reconstituted sun dried tomatoes (see note). Spread about 1-2 T on each flatbread, follow with 1/4 garlic mixture. Add desired toppings such as jarred shitake mushrooms, capers, walnuts or olives and top with crumbled feta cheese. Put all four finished flatbread pizzas on a lightly greased pan. Top with dill and ground pepper. Bake in the oven for approximately 10 min or when the cheese us melted and the flatbread lightly toasted ( brown on edges).

Welcome Spring 2011!

Hello fellow locavores and Happy Spring! I know I seem to have been hibernating for the winter, waiting until I could post my local-eating recipes again. I have good news and bad news for you... First, the bad news... our family has decided not to join the Jugbay CSA again this season, not because it's not fantastic but due to some hiccups in logistics of getting over to do the pick up during the week. We love farmer Scott and Tanya and appreciate all that they have done these past few years to turn us on to local eating. The good news is that we'll continue to shop for fresh, delicious and LOCAL food at Eastern Market and are looking into some home delivery options (such as Washington Green Grocer and Arganica) so stay tuned. In other news, I just bought a FOOD DEHYDRATOR and I am very excited to begin drying fresh, mostly local foods for snacks and for winter storage. So, keep your eyes peeled for my many new adventures I will soon be having with MR. HOT AIR!
Keep cooking!
--Acadia

Kale Burgers (They Really are Delicious!)

Adapted from a recipe I found online, here goes:

2 cups of kale, stems removed and sliced into thin ribbons and steamed for three minutes
1-16 oz. can of navy beans, cannellini beans, or chick peas--drained and slightly mashed with a fork
3 eggs or egg whites
1/4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 t. salt
pinch turmeric
pinch paprika
bread crumbs
olive oil for frying

1) Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl. Grind slightly with an immersion blender to combine the beans and kale into the rest of the mixture.
2) Add enough bread crumbs to make the mixture easy to form into patties.
3) Place in a pre-heated non-stick skillet over medium heat with some olive oil.
4) Cook on each side 4-6 min or until golden brown. Remove and put on a plate with a paper towel to drain/cool.
5) Serve with plain yogurt or other topping or your choosing! Enjoy!
Makes approximately 8-10 medium-sized patties.

Veggie Stuffed Shells

You know I can never follow a recipe exactly, so I adapted one from a recipe online because I wanted to use up some kale and thought it could be hidden well in some delicious stuffed shells. As I've done with lasagna in the past, I substituted 1/2 of the ricotta for soft tofu and it was still delicious. I doubled the recipe and it ended up making 3 pans of shells. Below is my attempt to scale down the recipe for normal family consumption (we made some extra for a friend and I froze the extra pan).

Ingredients:
1 package pasta shells
2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic* (I used roasted garlic)
5-6 mushrooms
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper*, finely chopped
salt & pepper
1 1/2 c. kale/mustard greens* or other hearty greens (washed, dried and roughly chopped)
handful of sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
2 T. mushroom broth (or water)
8 oz container of part-skim Ricotta cheese
1 package soft (silken) tofu (can use 16 oz ricotta for the above two ingredients)
2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 T. pesto*
homemade or your favorite jar(s) of tomato sauce--appx. 3 cups of finished sauce per pan of shells

1) Boil pasta shells according to package directions (appx 12 min)
2) While shells are cooking, mince garlic and saute in olive oil. Add onion, red pepper and mushrooms, cooking until slightly softened. Add sun-dried tomatoes, season to taste with salt & pepper. Add greens, stirring into vegetable mixture until slightly wilted. Add broth or water and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3) Meanwhile, combine ricotta, tofu, 1 c. of parmesan cheese and pesto in a food processor. Blend thoroughly, then add kale mixture and blend again.
4) Remove shells from water and drain. Spoon filling into shells. You may use a pastry bag (I used a large Ziploc bag with the tip cut off). Lay the shells into a lightly greased 9X13 pan. Cover with desired amount of tomato sauce and the reserved Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate until ready to bake or bake right away, covering tightly with foil, for 40 minutes. Remove foil and allow to bake for another 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately with bread for dipping and a nice green salad!

*denotes contained ingredients from our CSA (community supported agriculture)/farm share

Butternut Squash Soup and Parm-Garlic Rolls

Even though the CSA has slowed down to delivery every 2 weeks, we seemed to be overwhelmed with butternut squash for a while. I made a big batch of butternut squash soup along with some parmesan and garlic rolls in the bread maker. Squash and garlic provided by our farm!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

In our share this year, we got a ton of garlic. I roasted about six whole heads of garlic recently and have been using it in recipes here & there ever since. This morning, I got up early and made some homemade roasted garlic hummus. I didn't have any lemon in the house, so I substituted a mix of apple cider vinegar and balsamic vinegar instead. Here's my modified recipe below:

1 large (1 lb. 13 oz) can chick peas (strain but reserve liquid for later)
1 T. tahini (sesame paste)
1 T. olive oil
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/2 T. balsamic vinegar
(can use juice of 1 lemon in lieu of both vinegars)
5-6 cloves of roasted garlic

Add chick peas, roasted garlic and tahini to the food processor. Blend, adding reserved liquid and olive oil until you get your desired consistency. Add vinegar/lemon and blend again. Season with salt if needed. Makes a big batch for lunches or an appetizer to feed about 10 or so. Enjoy!