sweet potato soup

Ingredients:
5 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp Smart Balance
3 leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced lengthwise then chopped into 1/2" slices
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1 cup collard greens, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss the sweet potatoes with the oil, salt and pepper. Spread sweet potatoes onto a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Roast the potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes.

Melt the butter in a large pot and add the leeks. Stir over medium heat until leeks are softened, about 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the oven and add them into the soup pot, along with the garlic. Add 4 cups of vegetable broth and simmer, covered, for at least 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the stove, add the remaining 2 cups of broth and the green veggies. Simmer for 5 minutes and serve with crusty french bread.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Katie here- this year Kenny & I were invited to our friend Cang's house for a friend potluck thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the busiest time of the year for Kenny at work (Whole Foods), so I took charge making our contributions to the potluck.

The following three recipes were all based on recipes I found on Bon Appetit's website. I didn't really intend for that to happen but after looking through recipes there, on Gourmet and on Food Network, the Bon Appetit recipes stood out.

All of these dishes were made in advance and reheated at Cang's apartment. Hope everyone is having a nice Thanksgiving! I'd love to hear about how you celebrated.

roasted sweet potatoes

This recipe is based on Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Onions with Rosemary and Parmesan, by Bon Appetit, November 2002.

Ingredients:
10 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1" pieces
2 large red onions, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4"
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 Tbsp canola oil
salt & pepper
Parmesan cheese and fresh rosemary to garnish

Set one rack in center and one rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil. Toss the sweet potatoes in a bowl with 4 Tbsp oil, salt and pepper. Place sweet potatoes on the first baking sheet, spread in a single layer. Sprinkle with garlic. Toss onions in the bowl with remaining 2 Tbsp oil, salt and pepper. Place onions on second baking sheet, spread in a single layer.

Place sheet with potatoes on center rack and sheet with onions on lower rack in oven. Roast until potatoes are tender and onions are tender and brown around edges, about 35 minutes for the onions. Remove the onions from the oven and allow to cool slightly. The potatoes will take longer. After you remove the onions, move the potatoes to the lower rack and crank the temp to Broil. The potatoes should take another 15 to 20 minutes, check on them every 5 minutes to make sure they don't burn.

Spoon the potatoes into a serving dish, cover with onions and garnish with Parmesan cheese and fresh rosemary. I made the potatoes the morning of Thanksgiving. To reheat, place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.

cranberry relish

This recipe is adapted from Cranberry and Blood Orange Relish, by Bon Appetit, November 2007.

Ingredients:
12 ounces fresh cranberries
1 Satsuma orange
2/3 cup sugar

Cut the unpeeled orange into 8 pieces and place in food processor. Add fresh cranberries and sugar; using on/off turns, blend until mixture is finely chopped.

This recipe was made two days in advance and brought to room temperature before serving.

squash soup

This recipe was adapted from Butternut Squash and Sage Soup with Sage Breadcrumbs, by Bon Appetit, February 2008.

Previously, we had roasted and scooped the flesh from some butternut squash and sugar pie pumpkins. I defrosted the frozen Ziplocs of it two days before I made the soup.

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 Tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
12 leaves fresh sage, chiffonade
3 cups butternut squash
1 cup pumpkin
1 Tbsp sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onions, parsley, and sage and saute until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add squash and salt. Saute until squash softens and onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add 5 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash is very soft, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot and add the heavy cream. Season with pepper and more salt, if desired.

Breadcrumbs:
Ingredients:
4 Tbsp butter
12 leaves fresh sage, chiffonade
1/2 cup lightly salted breadcrumbs
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

Melt the butter in a pan. Add the breadcrumbs and sage and cook until crisp, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes.

The soup was made the night before Thanksgiving and reheated on the stove while I made the breadcrumbs.

broccoli and leek stir fry

Ingredients:
1 block extra firm tofu, 1/2 inch cubed
2 heads of broccoli, chopped into bite size pieces
3 leeks, white & light green parts only, sliced length wise then chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 package garlic udon noodles

Heat the oil in a wok and pan fry the tofu, then the leeks. Boil a pot of water and blanch the broccoli for 1 minute and add to the wok. Add the teriyaki sauce to the wok. Add the udon noodles to the boiling water and cook the udon noodles until they are heated through, just a minute or two. Fast and simple!

weekly delivery 11/26

Today we received:

10 ounces of cranberries
5 sweet potatoes
5 heads of baby bok choy

1 bunch collard greens
6 red Jonagold apples

1 bunch leeks
2 Meyer lemons

1 butternut squash
4 Fuyu persimmons

3 red beets
1 bunch rainbow chard

green chard "fauxsotto"

The faux risotto recipe is based loosely on a recipe from Food & Wine Magazine.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp butter
1 3/4 cups whole wheat orzo
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green chard, stems trimmed and finely chopped, leaves ripped coarsely
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Bring the veggie broth and water to a boil in a pot; keep warm over low heat. Melt the butter in a saucepan. On medium heat, add the orzo to the butter and cook stirring often, until the orzo is golden, about 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of the hot stock mixture and cook, stirring gently, until all of the stock is absorbed. Gradually add more of the stock mixture, 1 cup at a time, and cook, stirring frequently, until the orzo is al dente and creamy but not soupy, about 20 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and seasonings.

Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic and chard stems and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the stems are tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chard leaves and toss, until the leaves are wilted, should be an additional 4 or 5 minutes. Stir the chard and the risotto together. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

weekly delivery 11/19

This week we got:

1 butternut squash
1 bunch of dinosaur kale
3 oranges
6 apples

1 bunch of green chard
1 bulb of fennel
1 bunch of leeks

3 heads of broccoli
6 sweet potatoes
10 ounces of cranberries

mushroom alfredo

Back to basics! Alfredo sauce is super simple and super adaptable. The perfect meal for me to make for myself when Kenny's working late.

Ingredients:
10 white button mushrooms, quartered
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Rinse and quarter the mushrooms. Melt the butter in a saucepan on low heat and cook the mushrooms in the butter for a few minutes. Add the cream, then the cheese. Simmer, but do not boil. If the sauce is thin, adding a pinch of flour will thicken it up.

To season, I prefer salt, white pepper, garlic powder & Italian seasoning. Like I said, it's super adaptable- you can season however you like best, and serve with your favorite pasta. Mine is capellini!

six layer udon noodle salad

Don't be intimidated by the name of this recipe. Yes, there's a lot of ingredients but it's really very easy to make and totally worth it.

Salad:
Ingredients:
1/2 block of super firm tofu, cubed
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 package udon noodles (We used garlic flavored udon noodles which were awesome!)
1 bunch dinosaur kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped into bite sized pieces
2 heads of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
1/2 head of napa cabbage, chopped
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the tofu on a baking sheet, sprayed with olive oil. Drizzle tofu with soy sauce and bake for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the veggies and bring a pot of water to boil. Blanch the kale and broccoli, separately for 1 minute each. Cook the udon noodles until heated through. The cabbage and peanuts will remain raw, to give the salad crunch. Put all the salad ingredients (including the tofu) in the fridge to cool.

Ginger miso dressing:
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp miso paste
2 cloves garlic, minced

Shake all ingredients together in a jar to emulsify the dressing. Toss dressing with cooled salad ingredients.

weekly delivery 11/12

In our box this week:

1 bunch green chard
5 sweet potatoes
1 bunch leeks
5 pears
1 bunch dinosaur kale
4 apples
1 bulb fennel

2 heads of broccoli
6 radishes
lots of cranberries

cabbage slaw

Cabbage slaw:
Ingredients:
1/2 head napa cabbage
1 bulb fennel
2 apples
1 can garbanzo beans

Chop the cabbage, fennel and apple into bite sized pieces. Combine in a bowl and dump a can of garbanzo beans on top.

Lemon honey vinaigrette:
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Shake everything together in a jar. Dress yer salad. Eat yer salad.

broccoli rabe and roasted fingerling potatoes

Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli rabe, washed, trimmed and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
5 fingerling potatoes, halved
olive oil
Italian seasoning
salt & pepper
1 Quorn turk'y roast

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Puncture the plastic around the turk'y several times and place in the oven. After 20 minutes, add the potatoes in the oven, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on the spices. Continue to roast for another 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a pan and sautee the broccoli rabe and garlic until tender, about 6 minutes. We use Hain vegetarian gravy because it's the bestest.

tofu and chard curry

Ingredients:
1 block super firm tofu, cut into 1 inch dice
1 bunch chard, roughly chopped
1 cup cous-cous
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 red apples, rough 1/4 inch dice
1/2 cup almonds (we used raw almonds from a friends Dad's almond tree)
4 Tbsp curry powder
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all spices and set aside. Cut tofu and cover with 2/3 of spice mixture, coating all sides. Place on an oiled cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes so all sides are evenly cooked.

Cook cous cous according to package directions (Our bulk is a 1.5:1 liquid ratio). Boil stock, turn off heat, add cous cous, stir and cover for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork.

While this is all happening, heat a saute pan on medium heat. Toast the almonds for 3 minutes, remove from heat and set aside.

Then in the saute pan, add the chard and apples along with the rest of the spices. Season with salt and pepper to taste after cooking down (3-5 minutes).

Combine all finished ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Top with roughly chopped toasted almonds.

saturday brunch

I apologize for the lack of updates this week. Between Halloween, Election Day & Katie's birthday, we have been real busy. We have lots of produce to use up so expect many more updates this week!

Here is what Kenny made for brunch today:


Roasted red potatoes:
Ingredients:
5 red potatoes, quartered
3 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp sea salt
1/2 Tbsp white pepper
2 Tbsp canola oil

Toss potatoes with all ingredients, and put on an oiled or sprayed sheet pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.


Scrambled egg whites with spinach, roasted red peppers and emmentaler:
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups egg whites
1 bunch fresh spinach, washed and chopped
3 bulbs garlic, chopped finely
4 roasted red peppers, julienned
3/4 cup shredded emmentaler
salt & pepper to taste

Saute spinach and garlic until tender in a skillet set to medium until tender (4-5 minutes). Add red peppers and seasoning, stirring until almost cooked (5-7 minutes). Add egg whites and cook until 165 degrees (7-8 minutes). Top with the emmentaler cheese. Turn off heat and add a lid, allow to sit for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Serve it up with some toast. (and some ketchup -Kenny)

burgers!!!

OK so here's what we did with the other half of our organic/free-range/local/grassfedandfinished/hormonefree/OMGyay!!! beef:

We made some big ass mother effen hamburgers, alriiight. Served on a cheddar kaiser roll, topped with romaine, grilled onions and emmentaler cheese. For a side, we threw together a salad of romaine, radishes and apples, dressed with the #1 Officially Endorsed Salad Dressing of the CSA delivery blog: Annies's Goddess dressing.

Now back to your regularly scheduled vegetarian blog... for a little while anyway.

p.s.: Californians, please vote Yes on Prop 2 tomorrow! Help stop cruel animal conditions on factory farms.