pasta with rainbow chard

Another ridiculously easy pasta recipe by Katie. I just threw together some stuff we had around.


Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 cloves garlic, chopped
5 leaves rainbow chard, stemmed discarded and leaves roughly torn into pieces
1 Tbsp pine nuts
1 Tbsp roasted red pepper
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Heat the oil in a pan. Cook onion and garlic for 5 minutes then add the chard. Cook until the chard wilts, another 5 minutes. Add the pine nuts and roasted red pepper. Season and toss with 1 cup of your favorite pasta. I used whole wheat fusilli.

orange kale couscous

Ingredients:
2 cups Lebanese couscous
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2 tsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch dinosaur kale
1 one inch strip of orange rind, thinly sliced
Juice from 1/2 a large orange
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Stir in the couscous and allow to cook until al dente, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the onion, ginger and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the kale and rind, cook until the kale is wilted, another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the orange juice and vinegar. Season and combine with the couscous. Can be served hot or cold.

roasted bok choy and tofu

Tucked inside our produce delivery box each week is a newsletter written by Thaddeus, the farm manager of Capay Valley farm. He writes a little anecdote about what's going on at the farm... which crops are doing well, the daily trial and tribulations. On the back he lists three or four recipes, submitted by customers, featuring the weeks ingredients. Tonight, we were inspired by one of those recipes. Here is our take:

Ingredients:
1 bunch baby bok choy
1/2 block super firm tofu, cut into 1/2" triangles
1 cup vegetable stock
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cold water
2 Tbsp corn starch

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the tofu and bok choy, face down, in a large casserole dish. Cover with vegetable stock, sesame oil, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Roast for 20 minutes.


Remove from the oven and transfer the broth into a small pot. Add water and corn starch to thicken into a gravy. Cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached. Spoon gravy over tofu and bok choy, served with rice.

weekly delivery 12/03

1 bulb fennel
5 Satsuma oranges
6 Empire apples
1 bunch dinosaur kale
3 leeks
1 bunch assorted baby lettuces
1 head napa cabbage
2 navel oranges
6 heads baby bok choy

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.