What to do with Leftover Goose

Today's adventure is using up leftover goose. Since I managed to get some beautiful stock made, I  decided to make soup. I looked for recipes, but couldn't find one that was quite what I was looking for, so improvise it is!

Leftover Goose Soup

•  about 5 cups leftover goose meat, *shredded
• 6 cups goose stock *
• 6 cups water
• 1/2 head white cabbage, *shredded
• 1 large sweet potato, * diced
• about 3 cups leftover stock vegetables (potatoes, carrots, onions) *
• 2 apples roasted in goose *
• 1 pkg dried wide egg noodles *

Bring stock and water to boil in a large Dutch oven. Add cabbage and sweet potatoes. Returns to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are cooked. Add goose meat, cooked vegetables and apples to soup. Bring to a boil. Add noodles and cook 9 minutes. Makes about 12 (1-1/2 cup) servings.

* CSA ingredients

Goose

Today is a cooking adventure for me. I purchased a goose through Fresh Fork this year. I have never cooked a goose before (no pun intended). Since we have a pretty busy  day today, I decided to cook it in our slow-cooker. I found an interesting blog entry and used that as a basis.

Crockpot Goose with Apples
Based on:http://www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Crockpot%20goose%20or%20duck%20with%20apples

• 1(10-pound) free-range goose*
• 3 apples*
•  1 bottle chardonnay
• 2 cups chicken stock

Remove any pin feathers remaining on the goose. Cut fat on either side of chest cavity. Remove neck and giblets. Rinse and completely dry chest cavity. Core and dice apples. Place diced apples in chest cavity. Truss goose and place in crock. Pour in chardonnay. Add chicken stock until liquid covers 3/4 of the goose Cover and cook until meat is tender and falls from the bone. Remove goose and slice meat. Make applesauce from the apples. Serve meat with broth as an jus. Cooking liquid maybe cooled, fat skimmed and saved for use as stock.

While goose is cooking, place giblets and neck in water with herbs and spices (as desired) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until giblets are cooked. Remove giblets , add carrots, potatoes and onion; cook until vegetables are cooked. Remove vegetables and continue cooking until reduced by half; cool, skim fat and store as concentrated stock.

* CSA Ingredients

Squash Soup

Now that my music obligations are complete, its time for me to get back to some cooking. I received butternut and buttercup squash in the last share. I had located a recipe for slow-cooker squash and broccoli soup I thought I'd try. I cut up the squash and an onion and put them in the cooker, but when I opened the bag of broccoli florets, they were clearly spoiled. While this was disappointing to me, I moved onto plan B.

Curried Butternut Squash Apple Soup

• 2 small butternut squash*, peeled and cubed
• 2 large granny smith apples*, peeled and cubed
•  1 large onion*, diced
• 3 cloves garlic*, minced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup apple cider*
• 4 cups water
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt and pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients into crock of slow-cooker. Cover and cook 4-5 hours on HIGH or 6-8 hours on LOW, or until vegetables are soft. Cool slightly then blend with an immersion blender or countertop blender until smooth. If you like, add a little cream or plain yogurt before serving. Garnish with diced apples or pears.

*CSA ingredients

Christmas Cookies!

 Last weekend, I baked Christmas cookies to sell at our Christmas concert and to share with family and friends. Since many of the ingredients were from my CSA shares, I promised to post the recipes.

Chocolate Crinkles

• 1/2 cup light olive oil
• 4 oz pre-melted bittersweet chocolate
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 4 eggs*
• 2 cups white-wheat flour*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

 1. In a large bowl, mix oil, chocolate granulated sugar, and vanilla. Stir in eggs none at a time. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours.

2. Heat oven to 35O°F. Grease cookie sheet with shortening or cooking spray.

3. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar; roll around to coat and shape into balls. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until almost no imprint remains when touched lightly in the center. Immediately remove to cooling racks.

Note: This recipe produces a cakey cookie. It was suggested that of you substitute cocoa and oil (per back of cocoa container) for the chocolate, they would be more brownie-like.


Russian Tea Cakes (Mexican Wedding Cakes)

• 1 cup butter*, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2-1/4 cup white wheat flour*
• 3/4 cup ground pecans
• 1/4 tsp salt.
• powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 400°F.

2. Mix butter , 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and the vanilla in a large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until setout not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire racks.

5. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Rollin powdered sugar again.

Note: I had difficulty rolling the cookies when they were warm. I sifted the powdered sugar over the cookies for the 1st coating. When the cookies were cooled, they were easier-to handle for the second coating.


Bisquick(R) No- Roll Sugar Cookies

• 4 cups original Bisquick (R) mix
• 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup butter*, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs* 1 cup colored sugars

1. Heat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, stir all ingredients except colored sugar until soft dough forms.

2. Shape dough into balls, about 1 inch in diameter; roll in colored sugar to coat. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls about 2 inches apart. Flatters falls slightly with bottom of glass.

3. Bake 5 to 6 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks to cool.


Peanut Blossoms

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup butter*, softened
•  1 egg*
• 1-1/2 cups Bisquick (R) mix
• Hershey (R) kisses , milk and dark

1. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 granulated sugar, brown sugar, peanut butter, butter and egg. Stir in Bisquick (R). Cover; refrigerate at least I hour or until firm.

2. Heat oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, place remaining granulated sugar. Shape dough into I-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. On ungreased cookie sheets place balls 2 inches apart.

3. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately top each cookie with a candy kiss pressing down firmly so cookie edges crack. Remove to cooling racks.

Note: This dough seems to warm quickly and is best rolled when cold. Consider separating dough into several batches and only remove I batch when rolling. That way the rest of the dough stays cold and saves time.

*CSA Ingredients

A Wam Drink for a Cold Day

 Yesterday, I decided I wanted chi instead of coffee. Unfortunately, I had used up all of my prepackaged chi, so, I embarked on discovering how to make my own. It's always been a mystery exactly what combination of spices made that wonderful warm, spicy flavor. After looking at several interesting recipes, including a chi spiced mango bread pudding recipe I am considering trying, I decided the most common combination included cinnamon, cloves, coriander and ground ginger. I made myself a stock mix and tried it out using a good loose black tea in my coffee-maker.

Chi Tea Spices

1tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger

Combine spices in a small bowl and mix well. To make tea in a Automatic drip coffee-maker, place a filter into the basket. Add 1 Tbsp good loose black tea per cup into filter (I used Teavana Golden Monkey Black Tea) and add 1/4 tsp chi spices. Brew and enjoy!

Note: Although I have not tried it, I am guessing you could add the spices directly to brewed tea (or coffee). Add milk or cream and sweetener (I used honey) as desired.

Greens galore

Our CSA is getting a lot of greenhouse greens this time of year. In this bag alone, I have mixed braising greens (top left), spinach (top right), leaf lettuce (bottom right) and baby bok choy (bottom left). Because I am in the midst of holiday baking and concert season, I will probably blanch most of them and freeze them for later use.  Then there's the broccoli, squash,  onions and carrots as well. Being in a CSA certainly keeps me on my toes!

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Cabbage, Cauliflower and Leeks

Today I am making a soup with cabbage, cauliflower and leeks. I actually was a little put off by the contents of the last CSA package because I wasn't sure what I would do with all of those items. As I was searching for ways to use some of them together, I ran across the following recipe on Allrecipes.com. It takes care of not only my vegetables, but also provides me with a soup that is hearty and won't be a problem for my braces-sensitive teeth.

Spanish Garlic and Vegetable Soup
adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/spanish-garlic-and-vegetable-soup/detail.aspx

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium head cabbage, chopped*
• 1/2 head cauliflower, chopped*
• 2 leeks, sliced*
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped*
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 4 teaspoons tomato paste
• 1 quart water
• 1/4 cup milk or light cream
• 1 tablespoon butter*
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add cabbage, cauliflower and leeks. Cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until cabbage wilts. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and continue to cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly to prevent the garlic from burning. Stir in 2 cups of water, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Pour in the diced tomatoes and the remaining 2 cups of water, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Reserve 2 cups of the liquid, and puree the remaining soup in a blender or food processor. Return the blended mixture to the reserved liquid, and stir in milk and butter. Return to a boil, and cook for 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.               

*CSA ingredients

More Potatoes & Sausage

I am finally using up all those potatoes that I have been complaining about for weeks.  I want to thank Lia Hotchkiss for giving me an idea of how to use them, along with some of the packs of sausage that have been lurking in my freezer.  While this isn't exactly the idea she gave me, she gave me a good basis.  I can smell it simmering on the stove and it smells wonderful. Oh, and Lia, thanks for the idea for the ale.  It pulls all of the flavors together nicely!

Rustic Sausage & Potato Soup

• 6 Tbsp olive oil, split
• Water
• 2 lbs red-skin potatoes split*
• 1 large onion*
• 1 medium green pepper*
• 8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
• ½ lb pork sausage*
• ½ lb Italian sausage*
• 4 cups chicken stock
• “Dollop” of Bell’s Best Brown Ale (by dollop, I mean 1 cup)
• Seasonings to taste (salt, fresh ground pepper, garlic & herbs)

1) Wash potatoes, green pepper and mushrooms.  Peel 1 lb of the potatoes and cover with water to 1 inch above.  Place these on the stove, cover and boil until potatoes are cooked (knife pierces potatoes easily).  Allow to cool and then blend until smooth with an immersion blender.

2) Preheat oven to 450F.  Dice remaining potatoes to 1/2" cubes.  Peel and dice onion to same size cubes.  Place all in a ziploc bag.  Pour in 3 Tbsp olive oil and garlic & herbs to taste.  Seal bag and shake until all vegetables are coated.  Pour vegetables onto a prepared cookie sheet and spread to a single layer.  Cook at 450F for 25 minutes, stirring once.

3) Dice green peppers and slice mushrooms.  Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add peppers and mushrooms.  Saute until peppers are starting to become soft.  Add sausages and cook, breaking up as you stir, until the sausages are no longer pink.

4) Combine pureed potatoes and roasted vegetables with sausage and peppers in the Dutch oven.  Add chicken stock, ale and salt & pepper to taste.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until flavors blend.  makes 12 1-cup servings.

*CSA ingredients

Potatoes & Sausage

My husband brought a yam with him when he came to visit this weekend.  I had cooked them for him last weekend and he thought they would make good carbs for his 5K race this morning.  Because the yam was so big, I decided to take some of that, along with potato and sausage and make a quick hash.

Two Potato Sausage Hash

• 1/3 cup cooked yam, diced*
• 1 small redskin potato, finely diced*
• 2 oz pork sausage*
• 1 large egg*
• salt & pepper to taste

 Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray and heat over med-high heat.  Add potato, yam and sausage.  Cook until sausage is no longer pink.  Break egg over top of mixture; cover and cook, about 5 minutes, until egg is cooked but yolk is still runny. Makes 1 serving.

  *CSA ingredients

Pork Loin

As I was researching recipes for ideas of what to do with a small pork tenderloin, I was interested to read a long thread with arguments about whether you could cook a pork loin in a slow-cooker or not.  The people arguing against it claimed that since the loin doesn't have enough fat, it would end up dry and stringy.  The people arguing for it all claimed to have done it with great results.  I have never found a meat that I couldn't cook in my slow-cooker.  I especially like it for Boston butt and whole chickens, but I have only cooked 2 pork loins in my lifetime and both were the prepackaged, pre-marinated types that you really can't mess up.  This is a local pork loin that I received in my CSA this summer.  Since it came to me frozen, I put it in my freezer until I could figure out what to do with it.  I found it today as I was straightening up my freezer and decided to give it a try.  It is is my slow-cooker as I type and I used a recipe I found on www.foodnetwork.com:

Slow-Cooker Parmesan Pork Loin

Adapted from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/slow-cooker-parmesan-sage-pork-loin-watercress-salad-sliced-pears-goat-cheese-toasted-pine-nuts-recipe/index.html

• 2 pounds diced yukin gold potatoes*
• 1 cup chopped candy-stripe beets*
• 1 cup chopped baby carrots 
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 
• 1/2 cup Shock-Top raspberry wheat beer
• 1 (2-pound) pork loin*
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Romano

1. Place diced vegetables into base of slow-cooker. Pour broth and beer over vegetables.

2. Season pork loin with pepper and garlic and herb seasoning.  Place on top of the vegetables.  Sprinkle with grated Romano; press into surface of pork loin.

3. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.  Remove pork from cooker and place on a cutting board; temper the meat for 5 minutes.  Slice pork crosswise into 1/2" slices.  Serve with vegetables.

*CSA ingredients.

As you can see, the meat was very, very well-done.  I cooked this overnight (about 8 hours) and that probably was a bit too long.  The meat is tender and moist, but it fell apart as I tried to cook it.  The other sad thing was the fact that the beets lost all their color in the cooking.  They actually kind of look like turnips now that they are cooked, however, they definitely taste like beets.  This is a very tasty dish, but I would keep the cooking time down to 6 hours the next time I tried it.

Beets

Here is yet another vegetable I have never had before. If you have followed my blog, you know I love beets. In the past, I have used red and golden beets. These were given to us as candy-stripe beets. When I got them, they were bright red on the outside, so, I assumed they were just more golden beets (golden beets have scarlet red skin). When I cut them, however, this is what I saw. These are beautiful beets and I would guess they would make a very pretty salad. I, however,  am using them in a different recipe. Stay tuned!

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Boston Butt

It is patently obvious that we are into the winter CSA. In the first week, we received a 5 lb Boston Butt.  This week, we received a whole free-range chicken, 1 1/2 lbs chorizo and 1 lb of ground beef.  We definitely get our money's worth with all the meat that we receive in the winter.  I used my crockpot to roast my Boston Butt this past week and have been using the pulled pork to make sandwiches, etc all week.  Roasting in a crockpot is so easy:

Slow-cooker Roast Boston Butt

• 1 5lb bone-in Boston Butt (also known as pork shoulder)*
• salt & pepper, to taste

Season roast with salt and pepper to taste.  Place in crock of your slow-cooker and cook on LOW 8-10 hours.  The meat should easily fall apart with a fork.  Remove crock from slow cooker and allow to cool until the roast can be handled with bare hands.  Using two forks, pull the meat apart.  

Some ideas for using your pulled pork include making bbq sandwhiches, making a pork ragu with your favorite tomato sauce, pork omelets, the list could go on and on.  I made bbq pork sandwiches using a barbeque sauce that we received during the summer CSA from Clark Pope catering company.  But you can use your favorite sauce or make one from scratch!

 

Watermelon Radishes

This week we had a choice between braising greens and something called watermelon radishes.  Since I have gotten 5 bags of braising greens in the last few weeks, and I have never even heard of watermelon radishes, I decided to get them.  Watermelon radishes are related to daikon radishes and horseradish.  They are bulbous and about 2-3 times larger than the red radishes that you are used to seeing.  They have white skin, but when you cut them open, you get a surprise.  They are almost hot pink inside.  I opted to bring them to my husband to include in his lunches because I have had reactions to raw radishes.  But they can be pickled (like beets) or cooked (like turnips).  John took a bite and said they sweeter than normal radishes and he is very excited to have them for lunch today.

Pie Pumpkins

Today I roasted a pie pumpkin that I received a couple weeks ago.  This is a very easy procedure:

1) Preheat oven to 350F.  Remove stem and cut pumpkin in half.

2) Remove seeds and pulp from center of pumpkin; set aside.

3) Place pumpkin halves, cut side down, on a prepared baking sheet, prick in several places with a fork, and bake at 350F until a fork easily pierces the skin and flesh (about 45 minutes for a small to medium pumpkin; longer for bigger pumpkins)

4) Turn pumpkin halves over to cool.  When cool enough to handle, scoop flesh out into a fine sieve and gently turn over to drain excess fluid (the pumpkin I roasted did not have excess fluid and was quite thick.

5) Place flesh into blender and blend until smooth (add liquid if necessary).  And viola!

Now, the flesh is not the only treat from pie pumpkins!  You can also clean and toast the pumpkin seeds!

1) Separate the seeds from the pulp; rinse well and drain in a colander.

2) Spread the seeds out on paper towels to dry.

3) When dry, preheat oven to 325F.  Spread the seeds on a prepared baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt (and other seasoning as you see fit: i.e. chili powder, cayenne, cinnamon, ginger, etc.)

4) Bake until browned, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring at 10 minutes. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

Winter Vegetable Soup

To use up even more of the winter vegetables I have received over the last couple weeks, I decided to try my hand at putting together a winter vegetable soup. My husband ordered me an immersion blender for Christmas and apparently, it is in Troy, but I didn't go this week, so I had to use my regular blender this time.  I can't wait to have that wonderful tool in my kitchen!

"Creamy" Winter Vegetable Soup

• 1 ½ cups diced turnips*
• 3 cups cauliflower florets*
• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced*
• 1 large sweet onion, cut into thin wedges*
• 2 (32-oz) pkg chicken stock
• 4 cups water
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 cup farm fresh yogurt* (optional)

Wash, peel and dice turnips and potatoes.  Peel onion and cut into thin wedges.  Place all vegetables with chicken stock in a large Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cook until vegetables are all fork-tender. Add 4 cups water (to replace what evaporated off), season with pepper and allow to cool.  Add to a blender and puree until smooth.  Repeat until all vegetables are pureed.  Serve with a tablespoon of yogurt if desired.  Makes 12 1-cup servings.

*CSA Ingredients

Double Duty Chicken and Vegetables

Since this was the last week of the summer CSA and the winter CSA starts this coming week, I knew I had to cook the last chicken that I received.  I was watching reruns of The Chew (as I do not have DVR to record it) and during one of the episodes last week, they mentioned using root vegetables as a base to roast chicken which prevents the chicken from boiling in it's own juices.  I had potatoes, turnips and cauliflower left from the last couple packages, so I decided to give this a try:

Roasted Chicken and Vegetables

• 1 cup tiny red potatoes, washed*
• 1cup fingerling potatoes, washed*
• 2 cups cauliflower florets*
• 3 medium turnips, peeled and diced*
• 1 med tomato*
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp mixed dried herbs
• 1 4-lb chicken*

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare vegetables and place in a large ziploc bag.  Drizzle with olive oil and add herbs.  Close bag and shake until vegetables are coated.  Pour vegetables into bottom a roasting pan, making a single layer. Place chicken on top of vegetables and season as desired.  Roast in 375F oven for 1 hour.  Stir vegetables and return to oven.  Raise heat to 425F and roast until thermometer inserted into thigh reads 175F; about 15 minutes longer.

When I checked the vegetables, I noticed that the turnips were still quite al dente.  I also needed to use up some squash and cider that I received in previous packages.  So, I decided to take the vegetables and some of the chicken and make a cider stew.

Chicken Cider Stew

• Chicken breast and thigh from above recipe*
• Vegetables from above recipe*
• 1 ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 ½ cup apple cider*
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• 1 small acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cubed*
• 2 medium apples, peeled , seeded and wedged*

Remove skin from Chicken. Carve chicken breast and thigh meat, then shred into a large Dutch oven. Pour vegetables and drippings into Dutch oven as well.  Add  stock, cider and cider vinegar to pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, peel and seed the acorn squash.  Cut into 1 inch pieces.  Add pieces to stew, cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  While squash is cooking, peel, seed and wedge two tart apples.  At the end of the 10 minutes, add apple wedges, cover and cook another 10 minutes or until apples are becoming soft.  Makes 12 1-cup servings.

*CSA ingredients

Ribs and Beets!

I had thawed what I thought was two packages of thick-cut pork chops this week.  When I went to cook them, I found out that one of the packages was beef short ribs.  While I just seared the pork chops and finished them in the oven, I couldn't resist making my favorite Southwestern Beef Ribs in the crockpot.  To use up beets and beet greens, I made Quinoa with Beets and Greens as a side.  If you need an easy way to roast your beets, just cut the greens about 2 inches above the beets, wash them really well, wrap them in foil, put them in your crockpot and let them cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.  They will be perfectly cooked and peel so easily when they cool!

Southwestern Slow-Cooker Ribs

• 1 lb beef short ribs*
• 1 can Rotel tomatoes with chiles
• 1 cup fresh salsa
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar 

  Place ribs in slow cooker and cook covered on LOW for 4-5 hours.  Mix tomatoes, salsa and vinegar in a small bowl.  Pour over ribs.  Change to HIGH and cook for about 1 hour.  Makes 4 servings.



Quinoa with Beets and Greens

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 medium roasted beets*
• 1/2 bunch beet greens, washed and cut to bite-sized pieces* 
• Feta cheese

Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add quinoa, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  In the meantime,  dice beets to 1/2" dice.  After the 10 minutes, add beets and beet greens to top of quinoa; cover and cook another 5 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat and allow to steam another 5 minutes.  If desired, sprinkle with a 1-2 Tbsp Feta cheese.  Makes 4 servings.

*CSA ingredients

Eggplant and Cauliflower

Today, I decided to finally test out an Indian-spiced recipe. This week in the share, we received a very large head if cauliflower and another late eggplant. I have been set up with Indian spices for quite a while. I just haven't had what I felt was the proper combination of vegetables to make a dish. I don't think I've ever mentioned that I prefer vegetarian Indian food. I ran across what looked like a beautiful recipe for Indian Spiced Eggplant and Cauliflower. Sounded good to me, so here's my version.

Indian-Spiced Eggplant & Cauliflower Stew

Adapted from http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/indian_spiced_eggplant_cauliflower_stew.html

• • 2 tablespoons curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced*
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced*
  • 1 teaspoon finely ginger paste
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1-pound eggplant, cut into 1-inch chunks*
  • 3 cups cauliflower florets*
  • 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt, (optional)

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add curry powder, garam masala and mustard seeds and toast, stirring, until the spices begin to darken, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl.
2. Add oil, onion, garlic, ginger and salt to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in eggplant, cauliflower, tomatoes, chickpeas, water and the reserved spices. Bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Top each serving with a dollop of yogurt, if desired.

*CSA Ingredients

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Late Season Eggplant!

We received a very nice eggplant this week in our shares. I wanted something quick to put together with the eggplant and we did not get tomatoes or summer squashes, so I was having trouble figuring out what to make.  As I was cooking the squash stew earlier, I ran across some fire roasted tomatoes and peppers that were I purchased a couple weeks ago when I picked up my share.  I remembered running across a recipe earlier in the day that had called for eggplant and cherry tomatoes.  As I looked at the jar of roasted tomatoes, I thought why not?  I bet this would make a delicious sauce!

Eggplant with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers

• 1 large eggplant, diced into 1/2" pieces*
• salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced*
• 1 jar fire roasted cherry tomatoes*
• 1/2 cup fire roasted red peppers, diced*
• 3/4 cup water

Dice eggplant, sprinkle with salt and allow to drain in a collander for 30 minutes.  Squeeze excess liquid from eggplant.  Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet, add eggplant, garlic and oregano.  Cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, peppers and water, bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the eggplant is very soft.  Serve over pasta with shredded mozzarella.

*CSA ingredients

More Squash and Greens

Since it is fall, we are receiving a lot of winter sqash and late greens.  In graduate school, each lab I've worked in has been full of people from other countries.  In our collaborators lab, there is a lab tech from Africa.  Between his meals and the meals of OUR lab tech from Peru, I am constantly trying to figure out exactly what types of spices are used in their food.  I have been intrigued with African cooking since living in Ann Arbor where there are two Etheopian restaurants there.  Today I ran across a recipe for North African Squash Stew and decided to give it a try.  According to the recipe, you could serve this over couscous, although my friends tend to put their stews over rice. 

North African Squash Stew
Adapted from http://www.cookingclub.com/Recipes/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/7888/North-African-Squash-Stew

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 small onions, cut into thin wedges*
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced*
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (2-lb.) butternut squash, seeded, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (5 cups)*
• 1 (15-oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Pinch saffron threads, crushed
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained (I used Rotel)
• 1 (12-oz.) bunch Spinach, stems removed and discarded, cut into 1/2-inch slices (6 cups)*
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. In Dutch oven or large pot, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add garlic, ginger and turmeric; cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds. Add broth, squash, garbanzo beans, cinnamon stick and saffron; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until squash is almost tender.

2. Stir in tomatoes, Swiss chard and raisins. Increase heat to medium; cover and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until squash and Swiss chard are tender, stirring occasionally. Discard cinnamon stick. Sprinkle with pepper.

8 (1 1/4-cup) servings

PER SERVING: 195 calories, 3 g total fat (.5 g saturated fat), 8 g protein, 37.5 g carbohydrate, 0 mg cholesterol, 430 mg sodium, 7 g fiber

 

*CSA ingredients

 

Eggs with winter vegetables

After roasting the winter vegetables, I then was still faced with making breakfast. I decided to put the vegetables in the eggs instead of having them as the side.

Scrambled eggs with Roasted Winter Vegetables

-2 cups roasted winter vegetables*

-3 large eggs*

-3 large egg whites*

-2 slices sharp cheddar

1) Beat eggs and egg whites until well mixed.

2) Coat a large skillet with cooking spray.

3) Heat winter vegetables, pour eggs over vegetables and break up cheese over entire mixture.

4) Allow bottom of eggs to cook, then cook, flipping every minute or so until eggs are almost cooked (note: eggs will finish cooking after you turn off the heat. This keeps them moist).

5) Makes 2 servings.

*CSA ingredients

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Potatoes and squash

This morning, I only had squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes to work with. It reminds me that summer is over and soon enough I will be missing all the wonderful local produce I've enjoyed this season. Not one to be down, I decided to roast these beautiful vegetables for breakfast and for John to have for meals during the week.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

-1 small butternut squash*
-1 medium sweet potato*
-1 large Yukon gold potato*
-1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
-1 tsp garlic powder (use fresh if you have it)
-Mrs. Dash Italian blend

1) Preheat oven to 400F with foil-covered cookie sheet in oven. Wash and peel squash; dice into 1/2" pieces.

2) Wash potatoes, remove blemishes and eyes (leave peel-it's good for you), and dice to 1/2 inch pieces.

3) Place all pieces in a large bowl and coat with oil and spices.

4) Spread vegetables in single layer on heated cookie sheet.

5) Roast 40 minutes, turning vegetables halfway through.

*CSA ingredients

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Winter squash and greens

This week, we had a plethora of greens to choose from!  We got rainbow Swiss chard, mustard greens and beets with beautiful greens.  I took the mustard greens and beets while Leland took the Swiss chard.  Because greens do not keep well, I wanted to use them today and I wanted to do something different with them.  I am not a fan of sauteed greens, no matter how much garlic and/or bacon you add to them.  I think they remind me of Richmond too much.  As I looked through pages of greens recipes, one stood out.  It was a vegetarian chili with winter squash, black beans and greens.  It is definitely a convenience recipe, though, using canned tomatoes, chicken broth and beans.  I have a refrigerator full of vegetables that need to be used, so I developed a fresh vegetarian chili based on that recipe.

Fresh Winter Squash Chili with Greens
Adapted from: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe_details.asp?nutrition_id=43019416

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion*, diced
• 2 cloves garlic*, minced
• 1/2 large acorn squash*, peeled and diced, 1/2" cubes
• 2 Tbsp good chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 3 C chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegan/vegetarian)
• 1 (11 1/2 oz)
• 3 C cooked black beans
• 4 Roma tomatoes*, diced
• 1 lg sorreno pepper*, small dice
• 2 C corn* (from 2 cobs)
• 5 C greens*, coarsely chopped (I used mustard and beet greens)

1. Heat EVOO in a large Dutch oven.  Add onion and garlic; sautee until tender and golden, about 10 minutes.
2. Add squash; cook and stir 2 minutes.  Stir in spices, black beans, stock, tomatoes and pepper with V8. Bring to a boil
3. Cut corn from ears of corn; break up kernals.  Add to pot and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook until squash is tender; about 15 minutes
4. Stir in greens; simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes longer.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary.
6. 1 serving is 1 1/2 cups.  Serve with chopped cilantro or diced tomatoes or red onion, if desired.

*CSA ingredients