Monday, July 29, 2013

Week 8 - Beets and Greens

I remember years ago when I first became a CSA subscriber I would get my summer beets (which I love) and just lop off the stalks and greens and throw them in the trash thinking they were useless.  Then I'd boil the daylights out of the beets, chill them, and just slice them up on top of a green salad.  That was the extent of my beet knowledge.  Boring...and wasteful.  It was many years before I realized that the beet greens are some of the tastiest and most nutritious greens you can eat.  And if the beets and their greens are so yummy why not eat the stems too?

Here is a simple, low-fat preparation that uses the whole package and you get to eat the beets right away, all by themselves as a side dish, without chilling them our burying them in a salad.  I found the CRO beets this week to be a little less sweet than those dark, dark burgundy ones I was used to - quite delicious!
  

Simmered Beets and Greens 

1 bunch Clarion River Organics Beets
1 onion, peeled and sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup vegetable broth
juice of half a lemon

First, separate beets, greens, and stems by cutting stems from beets about one inch above the beet globe then cut stem from green leafy part.  



Place beets in a small pot of water set over high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer beets about 20 minutes until a fork can be easily inserted into the beet (time will vary depending upon size of the beets).  Drain and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, chop stems into 1 inches pieces.  Chop green leaves.  Add vegetable broth to a large sauté/fry pan and heat over medium.  Add beet stems, onions, and garlic to broth.  Simmer about 10 minutes until stems are tender.  Add a little more broth or water if necessary to keep pan from drying out.

Add the chopped beet greens to the pan and continue to cook until greens are tender about 5-10 more minutes.  While greens cook and the beets are cool enough to handle, peel the beets by sliding the skins off with your fingers. Slice beets into rounds.  

When greens are tender, add beet slices to the pan and heat through, about 2 minutes.  Sprinkle the lemon juice over the beets and greens, stir, and serve at once.  Serves 2-3.


Simmered Beets and Greens 


Friday, July 19, 2013

Week 7 Recipes - Simply Delicious Green and Yellow Beans


What beautiful green and yellow beans we received this week from Clarion River Organics! They are so pretty all on their own and incredibly fresh so they are best enjoyed without much fuss.  

Here is a recipe for a very simple side dish with only four ingredients - very easy and quick to prepare and delicious.  In this preparation, broiling keeps the beans crispy and juicy and the lemon juice enhances the beans' mild flavor. 


Simply Delicious Green and Yellow Beans

1 bag Clarion River Organics Green and Yellow Beans (about 1 lb)
Juice of a lemon
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste


The beans are ready for the broiler.
First, place oven rack on the second highest level (near the broiler, but not too near).  Turn oven on to broil setting.

Rinse the beans in a colander and let dry or dry them with paper towels.  To trim the beans you could simply snap off the ends, but I like to slice them off with a knife.  That way you lose the least amount of bean and it just looks nicer.  I also like to leave the beans whole rather than cutting them up, again, for aesthetics only. 

Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with parchment paper.  Place the beans on the parchment and toss them with the lemon juice and olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   Broil 9 mins stirring with a fork twice during cooking.  They are done when they just begin to blister and are crisp tender.  Top with a little snipped basil or parsley, if desired.  Serves 4 as a side, but these beans are so replete with the fresh taste of summer that you just may eat them all before they make it to the table!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Drying Herbs

Seeing  all those fennel fronds last week reminded me that when you subscribe to a CSA a little knowledge of how to preserve things is useful.  Let's begin by talking about drying herbs.

Lots and lots of fennel fronds!

I may be going out on a limb here, but I would guess that almost no one was able to use all of the fennel fronds last week.  Fennel isn't like parsley.  With parsely you can just chop up a whole bunch and toss it into a pasta salad or tabouli.  But fennel has a strong flavor, and a little goes a long way.  And "little" is not how I would describe the amount we received in our delivery last week!  

But not to fear, all that fennel can be saved and used if dried, and so can any other herb that you find you are overwhelmed with.  It may seem charming and romantic to tie your herbs in bunches and "hang them" to dry, but this really isn't necessary and is just extra work.  I will use fennel as the example for a very simple herb drying technique, but this same technique can be used with any herb.

How to Dry Herbs

1.  Cut the fennel fronds (the wispy tops) from the very thickest stalks (there is no need to remove the leaves from the thin stalks, this will be done once dried).

2.  Rinse the fennel (or whatever herb you want to preserve by drying) and pat dry with towels.  

3. Lay the fennel on plates in a single layer.  I needed two plates to do this.

4. Lay a sheet of wax paper loosely over the plates to protect the fennel from dust.

5.  Place plates anywhere you have a little extra space - just not in the kitchen where they could pick up flavors and odors floating through the air.  If you place the herbs in a sunny window as I do, it will speed the drying, but it may also darken the herbs.  This is something that doesn't bother me, but if color is important to you then place in a dark room.

6.  Once dried, the fennel should be brittle and crumbly - and this may take many days.  Roll the stalks between your palms with a plate underneath to catch the leaves.  This will remove the herb "leaves" from the stem.  Place dried fennel into an airtight jar (save those spice jars) or ziploc bag until needed.  I don't crush or pulverize mine until ready to use.  That seems to preserve the flavor a bit better.

Now you have a nice little bag of dried herbs to use all winter long and they will be more flavorful than what you buy in the store.

The fennel fronds are drying on plates under wax paper.

When you are all done the fennel will
look like this.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Week 7 - Recipes - Colorful Lemony Kale Sandwiches - (Kale, Squash Blossoms, Garlic Scapes (week 6))

Kale Sandwiches?  Seriously?  Please stick with me on this one - these are not only pretty sandwiches, but colorful, refreshing, and satisfying! They will actually cool you off on these hot summer days! 


The Lacinato kale (also called Dinosaur Kale) included in this week's delivery is more tender and less bitter than curly red or green kale.  In this recipe, it is just barely steamed to tenderize it slightly.  It can be used quite successfully raw in salads too.

A neat thing about this sandwich is that, instead of ho-hum mayonnaise, the bread is coated with either hummus or, for a very gourmet taste, garlic scape pesto.   Scapes were in the week 6 delivery so if you still have yours try my garlic scape pesto recipe.

This recipe will make two sandwiches, but if you want to make more, just increase the amount of all the ingrediants.  If you don't have the heart to zest a lemon (or are lacking a zesting tool such as a microplane grater), you can leave the zest out, but you may want to add just a bit more lemon juice in that case.  As with any special sandwich, these may take a bit longer to make than oh say, PB&J, but the result will be worth it! 

Colorful Lemony Kale Sandwiches
(recipe adapted from a similar one in The Engine 2 Diet book)

1/2 bunch Clarion River Organics Lacinato Kale
1/4 cup garlic scape pesto (garlic scape pesto),  or hummus - store bought or homemade
4 scallions, white and green parts, sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro, stems removed, roughly chopped
1 lemon, peeled, sliced very thin, and seeds removed
2 Clarion River Organic Squash blossoms, petals only, rinsed
1 tomato, sliced thin
Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
4 slices whole grain bread

The prepped ingrediants
Cut the kale leaves away from the center rib
Cut the kale leaves away from the stem by placing leaf on a cutting board and drawing the tip of a knife straight down along the edge on both sides of the center rib.  You can save the stems for another use (try them sautéed in olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes as a side dish) or just discard them.  Chop the leaves roughly into bite-sized pieces.  Place the kale in a steamer basket set over  a pot of simmering water and steam 4-5 minutes until just wilted and still bright green.  Place steamed kale in a separate bowl and toss with the juice and zest of half a lemon.  Set aside.

Toast the bread until lightly browned and crisp.  Divide the pesto (or hummus) between two of the toast slices and spread thickly.  Top this with the divided scallions, cilantro, lemon slices, squash petals and tomato slices.  Place half the kale/lemon mixture on top of each sandwich and top with the remaining toast slice.  Cut sandwiches in half and enjoy!


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Week 6 Recipes - Meatless Monday Lo Mein (Cabbage, Fennel Bulb)

Is the cabbage from the week 6 delivery still in your refrigerator?  If you find you are having trouble using it all, then here is an option - Meatless Monday Lo mein.  Lo mein is offered on the menu of many Asian restaurants, but is probably more American than Chinese.  Typically it is a combination of vegetables and meat in sauce mixed with cooked noodles.  In this version, tofu is substituted for the meat and may even fool some into thinking the dish contains chicken (well, not really, but at least it gives the appearance of chicken!). 

This dish is very simple to make once you have all the vegetables washed and chopped because everything is stir fried at once.  You can actually use any vegetables you have on hand, but the fennel gives this dish a unique flavor and the cabbage stays nice and crunchy for a beautiful texture.  You can really use as much fennel as you like, so if you still have the entire bulb, just use it all.

Because I like my family to eat some greens every day, I  serve this dish with a side salad of Clarion River Organics lettuce and cucumbers.


Meatless Monday Lo Mein Noodles

1 lb noodles of choice (I used brown rice spaghetti style pasta)
2-3 cups chopped Clarion River Organics green cabbage
1/2 Clarion River Organics Fennel bulb including parts of green stalks, sliced thin
2 medium carrots, grated
1 or 2 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
1/2 cup onion, sliced or chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
5-6 shitaake mushrooms, optional
1 lb extra firm tofu, cubed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil (or any vegetable oil)
2 tsp sesame oil
cilantro for garnish, optional

The veggies you will need - about a 3-inch
wedge of cabbage should do it!


All veggies can go into the pan at once so
just pile them up on a plate as you prepare each.


Cook noodles according to package directions.  When noodles are done, drain and return to pot.  Cover to keep warm while vegetables cook.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with the olive oil.  When hot add all vegetables (cabbage through mushrooms) at once and stir fry two minutes.  Add tofu and continue to stir fry 2-3 minutes.  Add the soy sauce, cover pan tightly, turn heat down slightly and cook 5 minutes.  Add veggie/soy sauce mixture and sesame oil to the warm noodles.  Toss to combine and serve at once garnished with cilantro (if desired).  Serves 4-5.



Friday, July 12, 2013

Week 6 Recipes - Rhubarb Muffins!

What to do with rhubarb besides pie?  Well, you can make salad dressing (see my previous post Week 2 Recipes - Gourmet Salad ).  Or you could make rhubarb muffins!

These are simple and delicious and will use up your entire supply of rhubarb.  The rhubarb does not need to be pre-cooked with sugar.  The muffins have enough sugar all on their own and the straight rhubarb gives them a sweet and tangy flavor.  I do not particularly like nuts in baked goods, but if you do, try adding 3/4 cup chopped pecans to the dry ingredients.

These muffins are best enjoyed with morning coffee, as an after lunch "dessert" or for a late afternoon pick-me-up.  Your choice!

Rhubarb Muffins 
(recipe adapted from loveitvegan.popcred.net)


1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. canola oil
Egg replacer for 1 egg ( you can use 1 tbsp. flax seed meal mixed with 3 tbsp. water OR 1 1/2 tsp. egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp. water)
1 1/2 c. rhubarb, diced (5-6 stalks - I just used all that CRO gave us this week)
2 tsp. orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare muffin tins by spraying with cooking spray or lining with paper muffin cups (makes about 12).  In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Mix well. I n a separate smaller bowl, add the orange juice, zest, oil, and egg replacer. Stir well.  Stir the rhubarb into the wet ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients to the  dry ingredients and stir by hand until just combined. Don’t overmix! Spoon batter into muffin tins.  Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes until the tops are barely brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out fairly clean.  Don’t burn your mouth on the hot rhubarb!

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The Beauty of CRO Letters


One of the many things I LOVE about the Clarion River Organics CSA are the very lovely personal letters that are included each week with our produce.  If you are not currently a subscriber (and you really ought to be!), each one is handwritten on notebook paper by one of the member families and then copied for the subscribers.  Each farm family will share a little about what they grow, how the season is going for them, what they are currently working on,  and what I love most of all - a little about the members of their family.  When you read their letters you understand that they work HARD - picking Swiss Chard before breakfast and squash blossoms at twilight before bedtime with seeding, planting, packing, hoeing, mulching, milking and a host of other chores in between.  The letters feel so much more personal because they are handwritten - a bit like communicating with an old friend.  Having been a "city slicker" all my life I have NEVER had a connection like this to a farming community.  All I can say is that it is wonderful to get to know these families in this way and I feel so blessed to be a part of CRO - "I thank my God every time I remember you" (Philippians 1:3).  I have saved all the letters.

Week 6 Recipes - Kolhrabi, Fennel, Green Cabbage, Garlic Scapes, Mesclun, Cucumber


Now that I have finished with my Sunday School class, I will have a bit more time to blog about my CRO cooking.  I hope to post at least twice each week about how I used things.

By now you may be feeling veggie overload.  How will you ever use it all?  Well, I have a meal planned for you that uses six - count them six - of your items received this week, including kohlrabi and fennel. 

The kohlrabi may be a bit of a mystery to many.  It is considered to be a part of the cabbage family, but really is used more like a potato.   The leaves and their stalks should be removed, the stalks discarded and the leaves saved for another use (cook with other greens or chop raw into salads).  The kohlrabi bulb should always be peeled and peeled again as the outer layers are tough and fibrous and do not soften in liquid or cooking.  Once peeled, you can cook and mash kohlrabi as you would a potato with non-dairy milk and butter, slice it into wedges to make "french fries" or just cut it into chunks and add to any dish.

The fennel bulb tastes strongly of anise particularly when it is raw.  It can be used this way in salads, but I prefer the milder taste of cooked fennel and typically slice mine into a stir fry.  The fronds (wispy green tops) can be chopped as you would any herb and used to flavor your dishes.  However, because there is an abundant amount on each bulb, I will dry mine and place in jars for use in the winter (more on that in a future post).

This entree is a wonderful take on a French dish called "cassoulet".  Cassoulet traditionally would consist of sausage and white beans, but in this healthy version we use all beans instead of sausage for the protein and add several flavorful herbs and vegetables.  The red wine is a key ingredient to flavor this stew so do not attempt to leave it out.  In a word, this dish is SAVORY!  So here is how we eat 'comme le Francais' Clarion River Organics Style!

Bean Cassoulet

2 large shallots, chopped
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
After removing the leaves, the kohlrabi looks like an alien!
1 bulb Clarion River Organics Kolhrabi, leaves and stems removed, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp dried thyme, crushed between your fingers
1 tsp dried sage, crushed between your fingers
1 tsp fresh fennel fronds, chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 Clarion River Organics Fennel bulb, sliced thin
3 Clarion River Organics garlic scapes, chopped
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can aduki beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chopped Clarion River Organics green cabbage (about 1/3 of your cabbage)
1 cup bread crumbs
black pepper

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat with 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth.  Add shallots to pot and turn heat down to medium low.  Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.  
The peeled kohlrabi looking much like an apple

Stir in the kohlrabi and continue to cook, covered, about 5 minutes.  Add the salt and continue cooking covered about 10 more minutes.  

Stir in the herbs, wine, carrot, fennel, and garlic scopes   Cover and cook for about 15 minutes over low heat.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, the beans, and the cabbage (it will look like too much cabbage, but it cooks down).  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook about 30-40 minutes until kohlrabi is crisp-tender.  Taste to see if more salt is needed and grind in a generous amount of black pepper.  

Ladle the stew into individual bowls and top with a generous helping of bread crumbs.  Serves 4-5.

Slice the fennel lengthwise into thin sticks
All of the chopped veggies ready for the soup pot



All the vegetables and herbs cooking in the savory sauce


Finish this dish with a generous helping of bread crumbs

And a simple side salad...
The depth of the flavors in this stew call for a simple side salad of Clarion River Organics mesclun and cucumbers (and a few grape tomatoes if you have them) drizzled with a lemon-dijon vinegrette (juice of one lemon whisked together with 1 tsp dijon mustard and 1 tsp olive oil).  Have you noticed how tender and mild the mesclun from CRO is?  Delicious!

Bon Appetit!


Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Week 5 Recipes - Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Patty Pan Squash (from Week 4)

I confess - summer squashes are not my favorite veggies.  I find them watery and a bit tasteless.  Maybe that's why you so often see zucchini coated and then deep fried.  But what an unhealthy, heavy, greasy mess!  You won't find any drippy egg coatings or deep frying here.  

Finding that I still had that patty pan squash from week 4 hanging around my vegetable bin and that even more squash (zucchini and yellow squash) appeared in the week 5 delivery, it was time to find a healthy and appetizing way to enjoy them.  

I found the answer in roasting.  Roasting vegetables provides a flavor boost all on its own.  It sweetens the vegetable and browns the outside.  When in doubt about what to do with any vegetable - and I do mean any vegetable - roast it to enhance the flavor (plus it's a bit of an adventure when you try it on a vegetable you've never roasted before!).  Both of the recipes which follow use this technique.  You will find that the watery texture just disappears into the dish and the flavors are dressed up by the addition of just one or two piquant ingredients.  Enjoy!

Roasted Patty Pan Squash with Mint and Basil

4-5 Clarion River Organics Patty Pan squash (or however many you have)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped or snipped fresh basil
1 tsp fresh chopped mint (a few sprigs will do)
salt and pepper

Cut squashes in half horizotonally.  Cut these pieces into bite sized chunks.  Toss the chunks with the olive oil and spread the chunks out on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until tender and lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and place in a large bowl.  Sprinkle basil and mint over the roasted squash and stir to combine.  Serves 4-6.
Roasted Patty Pan Squash
The Finished Dish!




Snipping herbs with scissors rather than chopping will eliminate that bruised appearance

In this second recipe, the accompanying vegetables are roasted to boost the flavor of the raw squashes.  I love to use fresh plum tomatoes in this, but when I don't have any canned will work just fine too.

Zucchini Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

Tomatoes and garlic ready for the oven

1 lb. pasta of choice (I like brown rice fusilli)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained (or 6-12 plum tomatoes, halved - really yummy!)
1 full garlic bulb
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. snipped or chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. nutritional yeast (see week 3 post for info about nutritional yeast)
1 Clarion River Organics zucchini, grated
1 Clarion River Organics yellow squash, grated
3 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
olive oil
Salt and Pepper
First, roast the tomatoes and garlic.  To do this, slice off the "top" of the garlic bulb (not the pointy end).  Brush the exposed cloves with a little olive oil and wrap entire bulb in foil.  Line a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spread diced tomatoes (or halved fresh plum tomatoes if you are lucky enough to have them!) on the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of the chopped basil, 2 tablespoons of the nutritional yeast and salt and pepper.  Place foil wrapped garlic bulb on the same cookie sheet with the tomatoes and roast all together in oven for 30 minutes.  

While tomatoes and garlic roast, prepare your other ingredients and cook pasta according to package directions.   When tomatoes and garlic are done combine with the pasta:   squeeze garlic cloves out of the bulb and kind of mash into the hot pasta.  Discard the outer "paper skin" of the garlic bulb.  Add the grated zucchini/squash, remaining basil and nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately.  Serves 5-6.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Week 4 Recipes - Broccoli, Zucchini Blossoms, Mesclun Mix, Red Lettuce, Red Cabbage

Remember when broccoli was all the rage in the 1980s?  It was the kale of yesteryear.  I still love it - raw or cooked - but if I cook it, I never cook it to the point of real softness.  I like it just crisp tender and bright green.  That is how it is prepared in today's recipe.  

I never waste any part of the broccoli.  If there are some small leaves on the stalks, I tear them off and save them to mix into my salads.  If my recipe only uses the florets (as this one does), I peel the stalks and use them in salads or as "broccoli sticks" to dip into hummus.

This is one of my favorite dishes which I adapted from one that is in the Engine 2 Diet book.  I start with their sauce and the shitakes as my base and then add what I think would taste good.  I like it with chinese style brown rice noodles instead of whole wheat pasta, but you could use either.  If you still have some garlic scapes from last week, you can use 1 or 2 in this instead of the garlic cloves.  Likewise with the scallions.  I often make this same recipe with carrots and snow peas instead,  but I particularly like broccoli in this which is why it is the perfect week 4 recipe!


Shitake and Broccoli Stir Fry 
16 oz. brown rice noodles
1 lb. extra firm tofu, cubed
Braggs liquid amino spray or 1 Tbs tamari
8-12 oz. shitake mushrooms, rinsed, patted dry, and sliced
1 head Clarion River Organics broccoli, cut into florets
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 Tbs minced fresh ginger (about a 2 inch piece)
Cooking Spray
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 scallions, sliced



For the sauce:
6 Tbs tamari
juice of 1 - 1 1/2 lemons
3 Tbs molasses
3 Tbs flour or arrowroot powder


First, make the sauce by combining all the ingredients with a whisker or fork and set aside.  Spray the tofu with the Braggs Liquid Aminos (or toss with 1 Tbs. tamari if no Braggs) until it is covered.  Place tofu cubes on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper put under broiler for 5 minutes (check it after 2-3 minutes to be sure it is not so close that it burns).  When tofu is light brown and very firm remove from oven and set aside.


Cook noodles according to package directions.  Meanwhile, spray a large skillet with the cooking spray to coat it and heat over medium heat.  Add the remaining ingrediants except cilantro and scallions in the order listed stirring for one minute after each.  Remove from heat and add the sauce and tofu.  Drain noodles and serve broccoli-shitake mixture over the noodles and garnish with scallions and cilantro.  Serves 5-6.

Zucchini Blossoms
And not sure what to do with that nice carton of zucchini blossoms?  Why not make a beautiful tossed salad to go with your noodles using the CRO mesclun mix and red dazzler lettuce, and even a little of that red cabbage, chopped.  Then  top the salad with the blossoms for some beautiful color and interesting conversation pieces.  I simply rinsed mine first and patted them dry and used them as a garnish.  You could also chop them up and mix in with your lettuce if you prefer to "hide" them.


Friday, July 5, 2013

Week 3 Recipes - Garlic Scapes

Do you know what those long, ropey, green things are that resemble the tops of green onions in your Clarion River Organics delivery this week?  Well, if you read Katie Schwarz's emails then you already know they are garlic scapes and they are all the rage in the cooking scene.  Their season is oh, so short, the demand great, so count yourself fortunate that you got a bunch from CRO.

The scape is the green part of the garlic plant that shoots up from the bulb in the ground.  Not so many years ago they were just lopped off and thrown away.  But now we know that when they are young and tender they are divine.  With a slightly milder garlicky flavor and more earthy tasting than the garlic clove, the humble garlic scape makes a delicious pesto.  They can also be chopped up and used in any way you use regular garlic cloves - raw in a salad, for stir fries, in tomato sauce or perhaps in a batch of hummus.  

I love pesto and make all types - basil, cilantro, mint are a few that I like.  But garlic scape pesto is my favorite.  I like to use some type of short brown rice noodle like spirals or shells so that the pesto nestles in the nooks and crannies.  Since I eat plant-based you will not find cheeses in my pestos.  Instead, to get that cheesy flavor I use nutritional yeast.  Nutritional yeast is a very healthy deactivated yeast packed with B-vitamins, folic acid, selenium, zinc, and protein.  You can find it at Whole Foods or in health and natural food stores.  It does not in any way resemble or taste like brewers yeast or bread yeast.  It is a yellow flake (use the flake kind not the powder if possible) that dissolves into the food you add it to imparting that cheese-nut flavor.  If you must have cheese instead, I suppose parmesan would work in this recipe too.  

This is one of my all-time favorite late spring treats:

Garlic Scape Pesto 

1 cup chopped Clarion River Organics garlic scapes (about 9 scapes cut into 1/2 inch pieces)
1/3 cup raw walnuts
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb pasta of choice 

Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whirl until well combined (about 30 seconds).  With motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil.  Stop machine and add the nutritional yeast and salt.  Process until incorporated.  

Cook your pasta of choice according to package directions.  Place a heaping tablespoon of pesto in each of six large pasta serving bowls (or just use plates).  Drain pasta when cooked and divide between the six bowls.   Stir to combine.  Serves 6.


Week 2 Recipes - Gourmet Salad Mix, Strawberries, Red Scallions, Asparagus, Rhubarb

First, you might notice that I list the Clarion River Organics (CRO) produce items that each post uses from that week's delivery.  Sometimes I will even include items that were delivered the week before, but not yet used up.  The purpose of course is to make it easier to find what you are interested in. 

So with more strawberries and greens this week in the CRO delivery and the rhubarb still in the fridge from last week, I decided to make an all time favorite: green salad with rhubarb dressing!  This salad is a real treat because we have rhubarb only once a year when it comes from the CSA.  

Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, though due to its use as a filling in pies, many now call it a "fruit".  The stalks resemble celery, have a similar, if slightly more woody, texture and are quite bitter.  Hence, whenever rhubarb is used, it is cooked to soften it and a sweetener is added to tame the bitterness.  Most commonly, it is used in desserts.  However, I'm not much of a baker, probably because I do not particularly care about sweets one way or the other, so a rhubarb pie is never in the offing.  Thus, I was very happy when several years ago I came across a recipe for a rhubarb salad dressing.  I was reminded of this again when  I picked up my CRO order this week and found that they had given me the cookbook, Simply in Season, as a new subscriber gift (thanks CRO!).  This book too has a rhubarb dressing recipe.  

The beautiful thing about this salad is that anything goes.  You use the type of greens you like or have on hand (though spinach is particularly good) and any other toppings that you enjoy (see p. 46-47, Simply in Season).  The combination I use in the recipe below is one that I have found to be a proven winner.  It is a delightful mix of sweet, pungent, and savory flavors as well as soft and crunchy textures.  It may seem like this salad is a bit of work (who cooks fruit in order to make dressing?), but when you try that first mouthful you will find it was worth the time.  


Strawberries and Greens with Rhubarb Dressing

4 cups Clarion River Organics greens (I used their Gourmet Salad Mix from week 2)
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup blueberries
2 Clarion River Organics red scallions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch asparagus, stalks trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces (if you still have yours left from Week 1 here is a use for it!)
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
4 large basil leaves

Bring a small pot of water to a simmer.  Blanch the asparagus by placing the pieces in the water for one minute.  Immediately drain, rinse and place asparagus pieces in ice water to keep them from cooking further.  Combine the washed greens with the other toppings.  When the asparagus has cooled, drain, pat dry and add to the salad.  Top with the rhubarb dressing (below).  Serves 4. 

Rhubarb Dressing (source: Simply in Season)
2 cups rhubarb, chopped (3-4 stalks)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small onion, grated or minced
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (I use vegan worcestershire - regular contains anchovies)
1/4 tsp salt

Cook rhubarb, sugar, and vinegar over medium heat until soft.  Drain in sieve.  Discard pulp.  To 6 tablespoons of this juice, add remaining ingredients.  Shake in a jar or whisk together.  Chill before serving or you can use warm if you can't wait!


Week 1 Recipes - Potatoes, Rutabaga, Kale, Asparagus


Arriving home with my gorgeous fresh produce, I went right to cooking. I could not wait to use every item in this bountiful bag and so decided to make my first meal with the CRO veggies as a sampler of side dishes: simply roasted potatoes, kale with tamari-sesame dressing, and two bean salad with asparagus.  

My favorite way to enjoy root vegetables such as potatoes, rutabagas, turnips, carrots and the like is to roast them with salt and pepper.  I often will add different herbs, but in this case I wanted to enjoy the pure taste of the Clarion River potatoes and rutabagas,  so I decided to go with the simplest prep.  I generally don't peel my potatoes because many of the nutrients are found in the skin, but the rutabagas, I peel.  You don't really have to as these are organic vegetables after all, so no pesticide residue or wax on the skin as you would find with a conventional supermarket rutabaga, but the rutabaga skin is a bit tougher than on potatoes and well, just not as pretty. 

Roasting vegetables can be tricky because you don't want to dry them out.  However, these vegetables were so fresh that they roasted perfectly - lightly browned but still plenty moist.  The rutabagas looked virtually identical to the potatoes, but for the skin and had a slightly sweeter flavor.   

As to the kale, my favorite way to enjoy it is simply chopped or torn into a green salad - that is, raw.  Katie Scwarz of CRO did not recommend this in her week one newsletter and when I asked her why she said that it "may be too tough for those who are not used to eating them like salad greens" adding that this may be a new vegetable for many subscribers.  I understand this thinking since kale is not as tender as say a bibb lettuce.  However, I would encourage you to try it raw in salads anyway.  Raw Kale is one of the healthiest vegetables you can eat.  It scores a perfect 1000 on the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) scale.  If you find you don't like it raw then try my recipe below.  I chose here to saute the kale, both stems and leaves, which will tenderize it and make it appear much like cooked spinach.  

To add a little protein and substance to my meal of sides, I tossed together a bean salad with the CRO asparagus, some fresh oregano from my garden, and a little olive oil and vinegar.  I do not use a lot of added fats in my food preparation and I prefer salads only very lightly dressed so I can enjoy the taste of the vegetables.  If you like things a little "heavier" then just increase the oil and vinegar amounts in my dressings.

Enjoy!


Here are the recipes:


Simply Roasted Potatoes and Rutabagas
2 pounds Clarion River Organics Potatoes, cubed
1 large Clarion River Organics Rutabaga, peeled and cubed
Olive Oil Cooking Spray
Salt, Pepper

Place potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spray potatoes lightly with the olive oil cooking spray.  Roast at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender and lightly browned.  Serves 4.


Kale with Tamari-Sesame Dressing


1 bunch Clarion River Organics Kale

1 small onion, sliced
1/8-1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (depends how hot you like it)
3/4 - 1 cup water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tamari (japanese soy sauce (or you can just use soy sauce))
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (toast in oven for 2 minutes at 400)
Cooking Spray

Combine tamari, maple syrup and sesame seeds and set aside.  Cut stalks away from kale leaves and chop stalks.  Spray a large skillet with cooking spray.  Saute onion and kale stalks for 2 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth to onions/stems and continue to sauté/steam about 3 more minutes.  Meanwhile, chop the kale leaves into bit sized pieces.  Add the chopped kale, red pepper flakes and the remaining 1/4 cup water/broth to skillet.  Cover and cook until kale is tender (about 15 minutes).  Stir occasionally and add more broth/water if skillet seems to dry.  Remove from heat.  Pour tamari mixture over kale and toss to combine.  Serves 4.

Two Bean Salad with Asparagus
(note: you can use any kind of beans you like in this recipe.)
1 bunch Clarion River Organics asparagus
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups cooked beans)
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups cooked beans)
1-2 Tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1 Tablespoon olive oil or grapeseed oil
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar (red wine vinegar works well too)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a simmer while preparing the asparagus.  Snap tough ends off each asparagus spear and place in a steamer basket set over the simmering water (if no steamer then just simmer asparagus in a small amount of water in a skillet).  Steam asparagus for about 3 minutes just until it begins to get tender.  Rinse asparagus under cold water and place in a bowl of ice water (you don't want the asparagus to continue cooking - it will get mushy).  Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the olive oil, vinegar, and oregano in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Remove the asparagus from the ice water, pat dry and cut into one inch pieces.  In a large bowl, combine asparagus, beans, and dressing and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 4-6.