Cabbage and Edamame-Sesame Salad

One thing is certain - if you subscribe to a CSA group in Western Pennsylvania you WILL eat lots of cabbage!  Honestly, cabbage is not my favorite vegetable.  What does one do with cabbage anyway?  Cole Slaw?  Too watery.  Cabbage Soup?  No flavor.  A Stir-Fry?  Yes, but done too many times.  So I usually use it up by throwing hunks of it into my juices and smoothies.  But the red cabbage we recently received from Clarion River Organics is so pretty and so...well, BIG, that I decided to get creative and come up with a salad I liked.  As a bonus this salad also uses the carrots and sweet wax peppers from the week #23 Clarion River delivery.

In this salad, I chopped the cabbage instead of shredding it which is the way you usually find it in slaws.  I'm not sure why it is always shredded unless it's because cabbage is very fibrous and can be a little, what shall I say...time-consuming to chew.  But when it gets shredded it just turns to mush so I like to chop it into nice chunks that are still small enough to be palatable.  This salad gets its flavor boost from the sesame seeds and sesame oil so don't leave them out.  They are the essential secret ingredients!

Cabbage and Edamame-Sesame Salad

4 cups chopped Clarion River Organics red cabbage

1-2 Clarion River Organics sweet wax peppers, seeded and chopped

2 Clarion River Organics carrots, shredded

1-2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (use 2 Tbs for more sesame flavor)*

1/2 package frozen shelled edamame

1/2 cup frozen corn

Salt to taste

Dressing:

3 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2Tbsp rice wine vinegar (regular vinegar works too)

3 tsp tamari or soy sauce

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, place cabbage, peppers, carrots, and sesame seeds in a large bowl and toss to combine. Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl.  

Add the edamame to the pot of boiling water.  Return to a boil and cook the edamame for 4 minutes.  Add the corn to the pot and continue to boil 2 more minutes.  Drain into a colander and run under cold water until cool enough to touch.  Add edamame and corn to the salad.  Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.  This is even better after it has been allowed to "marinate" for half an hour.  Serves 6.

*To toast the sesame seeds, spread seeds out on a cookie sheet and place in a 400 degree oven for 2 minutes.  Watch carefully!  They burn easily!

Beet Hummus - Beets, Garlic

Beet Hummus

With four soups in "Sandy's Soup Series" completed (see my previous four posts), I think it is time to change things up a bit. 

Here is a new twist on a vegan favorite.  Hummus, as far as I know, always contains some type of bean (typically garbanzo beans, but could be white beans, black beans or nearly any other type).  Recently, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about the popularity of hummus in Jerusalem and the number of varieties one can find there.  One that was mentioned intrigued me - beet hummus.  After being a part of a CSA group in Western Pennsylvania for years, I have had my share of beets, believe me.  Tired of having them boiled, roasted, or just plain raw in a salad I had to find something new.  When I came across the words "beet hummus" I knew I had found the solution.

Though no recipe was given in the article, a quick google search turned up quite a few recipes.  Most of these had some type of bean in them, but I thought this would merely make the same old hummus with a slightly different flavor and color.  I wanted a hummus that was entirely beets.  I did find one on about.com and modified it only slightly.  Beets tend to have a bit more sugar in them than many other vegetables so if this hummus is a little sweet for you, just add more tahini and lemon juice.  Delicious! 

If the Clarion River beets are still lurking around your house, why not give this a try.  It makes a very pretty dish to serve as an appetizer at Thanksgiving or Christmas and no one will guess what it is (till they try it!). 

This is what one pound of beets looks like.

Beet Hummus

1 pound beets (Week 19) (about 4-6 beets)

2 Tbsp tahini

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp olive oil

3-5 Tbsp lemon juice

Rinse beets and trim off ends.  Place in a pot and cover completely with water.  Bring water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  Simmer 30 minutes or until beets are tender when a fork is inserted.  Drain and let cool.  When beets are cool slip skins off by rubbing the skins with your fingers.  Place beets and all other ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.  Serve with pita wedges, crackers, or fresh veggies.  

Beets with skins removed
I used a combination of red and gold beets.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - Butternut Squash, Jalapeno Pepper, Garlic

I was happy to see another butternut squash in my bag this week.  I had been hoping to make some beautiful butternut squash soup.  I held on to the one we received from week 17 hoping we would get a second one.   This week my patience paid off!

This soup is easy to make and is a little less sweet than most butternut squash soups.  However, if you like things on the sweeter side use only one lime and cut back a bit on the ginger.   

As an added bonus, you can roast the seeds from the squash and use them to garnish the soup (for roasting instructions scroll down to the bottom of this post: To Roast Squash Seeds ).  Since it was Halloween night and I was busy answering the door, I didn't have time for that so I just garnished with a bit of chives from my garden.  

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Microwave squash 2 minutes to soften then slice down vertically

2 Butternut Squash (Weeks 17 and 22)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, minced (week 18)
2 garlic cloves, minced (Week 22)
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
4 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp maple syrup
juice of 1 to 2 limes
snipped chives for garnish, optional
roasted squash seeds for garnish, optional

Slice off the ends of each squash.  Place squash in a microwave and microwave for 2 minutes (this softens the squash just enough to get a knife through them).  Slice each squash in half vertically.  This is easiest to do with the squash "standing up" (see photo).
Scoop out seeds and strings with a spoon.  (Roast seeds if you have the time - they make a wonderful garnish for the soup).  Brush the orange flesh side of each squash half with olive oil or spray each half with olive oil cooking spray.  Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil or parchment paper flesh side down (see photo).  Roast in oven for 35-40 minutes or until a fork can be inserted easily all the way through the squash and the outside skin is charred and blistered.  Remove from oven and let cool.

Roasted Squash

While the squash cools, sauté the onion for 5 minutes over medium heat in a soup pot that has been sprayed with cooking oil (I used olive oil spray).  Add the jalapeño pepper and cook 5 more minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook 2 more minutes.  

When squash is cool enough to handle, scrap out all of the flesh into a bowl and add the onion mixture.  Stir to combine.  Place half of the squash mixture in a blender with 2 cups of the vegetable broth.  Puree until smooth.  Pour into the soup pot.  Repeat with remaining half of the squash mixture and other 2 cups of broth.  Pour into the pot.  Reheat gently.  Stir in maple syrup and lime juice.  Serve garnished with chives and roasted squash seeds if desired.  Serves 4-6.