Simple Summer Salad

What could be simpler than chopping up some fresh garden vegetables with basil and a little vinegar and agave marinade for a refreshing meal on a sunny summer evening?  If you still have basil, here is a quick and delicious way to use it up.  This is a very flexible "use what you have" recipe.  Every vegetable in here is replaceable with whatever you have or like - tomatoes, red onion, zucchini you name it.







Simple Summer Salad

1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed

3 scallions, chopped

2 sweet banana peppers, seeded and chopped

1/2 cucumber, chopped

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 Tbs agave nectar

salt and pepper to taste

Place all vegetables in a medium to large bowl.  Drizzle vinegar and agave over the vegetables and add a little salt and pepper.  Stir to combine everything.  This salad is even better after it has marinated for a few hours.

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!

Week 12 - Tomatoes, Orange Peppers, Carrots, Shallot, Jalapeño Pepper

These Clarion River slicing tomatoes may be just about the best I've ever eaten!  They are juicy, sweet and firm.  Because their taste seems to be at its peak I felt like just eating them raw.  But that would make for a boring post so I decided to make a favorite summer sandwich of mine: The "Not Queso"dilla.  The fresh vegetables stay crisp and are just ever so slightly warm in this vegan take on a classic Mexican favorite.  The amounts given are what I would use, but if you like more or less of any ingredient just adjust according to your liking.  If you get a cheese share from CRO you could use that in place of the vegan "cheese".  Serve with a side of fresh fruit and you've got yourself a meal!

"Not Queso"dillas

2 whole wheat, corn or rice flour tortillas
1/2 package Daiya brand pepperjack style shreds (or about 1 cup shredded cheese)
1 Clarion River Organics medium-sized slicing tomato, sliced and then slices cut into quarters
1 Clarion River Organics orange pepper, seeded and diced
1 Clarion River Organics carrot, shredded
1 small Clarion River Organics shallot, diced
1/2 of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (from Week 8 if you still have yours)
2 tsp chopped cilantro, optional

Divide the Diaya "cheese" shreds in half and cover 1/2 of each tortilla with it.  Layer all other ingredients on top of the cheese, dividing evenly between the two tortillas.  Fold the uncovered half of the tortilla over the filling and press down.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Fry the sandwiches for about 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned turning carefully so that the filling does not fall out.  Serves 2 as an entree with a side of fruit or small tossed salad.

Week 10 - Heirloom Tomato, Poblano Pepper, Celery, Red Onion, Kale

Sometimes improvisation works best when cooking.  That is what happened when I came up with this bean salad recipe.  Looking for ways to use up a few things I still had in the pantry and the refrigerator when we were on vacation, I came up with this cool fresh salad.  It uses many of the things we received in our bags this week so it is a good one to share now.  Serve this atop a kale leaf and you've used five of your CRO items.  Yes, you can eat raw kale!  Just do it!

Summer Bean Salad

1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or substitute cooked black beans if you still have some from week 2)
2 sprigs mint, leaves only, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only, chopped 
1/2 Clarion River Organics poblano pepper diced (taste pepper first - make sure it is mild!  Otherwise, use a regular green pepper)  
1 stalk Clarion River Organics celery, diced 
2 scallions, chopped
1 slice Clarion River Organics red onion, diced
1/4 cup shredded carrots, 
1 Clarion River Organics heirloom tomato, diced
1 block Wildwoods brand Teriyaki tofu, cubed (or if you have any leftover teriyaki tofu from the week 10 recipe: Teriyaki Tofu with Mango Salsa)
4 large Clarion River Organics Kale leaves (cut off toughest part of stem at bottom)

For the dressing: 
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice 
1 Tbs olive oil 
1/2 tsp raspberry white balsamic vinegar (or any balsamic vinegar)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dijon mustard 

Combine all salad ingredients except kale in a bowl.  Whisk together all dressing ingredients and pour over salad.  Toss to combine.  Place one kale leaf on each plate and spoon some of the salad onto each leaf.  Serves 4.

Week 10 - Red Onion, Cucumber, Jalapeño Pepper

So today I made one of the best meals I've made in a long time.  Though it is unlikely we will see mango in our CSA shares, I had to buy some at Whole Foods because it does go quite nicely with some of the items we have received lately - namely cucumber, jalapeño pepper, and red onion.  You will impress your friends with the gourmet taste of this meal! 

The key for this meal of course is the hot summer night, the sound of the crickets on the patio, and the sweet taste of the mango tempered by the red onion and jalapeno.  To make this meal complete just bake some sweet potatoes and voila!  You have yourself a meal better than any restaurant!

Teriyaki Tofu with Mango Salsa 

Top to bottom: cilantro, cucumber, mango, lime, red onion, jalapeño

For the Tofu:

2 lb extra firm tofu
1/4 cup + 1 tsp. soy sauce
1-2 Tbs. minced ginger
2 Tbs. dry sherry
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. salt

For the Mango Salsa:

1 mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup peeled and diced cucumber
1 Tbs. finely chopped jalapeno pepper (about a 1 inch piece, seeds removed)
1 Tbs. lime juice
1/3 cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves

Slice tofu into 12 equal pieces and place in a 9x11 inch baking dish.  Combine all remaining ingredients - soy sauce through salt.  Pour this marinade over the tofu pieces and marinate at least 30 minutes, turning once during this time.  

While the tofu marinates, prepare the mango salsa:  combine the mango, cucumber, jalapeño, red onion, lime juice and cilantro and mix well.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400.  When tofu has marinated bake in oven for 25 minutes turning once during cooking time and spooning marinade over slices.  Place three slices of tofu on each of four plates and top each with 1/2 cup mango salsa.  Serve at once.  Serves 4.