Baking Bread

Green Organic Goodness

We got our first batch of organic, locally grown veggies from our community supported agriculture program. They were absolutely divine. I cooked a huge batch of rainbow kale, collard greens, turnip greens and Japanese mustard greens today. And it looks like we will have enough lettuce for salad everyday this week. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the kohlrabi. I ended up putting in a dish with some other sauteed vegetables. It wasn't bad, but didn't have a lot of taste. We also received a couple of things I've never heard of green garlic and mizuno, which is a slightly spicy tasting leaf lettuce. Getting to try new things that are not covered in pesticide is such a treat.


This red buttercrunch lettuce made the best salad I've ever had. Who knew lettuce could melt in your mouth?

Pesto: A Hallmark of Summer

Summer is my least favorite season mainly because of the heat and the mosquitoes, but it still has many redeeming qualities like swimming, cookouts, watermelon and pesto :-) This week we received a half pound of fresh, locally grown, organic basil from our community supported agriculture program. One of the farmers commented to me that some people don't even take their share because they don't know what to do with so much basil. Apparently they haven't heard of pesto.

I doubled the below recipe to make enough for 4 batches. Pesto freezes well, so I froze three cups and used the other one for dinner tonight. Gary and I agreed that it was scrumptious. I put it on top of organic whole wheat pasta. It's also great on rice, or you can combine it with mayo to make a delicious sauce for fish.

Pesto

By: The Silver Palate Cookbook, modified by Charity

2 cups Fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
5 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1) Coarsely chop walnuts in food processor

2) Add garlic and basil and combine well

3) Add olive oil in slow stream with food processor running

4) Add cheese, salt and pepper and process briefly to combine

Makes 2 cups (enough for 2 pounds of pasta)

Balsamic-Honey Roasted Root Vegetables

This week I had a bunch of stuff in my fridge from the CSA (community supported agriculture) program that I really didn't know what to do with: turnips, beets, radishes, carrots, onions and garlic. I found this recipe on the internet and it turned out great. I didn't follow the recipe exactly...just used what I happened to have. I used fresh rosemary from our herb garden - yum!

Balsamic-Honey Roasted Root Vegetables
by What's Cooking? modified by Charity

* 5 large carrots, unpeeled, in 3/4 inch slices
* 1 large yam, peeled, in 1 x 1 inch cubes
* 1 large rutabaga, peeled, in 1 x 1 inch cubes
* 4 turnips, peeled, in 1 x 1 inch cubes
* 1 large parsnip, in 3/4 inch slices
* 3 yellow beets, peeled, in 1 x 1 inch cubes
* 8 garlic cloves, peeled
* 3 stalks celery, in 3/4 inch slices
* 2-3 small red potatoes, in 1x1 inch cubes (optional)
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1/3 cup honey
* 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* fresh ground black pepper, to taste


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Toss ingredients in a deep baking dish.
3. Roast, uncovered, for approximately 45 minutes or until all vegetables are soft throughout, browned and caramelized. Toss vegetables occassionally.
4. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Roasted Radishes with Soy Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seed

Roasted Radishes with Soy Sauce and Toasted Sesame Seed
(Makes 3-4 servings, recipe slightly adapted from Vegetables Every Day by Jack Bishop.)

20 medium radishes, trimmed and cut into fourths (use a mixture of red and white)
1 1/2 T olive oil
2 T soy sauce
2 green onions sliced thin
1 T sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan

Preheat oven to 425 F. Wash radishes, trim ends and cut into same size pieces. Cut green onions into thin slices.

Toss radishes with oil, then roast about 20 minutes, stirring one or two times. When radishes are tender and starting to brown, remove from oven, toss with soy sauce to coat and mix in green onion slices. Put back in oven and roast about 5 minutes more.

During final five minutes roasting time, put the sesame seed in a dry pan and toast over hot stove for about 2 minutes, or until starting to brown. Remove radishes from oven, place in serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.

Rosie's Bok Choy Salad

* 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
* 1/2 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup sugar

* 1 T soy sauce
* 2 T butter
* 2 T olive oil
* 1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
* 1/4 cup sesame seeds
* 2 packages ramen noodle pasta, crushed
* 1 medium head bok choy
* 3 green onions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.

2. Melt the butter with olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet. Crush the ramen noodles while still in their packaging, and add to the skillet along with the almonds and sesame seeds. Saute until everything is golden brown.

3. Chop the bok choy and green onions and add to a large bowl. Just before serving, sprinkle with the noodle mixture and dressing, and toss to coat.

Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens

This is a great way to use every part of the fresh beets you buy. You can get two delicious side dishes out of this one vegetable.

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 1 Hr

Original recipe yield: 4 servings

* 1 bunch beets with
* greens
* 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons chopped onion
* salt and pepper to taste
* 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens. Rinse greens, removing any large stems, and set aside. Place the beets in a small baking dish, and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you wish to peel the beets, it is easier to do so once they have been roasted.

2. Cover, and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a knife can slide easily through the largest beet.

3. When the roasted beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute. Tear the beet greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces, and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the greens as is, and the roasted beets sliced with red-wine vinegar, salt and pepper.

Sunshine on a Rainy Day

I was too tired to go to my yoga class this evening (for me that is quite tired), so I headed straight home after work. These beautiful sunflowers were waiting for me when I walked in the door of the Happy Haus. My sweet husband bought them for me :-) I was so energized by the bright yellow sunflowers that I decided to make some Fettuccine Alfredo for supper. Yes, it was a semi-healthy organic version. The recipe is below... it’s very easy.

1/2 pound of pasta cooked until al dente

Saute 1 clove of garlic in 1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Add cooked pasta to garlic along with 1/2 cup of Organic parmesan cheese and 1 cup of milk

In a separate bowl mix 1 cup of organic plain yogurt with some of the pasta to warm it a little so that it doesn’t curdle, then add it to pan.

Stir and turn off heat. Cover and let pasta sit for about 12 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and fresh ground black pepper to taste.