I don't fall for all of the pumpkin frenzy that goes on in October, though I'm not opposed to it. I love squash and pumpkin; I just wouldn't choose them to flavor one of my daily treats if I had chocolate as an option.
The overabundance of sweet potatoes hanging out on our bakers rack inspired me to bake outside of my comfort zone. Jamie at Home, one of many in my collection of Jamie Oliver cookbooks, includes a recipe for Butternut Squash Muffins with a Frosty Top that I've had in the back of my mind since I saw him make them on his show.
Sweet potatoes are close enough to butternut squash that I thought I could make the substitution work. I used the same amount of potatoes by weight that Jamie calls for in his recipe, and steamed them for about five minutes to soften them a little before pulverizing in the food processor.
I also cut back on the sugar (I used a scant two cups instead of 2 1/4) and used vegetable oil instead of olive oil. The olive oil flavor would probably be a nice foil for the sweet potato, but Jamie made muffins, and I was making cupcakes, and vegetable oil just seemed more appropriate. It made the cupcakes less orangey, which was a little surprising, but I found the color to be appealing. They were fluffy but not too light in texture, and held up well to the icing.
I love Jamie, but my cupcakes were not going to have a frosty, citrusy "top" like his muffins did. The frosting I made was thick and flecked with cinnamon, and the base was cream cheese instead of sour cream.
We may or may not have dipped gingersnaps in the extra frosting after the cupcakes were gone - I tried to pile as much of it on top of the cupcakes as I could, but we still had some extra.
To counter the indulgence of the cupcakes, I made a veggie soup with the collard greens. Until my mom made soup with collards, I didn't think they were a viable soup ingredient. The leaves are tough, but as long as they're cooked long enough, they are delicious in soup.
I sauteed chopped onion, carrots, and the greens in a little olive oil. When they wilted down, I added chicken stock and a big cheese rind to the pot. Everything simmered together, and sat overnight. Before dinner the following evening, I added the remainder of a box of orzo and a can of white beans, and let the soup boil softly until the pasta was cooked through. Unfortunately I forgot to photograph the finished product, but it was a hearty and pretty soup.
The roasted broccoli from earlier in the week turned out beautifully, and tasted as great as it looked. I had it with some pasta and pesto when I was on my own for dinner one night.
We ate the sweet peppers raw, cut into slices and dipped into hummus with the last of our homegrown cherry tomatoes.
I ate both of the Asian pears for my mid-morning snack, and I wasn't blown away by them. The smaller one definitely had more flavor, but they were both fairly bland and it wasn't easy to get used to the texture. I like them better than, say, eggplant, but wouldn't go out of my way to eat them again.
Our kohlrabi and turnips were neglected for over a week, so I decided to roast them with the massive sweet potato. When I was chopping the turnips, I was surprised to see how beautiful they were inside.
I wish I could say that I liked them better than I have in the past, but I'm still not a big fan of their bitter taste. Davy and I both preferred the sweet potato to the kohlrabi and turnips after everything was roasted.
We ate them with roasted red snapper and sauteed spinach.
I wish I could say that the subsequent meals were as healthy as that one, but the only vegetable we've eaten at home since them is sauteed broccoli rabe with leftover Belmont pizza. Don't worry though, I'm still getting my daily (plus) dose of chocolate.
Last week reinforced my love for the CSA, and I was so grateful to have our share back that I even decided to try eggplant again. Since Davy and I both didn't hate last year's fish-fragrant eggplant, I decided to try it again. There was also a small amount of okra that I hadn't really planned anything for, and it made sense to throw them in with the eggplant.
The okra worked very well with this preparation. It retained its texture without being slimy, and the seeds popped pleasantly when I bit down on them. It's not the prettiest dish, or at least it wasn't when I made it, so I didn't take any pictures of the final product. Our main course that night was Asian turkey burger sliders which didn't photograph well but were flavorful and moist. We topped them with sauteed onions and a delicious carrot habanero hot sauce from our friend Travis.
Our yellow wax beans were crunchy and made a refreshing accompaniment to takeout from 8 1/2 (pizza, spaghetti carbonara and an arugula/mozzarella/prosciutto hero). Similarly, I blanched and sauteed the broccoli rabe to have alongside a leftover sandwich from Secco. Lunch at Secco is just as delectable as dinner, and the prices are just as reasonable. I even threw in the remaining fried chickpeas with the broccoli rabe, and they added a lovely saltiness and contrasting texture to the greens.
On Tuesday we had a large dinner salad with romaine, grilled chicken, feta, tomato, sweet peppers, and cucumber dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. It was simple but extremely fresh and satisfying, especially as we grasp at the end of summer vegetables.
Davy used the other sweet pepper and some of the basil to make me an omelet with lots of feta. Again, it was nice to taste summery flavors even though the temperatures are cooling off.
This is one of my favorite times of the year because I'm excited about so many types of food - the last of light, summer meals as well as the more comforting dishes that suggest autumn and colder weather. I feel fortunate to have the CSA as an excuse to take advantage of it all.
If I can help it, I like to make one pot meals, or at least use multiple types of vegetables in one dish. Surprisingly, Davy and I don't eat a lot of salads, even though they lend themselves to using a variety of ingredients.
Soup, on the other hand, is one of my favorite things to make and to eat, even in hot weather. Last Wednesday I used the garlic scallions, kale, and broccoli rabe from our to make a vegetable soup. Sauteed carrot and celery, along with the scallions, formed the base. Once they were cooked through, I added a little wine, then homemade chicken stock, and petite diced tomatoes.
I blanched the broccoli rabe separately from the soup pot, fearing that the bitter flavor would leach out into the broth. The contents got a good hour or so to simmer together before I added the greens (broccoli rabe and kale) and a can of cannellini beans.
I flavored the soup with some rosemary sprigs and parmesan rinds, but it still needed salt, pepper, grated parmesan, and oil to make it really tasty.
Thursday was the exception to the rare salad rule. I was on my own for dinner, and decided to make use of the nice lettuce mix. Pistachios, a hard-boiled egg, feta, and a sliced radish made the salad more interesting and substantial.
I blanched the remaining greens, which consisted mustard greens, mizuna and a few other Asian varieties. I froze about a quarter of them, and used the rest to lighten up a big bowl of sesame noodles (my uncle's recipe), along with frozen edamame.
The turnips from Fertile Crescent Farm have been large and gorgeous this spring. Normally I don't get excited about turnips, but I was intrigued when I realized I could mash them and then make them into cakes to pan fry.
As you can see, the cakes weren't overly sturdy, and I didn't do a great job of flipping them, but they were very tasty. Despite the fact that they were cooked in butter, I still felt healthy eating them alongside of a salad.
We're left with some nice-looking radishes and some salad mix, but considering all of the extras Adam and Darbi have been giving us, I feel good about how many vegetables we ate in a week. One dish dinners are a convenient and easy way to consume a lot of produce, even if you have to resort to a salad to do so.
Tonight is the beginning of the second round of produce, and I'm in surprisingly good shape considering the pounds of greens we got last week. I gave our radishes, bok choy, some broccoli rabe, and about half of our lettuce mix to my parents.
The highlight of last week, for me, was the container of beautiful strawberries we got in our share. We polished them off in just a couple days, and I put them in a salad for lunch one day. They added a welcome burst of flavor to the lettuce. The salad also included a medium-boiled egg, my first ever homemade, which came from one of my co-worker's chickens.
I've stressed this before, but fresh eggs taste so much better than grocery store eggs, especially if you're eating them on their own.
We had a large bunch of Asian greens, and I'm not sure what all of them were, but they were pretty.
I chopped them and Davy sauteed them with garlic and sesame chili oil. We sprinkled toasted sesame seeds on them after they'd wilted down.
Davy was having a rough week, so I decided to make one of his favorite Chinese take out meals to go with the greens, which is sweet and sour chicken. I used a recipe I found on How Sweet It Is, and it turned out very well. The chicken is crisp, tangy, and not greasy at all. We served the chicken over rice, and the recipe mentions making extra sauce, but we had the right amount. Next time I would consider adding some chili flakes to the sauce, or even some sriracha for a little kick.
before the sauce
finished product
The gigantic bunch of broccoli rabe was taunting me every time I opened the fridge, and on Thursday I decided to put it to good use. It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is an overwhelming mound of greens.
Mimicking one of the best pastas from Mamma Zu, I browned sausage without the casing (a spicy chicken and red wine variety from Trader Joe's) and blanched the broccoli rabe.
Once the sausage was ready, I added the greens, garlic, and rosemary, and let the broccoli rabe cook a little. Once it was warmed, I threw in cooked pasta - about half a pound of cavatappi - and stirred in tomato sauce and about a half cup of ricotta. Luckily I really enjoyed the pasta, because I ended up eating it three more times. It's a pleasant blend of flavors and textures; the ricotta makes it slightly creamy, the greens add a slight edge, and the sausage is spicy and savory.
When I went to Trader Joe's, I also purchased shelled pistachio pieces and their Light Champagne Vinaigrette in anticipation of a few weeks of salads. On Friday I used them with the salad mix, and they worked well together, not to mention they added some variety to my boring routine.
I wanted to change the normal sauteed kale routine, too, by making kale chips. I think I baked the pieces for too long, because they came out more brown than green, and the taste reminded me of pumpkin seeds. They were also very unattractive. Kale chips may have to be conquered this week, or the next time we get a bunch of kale.
On Monday, the only veggies left were the garlic scallions, peas, and kale. I'm not usually into peas, but I figured that these had to be better than what I'm used to since they're in season. I shelled them and dropped them in boiling water for about five minutes.
While they were in the pot, I toasted four thin slices of bread and sliced a hard-boiled egg. I spread a thin layer of pesto on the bread, followed by a layer of ricotta cheese. When the peas were done, I drained them, rinsed them in cold water, and pressed them into the ricotta. I topped everything on the plate with pepper and lemon juice, and admired my work. The meal was relatively simple to put together, and light but filling. It would be great for a hot night when cooking isn't very appealing, or if you needed something quick and healthy.
There aren't going to be any strawberries in Week 2 because of all of the rain and we still have some sauteed kale to finish in the fridge, but I'm eager to see what this week brings.
