FFS Recipe Board 3.1

Thanks to our newsletter editor Callia Piperides and recipe contributors Renee Abousamra and Sally Moses for putting together our first recipe sheet–lots of great eats there! (Note: We’re still looking for people to join the recipe sheet team).

Read It Here

Swiss Chard and Potatoes

My sister gave me this recipe from 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes, by Carol Gelles. It’s so simple and delicious–and perfect for the veggies we’ve been getting during this part of the season. 

3 T olive oil
2 C peeled 1/2-inch cubed potatoes (yellow, red bliss, or new), about 3/4 lb.
6 cloves garlic, whole, unpeeled
2 T chopped fresh rosemary or 2 t crumbled if dry
2 C swiss chard, chopped
1/2 t coarse salt (less if table)
1/4 t coarse pepper
 
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Add potatoes and garlic.
Cook, stirring, until browned (about 9 minutes).
Add rosemary, cook, stirring, 1 minute.
Add swiss chard, salt, pepper.
Cook, stirring, until swiss chard is tender (2 minutes).
 
You could use bok choy, collards or any cooking greens instead of swiss chard, and thyme or oregano in place of the rosemary. The garlic gets soft like roasted garlic. I pull the garlic cloves out at the end, squeeze them out of their peels and then chop them up a little and toss them back in. Yummy.
 
Belinda

Whip-up a Summer Squash Soup!

FFS members Amy and Matt whipped up this squash soup:

Summer Squash Soup

• 2 medium-sized summer squash
• 2 medium-sized zucchini
• 1/2 a large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Pat of butter
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 16 oz. of chicken stock (half a box)
• 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pinch of thyme
• 1 pinch of crushed sage
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of ground pepper

Chop up the squash, zucchini, onion, and garlic (since you’re pureeing it, doesn’t matter how small) and saute the pieces in the pat of butter.  After a few minutes, when the veggies have softened, put them in a blender with the chicken stock, olive oil, cheese, and spices. Puree the mixture and serve warm or chill for later.  We ate ours with toasted Asiago Peppercorn bread from Trader Joe’s.

Serves two as a main course, serves four as a starter.

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

FFS Member Kristin M. says, "This is a cake I made today with the strawberries.  Topped it with some chocolate icing and cut strawberries.  Could be topped with whip cream and strawberries or a cream cheese frosting. The cake has a hint of strawberry taste but not overwhelming.  I would probably do 1 1/2 cups of strawberries next time to give it more strawberry flavor."

Chocolate Strawberry Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup pureed strawberries (may want to try 1 1/2 cups for more strawberry flavor)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cocoa

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter and the sugars. 
• Add the eggs, and beat for 1 minute. 
• Stir in the vanilla and salt.
• Stir in sour cream and baking soda.
• Add flour and cocoa.  Beat until well mixed.
• Stir in strawberry puree
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until top springs back when lightly touched.

Zucchini Bread

FFS member Danielle sends her best and says,

"Just wanted to pass on a recipe of zucchini bread that I actually made this last weekend with my share.  It's from www.101cookbooks.com which is also a great resource for really tasty food with all-natural ingredients.

Click here for the recipe.

 

It's delicious with just the right amount of sweetness, spice and crunch!"

Barley with Lemon Vinaigrette

FFS Member Lisa K. sends recipes for Swiss Chard, Zucchini Frittata, and Barley with Lemon Vinaigrette. Of the Barley recipe below she says, “This did not use any of the vegetables from this week, but it is one of my favorite summer dishes and was a wonderful accompaniment to the zucchini frittata and the swiss chard.”

This image is a dramatic reinterpretation of the excellent recipe listed below - Follow the image link to see the related barley salad recipe!

Barley with Lemon Vinaigrette
This recipe makes enough for several servings.  You can double this easily (if so, you might only need 3 or 3-1/2 cups of water to 2 cups of uncooked barley).

• 1 c. pearl barley
• water, salt
• 1-2 scallions, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped mint
• 2 tbsp. chopped herbs (oregano, thyme, chives, tarragon: if you only have thyme, use less as it is potent)
• 1/4-1/2 c. lemon vinaigrette
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional:  1 cup cooked and drained white cannelini or great northern beans (canned are fine as long as you rinse and drain thoroughly)

Click more to see the rest of this recipe.

Zucchini Frittata

FFS Member Lisa K. sends recipes for Swiss Chard, Zucchini Frittata, and Barley with Lemon Vinaigrette. She recommends trying this dish with the Barley or Swiss Chard dishes.

Zucchini Frittata
(serves 2-4 depending upon how hungry you are)

• 4 large or X-large eggs
• 1/2 lb. zucchini, cut into small 1/2″ dice (1 medium sized zucchini) — see instructions below
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano and chives)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Freshly grated Parmesan (if you like)

NOTE:  You need to have a gas stove to properly cook a frittata.

Cutting Zucchini:
Wash zucchini and trim ends. My method of dicing is to cut the zucchini in half so that you have two cylinders about 3-4 inches long.  Stand one of the cylinders on end. Cut approximately 4 even vertical slices (i.e. cut in half vertically, and then make one cut in each half). Lay the slices flat upon the cutting board, and then cut into small even dice (about 1/2″).

Click more to read the recipe for the frittata…

Easy Sauteed Swiss Chard

FFS Member Lisa K. sends recipes for Swiss Chard, Zucchini Frittata, and Barley with Lemon Vinaigrette. She says, “This week’s vegetables were so fresh and wonderful that the simplest preparations seemed the best.”

Swiss Chard
I prefer to saute/steam chard when it is this young and tender. This week’s chard was especially sweet so I added a dash of red wine vinegar; a squirt of fresh lemon or lime would be fine (but I didn’t have any on hand). Fresh chopped herbs are a great addition (I didn’t use any since I used a lot of herbs in my zucchini frittata)

makes 2 small servings

• 1 small bunch chard (approx 1/2 lb.)
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped (depending upon size of cloves and your own preferences)
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1-2 Tbsp. water as needed
• 1-2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, lemon or lime juice

Trim ends of chard.  Slice into 1″ lengths (stems and leaves). Place sliced chard in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Swish around and then lift the chard out (this way the grit stays in the bowl) and place in a colander or salad spinner (you can get rid of the water). Repeat the cleaning if necessary (this week’s chard was very clean and I only needed to clean it once).  Shake the colander vigorously or give the spinner a few whirls to get rid of most of the water.

Warm the olive oil in a small (2 qt) covered saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; stir a few times until golden and then add chard. Increase heat a little, stir with a wooden spoon for 2-3 minutes until leaves are slightly wilted. Lower heat, salt lightly, stir again and cover.  Check after a couple of minutes: add a tablespoon or two or water if necessary, stir again, cover again and steam until it is done to your liking (I like it slightly al dente).  Check frequently so it doesn’t burn. Add the vinegar, lemon or lime juice, more salt if necesssary, and fresh ground pepper. If you have fresh herbs on hand (chives, oregano, thyme, marjoram, tarragon are fine; I’d stay away from strongly aromatic herbs like sage or rosemary) chop a little and stir in.

Easy Broccolini

FFS member Heidi hopes you enjoy this recipe, and says it tastes great with brown rice.

• 1 bunch of broccolini w/ leaves, ends trimmed
• 2 small cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp veg. oil
• 1 tsp sesame oil

• pinch black pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes
• sesame seeds

- Blanch broccolini in pot of boiling water until bright green, about 2 minutes
- Drain and set aside
- Saute garlic and red pepper in oil, careful not to burn

- Add broccolini and toss in soy sauce, sesame oil and black pepper
- Taste and add salt or more soy sauce if needed
- Plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve

Kohlrabi & Turnip Slaw

from FFS Member Owen T.: “Here is a recipe that I got from my coworker Angela at Just Food in our Community Food Education newsletter.”

Subscribe to the Food Education Newsletter.

Featured Recipe:
Kohlrabi and Turnip Slaw
Adapted from Body and Soul magazine, June 2009

Ingredients

• 1 pound kohlrabi (about 2 small heads, leaves included)
• 1 medium turnip (about 8 ounces), peeled and quartered
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon unrefined, organic peanut oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• Coarse sea salt and ground pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Procedure

1. Separate stems from kohlrabi bulb, trim, and discard tough bottoms of stems. Half leaves lengthwise then thinly shred crosswise. Trim root end from bulb and peel away tough outer layer; halve lengthwise.

2. Fit a food processor with a shredding blade (or use a box grater) and shred kohlrabi bulb and turnip.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together lime juice, peanut oil, honey, and sesame oil; season with salt and pepper. Add scallions, kohlrabi leaves and bulb, and turnip to bowl; toss to coat. Let stand at least 15 minutes.

Serves  4