Farm to table with Tatsoi

Tatsoi. Another beautiful deep green vegetable I'd never heard of. I learned it's a dark green Asian salad green with a mild mustard flavor, similar to bok choy. Apparently it doesn't have a long storage life, and since mine is already a little wilted, this should be a perfect recipe.

 Browned Butter Pasta with Tatsoi
Adapted from Appetite for China

Pasta of your choice (I used wheat penne)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Bunch of tatsoi, rinsed
Grated cheese (I used Romano)
Pepper
Lemon wedges

Cook pasta to al dente.

When pasta almost done done, melt butter in a skillet.

Swirl the butter in the pan as it foams and drain pasta.

When butter begins to brown, toss in pasta and mix to coat with butter.

Add tatsoi and cook until slightly wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Plate and serve immediately with grated cheese, pepper and lemon wedges.

Farm to Table with Summer Squash

Summer squash must be in abundance at our farm. Our share this week had 8! My first thought was to grill them, but then I came across a recipe to bake them with breadcrumbs. It made a great side for chicken on the grill.

Baked Summer Squash
Adapted from The Kitchn

8 summer squash (such as yellow crookneck squash or pattypan squash)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated cheese (I used Romano)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oregano

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Remove stem ends and slice squash cross-wise in 1/4"-thick rounds and toss with olive oil.

In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, cheese, oregano and pepper.

Arrange the squash rounds in bottom of a  baking dish and sprinkle with the bread crumb mixture.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake in oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

Remove foil and bake another five minutes.

Preserving Fresh Basil {tutorial}

We got a huge bunch of basil in our share today. Knowing I wasn't going to use it all fresh, I wanted to save it for later. The process I use is like making pesto, but you freeze it into little pods to use later in sauces and soups.

 

Put fresh basil leaves in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

Add about 1/2 cup of oilve oil and process until smooth.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop spoonfuls of the basil mixture onto the sheet.

Freeze for about an hour or until frozen.

Store pods in a freezer safe bag for up to two months.

Use for sauces and soups.

Farm to Table Stir Fry

I find that sometimes we don't use everything in our share quickly enough, so this week I wanted to
use multiple vegetables in one recipe. This stir fry incorporates snow peas, carrots and broccoli from
this weeks share.

Vegetable Stir Fry

Snow Peas
Broccoli
Carrots
Olive Oil
Sauce (I used Old Cape Cod Honey Orange)
Brown and Wild Rice (I used Bob's Red Mill)
Peanuts

Put vegetables in a stir fry pan with a touch of olive oil.
Cook over low to medium heat until tender.
Add sauce and stir until incorporated.

Cook rice according to package.
Serve vegetables over rice and sprinkle with peanuts.

Sweet Potato Muffins

I puree organic fruit and vegetables for my baby and I'm always trying to think of ways to use the extra puree. These Sweet Potato Chip Muffins are a hit with my 3 year old and my husband.

Sweet Potato Muffins
Adapted from Weelicious

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs, whisked
1 cup sweet potato puree*
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place the first 7 dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.

Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients just until they are combined.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Fill greased muffin pan and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

* To make sweet potato puree, I boil chunks of peeled sweet potato until they are tender. Drain, let cool and then puree in a blender or food processor, adding water to get the desired consistency.

Farm to Table with French Breakfast Radishes

I have to admit something. I'm not sure I've ever tried a radish before. I've seen them in the grocery store and as garnish but I didn't know what they tasted like until I met these. This week I used the arugula and the radishes from my share to make a salad. A lemon vinaigrette complimented the flavors perfectly.

Arugula and Radish Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette Dressing

Bowl of arugula
Handful of french breakfast radishes
Juice of two lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons mustard (I used a honey mustard, but dijon would work well too)
Pepper

Wash arugula and let dry completely. Place in serving bowl.
Wash radishes and cut into quarters. Sprinkle onto arugula.

In a small bowl or jar, combine lemon juice and olive oil.
Whisk until combined.
Add mustard and pepper and whisk again.

Pour over salad right before serving and toss.