Arugula salad base with honey-dijon vinaigrette

Arugula is so peppery, so pairing it with this sweeter vinaigrette and with sweet toppings (like roasted beets, which taste like candy) mellows it out. Recipe from Once Upon a Chef.

Vinaigrette Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar (best quality, such as Pompeian Gourmet)

1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallots

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil.

Directions:

In a small bow, whisk together the honey, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. (Alternatively, add all your ingredients to a jar, cover with lid, and shake vigorously to blend.) Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Recipes for two beet salads using this arugula-honey-dijon vinaigrette base are here and here.

Beet Salad

Recipe for the beets and salad, continued from here:

Ingredients:

1 bunch medium beets (about 3)

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 ounces mixed greens (I like a blend of frisee, radicchio and mesclum)

3 ounces goat cheese

1/2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

Directions for the beets:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Wipe or scrub the beets clean then trim stems down to one inch (leave "tails" on). Place beets on a large piece of foil; drizzle with olive oil, then wrap foil around them to form a neat packet. Roast directly on rack in middle of oven until tender, about 1 hour. Test for doneness by piercing the largest beet with a knife. If it enters easily, it's done. Unwrap beets and let sit until cool enough to handle. Use your hands or a paring knife to peel skin, then cut into 1/2-inch dice (I usually do this right on the aluminum foil but you can also use a stain-proof cutting board or plate). Set aside.

Directions for the salad:

Plce the greens in a large bowl, drizle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add as much of the remaining vinaigrette as desired and toss again. Divide the greens onto plates, then sprinkle with beets, walnuts, and goat cheese. (The reason you don't just mix it all together in a salad bowl is that the beets would cause the whole salad to turn pink.) Serve immediately.

Adrienne's Note: Our goat cheese turned bad on us; otherwise, it would be in here! Next time....

Another Beet Salad

Here is another take on the same salad, using the lighter beets that we received in the CSA box and macadamia nuts (but once again, no cheese). We paired the salad with an Irish Beef Stew that we bought from Costco.

Rainbow Chard Fried Rice; Rainbow Chard Quesadilla

We made Willie's Fried Rice and wilted shredded rainbow chard into it instead of tat soi. Delicious!

We also made the quesadilla using shredded rainbow chard. Also very yummy!

As for what the rainbow chard looked like before we used it, I must have had a brain fart, because I didn't take a picture of it.

Hakurei Turnip Gratin

Hakurei Turnip Gratin

Recipe from GF-Zing! found here. Melt 1 tbsp of butter into a non-stick 12-inch skillet (make sure you have a top to fit the pan).

Wash one bunch of white hakurei turnips well, top and tail them, and slice them in 1/4 inch slices. Save the turnip greens for another recipe. You don't need to peel the turnips. Layer the slices in the pan. Sprinkle the sliced turnips with 1 teaspoon dry thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper, and 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.

Cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, then pour 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup gluten-free chicken stock over the top. Cover and cook the turnips over medium heat for 20 minutes. The turnips will be completely cooked through, but there will be considerable liquid left in the pan. Remove the cover and cook to reduce the liquid. (Adrienne's note: jostle pan frequently) When most of the liquid has reduced, (about 5-10 minutes. Adrienne's note: more like 15 to 20 minutes), and the sauce is thickened, grate finely 1/2 cup of fresh parmesan cheese evenly over the top. Watch closely as the cheese melts and make sure that the liquid does not entirely cook away.

Adrienne's Note: It was hard to tell if the liquid had totally cooked away, because the bubbles that you can see between the turnip slices look like pools of liquid. It turned out my liquids had cooked away long before I noticed it, and my turnips were burnt solid on the bottom. I salvaged some of the better-looking slices for the photo above, but next time, I will be more vigilant. The salvaged slices did taste good, though! UPDATE FROM 4/3/11: Once the lid comes off the pan, jostle the pan to help the liquids evaporate. At around 15 or 20 minutes in (not 5 to 10 minutes like this recipe says), the liquids will suddenly thicken. Add parmesan cheese and take off heat.

Purple Eggplant Tempura

Purple Eggplant Tempura

Ingredients:

Fat man and little boy (eggplants, left) sliced into third-inch rounds. No need to salt or soak these.

An inch of vegetable oil in a small frying pan

Store-bought tempura mix

Directions:

Heat the pan of vegetable oil over medium heat. Follow the directions on the store-bought tempura mix to create the tempura battter. Coat the eggplant slices in the tempura batter. Fry over medium heat in the vegetable oil (about 2 or 3 minutes per side) until the eggplant slices are light golden brown. Serve hot with white rice and tempura sauce.

Spinach and Hakurei Quesadillas

Spinach and Hakurei Quesadillas

Recipe is available here from food.com.

Ingredients:

• 4 flour tortillas (like whole grain)


• 1 tablespoon butter


• 2 green onions, chopped


• 1 1/4 cups monterey jack cheese (or more to taste) or 1 1/4 cups monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend, grated (or more to taste)


• 1 bunch fresh spinach, chopped (about 3/4 cup when cooked)


• garlic salt


• chili powder
  

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a skillet and place a tortilla on it.


2. Add half of the cheese to the tortilla.


3. On top of the cheese, add half of the green onion and spinach.


4. Sprinkle with half the garlic salt and chili powder.


5. Top with another tortilla, turn over and fry in skillet until the cheese melts.


6. Slice into quarters (or 1/8's for appetizers) and serve hot.


7. Repeat with next 2 tortillas.


8. Good served with salsa and sour cream!


9. This would be great served with guacamole on lettuce and refried beans or/and rice. Adrienne's Note: I sauteed diced hakurei turnips (about 8-10 small ones) in the garlic before adding the spinach. For the recipe for the guacamole, see here.
   

Lime-Marinated Steak

Lime-Marinated Steak Marinate over night a 3 lb flank steak in a combination of the following, enough to cover it: shoyu, olive oil, Montreal seasoning, red pepper flakes, steak sauce, Sriracha sauce, and the zest of one lime. The next day, grill it in a Foreman grill for five minutes. This steak was cut against the grain and served with massaged kale salad (recipe here) and garlic-parmesan-cream mashed potatoes. To make the mashed potatoes, boil 2 Idaho potatoes until fork-tender. In a separate saucepan, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil, saute two minced garlic cloves, and add in 1/2 cup cream and 2 tbsp butter. Reduce over medium heat. Melt in 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce. Mash the potatoes into the cream-butter-garlic-parmesan sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste.

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

Mom's Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is from Eating for Life by Bill Phillips, p. 114. So this is Bill's Mom's recipe, not either of our mom's. This is Willie's specialty dish. We used three MA`O ingredients for this dish: Tahitian limes, baby Romaine heads, and green onions. It was delicious, as usual.

Ingredients:
4 portions chicken breast (about 1 lb)
4 green onions, sliced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
3 cans (10 oz each) green enchilada sauce
8 corn tortillas
1 cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 tomato, diced
1 can (2 oz) ripe olives, sliced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9" x 13" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Place chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly. Shred cooked chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks; set aside.

3. Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add green onion, cilantro and jalapeno; saute for 2 minutes. Add shredded chicken and 1 can of enchilada sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

4. Pour the 2 remaining cans of enchilada sauce in a medium bowl and microwave until warm, about 2 minutes. Dip each tortilla in the heated sauce and fill with about 1/8 of the chicken mixture. Roll up and place, seam-side down, in the prepared baking dish.

5. Pour remaining heated sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

6. Divide lettuce onto four plates and place a portion of enchiladas on top. Top with a spoonful of salsa, a dollop of sour cream, tomatoes, and olives. Serve and enjoy!

Adrienne's note: We also like a squeeze of lime on our Mexican dishes.

Massaged Kale Salad

Massaged Kale Salad

This recipe was adapted from Aarti Sequeira's (Aarti Party, Food Network) recipe, found here.

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale (black kale is especially good), stalks removed and discarded, leaves thinly sliced


• 1 lemon, juiced


• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling


• Kosher salt


• 2 teaspoons honey


• Freshly ground black pepper


• 1 mango, diced small (about 1 cup)


• Small handful toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), about 2 rounded tablespoons

Directions:

In large serving bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt. Massage until the kale starts to soften and wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside while you make the dressing.

In a small bowl, whisk remaining lemon juice with the honey and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Stream in the 1/4 cup of oil while whisking until dressing forms, and you like how it tastes.

Pour the dressing over the kale, and add the mango and pepitas. Toss and serve.

Adrienne's Notes: There's no need to remove the stalks on these little baby kale. I couldn't find pumpkin seeds at the grocery store, so I substituted toasted walnuts (toasted in the oven at 375 degrees until fragrant, about ten minutes). I also bought a mango that turned out to be brown on the inside, even though it was firm and only starting to turn red and orange on the outside. Bummers, huh? So I substituted strawberries there. I wanted to use a substitute fruit that would match the texture of the mango and fit in with the citrusy dressing. Both substitutions worked well! I'm sure the original recipe is delicious, too. Massaging the kale in the lemon acid and olive oil is the secret. This softens the leaves up and takes away some of their bitterness. I must have eaten about four cups of kale this way (it shrank down after the massage). In the short time during which I've experimented with kale, this is the BEST way to have it! And it's raw. Bonus!

Above: kale salad, take two. This time, I found a good mango and pepitas (pumpkin seeds). The salad is good, but I wouldn't use pumpkin seeds next time-- they're too chewy. I'd use macadamia nuts.

Baby Kale Chips

Baby Kale Chips

A few weeks ago, we made kale chips with the big lacinato kale leaves. Here's that recipe. This week, we got more bags of the "Powerhouse Kale Mix," which consists of a variety of baby kale leaves. Baby kale leaves also make delicious chips. As you can see from the pictures above, the kale shrinks by more than half while in the oven. The resulting baby kale chip is parchment thin and translucent. Here's the recipe, from the blog "The Hunger Struck":

Ingredients:

A small bag of fresh mixed baby kales

olive oil

fleur de sel

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees

Wash your kales under cold water and make sure to dry thoroughly. I use a salad spinner to get them quite dry and them let then sit on a paper towel for a while until there is not a drop of water on them.

In a bowl toss the kale in a little olive oil and then arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Bake for 25 minutes or until completely crisp.

Serve immediately.

Tofu and Mizuna Salad

Tofu and Mizuna Salad

Toss a big handful of fresh mizuna greens with 1 cup diced firm tofu in my co-clerk Gemma's sesame dressing (one part sugar, one part sesame oil, one and one half parts rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper to taste). The mizuna is peppery, the tofu is mild, and the sesame dressing adds depth and sweetness.

Mizuna Bacon

Mizuna Bacon This recipe comes from "Japan Food Addict" (link to the blog is above).

Ingredients:

2.5 ounces mizuna (chopped into 2″ pieces)

1.5 ounces bacon (sliced small)

1 tsp soy sauce

dash salt

Directions:

1. Cook bacon in a pan until crispy (3-4 min)

2. Remove excess grease from the pan

3. Add mizuna, soy sauce, and a dash of salt

4. Serve!

Thinking about you, Japan!

Another week of good-looking vegetables and fruits!

Left to right: An inside view of the baby bok choy (one with green leaves, one with smoky purple leaves), Tahitian limes (always enjoyed in drinks), Romaine lettuce heads (HUGE this week!).

Radishes! Radishes! Radishes!

Look at all these radishes! Before joining the CSA, I don't think I ever ate a radish (on purpose, at least). What to do with them????

The first recipe I tried was the French Breakfast Radish Tartines. The bitter tang of the radishes went well with the sweet butter and the crusty bread (I used a baguette). But I couldn't tell if I just liked the bread and butter and the radishes were just along for the ride.

The second recipe I tried was the Quick Pickled Radishes. Those were good palette cleansers. Next time, I'll slice them ribbon-thin.

The last recipe I tried was the Butter-Glazed Radishes. This one was my least favorite. I tried to salvage the radishes by pulsing them into a cream cheese and heavy cream mix (with a dash of steak sauce, although I wanted to use Worcestershire sauce). The spread was not good, and I ended up throwing it away.

Lesson learned for the future: Go with pickling!

French Breakfast Radish Tartines

French Breakfast Radish Tartines

This recipe comes from the website, Food, Je T'aime. Link is above.

Ingredients:

1 bunch French breakfast radishes
1 loaf whole grain La Bread bread
French unsalted butter, room temperature
coarse sea salt
parsley

Directions:

1. cut bread into 1/2 inch slices (I didn't toast the bread)
2. slice radishes as thinly as possible
3. spread a layer of butter on the bread and arrange the radish slices on top
4. sprinkle with coarse sea salt and chopped parsley
5. enjoy with a cool glass of white wine

Quick Pickled Radishes: It's a Good Thing

Quick Pickled Radishes This is a Martha Stewart Recipe. Link is above.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup red-wine vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

Coarse salt

15 medium-size red radishes (about 6 ounces), ends trimmed, thinly sliced

Directions:

In a medium bowl, stir together vinegar, sugar, and 2 teaspoons coarse salt. Add radishes, and stir to combine. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. Pickled radishes are best used within a few hours but can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Butter-Glazed Radishes

Butter-Glazed Radishes

This recipe comes from Molly Stevens' All About Braising, pages 73-74.

Ingredients:

2 bunches small radishes (2 to 2 1/2 dozen, or about 1 pound)
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 chicken stock or water
Large pinch of sugar
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Trimming and washing the radishes: Trim the radishes of their roots and pare off the greens, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the stems. (Taste a piece of the pared-off greens. If you like their peppery taste, wash them and save to add to salads; otherwise, discard them.) Soak the radishes in cold water for about 15 minutes to loosen any dirt that may be caught in the stems. (You certainly don't need to leave any of the green stems; I just think it looks nice and I enjoy the earthy taste they provide.) Drain and scrub the radishes. Cut any radishes that are more than 1 inch in diameter in half.

2. The braise: Place the radishes in a medium skillet (10-inch) that would hold them in a single layer. Add the butter, stock or water, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, cover, reduce the heat, and braise at a low simmer until the radishes are easily pierced with a metal skewer, 20 to 25 minutes.

3. The finish: Remove the lid, shake the pan to roll the radishes around, and continue simmering until the liquid reduces to a glaze and coat the radishes, another 5 minutes or so. Taste a radish for salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Baby Bok Choy Pesto and Grilled Salmon Recipes

Baby Bok Choy Pesto

This recipe comes from a blog called "Jamie's Recipes." Link is above.

Ingredients:

2 c baby bok choy, cleaned and chopped
1/2 c raw cashews
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 inch piece of ginger, minced
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 c Olive Oil
small splash of Toasted Sesame Oil
pinch of salt & pepper

Directions:

Add all ingredients through Parmesan cheese into blender or food processor. Pulse a few times to chop and combine ingredients. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until everything becomes one. Scrape down sides of container as needed. Add salt & pepper, and small splash of toasted sesame oil (this has a very strong flavor, so only a little is needed) and pulse until combined. Transfer to a serving dish, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to combine. ENJOY!

Grilled Salmon (my recipe)

I bought an Atlantic salmon fillet with the skin on from Safeway for $3 (so cheap!). Spray a non-stick pan with Pam. Salt and pepper the salmon. Saute salmon, flesh-side down for about 5-6 minutes over medium-high heat. You can watch the cooking process as the salmon changes color from darker to lighter pink. When it's a little more than halfway cooked through, flip the salmon over and saute skin-side down for another 5-6 minutes until the skin is crisp. Remove from heat and top with the baby bok choy pesto. The warmth of the salmon, the crisp saltiness of its skin, and the cool freshness of the pesto make for a good, light dinner.

Powerhouse Kale Mix Pesto and Pasta Recipes

Powerhouse Kale Mix Pesto

This recipe comes from FarmAid's website, Homegrown.org. The link to the original page is above.

Ingredients:

One bunch fresh kale (local and organic if you can)

1/2 C. nuts - (note: I'm not a big fan of pine nuts, so I use a mix of roasted salted almonds and cashews. You should feel free to use pine nuts **shudder** or walnuts or hazelnuts or whatever nuts you've got in the cupboard.)

1/4-1/2 C. Extra virgin olive oil

4-6 cloves fresh garlic

Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)

1/2 C. ground Parmesan cheese (you can leave the cheese out if you're making vegan pesto or if you're freezing for future use. Add cheese after thawing.)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Start with a pile of fresh, washed kale that has been stripped from the stems. Save the stems for soup or stir fry.

2. Peel and trim 4-6 cloves of garlic.

3. Chop: 3/4 C. of nuts in a food processor until it resembles, um... this: (NOTE: The original post shows nuts and garlic in a rough chop).

4. Add 1/4 C. of extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and cheese and lemon juice (if using) and process again until it all reaches a similar consistency - but not long enough to make a funky nut butter consistency.

5. Blanch: Toss kale into 2 quarts of salted water that has reached a rolling boil. Continue cooking until water returns to boiling and kale has softened a bit.

6. Refresh: Move the kale from the pot to a colander and rinse with cold water until greens are cool to the touch. Using your hands, squeeze the water from the kale and place into the food processor.

7. Process once more until it looks like pesto, adding more olive oil for consistency, and salt and pepper to taste.

8. Serve as a pasta accessory (natch) or as a sandwich condiment, zingy dip for vegetables, or any way you add an earthy, garlicy, nutty flavor to something. Enjoy!

NOTE: I like pine nuts. I used walnuts, though. Also, 4 to 6 cloves of garlic in this recipe was too much because my garlic cloves were HUGE. I used a whole bag of MA`O Farms powerhouse kale mix for this pesto.

Maltagliati in Powerhouse Kale Pesto-Cream Sauce with Toasted Pine Nuts and Parmiggiano Reggiano (my recipe)

Because the powerhouse kale pesto was so garlicky, I decided to cook it into a cream sauce to mellow out the zing.

Ingredients:

Leftover lasagne noodles (I used five long noodles)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp powerhouse kale pesto
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup grated Parmiggiano Reggiano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When oven is ready, toast pine nuts in a single layer until they just start to turn golden brown. Be prepared to take them out quickly, because the point at which they start to turn color and the point at which they scorch are close in time. Set aside.

2. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagne noodles according to the package directions. Have a bowl of water and ice ready to receive and cool the cooked lasagne noodles. Cut the lasagne noodles into haphazard shapes. This is my version of "maltagliati," or "poorly cut" pasta.

3. Over medium heat, pour heavy cream into a saute pan. Bring to a boil, then bring down to a simmer, stirring so that a skin doesn't form and so that the cream doesn't scald. When the cream has thickened, stir in the powerhouse kale pesto mix. Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.

4. Toss the pasta in the cream sauce. Top with the toasted pine nuts and the parmiggiano reggiano.

NOTE: Adding chunks of chicken would work in this recipe, too.

Braised Leeks

Braised Leeks

This recipe is adapted from "Sweet Braised Whole Scallions," from the braising Bible, Molly Stevens' All About Braising, p. 92. I used a scallion recipe because the leeks are scallion size.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pound scallions (about 5 bunches or 3 dozen)

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tsps coarsely chopped fresh tarragon (do not substitute dried) or 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using about 1 1/2 teaspons of butter, generously butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

2. Trimming the scallions: Trim the root ends and 1 1/2 inches off the green tops of the scallions. Arrange half of the scallions in the baking dish so the bulb ends are lined up at one end and the greens are toward the middle. Place the other half of the scallions in the opposite direction, so you end up with a double layer of scallion greens across the centr of the dish and a single layer of bulbs at each end of the dish. (NOTE: Since we are using leeks, we cannot keep much of the leathery green stems. There were not enough leeks to arrange in this pattern, so I just laid them in a single layer on the bottom of the pan).

3. The Braise: Pour the water into the dish. Cut the remaining butter into slivers and dot it over the top of the scallions. Season with the tarragon or parsley, salt, and pepper. Cover the dish tightly with foil, and slide onto the middle rack in the oven. Braise undisturbed until fragrant and tender, 35 to 40 minutes. (NOTE: Since we don't have three dozen leeks, I reduced the cooking time to 15 minutes-- just guessing).

4. The finish: Remove the foil from the dish, and increase the oven heat to 450 degrees. Roast the scallions for 10 minutes, then shake the pan back and forth to coat the scallions with the glaze that will have formed. Continue roasting until the liquid evaporates and the edges of the scallions are beginning to brown, another 5 minutes or so. Squeeze over a few drops of lemon juice to taste, and serve hot or warm. (NOTE: I finished the leeks off uncovered for 5 minutes only. The glaze at the bottom of the pan is rich and flavorful!).