Food In Many Forms

When the farm share starts in June, one of the first things we always get is lots of greens - salad greens, spinach, cabbage, kale, rainbow chard. Some of the more exotic ones are a hard sell in my house - I was enjoying rainbow chard in omelets, and sauteed in olive oil, but I couldn't inspire any enthusiasm for it. The end of the season also brings lots of greens, so I had an opportunity to try again. This recipe, inspired by Martha Stewart and the New York Times, makes Swiss chard a bit more palatable, without the elaborate assembly that lasagna normally requires. INGREDIENTS 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped 1 pound Swiss chard 5-6 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 can whole-peeled tomatoes with juices (do not drain) 8 no-boil lasagna noodles 1-2 cups of fresh whole milk ricotta cheese Salt and pepper to taste DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wash the chard and separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the onio...

I couldn't keep up with the weekly posts, but this week seemed like a good week to get back into it. I had winter squash accumulated from multiple weeks - butternut squash, acorn squash, delicata squash, and 2 different types of pumpkin - and I just got a new Blendtec blender, so it seemed good timing to do a squash soup. I halved the pumpkin, delicata and acorn squash and roasted them in the oven at 350 degrees, taking them out one-by-one as they softened up.  All my blanching and freezing these past few months paid off when I had celery and onions, but not carrots. Luckily, I had carrots from August all sliced up in my freezer. I sauteed them in a stockpot with olive oil, until they just started to caramelize.  In the blender, I put 2 cups of chicken broth, the squash, and 1-2 cups of mirepoix. The squash was still hot from the oven, and after 90 seconds of blending it was ready to eat! It was surprisingly sweet, so I may have to add a little cayenne pepper or something to g...

This week's share: - Eggplant - Yellow squash - Hot peppers - Potatoes - Heirloom tomatoes - Baby tomatoes - Cantaloupe - Beets - Cucumbers - Garlic Until today, I had only managed to cut up the cantaloupe from the share this week. I could smell it ripening on the counter. So I needed an easy way to use up a few different vegetables today and came up with a pasta primavera. Every vegetable, apart from the additional small peppers, came from the farm share. Epicurious adds lemon zest, pine nuts, and crushed red pepper, which might some good ideas for next time. Farfalle Primavera INGREDIENTS 1 purple pepper, thinly sliced 2-3 small red & orange peppers 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced 1/2 large yellow squash, thinly sliced 1 cup baby tomatoes, halved 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 cup fresh basil 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed 8 oz farfalle pasta 1/4 cup grated Parmesan 2 Tbsp Olive oil Salt & pepper DIRECTIONS 1. Cook the pasta per package instructions, drain, and set as...

This week from the farm, we received: - Eggplant - Yellow squash - Fresh onion - Tomatoes - cherry, grape, peach, indigo, roma - Cucumbers - Carrots - Salad greens - Watermelon It's near the end of summer and that means all of the good stuff is coming in season! We got a beautiful little watermelon this week, and all the different color tomatoes are ready to pick. The heirloom tomatoes these past two weeks has made one of our favorite Chinese comfort foods extra delicious -  https://thewoksoflife.com/stir-fried-tomato-and-egg/ . The peppers and onions went into some enormous bean quesadillas. Then the leftover peppers went into a salad for lunch. The watermelon got sliced up for snacking and muddled into cocktails, like this one  https://leanneray.com/fresh-watermelon-mint-fizz/ . Hopefully, I can pickle some onions this week and snack my way through all the baby tomatoes.  Despite my best intentions to make zucchini muffins last week, I waited too long, and some of the z...

This week from the farm: - Beets - Carrots - Zucchini - Yellow squash - Salad greens - Cucumbers - Heirloom tomatoes - Baby tomatoes - Kale It must be peak tomato season because we got almost 3 lb of tomatoes, plus the ones we picked ourselves. I bought green peppers today to make a traditional Andalusian gazpacho with cucumbers, tomatoes, and garlic from the CSA. I am still getting way more zucchini than I know what to do with. A week or so ago, I roasted the squash in wedges with chunks of onion and made sandwiches with hummus and the roasted beets, tomato, and cucumber - I guess I will have to have repeat performance! The carrots were also accumulating in the fridge (I had about 2 weeks worth) so I decided to blanch and freeze them for later. I will definitely appreciate them next time I make stew. I only got 2 beets this week, but it was just the right amount to steam, slice and pickle with garlic and crushed red peppers. Spicy Pickled Beets 1/3 cup distilled white vinegar 1/3 cup ...

This week's CSA included: - Beets (red) - Multi-colored carrots - Cucumbers (3!) - Eggplant - Kale - Fresh onions  - Summer squash - Zucchini - Watermelon I am all kale-d out by now, so I was pleased to find a happy recipient for it. I already used kale for smoothies, omelets and kale chips. When I made baked chicken wings, I roasted my beets at the same time. Two of the cucumbers ended up in a Chinese cucumber salad, and the third ended up in a cocktail. The eggplant made some delicious caponata, and that used some of the fresh onions as well. The zucchini & yellow squash will find their way into a stir fry hopefully before next week.  Recipes: https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-cucumber-salad/ https://cookieandkate.com/cucumber-mint-gimlet-recipe/ https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/classic-caponata-232539

This weeks' 1/2 share included: - Kale - Zucchini - Summer squash - Cucumbers - Arugula - Radicchio - Salad greens - Carrots - Golden beets We had an unexpected house guest last week, which took up most of our time, and prevented us from doing a lot of cooking. However, he did make us a beautiful Greek dinner his last night in town, and the tzatziki was a great way to use the cucumber and dill. Now it's Sunday, and most of the vegetables are still taking up space in the fridge. The squash needs to be cooked, salads need to be made. Dinner was Greek-themed wraps to use up leftover chicken and tzatziki, as well as greens and cucumbers from the share. The kale had to go, so I washed and (thoroughly) dried the kale, tousled them with some olive oil and salt, and threw them in the oven at 300 degrees. After 10 minutes, I rotated the baking sheet and then gave it another 10-15 minutes. Once they were nice and crisp, I sprinkled on some garlic powder. The golden beets were to challeng...

I took a week off for my friend's wedding, but I am back in the kitchen this week, prepping foods from my farm share. Our half of the share included: - Cucumber - Salad turnips - Fennel - Yellow squash - Zucchini - Carrots - Pointed Cabbage - Broccoli - Salad greens - Herbs We still had greens left over, so the first thing I did was prep the cucumber, turnips and carrots for a salad. We have used those cut up veggies for multiple salads this week. The yellow squash and basil we sliced up and put on 2 different pizzas - 1 with red sauce, 1 with pesto. The broccoli will probably be frozen for later, and the zucchini will end up in a fried rice. The fennel was my biggest question mark this week. I went to Martha Stewart to tell me how to use this uncommon vegetable, and she had a roasted tomato, fennel, and basil relish. Initially, I wanted to cut the recipe in half because it makes 3 cups, but I also wanted to use up all the fennel, so I left the quantities as they we...

A few months ago, we grabbed some marinated Chicken Shawarma from Trader Joe's and were pleasantly surprised how well it turned out by just baking it in the oven. We paired the chicken with pita, tzatziki sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and cucumber. Any meal that gets praised in my house is worth repeating. So, I looked through a few homemade marinade recipes and decided to try it out for myself. The NYT recipe looked like the best option, because the chicken was also meant to be baked after it was marinated.  INGREDIENTS 2 lemons, juiced 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp olive oil 12 cloves garlic 1 tsp kosher salt 2 tsp black pepper 2 tsp cumin 2 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp turmeric A pinch of ground cinnamon Red pepper flakes, to taste 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley DIRECTIONS 1. Prepare a marinade for the chicken. Combine the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon...

I was baking once per week when I was quarantined at home, and I am only baking more often now, as I have been trying to share some homemade baked goods with the hard-working nurses and doctors at work. This bread recipe was a big hit with my coworkers, and it was a great way to use up loose leaf tea that had been sitting around in the cabinet. Looking at the ingredients and the nutrition information now afterwards, I think I could probably cut back on the oil - just 1/3 cup less would save me 80 calories and 9 g fat per serving.  INGREDIENTS 1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for pan 1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup oat flour 1/4 cup ground flax seeds 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt ½ tsp. baking powder ½ tsp. baking soda 2 large eggs 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt 3 Tbsp. loose-leaf Earl Grey tea or ¼ cup tea from bags 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2 Tbsp sliced honey almonds DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly coat ...

It's week 2 of the CSA and here's what we received: 1 head broccoli 1 cucumber 3 heads lettuce, including 1 romaine, 1 red leaf 1 bag spinach 1 handful garlic scapes 1 kohl rabi 1 rainbow chard 1 bunch of salad turnips (5-6) 1 bunch of green onions (6-8) 2 yellow squash 3 zucchini PYO basil PYO strawberries The broccoli from last week had to be frozen because we never ate it - it got blanched and bagged up on Tuesday. At the same time I steamed the swiss chard to go with some macaroni and cheese, I cooked the shelling peas leftover from last week, and I marinated some chicken for the next day's dinner. We washed all the salad greens, and I chopped up the cucumber in combination with some halved grape tomatoes. Last night, we had a meditarranean-style chicken on a whole wheat pita, with a mix of salad greens, a sprinkling of cucumber and tomato, and a drizzle of tahini. Then I made a salad for today's lunch of salad greens, cucumber, tomato, chicken an...

CSA season is like a marathon of food preparation, and it started yesterday. Last season, I found it stressful to find ways to use all the different vegetables, to the point where I couldn't wait to give them away and I got angry when I forgot to use them up in the forms of veggie kabobs for bbqs, or side dishes at parties and dinners. Eating healthy shouldn't be so stressful. So this season, we are splitting the share with another couple and I am going to get organized and enlist help. This week's box included: kale spinach  red leaf lettuce  spring mix bok choy broccoli radishes scallions garlic scapes  PYO snap peas  PYO strawberries  PYO lavender Last night when we got the box, we washed all the greens, and made our own proprietary salad mix that we put in an old supermarket container. I chopped up the broccoli and put the green onions in water. Tonight I made a radish and greens salad with a homemade mustard dressing from epicuri...

I love it when I stumble on something so easy and good. This recipe is adapted from two different sources, and serves 2 hungry people. Depending on how big a fillet you use, you may have a bit leftover for lunch the next day. I paired it with steamed french green beans and brown rice, but it could go with pretty much any kind of vegetable/ grain combo. The nutrition profile looks a little crazy, but keep in mind that there is going to be marinade left in the baking dish. Hopefully, you are probably not drinking the remaining marinade, but it's still good to know what the worst-case scenario is. INGREDIENTS 1/2-2/3 pound salmon fillets 3-4 garlic cloves, crushed 3 Tbsp soy sauce 3 Tbsp cup brown sugar 3 Tbsp cup water 2 Tbsp vegetable oil 1/2 lemon's juice DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 400 degrees. with a rack in the center. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved.  Place fish in a l...

Now that I've made a few loaves, watched way too many Youtube videos and read a few blogs, here is what I've gleaned about sourdough so far: - The water in recipes is more of a suggestion than a rule - judgment and feel is everything - Add some of the water, and keep the rest to the side, adjust as needed - Bread flour has more protein than all-purpose flour, allowing for more gluten development - Whole wheat flour decreases gluten development, and should be used in combination with other flours - A levain can be the starter itself, or it can refer to the step where you soak flour, water, and starter together for a period of time prior to adding the rest of the ingredients - The autolyze step can range from 30 minutes to 4 hours - The dough should be sticky and wet in the initial phase - Proof the dough at room temperature for more sour bread, and at 80-90 degrees for less sour flavor - When proofing overnight in the fridge, make sure to lock in the mois...

On Monday, I said I would make another attempt at a loaf. After much debate on technique, we ultimately decided to try the "baking with babish" technique of using a levain but it kind of veered off of the recipe pretty quickly from there. After being refrigerated overnight, and multiple rounds of folding, we proofed half of the dough in the oven like America's test kitchen, and the other half we stuck in the fridge to make the next day. The first loaf came out short, but super airy, with a nice crunch - perfect for bruschetta, dipping in soup, with slices of cheese or tapenade. The second loaf was taller, and had the beautifully darkened crust, and sour flavor, but had fewer, smaller air pockets - more like a sandwich bread.

I waited about 8 1/2 days for my sourdough to ripen. From Saturday until 2 Mondays later, I analyzed every bubble, and the consistency of every discard. Although the bubbles started after 24 hours, and persisted for the first 7 days, the loaf we attempted on Day 7 was a bit flat. After proofing overnight, the second half of that batch showed some small holes that were not visible before. I knew we were close. Today when fed the yeast at noon, I can finally say that it is doubling in size and bubbling not only on top but also throughout the container. Success! Meanwhile, I have been working hard to use up the leftover starter. - Last Wednesday, I made date walnut bread - minus the fresh cranberries ( https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-date-nut-cranberry-muffins-recipe ) - Then Thursday I made another loaf to give away - Friday we made homemade pizza crust with just flour, water, salt and olive oil ( https://www.food.com/recipe/sourdough-pizza-crust-987...

Working from home during the quarantine has also allowed me to entertain the idea of making breads that I never would have thought to make. It seems like bread-making is super trendy right now, and with little prospect of buying yeast, I jumped on the sourdough wagon and began feeding my own starter a few days ago. I used sprouted wheat flour to start, and it was already bubbling throughout at the 24 hour mark. Link :  https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/sourdough-starter-recipe ) I read a post or two on the guilt involved in discarding so much flour throughout this process. So I am interested to see if I will be able to use the sourdough discard for anything useful. I have seen sourdough pizza, crackers and all sorts of things, but it is harder to find recipes that use the early discard that is not fully matured. What I was making before is a lot of breakfast breads or tea cakes (whatever you want to call them), and I figure the first few discards will be perfect for those...

I love poppy seeds. I love them in muffins, on bagels, and as a dessert filling. I like sprinkling them on avocado toast, and sneaking them into recipes whenever possible. Lemon poppy seed bread is just the combination of two foods that I love. The first time I tried this recipe, it didn't seem quite lemon-y enough, but it was still a delicious breakfast to look forward to. When I went back to it two weeks later, I realized the lack of lemon was because I didn't add the lemon glaze or the syrup. So the second time around, I amped up the lemon flavor in the bread, knowing I didn't want the added sugar from the glaze. After all this is breakfast, not dessert, which I why I also switched out some of the regular flour as well.  I want to try this recipe one more time with less wax-y lemons, and I think the flavor will really pop. Then I want to try cutting back on the sugar, and maybe add some pea protein. INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup oat flour ...

One of our last purchases from Costco in preparation for our self-isolation was Greek yogurt. We were able to get the low sugar Chobani for less than $1/ container. The low sugar variety is especially delicious in combination with Bear Naked Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Granola . But our supply of granola is running low, so I tried my hand at making my own. If the homemade version is actually healthier, I would make it more often! According to their website, 1/2 cup of the store bought version has about 300 calories, and 17 g of fat. The original recipe made 5 cups, suggesting 1/10 of my new recipe would be about 1/2 cup. In actuality, this new recipe has even more calories and fat - 400 calories and 19 g fat per 1/2 cup. INGREDIENTS 3 cups Trader Joe's quick cook steel cut oats 1 cup sliced almonds (or any nut) 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup Nutella 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or honey) 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup semi-swe...

We have been stocking up in case we have to quarantine for weeks. Last Friday, I told my boyfriend I would stop by Haymarket and the grocery store after work to pick up a few more things. When I came home, I found that I had brought soft corn tortillas, he bought hard taco shells. I bought a crispy french baguette, he bought a loaf of everything bread. I bought 5 lbs of carrots, he bought baby carrots. I tucked the 5 lbs of carrots away in the back of the fridge, hoping they would stay good for a while. And a week later, there is not a can of soup to be found on the shelves, so I am making my own carrot ginger soup in case we end up sick in bed pretty soon. Ingredients 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 2 cup chopped yellow onions 8 garlic cloves, smashed 4 heaping cups chopped carrots 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 4 tablespoons white wine 4 cups vegetable broth Sea salt and fresh black pepper 1 teaspoon maple syrup, or to taste (optional) coconut milk for garni...

The coronavirus is becoming more and more real every day. People are starting to practice "social distancing", and we have accepted that we probably shouldn't go out in crowds anymore. So instead of going to our friend's party tomorrow and watching Boston's St. Patrick's day parade. We will be sharing brunch with an intimate group tomorrow morning. I volunteered to make quiche, because it is the easiest way to consume eggs with a crowd, and I can at least make sure there are vegetables involved. I originally wanted to do a red onion & gruyere combo, which I still think would be good. But I had a block of Manchego already in the house, so I added red peppers to go with the more Spanish vibe. I normally don't shy away from whole eggs, but I had egg whites already, so I figured I would stretch my small egg supply. INGREDIENTS 1/2 red onion 1/2 red bell pepper 1/2 cup shaved Manchego cheese 3 cloves garlic 3/4 cup unflavored soy milk 2 eggs, ...

Last week in our rush to get stocked up for the quarantine, we stocked up on protein, but chicken was hard to come by. Normally, I would frown on eating such large quantities of red meat. But the stores have absolutely no chicken right now, so we have beef short rib and rack of lamb instead. I will eat them because it is what I have available, but it doesn't mean I can't also load up on vegetables and whole grains! Ingredients 1 lb beef short rib 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 Tbsp honey 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped 4 cloves garlic, halved 1 cup shaved carrots 1 cup finely shredded red cabbage 1/2 cup coarsely shredded cucumber 1/4 cup snipped fresh cilantro Directions 1. Trim fat from meat. Place meat in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, in a blender or food processor combine onion, honey, water, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Cover and blend or process until smooth. Pour marinade over meat. ...

From the archives... originally written in 2018... The last time I mentioned this quiche was back in 2011. But, I have definitely used this recipe over and over again. Short on time and need to make lunch for the week? Make a quiche! Want to bring food to a friend with a new baby and cook for yourself too? Make two quiches! In the past month or so, I have been experimenting with the ratio of eggs to milk, as well as using milk alternatives, such as soymilk. Ultimately, I like the recipe as it is. The soymilk made the quiche inflate in the oven more than normal, and it collapsed once it came out. It was "original" (i.e. not vanilla) soymilk, but it still had some sweetness to it and it was a little weird the first day. For some reason, the sweetness had dissipated on Days 2 & 3, which made it more palatable. Although it seems like a lot of milk to add, the texture was very much impacted by using less. So, this is one recipe, I do recommend you follow pretty closely. ...

It's early March, and at work we are just starting to think about what we are going to planting in the garden. Meanwhile, I've been enjoying the last few weeks of winter vegetables - roasted sweet potatoes, onions and garlic galore, and now Brussels sprouts. While dinner was baking in the oven today, I was prepping this sprout-gnocchi combo for lunch tomorrow. I let it cool, packed it up, and threw the vinaigrette in an empty jar for tomorrow. Ingredients 2 Meyer lemons 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered 1 (12 ounce) package  refrigerated gnocchi 1/2 medium onion, sliced 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided ½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided ¼ teaspoon salt, divided ¼ cup slivered oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes Directions 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 2. Slice and seed 1 lemon. Toss in a large bowl with Brussels sprouts, gnocchi, 2 Tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet. ...

A few weeks ago, I discovered this amazing produce market in Watertown. I don't think I've ever been to a proper market that was over 50% just fresh produce. It was the sort of the place that if you wanted some exotic vegetable and didn't know where to get it, you always knew you could go there. I was excited to be there, but also was trying to not go overboard. So, when I saw some good-looking snow peas, I picked out a few, but not too many. I figured they would just end up in a stir-fry or something. But a few days later, they still had not been cooked, and I found this recipe from chowhound that was well-suited to what I had on hand. My boyfriend's only complaint? I didn't make enough. It looks like I'll have a chance to make it for him again since snow peas are just coming into season. Ingredients 1/8 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoons red wine 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar 1 teaspoons cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar 1/4 teaspoon red pepper f...

This past fall, I had an urge to make an apple pie, and bought 2 lbs of honeycrisp apples. Then I was surprised with a last minute trip to the UMass experimental apple orchard. I was inundated with apples. This apple pie was wonderfully light, and the cornstarch helped to form a lovely thick applesauce at the bottom. Next year, I will have to try it with a whole wheat crust. Ingredients 1 frozen 9" pie crust 1 1/2 pounds (907 g) Honeycrisp apples, peeled 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar 1/4 cup (53 g) dark brown sugar 1 1/2 tablespoon (10 g) cornstarch 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 tablespoon (32 g) cider Directions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake the frozen crust on the bottom rack just until the edges barely begin to turn golden, 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely. Use a sharp knife to quarter the apples, then I core...

I painted myself into a corner this week, metaphorically speaking. I proposed to my boss that we offer staff heart healthy recipes during American Heart Month, in February, on a weekly basis. Then I said I would make one of the recipes, and when I proposed egg bites, she liked the idea so much, I couldn't change her mind afterward. I would have been fine making egg bites, except almost recipe I had found had some form of cheese or processed meat, and how is that heart healthy? The one exception was the recipe I found from whole foods , but my boyfriend/ test subject is allergic to mushrooms, and I felt that just vegetables lacks the pizzazz required to win people over to the side of "healthy can still taste good". So, I was forced to invent something, which for better or for worse is in my oven right now. These new egg bites were inspired by muhammara from Turkey and the nutty omelets of Dubai. Ingredients 2 cups pasteurized egg whites or 8 whole eggs 12...