A Food Adventure

For a while now, I have been interested in taking advantage of all of the wonderful, delicious, locally grown produce that is available to us living here in East TN.  There are several local farms that over a crop share for a fee where you are guaranteed fresh, organic fruits and vegetables available for pick up every week.  Jonathan and I did some talking and a bit of research and decided that we would give it a try.  Doing the math, it broke down to a reasonable amount of money each week and guaranteed us fresh, seasonal food that was also organic. 

Our first harvest from the CSA (crop share) that we joined arrived last Thursday.  We decided to take on this endeavor with some friends of ours, the Slagers, so we are actually sharing a large "box" each week.  Mia Slager and I take the time to divide the spoils each week and also share ideas on how to cook and prepare each thing.  It's only been a bit over a week, but we are already loving it. 

Look at all of the stuff we got last week at our first pick-up:

Isn't this a ton of food!?  Now, keep in mind that this is the entire large share that Mia and I split.  But even after we split it, we had tons of fresh produce.  This first week included fresh strawberries, two heads of cauliflower, two heads of broccoli, radishes, garlic, leafy green lettuce, romaine lettuce, and Swiss chard.

Things I learned from my first week:  When Mia brought the food over, we washed everything quickly and divided up the food.  I found out through the course of the week that some of the lettuce did not get washed well enough.  So, last night after we got our second week's worth of food, I washed everything very closely.  I took every piece of fresh lettuce and washed it well, removing all dirt.  This will hopefully diminish our loss of food and will keep any little creatures from living and eating off of our veggies before we consume them.  (I did find a little caterpillar that had fattened up on my broccoli last week).

 Cauliflower:  When it came to cooking the cauliflower, I followed a recipe that my mother-in-law suggested.  It's so simple.  Basically, you cut the stalks of the cauliflower a bit shorter than usual.  You want mostly the tops off.  I tossed it in a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted it on a lined baking sheet at 350 until the cauliflower was pretty brown.  It wasn't just tender, it was browned.  The flowerettes crisped up and actually seemed to take on an entirely new flavor as they carmelized in the olive oil.  Delicious!  Our kids tried it because Jonathan and I were raving about how delicious it was.

 These berries were so ripe and so sweet that they made the strawberries I typically by at the grocery seem terrible.  I must confess that only I enjoyed these berries.  The kids were sleeping over at the grandparents' house, and I couldn't stop eating them.  They were gone before I went to bed that first night!

 These were the largest radishes I have ever seen!

This is how I wash and dry the lettuce before storing them in the fridge.  This way I hope to get the longest life out of them!  I wrap the lettuces in paper towel to absorb any excess water after washing them and store them in Ziploc bags.  It seemed to work pretty well this first week.

As far as other things I did with the produce, we made taco salads on Memorial Day with the lettuce and I gave my radishes to my in-laws.  I am not a fan!  I still have the Swiss chard which I am going to sautee this weekend to have it wilt with some olive oil in a skillet. 

I do want to show you a picture of the produce I received yesterday for our second week.

This is a picture off of my phone, so the quality isn't that great.  This is just my portion, but as you can see, it's a ton of food.  We received a huge head of cabbage (which I cut in half for Mia and I), another huge head of romaine lettuce, a head of red bibb lettuce (I think), fresh spinach, strawberries, and some squash and garlic.  I hope to make some yummy stuff this week including some chicken lettuce wraps!  Also, I may experiment with making a green smoothie with my fresh spinach, but if not, I'll just wilt it as a side-dish for dinner one night this week.

I am loving this food challenge!  I really love to cook and having access to these wonderful foods is not only beneficial to our health, but it is pushing me to cook more and to cook healthfully.  Our kids are open to trying new things more than they ever have before.  I hope that this experience continues to benefit us and broadens our horizons a bit!  So far, it is really fun and really tasty!

I will do my best to document some of our food and how things are going with the CSA.  I won't even try to plan for a weekly post because--as we all know--I won't be able to keep up with that.  We have lots of busy weeks ahead, so I will try my hardest!  Do any of you participate? If so, I'd love to follow along on your journey and find out what you are doing with your food.  I love new recipes!

Spinach Maria

I have many recipes up my sleeves that I want to share.  I don't know if it's the second trimester or this cold weather, but something has kicked this little momma's tail into high-cooking gear.  If you feel inclined, please come and remove my Pioneer Woman cookbook.  I.just.can't.stop.

Anyway, for Christmas day this year, my mother gave me a recipe for a Spinach Maria that I prepared to along with our delicious roast dinner that my mom made.  It was wonderful, so I have to share.  Unfortunately, I don't have a picture, but just close your eyes and imagine spinach divineness!

Spinach Maria

Ingredients:
3 packages (10 oz. each) of frozen, chopped spinach
2 14 oz. cans of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
1.5 Tablespoons Worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup cream (light or heavy, depending on your preference or what you have on hand)
1 8oz. cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes (easier to melt)
1 stick butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Defrost spinach in microwave or follow instructions for stovetop cooking.  Drain well, making sure you squeeze excess water out thoroughly.  In a large saucepan, melt butter.  Place spinach in a large saucepan, adding cut-up cream cheese.  Stir well until melted.  Add chopped artichoke hearts, Worchestershire sauce, and cream.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Place in a casserole dish, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs (and even some Parmesan cheese if you want to!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly!

*On Christmas Day, I halved this recipe because there were only about 4-5 of us eating it, and we had TONS of other food.  It was wonderful!
*To be honest, I would feel free to add as much cream and cream cheese to this as you prefer.  If the consistency is too thick for your preference, add some more to make it more liquidy (Is that even a word!?) or creamy.  The measurements I included above are estimates, as I am the type to just make things up or make changes as I go along.  (I don't always follow the recipe exactly.  Don't tell anyone, ok?)
*Now that I have royally confused everyone, including myself, I hope you enjoy this yummy side dish.  I just love spinach, and it is so good for you!

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

If you need a delicious and fail-proof side dish for dinner, this is a great go-to recipe!  These oven-roasted potatoes go great with hamburgers, grilled chicken or porkchops, or even a steak!  We love these, and because they are baked and not fried, I think they are a much healthier option.

Oven-Roasted Potatoes

2-5 lbs of potatoes (I prefer red potatoes, but will use whatever I have on hand)
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
Italian seasoning or lemon peppper seasoning

Directions:
Wash and scrub potatoes, removing dirt and cutting off any "bad"parts.  Cut potatoes into bite-sized cubes, trying to make all of the potatoes relatively the same size.  Place potatoes in a large bowl. 

Drizzle a 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil over potatoes, then stir until all are lightly coated (add more olive oil if necessary).  Liberally salt and pepper potatoes.  Add your favorite seasoning, stirring to even distribute all of the flavorings.

Place potatoes on a large baking sheet covered in foil or parchment paper; spray with a nonstick spray as they are quite prone to stick.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-30 minutes until potatoes are soft and beginning to brown. Check occasionally and stir, if necessary.

Bean Salad

UMMMM!  We had dinner last night at my in-laws, and my mother-in-law had this wonderful, cold bean salad to accompany our supper.  It was so delicious, light, and refreshing!  Plus, I believe this is a healthy side item including lots of fiber, protein, and very little fat.  Jonathan loved it, and it just seemed so perfect for a warm, summer night!

Bean Salad

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup of red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional....we didn't have this in ours)

Directions:
Drain and rinse beans.  Chop peppers, onions, and cilantro.  Combine beans and vegetables in a bowl.  Add red wine vinegar and cayenne (if using), and stir until salad is covered.  Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.  The longer it sits, the better!  Serve chilled!

Delicious! Light! Perfect!

Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen hashbrown potatoes (2 lb. bag)
4-6 tablespoons of butter, melted
2 cans cream of chicken soup (I use 98% fat free)
8 oz. sour cream (I use reduced fat)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:

Allow hashbrown potatoes to thaw for several hours or defrost in microwave until no longer frozen.  In a large bowl, combine potatoes, soups, sour cream, cheese, butter, salt and pepper.  Stir gently until fully mixed.  Pour potato mixture into a 9x13" casserole dish.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1.5 hours, or until bubbly and golden on top!


Optional Topping:  1 cup of cornflakes combine with 1/4 cup of melted butter.  Pour over top of potatoes before baking.

Asparagus: Grilled or Roasted

Hands down, our favorite vegetable is Asparagus! Fresh asparagus, might I clarify!

I grew up eating asparagus occasionally, but most of the time it was out of a can or steamed with a lemon-butter sauce. It wasn't until Jonathan and I got married that we started grilling it or roasting it in the oven. Let me tell you: DIVINE!

The best part is that this is fool-proof. The preparation is literally seconds. The cook time is about 30 minutes TOPS. And even better, you can do this with SO many yummy vegetables out there if asparagus just isn't your thing. This is my method of seasoning all kinds of vegetables that I roast in my oven or throw on our grill.

Ingredients: asparagus, olive oil, salt, pepper
Cooking supplies: Foil, cookie sheet/grill pan/iron skillet
Directions:

1 bunch of asparagus, cleaned, dried, and stems trimmed.



You want your asparagus cleaned but not damp or they will not cook properly. They'll steam instead of roasting and you don't want that. Roasting gets them to be that lovely brown, crispy, yumminess.



To trim your asparagus, pick up one stem. Hold one end in each hand and bend it. The lower end (not the tree-looking part) should break off with a snap! Where it snaps is where you want to trim your asparagus.




If you didn't trim it, the very ends would just be hard and stringy and not very tasty. You really should only be cutting away about 1/4 of each stem.



After I snap one asparagus stem, I usually use a knife and just cut the same amount off of the entire bunch.




For roasting: You can do this one of two ways:

1. Line your baking sheet with foil. Lay your cleaned and trimmed asparagus on baking sheet in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as you can). Drizzle olive oil over the top of the asparagus, approximate 1-2 tablespoons. Using your fingers, toss the asparagus stems in the oil until it is distributed evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until asparagus are starting to crisp at the tips! You want them slightly firm, but not crunchy!

2. Place cleaned and trimmed asparagus in seasoned iron skillet. Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus stems, approximately 1-2 tablespoons. Using your fingers, toss the asparagus until oil is evenly distributed. Season with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for 25-30, checking once or twice and tossing asparagus to make sure they are cooking evenly. They are done with crispy at the tips and slightly firm. If you want them more tender, keep on cooking!


For grilling: Line a grill tray with foil. Lay your cleaned and trimmed asparagus on baking sheet in a single layer (or as close to a single layer as you can). Drizzle olive oil over the top of the asparagus, approximate 1-2 tablespoons. Using your fingers, toss the asparagus stems in the oil until it is distributed evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Place grill tray on preheated grill over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, stirring and tossing occasionally so as not to char them. Remove from heat and serve immediately.



***I follow this process exactly with broccoli, squash, and zucchini! So delicious! We LOVE to grill out in the summer and springtime, so the next time you are going to throw some steaks or chicken on the grill, try out some vegetables! You won't regret it!

Spinach Quiche

I love spinach! Spinach dip, spinach pizza, spinach salad, creamed spinach, spinach Florentine. Ummmm. It's so good! This Spinach Quiche is a wonderful and delicious recipe that is great as a vegetarian dinner option, a side dish, or a tasty dish to bring to a brunch or party. I originally got this recipe from a friend of mine from New Orleans, Heather. Once I tasted it, I just had to have the recipe for my own use. I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
1 deep dish pastry pie shell
1 pack frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
3/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, (optional)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tbsp Worcestershire
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
2 cups loosely packed grated cheese, Swiss or Gruyere
1/3 Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prick pastry shell and bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
3. In medium sauce pan, melt butter, then saute onions and parsley. Add spinach and cook 2 minutes. Add flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cayenne, and Worcestershire. Mix well.
4. In a bowl combine eggs, cheese, and milk until thoroughly mixed.
5. Add spinach mixture. Mix well and pour into pastry shell and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

***This recipe is easily doubled and easily frozen!

Roasted Broccoli with Cumin-Chipotle Butter

Oh. My. Yum.

This is SUCH a delicious side.
This is SUCH a simple thing to make.
Surprisingly, this is SUCH a low-calorie recipe.

It's Weight Watchers, actually.

But, don't tell.

Seriously, it is so delicious, you wouldn't even guess that this vegetable/side is good for you.

Here it is:

Roasted Broccoli with Cumin-Chipotle Butter

Ingredients:
5 teaspoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets (approximately 1-1.25 lbs.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. (I always cover my sheets with foil or parchment paper. It makes clean up so simple.)

2. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the salt, cumin, chipotle powder, and sugar. Cook 30 seconds. Toss the butter mixture with the broccoli florets in a large bowl. Place the broccoli on the prepared baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned.

***The chipotle powder was a little difficult for me to find in the spice aisle at my grocery store, but I DID FIND IT. So, look hard!
***You can always adjust the amount of kick in this recipe by adding more or less chipotle. That's where the heat is.
***The Weight Watchers point information is that the recipe above is for 4 servings. Each serving is equal to 1 point.
***I believe this recipe would be equally delicious with brussel sprouts or asparagus. I am hoping to experiment with these in the near future.