Catch-Up...Last Week's Veggies

I haven't been the best lately about photographing and posting our veggies from Two Smalls Farms each week. Last week was a beautiful box, so I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of our loot. Here it is! ...including the huge red cabbage that I finally finished today! When my co-workers saw my lunch yesterday and today I definitely got a few "Wow...red cabbage AGAIN??" Good thing I love it!

Red Cabbage Salad

This is a pretty simple recipe, but I thought I'd share it with you anyway since it's a classic French salad. I've been reading Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee, which has inspired me to write my recipes in a more stream of consciousness manner.

Start with a very fresh head of red cabbage and cut it in half. Then cut one of the halves in half. Keep one quarter of the cabbage out and put the remaining pieces in the fridge. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice the cabbage very thinly, and then give the entire pile a few chops so that the cabbage slices are not too long to eat easily.

Next make the vinaigrette in the bottom of a salad bowl. Combine a few small spoonfuls of dijon mustard with a splash of red wine vinegar. I don't ever measure this so I can't give you specifics. I like to stick my nose in the bowl and smell to see if there's a nice mustard-vinegar balance. Add some salt and freshly cracked pepper. Next, slowly drizzle oil into the mustard mixture while beating it with a fork or whisk. I like to use a combination of walnut oil and olive oil. I find that if I use only olive oil, my vinaigrette comes out a bit too fruity. As you whisk in the olive oil, the mixture should emulsify. If you notice that the vinegar and oil are separating, slow down or stop the stream of oil and continue to beat the mixture. Once it begins coming together again, add a little bit more oil (again, I never measure...some people prefer a more vinegary vinaigrette- i.e. me- and some prefer more oily, it's up to you to decide what you like!).

Delicata Squash Macaroni & Cheese

Once again I've let several weeks go by between posts. This must be a sign that it's no longer summer, and I'm back to work. I'm loving my internship at the preschool, and I'm still cooking fairly often....just not taking the time to photograph and write about the food. I'm going to try to be better though!

This recipe was one I just had to post because Trevor loved it so much. A supposedly "healthy" version of mac and cheese, by Martha Stewart. I actually found the recipe on Kitchen Gadget Girl's blog, as she planned on cooking this up for her family after receiving a squash in her CSA box a few weeks ago. Seeing as we belong to the same CSA (Two Small Farms...a great option if you're looking for a local food source!), we also received squash in our box a few weeks ago. In fact, we've gotten some delicata squash, some butternut and a sugar pie pumpkin...and this is just the beginning of the fall/winter squash season (and I love it!). Winter squash are wonderful because they're so versatile, and you can save them for a long time before using them if you're overwhelmed with other more perishable veggies. Plus, they're so wonderfully comforting and bring about a strong feeling that fall has finally arrived!

The "Healthy Macaroni and Cheese" recipe from Martha Stewart calls for 1 small butternut squash, but you can substitute any winter squash. Kabocha would be great if you have one, but I had delicata squash, so I decided that would do the trick. As I mentioned earlier, my husband Trevor loved this recipe and would never have guessed that there was squash in the mix so I guess this is a good thing if you're cooking for a picky eater.

Ingredients for 6 servings:
1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp coarse salt, plus more for water
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound macaroni or shell pasta
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
4 Tbsp grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs
1 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, seed and cut the squash into 1-inch pieces. Combine the squash, stock and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes). Spoon the squash into a food mill (or alternatively, smash with a fork), and puree the squash, milk and stock together. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, 3/4 tsp salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt. Stir in macaroni pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta and 2 Tbsp of Parmesan. Stir until well integrated.
3. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer pasta mixture to dish. Mix breadcrumbs, remaining Parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over pasta.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top- about 30 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Sick gourmet?

Friday marked the end of my third week of my Student Teaching at a preschool for children with special needs. It has been a wonderful experience so far and, of course, the kiddos are absolutely adorable and mostly well-behaved. I've loved it so far. As I neared the end of week 3 and had not yet gotten sick, despite the dozens of children sneezing all over me, I thought I must have an immune system of steel. Friday morning I woke up feeling great, at 10am the runny nose started, by noon the soar throat was in full swing, and by Saturday morning I had a fever that lasted the rest of the day. Gosh these kiddo germs sure are strong!! Needless to say, I haven't had the energy or appetite to cook much these last few days.

Friday night, I did muster up the energy to make a sausage, potato and cabbage soup that warmed me up and upped my vitamin C (from the cabbage). Saturday was leftover cabbage soup for lunch and pâtes au beurre ("pasta with butter") for dinner. This morning, I'm starting to feel a little better, and suggested we have an omelet for breakfast. After all, we still have tons of veggies in our fridge that cannot be ignored!

Well my sweet sweet husband took charge (i.e. would not let me help with anything), and created an absolutely scrumptious omelet with cherry tomatoes, avocado, scallions, onion, turkey sausage and feta cheese. The sausage had a nice smokey taste and the feta was a perfect complement of flavors. The tomatoes were also a perfect addition. At this rate, I'll be better in no time! Thank you sweet husband.

Two Small Farms

A few weeks ago, we decided to try out a new CSA, after a recommendation from Kitchen Gadget Girl. Her photo of purple cauliflower pushed me over the edge, and I decided it was time to try CSAs again. We stopped using Eating with the Seasons earlier this year, because there wasn't enough variety of produce, and the quality of the produce was a bit unpredictable. We're only on week 2 with Two Small Farms, but so far, we're extremely satisfied. The value is phenomenal ($22/week)- great quality, LOTS of produce, plus they include one or two herbs each week. We're doing a 4-week trial right now, and honestly, I'm not sure if we'll continue just because we can't keep up with all the produce. But I'm definitely a satisfied customer.

Here is what came in the box last week:

We got: Carrots, potatoes, onions, broccoli, fennel, Serrano peppers, tomatoes, a sugar pie pumpkin, and a bag of lettuce mix.

And here is what we got this week:


And a view from the top:

This week's box included: Basil, golden beets, 2 heads of orange cauliflower, San Marzano tomatoes, scallions, bell peppers, a big bunch of chard, a head of romaine lettuce, and celery.

I'll keep you updated on whether we end up sticking with it. It's a wonderful program, I just can't keep it up if food is going to go to waste.

Coconut Lemongrass Soup with Tofu

I realize that many of my blog posts begin something like: "So I was at the farmer's market the other day, and found some amazing _____, which inspired me to make ______." But what's a girl to do? The farmer's market is my inspiration, so it's only fair that my dishes be based on my local finds.

This post is no different. One of my very favorite vendors at the San Pedro Square market on Fridays in downtown San Jose has a variety of Asian vegetables and herbs. I almost always have to pick up some Chinese eggplant, which is a longer, less spongy version of eggplant. I love the eggplant cut into long slices, brushed with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs, and grilled. Last Friday though, I went for some stalks of lemongrass. I'd been craving coconut lemongrass soup with Thai flavors, and was determined to make some.

I was going for Thai flavors, similar to Tom Kha Gai. But since I'd never made this before, I did a little research online, and based my recipe off of this site and this one. The soup I came up with is not a traditional Tom Kha Gai, because there are no Kaffir lime leaves, or galangal, but I did get a nice lemongrass coconut flavor, which was exactly what I was looking for. Even with the warm weather we've been having, this was a very satisfying meal.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Carrots, cut into julienne
2 Anaheim bell peppers, thinly sliced
1/2 lb white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 head broccoli, cleaned and cut into florets
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cans coconut milk
2 Serrano or Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced
2 stalk lemongrass, cut into 2-inch pieces and crushed
6 slices ginger
zest from 2 limes
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 package firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
juice from 2 limes
cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

• Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan. Add carrots, and saute for 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, and add garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
• Pour in broth and coconut milk. Stir in ginger, lemongrass, chili peppers, lime zest, brown sugar, fish sauce and Anaheim bell peppers. Simmer soup for 15 minutes.
  
• Add tofu & mushroom slices and lime juice to soup and continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
  
• Add broccoli and cook for another 5 minutes.
• At this point, taste the soup to decide if it has enough heat for you. I used Serrano chilies (would have preferred Thai chilies), and the soup was not spicy enough for my taste. So I added about 1/8-1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. Make sure to only add a tiny bit at a time, and retaste. You can always add more spice, but you can't take any away, so be careful!
• Garnish with cilantro just before serving. Enjoy!
  

On waking up.

I'm not sure what's gotten into me recently. For the last month or so, I've been in a rut with my cooking and, as a result, with life in general. I can't pinpoint exactly why I lost my motivation for one of my passions (cooking...duh), but one day it was there, and the next day it just vanished. Poof! I think everyone goes through lulls in life, so I wasn't too worried about getting my foodie mojo back...it was just a matter of when. How many times would I open a new page in this blog and have absolutely no idea what I should write about? How long would it feel like a chore to put dinner on the table?

Well friends, today something turned around inside of me and I'm starting to feel myself wandering back to my kitchen, and thus to me. I'm starting to feel alive again. For those of you who don't understand how a "food rut" could affect someone so much, try to compare it to anything you are truly passionate about. We all go through these lulls in life. Maybe it's just a chance to regroup and realize why you fell in love with your passion in the first place.

So, in honor of my "awakening," I'm making lemongrass coconut soup for dinner and toasting with a glass of wine tonight. And to my readers (all 3 of you out in the blogosphere), I tip my glass to you. Here's to life's passions.

Grilled Lamb Steaks and Bell Peppers

The Campbell farmer's market has been growing and adding more and more vendors recently. Among them include a guy who sells raw milk (the same brand that you can buy at whole foods, but for cheaper!), a "live chocolate" vendor, and (my personal favorite) a grassfed meat seller! Oh happy day! Now I can buy my grassfed beef and lamb straight from a local ranch without having to deal with ordering in advance and picking up from someone's house in San Jose. I've done this a few times through Paicines Ranch, and they've been wonderful. It's just nice to have an option that requires less planning ahead. From what I understand, the grassfed beef from Prather Ranch (at the Campbell Farmer's Market) is local, but the lamb comes from a farm in Oregon. We've been getting the beef for a few months now, but decided to try the lamb this week. Trevor cooked up the steaks on the grill, along with some Anaheim bell peppers (also from the farmer's market), and all was delicious. I didn't get any pictures of the finished product, but here are a few of the ingredients from our simple yet tasty dinner.