The end of another great summer

Another summer has come to a close
the fall leaves have reached their peak
and I'm thinking back on all the wonderful produce
that you provided us with each week

We loved the ritual of going through the basket
planning delicious meals...and without fail
I'd spend hours searching cookbooks
for 1000 ways to cook up kale

We'd look forward to coming by
when Thursdays would roll around
just visiting and chatting and laughing
and seeing friends from our wonderful town

So thank you for each week
that our baskets were filled with love and care
and I'm just THRILLED that I never found
a MUSHROOM in my share!

My new favorite zucchini bread!

My mother-in-law (yes, that's right) made this zucchini bread while visiting last week. It is REALLY fabulous, lower in fat than most recipes I've tried, contains whole wheat flour, and has flavor hints of gingerbread. She couldn't find our loaf pans, so she baked it in a Bundt pan which made a lovely dessert presentation. Overall, highly recommended.

Ingredients
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 C. applesauce
• 1/4 C. oil
• 2 C. granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs. vanilla
• 1 C. whole-wheat flour
• 2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. soda
• 1 Tbs. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 C. zucchini, peel if desired, grated
• 1 C. nuts, chopped, if desired
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together eggs, oil, and applesauce. Add sugar and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in zucchini. Grease and flour loaf pans. Large loaf pans bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Small loaf pans bake approximately 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven to cooling racks and let cool until slightly warm before removing.

summer vege and pesto tart

Here is a recipe I tried this week from Family Fun magazine. We all liked it, and is uses pesto along with many of the vegetables we are getting! I left off the tomatoes because David doesn't like them, and it was still good.

Sautéed zucchini, squash, and corn are tossed with pesto and layered atop a creamy goat cheese filling in this rustic tart. It's a deliciously simple way to use the season's harvest — and it's easily customized with whatever veggies you have on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 refrigerated piecrust (half a 14.1-ounce package), at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 small zucchini, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 2 small yellow squash, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• Kernels cut from 1 ear of sweet corn
• Coarse salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons of your favorite basil pesto
• 2 ounces fresh goat cheese or cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 5 to 10 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
• 5 basil leaves, thinly sliced

X

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a nonstick silicone baking sheet. Place the piecrust on the prepared baking sheet. Fold and pinch a 1/2-inch rim around the edges of the dough, then set it aside.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini, yellow squash, and corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables until they're lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl to cool, then toss them with the pesto.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the goat cheese or cream cheese and the egg until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Use a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread the egg and cheese mixture over the piecrust. Spread the cooked vegetables on top, then evenly scatter the tomatoes and Parmesan over the vegetables. Bake the tart until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let it cool slightly on a wire rack. Sprinkle it with basil before serving. Serves 8.

   
   Nutritional Information

Two green sauces

OK--I feel bad that it's mid-July already and I have yet to post a blog entry sharing a recipe or two. I can't let Cyndi be the only one who seems to be cooking these days! Below are 2 green "sauces" I can't get enough of this summer. Both of them are extremely versatile and I think you'll enjoy them!

Cilantro Dressing

1 1/4 cups packed, coarsely chopped cilantro
1 cup olive oil
5 TBL white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp minced seeded serrano chili (I used a few dashes of red hot sauce instead)

Combine all ingredients in processor. Blend until almost smooth. Season with s&p. Can be made ahead and kept in fridge. Bring to room temp and re-whisk before using.

I keep a jar of this stuff in my fridge and we use it on salad as a dressing, we have it on grilled chicken or shrimp and also mix some into a bowl of rice or couscous.


Garlic Scape Pesto

10 whole garlic scapes chopped up a bit
1/3 c shelled pistachios
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c freshly grated parm cheese
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Add scapes and pistachios to processor. Pulse until finely chopped while slowly adding olive oil. Remove to bowl and mix in cheese and pepper to taste. Add more olive oil if you prefer a wetter pesto.

We also have a jar of this in our fridge and have had it on pasta, shmeared it on a panini before cooking it up and I bet it would also be great on bread and then quickly broiled as a bruschetta.

CSA Egg Rolls

Here is another idea for using your greens which I credit to my friend Anna (a Jericho resident who recently perfected the art of baking egg rolls). I tried this two nights ago, and I was very pleased with the results. I purchased ready-made egg roll wrappers at the grocery store (they come in packages of about 20) and created my own filling. Then I baked them in the oven. I served them with plain rice and duck sauce, but 2 out of 3 kids actually enjoyed them without the sauce, so I know they were good!

Directions:
Chop up a variety of greens and any other veggies that sound good (I used bok choy, a bit of kale, some rabe, and carrots). Add some oriental flavors--definitely lots of fresh ginger, maybe some garlic, scallions, cilantro, water chestnuts, etc. If you have a little bit of meat or fish you want to use up, add that too. Saute quickly in hot oil--everything should be cooked, but hopefully some of the non-green veggies remain crisp. You can also add chopped peanuts and/or sesame seeds.

Use filling to create individual egg rolls (follow folding instructions on package, using water to seal the corners.) Generously oil a couple of baking sheets, throw on the egg rolls, and bake at 385 degrees for about 17 minutes (turning halfway through).

Enjoy!

BP, this "slick" move is for you . . .

I love summer, and being a part of this CSA is one of its many highlights. Of course, right around now the time comes when I struggle to remember what I should be doing with all this kale. A more well-informed and responsible person might spend some time doing a bit of research, testing recipes, getting outside advice, and so forth. But tonight, I thought I would just go for it. After all, what's the worst thing that can happen??? BP-scale disaster?? Not bloody likely.

So I decided to make some soup. I often make tortilla soup during the winter months, but I don't really follow a recipe. I start by sauteing some onion, garlic, and maybe a jalapeno pepper or two. I add carrots, then some broth (chicken or vegetable, depending on what I have on hand), and whatever else sounds good. Then the seasoning game begins . . . salt, cumin, chili powder, cayenne, maybe brown sugar, adobo, black pepper, etc. The most important thing is to cut some corn tortillas into strips and fry them up in salt and oil (not petroleum). They taste great on top of the final product along with some shredded cheese.

Tonight, I made a very slick move---I simply added chopped kale to the almost finished product. Satisfying, crowd-pleasing, healthy, and hearty. AND good for the environment. Take that, BP!

The first basket

Well, Farmer...you've done it again. You started off this CSA season with the most incredible basket of beautiful produce--I actually giggled as I went through it all! My friends who participate in different CSA's still have a few weeks before their first share. I made a maple balsamic fig dressing to have on the mesclun salad and boy--was it ever delicious...those greens were so sweet!
Thank you for such a wonderful start!