Recipes

Independence Days – Weeks 8-11

Posted on July 24, 2009 by Anisa

Genny's chocolate pie with our raspberriesWell it’s time to get caught up on a few things!  I last left this post on E’s birth-day, so while we’ve continued harvesting and eating and what not, I’ve not written it down!

We did get quite a few turnips and raspberries this week.  More raspberries than we’ve ever gotten, in fact.  There are still a few more ripening up, but I’ve been enjoying what we’ve gotten so far.

My lettuces and spinach bolted, so we’re going to be pulling those, and the peas (both the snow peas and the snap peas) are about done too.  So for the last few weeks here’s our report card:

Plant Something –  nada (that I can remember)

Harvest Something – Eggs, including the first mini-eggs from the pullets, turnips… lots of them!, our first zucchini, peas, radishes (a handful), raspberries…

Preserve Something –  green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, garlic, turnips, onions…

Waste Not– recycling, composting, and another big batch of  turnip greens this time.  Also, I packed up maternity clothes to return to my friend who lent them to me (I’m putting this in because instead of being wasteful and buying all new clothes for a few months use, I borrowed).  We’ve also been eating lots of meals made by friends, and the leftover have been great for lunches.

Preparation and Storage – Rick scrubbed out the “new” freezer.  We are solidifying plans for a buffalo (or at least half), as well as mulling over the idea of another pork this fall.

Build Community Food Systems – still spreading the word about the Englewood Farmers Market, Rick worked at the CSA, we shared extra zucchini that was going to go to waste, and we got to try some chicken from a co-op (thanks Genny).

Eat the Food – Since the zucchini are coming on, here’s a recipe from the Great Food Fast cookbook (also on www.marthastewart.com) that uses up a fair amount of summer’s favorite squash.  I’m not a big fan of curry, but this was pretty tasty.  It can be served warm or cold.

Curried Zucchini Soup

1 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
Coarse Salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp curry powder
1.5 lbs zucchini (about 3 medium) sliced 1 inch thick
1 baking potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup sliced almonds (for garnish)

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onion and 1 TBS salt and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are soft.  Add garlic and curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant – about 1 minute.

Add zucchini and potato, and 4 cups of water.  Bring to a boil, and simmer 10-15 minutes until vegetables are soft.  Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth (don’t be tempted to skip this, it does affect the flavor of this soup).  Serve warm, or refrigerate until cool.  Top with sliced almonds.

Note that I paraphrased the instructions, since I didn’t want to write it word for word.  But it’s pretty basic.  🙂  Enjoy!

Rick also thought that it’d be smart to make a large batch of this soup and freeze it for the winter when you have no zucchini.  He’s a pretty smart fella, I think.

Categories: Chickens, Food, Garden, Independence Days, Recipes | 1 Comment

Green Chile & Zucchini Quiche

Posted on July 23, 2009 by Anisa

I had to share this recipe for the best quiche ever!  My good friend, Genny, made two for our family for E’s birth, and she got the recipe from someone who made the quiche for her home birth a few months before that.

It was perfect to eat during or after a birth, since it’s high in protein and easily made from frozen (just reheat in the oven)!  And I thought it was perfect for summer too, since it is a creative and tasty use of summer’s most over abundant food: zucchini!

We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to use vegetables from the farm, or grown in our garden… the squash, onions, garlic, chiles AND eggs!  Rick and I both loved the quiches Genny brought us, and the ones I’ve made since Emmett’s birth as well!  We can’t wait to share it with our friends!

The original recipe calls for a crust made with crackers, but Genny used a premade whole wheat crust, and I loved it, so that’s what I used too.  Here’s the recipe:

Green Chile & Zucchini Quiche

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces)
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 pound freshly grated Monterey jack cheese (about 2 cups)
  • 1 cup whole-milk cottage cheese
  • 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained (I substituted chiles from our freezer)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.   Grate the zucchini, preferably using the grating attachment of a food processor. Toss the zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze the zucchini well with your hands to remove excess moisture. Add the zucchini to the onion and cook over high heat for 3 minutes.

Stir together the flour, the baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until combined. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs until thick and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the Monterey jack and cottage cheeses, the flour mixture, and remaining melted butter to the eggs and beat well. Stir in the zucchini mixture and chiles and pour the mixture into the crust. Bake the quiche in the center of the oven until the top is puffed and golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside at room temperature 5 minutes, cut into wedges, and serve. 

Categories: Childbirth, Community, Food, Recipes | 1 Comment

Adventures in Cinnamon Rolls

Posted on July 13, 2009 by Anisa

Cinnamon 7Early last week, Rick came home talking about cinnamon rolls.  They sounded so good, I started craving them myself.  I am not much of a baker, but I decided to look for a cinnamon roll recipe that would make something resembling a Cinnabon.  I love how gooey Cinnabons are.  The recipes I’ve tried in the past always bake somewhat hard, dry rolls.

Well, thanks to google, this is what I came up with.  It’s adapted from recipes that I found on this blog and this website.

Rolls:
1 (¼ oz). pkg. yeast
1 c. warm (not hot) milk
½ c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 c. all-purpose flour

Filling:
1 c. packed brown sugar
2½ TBS. cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened

Icing:
8 TBS. butter, softened
¼ c. (2 oz.) cream cheese
½ tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1½ c. confectioners sugar

To make Rolls:
Oven to 400° F
1.) Place yeast and milk in a large bowl about 5 minutes.
2.) Whisk in sugar, butter, salt, and eggs. Add flour; mix well.
3.) Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead into a large ball. Cover; let rise 1 hour.
4.) Roll dough into a 21″ x 16″ wide rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.
5.) Spread the dough with softened butter.
6.) Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over entire buttered rectangle.
7.) Roll carefully from long-side. Pinch the ends.
8.) Using a sharp knife, cut into 1¾ inch wide rolls, making twelve.
9.) Put rolls into greased 9” x 13” baking pan.
10.) Let the rolls rise in the pan for 30 minutes. While dough is rising, prepare the icing (see below).
11.) Bake the rolls about 20 minutes until the rolls are slightly browned and not doughy. Do not over bake.
12.) Remove rolls from oven and let cool about 15 minutes. Cover with icing and serve warm.

To make Icing:
Cream ingredients together with an electric mixer, beating until fluffy.
Spread on hot rolls.

And after about three and a half hours, and a few angry tears on the phone to my mom (I told you, I am NOT a baker), this is what I got:

Cinnamon 1  Cinnamon 2

Cinnamon 3       Cinnamon 4

Cinnamon 5  Cinnamon 6

And after all that – they were worth it!  They DID taste just like a Cinnabon!  I think with a little practice, I should be able to shave at least an hour off the prep time, and I know that I can do it without the tears… I thought I had killed my yeast with too-hot milk.  But they turned out deliciously!

Categories: Food, Recipes | 12 Comments

Independence Days – Week 6

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Anisa

Short and sweet today…

Plant Something – I planted a lot of mellons on the farm this week.  Otherwise, I didn’t plant anything here in our garden.   

Harvest Something – Spinach, lettuce, a radish, eggs

Preserve Something –  Strawberries are on the docket today.  I bought a bunch, and if I don’t eat them all first, I’ll try to make some jam.  🙂

Reduce Waste – The usual… chickens, compost, recycling, etc. 

Preparation and Storage – This week I signed up for a veggie canning/jam making class in July.  I’m actually going to get to go for sure (not just on the waiting list), so I’m very excited about that!

Build Community Food Systems – still spreading the word about the Englewood Farmers Market.  Otherwise, nil. 

Eat the Food – The stuff we harvested, plus pork as usual.  We also used some more of the anchos left in the freezer.  Here’s a quick recipe for green chile mayo, tasty on burgers:

In a food processor, put 1 cup of mayonnaise, 4 (or so) garlic cloves, 2 roasted, peeled and chopped ancho chiles, and a tablespoon of lime juice.  Process until smooth.  Taste, and add more of anything you think it might need.  Yum!

Also, a side note, my ‘Independence Days – Week 4’ post was generating a lot of spam for some reason, so I took it down.  If you want the recipe I had posted (a pasta sauce), just send me a note!

Categories: Food, Garden, Independence Days, Recipes | 1 Comment

Independence Days – Week 5

Posted on June 12, 2009 by Anisa

These last few weeks I’ve been a bit distracted, and not really posting as much as I was.  I’ve missed two Thrifty Thursdays in a row now!  Yikes!  I promise to get back on the wagon next week (but Katie Jean had a great tip this week about paper products). 

I’m officially 36 weeks pregnant (almost 37), and come Tuesday, when I hit that 37 week mark, I could have the baby anytime.  So I have anywhere from one to seven more weeks to be pregnant (but only the high end if I go past my due date).  I had Henry 3 days before I was due with him, so I don’t think it’s likely that I’ll go far over this time, but you never know.  🙂 

In the mean time, I have tried to keep up on the Independence Days post to share with you…

Plant Something – Saturday, Rick planted more spinach, radishes, kale, Swiss chard… I think  that’s all.  🙂  It’s been so cool and rainy, we’re hoping to eek out a little extra time with our spring greens this year! 

Harvest Something – Spinach and radishes and lettuce all ready almost every day now.  It sure is nice to go pick a bowlful of spinach for lunch.

Preserve Something–  This week, I didn’t really do any preserving, but I DID start making kombucha for the first time (fermented green tea).  We’ll see how it goes – it takes two weeks!

Reduce Waste – The usual… chickens, compost, recycling, etc. 

Preparation and Storage – We didn’t do anything really in this category this week either, but I did hear recently that Colorado is now allowing rain water collection, so we are talking about rain barrels and where and when we want to go about doing that! 

Build Community Food Systems – Well this week we finally made it up to the CSA!  We planted a musk melon field and cucumbers.  The pick your own strawberries were ready, but I was pooped at the end of the day, so I didn’t pick any.  Please cross your fingers for me that there will still be plenty of strawberries next week… I really want to make lots of jam and other yummy goodies!!  Also, I do post weekly ads on craigslist and other sites for our city’s farmers market.  I’ve gotten a couple of responses from potential vendors in the last couple of weeks, so that is good! 

Eat the Food – This week was a tight week, so we ate mostly from the freezer.  Lots of pork on these kinds of weeks.  😉  We did BLT’s with our bacon and lettuce from the garden, and spinach a few times as well.  Here’s a recipe we had last night (based on one from Everyday Food magazine), called Ham & Egg Fried Rice. 

For Four:

1/4″ thick by 8″ (or so) cured ham steak, cut into bite size pieces
One bunch of scallions, one shallot, or half an onion finely chopped (the real recipe calls for the scallions, but I always use whatever is handy)
3-4 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
1-2 inch piece of fresh ginger, finely minced or grated
2 cups cooked rice, rinsed and drained (we use brown)
2 TBS soy sauce
2 TBS rice vinegar
4 eggs
salt & pepper

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1-2 TBS vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Cook ham, onions (or white parts of scallions), garlic, and ginger until ham is nearly cooked through, onions are soft and garlic & ginger are fragrant (you could also add red pepper flakes if you like it spicy) – about 4 minutes.  Add the rice, soy sauce, and rice vinegar (also, if you used them, add the green parts of the scallions).  Season with salt (if needed) and black pepper to taste.  Cook stirring frequently, about five more minutes, until ham is completely cooked.  Put into serving dishes.
Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and add a little more cooking oil.  Fry the eggs, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Top the rice bowls with the fried eggs and serve. 

This goes great with steamed bok choy or spinach as well.  It’s quick and tasty!

Categories: Food, Garden, Independence Days, Recipes | 2 Comments

Independence Days – Week 3

Posted on May 29, 2009 by Anisa

Plant Something  – Rick planted more radishes (those darn chickens!!).  But they grow fast and we had the room!

Harvest Something  – So far Rick has harvested two radishes – they were sweet and spicy and we can’t wait for more!  We also got a good deal of spinach this week… Yum!  😀

Preserve Something– I didn’t really do much in this category…. thinking of picking more raspberry leaves to dry… does thinking about it count?  LOL!

Reduce Waste – I bought a bunch of raspberries on sale last week.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to the last ones before they started going bad… but the chickens sure enjoyed them!

Preparation and Storage – I put the dried raspberry leaves from last week into a baggie?  But they will be used up quickly, so it’s not really long term storage or anything. 

Build Community Food Systems–  I worked on getting more vendors for our farmers market here in Englewood.  It’s neat to see the market grow!

Eat the Food – Spinach!  And pork and corn and tomatoes!  The corn and tomatoes were from the freezer, from last year’s CSA harvest.  Still great! 

I’m thinking, so this doesn’t get boring, of putting a recipe in this section each week.  So for this week, since we harvested spinach, I’ll share my favorite dressing recipe to top fresh spinach with:

  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1-2 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 envelope onion soup mix (or use dehydrated onions and a good measure of salt or soy sauce)

Mix ingredients well and pour over a big spinach salad topped with sliced almonds, and mandarin oranges.  We usually throw red bell pepper, thinly sliced red onions and cucumber into the salad if we have them, but use what you like!  You can even throw in cooked pasta and grilled chicken and make it a whole meal.  We took this salad (with pasta in it) to one of the BBQ’s we went to this weekend.  This dressing is for a big salad, so you can use less if you’re not making it for a crowd or as a meal.

Categories: Food, Garden, Independence Days, Recipes | 2 Comments

A Little Love and Home Cookin’

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Anisa

Yesterday was Rick and my sixth anniversary!  Wow, how time flies!  We can’t believe it’s been six years already… that we have a two year old and another on the way, all the things that have happened over the last six years!  Wowie!

We decided to celebrate by taking the weekend in up in Kremmling, CO at Rick’s uncle’s cabin where we spent our honeymoon.  Our plan was to relax, get in a little snowshoeing, and play in the powder with H.

poor-sick-sleeper

Unfortunately, H had other plans.  Sick again.  We still got in plenty of relaxation, but we stayed inside the cabin by the fire.  Poor kiddo was burning up the whole weekend.

I feel like we’ve lived in a sick house for the last month or so.  H’s been sick and well three times now I think.  Rick’s still not over whatever’s been plaguing him for the last two weeks, and I even took a turn (something I hope I don’t repeat!).

Through all that I’ve made several pots of soup, including a few new recipes that I wanted to share. These first two are both from this month’s issue of Everyday Food magazine:

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans (this is a great way to use up items in your pantry).

p2230002

  • 1 TBS olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes in juice
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 package (10 oz) frozen corn kernels
  • coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for serving (optional)
  • 1 TBS fresh lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

1.  In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium.  Cook garlic and chili powder until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes (with juice), beans, broth, corn, and 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper.

2.  Bring soup to a boil; reduce to a simmer.  Add tortilla chips; cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in lime juice, and season with salt and pepper.  Serve soup with lime wedges and, if desired, more chips.

Serves 4.  Total time to table: 15 minutes.  (And for my readers counting protein, 12.8 grams per serving).

That’s it!  It was so simple and tasty, we ate the leftovers for three days in a row, with no complaints!  And it was just as good the third day as the first, making it great if you want to cook once and eat for a few days!

The next soup incorporates escarole… a leafy green, and since I’ve been really trying to get more greens in my diet, this soup get bonus points!  Also, as a side note, this month’s magazine had several escarole recipes.  We’ve tried a couple of them, and all  have been wonderful!  It’s my new favorite leafy green… move over kale and spinach!

Light Italian Wedding Soup

italian wedding soup

  • 1 lb ground dark-meat turkey (93% lean)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
  • coarse salt and ground pepper
  • 1 TBS olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
  • 2 cans (14.5 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes in juice
  • 2 heads escarole (2 lbs total), cored, trimmed, and coarsely chopped

1.  In a bowl, combine turkey, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Using 1 TBS for each, roll mixture into balls.

2.  In a large pot, heat oil over medium.  Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add broth and tomatoes (with juice); bring to a simmer.  Add meatballs; cook without stirring, until meatballs float to surface, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add as much escarole to pot as will fit.  Cook, gradually adding remaining escarole, until wilted and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Thin soup with water if desired; season with salt and pepper.  Serve soup sprinkled with more Parmesan.

Serves 6.  Total time: 25 minutes.  Protein: 23.6 grams per serving.

This was also so easy and good.  Next time I will brown the meatballs before adding to the soup, just because I didn’t like the pale look of them.  Also, Rick and I agreed that one tablespoon per meatball was too big, and next time we will roll them smaller.  But it was still delicious!

The last recipe I wanted to share, we made last night (it’s not a soup).  It uses eggplant.  I’m not a huge eggplant fan, and this summer we got quite a few from the CSA.  I didn’t want to waste them and I didn’t know what to do with them, so we sliced and froze them, hoping I’d come up with something before next summer.  I didn’t, but my Great Food Fast cookbook did:

Whole-Wheat Pasta with Roasted Eggplant and Tomatoes

eggplant

  • 1.5 lbs eggplant, peeled in alternating stripes and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 large onion, halved and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
  • 2 pints (4 cups) cherry tomatoes
  • coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3/4 lb whole-wheat penne
  • 1/4 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
  • 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 450.  In a medium (11×15 inch) roasting pan, combine the eggplant, onion, tomatoes, 1.5 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and oil; toss well to coat.  Roast until tender, tossing mixture halfway through, about 30 minutes.

2.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente according to the package instructions.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water; drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

3.  Add the roasted eggplant mixture, olives, and Parmesan.  toss to coat, adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, if desired.  Serve immediately, sprinkled with more cheese.

Serves 6.  Total time: 45 minutes.

We easily halved this recipe for last night.  And the eggplant was better than any I’ve ever had.  It was de-lish!  Rick said to add it to the regular menu, and to make it again.  So yay!  A success!  And a tasty way to make eggplant, finally!

So after all that home cooking, the perfect way to top it all off… Baskin Robbins’ February flavor of the month: Love Potion #31.  My favorite!  And my gift from Rick for Valentine’s Day!

icecream

Categories: Food, Recipes, Recommended Reading | 3 Comments

Spicy Kale Soup

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Anisa

Kale SoupTwo posts in one day, again!  Woohoo! 

Over the last few months (the last 4 months to be specific), I’ve been striving to eat more leafy greens.  Something that I need, but doesn’t always agree with my finicky pregnant stomach.  Here’s a recipe my mom sent me a while back that I finally tried last night.  Not sure exactly where she got it from??   

I made a few modifications. I did not use the chipotle peppers, since we didn’t have any.  I just added a few extra chopped jalapenos.  I think this would be really good with some of the roasted ancho (or is it ‘pablano’ after they are roasted?) peppers that we have frozen from the farm.  I also just used half a can of diced tomatoes instead of the called for tomato sauce.

Spicy Kale and Potato Soup

  • 1 TB organic extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 3 TB slivered garlic (about 9 cloves)
  • 3 jalapeno peppers, minced
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, seeded and minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds all-purpose potatoes, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced crosswise
  • 1 1/4 tsps salt
  • 2 bunches kale (24 oz), tough ends trimmed, finely shredded (about 20 cups loosely packed)
  • 1 can (8 oz) no-salt-added tomato sauce
  • 2 TB organic balsamic vinegar

In nonstick Dutch oven or stockpot, heat oil over low heat. Add onion, garlic, jalapenos, and chipotle and cook 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion is tender.

Stir in 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and salt, return to a boil, and cook 5 minutes. Add kale and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook 10 minutes or until kale is tender and potatoes are cooked through.

Stir in tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and serve.

Serves 6

Kale is packed with vitamins.  This soup (according to the recipe) is a good source of: beta-carotene, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, potassium, lutein & zeaxanthin, quercetin, indoles, and capsaicin. 

Next time, I will leave out the potatoes all together.  They didn’t add any flavor, and they didn’t really absorb the flavor of the soup either. ??  But I will add wild rice in it’s place… this afternoon, I combined the left over soup with some cooked left over wild rice and it was awesome!    So I would recommend cooking the rice and then adding it right before serving. 

This soup would be perfect if you were sick with a sinus-y thing.  Spicy and delicious!

Categories: Food, Recipes | 6 Comments

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