Kale chips

In our CSA this week, we got 3 bags of fruit & veg. First thoughts? What are we going to do with all of this kale that we're not going to do with all this Swiss chard??

My sister once recommended making kale chips. So, I gave that a try. They were delicious & crunchy & a little salty! All things that I like. The only drawback is that the stalk is still a little chewy after drying.

Here's what I did:

Lay kale on a sheet pan & spray with olive oil/Pam. Sprinkle a little salt over the kale. Bake in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

& voila! You have kale chips. Yummy, nutritious, & good for hand-to-mouth repetitions while watching TV/baseball.

Edit: I was just advised to try Indian spices with these. My friend Jaime makes them all of the time!!

- Keri

Chicken Pot Pie

Saw carrots, squash, and zucchini at the Farmer's Market so I decided to make chicken pot pie, even though it is not really a summer dish per say.  The original recipe comes from "The Heart of Pittsburgh II," A Cookbook from Historic Pittsburgh.   I changed it up a bit, added way more vegetables.  This is labor intensive, but worth the effort.  

Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie

Crust

2 1/2 cups flour

1 t salt

1 t sugar

1/2 chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 chilled shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

5-7 T cold water

Filling

2/3 pieces of boneless chicken

6 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 pound small red potatoes, quartered

3 carrots, peeled and cut

2 celery, cut

1 head of broccoli or 1 bag

1 squash

1 zucchini

1 bell pepper 

1 package of spinach

Sauce

1/4 c butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1/2 c flour

1/2 c dry white wine

1/2 c heavy cream

salt and pepper

Butter a 4 quart casserole dish.  (I use a 9x13 dish and another smaller one cause I don't have a casserole dish that size.)

For Crust:

Mix flour, salt, and sugar.  Add butter and shortening.  Blend, using a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse meal.  Add the cold water, 1 T at a time, mixing with a fork until dough starts to form a ball.  Shape dough into a flat rectangle; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For Filling:

Place chicken and broth in a large pot over medium heat.  If necessary, add water to cover chicken.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken to a plate.  Add potatoes, carrots, and celery to pot.  Add rest of vegetables.  Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender but firm.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes and vegetables to prepare casserole.  Cook spinach and if necessary, broccoli.  Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.  Transfer to casserole, mix with the potatoes and vegetables.  

For Sauce:

Strain liquid from pot and reserve 4 cups.  Skim fat off of top.  Using the same pot, over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add shallots, saute over medium heat for a few minutes.  Add the flour gradually, whisking for 2 minutes.  Add the 4 cups of broth and the wine.  Bring to a boil, whisking continuously.  Add cream, boil for 5 minutes, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour 1/2 of the sauce into the casserole, mix well.  Add additional sauce to just reach the top of chicken and vegetables.  (Do not overfill.)  

Let mixture cool for 30 to 45 minutes.  Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Allow chilled dough to soften slightly.  On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/2 inch larger than the casserole.  Place dough on top.  Cut slits in dough to allow steam to escape.  Place casserole on a baking sheet for 50 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and top is lightly browned.  

Note:  Dough may be made up to 2 days ahead; wrap tightly and refrigerate.  Filling and sauce may be made 1 day ahead; mix together as instructed.  Cover tightly and refrigerate.  Do no assemble until pot pie is ready to bake.  

8 servings

Enjoy! 

Christine 

Strawberry Pie

Strawberries are my favorite food.  I eat them from mid-April until mid-June when I can get them from the Farmer's Market. They are way better from the Farmer's market, at least I think so.  Much better flavor and riper.  People really love Strawberry Pie.  My dad once asked my mom why she didn't make it for him.  ha ha  The graham cracker crust comes from the Healthy Firehouse Cookbook.  Truthfully, I think the crust is why people like the pie.  You can also make a similar peach pie, just blanch the peaches in hot water for 30 seconds and take off the skins.  I got the basic strawberry portion from the internet, no idea where, but I have modified it.  


 Graham Cracker Crust:
12 graham crackers, I suggest cinnamon type
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Preheat oven 350 degrees.  Crush graham crackers.  I use a rolling pin and baggie, but you could also use a food processor.  Melt butter (about 1 minute in microwave) Mix together.  Put mixture in pie pan and form to sides.  Cook 8 to 9 minutes.  Cool.

Strawberry Portion:
1 quart strawberries (about 4 cups)
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch

Blend/Puree in blender 1 cup of strawberries, 2/3 cup of water and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Heat on low heat in sauce pan about 3 minutes.  Mix together 1/3 cup of water and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.  Make sure you continuously stir the cornstarch in the water so it blends and there are no lumps.  Add the 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch/water mixture to berry mixture.  Stir continuously until it boils.  It will be a few minutes.  You can turn up the heat a little.  Once it boils, take off heat and let cool.  Stir it every so often. 

Cut up remaining strawberries.  Put in pie crust.  Pour cool strawberry
gel over strawberries.  Serve with whipped cream if you desire.  Enjoy!

This is not the greatest picture, but I made this pie after camping (and being tired) for the first time ever and in a tent and before going to a Memorial Day picnic.  The pie will gel more after you put it in the refrigerator.  

Enjoy!

Christine 

Spring meal: White pizza with ramps & strawberry salad.

From our CSA this week, we received more flavorful salad greens, mustard greens, 2 pints of strawberries, & a bunch of radishes. We hadn't even finished our first set of salad greens yet! Plus, we've had 3 weeks of strawberries. PLUS! We've still have copious amounts of ramps & scallions. What to do!!

So, tonight I made a white pizza with ramps & a strawberry salad. It was a very nice balanced meal. PLUS!! We had a nice white wine with the meal.

Nice.

Just a warning - don't be afraid of the number of ramps. Ramps are much mellower than garlic or scallions/leeks. Don't fear the ramps!


Here's the basic recipe:

White pizza with ramps
10 ramps
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 or 3/4 cup shredded Italian cheese (we used Sargento's reduced fat Italian blend)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2-3 tablespoons dried basil (or a handful of fresh basil)
1-2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tomato, diced
1 pizza crust

So, I did a dirty, clever trick with the tomato. I purchased an heirloom tomato from the crappy Giant near me (not the super nice Giant). Mostly, heirloom tomatoes have tons of tomato flavor, which is indicated by their scent & their minimal travel time. However, I screwed up & chose a random heirloom without a good scent that traveled from Canada. After I chopped the tomato, I sprinkled it with a very small amount of sugar & a ton of basil. Then, it tasted more tomatoey. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than tasting like water.

Basically, the pizza crust is topped with ricotta cheese, then 1/2 of the ramps, the seasonings, then the tomatoes, then the shredded cheese. (Jeff says that you can cook all of the ramps in the pizza. I liked a few of them raw on top. But taste a raw ramp & choose your own adventure!) Sprinkle the top with the parmesan. Also, I brushed the exposed crust with some olive oil & sprinkled with some parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Top the pizza with the rest of the ramps & (if you're feeling feisty, some fresh arugula leaves).

Enjoy with a nice white wine, such as a 2007 Cascina del Pozzo Arneis Roero (Italian white table wine - cheap!). Also, make a nice green salad & top with sliced strawberries & balsamic vinaigrette.

Very Spring-y!


Aside: Ramps are SUPER ULTRA good pan-fried with potatoes. Just add the ramps near the end of the cooking. Nice onion/garlic flavor with potatoes - very good!!

Two Fruit Smoothies from Annette

Judging from the humidity in the air, summer is almost here.  And, I had a coupon for frozen fruit...so it's smoothie season.  To discuss smoothies, I must explain my love for my Cuisinart Immersion Blender.  It was one of the kitchen tools I didn't think I'd use often, yet ended up using all the time!  Puree soups....no problem, whip mash potatoes..done, make a smoothie... easy!

Blueberry & Strawberry Smoothie

Ingredients: 
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen whole strawberries (thawed slightly)
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (cows milk or soy milk)
1/8 cup (more or less...) milk (cows, rice, soy, almond, hemp, goat... :) )
1/2 Tablespoon ground flax seed


Directions: Toss all ingredients except milk in a tall glass (I used the plastic one that came with the blender).  Stick in the blender and blend away.  I add a little bit of milk at a time to help it blend and also to get the consistency I want.  Enjoy!

Or what about...

PB & J Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen whole strawberries (thawed slightly)
1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (cows milk or soy milk)
1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
1/8 cup (more or less...) milk (cows, rice, soy, almond, hemp, goat... :) )
1/2 Tablespoon ground flax seed




Directions: Toss all ingredients except milk in a tall glass (I used the plastic one that came with the blender).  Stick in the blender and blend away.  I add a little bit of milk at a time to help it blend and also to get the consistency I want.  Enjoy!

Italian Love Affair Soup

Annette here: One of my roommates' from college mom used to make a huge pot of Tortellini Soup and bring it over to us sometimes.  It is delicious and very filling.  Since I've yet to find gluten free Tortellini and I like to limit the dairy, I used meatballs instead. Also, my visiting brother requested it.  So it's not quite Italian Wedding Soup....instead... it's am Italian love affair! Vegetarians, feel free to ignore the meatballs and use the original Tortellini instead. Vegans can do it with vegan Tortellini or just add in more Quinoa for balanced protein.  YUM! 

Italian Love Affair Soup
Ingredients: 
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1 Tablespoon Grape Seed Oil (or other medium-high heat oil of your choice)
5-6 stalks of celery, chopped
1 1/2 cups of carrots, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt (the Hawaiian red salt is my favorite!)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 15oz can of cannellini beans
1/2 cup Quinoa (just dried....not cooked)
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
Fresh herbs*: basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley--about 1/2 cup total
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
3 cups water
48oz broth (veggie, chicken or combo)
Optional: 1 package Tortellini
Lots of leftover tomato products!  (I used 16oz of tomato soup & 16oz of crushed tomatoes.... the original recipe from  my roommate's mom says: "It's now time to clean out your fridge. Anything tomato based you have in there can go in the soup."  I have yet to try ketchup....and I'm thinking it's a good idea to stay away from it for this. :)  V8 is good in here if you're a V8 drinker.)

* I started growing my own herbs this spring so I have lots of yummy, FREE herbs!  It's really easy if you have a sunny spot.  You just have to water them.  I probably wouldn't go buy a package of all of these...they're expensive.  Just use two more Tablespoons of the dried Italian Seasoning.

For the meatballs:
1/2 cup GF Italian bread crumbs (I love Gillian Foods!)
1 pound ground beef (or turkey)
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tablespoon dried)

Directions for Meatballs
In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients.  Roll in to small quarter sized balls and fry in a skillet over medium heat until they become a little browned on most of the sides.  DO NOT EAT...they are still raw and will finish cooking in the soup.
 
Directions for the soup: 
Chop, chop, chop lots of veggies.  Toss chopped cabbage, onions, carrots, celery, garlic and Grape Seed Oil in a large stock pot.  I'm talking large here.  Saute until soft, about 15 minutes.  Toss in salt, fresh herbs, Italian seasoning, green onions, diced tomatoes, tomato products, broth, and the meatballs.  Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat for an hour or more.  The longer and slower you cook it the better it tastes.  I cooked my pot today for 4 hours.  As your cooking, watch the liquid level.  I added about 3 cups of water, but you might want less or more depending on how long you're cooking it.  Thirty minutes before calling it done add in the beans, Quinoa, zucchini, and uncooked Tortellini if you're using it.  Serve it up with some nice whole grain bread and dinner is served!
For my brother's ranking: tasty, good, so good, SO good, SOOOOO good... this got a SO good!

Berry Crisp

Keri here with a recipe for a berry crisp. I hope you enjoy!

I read EatingWell's Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp, but I haven't seen any rhubarb at the Farmer's Market yet. Instead, I made a strawberry cherry crisp & modified the recipe a bit.

Keri's Strawberry Cherry Crisp

Filling:
1 lemon
1 pint of strawberries, cored & sliced
10 oz. bag frozen cherries
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour or corn starch (I used Jules' Gluten-free flour)

Crisp:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used Jules' Gluten-free flour)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon canola oil
1-3 tablespoon juice

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss together fruit, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of flour/corn starch in a large bowl. Juice lemon over fruit mixture. Then, zest 1/2 of the lemon over fruit mixture. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish or deep-dish 9-inch pie plate, pressing down on the fruit to form an even layer.

To make crumble topping: Combine oats, 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, butter and oil in a bowl; work the ingredients together with a fork or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the juice until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Distribute the topping mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

DELICIOUS! 5/5 stars!!