CSA Baked Rotini

Dinner tonight is an idea thanks to a fellow CSA compatriot, Denise!  While my kids are pretty adventurous eaters, my recipe for sauteed mustard greens is not exactly up their alley.  Tonight we had a more family friendly - ooey, gooey, cheese dinner that disappeared from their plates in no time flat.

Baked Rotini with Spinach and Turnip Greens

• 16oz whole wheat rotini (any similar size pasta will do)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium bag of spinach*
• 1 bunch turnip greens* (save the turnips for another recipe)
• 16 oz part skim ricotta cheese
• 12 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (reserve enough for sprinkling on top, about 1 cup)
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1 box of Pomi chopped tomatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.  Drain the pasta but do not rinse it.
2. While the pasta is cooking, clean the spinach and turnip greens*. 
3. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over meduim/high heat.  Add the greens, salt and pepper and saute until they are wilted. 
4. Allow the greens to cool for a few minutes before turning onto a cutting board and giving a quick chop. 
5. In a large bowl combine ricotta, mozzarella, beaten egg, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper, and 2 cups of chopped tomatoes.
6. Add sauteed greens and pasta and stir to combine.  Pour into a 9x13 pan.  Top with remaining Pomi tomatoes and reserved mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted.   

Patrick and a clean plate.

*Place greens in the bowl of a salad spinner and add enough cold water to cover them.  Swirl the greens around in the water and allow them to sit for a minute while the sand and dirt settle.  Remove them one handful at a time and into the salad spinner basket.  Dump the sandy water and spin the greens to dry.  You'll be amazed at how this method removes all of the sand, dirt and silt from your greens! 

If you don't have a salad spinner immerse the greens in a large bowl.  Remove the greens to a couple of clean kitchen towels and gently pat dry.

Brotherly love

Sauteed Mustard Greens

One of the many benefits of working at home three days a week is the ability to make a great lunch.  I found a recipe for my Middle Branch Farm mustard greens that fit the bill nicely.  I made some modifications based on available ingredients and lunch is served. 

Shallots, garlic and mustard greens

I had some leftover roasted beets on hand from dinner two nights ago that I decided to throw in.  The earthy sweetness of the beets complimented the greens nicely and gave the dish it's tell tale red color.  The red pepper alone added great flavor if you prefer to leave out the beets.

Note to non work-at-home folks: this would make a great dinner or reheated lunch at the office.

Sauteed Mustard Greens

• 1/2 cup shallots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 a red pepper, diced
• 1 beet, cubed and pre-cooked (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or garlic scapes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb mustard greens, washed and torn into large pieces
• 2-3 tablespoons chicken or vegetable broth or stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• Drizzle of sesame oil (optional or to taste)

1. In a large saute pan, warm the olive oil on medium high heat.  Add the onions and red peppers and saute until they soften, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute one minute more. 
2. Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the greens are just wilted.  Season with salt and pepper and toss with sesame oil. 

Spring CSA Share - Week 1

Farmer Roger and I met twice 6 months ago at his farm in New Boston.  It was the end of his season and he was tired but had a smile and kind word and was already looking ahead to 2012.  After a winter rest he's working hard at managing the farm and providing hundreds of shares of vegetables to his members.

I assumed that 6 months later I would need to introduce myself again before walking off with his bounty.  Yet when he saw me out of the corner of his eye he said, "Hi Amanda!  Good to see you!"  That's beyond cool.

We had a few minutes to chat and discuss the share for this week.  It's full of greens but not full of plain old lettuce which gets boring quickly.  We've got some great stuff here.  From the bottom left: baby kale, brassica leaves, pac choi, mesclun, garlic (cloves and scapes), spinach, mustard greens, radishes and turnips.

Matt was already well underway with dinner when I got home but I'm dreaming of what we will make tomorrow with these goodies.  Roger tells me mustard greens taste like horseradish which I adore.  I've never had them before but am looking forward to finding some great recipes this week!  Feel free to post any recipes or links that you may have!

I'll do my best to post our meals from later this week!  For those of you in NH Roger's farm still has available shares for the summer.  The farm is located in New Boston however he has satellite pick up locations including Manchester.

Carrot Bread - Kids Lunch 2 (recipe included)

The creative challenge I run into with my kids lunch menu tends to result from lack of planning.  If I approached their lunch like I approached our dinners, every required ingredient (ok, 96% of them anyway) would be available and a recipe or idea at the ready.

This week our grocery list had bit more preparation.  Since the smoothie containers that I was hoping to have already have not yet arrived I'm punting a bit.

Enter tomorrow's lunch for my little men:

Carrot Bread with crunchy peanut butter and
strawberries.  Wyatt has cheddar cheese slices
and Patrick has cottage cheese.

Carrot Bread

• 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 3/4 cup finely grated carrots
• 1/4 cup diced, dried apricots
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs, separated
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (or canola if you prefer)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Whisk to combine.
3. Add the grated ginger and carrots, apricots, applesauce, egg yolk, and oil and stir to combine.  The mixture will be thick.
4. In another bowl or mixer add the egg whites.  Whisk (or beat with mixer) until soft peaks form. 
5. Temper the mixture by adding a scoop of the carrot batter into the beaten egg whites.  Fold gently to combine. 
6. Add the egg white mixture to the remaining carrot batter and fold again to combine.** 
7. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. 
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

 **The double fold technique is more gentle on the egg whites so they produce light and fluffy bread!

The Anti PB&J - Kids Lunch 1 (recipes included)

In our house there is a nightly question that we generally know the answer to.

Me: "What do you want for lunch tomorrow?"
The boys: "Peanut butter and jelly!"

Despite their love for the classic kid favorite, when I reach for the peanut butter jar I feel guilty for not being more clever.  Granted, we do mix it up a bit by adding fruit, veggie and dip, trail mix, etc. to their BPA free Easy Lunchbox container.  Tonight after seeing what a favorite whole foods blogger put together I got a little crazy and broke us out of the PB&J rut.  Here is tomorrows lunch that the boys are super excited for:

Patrick: grapes, sliced red pepper, a whole wheat banana
muffin (recipe below) and a hard boiled egg (recipe below).

Wyatt: Hormel Natural Choice Oven Roasted Turkey, whole
wheat banana muffin (recipe below), mandarin oranges sprinkled
 withcinnamon and sliced red peppers.

Typically I don't make two different lunches for the boys but Wyatt is not a fan of eggs or (recently) grapes.  Since I was feeling like an overachiever I didn't mind working around their favorites tonight but tomorrow may be a different story.  ;-)


Banana Muffins

• 3 bananas (ripe to overripe)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or less to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel bananas and place in a large mixing bowl.  Mash the bananas with a hand held potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl.  Stir to combine.
4. Grease 12 muffin cups and pour the batter in evenly. 
5. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

• Eggs
• Large saucepan with lid
• Water to cover

1. Place cold eggs in the bottom of a large saucepan.
2. Cover eggs with water by about an inch.
3. Cook on high heat until the water comes to a boil.
4. Cover and remove from heat.
5. Set timer for 16 minutes.
6. Once timer goes off drain water (careful, it's hot!).  Add new cold water and lots of ice to cool the eggs quickly. 
7. Store either peeled or in shell in a zip top bag in the fridge.

Hopefully this will be the first of a series of Anti PB&J of lunch box posts.  Looking forward to having you along for the ride and would love to hear your comments and suggestions!  Perhaps the next post will contain these ice pop containers that I ordered today to hold frozen smoothies and yogurt pops.  YUM!

Corned Beef Dinner with Roasted Brussel Sprouts

My family loves a good corned beef dinner.  Here is my tried and true recipe served with homemade horseradish sauce, roasted Brussel sprouts and red potatoes, and mini Irish soda bread loaves.

I know many of you are gagging at the mere thought of Brussel sprouts, but roasting works miracles on these little gems.  Trust me when I tell you to give these a try.  Toss in some red potatoes for a hearty side dish to enjoy on St. Patrick's Day or any other day of the year.

Corned Beef

• One 3lb corned beef brisket (uncooked), in brine
• 4 quarts cold water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 4 whole allspice berries
• 4 whole cloves

1. Rinse the corned beef brisket under cold running water.  (Be sure to give the sink a good scrub after!)
2. Place the beef in a large heavy bottomed pot with lid.  Add the remaining ingredients to the pot.
3. Cover and bring the pot to a slow boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat and skim off/discard any foamy scum that rises to the surface. 
4. Simmer for 3 hours and 45 minutes. 
5. Remove the beef from the pot and allow to sit for 20 minutes to reabsorb the juices. 
6. Slice the beef against the grain and serve with horseradish sauce or mustard.

Horseradish Sauce

• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons jarred grated horseradish
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix together all ingredients.
2. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

• 2lbs Brussel sprouts
• 2lbs red potatoes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• Garlic powder to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Trim the stem ends off the Brussel sprouts and remove a couple of the outer leaves.  Cut the sprouts in half and place in a large mixing bowl.  Don't worry if a few more leaves fall off when you cut the sprouts in half.  They will crisp up nicely.
3. Wash and dry the red potatoes and add to the mixing bowl.
4. Drizzle the olive oil over the Brussel sprouts and potatoes.  Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  Toss gently to coat.
5. Spread on a large cookie sheet (or two smaller sheets) and roast until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes.  Shake the vegetables to mix about halfway through.

Mini Irish Soda Bread Loaves (with Cranberries)

One of my favorite St. Patrick's day recipes is hearty Irish Soda Bread.  I have great memories of helping my mother cut in the butter and watching her knead the dough. 

In my experience, the best recipe cards or clippings are the most food covered.  The recipe, clipped from a magazine 30 years ago, is darkened with age and dotted with buttery circles. 

My mother's casserole dish is taking a year in favor of a couple of muffin pans.  If you choose to bake in a 2 quart round casserole, adjust the baking time to approximately 1 hour, 20 minutes.  In either case serve the warm bread with a generous spread of butter.



Cut the butter into the
dry ingredients 

Flour and butter mixture
with cranberries

Mixed dough

Ready for the oven

Mini Irish Soda Bread Loaves (with Cranberries)

• 4 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (or currants or raisins)
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten (divided)
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  The recipe makes approximately 18 muffin sized loaves.  Butter the muffin pans and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
3. Cut the cold butter it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender (or two knives used in a scissor fashion) until it resembles course crumbs.
4. Add the cranberries and mix gently.
5. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the beaten eggs.  Stir in buttermilk and remaining eggs into the flour mixture until just combined.  (The dough will be sticky.) 
6. With floured hands, knead about 10 strokes to mix thoroughly.  Break off large golf ball size pieces of dough and loosely shape into a ball.  Place one ball in each of the buttered muffin cups.
7. Repeat until the dough is completely divided between the cups.
8. Brush the dough with the reserved beaten egg. 
9. Bake the bread for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
10. Allow the bread to cool and store in a zip top bag or freeze for longer storage.