A walk on the veggie heavy side...

So, I've decided that my veggie kitchen will be producing lighter fare in the weeks to come. There may still be baking for M.'s office folks, but the french tarts and tartes tatins will have to wait a bit. All this travelling and vacationing has left me feeling somewhat heavy from eating in restaurants that use much more butter/oil then I do. As a result, I'm craving nonstop fresh fruits and veggies, and this is certainly the time of year to indulge.

First of all, I must show off the omelet M. made me for lunch today. M. tends to be a very inventive cook. Give me a recipe, and I'm a happy girl but M. likes to push the envelope a bit more. Sometimes this results in amazingly tasty concoctions, sometimes not so much. Today fell into the amazingly tasty category. He chopped fresh herbs (oregano, rosemary and thyme) and added them to the egg mixture component of the omelette. I would never have thought to do so (I would have added the herbs to the sauteed vegetables instead) but the result was so flavorful and above and beyond the standard omelet.

After the dust settled (and the dishes were washed), I set about trying a new hummus recipe. We're big fans of hummus, but have stopped making it since we have an amazing Middle Eastern grocery on the next block which makes it in bulk amounts for a minimal price. Why reinvent the wheel? But, in an attempt to make as much at home as possible (so as to minimize unwanted ingredients like too much oil etc), I decided to whip up a batch to have with carrots and cucumbers for a snack. When I drastically lighten our diets, I like to send M. to work with snacks so that he's not chained to a desk wasting away with hunger. This hummus will do nicely. All in all, the recipe was good but not great. It's a Weight Watchers recipe, and in my experience WW recipes are either awesome or just alright. The texture was a little runny, but then I just dumped 6 oz. of plain fat free yogurt into the mix without measuring out a half a cup so that might be cook's error. The flavor was good, it was just the runniness that was a touch off-putting.

But, falling squarely into the awesome WW recipe category were the two dishes I made for dinner. We started with a Roasted Vegetable and Tofu Napoleon which consisted of seared tofu slices with roasted peppers, onions and zucchini in between. The recipe should have included eggplant, but my brain did not register this fact when copying down ingredients so our napoleons remained eggplant-less. Both M. and I were impressed by how flavorful the resulting dish was, and agreed that the tofu benefited from the simple but tangy preparation. I would make this dish again.



As a main dish, I made Grecian Spaghetti Squash Saute. Chickpeas, diced tomatoes, mint and feta- this dish combined several of our favorite flavors. Halfway through making it, I realized I'd made it before but not in a very long time. I had a sort of recipe deja vu. Since I already had the oven on for the roasting vegetables, I roasted the spaghetti squash as well. This dish came together quickly, and if using the microwave cooking method would definitely be doable on a busy weeknight. I served this dish with fresh corn since the combination of the two dishes had meant lots of chopping etc, and I wasn't going to make anything else! This kitchen was closed, and the chef on strike. :) But it felt great to be cooking again.


Grecian Spaghetti Squash Saute
Weight Watchers Recipe
Serves 4

WW notes - This unusual and delicious take on spaghetti squash is great as a main dish, or as a side dish paired with grilled or broiled fish or chicken, or roast leg of lamb. Red pepper flakes will add extra kick

My notes - Red pepper flakes would have been good, I'd add them next time.

2 pound raw spaghetti squash
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup scallion(s), sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup dill, or mint, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup pot cheese, or fat-free crumbled feta

1. Pierce squash with a fork in several places; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high, turning squash over every 3 minutes, until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes; let stand 5 minutes. (Or to bake squash, preheat oven to 350ºF. Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in a large baking dish and prick skin all over with a fork. Bake until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.)
   
   
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add scallions and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, chickpeas, oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.
   
   
3. Cut cooked squash in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and then scrape strands of squash into skillet with a fork. Cook, stirring, until squash strands are well coated; remove from heat and stir in dill or mint. Top each serving with cheese. Yields about 1 cup of squash and 1 tablespoon of cheese per serving.
   
   

Roasted Vegetable and Tofu Napoleon
Serves 4

4 sprays cooking spray
1 large red onion(s)
1 medium raw eggplant, peeled
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow pepper(s)
1 medium sweet red pepper(s)
1 pound extra firm tofu
1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
3 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
3 large garlic clove(s)
1 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, about the juice from one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
   
   
2. Slice onion in half and then cut each half into quarters. Slice eggplant, zucchini (slice diagonally) and peppers into 1/4-inch slices. Slice tofu across into 8 slices, about 1/4-inch thick.
   
   
3. Place onions on one half of a baking sheet and peppers on other half. Place eggplant and zucchini separately on second baking sheet. Coat tops of vegetables with cooking spray. Roast 15 minutes and then rotate baking sheets; roast 15 minutes more. Turn off oven and leave vegetables in oven to keep warm.
   
   
4. Place rosemary, parsley and garlic in bowl of food processor. Add oil and lemon juice and blend until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes; set aside.
   
   
5. Spread herb mixture onto both sides of each tofu slice. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Place tofu in heated pan and brown both sides of tofu, about 2 to 4 minutes per side.
   
   
6. To serve, place one slice of tofu on a plate. On top of tofu, stack one slice of eggplant, one slice of red pepper and one wedge of red onion; top with another slice of tofu and then top that with one slice each of yellow pepper and zucchini, and another piece of red onion. Drizzle with remaining herb mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Yields one napoleon per serving.
   

Hummus
[Will be posted tomorrow, as it requires typing unlike the two previous recipes which I found online!]

Technorati Tags: vegan, vegetarian, Weight Watchers, spaghetti squash, tofu, hummus

I have returned... again.

I'm back from Florida. The necessary deed was done, sad as it was. I was shocked at how ill our poor dog was - she really wasn't herself and putting her down was definitely the right (albeit heartbreaking) decision. Here are a couple pictures I took of Trekka before. She was a difficult model - always moving at the last moment so excuse the blurriness.

Oh! I should explain her name. Trekka joined my family one day in Cuba. A daily walking of the family dogs is an important and cherished routine in my family. One day, my mom walked our German Shepard an unfamiliar way. She ended up in a neighborhood that was not usually part of the daily walk route. Our Shepard began snuffling in some tall grass, and out popped this little white puppy. The two dogs said hi, and then my mom lead our dog back home. And the little puppy followed. She followed for ten long blocks, and then sat down in front of our gate. My mom let our Shepard in, and then looked at the little white puppy. And she invited her in. And Trekka never left (although she never liked going for walks in Cuba - we often thought she was afraid of being put back in the long grasses again!) Cassie (our Shepard) and Trekka became fast friends, and in Cassie's decline Trekka even acted as a seeing/hearing dog nudging Cassie when family arrived home so she could say hello after her eyes and ears began to fail. She may have been one of the luckiest puppies in Cuba, but she definitely earned her place in our family.







She almost looked like she was "laughing" in this one.











And, since I'm on a family pet roll - this is our family's nineteen (yes, 19!) year old cat Smokey. He joined our family in Botswana, and has travelled to Virginia, Cuba, Bolivia, Venezuala and now Florida in his nineteen years. Not too shabby! He's definitely an old man now, but remains in good health so fingers crossed!



So, beginning tomorrow the veggie kitchen will be up and running. Several cooking magazines were perused on the plane back from Florida. Several ideas are percolating - stay tuned to see what develops next!

We have returned from paradise...

... and it is so cruel to be back!

Well, not so for me. I'm still on vacation. But M. went off to work with perhaps less than total enthusiasm this morning.

Anyways, we had an amazing time. The resort, the El Dorado Royale was located just outside Cancun. We wanted a simple experience, we weren't really there to see Mexico but to just relax and be in one place. So, that's what we did. We stayed at our all-inclusive resort, we lay out on the beach and by the pool, we drank tropical drinks and enjoyed trying out the resort's restaurants and walking away without paying more than a dollar to tip our waiter. All-inclusives are wonderful like that.

Here are some highlights from our trip:









The view from our balcony of the resort, looking left.














A view from the huts we were mostly lucky enough to grab on the beach.

Bougainvillea, I think.

Yep, I celebrated my birthday in style! The resort staff had been well trained in the art of food presentation. Everything was beautifully and artistically arranged and decorated.















Another flower picture... no idea what this one is but it was pretty.














Hanging at the swing bar - M. and I found this bar to be the most fun to people watch at night. There sure were some characters!





All in all, a vacation well spent. In theory, this would be the part of the post where I announce my intention to get back into my kitchen and get cooking. I would actually love to do that, but I'm off to Florida today. Yes, today. Yes, we got back from Mexico last night. I'm turning into a travelling jetsetter. Actually, this is not exactly a fun trip. My father is currently overseas for a year on a diplomatic posting, and my mother is living alone in Florida. A few days after his departure in early July, our family dog was diagnosed with lung cancer. She's in a bad way, and I don't feel my mom should have to cope with putting her down alone. So I'm off to Florida to help her through that.

It may seem odd to some, but my family values pets tremendously. Despite our travelling lifestyle, and my father's job moving us from continent to continent every couple years, our pets always came with us. In our tiny travelling nuclear family, our pets played an important and stable role. This dog, Trekka, joined our family in Cuba. She was a stray that followed my mom and our family dog at the time home from a walk. She's had a good eleven years with our family visiting Bolivia, Venezuela and now Florida in that time. And so, I feel it important to visit her one last time and help my mother cope with being without a dog for the first time in 30 odd years.

I will of course take the camera, and hopefully have a chance to take over my mother's kitchen to try out some recipes. So.... stay tuned!

Hasta la vista!

This veggie kitchen will be closed until July 26th when I will officially be 2 days into my 28th year, and back from a Mexican vacation. M. and I leave tomorrow morning EARLY and I'm not cooking tonight. In fact, I'll be departing to donate an hour and a half of my time to fulfill our CSA requirement. Why I picked the day before vacation, I'll never know. It seemed like a great idea in the beginning of June. Not so much now. So off I'll go into the 100+ heat index shortly to sit and watch people sign pieces of paper for an hour and a half. Fun fun. Did I mention the CSA pick-up place is gross and hot on a good day, let alone a stinker like today?

Anyways, M. and I are off for some lying by the pool, lying by the beach and just all around relaxing. So, hope everyone will remember to come back next week when I'm sure I'll be ready to cook and bake with a vengeance after eating "out" for a week (and will have amazing vacation pictures to of course brag about and post to inspire much jealousy). Have a great week folks, and see you next Wednesday!

Double chocolate satisfaction.

Before we left for New Jersey on Saturday, I decided to make a dessert to bring to my in-laws. I'd bought a block of white chocolate at Trader Joe's on Friday, and so I decided to make Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies. But, I really didn't have to time to bake batches and batches of cookies so I decided to alter the recipe and make a bar instead.

The results were delicious. They didn't look spectacular since we covered the pan with foil, and put it into a backpack while still warm. As a result of that decision, M. got to make the trip smelling like brownies, and the brownies kind of collapsed on themselves so that the top of the pan was empty when we took it out but the bottom had waves of compressed brownies. It was a very interestingexperiment, but luckily didn't affect the taste at all. The brownie-like result was dense and fudgy, and the white chocolate chunks made a nice contrast to the thick fudginess of the brownie itself.

This picture was taken while the brownies were cooling, and unfortunately doesn't display the chocolate/white chocolate contrast to its fullest extent. But trust me - it was there!

Chocolate White Chocolate Chunk Cookies (or Brownies)
Ina Garten - Barefoot Contessa Parties
(makes 40-48 cookies)

Ina's notes - These are "reverse" chocolate chunk cookies. Chocolate dough with white choclate chunks. I prefer white chocolate to traditional choclate, so I think these are wonderful.

My notes - This was a very forgiving recipe. I was very distracted while making this, and put the eggs in with the sugars. I also used cold eggs. But there was no indication of these distractions in the taste, and the recipe worked very well despite my mixing up a few steps.

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar packed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs at room temperature
2/3 cup good unsweetened cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds good white chocolate coarsely chopped (I used 10 ounces, and then threw in about a cup of regular chocolate chips as well)

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and two sugars until light and fluffly in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time. Mix well. Add the cocoa and mix again. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and add to the chocolate with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped white chocolate (and chocolate chips, in my case).

Cookie directions - Drop the dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a 1 3/4 ice cream scoop or rounded tablespoon. Dampen your hands, and flatten the dough slightly. Bake for exactly 15 minutes, the cookies will seem underdone. Remove from the oven, and let cool slightly on pan before tranferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Brownie directions - Put cookie dough into greased 9x13 pan (or 8x8 would probably work as well). Spread slightly and smooth top. Bake in oven for approximately 30 minutes (mine baked for 35). Remove from oven, and cool in pan on wire rack.

Technorati Tags: baking, chocolate, white chocolate

Busy in the kitchen.

We're heading off to New Jersey to spend the weekend with M.'s family soon. This, plus our upcoming vacation to Mexico has prompted me to crank out as much as I can with what we have so as to prevent food from going to waste.

Looking at our peaches this morning prompted me to think about using a couple in some muffins. Of course, I also had the ultimate in organic food experience. I was looking at a peach that was well past its prime, and something looked back! A little worm stuck its head out of the hole around the stem. Needless to say that peach went straight into the trash, and nowhere near my muffins! I like my food fresh from the earth, but that was a little bit too fresh if you know what I mean!

And, last night while cooking our dinner, I also prepared a couscous salad to take. I based it off the Cooking Light Recipe Lemony Couscous with Mint, Feta and Dill, found here but I changed so much I can hardly say that I made the recipe (although it does look good).

Here are pictures of some of the things I've made, with recipes to follow at a later time.

A meal fresh from someone's garden....

... even if not my own!

Tonight's meal inspiration began with Susan's (chef in the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen) recipe for Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Cajun White Beans. She posted her creation several days ago, and when I saw pattypan squash at the Union Square Farmer's Market today, I knew our dinner was determined.

While still at the Farmer's Market I saw fresh green beans, small heirloom tomatoes and corn. And dinner was done. I was instantly convinced that a simple meal prepared with these fresh ingredients would fit the bill for our Friday dinner. M. tends to work pretty late during the week, but Friday is a night he can often make it home for a late (8:00 or in tonight's case 9:00pm) dinner. Accordingly, I try to make something a bit more special to usher the weekend in.


Having finished at the Farmer's Market, I then proceeded to one of my new favorite grocery stores. It was a definite trip carrying the produce and the three Barnes and Noble books that somehow found their way to me during my perusal of the Barnes and Noble at Union Square. But, Trader Joe's is worth it. It just opened in March, and already I'm in love! Poor Whole Foods (just down the street even) got kicked to the curb! Anyways, at Trader Joe's I found what turned out to be a key ingredient to tonight's supper. Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, pictured on the left and featured heavily in tonight's green bean preparation and fresh corn preparation. Its tangy sweetness complemented the veggies nicely, and I look forward to finding new ways to use my new pantry staple.






Our lovely dinner in its entirety.
As always, clicking on the picture will blow it up, and reveal our amateur photographic skills!








Here is Susan's original recipe. Because I'm lazy as its somewhat late, I just entered it as (meaning I copied it from her blog) is but I want all credit to go to her as it was a tasty recipe, and one I will repeat. But, I actually made some changes which I will describe here. First of all, I omitted the celery and green pepper because I didn't have any and I wasn't going out again after lugging home two TJ bags, all my produce and three Barnes and Nobles books. So, no celery and pepper for us. I adapted the herbs somewhat (mostly because our fridge is bursting with a multitude of herbs right now). I used fresh sage (about 7 leaves cut in a chiffonade), fresh thyme (about 4 stems with approximately 5 fronds per stem), herbs de Provence (about 1/2 a teaspoon), crushed red pepper (a dash) and I added 1/4 cup whole wheat panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and a few microplane grates of parmesan cheese. But other than that, I made her recipe in its entirety! :) Oh, and I used cannellini beans. As I said above, I will repeat this but I do think it is a forgiving recipe that will accommodate "what's on hand" and remain delicious.


Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Cajun White Beans

4 medium-sized patty pan squash
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1/2 bell pepper, chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 can (15 ounces) great northern beans (or other white beans), rinsed and drained

Place the squash flat side down in a large pot. Add about 1 inch of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 8 minutes, until a fork easily pierces the top of the squash. Remove from the pot and set aside to cool.

When cool enough to handle, slice off the top of the squash and use a melon baller to scoop out the flesh from the inside. Be sure to leave a wall of at least 1/4-inch of flesh on all sides of the squash. Turn them upside down to drain, and dice the scooped out flesh coarsely.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Sauté the onions, celery and bell pepper in a large, non-stick skillet for about 5 minutes until soft; add garlic, diced squash, and remaining seasonings and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the white beans and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.

Place the squash in an 8x8-inch baking pan. Spoon the stuffing into each shell; be sure to really pack it into the shell, and don't be afraid to over-stuff them. Pile any stuffing that remains into the center of the baking pan, right between the squash.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Serve with additional stuffing. Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish





The other components of our dinner remained pretty simple. For the green beans, I cut off the ends and sauteed them in a splash of my new champagne vinegar, a splash of vegetable broth, two garlic cloves minced, salt and pepper and a dash of lemon flavored olive oil (to taste - I didn't use very much but others might prefer more). This created a nice little sauce which I then reduced until the green beans were nicely glazed.

The heirloom tomato salad with perlini was an adaptation of everyone's favorite - the caprese salad. I quartered the mini-heirlooms, tossed with basil chiffonade, salt and pepper. I then strained a spoonful of perlini (mini-bocconcini or fresh mozzarella balls - also obtained at Trader Joe's) and added a splash of olive oil and a splash of basalmic vinegar. I stirred, and left the salad to sit for a few minutes so that the flavors would meld.

And the corn, I cooked the corn for about three minutes in boiling water. I used my corn zipper and unzipped the kernels, added salt and pepper and my new vinegar to taste (about a tablespoon) and left to marinade until I served it.

And that was our dinner, and M. was very pleased. Wouldn't you have liked to join us?

Technorati Tags: pattypan squash, cooking, heirloom tomatoes, vegetarian

5 Things meme

Since Linda at kayaksoup
tagged me for a 5 things meme, I thought it best to do that soon before I forget!


So here we go -

5 Things in My Freezer
Chocolate chip cookie dough
Trader Joe's Spanakopita triangles
Morningstar Farm Chik Patties
Frozen Fava beans
Homemade blueberry muffins

Five Things in My Closet (I'll use the pantry/closet)
Cat food in a easy open plastic tub
Winter coats
Swiffer
Crystal Light drink mix
A multitude of various kinds of beans

Five Things in My Car
Don't have one, So I'm going to change it to:
Five Things on My Bookshelf
Children's picture books example - The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Teacher education books - The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz
Lots of nonfiction books - Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
My husband's "require a bit more thought" books - The Great Unravelling by Paul Krugman
My light mind candy books - Cooking for Mr. Latte by Amanda Hesser


Five Things in my Purse
Spilled change
Lip Gloss
Wallet
Keys
Compact (which I always carry but rarely use)

Now I guess I'm supposed to tag people to play the game. Gosh! I've never done this before.
I'll invite:

Crystal at poco-cocoa

Kate at Pie in the Sky

Susan at Fat Free Vegan Kitchen

If even one of these lovely people plays, I'll consider myself doing pretty well!

When inspiration doesn't strike...

... but a fridge full of veggies that need to be used up does, and you cook no matter how unmotivated you feel. Tonight, I didn't feel like cooking. In fact, I didn't feel like doing much at all. I talked myself out of the gym, and the weather outside looked like this - and my inspiration was at an all time low. M. had a work function and wouldn't be home for dinner and I was ready to scrounge for food and kick back and do nothing.

But I persevered against these strong evolutionary feelings to sit back and watch the rain thunder down on poor hapless Brooklyn. Instead, I tackled those fresh fava beans, and made what turned out to be a surprisingly tasty dish. Reading through the ingredients I thought - eh. This will be okay. Nothing special. In fact, it turned out to be a surprisingly delicious combination of simple ingredients (CHEESE), so much so that I had to put the leftovers away in the fridge quickly so as not to consume too much! And paired with my own incarnation of a Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, the meal made the efforts (and cleaning the kitchen) worthwhile. M. now has tasty leftovers to take for lunch tomorrow, and I feel like I did something instead of being a lazy bum! It works out for everyone.

Orecchiette with Fresh Fava Beans, Ricotta, and Shredded Mint
Cooking Light April 2006

While fava beans are best, frozen lima beans or green peas can be used in a pinch. If using frozen beans or peas, just toss them into the pasta water during the last minute of cooking and drain with the pasta. If you can’t find orecchiette, use seashell pasta.

2 pounds unshelled fava beans (about 1 cup shelled)
1 pound uncooked orecchiette pasta (little ears pasta)
1 teaspoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
½ cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
½ cup chopped fresh mint
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
mint sprigs optional

Remove beans from pods; discard pods. Cook beans in boiling water for 1 minute. Remove beans with a slotted spoon. Plunge beans into ice water; drain. Remove tough outer skins from beans; discard skins. Set beans aside.

Cook pasta according to the package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Place pasta in a large bowl; add oil and salt. Toss well.

Combine the 1 cup reserved pasta water, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, chopped mint, and pepper. Add beans and cheese mixture to pasta mixture; toss to combine. Garnish with mint sprigs, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 507(16% from fat); FAT 8.8g (sat 4.1g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.3g); PROTEIN 29.2g; CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 255mg; SODIUM 540mg; FIBER 4.7g; IRON 6.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 85.5g

Today's Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I took my bunch of beets, cut off the greens and then scrubbed the beets. After scrubbing, I wrapped each individually in foil, and roasted at 400 degrees for one hour. Then I held under running water while I rubbed off the skins. I then washed and sliced the greens, and sauteed them on a nonstick cooking skillet with cooking spray and one diced garlic clove. I took pre-sliced and washed lettuce, and assembled one portion on a plate. I added some beet greens and stems, and then sliced an appropriate number of beets. I sprinkled goat cheese on the top, added a swirl of storebought vinaigrette and called it tonight's beet and goat cheese salad.

CSA overdrive.

Well, I guess I should stop whining about how our CSA isn't meeting our fruit and veggie needs. They did a pretty good job this week - not too much will be needed to supplement!




14 peaches (I love the way they tell us how many. Not a handful of peaches - 14!)
















A beautiful bunch of beets with greens attached.



















A bunch of lettuce and a bunch of radicchio. And yes, the one on the right is radicchio. I got up to check, because I started to doubt myself of its authenticity not seeing the dark red leaves. But they're inside the green.














Some beautiful red onions - and my can of Fresca. Oops.















Blurry rosemary.















Fresh fava beans, which I've never played with before.











And, flowers.





















Oh, and 2 quarts of cherries which I somehow forgot to photograph. Hmm. Oh well, let the cooking challenge begin! Stay tuned for beet, fava bean, red onion and radicchio recipes to come!