Wednesday, December 28 - Wednesday, January 11: Terra Firma Vacation

The farm is closed for their annual vacation for the next two weeks. I am slightly relieved, as we got a little behind schedule using up our veggies and are also traveling next week. I also like the freedom to try recipes with seasonal ingredients not found in our box...If you have good wintry recipes that you've tried recently, please share!

Wednesday, December 28: Failed Night Out

Harry and I went out into civilization for the first time this week (we are staying at a small cabin outside of Truckee, CA for the holiday). We had a few errands to run, and thought we'd take advantage of being in town to treat ourselves a meal out. Turns out every other tourist had the same idea, so we retreated home and had this simple, comforting meal.

Chicken Garlic & Artichoke Sausages with Baked Sweet Potatoes and Cole Slaw

For baked sweet potatoes, set oven to 450 degrees. Wash potatoes and score them with a fork in several places. I put them in as is, but you can also rub the outside with oil or butter. They take a while, depending on their size.  When you see juices bubbling in the fork scoring, you're close. Check their tenderness by sticking them with a fork. Serve plain or with sour cream.

For sausages we used Aidell's sausages. We should probably by stock in this company we use them so much. 

My Mom's Cole Slaw

 I think next week I'll have to get more adventurous with my cabbage recipes, as I think I've made this and posted it here before. Thing is, it's quick and easy and delicious... One head cabbage, two or three stalks celery, and one apple, all finely chopped. (We didn't use an apple, because we'd eaten ours as snacks this week. It's still good.) Add in two tablespoons of mayonnaise, a lot of dried dill, and a healthy sprinkling of red wine vinegar.  You can eat it right away, but it's best to let it sit for a while.

What's left:

- 3 or so parsnips

- 2 carrots

- 1/4 bag baby spinach

- bunch Dino kale

- 3 lemons

Leftover from the last 2 weeks:

- 12 mandarins

- 1/4 bag arugula

- garlic

Tuesday, December 27: Long-lost Curry

As my college friends can attest, I used to make curry all the time. It was my go to recipe. I was a vegetarian living in Vermont; tempeh curry seemed, in 1998, exotic and impressive. Harry told me last night that he's never had my curry. I think this is because I overdid it, and began to favor lighter stir fries. I also think it's because I couldn't find the curry paste that I loved. Most curry pastes you find in the market are of the thai variety, green or red, and they're delicious. But the "original" for me was Patak's curry paste, which I believe is a more Indian type curry. But I found good old Patak's last week, and so curry went on the menu:

Tempeh Curry (made with Tofu)

 Ingredients: 1 onion, sliced; 4 small carrots, sliced; 1 head of broccoli, chopped; 1/2 leftover bell pepper, sliced; 1 package tofu, cubed; 1 large clove garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; some vegetable oil; 2 tablespoons Patak's curry paste; 1 can light coconut milk.

Marinate the tofu in soy sauce and the garlic while you chop the other ingredients and start rice. Then, in a small amount of vegetable/peanut oil, sauté carrots and onions until onions become translucent. Add the curry paste and stir for a minute or two. Add broccoli, tofu, and pepper, stirring frequently so they become covered in paste. When the vegetables are cooked but not too tender, add in the can of coconut milk. Let simmer over low heat. If you've timed it right, your rice will be cooked and you'll be ready to serve!

What's left:

- 2 sweet potatoes

- 3 or so parsnips

- 2 carrots

- 1/4 bag baby spinach

- bunch Dino kale

- 3 lemons

- 1 Granny Smith (I ate one as a snack)

Leftover from the last 2 weeks:

- 12 mandarins

- 1/4 bag arugula

- head of cabbage

- garlic

Monday, December 26: Returning to Simple

After the past few nights of all out feasts, it felt right to return to eating soup and salad. This soup, however, is not for those watching their weight...which might be why it's so delicious.

Potato Leek Soup:

 This photo doesn't do this soup justice. It has subtle and delicious flavors, and makes you think that maybe months and months of leeks might not be so bad. The recipe is from the Horn of the Moon Cookbook, by Ginny Callan. I was able to find this similar version online, but I highly recommend that you get a copy of the Horn of the Moon. It is a classic.

Spinach Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Mozzarella, and Artichoke Hearts

 We are so lucky to have leftover antipasto ingredients. Mozzarella is so good! Harry made up this little salad with dijon-balsamic vinaigrette.

What's left:

- 2 sweet potatoes

- 3 or so parsnips

- 2 heads broccoli

- bunch carrots

- 1/4 bag baby spinach

- bunch Dino kale

- 3 lemons

- 1 Granny Smith (I ate one as a snack)

Leftover from the last 2 weeks:

- 12 mandarins

- 1/4 bag arugula

- head of cabbage

- garlic

Sunday, December 25: Buon Natale!

So, this wasn't Diana's feast of the seven fishes, but we did count six fishes in this meal. Not bad for a bunch of rooks.

Zuccarelli Antipasto

This is a modified version of the original. We used escarole as the green, which had a nice bitter flavor to it, but could have used more time to marinate in the dressing. Then we put olives, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes, tuna, and spears of mozzarella over top. In honor of our mostly-vegetarian crew, we prepared a separate plate of dried salami.

Cioppino (Seafood Stew)

We really had nothing to do with preparing it, but I believe this is the recipe that was used.

Pear-Apple Crisp:

 This was my first real attempt at making a crisp with raw oats. The lesson I learned: do not fear butter. Topping: raw oats, whole wheat flour, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and butter (I used 1/2 a stick, and could have used the whole stick.) Still, with our yummy Granny Smith apples, our Asian pears, and plenty of vanilla ice cream, it turned out all right.

What's left:

- 2 leeks

- 0 Mandarins -- we gave them away to under-citrused friends!

- 10 or so potatoes

- 2 sweet potatoes

- 3 or so parsnips

- 2 heads broccoli

- bunch carrots

- 1/2 bag baby spinach

- bunch Dino kale

- 3 lemons

- 2 Granny Smit

Leftover from the last 2 weeks:

- 12 mandarins

- 1/4 bag arugula

- head of cabbage

- garlic

Saturday, December 24: Christmas Eve

Harry and I spent a cozy evening eating and watching Lord of the Rings, a family tradition. Speaking of family traditions, Christmas Eve is usually the time for the Feast of the Seven Fishes for Harry's family. We are having Christmas dinner with pescatarian friends, so we're having beef tonight instead: grilled steaks, root vegetables, and spinach salad.

Maple Glazed Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

This recipe is from Martha Stewart, but it is really quite simple. Roast the parsnips and sweet potatoes, and then stir them in a mixture of mustard and maple syrup. I think she may only get credit for it because it's exactly the recipe I needed this week.

Holiday Spinach Salad

 This recipe has become a fixture in our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. The key is to make the dressing garlicky and sweet. Ingredients: spinach, pecans, dried cranberries, goat cheese. Dressing: olive oil, fresh garlic, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar (soy sauce if you think it's too sweet).

What's left:

- 2 leeks

- a dozen Satsuma Mandarins

- 10 or so potatoes

- 2 sweet potatoes

- 3 or so parsnips

- 2 heads broccoli

- bunch carrots

- 1/2 bag baby spinach

- bunch Dino kale

- 3 lemons

- 5 Granny Smith (including one as big as my head!)

Leftover from the last 2 weeks:

- 3 Asian Pears

- 1 lemon

- 12 mandarins

- 1/4 bag arugula

- head of cabbage

- garlic

- one head escarole -- which I somehow missed last week! 

Wednesday, December 21 - Wednesday December 28

This week's box was a surprise. Last year we got cabbage and cauliflower each week for months on end. This week's box included neither of these gems. And the portions of what was included would be perfect for one large holiday dinner. Thanks, Terra Firma!

In this week's box:

- 2 leeks

- a dozen Satsuma Mandarins

- 10 or so potatoes

- 4 sweet potatoes

- 6 or so parsnips

- 2 heads broccoli

- bunch carrots

- bag baby spinach

- bunch Dino kale

- 3 lemons

- 5 Granny Smith (including one as big as my head!)

Leftover from the last 2 weeks:

- 3 Asian Pears

- 1 lemon

- 12 mandarins

- 1/4 bag arugula

- head of cabbage

- garlic

- one head escarole -- which I somehow missed last week! 

 

Wednesday, December 21: Another Yellow Soup

Is it weird to have two yellow soups in one week? I think a little bit. Also, does anyone know why so many late season vegetables are yellow-orange? Carrots, sweet potatoes, squash of all types, citrus...

Butternut White Bean Ginger Soup

 This recipe comes from what I think is the first cookbook I ever owned, Horn of the Moon Cookbook by Ginny Callan, given to me by my dear Auntie and Uncle. The Horn of the Moon restaurant was a classic vegetarian restaurant in my hometown of Montpelier, Vermont. It was there as long as I could remember, and served good, hearty old-school vegetarian fare. My hunch is that it finally went out of business when mainstream restaurants started offering several veggie options on their menus. 

Like everything else I've made from this book, this soup was really tasty, though I used canned beans and didn't purée the squash as thoroughly as I would have liked. I added a bouillon cube after tasting the soup and finding it a little thin in flavor. I think probably it would have come together on its own, but this definitely helped.

I served it with a simple arugula salad with my Uncle Al's dressing: olive oil, soy sauce, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, garlic.  

Still to go from this week's box:
- 10 mandarins
- 1/2 dozen Asian pears
- 1/4 bag arugula
- 3 heads garlic (still working on this fall's collection)


Leftover from last week (!):
- 1/2 bag greens -- HAD TO COMPOST :(
- 1 head cabbage
- 1 lemon
- bunch of oranges

Tuesday, December 20: Pizza Night!

I have given up on roll-it-out frozen pizza dough. It takes forever to defrost, and who remembers to take it out of the freezer in the morning? Not this signorina! Cornmeal crusts all the way!


Chicken, Broccoli, and Kalamata Olive Pizza:
After the dough fiasco, Harry and I were so hungry for this pizza we forgot to take a picture! You'll just have to imagine cornmeal crust spread with tomato paste, sauteed chicken, steamed broccoli, garlic, and chopped Kalamata Olives, smothered in mozzarella cheese. Delicious!


Arugula, Carrot & Pine Nut Salad:

The title says it all. I should have used lemon in the dressing, but I forgot. Does anyone have any good salad dressing recipes with lemon juice? I should try something new!




Still to go from this week's box:
- 2 butternut squash
- 10 mandarins
- 1/2 dozen Asian pears
- 1/2 bag arugula
- 3 heads garlic (still working on this fall's collection)


Leftover from last week (!):
- 1/2 bag greens
- 1 head cabbage
- 3 lemons
- bunch of oranges

Monday, December 19: Bring on the Squash

We have had this acorn squash sitting on our shelf for a while -- or at least it feels like it. I get intimidated by squash because it always seems to take forever to prepare. But, I'm on vacation, so bring it, squash! I decided to make this yummy stuffed squash recipe I'd seen awhile ago. Turns out, you microwave the squash, and the whole thing takes about 30 mins, if you're not rushing. Sweet!


Acorn Squash Stuffed with Chard and White Beans:

This recipe is from Eating Well magazine, not surprisingly. That place makes some good, easy recipes! I replaced the chard with the Red Russian kale from this week's box. It is also for four people, but I just stuffed a bunch of filling in each half and baked the rest in a ramekin. It was a perfect amount of food for two hungry people.

Harry polished off his squash in no time! 


Still to go from this week's box:
- 2 butternut squash
- 10 mandarins
- 1/2 dozen Asian pears
- 1 bag arugula
- 3 heads broccoli
- 3 heads garlic (still working on this fall's collection)


Leftover from last week (!):
- 1/2 bag greens
- 1 head cabbage
- 3 carrots
- 3 lemons
- bunch of oranges

Sunday, December 18: Soup & Salad

This meal was the perfect antidote to our over indulgent weekend.


Curried Cauliflower Soup:

I stumbled upon this recipe about 5 years ago, and it has gotten me through many winter veggie boxes. It is rich and warm, but actually fairly low impact. Gotta love Martha!


Mixed Greens Salad with Mandarins and Pumpkin Seeds:

Trying to get creative with mandarins...We have several dozen to get through.


Still to go from this week's box:
- 2 butternut squash
- 10 mandarins
- 1/2 dozen Asian pears
- 1 bag arugula
- 1 bag Red Russian kale
- 3 heads broccoli
- 3 heads garlic


Leftover from last week (!):
- 1/2 bag greens
- 1 head cabbage
- 3 carrots
- 3 lemons
- bunch of oranges
- acorn squash

Thursday, December 15: Weekly Stirfry

This week it was tempeh, garlic, ginger, broccoli, carrots, and bok choy. I like to marinate the tempeh in some soy sauce and minced garlic while I'm chopping the other ingredients. I add it in after the carrots get a touch soft.


Still to go from this week's box:
- 2 butternut squash
- 14 mandarins
- 1/2 dozen Asian pears
- 1 bag arugula
- 1 bag Red Russian kale
- 3 heads broccoli
- 2 heads cauliflower
- 3 heads garlic


Leftover from last week (!):
- 1 bag greens
- 1 head cabbage
- 1 head cauliflower
- 3 carrots
- 3 lemons
- bunch of oranges
- acorn squash
- onions

Wednesday, December 14 - Wednesday, December 21

In this week's box:
- 2 butternut squash
- 14 mandarins
- 1/2 dozen Asian pears
- 1 bag arugula
- 1 bag Red Russian kale
- 3 heads broccoli
- 3 heads bok choy
- 2 heads cauliflower
- 3 heads garlic


Leftover from last week (!):
- 1 bag greens
- 1 head cabbage
- 1 head cauliflower
- 2 heads broccoli
- 1 bunch carrots
- 3 lemons
- bunch of oranges
- acorn squash
- onions

Catch Up...

Dearest readers,


I am quite sorry for my month long absence. I did not abandon my veggie box, nor did I stop cooking. But between report cards, traveling for Thanksgiving, and the holiday season, I did not have time to document my attempts to eat up the veggies.


I am posting a few photos of things I have made over the past month. I will label new recipes, but in this busy time, I have been relying heavily on old, easy favorites. I am looking forward to Winter Break to renew my exploration of new recipes.


A couple of things are new on the scene: butternut and acorn squash, cabbage and cauliflower. These things are challenging for me, as it seems to take time to cook them, and I would love any and all new recipes. Also, Harry and I have lost our veggie-box partners, and are now attempting to tackle a Medium Box on our own. Please come for dinner.


Butternut Squash Purée (Harry's Famous) & Delicious Stuffed Clams (frozen)

Harry makes this delicious purée cutting the squash with the skin on into big cubes. He then steams the cubes until tender, and then peels off skin with a knife (wait a bit, so you don't burn your fingers). He adds some butter and maple syrup, et voilà!

 This was the veggie box from two weeks ago. New goodies include meyer lemons, acorn squash, super spicy delicious radishes...


Mixed Green Salad with Apples, Pecorino and Walnuts

 We served this salad with yummy bison burgers that Harry made using onions and garlic from the veggie box, as well as oven roasted potatoes. A hearty and tasty meal!


Roasted Green Beans, Braised Cabbage, and Smoky Maple-Mustard Salmon

Green Beans care of Emeril Lagasse. Cabbage care of Martha Stewart. Salmon care of Eating Well.

Oven Roasted Beets, Sautéed Kale with Fennel and Onions, served with Chicken Sausage

I love this kale dish. Sautée sliced fennel and onion together until translucent, then add kale, a little salt and red wine, and stir until the kale wilts. The beets were tossed with olive oil, salt and garlic and then baked at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside.

Pasta with Kale, Butter Beans, Onion and Sundried Tomatoes:

I love pasta with sautéed veggies. I could make endless variations on this theme. Usually I use cannellini beans, but they were not available where we went shopping. So, we had to "make do" with butter beans. In fact, they were equally as delicious, and held their shape longer than cannellini.

Saturday, November 12: Pizza Night

This was a truly joint effort. Harry tapped into his Italian roots to craft the pizza, I chopped veggies and made salad.


Pepper Pizza:

This was an old school pizza with sliced green peppers, onion, sliced orange sweet peppers, and pre-sliced canned black olives like from when you were little. The only new school touch was that my pizza chef prefers to use fresh mozzarella, grated by hand. 


Persimmon & Pecorino Salad with Pignole:

This salad was so yummy! Pecorino is salty enough to be a really nice balance for the sweetness of the persimmon, and the pine nuts added a little substance. Dressing: olive oil, mustard, red wine vinegar.

What's left:

Friday, November 11: BEEF, with some veggies

On a rainy Friday night, what's better than a warm, hearty meal with friends?

BEEF:
Harry made a humongous tri-tip with a cocoa-chili rub -- it was humongous and delicious. That's all I know about it. 


Sautéed Kale with Fennel and Shallot:
This is a recipe I believe I've made since starting this blog, but I suppose it never hurts to repeat the recipe. Sautée thinly sliced fennel and onion (I replaced onion with shallot, since that's what came in last week's box) in olive oil until slightly translucent. Add chopped kale and a splash of wine; sauté until tender and wilted.


Roasted Root Veggies with Fresh Rosemary:
I added two potatoes, 3 carrots, 2 beets, and 1 sweet potato, all diced to 2 cloves minced garlic, salt and pepper, and about a tablespoon of chopped rosemary. Put in oven at 450 degrees, for about 45. I like them crispy on the outside and mushy in the middle.


What's left?

- 1 small cabbage

- 1 pomegranate

- 2 persimmons

- 4 orange sweet peppers

- 2 pears

- 4 heads of garlic

- 1/2 bag mixed greens

Saturday, November 12: champion husband eggs

This morning Harry cooked up some delicious scrambled eggs with tomato and Cheddar cheese.



What's left?

- 1 small cabbage

- 1 pomegranate

- 2 persimmons

- 4 orange sweet peppers

- 2 pears

- 2 beets

- 4 heads of garlic

- 2 potatoes

- 1/2 bulb fennel

- 3 small carrots

- 1/2 bunch Dino kale

- 1/2 bag mixed greens

Thursday, November 10: The Plan

One thing that I've noticed is that if I don't take the time to make a plan, there is never any possible way I'll use up all the veggies. Even with the plan, things like green beans go gooey... so here's this week's plan, which actually tries to use up most of last week's box, too. Does anyone want to come to dinner? We're going to need some help!


The Plan:

Day 1: Grilled Steaks, Sautéed Kale with Fennel and Onions, and Roasted Root Vegetables
This recipe will use a sweet potato from last week's box, and kale, fennel, potatoes, garlic and beets from this week's box.


Day 2: Pizza with Sweet Peppers and Tomatoes, Mixed Green Salads with Persimmon and Pomegranate, and Pear-Apple Crisp
This meal will use up peppers from this and last week's box, tomatoes and apples from last week's box, persimmons, Asian pears, and pomegranate from this week's box. And garlic, though I've lost track of when we got our garlic...


Day 3: Roasted Green Beans, Braised Cabbage, and TBD Chicken Dish
This meal will use green beans from last week's box, and cabbage from this week's box.

Thursday, November 10: Sicky Poo Vegetable Soup

We're both feeling a little under the weather, so Harry said he wanted something "broth-based." So I made my very first homemade...


Vegetable Soup

I sautéed onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, and broccoli in butter until onions were translucent. I added some fresh sage and rosemary, 3 1/2 cups of vegetable broth, and simmered until potatoes until tender.

Wednesday, November 9 - Wednesday, November 16

This week's box:

We have moved squarely into winter veggies:
- 1 small cabbage
- 1 pomegranate
- 2 persimmons
- 4 orange sweet peppers
- 2 pears
- 2 beets
- 4 heads of garlic
- 4 potatoes
- 1/2 bulb fennel
- 6 small carrots
- 1/2 bunch Dino kale
- 1/2 bag mixed greens

Tuesday, November 8: Pasta Again

Harry took over the cooking duties tonight so that I could tackle a huge pile of grading. His beautiful creation...


Farfalle with Swiss Chard, Collard Greens and Sausage:

To the al dente farfalle, Harry added sautéed chard and collard greens, onions, garlic, and some leftover sausage. We sprinkled some parmesan.

Monday, November 7: Regrouping from Last Week

Last week, I had intentions of making sausages with roasted green beans and roasted root vegetables, and eating them with a friend. That did not happen, so this week I made myself...


Sausages, Sautéed Spinach with Garlic & Boiled Beets:

Sunday, November 6: Jamaican Travelers Return!

We got back late on Sunday night from our dear friends' wedding in Jamaica, so we threw some pasta and veggies together and then collapsed into bed.


Pasta with Tomatoes, Spinach and Capers:

I went lazy on this: put some olive oil, spinach, and tomatoes in the bottom of bowl, covered with pasta to slightly steam the spinach. I sprinkled on some garlic powder, some capers, and some parmesan. 

Wednesday, November 2 - Wednesday, November 9

This week's veggie box was light -- full of leafy greens!

- 1/2 bag spinach
- 1/2 bunch chard
- 1/2 bunch collard greens
- 3 carrots
- 2 small heads broccoli
- 1/2 bag green beans
- 1 orange pepper
- 1 green pepper
- 6 small tomatoes
- 3 green apples
- 2 onions
- 1 shallot
- 1 sweet potato

Wednesday, November 2: Book Club!

I love my book club ladies -- they're such good and adventurous eaters!


Raw Kale Salad:

I got this recipe from the Terra Firma Farm weekly newsletter. The dressing is a delicious mix of soy sauce, olive oil, and lemon juice. I used tokyo turnips and red pepper in the salad, and added minced garlic to the dressing recipe. The key is to toss the kale with the dressing about half an hour before you want to serve it.


Cavatappi with Potatoes & Herbs:
I got this recipe from The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas. It is essentially a hearty and simple pasta dish. The sauce is tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, sage and other herbs...perfect for a chilly evening around our tiny wooden table!

Monday, October 31: Happy Halloween Stir-fry

Kitchen Sink Stirfry:

I wish I had something new to tell you about my stirfry; same basic flavoring recipe: ginger, garlic, peanut and sesame oils, topped with sriracha. But the broccoli, green beans, peppers and bok choy were so fresh and delicious!

Saturday, October 29: The Plan

While I was making the plan, I got a little hungry. Luckily, I wasn't sure what else to do with this pear:

You've already seen the squash gnocchi recipe (yummmy!), but here's the rest of the ideas:

Kitchen Sink Stir-fry:

Roasted Green Beans with Dill Vinaigrette:

Roasted Beets & Turnips:

Raw Kale Salad with Tokyo Turnips & Peppers:

Cavatappi with Potatoes & Herbs:

Cilantro Pesto: