More Great Ideas

September 1, 2011

UnitedHarvest

CSA Recipes and Food Preparation Support


Welcome to the United Harvest Newsletter!

Such a busy time of the year for CSAs and cooks alike! The harvest is bountiful, and I love getting e-mails for special requests. I addressed most of them here and please e-mail me throughout August if you are looking for a specific recipe. I will send it out in an e-mail to all of you!

Enjoy and keep in touch with me this month, and I would LOVE to assist you with your specific needs!




BEST VEGGIE TIPS FOR AUGUST!!

For zucchini----- use up to 4 cups of shredded zucchini in chili and freeze for the fall! Freeze shredded zucchini for breads or muffins. Make a Mediterranean stew like the one below. Try an old-fashioned zucchini casserole, found below. Southwestern saute uses lots of zucchini, easy, quick, delicious, ready below. Ratatouille recipe in 8/15 edition.

For peppers---cut in half and freeze, saute when ready to use and mix with tomato sauce for a great sandwich topper! Use peppers in chili. Stuff them with rice and beans, stuffing, or the Holiday Forbidden Rice found below.

For sweet potatoes----see sweet potato chip recipe below....share chips with a friend! Roast sweet alone or with beets, delicious, recipe below.

For white potatoes---check out the green bean and potato salad below, it's healthy and can pop out of fridge at a moment's notice!

For basil---if you don't want to freeze pesto, then freeze basil mixed with some olive oil. Use in sauces. Or place basil leaves in ice cube trays, cover with water and freeze. Pop into a zip lock bag and keep frozen until you need a hint of basil in a dish!

For eggplant---Eggplant caviar, easy and freezes well recipe is in the 8/15 edition along with other eggplant recipes!


Mediterranean Stew---zucchini, peppers, tomatoes

Take full advantage of fresh herbs! They add a life energy to our dishes like nothing else!

1 onion sliced
6 garlic cloves, pressed
6 large portabella mushrooms sliced
5 colorful bell peppers, seeded and sliced
1 large zucchini, sliced
3 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
3 cups of chick peas, rinsed well
2 cups of pitted kalamata olives
5 tablespoons of a mixture of chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the onion, garlic, peppers, mushrooms and zucchini in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add tomatoes, red wine, and chick peas, mixing well. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables and tender crisp. Remove lid and cook on medium high, stirring occasionally. Stir in olives and herbs. Serve immediately.


southwestern sauté---great way to use zucchini

12 ears of corn
½ c. olive oil
2 large zucchini, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 red peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T. chili powder
½ t. cayenne pepper
½ t. oregano

Steam, cool and remove corn kernels from cobs. Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add onions and sauté until soft. Then add zucchini and peppers. When vegetables are crisp and tender add corn, garlic, spices and herbs. Serve immediately.




Stuffed Squash


Acorn squash

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut each squash in half through stem end. Scrape out seeds with a spoon. Place cut side down in baking dish with small amt of water. Cover with foil. Bake until fork easily pierces through the squash, about 40 minutes.

When you remove from baking pan, fill squash over to reveal their cavity which can simply be flavored with a small amount of olive oil, sea salt, maple syrup. For a full meal stuff with Forbidden Rice recipe (below), a wild rice stuffing, or simply rice and beans.


Summer Squash

Partially boil whole squash in salted water. Remove, slice in half lengthwise, and scoop out center of squash. Stuff with recipe below, wild rice stuffing, rice and beans topped with salsa and melted cheese.




Holiday Forbidden rice---great stuffing for peppers or squash

4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of fresh shitake mushroom caps
4 medium carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/3 cup of minced shallots
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 cups cooked Forbidden Rice (follow package instructions)
1-1/3 cup of fresh orange juice
1-1/3 cup of dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté for one minute. Add carrots, celery, and shallots. Season with salt and pepper; sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, orange juice and cranberries. Toss to mix well. Pour into a 9” x 13” baking dish. Cover loosely with tin foil and bake until liquid evaporates, about 35 minutes.


Mexican stuffed chilies---great way to use any peppers!

8 large poblano chilies, more or less depending on size
5 T of olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
½ c. red onion, finely diced
1 c. bell pepper, diced
1 T fresh oregano
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1-1/2 c. dried quinoa, cooked (follow package directions)
1/3 c. chopped flat leaf parsley or cilantro
¼ c. fresh lime juice
2 c. fresh salsa

Preheat oven 425 degrees. Slice chiles lengthwise, remove seeds, leave stems intact. Brush chiles with olive oil and place on baking sheet. Bake until chiles begin to char. Remove from oven, cool and peel skin. Reduce oven temperture to 350 degrees.
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic, onion, bell peppers, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes. Stir in quinoa, lime juice and 1 c. of salsa, remove from heat. Pour remaining 1 c. of salsa at the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Stuff each chili with the quinoa mixture and place on salsa-lining baking dish. Bake 25 minutes. To serve sprinkle with salsa.

Regular bell peppers may be used in place of chilies!


TRADITIONAL ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

You know by now that I rarely use processed foods in my recipes......and I hesitate to even include this in the newsletter.....yet I have some requests for this, so here it goes!

6 medium zucchini, sliced on inch thick and steamed until almost tender
1 onion, chopped and steamed with zucchini

Once zucchini and onion are steamed, drain well and transfer into a large bowl.
Add:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small container of sour cream

Mix well.

Place mixture in a large baking dish, pour mixture into dish evenly, sprinkle with uncooked stuffing mix of your choice, bake at 350 degrees until mixture is bubbly, about 40 mins. Enjoy!



Butternut Lentil Soup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
1 teaspoon of dried thyme
5 cups veggie broth
1 cup lentils, rinsed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot. When hot add carrot, celery and onion and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the squash, rosemary and thyme and combine. Add veggie broth and simmer covered for about 20 minutes or until butternut squash is fork tender. Meanwhile in a medium saucepan add lentils, cover with water and simmer, covered until lentils are soft, about 20—25 minutes. Drain. Use blender or immersion blender and puree soup mixture. Once pureed, stir in lentils and season.


Sweet potato chowder


1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 ears fresh corn
5 medium potatoes peeled and chopped
1/3 cup yellow corn meal
5 cups Veggie broth
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion and sauté. When onion is soft, add garlic and sauté for two minutes. Scrape kernels off of corn and add in pot stirring quickly. Then add sweet potatoes, corn meal, and broth. Bring to boil over medium heat, then lower heat and cover. Simmer until potatoes become soft. Puree soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Return to stove and stir in maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper.



roasted sweets and beets

5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
6 large beets, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces (reserve beet greens for salad)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 c. olive oil
2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1 T. garlic powder

Mix all ingredients well in a bowl and transfer to a shallow baking dish. Bake on 400 degrees, mixing twice during baking, for about 40 minutes or when veggies are soft and carmelized.




sweet potato chips

5 sweet potatoes
¼ cup of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut potatoes in 1/8-inch thick slices. Pour olive oil on the bottom of a baking sheet and spread evenly. Place one layer of potato slices on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, turning once. Remove and cool.




Nicoise salad

8 cups of green beans, cleaned with stems removed
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of sliced kalamata olives
a handful of fresh herbs like flat-leaf parsley, basil, oregano, mint
1 cup white wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Steam beans for five minutes in a medium saucepan and then immerse in cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain. Gently boil potatoes until soft. Drain. Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl and mix.