Winter narcissus flowers

Winter narcissus flowers
Merry Christmas!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Chinese long beans and squash casserole....oh and Melons!

Today's organic produce delivery (I subscribed to an organic weekly delivery, see last week's post for details about Scott Arbor Farms www.scottarbor.com) came to me with a big bag of 2 Honeydew melons...and the yard long beans with which I have fallen in love.  Also 2 nice butternut squash, another burpless cuke and some various colored peppers and more shallots. Oh and a large Tatume and a small yellow squash. I plan to make the yard long beans using a Chinese stir fry recipe and a squash casserole, using the yellow and tatume squash and onions (maybe some cheese, too?)  See recipes below the pictures...



I cut up all the rest of the squash, peppers and onions along with a couple of potatoes and I have them marinating in the fridge in my favorite roasted vegetable marinade (see my post a few weeks ago for that recipe). Tomorrow I'll have baby back ribs and roasted veggies. Right now, hubby and I are typing away on the laptops and munching from a shared bowl of melon...Yum!

Squash saute with onions, sweet peppers and cheese:
2 to 3 pounds summer squash (yellow, tatume, zucchini)
1 to 2 Tbls olive oil (if you aren't afraid of the fat, and like the flavor, use bacon fat, my favorite for taste!)
2 small shallots, chopped
1 small red or yellow sweet pepper, seeds and membrane removed, diced.
1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup shredded cheese (swiss, cheddar, parmesan, whatever you have!)

1) Rinse squash. Scrape or cut rind off of squash if using squash with a heavy rind (tatume: I used a carrot peeler), and cut zucchini and yellow squash into 50 cent size pieces, tatume into 3/8 inch thick (or thinner) squares or rounds. Try to make the pieces uniformly thick/thin so that you don't have overcooked and undercooked pieces once they are done. Since zucchini and yellow squash cook faster, I cut them into slices with a knife, not too thin.  I used a mandoline to slice the tatume squash very thin.

2) Measure fat or oil into pan, heat, and stir fry the onions and sweet pepper until limp, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add smashed garlic piece.

3) Add squash to pan and stir fry until fat is uniformly spread out over squash.  Sprinkle salt and grind fresh pepper over squash, cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook, stirring occasionally 8 to 15 minutes until done. (Cook more if you made your squash pieces thick, cook less if you cut them very thin.)

4) Uncover pan, stir squash and sprinkle cheese over squash. Cover and cook for a minute or 2 more just to melt the cheese.

Chinese Long Beans:
1 to 2 pounds Yard Long Beans, rinsed and cut into2 to 3 inch pieces
1 Tbls peanut oil

1Tbls garlic, chopped
1 Tbls ginger root, chopped
2 scallions (green onions) white and light green parts only, chopped
1 Tbls soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt; pepper to taste
1/2 tsp chili paste (or a few sprinkles of ground chili powder)
1 Tbls peanut oil

1) Heat 1 Tbls oil and stir fry beans (keep them moving with 2 spoons) until shriveled/puckered, anywhere fro 5 to 15 minutes, depending on their thickness and your "done" preference.  Remove beans from pan to serving dish.

2) Heat 1 Tbls oil and add garlic, ginger and scallions. Stir fry less than a minute, then add chili. Return beans to pan, add the rest of the ingredients and stir fry until most of liquid has been absorbed and beans are heated through.

Enjoy!


Saturday, August 13, 2011

Local Summer squash

Today, just after I had picked up my weekly organic produce delivery, I met a friend and gave away the eggplant, the basil and some peppers before I had a chance to take a photo of this week's vegetables.

Next week my plan is to take a picture before giving half away! The weekly delivery has proven so bountiful that I am forced to give a lot away -- Dan & I can't eat it all.  Tonight we will have the tatume squash, the cucumber and the peppers; I think I'll give the butternut to my daughter to fix this week. Next week I should get a melon or 2! I was disappointed that we didn't receive any of the yard long beans, those were scrumptious.

For those who haven't read my blog before, I signed up and paid a group of local organic farmers for a weekly stash of summer organic vegetables and sometimes melons each Saturday morning. The produce is fresh, local, organic, and delicious. Sometime in September or October, we can sign up for the winter produce, which of course I plan to do.

By the way, for those who live in the San Antonio area, the group that delivers the produce can be reached at:  Scott Arbor Farms

Monday, August 8, 2011

Summer bounty & Roasted vegetables




I recently signed up (and paid) to receive a weekly bounty of organic, local vegetables and sometimes fruit. The first week they surprised me a huge bag of squash, colorful sweet peppers, shallots, zucchinis and squashes and with 5 (FIVE!) melons...one beautiful honeydew and 4 cantelopes. That week I marinated and roasted all the veggies and ate the melons for dessert. Oh yes, and I gave away 3 of the melons. Dan & I can't eat that much melon, although we tried! This week's delivery included a delicious white cucumber, a long "burpless" cuke and a big eggplant. I took this picture after I had already cut and stir fried all the yellow squash and ate the cucumbers. I forgot to take pictures of the squash!

Here's my favorite roasted vegetable recipe:

Rinse and cut into large chunks any combination of sweet peppers, onions, potatoes (any kind: yams, new, yukons) squash, zucchini, carrots, baby corn. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Chunks should be anywhere from 1 to 2 inches in diameter, but try to keep them all uniform, with the exception of zucchini and squash which you should cut a bit larger than the rest, as they cook faster.

Marinade:

1/3 cup sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey (or brown sugar)
5 or 6 sun dried tomatoes, soaked and chopped

Mix the marinade ingredients in a large plastic baggie that can be sealed, or place in a large resealable leftover container (ziplock bags or tupperware). Add all the veggies into your bag or container and marinade for at least 8 hours, but overnight is better.

Preheat oven to 350F (190C) Cover the bottom of a large roasting pan with parchment paper.  If you don't have a roasting pan, a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides) or a lasagne pan works fine. Place the veggies in the pan in one layer, without overlapping any veggies, and toss the marinade down the drain.

Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour  until all the veggies are nicely browned and soft. If the veggies were cut smaller, they may be done in less time; larger veggies, more time. Turn the veggies after about 30 minutes to roast all the sides of the pieces.


Saturday, August 6, 2011

Blueberries! Muffins and Pie....



Blueberries are in season now - sweet, tangy and full of antioxidants. Blueberry crumble, blueberry pie, blueberry muffins, blueberry clafouti....make your favorite now! The cold winter with lots of rain, followed by a long cool spring and finally a hot summer, helped the berries to ripen beautifully and they are so good right now.

When fresh blueberries are in season, I like to buy lots of them. I keep a few (of the biggest) on the table for snacking, bake a few into my favorite pastry, and freeze the rest. Blueberries freeze wonderfully - just don't wash them to death. Rinse them lightly, and dry completely before bagging and freezing.

When I was growing up in Seattle, my father kept 2 large blueberry bushes in the back yard. He had to drape a net of sorts over the tops of the bushes to keep the birds from stealing the bounty. During the season, if I had a hankering for blueberries, I'd go out back, stick my head under the net and pick the berries and eat them right off the bush. Then I'd pick a cup or so to use in making blueberry muffins. Here's my favorite recipe for blueberry muffins:

Blueberry muffins:
Preheat oven to 400F (200C)

Mix together in a large bowl: 
1 3/4 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar (or half sugar/half Splenda or Stevia)
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsps Baking powder

Beat in a small bowl:
2 eggs

Add to the eggs:
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk (or use 1 cup plain yogurt)
NOTE: 1/4 cup melted butter if using buttermilk or yogurt, increase sugar to 1/2 cup
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine the liquids into the dry ingredients with a few folding strokes.  After one or 2 strokes, 

Add: 
1 full cup fresh Blueberries

Important:  Do not overmix, or else muffins will be tough. It's ok to have lots of lumps.

Place paper muffin cups into the muffin pan OR liberally grease the cups. Blueberries are notoriously sticky and juicy, it is recommended to spray the muffin cups with nonstick spray. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with dough.  NOTE: if a crumble topping is desired, make the crumble topping for the pie recipe, below, and divide evenly among the muffins, placing the crumbs on top of each muffin.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on size of muffin. Makes 12 medium or 6 very large muffins.

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Blueberry pie takes a lot of berries (5 cups!) and is best with a very sweet dough but with not too much sugar mixed in with the berries.


To keep the sugar calories low, use half sugar and half Splenda or Stevia mixed with the berries and the topping. Small amounts of cinnamon and lemon zest add a bit of punch to the flavor.  I prefer a pie with a crumble crust, and to make it healthy, I use whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats with either hemp seeds or flax meal.


Berry antioxidants and Omega 3's in a dessert! you can't beat that for taste and health.

Blueberry Pie with crumble topping:

Sweet pie pastry:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
Using a food processor with the knife blade attached, process the flour and the butter until coarse crumbs are formed. Add the sugar and pulse briefly. Add the egg and pulse just until mixed, do NOT overprocess. Pour the crumbs into a bowl and knead briefly until a ball forms. Dough should be soft but not sticky. NOTE: if you are using older or very dry flour, you may need to add a few drops of water but only to make the ball form. Wrap ball in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Filling:
5 cups blueberries, picked over and lightly washed and drained
3/4 cup sugar (OR 1/4 & 1/8 cup sugar with 1/4 & 1/8 cup Splenda or Stevia)
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp grated lemon zest

Crumble topping:
2/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
3/4 cup rolled oats (OR 1/2 cup rolled oats & 1/4 cup Flax meal & 1/4 cup Hemp seeds)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
6 to 8 tablespoons butter (not margarine)

Preheat oven to 375F (190C).

Directions:


Crust:  Place a large square of parchment paper (12 inches square or bigger) onto a level surface. Place chilled pie crust in the middle of the square and rolling out from the center, evenly roll crust to fit your pie pan. Lift the parchment paper and crust from one end and fold in half. Lifting the folded crust from the parchment paper, carefully place onto the half of the piepan, then carefully redrape the folded half onto the rest of the pan. Smooth down into the pan, being careful not to tear the crust. Cut the edges uniformly and using your fingers, fold the edges of the crust under and pinch to form a design that will hold the juices into the pan. NOTE: if your pie pan tends to stick to crusts when cooked, make a parchment layer for the pie pan. Cut 2 parchment paper rounds, 1 round about 1 inch bigger than your pie pan circumference, the smaller one, the same as the bottom of the pan. Fold the bigger one in half and then in half again, and snip the 4 folded edges with scissors about half way to the middle. Place in the pie pan, folding the snipped parts over each other to fit. Place the small one in the bottom of the pan. Carefully drape the crust over the paper and cut the edges of the paper to fit the pan after you've formed the crust edges.

Filling: mix all the ingredients for the berry filling in a medium size bowl and pour into the pie crust filled pan.


Crumble topping:  Place all ingredients into the same medium bowl that you used for the berry filling. Microwave for 20 to 40 seconds to melt the butter, watching carefully to not over cook! mix thoroughly with a spoon or fork. Crumble the topping over the berries in the crust, evenly distributing over the top of the berries.


Bake:  40 to 50 minutes in preheated center of the oven, until browned on top and crust appears lightly browned and done. Cool over a wire rack at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.