Kale and Pink Grapefruit Salad

Serves 4

1 pink grapefruit
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 cups thinly sliced kale (center ribs and stems removed)
1 avocado, halved, pitted, sliced into 1/2-inch wedges

Using a sharp knife, cut peel and white pith from grapefruit; discard. Working over a small bowl, cut between membranes to release segments into bowl. Squeeze juice from membranes into another small bowl; add any accumulated juices from bowl with segments (there should be about 1/4 cup juice total). Whisk oil into juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Place kale in a large bowl and drizzle 3 Tbsp. dressing over. Toss to combine and let stand for 10 minutes while kale wilts slightly. Toss once more, then arrange grapefruit segments and avocado slices over kale. Drizzle with remaining dressing and serve.

Source

Christmas Wheatberry Salad

A twist on tabbouleh! This recipe serves about 20 people.

I didn't measure when I made this, but these ratios are close enough... it's a very forgiving recipe.

Put the following ingredients in a large bowl and toss until mixed:

6 cups cooked wheat berries
1/4 cup finely chopped I'itoi onions - green parts only
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1 cup chopped tomatoes, chopped into small chunks
1 small or 1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped into small chunks
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Drizzle over the top, and stir to mix well:

1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice

Salt to taste.

For best flavor, remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to serving, to remove the chill.

Autumn Wheat Berry Salad (or Stuffing)

This recipe can be served cold, room temperature or even warm on its own or used as a stuffing for squash, onions, turkey, etc.

• 1 cup wheat berries (or barley)
• 3 cups water
• 2 small or 1 large yam/sweet potato
• 1 tsp ground coriander (optional; sub allspice or cinnamon for a sweeter flavor)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 apple, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 shallot, chopped (or 2 Tbs minced sweet onion)
• 1/4 cup toasted pecans, pumpkin seeds, or slivered almonds (optional)

Maple-Mustard Vinaigrette:

• 2 Tbs. fig jam*
• 1 Tbs. fine prepared mustard (Dijon, wine, etc.)
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tbs. olive oil or some nice salad oil like hazelnut, etc.
• 2 Tbs. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Pinch nutmeg
• Pinch ground ginger
• Black pepper

Bring water to a boil; add wheat berries and cook 1 hour, until done; drain if needed. If using barley, cook accordingly depending on the type, pearled or not. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and coriander or other spices to your liking and roast for 20-30 minutes, until tender and slightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool. Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbs olive oil in a medium pan and saute onions, celery and apple just until they start to soften. Combine with potatoes and cooked wheat berries. Toss with dressing and serve.


*If you don't have fig jam handy, sub apple jelly, apple butter, apricot jam, pear jam, etc. or simmer 2 minced figs or half of a pear or apple in 1/4 cup water, 1 Tbs honey/sugar, and a squeeze of lemon juice, or... be creative!

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

French Breakfast Radishes

Ahhh, Radishes... They are one of those things that people tend to either love or hate. I tend to fall somewhere in the middle. I love radishes sometimes, and I love things that have a similar bite, such as horseradish, nasturtium, and mustard, but never really developed much of a taste for regular ol' radishes...that is, until I became a CSA member. Like many other offerings of the CSA that tend to fall into this category (turnips, greens, chiles, beets, you know, the ones you regularly see in abundance in the trade basket or the ones that you take, disdainfully, that end up wilting away in the back of your crisper drawer), I have, over time, developed more of an appreciation, if not downright desire, for many of them. Perhaps that is because, by nature, I am constantly looking for new and interesting ways of preparing them, some simple, some complex. Perhaps part of it is that I realize that the fresh, enlivened versions are actually quite good compared to their insipid, dull supermarket cousins. Whatever the reason, I am glad that I have expanded my culinary horizons to incorporate them into my cooking and eating. Besides, who couldn't at least be intrigued by these little beauties...?

We made a wonderful salad with the ingredients below for lunch today, and served it with pita chips and some little pre-made filo shells we had begging to be used. It would also be exceptional added to cooked quinoa, pasta, or heaven-forbid, wheat berries, or even served simply over a bed of greens. In the interest of infinite variations, this salad is open to many other interpretations based on what you have on hand and what you have a hankering for (carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers, chile peppers, crab, turkey, salmon, turnips, kohlrabi, cabbage, peas, bean, corn, oranges, etc., etc., etc.)

• 1 handful radishes, chopped
• 1 handful radish greens, minced
• 2 green onions (or I'itoi onions), minced
• 2 Tbs. capers
• 1 cucumber or several pickles, chopped
• 2 avocadoes, cubed
• 1/4 cup fresh dill weed, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise or yogurt
• 1 can tuna, drained & flaked (if in oil, do not drain, but reduce amount of mayo)
• Salt and pepper to taste
  

Seasoned Kitchen Cooking Class Recipes

Here are the recipes for the dishes we cooked at the cooking class on Monday. The lasagna and artichokes were wonderful--everything else, I hope was enjoyable as well, but I honestly didn't get a chance to try them! Overall, the class went well, although if we do this again, I will surely plan on small bites or appetizers to start with! Any other feedback is greatly appreciated. Read below for more notes and recipes. My other major regret is not having anyone take any pictures!


Winter Squash Lasagna with Greens & Brown Butter Sauce (Serves 4-6)
1-1/2 cups Winter Squash mashed & drained
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
3 cloves Garlic, minced & divided
1/4 cup basil, minced
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 Lemon
1 Egg
1 bunch Greens (chard, spinach or beet greens work best, mixed braising greens also work well)
3 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese, shredded, plus more for topping
1 lb Lasagna noodles

Brown Butter Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
15-20 sage leaves
1 Tbs flour
1/4 cup broth

Cook lasagna noodles with 2 Tbs olive oil until just tender (“al dente”). Remove from heat and add 2 cups cold water to stop the noodles cooking. Drain and carefully toss with a little more oil if they stick together at all. Set aside.

Combine squash puree, ricotta cheese, 1/3 of the garlic, and spices in a bowl. Taste and salt as needed. Zest and juice lemon; add both to the squash mixture along with the egg. Set aside.

In a wide skillet, heat 3 Tbs olive oil over medium-high heat. Add trimmed, chopped greens and stir once or twice until greens start to wilt and coat with oil. Immediately sprinkle in remaining garlic and continue to sauté until greens are cooked, but still bright, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Coat the bottom of a 9x13 sheet pan or lasagna pan with oil. Lay one layer of noodles in the pan. Spread 1/3 of the filling over the noodles. Layer one half of the greens mixture over the squash. Sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Another layer of noodles, 1/3 of squash, remaining greens, 1/3 of cheese. Top the final layer of noodles with the remaining squash. When you’re all done you will have 3 layers of noodles, 3 layers of squash, 3 layers of cheese and 2 layers of greens. Cover with foil or lid and bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Remove foil or lid for the final 5 minutes of cooking, and sprinkle with remaining cheese (this way it doesn't stick to the foil. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes while you prepare the brown butter sauce.

For the sauce:
Melt butter in medium skillet or sauce pan over medium heat. Add garlic. Once butter starts to brown, add sage leaves (careful, the butter goes from brown to burnt in a matter of seconds!). Stir quickly then add flour and stir to form a roux. Cook for 1 minute to cook flour and add broth, stirring until mixture is smooth and cooking until mixture is thickened slightly. Add more broth if desired—sauce can be as thin or as thick as you like.

Serve lasagna with sauce spooned on top and sprinkled with additional cheese if desired.


Roasted Baby Artichokes (Serves 2)
6 Baby artichokes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Tbs Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1 lemon

Prepare a large bowl or pot with 1 quart of water and place lemon wedges, squeezed, into the water. Trim artichokes by removing the top 1/3 of artichoke and outer leaves. Trim stalk by 1/2-inch. Quarter artichokes and place immediately into lemon-water to prevent them from browning too much. Place olive oil and crushed garlic into baking dish. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove artichokes from water and shake excess water from them. Add to prepared dish and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Cover dish with lid or foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, until artichokes are tender. Remove lid or foil for last 10 minutes. Serve with additional lemon wedges if desired.

You can also get more elaborate on this dish and add rosemary, lemon zest, oregano, or any other flavorings that suit you, but the simple salt-garlic-pepper blend leaves the artichoke flavor to shine through.


Vegetarian Tuscan Potato Soup (Serves 2-4)
1 lb Potatoes
2 (small) Turnips
2 cups Greens, chopped (Rapini, Escarole, Kale or Chard work best)
1/4 cup Onions or scallions, chopped (if using scallions, divide greens from bottoms and reserve greens for garnish)
1/4 cup Basil, loosely packed & divided
1 tsp Fennel Seed, crushed
1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
3 cloves Garlic or stalks green garlic
1/2 cup Cream or half-and-half
1 quart Vegetable broth
1 cup Garbanzo beans (cooked) or Italian Sausage (cooked, for non-vegetarian version)
Salt & Pepper

Heat 4 Tbs olive oil in soup pot. Add onions, garlic, fennel, red pepper and sauté over medium heat until onions begin to turn transluscent, about 4-5 minutes. Add beans, turnips, and potatoes and sauté 2 minutes more. Add broth, cover and bring to a boil. Cook 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add greens and half of basil (chopped), stir and bring back to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until greens are tender. Remove from heat, add cream and more broth if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Top with basil chiffonade and green onion tops if desired.

The soup, I thought, was good, but a bit on the bland side--probably a side effect from using beans instead of spicy Italian sausage as the original recipe calls for. It also needed more salt and pepper (remember: potatoes tend to absorb a lot of salt and other spices, so it leaves the remaining broth a bit on the underseasoned side).


Beet Carpaccio Salad with Candied Pecans and Goat Cheese (Serves Two)
1 cup Mixed greens or chopped lettuce
1 Orange or grapefruit, skin removed
3 Beets, cooked
1/2 cup Red Cabbage
2 Carrots
1 oz goat cheese (Chevre), crumbled

Vinaigrette:
1 tsp Honey
1 Tbs Red Wine or Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Prepared, quality mustard (optional)
Salt and pepper

Candied Pecans:
1/4 cup pecans
2 Tbs sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves, allspice, black pepper.

Prepare vinaigrette: combine all ingredients in a small bowl or bottle. Whisk until combined. Set aside.

For candied pecans: heat sugar, water and spices in heavy-bottomed skillet until it boils. Add pecans and stir to coat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until liquid dissolves and sugar begins to crystallize. Remove from heat and remove nuts to a small piece of parchment or waxed paper. Break apart immediately to cool (Careful! Sugar is very hot!). Set aside

Slice orange or grapefruit cross-wise into 1/4-inch slices. Do the same with the beets. Finely shred carrots and cabbage. Divide lettuce onto two plates. Layer three slices of orange in the middle, in the shape of a flower. Surround by slices of beets. Top with shredded cabbage, carrots, goat cheese and candied pecans. Dress with vinaigrette.

This is really just a fancy name for a relatively basic salad (well, at least it's a standard in our household); tart apples also pair well with the beets if you don't have citrus, and in place of slicing everything up (which requires eating the salad with fork AND knife), you can cut them up into bite-size chunks. You can also substitute any nuts or seeds for the pecans and candying them is completely optional. You can sweeten the candied nuts with honey, maple syrup or agave syrup, but the result will not be crunchy and will be somewhat sticky instead. Any good vinaigrette or poppyseed dressing pairs wonderfully with this salad, just hold the Ranch!


Grapefruit-Pomegranate-Ginger Cocktails (Makes one 8-10-oz drink)
1 Tbs Ginger syrup
1 Grapefruit
4 oz Seltzer water
2 oz Pomegranate Juice
Ice

Place ice in 10 oz glass. Add ingredients in order. Serve topped with mint sprigs if desired.


Ginger syrup (Makes 2 cups)
2 Tbs Fresh ginger, minced or grated
1/2 cup Sugar (or substitute 1/4 cup honey)
1/4 cup Honey (or substitute 1/2 cup sugar)
2 cups Water

Heat all ingredients in small pan to boiling. Reduce heat to medium and cook, simmering rapidly, for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. When cool, strain mixture into a clean, sterilized jar. Remaining ginger can be used in tor baking (flavor will be more muted but still present). Ginger syurp can be used to flavor drinks, desserts, teas, fruit salads, etc. Will keep in refrigerator for up to 6 months

I usually freeze my gingerroot to make it easier to grate, and store for longer periods of time, but end up with little knuckle-buster end pieces. So I make this syrup to use them up (or likewise to use up any pieces of ginger that you can't use for something else), but I have also bought and sliced up ginger just to use for this purpose! You can reduce the amount of water in the recipe by half or more to make a thicker syrup if desired. There is no need to peel the ginger for this recipe (I never do anyway), but it should be well-scrubbed but ginger is very easy to peel by simply scraping with the edge of a spoon.


Citrus Olive Oil Cake (Makes 2: 8x2-inch layers or 1: 9x13 sheet)
1-1/2 cups Flour
3/4 cup Sugar
3/4 cup Olive Oil
1 Orange, zested and juiced to make 1/3 cup
2/3 cup Yogurt or buttermilk
3 Eggs
1-1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Almonds, slivered
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 deg F. Whisk eggs, orange zest, orange juice, yogurt and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir in egg mixture until combined. Fold in oil until thoroughly incorporated. Pour batter into greased pan; sprinkle with almonds and bake 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

We didn't actually make this cake for the class, but I am sharing the recipe because it was an absolutely scrumptious cake, with the perfect texture and not-too-sweet flavor.


Olive Oil Almond Tuiles (Makes 10-12 Tuiles)
1/4 cup Olive oil
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar
2 Tbs Flour
2 Tbs Semolina
1 Egg white
1/2 tsp Lemon or orange zest
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, scraped

Whisk all ingredients until thoroughly combined. Spoon mixture onto parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into thin, rounds (an offset spatula works ideally for this task). Cookies can be made as large or small as you like. Bake at 375 degrees F for 5-10 minutes (depending on size of cookies), until edges are slightly browned--careful, they burn QUICKLY! Remove from oven. Remove cookies from paper immediately and mold if desired (lay over a rolling pin to make traditional tuiles, over inverted muffin tin to make tulips or baskets, over a wooden spoon handle to make cigarettes, etc.). Let cool. Serve as is, or along with other desserts (ice cream, lemon curd, fruit compote, etc.)

These delicate little cookies are so simple it's not even funny. The ONLY fussy part about them is getting the batter thin enough on the cookie sheet to make a delicate, crispy, cookie. If it is too thick, the result will still be tasty, but will not be crispy, more cake-like instead. It is also VERY, VERY important to use a large or extra large egg for the white. We used small-medium (as they were from the farm, and not sized), and the cookies ended up extra sugary, which made them burn quickly and have an odd texture, not conducive to shaping.

Ruby Root Slaw

A delicious and quick and simple side dish to prepare with all these wonderful root (and not) vegetables we've been getting lately! And the color is absolutely amazing! For a super easy way to section oranges and grapefruits, check this out--practically as easy as peeling the fruit!

http://veganyumyum.com/2007/01/making-pretty-orange-segments/


1 ruby-red grapefruit or 1 large orange
1 small/medium raw beet
1 large or 3-4 small kohlrabi bulbs
3-4 small salad turnips
2-3 carrots
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare grapefruit or orange sections--another easy way is to halve the fruit and scoop out the sections with a grapefruit spoon, but they definitely aren't as pretty or as large as doing it the "proper" way! Peel remaining vegetables as desired (of course I peeled the beet and removed the skin and woody layer from the kohlrabi, but the turnips and carrots kept their skins).

Grate the vegetables into a bowl, toss with grapefruit (and any juice that remains in the membranes--just give it a good squeeze over the bowl), olive oil, salt and pepper and enjoy!

I have to say, this is the first time I have eaten raw beets and actually enjoyed them! I think the secret was to not have them front and center, as the bulk of this salad comes from the other vegetables and the beets are added mostly for color (and really only made it into the salad because I still had one lingering in my fridge!). You could also make this without the grapefruit or orange if desired, and substitute a tablespoon or two of red wine or balsamic vinegar.

Lemon Cilantro Salad Dressing

I whipped up a quick and tasty salad dressing last night to go with a beautiful salad I brought to a dinner party. I wish I had taken a picture because it was colorful! The salad featured salad greens, spinach and purple cabbage from last week along with some red bell pepper, yellow carrots and avocado. I topped it off with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. I wanted to use some of the fine cilantro we got last week, so I decided to use it in the dressing along with our beautiful lemons. My inspiration for this dressing came from the Tucson CSA's newsletter from last week. The author, Lorraine Glazar of the Tucson CSA, gives substitution ideas depending on what herbs and/or citrus you might have on hand. Click on the link to see what they are. I left out the mustard because I didn't have it in the fridge and I added sun-dried tomatoes because I love them just a little too much. Enjoy!

lemon (juice and zest it)
1/4 c. oil ( I used about 2/3 Queen Creek Extra-Virgin olive oil and 1/3 hemp seed oil)
3-4 T. fine cilantro
1 clove garlic
4 sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil and herbs
splash white wine vinegar
salt and pepper

Blend the ingredients in food processor or blender until the herbs are finely chopped and distributed through the dressing. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Wheat Berry Salad with Citrus, Garbanzos, Toasted Pine Nuts, Feta and Spinach

So, another wheat berry recipe. I can't help it, I really like them! And, at last week's pick-up I noticed the trade box was pretty full of these guys, so I'm assuming CSA peeps are a little unsure on how to cook and eat these delicious morsels. I made a delightful salad the other day and I wanted to share it with all you lovely readers.

Anyway, this is a recipe I modified from Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Cooking. I added chickpeas for some more protein, subbed I'itoi onion for the shallot, added garlic, and added some chopped sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil for some color and taste. I also chopped up half an avocado on top because I love avocado on most food, especially salads. The citrus dressing was okay. Her recipe didn't call for white wine vinegar, but it needed a little kick. She had called for some lemon juice in the dressing, but I didn't have one. This salad would probably be great with any simple vinaigrette you had lying around the house.

1 1/2 c. cooked wheat berries

1 c. cooked garbanzo beans (white beans might be nice too)

Citrus Dressing

Grated zest and juice of 1 orange (maybe use grapefruit for an interesting twist)

couple tablespoons of white wine vinegar

1 I'itoi onion, chopped

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

1 clove chopped garlic

salt and pepper

3 handfuls spinach

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

sun dried tomatoes, chopped

avocado, chopped

You need to soak wheat berries overnight and cook them for about 90 min. to get them soft enough to eat. I used dried garbanzos, which also need to soak and cook for about 2 hours. You could use canned if you like. I ate the salad with warm wheat berries and beans, but it would be good cold as well. Mix up the dressing. Then, combine the dressing with the wheat berries, beans and the rest of the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In hindsight, I had leftovers and probably would have put the dressing on individually so it wouldn't get soggy in the fridge. These would feed about 3-4 as a main dish for lunch.

Arugula Salad with Beets and Goat Cheese

Here is a delicious salad from the food blog Simply Recipes that would be great in case some of you haven't used your arugula or beets from last week. Remember when you take your beets home to separate the root bulb from the greens. The greens will stay fresher that way. If you're stumped on how to prepare the greens, here is a recipe for beet greens from the NY Times.

In case you were wondering about how good beets are for you nutritionally, here is a brief article from the NY Times entitled Beets: The New Spinach. You will find links to more beet recipes here and instructions on how to roast beets.

Welcome!

Greetings to all fellow Flagstaff CSA members! The intention of this blog is to have a forum where information about food is shared. Specifically, the blog will be about the wonderful veggies we receive each week, but it will also be a place to find out about all the local food and sustainability related happenings in our community (and beyond!). Be sure to check out the links to our favorite food blogs for recipes a' plenty and the links to our local food sites. Please post comments and email at flagcsarecipes@gmail.com! This blog is designed with the Flag CSA folks in mind so, if you don't like what you see (or do!), let us know! So, to begin us on our journey...

CSA member Betsy Buford is sharing a recipe for a wheat berry salad. She thought some members might still have some kickin' around the pantry from a few weeks ago. Thanks Betsy!

1 cup hard winter wheatberries
Kosher salt
1 cup finely diced red onion (1 onion)
6 tablespoons good olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 scallions, minced, white and green parts
1/2 red bell pepper, small diced
1 carrot, small diced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the wheatberries and 3 cups of boiling salted water in a saucepan and cook, uncovered, over low heat for approximately 45 minutes, or until they are soft. Drain.

Saute the red onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the remaining 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.

In a large bowl, combine the warm wheatberries, sauteed onions, scallions, red bell pepper, carrot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper.

Allow the salad to sit for at least 30 minutes for the wheatberries to absorb the sauce. Season, to taste, and serve at room temperature.
(courtesy of foodnetwork.com)