RECIPES

Looking for new ways to prepare your fresh produce? Check out the recipes below. The following are a few of our favorites that we have shared in previous CSA newsletters. ENJOY!

Stuffed Jalapenos
On the grill or in the oven, these are easy and delicious!.

INGREDIENTS:
Whole Jalapenos
Whipped cream cheese
Bacon
Garlic, pressed
Dried Tomatoes (optional)

Directions:

Preheat grill or oven to 400 degrees F.  Slice jalapenos along the length and remove as many seeds as you can with a spoon.  Chop tomatoes.  Mix well with garlic and cream cheese.  Pipe each pepper full of the cream cheese mixture. Wrap each pepper with a half slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks or skewer. Bake on a cookie sheet or grill about 45 minutes until bacon is evenly cooked and crisp. ENJOY!

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Our Favorite Salad Dressing for Spring Greens
Adapted From “Rujevenate your Life! Recipes for Energy” by Serene Allison.

INGREDIENTS:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
Organic Stone-ground Mustard
Raw Honey
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
Distilled Water
Spices and Herbs to taste
 

I make this in an old cruet with marked lines for Water, Oil and Vinegar, so the measurements are approximate.  It’s easy to “tweak” the recipe for your family’s tastes.

Directions: Place crushed garlic in the bottom of cruet or pint jar. Add about 1/4 cup Vinegar, 1 T of water, 2 T Mustard and 2 T Honey.  Mix well with a good shake or a fork.  Add about 1 cup of Olive Oil. (We also add in about 2 T of Safflower oil which prevents the Olive oil from congealing in the fridge.) Shake well.  We enjoy our dressing this simple or spice it up with dried, organic basil and/or oregano for an Italian flare. Pour over baby greens and ENJOY!

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Baked Cheese Polenta With Swiss Chard
From RecipeZaar.com

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
6 Garlic Cloves, minced
8 cups chopped swiss chard, stems & leaves
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1.5 cups water
1.5 tsp. salt
1 cup cornmeal or quick cooking Polenta
1 Tbsp. Butter
3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan Cheese
1 cup grated Mozzarella Cheese
1.5 cups Sour Cream

Directions: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic, cook 30 seconds, then stir in chard stems and 2 Tbsp. water.  Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Mix in chard leaves; cover and cook until wilted - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.  Preheat oven to 400*. Grease a 2.5 qt. baking dish; set aside. Combine chicken broth, water and salt in a medium -sized saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and SLOWLY drizzle in cornmeal, WHISKING all the while. Continue to cook and whisk polenta until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes - about 5 minutes. Whisk in 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, butter, and mozzarella cheese. Spread half of polenta into the baking dish. Spoon on chard and spread it evenly. Drop small spoonfuls of sour cream and spread with the back of spoon. Spoon on and spread remaining polenta.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and sizzling.  DO NOT overcook. - Enjoy!

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Southern-Style Turnip Greens
Turnip leaves are smaller and more tender than their cousin, collards. Their slightly bitter flavor is delicious. Turnip greens are an important vegetable in traditional Southern American cooking.

INGREDIENTS:
Turnip greens, washed well
Sliced Salt pork, 1 piece per person
1 cup Water
1 small onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Sugar, optional
Crushed red pepper or fresh cayenne pepper, optional

Directions: Cook sliced salt pork in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat until crisp and brown. Add the turnip greens, water, onion and spices; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 40-45 minutes or until greens are tender. Fabulous served with hot pepper sauce (the vinegar solution in canned hot peppers).

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Hoppin’ John
In the South, Cowpeas are prepared with rice and spices in a dish traditionally referred to as “Hoppin’ John”.  There are many ways to prepare cowpeas from cooked plain with onion and garlic to soups and stews with ham, to casseroles and other dishes.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of cowpeas, cooked in just enough water to cover until tender.
2 cups cooked rice
1 small onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, chopped
Garlic clove, pressed
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley
1/8 tsp. fresh oregano
Pinch of thyme
Salt
Pepper

Directions: Heat the peas, add rice. Add the remaining ingredients and cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes. This dish is best if the onion and bell pepper still have a crunch to them.  Also great served over cornbread.

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OKRA WITH TOMATOES
From Southernfood.com.

INGREDIENTS:
4 slices bacon
½ cup chopped onion
1.5 lbs. okra, washed, stemmed & sliced
4 large tomatoes, peeled & diced
Sea salt, pepper & crushed red pepper to taste

Directions: Fry bacon in a skillet until crisp; drain well on paper towels, crumble and set aside. Add the chopped onions to the skillet; cook on low for 10-15 minutes, or until tender.  Add the okra, tomatoes, and seasonings; stir well and simmer for about 20 minutes, until okra and tomatoes are just tender. Spoon into a serving dish and top with crumbled bacon. Serves 6.  (Also, great served over rice.)

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Sprouting Broccoli with Anchovies
This recipe is taken from the book, “from the Garden to the Table” by Monty and Sarah Don of Ivington, England.

INGREDIENTS:
Sprouting Broccoli
Garlic
Olive Oil
Dried Chili Flakes
6 Anchovies
Rough Country Bread
More Garlic
Extra- Virgin Olive Oil
2 Lemons

Directions:  Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain. Chop garlic and cook in olive oil until soft.  Add chili flakes. Stir in the anchovies until they melt into the oil and garlic.  Add the broccoli and cook no more than 5 minutes. In another pan, fry the remaining garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise, in olive oil until crisp. 

 Meanwhile, toast the sliced bread on both sides, rubbed with garlic and coated in olive oil. To serve, put the toast on individual plates, pile the broccoli on each slice and squeeze some lemon juice over each.  Sprinkle on fried garlic. Enjoy!

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Spinach Omelet
One of our favorite dishes for a quick, nutritious Saturday morning Omelet.

INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP butter or olive oil
1 small onion or garlic clove, finely chopped
Spinach greens
4 ounces of your favorite cheese (we love pepper jack)
4 - 6 eggs
Sea Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Directions: Sauté onion and Spinach in butter until wilted. Set aside. In a clean skillet, add a small amount of oil spread evenly. Heat on medium-high until a drop of water sizzles. In a bowl, beat 2 or 3 eggs with a TBSP of water. Pour into hot skillet, tilting the skillet to disperse eggs evenly. Using a spatula, gently lift the edges of the omelet allowing the uncooked egg to flow underneath until almost done. Place cheese in the middle of the omelet, then layer with half of the spinach. Fold over and serve. Make a second omelet with the remaining eggs, spinach and cheese. Serves 2.