Conquering my CSA: My Arch Nemesis, Kale

Kale, Kale, Kale

You smell like sweaty socks

Kale, Kale, Kale

I want to leave you in the box. 

This is how I feel about Kale and yet it comes week after week after week. When I asked our CSA guy about it, he said, "Well everyone loves Kale". To which I said, "Who? Name me three people you know who like Kale". Then he was quiet.

No one loves Kale. But it is really good for you and I have finally figured out something other than Kale chips to make. The light bulb moment came when I stopped thinking about Kale as Kale and instead pretended it was giant spinach. Any recipe that calls for sauteed spinach can be replaced with Kale. I find it works best in Indian food Saag dishes.

Curried Potatoes and Kale
1 lb baby potatoes peeled (or 1 lb of regular potatoes peeled and cut into small pieces)
2 tbl olive oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tsp turmeric
14 oz canned tomatoes
2 cups of very finely chopped kale (remove stems)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1 lime or 2 dried limes
Optional: one can of rinsed chick peas

Warm olive oil then add ginger, garlic, and coriander seeds.  Saute for a few minutes until fragrant then add potatoes and spices.  Saute for 3-5 minutes. Then add kale, tomatoes, chick peas if using and dried limes. Place lid on pot, add dried limes or lime juice, and cook until potatoes soft (about 20 minutes).  

**This recipe is also delicious without the tomatoes**

Conquering my CSA: Broccoli

So I have passed the overwhelmed phase and now it is game on CSA. I am eating/freezing every bite every week before the next batch comes. As C would say, "I am going to dominate you".
This week we got a massive amount of broccoli-two huge heads. More broccoli then a family could eat in a month in addition to our other vegetables.

The first trick to conquering your CSA is to prep it when you unpack it. This makes a huge difference. It takes about 20 minutes to clean and cut everything and makes it much easier to use on those busy week nights. Most things can be prepped ahead, exceptions tomatoes and cucumbers.  Get everything cleaned and sliced up. Not sure how you are going to use it? Make a commitment! If you don't do it now there is a high likelihood it will end up rotten in the back of your fridge. 

Prepped the broccoli right in the container for the broccoli salad. 

Next, you could eat steamed broccoli every night and not get through this amount so get creative. It works best if you divide it into multiple dishes. Make a cold snack or salad with some and then plan to eat some hot one night with dinner.  For broccoli, there are many options.  I have recipes for broccoli salad (not super healthy I know but SO DELICIOUS) and roasted broccoli. Other great ideas are:

• Shaving the stems and adding to salads for extra crunch
• Keeping the florets in the fridge to have with dip or for THE GREAT VEGGIE SWAP if you have kids (to be described later)
• Chop up very finely and add to quiche or omelets (see my post on Dinner Eggs)
• Broccoli coleslaw
• Broccoli and cheese soup
• Steamed Broccoli (C's favorite food)

Broccoli Salad

1 head of broccoli cut into bite sized pieces (use both the florets and some stems)
1 medium red or sweet onion cute into bite sized pieces
4-5 strips of bacon cooked and crumbled (make the whole bag and use the rest for BLTs for lunches this week)-If you are a vegetarian replace the bacon with 3/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 cup of raisins
3/4 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sugar
4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Combine broccoli, raisins, bacon, and onion.  Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar together until smooth. Let chill for 3-4 hours prior to serving.

Make it right in the container you are going to store it in!

Roasted Broccoli
1 lb broccoli cut into florets
3-4 tbsp olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
Sprinkle of salt
Juice from one lemon

1.  Preheat the oven to 425°F. 
2. On a cookie sheet toss the broccoli florets and minced garlic with olive oil and lemon juice until lightly coated. Sprinkle salt over the broccoli and toss to coat.
3. Cook for 10-12 minutes until browned and cooked thoroughly.  

Overwhelmed by my CSA: Chana Masala

It is CSA time! We love our new CSA but it is challenging to cook so many vegetables every week.  Never before have we asked ourselves, "How do you cook 5 lbs of kale?" or "What do I do with 3 lbs of tomatoes?".  This recipe is an amazingly delicious curry that works well with any vegetables. I made it this time with chick peas and potatoes but it would be equally good with spinach, kale, kidney beans, peas, etc.  It is good both hot and cold and makes a great lunch to take to work. Feel free to play around with it and find what works for your family. This is Baby R's favorite meal so I make it moderately spicy for him (blue is an area to adjust the spice content for your family).

10/10!

Chana Masala

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 medium onions, minced (remember in Indian food onions are what makes the gravy thick and delicious so DON'T skimp)

2 clove garlic, minced

3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon garam masala

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or 1 15-ounce can of chopped tomatoes with their juices

2/3 cup water

4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 small potatoes peeled and chopped into 1/2 in squares

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 lemon (juiced) (or 2 dried limes)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander seeds, cumin, cayenne (if you are using), turmeric, paprika and garam masala (if you are using dried limes add them now). Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Add the water, potatoes, and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice and cook until potatoes soft (about 30 minutes).

What are dried lemons and why would I use them?

Dried limes are an Iranian cooking secret. They add amazing flavor to many curries and 

soups. Order yourself some on amazon and you will be amazed at the flavor they add!

Date Night: Mongolian Beef

10/10 from all three boys!

Going out to eat becomes much harder with children and leaving them behind with a babysitter is also no easy task. In an attempt to cope with the going out withdrawal, I have started copy cat recipes of our favorite dinners out. This recipe is an awesome copy of P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef and is simple and delicious for a weeknight. The kids also love it which is a plus!

Mongolian Beef
2 small packages of thinly sliced beef cut into 1 in squares
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large scallions
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. In a large plastic bag place beef, cornstarch, and a few teaspoons of water. Coat steak evenly with mix and let stand. 
2. In a pot, place 2 tablespoons of oil and heat over medium to low heat. Add finer and garlic cook until fragrant.  Add soy sauce and water. Dissolve brown sugar and remove from heat. 
3. Heat up the remainder of the oil in a wok or frying pan.  Fry beef until darkens on all edges. Place meat in sauce pot and heat up about 1-2 minutes.  Add chopped scallions at the end. 

Crap I forgot dinner: BLTs

Bacon is something I always keep on hand. It is an easy dinner when you forget to meal plan or when you are in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store.  My kids love BLTs and I love that it is quick, easy, and delicious.

Brown Sugar Bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 package of sliced bacon

1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. In a large zip lock bag combine brown sugar and mustard. Add bacon and shake to coat.
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place a cooling rack over top and place bacon on the rack (this helps for easy clean up and crisp bacon).
4. Cook for 20 mins. 

Slice up some lettuce and tomato and you have a delicious easy last minute dinner.

Grilling

Grilling is a working mom's secret to easy and fast week night dinners. You can grill everything-pizza, meat, fruit, veggies- making the clean up easy. If you have an outdoor place to eat it is even better because the whole mess stays outside. Here are a few summer grilling tips:

• Take the time to marinate your meats. It makes a huge difference in flavor and helps to cover up imperfect cooking.
• Use the whole grill. If you grill your veggies on one side on low with the meat on the other side on medium, the whole dinner will be done at the same time.
• Flip your meat and veggies with tongs or a spatula NOT A FORK otherwise you lose delicious juices. 
• Don't press down on burgers or chicken. It squeezes out the juice and makes your food dry. 
• Have fun and experiment. Almost everything tastes good on the grill!

Be on the look out for some great grilling recipes in the next few weeks and awesome vegetable dishes as we enter into CSA season. 

Salmon burgers!

Call it a burger and kids will eat it: Chicken Burgers

My kids absolutely love these burgers. They are easy to make and delicious. I often serve them with just a simple salad or in the summer with corn on the cob. 

Chicken Burgers

1 pound ground chicken
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

2 shallots, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

5 mushrooms finely chopped (these don't add any flavor, they just help to keep the ground chicken moist)

1/4 pound Havarti with dill cheese, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup of panko bread crumbs

1 egg

Burger buns of your choice

Combine ground chicken, poultry seasoning, chopped shallots, Dijon mustard, egg, bread crumbs, chopped mushroom, diced Havarti (yes the cheese goes right into patties). Mix thoroughly. Form into 4-6 patties 

Preheat a non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over the patties and place them in the hot skillet. Also cooks up well on the grill. Cook 6 minutes per side until the patties are firm to the touch and cooked through.

Sour Cream Sauce

1 cup sour cream

3 to 4 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped or snipped with kitchen scissors

Place the burgers on a bun of your choice and top with the sour cream sauce. To make them more healthy add some baby spinach or fresh tomatoes on the top and enjoy. 

Adapted from a Rachael Ray recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/danish-burgers-with-herb-caper-sauce-and-a-mod-salad-recipe/index.html