Kale Stew

This came out fantastically good. Followed the recipe as is. Checked kale for caterpillars. Extra protein. Yum. http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/garbanzo-beans-greens-50400000109639/print/

More Beets

Another winning beet recipe. I used a red pepper jelly with mild spice and it worked perfectly. Husband even enjoyed it without the goat cheese, but I think the goat cheese really made the dish.

Too many beets

Well, I have crossed the line into too many beets. I guess we just don't like them that much. One coworker suggested roasted them, then sautéing them in butter with ginger and orange juice. I tried that and the husband loved it. But then I saw this recipe for a beet smoothie. Can someone please try it and tell me if you like it? I dare you. :)

I also successfully did a beet salad. It had walnuts, blue cheese, and an orange vinaigrette. I really liked the blue cheese with the beets and I would do that one again.

Beets in Vinaigrette

Some of the produce we get from the farm is far better than what you find at the grocery store. Beets are one of those things. I am not even sure what type they are. They are kind of swirly red and yellow and the inside. They are much less messy to handle than normal red beets and so mild in flavor.

I used them (along with orange and yellow CSA carrots) to make Roasted Beets and Carrots with Cumin Vinaigrette, Chickpea Purée, and Flatbread from Epicurious:

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Beets-and-Carrots-with-Cumin-Vinaigrette-Chickpea-Puree-and-Flatbread-236172#ixzz1lYRpFhmq

I would be interested to see how the recipe does with grocery store beets. But I probably won't get around to testing it, as the grocery store carries fresh, happy beets at the same time of year as we get them from the farm. And the farm beets are so vastly superior, I don't see myself buying beets.

Soup for a Cold Winter's Day

We got a beautiful huge bunch of rainbow chard in this week's box. It was a cold (60 F), rainy, wintery day, so I decided soup was in order. I found this one from Food & Wine: Garlicky White Bean Soup With Chicken and Chard It was quick, easy, and yummy. The super fresh chard (stems and all) was just lovely in it.

Rutabaga & Brussels Sprouts Greens

I rejoined the Johnson's Backyard Garden CSA. So get ready for exciting new posts... though I forgot to take some pictures.

In the first delivery, we got rutabaga. I had to look up what it is. Seems to be like a big turnip. And so I put it in this soup:
Hearty Rutabaga Carrot Parsnip and Sausage Soup from Epicurious

I skipped the parsnips and just added extra carrots. I had both orange and yellow carrots from the CSA. I thought the recipe was easy and tasty, though neither kid would touch it.

We also received Brussels Sprouts Greens. These are big leafy greens that are faintly reminiscent of cabbage. If you google them (go ahead, I'll wait), you won't find many recipes. So I improvised.

I sliced the greens thinly and stir-fried them in olive oil with some garlic. It took a very long time for them to look like they were cooked (maybe 20 mins). Made about 3 cups of cooked barley, added one can of great northern beans, some toasted pine nuts, some shredded asiago, some lemon juice and another splash of olive oil.