the root down

one of the many things i love about my csa-beachgreens, is the recipes that come with my basket each week. i'm usually pretty handy at whipping something up using these fruits and veggies but sometimes my creative juices are lacking.

i came home after a long day yesterday and didn't want to have to think about what to make. i checked my email to see what beachgreens suggested i could make. this recipe looked tasty so i gave it a whirl. YUM. it tastes decadent for such few ingredients.

a soup/sauce secret of mine is better than bouillon's no chicken base. you can pick it up at your local whole foods. MOST bouillon's contain hydrogenated oil. a big yuck. although this one does

have corn syrup solids which i'm not fond of either, it's much better than the rest. take a look on grocery shelves and you'll see what i'm talking about. it's also SUPER tasty.

Roasted Parsnip Soup
Adapted from: http://www.countryliving.com/recipefinder/roasted-parsnip-soup-3556

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 1.5 hours

1 pound parsnips, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 spring onion stalks, white parts only, chopped (save green part for garnish, or another use)
1 bay leaf
3-4 cups vegetable broth

Heat the oven to 350˚F. Toss the parsnips with 1 Tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a single later on a baking sheet. Roast the parsnips, shaking the pan occasionally to turn them, until tender and easily pierced with a fork -- about 60 minutes. Trim away any burned areas and set aside.
Heat the remaining olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook until translucent and softened -- about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsnips, bay leaf, and broth, and increase the heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low, partially cover the pot and simmer until the parsnips fall apart easily -- about 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
Puree the mixture in a blender, in 2-cup batches, until smooth. Return the soup to the pot over low heat and stir occasionally until warmed through (use milk or water if a thinner consistency is desired, adjust seasoning accordingly). Soup may be cooled and stored refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

dinner done right

1st course

our new cutting board from costa rica- inlaid woody goodness


sourdough, smoked herring, arugula, lemon

main event: what's in the fridge frittata

roast veggies (we choose crimini mushroom, asparagus, potato, cauliflower, onion) in 400* oven for about 25 min until golden brown and potatoes are fork tender. veggies were tossed in olive oil, s&p and a bit of curry powder.

beat 6 eggs with 1 c. milk, 1/2 c. cheese (we did a aged parm and sharp cheddar mix), s&p and about 5 large shredded basil leaves. put roasted veggies in 8in oven safe, non-stick skillet.

pour egg mixture on top and cook at low heat for about 15 min. until just the top is slightly loose. put under broiler for aprox 2 min or until the top is golden and is no longer loose....don't get me started....


cool for about 4 min. use a spatula around the edge of the skillet to loosen. flip over on a plate and serve with some toast and/or green salad.


so damn good. this was the first frittata we've ever made and not the last. perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner...well anything in between.

*we used a donna hay recipe as a guide but took our own spin. all veggies came from our farm basket*

today's basket

YUM. cheers to local and organic.

today's basket

red carrots, gold beets....i can't wait to get these two in the mix. all via beach greens....

winter luv

Beach Greens Winter Pasta

Ingredients:

2 leeks (whites only), cleaned and thinly sliced

1 bunch kale

1 can white beans

3 strips center cut bacon (optional)

1 clove garlic

½ package crimini mushroom, thinly sliced

2 T. olive oil

3 T. good balsamic

2 c. dry shell pasta…or any other will work

Directions:

-cook pasta as directed

-while pasta is cooking, chop bacon into thin strips and cook in large skillet until brown and crunchy (if you don’t eat bacon eliminate this step)

-remove bacon and place on paper towel, reserving the fat for cooking.

-sauté cut leeks in bacon fat until soft over medium heat (substitue olive oil for fat is desired)

-add chopped mushrooms and brown

-season with salt and pepper. If you’re going the bacon route, make sure you don’t over salt since the bacon will add more sodium to the mix

-clean kale, stack the leaves on top of each other and cut into chiffonades…or thin, ribbon like strips

-add kale and chopped garlic to pan to begin to wilt

-cook for aprox 7 minutes

-drain and wash white beans to get rid of all of the canning juices then add to the pan.

-cook for another 5 or so minutes to heat the bean thoroughly

-add bacon back to the pan

-drain pasta and mix with the vegetables to incorporate all flavors

-add balsamic 3T. or more depending on your taste

Beach Greens is the local CSA i subscribe too. this recipe i created was inspired by what came in my box yesterday and what i had laying the kitchen. it turned out REALLY good.
wintery. healthy. easy. try it!

winter yum

4 organic local, sweet potatoes
2T butter melted
fresh thyme and sage
ground pepper and salt
1/4 c. grated good parm

hot damn. i made this one last night due to all the sweet potatoes we've acquired from our farm basket. i used what i had in the kitchen and it turned out amazing!

-peel the sweet potatoes and thinly slice them on a mandolin.
-use a square baking dish and lightly oil the bottom.
-begin to layer the dish with potatoes, herbs, pepper and a little bit of butter until you use all ingredients.
-cook in a 350* oven for 20 minutes
-after 20 minutes, add the grated parm to top and cook until golden brown

fall harvest festival...NOW

should be a lot of fun. i'm interested to check out the Growing Experience as well as all tasty garden treats the chefs will be preparing. Click on the above flier for a larger copy for the details.

beach greens-1st delivery

i used to live in Eugene, Or. and was a big fan of CSA's. i moved back to California in '01 and haven't been part of one since. LB has their own CSA- Beach Greens so i decided to give it a try last week. i'm already a regular at 3 farmer's markets near my house each week but damnet, i get busy with life and forget to stop by from time to time. now the market is coming to my house.

i've been anxiously waiting to see what will be in my first crate so i can figure out what i'm making for dinner tonight! as you can see, my options are wide and i can not wait to try it all.

first peek inside the crate--->YUM!


psychedelic veggies, my fav!


from the farm to my table. all so good!