Farm Direct Coop Recipesor. . . what you can do with your share!

Our CSA share is getting fruit-heavy, and we love it! Rainbow chard, zucchini, carrots, more yellow tomatoes (yay), apples, peaches, plums, green pepper, grape tomatoes, whole wheat bread and magical herb salt. It’s absolutely fantastic.

Lentils, Chard and One Fabulous Poached Egg

I don’t even know where to start with this. It was so GOOD. I ate every last bit. I loved it, told Anne about it. She made it pronto, and it got rave reviews from her husband, too.

Hands down, amazing. I like my poached eggs pretty cooked, but I know the pic would look pretty with the yolk running down. Suffice as to say, it didn’t happen with mine. I also wished I managed to get this on the table before the sunset. It would be much prettier in natural light. Oh well – excuses to make it soon! I am not a big meal-repeater usually (exceptions for pizza), but I want to make this weekly.

I found the recipe on Dishing Up Delights‘ blog and copied it, word for word.

Roasted Beet and Blue Cheese Salad

1 bunch of beets, trimmed and sliced into half rounds

1/2 bag of baby spinach

1 ear of corn, kernels cut

blue cheese

salt, pepper, olive oil, balsamic

Preheat oven to 350. Put beets in roasting pan. Add a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast about 45 minutes, or until done. In a bowl add spinach, corn (I don’t cook it, and use it right off the cob. Very fresh.), and blue cheese. Add cooked beets to the salad. It’ll melt the blue cheese a little. Add balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Picnic Lunch

I love monograms. If I could monogram our cat, I would do that. Poor Baby Bean. I’m not sure her opinions on monogramming though. This LL Bean bag is our beach and picnic tote. And it has my married initials on it. AND it’s green. I love it.

It was a Friday and shockingly, we both had the day off. We were Vermont bound the next morning (and for the subsequent weekend). Now, generally on a day off, I’ll do this: workout like a lunatic (whoo hoo, extra workout time!), clean the whole house top to bottom, do all the laundry, cook, bake and then collapse. On this day off – I said screw that! We’re going on a picnic. MUCH BETTER use of time.

I made a Panzanella Salad for Michael (see week 10, same recipe), and a cottage cheese salad for me. Cottage cheese salad is my go-to lunch choice. I eat it All. The. Time. And here is a rough idea of what I do:

1/2 cup cottage cheese

1/2 cup chickpeas (I use all kinds of beans)

yellow tomato

red tomato

avocado

cucumber

dill

salt, pepper

I have about 25 variations on this (I make one with black beans, cilantro and scallions, which I had for lunch on Monday). Mix it all together and nom it up. I use the 2% or 4% cottage cheese. It’s a nice protein hit. I use beans as a carb source and not a protein source, so I don’t feel like I’m missing carbs with this. (Plus, carbs from the vegetables.)

Peach Cobbler

Peaches make me think of my sweet, southern belle of a girlfriend, Zara. She’s off in Mexico with her new husband, and I miss her dearly. She’s from Georgia, and I thought of her when I made this.

4 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 cup milk

4 peaches, sliced

flour to coat

zest and juice of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 350. In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter. Add dry ingredients to combine. Add milk and blend until it’s not lumpy.

Cut peaches and toss with lemon juice, zest and a palmful of flour (just to coat).

Put peaches in a greased pan, and top with batter. Bake about 20 minutes or until done. I went a little under with mine, because it looked like it was bubbling and fully cooked.

Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if you desire!

Chickpeas and Swiss Chard: Dinner for One

Alone on a Friday night, I made something that I used to make when I was a single gal in my bachelorette pad. Quick and dirty, and oh so tasty. Recipe is approximate.

5-6 swiss chard leaves, cut into ribbons

1 scallion, diced

bunch of grape tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup chickpeas

few diced pieces of mozzarella

magical herb salt from farm share

Sautee the swiss chard and scallions until the greens are very tender. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Sprinkle with salt. Add cheese when you remove from heat. It will melt on contact. I had it with some of that lovely bread.

Brown Butter Green Beans

Not gourmet and by no means complicated, this is just plain old good food. My husband is a huge fan of green beans. I try.

1 tbsp butter

large bunch green beans, trimmed

salt, pepper

Brown the butter in a pan, and let the pan get very hot. Add the green beans and sautee quickly. You want them to stay green and crisp and too overly cooked. Remove from heat, sprinkle on salt and pepper. There ya go.

By Karen Yates, Melrose Depot Member

Adapted from “The Complete Book of Soups and Stews,” by Bernard Clayton Jr.

I never knew how much flavor was lurking inside a corn cob until I tried this recipe. Cutting the kernels off of a corn cob can be a bit tricky, so try this: leave the stem on the corn after you shuck it. Holding the cob by the stem end, place the other end against the bottom of a deep bowl. Use a small, sharp knife to slice the down the cob, rotating as you go. Then turn the knife over and use the flat side to scrape the bits of remaining corn kernels and “milk” into the bowl.

• 5 ears corn
• 1 onion, cut in half
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 medium or 2 large potatoes (red-skinned or Yukon Gold), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 16-ounce can tomatoes or 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups milk or light cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped fresh parsley or green onions to garnish

1.  Cut the kernels off of the corn cobs. There should be about 3 cups.
2.  Break the corn cobs in half and place them in a large pot. Add 1 of the onion halves, bay leaf, and enough water to just cover the cobs. Boil for about 20 minutes, then strain the broth. Measure and add water, if needed, to make 3 cups.
3.  Chop the other half of the onion into small pieces (~1/4″). Puree ~2 cups of the corn in a food processor or blender (add a little water if needed to make a rough puree).
4.  Melt the butter in a 3-4 quart pot and add the chopped onion. Cook until softened, then stir in the garlic. Add the corn cob stock, potatoes, tomatoes, and baking soda. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost tender – about 10 minutes.
5.  Add the pureed and whole-kernel corn and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the milk and heat gently until steam rises from the surface – do not boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley or green onions.