We've been eating awesome chili made by the other VISTA working with me at Habitat, Nicole. She was kind enough to share her recipe with me, for her "Won't Kill Kelsey" chili. (I believe there's a college story attached to the name, but I will protect the innocent...)
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
3/4 can refried beans
1 32-oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 bottle of pale ale beer
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
The following items to taste:
Garlic
Chili powder
Cumin
Salt and pepper
Bbq sauce and/or hot sauce
Saute the peppers, garlic, and onion in a little olive oil. When they are soft, add the tomatoes. Then add the black and kidney beans. Then add the beer. Then the spices. Then add the refried beans to thicken it up.
Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and cornbread!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Spicy Sweet Sauteed Butternut Squash
The farm share has blown up.
Boring greens are now squashes, eggplants, loads of peppers, heirloom tomatoes, tiny onions, a tiny pumpkin, tiny yellow tomatoes. We're in the rabbit hole now people.
Last night I couldn't sleep and decided to figure out what to do with our overfull and eclectic fridge collection.
After 3 hours of sleeplessness, I figured out what to do with the Butternut Squash.
Ingredients:
(you should know all of these measurements are a rough estimation of mad pouring and tasting as I like to experiment as i go. There's never any real forethought. Just a vague idea and then ensuing chaos. so taste as you go)
1 Butternut Squash
3 T brown sugar
1 T butter
salt
pepper
1 T all spice
2 T cup raisins
2 T walnuts
1/3 C brandy
1 tsp cayenne pepper (i like spicy and sweet together. totally optional, but makes for an interesting dish)
Chop the squash into quarters. Peel off the skin (i did this roughly just with the kitchen knife. probably is a better way but this worked fine). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the squash into one inch cubes.
heat skillet on medium heat. Add brown sugar and heat until it begins to melt. Add butter. Stir and let brown sugar melt, about 30 seconds. Add squash, coat with mixture.
Add everything else. Turn up heat to high, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add brandy.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stirring every 5-10 minutes. You want your brandy to cook off when you're finished. If it gets too dry add a splash to keep it from burning.
Taste it, make sure it's seasoned correctly and the squash is tender. At this point mine was a little bland. I added a little more brown sugar and all spice, then raised the heat to high and cooked it for a minute or two. Just to incorporated the new flavors and caramelize the sugar.
We ate this with pan seared pork chops with a marmalade glaze. And sauteed kale with soy sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, sesame seeds, a little garlic and vermouth. I wanted a bitter dish to compliment the sweet and this worked really well. Eating a bite of bitter kale, then switching to the sweet squash made all the flavors come out.
Boring greens are now squashes, eggplants, loads of peppers, heirloom tomatoes, tiny onions, a tiny pumpkin, tiny yellow tomatoes. We're in the rabbit hole now people.
Last night I couldn't sleep and decided to figure out what to do with our overfull and eclectic fridge collection.
After 3 hours of sleeplessness, I figured out what to do with the Butternut Squash.
Ingredients:
(you should know all of these measurements are a rough estimation of mad pouring and tasting as I like to experiment as i go. There's never any real forethought. Just a vague idea and then ensuing chaos. so taste as you go)
1 Butternut Squash
3 T brown sugar
1 T butter
salt
pepper
1 T all spice
2 T cup raisins
2 T walnuts
1/3 C brandy
1 tsp cayenne pepper (i like spicy and sweet together. totally optional, but makes for an interesting dish)
Chop the squash into quarters. Peel off the skin (i did this roughly just with the kitchen knife. probably is a better way but this worked fine). Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the squash into one inch cubes.
heat skillet on medium heat. Add brown sugar and heat until it begins to melt. Add butter. Stir and let brown sugar melt, about 30 seconds. Add squash, coat with mixture.
Add everything else. Turn up heat to high, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add brandy.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stirring every 5-10 minutes. You want your brandy to cook off when you're finished. If it gets too dry add a splash to keep it from burning.
Taste it, make sure it's seasoned correctly and the squash is tender. At this point mine was a little bland. I added a little more brown sugar and all spice, then raised the heat to high and cooked it for a minute or two. Just to incorporated the new flavors and caramelize the sugar.
We ate this with pan seared pork chops with a marmalade glaze. And sauteed kale with soy sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, sesame seeds, a little garlic and vermouth. I wanted a bitter dish to compliment the sweet and this worked really well. Eating a bite of bitter kale, then switching to the sweet squash made all the flavors come out.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Thai Pumpkin Soup a la Nicky
What is good for cold weather and using up farm share veggies? SOUP! Especially applicable if it involves pumpkin and a little bit of heat from a chili. (Don't worry English family, the heat part is optional.) Enjoy!
* 1 tablespoon oil (I used a combo of olive and safflower)
* 3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
* 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
* 1 large leek, chopped
* 1 small fresh red chili pepper, chopped into small pieces (optional)
* 1 small piece of chopped ginger
* 1.5 tablespoons of lemon grass paste (they have this in the fresh herb part of the vegetable section at the grocery store)
* 32 oz cups chicken stock
* 2 cans of light coconut milk
* 2 small peeled and diced pie pumpkins; OR 1 small pumpkin and 1 package of frozen pureed winter squash (from the frozen veggie freezer section); OR 2-3 packages of frozen pureed winter squash
* 1 peeled and diced eggplant
* 2 tbsp red curry paste, or more to taste (in the Asian food section)
Set aside a small bowl with your chopped eggplant and salt lightly.
In a soup pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Once warm, add garlic, green onion and leeks, ginger, chili pepper, lemongrass and red curry pastes in oil until onions and leeks are soft and fragrant. Add a little salt and pepper. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and then add it and all other ingredients left to the leek mixture. Stir well, bring to a boil and then turn down to medium, cover and cook until pumpkin softens, stirring occasionally.
Take your soup off of the heat, and taste test; add more salt, pepper, red curry paste and lemongrass paste to taste. Once your soup has cooled somewhat, using a blender or immersion blender, blend the soup in batches to your preferred consistency, whatever you prefer.
* 1 tablespoon oil (I used a combo of olive and safflower)
* 3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
* 1 small bunch of green onions, chopped
* 1 large leek, chopped
* 1 small fresh red chili pepper, chopped into small pieces (optional)
* 1 small piece of chopped ginger
* 1.5 tablespoons of lemon grass paste (they have this in the fresh herb part of the vegetable section at the grocery store)
* 32 oz cups chicken stock
* 2 cans of light coconut milk
* 2 small peeled and diced pie pumpkins; OR 1 small pumpkin and 1 package of frozen pureed winter squash (from the frozen veggie freezer section); OR 2-3 packages of frozen pureed winter squash
* 1 peeled and diced eggplant
* 2 tbsp red curry paste, or more to taste (in the Asian food section)
Set aside a small bowl with your chopped eggplant and salt lightly.
In a soup pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Once warm, add garlic, green onion and leeks, ginger, chili pepper, lemongrass and red curry pastes in oil until onions and leeks are soft and fragrant. Add a little salt and pepper. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and then add it and all other ingredients left to the leek mixture. Stir well, bring to a boil and then turn down to medium, cover and cook until pumpkin softens, stirring occasionally.
Take your soup off of the heat, and taste test; add more salt, pepper, red curry paste and lemongrass paste to taste. Once your soup has cooled somewhat, using a blender or immersion blender, blend the soup in batches to your preferred consistency, whatever you prefer.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Kohlrabi, Cauliflower and Cheese Soup
Another excellent recipe for cooler temperatures. This one sticks to your ribs :) We had a bunch of large kohlrabi in our farm share, but this recipe would work equally well with a head of broccoli instead.
Ingredients
1/4 cup of butter salted
1/4 cup of flour
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Head of cauliflower
1 large kohlrabi or 1 head of broccoli
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 cups of milk
Chopped green onions to taste (white and green bits)
White pepper to taste
Mustard powder to taste
Salt to taste
Chop vegetable into bite-size or smaller pieces. Put broccoli or kohlrabi and cauliflower in to steam; cook until fork-in tender. In a separate saucepan, combine your flour and butter over medium heat. Stir constantly while butter melts until the mixture is caramel-colored and smooth to make your roux. When it reaches this state, throw in green onions and cook for 30 seconds, continuing to stir. Turn down the heat to medium-low and slowly stir in your milk, working it into the roux as you add it until smoothly combined. Add the stock slowly in the same way. Pour in the cheddar cheese and stir until it is evenly melted. Now add your spices to taste. Keep soup on medium-low heat. It's important to keep your soup from the boling point or from burning so keep stirring! Take 1/2 of your cooked broccoli and cauliflower and puree in the blender. Add the puree and the rest of your cooked veggies to your soup. Stir to combine and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until it thickens up. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients
1/4 cup of butter salted
1/4 cup of flour
4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Head of cauliflower
1 large kohlrabi or 1 head of broccoli
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3/4 cups of milk
Chopped green onions to taste (white and green bits)
White pepper to taste
Mustard powder to taste
Salt to taste
Chop vegetable into bite-size or smaller pieces. Put broccoli or kohlrabi and cauliflower in to steam; cook until fork-in tender. In a separate saucepan, combine your flour and butter over medium heat. Stir constantly while butter melts until the mixture is caramel-colored and smooth to make your roux. When it reaches this state, throw in green onions and cook for 30 seconds, continuing to stir. Turn down the heat to medium-low and slowly stir in your milk, working it into the roux as you add it until smoothly combined. Add the stock slowly in the same way. Pour in the cheddar cheese and stir until it is evenly melted. Now add your spices to taste. Keep soup on medium-low heat. It's important to keep your soup from the boling point or from burning so keep stirring! Take 1/2 of your cooked broccoli and cauliflower and puree in the blender. Add the puree and the rest of your cooked veggies to your soup. Stir to combine and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until it thickens up. Serve and enjoy!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
It's Fall: Applesauce
A friend of mine from Habitat gave us the gift of apples from her tree over the weekend. Applesauce immediately came to mind; such a comfort food especially on a cold, wet, fall night. Not to mention your house smelling of cinnamon, yum.
I like to leave the peel on my apples but if you would like it smoother, peel the apples before cooking or blend the sauce with an immersion blender after it's cooked.
8-10 apples, cored and roughly chopped (mine were small, green apples)
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
1 cup of water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Throw everything into a stock pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium low and simmer for 30-45 mins, or until the apples start to get mushy. Then, take off the heat and mash with a potato masher or spoon. Serve and enjoy.
I like to leave the peel on my apples but if you would like it smoother, peel the apples before cooking or blend the sauce with an immersion blender after it's cooked.
8-10 apples, cored and roughly chopped (mine were small, green apples)
2 tbsp of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
1 cup of water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Throw everything into a stock pot, cover, and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium low and simmer for 30-45 mins, or until the apples start to get mushy. Then, take off the heat and mash with a potato masher or spoon. Serve and enjoy.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Make Your Own Laundry Soap
I know, not exactly a food recipe! But, making laundry soap wasn't that difficult and has saved us some cash. Also, I have pretty sensitive skin and as of yet, no problems. You only need about a tablespoon per load, 2 if the load is really dirty.
Ingredients
Adapted from diy Natural
1 bar of shaved Fels-Naptha soap (I used a cheese grater on the smallest holes. Also, other recipes say you can used Dove, but most seem to agree that Fels-Naptha is the most effective.)
1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup of Oxi-Clean Laundry Stain Remover powder
I found all the ingredients in the laundry aisle of our local grocery store, which is the Colorado equivalent of Giant or Safeway.
Shave your soap bar first. NOTE: If you're using Fels, it can irritate your skin in its straight form. Make sure to wash your hands after you are done shaving. Then simply add the other ingredients and mix well. Done and done! If you're feeling really ambitious, maybe double this recipe and get all the shaving out of the way.
Ingredients
Adapted from diy Natural
1 bar of shaved Fels-Naptha soap (I used a cheese grater on the smallest holes. Also, other recipes say you can used Dove, but most seem to agree that Fels-Naptha is the most effective.)
1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup of Oxi-Clean Laundry Stain Remover powder
I found all the ingredients in the laundry aisle of our local grocery store, which is the Colorado equivalent of Giant or Safeway.
Shave your soap bar first. NOTE: If you're using Fels, it can irritate your skin in its straight form. Make sure to wash your hands after you are done shaving. Then simply add the other ingredients and mix well. Done and done! If you're feeling really ambitious, maybe double this recipe and get all the shaving out of the way.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Easy Zucchini Bread
Hi everyone! It's been a long time since our last post- I'll blame the awesome summer weather and new job adjusting! (New job is fantastic by the way!) Also, for any English readers, zucchini=courgette.
Recently, our farm share has been full of squash and zucchini and we were wondering what to do after we'd already been through, soups, stews and stir-fries! Of course, the answer is obvious: zucchini bread. In the words of the 1990's, "Duh."
This made two loaves and was attacked at home and at work. Recipe adaptation success! Enjoy family :)
Zucchini Bread, adapted from Mom's Zucchini Bread at allrecipes.com
Ingredients
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
.5 cups wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar (You could probably halve this amount if you wanted it less sweet. I would keep the brown sugar though, it got really nice and caramel-y.)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 zucchini + 1 yellow squash grated in the food processor (or just 2 zucchini)
Grease two small loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Wash and prepare your squash and zucchini, and grate in the food processor. You don't have to peel either vegetable.
Sift dry ingredients except sugars together into a small bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together. (This would be where our lovely stand mixer came in handy.) Slowly add dry ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture. Split batter into the two loaf pans.
(If you didn't want to make 2 loaves, I've read that the batter freezes well.)
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
Recently, our farm share has been full of squash and zucchini and we were wondering what to do after we'd already been through, soups, stews and stir-fries! Of course, the answer is obvious: zucchini bread. In the words of the 1990's, "Duh."
This made two loaves and was attacked at home and at work. Recipe adaptation success! Enjoy family :)
Zucchini Bread, adapted from Mom's Zucchini Bread at allrecipes.com
Ingredients
2.5 cups all-purpose flour
.5 cups wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar (You could probably halve this amount if you wanted it less sweet. I would keep the brown sugar though, it got really nice and caramel-y.)
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 zucchini + 1 yellow squash grated in the food processor (or just 2 zucchini)
Grease two small loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Wash and prepare your squash and zucchini, and grate in the food processor. You don't have to peel either vegetable.
Sift dry ingredients except sugars together into a small bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together. (This would be where our lovely stand mixer came in handy.) Slowly add dry ingredients to the egg/sugar mixture. Split batter into the two loaf pans.
(If you didn't want to make 2 loaves, I've read that the batter freezes well.)
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
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