Tag Archives: CSA

Kale & Butternut Squash Pizza With Ricotta

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Pizza is one of my favorite things to make- the toppings are endless! And there’s something special about pulling a homemade pizza out of the oven. For me, it’s important to get the crust nice and thin, otherwise you feel like you’re eating a loaf of bread with stuff on top of it. Sometimes when I am feeling ambitious I will make my own pizza dough, but on a weeknight after work I tend to just grab a ball of dough from the grocery store, or better yet, I buy some at my local pizza place for a few bucks. Once you make your own pizza you’ll never go back to the boring stuff!

Ingredients:
1 small bunch kale, roughly chopped
1/2 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed small
1/2 small red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloved, minced
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese (plus more for topping)
Parmesan cheese, for topping
4-5 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pizza dough, enough for (1) pizza
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the squash on a baking sheet, and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. Next, add some olive oil to a pan and saute the garlic and onions until translucent. Add the kale and cook until wilted, about 5 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll out the pizza dough. Place on a floured baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Spread the ricotta cheese all over the pizza, then add the kale mixture and the butternut squash. Top with some more ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Cook for 25 minutes or until crust is golden. In the meantime mix together the honey and paprika. Let cool for a few minutes then drizzle the spiced honey over the top of the pizza. Alternatively, you can leave on the honey on table for guests to drizzle themselves!

 

Mitzuna Quiche with Ham & Ricotta

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I love quiche, it is so easy to make and you can really add anything you want and it’ll be delicious! I had a bag of mitzuna which I haven’t cooked with much, so I wanted to see what I could do with it. Mitzuna is a green that looks similar to arugula but has a more of a bitter, peppery taste to it. It was a little strong for me to make a salad with (unless I mixed it with other greens) so I decided to make a quiche with it, and it ended up being one of my favorite quiches I have made so far! Rather than making the usual crust I decided to use thinly sliced potatoes instead, which I loved, because potatoes and eggs are just meant to be together. I will definitely be making this again!

Ingredients:
1 large potato (or two medium) half cut the long way, and the rest sliced (see photo)
2 cups mitzuna, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped
4 pieces Canadian bacon or ham (about 1 cup worth chopped)
6 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and add the long sliced potatoes, cooking until slightly golden and fork tender. Plate and repeat with the other sliced potatoes. In the same pan, saute the garlic and onion until translucent. Add the mitzuna and cook until wilted, then toss in the ham and cook until heated through. In a large bowl beat the eggs and ricotta together, then add the Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper, and lastly the mitzuna mixture.

The assemble, cover the bottom of a pie dish (which has been lightly rubbed with butter or non-stick spray) with the smaller potatoes, covering the best you can. Use the longer sliced potatoes along the edges. Pour in the egg mixture and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the egg has set. Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

 

 

Golden Beet Ravioli With Brown Butter

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There is a little restaurant in Brooklyn called Testo that I love to go to with friends. Every time we go, one of us orders the beet ravioli- it’s so delicious and has such a nice light earthy taste to it. I decided to make it at home with some golden beets that I had. I took a shortcut with the pasta and used wonton wrappers, but you can make your own dough if you have the extra time! For the sauce I just made a simple brown butter as I didn’t want the sauce to outshine the beet flavor. They came out great! I think Testo would have been proud.

Ingredients:
1 package wonton wrappers
3 golden beets, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
Parmesan cheese, for serving
Fresh parsley (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the beets and garlic on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and roast for 25 minutes or until fork tender. Add the walnuts to the pan for the last 5 minutes.

Place the beets, garlic, walnuts, and ricotta in a food processor. Blend until smooth then salt and pepper, to taste. To make the raviolis, wet the perimeter of two pasta wrappers and add a spoonful of the beet mixture to the center. Place the second wrapper on top and press the edges together until sealed all the way around. Repeat until you have the desired amount of raviolis. I cut my wrappers into circles with my pasta trimmer, but you can leave them square or simply fold in half for a triangle shape!

Place the raviolis in a pot of boiling salted water. I always add a drizzle of olive oil to my water to help prevent the pasta from sticking together. Boil for about 4 minutes. In the meantime, heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a pan over medium high heat, cooking until the butter begins to turn golden brown and has a nutty fragrance. Plate the raviolis, and top with the browned butter, Parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley.

Eggs Florentine With Kale

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Eggs Florentine is one of my favorite breakfast items, so when I woke up to a cold rainy morning, I decided to stay in and make it at home! It is usually made with spinach, but I used kale instead this time. I made my own hollandaise (it’s easier than you think!) but a few places sell it pre-made, like Trader Joes.

Ingredients: (serves 1)
1 cup chopped kale
1/2 small white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs, poached
1/3 cup feta cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Holladaise:
2 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and saute the garlic for a minute. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Next add the kale and cook until it wilts down a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the feta cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Keep on low heat until ready to plate.

Next make the hollandaise! Add about two cups of water to a pot and bring to a simmer, keep on low. Melt the butter in the microwave and set aside. In a metal mixing bowl, add the egg yolks and lemon juice, whisking vigorously until it thickens and almost doubles in size. Next, place the metal bowl on top of the pot and turn off the heat. Immediately start whisking very fast, slowly pouring in a tablespoon or so of the melted butter. Don’t stop vigorously whisking the entire time! Add a little more butter and repeat until all the butter is added. Make sure to do just a little butter at a time. Set aside and whisk in a little black pepper, cayenne, and a few sprinkles of lemon juice.

To poach the eggs, boil some water in a medium sized pot. Add about a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (helps make them fluffy!) and pour the eggs in one at a time. Cook for about :30-:60 seconds before removing them with a slotted spoon. I usually lift them slightly out of the pot and gently poke the centers until it feels a little firm but runny in the center.

To plate, place some of the kale mixture on your toasted English muffin, then top with poached eggs and hollandaise!

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Romanesco “Couscous” With Seared Flank Steak

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Romanesco cauliflower is one of the coolest looking vegetables. I always take a few days to cook it because I like opening my fridge and seeing a spiky green diamond in there! I read somewhere that “It’s the Lady Gaga of Cauliflower,” which is a pretty accurate description. Despite it’s funky look, it tastes just like regular cauliflower. I had seen a recipe recently that used cauliflower as mock couscous and thought that would be a fun experiment. I loved it! I even mixed some of the leftovers into my scrambled eggs in the morning, which was delicious. I will definitely be making this again!

Ingredients:

Couscous:
1 large romanesco cauliflower (or two if really small)
1/4 cup water
2 garlic cloves
2 green onions, chopped
1 small carrot, shredded
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Steak:
1 pound flank steak
1/2 white onion, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Salt and pepper the steak and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Doing this makes it more flavorful! In the meantime, make the couscous.

Chop up the romanesco and add it to a food processor, blending until it resembles the texture of couscous. Best to do it in smaller amounts so it breaks up evenly. Add a little olive oil to a pan and saute the garlic for a minute or so, then add 1/4 cup water and the romanesco. Cook, stirring enough that it doesn’t burn at all. Add the shredded carrot, green onions, and ginger. Next add the cumin and tumeric, then salt and pepper to taste. Lastly, toss in the almonds. Set aside and cover to keep warm.

For the steak, add a tablespoon of butter to a cast iron pan. When it’s nice and hot throw on the steak and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the cut. Remove from the pan, cover with aluminum foil, and let rest for at least 5 minutes. The steak continues to cook after it comes off the pan, so resting it lets it do its thing and get nice and juicy. While the steak is getting awesome, add a little more butter to the pan and cook the onions until translucent, and making sure to scrape up any goodness leftover from the steak. Cut the steak against the grain and plate with the couscous and onion!

Lemony Chicken Piccata With Mashed Cauliflower

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Capers!! I could eat them all day. I currently have 3 jars of capers in my fridge, which totally seems a little over the top now that I think about it, but they’re just so good! Chicken piccata is one of my favorite go to (and fail proof) meals that I like to make. You can have it over pasta, or grains, or just by itself. Tonight I tried it over some mashed cauliflower and it went really well together! Cauliflower is so delicious and a great alternative to the usual mashed potatoes. It’s much healthier and not as heavy. A vegetarian option for this could be using the cauliflower as the “chicken” and just roast it in the oven until a little crisp then pour the piccata sauce over the top!

Chicken Piccata:
2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts, butterflied and cut in half (to make 4 pieces)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons olive oil
All-purpose flour
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup capers, roughly chopped
1/3 fresh parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mashed Cauliflower:
1 cauliflower, chopped
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Start with the cauliflower. In a large pot, sauté the shallot and garlic for a minute or two. Add the chopped cauliflower and about 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork tender. Place the cauliflower mixture in a blender with a good drizzle of olive oil (or use a hand blender) and blend until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.

Now cook the chicken! Butterfly the chicken by slicing it in half through the center, making 4 thinner piece of chicken. Salt and pepper both side of the chicken well, then dredge with flour and shake off any excess. Place in a hot pan with 2 tablespoons butter and a good splash of olive oil. Cook for 3 minutes, then once a little browned flip and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side. Plate the chicken. In the same pan add the chicken stock, lemon juice, and chopped capers, scraping the bottom of the pan to pick up any brown bits (that’s where all the flavor is!) Return the chicken to the pan and cook in the sauce for about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter and add another splash of chicken stock to the pan, mixing well. Pour the sauce over the top of the chicken.

To plate, scoop a bit of mashed cauliflower, then top with the chicken and sauce. Garnish with some freshly chopped parsley and enjoy!

Kale & Leek Spanakopita

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Any time I order Mediterranean food, I always get enough spanakopita to feed a small village. It’s so good!! I’ve never tried making it myself, nor have I worked with phyllo dough, so I figured what better time to try then now. I got some kale and leeks in my CSA bag this week, so instead of making traditional spinach spanakopita I used the kale and added some leeks as well. Overall a pretty good experiment! I learned spanakopita is not that hard to make, and phyllo dough isn’t as intimidating as I thought it would be. After eating my weight in these little golden treats, I forced myself to bring the rest to my family before I overdosed in flakey goodness. I have another box of phyllo in the fridge though, so I have a feeling I’ll be back on a spanakopita kick soon.

Ingredients:
1 box phyllo dough, defrosted (20 sheets needed)
1 large bunch kale
1 large leek, greens separated, washed and chopped well
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Get a large pot of water boiling going, then add the kale and a pinch of salt. Simmer for about 4 minutes. In the meantime, cook the leeks in a pan with some olive oil for about 2 minutes.

Drain the kale, and when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess water. I squeezed mine in a paper towel to make sure I really got out as much water as possible. Chop the kale really well and add to a large mixing bowl with the leeks, feta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and a good pinch of pepper.

Have your phyllo dough ready to go along with a small bowl of olive oil. It’s important to work fast so that the dough doesn’t stick together. On a large cutting board (or clean counter is fine too) lay a sheet of the phyllo and brush it with olive oil. Add another layer of phyllo and continue with the olive oil and layers of phyllo until you have 10 layers total. Scoop about 1/2 of the mixture onto one end of the phyllo (see photo) and roll it up! Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make the other spanakopita roll with the remaining sheets, then place both in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until golden. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before you cut them into 6-8 pieced each. EAT!

Summer Squash & Zucchini Lasagna With Sausage

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The weather was getting a little cooler this week and I was craving something warm and comforting to help cope with the fact that summer is on its way out. I had some lasagna noodles on hand and decided I’d experiment with that. I couldn’t decide if I wanted a veggies or meat, so I added both! The asparagus was a last minute thing I threw in and it ended up being my favorite part of it. This was a very easy meal to make, perfect for lazy weeknights when you want something good, but not complicated!

Ingredients:
8 lasagna noodles, cooked per instructions (a little al dente is better)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 summer squash, grated
1 zucchini, grated
1/2 white onion, minced
Handful asparagus, chopped small
3 sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1 15oz ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 cup marinara sauce
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil some water and cook the lasagna noodles per the box instructions. I like to add a little olive oil to the water so the noodles don’t stick together. Do not cook them all the way though, leave them a little al dente as they will continue cooking in the oven.

Add some olive oil to a large skillet and cook the garlic and onion for a few minutes. Next, add the sausage and cook thoroughly, making sure to break it up into small crumbles. In a large mixing bowl, add the ricotta, squash, zucchini, asparagus, Parmesan cheese, and egg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a baking dish, pour a little marinara sauce on the bottom. Add some lasagna noodles to create a layer. Next scoop some of the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Next add a layer of sausage and onion, followed by a light sprinkle of mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers two more times- noodles, ricotta, sausage, cheese. Top with one more noodle layer and pour the marinara sauce over the top evenly. Sprinkle with a good handful of mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in oven for 20 minutes or until bubbling. Remove the foil and cook for another 5 minutes. Let cook for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

 

Roasted Poblano & Tomatillo Salsa Verde

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As soon as I saw tomatillos in my CSA bag this week I knew I wanted to make salsa verde! It was my first attempt and it couldn’t have been easier or more delicious! I roasted some garlic, poblano peppers, and onion to add some nice flavor. I ate mine with an entire bag some tortilla chips, but you could add it to the table on taco night or even enjoy with your steak!

Ingredients: (makes about 2 cups)
12 small tomatillos, husks removed
3 small poblano peppers
1 jalapeno, roughly chopped and seeds removed
1/2 small yellow onion, quartered
3 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 lime, juiced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the tomatillos, poblano peppers, onion and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil and roast for 30 minutes or until the poblanos are slightly browned and the tomatillos are beginning to burst. I removed my tomatillos after about 15 minutes and kept the rest in for the remaining 15 minutes. Once everything is cooked, let cool enough that you can run the poblanos under cool water and remove the skins. Alternatively, you can place the peppers in a zip lock bag which helps steam the skin to make easier to peel. Remove the stems and seeds of the poblanos before adding to the blender.

Place all the roasted ingredients into the blender with the cilantro, jalapeno, and lime juice. Blend until smooth. If needed, you can add splashes of water to get the consistency you like. Salt and pepper to taste.

Corn, Peach, and Tomato Salad With Burrata & Basil Oil

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This is my 100th recipe since I started my little food blog about two years ago! I can’t believe I’ve been able to keep this up for as long as I have. It’s been really fun and I have definitely learned a lot in the kitchen since first starting. Super grateful for my lovely CSA and their support of my weekly recipes! Here’s to 100 more!

To celebrate, my best friend Meghan and I made dinner together (and shared a few bottles of wine!) We made a summery salad with sweet peaches and tomatoes – which you wouldn’t think go together but they actually compliment one another quite well! We also added some creamy burrata cheese and homemade basil oil, which is very easy to make. As a little side dish we seared some scallops with a little balsamic vinegar. A great meal- thanks for celebrating with me Meghan!

Ingredients:
1 ear of corn, boiled and cut off the cob
1 large peach, sliced
1 large heirloom tomato, sliced
1 cup packed fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Water, as needed to smooth out the basil oil
4 jumbo scallops
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Boil (or roast) the corn and cut it off the cob. To make the basil oil, place the basil, olive oil, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Add bits of water as needed until smooth. Plate the corn, peaches, and tomatoes. Top with pieces of burrata cheese and drizzle with the basil oil and fresh pepper.

For the scallops, start by removing and discarding any muscle tabs still attached to the scallops (if they have any) then pat dry with a paper towel and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet on high heat and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add the scallops and let cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until they have a nice caramelized sear, but careful not to overcook them!