Meatless Monday: RHUBARB!

Our CSA has a check box on their sign-up and renewal forms for rhubarb. Having never used rhubarb before and being otherwise unfamiliar with it (I had never knowingly consumed rhubarb until recently) I usually checked the NO box.

Apparently I forgot to check that box this year when I signed up again. The first week, I got a good bunch of rhubarb — and had no idea what to do with it.

I think I thought rhubarb was hard to cook for some reason. Probably because I had never used it before. I thought it was tough or tart or needed to be peeled or cooked before it could be used in recipes. And I’d always only seen it paired with strawberries… but, I did have quite a number of those to hand as well.

So I decided I was game, consulted Twitter, and looked up a rhubarb-strawberry crisp recipe online.

OMG. It was… delicious. Mouth-wateringly tasty. It was amazingly good plain, but it would’ve paired divinely with vanilla ice cream.

Rhubarb is juicy and sweet-tart. It does pair well with strawberries, but it works on its own too. Since the crisp, I have also made rhubarb bread and rhubarb sauce, and I’m already sad that the season may be over, and I will not have rhubarb this week in my CSA box. The recipe I used for the bread made two loaves, and I brought one to work with me. People loved it.

I am a rhubarb convert. And possibly a bit of an addict, too.

Anyhoo, here’s the bread recipe.

Rhubarb Bread
(adapted from Taste of Home)

1 cup milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 and 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups diced rhubarb

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans.

1. Mix the lemon juice into the milk and let stand for 10 minutes. (Or, use buttermilk.)

2. Combine sugar and oil in one bowl. In another bowl, combine dry ingredients. Alternate mixing the milk and the dry ingredients into the sugar/oil mixture.

3. Fold in rhubarb.

4. Mix up topping.

5. Pour batter into loaf pans and spread topping over in little dollops. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. If you know how to make a streusel topping, I recommend it. Cool for 10 minutes, and remove to wire rack to cool.

Refrigerate overnight, and serve the next day with butter and coffee!

Rhubarb sauce is stupid easy: 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 to 4 cups of finely diced or thinly sliced rhubarb, 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar. Melt the butter, stir in the rhubarb and sugar, and stir over medium or medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Let cool and serve over ice cream.

Rhubarb: Yes or No?

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

In the past two years, I have been getting beef and chicken from a local farmer. My CSA is affiliated with them, and I decided that when my family ate meat, I wanted it to be from here the majority of the time. Especially since Kate has decided she’s an omnivore.

I’ve decided that I am also going to eat it occasionally. Especially the chicken.

Yes, I’ve turned into one of those people. A suburban dwelling, CSA-produce getting, organic/local/hormone-free meat eating flexitarian.

Sorry, Mom and Dad. You raised me better than this.

In order to keep things simple, I’ll probably keep telling people that I’m vegetarian. After all, if the meat doesn’t come from this farmer (Lewis Family Farms near Cranberry Twp. if you’re interested), I’m probably not going to eat it.

Like I said: One of those.

Anyway, I’ve had a whole chicken in the freezer for a couple of months now, and I decided I wanted chicken and stuffing. I wanted to do it in the slow cooker — I love my slow cooker — because I figured that would be easiest.

And then, in a stunning lack of judgement, I decided I wanted to cut the chicken up before I put it in the slow cooker.

I have a strong dislike of preparing chicken. It seems to me even chicken breasts from the grocery store need a lot of handling. Dan likes them tenderized, and then they need to be marinated; if they are too fatty, I’m supposed to cut that off, it’s all slippery and all. I find the process of preparing chicken vaguely revolting.

I guess I made the decision to try to disassemble my chicken because most of the recipes I saw called for four chicken breasts, which is about two pounds of meat. The chicken I had was between 4 and 5 pounds. I figured if I cut it up it would work better in the recipe.

Let me just say, cutting that whole chicken up into parts was one of the grossest things I’ve ever done. And I’ve given birth, people.

Plus, I did a bad job. It probably takes practice.

Next time, I’ll either get someone else to cut up the chicken, or I’ll try this with a chicken that I roast whole and pick clean. Shorter time in the slow cooker, I would imagine. Possibly more liquid to make sure the meat doesn’t dry out.

However, the end result this time around? Was delicious. After 6 hours in the slow cooker, the chicken was falling off the bone, and the stuffing was incredibly moist. I had about two helpings of the stuffing alone, and I just had leftovers for lunch today.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Stuffing
Adapted from this recipe

4 pounds of chicken parts
1 cup broth (irony: I used veggie broth because that’s what I had)
10 ounce bag of stuffing mix (again, irony: I used a vegetarian stuffing mix, Arrow brand)
1 can condensed cream of celery soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water

Put the chicken parts in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the broth over the chicken.

Mix the stuffing, soup, sour cream, and water together. Place this mixture on top of the chicken.

Cook on low 6-7 hours.

Serve with bright vegetables such as green beans and carrots. Salad and bread optional.

Even Dan declared this recipe delicious. (Because I am a person who doesn’t cook meat often, I really feel for my guinea pig husband. Kate likes all the meat I have cooked, but she is a less experienced meat eater.)

So, how does one go about roasting a whole chicken?

Meatless Monday: Time to Experiment

Every week I pick up a box of goodies. As time has gone on, I have learned to recognize most of the vegetables that show up in my CSA box. I have tried and true recipes on file for when certain things show up. But I still am surprised occasionally, and I am still always looking for new ways to use my seasonal produce.

My latest challenge was all the spinach. I made beans and greens, I steamed it with butter and lemon, I added it to pasta. And I still had spinach to use.

Hence: spinach pesto. It is delicious.

The other annual challenge is zucchini. I’ve only gotten two so far, but I know more is on the way. Recently I looked for a new way to use it, and went with The Smitten Kitchen’s zucchini fritters; they are quick to make, and simply delicious. Instead of the yogurt/lemon sauce she uses, my friend M made me a mayonnaise-based sauce that is fantastic.

This weekend, I also tried for the first time to batter up some squash blossoms and make them crunchy. They turned out not too bad.

This showed up one week not too long ago:

I wasn’t quite sure what it was, but I guessed some type of cabbage. I chopped it up, drizzled olive oil and lemon juice on the wedges, sprinkled some garlic salt on them, and roasted them (400 degrees for about 25 minutes, turn the cabbage after about 10 minutes). Perfection.

++

Spinach Pesto
an rpm original

8 oz. fresh spinach, cleaned and trimmed
2 garlic scapes, washed and trimmed
1.5 cups of shredded Italian cheese (I think I used of mix a parmesan and asiago)
1/2 cup cashews
Sea salt to taste (I use about a 1/4 tsp.)
Olive oil

1. Put the spinach, cheese, garlic scapes, and cashews into a large food processor. Pulse a few times to chop up.

2. Start adding olive oil as the food processor is on. Process to the consistency you prefer.

3. Toss with hot pasta of your choice.

M loves “green sauce” as we call it, but the girls opt for butter or tomato sauce.

++

Here is the recipe for zucchini fritters. Hers look much prettier than mine did. But I bet mine are just as tasty!

Mayo-Dijon Dipping Sauce
an rpm friend original

1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon vinegar (we used sherry vinegar; M says white is good too)

Whisk all the ingredients together. Drizzle over roasted veggies or serve as a dipping sauce with the fritters.

++

Here’s the recipe I used for my squash blossoms (h/t Cynthia Closkey), only I used canola oil instead of peanut oil. They definitely needed more salt and pepper in the flour mixture, and I bet the peanut oil would have added a bit more flavor as well. If I get more, I will definitely try it again. It’s pretty quick. Besides, what else are you going to do with squash blossoms?

(Seriously, is there anything else to do with squash blossoms?)

++

Next week’s challenge: Mushrooms. I’m over risotto and creamy mushroom sauce (for now). Send me your favorite recipes!

Meatless Monday: CSA Edition

I am reposting this because I’ve gotten a lot of questions about what CSA means, especially from other people doing the Project: Food Budget with me. I made some minor edits to make it more current.

I’ll just state upfront that joining a CSA is one of the best things I have done for my family. The quality of the produce we receive is incomparable to store-bought produce. We also get coffee and cheese, and I am exploring the possibility of getting beef and chicken (which we would share with my in-laws). I can’t think of enough good things to say.

If you don’t have a CSA in your area, another way to get the freshest produce is to frequent farmers markets. Just an idea if you are trying to go local and/or organic in the produce aisle.

It’s Michael Pollan‘s fault I joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm.

I am sure I am not alone in declaring that.

In the summer of 2009, I ended up on the waiting list of Kretschmann Organic Farm. That winter they contacted me, and I started receiving winter boxes, which were chock full of winter veggie and fruit goodness (apples, squash, potatoes, carrots).

I started receiving their summer season boxes in the summer of 2009. And I love them.

As Dan stated one other day at dinner, “This is how salad is supposed to taste.” Flora, likewise, has declared salads made with their greens, “the best salad I’ve ever tasted.” [Kate, too, loves her salads now.]

This pleases me to no end, for obvious reasons. We’ve gotten mesclun greens, bibb lettuce, arugula, and green leaf lettuce, as well as spinach. So, so good.

The trickiest thing about receiving so much tasty, fresh, organic produce and herbs is, simply, using it all. [To solve this problem, I’ve started splitting my boxes with my sister-in-law and her family. Often my MIL will also get some goodies, like basil, blueberries, and soon beef.]

I’ve twice had to ditch the Swiss chard because it wilted before I could saute it with garlic. I wanted to make pesto with the sweet pea greens I got the first week, but they wilted before I got to them too.

Much of this, of course, is not having tons of time to cook throughout the week, or for that matter, the weekend. I’ve started making it more of a priority, though, because it’s too depressing to lose these fresh greens. We chow down on salads pretty steadily Thursday through Monday (Thursday is the day I pick up my box), which means eating more at home, which in itself is a relief.

I was hoping to have some new recipes, too, but really, you all know how to make a salad.

I’ve also been getting beets, and here’s what you can do with beets (to my knowledge): roast ’em or boil ’em. We had boiled beets this past weekend (the kids won’t try them yet), and they were so good and sweet. Neither Dan nor I even put anything on them, no butter, no salt, no pepper. And they are super easy: cut off the greens, leaving about 2 inches of the tops; boil for about 40 minutes; cool and peel. [Update: Kate loves beets. LOVES. Asks if I am making any. Eats about a whole beet when I do. I’ve also made a beet soup with sour cream that is delicious.]

Heavenly.

We’ve been getting strawberries, too, and all you need to know about strawberries is they don’t last a day in my house. Between the four of us, we pretty much devour them instantly. I barely get them washed before the kids are eating them — straight, no sugar. [I am betting that Michael will like them too.]

I’d love to get some and have them last long enough to make muffins, but so far, I haven’t managed to hide them fast enough.

I’ll try harder with the blueberries, due to start showing up this week.

I not going to get up on any type of locavore, organic foods soapbox here — there are plenty of activists and authors out there who have intelligent, interesting things to say (Michael Pollan being right up there). I’ll just leave you with the first line from Pollan’s book In Defense of Food, which is pretty much all you need to know:

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Do you shop at farmers markets or get produce from a CSA? What’s your favorite thing to do with produce?

Meatless Monday: CSA Edition

It’s Michael Pollan‘s fault I joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm.

I am sure I am not alone in declaring that.

Last summer I ended up on the waiting list of Kretschmann Organic Farm, and I started receiving winter boxes, which were chock full of winter veggie and fruit goodness (apples, squash, potatoes, carrots).

I’ve started receiving their summer season boxes this summer. And I love them.

As Dan stated the other day at dinner, “This is how salad is supposed to taste.” Flora, likewise, has declared salads made with their greens, “the best salad I’ve ever tasted.”

This pleases me to no end, for obvious reasons. We’ve gotten mesclun greens, bibb lettuce, arugula, and green leaf lettuce, as well as spinach. So, so good.

The trickiest thing about receiving so much tasty, fresh, organic produce and herbs is, simply, using it all.

I’ve twice had to ditch the Swiss chard because it wilted before I could saute it with garlic. I wanted to make pesto with the sweet pea greens I got the first week, but they wilted before I got to them too.

Much of this, of course, is not having tons of time to cook throughout the week, or for that matter, the weekend. I’ve started making it more of a priority, though, because it’s too depressing to lose these fresh greens. We chow down on salads pretty steadily Thursday through Monday (Thursday is the day I pick up my box), which means eating more at home, which in itself is a relief.

I was hoping to have some new recipes, too, but really, you all know how to make a salad.

I’ve also been getting beets, and here’s what you can do with beets (to my knowledge): roast ’em or boil ’em. We had boiled beets this past weekend (the kids won’t try them yet), and they were so good and sweet. Neither Dan nor I even put anything on them, no butter, no salt, no pepper. And they are super easy: cut off the greens, leaving about 2 inches of the tops; boil for about 40 minutes; cool and peel.

Heavenly.

We’ve been getting strawberries, too, and all you need to know about strawberries is they don’t last a day in my house. Between the four of us, we pretty much devour them instantly. I barely get them washed before the kids are eating them — straight, no sugar.

I’d love to get some and have them last long enough to make muffins, but so far, I haven’t managed to hide them fast enough.

I’ll try harder with the blueberries, due to start showing up this week.

If you shop at farmer’s markets, but haven’t tried a CSA yet, I encourage you to sign up for one. Kretschmann’s is just one of many, many options in the Pittsburgh market. Along with the weekly boxes, they email weekly newsletters about what is going on on the farm and with recipes. Someday, maybe this fall, I’m hoping to contact them and take the girls to see where our food comes from.

I not going to get up on any type of locavore, organic foods soapbox here — there are plenty of activists and authors out there who have intelligent, interesting things to say (Michael Pollan being right up there). I’ll just leave you with the first line from Pollan’s book In Defense of Food, which is pretty much all you need to know:

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Meatless Monday: Consolation Prize

Because I have been almost completely housebound this weekend (and looks as if I will be into the near future as well), and also have had a well-stocked refrigerator, I have managed to do a lot of cooking.

On Friday, I made a crockpot minestrone soup recipe. This was my second stab at it, and it still needs some tweaking. If I get it right next time, I’ll post the recipe.

I joined a CSA farm for the first time this year (Kretschmann Farm), and I was placed on their waiting list in May. I was finally to pick up my first box of veggies a few weeks ago. Beets are big this time of year. For Saturday night’s dinner, I roasted them. Holy heck, roasted beets are tasty! I’ll be doing that again.

Then for Sunday night, I made more roasted veggies from the CSA, carrots and potatoes. The kids balked at first, but then sampled a few. Flora preferred the carrots, and Kate preferred the potatoes. Dan liked them all. Also with CSA produce, I made this risotto recipe. Next time, I should make sure I have all the vegetable stock I need because substituting in two cups of water made it too bland. But I will be trying it again, and in the meantime, I think I’m going to try some fried risotto patties with the leftovers. Also to try: this recipe for red cabbage.

Flora’s temp hovers at the 99.5-100 mark, which her pediatrician’s office tells me is part of “this” virus. (She’s also got a runny nose and one heck of a cough.) When I brought her to the doctor’s office Friday, she was diagnosed with an ear infection. After two doses of the antibiotic hadn’t killed the temp, I knew something else was up.

The most remarkable thing is her pallor. Flora is drawn and pale; her lips are too puffy (I am making sure she drinks plenty of fluids, even stooped so low to offer her Yoo-hoo — a ‘treat’ from my FIL); and she’s got dark brown circles under her eyes. The time change didn’t help her — she was up Sunday at the new 5:30 complaining of how thirsty she was; and she was up early today, too — screaming about a “ladybug” on her ceiling. Her appetite isn’t that great; she mostly prefers butter bread. She’s restless as all get out, but doesn’t have either the sustained energy or attention for doing much. (So much for having her help me dust.) (I kid. Kinda.)

Anyway, at this point, the pediatrician says she’ll probably need to be at home at least two more days. I am monitoring her temperature rather obsessively, even going so far as to take it both via an ear thermometer and an oral digital thermometer. I keep checking Kate, too. I wonder if this is the virus she had not too long ago, or if this is something else she’ll pick up.

At least we’ll have lentil soup to feast on this evening. That’s some consolation.