Spring Cleaning!

It's that time of year again...

The farmer's market in Boulder just started back up, I'm about to buy back into a CSA, and the second season of The Food Share is on its way! Before I get started again, I wanted to publish a few recipes from last year that never made it online, so expect a few random (but still delicious) recipes in the coming days and weeks.

Here's to a fresh start!

Roasted Cauliflower

I based this recipe on something I saw in the now defunct Gourmet Magazine. Abbondanza had what they described as "spicy cauliflower" which had a nice pepperiness. It had slightly purplish interior and smaller, more wiry florets.

Rather than cutting it into florets, I sliced the head into thick steak-like slices, keeping the leaves, and put them on a bakingsheet. I drizzled them with olive oil and seasoned them with salt and red chile flakes and roasted on high heat (around 425) until the edges got nice brown, roasted edges. Yum!

Carrot, Dill and White Bean Salad

Lately, I've been really into making salads that get better the longer they sit in the fridge. I like to think of them as "Second Day Salads". Usually made with a grain, bean, or pasta base instead of greens, they are hearty enough to hold up overnight and actually soak up more flavor from the vinaigrette the longer they sit.Make a couple over the weekend and you'll have lunch all week!

I found this recipe on 101 Cookbooks, which I find to be a gorgeous blog. The photography alone makes my mouth water.

Girls' Night Stir Fry!

Since I've started me CSA I've been a little resistant to stir frys. It seems that many of the veggie/vegan farmers and CSA subscribers are inclined to stir fry all their weeks offerings, regardless of what's in the bag. While this is no doubt a very healthy option, it is not what I set out to do (which was to explore interesting ways to cook these seasonal ingredients and try to bring out their best flavor). I must say though, this weeks offerings (carrots, broccoli, squash, garlic, onion) did seem to lend themselves well to a stir fry.

So, when Lindsey came over for dinner and I wanted a fast, tasty, healthy meal to put on the table I turned to stir fry. I picked up a few extra veggies to make it even more vibrant and Lindsey brought over some lovely kale.

First I browned two cubed chicken breasts in a little bit of peanut oil and set it aside to rest.

For the veggies, I started by sauteeing a clove of garlic, about half a knob of ginger, one small serrano chile and a couple little red onions in peanut oil until soft. I then added my vegetables one by one based on cooking time. I think it went something like this: carrots (with a splash of water to create steam), then red pepper, then broccoli, then squash. I added the kale and a handful of cashews at the end.

Then I made a quick sauce out of 6 tbsp. oyster sauce, 4 tbsp. soy sauce, and 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar and tossed it with the stir fry for a few minutes.

I topped it with a squeeze of lime, some fresh basil and served it with rice (cooked with the other half of the ginger root in the pot).

Urban Farming

My friend, Libby, who works at ALOUD @ Central Library, a public lecture series produced by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles recently introduced me to Novella Carpenter, an urban farming hero. She runs a farm called Ghost Town Farm out of a vacant lot in Oakland, California.

Her attitude towards food and farming is both refreshing and inspiring, and her anecdotes describing some of her more unconventional methods are just plain funny.

Click here to listen to a podcast of her fantastic lecture at ALOUD.

It's great food for thought!

For your viewing pleasure, here are some of her happy, healthy animals. Check out more pics on Novella Carpenter's Flikr page.

Friend Share

My dear friend, Lindsey Cash, took home the veggies that didn't get eaten at the dinner party and made another beautiful meal. She used the lettuce, zucchini and broccoli for a truly green salad; made couscous with the garlic and her own locally grown onion and mushrooms, and served it with some delicious Colorado peaches. Yum.

Food SHARE!

I recently had to leave town to visit my family in California. This meant that I would be missing a sumptuous dinner party my girlfriends were throwing. In lieu of my actual presence, I decided to donate that weeks GORGEOUS veggies (lettuces, fennel, garlic, carrots, broccoli, etc.) to the party. My friends made a perfect simple salad and were also kind enough to photograph the bounty (thanks Lib!).