Menu for a Mid-March Madness

This week, our CSA box from Glacier Valley Farms contained the following:
the Alaskan quadruplets: Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage
Organic produce from "outside": broccoli, celery, white mushrooms, collard greens, fennel, Fuji apples, navel oranges, d’Anjou pears
From Costco, we get Organic Spinach, avocados, sweet peppers, grapes.

Monday: Burritos w/ black beans, peppers, meat, avocados, salsa
Tuesday: Fried tilapia, leftover jambalaya, spinach salad
Wednesday: boys ate out, girls ate spinach raviolis, carrots and made juice(!)
Thursday: African Peanut Soup (*)
Friday: Flanks & greens (*)
Sunday: Bouillabaise with fish, tomatoes & fennel (*)

(!) Note: Boys ate in Anchorage, and Youngest and I picked up the CSA box. She had been wanting to make applejuice with our juicer (a remnant from when I lived in Colorado with a wonderful appletree in the backyard) -- and I relented. We had lots of fresh fruit in our box, and I let her juice the older apples in the fruit bowl together with some thawed out strawberries and blueberries from the freezer. It was truly delicious!

PS: I also love to make carrot juice, but that's not Youngest's favorite, and I'd rather use the carrots in other forms this week. Alaska carrots are incredibly sweet, and make a great raw snack.

New Recipes from our CSA

It feels like the night before Christmas...Actually, it's the night before our CSA box from Glacier Valley Farm arrives, and that's a lot like Christmas! Because we were gone over Spring Spring, we didn't get a box last week, but now I'm all excited about the arrival of tomorrow's, which comes with a whole new set of recipes.

I'm so tickled about how the family is on board with the CSA box and healthier eating. Eldest (off in college) is probably wishing I would have done this YEARS ago (but I don't think they had much in a way of CSAs in Alaska back when she lived at home) -- anyway, she gets credit for giving me the "push" when I was dragging my feet. Husband is also on board with my new vegetable experimentations resulting in"new adventures in eating", and he's hoping it will help him loose some of those unwanted pounds. And both of the remaining kids-at-home are becoming VERY interested in food and good nutrition -- I love how engaged the kids are getting in the selecting, cooking (and of course taste-testing) new recipes, and the many discussions over dinner about where our food really comes from.

I mentioned in my first kitchen blog post how teenage son was reading Michael Pollan In Defense of Food for Science class, and now he's reading Pollan's Botany of Desire. In fact, he's decided to give vegetarianism a try -- and that from the boy who couldn't get enough chicken wings at the potluck the other day! But I digress...

My routine for right before a new CSA box arrives:
1. clean out the frig - take out any leftovers and eat or toss, depending on its status.
2. make stock (for recipe, see my post on Making your own stock) - I use whatever meat scraps I've saved in the freezer, plus bottom of celery, onions, carrots saved in frig during past week)
3. Make soup- use anything from vegetable drawer that you know is getting replaced by this week's CSA box.
4. Plan menu - this is the fun part. Figure out what staples you may need to pick up at the grocery store to make some of those mouthwatering new recipes you plan to try with the stuff in your new CSA box.
5. Bake bread - optional, but you might just as well get a loaf rising while you're busy in the kitchen! And when the fam gets home from school/work, the chorus will be "It smells soooo good! What's for dinner?" What's better than homemade Soup with bread fresh out of the oven?

Here's some what I'm planning with this week's brand-new recipes from Glacier Valley Farm:
For actual recipes, go to Glacier grist # 21

Broccoli w/ garlicky mustard vinaigrette & toasted pepitas

cabbage and sourdough bread gratin

Fennel, tomato & potato stew

Saint Patty, Greens & Omega 3s

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Hope you're planning a nice GREEN meal. And I'm not talking about green food coloring in your beer or mashed potatoes, I'm talking about serving and eating more leafy greens.

We KNOW that greens are incredibly good for us, but admit it, most of us don't eat enough greens! Besides the obvious benefits of fibers, vitamins and iron, antitoxins and phytochemicals, there are the Omega-3 fatty acids, which we've been hearing about more and more in recent years. Yet somehow our western (American) diet has largely selected against Omega-3. Why is that?

It wasn't until the 1980's that scientists learned the importance of Omega-3 (If you want to read about why Omega-3 are good for us, while Omega-6 are not, I recommend Susan Allport's book The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We can do to Replace them). Scientists think now that maybe what matters most is the ratio of Omega-3's to Omega-6 (in other words, getting enough Omega-3 in relation to Omega-6 may matter more than absolute amounts of Omega-3s).

So where do these Omega-dudes hide?

Our western diet depends heavily on seeds, primarily on wheat, corn and soy. Seeds are full of Omega-6. Where do you get your Omega-3? You guessed it, leafy greens (and the wild ones are especially good sources). Omega-3's are part of the photosynthetic process -- ergo, they hide in greens and algae! And thus they work their way up the food chain: that's one of the reasons that grass-fed beef is better for you than grainfed feedlot beef. We hear alot about how seafood is a good source of Omega-3's also, but really, fish just get theirs from seaweed and algae. Green plants is where it's at! SO to get more Omega-3, cut to the chase and eat more greens -- did I mention that greens were good for you? (This is probably one of the very few things nutritionists really agree on!)

I loved Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food. Pollan tells of how nutritionism and "Food Science" have messed up repeatedly-- the more they've tried to reduce food into nutrient components, the less healthy our diet has become! They've been telling us for years to eat a lower fat diet, and we've gotten fatter and fatter. For example, first butter was deemed bad, was replaced by margarine and hydrogenated oils, and then it turns out those are worse than the butter! Ooops. More recently nutritionists have discovered the health benefits of Omega-3, yet because Omega-3 is not very stable, plant geneticists have actually been breeding against it (because we wanted food with long shelf-lives)..! OOOOPS again.

My personal pledge is to serve more GREENS. Regardless of what the nutritionists' latest controversies over what nutrient components are good or bad, it is clear that in it's most unprocessed form, plants (esp. greens) are undeniably healthy.

Let there be something green on our plates every day -- make every day St. Patrick's Day!

Spinach to the rescue!!!
Spinach is best fresh -- no doubt about it! After my rant against processed spinach the other day, I feel I need to make amends and extol the many uses of frozen spinach. Face it, we can't always have fresh spinach & other leafy greens on hand. Still, I NEVER use canned spinach (blech!), but I do use frozen spinach, and will even freeze my own -- esp. when I have HUGE quantities from a Costco Warehouse shopping trip and realize I can't cook it all before it starts spoiling. Or when the garden produces copious quantities and I need to harvest it before it bolts!

To freeze spinach, I just steam or blanch it briefly, and stick it in the freezer in ziploc bags, or freeze in small quantities, such as icecube trays.

For something GREEN, here is a small collection of ideas & recipes that make use of generous quantities of frozen spinach (always handy to have in your freezer) -- in other words, these dishes are good places to hide large quantities of the dreaded "Spinat"!

Lasagna, pizza, calzones, quiche
Soups (esp. blended soups which have a greenish color already)
Homemade spinach pasta (yumm!)
Omelettes, "Green Eggs and Ham"
Brownies (Honeypiehorse's trick: just blend the spinach first and replace part of the butter called for, and don't breathe a word! )


Green rice
(this is my own version, there are many)

olive oil
onions, chopped
garlic, minced
greens (spinach, etc) - fresh or frozen & defrosted
fresh herbs: parsley, chives, cilantro, etc
long-grain rice (not the instant stuff!!!)
water or stock (2x quantity of rice used)
salt, pepper
parmesan cheese, grated

Saute the onions. Add garlic, greens. Cook until wilted. Pre-measure the amount of liquid needed for your quantity of rice (2c water for 1 c rice) Transfer to blender together with fresh herbs, using enough of the water or stock to be able to blend well. Return to pan, rinse blender with rest of the liquid. Add rice, cover and and cook on low for about 20 min, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice, and add salt, pepper, parmesan as desired.

Easy Baked Fish with spinach topping
Fillets of any mild white fish (such as tilapia)
lemon juice
spinach (fresh or frozen & defrosted)
mayonnaise and/or sour cream
salt, pepper, garlic powder
parmesan cheese

1. Place fish in a baking pan and dribble some lemon juice over it.
2. Mix spinach with all the other topping ingredients, and cover the fish fillets with topping.
3. Sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese
4. Bake at 350 F until fish is cooked (test if flaky with fork) -- 10-20 minutes depending on thickness of fish.

I therefore propose a toast to St. Patty, whom I nominate as the patron saint of green vegetables:
May you bless us with lots of greens in the coming year!

Gumbo over Spaetzle, or How this family LOVES Cajun Food

Our German-Swedish-American family LOVES Cajun Food.
Since they were toddlers, the kids have been eating their Gumbo and Jambalaya (maybe that's why they're not picky eaters -- they got used to complex flavors early on...)

For us, one of the big feast tradition is to have "Gumbo and King Crab", like on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. I admit that it's actually very "easy" (therefore stress-free on an otherwise crazy day) in the sense that I don't cook it from scratch that day. Rather, the big gumbo-making (which is a HUGE undertaking since we make a giant quantity from the left-over turkey after T-giving & Xmas) was done previously, and cleaned up previously, and the gumbo was frozen in meal-sizes.

As you can guess, gumbo is not exactly something we brought over from the Old Country, but it has become a firm tradition in our German-Swedish-American Melting Pot family --come to think of it, I could serve Gumbo over Spaetzle!

Here's how easy it is to fix that special occasion meal:

GUMBO and KING CRAB dinner
Defrost the gumbo, reheat in sauce pan
Cook brown rice
Heat baguette in oven
Melt butter in microwave (for dipping the crab)
Steam the king crab
Light the candles!

I know this is cheating, because I'm not actually giving you my husband's secret gumbo recipe. But he does make the real deal -- from scratch, with a real roux. It takes an entire afternoon, but then the freezer is full of the most delicious "fast" food you'll ever know.

Next is a quick every-day meal:

Clean-out-the-frig Jambalaya
(this too is not exactly a recipe: I never make the same twice)

Olive oil
onions, chopped
celery, chopped,
bell peppers, chopped
garlic, minced
jalapeno or other hot peppers
cajun spice mix (I make my own: paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, mustard seeds, cayenne, etc)
bay leaf
rice (I use brown basmati)
stock or water (2x the volume of rice)
tomato paste
Andouille or other spicy sausage
left-over chicken or turkey
shrimp or other shellfish
more vegetables (that don't fall apart) -- if they're somewhat fragile, add at the very end (peas)

I usually start by cooking the sausage, then saute veggies. Add spices & cook a little. Then add rice, and coat well with oil and spices, cooking a little before adding the liquid. Turn down to low and let simmer, covered, for 30 minutes.
Add fragile stuff at the end: peas, leftover chicken, shrimp (can saute shrimp first, or let cook in the last 5 or so minutes).

PS: one of my favorite quick meals with leftover jambalaya is the heat it in a non-stick pan, then make hole and fry an egg in it!
PPS: In principle, my Jambalaya is not all that different from a Spanish paella, and that's Old Country!

Menu for Spring Break (March)

We spent the first half of our Spring Break in Fairbanks, visiting old friends, and they spoiled us with wonderful (mostly vegetarian) fare. Every evening was a feast, starting with hors d'oeuvres (a.k.a. "horse's ovaries"), with an assortment of wines and cheeses, oil-cured olives, etc.

Sunday: Vegetarian lasagna, salad.
Monday: Sockeye salmon (baked in foil over BBQ), roasted potatoes, baby asparagus.
Tuesday: Szechuan Eggplant pizza, tricolor pepper pizza.
Wednesday: Mexican Restaurant in Wasilla on drive home.
Thursday: Jambalaya (*), Eggs in a Nest (*)
Friday: Potluck BonVoyage Party -- I made jambalaya w/ andouille and shrimp
Saturday: Potluck Birthday Party -- I made Spaetzle
Sunday: Flanks & Greens (*) over brown rice

Note on potlucks (I LOVE potlucks -- this American tradition is WUNDERBAR!)
The variety was wonderful at both potlucks, and there's always plenty for everybody, even those with special diets, like vegetarians, or people who cannot eat wheat, soy or dairy.
There were great salads -- I love to try all the different fruits, nuts, etc --got great new ideas!
There was a great vegan corn chowder, heavenly cheese-potatoes baked in their skins, and lots more. I also got reminded how much guys love sauerkraut & sausage, and spicy chicken wings -- that plus a brewski and they're in heaven!

Popeye and Spinach

Spinach -- I love it!
But when I was a kid growing up in Germany, Spinach was about the least favorite vegetable you could put in front of us: Creamed spinach out of a can -YUCK!

No wonder they (whoever "they" are) made the cartoon-character Popeye get his energy from slurping up huge quantities of canned spinach -- why else would kids eat the stuff?!?

I only discovered fresh spinach salad as a young adult (when venturing into vegetarianism -- see more in my introductory post What shall we have for supper?). Hey, I discovered then that spinach is actually very tasty, and it certainly beat the Iceberg lettuce served in the university cafeteria.

Only much later did I learn to actually COOK with spinach, and have since learned to cook with many other tasty greens: beet greens, chard, collard greens, mustard greens, etc. Perhaps that's more of a Southern thing, but these greens ROCK! When I lived in the Appomattox, Virginia, my 80-year old landlady grew her own vegetables, and fried them all up in bacon grease -- there's nothing tastier to even the most ardent vegetable sceptic. In Appomattox is also where I learned what all you can do with zuccini -- because when summer squash ripens, you'll be eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner...

For a wonderful tutorial on how to actually cook spinach (don't dare boil it, just saute it in a wee bit of olive oil or butter) go to Chef Doughty -- this blog is a great approach to thinking like a chef. She teaches how the "basic understanding of fundamental cooking techniques and food so you can spontaneously create your own dishes without relying on a recipe". I really like her product-based approach, rather than a recipe-driven approach: I got a bunch of spinach here, plus a chicken -- so what can I whip up for supper?

One of my new favorite ways to cook up spinach (and other greens) is one I've mentioned before under beets:

Eggs in a Nest
(adapted from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver)

1 onion, chopped
garlic, chopped (optional)
olive oil
several carrots, chopped fine, or grated
dried tomatoes (optional)
1 really large bunch of dark leafy greens (chard, beet greens, spinach, etc)
4 eggs

Saute onions & garlic in olive oil. Add carrots, tomatoes w/ a little water as needed. Cover with lid and let carrots get soft. Add the greens, cover until wilted. Make indentations w/ back of a spoon. Crack eggs and place into dents. Cover w/ lid, and poach for 3-5 minutes. Serve over rice or toast.

Flanks and Greens
(from Paul Prudhomme's Fork in the Road)
This makes a huge quantity -- I cut in half for my family of 4. This cajun dish is not exactly pretty, but surprisingly, it is one of my family's favorite -- I mean, even the kids eat their greens and ask for more!)

Cajun seasoning mix or spice rub (containing sweet paprika, salt, pepper, mustard, onion,garlic, thyme, ginger, cayenne)
1.5 pounds flank steak, scalloped (cut across grain, in strips)
2 c onions, chopped
12 c mixed greens, any that are not bitter (such as spinach, collards, mustard, chard, etc)
up to 6 c beef stock or combination of stock and water
5 T flour (browned -- I make big batch & keep in a jar) optional
6 c cooked rice (I use brown basmati)

1. Sprinke meat with seasoning mix.
2. Heat oil in pan (high), and brown the seasoned meat.
3. Add onions (and more seasoning if desired). Cook until well done, scraping bottom frequently.
4. Add about half of greens. Let them cook down (I cover with lid).
5. Add some stock, browned flour to thicken, if desired. (Ok to leave out the browned flour, but the dish will end up watery -- could also cheat and use other thickener like starch or gravy mix).
6. Add rest of greens, cover with lid, and monitor, stirring occasionally. Add more stock as needed -- this is a delicate balance -- it's supposed to cook down some.
7. Serve over rice.

To-Die-For Indian Spinach recipe
This is a side dish that I don't have an official recipe for --a simple & tasty side dish.

butter
onions, cut in rings
cardamom
salt, pepper
spinach - a lot

Over medium high heat, melt butter and saute the onion rings. Add spices and cook a wee little bit. Add spinach and cover pot with lid. Check often, turning over spinach until all is wilted. Serve immediately.

Swedish Sokerkake (with Cardamom), a.k.a. Courting Cake

This Swedish cake is known in our house as "Courting Cake" because my husband baking this wonderful cake is all it took! It is made without any butter -- rather, it uses cream, and is therefore super-quick to throw together.
(Hint: best to use room temperature ingredients: I like to pre-warm the eggs in a warm water bath -- this does not take long)

Swedish "Sokerkake"

2 c flour (sift if clumpy)
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c sugar
1 t freshly ground cardamom
3 eggs (room temperature)
1.5 cups heavy cream (whipping cream, but not whipped), room temperature
vanilla wafer crumbs (or other cookie crumbs, such as graham crackers)
powdered sugar for dusting

1. Using mixer, blend well, scraping sides often. (Beat for about 3 minutes)
2. Spray or butter a bundt pan. Sprinkle with vanilla wafer crumbs.
3. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 F for 55-60 minutes until toothpick tests clean (may take longer than an hour -- keep baking, otherwise cake will "fall" upon cooling).
4. Remove from bundt pan, and let cool slightly before dusting with powdered sugar.
5. Best if eaten while still WARM! This cake does not keep well -- so indulge!