Archive for October, 2013|Monthly archive page

Fall CSA: What to Do?

Posted October 26, 2013
Filed under: Back to Basics, cooking, food, recipes, Uncategorized |
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My husband and I have been traveling quite a bit this season and as a result we had fallen quite behind on eating the content of our weekly farm share.

As a result, our fridge was literally bursting with cauliflower, eggplant, brussels sprouts, butternut squash, beets, and the like.

Last week, I went on a broiling frenzy. I made containers and containers full of broiled veggies that were excellent, easy, and super fulfilling snacks, sides, etc. In the case of the cauliflower, which actually got a little crispy and developed this lovely smoky flavor, I would just eat it cold, straight out of the container. They also filled out the edges of packed lunches and late dinners after a long day at the office.

My broiling technique is pretty low key.

Preheat the oven to 500 (on baking)

Chop the veggies up (in the case of the butternut squash, I also peel it and seed it).

Toss them in olive oil.

Put them on the pan.

Switch the oven over to broil and let it go for anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on the veggies and the desired crispiness.

I also took several baby beets, washed them, wrapped them in foil, and cooked them until they were tender. Here, I waited until they were cooked and quasi-cool to remove the skin with my fingers.

I think today I am going to tackle the delicata (truly one of life’s pleasures), the celeriac.

Celeriac

What’s in your fridge? And more importantly, what do you plan to do with it?

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Another Fall Recipe: Pumpkin Hummus

Posted October 26, 2013
Filed under: cooking, food, recipes |
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I was truly bummed to discover that my body is not nearly as fond of garbanzo beans as it used to be. Despite my disappointment, that meant that I had dramatically reduced my hummus intake.

However, I really like hummus, so I started searching for alternatives. I actually found this none on About.com.

Shockingly easy and it combines two of my favorite flavors perfectly:

Pumpkin Hummus

  • 1 15-ounce canned pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
In a food processor, combine ingredients until smooth and creamy. If hummus is too thick (mine wasn’t), you can add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until desired consistency.
Serving Suggestion:
I served mine with roasted eggplant (another one of those items in my CSA that I struggle to use). Here I just sliced the eggplant into medallions, brushed a little olive oil, black pepper and sea salt, and then put them under the broiler. You have to watch them, because if you sliced them super thin they’l burn quickly. So, start getting twitchy around 6 minutes. Though it you sliced them thick, it may take a while. Again depending on thickness you may need to turn them. Broiled eggplant is definitely more art than science.
Enjoy.