cat enrichment.

gypsy has been acting a lil' restless recently.  she has also been acting like she is starving all the time.  which she certainly is not.  she is starting to do things like eat a quarter-sized patch out of the top of every muffin in a batch when i leave them unattended on the table (for example, this morning....).

so as a solution, i bought these cat toys today that are little balls with a hole in them.  you can put a treat inside and they play with it til they get it out (kind of the idea behind kongs for dogs).  so i'm really excited, like oh gypsy has so much energy and is really food oriented this is going to keep her occupied for hours.

she totally hasn't figured it out yet!!!!

BUT out of the three catminos, guess who DID figure it out.  AMANDA.  amanda.  the 20 year old geriatric cat in kidney failure who can barely walk.  in the meantime beeb and gypsy are just looking from the vaguely treat-scented toy to me wondering where that greenie is.

what amanda lacks in agility she makes up for in wisdom.  thats my girl.

by the way, i still ate the muffins.

csa week seven.

so this week was actually my first time picking up the box in person.  i work on sundays so one of the roomies has been doing it.  but this week everyone had different brunches to go to (weird?), so it was my turn to actually do it!  i got to pick out the tomatoes and the apples i wanted too!

4 apples (vista bella)
4 tomatoes
lettuce
a HUGE beautiful bunch of green swiss chard
arugula
an eggplant
6 potatoes
beets
4 ears of corn
2 mystery items

okay mystery items...i just searched the internet for a vegetable identification key.  not one.  SERIOUSLY?  you'd think that would exist by now.  someone please make that.  i'm imagining something like:  month harvested? july,  fruit or leaves/stem? fruit,  color? green,  texture? smooth, etc, etc.....until you tell me what my vegetable is.  i'm posting a photo of them....please tell me what you think they are!  (that is the eggplant there with em).

here are my 3 guesses though none seem perfect:
-green goddess eggplant
-cousa squash
-regular ole cucumbers (i have a feeling its this and i am just a total dweeb)
-yeah i'm leaning towards cucumbers that are just more smooth, less striped, and plumper than i'm used to...??


anyways, here is a photo of the swiss chard.  can't wait to eat that!

UPDATE:  the mystery vegetables did turn out to be cucumbers.  i'm feeling a bit sheepish for getting all worked up.  oh and by the way, they were crisp and delicious.

shortcake any day.

another food favorite of mine is clear flour bread (this bakery was actually the original pick-up location of the brookline csa.  they have these really delicious shortcake biscuits that i tried for the first time recently.  the flavor is perfect.  not too sweet.  just the right amount of savory-ness in there.

anyways, the coolidge corner farmer's market has a clear flour stand as well as many other farm stands (including stillman's).  so i purchased a pint of raspberries and a shortcake biscuit (really should have gotten two....) and made raspberry shortcake!

whipped cream.

ingredients

heavy whipping cream

powdered sugar (optional)

vanilla extract (optional)

directions

pour the cream into a bowl.  beat with an electric mixer until it thickens to whipped cream texture.  add some powdered sugar (a pinch or two) and vanilla extract (a splash) for flavor.  i'm serious.  that is it.  enjoy!

time for zucchini bread.

so with all the zucchini supplies, zucchini bread was inevitable.  i looked up a few recipes online and then kind of created a hybrid of them all along with some improvisations of my own.  i tried to make it somewhat healthy.  you could also just make muffins if you don't have loaf pans.  the cooking time will be a lot less that way too.  perhaps in the 15 minute range.


zucchini bread.


ingredients
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1 T cinnamon
3 eggs
3/4 c apple sauce
1/4 c neutral vegetable oil (i used grapeseed oil...i detest canola oil)
2 c white sugar
1 T vanilla extract
3 c grated zucchini
1 c chopped walnuts

directions
1.  preheat oven to 325 F.  grease and flour two 8 by 4 inch nonstick loaf pans.
2.  stir together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a medium sized mixing bowl.
3.  whisk together eggs, apple sauce, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
4.  add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix well.  stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined.
5.  pour into the pans and bake for about 50 minutes (give or take 10 minutes) or until you can stick a fork (or toothpick if you have those) into the loaf and it comes out clean.  cool em for about 20 minutes before taking them out of the pans.

i think it turned out pretty well!  jeremy was super skeptical at first.  "ZUCCHINI bread?!?!"  but he ended up loving it and coming back for more!

saladsaladsalad.

so as i've mentioned before, i previously was NOT a salad kid.  lettuce never existed in my fridge.  just seemed like too much of a hassle.  but now that i have been getting delicious varieties of lettuce every week, i have branched out into the world of salads.  so i just wanted to share some of the things i've learned along the way.

salad dressing can basically consist of something acidic plus some oil.  use some vinegar or citrus juice plus some grapeseed oil or olive oil for a basic dressing.  the general ratio rule to go by is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil.. then you can mix and match and improvise from there!  another helpful thing to know: 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon.  how convenient.  so yeah, add some salt and pepper and you are done.

to spice things up, one of my new favorites is to finely chop a small shallot and let that sit in the vinegar for about 10 minutes before mixing the rest of the ingredients in.  really adds some nice flavor.  also a lot less pungent than raw onion would be.  my staple vinegars at this point have been balsamic and red wine vinegar.  i have also been using lemon juice here and there.

another helpful tip, given to me by abby from work, which changed my life once i actually got a salad spinner, is to tear and wash all your lettuce at the same time and leave it in the salad spinner in the fridge.  it just keeps everything fresh in there.  you can also pre-chop your other salad toppings (peppers, cukes, etc) and put them in there, for pre-mixed servable portions!!!


a sampling of dressings:

1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T red wine vinegar
1 t dijon mustard
1/4 t honey
6 T olive oil, grapeseed oil, or a combo
salt and pepper

1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T lemon juice
6 T olive oil
salt and pepper

1 T red wine vinegar
1 T rice wine vinegar
6 T grapeseed oil
a splash of toasted sesame oil
a splash of soy sauce


things i like to have around to improvise salads:
pine nuts
pepitas (the inside of the pumpkin seed)
feta cheese
walnuts
canned mandarin oranges
dried cranberries
any kind of chip or cracker to crumble on there
fresh basil or marjoram leaves are also a nice addition
any dried herbs are fun to add to the dressing
of course all the fresh cucumbers from the csa box are helpful too!


here is a photo of a rando salad before dressing.  delicious!

oh and in case you missed it.  I HAVE A SALAD SPINNER NOW.  yesyesyesyesyessssssss.

fajita marinade.

okay, so i know that nothing in this recipe comes from my csa box, but i just made it and its really delicious so i wanted to share it.  i also happen to make this one or two times a month.  i LOVE using this marinade for tempeh.  i'm not even a huge tempeh fan but it is really great in there.   tofu is delicious too.  if you are a meat-eater, you could of course use this for the traditional skirt steak.


fajita marinade.


ingredients
1 lemon, juiced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 t garlic powder
2 T cooking sherry
6 T teriyaki sauce
1 T butter

directions
1.  combine the lemon and lime juice, garlic powder, sherry, and teriyaki sauce in a bowl.
2.  melt the butter in a saucepan and add the mixture.  simmer over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
3.  pour over whatever you are marinating and let it sit, turning/shaking occasionally for 15 minutes to 24 hours.
4.  right before using, dump the whole thing into a skillet and heat it, stirring occasionally, until heated through.


here it is with tempeh!  (one day i'll have a non-gross colored photo...)

so with the tempeh.  cut into short strips along with frozen roasted bell peppers and onions from trader joe's.  i know i love homecookin' but these are some seriously good peppers and onions with literally no effort.  i don't even defrost the stuff.

top your fajitas with cheese, guacamole, and sour cream.  or do what i just did today and use it as quesadilla filling instead.

another fun thing to use...FRIED YUCA.  more on that later, but i discovered it in ecuador and it is seriously GREAT in fajitas, especially for texas-raised girls like me who secretly crave hearty steak fajitas every once in a while.

here is a photo of a different fajita i made a while back.  went out on a limb and used these weird fake beef strips.  also has the yuca on it.  the strips weren't bad, but nothing special.  kind of a nice photo though?

eating these things.

i've been having moments all over the place.  i think that all the time i really appreciate how great this community-supported agriculture is, but there are these really clear and sincere moments that are happening more and more often where i feel like this is the best thing i could have done.

the stillman's newsletter this week recommended eating the corn right away so we could experience corn at its absolute freshest.  even though cait and i had already had separate dinners on sunday, we decided to make some corn around 930 so we could try it.  THE CORN THAT WE ATE HAD BEEN PICKED THAT VERY SAME DAY.  i can barely handle that.  read it again.  i mean, think about our produce in the grocery stores.  someone picks it when its not yet ripe so it can last the miles and miles it has to travel until it gets to some sort of warehouse then it is sorted and transferred to more trucks that bring it to our grocery stores where it is unloaded then resorted then stocked on the shelves.  you have to wonder... WHAT did they DO to that cucumber to make it last for 2 weeks before i bought it?  its like i've been eating fruits and vegetables my whole life, but i've never experienced them like this.  they literally couldn't have taken a more direct route from the earth to my belly unless i had picked them myself.  (yes we did have a garden growing up, which was amazing, but not enough to regularly harvest from it...mostly just delicious herbs).

oh and apples.  the type of apples we got i think are the earliest of the season.  vista bella is their name.  this is a type of apple i have never once tasted.  well they are REALLY GOOD.  we also shared one that first night to experience it at its freshest and it was startlingly good.

anyways.  produce that was on a plant in the 24 hours before i ate it?  not even comparable to the stuff that ripens in transit or on the shelves.  the verdict?  i am signing up for a csa every summer that i can.  stillman's if i am still in boston next year.  i absolutely recommend it.  DO IT.

khiyar bi laban: lebanese cucumber and yogurt salad.

so fun fact: i am 1/4 lebanese. i grew up loving lebanese food and now i have been trying to cook it more as an adult. this recipe was one of my favorites, is perfectly refreshing in the summer, and i have made it before. the thing that makes it even more perfect is that i had TONS of cucumbers in the fridge that needed to be used up. so, if you ever find yourself with a plethora of cukes, makes this!!

khiyar bi laban.

ingredients

6 small cucumbers (or 4 medium ones)

2 cloves garlic

1 1/4 t salt

1 T or more dried mint

32 oz greek yogurt (i used non-fat, do what you like)

directions

1. peel the cucumbers (or you can leave some peel on...i compromised and peeled the cukes leaving stripes of peel still on), cut them into quarters lengthwise, and then slice them into chunks.

2. mince the garlic into a large mixing bowl then add the salt, cukes, mint, and yogurt. mix well. add more mint to taste and 1-2 tablespoons of water if you want a thinner consistency.

so this recipe is really quick (took me 10-15 minutes) and really good. i like it plain, but it is also great with pita bread. if you want to have it with a whole meal, it is great on gyros or falafel pita sandwiches (or just falafel).

csa week six.

this week we have:

4 ears of corn

4 potatoes (superior white i believe)

5 apples (vista bella)

3 peaches. PEACHES (are you KIDDING me?!...i had no idea i could get PEACHES with this...one of my favorites ever)

arugula

another bag of BEAUTIFUL green beans

blueberries

4 cucumbers

2 zucchini squash

2 yellow summer squash

boston lettuce (another favorite)

so clearly i have not been disappointed. each week has been so good, i kept thinking maybe we just got lucky with really good boxes, but i'm starting to suspect that there are just really good boxes always all the time. i love this.

gypsy LOVES lemon squares.

so it turns out gypsy loves lemon squares. SUCH a weird thing for a cat to love! i bought one from Clear Flour Bread to enjoy. i was sitting on the bed eating it and gypsy sprinted into the room, started rooting through my bag, jumped up on the bed, and manhandled me until i gave her a little piece. then she proceeded to lick every surface of the box and paper the lemon square came in.

i mean i love lemon squares. who doesn't...they are one of the best treats out there. but i didn't evolve as a meateatinghuntingmammal. also i'm pretty sure you can use lemon as a cat repellent to keep them off furniture you don't want them on....

indonesian fried rice.

so this sounds totally intimidating. but this is the second time i have made it and it is by far the best homemade fried rice recipe i have ever had. i know the ingredient list looks long, but most of the things tend to just be around the pantry or fridge. actually, this time i made it, the only ingredient i had to go out and buy was the serrano chiles. when you make this you can use any combination of vegetables you happen to have around in your fridge or freezer. i made some changes but this is based on a recipe by Deborah Madison, and her recipe actually just calls for peas. in this case i used some green beans from the Stillman's csa box (which were the BEST green beans I have ever had...they were so crisp and immaculate), a head of broccoli from the coolidge corner farmers market, and the remnants of a bag of frozen corn. this recipe calls for a food processor, which you don't actually need if you feel like mincing/squishing into a pasty-ish consistency.

oh and you can use tofu or tempeh for the protein. i have done both and either is a good choice. tempeh was what i happened to have available this time.

a tip with the chiles. the seeds and the white veins on the inside are the spiciest part. this recipe has a really nice kick. to tone it down, take out the seeds and veins from one of the chiles. or if you really can't handle flavor, i suppose you could seed and de-vein both.

a tip for making fried rice. if you have ever tried to make it at home, you know the problem is that the rice tends to stick together in a way unlike any fried rice you ever get from a restaurant. my mama told me the secret, and it is to use cold rice instead of fresh piping hot rice. this is a great way to use leftover old rice. or if you're like me and didn't plan ahead, you can make the rice, then stick it in the freezer for about 45 minutes, giving it a shake every 10-15 minutes to cool it down.

indonesian fried rice.

ingredients

for the tofu or tempeh:

2 packages of tempeh (i actually only had 1...so that'll do too)

1 T peanut oil

2 T soy sauce

3 1/2 T brown sugar

2 T water

for the rice:

1 small white onion, diced (or minced if you won't be using a food processor)

2 serrano chiles, diced (or minced of you won't be using a food processor)

2-3 T peanut oil

4 T soy sauce

2 T brown sugar

1 T ketchup

salt

4 c cooked brown basmati rice

2 eggs, lightly whisked with a fork

a few handfuls of green beans, in 1-2 inch pieces

a head of broccoli, chopped

1 c frozen corn

1 bunch scallions, including a bit of greens, sliced

directions

1. cut the tempeh into 3/4 inch chucks and steam for 20 minutes (this gets rid of the bitter flavor). i used my rice cooker to steam it.

2. heat the oil in a nonstick skillet. while it is heating, mix the soy sauce and sugar.

3. add the tempeh to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for a minute or two on each side. once it starts crisping, add the soy sauce mixture and stir to coat. reduce the heat to medium, add 2 tablespoons of water and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens. set the tofu aside.

4. use a food processor to make the onion and chiles into a paste (or finely mince and smash with the bottom of a cup a few times ).

5. mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, and ketchup.

6. heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick skillet, add the onion paste, and stir-fry over high heat for a minute. them add about half of the soy sauce mixture.

7. add the rice and stir-fry until it is heated through.

8. move the rice to the edges of the pan, making a hole in the middle. pour the eggs into the center of the pan and scramble them, stirring constantly. it is okay if some rice gets into the mixture. when the eggs are almost done, incorporate them back into the rice and mix everything together.

9. add the tempeh, vegetables, and scallions, and mix well. add the rest of the soy sauce mixture and stir-fry for another minute. NOW YOU'RE DONE and it was worth it.

this is the tempeh...just a waitin' to get into that rice.

and here it is!

what to do with beets? bake those babies!

the new csa box has brought with it more delicious beets. after some internet searching, steph and i determined that they are golden beets. i can't believe that just a month ago i had never once tried beets before in my life, and here i am cooking them in my own kitchen. they have a fast learning curve so don't be intimidated! i'm already improvising on my third encounter! (not like this is a complicated recipe...)

baked golden beets.

ingredients

beets

olive oil (or butter if you're feelin' some soul...i did half and half...classy soul)

salt

freshly ground black pepper

directions

1. trim the greens off the beets and scrub those babies really well.

2. cut off the ends and then slice them into chunky-ish pieces.

3. toss them with a bit of oil, season them with salt and pepper, and place them in a baking dish. the amounts are very flexible...you can always add less then taste and adjust.

4. bake them at 350 for about 45 minutes total. my method to get them browned and caramelized but still tender on the inside: bake uncovered for 15 minutes then stir them, bake for 15 more minutes uncovered than stir again, finally cover in foil and bake for about 15 more minutes until a fork easily pierces them.

5. eateateateateat.

by the way, this is what golden beets look like before i do anything to them:

csa week five.

YES. a new produce box with new delicious treats for me to marvel at then consume! we didn't have a week four because the brookline pick up happened to fall on the 4th of july. but have no fear. stillman's farm is great and is giving us an extra week at the end.

so this is what we have:

-blueberries (by the way, i have never tasted blueberries as delicious as these)

-3 ears of corn (first corn of the season!!!)

-golden beets (i THINK...they are beautiful)

-arugula

-lettuce

-string beans

-3 cucumbers (maybe 4)

-6 zucchinis (SIX!)

-2 yellow summer squashes

SUCH A BOUNTY. i love this.

my first time using lemongrass.

the csa box last week came with some sugar snap peas (so i thought...actually they were shell peas...oops). i was flipping through Vegetarian Suppers, another one of my many Deborah Madison cookbooks, and saw a recipe for tofu and sugar snap peas in a lemongrass broth. didn't really know what lemongrass was or how to use it (or where to get it....) but DID know that it sounds really delicious.

how to find lemongrass:

-don't go to shaw's (don't ever go to shaw's). the guy there didn't even know what lemongrass was. they do have this weird lemongrass in a tube, which i forfeited (no lemongrass seemed better than tubed lemongrass).

-trader joe's is hit or miss with ingredients like this....if it is a lemongrass month you're in! but don't count on it.

-didn't try whole foods...so may or may not be a winner.

-GO TO SUPER 88. you won't regret it. tip: don't wander around looking for it in the produce section. if you're anything like me you straight up just won't see it. just ask the hispanic guy pretending to be asian who works there. he is a lemongrass-locating sage.

how to prepare lemongrass:

-I DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW.

-but here is what i did, based on some vague directions from various cookbooks along with a good dose of guesswork and intuition:

-cut off the top "woody" part. this was basically 1/3-1/2 of the thing.

-peel off the outer "woody" parts. this was another 1/3-1/3 of the thing. i felt like i'd rather err on the side of taking too much off than leaving any bad part on.

-cut off the butt and use however you wish (in this case it is finely chopped).

tofu and sugar snap peas in a lemongrass broth.

ingredients

broth:

3 T fresh chopped lemongrass

2 1-inch slices fresh ginger

zest of 1 lime

2 cilantro sprigs

salt to taste

1 T soy sauce

1 T brown sugar

tofu:

1 carton extra firm tofu, drained

1 t peanut or olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 red onion, finely chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

a handfull of sugar snap peas (or in my case actual pea pods that i shelled)

1/2 t turmeric

1 c brown rice

directions

1. put the first 4 broth ingredients in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of water and some salt. bring to a boil

2. simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until it is reduced by half. during this time cut the tofu into cubes.

3. strain out to solids and add the soy sauce and brown sugar. adjust the seasonings if you need.

4. heat oil in a skillet, add the garlic, onion, scallion, and jalapeno, and cook over high heat for 30 seconds. add the peas, turmeric, and tofu.

5. pour in the broth and simmer for a few minutes until the peas are tender and the tofu is warm.

6. taste for salt and adjust if needed. add the rice and serve!

we had leftovers and i stirred a little bit of coconut milk into them just to change it up and it was a REALLY good decision. so feel free to do that from the beginning if you're feelin' a lil' saucy.

thank you christina and the anand family for delicious indian food.

my friend (and roommate) christina was visiting my friend neil (also my roommate and also her boyfriend) and his family in new york for the fourth of july. she brought back some leftovers of the delicious indian food that neil's mom had cooked and forced me to eat it. and by forced me, i mean i maybe would have eaten it anyways even if she hadn't told me to.

ANYWAYS, i just had some of it and it was delicious paneer cheese in a reddish sauce with some peppers and onions and things and it was absolutely wonderful. also the paneer to everything else ratio was WAY better than what you get at cheap indian buffets. i'm sorry i can offer no other description as to what this dish was but i loved every second of it.

this also has inspired me to try MAKING CHEESE. this summer. keep an eye out.

also read christina's cooking blog! http://ctpcooks.blogspot.com/

strawberry rhubarb pie!

so i've been having pie hankerings this summer. don't judge. anyways, i decided to make strawberry rhubarb pie, kind of inspired by those empanadas i made a few weeks ago. i also got REALLY ambitious and made a lattice top instead of the regular pie top. i did not make the dough homemade though. but it came out delicious (in spite of a too large pan). the lattice is half-hassle half-fun but super satisfying.

strawberry rhubarb pie.

ingredients

4 c rhubarb, chopped

2 c strawberries, halved (frozen is fine)

1 c sugar

2 T orange juice (about the amount from half an orange)

1 T cornstarch

pie dough (2 circles)

directions

1. mix the first five ingredients together in a bowl and let rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

2. drain out the juice into a saucepan. heat over medium until simmering, stirring occasionally, until thickened. preheat the oven to 450.

3. place one of the crusts into a pie pan. slice the other one into 1/2 inch strips.

4. pour the fruit into the crust and drizzle some of that thickened juice over it (you don't want it too juicy but want it to end up gooey....i don't know, i used about half of the liquid)

5. then arrange the lattice on top using this superclever method (courtesy of the Joy of Cooking that my grandma gave me):

-lay the strips out about 3/4 of an inch apart (long ones in the middle and

short ones toward the edges)

-take every-other strip and fold it in half back on itself

-lay down the first perpendicular strip, starting nearest to the middle with

the longest one

-unfold the original strips and fold back the alternates

-lay down the second perpendicular strip

-continue until you get to the edge

-fold the strips over the opposite direction and do the other half of the pie

6. put the pie pan on a baking sheet (i did this because it avoided the oven-mitt-crust-crunch when trying to pick up the pie) and bake at 450 for 10 minutes. lower the temperature to 350 and bake for another 45 minutes.

some csa love.

the csa idea is a great concept. and so far, in real life, i have not been disappointed at all even a little bit. i am really glad i went with stillman's farm for my first csa experience. since i work on sundays my roommates have done the picking up of the produce box so i still have not actually seen the set up or met the folks who make this happen. but yesterday i made it to the coolidge corner farmer's market and stillman's had a stand there!  i bought some lettuce to supplement the head i had already eaten. (by the way, i have never once bought lettuce in my adult life. the first time i had even possessed lettuce in my fridge was after the first stillman's box, and i just cannot handle how fast they turned me into a salad kid...more on salad adventures later?). it was great to see the people who make eating local a possibility for a just-starting-out-college-graduate-with-no-car-in-the-city-girl.

this is what really strikes me. it is so rare nowadays to find people who make their living directly from the earth or directly from goods they harvest or construct. i am really starting to realize how much i respect that. it is so simple. these farmers use their skills to grow delicious fruits and vegetables. then they sell them directly to the people who will be consuming them. it's so strange to write down because it seems so obvious. but there was definitely a very genuine satisfaction that comes from purchasing a head of lettuce from the people who grew it that just doesn't happen even when you buy the locally-labeled produce in the store. i almost felt like i was making the world healthier, if that makes any sense.

my experience so far has been absolutely wonderful!