Quick Pickle

It is hard to explain how much I LOVE pickles.  I also love quick, simple recipes and here is one of them.  There are certainly a ton of more complex ways to pickle vegetables, but this is too fast and easy to pass up.  These pickles won't keep forever, but they will last for about 2 weeks in the fridge.  You can use this technique with any and every vegetable you have and really any variety of spices you may like.  It is a great use of all of our CSA vegetables.  I also love to use them as a homemade accoutrement to a Bloody Mary bar.  Yum. 

Pickled White String Beans

white string beans

white vinegar

water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

First blanch the string beans in bowling water for about three minutes.  Shock them in ice water to stop the cooking.  Once cool, place the string beans in a mason jar.  

I may have forgotten this step, which is why there are peppercorns and red pepper flakes floating around.  Oops.  

Add the spices and salt.  Then fill the jar halfway with vinegar and fill the rest with water.  Shake it up and put in the fridge.  They will be at their peak pickle in three to five days.  

Pickled Radish

radishes

vinegar

water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon mustard seed

Cut the radishes in half and add them to a mason jar. Add the spices and salt.  Then fill the jar halfway with vinegar and fill the rest with water.  Shake it up and put in the fridge.  They will be at their peak pickle in three to five days.  

Fish Cake Friday (except it's Sunday, but Friday sounds better)

It's Sunday and my mom is coming to NYC for a visit.  I thought I would make us some lunch before we go out on the town.  I decided to make a favorite in our house, fish cakes.  For today's recipe I am using tilapia.  Tilapia is incredibly mild, so this preparation adds lots of flavor to the fish.  They are simple and can be prepared ahead of time, which is always great when you have guests.  I am serving this with some (leftover) cabbage slaw.

Fish Cakes
4 Tilapia filets
1 egg
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 heaping tablespoon of mustard (I use whole grain mustard, but any dijon or spicy mustard would work too)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/3 cup bread crumbs*
Salt
Pepper
(If I had parsley, I would chop some up and throw it in here too, but I don't, so I won't)

*I make my own "lazy" bread crumbs.  All I do is toast Udi's gluten-free bread, and let the food processor do the work. 

      

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place the tilapia on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake (with nothing on it) for about 10 minutes, or until the tilapia flakes easily with a fork. Once the tilapia is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool.  

In a large bowl combine the egg (lightly whisked), mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Once the fish is slightly cooled throw it in the bowl and use a fork to flake the tilapia. Mix all of the ingredients together and add the bread crumbs.  If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit more bread crumbs.  If the mixture seems too dry, then add some more mayonnaise.  

Now comes the fun part.  Get your hands dirty and start to form the fish cakes.  If you are unsure of the size, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to keep your cakes uniform.  Once you have formed the cakes into the shape you like, place them on a plate.  Cover the plate with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but up to several hours (this will help your cakes stay together when you cook them).

When you are ready to cook, preheat a large pan with enough coconut oil to coat the bottom.  Once the oil is hot (medium/high heat), place the cakes into the oil (I do this about 4 at a time, so you have to do it in batches).  Let the cakes cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown.  Cook them on the other side to achieve the same color.  Remove and drain on a paper towel (if your oil is nice and hot these fish cakes will not be oily at all, if they are too oily then you need to turn up the heat).  

When ready to serve, drizzle some lemon juice over the fish cakes and give them an extra pinch of salt.      

What to do with all those vegetables...

It's delivery day for our CSA again, and this week we didn't put all of those delightful veggies to use.  Before Calvin comes home with a new boatload of produce, I though I better use up what we already have.  

One of my favorite things to do with leftover vegetables is to make stock.  I often just make veggie stock, but today, I am making chicken stock.  Last week we had a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  When we finished it, I took the carcass and froze it for just such an occasion as this.  Stock couldn't be easier, and you really can make it with anything you have on hand.  So when you have wilted celery or a bag of baby carrots looking all sad, throw them in a pot of water instead of throwing them away.  Trust me, homemade stock is easy, cheap and tastes way better then the store bought stuff.

Here's what is in my stock today...

Chicken Stock
3 onions
1 head of garlic (sliced in half, I don't even peel it)
5 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 chicken carcass 
2 green peppers 
Cilantro
Whole peppercorns
Kosher salt
2 bay leaves
(There may be a vegetable I forgot, but you get the idea).

Put all of the ingredients in a large pot of water.  There is no need to chop the vegetables uniformly or carefully since they are all going to get drained out anyway.  Bring the water up to a boil and then turn down the heat.  Let simmer on low for at least 2 hours, but feel free to cook for longer if you have the time.  

Let the stock cool off and skim any fat that has risen to the top before straining out all of the ingredients.  Then place in the fridge.  Once it has been refrigerated you can remove any remaining fat from the top. With veggie stock, you can skip all this skimming nonsense. 

One for the fridge and one for the freezer.

Stock has a million uses beyond soup.  Today's CSA bounty includes collard greens so I am gonna cook them using this stock. I use my homemade stock to make quinoa or rice taste better.  I love using it to make risotto.  I do of course use it for soup too and butternut squash soup is one of my favorites or white bean and kale soup is a nice easy dinner.  Keep it the fridge, or feel free to freeze it for a rainy day.  

$27.00

I have nothing to say except THIS IS WHAT $27.00 DOLLARS CAN GET YOU!  I am in love with our farm-share bounty.  Thank you Norwich Meadows Farm (http://www.norwichmeadowsfarm.com). All there is to do now is get inspired and eat, a lot.  

The garden at Fordham University where Calvin picks up our CSA share.

Now that is a lot of deliciousness.

Bounty

This week was our first summer CSA delivery.  Nothing makes me happier than the surprise of vegetables that arrive at my door. Okay they don't magically arrive, my poor husband has to schlep them home from work.  We participate in our farm share throughout the year, but summer is always my favorite.  This first delivery was only vegetables and so relatively small, but throughout the rest of the summer our bounty will include fruit too.  I am already brainstorming ideas of what to make for my family this weekend!

Breakfast of Champions

My husband and I have become addicted to green smoothies. Somedays I make them, somedays he makes them, but everyday this is our breakfast of choice.  

Green smoothies make me happy, and here is why... First, you start your day with several servings of vegetables, fruit, and some protein for good measure.  Secondly, freezing any greens you have not used saves you money as well as the shame of throwing food away.  All you have to do is take your washed leafy greens (kale, spinach, dandelion, etc.) that you haven't used raw, put them in a plastic bag and stash them in the freezer. Lastly, the variety of smoothies you can make are endless. Somedays we may use kale, cucumber, mint and lemon juice. Others, mango, dandelion and green apple.  Still some days we may throw frozen blueberries and spinach in the mix. Whatever produce we add, we also use chia seeds and flax seeds that we keep in our fridge (I use this mix on salads as well), apple cider vinegar (http://bragg.com/books/acv_excerpt.html, check out the numerous health benefits), protein powder and coconut water. 

Try it, you'll like it...