Yam and Sweet Potato Fries

These are my favorite type of fries to make. It really brings out the sweetness of the yams and sweet potatoes, that you really don't need much else seasoning to make it better. All you need is a little drizzle of olive oil, and salt and pepper. I added some cinnamon and paprika too.

To make it crispy, you'll need to make sure not to drench the yams/sweet potatoes in too much olive oil. Also, halfway through the baking, my baking sheet was a little soaked from the olive oil, so I replaced it with a dry one. I ran out of yams so I substituted remaining with sweet potatoes, but it still turned out great and tasty.



Recipe:
1-2 medium/large yams or sweet potatoes or a combination
less than 1/4 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of paprika

1. Preheat the oven at 425 degrees.
2. Wash the yams, sweet potatoes. Slice them about 1/4 inch thick, but not too thin.
3. Place in a large mixing bowl or tupperware (that has a lid). Drizzle the olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, paprika and shake (with lid on) until thoroughly mixed.
4. Place fries on a baking sheet on a single layer.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Halfway through, flip and replace the baking sheet if it's not dry.
6. Remove from oven and let it cool.

Thanksgiving Cooking

Last year was the first year I made a vegetarian thanksgiving, so it took me a couple weeks of planning to decide on what to make. This year, I didn't do as much planning mainly because I have been cooking vegetarian this past year so I have a general idea of what I want to eat, plus I was just a tad lazy. Most are dishes I've cooked successfully before (so I can guarantee we'll have tasty food at home and don't need to give up and resort to eating out :) and some are new but simple to make. I wanted a traditional menu - salad, entree, bread, and gravy while taking advantage of the abundance of the winter produce.

This year, I am thankful to the farmers who made it possible to bring this food to my dinner table. Without them, this meal would not be possible.

Here's what I cooked this Thanksgiving, with links to the recipes I followed -



Thai-spiced Pumpkin soup
Tuscan Kale Salad

Instead of bread crumbs, I made my own version to toss in the salad -
Mix 1/2 cup panko crumbs, 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 egg white, pinch of black pepper.

1. Bake on a single layer on a baking sheet at 375 degrees for approx 15-20 min or until it's slightly browned.
2. Remove from oven, crumble over salad.

Five Spice Chicken
So it's definitely not vegetarian, but I tucked this dish in here as a special occasion. Bought from PCC Natural Markets - free range, local, and organic.
Mac & "Cheese" Chard
Mushroom Gravy
Who says tasty gravy needs to be made from beef broth? This recipe uses mushrooms and vegetable broth as the foundation for the gravy.

Sweet Potato Rolls
Mesquite Chocolate Chip Cookies
I didn't have any mesquite flour, so I substituted it with whole wheat pastry flour.

CSA Box Weeks 17 & 18

I have to admit, I've been busy with work, house stuff and marathon training that blogging has been neglected. But I also have been busy cooking, which is definitely a good thing. Can't let that wonderful food from my box go to waste. Here are pictures of my food friends for the last two weeks of the summer CSA session.

Week 17


Week 18 (Last week of the summer session!)


I didn't get a chance to post individual blogs featuring the dishes I cooked but I have referenced the sites I used to make my dishes -

Miso Glazed Bok Choy (used tat soi)
Sesame Noodles with Radish Salad
Corn and Clam Chowder (potatoes, celery, carrots, onions)
Pad Thai (carrots, broccoli)
Kale Chips
Green Bean Casserole
Basil Eggplant

CSA Box Week 16

This is my first CSA subscription and it's become a way of life for me. I still go to the supermarket at times, but only to supplement items I am in need of such as peanut butter, grains, beans, and the like. Farmers markets here are winding down as well, except for the Ballard and University District markets that are year round. Winter squash and pumpkins are now in season, and corn and tomatoes are near their end of their growing season. I will definitely miss the corn, peas, and tomatoes. Anyway, on a brighter note, I am glad I signed up for the winter CSA session. Though we will see how the winter season goes as meterologists are forecasting a bitter cold winter - a huge winter like that we experienced in 2008 with inches and inches of snow, and one that we haven't experienced in decades.

Here's my food box from this past week -


I am loving these sweet nectarines and pluots. You just can't find these as sweet and nutritious in traditional supermarkets.


Here are the dishes I made:

Corn and Tomato Pizza	Spicy Honey Roasted Potatoes
Baingan Bharta Eggplant Curry	Roasted Cauliflower
Butternut Squash soup	Kale Chips

Kale Chips

Kale chips are fun to make...they're not only tasty, easy to make, but healthy for you too! There's so many versions you can find online. I ordered one bunch of kale from my CSA box just to make kale chips. I like mine just a bit crunchy and lightly seasoned. The important part is to make sure you dry the leaves (I used a salad spinner) before seasoning them and putting them in the oven. I don't recall the proportions of ingredients I used, but I think the below sums it up pretty well.



1 large bunch of kale
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

1. Wash the kale.
2. Separate the kale leaves from the stems. You could probably use the stems in vegetable broth or throw them in the compost.
3. Tear the kale leaves in bite size pieces.
4. Dry the kale leaves in the salad spinner or paper towels.
5. Place the dry kale leaves in a coriander and drizzle with olive oil. With your hands or wooden utensil, make sure the kale leaves are thoroughly covered with olive oil.
6. Next, pour the balsamic vineger and mix until thoroughly coated. Season with a sprinkle of salt.
7. Place the kale leaves on a baking sheet on a single layer.
8. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until just crisp.

Corn and Tomato Pizza

I love great tasting homemade pizza and this one is no exception. For the pizza dough, I defrosted some frozen wheat pizza dough I had previously made following this recipe. Otherwise you can use pre-made pizza dough to save you time. As for the topping, I got the inspiration from this Vegetarian Times recipe, with a little bit of my own variation. For the base sauce, I made some basil and cashew pesto, and left out the cheese altogether. It still tasted great.



Corn and Tomato Pizza

makes 2 medium pizzas

Pesto:
3/4 cup of cashew nuts (or almonds)
1 cup of packed basil
1 garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup of olive oil
salt

In a food processor, grind the cashew nuts.
Add the basil, garlic, and lemon juice until pureed.
Next add in the olive oil until thoroughly mixed.
Season with some salt to taste.

Topping:
1 cup of chopped tomatoes
3 cups of sweet corn
3-4 tablespoons of fresh basil, torn
1 cup of spinach, cooked in boiled water for just a few minutes (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Shape the dough to approx 12 inches large.
3. Spread on the pesto sauce, then top with corn, tomatoes, and spinach. Place on a pizza stone or baking pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is crispy. Approximately 1-2 minutes before the pizza is done, sprinkle on the basil and continue to bake until crust is just about done!

Baked Zucchini Chips

When you're overloaded with zucchini, what better way to use it up than to bake it and eat them like chips? This recipe is simple and delicious. The concept is simple but you need to spend a little time coating the zucchini slices one by one in the bread mixture. Once you've overcome that hurdle, let the oven do all the work for you. At the end, you'll have some great tasting crispy zucchini chips. Yum! These were eaten up in less than an hour!

Baked Zucchini Chips Recipe

The original recipe called for breadcrumbs, but I used panko crumbs instead since that was what I had on hand.

CSA Box Week 15

Just when it seemed like you were getting used to the summer days, fall sneaks up on you...and fast, especially in Seattle. In fact, I thought it was still spring all this time with the weather we were having here. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful summer - sunny and not to hot. I wish we had just a bit more summer here, but the falling autumn leaves are starting to line the streets and I need to let go. Autumn is my next favorite season, with summer topping my list. I love to see the abundant orange, yellow, and red leaves on the trees, littering the streets.

Now back to the purpose of this post...here is what's in my veggie box from this week:



And here are the dishes I made:

sauteed savoy cabbage	Zucchini Potato Frittata with Roasted Vegetables
broccoli and bell pepper noodles	egg noodle soup
pear and almond crumble muffin	Baked Zucchini Chips

Egg Noodles with Broccoli and Bell Peppers, Sauteed Savoy Cabbage

I felt good tonight - meaning I was upbeat, in good spirits, and didn't feel unmotivated to cook. Perhaps it was having a semi decent workout or just a better day at work, either way, I came home eager to cook. This time I even had some help in the kitchen, which definitely sped up cooking process. All in all, with a little help, we had dinner on the table in just 1 hour, from start to end. We ate this over some good conversations over the dinner table. Good times!

Egg Noodles with Broccoli and Bell Peppers Recipe
You can use pretty much any vegetables you have on hand. The seasoning in the recipe (soy sauce, sugar, chili sauce, rice vinegar) makes this pretty tasty.


Sauteed Savoy Cabbage Recipe
I used half a head of a large savoy cabbage and still had plenty of leftovers served as a sidedish.

Squash and Potato Frittata with Roasted Potatoes

After a long busy day at work, I came home unmotivated to cook. I had a recipe I wanted to follow tonight but just didn't feel up to it. So I peeked inside my fridge just for a minute - found some cabbage, zucchini, eggs, tomatoes, and lots of fruits, plus more. Somehow, though, I mustered up the will to improvise and throw together a rather delicious meal with what I had on hand - zucchini, potatoes, eggs, and some herbs.

Here's another frittata recipe - this time with no cheese - I added some milk to this for some extra fluffiness. Also I roasted some diced potatoes and remaining cauliflower florets in some olive oil and rosemary while the frittata was cooking over the stovetop. Dinner on the table in less than 1 hour!





Squash & Potato Frittata

1-2 small squash (approx 2 cups), thinly sliced summer squash (I used zucchini)
1 1/2 cups of potatoes, diced
6 large eggs
1/2 cup of milk - I used soy milk
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
a splash of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of oil

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix the eggs, milk, thyme, basil, salt, pepper, and soy sauce.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat, and sautee the squash slices and diced potatoes for a few minutes.
3. Pour in the egg mixture.
4. Let it cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the eggs are almost completely cooked.
5. Turn off heat and serve!

Roasted Potatoes

Dice up some potatoes.
In a bowl, drizzle some olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary for seasoning.
Roast the potatoes in the oven at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until the outsides of the potatoes have softened and hardened just a bit.

Zucchini Frittata

I've been behind on my blog posts and have been meaning to post some recipes I cooked up this month. Here's a simple frittata recipe using the seasonal raven squash and fresh farm eggs I cooked up a couple weeks back. I served this along with my favorite homemade garlic bread recipe!

Frittata recipe

Garlic bread

Eggplant and Peppers with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Here's another way to enjoy eggplant. Lightly roast the eggplant and bell peppers in the oven while you prepare the peanut sauce on the side. The rich peanut sauce brings the entire dish together! Yum! Enjoy it with some rice or as a standalone dish.

Eggplant and Peppers with Spicy Peanut Sauce
recipe from Mollie Katzen

CSA Box Week 14...and freezing veggies

I've been on vacation and now back! It's been a while since I posted so here's this week's veggie box. From my last box I received (Week 12), I blanched and froze some of my veggies such as corn, kale, and swiss chard to eat them for later in the winter. I certainly wish I could eat them fresh, but this is the next best option since I couldn't finish them, plus I wanted to enjoy some summer veggies during the winter months. As I was preparing for freezing, I felt like a bear, getting ready for hibernation and storing extra food away. :) Here's a link on freezing vegetables - it has an easy to read table listing the length of time to blanch each type of vegetable. When trying to remove all of that air from the plastic bag, one trick is to seal up the bag except a small area. Insert a small straw there and inhale the air out of the bag.

Here's this week's box of food (1 and a half times my normal food box size):





Here are some of the dishes I made:

sauteed iceberg lettuce	Corn Chowder
eggplant with spicy peanut sauce	Chocolate zucchini bread
Zucchini Frittata	Garlic Bread

Thai Lettuce Wrap

Mmmm..lettuce wraps are a great way to use up a mix of veggies and that lettuce you have in your fridge. Iceberg lettuce is best for this recipe, but you could probably replace it with red leaf or romaine.

Thai Lettuce Wrap

Basil Eggplant

I would never eat eggplant growing up. I think it was the mushy ness, which is the same reason why I never liked oatmeal. So after years of not liking eggplant, I decided to venture out of my comfort zone and added 1 eggplant into my CSA box. In fact, this is my first time ever cooking eggplant at home. To get me into eating eggplant, I cooked it as a thai dish, one of my favorite cuisines. I'm sure glad I added this into my foodbox because this dish turned out flavorful! I'm definitely going to add eggplant as a vegetable to eat more frequently! Now...how bout more oatmeal too?

Basil Eggplant Recipe

CSA Box Week 11

It's beginning to look a lot like fall here in Seattle. But a little rain can't dampen spirits to make great tasting food. Here's in my box this week:


Below are the dishes I'm making:

Thai Lettuce Wrap	Basil Eggplant
Turnip Potato Soup	Mexican Slaw

Zucchini Bread!

I didn't have any bread loaf pans, so I used a cake pan instead! I will need to stock up on some bread loaf pans in my kitchen pantry next time. :) It still tasted great, just didn't come out in the shape of bread, but that's ok! Great way to use up that zucchini! I ate it with some raspberry jam. Delicious!

Zucchini Bread Recipe

Homemade Tomato Soup

I made this for dinner the other night - it was very nutritious and tasty! I would definitely recommend doubling the recipe next time for leftovers. Instead of the 3/4 cup of oil which I think was a bit excessive, I used about 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, and substituted great tasting vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Homemade Tomato Soup Recipe

Quinoa and Zucchini Recipe

Here's another great way to use up your zucchini! Any summer squash variety will do. I used a mix of gold rush and patty pan squash. The avocado dressing, along with the eggs make this recipe very refreshing and fulfilling. Unfortunately, I didn't have any pine nuts or goat cheese (as the recipe called for) but it was still great!

Quinoa and Zucchini Recipe

Pad Kee Mao

One of my favorite thai dishes is pad kee mao. This is one of those dishes I like to make at home without having the need to go to a thai restaurant. You can buy the fresh rice noodles from asian markets. You an get them precut, but I prefer to get them uncut so I have the luxury to slice them however thick I want. Of course, it's a bit more work, but worth the effort if you want wider noodles.

Makes approx 4 servings

1 lb of fresh rice noodles, precut, or uncut (cut to your liking)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 egg

Chopped ingredients:
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped with seeded and juices squeezed
1/2 cup of basil (red basil preferred but I used sweet since I had that on hand)
2-3 cups of greens (spinach or swiss chard)
1 bell pepper, sliced (optional)
14 oz cubed firm tofu, drained

Sauce:
2 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster or mushroom sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

1. Separate the rice noodles - rinse under hot water for about a minute to help separate out the strands. If they are uncut, unfold them and cut into 1-2 inch widths. Place in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients.
3. In a large wok or pan, add the 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat.
4. Add in the tofu and cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the remaining oil. Add the egg and cook until slightly done.
6. Add in the onions, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, and greens adn cook for 1 minute.
7. Next, add the rice noodles and sauce mixture.
8. Add the basil. Stir fry for about 3 minutes. Serve!

CSA Box Week 10

With the latest food recall involving over 500 million eggs, I am ever more grateful for the local organically grown vegetables, fruits, and eggs! available here. All the more reason to rely on locally grown foods and to understand where your food comes from.

This week I decided to look for some ways to make use of the abundant summer squash, corn and tomatoes.



Here are the dishes I made with these veggies:

Quinoa and Zucchini	Homemade Tomato Soup
Zucchini Bread	Pad Kee Mao