We eat really well here at the farm, as you can imagine. Between constantly working with vegetables, researching recipes to pass on to Farm Members, and cooking for a crew of 5 to 10 at lunch every day, we’ve got a lot of opportunities to chow down! Most of our recipes are tested out at these crew lunches, and so they have to pass the test of multiple young adult palates. We’ve decided to label the most popular lunch Recipe of the Week for these blog posts. Let us know if you agree!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Quinoa with Kale, Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms
Source: Adapted from various Pinterest leads
Notes: The biggest innovation we made was to roast the sweet potatoes which took the dish from fine to fabulous. We’ve had this three times already. Yum. We love quinoa as a grain here, since the added protein helps us get through long physical days.
Notes: The biggest innovation we made was to roast the sweet potatoes which took the dish from fine to fabulous. We’ve had this three times already. Yum. We love quinoa as a grain here, since the added protein helps us get through long physical days.
| INGREDIENTS 2 small sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces 1 cup quinoa 2 tablespoons olive oil 10 ounces button mushrooms, quartered 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 bunch kale, stems discarded and leaves torn into 2-inch pieces 3/4 cup dry white wine kosher salt and black pepper, soy sauce, toasted sesame seeds | DIRECTIONS Toss the cut sweet potatoes with 1 TBSP olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread into a foil-covered cookie sheet and roast in a 450-degree oven for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, place the quinoa and 2 cups water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 TBSP soy sauce. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until water is absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off and cover. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the kale, wine, salt and pepper to taste. Cook while adding the mushrooms and cover until both vegetables are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Add sweet potatoes to skillet and toss well. Season again with soy sauce, pepper and salt to taste. Serve the vegetables over the quinoa and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Pass with rice wine vinegar. |
Sausage-Stuffed Zucchini
Source: Martha Stewart Living
Notes: These can be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated. Remove them from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
Notes: These can be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated. Remove them from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
| INGREDIENTS 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for baking dish 4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise (about 2 pounds) 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing 1 small onion, coarsely chopped (about 1 cup) 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons) 1 cup coarse fresh bread rumbs 2 teaspoons lemon zest, plus tablespoon juice (from 1 lemon) 1 1/2 ounces grated Parmesan (about 3/4 cup), plus shavings for garnish 1 teaspoon coarse salt 1 large egg, lightly beaten | DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle a large baking dish with oil. Scrape seeds and soft flesh from zucchini and reserve 1/2 cup. Place zucchini, cut sides up , in baking dish. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add sausage and onion. Cook, breaking up sausage, until sausage in browned and onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and reserved zucchini; cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in remaining ingredients. Divide mixture among zucchini. Bake until filling is firm and each zucchini is tender and wrinkled around edges, 35 to 40 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan shavings. |
Grilled Eggplant with Tomato, Basil, & Feta
Source: Martha Stewart Living
Notes: Active Time: 20 min. Total Time: 55 min. Serves: 4.
Notes: Active Time: 20 min. Total Time: 55 min. Serves: 4.
| INGREDIENTS 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1-inch-thick slices Coarse salt 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing 2 cups cherry tomatoes (about 10 ounces), halved 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted 1 ounce feta cheese, rumbled (about 1/4 cup) Pinch of red-pepper flakes 14 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn if large | DIRECTIONS Generously season eggplant slices with salt. Place vertically in a colander, overlapping them. Let stand 30 minutes; rinse and pat dry. Preheat grill to medium-high. Liberally brush cut sides of eggplant with oil. Grill, turning once, until tender, about 4 minutes a side. Mix tomatoes, pine nuts, feta, red-pepper flakes, and oil; season with salt. Spoon over egg-plant; top with basil. |
Soba Noodles with Eggplant & Mango
Source: Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
Notes: Serves 6
Notes: Serves 6
| INGREDIENTS 1/2 cup rice vinegar 3 tablespoons sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1/2 fresh red chile, finely chopped 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil grated zest and juice of 1 lime 1 cup sunflower oil 8 to 9 oz soba noodles 1 large ripe mango, cut into 3/8-inch dice or into 1/4-inch-thick strips 1 2/3 cup basil leaves, chopped (if you can get some us Thai basil, but much less of it 2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, choppped 1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced | DIRECTIONS In a small saucepan gently warm the vinegar, sugar and salt for up to 1 minutes,, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, chile and sesame oil. Allow to cool, then add the lime zest and juice. Heat up the sunflower oil in a large pan and shallow-fry the eggplant in three or four batches. Once golden brown remove to a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt and leave there to drain. Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. They should take 5 to 8 minutes to become tender but still al dente. Drain and rinse well under running cold water. Shake off as much of the excess water as possible, then leave to dry on a dish towel. In a mixing bowl toss the noodles with the dressing, mango, eggplant, half of the herbs and the onion. You can now leave this aside for 1 to 2 hours. When ready to serve add the rest of the herbs and mix well, then pile on a plate or in a bowl. |
Ratatouille
Source: Farm Member Isabella
Notes: This recipe was given to me by Chef Arthur Gatmaitan who was working on the ship, Ocean Nova, a few years ago. I had never tried ratatouille before but took the plunge. I also insisted that my kids try it. It was delicious!!! My eight year old son, LJ, loved it and requests ratatouille all the time now. He's always disappointed when it's not eggplant season. Besides delicious, this recipe is super easy to make.
Notes: This recipe was given to me by Chef Arthur Gatmaitan who was working on the ship, Ocean Nova, a few years ago. I had never tried ratatouille before but took the plunge. I also insisted that my kids try it. It was delicious!!! My eight year old son, LJ, loved it and requests ratatouille all the time now. He's always disappointed when it's not eggplant season. Besides delicious, this recipe is super easy to make.
| INGREDIENTS 1 medium onion, chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 large eggplant, ½” cubes 1 lb. tomatoes, diced 6 oz. tomato sauce 1 lb. zucchini, 1” cubes thyme salt pepper | DIRECTIONS Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add eggplant, tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Cook 15 minutes. Add zucchini, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook another 10 minutes. |
A WORD ABOUT PINTEREST: We here who work in the kitchen at the farm think Pinterest is the single most important new tool available to the local food movement. I hesitated to join because I worried that I’d waste too much time on the internet, but I can honestly say this tool is an incredible time saver. I can look up a recipe and have it stored for later use in seconds. Any veggie you are unfamiliar with becomes easy to identify and use in a dish with just a quick search. DO give this a try and even if you only ever look at our Farmer Kriss page you will find a wealth of info about the particular vegetables we pack each week.
More Recipes: Farmer Kriss Pinterest Page
