Orzo Salad With Heirloom Tomatoes

This is a winner. I make it every summer.

Fancy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I'm a fan of all things sweet and baked, especially if they include chocolate. Through the years I have made many a chocolate chip cookie recipe, but I haven't really found one worth making again and again. Adding bonus ingredients like nuts or toffee chunks is always appealing to me, as is adding coffee liqueur and instant coffee. And that is what the so-called "Neiman Marcus" recipe I have in my recipe box calls for. I have no idea where I got this recipe, but I've made it several times and it's a winner.

1/2 cup butter (unsalted, softened)
1 cup brown sugar
3 TBS sugar
1 egg
2 TBS coffee liqueur
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp instant coffee
1/2 cup oats
8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter with sugars until fluffy, then beat in egg and liqueur. In separate bowl, combine baking soda through coffee. Beat into the butter mixture. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Form 24 balls and bake 8-10 minutes.

Zucchini and Swiss Chard Tart

Having loads of greens and a huge zucchini from the last CSA pick up, I searched the internet high and low for a good dinner recipe that used both. I found it here, substituting beet greens for the swiss chard, leeks for the green onions, and feta for the Gruyere.

The results were pretty good; I especially like the whole wheat crust. Very homey and comforting.

Chard and Potato Quesadillas

Potato, Swiss Chard, Garlic, Onions - Huz made some lovely chard, potato quesadillas last night, complete with homemade tortillas.

Chopped Garlic
Sliced Onion
Chopped Swiss Chard
Chopped Potatoes
Saute

Make Corn Tortillas
Add cheese.

Make a fun drink with a newly acquired liqour, Aperol, and enjoy!

Delicious Pizza

Huz made this on the fly last night and it was so good I just had to share.

Top a homemade whole wheat crust with olive oil, rosemary salt, sauteed onions, garlic, beet greens, and summer squash. Sprinkle parmesan and feta cheese on top, along with some salted pumpkin seeds (trust me).

Bake.

Take a bite and go to taste bud heaven.

CSA Week Four

In the basket:

lettuce, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, rhubarb, onion, parsley, thyme, leek, pattypan squash, beets, green beans, eggs



Things made so far:

Onions - gourmet hot dogs two ways: One with grilled sweet onions, dijon mustard, and cheddar and one with sour orange relish and avocado

Parsley - Bulgar Salad with Grilled Chicken and Parsley Pesto

Leek (subbed for shallots), lettuce, cabbage - Fiesta Chicken Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinagarette

(adapted by The Bon Appetit Cookbook)

Salad:

3 cups thinly sliced red leaf lettuce
3 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
1 cup diced grilled chicken
2 each seeded chopped roma (plum) tomatoes
1 thinly sliced red bell pepper
1 can drained black beans
1 diced avacado
1 cup sweet corn kernels
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

crumbled tortilla chips (to taste)
crumbled feta cheese (to taste)

Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup chopped shallots (or leeks)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Instructions:

Salad:
Combine all ingredients in large bowl except cheese.

Vinaigrette:
Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made a day ahead, cover and refrigerate, bring to room temperature before using.)

Dress and toss the salad right before using - add tortilla chips, cheese and pumpkin seeds to taste.

Caring For Greens

One thing you quickly learn after joining a CSA is just how much washing you do. Every Monday I bring home a lovely basket brimming with Tennessee dirt-laden produce. It's messy, beautiful, and it takes a lot of rinsing.

Thus, a salad spinner is a must. The first year we belonged to a CSA we got by with an herb-sized spinner, but don't kid yourself that it'll be big enough. It's not. So now we have two sizes and the large one is used every week.

Swiss chard, kale, beet greens, lettuce, herbs - they all get the same welcome at my house.

Step 1: Trim stems, lettuce cores, or remove beets from their greens (leaving them on will leach the beets of goodness - nutrients and flavor).

Step 2: Rinse individual leaves to remove dirt and sand.

Step 3: Place greens in the spinner bowl and rinse.

Step 4: Spin, spin, spin!

Storage: I have struggled with properly storing greens and herbs and have lost many to wilting in less than a week's time. I think I've finally figured out the best way though. I thought about buying those special bags that are supposed to absorb the gases, but they wear out over time and have to be thrown away. As much as I don't want to use plastic bags, Ziplocks are definitely part of the process. The good news, though, is that you can rinse them and reuse them during the whole CSA season.

Lettuce - Store in a bowl with a little water in the bottom (treat lettuce heads like they are flowers - trim and put in water). Refrigerate.

Loose leaf greens - Store in the salad spinner, if available, or in a ziplock bag. Refrigerate.

Herbs - Make sure herbs are well dried; if not, wrap them in a paper towel. Store in small, snack-size ziplock bags. Or, if the herbs have distinct stems, like basil, trim ends and place in vase of water and leave on counter.