Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Golden Beet Pesto

The Ingredients

5 golden beets

1 garlic clove

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp chopped walnuts

sea salt

pepper

grated parmesan 

First, bring salted water to a boil. When boiling, add whole wheat pasta to it and cook for around 7 minutes (depending on the type). Also, note that it's always a good idea to undercook your pasta just a little bit since it will be going back in a pot at the end of the prep work.

While the pasta is cooking, add all ingredients to a food processor and blend. Drain the water from the pasta and place back into the pot. Then, add the thick mixture of beet pesto and heat on the stove for about one minute. Serve with grated parmesan cheese and top with chopped walnuts. I also topped it off with some grated summer truffle. SO DELICIOUS! Enjoy!

Organic Farm Delivery #6!

Parsnips, all red potatoes, golden beets, bay leaves, garlic, cilantro, salad greens, and kale. 

Sweet Potato Pancakes

The Ingredients

1 sweet potato

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup 2% milk

2 eggs

1/2 stick of melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract (the real stuff)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

(crushed walnuts)

First, bake a sweet potato in foil. Cooking time depends on how large the sweet potato is, but cooking it in foil will reduce the cooking time. Also, it helps with removing the skin so that you have a soft sweet potato to work with. 

Once the sweet potato is cooked, you can put 1/2 a stick of butter on the stove to melt. First, mix all dry ingredients separately. Then, mix wet ingredients. Little by little, add the dry ingredients to the potato mixture and use a mixer to blend thoroughly. The batter should be nice and thick. 

Cook each side for a few minutes, until intact and flip over to do the same on the other side. This recipe makes 8 sweet potato pancakes of medium size. Also, I didn't add walnuts to the batter, but I topped the pancakes off with them (and a little maple syrup). Enjoy!

Even Better Mushroom Risotto

Before I begin, please know that I am always looking for ways to perfect my own recipes. Below, you'll find a newer version of my delicious mushroom risotto.

The Ingredients

10 white mushrooms

1 sweet onion

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup red cooking wine

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup arborio rice

rosemary

pepper

truffle salt

truffle oil

First, chop the onion and set it aside. In a pan, add olive oil and keep at medium heat. NOTE: extra virgin olive oil burns easily, so make sure to check the temperature. Then, wipe your mushrooms clean. You don't need to rinse them- using a damp cloth will suffice. Add them to the sautéeing mixture. Let sautée at med-high heat for around 5 minutes and set aside. It should look like this:

In a pot, add 1 cup of arborio rice and 1/2 cups of chicken stock. I use low sodium so I can add my own salt to the mixture and control the amount of salt being used. Bring to a boil and continuously check on it. I use an organic rice from Trader Joe's, which takes at least 30 minutes to cook, so be patient. It will be worth it! 

Once the water has reduce and the rice has produced a nice, creamy and starchy appearance, add the mushroom and onion mixture. Then, add the red wine. Use water to prevent the rice from burning on the bottom. (Yes, things are much easier and much less intense with an actual rice cooker). 

When all liquid has been reduced, remove from heat and serve. Top off with fresh rosemary, pepper, truffle oil, and parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Sautéed Rutabaga

The Ingredients

1 rutabaga

1/2 sweet onion

1 tbsp butter

cinnamon

nutmeg

salt

pepper

Peel your rutabaga. This takes a while because the peel is thick and waxy, but it's worth it! Then, slice your rutabaga. Rinse and set aside into a bowl. Chop 1/2 a sweet onion. Place butter in a pan and keep at med-high heat. Add onion and rutabaga. Sautée for around ten minutes, adding spices, salt, and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Organic Farm Delivery #5!

Fuji apples, black beans, turnips, rutabaga, sweet potato, red cabbage, white mushrooms, Asian greens, carrots, and rosemary. 

Roasted Beet Soup

The Ingredients

2 large beets

 2 tbsp. light olive oil

3 garlic cloves

1/2 sweet onion

2 cups vegetable broth

celery seeds

marjoram

First, bake the beets at 375 degrees  for 45 minutes to an hour. One of my beets was huge, so I had them in there for an hour. Also, note that loosely closing some foil around the beets will allow them to cook more quickly, as hot air will stay in the bubble. About halfway through, put 3 garlic cloves into a clay garlic baker for 15 minutes. Take the beets and garlic out. Once the beets are cooked (it's OK if they're a tad bit hard, since they will be sautéed), let cool for 5-10 minutes. Then, peel and cube them. The same goes for the garlic. The roasted garlic adds a nice, earthy, sweet flavor that works well with the hearty beets. 

Lightly coat a pan with light olive oil. Add the beets and garlic and sautée for 5 minutes. Then, add diced onion. Lower to medium heat and add vegetable broth. Add the marjoram and celery seeds. Let simmer. Use a food processor or emulsifier to break the beet mixture down into a thick soup. This soup can be served either hot or cold like a gazpacho. I served this with French cornichons on the side, but it tastes even better with a dollop of grey poupon on top. 

Enjoy! 

Mustard Chicken

The Ingredients

4 raw chicken tender strips

2 tbsp light olive oil

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp brown dijon mustard

1 tbsp grey poupon mustard

herbes de provence

truffle salt

pepper

Lightly brush light olive oil onto a baking sheet so it completely covers the bottom. In a ramekin, add the rest of the ingredients and mix together. coat each chicken tender with the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. The olive oil adds great moisture to the chicken pieces so it doesn't come out dry. Enjoy!

Roasted Parsnip

The Ingredients

1 large parsnip, peeled

1/4 cup vegetable broth

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 scallion

1/2 sweet onion

sea salt

pepper

This recipe is delicious and easy. First, Peel the parsnip and cut into large strips. Then, cut the onion into rings. In a baking pan, add the vegetable broth and olive oil. Use kitchen shears to cut the scallion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Enjoy! 

Yum. 

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

The Ingredients

12 small Jerusalem artichokes

2 garlic cloves

1 scallion

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tbsp light olive oil

1 cup of water

sea salt

pepper

This soup is soup-er easy (hehe). First, Scrub those artichokes DOWN. Then, slice them into small pieces. The ones I got were rather small, so be very careful doing so. 

Coat the bottom of a pan with light olive oil (great for cooking and isn't so strong that it alters the taste of what you are cooking). Add 2 cloves of chopped garlic and lightly sautée for a few minutes. Put the mixture at medium heat and add 2 cups of vegetable broth (low sodium). 

The beginning steps...

Keep this on the stove for 5-10 minutes on med-high heat. Then, add some salt, pepper, chopped scallions, and some water to taste. Let simmer. After they were fully cooked, I used an emulsifier to lightly purée parts of the soup so that it has a similar texture to a clam chowder (chunks of the artichoke), yet thick without cream. Garnish with scallions. Enjoy! 

Final product!

Scallion Gnocchi with Spinach Pesto

The Gnocchi

3 small purple viking potatoes

1 cup flour

1 egg yolk

1 pinch of sea salt

1 scallion (chopped)

I boiled my potatoes first, and then peeled them. An emulsifier works well to get the potatoes down to a thick, purée-like consistency that is easy to work with. Mix all ingredients, adding flour a bit at a time. It should be sticky, so make sure you have a surface that is well-floured for easier handling with the dough. It should be nice and thick. My dough was just sticky enough that I could use a spoon and my finger to drop in little balls to be boiled. Yes, they look a little deformed, but the taste is oh-so-good. 

Dough.

Cooked Gnocchi

Spinach Pesto

2 cups raw spinach

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 clove of garlic

1/4 cup pine nuts

sea salt

pepper

Mix all ingredients in a food processor. It should have a lovely, kelly green color like this: 

Now, put this delicious pesto on top of your gnocchi. Top with pine nuts and parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy! 

The Kitchen Miracle. 

Organic Farm Delivery #4!

Candy Crisp Apples

Viking Purple Potatoes 

Red Beets 

Parsnips

Jerusalem Artichokes

Spinach 

Mesclun Mix 

Sweet Onions 

Scallions 

Pineapple Ginger Shake

The Ingredients

Frozen pineapple chunks

2% milk

ginger

(real) vanilla extract

brown sugar

This is a shake I whipped up and did not measure. You can add all ingredients to taste. I will say that the more ginger, the better the taste, since it balances out the sweetness in the pineapple and brown sugar. 

Ingredients + final product. 

Portobello Polenta Bruschette

The Ingredients

Organic polenta

1/2 portobello mushroom

extra virgin olive oil

truffle oil

caramelized onions

parmesan cheese

pepper

This is a quick and easy recipe for a light dinner, snack, or hors d'oeuvre. I happened to already have 1/2 a portobello mushroom and some caramelized onions left over from a recipe I did a few days ago. When at Trader Joe's, I decided to pick up some organic polenta and came up with this lovely number.

First, cut polenta into 1/4 in. thick rings. Place onto a baking sheet lightly lined with extra virgin olive oil. Top off with pieces of portobello mushroom to fully cover the polenta rings. Top with caramelized onions- make sure to drain the extra oil out. If you don't have these already handy, all you have to do is slice a sweet onion horizontally into rings and lightly sautée with some sea salt and extra virgin olive oil until brown in color. Then, drain the excess oil. Next, drizzle on some truffle oil (I used white- black truffle oil is stronger in flavor), some shavings of parmesan cheese, and some black pepper. Broil for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. If you want your polenta more on the crispy side, bake for about 10 extra minutes prior to adding the toppings. 

Before

After

This was amazing. 

Kabocha Squash Curry Over Basmati Rice

The Ingredients

1 kabocha squash

1 sweet onion

2 tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 cups frozen carrots/peas/corn veggie medley

1 can light coconut milk

1 cup water

2 tbsp. corn starch

2 cloves of garlic

curry

cumin

ginger

turmeric

cayenne pepper

sea salt

Place diced squash and frozen vegetables into a large pot of boiling water. Once the veggies have thawed and the squash has softened, drain the excess water and remove the vegetables. In the same pot, add canola oil, chopped onion, and sautée the vegetables. 

Then, add coconut milk and stir frequently. Add sea salt and all spices (I freshly grate my ginger) and simmer for a few minutes. Use the coconut milk can to fill with one cup of water to add to the mixture. 

Add corn starch and continue to simmer for at least ten more minutes. It should look nice and thick like this:

Serve over basmati rice. 

YUM. This is the best curry I've made, for sure. 

Veggie Stir-Fry with Rice Noodles

The Ingredients

2 cup veggie broth

3 tbsp corn starch

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 portabello mushroom

rice noodles

2 carrots

1/4 broccoli head

tofu

canola oil

sesame oil

First, peel and cut the carrots into small rings. The broccoli can be lightly chopped into pieces. Blanche   the vegetables  in a pot with a little water that over the entire bottom of it. Strain the vegetables. Add sliced portobello mushroom, chopped garlic, and chicken broth. Keep at med-high heat and add in both soy sauce and slowly add in corn starch as you stir the mixture. This will thicken the sauce nicely. Keep at low-medium heat. 

Veggie mixture

In a separate pan, mix 1/2 tbsp of canola oil with 1 tbsp of sesame oil. As this heats, dice tofu into small pieces. Sautée evenly on top and bottom to create a less spongey texture that absorbs the flavor of the oils. This should take a few minutes on each side. 

Cooking tofu

As this is going on, bring water in a pot to a boil. Add rice noodles, which should take a few minutes to cook. Add noodles and tofu to the mixture and enjoy!

Final product! 

Baked Sweet Potato

The Ingredients

1 sweet potato

1 tbsp olive oil

1 sweet onion

sea salt

Wash and scrub the sweet potato and cut a long slit in it. Broil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. 35 to 45 minutes in, cut the onion so that it is in rings. In a pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil, onion slices, and sea salt. This only needs to be on med-high heat for a few minutes to caramelize. Note that if you cook the onions too early, you may need to reheat them. Final product should look like this: