Carrot Chips

Pea Shoots and Tendrils... An Early season surpirse!

As your peas start growing and you start thinning, don't dispose of the thinnings! You can use the thinnings in the kitchen!
Pea shoots are the tiny, tender leaves and vines of young pea plants. Any type of pea will suffice, but sugar pod peas are the easiest types to grow for shoots and tendrils, since they tend to shoot up faster and stay light and crisp. Pea shoots and tendrils are tender enough to serve with no or minimal cooking. They are often tossed into salads or on top of soups. You can always add a few curls as an edible garnish. Pea shoots and tendrils are also a tangy addition to stir-fired dishes or simply steamed or sautéed as a side dish.
Wondering how to cook pea shoots? Here's an easy, quick and tasty pea shoots and tendrils recipe from Kim Knox Beckius, a blogger at About.com

Yummy Brussel Sprouts

* 1 Brussels Sprouts Stalk
* 3/4 cup Maple Syrup
* 1/4 cup Olive Oil
* Freshly Ground Black Pepper & Sea Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. Trim the stalk down to the fullest, best looking part. Trim sprouts off one side to make a flat bottom. Trim any "tough" leaves from the sprouts. Rinse stalk and trimmed sprouts well in fresh water. Wrap damp stalk in cling wrap and heat in the microwave for 4-5 minutes. Place the trimmed loose sprouts in a bowl, cover with cling wrap and microwave for 3 minutes. Whisk maple syrup and olive oil together. Place stalk flat side down along with any loose sprouts on a roasting pan and pour the maple syrup mixture over. Use a pastry brush to mop the maple syrup onto all sides of the sprouts and stalk. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for about 45 minutes or until sprouts on stalk are fork tender and caramelize to a golden color. To serve: Place stalk on a holiday platter, pour any syrup from roasting pan over and garnish with something bright and tart such as dried cranberries or fresh pomegranate seeds.

Frozen Pea Salad

Easiest salad to put together ever! I use Ranch dressing to kick it up a notch. Great with or without bacon!

FROZEN PEA SALAD
2 c. frozen peas (uncooked)
1/2 c. green onions chopped
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon bits or crisp bacon broken into pieces if desired
1/2 c. ranch dressing or mayonnaise

Mix together with salad dressing or mayonnaise. Garnish with a rosemary sprig if desired. Serve

Green Tomato Bread

If your plot is like mine, you have a glut of green tomatoes. What else besides Fried Green Tomatoes can you do with them? I was checking out The Cooking With Michelle blog, and she has a bread recipe for them. Very simular to zucchini bread or banana bread, but great in it's own right!
GREEN TOMATO BREAD
From Cooking With Michelle
Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 8 ounces nonfat yogurt, plain
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup Splenda (or use all sugar)
* 2 cups green tomatoes, pureed, juice drained and discarded
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Combine oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, Splenda and green tomatoes in a large bowl and mix well. Sift together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices and add to wet ingredients along with the whole wheat flour. Stir together just until combined. Divide evenly between two prepared pans and bake just until a toothpick comes clean from the center of the bread, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pans, then remove. To retain moisture, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. May be frozen.

BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) Salad

I picked about 3 pounds of Cherry tomatoes and thought Now what? I started to think and came up with this ridiculously easy salad for supper.

BLT Salad
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

1 cup of lettuce, shredded

2 TBLSP. of mayonaisse

4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

1 SLice of toast, cut into small cubes

Place cherry tomatoes, lettuce and 3/4 of the bacon in a medium bowl, gently toss, add mayonnaise, cheese, toss again until well mixed. Top with toast cubes and the remainder of bacon.

Summer Frittata

A simple dish that uses quite a bit from the garden.

Summer Frittata (from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Fast Food)

8 oz. asparagus spears
8 oz. zucchini
8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs Olive oil

1) Trim the asparagus and cut the zucchini into 1/4" slices. Cook the vegetables in a little boiling water for a few minutes until tender but slightly crunchy. Drain immediately.

2) Heat the broiler. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Whisk the eggs lightly, add the cheese, tomatoes and parsley and season with a little salt and pepper.

3) Heat the oil in an 8-inch skillet, add the vegetables, then pour in the egg mixture. cook for 4-5 minutes, until the bottom of the frittata is set and golden brown, then put the skillet under the broiler and leave for a further minute or two to set the top. Serve cut in half or in thick wedges.

Zucchini, Olive, and Cheese Quesadillas

I don't know bout you, But I am inundated with Zucchini this year! So I got this recipe via a friend of mine on the inter-webs.

Zucchini, Olive, and Cheese Quesadillas
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 1/4 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup diced tomato, divided
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives, divided
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese, divided

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add zucchini; sauté for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; stir in oregano, salt, and pepper.
Wipe pan clean with paper towels, and coat with cooking spray. Heat pan over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla to pan, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella. Top with half of the zucchini mixture, 1/4 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons olives, 2 tablespoons feta, and 1 tortilla. Cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Carefully turn quesadilla; cook for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Place quesadilla on a cutting board; cut in half using a serrated knife. Repeat procedure with the remaining tortillas, mozzarella, zucchini mixture, tomato, olives, and feta. Serve warm.

Fried Zucchini

Photo: Creating a Family Home Blog

The following recipe comes from Kelli, at Creating a Family Home Blog, and looks so good!

Two medium-sized zucchini, washed and sliced into thin rounds, less than a quarter-inch thick
Two eggs, beaten in a shallow bowl
Italian seasoned bread crumbs, about one cup
Extra virgin olive oil for frying
Kosher salt to taste

Fill the bottom of a heavy frying pan with about 1/8” of olive oil and put it on medium-high heat.

While the oil is heating, dip the zucchini slices in egg and dredge them in bread cumbs until they’re fully coated. Set aside until oil is very hot.

Tip: If you start frying before the oil is hot enough, you’ll end up with soggy zucchini slices that have soaked up all the oil. You’ll know your oil is hot enough when a you toss a pinch of bread crumbs into the pan and the oil around them bubbles. If the oil’s not hot enough, the bread crumbs will sink to the bottom without any fanfare.

See all the bubbling action? Yay for fried zucchini!

Once all of your slices are coated and the oil is hot (but not smoking!), start carefully placing the slices in the pan in one even layer. Be careful not to overload the pan, or else you can bring the temperature of your oil down too low and end up with said soggy zucchini.

After 2-3 minutes, check to see if they’re brown enough to flip. You’re looking for a medium golden brown color.

Flip slices and let the second side get nice and brown. When they’re about done, the oil will bubble less vigorously. Remove from pan onto a wire rack and salt them immediately.

Tip: Place your fried zucchini on a wire rack to cool instead of paper towels. Paper towels cause the crispy crust to get soggy—and this goes for any fried food. Instead, I put the paper towels under the wire rack to catch the oil drips.

Tip: Salt the zucchini rounds while they’re still piping hot. The salt will stick better.

Repeat with the next batch of zucchini until all your rounds are fried and salted.

Tip: Add more oil in between batches as needed, but allow the oil to get up to temperature before adding the next batch of zucchini.

ENJOY!!!!

Swiss Chard Pie

Chard grows so well here in Burien. Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with a good way to use it up!

This vegetarian pie is great to have on hand -- it can go straight from the freezer to the oven. To bake it without freezing, reduce the baking time to 40 to 45 minutes.
Ingredients

For the Olive Oil Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

For the Swiss Chard Pie Filling:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into small dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, stems cut into small dice and leaves torn
3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Grated zest of 1 large lemon, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 large egg yolk

Directions

Make the Olive Oil Dough

In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, extra-virgin olive oil, cold water, and coarse salt. Stir with a fork to combine, then turn out onto a work surface and knead 1 minute. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 30 minutes.
Make the Swiss Chard Pie

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add chard stems and red-pepper flakes; cook until stems begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Pack chard leaves into pot; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chard leaves wilt, about 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is soft, about 4 minutes. Drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Place chard mixture in a large bowl and toss with Parmesan, flour, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll two-thirds the dough to a 12 1/2-inch round; fit into an 8-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Fill bottom crust with chard mixture. Roll remaining dough to a 9 1/2-inch round; place over filling. Pinch edges of dough together and tuck in to seal; cut several vents into center of pie. Combine yolk with 1 teaspoon water and brush over dough, avoiding edge of pan. Freeze pie (see below).

To serve, preheat oven to 400, with rack in lowest position. Bake frozen pie until crust is deep golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Veggie Kabobs

A quick, easy and tasty way to eat your veggies- grill in minutes

VEGGIE KABOBS
Assorted vegetables, cut bite size (I like to use mushrooms, tomatoes squash and onion- this is good dish for cherry tomatoes)
Skewers
Marinade*
Let vegetables marinate in a shallow dish between 30 minutes to an hour. Then piece by piece, shove them on skewers- (You may want to soak skewers in a shallow bowl or pan in some water- helps keep them from burning)Place them on a hot grill or BBQ- cook for about two minutes and turn over. Should have nice grill marks. Serve and enjoy!
Tip- brush the grill with a light brush of Olive oil before grilling- adds good falver and helps to keep veggies from sticking to the grill.

*Asian Vegetable Marinade
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil

mix the marinade up and let your vegetables marinate in a shallow dish from between 30 minutes to an hour before grilling.

Basil Mojitos

Photo: Savvy Houskeeping

Basil Mojito any one? Savvy Housekeeping has come up with a fresh take on the everyday Mojito just in time for everyone's favorite spring herb! View the recipe here.

Pie in a jar

This isn’t your grandmother’s apple pie. We’ve taken the tried-and-true favorite and spun it on its head, pouring the sweet fruit filling into a dough-lined jar. Top it off any way you choose—we’ll provide the scrumptious topping options. Find the recipe here

Roasted Vegetables

Excellent for fall and winter and all those root veggies.

Roasted Vegetables

1 small butternut squash, cubed
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed (You can subsitute baking potatoes)
1 red onion, quartered
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine the squash, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes. Separate the red onion quarters into pieces, and add them to the mixture.
In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.
Roast for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

Pumpkin Cre’me Brứlee'

A great dessert recipe for all those pumpkins that everyone grew! And since I have all this pureed pumpkin in the freezer I thought Pumpkin Pie (sticks finger in nose and announces "BORING") and it came to me- Pumpkin Cre’me Brứlee'. I saw Michael Chiarello make his version of this on Food Network, and I adapted it into my own little recipe. His version calls for using left over pumpkin pie stuffed into a ramekin, mine is a tad bit more involved, using my pumpkin pie recipe with no crust- but very easy! And yes, I washed the finger I stuck in my nose!

Pumpkin Cre’me Brứlee'
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup of firm brown sugar
2 eggs or (vegans- 1/2 cup of egg substitute)
1 tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 can (12 ounces) Nonfat evaporated Milk or for vegan recipe, as Chile writes in her blog try making some evaporated soy milk (cook down to double-strength) for pie or as Chile says:
"Put 2 cups soymilk in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirringconstantly, until volume is reduced to 1 cup. Cool. Store in jar in fridge."
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, pumpkin pie spice and non-fat evaporated milk. Carefully pour into Ramekins leaving about a quarter inch of room. Place Ramekins on a cookie sheet and Bake in 350 oven for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of one of the Ramekins comes clean. Let cool on the counter. Place into the frigidaire. Chill
Before serving, sprinkle about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar over each "custard". To get it crusty, Take your Blowtorch (I love cooking when there is the chance of danger) and aim the flame just above the sugar, just out of reach , until sugar starts to turn brown. Or use The whimps method: Simply place the sugared custards under a hot broiler and watch for browning, when evenly browned, Serve with a small dallop of whipped creme on it, and perhaps a berry for garnish. And yes this is also my favorite pumpkin pie recipe- you just pour the pumpkin mixture in a pie crust and bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes clean. Hmmm- a Cre'me Brứlee' pie???
Quick tip- Don't have ramekins? try using 1/2 pint wide mouth mason jars- then you have a screw on lid if you need to take them somewhere

Pickled Kohlrabi

In the garden, the KohlRabi is coming out swell--- now to preserve it for a while longer. I found this recipe at Recipe Land .com of course I had to make my little changes to go with what I grow!
Ingredients

3 each kohlrabi peeled, sliced (I used 2)
2 large carrots Or I used 6 "baby" Carrots- I grow thumbelina and little finger
2 each garlic cloves crushed
1 each bay leaf
3 large dill weed sprigs

Pickling mixture
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon dill seed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Parboil carrots for 3 minutes.
Mix kohlrabi and carrots; pack in a 1 quart glass jar along with garlic, bay leaf and fresh dill.
In a saucepan, combine pickling mixture.
Heat, stirring, until it boils and sugar is dissolved.
Pour boiling mixture over kohlrabi, filling jar completely.
Cover jar. When cool, refrigerate for 3 to 4 days before using to let flavors blend

Zucchini Recipes

From Rebecca, here are some great resources for that famous squash! that came about from a dinner party using all zucchini recipes!

Fried Green Tomatoes!

Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
from Simply Recipes.com
Ingredients
3 medium, firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method
1 Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour, milk, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes.

2 Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dip tomato slices in milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4-6 minutes on each side or until brown. As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add olive oil as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Carolina Kale

This recipe comes from Lana, via the MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT LOW-FAT FAVORITES Cookbook!

Carolina Kale (serves 4 to 6; total time: 25 minutes)
---------------------------------------------------------------

Cooked until just tender, bright vitamin- and mineral-rich greens
contrast beautifully with red tomatoes to make an appealing vegetable
side dish or a topping for rice.

11/2 lbs kale, collards, chard, beet greens or mustard greens
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes and their juice OR 3 cups chopped fresh
tomatoes
1 cup minced onions
11/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 tsp Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce OR 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste

Wash the greens. Remove the large stems and any discolored leaves. Stack
the leaves and slice them crosswise into 1/8-inch strips.

Combine the tomatoes, onions, cumin, garlic, Tabasco, and salt in a
saucepan, cover, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the greens,
cover, and gently simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes,
until the greens are tender (see Note below). Add pepper to taste and
serve.
Enjoy!

Note: The cooking time will vary with the type and tenderness of the
greens. If necessary, add a little water during cooking to maintain
liquid in the bottom of the pan.

PIckle Anything

Wondering how to pickle things? Readymade Magazine has a great article on fresh pack pickling and blanch and seal pickling- pickle everything! Good freshness extenders! My favorite? Pickled Red Onions(Beefmaster) with Garlic!