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Rebecca's Recipes
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Greetings to everyone - It feels so good to be back! How wonderful it is to have the CSA box again! I get so spoiled receiving it every week; not going to the Farmer's market nearly as much when I get the box. I am so grateful for all the bounty available to us. I hope all had a peaceful rest and the new year will be filled with vibrant health and lots of happy cooking! Thursday will be a delightful day driving out to the farm to pick up my box - it is a lovely ritual I so look forward to after work. And then filling the kitchen -- and my belly -- with beautiful, amazing, alive food! A new year full of new culinary adventures awaits! Blessings to all and I look forward to hearing from you, Chef Rebecca [click here to email Rebecca]

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First, some recipes that I've put in past newsletters which are already in the database and good for items in this week's shares:


ROASTED CURRIED CAULIFLOWER (note that the recipe is serves 12, but can be easily halved)

ASIAN CABBAGE CRUNCH (from "One Bite at a Time" by Rebecca Katz)

COLLARDS or KALE with GREEN ONIONS and LEMON TAHINI SAUCE


And here are some new recipes for you:

ORANGE-CILANTRO CARROTS and PARSNIPS
Serves 4

3/4 lb. carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
3/4 lb. parsnips, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced crosswise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. coriander
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. orange zest
1 C fresh orange juice
1 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. butter
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 C chopped fresh mint
 
1. In a large skillet, combine the carrots, parsnips, garlic, corinder, cayenne, orange zest, orange juice, honey, butter, and salt. Cover and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
2. Uncover and cook until the carrots are just tender and glazed, about 5 minutes more. Stir in mint and serve.


LEMONY MINT-AVOCADO ENERGY SOUP (RAW)
Serves 6

2 medium apples
1/2 medium lemon, juiced
2 C mixed baby greens
1 medium avocado
1 C mint
4 C water
sea salt to taste
 
1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Adjust the consistency with additional water and flavor with salt or lemon as needed.


SPICY CARROT-AVOCADO SOUP (RAW)
Serves 6

2 C carrot juice, freshly juiced
2 C water
1 tbsp. minced ginger
1 large avocado
1/4 C cilantro
2 pinches cayenne
1/2 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste
lemon or lime juice to taste
1/2 C pine nuts
chopped cilantro for garnish
 
1. In a blender, combine the first 7 ingredients and puree until smooth. Add salt and citrus to taste, plus more cayenne if needed.
2. Garnish with the pine nuts and cilantro. (you can substitute  any nut you like for the pine nuts)


LEMONY ALMOND COOKIES
Makes 12 cookies
This is a low-sugar, high protein dessert with healthy fat from the almonds. It is also gluten and dairy free.

1 C almonds, ground
2 large egg whites
1 pinch cream of tartar
2 tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. lemon zest
1 pinch sea salt
 
1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place almonds in a food processor with a fitted steel blade. Process the almonds until a fine meal forms. Be careful not to over process or the meal will get sticky. It should resemble cornmeal.
3. Using a standard mixer fitted with a whisk, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form, then gradually beat in honey, vanilla, and lemon zest.
4. With a spatula, gently fold in the ground almonds.
5. Drop 1 tbsp. of batter onto prepared sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake for 30 minutes. These cookies are soft right out of the oven, but harden as they cool.


MOOSEWOOD APPLE CHUTNEY
This is an all-time favorite of mine from Molly Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

1 1/2 lbs. apples
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tbsp. fresh minced ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves or allspice
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/3 C raw apple cider vinegar
cayenne to taste (optional)
I put in about 1/4 C or more golden raisins
 
1. Coarsely chop the apples (peeling is optional). Place them in a medium-sized saucepan with all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer.
2. Simmer, uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until everything is very soft.  Stir occasionally while it is cooking. You may need to add a little water towards the end of the cooking to prevent it from sticking. Cool, then transfer to a sterile jar with a lid. Chill. This will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. It is delicious with roasted herbed chicken or as a side.


KALE APPLE LEEK TOPPING
This makes a great topping for a buckwheat cracker (recipe below) or for a crepe.

1 leek, sliced into half moons
1 apple, grated
1/2 bunch of dino kale, chiffonaded [i.e. de-stem and stack leaves, roll them up like a cigar and thinly slice crosswise - Debbie]
1/4 C parsley, plus more for garnish
1 tbsp. ghee or butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
lemon juice to keep the apples from browning
1/4 C creme fraiche

1. Add the ghee or butter to a medium saute pan and heat over medium high heat. Add the leeks and saute for 5 minutes, until tender. Add the apple and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the kale and cook until just wilted. Turn off the heat and add the parsley, olive oil, and sea salt and pepper to taste.
2. Once the mixture has cooled, mince it and mix in the creme fraiche.
3. Fill a pastry bag with a large opening and pipe the mixture onto a buckwheat cracker. Top with a small dollop of creme fraiche and minced parsley.


BUCKWHEAT CRACKERS
Makes about 50 crackers

1 tbsp. coconut oil
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 tbsp. water
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 C grated cow cheddar
2/3 C buckwheat flour
1 tbsp. tapioca flour
1 tbsp. potato starch
1/3 tsp. xantham gum (optional; acts as a "binder"; available in health-food stores)
 
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Melt coconut oil over low heat, then cool so it will not cook the egg when mixed. Add the coconut oil and the egg to a small bowl with the water.
3. In a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix. Add the wet ingredients and mix until a solid ball of dough forms. Cut the dough in half and roll each half into a ball. Wrap each with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator for 40 minutes.
4. After the dough has rested, get out 2 baking sheets and 2 pieces of parchment paper. Using a piece of plastic wrap between the rolling pin and the dough, roll out the dough into a thin sheet, as thin as you can get without breaking (about 1/8th inch). Cut the dough with a 1 1/2 inch pastry cutter* and remove excess from the parchment paper**. Poke each cracker once with a toothpick. Place the parchment paper on the baking sheets and bake 20-25 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool and store in a sealed plastic bag.

*or a biscuit cutter, or even cookie cutters
**yes, you can roll dough trimmings back into a ball, chill re-roll and make more crackers [from Debbie: you could probably just cut the dough into squares too, which would leave no dough trimmings; if you did it this way, it's possible you might need to re-cut along your cut lines right when they come out of the oven, to make sure they haven't merged during baking. Then allow them to cool, break them apart and store as Rebecca says.]

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