it

To all of you faithful contributors to the recipes blog I am sad to annouce that we will have to reassign you to a new blog. Thanks for all of your contributions to date - you have really inspired me. The detail and care taken with your entries has made me feel wonderful inside. Thanks!
I will get things sorted out so you can continue to post on the new site.

www.taprootfarms.ca

Thanks so very, very Much!!!

Tomato Plants

At our farm in Canard we have extra tomatoes. They are ready to plant.
The variety is Big Beef.
$1 each

Let me know if you want one, two or 20.

Chard Crostini variation 1

Our version of the Kale Crostini. We used swiss chard and followed the recipe below except we added some black forest ham, fried mushrooms and smoked gouda. All veggies from Taproot and gouda from Foxhill.
Enjoy!!!

Garlic Scape Pesto

http://www.whatgeekseat.com/wordpress/2007/06/16/garlic-scape-pesto/

KALE CROSTINI

KALE CROSTINI



washed & dried kale leaves

1 TBS. olive oil

one medium yellow onion, halved and sliced

two cloves chopped garlic

garlic butter

loaf of French bread or ciabatta

sliced Havarti (regular or lite)



remove stems from kale

cut kale into 1" strips

saute onions & garlic in olive oil until soft

add kale strips and cook until tender

cut bread into serving sizes

spread garlic butter on the bread and broil until light brown

top with cooked kale

top each piece with sliced Havarti

change oven setting from broil to 400

bake for about 15 minutes



This recipe would probably work for beet greens too but I haven't tried it yet.

Cooked spinach is too soft for this recipe.

Rhubarb Chocolate Chip Loaf

While it is still rhubarb season and we don't have any local strawberries yet, we decided to try something new.


For the rhubarb purée, we cooked 6 small to medium stalks of chopped rhubarb with 1 TBSP each of water, brown sugar & butter. Let cool. We ended up with 1 2/3 cups of purée.

Now for the loaf(s), this makes 2.

We need:
3/4 C milk
1/2 C rolled oats
1 C butter
2 1/2 C brown sugar
4 eggs
1 2/3 C rhubarb purée
3 1/2 C flour (Speerville organic unbleached)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp Spice mix (pumpkin pie can be used)
we used;
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 C dark chocolate chips

First, soak oats in milk.
Cream butter & sugar.
Add eggs to sugar mixture, beat well.
Add rhubarb & oat/milk to egg/sugar mixture, beat more.
Add dry ingredients, except chocolate chips and beat gently until all is mixed.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into 2 9x5x2 pans.
Cook in a 320°F oven for about 1 hour 20 minutes, until done.


Enjoy !!!

Romain Wraps & Tzatziki

Since we got some great romaine & cucumbers in our box this past week, we thought of something a little different, no carbohydrates. So we had a few marinated turkey breasts and an idea for wraps without pita.



Lets make the tzatziki ...

1/2 a container of plain yogurt (Foxhill if possible)
1-2 cloves of minced garlic (depending how garlicky you like it)
1/2 English cucumber, grated
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
squeeze of lemon juice to taste
salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

A good Tzatziki requires that you use strained yogurt. Take your plain yogurt and dump in a metal strainer, lined with cheesecloth with a pot underneath to catch the draining liquid. You’ll need at least 3-4 or 12 hours for the final thick result.

Next step is to take your cucumber and seed it then box grate it into the strainer. Sprinkle some salt to help draw out the moisture. Give the cucumber 30 minutes and use a cheese cloth or your hands (in batches) to squeeze out the water.

Add your grated cucumber to the yogurt and now add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic, your chopped dill, season with salt to taste, squeeze of lemon juice, the olive oil and the ground cumin. I find the cumin gives your Tzatziki that “je ne sais quoi”!



Once you have you tzatziki mixed, time to prepare the wrap's wrappings (toppings?). We had a few marinated turkey breasts that we did on the BBQ. You can add anything you like, make it vegetarian or raw if you want. We sliced tomatoes, cucumber, radishes and spring turnip. Add the hot sauce of your choice, or not.



Now prepare romaine, we took some of the stalk out and pressed the remaining stalk down to crack, so it rolls nice. Place ingredients on leaf end and roll up. Enjoy!!!

Gratin dauphinoise

Recipe by the insanely inspiring Keith Floyd (RIP)
This is in the French Provencal recipes on his site, sorry, he never gives quantities, we just experiment until it feels right and we did it in a 9 x 9 pan and bake at 325 F.
Emily LOVES it.

Gratin dauphinoise

(Sliced potatoes baked with cream and garlic) Do not try this recipe if you are already having a hard time fitting into your pants.



Ingredients

Slightly waxy potatoes

Crushed garlic (we put 7 or 8 large cloves!!!)

Double cream (this would be whipping cream)

Salt/Pepper

Butter


Method

* Finely slice the potatoes on a mandolin or food processor
* Rinse well about 3 times to remove much of the starch
* Pat dry thoroughly and place a layer in a shallow, well buttered dish
* On top of that layer, sprinkle finely chopped garlic and dot with butter
* Season with salt and pepper
* Add another layer of potato, garlic, salt and pepper and dot with butter
* Repeat the process until the dish is full; the final layer is just potato
* Pour over some double cream – be generous
* Leave to stand for about 15 minutes
* Cover with tin foil, place in the oven at about 160 Celsius/325 Fahrenheit for about an hour
* Remove the foil from the dish and allow to brown

Nettles in the Kettle

For anyone still mulling over what to do with those nettles, a simple and tasty solution is to pop them in your teapot. We've been treating ourselves to a nice cup of nettle tea in the morning. This suggestion was listed in last year's newsletter, but I thought I would just put out a little reminder in case you had not found your way there. I do recommend that soup recipe Patricia provided. I just put it in the blender as opposed to straining the leaves and it turned out great.

Batman enjoyed his steaming cup to recharge his super powers. It just might do the same for you!

Parsnips

I used my parsnips 2 delicious ways this week. I apologize as I cook without measuring & go by taste & looks. FYI I use a cast iron frying pan, which in my opinion makes every recipe better.

Parsnip & Bean Curry

heat Olive Oil - a good glug on med/high stove
when oil is hot add several Parsnips (mine were cut up quite small to please certain people I live with) along with several portobella mushrooms (sliced)
and a bit of crushed garlic, salt, pepper and some red pepper flakes to taste
this should be stirred to ensure even browning of the veggies, for around 5 minutes or until the veg are close to cooked
then add 1 cup pre-cooked Aduki Beans and a heaping spoon of curry powder
stir to blend flavours, then once the curry starts to smell really warm add about a cup of water or broth, lower heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes,
the longer you simmer the better the flavour,
continue to add small amounts of water as the beans tend to absorb a fair bit.


Parsnip Kale Galette

Stir Fry in olive oil several parsnips cut up fine with about 1 cup of kale cut in strips, a few mushrooms & crushed garlic for about 5 minutes - remove from pan & set aside to cool slightly
toast gently over med heat half a cup of walnuts with a handful of fresh sage leaves
meanwhile - beat 2-3 eggs with 1 Tbsp flour, some salt & a handful of grated cheese
add some more oil or better - butter, to your pan
mix nuts with veggies then quickly add egg mix and put the whole mess back in the frying pan over med. heat but don't stir
cook for 3/4 minutes then flip the entire contents of the pan onto a plate then slide it back into the pan to brown the other side
when cooked through turn out onto a serving plate, cool slightly and slice into wedges

Dandelion greens idea

Mary Beth's Rapini with pine nuts and garlic should work really well with dandelion greens too. They have the nice clean bitter that rapini has.
I am looking forward to the recipe!

Mashed Turnip

Hey Patricia, Just wanted to share tonight's mashed turnip from last week's box with you. I think my turnip trick is worth sharing: steam them instead of boiling, then purée with butter or cream. This will avoid the watery fibrous mash we so often end up with. Hope this excites you half as much as it excites me!

Parsnip Pecan Cake & Parsnip Pie

Parsnip-Pecan Cake
http://www.justvegetablerecipes.com/veg-0093444.html

1 1/4 c Salad oil
1 1/4 c Sugar
2 c Flour
1 tb Baking powder
1 tb Baking soda
2 ts Cinnamon
1/4 ts Salt
4 Eggs
3 c Grated raw parsnips
1 1/2 c Finely chopped pecans

1 10" Tube pan/Preheat oven to 325 degrees F



Thoroughly combine oil and sugar. Sift together dry ingredients and add to oil and sugar, alternating with eggs. Beat well after each addition. Mix in parsnips and then pecans. Pour into buttered tube pan. Bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing.

***********************************************

I also found this recipe on the same website, but didn't yet get a chance to try it:


***********************************************
Parsnip Pie
http://www.justvegetablerecipes.com/veg-0016948.html

1 c Cooked parsnips
1 c Milk
2 Eggs
2 tb Butter
1/2 ts Nutmeg
3/4 c Sugar
1/4 ts Salt


Cook parsnips mashed fine and strain. While still warm, add the butter and salt. Beat the eggs, add sugar and nutmeg. Add milk and the parsnip mixture and mix well. Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry and pour in the mixture. Sprinkle with nutmeg and bake in 400 degrees oven about 30 minutes or until the custard is thick and nicely browned.
***********************************************

Nettle Filo pastry

Nettle Filo pastry

Nettles aren’t the first thing to come to mind when I think of “food” – I encountered them in England when I was nine and my classmates told me they felt really soft if I just brushed my hand over them gently. I was surprised when they showed up in the box last year - I didn’t even know they grew in Canada! But I managed to get over my painful memories and re-create a dish I had eaten in Ireland under the impression that it was spinach.

Make sure you clean the nettles well by dumping them out of a bag into a strainer or collander, rinsing them thoroughly and dumping the strainer into the pot without ever touching the raw nettles!

(serves 4-6)

4 cups or so of nettles

2 eggs

¾ cup of feta cheese

2 T Parmesan

Melted butter

¼ tsp pepper

10 sheets of filo pastry

Boil the nettles in a large pot of water for 10 minutes; drain. (You can save the nettle water for an apparently-really-healthy soup stock.) Beat the eggs; mix with the feta and parmesan. Chop the nettles and mix into the feta; add pepper. Coat the inside of a small oven-proof dish with butter, and line with ½ of the filo sheets. Brush with butter. Spoon in the cheese mixture and cover with the rest of the filo. Seal the edges and brush the top with butter. Make a few slits in the top of the package for the steam to escape. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes or until filo is golden and crispy.

This would also work with ricotta.

Fiddlehead Soup

I grew up in Tide Head, New Brunswick - the self-proclaimed fiddle head capital of the world. The bag of fiddle heads in this week's share brings me on a trip down memory lane. As a child growing up in Northern New Brunswick, a visit to our secret picking spot was always part of the spring ritual. I love mine boiled with a dab of butter. Hubby isn't quite so fond of these greens. This soup recipe from my mom is a great alternative. You can adjust the recipe depending on the amount of fiddleheads you have on hand. I think we posted this last year, but I thought it couldn't hurt to post again (:

4 cups fiddleheads
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped - about 1 cup
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon flour
3 or 4 cups chicken broth
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 cup light cream or milk (I usually just use chicken broth and no milk)

Cook fiddleheads in boiling salted water until just tender, then drain and reserve

Melt the butter in the pot you are making the soup in
Saute the onions until softened
Sprinkle flour in pan, mix in and cook for 1 minute
Gradually stir in the chicken stock and bring to a boil
Add diced potato, reduce heat and cook covered for 5 minutes or till softened
Add the fiddleheads and continue to simmer until the vegetables are soft.

Working in batches in a blender, pure the mixture
Return to pot and add milk if desired.

Note: To add a decorative touch, save a few whole fiddleheads for a garnish. Put a little swirl of cream or plain yogurt on top of the individual bowl of soup and place a fiddlehead on top of the swirl.

Use-up zucchini bread

I can't remember if I posted this recipe last summer or not, but given the frozen zucchini coming in the box this week, I thought I'd re-post.

Most zucchini bread recipes call for far more sugar and oil than is healthy, and only a cup or so of grated zucchini – which is about half a large zucchini, if that. So I’ve adapted this from my favourite banana bread recipe. Look mom, no fat!

2 cups grated zucchini

¾ cups white sugar

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in sugar. Add zucchini and milk. Mix thoroughly. Grease or spray a loaf pan; cook for one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the thickest part comes out dry.

Spinach & Basil Pesto

After enjoying the last of our Parsnip & Apple soup, the beautiful bag of Taproot spinach was calling my name! Usually we use spinach in salads, smoothies, or on sandwiches, but Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market we stumbled upon some lovely basil. I thought pairing it with the spinach and a few other yummies would make a divine pesto!

This pesto is a bit un-traditional in that it uses miso instead of salt. Miso is a great source of beneficial enzymes. It also makes use of rice vinegar rather than lemon juice and nutritional yeast (an inactive yeast) rather than parmesan cheese. Nutritional Yeast is a great source of B Vitamins! Combined with the amazing Taproot spinach - this is the superhero of pesto's!

Spinach & Basil Pesto

5 oz. spinach
1.5 oz basil
3 oz. pinenuts
2-4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
2 tsp. Light Miso ("light" refers to the colour and the bean/grain which the miso is made from)
1/3 Cup nutritional yeast

Start by toasting the pine nuts a little bit in a pan on the stove.

It really does make a difference in the flavour. They should be just a wee bit darker and you'll be able to smell the nutty-goodness.

Into your food processor, add the spinach (you may need to pulse it a few times to get the spinach volume to go down to make room for the other ingredients).

Then add the basil (again you may need to process a bit).

Then add the pine nuts, miso, rice vinegar, and nutritional yeast. Pulse a few times until everything looks more cohesive. Then, with the processor running, go ahead and add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. You may not need all 4 Tablespoons.

You will probably have to stop and scrape down the sides of the processor a few times. When it is a beautiful Spring green, and everything is combined, you're ready! We love it on pizza, it's also great with pasta, grains, and you can even combine a few Tablespoons with some soy yogurt (or dairy yogurt for those who eat dairy) and have a lovely dip for vegetables and crudites! Enjoy!

Parsnip & Apple Soup with Cilantro

I thought I would share my first Taproot experience with you. Ascenta rejoiced when we discovered that our boxes had arrived yesterday!!!

Parsnip& Apple Soup with Cilantro
Step 1: Shamelessly photographing new vegetable loves.
Step 2: Simmering away on the stove, filling the house with the sweetest scent!
Step 3: Pureed a’la VitaMix (oh so silky smooth!) and posing alongside cousin roots.

Thanks for box #1 – we’re already dreaming of next week!

Parsnip & Apple Soup with Cilantro



1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 ½ lbs apples (weight before peeling & coring), peeled, cored and cut into chuncks

1 ½ lbs parsnips (weight before trimming), trimmed, cleaned and cut into chuncks

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

2 Cups organic vegetable broth (prefereably homemade)

2 Cups water

1 Tbsp White Wine

Melt oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add apples, parsnips, onion, cilantro and wine and sauté until slightly softened, about 12 minutes. Add broth & water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until apples and parsnips are tender, about 35-40 minutes.

Puree soup in blender in batches. Return puree to pot. Thin with more broth if desired. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Re-warm over medium heat before continuing.) Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with more cilantro or sautéed apple slices. Serve! Be nourished!

grumblystomach

Grumbly Stomach is an ingredient based recipe search engine. Search for recipes based on ingredients you want or don't want. This site is perfect if you are tired of your old standby recipes or don't have a clue what to make with something. Happy Cooking!

Last Call for Soup

Soon it will be time for light summery foods and main dish salads, but today is a gray, rainy spring day that makes me feel like having a bowl of steaming soup. Here's a recipe from Martha Rose Shulman of the New York Times for a cabbage and bean soup. Good for the soul and easy on the budget.

Many thanks to Patricia and Josh their family and farm staff for a great year of good, locally grown, healthy foods. May there be many more to come!

Curried Butternut Squash Soup

I just made a pot of Curried Butternut Squash Soup that came out excellent. I based it on a recipe that my mother photocopied for me years ago. Sorry, I don't know the source. I adapted it somewhat, so here's what I did:

1 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and cut in cubes

1 small onion, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 large clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1/2 tsp. coriander

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups water

2 apples, peeled, cored, and chunked

(1) In soup pot, saute onion and shallot in vegetable oil until golden. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another 30 seconds.

(2) Add the squash, broth, water, and apples and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer for 25 minutes or until the squash and apples are soft.

(3) Puree the mixture in a blender in batches until velvety smooth.

(4) Serve hot with a dollop of plain yogurt.

The 1/8 tsp. of cayenne turned out to be just the right amount of heat for all but my younger daughter, who said it was OK, she just guzzled it. The original recipe included toasting the seeds from the squash and serving them with the soup. And whoever gave the recipe to my mom wrote in "add 1/2 cup cream, optional." So you might try that. I found the plain yogurt to be perfect.

Beet, Feta and Red Onion Salad with Honey Oregano Vinagrette

• 4 large beets

• 6 Tablespoons olive oil

• 2 Tablespoons honey

• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 large garlic clove

• 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 2 teaspoons dried

  1-1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 small red onion, diced small

• Fresh salad greens, enough to make a nice bed on a large platter

• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (cow's milk feta is milder than sheep's milk)

• 1/3 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the tops off the beets, leaving 2 inches of the stems. Wrap beets in foil. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Cool, peel and slice the beets.

While beets are roasting, you can roast the walnuts and make up the salad dressing. I put the walnuts in a toaster oven, at around 250 degrees for about 10-15 minutes (if you do it in too hot an oven, the walnuts can burn). To prepare the dressing, blend oil, honey, vinegar, garlic, oregano and mustard in blender until thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Wash and dry salad greens, and keep them fresh in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the salad. Arrange the greens on a serving platter. Top with sliced beets, feta, walnuts and red onion. Spoon dressing over.

Enjoy!

Turnip Spice Cake

Turnip Spice Cake

Okay, I confess - we aren’t all that keen on turnips. I like them alright raw, with raisins, as a snack, but take as little of the mashed turnip Thanksgiving dish as is possible while still being polite.I don’t usually advocate hiding vegetables in sweets – I think people, especially kids, should learn to like the vegetable for its own taste; but with turnip all rules go out the window.

2 ½ cups whole wheat flour

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp cloves

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup soured milk (if you don’t have sour milk, combine 1 T lemon juice and 1 cup milk, and let it sit for 5 minutes)

2 tsp baking soda

1 ½ cups cold mashed turnip

1 ½ cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine flour, salt and spices. Cream butter and sugar. Stir the baking soda into the soured milk; add to sugar mixture. Mix in the turnip and raisins. Combine with the dry ingredients. Bake in a 13 x 9 pan for 40 minutes.

Savoy Cabbage Gratin

By The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

61 people added this to their Recipe Box

This makes a savoury autumn side dish alongside Bavarian-style sausages or roast turkey. It's also hearty enough to be a vegetarian main course accompanied by crusty bread and a salad.

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

Nutritional Info
Per each of 8 servings: about	-
cal	183
pro	6 g
total fat	13 g
sat. fat	8 g
carb	13 g
fibre	3 g
chol	37 mg
sodium	336 mg
% RDI:	-
calcium	15%
iron	6%
vit A	20%
vit C	32%
folate	28%

Suggested Recipes

• Linguine with Walnuts and Arugula
• Tropical Granola Clusters with Brazil Nuts
• Romesco Sauce
• Pecan-Crusted Chicken Fingers
• Wafu Burgers

1 head savoy cabbage (about 2 lb/1 kg)
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter
1 leek (white and light green parts only), thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup (125 mL) vegetable stock
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/4 tsp (1 mL) each pepper and groundnutmeg
2 tbsp (25 mL) all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) 10% cream or milk
Topping:
3/4 cup (175 mL) fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded Gruy? cheese
2 tbsp (25 mL) butter, melted
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme, chives orparsley

Preparation:

Quarter cabbage lengthwise; cut out and discard core. Thinly slice cabbage crosswise; set aside.

In large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat; cover and cook leek and garlic, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes.

Add cabbage, stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg; cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 15 minutes.

Stir in flour; cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in cream and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Spread in greased 12-inch (2 L) oval baking dish.

Topping: Combine bread crumbs, cheese, butter and thyme; sprinkle over cabbage mixture. (Make-ahead: Let cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature to bake.)

Bake in 400°F (200°C) oven until bubbling and topping is golden, about 20 minutes.

Source

Canadian Living Magazine: November 2007

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The Enormous Turnip

Sunday was one of those busy weekend days with the kiddies. When supper hour rolled around, I had nothing planned and was in desperate need of inspiration. I didn't have to look very far. I opened my fridge and an enormous turnip fell out, almost hitting me in the head. A quick search on the internet and I came up with a super easy and fast recipe to whip together in no time. I tinkered a bit with it, so here is the final result. Hubby was impressed and said it tasted like "restaurant quality". Is that a compliment?

1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp butter
3 cups potatoes - cubed
3 cups turnip - cubed
1 Tbsp flour
4 cups veggie stock
sprig of rosemary
salt and pepper
2 splashes of cream


Saute onions, potatoes and turnip in the butter until onions are soft. Stir in the the flour to coat all the veggies. Add the stock along with a sprig of rosemary and simmer until veggies are tender. Just before serving, add salt and pepper to taste along with a couple of splashes of cream. Enjoy!

Popcorn!

Well, my daughters wanted to just put the whole ear of popcorn in the microwave and let it go. They assured me they would get all the popcorn out of the microwave when it was done. So I said OK.

Wow, that was a barrel of laughs! We watched as the kernels popped and flew around, and every time one on the bottom of the ear popped, it made the whole ear jump. And true to their word, they cleaned it all up. It's really pretty easy since it's all dry.

Try it :-)

Easy Peasy and Really Tasty!

So I experiemented. And it turned out so wonderfully that I thought I would share :)

Grab an acorn squash. Cut it in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Put the halves face down in a greased oven proof dish. Add 1/2 inch of water. Bake at 350 until tender; about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut up apple, mushrooms and onions. Saute in a little olive oil. Set aside.

When squash is cooked, turn face up in a baking dish. Add a little butter in each one. Put some apple/onion/mushroom mixture in each one. Grate a little sharp cheese over each one. Bake in the oven until the cheese melts.

This was absolutely fantastic with a roast pork dinner! And ALL the stuff used (well, except for the cheese but you can get it at Fox Hill) was from my basket of bounty!

Japchae - Sweet Potato Noodles

Japchae is a Korean dish traditionally made with sweet potato (glass) noodles, which can be found in most Asian supermarkets, we also do it with rice or wheat noodles.

• 8 ounces sweet potato noodles
• 1/2 savoy cabbage, rinsed and trimmed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 chicken thighs skinned & deboned, sliced thin
  
• 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 medium onion, sliced thin
  
• 3 to 4 dried black fungus soaked (30 minutes) and sliced thin
  
• 1 red pepper sliced very thin
  
• 1/2 bunch asparagus
  
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Cook the sweet potato noodles in a large pot of boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes. Immediately drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Be sure not to overcook the noodles, or they will lose their chewy texture. If you like, cut the noodles with scissors into 6- to 7-inch lengths for easier eating.

In a large bowl combine half the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and the sugar. Set aside to let the flavours soak in.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, the remaining garlic, 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce, and 1 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame oil. Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the onion, mushrooms, red peppers, cabbage, asparagus and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Cover and let stand over medium heat for another 5 minutes, until cabbage and asparagus are cooked through, but still a little crunchy. Remove from the heat.

In the large bowl with the sauce, thoroughly combine the noodles and chicken mixture. Serve warm, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Enjoy and remember any of the veggies can be substituted for others & tofu for meat ... and use local as much as possible!

Cabbage Salad recipe - yummy!

This was served over the holidays at a family party. My Auntie Jennie made it from her sister inlaws recipe. Yummy!

6 cups green cabbage, shredded

6 cups red cabbage, shredded

3 green onions, sliced

1 red pepper, julienned

¼ cup raisons

Dressing

3 TBSP cider vinegar

2 TBSP sweet mustard

1 TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp caraway seeds

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

pinch of allspice

dash of Tabasco sauce

Toss dressing and vegetables together, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Cabbage

Hey Patricia,

Here are some of the things I like to do with cabbage!

I can't believe it's just cabbage!
-This recipe is so simple and absolutely delicious.

1 head white cabbage
2 tbsp olive oil
1 teasp sea salt
1 lemon, squeezed
1 tbsp nutritional yeast(optional)

Mix alll ingredients in a bowl and decorate with you favorite herbs.
Serves 5.
-Taken from: 12 Steps to Raw Foods, Victoria Boutenko

** I like to cut the cabbage in to chunks or strips rather than shredding it, and I always adjust the seasoning depending on how salty, lemony or herby I'm feeling that day. I also really enjoy adding lots of black pepper to add some heat during the cold winter months.


Cabbage Lemon Elixir
This is an excellent source of healthy intestinal bacteria.

1 small cabbage, corred
1 Whole lemon, peeled to remove yellow skin
Pure Water

Fill blender with 1/3 of cabbage, add half the lemon and water to fill half the blander. Pulse to grind cabbage(rather than liquefy).
Transfer to a glass gallong jar.
Repeat the process with the remaining cabbage.
Fill jar to almost full with water. Cover with cheesecloth and put in a warm place for 24-36 hours(depending on the temperature).
Pour elixir into a glass jar to store - straining out the cabbage. Store in the fridge, will keep for 2-3 days.

Use in smoothies and dressings or as a refreshing beverage to replenish healthy intestinal bacteria.

-Taken from: Lifehood Recipe Book: Living on Life Force, by David Judd, PhD and Annie Padden Judd.

**This recipe sounds kind of complicated, but is acually quite easy to make. The elixir does taste a bit cabaggy, but I find it very refreshing and enjoyable.


Enjoy!

Amy

Baked Apples and Cranberries

Baked Apples and Cranberries - really delicious, makes a lovely change.

Oven 350
6 apples, core and peel the top 1/2 or so from the top. DO NOT take the bottom out with the core if
you can avoid it. If you do by accident, put the little piece back in the bottom as best you can.

3/4 cup of cranberries or so (quantity is not critical.
3/4 cup packed soft brown sugar
4 tblsp honey
2 cups water.

Stuff cranberries into cored apples and sprinkle the rest around them in a high sided baking dish.
Dissolve sugar and honey in water and heat. Pour over apples and cranberries.
Put into the oven for 1 hour, basting the syrup over the apples from time to time.

Enjoy

Ellie
(PS I got it from the internet, but don't think recipes are copyrighted yet? If so, apologies to
the inventor of the recipe)

Fit for a Super Hero

I have a confession to make. I don't "love" kale. Truth be told, I probably haven't given it a fair chance. Perhaps if I spent more time tinkering in the kitchen I would change my mind. Because it's just so healthy, I force myself to eat it. I recently remembered one of the old newsletters which included a recipe for a kale smoothie. When I was whirring up our family's smoothies this morning I decided to toss in some kale for fun. Great success! I loved it and so did both my wee ones. In fact, Spider Man asked for seconds in order to recharge his super powers! I think the fruit likely offset the green taste of the kale, but I suppose that is fine. Our bodies still got the benefits of this super leafy green vegetable.

Here's my quick morning recipe

1 cup soy milk or milk
spoonful of vanilla yogurt
handful of frozen strawberries
handful of frozen blueberries
1/2 banana
2 leaves of chopped kale

Whir up in the blender and enjoy.

Now I'm going to try out that kale and potato soup in the previous post as it looks fantastic! Maybe I will learn to love kale (:

Kale & Potato Soup

We made this with the kale that was in the box a few weeks ago, and everyone loved it.

• 6 cups water
• 3 med-large potatoes, peeled & diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 cups chopped kale
• 1-2 tsp Gremolata *recipe to follow
• 3 cloves garlic chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• grated Parmesan to taste

1. In a medium saucepan, boil potatoes in the water 10 - 12 minutes, until tender and take off heat.
   


2. In a medium skillet heat oil and sauté onion until translucent.
   
3. Add the chopped kale and continue to sauté for 5 - 8 minutes.
   


4. Add the Gremolata and garlic ... sauté 2 - 3 minutes.


5. With a slotted spoon take half of the potatoes and add to kale.


6. Add stock and cook on medium for 10 minutes or until tender.
7. Add kale mixture back to the potato and water, simmer for another 10 minutes or until hot enough.
8. Serve with grated Parmesan ... Enjoy!

Gremolata

This makes about a cup. We use it in almost every Italian based recipe we do, especially pasta sauces.

• 1 cup sea salt - course
• 3 tbsp of lemon zest
• 3/4 cup whole garlic
• 2 tbsp whole or fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh sage
• 1/4 cup fresh rosemary

1. Combine in food processor or coffee / spice mill and grind to a fine powder.
2. Cover and store in the fridge.

Cabbage experiment #1

I guess gratin is the foodie word for scallop (thanks Lorrie :)) I am green in the food world really. I try and get by as a foodie without the proper qualifications. I don't know much about cooking. I love doing it and I sometimes make good things but I don't have the study of it under my belt in terms of terminology and science. I would very much like to attend for a weekend or two, Julia Child's school of cooking. Did any of you see the movie?

Anyway - tonight I started the cabbage adventure.

1/2 cup of chopped onions
1 cup cabbage cut into strips
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup cubed butternut squash
dash of pepper and salt if you like
Saute in a fry pan, cover and stir occasionally for 10 minutes
Add
1 cup cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp butter
Stir together
Bake for 15 minutes at 375F

We ate this with a side of boiled beet and carrots. Sounds boring but it is easy and yummy.

Izaak liked it 10/10, Lily doesn't like it, Frank ate it but didn't comment, Josh gave it a 8/10.
Josh commented that one can't really go wrong with cheese. I agree. Anyway we ate it all up and it was good. Tomorrow I will experiment without the security of cheese in my back pocket.