19 November, 2011
12 November, 2011
Week 4
It was a good morning! First, I hangout with hubby while he practiced. Then went to collect another exciting basket from CSA!!! After that, some 'me' time at my favourite local cafe - the Runcible Spoon. Oh... Breakfast was so yummy... Pancake and mocha. Ahh... ^_^
This week is another basket full of goodness from our CSA share. There are turnips, radishes, two carnival squashes and a big GORGEOUS bak choi. There is also a bag of kales. If you had been following my CSA veggie adventure, you will know that there was a little creature in the last bag of kales. So far, I have not seen any. :-p Among all the different leafy greens we have tried recently, I think I like kale more than most others. Personally, I think it has a distinct but light flavour with a slight sweet undertone to it.
Last but certainly not least, there is one 'small' sugar pie pumpkin. 'Small' was the word my CSA lady used in the description in her newsletter. However, I do not think that is true. Ours is 7 pounds!!! Tackling this SMALL pumpkin will probably be a weekend long task involving pie, bread and/or soup and toasted pumpkin seeds.
This week is another basket full of goodness from our CSA share. There are turnips, radishes, two carnival squashes and a big GORGEOUS bak choi. There is also a bag of kales. If you had been following my CSA veggie adventure, you will know that there was a little creature in the last bag of kales. So far, I have not seen any. :-p Among all the different leafy greens we have tried recently, I think I like kale more than most others. Personally, I think it has a distinct but light flavour with a slight sweet undertone to it.
Last but certainly not least, there is one 'small' sugar pie pumpkin. 'Small' was the word my CSA lady used in the description in her newsletter. However, I do not think that is true. Ours is 7 pounds!!! Tackling this SMALL pumpkin will probably be a weekend long task involving pie, bread and/or soup and toasted pumpkin seeds.
10 November, 2011
Kale Chips - Take 2
Since we ate the last batch in less than 3 minutes, I made more this morning. I don't think I will see them this evening. ^_^
p.s. I can imagine this being a nice crunchy topping for soup or pizza etc. Also, if it is to be serve to guests or at a party, removing the stems before it is baked will make it more elegant.
p.s. I can imagine this being a nice crunchy topping for soup or pizza etc. Also, if it is to be serve to guests or at a party, removing the stems before it is baked will make it more elegant.
Kale
I do not have a picture of the kale chips I made because me and hubby ate it all! So I guess that means it was good. Oh well... Maybe next time... But here is the recipe, it really really simple. And it tasted just like potato chips!
Baked Kale Chips (from http://www.allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp season salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F
Wash, drain and dry kale thoroughly.
Tear into bite-size pieces as needed.
Loosely lay kale onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Drizzle olive oil and season sat onto the kale.
Bake for ~15 minutes, or until crisp, but not burnt.
Baked Kale Chips (from http://www.allrecipes.com)
Ingredients
1 bunch of kale
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp season salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F
Wash, drain and dry kale thoroughly.
Tear into bite-size pieces as needed.
Loosely lay kale onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
Drizzle olive oil and season sat onto the kale.
Bake for ~15 minutes, or until crisp, but not burnt.
07 November, 2011
Bak Choi
I have not make many Chinese dishes with CSA produce. Since we have bak choi (白菜) this week, I decide to make one of my favourites - Shanghainese-style rice with vegetables (上海菜飯). Honestly, most Shanghai or Beijing style dishes are my favourites, though there are a few that are the favourites of the favourites.
Shanghainese-style rice with vegetables (上海菜飯) - literally, rice with vegetables. Well, one particular vegetable - bak choi. It is usually served along side pork chop or ribs. As we had quite a meat-heavy lunch, I made a lighter version of the dish. I did not follow any particular recipe(s) but a combination of what my parents taught me, a quick browsing through results pop up from Google search and minor adaptations to simplify the cooking process. All ingredients are approximations.
Shanghainese-style rice with vegetables (上海菜飯)
Ingredients
2 c Bak Choi, chopped
2-2.5 c Uncooked Rice
1/2 c Chinese Mushrooms, soaked and chopped
1 Chinese Sausage
1 tbsp Chinese Chicken Bouillon
2-2.5 c Water
Direction
Put all ingredients except Chinese sausage. Mix well.
Put Chinese sausage on top. (Note: It is much easier to chop after the sausage is cooked)
Turn rice cooker on normal setting.
When done, check that rice is tender.
Chop Chinese sausage and mix in well in the rice.
Shanghainese-style rice with vegetables (上海菜飯)
Ingredients
2 c Bak Choi, chopped
2-2.5 c Uncooked Rice
1/2 c Chinese Mushrooms, soaked and chopped
1 Chinese Sausage
1 tbsp Chinese Chicken Bouillon
2-2.5 c Water
Direction
Put all ingredients except Chinese sausage. Mix well.
Put Chinese sausage on top. (Note: It is much easier to chop after the sausage is cooked)
Turn rice cooker on normal setting.
When done, check that rice is tender.
Chop Chinese sausage and mix in well in the rice.
I decided to serve the rice in cooked acorn swan white squash, just for the fun of it. ^_^
Oh! It smelled SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD when it was cooking. Pretty delicious too. At least we thought so. Feel free to experiment with other 'western' substitutions.
05 November, 2011
Arugula
idea of arugula pesto came up during chit-chatting. I decided to give
it a try. My hubby has been using arugula in his sandwiches but I have
not tried any. I have also been thinking about a tossed pasta of some
kind. Shell pasta with bacon and arugula pesto sounds good for dinner.
I used a recipe of basic, traditional pesto, replacing basil with arugula.
Classic Genovese Pesto (from Better Homes and Gardens cook book)
Ingredients
1/3 c olive oil
2 c packed basil (arugula)
1/2 c pine nuts
1/2 c grated Parmesan
3-4 cloves of garlic
Combine all ingredients in a food processor/blender. Cover and
process/blend until nearly smooth, stopping and scraping sides as
necessary and adding enough of 2 tablespoons additional olive oil to
reach desired consistency. Add black pepper to taste.
Week 3
This week's goodies include arugula, bak choi, small white turnips and greens, big bag of white potatoes, radishes and more winter squashes. I am not sure what kind of squash the orange ones are. I might try arugula pesto and adding radishes in stir fry dishes.
01 November, 2011
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