Caprese Salad, Caprese Sandwich, Caprese Pizza… Caprese Anything

There is nothing better, in my opinion, than an heirloom tomato.  The pretty much ruin me for supermarket tomatoes, and for good reason.  They are bursting (sometimes quite literally) with flavor, and are dense and meaty with tomato-y flesh.  Whenever I have one in hand, I can’t even imagine applying any heat to it, for fear of losing any of its precious taste.  Fortunately, there are a wide variety of ways to enjoy this delicacy without any cooking whatsoever.

Caprese is the classic Italian combination of basil, mozzarella, and tomato.  These three foods not only taste delicious together, but they also represent the three colors of the Italian flag.

For the simplest of starters, sides or salads, simply layer fresh basil leaves, sliced tomatoes, and sliced fresh mozzarella on a plate.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and top with salt and cracked pepper as desired.  A drizzle of balsamic vinegar would also be tasty.

The caprese theme hold endless possibilities:

• For more of an entree, place the magnificent trio if ingredients over a big, leafy salad.
• Layer them on a roll, baguette, or pita for a nice sandwich.
• Caprese would also make a magnificent pizza topping.  You could try tossing warm pasta with the mozzarella, bake until the cheese has a chance to melt, then top with diced tomatoes and basil.
• An Italian take on Spanish rice could be fun:  cook rice with tomato paste or pureed fresh tomatoes, season with Italian seasonings, then garnish with melted cheese, diced fresh tomatoes and sliced basil leaves.
• How about a caprese omelette?  or frittata?  or quiche?
• Baguette slices can be toasted with cheese, then chopped tomatoes tossed with olive oil and basil can be served as a topping or dip.

Stuffed Vegetables

The zucchini, squash, peppers, tomatoes  and artichokes are all great candidates for a stuffed vegetable.

The basic formula for a stuffed vegetable is to  hollow out the veggie, mix a filling of your choice of ingredients,  stuff the veggie with the filling and bake until the vegetable is tender enough to cut and the filling has been fully cooked.  The safest method is to have the filling pre-cooked, especially if it contains raw meat.

Usually stuffed vegetables contain a combination of any of the following:

breadcrumbs: store bought, crushed stale bread, panko

meat: sausage, ground beef, shredded chicken, shrimp

rice: brown, white, wild, (leftover rice works especially well)

chopped vegetables: mushrooms, onion, celery, carrot, peppers, greens

beaten eggs (to keep the filling from coming apart)

soft or grated cheeses: cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta, mozzerella, parmesan, swiss, feta

herbs and spices: basil, sage, thyme, marjoram, cayenne pepper, chili flakes, oregano

Stuffed vegetables typically bake at 350 degrees from anywhere from 15-35 minutes, depending on the heartiness of the vegetable being stuffed.  A good trick to steam the vegetable and maintain an even temperature while baking is to place a few inches of water in the bottom of the baking dish.

Cocktails

With distilleries becoming almost as common as breweries in Colorado, it really is possible to have a local cocktail!  Here are some thoughts for CSA Cocktails:

Basil Lemonade:  Muddle basil leaves, add ice, gin or vodka, and lemonade.  Shake and sip.

Peach Sangria: Some combination of the following is sure to be tasty:  sliced peaches, some pureed peaches, white wine, sparkling wine or soda, ginger ale, brandy, vodka.  Mix all ingredients except the fizzy ones and chill in the fridge for as long as you can stand to wait.  Before serving, add ice and the fizzy wine or mixer.

Cucumber Cocktail:  Puree cucumber, lime and sugar to taste to form a paste.  Shake a couple spoonfuls of the paste with ice, vodka and a splash of lemon lime soda.  Strain and savor.

Veggie Gratins

Layer veggies with a white sauce or cheese sauce and bake for a easy side dish.  Top with breadcrumbs, cheese and a little butter for a crispy, cheesy, golden brown topping.

Prime veggies for a gratin:  Squash, zucchini, kale, chard, tomato

Simple No Cook Fruit Desserts

Ripe summer fruit needs nothing but maybe a spritz  of lemon juice and a dollop of whipped cream to make a fabulous light dessert.  Peaches, Pears and Nectarines would work perfectly.   I also suspect that basil whipped cream could work…I’ll let you know once I’ve tried it out!!

One of my personal projects this summer was to organize my recipes into a useable format.  I have stacks of magazines, random notes from cookbooks, and unfiled recipe cards at home, not to mention the endless recipes available on my favorite food blogs.  After months of perusing and organizing and categorizing recipes, I must say I have gotten rather disenchanted with them.

Let’s be honest: recipes can be a pain!  They often require only a few teaspoons of a perishable ingredient which is only sold in a 10oz container.  They are hard to organize effectively (trust me).  They don’t always cater to your tastes, or the tastes of your family.  They are time consuming, for me at least, to follow.

Don’t get me wrong, I think recipes can also be very helpful.  I love to use them when learning how to prepare a new type of cuisine, a strange looking new vegetable, or a tricky sauce.  All I am saying is that there are times when a recipe is simply too fussy, and all you really need is some ideas and inspirations.  This is what I am going to attempt to accomplish with the CSA Muse posts.

Feedback is appreciated!!  I am hoping to help individuals and families prepare healthy meals once I become a registered dietitian, and the only way I can know if an idea really works is by hearing comments.  Do you like the tried and true recipe method of cooking?  Do you simply wait for an idea to strike while stading at the open refrigerator door?

Thanks all!

-Ellen

Preparing delicata squash couldn’t be easier.  Simply cut in half lenthwise, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down on a baking pan along with 1/4 inch of water.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until easily pierced by a fork.

The baked squash can be sliced, or served as is.  You could also scoop out the flesh and puree or mash the squash with seasonings for a simple side dish, baby food, or soup.

Delicata can also be sauteed, steamed or stewed.

Delicata is rich in potassium, and fiber, and also contains beta carotene, vitamin C, magnesium and manganese.

Ingredients and Preparation

1/2 cup white flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup yellow cornmeal

3 1/2 Tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small chunks

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine above ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the butter is evenly distributed and well broken up.

3 Tablespoons ice water

While the food processor is running, add one tablespoon of water at a time until the mixture just comes together.  Pat the dough into a flat circle, about 4 inches in diameter, on plastic wrap.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425

2-3 medium sized, ripe tomatoes- sliced into rounds

Salt and Pepper

Once the dough has chilled, roll out to about a 13 inch diameter circle.  Arrange tomato slices on top, leaving a 1 inch border all the way around.  Fold the border over the edges of the tomatoes to give the galette a rustic crust.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to your taste.

Bake on parchment paper at 425 degrees for 25 minutes , or until the crust is golden brown.

Feta cheese- about 1/2 cup

Remove galette from oven and sprinkle with Feta cheese.  Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Fresh basil leaves

Remove galette from oven and cool for 5 minutes.  Just before serving, place fresh basil leaves on top.

This recipe is adapted from Cooking Light, June 2011.

Ingredients and Preparation

Bunch of beet greens

Olive oil

Chop beet greens and stems into short pieces.  Heat olive oil over medium high heat, and sautee the greens and stems until tender.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

green onions- white parts, chopped

6 eggs

Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl.  Heat a medium oven-proof skillet over medium heat and coat with a small amount of olive oil- just enough so the eggs don’t stick.  Add about half of the egg mixture and let cook, without stirring,  for about a minute.  Spoon the beet greens and chopped green onions over the eggs in the skillet, then top with the remaining eggs.    Cook over the stove until almost completely set.

aged cheese- such as Parmesan, Asiago or Romano

Preheat the broiler.  Sprinkle grated cheese over the top and broil for a few minutes until the eggs are completely set and the cheese is browned.

Preparation-

Take one bunch of carrots and trim the green tops off.  Using the smallest carrots as your guide, chop them into roughly equal size pieces.

Steam the carrots over 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop about a 1/2 cup each of onion and celery.  Heat 1 tsp of butter and 1 tsp of olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, celery, and salt and pepper to taste.  Sautee until tender, about 5 minutes.

Combine the contents of the two pans into one saucepan.  Add 2 tsp of ground ginger, and a dash of cayenne pepper.  Blend the soup until smooth either by using an immersion blender, or by pouring the soup (carefully!) into a blender.  If desired, add a 1/4 cup of cream.  If you are not able to get the small chunks out by blending, strain the soup through a sieve.

Pour soup into a container and chill in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

To use kohlrabi, cut the leaves off right at the bulb.  If eating raw, you will most likely want to remove the tough outer layer of skin from the bulb.  If cooking, the skin may be left on.  The leaves may also be eaten and could be used in ways similar to kale.

Recipe ideas for Kohlrabi

Raw:

in salad

marinated

slaw

Cooked:

Roasted

Stir fried

added to soup

casserole

Leaves:

sauteed

added to soup

steamed

Quesadillas with Swiss Cheese, Chard,Mushrooms and Herbs

Bunch of chard, washed and cut down the stem, then cut into strips

A few cups of mushrooms, sliced in half then cut into strips

A Tablespoon or two of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and sautee until soft- this should take about 5 minutes.  Add the chard and sautee another several minutes until the stems are tender and the leaves are wilted.  Add more olive oil if needed, or a cube or two of frozen broth (see previous recipe for vegetable broth).  Put the mixture into a bowl and return the pan to the heat,  reducing heat to medium.

Burrito sizes flour tortilla

Swiss cheese, grated

Fresh basil, sliced into ribbons

Fresh onion tops, minced

Place the tortilla in the pan, and spread a thin layer of cheese on one half.  Top the cheese with about a quarter cup of the chard and mushroom mixture, then top with another thin layer of cheese.   Sprinkle with fresh basil and onion tops, then fold the tortilla in half.  Another tortilla can be assembled the same way and cooked at the same time.  Cover with a lid to keep the heat in- this allows the cheese to melt quickly.  Flip once the tortilla is a nice golden brown color.  When the tortilla is golden brown on the second side, remove, slice and enjoy!

Rainbow is the variety of chard pictured here.     Swiss chard contains high amounts of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E, and dietary fiber.  The stalks have various colors because they contain various phytonutrients- micronutrients which promote health.  Chard is one of many foods which contain antioxidants, which fight cancer causing free radicals in the body.

Chard is a relative of the beet.  It was developed by selecting beet plants with larger leaves and smaller bulbous roots.  The result is a plant with large, wide, sturdy, tasty leaves which can be prepared in a wide variety of dishes.

Chard can be eaten raw, although it may have a bitter flavor which will mellow out with cooking.  The stems are edible as well as the leaves.  When sauteeing, it may help to begin sauteeing the stalks before adding the leaves to ensure even tenderness.

Chard Recipe Ideas

Added to soup

Stir-fried

Sauteed

Alone, with garlic and olive oil

Added to rice or pasta dishes

Used as a pizza topping

Mixed with other veggies/meat in a sandwich wrap

Cooked in an omelette or frittata

Used in place of spinach for recipes such as spinach pie