CSA Action

Man, that being on the out of control merry-go-round sensation is not abating these days. Hopefully, next weekend, after Becky’s play, our century ride, and my family reunion, things will calm down some. But in the interim, I’ve been inundated with produce from my local CSA. Which, by the way, adds a certain level of pressure. I mean I feel guilty when I don’t use it all (so please don’t ask about the load of pickling cucumbers I just threw out). Luckily though, with some help from Chris and the kids, last week I was able to make a bunch of stuff and today a bit more, so I though I’d post some recipes.

To start, last week we, yet again, received Swiss chard and kale. That with what was still in the fridge from the previous week gave me the perfect opportunity to make:

Lentil Soup with Balsamic-Roasted Winter Vegetables

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups cubed peeled sweet potato, (about 8 ounces)
1 2/3 cups cubed peeled parsnip (about 8 ounces)
1 2/3 cups cubed peeled carrot (about 8 ounces)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (4 ounces) chopped pancetta
1 cup chopped shallots (about 6 large)
1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 medium)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/4 cups dried lentils
6 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
8 cups Swiss chard, trimmed and chopped (about 9 ounces)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°.

Combine sweet potato, parsnip, carrot, 2 tablespoons vinegar, oil, and salt in a large bowl; toss well. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on a large foil-lined jelly-roll pan; bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Cook pancetta in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add shallots and onion to drippings in pan; cook 15 minutes or until golden brown. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, thyme, garlic, and pepper; cook 1 minute. Add wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add pancetta, lentils, and 4 cups broth to pan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. Add remaining 2 cups broth and roasted vegetables to pan, and simmer 15 minutes, uncovered. Add chard, and cook 2 minutes or until wilted.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
CALORIES 373 (28% from fat); FAT 11.7g (sat 3.5g,mono 6.4g,poly 1.6g); PROTEIN 18.8g; CHOLESTEROL 14mg; CALCIUM 118mg; SODIUM 875mg; FIBER 15.3g; IRON 6.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2006

Now, the flavors do taste better the next day and I know it says to add the chard just before cooking, this is so it maintains it’s bright colors, but I freeze this soup, and I had the chard at that moment. Yeah, so my soup doesn’t look as pretty but it still tastes good. I made a double batch and will be enjoying it this fall. I was also able to throw in some parsnip and carrot from the farm too.

The other thing we had a lot of (and I’m not kidding when I say a lot), is squash, gold zucchini, yellow squash, green zucchini – I think they’re multiplying in my refrigerator. So, what do you make when you have a ton of zucchini? Zucchini bread! Well, not me, it’s hard for me to practice portion control with bread, so I opted for zucchini muffins instead.

Zucchini-Lemon Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup coarsely shredded zucchini
3/4 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Directions

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a bowl, and make a well in center of mixture. Combine zucchini, milk, oil, and egg; stir well. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans immediately, and let cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)
CALORIES 147 (26% from fat); FAT 4.3g (sat 0.8g,mono 1.2g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 3.1g; CHOLESTEROL 18mg; CALCIUM 69mg; SODIUM 62mg; FIBER 0.6g; IRON 1.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.3g

Cooking Light, JUNE 1995

These were way good – I had a hard time keeping Becky away. I experimented with one batch and used 1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 regular but no real difference. I made 6 dozen of these, most are in my freezer.

You know what, I have a couple more recipes to post but I need to get back to proofing Boleskine’s latest Venice Trip Report, so ciao for now.