Peach and Beet Salsa

Community Supported Agriculture - Beets are one of my favorite vegetables! We have beautiful beets from our CSA farmers at Fruitful Hills, and we have beets from the farmers at Bad Seed (http://www.badseedkc.com/). We've been eating beets in salads, and beet chips that we made. What else can we make with beets?

Heather - 1968 - Wishing I had more beets


We also have wonderful organic peaches from Bad Seed. These peaches are packed with flavor! When it comes to peaches, bigger is not better. Organic peaches are naturally small - and tasty!

An organic peach next to an organic tomato

So, we are combining the beets and peaches to make a light, sweet and spicy salsa made from fresh, local ingredients.

Peach and Beet Salsa

By: Heather McAnerney

2 c. diced organic peaches (Bad Seed)

2 c. seeded and diced organic tomatoes (Fruitful Hills)

1 c. diced organic cooked beets * (Bad Seed and Fruitful Hills)

1 c. diced cilantro

1 small red onion, diced (Fruitful Hills)

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced fine

3 T. lime juice

1 T. olive oil

Salt

*Prepare beets the day before. 

Boil beets until tender, peel. Refrigerate until cool.

Combine all ingredients. Add salt to taste. Refrigerate to allow flavors to combine. 

We served the peach and beet salsa with Tofu Nacho "Cheese", guacamole, and chips. Wonderful summer dinner! The recipe for Tofu Nacho "Cheese" is super easy. It's from the cookbook Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by Quentin Bacon. 

Candied Beet Chips

Community Supported Agriculture - Friday night at Bad Seed Farmer's Market, we picked up some more fabulous beets! (http://www.badseedkc.com/) We used a mix of both Candy Stripe Beets and Big Red Beets for the recipe Candied Beet Chips - below.
A mandoline slicer makes this recipe super easy - and fun!

The original recipe can be found at: http://www.marthastewart.com/857643/candied-beet-chips

My version is below:

Candied Beet Chips

Source: Martha Stewart Living

2 Large beets, any variety

3 c. water

1 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Peel, then slice beets into very thin rounds. If using a mandoline slicer, set the slicer to 1/8”.

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Add beets making sure they are submerged in the sugar water. Reduce heat, and simmer until slightly translucent, about 30 minutes.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Gently pour beets into colander to drain. Using small tongs, place beet rounds in a single layer on top of parchment paper. (If you place the beet rounds directly onto the baking sheets they will stick and will be ruined.) Bake until dry and firm, about 1 hour. 

Greek Lamb Pastitio

Community Supported Agriculture - We are so lucky to know our farmers! Most of our meat comes from Dodge City Beef. Heidi at Dodge City Beef sells beef from her father's cows. Now she is carrying lamb from one of her dad's neighbors. What do you make with ground lamb? Greek food of course - pastitio (it's like Greek lasagna).Visit Dodge City Beef: http://www.dodgecitybeef.com/ and know where your beef comes from.

Here is our recipe:

Greek Lamb Pastitio

By: Heather McAnerney

2 lb. ground lamb

1 clove garlic, minced

½ c. water

1 t. cinnamon

¼ t. nutmeg

½ c. butter, melted and divided

4 eggs, beaten

¼ t. cinnamon

1 onion, chopped

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 t. salt

½ t. pepper

1 lb. macaroni

½ c. Parmesan cheese

6 T. flour

4 c. hot milk

Sauté ground lamb, onion, and garlic in large skillet. Drain. Add tomato sauce, water, salt, 1 t. cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg. Cover and simmer.

Cook macaroni, drain. Add ¼ c. butter, parmesan cheese, and eggs.

Melt ¼ c. butter in saucepan, and flour and cinnamon. Gradually, slowly whisk in hot milk. Stir till thick. Layer in a greased 9X13:

½ macaroni mixture, All the meat, ½ macaroni mixture, All of the sauce

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Beet Carrot and Soy Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Community Supported Agriculture - We made some great tacos tonight using our beautiful Bib lettuce leaves from Fruitful Hills CSA, and beets and carrots from Bad Seed Farmer's Market.

Here's the recipe:

Beet Carrot and Soy Lettuce Wrap Tacos

By: Heather McAnerney

2 beets

3 carrots

Olive oil

Sea salt

5 oz. frozen corn, thawed

1 package soy crumbles

Spanish Gardens Taco Seasoning (Spanish Gardens is a local company)

Pickled jalapeño slices + juice from the jar

Bib lettuce leaves

Grated cheese

Fresh tomato, chopped

Ranch flavored sour cream

Cutting this way really saves time

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel beets and carrots. Use French-fry cutter and slice into long rectangular slices. Cut slices into cubes. Place beet and carrot cubes onto cookie sheet, sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt. Mix to coat. Roast in oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until done.

Such beautiful patterns in the beets

Cook corn in the microwave.

Add a small amount of olive oil to a skillet and heat. Add soy crumbles and heat through. Season to taste with Spanish Gardens Taco Seasoning. Add several jalapeño slices and jalapeno juice to taste. Add corn and roasted carrots and beets. Stir to combine.

Place a scoop of veggie/soy mixture into a Bib lettuce leaf. Top with toppings including grated cheese, fresh tomato, and ranch flavored sour cream, or other favorite toppings.

The Bibb lettuce leaves make perfect taco shells

Farm Fresh Quiche

Community Supported Agriculture - Our Sunday morning started off right with a quiche full of farm fresh ingredients!

Farm Fresh Quiche

Filling Ingredients

8 slices bacon (Dodge City Beef)

1/2 onion, chopped (Fruitful Hills)

1 garlic scape, diced fine (Fruitful Hills)

1 c. grated zucchini (Fruitful Hills)

4 eggs, beaten (Fruitful Hills)

1 c. milk

1c. half & half

1 T. flour

dash nutmeg

1 1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese

sea salt

crust

1/2 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. whole wheat flour (Acme Grain)

1/3 c. rounded Butter flavored Crisco

5 T. + ice water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut bacon into 1" pieces. Cook in a skillet on medium low until browned. Remove bacon and drain on paper napkin. Cook onion and garlic scape in drippings until tender and slightly browned. Remove and add to the bacon to continue draining. 

Spread grated zucchini onto a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle with salt. (This helps remove excess moisture and will allow the quiche to bake completely.)  

Prepare crust. Whisk together the white and wheat flour. Cut in the Crisco. Working in sections, sprinkle the ice water one tablespoon at a time, and then mix with a fork in that section. Continue around the bowl. This is more ice water than an all white four crust will use, but it helps bring the whole wheat flour together. More or less water may be required. When the dough comes together, pat into a flat disc. Place on floured surface, and roll out. 

To keep crust in shape, line the un-pricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. Bake in 450 degree oven for 5 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5-7 minutes more.

While crust is baking, combine filling ingredients. When crust is finished baking, pour mixture into hot pie shell. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 45-50 minutes until knife comes out clean. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Farm Fresh Quiche, pictured with a slice of sunflower whole wheat bread from New Traditionalist, and  a fresh cherry tomato from a work acquaintance's garden

Cranberry, Feta, Pecan Salad - Ann's Salad

Community Supported Agriculture - We are loving all of the mixed greens and fresh lettuce that we receive each week. This recipe is one of our family favorites. I got the original recipe from my dentist. People joke that she was drumming up business with the sugared pecans!

 I've tweaked her original recipe over the years, like substituting Agave Nectar for sugar in the dressing. A healthier version of course would be to serve the salad topped with plain pecans, not sugared pecans. 

Cranberry, Feta, Pecan Salad - Ann’s Salad

10-12 c. mixed fresh greens or fresh spinach

1 c. dried cranberries

1 c. crumbled feta cheese

Candied pecan topping:

2 c. whole pecans

1c. sugar

Poppy seed dressing:

2 oz. olive oil

2 oz. brown rice vinegar, or rice wine vinegar

2 or more tsp. Agave Nectar

2 or more tsp. poppy seeds

Prepare pecans ahead of time. Have a cookie sheet or wax paper next to the stove ready to use. To prepare pecans, toast the pecans in a skillet over medium heat. Remove the pecans and add the sugar to the skillet. Cook the sugar in a skillet over low-medium heat, stirring constantly. The sugar will crumble, then eventually melt and caramelize. When the sugar is melted, add pecans and stir quickly then turn the pecans and sugar out onto a cookie sheet. Let the pecans cool and then break them apart. This is the hardest part of the recipe, if the heat is too high they will burn.

Combine dressing ingredients, shake and chill.

Combine salad ingredients. Top the chilled salad with the pecans. Serve with the dressing.

Lettuce Wraps

Community Supported Agriculture - What should we make with those big, beautiful lettuce leaves from our CSA delivery? Lettuce wraps of course!

Lettuce Wraps

(Teriyaki chicken mixture, veggie slaw, Asian rice sticks/noodles, peanut sauce, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, cilantro,  big dark green lettuce leaves)

Teriyaki Chicken Mixture

2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce below

3 green onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped fine

 Vegetable oil

Hot chili sesame oil

Veggie Slaw                                             

2 cup red cabbage, finely sliced

1 each red, yellow and green peppers, finely sliced and cut into 2” pieces

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely sliced and cut into 2” pieces

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Veggie Slaw Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3cup brown rice vinegar

3 tablespoons Agave nectar

Sprinkle of sea salt

Generous sprinkle of fresh ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons hot chili sesame oil

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Agave Nectar

2 squirts Sriracha hot pepper sauce, or to taste (Red Rooster bottle)

1 clove garlic, minced

½ c. water

Toppings

Cilantro, chopped

chopped peanuts

bean sprouts

1 package Asian rice sticks/noodles

lettuce leaves

extra Sriracha sauce

Marinade chicken pieces in teriyaki sauce in the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before cooking. Chop veggies for slaw and put into a big bowl. Combine veggie slaw dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk and pour over veggies. Let veggie slaw sit at room temperature to allow dressing to marinade.

Boil a big pot of water, add Asian rice sticks/noodles, and boil 3 minutes (or according to package directions). Drain.

While water is boiling, combine peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix with a whisk.

Heat vegetable oil and several drops of hot chili sesame oil in a wok or sauce pan (about ¼ cup vegetable oil– depending on what you are cooking in). Add garlic, green onions, and jalapeño for chicken mixture and cook for one minute. Add chicken and teriyaki sauce and cook until chicken is no longer pink and cooked through. Remove to a bowl.

Add a little more oil to the wok, and quick fry the Asian rice sticks/noodles.

Arrange bowls of ingredients so everyone can assemble their own lettuce wraps.