Leeks

I like to start by chopping off the root end of the leek, the ‘hairy’ part.

Then I separate the dark green tops from the white and lighter green part of the leek. This is where a lot of the dirt is, so don’t be alarmed when your cutting board gets dirty.  We will be washing! Most recipes call for just using the white and light green part of the leek, as this is the most tender part. Wash off the dark green parts and save them for homemade stock, or compost.

Then I cut the leeks in half lengthwise.  This is to help clean them.  I don’t cut them all the way through, as you can see in the photo below.  This makes them easier to clean and chop later.

Next I find a long container to submerge the leeks in water, as they need a bit of a soak.  An old yogurt container works just fine.  I ended up using 4-5 leeks.  Some were bigger and some were smaller.

As I let the leeks soak, I get the rest of the ingredients ready, namely half an onion and some carrots.  I just chop them up into rough chunks.

I also get the oil ready in the pan.  A shallow wide pan works best, over medium heat.  You don’t want any of the ingredients to brown in this dish, so make sure that heat isn’t up too high!  I add about 1/4 cup olive oil to the heating pan.  Use your best oil here, as the taste will come through in this simple dish.

Wait until the oil starts to shimmer before adding the onion and carrot.  If you add them to cold oil, they will soak up the oil, which is not what you want in this case.

I add salt (about 3/4-1 teaspoon) at this point, and stir it in.  I like to add salt from the beginning, to build flavor.  I will taste it again at the end and add more if needed.

Back to the leeks.  I’ve let them soak in the water in the yogurt container until all the dirt has fallen to the bottom.  At this point, don’t pour the water off, but give the leeks a good swish and lift them out of the water.  You will see the dirt at the bottom of the container.

Now you have some clean leeks and are ready to chop!  Inspect the leeks first, and rinse off any extra dirt under running water.

Go ahead and chop them up…

And add them to the pan!

I also like to add 2-3 Tablespoons white rice to this dish.  You can also use brown rice, but cooking time will be longer.

I then added about 1/2 cup water, turned the heat to low, covered it, and let it simmer.  Check it every few minutes at first to make sure there is enough water in there, and it doesn’t burn.  Add more water if needed.  After about 20 minutes or so, remove the lid, and test the rice to see if it is soft.  When it’s soft, it’s done!

Add the juice of 1 lemon.  I used a Meyer lemon, because it’s what I had, but you can also use a regular Eureka Lemon.  Make sure you taste, and add more olive oil or salt as needed.

Dish it up and enjoy!  This recipe serves about 4. 

I started off by 1st chopping the sweet potatoes into large chunks.  I chopped up some red onion (because it was what I had on hand, white or yellow would be fine too), and added it to the pot in some coconut oil.  After that I added some chopped red bell pepper.

Although, the recipe calls for fresh garlic and ginger, I used granulated garlic, and powdered ginger, because it was what I had on hand .  I also added ground ancho chili, cumin, and fresh mexican oregano from the garden (pictured below on the cutting board.)  I was staying away from any spicy flavors that the recipe called for (jalapeno, crushed red pepper), to make the dish palatable for my 3-year-old daughter.  I figured we could add the spice separately into our dishes at the end if we wanted it.  I added the sweet potatoes to the pot, along with 1 cup or so frozen diced tomatoes (I didn’t have any tomato paste on hand).  And salt and pepper to taste.    

Then I added just enough water to cover everything, and started simmering. 

In a separate pan, I began browning the ground beef.  (Grass fed of course!)  This can absolutely be left out for a vegetarian, and even vegan version, or ground turkey can also be substituted.

After some simmering, the recipe also called for some chopped zucchini (pictured below is the last zucchini of the season!)

After the sweet potato mixture had simmered for about 45 minutes, I added the zucchini, and browned meat.

After this simmered for about 15 minutes, I added the peanut butter.  I did this by putting 1/2 cup peanut butter into a small bowl, adding about 1 cup of the hot stew liquid, and mixed it until a paste formed.  I then added it back into the pot, and simmered for another 15 minutes.

I served the stew over white rice, with a side of wilted chard from the garden.  It was delicious, there were rave reviews, and happy and full tummies!

Recipe from Joy of Cooking:

Heat in a large heavy sauce pan over medium-low heat:

1/4 cup peanut oil (I used coconut oil)

Add:

1 onion, chopped

1 red or green bell pepper, chopped

1 fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper, seeded and minced (I left this out)

Cook until vegetables are tender, but not brown, 7 to 10  minutes.  Add:

4 cloves garlic (I used 1-2 teaspoons granulated)

1 Tablespoon minced fresh peeled ginger (I used 1-2 teaspoons dried)

Cook for another 2-3 minutes and stir in:

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I omitted)

Cook for 1 minute and add:

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1/3 cup tomato paste (I added ~1 cup diced frozen tomatoes)

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Add enough water to barely cover the vegetables and mix well.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the stew cooks, heat in a medium skillet over medium heat:

1 teaspoon peanut oil (I used coconut oil)

Add:

12 ounces ground beef or turkey (I think I used a pound)

Saute, turning often, until browned.  Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside until the stew has cooked for 45 minutes.  When ready, add the meat to the stew, along with:

2 small zucchini, trimmed and sliced

Cook for another 15 minutes.  Place in a small bowl:

1/2 cup peanut butter (chunky or smooth), preferably unsalted (mine was salted, didn’t matter)

Stir in 1 cup of the stewing liquid until smooth and add the peanut butter mixture to the pot.  Mix well and cook another 15 minutes.  Season with:

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Serve plain or with:

Hot cooked rice or couscous

It is fall, and the season of hard winter squash is here!  Besides being a beautiful decoration, the many varieties of winter squashes we send throughout the season in deliveries are highly edible, delicious and nutritious!  They have a huge amount of vitamin A, as well as Vitamin C, as well as fiber, calcium, iron, manganese, potassium, and B vitamins.  Many people are intimidated by hard winter squashes, but they really are quite easy to prepare. 

Simple Roasted Squash

Preparation time: Depends on size of squash, see directions
2 ½ pounds of winter squash makes 2-3 cups of cooked squash or 4 servings

1 winter squash 
Butter or Oil
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cut the stem end and bottom off so that you have a flat surface to steady the vegetable when you bi-sect it.  Cut squash in half. Be sure to use a strong, sharp knife – a serrated utility knife (click here) works well.  Scoop out the pith and seeds.  Rub butter on the face of the squash, sprinkle with a few grains of salt and lay flat on a lightly oiled baking dish. Bake until tender.  Test by inserting a fork; it should slide in easily and feel soft.  Small squashes, such as delicata will only take 35-45 minutes to bake, while a squash weighing 3 pounds may take up to 90 minutes.  This cooked squash may then be scooped out and used for many different recipes, or just eaten straight!

This simple dish becomes even more magical when baked with a little cinnamon and brown sugar. You can also roast it with chopped fresh rosemary and olive oil or flip them over and dress with sage and butter or maple syrup and tamari during the last 5 minutes of roasting time. 

We are starting to see Fuji apples and Pink Ladies this week as well.  Farmers still have crops of zucchini.  We have also been lucky to try some of the tropical fruit from Charles Moore of Gladys Ave Urban Farm.  Longans, Bananas, Jujubes just to name a few.  Persimmons, surely a sign of fall, are just starting to appear as well.  Most farmers are telling me that the crop is late this year.  This week was the last for figs, and citrus season will begin sometime in November.  Keep enjoying those heirloom tomatoes and peppers, freezing what you don’t use fresh.  Come February, you’ll be glad you did!

This week brings our 1st cherry tomatoes, Sungold variety, from Tutti Frutti Farms.  We also will be including Heirloom Tomatoes in the boxes from them in upcoming weeks.  Also lots and lots of zucchini!

Sungold Tomatoes

The unseasonably cool weather is terrific growing conditions for lots of greens, like the delicious bunched spinach from Rutiz Farms this week. Located near Pismo Beach, in Arroyo Grande, Jerry’ Rutiz’s farm is absolutely worth a summer field trip–for the farm stand, U-Pick berry days, and the overall beauty of the area in general.  Strawberries from Rutiz Farms will be slowing down this summer, as we focus on other delicious summer fruits.  

We will have blueberries through the 4th of July (I’m told!) from Whitney Ranch in Carpinteria, CA.  Enjoy them while they last!

One of my favorite summer recipes has got to be Zucchini Fritters.  Easy and quick to make, and a crowd pleaser for sure!

Most greens pair well with bacon, or other forms of pork, such as sausage.  For vegetarians, I like to substitute onions or leeks, caramelized in olive oil or butter, and a dash of soy sauce for this depth of flavor that meat provides.  You can never go wrong adding garlic to greens. There are many green recipes available both on the beachgreens website and blog, a basic is braised greens, as well as a raw salads. 

The all-star nutrient in dark leafy greens is Vitamin K.  A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own. Recent research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important than we once thought (the current minimum may not be optimal), and many people do not get enough of it.  Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with oil. (http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbsuperfoods/a/greensnutrition.htm)

Another way I like to get greens is with breakfast, as this is gives a powerful start to the day!  Use leftover greens from dinner the night before, and add them to your eggs, or enjoy with a bowl of brown rice.

See this week’s Kickin’ Collard Greens Recipe Here.

It’s that time of year again, farmers are running out of stores of hard winter squashes, and the promise of strawberries is on the horizon.  In fact, we had our 1^st delivery with strawberries last week.  They were delicious, I thought, but will definitely become more heavenly as the weather warms, and the rain decreases.  This is a beautiful, yet tricky time of year for produce delivery.  We are inundated with tons and tons of leafy greens, peas, artichokes, green garlic—those things that signify the beginning of spring.  The rain is nice, but makes strawberry delivery tricky, as if they get too wet, they will not last through the week.  I feel grateful today to all those who pick the food that we deliver in beachgreens deliveries, as when I talked to the farmer today, she mentioned the extreme muddy conditions in the field, and she was hoping we could get all the cauliflower we needed!  We will see baby zucchini in about a month or so, and early stone fruit after that (apriums, apricots).  Here’s to the blessed warming of spring, the rains much needed, and heads of lettuce as big as a small child?!?

The answer is spinach!  This spinach comes in bulk from Tutti Frutti Farms in Northern Santa Barbara County.  More flavorful than any spinach I’ve ever had, I like to throw it in just about anything–eggs, soups, salads, you name it.  There are a lot of delicious recipes for spinach here on our website.