Winter Squash, Kale, and Mushroom Quiche with Sausage

I love to think creatively about what I can do with ingredients that I have on hand. This is the result.

Winter Squash, Kale, and Mushroom Quiche with Sausage

Filling for four quiches + extra for frittata:

1 lb ground sausage

1 onion, minced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bunch of kale, chopped

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

4 C butternut squash cut in bite-sized pieces

Quiche (you need to quadruple for four, I like to prepare each custard individually):
1/4 to 1/2 c of shredded cheese (I like to combine different kinds)
4 eggs
2 c whole milk or combo of milk and cream equiv. to 2 cups
1/2 t salt
a couple twists of Trader Joe's South African Smoke Seasoning Blend
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1 c filling, drained

Your favorite pie crust recipe or use pre-made placed in 9 in. pie pan. You will have to use less liquid if your pan is smaller than 9 in.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 F. Saute onions and garlic with sausage until no pink remains in sausage. Drain. Add mushrooms and squash cooking until they release their liquid. Add kale and cook while preparing other ingredients. Drain.
2. Add eggs, milk, salt, seasoning, and nutmeg to a large bowl. Whisk until well blended.
3. Mix in filling.
4. Sprinkle crust with 1/4 to 1/2 c of shredded cheese.
5. Pour custard mixture into piecrust. Repeat steps 2-5 for additional quiche.
6. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes or until eggs are set and golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve either warm or cold.


Use remaining filling for a casserole, frittata, or crust-less quiche cups.

Here is my quiche.

I made the remaining filling into crustless quiche cups.

Curried Lentils with Sage Sausage and Roasted Veggies

This dish started as a "throw everything in the pot that you need to use up" sort of meal. My kids devour it and I've begun to make it on purpose!

Curried Lentils with Sage Sausage and Roasted Veggies

1 lb dried lentils

½ c dried green split peas

½ c dried yellow split peas

water to cover

10 c water with chicken bouillon (or equivalent in boxes; equal parts stock and broth)

2 bay leaves

2 T curry powder

2 t garam marsala

1 T onion powder

approx 5-6 c of roasted veggies, I used the following

1 lg eggplant

3 carrot

3 parsnips

2 bulbs fennel

2 sweet potatoes

1 bunch kale, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 TBS olive oil

1 lb sage ground pork sausage

2 leeks

2 cloves minced garlic

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

¼ to ½ c red quinoa, rinsed

Sort, rinse and drain lentils and split peas. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover pot and turn off heat and let sit for an hour.  Cook sausage with leeks and garlic. Set aside.

Cut up veg into bite-sized pieces and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast in 400 oven until caramelized about 1 hour. Turning halfway through. I use this time to soak the beans.

Add broth and stock to soaked beans and bring to boil, and then turn down to simmer. Add curry and onion powder, bay leaves, and garam marsala. Add sausage and leeks.

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Add kale and chopped garlic.   Add quinoa; cook for at least 15 minutes. After veg finish roasting, add them.

Serve with crusty bread.

Maria’s Cucumber Tomato Salad

This is such a simple, yet delicious, salad that I enjoyed on numerous occasions with my friend, Maria.

During graduate school when we needed something quick to eat, we would go to the grocery store and pick up some ready-made chicken tenders to eat with stone-ground mustard and make this salad to accompany it.

Maria’s Cucumber Tomato Salad

2 cucumbers

3 Roma tomatoes

4 T olive oil

salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1 t dried basil

Cut up cucumbers and tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and dried basil. Enjoy especially with grilled meat.

Storage Guide for Fresh Veggies

Thanks to my friend, Vanessa, for finding this guide. It will be handy to review at the start of every CSA season and may help prioritize (triage!) the use order of the veggies.

http://graphs.net/201311/storage-guide-for-vegetables-and-fruits.html

Explore more infographics like this one on the web's largest information design community - Graphs.net.

Herb-Roasted Lamb with New Potatoes

I never even tasted lamb until I was in my 20s when my thesis advisor made a couple of us lamb burgers while camping in March in the mountains in Colorado. Since then I have tried it in various ways, but none better than this recipe from Simply Recipes.  I had some new potatoes and found lamb on sale, so here is the new recipe that I tried from Ina Garten.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-roasted-lamb-recipe/index.html

Herb-Roasted Lamb with New Potatoes

Ingredients
12 large unpeeled garlic cloves, divided
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 (5-pound) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and tied
4 to 5 pounds small unpeeled potatoes (16 to 20 potatoes)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven so the lamb will sit in the middle of the oven.

Peel 6 of the cloves of garlic and place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the rosemary, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and butter. Process until the garlic and rosemary are finely minced. Thoroughly coat the top and sides of the lamb with the rosemary mixture. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Toss the potatoes and remaining unpeeled garlic in a bowl with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Place the lamb on top of the potatoes and roast for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the internal temperature of the lamb is 135 degrees (rare) or 145 degrees (medium). Remove from the oven and put the lamb on a platter; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow the lamb to rest for about 20 minutes. Slice and serve with the potatoes.

Shrimp Creole

Since we were overrun with bell peppers, we decided to enjoy some more Louisiana cooking. I used Emeril's recipe.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/shrimp-creole-recipe/index.html

Shrimp Creole

1 stick of butter
2 C onions, chopped
1 C bell peppers, chopped
1 C celery, chopped
salt and cayenne
2 lb chopped tomatoes
1-2 T chopped garlic
dash of Worcestershire sauce
dash of hot sauce
2 T flour
1 C water
2 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Essense or other Creole seasoning
1/2 c chopped green onions
2 T chopped parsley
4 C hot cooked rice

In a large saucepan (one gallon), over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, peppers, and celery to the pan. Season the vegetables with salt and cayenne. Saute the vegetables until they are wilted, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the bay leaves, tomatoes, and garlic. Season with salt and cayenne. Bring the mixture up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes. If the mixture becomes too dry add some water. Season the mixture with the Worcestershire Sauce and hot sauce. Whisk the flour and water together. Add the flour mixture to the tomato mixture and continue to cook for 4 to 6 minutes. Season the shrimp with Essence. Add the shrimp to the mixture and continue to cook for about 4 to 6 minutes or until the shrimp turn pink and curl up. Stir in the green onions and parsley.

Check the seasoning and add more salt and cayenne if needed. Serve the Shrimp Creole spooned over the rice.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/shrimp-creole-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Red Beans and Rice

I tried this recipe from Allrecipes.com to use some of my bell peppers. The kids loved it.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Authentic-Louisiana-Red-Beans-and-Rice/Detail.aspx?prop24=RD_RelatedRecipes

Red Beans and Rice

1 lb dry kidney beans
1/4 c olive oil
1 lg onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 T minced garlic
2 stalks celery, chopped
6 C water
2 bay leaves
1/4-1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 t dried thyme
1/4 t dried sage
1 t dried parsley
1 t Cajun seasoning
1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
4 C water
2 C long-grained white rice

1. Rinse beans; then soak them overnight.
2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat; then, cook onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery for 4-5 minutes.
3. Rinse beans and transfer to a large pot with six cups of water. Add vegetables and seasonings. Bring to a boil; then turn down to simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
4. Add sausage and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Prepare rice according to package directions.

Serve red beans and rice together with a splash of tabasco and vinegar.

Okra, Tomatoes, and Sweet Corn

Okra, Tomatoes, and Sweet Corn

I first experienced this combination of veggies at a restaurant in Lexington, KY called Ramsey's. It is truly delicious and something that I make with fresh or frozen vegetables.

1 lb okra, sliced fresh or frozen
2 lg tomatoes, diced (or 12 oz  can)
1 onion, diced
3 slices of bacon (optional, 1 T of olive oil can be substituted)
2-3 c of corn, sliced fresh from the cob or frozen
2-3 T worcestershire sauce
salt
freshly ground black pepper
splash of apple cider vinegar

Fry bacon in large skillet until crisp. Remove and leave approx. 1 T of bacon fat in the pan. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with crumbled bacon.

CSA Week 20 - Oct 17th - Final Week

This week's veggies include:

apples, green beans, sweet potatoes, arugula, acorn squash, turnips, bok choy, leeks, rosemary, and salad greens

CSA Week 18 - Oct 3rd

This week's veggies include:

acorn squash, salad greens, green onions, kale, sweet potatoes, beets, cilantro, lemon grass, and pie pumpkins