Summer is really over

I was in denial for a while but even the tomatoes taste different now.

Sweet potato fries

Sweet potato fries with cilantro, salt, white pepper, and cayenne. It's hazy because it was steaming hot when I took the photo!

Butternut Squash Soup

It's definitely Fall according to my CSA farmer. I decided to embrace all the fall squashes we got and made a thick and creamy butternut suash soup.

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
1 acorn squash (cubed)
2 leeks (chopped, I did quarter inch ringlets)
2 apples (peeled, cored, and cubed)
veggie broth (I use packets from TJ's)
some Greek yogurt
rosemary
thyme
salt and pepper to taste
roasted cashews
optional: turkey bacon

This is loose recipe. You can add as much squash as you like or have on hand. You can substitute onions or shallots for leeks. Any kind of apples will do. Use vegetable or chicken broth. You can use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt. Instead of turkey bacon, you can use real bacon or if you want a vegetarian version, I would suggest mushrooms.

Chop leeks and sautee in olive oil over medium heat until it starts to brown. Add butternut squash and acorn squash. Stir around and add enough broth to just cover the mix. Add apples. Boil for about half an hour, or until the squashes are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste (use less salt if you are going to add bacon). Turn of fire and start scooping batches into the blender to puree. I only blended 80% so I had some chunks left. You can do whatever pleases you. Turn fire back on, stir and boil down until you get a relatively thick consistency. Turn off fire. In a flat pan, fry bacon. When crispy, take out and chop into bits. Add to soup. Serve with roasted cashews, rosemary and thyme, and a dollop of Greek yogurt. Stir to blend yogurt. Fall wonderful-ness! (Not a great photo, sorry, I was in a super big rush because I was starving!)

Black and White Noodles

Buckwheat and cream noodles in vegetable broth with cabbage, tomatoes, and shrimp, served with a side of sauteed spinach. The mix of stuff that we get from our CSA helps with creativity!

Apple Cake

My friend Wilson turned me onto the food blog, Smitten Kitchen, a couple of months ago. Her husband takes gorgeous photos and she makes delicious looking food. What's not to love?

She posted a recipe for apple cake that looked so heartbreakingly good that I had to try it. Plus we've been getting a batch of apples every week from the CSA.

You should really check out Smitten Kitchen's photos for real inspiration. Here's a shot of my version from the top.



My changes: I used a 9x13 baking pan and it worked out fine. I'd maybe cut the time down 5 minutes. I used 8 small apples (don't know what kind- from my CSA). I substituted one cup of white whole wheat flour (doesn't sound right but that's what it says on the package) for one of the cups of all-purpose flour. For the batter part, I only used one cup of (brown) sugar, instead of two. The batter was pretty thin so there was only one layer in my cake. And I added the walnuts that were optional. Result? Great fall recipe that is really handy for all those apples from apple picking and the CSA. I would definitely make it again.

Fall Vegetable Stew

I made this yummy veggie stew with pumpkin, zucchini, tomatoes, parsley, cilantro and served it over some nutty tasting multi-grain rice from Fairway. It's the season for cozy meals.

Home-made Tomato Sauce

Geoff gave me a jar of home-made tomato sauce last week and I immediately used it in a pasta. Flax penne pasta and jar of artichokes from TJ's, one fresh tomato with Geoff's sauce, amazing!

Potato Salad

With the abundance of potatoes from the CSA, I've had to get creative with them. I stir-fried the potatoes with string beans, a red pepper, scallions (all from the farm) and sprinkled some parmesan on top.

Grilled Cheese

I loved grilled cheese. This version features Ezekiel's sesame bread, farm fresh tomatoes, mozarella and parmesan cheese. The salad is composed of red leaf lettuce that I'm growing on my windowsill, a beet, and a yellow pepper (both from the CSA).

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

We got our first batch of apples this week from the CSA. So I decided to make something yummy & healthy for breakfast with them. I found this Apple Oatmeal Muffin recipe from Cooks.com. My changes: 3 cups of chopped apples, whole milk, and five minutes extra bake time. Turned out yum.

Summer meals

The wonderful abundance of summer!


Peach pancakes topped with Greek yogurt, more peaches, and some maple syrup.




Summer classic: mozarella, tomatoes, basil, and a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

My greens!

Yesterday after work, my Mom and I went by the local church to pick up the season's first bounty from our CSA. There was a band playing and to my surprise, tons of kids! They were all enjoying themselves, dancing to the music.





A beautiful blooming tree outside the church.




We each had one of these delicious mini (less guilt) lemon cupcakes.



When we got home we made a Spring greens pesto with the arugula and spinach, along with some cashews, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, and cherry tomatoes that we had on hand.



It turned out superb. (Can I say that about my own cooking?)

My veggies are coming!

I'm super duper excited that my very first farmshare of veggies from farmspot is coming tomorrow! Greens all weekend. I have to start planning my salads out.