Organic Harvest Box for August 23, 2012

So while I was out of town last week, Tasha is sending me this beautiful photo of the cherry tomatoes from Songberry Farm (not to make me jealous of course) and some of you may have been lucky enough to get them if you are getting the Local Only box.

And then she proceeds to send me this recipe for a Tomato Medley by Jamie Oliver.  Really, we are out of town, not cooking for ourselves checking email only to see mouth watering cherry tomatoes and a great idea for what to do with them - and we can't have any.  However, this week's order has both cherry tomatoes and orange field tomatoes and if I raid our own plants, I think the Tomato Medley will be a great starter one night for dinner.  In case you are unsure, you can get Halloumi cheese for the recipe at almost any Middle Eastern grocery store.  

I don't want to rush the end of summer by any means, my oldest daughter starts school for the first time in a couple of weeks, swimming in the lake won't last much longer, and traffic on your favorite thoroughfare is going to get busy again.  But I do love to see the start of the fall harvest in our veggie order.  Soup season will start again soon and it's one of my favorite meals so I'll probably make a Potato Leek Soup this week.  I make this recipe from the Joy of Cooking, it is very simple:

3 tbsps. unsalted butter
6 medium leeks, chopped
1 1/4 lbs potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
6 c. stock (poultry, vegetable) or water
Salt and Pepper
1/2 to 1 c. heavy cream

In a soup pot, over low heat, melt the butter.  Add the leeks, stirring regularily, and cook until they are tender but not browned about 20 minutes.  Stir in the potatoes and stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are soft, approx. 30 min.  Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth.  Add the cream and reheat gently.  Serve garnished with snipped chives.

I was trying to keep summer in mind and think of some light and fresh recipes to keep me away from what I really want to start cooking - fall comfort food - so I started to search out salads with beets and fennel.  I could write this whole blog just about that combo (and I apologize in advance if that's what it turns into).  Add some apple or some oranges to the mix and I will need three extra orders of each.  Here is what I came up with - starting light and fresh and still a great choice for this weekend's hot weather - Hearty Beet and Fennel Salad - don't forget to use that basil from the plant from week's ago.  Everything is grated, no cooking and a really fresh tasting dressing - you might want to wear rubber gloves when grating the beets.  Another two salads that caught my eye are Herbed Beets with Fennel and Beets with Fennel, Orange and Walnuts; both require cooking the beets first, roasting or boiling.  But fast forward a few weeks from now when we are getting much cooler weather, frosty mornings, and leaves turning, and you would do equally well to make this recipe for Roasted Beets, Fennel and Apple  or Beet and Fennel Soup with Kefir.

Since I offhandedly mentioned wearing rubber gloves for grating your beets, I thought I should check into how to clean beet juice stains from your hands.  Google is a wonderful thing but can easily distract - did you know that drinking beet juice is the latest performance enhancing craze.  According to Adrian Chen of Gawker - beet juice was "the fuel of elite international athletes in London."  Apparently the nitrates improve the muscles ability to use oxygen.  I digress from my original thought - how to remove beet stains from your skin.  If you can, do avoid getting your skin stained in the first place by wearing kitchen gloves when prepping your beets, but if you prefer bare hands - then after the fact you can try a bit of lemon juice when you are washing hands.  Or you can use coarse salt (or table salt if you don't have coarse) on your dry hands and try rubbing them together until the stains start to lift and the salt starts to "melt".  At this point you can rinse you hands, if the stains still remain you can try repeating the process.  Be aware of a couple of things - remove your watch and jewelry prior to using the salt, be wary if you have any nicks or cuts on your skin, and this trick may actually work on clothing as well.

A couple of more ideas for this week:

• Use the green beans and tomatoes in "Beatrice's Salad" from Ricardo's website,
• Use the broccoli and apple in Broccoli Apple Soup from Food52.com,
• Pick up an onion and add it to the fennel, green pepper and tomatoes to make The Ultimate Greek Salad from Nigella's website

And enjoy the hot weather this weekend with some great food and fresh produce.

Organic Harvest Box for June 21, 2012

It's really late tonight as I'm writing this, so I apologize in advance for any nonsensical musings about garlic scapes and kohlrabi.  I'm trying my best to get the blog posted on Wednesday evenings and hopefully - coming soon to an email near you - to send the blog via email at the same time as your invoice based on the popular response from the survey.  So in my effort to get this to you on Wednesday night, after getting through regular work and family commitments, the blog is getting my full attention as last item to get done very late in the evening.

I am so excited to get garlic scapes this week, maybe a little overly excited.  I love scapes, I discovered them only last year and have been asking the last 3 weeks at the Ottawa Farmers Market, "when will you have scapes?"  And now we do, I bought a huge bag at the market and we are getting more in our veggie box this week.  You may have even had some scapes in your green garlic last week - they are the long firm bean like stems that come out from the green leaves of the garlic.  Scapes have a milder taste than garlic and are very versatile.  They can be sauteed, steamed, chopped fine, stir fried, grilled, put in sauces or pureed into pesto.  You could saute them with this week's green beans, or make a pasta with the scapes and spinach.  I have so many plans for my scapes, but I'm most excited about making pesto from them.  

Getting ready to make Scape Pesto

There are so many recipes out there for scape pesto that it really just depends on which ingredients you want more or less of.  Here are a few different recipes:

• Scape Pesto 2 Ways 
• Scape Pesto - from www.seriouseats.com
• Scape Pesto - from a local blogger

My Scape Pesto

I came across a recipe for Double Garlic Soup that could make use of last week's green garlic (if you have any left) and this week's scapes, and also this dip recipe from 2 Sisters Garlic in Indiana.

White Bean and Garlic Scape Dip 

1/3 cup sliced garlic scapes (3 to 4)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, more to taste

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, more to taste

Ground black pepper to taste

1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling.

In a food processor, process garlic scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add cannellini beans and process to a rough purée.  With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 tablespoons water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip. Add more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice, if desired.  Spread out dip on a plate, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with more salt.  Serve with bread, tortilla chips, etc.

It may be sounding like it, but this is not late night craziness. I am also excited to get kohlrabi this week. Not quite as excited as I am about the scapes, but a little oddly excited about kohlrabi. I had it for the first time at some point last year in our veggie box and my girls ate it all up - just sliced - they thought it was apple. It was delicious. At some point this spring, my mother told me that my grandmother used to grow kohlrabi all the time in her garden because it grew so easily, and so my daughter and I planted some this spring in front of our tomatoes. I only have 4 plants, and the bunnies have eaten the leaves off three of them, so they are a bit sad looking but the bulbs are growing and should be ready soon. 

I read a few different things about kohlrabi and my favorite description is "little sputnik like vegetables." The bulbs should trimmed of leaves and then stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. The small ones can be eaten as is with the skin, larger ones need the tough skin peeled off. Most of what I read recommends eating kohlrabi raw and I completely agree.  Have it chopped as a snack, cubed, or shredded into a salad such as Kohlrabi Apple Slaw with Creamy Dressing. If the leaves are still on the "sputnik" then they can be sliced into a salad, that is if the bunnies haven't eaten all of them off the plants (not that I'm bitter or anything). Kohlrabi is also good cooked, slice or dice it and wrap in tinfoil to grill on the BBQ or cook it according to this recipe for Kohlrabi Ham Bake.

Okay, now I am into late night craziness as evidenced by the photo, so just one last thing for this week's box. My favorite mom website is SavvyMom.ca.  The most recent installment of One Ingredient, Four Ways, on their EatSavvy section is about cucumbers, which for me is perfect timing.  Number one - we have cucumbers in the box this week, and number two - we are entertaining at the cottage this weekend (where the kids will outnumber the adults, hence sliders instead of burgers) so I can try the Lamb Sliders with Cucumber and Feta Sauce.  The other cucumber recipes from EatSavvy are Homemade Tzaziki, Roasted Salmon with Fresh Cucumber Salsa, and Chilled Cucumber Soup.

Under the wire, blog finished and posted on Wednesday evening, a first for me, like growing kohlrabi and making scape pesto.

POST NOTE - Friday, June 22, 2012 - just got my box and Tasha wanted everyone to know - try to eat your green beans soon, ASAP if you can.

Organic Harvest Box for June 14, 2012

A potted basil plant?  What if it doesn't grow, how guilty will I feel? It's the same sentiment I had when my mother-in-law told me that she had a hibiscus tree for me when we first got married, what if I kill it?  "Maybe you should keep it for now until we get a bigger place."  That was 15 years ago, I still don't own any indoor plants.

Some basil at Belle Terre

I am pretty decent at keeping a vegetable garden but in the last few years, I haven't had any luck with basil. It could be the constant sun in the backyard, or the plant boxes that didn't retain any moisture, and most recently the children that like to water everything all of the time, over and over and over.  This year, I have my herbs in a new pot, and not surprisingly the mint has taken over almost the whole pot.  Luckily, my oldest daughter is keen to chew on anything that comes out of our garden so every time we go outside, she can have a sprig of mint.  I will try to grow the 3" potted basil in that big herb pot.  I did a bit of reading to make sure I am doing the right things with my basil, and what I did learn is that basil does need sunny conditions (up to 8 hours per day) with soil that has good moisture retention.  It is important to regularly (weekly) pick the basil leaves to encourage further growth, and apparently by pinching the centers, it will promote bushiness.  Fresh basil is so great to have all year if you can.  My favorite use for fresh basil is a simple Caprese Salad which you could do this week with the new basil plant (your first trimming) and the hot house tomatoes.  Pick up a really good piece of buffalo mozzarella or fresh mozzarella, your favorite olive oil and I opt for some balsamic vinegar as well.  Part of the fun of making Caprese salad is deciding how to present it.  Later in the summer when I have cherry tomatoes, I slice them in half and then toss them with squarish chunks of mozzarella or torn pieces of the cheese.  With the tomatoes that are coming in this week's box, a more interesting presentation would be to slice the tomatoes into 1/2" slices and mozzarella into 1/4" slices.  Overlap the tomatoes and mozzarella in a round on a plate or my absolute favorite (taken from a great meal we had at Casa Bella in Gananoque years ago) is to alternate stacking them about 2" high.  Sprinkle the basil leaves over the salad.  Drizzle the olive oil over, sprinkle with a bit of balsamic if you choose and a really good salt (I love fleur de sel for this) and a bit of pepper.

I am making a new lamb dish this weekend for friends from the Early Summer edition of LCBO's Food and Drink magazine - it is Slow-Roasted Breast of Lamb with Potatoes and it calls for Yukon Gold potatoes - how apt that we are getting some in our box.  This dish is a bit fancy, but you could also use your potatoes for roasting in the oven or on the BBQ, or sliced with some onions, the green garlic, and some butter wrapped in tin foil and placed on the BBQ.  Here however is the LCBO recipe - I'm sure in a few months it will be available www.lcbo.com, but not just yet.

4lbs lamb breast on the bone (about 2 breasts), trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2lbs large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut in thirds
1/2 c. 2 inch rosemary sprigs
1 whole head garlic, separated into cloves


SAUCE
1/2 c. red wine
2 tbsp. port
2 c. beef or chicken stock
1 tsp. tomato paste


Preheat oven to 275F.  Cut away any excess fat from the top of the breasts.  Sear, fat side down in a large skillet over high heat for 3 min. or until browned.  Turn over and repeat for bone side.  Season lamb with salt and pepper and place, fat side up, in a roasting pan.  Add potatoes to skillet and toss in lamb fat to coat.  Season with salt and add to roasting.  Sprinkle over rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves and cover pan tightly with lid and/or foil.  Place in oven and roast for 3 to 3 1/2 hrs or until the meat is fork tender and much of the fat has melted.  Uncover, raise heat to 400F and roast for 20-30 minutes longer until potatoes are golden and meat is browned.  Remove lamb and potatoes from roasting pan to a carving board.  Let rest for 10 minutes while you make the sauce.


Discard all fat from roasting pan but keep any juices.  Discard rosemary.  Slip garlic out of skins and discard any burnt ones.  Mash the remaining garlic.  Add red wine and port and place over high heat scraping the base of the pan to incorporate all the browned bits as well as the garlic.  Reduce by half then add stock and tomato pasted.  Continue to boil until sauce coats the back of a spoon.  Divide the breasts into ribs and serve with potatoes and sauce.


I got a sneak peek at the green garlic when I was picking up last week's box from Tasha, it looked so good and I can't wait to use mine.  Green garlic is regular garlic that is picked before the bulbs start to form.  It can be called spring garlic or baby garlic.  Farmers sometimes offer it up when they are thinning their crops and lately as it becomes more popular, some are growing it as a crop.  It has a milder flavor than garlic but still stronger than a green onion or chive.  To use green garlic, slice off the root and remove any tough green leaves.  It can be used in very much the same way as green onions, baby leeks, regular garlic or chives.  I plan to use some of the green garlic in the sauce for a big batch of pasta that I am making for the kids (who are not getting served the breast of lamb).  I also came across this article from the New York Times, Grassy, Sweet and in Season when gathering info on green garlic, and I am definitely going to try their Seared Pork Cutlets with Green Garlic Salsa Verde - with my overabundant mint, my own chives and fresh lemon juice from the lemon in the veggie order.

In wanting to give a few more ideas to use some of the vegetables in this weeks box, I thought that broccoli and lemon or green beans and lemon would make a great combination.  Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks this - I came across so many recipes for both.  I think the appeal is in the contrast of yellow zest against some fresh dark green vegetables and also the fresh taste of lemon paired with some crisp greens. I really had to narrow down the list of recipes so I'm recommending to use the broccoli and lemon with chicken in any one of these recipes: Lemon Chicken and Broccoli, Chicken, Broccoli and Lemon Stir Fry, or Lemony Broccoli Pasta with Chicken.  Or use the lemon with the green beans in Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic, Lemon Green Beans, or Green Beans with Lemon Butter.  All are pretty straightforward easy recipes and most can use the green garlic as well.

Good luck with the basil plant, hopefully it will continue to prosper throughout the summer so it can be used over and over in a variety of recipes and doesn't get sunburned, over watered or picked by little hands too soon.

Organic Harvest Box for March 22, 2012

Welcome back to the Life Organic Blog!!  I am really excited to be writing the blog for Life Organics.  My family has been receiving the Basic Harvest Box for more than year and have enjoyed the variety of produce and the opportunities to try vegetables that I may never have picked up before.  So, I'm not new to Life Organics, but I am new to blogging, so would be happy to have any feedback about style, recipes, and content that you want to give.

Before I get into the ideas for this weeks produce, I wanted to mention that I bought a case of the Camino Fair Trade Organic Mango Juice (did you know they were featured on Episode 2 of The Big Decision on CBC) that Life Organics was offering the last couple of weeks, and my two kids have loved it.  I do recommend to cut the mango juice with water for little kids as it is almost like nectar and very tasty and rich.  This week I ordered a case of Tropical Juice and Limeade and can't wait to try both.  I'm thinking that the Limeade with a bit of tonic, club soda, or sparkling water would've been a great patio drink this week.

When I originally looked at the list for this week's selection all I could think about was grilling, BBQ-ing, and fresh summer salads given our fantastic weather.  Looking at the forecast for the weekend and next week I think that I might still be in the mood for some soups and casseroles.  Tasha and I have had radish discussions over the last couple of weeks, how best to keep them  (trim the leaves, wrap in plastic and refrigerate), what to do when they get soft (immerse them in ice water for an hour before serving), and how to eat them.  I use the Joy of Cooking (Rombauer, Rombauer Becker, and Becker) to look up all sorts of cooking information and was interested to read that radishes were considered an appetite stimulant and that the French had a custom of starting the day with a handful of radishes, eaten with sweet butter.  In our house, we mostly eat our radishes raw, a bright addition to a vegetable tray, or sliced thinly into a salad, but I was interested to find a variety of cooked radish recipes such as, Sauteed Radishes with Watercress or Roasted Radishes. Certainly with the baby lettuce or spinach in this week's box, I think the radishes would be a great addition to your favorite salad recipe.

The other items in the box all inspire a variety of meal ideas.  Our fruit always gets eaten as it is and we've been ordering extra navel oranges because we are finding them so juicy and tasty right now.  The apples could be used for a Baked Apple dessert.  The potatoes could be roasted on the BBQ, boiled, or mashed but for us will probably get used in Leek and Potato Soup, with our leeks from last week.   To take advantage of the early BBQ season I think that we will roast the green beans on the grill (you could add the zucchini with them) in some tin foil with some olive oil, garlic and seasoning.  Or you could do a French Bean Salad with Tarragon and Green Peppercorn from one of my new favorite food websites, Food52.

Lastly, I was happy to see both peppers and zucchini on the list so that I could use it in one of our favorite, kid friendly, regular supper recipes, Chickpea Curry, served over rice or thin egg noodles.

Chickpea Curry 
1 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped or minced
1/2 c. chopped onion
oil
1/2 c. each red or yellow or green pepper, chopped
1/2 c. zucchini, chopped
1 tbsp. each of cumin, ground coriander, and curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1 c. canned diced tomatoes, drained
3 c. chickpeas
1 can coconut milk


Saute on med-high heat, onion, garlic and ginger in oil until onions are soft.  Add peppers and zucchini and cook until soft (5-7 min).  Add spices and salt and cook for 2-3 min stirring frequently.  Add coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and chickpeas.  Bring to a boil, turn down heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 min.  


I hope you enjoy my recipes and meal ideas, and I would love to see you comment with your ideas.  Enjoy!

Weekly recipe ideas for Thursday, June 16th

by Brie

Fruit, like plums and pears, do make great snacks but they make even better additions to dinner. On a hot night try making a plum chicken salad or roasted plum and spinach salad. And as a side dish caramelized carrots and pears sounds delicious!

 



Green beans are a great side dish to serve with dinner. From the simple, serving them either steamed or roasted, to the more creative, honey cashew green beans or sweet and spicy green beans, they make a great accompaniment to most meals. Green beans can also be served in the main meal, like this green bean masala or this green bean mushroom casserole.

Green onions (also known as scallions) are milder then most other onions. They can be cooked or used raw as a garnish. Add them to sesame orzo with charred scallions or stir-fried tofu. For a lovely dinner make honey glazed pork with scallions and carrots or chicken with rice, broccoli and scallions.   

Spinach is a favorite salad ingredient. If you are wanting to try out some new salad recipes consider cranberry spinach salad or honey curry spinach salad. Our spinach will be chopped up and added to some phylo to make a spinach pie.  

These are some of the ideas on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

First box. First blog post.

by Brie

I am very excited to be taking over blogging at the Life Organic Blog. Thanks Shannon for all the great recipe ideas you have shared here. I know I will be looking through the archives for suggestions!

I am even more excited with my first box (or Tupperware container) filled with fabulous organic fruit and vegetables. Its arrival late on Thursday couldn't have been better timed. By the end of the week we are running low on groceries and I am searching the freezer trying to remember what the brown thing in the glass container is. Now I have a fridge stocked full of fresh organic produce and I couldn't be happier.

As soon as I saw what was in the box I started wondering how to use everything. I don't have to think hard about the fruit. I predict that before I could ever get around to baking with the fruit it will be consumed by my two young kids. The pint of blueberries will disappear as soon as my four year old daughter gets home from school and we will eat the Granny Smith Apples, Anjou pears and bag of kiwis as snacks throughout the day. 

My plan for the lovely looking acorn squash is soup. Mmm, soup. It is perfect weather for soup. I am going to make this recipe, which will also let me use one of the crisp green apples, some shallots and a carrot. The rest of the carrots will be grated and made into carrot cake, topped with cream cheese icing of course, to share with friends this weekend. The carrots are so great looking I am sure my kids would eat them whole.

I am a bit of a purist when it comes to green beans. I like them steamed with some butter and salt. Simple but really my favorite.

The only difficult choice with this week's basket is what to do with a box of crimini mushrooms and spinach bunch. I am tempted to make a cheesy rice and spinach casserole or one of these great spinach recipes from around the world. Even a nice spinach salad with mushrooms and red onion would be nice. But I think I will make these mushroom and spinach calazones using our favorite homemade pizza dough recipe. This should make enough for dinner and have leftovers that can be frozen for lunches.

This is what's on my menu plan this week. What are you cooking?

Brie loves eating food and is learning to love cooking food. She also blogs about motherhood at Capital Mom and about Ottawa with kids at Kids in the Capital.

Organic Harvest Box for June 12, 2010

Take a peek at your Organic Harvest box this week! Looks delicious . . .

Don't you just love fresh cantaloupe? This type of melon is extremely nutrient-packed, yet has very few calories. It is highly concentrated with beta-carotene, folic acid, potassium, vitamin C, as well as dietary fibre. It is also one of the very few fruits that has a high level of vitamin B complex, B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), and B6 (pyridoxine). Cantaloupe is rich in anti-oxidants that help prevent cancer and heart disease.

So, what better reason to grab a knife and start slicing your melon in half?

Melon can can be enjoyed simply, with very few additional ingredients needed to enjoy it's luscious flavour, as in this Melon with White Wine recipe. Cantaloupe is a superb addition to salads, and I suggest trying this Cucumber Cantaloupe Salad and or this Cantaloupe Salad (which uses the actual cantaloupe body for the bowl!).

If you fancy something sweet, then why not fire up your barbecue and try Grilled Cantaloupe with Honey Ginger Blueberry Sauce? It looks divine! A sure winner to serve after a light grilled dinner. Or try these Crepes with Proscuitto, Brie and Cantaloupe - a fantastic idea for a brunch or late weekend breakfast. And these Cantaloupe Ice Pops? A success with my kids - an icy cold and healthy treat for summer!

How do you like to eat your green beans? Some of my favourite choices are just using them as a simple side dish to one of our main meals - like Sesame Green Beans or Green Beans with Almonds - both are fast, easy, and tasty! Green beans lend themselves well to salads too, and I found a few this week that had me drooling. What about a Green Bean, Corn, and Tomato Salad, a Fresh Bean Salad, or this Fennel and Radish Salad ? But what had me drooling most of all this week was this recipe for Green Beans with Goat Cheese, Cranberries, and Bacon - hard to disagree that bacon would be a wonderful addition to green beans!

I have not personally ever been a fan of radishes. So, I am always on the hunt for recipes that incorporate radishes in fun and innovative ways - but that they TASTE good. Since I love snap peas, I am thinking of trying these Sugar Snap Peas with Radishes. And I am even open to giving this Roasted Radish with Soy Sauce and Roasted Sesame Seeds a whirl. I like the looks of this East-Meets-West Chicken Tostada Salad, as well as these Mixed Greens and Radish Salad with Feta Cheese. Hoping to try one of them this week!

Any suggestions, feedback, or recipes you would like to share are always welcome!! Enjoy your week.

Organic Harvest Box for March 12

Sadly, there is no Organic Harvest Box photo this week - we were out for dinner celebrating my six year old's birthday, got home late and I totally started putting the produce away instead of taking a picture. If you're not a regular customer of Life Organic, you'll just have to trust me when I say it looks FANTASTIC!

I know that pears are often a regular part of the Harvest Box, and we usually just gobble them up instead of cooking them, because they are so sweet and delicious, but I wanted to share a few pear recipes with you. I urge you to give them a try, pears add a rich, wonderful flavour to any meal. I've shared this before, but this Fresh Pear and Curry Pasta is a family favourite of ours, and not at all difficult to make. I also have my eye on this Pear Stuffed Chicken with Walnut Rice as a lovely meal incorporating pears.

With this warmer, spring-like weather we're having, why not fire up your barbecue and whip up some Grilled Bartlett Pears - they are totally delicious! Bartlett Pear Muffins are a great choice for the bakers out there, and this Ham and Cheese Sandwich with Bartlett Pears is a fantastic new twist on ham and cheese sandwiches.

I came across some great green bean recipes this week, but I have to be totally honest with you. I am not really a fan of adding green beans to a "dish" of any sort. I really enjoy green beans just slightly cooked (still crunchy!) and sauteed with olive oil and salt and pepper. These Sesame Green Beans are delicious and so fast and easy to throw together. For the more adventurous green bean lovers, take a look at this Fassoulia - Green Beans with Ground Beef, Lemon, Green Bean and Celery Salad and Country Green Beans. Be sure to let me know if you give any of these recipes a try!

Kale is another food I prefer to be just cooked simply, like this recipe for Sauteed Kale - easy and delicious! I also like the looks of this vegan Red Kale Pasta as well as this Rustic Red Kale and White Bean Soup. And I'm hoping to try this Braised Kale with Pancetta this week - to break out of my comfort zone.

I absolutely adore fresh Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes! They're so colourful and tasty. I often toss cherry tomatoes in pasta . . . like in this Penne with Fresh Ricotta and Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes or Egg Noodles with Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes. They are also great chopped up as a salad - just toss with some olive oil, goat cheese, herbs and salt and pepper. I also found this
Heirloom Cherry Tomato, Fennel and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese Dressing - definitely more elaborate but well worth the effort!

Enjoy your week and be sure to check in next time . . .

Harvest Box for January 15, 2010

Doesn't the arrival of your Harvest Box just brighten up a cold and chilly day for you??? Thinking of all that potential deliciousness . . .


This week inside your Harvest Box you'll find a head of cauliflower. Cauliflower is low in fat, high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C, possessing a very high nutritional density.
Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets.

Cauliflower is absolutely delicious in a curry - if you get a chance, why not try this Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry - nutritious and filling at the same time for a meatless dish. This Cauliflower Casserole also looks tasty and I think this Cauliflower Lentil Rice Bake would make a great weeknight meal. Like traditional comfort food, only healthier! I'm trying to find more ways to get my three kids to eat spinach. It's so darn good for them but they are just not big salad-lovers. I'm thinking serving this Spinach Bacon Quiche to them would certainly change their minds. We are (embarrassingly) big bacon fans so I'm hoping this quiche will have a little "zing" to it.

(Any time a recipe calls for frozen spinach, you can almost always replace it with fresh. I do it on a regular basis and it always tastes great!)

I like the sound of this Beef and Spinach Lasagna - the ingredients (and the photo) lead me to believe it is pretty yummy. I like the combo of beef and spinach together, as again, I think I can convince my kids to eat it. For the veg lovers out there, why not try a traditional Spinach Lasagna with white sauce? Not too difficult to make and a definite crowd pleaser or Sunday night favourite.

Take your bright, sunny yellow lemon and put it to good use in a scrumptious dish of Lemon Chicken. I've made lots of lemon chicken in my time, but this recipe I have yet to try and am anxious to do so. It looks fantastic. Got a hankering for pasta?? Get moving on this Peppered Lemon Chicken Pasta and show your family and friends how simple can taste fantastic.

Although there are not green beans in the box this week, I did come across a new food blog with interesting recipes on it that I wanted to share. I pulled this Roasted Shrimp with Green Beans from there and am hoping to get a chance to make it soon. Our family adores shrimp and with the added nutrition in the green beans, I don't think you can go wrong.

For more recipes on a specific food, check out our labels on the right hand column of this blog - click on each link to be rerouted to recipes for each food item.

Have a great week and enjoy!

Harvest Box for December 18, 2009

Happy Holidays Life Organic readers! I bet it was cold when you received your Harvest Box this week! Brrrrr . . . a chill has definitely arrived in Ottawa.

Here are some recipes to help warm up your week . . . and your kitchen. I have definitely decided that I will be making these Roasted Mashed Potatoes and Yams for Christmas dinner next week. I made it a couple weeks ago and it was a big hit and disappeared as everyone made their way to the kitchen for seconds! I also found this Roasted Yams with Rosemary and bet it tastes divine with a hint of rosemary to add extra flavour. Either way, potatoes are a perfect holiday dish any way you serve them.

A great brunch idea or easy, light dinner over the holidays is this Baked Eggs with Spinach and Gruyere. And although this Holiday Hot Spinach Dip calls for frozen spinach (bleck, the fresh stuff is so much better!), who can resist a festive and piping hot spinach dip at this time of year???

Why not dazzle your holiday guests - or perhaps just whip this up for a quiet evening by yourself one night - with this Blueberry Trifle? Nothing rings in the holidays quite like a decadent trifle. I am thinking about whipping up a batch of Blueberry Struesel Muffins to serve to my little ones on Christmas morning. With three kids getting out of bed to greet their gifts on Christmas morning, I want breakfast made ahead of time so we can all sit back and enjoy our time together.

For those who may eat a wee bit too much for their holiday meal, why not try lightening up some of your lunches? Who can beat a delicious Cucumber Sandwich? I love to throw whatever I have in the fridge between two slice of multi-grain bread and I'm good to go.

Looking for something delicious for your mixed colour tomatoes? Try this Cherry Tomato, Cucumber and Goat Cheese Salad - perfect for lunch or a nice light side dish. I also came across this recipe for Pan-Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, which also looks tasty.

Grappling with how to tackle that bag of Chiogga beets? Well, worry no more. Dive into a plate of these Baked Beet Chips and you'll find yourself coming back for more.


Another beet salad that looks tangy and delicious is this Chiogga Beet and Blood Orange Salad.

Wondering what to do with that burdock root that came a few weeks ago and is currently sitting on the shelf in your fridge? Well, you're not the only one! Even we had to be a little creative with it. The fact is, burdock root is an incredibly healthy root which has been used for hundreds of years to purify and flush toxins from the blood stream. It's health benefits are many, so finding a creative and delicious way to add this healing root to our diet is worth it. Here's a recipe that we came across from the Green Door Restaurant that's quite tasty. We've substituted the fiddleheads with the locally-grown broccoli and changed things around a bit. Remember: be creative and don't be afraid to make substitutions with a recipe if you don't have all the required items. Have fun with it!

Broccoli, Burdock, Carrot Salad

1 cup burdock (1 root) scrubbed and thinly sliced on diagonal

2 litres water

Bring water to boil. Add burdock and simmer for 5 min. Drain, cool and set aside. In same water add: 2 cups broccoli florets. Cook for several minutes. Drain, cool and set aside.

1/2 red pepper, diced

1 cup carrots, scrubbed and sliced on diagonal

3 thinly sliced green onions, including the green part

1 cup chopped parsely

DRESSING

1/4 cup tamari soy-sauce

1/8 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp dark sesame oil

1 tsp ginger root, grated

1 clove garlic, crushed

Combine all salad ingredients, pour dressing over them, mix well, serve and enjoy!

Here’s another recipe that’s a little different that we came across on the web:

Stir-fried Spicy Burdock Root

1 burdock root

2-3 T vegetable oil

2 T sake

1 T granulated sugar

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste, or any multi-spice blend
white sesame seeds, toasted, for garnishing (optional)

Rinse the burdock root under cold running water. Using a stiff brush or the back of your knife, lightly scrape the burdock root, carefully removing any rootlets and trace amounts of dirt. Cut the burdock root using a technique where the root is sharpened like a pencil to produce thin slivers. Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Stir-fry the burdock root until slightly softer, about 3 to 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the sake, sugar, and soy sauce. Continue simmering over medium heat until the liquid is almost completely reduced to a glaze. Add a spice blend or crushed red pepper flakes, to taste.

Serve hot or at room temperature. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

I also thought I'd throw in this Chicken with Peanut Sauce recipe - a great way to use any leftover green beans you still have from last week. It's a family favourite of ours.

Chicken with Peanut Sauce

1 lb fresh green beans
1 T vegetable oil
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in strips
1 t curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 T soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Trim green beans and break into small pieces. In large saucepan or wok, heat one T of oil over medium-high heat. Toss chicken pieces with curry powder. Stir fry chicken for two minutes, then add beans and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for five minutes. In a bowl, whisk coconut milk, peanut butter and soya sauce. Pour into wok, bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 T of parsley, and sprinkle the remaining parsley over top.

And this pear and curry pasta is easy and healthy - my husband adores it and two of my three kids eat it. That's near perfection in my book!

Fresh Pear and Curry Pasta

1/2 small onion, chopped
2 T oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T medium curry paste
1 tsp tomato paste
2 T honey
2 cups chicken broth
1 unpeeled ripe pear, sliced in thin wedges
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 T cream or milk
3 T chopped cilantro
Rotini, bow tie or shells pasta

In a frying pan over medium heat, saute onion in oil until soft. Add garlic and curry paste and stir 2-3 minutes. Add tomato paste and honey and stir another 2 minutes. Add broth, increase heat to medium high and boil gently, reducing liquid to less than 1 cup. (This takes about 15 minutes - now is a good time to start cooking the pasta).

Add pear slices and cook for one minute. Add tomatoes and cream and stir another 2 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro. Pour over pasta and toss gently.

If you like meat - serve with grilled chicken breast or pork tenderloin!

Enjoy your holidays and please remember that there will be no Life Organic deliveries on December 24, 25, and 31st, or on January 1st. Have a safe and happy holiday!

Harvest Box for December 4, 2009

Here's a look at this week's Harvest Box from Life Organic!

Near the top left corner of the box is a big bag of French Shallots. Shallots, which look very much like onions, will keep for a long time if stored in a cool place away from humidity and light. To prepare a shallot, you cut off both ends and then remove the peel (just like an onion). You may notice that unlike it's onion cousin, shallots will not bring you to tears when chopping. Shallots are excellent in soups or thrown in a quiche or omelet, and are delicious when paired with bacon bits. They can also stand in for leeks in many recipes.

I found this absolutely fabulous recipe for French Shallot Soup that I simply must try. It looks relatively easy to make and is stunning in the photograph. I can pretty much guarantee my kids won't eat it, but hey, you only live once and I feel it's important to eat soup this good before I die.
Another great looking recipe that uses shallots is this Sauteed Shrimp with Garlic Toast - simple but flavourful.

I plan on using some of my delicious green spinach in my signature Spinach Salad with Spicy Shrimp and Mango. My husband loves it and it's a nice healthy and light alternative to all the heavy meals we eat this time of year. A couple other alternatives for your spinach are this Sauteed Spinach with Crisp Pancetta or Spinach Dill Pie.

Green beans are a healthy and easy side dish that go well with just about any main meal you are serving. I like them because no matter which way you prepare them, they are fast and simple. If you're a fan of gorgonzola or other strong cheeses, give this Green Beans with Hazelnuts and Gorgonzola a whirl. This Green Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad is also a quick and delicious choice.

We are huge avocado fans at my house and I know I've posted lots of great avocado recipes for you in the past. Being a Nova Scotia native and a real lobster lover - and knowing that lobster season is in December - I would love to get my hands on some of this fantastic red seafood so I could try this Avocado and Lobster Salad. If not, I'll have to suck it up and deal with the not-as-exciting Avocado Shrimp Salad. I also found this Mexican Chicken And Tomatillo Stew and think it looks like a fabulous warm meal to serve over the holidays.

And, last but definitely not least, I plan to use some of my delicious carrots and zucchini in this Quick Chicken Stew - a definite crowd pleaser and family favourite.

Enjoy your week and be sure to try some of these tasty recipes!

Harvest Box for November 13

Are you ready to tackle your Life Organic Harvest Box this week?? Look at those mouth-watering leafy greens and that delicious and crunchy broccoli . . .


I am fortunate that my very picky eaters all love broccoli, so I get excited when I see a head or two of broccoli peeking out of my harvest box. Wondering what to do with your broccoli?

For a warm fall treat for lunch, make up a batch of Pureed Broccoli Soup. You can easily add some cream to make it thicker and heartier. If you prefer your broccoli as a side dish to an easy weeknight meal, try this Broccoli with Lemon Butter Sauce (use fresh broccoli and not frozen).

If you're a seafood lover and fancy some shrimp in your diet, serve up a heaping dish of this
Spinach Salad with Spicy Shrimp and Mango which combines the sweet flavour of mango with a tangy, spicy shrimp sauce - our family absolutely loves this salad!

Another good use for this week's spinach is a Tomato Spinach and Basil Soup I came across. What soup with fresh basil isn't amazing, and adding spinach to this soup packs it full of iron and other fabulous nutrients.

A couple easy and tasty salads to throw your green beans into are this Green Bean Salad with Feta and these Almond Green Beans.

Although oranges are definitely delicious peeled and eaten, or squeezed into a rich orange juice, this Orange Biscotti recipe is something I plan on trying out on my gang this week with my Valencia oranges.

I challenge you to combine your kale and broccoli in this Stir-Fried Kale and Broccoli recipe, or better yet, serve up a hearty bowl of this Winter Vegetable Hash which is packed full of veggies, vitamins, and nutrients as well as being completely tasty.

If you've got bunches of carrots on hand, make Carrots with Ginger and Honey one evening and enjoy let your tastebuds soar.

If you're not all that familiar with zucchini, check out all this great Info on Zucchini.
It gives you all the basics you need to know. Ready to tackle those rich green veggies now? Make a Bacon and Zucchini Quiche for brunch one weekend and dazzle your friends and family. And as I've mentioned before, I always leave at least one zucchini for my Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins. My kids can't get enough of them!

Have any recipes you'd like to include in a Life Organic blog post? Please don't hesitate to contact me at craftyshan (at) gmail (dot) com.

Enjoy your week!