Thayer in the Kitchen

I've brought this coleslaw to a number of different potlucks and its always been very popular. Super Slaw Ingredients for Dressing: 6 tablespoons rice vinegar 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 5 tablespoons peanut butter (doesn't matter whether it is crunchy or creamy) 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic Whisk above ingredients in small bowl or mix in a blender. (Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before continuing.) 8 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (some of it could be red cabbage if you happened to have any) 1 large red or yellow bell peppers, cut into matchstick-size strips 2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (about 1 cup) 4 large green onions, sliced--use some of the green tops too 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/4-1/2 cup chopped peanuts (optional) Combine salad ingredients in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coa

I'm always looking for good ways to use radishes. They're not one of our favorite veggies. We liked these simple sandwiches created by another CSA blogger. http://24boxes.blogspot.com/2009/05/radish-chive-sandwich-with-cream-cheese.html The presentation of the recipe is also very cool. I served the open-faced sandwiches with soup last night. Arthur and I both thought the recipe was a keeper.

This salad recipe is good because it is a way to incorporate salad greens or lettuce into your entree. Sicilian Grilled Swordfish Salad 1# swordfish steak (about 1# thick)* Marinade 1/3 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons chopped red onion (or whatever kind you have) 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (1 teaspoon dried) 2 teaspoons capers (they add a lot to this dish) 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Large bowl or platter of salad greens. Arugula would be a good addition if available. You could also add radishes, celery or other raw vegetables to your salad. Whisk the marinade ingredients together. Add the fish and coat on all sides. Refrigerate. My fish was frozen so I let it defrost in the marinade overnight. Fresh fish could marinate up to 3 hours. Drain the fish and reserve the marinade. Grill or broil the fish. I used my George Foreman grill and it only took a few minutes. Be sure not to overcook the fish. Swordfish dries out easily. Bring the marinade to a

We got a gigantic head of Romaine lettuce in our CSA box on Saturday. I made this salad on Sunday night. Arthur said it was "delicious." Artichoke, Romaine and Tomato Salad Ingredients for dressing: 1 12 ounce jar marinated artichoke salad (or you could use all artichokes), drained (use 1/2 of the the artichokes or vegetables in the dressing--save the balance for the salad) 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or green onions 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons honey 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup or more of the marinade from the artichokes Blend the dressing ingredients in a food processor. Taste and add more oil if you think it needs it. Chill for 1/2 hour to let flavors develop or just eat it right away. Its still very good. A large bowl of torn Romaine lettuce 1/4 cup green onions 1 cup or more grape tomatoes (halved) 2 large red radishes, sliced thinly marinated artichoke hearts leftover fr

This is a great way to use up your bok choy . Chicken & Bok Choy in Satay Sauce 1 tablespoon oil 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 12 ounces chicken tenders, cut in 1/2 or smaller 1 bunch bok choy (about 1 1/2 pounds), chopped (keep the stems and tops separate) 1/2 small onion finely chopped or substitute green onions 2-3 garlic scapes , chopped if you happen to have them 1 can (14 ounces) reduced fat or regular coconut milk 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon palm sugar (or light brown sugar) 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped roughly 1/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts Heat the oil in a large skilled or wok. Add the red pepper flakes and cook 20 seconds until sizzling. Add the chicken and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken. Add the bok choy stems and onions (and garlic scapes if using) to the pan and cook for 10 minutes or until the bok choy is tender crisp. Add the chopped bok choy leaves, browned chicken, coconut milk, peanut butter, so

I told Arthur I was going to make a bread pudding using our saute greens. He said that didn't make sense because bread pudding is a dessert. According to the definition in Epicurious, he's correct. "A simple, delicious baked dessert made with cubes or slices of bread saturated with a mixture of milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and spices. Chopped fruit or nuts also can be added. Bread and butter pudding is made by buttering the bread slices before adding the liquid mixture. Both may be served hot or cold with cream or a dessert sauce." This recipe may actually be more of a strata, but whatever its called its a good way to use some of the greens that you'll find yourself with if you subscribe to a CSA farm. I used the saute greens that I got in my CSA box as well as the radish leaves from a bunch of radishes. In addition I removed the leaves from a bunch of kohlrabi we got in our box and used those too. The consensus after we had this for supper last night is that its ve

In case you're wondering what to do with baby turnips and their greens, the following is a very good salad with interesting flavor contrasts. Baby White Turnip Salad With Toasted Pecans And Bacon 4 small white turnips with their greens attached (or 1 bunch of baby white turnips) 1/4 c. pecan halves or pieces 3 oz. bacon 1 green garlic stalk and 1 green onion, sliced on the bias (a garlic scape is also a nice addition if you happen to have them available) salt and pepper, to taste 1-2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil Toast pecan pieces. I usually do mine in the microwave. It take 1-2 minutes. Otherwise toast them in a 350 degree oven. Make sure they don't burn. Remove the greens from the turnips. Tear the leaves with your hands into medium to large pieces and set aside. Slice turnips as thin as possible. I used my food processor using the thin slicing disk. Put into a bowl of iced water. In a non-stick pan, saute the bacon until crisp. Remove from the pan and crumble,

Yesterday morning our farmers had luscious red ripe strawberries available. I used some of them in: Strawberry Buttermilk Pancakes 1cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 cup organic unbleached white flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups buttermilk 2 egg 2 tbsp canola oil (or similar mild oil) 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries 1/2 cup toasted coarsely chopped pecans Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then add to the dry. Add strawberries and nuts and blend in lightly. Pour 1/4 c of mixture on hot griddle and serve with Vanilla yogurt. Adapted from a fellow foodie's blog, Daalicious .

This recipe is a combination of one in a Harmony Valley Farm newsletter and the original recipe on Epicurious, plus of course a couple of my own changes. This dish wasn't one of Arthur's favorites, but I'm posting it because I liked it a lot and would make it again. Plus it got good reviews on Epicurious. Spicy Stir Fried Chicken and Greens with Peanuts 2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided 2 tablespoons dry Sherry, divided 3 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided 2 teaspoons golden brown sugar, divided (or honey) 1-- 1-1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide strips 2 tablespoons oil, divided (I used canola) 4 green onions, white parts and green parts chopped separately (more is good too) 1 chopped serrano chile (use 2 if you like dishes quite spicy--if you want it milder, remove the seeds) 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and slivered 1 bag of saute greens (about 10 cups packed) or whatever you have

Gorgonzola and Dried Cherry Summer Salad 1/2 cup toasted pecans 1/4 cup dried cherries 1/2 bag of Harmony Valley Farms salad mix (or a good sized bowl filled with greens) 1 granny smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced or any tart apple 3-4 green onions or 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (I always use a lot of the green tops from the green or potato onions) 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and serve with a raspberry vinaigrette. Adapted from a Whole Foods Market recipe I served this with a Mediterranean Spinach Torte Recipe. The recipe is on care2. Its OK but not fabulous.

This recipe is for sort of a soupy stew with Italian sausage and vegetables. We both enjoyed it for supper on Saturday with homemade cornbread. I made another recipe from my favorite cornbread cookbook, The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon. This time I made a Northern (Yankee) style cornbread, Durgin Park Cornbread. Sunchoke and Sausage Soup 4 slices bacon, diced 1 (16 ounce) package Italian sausage, coarsely chopped (I used Italian sausage from Jordandal Farms) 1 pound sunchokes, peeled, halved, and cut into 1/2-inch slices 6 small white potatoes, peeled and halved (1/2 pound or more) 3 stalks celery, diced 1 large onion, diced 4-5 green onions or potato onions or 1 leek (whatever you have and need to use) 3 cups chopped Yukina Savoy (1 bunch) or spinach 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 quart chicken stock 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (1-2 teaspoons dry if fresh isn't available) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano (1-2 teaspoons dry if fresh

In one of our early boxes from Harmony Valley CSA we got some burdock root. The roots have a brownish-red outer layer and gray to white flesh, and they do not need to be peeled before eating although they should be washed and gently scoured. Most people slice burdock root into thin circular pieces. A long, slow simmering is one of the best ways to cook burdock root, as it brings out the flavor while keeping the roots soft and tender. It stores quite well. Hon Tsai Tai is a tasty as well as rather pretty green, unlike the poor burdock which is not particularly attractive. I found a recipe in one of the older HVF newsletters that I decided to try because it used both burdock and Hon Tsai Tai, both of which I had. Burdock Soup with Hon Tsai Tai and Green Garlic The quantities in this soup are not very important. 2-3 large pieces of Burdock (scrubbed and cut into 1/4 in slices) 1 bunch Hon Tsai Tai (rinsed and rough chopped. Use stems, leaves and flowers) A few green onions (thinly sli

This is a hint that I found on the Harmony Valley website, "The secret to cooking them is to trim the ends to where the stems begin to be tender and chopping them into 2 inch, or smaller, pieces." I did chop them into small pieces, but failed to remove the tougher woody stalks. It kind of all looks alike, so its easy to think all of it will cook OK. This is not the case! We wound up having to pick the tough little sticks out of our pasta. This is not something you want to experience. It gives you a rather negative feeling about the whole pea vine thing. I recommend the following recipe, but be sure to do a better job trimming the pea shoots than I did. Pasta Carbonara with Pea Shoots 1/2 pound pasta of your choice 3-4 slices bacon 2 large cloves garlic, minced 4 cups pea shoots, including leaves and tendrils, roughly chopped (1 bunch, trimmed) Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 2 large eggs 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided 1/2 cup chopped f

This soup may sound a little strange but its delicious. I had to do some adapting (how unusual is that!). The original recipe called for smoked cod. I'm not sure where you can get that but its not easily acquired around Madison Wisconsin. The fish store didn't have fresh cod either. You don't want to use Atlantic cod anyway because its not on the sustainable seafood guide. Pacific cod is fine but the fish monger didn't have it yesterday. Any mild white fish would work fine. According to the source recipe, "A wonderful New England creation, merging the sweetness of parsnips with smoky cod. Good fish alternatives include haddock, pollack, cusk, or whiting. Smoked haddock and smoked pollack are good substitutes for the smoked cod. Use 1 1/2 pounds fresh cod alone if no lightly smoked fish is available. Serve with hot, crusty bread and garnish with fresh chives." Fish & Parsnip Chowder 1 pound fish fillets (I used trout and had to remove the skin), cut

We have quite a few sunchokes from our CSA farm that I need to use. Luckily they are very good keepers. This is a sweet savory soup which is quick and easy to make. Sunchoke & Sweet Potato Soup 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 bunch green garlic, washed and sliced (I think you could substitute some chopped garlic and green onions if you don't have green garlic available) 1 large onion, chopped 5-6 sunchokes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 2 tsps fresh marjoram, washed and chopped (I used 2 teaspoons dried marjoram-since my plant isn't big enough to use any of yet) 4 cups chicken stock or broth 1 cup milk freshly ground black pepper sea salt to taste sour cream for serving I sprinkled Penzey's black and red spice lightly over the cooked soup and sour cream to give it an extra kick (this is strictly optional) Directions 1. In a medium-sized soup pot, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion an

I needed to bring a contribution to work for another "food" day. I had rhubarb from my Harmony Valley CSA box so I decided to try these muffins. They are not especially healthy, but they are very tasty. Rhubarb Muffin Delights 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 cup oil 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup buttermilk (or plain yogurt) 2 cups rhubarb, diced small 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt For topping: 1/2 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon Combine the brown sugar, egg, oil, vanilla and buttermilk. Stir in rhubarb and nuts. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir dry ingredients into liquid mixture until just blended. Do not overbeat. Pour batter into greased or lined muffin cups. Mix topping ingredients together and spoon over filled cups, press lightly. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for