Thayer in the Kitchen

I don't typically think of using my greens in Mexican style dishes. I tried this out last week; naturally with my own adaptations. We like Swiss chard, but I think it might be a dish that even people who were not overly fond of the green might be OK with. 1 pound Swiss chard, rinsed well and drained (less is OK--I used 2 bunches) 2 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 large whole chicken breast, about 1 1/2 pounds, cooked, boned and shredded, about 1 1/4 cups meat 12-7 inch corn tortillas 3 cups Mexican style tomato sauce 1-1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack, about 6 ounces (I used Calico cheese from Fair Oaks Farms that I found at the Westside Farmers Market in Madison--its mild and melts very well) 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cut the stems from the Swiss chard leaves and chop them and the leaves separately. In a large skillet cook the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until it is fragrant, stir in the Swiss chard stems and cook, covered, for...

We had this for supper last night and used our frilly yellow mustard greens and another bunch of mustard greens that we got in our spring share box. I don't think the cornmeal I used to make the polenta was local but just about everything else was. Its a very easy dish to make, but quite tasty and a good way to use a lot of "greens." 3 cups chicken broth 2 cups milk 1 cup polenta 8 ounces sausage--I used 2 links of Cajun sausage from Jordandal Farms (you could also substitute turkey sausage) 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or 2 green garlic 1/4 teaspoon hot chili flakes (optional) 1 lb mustard greens, rinsed, stems trimmed, and chopped into 1 inch pieces (I used 2 bunches) 1/2-3/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese--I got Parmesan cheese from Farmer John's at the Hilldale farmers market. salt and pepper In a 3-4 quart pan over high heat, combine broth, milk, and cornmeal, stirring until mixture reaches a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until smooth...

My husband loves, I mean really loves bread pudding. I wanted to make him a treat for his birthday and this is what I made. Freeze leftover slices of bread, and when you get enough, make a bread pudding. We had rhubarb from our CSA spring share so this seemed like a good recipe to try. 7 slices bread, cubed 1 1/2 cups milk 1/4 cup butter 5 eggs 1 cups sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 cups diced rhubarb 1/2 cup chopped walnuts Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place bread cubes into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish. Combine the milk and butter in a saucepan, and heat just to the boiling point. Pour over the bread cubes, and let stand for 15 minutes or until the bread is soggy. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Stir in rhubarb. Pour over the soaked bread, and stir gently until evenly blended. Sprinkle walnuts over the top. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven, until nicely browned on the top. L...

Yes, another greens recipe. We're getting lots of greens in the spring share from our CSA farm. Anyone who has ever done a spring share will be able to relate. Fortunately we really like all kinds of greens, but I'm always looking for new ideas of how to prepare them. We both liked this greens & tofu dish served with a combination of cooked whole grain (I'm not sure what it was since I had it in unmarked canister) and whole wheat couscous. Obviously brown rice would be another excellent choice. 1 bunch Komatsuna Greens, stems and leaves separated 1 lb firm or extra-firm tofu 2 tablespoons sliced almonds 1-2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1-2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon miso 1 teaspoon rice vinegar Brown the tofu. My method is to slice the tofu and drain on paper towel. Press gently to remove as much liquid as possible. Sprinkle both sides with flour. Spry an iron frying pan with pan spray (pr...

That is the official name of the recipe that came from The Seasonal Palette. I think the title Spring Greens Pasta would work equally well. 1/8-1/4 cup olive oil 4 garlic cloves, minced or you could substitute some green garlic if you have it available 3 cups sliced mixed mushrooms (shitake, oyster, portobello)--I used chopped portobellos 12 oz. penne pasta--try to use one of the whole grain varieties for better nutrition 10 cups chopped mixed greens (mustard, turnips, or whatever you have available) Salt & pepper to taste 1/4 pound Gorgonzola or blue cheese, crumbled Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente or whatever degree of "doneness" you prefer. Saute garlic in olive oil for 1 minute, add mushrooms and cook until wilted. Add greens to pan with mushrooms & garlic and cook about 5 minutes or until tender. Drain pasta, add to pan with vegetables. Season with salt & pepper. You could also add some fresh or dried herbs at this point if you would like to...

We picked up our second spring share from our new farm today. Tons of lovely greens. We got spinach, pizzo, frilly mustard greens, Toyko bekana, komatsuna, salad mix, micro greens, little white turnips, asparagus, leeks, green onions, green garlic, rhubarb and frozen strawberries. I am not familiar with some of these greens, but other then deciding whether they should be cooked or not, a lot of them are interchangeable. Both the pizzo and frilly mustard greens are spicy and can be used raw or cooked. I used the pizzo in a recipe that called for mustard greens. Potato Salad with Greens and Hard Boiled Eggs 5 or 6 Medium Potatoes, cut into chunks. If they are organic, there is no need to peel them. 1/2 Onion, finely chopped 1 Bunch Mizuna or other Mustard Green 2 Eggs, Hard boiled 1 Jalapeno Pepper (optional), seeds removed and finely chopped Sea Salt 1 Cup Mayonnaise 1 Tablespoon Prepared Mustard 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes and drain. While t...

Yesterday was a totally beautiful day in southern Wisconsin. Our friends called us bright and early Sunday morning to invite us to come and see the last of the apple blossoms in their orchard. Ellen and Bob have a a wonderful orchard in Ridgeway Wisconsin where they grow certified organic apples, pears and plums. They have a fruit CSA as well as selling at the farmers' markets: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M7074 . After touring the orchard, Ellen and Bob prepared a wonderful meal, including asparagus and morel mushrooms from their land. I contributed dessert. Some of the ingredients such as the rhubarb were local--the mangoes unfortunately were not. Rhubarb-Mango Crumble 1 1/2 pounds rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 2 mangoes, preferable Champagne mangoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes--this is picture of the Champagne mango. They are very sweet, have smaller pits and are less fibrous then regular mangoes. I usually find them at Whole Foods. 3/4 cup sugar 1 1/3...

I love lentil soup but I especially enjoyed this recipe which I believe came from the book, The Best Life Recipes. I found the recipe tucked away in my recipe files and decided to make it. Of course it got altered along the way. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 2/3 - 1 cup chopped carrot 1 pepper, red or green 4 cloves garlic, finely minced 2-3 slices bacon, cooked and then crumbled 1 1/2 cups dried lentils 5 cups chicken broth 1# can crushed or chopped tomatoes 1 dried hot pepper (optional) 3 sage leaves, finely chopped or 1 teaspoon dry rubbed sage if the fresh isn't available (which it wasn't for me) 2 large fresh thyme springs, finely chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme leaves (I used dry) 2 large rosemary springs, you could also substitute dry rosemary--maybe about 1/2 teaspoon. I used fresh Salt and pepper to taste 2 tablespoons or more chopped fresh cilantro Fry bacon until crisp. Remove most of the drippings, add the olive oil and saute oni...