Thayer in the Kitchen

We got some great broccoli in our CSA share.  This is a good way to use it.  Its a good dish for either supper or brunch. 2 tablespoons butter 1 large onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, chopped 4 cups finely chopped broccoli (1 bunch), its OK if there is more than 4 cups 1 teaspoon each dried basil and dried dill salt and pepper to taste 4 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup low-fat milk 1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream 4 slices whole-grain bread, torn into small pieces Grated Parmesan cheese for topping Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat butter in large skillet.  Saute onion until translucent.  Add garlic, broccoli and seasonings.  Saute until broccoli is tender but still bright green. Beat eggs, milk, cottage cheese and sour cream together.  Stir in bread.  Add broccoli mixture and mix well.  Pour mixture into sprayed 2 quart baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Top with grated Parmesan cheese and bake for an...

Today I want to post 2 totally different kinds of pancake/waffle recipes.  One is a traditional yet tasty recipe for Whole-wheat Banana Waffles.  The other is totally non-traditional and is a recipe for Broccoli Pancakes. I made these recipes kind of in reverse.  We had the waffles (breakfast for supper) last night with strawberries and whipped cream.  Delicious! Whole-Wheat Banana Waffles 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour 1/2 cup unbleached white flour 1/2 cup oatmeal (uncooked) 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 ripe banana 2 eggs 1 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup canola oil (or a similar light flavored oil) 1/2 cup pecan pieces Stir together the flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Mash banana; add remaining ingredients, except pecans, beating lightly until combined.  Add banana mixture to dry ingredients; stir until combined--do not ...

Now that I've discussed what garlic scapes are, I thought I'd share another good recipe that uses them. 2 whole skinless boneless chicken breasts, halved 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/4 cup dry white wine 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 1/4 cup chopped garlic scapes 1 Tbsp. drained capers Between sheets of plastic wrap slightly flatten chicken. In a large heavy skillet heat 1Tbsp. of butter and the oil over medium high heat. Sauté until cooked through. Season with salt & pepper. Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm. Pour off fat from skillet and add the remaining butter, the wine, lemon juice, scapes and bring mixture to a boil. Stir in capers and salt & pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken. Adapted from Mariquita Farms website, which has a CSA in California.

We've been getting quite a few garlic scapes in our CSA box each week.  In case you aren't sure what they are, I found this good explanation on the http://www.feelslikehomeblog.com/ :  What is a Garlic Scape? I never heard of garlic scapes before they came in our box from our CSA.  Apparently, garlic scapes are the shoots that garlic bulbs send up as they’re growing. Garlic bulbs want to become garlic plants, so they send up green things like onions do.  Farmers harvest these shoots so that the plant uses its energy to make a bigger bulb instead of making a bigger plant. That’s how plants work. Instead of throwing the sprouts in the compost pile, our farmers send them out in the CSA boxes. I’ve heard you can also buy them at some farmer’s markets or directly from farmers who grow garlic. Garlic scapes definitely taste like garlic, but the flavor is very mild. They’re like garlic essence, without the bite you back quality of a clove of garlic Now that you know ...

I found this interesting sounding soup recipe that called for sorrel. We really liked it and I'll be making it again the next time I get sorrel in my CSA box. Ingredients 2 lbs sorrel, I used a combination of sorrel and spinach--2 bunches 2 1/4 quarts beef stock 2 onions, peeled and chopped 1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 potatoes, cubed 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped 1 tablespoon scallion, chopped 1/2 cup heavy cream 4 eggs, hard boiled and sliced 1/4 cup sour cream Directions Bring the beef stock to a boil in a large pot. Add the onion, carrots, salt and potatoes and cook for 10-15 minutes. Cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Then add the sorrel and/or spinach. Cook briefly. Remove from heat and stir in the cream; add the dill. Serve and garnish with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of minced scallion and slices of egg. Adapted from recipezaar.com

We had dinner with friends yesterday. I was asked to bring a vegetable dish. Our hostess served grilled chicken, yellow rice and black beans. This was a perfect accompaniment to the rest of the meal. 2 1/4 pounds summer squash or zucchini or a combination, thinly sliced (about 10 cups) 2/3 cup finely chopped yellow onion 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies 1/2 cup chopped picked jalapenos 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 1/4 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup salsa (I used a locally made fresh hot salsa) 4 scallions, sliced with the green tops 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. 2. Combine squash, onion, chilies , jalapenos, salt and 3/4 cup cheese in a large bowl. Sprinkle with flour; toss to coat. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. 3. Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and the squash is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Spoon salsa over the ...

This is a good recipe to use those beet greens that come with a bunch of your CSA beets. 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 onion, halved and sliced into 1/4-inch thick half-moons 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 # potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice 3/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes 4 cups beet greens, sliced into 1/2-inch wide ribbons (the greens from 1 bunch of beets) 3 cups chicken broth 1 small bay leaf Four 1/2-inch thick slices rustic whole grain bread Freshly grated Parmesan cheese In a large pot, heat the olive oil over high heat until hot. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes, sea salt and red pepper flakes, then add the greens, stirring well. Add the broth and bay leaf and bring just to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Toast the bread, rub with some olive oil and a cut clove of garlic (or garlic powder). Se...

We loved this super easy dish and between the 2 of us, ate every last crumb for supper one night last week. 1/2 lb pasta (I used Eden spinach ribbon pasta) 4 slices bacon (about 3 1/4 ounces), chopped 1/4 cup garlic scapes, cut into 1/4 inch coins 1/4 # sliced mushrooms 2 large eggs 1/4 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese A good addition is 1/2 cup of peas. Set a pot of water to boiling on the stove and cook the pasta. While it’s cooking, cook the bacon over medium heat until browned. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and add the garlic scapes and mushrooms. Cook until soft (2-3 minutes). Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. (Drain both the bacon and the garlic scapes on a paper towel). Whisk together the eggs, salt and red pepper flakes. When the pasta is done, quickly remove it from the stove. Drain the pasta and add it back to the pot, on the burner set to low. Stir in the garlic scapes, mushrooms and bacon. Add the egg ...

This is another tasty frittata which makes an easy supper dish. We love fresh dill and its a very nice addition to this egg dish. 9 large eggs 3 Tbs. freshly grated Parmesan 3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 2/3-cup) 2 Tbs. minced fresh dill Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbs. olive oil 1 large clove garlic, minced or 2-3 garlic scapes, chopped 4 cups packed arugula (about 4 oz. or 1 bunch), chopped Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and heat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Stir the Parmesan, feta, dill, and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper into the beaten eggs. Heat the oil and the garlic in a 10-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the garlic sizzles and starts to turn golden, add the arugula. Cook the arugula, stirring constantly, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, shaking the pan to distribute the arugula evenly. Add the egg mixture and cook ...

I've posted a lot of recipes using rhubarb, but we really like it. Plus its readily available early in the produce season and rather inexpensive as fruit goes. It combines beautifully with strawberries. I liked this recipe because it has a very generous crumb topping which really compliments the tangy fruit filling. Filling 2 pounds rhubarb stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered 3 tablespoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Topping 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 cups rolled oats 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup pecans (optional) MAKE THE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 375°. In a bowl, toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In another bowl, toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and let stand for 10 m...

Balkan Cucumber Salad • 1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion • 1 cucumber, preferably a long English cucumber (we get them in our CSA box) * • 1/2 tsp. salt • Freshly ground black pepper • 3/4 cups plain yogurt, drain off any accumulated liquid. ** • 1 clove garlic, minced • 2 tbs. fresh mint leaves, minced • 4 tbs. (packed) finely minced parsley • 2 scallions, finely minced (greens included) • 2 tbs. freshly minced dill (dry is OK if that's all you've got) • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (or not) Cut the cucumbers into thin rounds and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add remaining ingredients except for walnuts, and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Sprinkle the walnuts on top just before serving. Adapted from The Moonshadow , a weekly newsletter of the Blue Moon Community Farm * No need to peel these seedless cucumbers.  If you have the standard ones, I'd peel them and remove some of the seeds. **  You could probably also ...