Thayer in the Kitchen

This dish can be served warm or cold, leftover the next day.  Delicious both ways.  It is a bit labor-intensive but very tasty and a good way to use some of those winter vegetables. 1# beets, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks 1/2# carrots, cut into thick coins 1/2# onions red or yellow onions or shallot, cut into chunks (a little less is fine) 1/2 cup Citrus Vinaigrette 1 cup Israeli couscous 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped 1 large sprig of thyme, if fresh is not available sprinkle in some dry 1/4-1/2 tsp. dried chile flakes 1/2 cup salted roasted sunflower seeds (raw seeds are also OK) 1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese Heat oven to 450℉. Toss the beets with a small amount of olive or sunflower oil, season with salt and pepper and spread on a rimmed baking sheet.  Roast for 10 minutes.  Toss the carrots and onions with oil and season with salt and pepper.  Add to the baking sheet.  Roast all the vegetables until tender and lightly br

I know a lot of people don't like beets.  Arthur and I both like them.  Now I'm not sure if you dislike beets this soup will convince you that you do.  However, if you think they're OK or really enjoy them, then I recommend you try this tasty soup.  Arthur voted it a definite keeper. It is good served either hot or cold. 6 medium sized beets (1 1/2#) 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 3 cups of chicken broth 1 cup sour cream (lower fat is OK) 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (taste after adding 1) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons fresh chopped dill (if you don't like dill you can substitute chives) Cook the beets, covered in boiling salted water or in the microwave for 45 minutes or until tender.  Drain and peel when cool enough to handle.  Chop the beets, reserving 1/2 cup.  Place the rest of the beets in a blender.  Melt the butter, stir in flour and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the broth until smooth.  Cook until somewhat thickened.  Add some

I'm always on the lookout on how to use my CSA vegetables.  I saw this recipe on EatingWell.  I would make the pancakes again but I would pay more attention to the directions.  The recipe said to bake the pancakes in the oven for 15 minutes.  I didn't do that and the pancakes were a bit on the crunchy side.  However, they would be worth making again because the flavor is good.  I even used a black radish that was lurking in my vegetable draw.  We got a couple of the radishes in an early CSA box.  I was hoping they would just disappear.  These pancakes were a great place to use one of them.  You would never know it was in the pancakes.  1-2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour 3 tablespoons chopped scallions 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried (I didn't have any fresh dill but would recommend using it if you have it available--the dry didn't have much flavor) 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teas

We still have some of the vegetables left from our fall/winter CSA storage share.  I've been keeping them in the special green produce storage bags.  I bought some at our local food co-op (Willy Street) and then ordered more on line.  I'm not sure of the brand name, but they really do help to keep produce fresher longer.  I have found that they collect a lot of moisture so I usually add a paper towel to the bag with the produce.  Has anyone else tried them?  If so, what do you think? Some of the vegetables we have left are beets.  This is a very good salad using beets.  Kind of like pickled beets with some extra pizazz.  4 medium size beets or about 1#, roasted and peeled 1 1/2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (or whatever kind you have available) 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large clove garlic or 2 small salt & peeper to taste 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 2 or more tablespoon chopped fresh dill Roast the beets, peel and cut in slices or wedges.  Stir together

I have already posted a beet salad recipe but this one is a little different, extremeley easy and delicious. 1# beets, red or golden 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp. sunflower-seed oil 2 oz. goat cheese coarse ground black pepper Salad greens Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Wrap beets in foil.  Roast until tender, about 1 hour.  Cool slightly; remove foil.  Rub off or peel skins; cut into thin wedges.  Toss with nuts and vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add oil; toss.  Spoon over salad greens.  Crumble goat cheese on top. Note:  In the Madison WI area Driftless Organics and Cherokee Bison make some great sunflower seed oil that they sell at the farmers market. Adapted from Self.com

This is very good recipe for someone who is not a big fan of beets especially if you use beets that are not red.  We had 2 large golden beets from our CSA farm and quite a few potatoes.  My husband loved this dish and ate most of it himself. 2 large beets, peeled, about 4 cups when grated enough potatoes grated to equal 4 cups, no need to peel them salt and pepper 4 scallions chopped 2/3 cup flour 2 tablespoons butter (we ran out of butter and I used some walnut oil) Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.  Mix the beets, potatoes and flour a few spoonfuls at a time until well combined.  Melt butter in skillet or heat the oil.  Put the vegetable mixture in the pan and flatten with a spatula.  I covered the pan to make sure the vegetables cooked through.  Cook for 10-15 minutes.  Check the bottom to make sure it is brown and crispy.  Now you need to flip it over which can be a bit tricky.  First run a spatula under the patty to make sure it will come out of the pan.  Try put

This salad has a nice contrast of colors and flavors. 1/2 jar of pickled beets or you could start with fresh beets and cook them. Beets aren't in season right now, at least in Wisconsin. Besides I happened to have a jar of pickled beets in the refrigerator. Bunch of arugula If it looks as though you won't have enough arugula, add some salad greens--preferably local 2 pears, peeled and sliced--I know pears are not in season in Wisconsin now either. I got a couple of pears at Whole Foods and felt slightly guilty for a very short time 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese--yes it was local! 1/4 cup cups toasted pecans For dressing you can either use some raspberry vinegar & olive oil or Annie's Raspberry Vinaigrette Adapted from hormel.com

1# or however many beets you have, stems trimmed to 1# 1 tablespoon minced shallots 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 bag of salad greens or torn lettuce Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender. It will take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets and cut in wedges. Whisk together dressing ingredients. Dress the salad greens with as much dressing as you like, top with the beets and drizzle with a bit more dressing.

Russian Cabbage Borscht (adapted from Mollie Katzen's The New Moosewood Cookbook) 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced potatoes 1 cup thinly sliced beets 4 cups vegetable stock or water 2 tablespoons butter 1 1/2 cups chopped onions 1 teaspoon caraway seed 1-2 teaspoons salt 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 large carrot, sliced 3-4 cups coarsely shredded cabbage black pepper to taste 1 teaspoon fresh dill weed (or dry if fresh isn't available) 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1-2 tablespoon brown sugar or honey 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce sour cream, for topping Place sliced potatoes and beets in a medium saucepan over high heat; cover with stock, and boil until vegetables are tender. Remove potatoes and beets with a slotted spoon, and reserve stock. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onions, caraway seeds, and salt; cook until onions become soft and translucent. Then stir in celery, carrots, and cabbage. Mix in reserved stock; cook, covered, until all vegetables are tender, about

Breakfast today was one of my favorite pancake recipes. Carrot Breakfast Pancakes (adapted from RecipeZaar) 1-3/4 cups milk 2 eggs ¼ cup butter 4 medium carrots 1¼ cups unbleached flour 1¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal (optional) 2 tablespoons baking powder 1 teaspoon salt ¼ cup sugar ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon cinnamon Put milk in blender or food processor; add eggs and butter. Blend. Add carrots and blend well, until carrots are completely chopped with no visible pieces. Pour into a bowl and add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and spices until thoroughly combined. If you think the batter is too thin add a little more flour. Spray frying pan or griddle with cooking spray or oil lightly. Pour batter into pan using ¼ cup measure and cook until bubbles appear on top; turn and cook until golden brown on the other side. Serve with maple syrup. Sometimes I add a few pecans to the batter. Again this is optional. These pancakes are si