Thayer in the Kitchen

I had some fresh corn on the cob but the kernels were overly filled out and not as tender as I prefer for eating as corn on the cob. I thought they were a bit starchy, but I decided they would be perfect for soup. I found this great recipe online. Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter 1/4 # bacon, diced 1 cup chopped onion Kosher salt and black pepper 3/4 cup chopped colored pepper (red or green) 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 tablespoons flour 3-4 cups chicken broth 4 cups diced potatoes (I didn't peel mine) 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (preferably fresh) * 1 cup half and half 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme) Pinch cayenne pepper 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley Note: We got enough corn from 2 ears of corn for the soup. Directions Melt the butter in a large pot and cook the bacon until crisp. Remove. Add the onions and peppers; season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft; add garlic. Cook for about a minute. Sprinkle in t...

This soup turned out to be tastier than I expected which is why I'm including it in my blog so that I don't forget about making it again. I think it is due to the celery root puree. This makes it necessary to add another step to preparing the soup but it is definitely worthwhile.  You could substitute another grain for the cracked wheat, such as farro.  However, I happened to have cracked wheat available and it cooks quickly. 1 celeriac (celery root 3/4 - 1#) 1/2# onions, sliced (yellow or red) 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced or chopped 3 tablespoons unsalted butter Kosher (or sea salt) and cracked black pepper 2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil 1 cup cracked wheat Several sprigs fresh thyme if available, otherwise use dried thyme 1 stalk celery, diced -- note, I used my vegetable chopper to chop all the root vegetables so they were about a 1/2 inch dice 1 carrot, diced 1 turnip, diced (I didn't have a turnip so I used a daikon radish) 1 medium potato, unp...

Adapted from  Cook This Now  by  Melissa Clark .  A great way to use some of those carrots from your CSA farm in a familiar dish. Ingredients 2 cups whole wheat macaroni 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrot (about 8 small) 3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese (note: any kind of cheese you have available will work fine) 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 3/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup whole milk 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon mustard powder 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese Directions 1. Preheat oven to 400° F and grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven. 2. Cook macaroni according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water; add carrots 3 minutes before the pasta is finished cooking; drain well. 3. While pasta is hot, stir in all but 1/2 cup of the cheddar and the butter. In a bowl, whisk together the s...

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 vegetable...

I loved this Rachael Ray recipe for Red Cabbage soup!  It was so hearty and filled with so many good winter vegetables.  It helps if you have a hand chopper to chop up the vegetables and a food processor to slice the cabbage. 2 tablespoons olive oil or sunflower oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped 3 ribs celery with leafy tops, chopped 1 leek, quartered lengthwise, cleaned and chopped (I forgot to buy a leek and substituted 1/2 chopped red onion--worked fine) 1 large firm apple, such as Honeycrisp or Gala, peeled and diced Salt and pepper ½ teaspoon whole allspice 1 teaspoon juniper berries (I didn't have any, so I skipped them) 1 teaspoon cumin, ground or seed 1 teaspoon celery seed 1 teaspoon caraway, seed  1 tablespoon paprika 2 large fresh bay leaves or dry if fresh isn't available 1 small red cabbage, quartered, cored and very thinly sliced 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar 2 tablespoons sherry o...

This recipe is a vegan version of the soup joumou that Haitians devour on New Year’s Day.  This was a great soup to make because we got so many of the ingredients in our winter storage share.  It is a delicious soup! Ingredients 1# kabocha squash, seeded and cut into 8 pieces (I used a baby dumpling squash from our CSA farm) 1 can whole coconut milk (not lite) 2 quarts vegetable or chicken broth, divided 2 tbsp sunflower oil or olive oil 1 cup diced carrot 1 cup diced celery 1 cup diced yellow onion 3 tbsp chopped fresh thyme, divided (dry can be used if fresh is not available--use less) 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves) 1 tbsp sea salt, divided 2 cups shredded green cabbage (1/2#) 1 cup chopped leek or green onions 1 cup peeled and diced sweet potatoes 1 cup diced potatoes (2 potatoes) 1 cup diced turnips 2 tbsp garlic powder 2 tbsp onion powder 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes Pinch of cayenne pepper 1/4# small ...

1/2 cup peanut butter 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or 1/2 tablespoon Penzey's dry minced ginger) 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons brown sugar salt (if needed) 1 box (about 8-12 oz.) whole-grain linguine, or whatever you have available 2 large carrots, julienned 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced 1 red or yellow pepper, thinly sliced into strips (if you are a big pepper fan you can use one of each) 3 green onions, sliced 1/4 - 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped 1/4 - 1/3 cup peanuts, chopped 1# cooked shrimp My husband was kind enough to peel and devein the shrimp.  I sauteed the shrimp very quickly in a little oil in a pan and then let it cool. Whisk together the dressing ingredients: peanut butter, tamari, vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup water. Add the dressing to the vegetables, pasta, and shrimp and mix well.  Try to ...

These pancakes are similar to latkes and gluten free.  The pancakes & salad make an interesting breakfast but would also be good for lunch or supper. The other good thing about them is they use a lot of carrots.  If you belong to a CSA farm you probably get a lot of carrots in your fall boxes. The chickpea flour or garbanzo bean flour is available from Bob's Red Mill.  It is also available in Indian grocery stores where it is called besan or gram flour.   Ingredients 4 large eggs, beaten to blend 1 pound carrots (about 8 medium), peeled, coarsely grated ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 cup chickpea flour Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup sliced green onions (optional) 1 teaspoon curry powder (optional) 3 tablespoons (or more) sunflower or olive oil, divided 1 cup plain yogurt, Greek yogurt works well 1 cup spicy greens (such as baby mustard greens, watercress, or arugula) 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice ...

Our last gourmet dinner was an upscale soup and sandwich supper with appetizers and desserts.  I made this chicken noodle soup and thought it was excellent. Stock 1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken 3 1/2 quarts water 1 onion, peeled and diced 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning 3 cloves garlic, minced 4 bay leaves 1 tablespoon chicken stock base Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Soup: 2 cups sliced carrots 2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops 2 1/2-3 cups uncooked egg noodles 2 cups sliced mushrooms 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 1/3 cup cooking sherry 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1/2-1 cup grated Parmesan, optional 3/4 cup heavy cream, optional Seasoning salt Freshly ground black pepper For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves. You should have approxima...

We joined Sitka Salmon Shares http://sitkasalmonshares.com this year.  "We home deliver fish-loving Midwesterners high quality, responsibly-sourced seafood direct from small boat family fishermen in Southeast Alaska through our Community Supported Fishery."  In July we received Pacific Cod and Rockfish.  This chowder was a good solution for an easy dish that combined some of our fish plus quite a few vegetables. 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced 2 medium stalks celery, 1/4-inch pieces 1 medium onion, chopped medium 1/2 - 1 medium red bell pepper, diced Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 Tbsp. flour 2 cups milk (fat free or 1%) 1 cup or 1 small bottle clam juice (water or broth can be substituted) 2 large unpeeled red potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch pieces 2 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning 1 cup half and half (fat free is OK) 1 cup frozen yellow corn 1 pound cod or tilapia fillets, ski...

As I mentioned in my last post we have lots of carrots.  While searching for recipes to help use some of our carrots I came across this recipe.  I made the waffles this morning for breakfast.  We had hoped to go to the indoor farmers' market for breakfast but with below zero wind chill conditions we decided to take a pass. These waffles are an interesting mixture of healthy and decadent.  I'm sure you could make changes to make them healthier but I followed the recipe from the blog site Baking A Moment.  Ingredients For the Whole Wheat Carrot Cake Waffles: 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup chopped walnuts 1/4 cup light brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 1/2 cups milk 1 1/2 cups finely grated carrot 3/4 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple, or canned crushed pineapple, drained 1/2 cup (1 stick) uns...

We subscribed to a Winter Veggie Lover's Share again this year from our CSA Farm Driftless Organics.  This share is a regular season-sized CSA box delivered every other week and stuffed full of potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, a head of cabbage or kale; and a small assortment of roots like beets, turnips, winter radishes, parsnips and garlic. 7 total boxes are delivered over the course of 14 weeks.  We did this last year and really liked prolonging our CSA season a bit longer.  Their carrots are beautiful and we got a lot of them--not a bad thing. This was one of the soups that I made which we both agreed was excellent. 1 medium onion, chopped 1 rib celery, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 lb carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces 3 ⁄ 4 inch fresh gingerroot, peeled and sliced thin 1 ⁄ 8 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes 3 cups chicken broth 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 1 ⁄ 2 tablespoons peanut butter 1 te...

Some time ago I posted a recipe for Cream of Broccoli Soup on the blog.  At that time I was still looking for an even better recipe.  This recipe that I found on Mel's Kitchen Café website is excellent.  Give it a try when you've got a bunch of broccoli and are craving a warm thick comforting soup.  The author said it was hearty and delicious.  I also like this soup because it has other vegetables besides the broccoli and I'm all about using vegetables! 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots, diced small 1 cup chopped celery, diced small 3 cups chopped potatoes, diced small 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 4-5 cups coarsely chopped broccoli; peel the outside of the tough stalks before using 4-6 slices bacon, chopped 3 tablespoons butter 1/3 cup flour 3 cups milk (I used 1/2 skim milk and 1/2 half and half) 3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese   1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard In a ...

I found this recipe in the magazine Midwest Living and made it for dinner. Arthur loved it and said he wanted me to save it in my blog so that I could make it again.  Typically I make a recipe once and unless it is really good I throw it away.  With so many recipes available it is hard to keep track of the really good ones which is one of the purposes of my blog. This one is interesting because the vegetables are made into vegetable ribbons and serve as a bed for the salmon.  The salmon steams on top of the vegetables and remains very moist. 1 lemon 1 medium zucchini 1 medium yellow summer squash 2 medium carrots, peeled 1/4 teaspoon salt 1-1 1/4# s almon fillets (if the salmon has skin it can easily be removed after cooking) 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2...

I've posted recipes for stuffed delicata squash previously but I just made this one this week and we thought it was delicious.  Leftovers heat up well for lunch too.  I love this squash!  It is so sweet and tender.  It doesn't keep as well as some of the harder shelled squash so be sure to use it sooner than later. 4 delicata squash, halved and seeded l large onion finely diced (about 1 cup) 4 cloves of garlic, minced 2-4 stalks of celery, finely diced 2 large carrots, finely diced 1# of bulk Italian sausage 1 cup soft whole wheat breadcrumbs 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place halved and seeded squash cut side down in a large roasting pan.  Cover with foil and roast until tender.  It can take from 40-60 minutes.  While the squash is baking, brown the sausage.  Make sure it is broken up into small pieces.  I use my potato masher as it cooks to break up the sausage...

At this time of the year you will probably consistently see either summer squash or zucchini in your CSA share.  I can never get too much of either one because it is so versatile. You can use zucchini or yellow summer squash to make this squash casserole.  It is a very basic casserole but to me it is really comfort food. 2 pounds squash thickly sliced (7 cups) 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of chicken soup 1 cup sour cream 1 cup shredded carrot 1/4 cup butter 2 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix (about 1/2 of 8 ounce package)  I prefer Pepperidge Farm brand   Cook squash with onion in boiling salt water for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain well. Combine soup and sour cream. Stir in shredded carrot. Fold in drained squash and onion. Melt butter; toss with stuffing mix. Spread half of the stuffing in a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish (about 1 1/2 to 2-quart size). Spoon vegetable mixture on top. Sprinkle with remaining st...

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 tables...

I belonged to a meat CSA for 3 months.  We decided not to continue because we don't eat very much meat during the months when we are getting all our CSA vegetables.  What we received was excellent and we may do it again at a later time when the pick up location is more convenient and we need more meat. One of the items we received was a very large roasting chicken.  I think having leftover chicken is great because you can do so many things with it.  I always brine chicken that has actually walked around. This way you can be sure of getting a very tender juicy chicken with an excellent flavor.  Use a simple brining recipe.  This is one and would be plenty for a 6-8 # whole chicken.  For each gallon of cold water used in the brine, add the following: 3/4 cup coarse kosher salt 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 cup boiling water 1 gallon cold water 1 tablespoon black pepper Dissolve the salt & sugar in the boiling water and let cool.  Ad...

This soup reminds me of Greek chicken soup with its lemony flavor.  I wanted a recipe to use some of the baby spring turnips from my CSA share, plus the carrots that came in our last box. You could substitute your own leftover chicken if you have any available. Lemon Chicken Soup 2 tablespoons olive oil 10 scallions (green onions) chopped, white & green parts separated 6 cups chicken broth 1 cup white rice (I used arborio since this was the only white rice I had) 8 oz. carrots, cut into chunks 8 oz. baby turnips, cut into quarters or chunks if the turnip is large 4 large eggs 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more if you want additional tartness) 3-4 cups rotisserie chicken, skin removed and chopped chopped parsley if desired Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large pot.  Add the white parts of the green onions.  Cook until softened.  Add the chicken broth, rice, carrots, turnips and salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce hea...

I'm always on the lookout for new pancake recipes especially ones that incorporate some fruit or even better vegetables.  These tasty pancakes provide a very healthy serving of carrots without you knowing you're even getting them.  1 cup flour (either unbleached white or whole wheat pastry flour) 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon ginger 1/4-1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional) 2 tablespoons golden raisins (also optional) 1 large egg 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups finely grated raw carrots Optional Cream Cheese Topping 4 ounces cream cheese 1/4 cup powdered sugar 2-3 tablespoons milk or 1/2 & 1/2 1/2 teaspoon vanilla dash of cinnamon In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, nuts and raisins.  In another bowl whisk together egg, brown sugar, buttermilk...