Okra...the only way my family can actually eat it.

Okra is an interesting vegetable. Our southern family grows it, fries it up dusted in cornmeal and calls it dinner. My husband, bless his heart, is opposed to even this traditional offering of okra. He is totally turned off by the slimy texture that persists even with the frying. So when we got a bag of fresh okra in our CSA I was a little afraid.

I drop off a CSA for friends, and while we were assessing our weekly haul I voiced my concern. She looked up at me without batting an eyelash and said. "Easy, Just cook it with tomatoes. It is the best!" I was very skeptical.
It just so happened that there were tomatoes also in the CSA box this week, so I tried it.

OH MAN! It was great! The fresh okra has a fantastic texture. It is crunchy and sweet, and the addition of tomatoes does eliminate the slime. I added onions, garlic and Greek olives. It was perfect, and yes...Keith ate some. His review was: "It's OK, I would not eat it every day, but it's OK." VICTORY!!

Okra with Tomatoes:

Ingredients:

4 cups of sliced Okra
1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion sliced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt & pepper
4 plumb tomatoes diced
1/2 cup pitted Greek olives

Directions:

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot add oil and onions. Season with salt and pepper. When the onions are almost translucent add the garlic, pepper flakes and okra. Continue to cook for 3 minutes. Keep stirring so the garlic does not burn.

2. Add the tomatoes to the pan. Stir and bring mixture up to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Stir in olives a few minutes before you serve.

Grilled curried Eggplant

I really love our CSA with Revision farm here in Dorchester. Recently though we have received a LOT of eggplant. Long purple Asian ones, big fat Italian ones, and now these little white ones. They are the only eggplants that I have ever seen that might explain how this veggie got its name. They have a denser and creamer inside than their Italian cousins. I have successfully used them in stir frys, tomato sauce, curries and, (inspired by the curry experiment) Grilled with curry spices.

This recipe uses the foil packet method. (picture below) It is super easy. Cross two pieces of foil, place your oil and spices in the middle, place your halved eggplants flat-side down on the spices, fold the foil over to make an enclosed square and crimp the edges down tight.

Grilled, Curried Eggplant

Ingredients:

3 small white eggplants, stems removed and halved
2 tablespoons coconut oil in liquid form (you can use veggie or olive if if you like)
1/2 tsp Caribbean curry powder (Caribbean curry powders have allspice in them, I like that but use what you have)
1 garlic clove, minced
Salt and pepper

1. Make your foil packet, bend up the edges of the middle where you will be arranging your eggplant.

2. Pour your oil into the packet. Add spices and mix together. Place your eggplants face down into the spicy oil, then wrap your packet and crimp the edges tightly.

3. Grill, oil side down for 15-20 minutes or until the eggplants are very soft when you push on the packet. Unwrap carefully and enjoy

Italian Plumb Brown Sugar Cake

Last week at work we saved several palates of beautiful Italian Plumbs!! The boys and I brought home a bunch, cleaned them, froze two gallon bags full of plumbs, made a batch of plumb wine, and
then THIS.

I found this recipe on Lydia Bastianitch's site. It is a fantastic cake and the layers of plumbs are a fun surprise. It is not super difficult. Joseph pretty much did the recipe himself. It does have a few prep steps, but all the work is worth it.


Italian Plumb Brown Sugar Cake

Ingredients:

cake:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
18 Italian Plumbs, pitted and halved

topping:
2  cup flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare an 8 inch springform pan by spreading it with butter or shortening and dusting with flour.

2. In a mixer combine butter and brown sugar until well incorporated. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time until well incorporated, then mix in lemon zest and vanilla.

3. In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. *those of you familiar with cake recipes might be wondering at this point...where is the milk? Don't worry, there is not mistake, this recipe is different, but it works*

4. Spread half of the cake batter in the bottom of your prepared pan, then arrange half your plumbs in a layer on top of your batter. Cover plumb layer with the remaining cake batter, and layer again with plumbs.

5. In a food processor or in a medium bowl by hand combine the topping ingredients. They should be pretty dry and have large chunky crumbles. If the mixture is more wet, and not crumbly add a little more flour.

6. Sprinkle the topping evenly over your last layer of plumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes then continue to cool on a wire rack.

Summer Squash Sesame Noodles

I really enjoy my spiralizer! Even though this recipe has the name noodles in it, there are in fact no noodles, just squash, but you really would never know. It is so delicious The secret weapon is the excellent dressing. Make this recipe your own, feel free to add Asian veggies that you like. I just used what I had. The summer squash can be interchanged with zucchini, they are kind of the same thing.

Summer Squash Sesame Noodles

5 medium summer squash, spiralized
3 carrots, spiralized
1/3 cup basil leaves, chopped
1 medium bell pepper, julienned (cut into small strips)
1 tablespoons sesame seeds

Dressing:

1 garlic clove
1/4 cup sunbutter
2 tablespoons hoisin or teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon siracha
pinch of Chinese 5 spice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil

1. Spiralize vegetables and slice pepper, then set aside in a large bowl.

2. Blend all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour over the veggies and toss. Garnish with Basil and sesame seeds. Serve chilled.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I have inherited this recipe from my friend Megan. We got some zucchinis in our farm share that had been allowed to grow a little too long and developed a harder skin. I was not sure what to do with them and she gave me this recipe. It is the perfect fix for overgrown zucchini.

You can easily veganize it. Use 1/3 cup of silken tofu for each of the eggs. I have baked the bread both ways and the vegan version is slightly denser but still holds together well and tastes great. (no one even noticed)

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup oil (i used coconut)
2 cups white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon.

1. In a medium bowl beat together the eggs and oil, then add the sugar, vanilla and shredded zucchini. Mix well.

2. combine all the dry ingredients in a small bowl, then gradually mix the dry ingredients in with the zucchini mixture.

3. Pour into greased pans (two bread pans or one bunt) and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from the oven when a knife or tester comes out clean. Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool before serving....maybe....if you can stand it .

Green Goddess Dressing

There has been an abundance of herbs in our farm share so far this spring. One of my favorite recipes to make that uses a bunch of herbs before they get too wilty is Green Goddess Dressing. It is a very creamy and savory dressing that goes well on salads, potatoes or meat. In this recipe I use garlic scapes which are a treasure at the beginning of the summer and have a very fresh, clean garlic taste but are only available for a limited time. If you do not have access to garlic scapes you can feel free to use regular or roasted garlic.

I used the herbs that I had on hand, but you can feel free to experiment with what you have available.

Green Goddess Dressing

1/2 cup tahini
1/2 cup water
2 green onions
2 garlic scapes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar.
2 cups of fresh washed herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, oregano, sage, mint dill)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process on high until creamy. You may desire to thin the dressing a bit by using water.

2. Use the dressing right away or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Thai Carrot and Cucumber Noodle Salad

For Mothers' day this year my kids bought me a spiralizer!! I was super excited to play with this new tool, but the busyness of life kept me from having the time to try any new recipes for about two weeks. Finally I came home with a box of cucumbers ready to try this recipe and went to break out my spiralizer.....It was gone!

My spiralizer came in a little box, and I had left it safely on my veggie cart in my kitchen to wait until I had time to play. Unfortunately, the recycle was also placed temporarily on the veggie cart, and my brand new, in-the-box spiralizer was recycled. (my kids are so efficient in their chores)

I got a replacement one, and here is the first recipe that I was able to try. It is fabulously tasty..Enjoy!

Thai Carrot and Cucumber Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

14 oz. can of chickpeas
1 1/2 English cucumbers
1 cup chopped pepper
1/4 cup minced onion
2-3 large carrots
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley or dill

Dressing:
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
pinch of salt/pepper to taste
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of Chinese 5 spice
1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Use the spiralizer to make cucumber and carrot "noodles," and combine with chickpeas, onions, and peppers.

2. In a small bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients. Pour over salad, toss and serve.

Dandelion Jelly

I love spring when the dandelions come out. I have ceased to think of them as weeds. I love how they grow in every impossible nook and cranny here in the city, AND they are eatable! You can harvest the greens and eat them in a salad or stir fry. The blossoms can be used to make tea or wine, or in this case...JELLY!

To prepare for this recipe you are going to need to collect about ten cups of dandelion blossoms to make a tea as the base for our jelly. The green ends of the flowers (where the flower attaches to the stem) can be bitter. It is recommended to cut the green, non-petal ends off the flowers before making the tea.

To make the tea mix 6 cups of boiling water with your collected petals and let it steep overnight. This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, so it will wait for you if you don't have all this time together. Strain the flower petals from the tea before you begin canning.

MAKING THE JELLY:

Ingredients:
 6 cups of dandelion tea
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 boxes of pectin
6 cups sugar

Directions:
1.Combine the dandelion tea, lemon juice and pectin in a large heavy duty stockpot or dutch oven, and bring to a boil.

2. Add the sugar and bring back to a boil. Continue to cook at a rolling boil for 5-8 minutes or until the mixture begins to feel thick. You may need to occasionally stir to make sure it does not burn on the bottom of the pan.

3. Fill sterilized jars and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.**


**for more information on this step and the process of canning see http://www.simplycanning.com/sterilizing-jars.html

Blueberry Buckle

My grandmother made the BEST blueberry buckle in the world! So when I began to hunt for a recipe I had very high expectations. I found one by Martha Stewart and it did not disappoint. I am blogging it not because I can claim it as my own, but because I never want to loose it. It turned out great! There was not a crumb left and it was a great way to use some of the TEN POUNDS of blueberries we got from Fair Foods this week.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup milk
• 5 cups wild or cultivated blueberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a springform baking pan, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low, and add egg and vanilla, beating until fully combined.
4. Add reserved flour mixture, alternating with the milk, a little of each at a time, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Remove from mixer. Gently fold in blueberries.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan; sprinkle streusel topping over cake. Bake until cake tester comes out batter-free, 60 to 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool for 15 minutes before 

Streusel Topping

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients together; cut in the butter using a pastry blender or fork until fine crumbs form.
2. Using hands, squeeze together most of the mixture to form large clumps. Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container, or sprinkle directly onto cake.

Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein

If you have been reading this blog since the beginning you will be familiar with my battle to convince my family that Spaghetti Squash is indeed edible. But folks...I have found the golden recipe for feeding Spaghetti squash to doubters.

I have made this recipe multiple times and it is super versatile. It works great with pretty much any veggies you throw at it. This recipe is pretty basic with celery, carrot and onions, but I have also had great luck with adding scallions, mushrooms, broccoli, bok choy, kohlrabi, peppers, pea pods and bean sprouts. The concept is the same for whatever you have. If you are busy you can also cook your spaghetti squash ahead of time and just use a frozen stir fry mix. Do you with this one!

Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein

1 spaghetti Squash
1 tablespoon veggie or coconut oil
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 onion thinly sliced.
2 cups shredded cabbage
3 cloves of garlic minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup raw cashews

The sauce:
1/4 cup Braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce if you are not gluten free)
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon siracha
1 tablespoon sesame oil
pinch of Chinese 5 Spice
1 tablespon olive oil

Directions:

1. Cook your spaghetti squash. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut your spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds and lay skin-side-up in a baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the squash is soft enough to be pierced with a knife easily. Take it out and set aside to cool a bit.
*Just an FYI: Spaghetti squash will keep for a few days just like this. You can put your cooked halves in the fridge and use them when you are ready to make the rest of the recipe.

2. Heat a large skillet on medium high. Saute your celery, carrots, onion, cabbage, garlic and ginger in 1 tablespoon of oil until the onions are opaque and the ginger and garlic are fragrant, about 5 minutes. If the pan gets too hot and your veggies start to get too brown, but they are not soft enough yet you can add a few tablespoons of water to partly steam them.

3. While your veggies cook scoop out the stringy flesh of your spaghetti squash using a fork. Then, combine all of your sauce ingredients.

4. Stir the spaghetti squash flesh into your veggies in the hot skillet, then add the sauce. Mix well and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes until it is heated through. Garnish with cashews and serve.

Its been a while

Hey blog world! It's been a while. I'm sorry. This is a food blog, and obviously, if you have seen me lately, I am still eating and cooking. But, life has been super full of changes. The big one....WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!

Some of you know that this has been a long journey for us full of ups and downs and some signifigant heart break. Yet, in November we were able to move into a home of our own, and it has sapped a lot of my attention.

I also got a part time legit job. I am working with Fair Foods Inc. (which is a fantastic place to work if you are a foodie, think people should eat good food, and care about the planet) Check us out at www.fairfoods.org

But now we have arrived at summer...Hello July...and I have a minute to update the blog. It is going to be a major upload. I have been saving some good recipes, and my CSA has started so I have so many fun things to work with. Look out world...Sarah's Fresh Life is back and ready for some delicious and healthy fun.