Chard to Figure Out & Other Recipe Adventures

We have been diving into our CSA veggies every Tuesday exploring the new additions and contemplating uses for the repeat veggies.  This week our share included chard (week 2), Kale (week 2), radishes (week 4), garlic spirals (week 2), STRAWBERRIES (week 1) and red leaf lettuce (week 2).

(this is a photo of chard, aren't the colors AMAZING!)

Before we began CSAing (this is our first year) I have never been in the same room with, let alone cooked things like chard or garlic spirals... However, in the last several years I have become much more of a confident cook and now don't always need to follow a recipe and I can usually whip something together pretty quickly just from our pantry. This fact has helped me thus far with the CSA adventure. Also what ALWAYS helps me is to create a meal plan and shopping list for the week (this is my sanity and BUDGET SAVER!). 

We pick-up our veggie share on Tuesday, meal plan and go grocery shopping on Wednesday. This has also resulted in finding lots of great new recipes which is always UBER FUN! So now, when I am using my favorite cooking sites (wwww.tastykitchen.com and www.rachelray.com) I can use NEW ingredients in the handy "recipe finder by ingredient tool" (sorry chicken maybe next time, lets give the other guys a few hu?)

So far we have had only one MAJOR CRUNCHY CSA blunder, eegggh hu yea, red leaf lettuce needs to be washed really really REAAAAALY WELL or you might find yourself enjoying a side of dirt with your salad (sorry honey, thanks for still eating it). However we have had MANY successes!  Here are two of my favorites:

Kale Chips:
Rachel Ray
  
   1 large bundle kale, cleaned and stemmed, leaves very coarsely chopped

   Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling

   Salt and pepper

   Freshly grated nutmeg

Pre-heat the broiler to high. Place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Set a cooling rack over a baking sheet and arrange half of the kale on it. Drizzle the greens with EVOO and season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg.

Broil the greens until crispy at the edges, 3-4 minutes. Remove to a platter and repeat with the remaining greens.

For extra fun serve with Ketchup for dip!!

Our two year old C, thought these were so fun! He couldn't get enough, he just kept asking for more! The next day I asked him what he wanted from breakfast and he said "kawl chips" so cute!

Chard Rice Pilaf:
Yours Truly

   2 cups brown rice (instant or reg)
   1 handful spaghetti noodles, broken into 1 inch pieces
   1 large bunch of chard, stems finely chopped, leaves diced
   1/2 t garlic spirals
   Extra Virgin Olive Oil
   2 + cups Chicken Stock
  

Put a few drizzles of olive oil in bottom of pan over med heat, add spaghetti, chard steams and garlic spirals, cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Add rice, chard leaves and enough stock to completely cover rice and chard, bring to a boil. follow rice cooking instructions, i.e.  for instant rice once boiling remove from heat and cover with lid or for regular rice cover and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes.

C was also a very big fan of this also. The rice was really flavorful and with the chard cut so small the texture couldn't interfere with the taste. 

Spinach-Stuffed White Fish with Lemon-Chive Sauce

Better Homes and Gardens adapted

   4-6 frozen or fresh white fish fillets about 1/4 inch think

   Salt & pepper

   1 bunch of spinach or kale, chopped

   1 beaten egg

   1 cup bread crumbs (add herbs of choices like thyme and rosemary) or herb-seasoned stuffing mix

   2 T slivered almonds toasted

   1/3 cup sour cream

   1/3 cup mayo (you can sub plain yogurt too)

   1 t dried thyme

   1 t finely shredded lemon peel

   1/2 t prepared mustard

   1/4 cup whipping cream or 1/2 & 1/2  or milk if you don't have either

   1 T fresh chives

Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse and pat dry. Season with S&P, set aside. For filling put a small amount of evoo in pan, throw in almonds, add spinach or kale to wilt, saute 3-4 minutes on med heat. In a med bowl mix egg, stuffing mix add spinach and almonds.

Spoon filling mix onto widest part of fish, roll up. Secure with toothpicks. Place fillets in a greased casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 - 35 mins or until fish flakes easily and filling is heated through.

For sauce in small sauce pan combine sour cream, mayo, thyme, lemon peel, mustard. Cook and stir over low hear until heated thru, do not boil. Add whipped cream.  Put sauce on top of finished fillets, top with green onion

This was the Hubs FAV! He really like this..I did to, it was a really nice way to cook fish and to change it up. The sauce is a delicious tarter type sauce and would be good over fish cooked any way.

It has been so so fun to cook with new ingredients that are filled with LOTS of nutrition to boot!! We will see how I fair when we get the 40 LBS of squash coming our way..... GET READY FOR ZUCCHINI BREAD kids!

That's my Shiny -

J