Ethiopian Grain Loaf (Leslie's blog - Organic Gourmet Lifestyle)

Sweet potatoes and collards cooked with teff, herbs and spices make a robust loaf with a beautiful mosaic pattern.

Serves 8

3 1/2 cups thinly sliced yams/sweet potatoes (you may have to play with the quantity to get texture and density you prefer
3 cups water
1 cup teff
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped leeks
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 cups coarsely chopped collard greens (you may want to play with how coarse/fine you chop the collards)
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil

1. Put yam, water, teff, and sea salt in a 4 quart stockpot. Bring ingredients to a boil and reduce heat to low and simmer for total of 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat a 10-inch fry pan over medium heat. Add oil, leeks, fennel and cumin seed, sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until fragrant.
3. Add collard greens, and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, or until collards are bright green.
4. Add collards and spices to simmering yams and teff.
5. When all the water is absorbed, turn off the heat. Stir in basil and cilantro.
6. Adjust the seasonings, if desired.
7. Pour into a loaf pan. Let stand for about a half hour, or until solid like a brownie.
8. Slice, and serve.

From CSA member Marika Torok

Stir-fry of Napa Cabbage and Carrots (from Joy of Cooking)

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add and stir-fry for a few seconds, but do not allow garlic to brown:
1 tablespoon of peanut or vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of minced, peeled fresh ginger

Add and stir-fry for 3 minutes:
8 ounces carrots, shredded

Then add and stir-fry until the cabbage is tender, about 3 more minutes:
1 medium-large head Napa cabbage (about 2 pounds), rinsed and thinly sliced. (I took off the outer layers of the Chinese cabbage we got with the CSA, washed it and sliced it thinly in my food processor and used the whole thing for this recipe. It cooks way down.)

Add and stir well to mix:
2 tablespoons soy sauce (tamari)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon chili paste or 1/4 red pepper flakes (optional)

Serve immediately, sprinkled with:
Minced fresh cilantro or parsley

Recipe and Notes from Rebecca Haines

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Peppers w/Almonds (from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions)

Ingredients:
3 red peppers, seeded and cut into strips (don't worry about the pepper color, use what you have)
2 green peppers, seeded and cut into strips
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup crispy almond slivers (I used toasted sliced almonds)
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon honey (I used maple syrup)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
sea salt and pepper.

Instructions:
Saute the peppers in olive oil until tender. Meanwhile, dissolve honey in vinegar over a low flame. Add raisins and vinegar-honey mixture of peppers and boil down until most of the liquid is evaporated. Stir in almonds and season taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.

♫

Recipe and notes by CSA member Rebecca Haines

Herb Broth

Ingredients:
3 quarts water
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
20 flat-leaf parsley sprigs
20 sage leaves
12 thyme sprigs
4 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
2 whole garlic heads, cloves separated and crushed
1 onion, sliced

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook for 30 minutes. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, reserving broth. Discard solids.

Note: Broth may be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for 6 months. Freeze in ice cube trays or 1-cup freezer containers for easy measuring.

Roasted Parsnip Soup

Ingredients:
2 pounds parsnips, peeled and woody core removed
2 pears, peeled and cut into eighths
1 small yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into eighths
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 1/4 cups low-fat milk

Instructions:
1. Position rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°F. 2. Toss parsnips, pears, onion, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a roasting pan. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until very soft and starting to brown, about 40 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, boil vinegar in a small saucepan until syrupy and reduced to about 1/4 cup, 10 to 14 minutes. (Watch the syrup carefully during the last few minutes of reducing to prevent burning.) Remove from the heat.4. Puree half of the parsnip mixture with broth in a blender until very smooth; transfer to a large saucepan. Puree the other half with milk until very smooth. Add to the saucepan and stir in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reheat the soup over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Gently reheat the balsamic syrup if it has become thicker than syrup while standing. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the balsamic syrup.

From Eat Well Magazine

Squash Puree

To make squash puree, halve and seed one medium acorn or butternut squash. Place, cut-side down, on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven until soft, about 50 minutes. Cool, then scrape out the flesh with a fork or spoon.

You can use this right away or freeze it. Defrost before you use it. The squash will seperate and just mix it back together.

Stir this into soups to thicken broth, use it in place of pureed pumpkin in desserts, add it to bean or meatloafs, and you can even mix it into your favorite mac and cheese recipe.

Squash Tea Bread

Ingredients
⅔ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup squash puree (See post on making Squash puree)
½ cup sugar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup canola oil
1 large egg 1 egg white

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, allspice and cloves in a medium bowl until combined.
Beat squash puree, sugar, honey and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in egg and egg white. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until combined. Scrape into the prepared loaf pan.
Bake the bread until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes more. Serve warm.

Adapted Eatwell magazine