Kohlrabi Apple Slaw, Sesame Broccoli Salad, and Cucumber Salad with Creole-Mustard Chicken Thighs

Joe came home this week with an extreme amount of vegetables. From our CSA we got arugula, lettuce, potatoes, beets, swiss chard, basil, and summer squash. On top of that Joe bought 2 bunches of kohlrabi, a cucumber, and broccoli. We went even further by going to our local farmer's market, where we couldn't resist buying green beans, mushrooms, sweet corn (my favorite local veggie!!) and cute little patty pan squash. Needless to say last night we had an overwhelming amount of produce to turn in to a meal. Since it's summer time (I'm sitting on the deck at our new table and chairs as I type) I decided to make several summer salads so we could eat them throughout the week.

I was most excited to see the kohlrabi, but also most intimidated. I was told this crazy purple vegetable was similar to a turnip. I had seen it used on a popular cooking show in an apple slaw so I decided to try it. The actual vegetable is pretty hard so next time I would cook the kohlrabi before adding it to the salad so it would be a bit more tender. I also would use a sweeter apple to get more flavor. Adding some more herbs would give it more color and flavor.

Kohlrabi Apple Slaw
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. coarse grain mustard (ours was horseradish mustard)
3 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 bunches kohlrabi (peeled and cut in to matchsticks)
1 Granny Smith apple (peeled and cut in to matchsticks)

Whisk the cream until soft peaks form (yes I did this by hand, just ask my arm the next day). Whisk in the lemon juice, mustard, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in the kohlrabi and apple until well mixed. Let sit in the fridge to combine flavors for a few minutes before serving.

The next salad was a sesame broccoli salad, inspired by the amazing broccoli slaw from Whole Foods. When Joe brought in the broccoli I was very surprised to see only 3 small heads. I was expecting to see the same size heads of broccoli I see in the store. Now I'm a little nervous about what farmers do to create such giant broccoli when I know it doesn't naturally grow like that. The dressing could easily be used as a marinade or salad dressing.

Sesame Broccoli Salad
2 lg. broccoli heads (I halved the recipe to use our 3 small heads)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. sesame oil (very strong so go easy)
sesame seeds

The recipe doesn't call for it, but I steamed the broccoli until tender. Whisk the dressing ingredients together then mix with the cooked broccoli. Add sesame seeds. That's it, super easy!

I grew up eating my mother's sweet/sour cucumber salad. I never realized how much I crave it during the summer until I see cucumbers at produce stands. It appears to be so easy but the first time I tried to re-create it, it was an epic failure. First you MUST peel the cucumbers so the skin doesn't bitter your recipe.   Next slice the cucumber and put it the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to keep them crisp.

Mom's Cucumber Salad
apple cider vinegar
sugar
salt
1 lg. cucumber, peeled and sliced

Drain the cold cucumbers, leaving about 1 inch of water in the bowl. Add enough vinegar to just cover the cucumbers. Add sugar and salt to taste, more sugar than salt. This recipe is all about taste. If it seems to vinegary just dilute with some water. If it's too sweet add more salt and vice versa. Let chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two before serving.

Joe is a big fan of chicken thighs, usually because they are so much cheaper than chicken breasts. I've learned to tolerate the dark meat but this recipe makes me not care either way as long as it's covered in this mustard sauce. It's an easy recipe that I picked to complement the mustard and honey in the prior recipes.

Creole-Mustard Chicken Thighs
1 pkg chicken thighs (4-6)
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c. orange juice
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. coarse grain mustard
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I used sriracha)

Salt and pepper the chicken. Heat the oil in a medium to large skillet. Add the chicken and saute about 6 minutes per side. Add the orange juice and broth. Simmer the chicken in the liquid for about 15 minutes, flipping about halfway through. I used to a lid to trap some of the steam in there. Take out the chicken and add the honey, pepper sauce, and mustard. Increase the heat and boil until the sauce thickens, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through.

This sauce is AMAZING. I had Joe practically licking his plate. It's packed with flavor and has a hint of heat. I was very scared adding the hot sauce but it did not make it too spicy. The flavors work so well together. It would be awesome on pork and possibly even a tuna steak.

Curry Chicken Potato Au Gratin

Now that I'm off from school for the summer, I suddenly have a lot more time to fix dinner during the week. We've been experimenting a lot with gratins (what I consider a baked cheesy casserole) so now that we had potatoes from the farm we wanted to try a basic potato au gratin. I was also making curried chicken tenders, so I decided to combine the two and create our main entree. Now I'm sure the combination sounds a bit odd, but Joe is great with adding curry to meat, so I decided to try. I knew that chicken, potatoes, and cheese would work well together so I hoped the curry would just add more flavor.

Before cooking the chicken, I marinated it in a mixture of salt, olive oil, and curry powder. I let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before sautéing it for about 2-3 minutes per side. It's ok if the chicken is completely cooked since it will have time to cook in the oven.

Curry Chicken Potato Au Gratin
1 lb. cooked curry chicken tenders (cut in to cubes)
6-8 sliced potatoes (make sure to make the slices uniform so they cook at the same rate)

1/2 c. chopped onions
1 tbsp. flour
2 c. milk
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Layer the potatoes in a casserole dish. I used a deeper small casserole dish and regretted it. Next time I would use a bigger, shallow baking dish. Cook the onion in the butter until softened. Add mustard, flour, salt, and pepper. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Take it off the heat and add milk and cheese. Put back on the heat and stir until boiling. Boil for another minute. Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and put in the oven, uncovered. Bake the casserole for 1 hour 15 min. to 1 hour 30 minutes.

I really enjoyed the addition of the chicken to the dish. I definitely have a soft spot for one-pot meals (something I inherited from my father). The curry flavor complemented the cheese, but next time I would add even more, probably to the cheese sauce. The potatoes cooked a bit unevenly since the dish was so deep, but next time that can be fixed by using a different pan. This would work well with any potato like vegetable (turnips, parsnips, possibly radishes). Don't be afraid to add a protein. I couldn't find a single recipe online that added chicken to a gratin but it turned out fine. Ham would be another good choice; my grandmother always made scalloped potatoes with ham. Cheers!

Simple Caprese Salad

If you've never had a chance to have a caprese salad, run to your grocery store right now and buy tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil. This salad is one of my very favorites and is so easy to make it's ridiculous. It's incredibly refreshing and always a crowd-pleaser. I'm sure many of you have had or even made this dish before but I couldn't help blogging about it because we used our own basil from OUR GARDEN!

Simply slice ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese (the kind in a ball) and harvest (or buy) basil leaves. Layer the 3 on top of each other. Sprinkle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lots of salt.

If you look at the picture above, Joe is picking basil out of our little basil jungle. We went a bit crazy with as many different types as we could find. We have some regular Italian basil, lettuce leaf basil, Thai basil (licorice flavor), purple basil, lime basil (yes it's very lime), and on our deck we have a white variegated basil. For our salad, Joe used Thai basil, purple basil, and lettuce leaf basil. It was wonderful to have the different flavors to add complexity to such a simple salad. This is the kind of food that just makes me happy, in case you haven't already noticed. I could eat this all summer! Can't wait until we are using our own tomatoes as well. 

Swiss Chard Pasta with Bacon

Week 5 came and brought with it some challenges. Our share this week was swiss chard, 2 types of lettuce,  radishes, and beet greens. Joe was going out of town for SAVOR, a beer/food event in Washington DC which meant I was going to have to eat all these greens by myself! Shew! Not only am I not a huge greens fan but I'm only one person, who doesn't always love leftovers either. The first night Joe left I have to admit, I chickened out and bought Chinese take out. I know, I know, shame on me! The next night I knew I just had to do something. Some of the greens were already wilting. I looked up recipes online and found a pasta recipe that combined my beloved bacon with my not-so-beloved swiss chard.

Bacon Swiss Chard Pasta
spaghetti (any long thin pasta would work, change the amount based on how many you are cooking for)
3 pieces bacon (I used our local bacon from the farm)
Parmesan cheese
1 lg onion
1 bunch swiss chard (de-stemmed and chopped in to small pieces)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Cook the pasta according to the package. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Cook the bacon in a large pan until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon and put on a paper towel to drain the fat. In the bacon drippings add the chopped onion and lower the heat. Saute the onions until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the chard, salt, pepper, and the pasta water. Toss for about 4 minutes until the chard is wilted. Add the vinegar and cook for about a minute. Add the pasta and oil to the pan to heat through. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon pieces on top.

Overall I was happy with the results. The bacon is always a great addition to cooked greens. I'm enjoying more oil sauces on pasta rather than heavier tomato sauces. Once again I wish I had chopped the swiss chard in to smaller pieces. Next time a little garlic and more spices would be a nice touch.

Turnip Au Gratin

After several weeks of greens, turnips are becoming a treat. For our fourth week, our CSA contained turnips, strawberries, scallions, swiss chard, radishes, lettuce, and napa cabbage. I didn't think turnips would be that great, but they have a surprisingly nice flavor. I adore potatoes, and turnips seem like a more flavorful, somewhat healthier alternative. We had much success with our turnip home fries so this time we decided to try a rather traditional turnip preparation. As many people do with potatoes, we made a turnip au gratin. We only got a small bunch of turnips this week so make sure to adjust your recipe if you have a more substantial amount.

Turnip Au Gratin


4 medium turnips (cleaned)
1 small onion
salt/pepper
dill
thyme
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 c. heavy cream
about 1 c. shredded asiago cheese

Using a mandoline or knife thinly slice the turnips and onion. In a small baking dish, take turns layering the turnips, onion, and spices. Put the butter on top. Put in a 450 degree oven covered for about 15 minutes to brown the turnips. Then add the cream and bake covered for 20-25 minutes or until the turnips are tender. Remove the cover and sprinkle the cheese on the top. Cook for about 10-15 minutes to melt the cheese.

As with our past turnip experience, the dish had a lot of flavor. To be honest anything tastes good with cream, butter, and cheese on top. The turnips were delicious but it was definitely a heavy dish. Next time we plan on using less cream and cheese. I think that will make the dish a bit more refreshing and light. For all you potato au gratin fans I would definitely suggest spicing up your usual recipe by adding turnips.

Almond Cake Bread Pudding

A week or so after I had made the Almond Cake to eat with our CSA strawberries, Joe looked in the refrigerator and commented that we needed to do something with our leftover cake. The cake was dry and stale; not at all appetizing. Bread pudding has always been a family favorite (mine without raisins) so I was quick to take Joe's advice to make it with our leftover cake. The only problem was that it was nearly impossible to find a recipe for using leftover cake instead of leftover bread. Now most people would not see this as a big deal, but I am a strict recipe follower. Baking is different than cooking since the measurements need to more exact. We only had a little bit of cake left so I decided to just bite the bullet and give a recipe I found online a try, making adjustments as I went. Now I had to halve the recipe since we did not have a lot of cake left. Make sure to adjust your own recipe for the amount of cake (or bread) you have.

Almond Cake Bread Pudding


3 1/2 c. stale almond cake
1/2 c milk (I used skim because it's all I had)
1 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 eggs (try your best but if 2 slip in it's fine)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. vanilla

Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray or cover with butter. I used cooking spray and then parchment paper so the clean-up would be easier. Cut the cake in to small cubes and cover the bottom of the dish. Whisk the other ingredients together and pour over the cake. Make sure each cube is coated/covered with liquid. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes.

I was so surprised and happy to discover that not only did the custard set, but the dessert actually tasted good. It was even enjoyed by my non-sweet loving boyfriend. It was great to turn an old dessert in to new; a "recycling" of cake.