CSA Season is near!

Ahhh...Spring. The time of year for rejuvenation, to start fresh, to plant seeds and prepare to watch the magic.

Yesterday, Josh and I were in our backyard clearing away the remnants from last season, and discovered the tips of eager hostas, tiger lillies, wild onions, and other amazing garden fare that although were hidden under the brush and a recently melted blanket of snow, were definitely not forgotten.

We cleared the herb garden where I caught the scent of fresh thyme. The earthy scent made me excited to once again walk outside to gather fresh basil, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.

If I only had the space to grow more!

And that, my friends, is where the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program comes in handy.

A CSA is a farm share, and provides individual families the opportunity to partner with local farmers. You become a member of a CSA by purchasing a share of the farm's harvest and in turn, receive 18 weeks of fresh, organic produce throughout the growing season (June through September) that is typically delivered on a weekly basis to a local drop site.

Costing between $500-$700 per full share (some farms offer half shares for half the cost) that will feed a family of four, you will receive a wide variety of produce depending on your chosen farm's offering. Typical produce, by season, includes,

Spring: Kale, Broccoli, Lettuce, Bunching Onions, Radishes, Spinach, Salad Mix, Swiss Chard, Sugar Peas, Collards.

Summer: Basil, Beets, Bell Peppers, Cabbage, Carrots, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Flowers, Melons, Garlic, Green Beans, Jalapenos, Leeks, Lettuce, Bulb Onons, Parsley, Potato, Sugar Peas, Specialty Peppers, Summer Squash, Sweet Corn, Roma Tomatoes, Zucchini,Turnips, Parsnips.

Fall: Basil, Beets, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts,Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cilantro, Eggpant, Leeks, Lettuce, Storage Onions, Parsley, Pie Pumpkin, Potato, Radishes, Spinach, Winter Squash, Sweet Corn, Sweet Potato, Swiss Chard, Heirloom Tomatoes, Turnips, Zucchini, Kohlrabi, Kale, Collards.

Not only is this a great way to incorporate more fresh produce into your diet, it also supports your local farmers that will in turn, support your community. Plus, you get to experiment with new recipes and find fun things to do with kohlrabi, collards, and bok choy!

For a CSA near you, visit the Local Harvest Website, an organization that has compiled a nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets and other local sources of sustainably grown food.

Stay tuned this summer for weekly installments of fun and creative recipes inspired from my CSA!

Happy Spring!

~j

Red Pepper-Carrot Soup

Every once in a while I make a new recipe and I hate it. Usually, it's because it's too bland, and when you're making a meal the last thing you want it to be is bland.

Incidentally, that is the first thing I thought when I tried this soup. Boring and bland. Even after adding a little cumin into the mix, I still didn't think this could stand on it's own.

Fortunately, I was planning on serving it with the Spicy Tofu Lettuce Wraps, a dish that has so much flavor and is so bold on it's own that it welcomes a more mild side, where this soup fits that bill to a tee.

The roasted red peppers and carrots in the soup are wonderful additions to the strong flavors of the lettuce wraps and it's mildness is a welcome reprieve from the heat of it's sidekick.

When I roasted the red peppers I placed them on the burners of my gas stove-top, slowly rotating them until the outsides were black. I then enclosed them in a paper bag and let them sit and cool before peeling off the skin. This will save you time over how they suggest you do it in the recipe, but if you don't have a gas stove, you can stick to the instructions.

Red Pepper-Carrot Soup
Recipe from Vegetarian Times Magazine February 2010
Serves 6

2 large red bell peppers (1 lb)
plus slices for garnish, optional
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin (I added this in for more flavor)
1 bay leaf
2 large carrots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place bell peppers on baking sheet, and roast 1 hour, or until skin is wrinkled and blackened all over, turning peppers occasionally with tongs. Transfer to bowl and cover with plastic wrap 10 minutes to steam. When peppers are cool enough to handle, rub off blackened peel, and remove seeds.

Heat oil in 2qt saucepan over medium heat. Add curry, cumin, and bay leaf, and stir 10 seconds. Add onion, carrots, garlic, and salt. Cover, and cook 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent.

Add 4 cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 25 minutes.

Transfer carrot mixture to blender, add bell peppers, ad puree until smooth. Stir in lemon juice. Garnish servings will bell pepper slices, if using.

Roasted Vegetable Spaghetti with Torn Fresh Basil

Life can be a bit hectic. I get that. Which is why I want to remind you that when life gets crazy, it's important to remember to take care of yourself.

We live in a country where faster and cheaper is supposed to be "better." But when it comes to our food, we need to stop and take the time (or make the time) to make sure that we are feeding our bodies the best that is available.

After all, for all our bodies do for us, it's the least we can do to return the favor.

The following is a quick and easy recipe filled with fresh veggies, grains, and protein. Being that it is void of meat or tofu, you may be asking yourself, where is the protein?

Remember the quinoa spaghetti from the last recipe? High in protein, (6 grams per serving) quinoa has all the essential amino acids, is easy to digest, and is also high in fiber and iron.

With all its natural, whole goodness, this recipe raises the temperature of my spring fever...Warmer days are on their way!

Enjoy!

Roasted Vegetable Spaghetti with Torn Fresh Basil
Recipe from Vegetarian Times Magazine February 2010
Serves 6

2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
1/2 lb fresh asparagus, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 small onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
1 package Quinoa spaghetti
1/2 cup torn fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss together mushrooms, asparagus, onion, oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large roasting pan. Roast 20 minutes, or until mushrooms and onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Add tomatoes to pan, and roast 7 to 10 minutes more, or until tomatoes shrivel and soften. Transfer vegetables to bowl. Add wine to roasting pan, stirring to scrape off any stuck-on bits from the bottom of pan. Return roasting pan to oven 5 minutes and let the wine cook off.

Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Stir cooking water into reduced wine in roasting pan.

Return pasta to pot. Add wine mixture and vegetables, and toss over medium-low heat until heated throughout. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Stir in torn fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.

Ginger-Peanut Salad

Remember the days of your youth when you were stuck in a church basement amongst a sea of cold pasta salads and random vegetables such as carrots and celery that were mysteriously encased in jello?

Whenever I hear the words "cold salad" I think exactly of that. That is, up until now.

I'm a sucker for Thai food. The peanut sauces, the ginger, garlic, cilantro and richness of the flavors are what inevitably bring me running back for more.

The original recipe calls for soba noodles, which are not gluten free, so instead I substituted quinoa spaghetti.

Let's talk about quinoa (pronounced "keen-wah").

Referred to as "The Mother Grain" by the Incas (who were so amazed by it's benefits that they held it to be sacred), quinoa is very high in protein, contains a balanced set of amino acids making it a complete protein, and is also high in fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron. Not only is quinoa gluten free, but it is also low-glycemic making it an excellent choice for diabetics.

When prepared in it's natural state, quinoa has mild, slightly nutty flavor and it's texture is light and fluffy making it an excellent (and more nutritional) stand in for couscous or rice. (Stay tuned for more recipes containing quinoa!)

But when it comes down to it, the sauce in this recipe is the kicker. The creaminess of the peanut butter along with the sassiness of the ginger, garlic, and cilantro make me want to pack my bags, convert to Buddhism and move to Thailand. It's just that good.

So the next time you find yourself looking for a cold salad to bring to a picnic or a party, (church basement optional) give this one a whirl...You won't regret it!


Ginger-Peanut Salad
Recipe, in part, by Melynda Saldenais as published in the Whole Foods Market flyer
Serves 4

1 8 oz package quinoa spaghetti
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
1 Tbs agave nectar or maple syrup
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger
2 tsp tamari
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp fresh lime zest
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced(1 1/2 cups)
1 small red bell pepper, sliced (1 cup)
1 large carrot, grated (1/2 cup)
2 Tbs chopped peanuts, optional

Cook noodles according to package. Rinse under cold water, drain.

Puree peanut butter, vinegar, agave nectar, ginger, tamari, garlic, lime juice, lime zest, and 1/4 cup cilantro in blender until smooth, adding 2 to 3 Tbs warm water to thin, if necessary.

Toss together noodles, veggies, and peanut butter mixture. Garnish with remaining cilantro and peanuts, if using.

Apple-Parsnip Bisque

I know...MORE SOUP!

Just stick with me here people. It's cold and I've been busy therefore, soup it is!

When many people think of a bisque they immediately calculate how many spin classes it will take to work off the bowl of richness that will undoubtedly end up on their thighs.

Not this bisque.

At first glance you may think this soup looks "creamy."

Good eye, because it is and mainly in part to the roasted vegetables. You see, when you roast vegetables their flavors concentrate which lends a richness without the addition of cream.

The sweetness of the apples combined with the natural spiciness of the parsnips and the earthiness of the sage and thyme allows this soup to stand on it's own.

I paired it with my gluten-free vegan jalapeno corn bread topped with a drizzle of honey.

Apple Parsnip Bisque

2 pounds sweet apples (such as Fuji) peeled, cored, and quartered
1 lb parsnips, peeled and cut into one-inch dice
1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch dice
1 large yellow onion, cut into 6 pieces, layers pulled apart
3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
10 large sage leaves
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (stripped from stems)
8 cups plain rice milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, toss together apples, parsnips, sweet potatoes, onion, oil, salt and pepper. Arrange evenly in an 11 x 17-inch pan with an edge. Place in lower third of oven and roast for about 45 minutes, stirring veggies and rotation pan every 15 minutes. When everything is fork-tender and nicely browned, remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.

2. Working in batches, puree apple-vegetable mixture, sage and thyme in a blender or food processor, adding enough rice milk to allow soup to move freely. Process each batch for 2-3 minutes to ensure a smooth texture,

3. Pour soup into a medium saucepan. Stir in any remaining rice milk. Simmer gently for 15 minutes to infuse flavors.

Healing Thoughts; When Life Comes Knocking

Photo: Fort Snelling, January 2010

I've been taking a writing class to help me compile and refine the content I have for a book that I am writing about my life with RA. The class has been a great resource for me, and has allowed me to explore more of my experience, and recount it in ways that are not only more creative, but also more personal and therefore more interesting.

We were given an assignment to do some "discovery writing." I decided to pick a phrase that I have thought about more than once throughout the recent years. "When life comes knocking."

I wanted to share my writing on this subject because I strongly believe that the way I took control when things started to go south had just as much to do with my recovery as the food I was eating.

***********************************************************

Life can come knocking at your door at the most inopportune time. Like when you just get out of the shower, have your hair up in a towel and are waltzing around the house in your bunny slippers…

“KNOCK KNOCK.”

You answer the door, and there is Life, staring at you with a big old box marked “fragile.”

You close the door, carry your package that life just handed you to the kitchen counter and open it.

When you look inside, you are devastated that not only is it not the package you were expecting, but it’s one you never thought you’d ever receive.

Nine years ago Life knocked on my door.

When I first opened the package Life handed me, I wasn’t sure what it was. I had to weed through a few years of styrofoam peanuts and bubble wrap until I knew exactly what I was dealing with.

After spending a considerable amount of time in the dark, not knowing what it was that afflicted me, that prevented me from doing everyday things without a significant amount of pain, I was finally able to see what I was given.

Rheumatoid Arthritis.

This package that life had dropped off finally had a name, and it came to me in a gigantic nonsensical heap of unmatched wooden building blocks.

I was relieved, but now what would I do with it?

It was big and it was awkward. It caused me unimaginable pain and made me question how exactly I was going to get through life carrying it on my back.

It wasn’t something that I could hide in the back of a closet, or display proudly on a mantle, and I certainly couldn’t “re-gift” it. …I wouldn’t re-gift this package to anyone.

And that’s when it hit me.

Taking this package for what it was will do nothing for me, it’s what I do with it that will make all the difference in the world.

I started with the first block. I researched diet and it’s effect on autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. I learned about foods that create inflammation, such as wheat, eggs, dairy, and red meat.

After that I was able to pick up the second block and make the necessary changes to take my life back by eating a gluten free, mostly vegan, whole foods diet.

After those first two blocks, things started to get easier.

The pain had decreased significantly allowing me to pick up more blocks and claim this package as my own.

I was able to add more familiar blocks, taking the things that I had previously enjoyed in life such as group cycling, step aerobics and yoga that allowed me to incorporate who I was into what I was becoming.

Suddenly, I was no longer consumed by this package Life handed me, it was me who consumed the package.

Sometimes we don’t know exactly how strong we are until we take on Life at full force. Often it takes overcoming obstacles and experiencing pain to appreciate the true joys that Life offers.

Most importantly, it prepares you for when the next time Life comes knocking, you’ll be ready.

Holy Moly Guacamole!

By looking at the above photo, you may be thinking to yourself, "What the hell happened to Jenni's kitchen?"

THAT, ladies and gentlemen is what happens when I make guacamole-It's like hurricane Don Pablos came through and transformed my kitchen into Little Mexico.

For those who are unaware of the awesomeness of my guacamole, prepare yourself, and for those of you who are aware, you no longer have an excuse to not make this and instead have me make it every time we get together.

With that being said, being that the Super Bowl is only a few days away, I thought I would post my recipe for guacamole, and let you be the judge.

Here's the deal with guacamole. It's great as a stand alone appetizer with chips or veggies, but it's also a great substitution for cheese on Mexican food, and since I have yet to find a soy cheese good enough to take home to mother, I'm more than happy to stick with the guac.

Now, on to the avocados.

How do you know when they're ripe? Easy. If you can throw them through a window, they're not ripe. OR, instead of getting yourself kicked out of the grocery store for breaking shit, you could just feel them and if they are soft enough to lightly squeeze but not smoosh (That's right, I wrote "smoosh." The technicality of all of this is amazing, isn't it?), they are ripe.

I have to mention that I never measure anything when I make guacamole, so these measurements are on the conservative side. If you want to add less or more of any ingredient, please do so-It's your guac for crying out loud!

This batch is large enough to take to a party, so you will probably want to halve it if it's just for a few people...Or not. Whatever blows your skirt up.

Holy Moly Guacamole!
5 ripe avocados.
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, insides cleaned and chopped into small pieces
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds discarded, minced
1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
Lawry's Seasoned Salt to taste
Few drops (or more if you're not a complete wuss) of Cholula hot sauce or Tobasco
One small handful freshly chopped cilantro

Peel and avocados and remove the pit. Place in bowl and mash with either a fork, or a potato masher, whichever is easier.

Add the lime juice and stir, then and the remaining ingredients and mix well.