Kale Sauce for Pasta

Adapted from Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg

Serves 4

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound kale, leaves stripped from thick ribs (save ribs for another use)

1 pound of pasta

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more to serve
Juice from 1 lemon

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding plenty of salt.
2. While waiting for the water to boil, put the garlic in a small pot over medium heat and add the oil. Cook until the garlic starts to sizzle, then reduce the heat to low and cook until the garlic is golden.
3. When the water boils, add the kale leaves and cook until tender (about 5 minutes). 
4. Remove with tongs to the work bowl of a food processor (or blender).
5. Bring the water back to a boil and add the pasta. Cook until desired doneness. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. 
6. Add the oil and garlic to the food processor and process until smooth. Add about half the reserved pasta water and half the lemon juice. Blend until you have a creamy sauce. 
7. Transfer the pasta back to the pot and add the kale sauce and freshly ground pepper. 
8. Add the cheese, stir well, and taste for seasoning. It might need more lemon juice or salt. If the sauce seems dry, add more pasta water.  

Farm Box Delivery - 2/21/2018

Here’s what I will receive from Farm Fresh to You (FFTY) on 2/21/2018, and my menu plan built from that list, based on the planning methods mentioned in this post.

And by the way, if you sign up with FFTY using my referral code (KARA5878) you get $15 off your first delivery and I get $25. That’s what friends are for!

Produce	Recipe
King Richard leeks	I found it really hard to choose a recipe for leeks. They are delicious in so many things, but usually as a background ingredient or the star of potato leek soup. I love potato leek soup, but I make it too often and wanted to branch out to newer territory. Thanks to Eat Your Books, I found the following candidates among my cookbooks: Grilled Braised Leeks from Good Eats 2 Barley Risotto with Leeks and Speck from Hip pressure Cooking Marina Liveriadou's leeks with rice (Prassorizo), a Greek recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s World Vegetarian Winter Squash & Leek Risotto from Six Seasons
Haas avocados	Yay, avocados! Nothing makes me happier (well, that may be exaggerating a bit, but I love them). To be honest, I never end up doing much exciting with avocados. The simply get used in salads and on toast or sandwiches. For the record, my favorite version of avocado toast is homemade bread (of course), goat cheese, avocado, and a sprinkle of either Penzey’s Fox Point or Trader Joe’s chile lime seasoning.
Purple daikon radish	This is a new one for me. I have eaten daikon before but never had a purple one. At least some of this will go into the kimchi I will be making with the Savoy cabbage. Depending on how many radishes arrive (even one daikon can be huge), I might also make Quick Carrot and Daikon Pickles from Hot Bread Kitchen
Savoy cabbage	This is perfect for making kimchi. I have made kimchi before and we enjoyed eating it with Korean food. But lately I have also seen a lot of recipes using it as an ingredient (in fried rice, fritters, potato cakes) that I am looking forward to trying.
Nantes carrots	I’m usually happy to not plan anything in particular for carrots. They are just a good staple to have on hand. But sometimes we get them delivered several weeks in a row (hello, winter) and they start to pile up. Carrots with Browned Butter sounds like a simple, delicious side dish to go with...something to be determined. From Small Victories.
Green leaf lettuce	Salad, naturally. My habit is to tear the lettuce immediately, wash, and store it in my salad spinner. It stays nice and fresh until we have eaten it all.
Red potatoes	The current “summer” weather is making me think of potato salad. I love this Instant Pot recipe because it calls for cooking the potatoes and the eggs in one go.
Rainbow chard	Will probably use these with the beets in the recipe linked below.
Chioggia beets	Not sure if these beets will arrive with greens attached, but I hope so. Beet greens are very similar to chard (the plants are related) and can be used in any recipe calling for mild greens. These will get added to the rainbow chard and used at the same time. As for the beets, chioggias are fun because they are so pretty. Sometimes called candy cane, they are pink and white striped. I have made this recipe before and am looking forward to having it again. I will use the chard as the greens if the beets arrive greenless. Balsamic Glazed Beets and Greens.
Romanesco cauliflower	This recipe looks good: Garlic and Lemon Roasted Romanesco.
Shallots	I love to have shallots on hand as a pantry staple for vinaigrettes, chicken dishes, etc.
Spinach	Depending on the amount of spinach that arrives, this will either get mixed into the leaf lettuce for salad or sauteed with garlic as a side dish.

Loco Moco with Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Gravy

Loco Moco with Caramelized Onion & Mushroom Gravy

4 servings

Like many people, I first had this dish in Hawaii. It's apparently a long-time favorite of my dad's, and something he looks forward to every visit to the islands, but I somehow avoided even knowing what it was until our visit to Kauai last September. Dad and Joe ate it together on their first breakfast excursion (my step-mom, Linda, and I stayed in the timeshare and skipped the big breakfast that day). Then they talked about it for the rest of the trip (and each had it one or two more times).

I finally decided to try it on our last morning of vacation. I admit it didn't sound that appealing to me. I don't usually feel like eating meat for breakfast, I'm not a huge ground beef fan, and gravy isn't something I crave. But then we had breakfast at the old-school, locals' favorite Tip Top Motel Cafe & Bakery in Lihue, and it just felt like the right time and place. With my first bite of the magic combination of flavors that is loco moco, I was hooked. So of course, I had to make it at home. There are many styles and versions. This one is cobbled together from a few recipes and my own tastes. Feel free to riff!

Gravy

• 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 2 cups brown or white mushrooms, chopped or sliced
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water to form a slurry
• salt and pepper

Beef patties

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp fish or oyster sauce
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp oil

Remaining ingredients

• Hot cooked rice
• 4 eggs, fried

Instructions

1. Caramelize the onions. Heat 1 tbsp oil in large skillet pan over medium heat. Add minced onions, sprinkle with salt, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove onions to a plate or bowl, divide in half, and set aside.
2. Prepare the patties. Combine ground beef with 1 tbsp soy sauce, pepper, fish sauce, green onions, garlic, onion powder, and half of the caramelized onions. Be careful not to over-mix. Form into 4 equal patties about 1/2 inch thick.
3. Cook the burgers. Heat cast iron grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush pan with 1 tbsp oil. Add patties and cook until browned on both sides but still pink in the middle. Remove from heat and let rest.
4. Make the gravy. Return the empty onion pan to medium heat. Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and cook until soft and browned (at least 10 minutes). Season with pepper. Return caramelized onions to the pan. Pour in stock and soy sauce, bring to a simmer. Add cornstarch slurry and continue to simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and blend with stick blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve. Place a scoop of rice on each plate, top with 1 patty, one quarter of the gravy, and a fried egg.

Bacon & Egg Muffins

I make these muffins regularly and store them in my freezer for portable breakfasts. I freeze them in the muffin tin and then pop them out and put them into a zip top plastic bag.

Bacon & Egg Muffins

Makes 24 muffins

• 8 slices bacon (about 7 ounces, uncooked), cooked until crisp, crumbled finely 
• 10 eggs, divided
• 4.25 ounces all-purpose flour (1 cup)
• 4 ounces whole wheat flour (1 cup)
• 4.85 ounces yellow cornmeal (1 cup)
• 1.7 ounces sugar (2 tablespoons)
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder (optional; adds savory note and boosts cheese flavor)
• 1 ounce cheese powder (such as Vermont, optional)
• 16 ounces milk
• 3.5 ounces olive or avocado oil
• 5 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Hard cook 6 eggs. Peel and chop.
2. Preheat oven to 400.
3. Brush twelve muffin cups with oil or bacon drippings. 
4. In a medium bowl stir together flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, mustard, pepper, and cheese powder. 
5. In a separate bowl combine milk, oil, and remaining 4 eggs; stir into flour mixture. 
6. Fold in chopped eggs, bacon, and cheese. Scoop into muffin cups.
7. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. To loosen muffins from pan, run a small metal spatula or table knife around edges of muffins; remove from pans. 

Farm Box Delivery - 12/13/2017

Here’s what I received from Farm Fresh to You (FFTY) on 12/13/2017, and my menu plan built from that list, based on the planning methods mentioned in this post.

Produce	Recipe
Broccoli	I think I am going to try Broccoli Cooked Forever and use it either as a pasta sauce or on a pizza (I have sourdough pizza dough in my freezer). I only have one bunch of broccoli, so I will halve the recipe.
Orange sweet potatoes	I love sweet potatoes cubed and roasted with smoked paprika as a side dish for nearly any kind of meat. They are also a perfect vegetarian duo with black beans (enchiladas, tacos, "burrito bowls”).
Baby bok choy	These will be perfect for my near-weekly tofu stir fry (ever changing, depending on the vegetables I have on hand) served over rice or rice noodles. I usually just do a basic sauce of soy sauce, fish or oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, and cornstarch, but this week I think I will try something new: Ottolenghi’s Black Pepper Tofu.
Red cabbage	This intriguing salad caught my eye since I have all of the ingredients already (except for creme fraiche, but it says I can substitute yogurt), thanks to this produce delivery. It’s a small head, but I will probably only use about half of it in the salad. For the rest, I am thinking of braising with miso, carrots, maybe a beet, using Mark Bittman’s technique that I love for all kinds of sturdy vegetables.
Nantes carrots (nice cute little ones, with greens attached)	Some will get braised as mentioned in #4, some will get eaten raw (by Joe; I can’t eat raw carrots) in salads. Ever since I realized I could cook carrot tops, I always save them and add them to any other greens I am cooking for the week. See #8.
Red butter lettuce	Oh my, one of my favorite lettuces. So tender and delicious! Last week I made a cilantro vinaigrette that will be lovely on this, along with some crumbled goat cheese.
Flat leaf parsley	See #4. Also, whenever I have parsley on hand, I like adding some to all kinds of dishes for extra freshness. It never goes to waste.
Rainbow chard	You may notice a Food52 theme this week, and that’s because I am a member of their Facebook Cookbook Club and we are cooking through Genius Recipes this month. I have been a fan of theirs for years; they are one of my go-to online recipe sources. This week’s produce box contents are nudging me in the direction of Herb Jam with Olives and Lemon. I know it sounds sort of odd, but it appeals to me because I can use the chart, beet greens and carrot tops, and add some leftover cilantro and whatever parsley (#7) hasn’t gone into other dishes. And also, because I think the end product will be versatile. Side dish, pasta sauce, pizza topping, filo filling (I have a half box of filo in the freezer leftover from samosas); the options seem endless.
Red beets, with greens	Beets are a staple in produce boxes and luckily we both love them, cooked all kinds of ways. Even raw, grated, in slaw-like salads. When they arrive, I always remove the greens (and store them with other greens, like chard or carrot tops), since I have read that keeps them fresher longer. And speaking of salads, see #4. That takes care of the beets. As for the greens, I will throw them in with the chard. See #8.
10. Celery	I have let the last few celery deliveries stack up on me, so I know it’s time for Marcella Hazan’s Braised Celery, which uses 2 pounds in one go!

Farm Box Delivery - 11/15/2017

Here’s what I received from Farm Fresh to You (FFTY) on 11/15/2017, and my menu plan built from that list, based on the planning methods mentioned in this post.

Produce	Recipe
Baby broccoli	This will probably end up being a Thanksgiving side dish. Gotta have something a little plain and green on the table. Or maybe not. In any case, broccoli never has trouble getting eaten in our house..
Orange sweet potatoes	Leek and goat cheese quiche with sweet potato crust I had an idea about using the leek and sweet potatoes in a tart of quiche so started Googling around. This recipe caught my eye because shredded sweet potatoes are used for the crust, while the leeks (plus goat cheese, always a winner for me) go inside. Sold! I think I will modify the recipe to be more milk and fewer eggs, though, just because I prefer my quiche to me less frittata-like. This ended up being tasty, but not a repeater. The quiche filling ran out through the crust (luckily I had the tart pan on a sheet pan!), even though the crust was blind baked for 30 minutes. And even though it was well-baked, the crust had a disappointing soft texture.
Bok choy	I am definitely making Grilled Pork Loin Gochujang Marinade with a pork loin I got at Costco (came in a two-pack, so I will double the marinade and freeze one loin), and bok choy simply sauteed with sesame seeds and ginger will make a nice side dish
Leek (1 GIANT leek)	See #2
Rainbow carrots	I roasted a pound of curry carrots to go with some Indian food the other night, so I don’t think I will plan anything specific for these carrots. They are nice to have on hand as a staple.
Green leaf lettuce	As always, will be prepped for salad for work lunches and dinner accompaniment
Fennel	When the first fennel arrives, I can never resist making this: Tuna, Fennel, & Lemon Salad. There are a few ripe Meyer lemons on the tree, so the timing is perfect
Rainbow chard	Butternut squash & chard lasagna. I prefer my vegetarian lasagna to have bechamel instead of ricotta, so I will probably do a hybrid of the this and this recipe. I have lasagna noodles in the freezer that I need to use up, made from the leftover pasta after I made sweet potato ravioli a couple of weeks ago. I loved this, but Joe has decided he can only eat butternut squash and/or pumpkin once a year. I told him we will be discussing this further. :|
Butternut squash	See #8