Grapefruit Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1/2 pink grapefruit
1 TSP Fresh Fennel
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
2TSP Salt
1 TBS Black, freshly ground pepper
1 TSP Chile Pepper

Preparation
1. Juice the grape fruit half.
2. Combine the Grapefruit juice, olive oil, and rice vinegar until well combined
3. Add the salt, pepper, Chile pepper, and fennel. Mix until well combined.
4. Serve over salad, fish, vegetables. Get ready for a shock of YUM!

Beet Pea & Curried Rice

3 Large Beets
3 Cups Jasmine Rice
1 sprig of rosemary
1 lemon
1 TBS Chile Pepper
1 TSP Cayenne
1 TBS Curry Powder
1/2 Cup Frozen or fresh peas

Preparation:

1. Peel and cut beets into 1 inch quarters. Place in a large pot with a vegetable steamer.
2. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze one half over the beets, and slice the other half into 5-6 moon shaped slices. Place the sliced lemon on top of the beets. Add the sprig of rosemary. Steam on high for 45-50 minutes.
3. Mean while, prep the rice in a rice cooker, or on the stove.
4. Once the rice is complete, add 1-2 TBS of cooking oil to a large frying pan at medium heat.
5. Add the rice to the heated oil. Add the curry, chile pepper, and cayenne. Add the peas after you have mixed the spices into the rice. Cook over medium heat, turning frequently. The rice turns out the best when it is allowed to crisp a bit in the oil.
6. Once the beets are cooked through, remove the lemon slices and rosemary and mix the beets into the rice.
7. Cook for another 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Can be served immediately or served cold as a salad. Great for lunch at work!

Goat Cheese Sweet Potatoes

A tasty snack for any day of the week. This used to be my favorite snack after a long day at work when I was in college. So satisfying, and so easy to make. I would buy all the ingredients from Trader Joes- easy and cheap and still tasty. Just the way I like it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 LB sweet potatoes
1/4 cup water
1 TBS honey/agave nectar
1 package of fresh goat cheese

Equipment: 1 deep frying pan, 1 spatula

Preparation:
1. Cut sweet potatoes into rounds (peeling optional)
2. Place the cut sweet potatoes into a deep frying pan with the water and honey/agave nectar.
5. Cook on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, turning the potatoes as they brown.
6. Cook the potatoes until they are just beginning to be soft, but not mushy.
7. Remove from the frying pan and place on serving ware.
8. Place a dollop of goat cheese on top of each potato round. Serve immediately. Great as a snack or appetizer.

Easy Chard Pesto Pasta

Since I am drowning in winter greens I have become a master of hiding the greens in everyday food. The recipe that follows is by far my best easy, quick, and tasty dish I have thrown Chard into. Great way to boost your antioxidants!

Ingredients:
1/2 1 yellow onion
1 bunch of Chard (about 1/2 a pound)
1 bunch of fresh basil
1/2 cup Pine Nuts
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
One Clove Fresh Garlic
1/4 cup green or kalamata olives
Dash of Cayenne
Salt to Taste

Preparation:
1. In a food processor dice the garlic and the onion.
2. Add in the basil, olive oil, and pine nuts and run processor until well combined.
3. Slowly Add in each chard leaf. Grind until well combined all pieces of chard are very small.
4. Add in the olives and cayenne and combine.
5. Transfer all of the contents from the food processor to a heated sauce pan. Add more olive oil if needed.Heat and cook for 10 minutes until the green tone turns a slightly deeper tone.
6. Toss with rigatoni, spaghetti, or any of your favorite pastas. Also great as a spread for sandwiches.

Pea Shoot & Smoked Bacon Soup

I received pea shoots in my CSA box last week and didn't know what to do with them. Fortunately they sent a recipe along with the veggies. Below is verbatim the recipe, except with minor changes to the meat contents. You can make this using chicken broth and traditional bacon.

Ingredients:
1 onion
3 Slices of Smoked "bacon" (I use Morning Star)
1 Medium Potato
1 Tbs Olive Oil
50g Pea Shoots (1 pack)
1 pint veggie broth
1 tbs sour cream

Preparation:
1. Finley chop the onion and fry in the olive oils in a saucepan for 5 minutes,
2. Chop the "bacon" into small pieces and add to the saucepan. Fry for for 5 minutes until the onions start to brown.
3. Peel the potato and chop in to 1cm square dice. Add the potato and the veggie broth to the saucepan. Boil for 1- minutes until the potato is soft.
4. Place the contents of the saucepan into a blender of food processor, and blend until smooth.
5. Then add the pea shoots and blend until a smooth, bright green, thick soup consistency is reached.
6. Return to pan and reheat.
7. Serve in bowls with a swirl of sour cream. Serve with warm bread.

Apple Tarts

I made these tasty apple tarts on a whim when I had too many apples and a need for a dessert. These are quick and turn out really tasty. Serve with vanilla ice cream and a dash of cinnamon on top.

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 Cups White All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Water or Milk
6 TBS Butter
1 TSP Salt

Filling:
1.5 lbs Pink Lady or Pinova Apples
1/2 cup water
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 TBS Cinnamon
1/2 TS Ground Cloves
1 TS Nutmeg
1/4 TS Salt

Preparation:
1. Take out butter and let stand. Chop all apples into small chunks.
2. Place all apple chunks into a food processor. Run processor for a few pulses until apples have reduced in size to 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Transfer the apples into a mixing bowl.
4. Add the sugar, water, and spices and salt into the bowl. Mix until well combined. Set aside.
6. Crust: Using food processor again, place the flour, butter, and water, and salt into the food processor. Pulse until the ingredients are well combined.
7. Transfer the dough onto a floured surface.
8. Using a rolling pin roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 cm thick.
9. Slice the dough into 6 equal parts. Cutting in circles works best.
10. Spoon the apple filling into each of the six dough portions.
11. Gather the edges of the dough and purse them together.
12. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the dough is lightly browned.

Baked Brussels Sprouts With Blue Cheese

As part of my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)Box we received 1.5 Lbs of Brussels sprouts this week. As they were very fresh and ready to eat I quickly did some research and came up with this rendition of baked Brussels and blue cheese. Enjoy! It's great with wild rice.

1.5 Lbs of Brussels Sprouts
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice Meyer Lemon
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 Tsp Butter cut into thin slices
1 TBS of Crumbled Blue Cheese for garnish

Preparation:
1.Pre-Heat Oven to 375 F
2Cut all the Brussels Sprouts into quarters. Place them in an accommodating baking dish. (I used my 5X8 Corning Wear with lid)
3. Pour the olive oil evenly over the Brussels Sprouts
4. Pour the lemon juice evenly over the Brussels
5. Add the Salt and the pepper
6. Mix the contents until the Brussels are evenly covered with all the ingredients.
7. Place the thinly cut butter slices evenly on the top of the Brussels. Cover the Brussels and place them in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the Brussels are tender.
8. Once cooked place Brussels on your serving platters, or dinner plates, and add the desired amount of blue cheese to the top of the Brussels.
9. Eat and enjoy!