TASTE we can believe in!

I don’t care who you are voting for, these t-shirts are pretty hysterical!  And something I can totally stand behind wholeheartedly.  Pick one up at zazzle by election day and get $3 off!  Don’t forget to vote for donuts & bacon this Tuesday!

Purple Cauliflower with Linguine

Purple Cauliflower is so pretty! I love cooking with it!

The purple color is caused by the presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanin, which can also be found in red cabbage and red wine. -Wikipedia

*good thing I drank some red wine with dinner! wink wink

I caramelized the cauliflower in a covered skillet with olive oil, loads of garlic and red pepper flakes for about 15 minutes.  Served it with linguine and cheese.  yum!

Fall into Winter at Greensgrow!

I just finished designing this flyer for Greensgrow!  So many exciting events, I can’t wait!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Onions & Bacon

This meal was so quick and easy it was finished before the rice was even done! I cleaned and halved a pint of brussels sprouts, tossed them with olive oil and S&P and roasted them in a 400º oven for about 20 minutes.  While the sprouts were roasting, I fried up 5 strips of bacon in a non-stick skillet.  When they were done I removed them to a papertowel lined plate to drain and then I sauteed a medium chopped onion in the bacon oil.  I added about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and let that all simmer for a couple minutes.  When the sprouts were nice and crispy, I removed them from the oven and tossed them in with the onions.  I then crushed the bacon over the mixture and served it with some of Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Medley (my new favorite rice!!!)

This was SO TASTY!  Perfect flavor combination! And really filling.  I will be making this often.

I also wanted to share an amazing gift my friend Elizabeth made for me, OWL CHOCOLATES on a STICK!  They are so cool!  Thank you Liz!!!  You are totally Martha!

AND a Happy Birthday to my friend Muna!!!

Pick-Up: Oct 25th

In The Share:

• Fennel – Flaim Farms, NJ
• Baby Spinach – Graiff Farms, Newfield, NJ
• Bell Peppers – Lancaster County, PA
• Brussel Sprouts – Lancaster County, PA
• Spaghetti Squash – Lancaster County, PA (yay!!! my first of the season!  I love SS!)
• Purple Cauliflower – Lancaster County, PA
• Yellow Onions – Lancaster County, PA
• Apples
• Honey from the Hood – Greensgrow Farms, Philadelphia, PA
• Cheese – Fat Cat – Birchrun Hills Farm, Chester Spring, PA
• Dairy Option: 1 dozen Free-Range Eggs

A La Carte:

• Sweet Potatoes
• Butternut Squash
• Italian Sausage

Pumpkin Swirl Brownies

I happened upon this recipe via Smitten Kitchen and of course it’s a Martha originally.  I was tempted by the juxtaposition of chocolate and pumpkin because I’m usually not a huge fan of pumpkin-only sweets, always too much cinnamon or nutmeg or something, but the bittersweet chocolate balances it nicely.  The brownies came out cakey like others who commented on Smitten Kitchen but since I also followed Deb’s advice to use less sugar than the original called for, it came out to be a perfect coffee cake like treat!

I made the pumpkin puree by seeding and peeling a sugar pumpkin, chopping it up into cubes and steaming it until tender and then processing until smooth in a food processor.  It made about 3 cups.  And I toasted the pumpkin seeds for a nutritious snack!*

With the left over pumpkin puree I made Pumpkin Ice Cream from Simply Recipes.  A really great and easy recipe, but I had no brandy and so the ice cream hardened fast, rich and thick.  I have no photos to share unfortunately.  My friend, Elizabeth, recommended I pour (or spackle)  the ice cream into a pie crust as a filling which I thought was a brilliant idea!  So maybe I’ll take a photo of that later this week.

Pumpkin-Swirl Brownies
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups sugar (I used 1 cup)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne, and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture.
4. Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don’t set.
5. With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts.
6. Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Cut into 16 squares.  I cut them into bite-size pieces that I placed in cupcake cups.
   

*

OKTOBERFEST!

Friday night, I was home–solo, and decided to have a lil oktoberfest!  I made some apple sauce, sauteed red cabbage with shallots (ala martha!) and served bratwurst with mustard and some of AC Kissling’s sauerkraut we got in the share a couple weeks ago.  I also boiled a couple red potatoes and tossed them with butter and chopped parsley (but there’s no picture).  This meal was inspired by a trip I took earlier in the day to The Foodery in Northern Liberties where I picked up some Ayinger beers, including this festive bottle called Celebrator!  that comes with a toy! around it’s neck!  Yay!  Food or beverage that comes with a toy, always a treat!  PROST!

Acorn Squash & Spinach with Pasta

So this is the first in a slew of postings I have to catch up on.  Last week was my birthday and I had visitors come in Saturday, so I slacked big time between trying to clean up and celebrate!

Thursday night I roasted some acorn squash, sauteed spinach and tossed it together with some pasta and ricotta cheese.  It was tasty but a little dry, again I should have reserved some pasta liquid to moisten the dish.  Also, I didn’t do a good job of scraping the pulp away from the inside and so the squash was kinda stringy.

These are the flowers my husband got for me on my birthday, aren’t they lovely?

Pick-up: Oct 18th

Whoops! I forgot to post this week’s share pick-up! Here it is!

IN THE SHARE

• Parsley – Flaim Farms, Vineland, NJ
• Red Cabbage – Lancaster County, PA
• Golden Delicious Apples – Fifer Orchards, Wyoming, DE
• Broccoli – Lancaster County, PA
• Green Beans – Lancaster County, PA
• Acorn Squash – Linvilla Orchards, PA
• Pumpkin – Lancaster County, PA
• Cheese – Chevre – Apple Tree Dairy, Richfield, PA
• Dairy Option: 1/2 lb. Amish-style Butter

A LA CARTE

• Basil Pesto
• Spinach
• Indian Corn
• Chorizo
• Bacon

Roasted Seitan and Root Vegetables

My kitchen is being overwhelmed with squash and other root vegetables right now.  So tonight I decided I would try to make a dent in the collection of turnips and sweet potatoes, by roasting them along with some of Ray’s Seitan.  I let the seitan sit in a broth-tamari marinade for a few hours and then browned it in a skillet before tossing it with the turnips (cubed), sweet potatoes (cubed), thickly sliced shallots, minced garlic, thyme, cayenne pepper and S&P.  Oh, and about 1/2 a cup of the marinade.  Cover and bake in 375º oven for about 20 minutes then uncover and let brown for about 10 minutes.  MMM, delicious!