A friend of mine from high school, Kristin Anderson Hoppe is an holistic 
nutrition consultant and chef in the bay area. I really respect the work she’s doing and think we all would be better off if we took an holistic approach to nutrition and our relationship with the food we eat and where it comes from. Her mission is to help people choose “foods that sustain the health, vitality, and nourishment of themselves, their communities, and the earth.” 
If you are interested in learning more, check out her site: Food Therapy. Kristin recently posted something on Facebook about a soup with these ingredients and I was inspired to give it a try. Usually I improvise recipes on the fly and don’t write anything down and then much to my chagrin have no idea how to recreate them if they turn out well. However, this time you are in luck because I had a hunch that this soup would be really good and I wrote down all the ingredients, amounts, and steps as I went along. Here’s the delicious result. (more…)
Winter Squash Soup with Apple, Ginger, and Coconut October 27, 2009
Pasta, Bean, and Vegetable Soup October 18, 2009
It’s cold, it’s rainy, and the temperatures have dropped. When it starts to get chilly, I love making soup. It’s a great way to use up fall and winter veggies from the farm and is usually foolproof. Veggies + broth + herbs = deliciousness. My mom gave me a general idea for this recipe and I just adapted it based on what we got at the farm this weekend. Try it with whatever you have on hand.
Pasta, Bean, and Vegetable Soup
3 leeks, sliced and rinsed (regular onions would also be fine)
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped (I include the leaves for flavor and looks)
1 zucchini, diced
2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
many cups of vegetable stock
1 box small pasta (I used pastini stars)
1/2 large head of escarole, rinsed and roughly chopped
Herbs to taste: oregano, parsley, basil
Optional: parmesan cheese
In a large soup pot saute leeks, carrots, and celery in a little bit of olive oil until just tender. Stir in herbs. Add stock. (I lost track of how much stock I put in – depends of how thick or thin you want your soup. Use your judgment.) Stir in beans and zucchini. Simmer for a few minutes and then add the pasta. Simmer until pasta is tender. Once the pasta is cooked stir in the escarole. Once escarole is wilted you’re ready to serve it up. If desired, sprinkle each bowl with a little parmesan cheese. This makes a very large batch of soup – be prepared to freeze some and/or share it with many friends.
Some recipe ideas for winter… October 16, 2009
This morning we woke to the first snowfall of the season. Despite it only being October, it is starting to feel a bit more like winter. Apropos of that – here are some seasonal “winter” recipe ideas.
About half of these foods are available at my farm right now but the other half, well, they may be in season somewhere – though certainly not here in New England. It looked like there are a few original ideas. Just wanted to pass it along.
Check it out:
Raspberry Jam October 12, 2009
I’m trying to catch up a bit. About a month ago I made a huge batch of raspberry jam. We have gorgeous raspberries at Brookfield but at most we got about a quart with our share – perhaps enough for a small tart or something, but ours usually disappeared before having the opportunity to become an ingredient in an actual recipe. They’re so tasty – we would munch on them on the ride home, have them on our cereal in the morning or over ice cream for dessert.
In past years we’ve done a lot of canning. This year we haven’t done any – what with a baby and a new house we didn’t feel like we had lots of time. By the end of the summer I was really feeling the urge though and found myself bound and determined to make some jam. So, to fulfill my jam making craving we went to a local berry farm and picked two flats. Do you know how many berries that is??? 16 pints! We picked one flat and I thought, “oh that doesn’t look like much, that will barely make any jam at all.” What was I thinking?! When we got home the race was on to hurry up and make jam before all those berries started to spoil because we certainly didn’t have room in our refrigerator for all of them.
The first time I made jam I was blown away by how much sugar the recipe called for. The second time I tried to cut the sugar without changing the type of pectin I used and the result was something I would hesitate to actually call “jam” – but it did make a tasty syrup for pancakes and waffles. Since then, I figured out it’s best not to mess with the pectin:sugar ratio and have used low-sugar pectin. This time I chose to try using a no sugar pectin. Instead of sugar I sweetened the jam with mostly apple juice.
I love the simplicity of making jam. I rinsed the berries, put them in a pot, crushed them with a potato masher, mixed in the juice I was using for a sweetener, gradually stirred in the pectin, and let it all come to a boil. I did end up adding a very small amount of sugar in the end, about 1 cup (considering I had 24+ cups of fruit, that’s not much!). The jam was pretty tart and a little sugar cut the acidity just enough.
Once the jam boiled for a couple minutes it was ready and I poured it into sterilized jars. I have a large-mouthed canning funnel that makes this job easier and neater. Once the jars are filled, with a small rubber spatula you can take a quick swipe around the jar to get any air bubbles out. Then you want to wipe of the top edge of the jar to make sure there’s no jam there to prevent the lid from sealing on properly. Once the lids were screwed on I processed the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes, you take the jars out of the boiling water and just let them be for a about 24 hours. This is my favorite time because the cans make a pinging pop-pop sound as they seal and you know they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. The next day – make sure each can is sealed by pressing on the lid. If it doesn’t give you know it’s sealed. If you can depress the top – you have two options. You can put the jam in the fridge – it should last 3 weeks or so. Or you can reprocess it in boiling water again. Sealed jars should preserve the jam for about a year.
If you’re interested in canning and looking for materials (jars, canning pot, accessories, etc.), check out your local hardware store. I’ve been surprised by the variety of canning supplies the hardware stores near me have had. For step by step instructions on making and canning jam, most boxes of pectin include them.
Savory Carrot and Tarragon Tart August 27, 2009
Friday night Josh and I hosted a little dinner party with some food-loving friends we haven’t seen in a while. I say hosted but it was really more of a collective effort. Our friends brought more than half the food. Josh and I made this delicious carrot tart and grilled some zucchini, summer squash, green and red peppers, onion, eggplant, and mushrooms to go on the side. Our guests brought bread, cheese, olives, mushrooms stuffed with sundried tomato pesto, white bean dip, a refreshing watermelon salad with feta and mint, a green salad with toasted walnuts, parmesan cheese, tossed in a lemony dressing, plus a tart with a shortbread crust and marscarpone filling topped with strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. It was a beautiful feast.
This is the second time I’ve made this carrot tart and it’s quickly become a favorite. It’s a great recipe for the summer and fall. I came across it in an old issue of Eating Well magazine I had kicking around the house. I was glad to find a use for our carrots and a chance to experiment with tarragon – an herb that is plentiful at the farm and I like but never know what to do with. I hope you enjoy the recipe! (more…)
The Return of RecipeHacking August 24, 2009
Once upon a time, in an earlier incarnation of this blog, Josh and I challenged our readers to show off their culinary prowess. Here’s how Josh initially introduced RecipeHacking:
“Welcome to RecipeHacking, an occasional foray into unconventional cooking, adventurous eating, and competitive creativity.
The idea is simple – each month we’ll post a recipe here at Kitchen Dancing and you – our faithful readers and fearless cooks – will tweak it, test it, re-imagine and redesign it. Post your new versions of the recipe in the comments section of the original post and the best new take on the recipe will earn fame and honor (as well as a nice little prize).
This is a contest for those of you who are constantly pushing the limits of your meals, scribbling notes in your cookbooks, improving on time-worn recipes. But RecipeHacking is not just for foodies and aspiring chefs – this is for all of us whose family put a crazy twist on an old favorite, those of us who have wondered about “secret ingredients,” or even just tasted a good dish and thought it could be a great dish.
Seek out your secret ingredient. Discover your taste for tampering.
RecipeHacking is for you.”
Previously readers submitted their favorite, most creative versions of macaroni and cheese and beans and rice. The next RecipeHacker challenge continues with the comfort food theme and is something that could be interpreted in a wide variety of ways. This month’s challenge will be PIZZA!
I don’t feel the need to post an exact recipe. You know what pizza is. Dough most typically covered in tomato sauce, topped with cheese and vegetable and/or meat toppings of your choice. Enough said.
To participate in RecipeHacking all you have to do is create a new pizza recipe with your own unique twist. It can be a subtle change or a recipe revolution. Creative adaptations and loose interpretations are encouraged. What could you make a crust out of other that the typical dough? Pizza is thought to have it’s roots in Italian cuisine. What delicacies from other cultures could be translated to this all-American favorite? Post your new version in the comments section below and check back often see what your fellow competitors come up with. Please discuss and debate the merits of each other’s recipes – feel free to add those comments below as well. In a few weeks we will announce a winner and bestow upon them a small prize to congratulate them for thinking outside the (recipe) box. Good luck – hack away!
Zucchini Bread August 20, 2009
Zucchini season is now officially in full swing. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling challenged by what to do with it all. I am not normally a huge fan of zucchini bread but I love this recipe I got from my sister-in-law. I am always looking for ways to use the zucchini from the farm and I love the addition of blueberries since they are also in season right now. Make an extra loaf and share it with your neighbor!
Zucchini Bread
1 1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
Optional: a handful or two of fresh blueberries
If you do add the blueberries you can substitute some lemon zest for the cinnamon.
Gently mix all ingredients and bake in a greased 9×5x3 inch loaf pan for 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.
I recommend keeping this bread in the refrigerator. Otherwise it spoils quickly since it contains so much fresh veg and fruit. I hope you enjoy!
A Beautiful Bounty of Beets August 5, 2009
We have been getting so many beautiful beets lately at the farm. I love to roast them but in the summertime who wants to turn the oven on? Here’s my favorite beet recipe (that also conveniently uses some other veggies we get at the farm). My friend Sarah shared this recipe with me years ago and it’s become one of my summertime and fall favorites. I love that you don’t have to cook the beets and that the dip is an outrageous magenta color.
BEET DIP
1/2 pound raw beet, chopped
1/4 cup fresh spinach, packed (other greens from the farm would would just as well)
1 large scallion
8 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. chives, chopped
In a food processor pulse the beets, spinach, and scallion until finely chopped. Add the cream cheese, lemon juice, and salt and pulse again. Make sure not to overdo it. Otherwise it will become too soupy. You want to leave some texture in the dip. Garnish with the chives or stir in.
This dip is great with crudite or crackers or even as a spread on sandwiches.
Refrigerator Pickles August 2, 2009
Today has been rainy and gloomy, the baby has been cranky, and I’ve been in a funk. The one good thing I accomplished today is making a batch of refrigerator pickles. (Remember those cute little cucumbers I mentioned I got at the farm yesterday?)
The whole process was very serendipitous. I was winging it on the amounts and somehow managed to have just the right amount of cucumbers and brine to fill the only four clean and empty jars I found in the house. That never happens. Usually I’m scrambling to make more brine halfway through because I’ve run out or I’m searching for more jars because I have too many veggies cut up and I have to do SOMETHING with them. (more…)
The Veggie Project Launches July 13, 2008
This is just a quick shout out to a new project that a friend of mine recently launched with a bunch of friends. It is a recipe blog (http://veggieproject.blogspot.com), but with a particular focus on philosophy guiding it. The blog pulls together six people who are spending the summer experimenting with cooking and creating vegitarian meals for their families with local produce. Some are members of local farms, others are farmers market fanatics, some just shop local at their neighborhood grocery.
Unlike some recipe blogs out there (who will remain nameless) these writers offer not just ingrediants and instructions, but also a bit of reflection and inspiration. The recipes are introduced and described, the writers talk about where the food comes from and how they found it, and the blog reads like a conversation with amongst good friends. It treats food as an experience and honors the whole path from the ground to the gut.
Here is how they describe their effort:
We are a group of Boston-area families committed to cooking with local vegetables. During the summer of 2008, we each plan to try new vegetarian recipes with produce from local farms. We will use this blog to share information about the recipes we have cooked, and hope to inspire others to cook more locally.
So far there is only a few recipes to enjoy on the blog, but I encourage our readers here to go check it out. Try some of the recipes yourself and add your two cents to the comments section. I hope this is not just a summer project and that it continues through the winter, perhaps exploring how to can, preserve, and put local food away for the months when local food is not so easy to get your hands on in New England.
