1/28/2012 Basket - Mock Mojitos, Tostones, Mango Salsa, Fajitas with Pico de Gallo, and Candied Coconut

We had my brother and sister-in-law over for dinner last night and had a majorly bountiful basket themed meal--we were able to use a bunch of things from our basket and the tropical pack. (And sorry for the bad light in the pictures...we couldn't find our regular camera and so had to use the video camera.)

Mock Mojitos
Uses: Mint

• 4 or 5 small mint leaves
• 1 lime
• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 6 to 8 ounces club soda
  
• ice

Muddle the mint with the simple syrup in the bottom of a tall glass. Add a few ice cubes. Squeeze half of a lime into the glass and cut the other half into wedges to use as garnish (I didn't have fresh limes so I just used some lime juice...maybe a Tablespoon or so). Top with club soda. Stir. Drop in lime wedge(s).

Tostones
Uses: Plantain


Heat some olive oil or vegetable oil in a frying pan (about half an inch deep). Peel the plantain (see photo guide here: http://latinfood.about.com/od/cookingbasicstips/ss/peelplantain.htm) and slice into rounds 1/2" to 3/4" thick. Fry the slices in oil on each side until it begins to soften. Remove from oil and smash flat with the bottom of a glass or plate, then fry again until golden brown. Remove from oil and sprinkle with salt.


Mango Salsa
Uses: Mango, pineapple, green pepper, mint

• 2 mangoes, diced
  
• 1/3 cup diced pineapple
  
• 1/4-1/3 cup minced green bell pepper
• 1/3-1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1 T lime juice
• 2-4 T chopped cilantro
• 1-2 t chopped mint
  
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• dash of salt

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fajitas with Pico de Gallo
Uses: Green pepper, avocado, tomato, onion

Pico de Gallo:

• 2-3 tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 an onion, minced
• 1/2 cup minced bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T lime juice
• 2-4 T chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fajitas:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 T chili powder*
• 1/2 t salt*
• 1 T dehydrated minced onion*
• 1/2 t paprika*
• 1 t cumin*
• 2 t cornstarch*
• 1/4-1 t red pepper flakes*
• 2 T sugar
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" cubes or thin slices
  
• 2 medium green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 medium red onion, halved and sliced

Combine all ingredients except chicken, peppers, and onions. Marinate chicken in that mixture for at least 20 minutes (I like to do it overnight so the flavors really get in there). Cook chicken, pepper slices, and onion slices in marinade until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender (the chicken will take longer to cook so get it going before adding the pepper & onions). Serve in flour tortillas with desired toppings such as pico de gallo, diced avocado, cheese, sour cream, etc.

Note: You can omit the * ingredients and instead use a packet of taco or fajita seasoning. You can also mix those * ingredients in advance and store them in an airtight container for up to 3 months so you have the seasoning mix on hand whenever.

Candied Coconut
Uses: Coconut


First you need to crack the coconut open, drain the water, split it in half, and separate the outer husk from the inner coconut meat. To crack the coconut, do this: http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/crackcoc.html. Then once the coconut is split in half, place each half on a cookie sheet in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Then the husk should separate from the meat rather easily if you stick a knife or spoon in between. You'll notice that the meat has a think brown skin on the outside. You can scrape that off easily with a potato peeler. Once you have a bunch of white coconut meat, go ahead and cut it into small pieces. Then follow this recipe: http://www.topsecretrecipes.com/nuts-4-nuts-candied-nuts-recipe.html, and they end up tasting a lot like the roasted coconuts you can get on the street in NYC.

After we ate our fill of the coconut, we put the rest in the food processor and chopped it up so now we have our own homemade, sweetened, shredded coconut. Yum!

You may also notice next to the coconut in the picture is the minty pineapple we posted previously.

1/28/2012 Basket - Asparagus, Ranch Potatoes, Hollandaise, Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding, and Lemonade

Asparagus, Ranch Potatoes, and Hollandaise

Uses: Asparagus, potatoes, lemon

Snap end off asparagus and coat with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place on baking sheet. Quarter red potatoes and put in gallon Ziploc bag with enough olive oil to coat. Shake the bag, coating the potatoes evenly with olive oil. Add one packet dry ranch dressing mix to the bag and shake again to coat each piece of potato. Place potatoes on baking sheet with asparagus, bake for 20-25 minutes at 450 degrees until potatoes are fork tender. Grate fresh Romano cheese over asparagus.

Serve asparagus with Hollandaise sauce: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe/index.html. My sauce didn't come together very well, I think I added the butter too quickly. Make sure to add the butter slowly as you're whisking the egg/lemon mixture.

Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding

Uses: Vanilla bean

• 3 cups cooked rice
• 4 cups milk, divided
• 1 vanilla bean
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tablespoons butter

In a saucepan, combine 3 cups milk, sugar, and salt. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds into milk mixture; drop the bean pod into the mixture as well. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes (I usually cook the rice while the milk mixture cooks). Add cooked rice to the mixture and and continue cooking over medium heat until thick and creamy. Combine remaining 1 cup milk with beaten eggs and stir into saucepan with the milk/rice mixture. Cook two minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Remove vanilla bean pod. Serve warm.

Lemonade

Uses: Lemon

We used this recipe here:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-lemonade-ever/detail.aspx

It is delicious! Don't mind the weird yellow color in the photo above--we put in a few drops of yellow food coloring because the lemonade wasn't showing up in the picture, but we added a little too much! :)

1/21/2012 Basket - Banana Souffle

Banana Souffle
Uses: Banana

• 2 ripe bananas
• 3 T water
• 1/3 cup plus 1 T sugar
• 1/2 t cornstarch
• pinch of cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 4 egg whites
• pinch of salt

Butter and sugar 6 4-ounce ramekins. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the bananas, and puree in a food processor until smooth.

In a small saucepan, bring water and the 1/3 cup of sugar to a boil. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add banana puree, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until incorporated. Set aside to cool completely.

In a stainless steel bowl, beat egg whites and salt until foamy. Add remaining tablespoon of sugar and beat to soft peaks. Fold cooled banana puree into egg white mixture. Pour into ramekins and place ramekins on a baking sheet.

Place baking sheet in oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed up and browned. Serve immediately.

1/28/2012 Basket

We got our basket this week from the Provo Food & Care Coalition. We also got the tropical pack and the nine grain bread.

Conventional Basket

• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 head cabbage
• 2 bunches asparagus
• 1 bag green beans
  
• 4 onions
• 3 tomatoes
• 6 green bell peppers
• 1 (3 pound) bag potatoes
• 5 avocado
• 5 oranges
• 4 Braeburn apples
• 1 (6 oz) package blueberries
  

Tropical Pack

• 1 pineapple
• 1 coconut
• 1 plantain
• 2 mangoes
• 4 lemons
• 5 kiwis
• 1 bag mint leaves
  
• 2 vanilla beans

1/21/2012 Basket - Honey Citrus Grilled Chicken Salad

Honey Citrus Grilled Chicken Salad
Uses: Lettuce, oranges

I created this recipe based on a salad they serve at the Hard Rock Cafe and I am SUPER pleased with how it turned out. My husband was skeptical about it, but ended up loving it. This is definitely going in the permanent rotation! So here it is:

• Lettuce
• Cajun grilled chicken (see below)
  
• Orange slices
• Cajun spiced pecans (see below)
  
• Craisins
• Blue Cheese
• Honey citrus dressing (see below)
  

Cajun Grilled Chicken:

Marinate 2 large chicken breasts overnight in 1/3 cup oil, 2 T lime juice, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 T apple cider vinegar, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. Remove from fridge about 10 minutes before grilling. Grill until center reaches 165 degrees. Remove from grill and let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Cajun Spiced Pecans:

See recipe here. I did about 1/3 the recipe since it makes 3 cups of pecans, but they are so tasty you could just make the whole thing and have the rest to snack on!

Honey Citrus Dressing:

Blend together 1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup honey, 2 T apple cider vinegar, 1 T lime juice, 1/3 to 1/2 cup orange juice (I just juiced one orange), 1 T Dijon mustard, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 t ginger, 1/4 t cumin. You may want to heat the honey briefly in the microwave so it will mix in more easily. Then chill the dressing until you're ready to serve.

1/21/2012 Basket - Indian Cauliflower and Broccoli Risotto

Indian Cauliflower
Uses: Cauliflower, tomatoes

1 head cauliflower
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 small onion, minced
2 tomatoes, pureed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 teaspoons garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ginger
salt to taste
1 cup sour cream

Chop cauliflower into florets and steam until fork tender (about 15 minutes).
Heat two tablespoon of oil and turmeric together in a small frying pan. Toss steamed cauliflower in oil/turmeric mixture (this will dye the cauliflower that lovely bright yellow color you see in the picture). Bake cauliflower in oven at 375 degrees until it begins to brown slightly (approximately 15-20 minutes).
While the cauliflower is cooking, heat two tablespoons of oil in a frying pan, mix in the minced onions and saute until the are a medium brown color. Add the pureed tomatoes and seasonings. Let this mixture simmer for 10 minutes. If desired, puree the sauce in a food processor or blender to make it a little more smooth. Add sour cream and heat until warm. Serve over roasted cauliflower.

*Note - With 3 teaspoons of garam masala, this can get pretty stinking spicy. We really liked the flavors, but the heat got a bit intense for us (though we are a bit wimpy in that department). Next time I'll probably do 1 to 1-1/2 teaspoons instead. This was definitely a success, though because my husband does not like cauliflower and he liked this dish!


Broccoli Risotto
Uses: Broccoli

I basically followed this recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/emerald-green-risotto/detail.aspx, but the only green vegetable I used was broccoli. This was my first attempt at risotto, so it didn't turn out perfectly, but it was pretty good. I also added a ton of grated grana padano to the final product.

1/21/2012 Basket - Turkey Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo

Turkey Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo
Uses: Broccoli

Cook a pound of fettuccine in salted water until it's al dente. While it's cooking, melt a stick of butter in a deep saute pan and saute a chopped red onion until it's translucent. Then add chunks of cooked turkey (white and/or dark meat), chopped broccoli florets, and two chopped garlic cloves. Cook for another few minutes on medium heat. Then add a pint of heavy cream and let that reduce. Add the drained pasta and a bunch of Parmesan or Romano cheese to the saute pan and serve from the pan.

1/21/2012 Basket - Southwestern Turkey Salad and Fruit Pizza

Southwestern Turkey Salad
Uses: Lettuce, Tomato

Can you tell we're on a turkey kick? :)

Coat cooked turkey (or chicken) with barbecue sauce. Toss lettuce with tomato, red onion, black beans, and cheese. You can also put in avocado and corn. Top with barbecue turkey and serve with barbecue ranch dressing (just mix your favorite barbecue sauce with some ranch).


Fruit Pizza
Uses: Kiwi, banana, orange, pear, pomegranate


1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

sliced fruit - strawberries, kiwis, oranges, bananas, pears, etc.

1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup orange juice
2 T lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp orange zest

Mix sugar and butter. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract; mix thoroughly. Stir dry ingredients together, then blend in to butter mixture. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours.

Press cookie dough onto a cookie sheet or pizza pan (I only used about 2/3 to 3/4 of the amount of dough made in the recipe above). Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, then cool completely.

In a small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Spread over crust.

In a saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar, salt, cornstarch. Stir in orange juice (I used fresh squeezed from the oranges in the basket), lemon juice, and water. Cook and stir over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat and add orange zest. Allow to cool but not set up.

Arrange sliced fruit over cream cheese mixture (coat bananas in lemon or lime juice to keep from browning).

Spoon orange sauce over fruit and chill for 1-2 hours.

1/14/2012 Basket - Taco Salad

Taco Salad
Uses: Lettuce, tomato, avocado


I'm guessing you're all familiar with taco salad, but just in case you're not, here is the basic idea:

Start with a base of tortilla chips and crush them up into bite-size pieces. Top with ground meat flavored with taco seasoning (we used ground turkey), cheese, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado/guacamole, sour cream, and any other toppings you want!

Here's what I did to make the guacamole:

2 avocados, mashed
lime juice
garlic salt
onion powder
paprika

All the seasoning is done to taste so just start with a little and add until you're happy with it.

1/21/12 Basket

Another basket from the Provo Food & Care Coalition location.

We got:

• 2 heads red leaf lettuce
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 bag Brussels sprouts
  
• 4 tomatoes
• 3 pomegranate
• 8 kiwis
• 7 pears
• 7 bananas
• 8 oranges
• 3 lb bag Fuji apples
  

1/14/2012 Basket - Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts

Uses: Brussels sprouts, mushrooms

First, cook 1/2 lb. bacon in a deep frying pan. Remove bacon from pan and crumble. Add 1/2 stick butter to remaining bacon fat and cook 2/3 C. pine nuts (we used sunflower seeds) until browned. Then add 8 oz. sliced mushrooms, 3 minced green onions, and 1-2 lb. quartered Brussels sprouts. Cook over medium heat until sprout leaves are wilted and tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crumbled bacon.

Now, if you don't like Brussels sprouts, this recipe probably won't change that. However, if you are even moderately ok with Brussels sprouts, this is a great recipe to try out. What isn't better with bacon, right?

1/14/2012 Basket - Curried Cauliflower Soup

Curried Cauliflower Soup
Uses: Cauliflower

• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 medium-sized onion, cut into chunks
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 5-6 cups stock (we used turkey stock we had made and frozen after Thanksgiving, but chicken or vegetable stock would work great as well).
• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2-3 tsp curry powder
• cumin
• ginger
• turmeric
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1/4 t salt
• flour slurry (approx 1/4 c flour and 1/2 c water)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the cauliflower, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Bring stock, coconut milk, and milk to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the roasted vegetables, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender, then return to stove. Add curry powder; cumin, ginger, and turmeric to taste; brown sugar; and salt. Adjust seasonings as needed. Add flour slurry to obtain desired thickness.
Serve with cheese (we used romano) and toasted coconut, if desired.
*A few notes on the recipe: The amounts are generally approximations because I was just throwing stuff in, not really measuring, so definitely adjust to your taste. The recipe was really good as is, so if you just followed what I put here, you'd be fine. However, the coconut taste could have been stronger so next time I make it, I may do two cans of coconut milk and leave out the regular milk.


We ate this soup with the Pina Colada Salad posted previously (here) so we also used some of the lettuce, pineapple, and tangerines from the basket. Along with some of that delicious olive oil bread toasted up, it made for a great meal!

1/14/2012 Basket - Ginger Beef & Broccoli

Ginger Beef & Broccoli

Uses: Broccoli

Purchase thinly sliced steak or stew chunks and marinate them for as long as possible in this:

1 t. grated ginger (use fresh if possible)

1 t. grated garlic (use fresh if possible)

3 T. soy sauce

1 t. sesame oil

1-2 t. toasted sesame seeds

1 t. green onion

1.5 t. sugar

3/4 t. ground black pepper

The above marinade recipe is for 1 lb. beef, but we find that it never makes enough, so we have been known to triple or quadruple it.

Cook marinated beef with chopped fresh broccoli florets in marinade until beef is tender and broccoli is to desired texture. Serve over white rice with marinade as sauce. You can thicken the marinade with water and flour/corn starch slurry.

1/14/2012 Basket - BLT Sandwiches w/ BBQ Mayo

BLT Sandwiches w/ BBQ Mayo

Uses: Lettuce, tomatoes

Cook bacon. Toast bread in bacon fat. We used our olive oil bread that we ordered with our basket. Mix your favorite BBQ sauce with mayo to your taste. Spread BBQ mayo on toasted bread. Make sandwiches with bread, tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon slices.

Enjoy!

1/14/2012 Basket

We picked up our basket at the Provo Food & Care Coalition

We got:

4 tangerines

2 avocados

1 watermelon

4 tomatoes

1 bag Brussels sprouts

1 head cauliflower

1 bunch broccoli

2 8 oz. packages mushrooms

6 bananas

1 pineapple

2 heads green leaf lettuce