CAMC Week 1: Red Russian kale, turnip chips, Zevia mojitos

After 3 consecutive years of waiting too long before trying to sign up with a CSA and then finding all the shares sold out, this year I took no chances. There was still snow on the ground here in late March when I signed on with Rock Spring Farm for a full summer vegetable share. Victory is mine!

And now our CSA share deliveries have begun. Here’s a recap of the high (and low) points of my first week’s attempt at meeting the Cooking Away My CSA challenge.

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Red Russian Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares

For breakfast-brunch-eggbake-strata-frittata aficionados — definitely includes me — who also happen to get red russian kale in their weekly CSA share, here’s a great way to use it, from the wonderful Kalyn Denny of Salt Lake City and her even more wonderful food blog Kalyn’s Kitchen :

Red Russian Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares

(Makes 6 servings, Recipe adapted from Regina Schrambling’s Collard Squares.)

1 bunch Red Russian Kale, chopped, or use any other variety of kale
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (1/2 tsp. teaspoon minced garlic)
1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Tamari or other soy sauce
1 C grated cheese (I used a blend of low-fat cheese called Pizza Cheese which has mozarella, provolone, romano, and parmesan)
1/4 cup 100% whole wheat bread crumbs (optional; I’ve made this successfully without the bread crumbs)
6 eggs, beaten well
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut off kale stems and discard, then wash kale leaves and dry well. (I used a salad spinner.) Pile kale leaves up on top of each other and cut into strips about 3/4 inch wide, then turn cutting board the other way and cut again so you have squares just under an inch square. Chop onion into pieces about 1/2 inch.

Heat olive oil in large heavy frying pan, then add onions and saute 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 2 more minutes, then add kale, turning over as it wilts and sauteeing about 5 minutes, or until kale is significantly wilted and softened.

Put sauteed vegetables into large bowl and add Tamari, cheese, bread crumbs, beaten eggs, and Spike seasoning. Stir gently until ingredients are well distributed. Spray pan with olive oil or nonstick spray and pour in egg mixture. (I was cooking it in my Oster Toaster Oven, and used a pan that’s 11.5 X 7.5 inches.) Bake 20-25 minutes until eggs are well set and the top is lightly browned. Serve hot. This is good with low-fat sour cream or salsa.

Oh man was this ever good. She’s right, this is great with salsa. Between me, the spouse, and the two young adult offspring, the entire pan was gone within twenty minutes. Definitely making this one again (and again).

Link: Red Russian Kale and Red Onion Savory Breakfast Squares

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Next: the secret heartbreak of turnip anxiety!

Turnip Chips

These are kabu. They’re Japanese. They’re gorgeous. They are these things and many more, I’m sure, but the most salient feature about them is that they are turnips. As in: something I have never in my entire life either purchased or knowingly eaten. What the hell am I gonna do with them?

Turns out I have lots of choices. Japanese turnips aka white turnips aka kabu seem to be most often turned into pickles, but they can also be roasted, baked, mashed, fried or put in soups.

Too many choices for me, really, so instead I went with this easy- and delicious-sounding recipe for turnip chips, from CAMC-er Patricia Eddy:

Turnip Chips

Slice them thinly, toss them in olive oil, and bake for 15 minutes at
400. I particularly like them tossed with some sort of spicy rub like
smoked paprika or something spicy like habanero sea salt.

Patricia DiGiacomo Eddy of Cook Local

Note that I did say easy- sounding. How could anybody mess up something that sounds so simple? Oh my dears, I’m afraid you haven’t gotten to know me very well yet.

I dunno, I may have used too much olive oil (altho is that even possible? I mean, olive oil is such a good thing, how could there ever be too much of it?) And maybe the slices weren’t thin enough … All I know is 15 minutes at 400 degrees wasn’t nearly enough time to turn these things into anything describable as “chips”. After 15 minutes, took them out of the oven and blotted excess oil with paper towels. Put them back in for another 8 minutes; checked ‘em — still not looking at all done. 8 minutes more: now they were nicely browned and sizzling so I took them out & sprinkled them with a little sea salt and ground chipotle.
I wasn’t thrilled about the texture or the slightly radishy taste (hate radishes). The hub on the other hand thought they were delicious and didn’t mind the non-crispiness at all. Ehh.
I’m sorry Patricia. Alas, this has been my first instance (so far) of CAMC FAIL: I took your delightful sounding recipe and those beautiful white turnips and turned them into limp soggy little beige wafers. Gah.

Anyway, if we get them again I’m trying this. Onward we plunge!

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Zevia Mojito*

Cuba Libres and mojitos have long been at the top of my list of favorite drinks, but now that age, and adipose (meaning I’m just too freakin’ fat) and a couple health issues have led me to take up the carb-counting habit, I’ve been wanting to find some low carb, sugar free, and preferably artificial-sweetener free versions that are also tolerably tasty. Can it be done? This week, spearmint in my CSA box — the perfect opportunity for some experimentation.

As zero-cal carbonated beverages go, I really like the taste of Zevia, a stevia-sweetened soda that I get at Lakewinds Coop, so this week I decided to try making mojitos using Zevia Twist to take the place of both the sweetener and the club soda. Oooh. These really turned out well. My word.

Zevia Mojito
Adapted (by Tild) from this recipe

1/2 of a lime, cut in slices or wedges
8 spearmint leaves
1 jigger (1 1/2 oz) Bacardi light rum
Zevia Twist soda

Preparation:
1. Put mint, lime and a splash of Zevia Twist soda into the bottom of a highball glass. “Muddle” by mashing ingredients together. You can go out and buy a “muddler”, which typically looks like a miniature wooden baseball bat (I bought a stainless steel one at Target not too long ago) Otherwise the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula works fine.

2. Fill the glass about ¾ of the way with ice. Add the rum and top with Zevia soda. Stir and enjoy.

*UPDATE: Wow — Try a recipe made with a product you really love, write about it, and you never know — one of the founders of the company that makes that product might just show up in your comments. How cool is that?!

And that’s it for this week, kids. Tune in again next weekend and find out what I ended up making with the fennel bulbs and the freakin giant wagonload of arugula. As my scary old Swedish battle ax Grandma Tild always used to say: Oy.

But that doesn’t mean attempts to taunt librul eleetes with arugula-related “humor” will be tolerated. I mean seriously: get a brain, morans.

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*grin* Seen here.

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