Creamy garlic sauce that’s vegan. Skeptical I was. No longer I am. Like Yoda why am I talking? I think it’s because this is some Jedi-like cooking going on. It’s all Obi-Wan Kenobi up in here. I did not think a vegan cream sauce could be this good. But it is. It’s magic…or the Force. I wonder if a light saber would be a useful kitchen tool? {oh boy, i think halloween is getting to me}
Watermelon in October? Yep! Watermelon are still popping up at my local farmers markets and last weekend at our CSA farm tour my son found a huge one that we got to take home! We couldn’t eat all of it in time, so I ended up juicing it. I got 3 quarts of delicious, sweet pleasingly-pink juice outta the sucker!
Today we’re going to break it down. We’re going to talk about the heart of this blog, what drives it, what feeds my cooking obsession. I’ve talked about CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) here and there on this blog, but today we’re digging more in depth and getting to know the farm and folks behind the meat of this veg head! We’re going to celebrate veggies like it’s nobody’s business! And then hope it becomes everybody’s business!
It’s taken me a little while to do anything with radish tops. They kinda make me nervous. I think it’s their prickliness. But in my past two CSA boxes there have been some beautiful bunches of radishes attached to these soaring magnificent green leaves. I just couldn’t toss them into the compost bin anymore, I had to figure out something to do with them. And as one does with many peculiar greens they’re unsure of what do with, I made a pesto. It turned out delicious!
Let’s hop right into it! These cookies are major! They’re the sweet/salty cookie lovechild of apple pie and caramel corn with a bit of caramel apple inspiration! The salted caramel corn gives them a slight crunchy/chewy texture and the cinnamon-laced apples leave the cookies soft and moist. They’re a fun combination of textures with the whimsy and nostalgia of county fairs, the circus and the holidays all wrapped up together!
My CSA box has done it again. It’s led me to another veggie crush; this time delicata squash. Have you tried it? It’s a smallish cylindrical squash with stipey thin skin and sweet rich flesh. I think I may even love it more than butternut squash, especially since it’s much easier to work with – you won’t lose a finger trying to cut it up and you can eat the skin (major nutrition!) so no peeling required. It’s small size and thin skin also means it cooks quicker, high fives all around!
Sometimes you just need something quick. Maybe you’re busy getting chores done around the house. Maybe you’re running low on energy or culinary get-up-and-go. Or maybe, the weather outside is so nice and you’re seriously whooping your hubby’s butt at a game of Bags and don’t want to lose your mojo by stopping to make dinner, so you slap together some bread, jam, cheese, and arugula for a super quick and easy baguette sandwich supper. Yep, that’s the one.
My CSA box last week was the perfect example of seasonal transition. It was filled with tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans as well as potatoes, pumpkin, sage, kale and butternut squash (and more!). It was a box that kept surprising me as I pulled out the eclectic mix of seasonal veg. It also served as a happy reminder of what being a member of a CSA is all about…reconnecting our food system to what’s grown locally in a way that’s sustainable to our particular climate and region.
Fall is here! The weather has turned brisk, my feet no longer see the light of day as they’re now blanketed in warm fuzzy socks, I have a perma-grip on my favorite “moisturizing” chapstick, and I’ve already caught a cold. Dang, that was fast! This all means one thing…bring on the soup!
Over the past month I’ve made 2 new food discoveries: savory (the herb) and kimchee (Korea’s national dish). I’m in love with both…and though they may seem like strange bedfellows, I’ve put them together in this recipe.
Savory, the winter variety, was introduced to me through my CSA; one of the many awesome benefits of being a member is experimenting with new foods and flavors. To me, it tastes like a cross between thyme and flat-leaf parsley; it resembles the woodsy flavor of thyme, but also has a clean, bright quality similar to parsley. It’s a beautiful in-between seasons kind of herb. I’ve been using it in everything, including these potato kale cakes.
the Seasonal Veg Head 