Spring Onion Soup

When handed a bunch of spring onions, what would you do with them? Sure, they make a pretty garnish and add a nice fresh crunch when used as a topping, and they add a nice subtle onion flavor when sautéed. But how do you use up a whole bunch of spring onions in one fell swoop?

That's where the Internet comes in, as always, and saves the day! I found this recipe for spring onion soup - it did not take long to make, used few ingredients, and seemed to be an easy way to use my bunch of spring onions. And it was! The soup was savory and a bit oniony. Definitely not as strong as French onion soup. The only thing that would have made this soup a little better would have been some crusty, cheesy bread to dip in it.

Chrysanthe-yum?

If you had asked me a few weeks ago, I would definitely have told you chrysanthemum is a pretty flower and was not meant to be eaten. Well, if you ask me that now, I will tell you the same thing. Chrysanthemum greens are definitely not something I plan on eating again anytime soon! According to the farmers at the market, chrysanthemum greens can be eaten raw or cooked. When raw, the stalk tastes like carrots (but more bitter) and the leaves are VERY bitter. When cooked, the flavor of both the stalk and leaves mellows.

It was hard to find a recipe for chrysanthemum greens - it is obviously not a very popular vegetable! The only information I was able to find about cooking chrysanthemum greens stated that they cook very quickly (less than 2 minutes), and that they become mushy and tasteless when over cooked. Therefore, the easiest way to cook them seemed to be simply sauteing them in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Well, cooking them was very easy, but it didn't really improve their taste. Kind of like really bitter broccoli rabe. Not so delicious. However, the stuffed burgers that we had as our main dish were VERY delicious!! One of our favorite wedding gifts was this stuffed hamburger press that allows you to put cheese, vegetables, or anything else you want inside your burger. Just form two smaller balls of ground beef, put them in the press, fill the center with cheese, and then seal the sides. These burgers made up for the lackluster side dish, that is for sure.

And for those of you who were wondering, here's what the burger looks like on the inside:

Look at this cheesy goodness - kind of sounds like something Guy Fieri would say!

Even though this selection was a bit of a flop, I am still glad I picked chrysanthemum greens from the farmer's market. Part of the reason I wanted to participate in a CSA was so that I could try new foods and experiment with new cooking techniques. The CSA has definitely taught me more about produce, my own tastes, and it has given me more confidence in my own abilities in the kitchen. After all, you learn more from your mistakes than from your successes!

Eat Your Spinach!

I am not sure where this recipe came from, but it is (as usual) a quick and easy side dish. Spinach with garlic and raisins is a nice way to change up sauteed spinach, and the raisins are a nice complement to the garlic and the bitterness of the spinach.

Spinach with Garlic and Raisins

1. Saute 1lb spinach in pan that has been heated with olive oil over low-medium heat. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Cook 3-5 minutes, until spinach begins to wilt.

2. Add in chopped garlic (as many cloves as you prefer - I usually do one big or two small cloves) and 1/4 cup raisins. The raisins will begin to expand. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. Serve as a side dish.

Sautéed Zucchini

Zucchini has turned into one of my favorite summer vegetables. It is quick and easy to make, and it pretty much complements any meal. Here's one of the ways I most frequently make zucchini.

Sautéed Zucchini

1. Uniformly slice zucchini - you want all the pieces to be the same thickness so that they will cook at the same time. This is easily achieved by using a mandoline (thanks, Mom!) or some very good knife skills.

2. Heat 2 Tbl olive oil in a large pan over low-medium heat. Use a pan larger than you think you need, since you do not want to overcrowd the pan. This will result in uneven cooking of the zucchini.

3. When the pan is hot, throw in the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté zucchini for about 7-10 minutes, until they begin to soften and turn translucent.

4. Serve on its own as a side dish, or mix with chickpeas or beans as a salad, use it as a topping on pizza, or add it to vegetable pasta. 

This is my go-to way of preparing zucchini, but I've also made zucchini fries, lasagna with poblano peppers and zucchini, summer vegetable tart, and zucchini pizza. Next time there is zucchini, I want to try zucchini chips!

What are your favorite ways to prepare zucchini? Do you have any other ideas about what to do with zucchini?

Roasted Asparagus

Nothing fancy here! Just a quick and easy recipe for roasted asparagus:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the asparagus and snap or cut off the woody end (about the bottom inch of the stalk). On a foil covered baking sheet, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. I like to add garlic or parmesan cheese.

We had our asparagus with some leftover pasta (with a delicious Tuscan pumpkin sauce) and breaded chicken. Delicious, as always!

Roasted Cauliflower

Did you know cauliflower comes in colors besides white? While white is the most common variety, they also come in purple, gold, and green. Who knew?! I was pleasantly surprised to see an orange cauliflower at the farmer's market a few weeks ago, so I snatched it up, roasted it, and served it alongside beer can chicken (which might have to be another post of it's own)!

It didn't taste any different than white cauliflower and it made a really tasty side dish alongside the chicken! Roasting vegetables is one of the easiest ways to prepare fresh vegetables and it always seems to perfectly compliment whatever is being served as the main dish. Sometimes simple is much better than a complicated side!

Little Green Pumpkins

One of the surest signs that fall is here is the abundance of winter squash available at the farmer's market. Winter squash, unlike their estival (keep that word for a crossword puzzle!) relatives, have hard skins and last longer off the vine.

Acorn squash is that cute little acorn-shaped squash that is generally some combination of green and orange. Or, as my husband calls it, a little green pumpkin. We made a classic baked acorn squash that was so incredibly delicious!! It might be a bit sweet for those who prefer more savory squash dishes, but we loved it! It was a really nice compliment to roasted chicken and quinoa, and it was really easy to make (or so I hear! My husband cooked dinner that night - isn't he the best?). Baked acorn squash is a nice comforting side dish that makes you forget how cold and dreary it's starting to be outside.

This dish would be a great (somewhat healthier?) replacement to sweet potato casserole - you know, the one with the marshmallows on top? Maybe this dish will make another appearance in a few weeks at the Thanksgiving table!

Heinz 57 and French Fried Potatoes

Cheeseburger in Paradise is not just a Jimmy Buffet song, it is also a great restaurant. Alright, I've only been to one of them, over 15 years ago...but I remember it being delicious. Who doesn't like a grilled pineapple slice on their cheeseburger? Anyway, this post is not about cheeseburgers - it's about french fried potatoes! French fried purple sweet potatoes, to be exact! Have you ever made homemade french fries without a deep fryer? It's so simple and much less intimidating than you might think. I picked up these purple sweet potatoes from the CSA two weeks in a row, and I made sweet potato french fries with both of the shares! No use in trying to reinvent the wheel - this recipe was so perfect and delicious the first time, there was no reason to think of any other uses for these purple beauties.

Here they are after being chopped - note the deep purple color!

And here they are, fresh out of the oven, sprinkled with some sea salt. See how purple they are on the inside???

In case anyone was wondering, I was told these sweet potatoes are a little milder and more starchy than their orange cousins. I couldn't really tell much of a difference in this preparation, but they were delicious...and great with a cheeseburger!

Flying Purple Potato Eater

Purple potatoes! From the outside, they don't look like anything special or that different...but on the inside, they are purple! These ones were actually a bit more pinkish than a true purple, almost too beautiful to eat. This is one of those times I wish I had a mandolin...what could be better that PURPLE potato chips? Since there is no mandolin in my apartment, these potatoes just had to be made into roasted rosemary and parmesan potatoes. If anyone out there in blog land wants a recipe, just contact me, and I will happily send it along. These potatoes tasted just like...potatoes! There wasn't any noticeable difference in these colorful potatoes vs. the yellow/gold variety. We served them alongside baked chicken, and it definitely did brighten up the plate! It was a nice visual change. And here's what they looked like after they were in the oven:

still purple!

Sidenote: I've been feeling a bit under the weather these past few days - thanks to my lovely sinuses that enjoy giving me pain every once in a while. Sinus infections are not fun :( Anyway, because I'm just trying to rest up, I now have the perfect opportunity to catch up on the blog! So be prepared for a few new posts coming down the line the next few days.