RECIPE: Easy Vegetable Soup

This soup is perfect when you have veggies in your fridge but CSA pickup day is tomorrow!  Throw it all in a pot and make a delicious and nutritious soup.

Ingredients:

- At least one onion, chopped (more are better)

- All your other CSA veggies chopped into bite-size pieces, including summer/winter squash, carrots, hearty greens, kohlrabi, cauliflower, celery, …

In a large pot, heat 4T olive oil on medium-high heat.  Add chopped onions (and carrots and celery, if using) and some salt and allow them to cook till light brown.  Add other vegetables that you think taste better browned, like squash, kohlrabi, cauliflower, and allow them to brown in the pot.  After they are brown, add at least 8 cups water, or more if the pot and amount of veggies will accommodate it. Add the rest of the veggies (like the hearty greens: kale, collard greens, etc).  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Cook for 30-60 minutes depending on size of veggies. Veggies will be tender when soup is done. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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RECIPE: Hearty Greens with Tomatoes and Curry

Ingredients:

At least two big bunches of hearty greens, shredded like slaw

2-4 Tablespoons butter or coconut oil, or other oil of your choice

1 onion, diced

Big can of tomatoes, diced, or however you like

2 Tablespoons Curry

If you don’t have pre-made, you can make your own using cumin, coriander, tumeric, mustard seeds and maybe even a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Be bold! Curry is an art, not a science.

Heat the butter in a pan on medium-high heat.  When it’s foaming, add the diced onion. Sprinkle with salt and stir often till the onions are sweated and turning slightly brown.

Add the hearty greens and the curry.  Cook till fragrant, about two minutes.

Add the can of tomatoes and bring to boil.

Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 30 minutes.  (In an Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for 7 minutes.)

Serve with meat and/or over rice, or eat in a bowl while it’s still warm.  Delicious!

RECIPE: Kale and Orzo Pilaf

This is a great little dish to make with any sturdy green, think collards, kale, chard or even spinach or romaine.

It is a great side to anything and you can always add other vegetables as well. Think asparagus, peas, mushrooms or anything you would like to saute and can keep its shape. Use it as a side, or add leftover roast chicken, roast pork or even salmon and have it for lunch the next day. It is equally good at room temperature.

Ingredients:

- Bunch of kale, or other leafy greens

- ¼ cup orzo, I recommend Rummo as the brand which is very tasty

- 1 tbs olive oil or butter

- 2 tsp “better than bullion” chicken stock, or 1-2 bullion cubes. (you can also use normal chicken stock about 2-3 cups.  OPTIONAL: (1 tsp “better than bouillon” mushroom stock)

- Any other vegetables you would like to add

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- Salt and pepper to taste

- ½ lemon (optional)

Equipment needed

- A deep non-stick skillet such as a cast iron or normal non-stick

Start by chopping the greens in i inch thick pieces. Add the greens to the pan and add 1-2 cups water or stock, if using cubes use ¾ of what you are going to use. Put the heat to medium high. Add garlic powder, some salt and pepper

Cook until greens uncovered for about 15-20 minutes.  There should still be some stock in the pan. Add another 1.5  cups stock and add the orzo.

Put the heat to medium low and cook until the orzo is cooked, add more stock or water if needed (i.e. the orzo is not cooked and there is no more water).

Add whatever other vegetables you want to add at the end.

TIP: The 6 Biggest Salad Mistakes—and How to Avoid Them

Salads are supposed to be light, bright, and full of life—but too often, they hit the table flat, limp, and soggy, with all the good stuff sunk at the bottom of the bowl. There are a number of reasons this happens, and now that spring is upon us, we want our readers to enjoy the crunchiest, most satisfying salads ever. So we asked assistant food editor Claire Saffitz and test kitchen contributor Alfia Muzio to identify the most common mistakes people make when tossing up a salad. (And, honestly, this writer learned a thing or two about salad-making.) Here's their awesome advice, below:

1. Go with What You Know

There's a whole world of greens outside of arugula, mesclun, kale, and romaine. Browse your farmers' market or grocery aisle to find seasonal leafy greens for your salad base, like mâche, dandelion greens, microgreens, baby kale, chicory, and escarole. You'll be amazed how much flavor and texture they'll add. And, dear God, please stay away from iceberg (unless you're making a wedge).

2. Just Wash n' Toss

A soggy salad is a sad sight—so dry those greens! We're big proponents of the salad spinner—one of the few single-purpose kitchen items that are absolutely worth it—but if you don't have one, try this trick: Line a plastic shopping bag with paper towels, throw in your greens, and knot the bag. Then take the bag by the handle and give it a couple good, hard spins in the air. Your greens should come out (mostly) dry. You may proceed.

3. All Greens Need Is Dressing

Nope! Once they're in the bowl, you need to give your greens some undergarments before they get dressed. After you've dried them, season your naked greens with salt and pepper. (This is, incidentally, Bobby Flay's approach, too.) Think of it as another opportunity for flavor—then you won't have to over-season your dressing to compensate. Speaking of seasoning your dressing: Mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil alone do not a dressing make. Like every layer of your salad, it's important to season your dressing to taste.

4. Any Dressing Will Work

There's a lot to consider when it comes to dressing your greens. First, and most important, you need to ask yourself: Did I match my greens to my dressing? Delicate arugula won't hold up to bold, creamy Caesar dressing. Kale overpowers a light balsamic vinaigrette. Like wines, match the bold with the bold, and the light with the light. Second, try to strike the perfect balance of dressing and salad. Overdressing your salad makes it a soggy mess, while underdressing will leave something to be desired. Add dressing little by little—tasting as you go—to make sure you get the perfect amount.

5. Where Are Those Salad Tongs?

The best tool you can use for mixing salad is: Your hands. Bear with us, here: A salad should be light and airy—even if it's made with hearty greens and a creamy dressing—and handled with a gentle touch. Using your hands to toss allows air to get into your mix and incorporates your ingredients in a more distributed way. Here's our preferred way: Drizzle your dressing along the walls of your bowl, then lightly toss your greens until the dressing is evenly distributed. No bruised or crushed leaves here!

6. Toss It All Together!

Sometimes, it's best to leave some ingredients out until the last minute. We like adding in some of the heavy ingredients for the toss—like nuts, seeds, tomatoes, peas, and other bulky add-ins that sink to the bottom—then topping the salad with the rest post-toss. Your guests will get to see everything that's in the salad, and it's easier to get a little bit of everything when there's stuff on top. Also, toss your greens in dressing before adding herbs: their delicate flavor will shine through much more when they're the outermost layer.

Potato Pie

Ingredients

Potatoes – About 3 lbs, any variety or assorted varieties

4 Large Eggs

Parmesan Cheese – About 1 cup

Mozzarella Cheese

Sweet or Hot Soppressata or other cured meat such as Prosciutto, Capicola, Pancetta or Bacon

Parsley

Milk

Butter

Salt and Pepper

Breadcrumbs

Olive Oil

Method

1.      Boil diced potatoes in large pot of salted water. You may skin the before or skin them with a knife after they are boiled. While potatoes are warm, put through potato ricer or mash with a fork.

2.      Scramble eggs in separate bowl and add to potato mixture once potatoes are relatively cool.

3.       Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garlic powder and Paprika if desired.

4.      Diced Mozzarella cheese into small cubes. Slice or diced dried sausage into small pieces. Chop parsley. Add all three to potato mixture.

5.      Warm about 1 cup of milk and a ¼ cup butter together. Slowly add potato mixture, stirring gently. Reserve a bit to pour on top before going into the over.

6.      Grease deep over pan with olive oil and spread breadcrumbs over bottom of pan. Add potato mixture to span and spread evenly.

7.      Pour remaining milk and butter. Top with more butter, parmesan cheese or breadcrumbs if desired.

8.      Bake covered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes before. Place under broiler until top is brown. 

Alternate:

Add sliced Fennel to Garlic and Onions when sautéing.

Use different types of leafy green vegetables instead of Spinach – Kale, Swiss Chard, etc.

Use Veal instead of Chicken