Killer Lower Fat Salmon Schmear

I won't go so far as to say this is a low fat schmear, after all it still has salmon in it, but it IS lower fat than a cream cheese schmear. 

Yogurt Salmon Schmear

2 Tbsp. red radishes, finely diced
1/2 small onion, finely diced
1 cup yogurt cheese (approximately 2 cups of non-fat yogurt drained for 2-3 hours in a sieve lined with cheesemakers cheese/butter cloth (NOT the kind you get at the supermarket))
1 6 oz. can salmon, liquid drained
2 tsp. dried parsley or dillweed if you have it
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste

Mix all these ingredients together - taste to adjust seasonings to your liking.  Refridgerate.  Serve on toasted bagels, bread  or stuff in celery sticks.

What's for Dinner This Week?

Ah, the age old question - what to eat this week.  Well, with the CSA box it is pretty easy to say whatever is in the box, but that doesn't instantly make up the menus, so here goes:

Friday
Out to Eat (that was simple)

Saturday
Chawanmushi with cherry tomatoes, chicken and shiitake mushrooms
Salad with Miso Dressing

Sunday
Lamb Fajitas
Mixed Green Salad

Monday
Must Goes (there will be lamb or chawanmushi or possibly both!)

Tuesday
Indian Lamb Chops
Indian Dry spiced potatoes and turnips
Zucchini and Onions

Wednesday
Sausage and Pepper Hoagies
Greek Salad

Thursday
Must goes

Friday
Pesto and Mushroom Pizza
Mixed Green Salad

There will also be baba ganoush and potato salad to supplement lunch time leftovers.

7/28/2011 What to Make with This Week's Box

This is what is coming in the Eatwell CSA Box this week:

Tomatoes
Strawberries
Bunching Onions
Basil
Mixed Potatoes
Summer Squash
Sweet Banana Peppers
Eggplant
Green Bell Peppers
Turnips
Poblano Peppers

Ah! The first tomatoes of the season - I wonder what kind they will be - we shall see - if they are cherry tomatoes, I may be tempted to make a Chawanmushi like I had at Nojo Restaurant, San Francisco last weekend.  Otherwise, they will be really good in a salad.  Strawberries will go into yogurt smoothies.  Basil will again be made into pesto and frozen.  Potatoes and turnips would be nice made up into an Indian dry spiced potato dish.  Banana and poblano peppers in Lamb Fajitas would be good.  Summer squash, some may be used in a chocolate zucchini bread, the rest as a side dish when cooked with the onions.   Of course the eggplant will become baba ganoush.

On another topic, we just signed up for a chicken CSA with Soul Food Farm in Vacaville.  They are starting a drop off location in Lafayette!  The farm also sells eggs and olive oil.  With the lamb from Mel and these chickens, I think our meat needs will be satisfied.  Looking forward to enjoying some fresh pasture raised chickens.

Also, I get my first order of this year's Expresso wheat berries from Nigel at Eatwell Farm.  It will be time to test out the new Wolfgang Fidibus 21 Grain Mill!

Right now, I'm just enjoying the aroma of fresh baked Cinnamon Raisin Bread.   I'm trying out different recipes from the Bread Baker's Apprentice.  I'm determined to master the techniques in this book.

Bread and Jam

Yesterday, we went to the Farmer's Market in Pleasant Hill, CA.  We bought the rest of our fruits and veggies for the week, including a couple of pounds of plums to finish making plum/raspberry jam.  When I got home, I could not wait, pureed the plums and sieved the raspberries to make a really beautiful (deep red) puree.  There was just enough to fill 7 pint jars with jam.  All done in an afternoon. 

Later that evening, we feasted on zucchini with garlic, anchovies and capers over penne pasta -- see Lidia Bastianich's web site http://www.lidiasitaly.com for this great recipe.  Thank you, Eatwell Farm, for the beautiful fresh zucchini that went into the dish.

Sunday(today)  I made up some pita breads for our falafel later in the week.  I just used my regular whole wheat bread recipe from Tassajara Breadbook and followed directions from Laurel's Kitchen cookbook to shape and bake them.  We now have 6 pitas in the fridge ready to go and 6 more frozen for some later date.  Tonight's dinner is leftovers from Saturday, mmmm.

Using what ya' got!

I picked up our box of fruit/veggies from Eatwell Farm today.  We have recently renewed our subscription for another 26 weeks, and received 2 thank you gifts - rosemary salt and lavender salt.

First thing I did was make up some pesto with the basil (garlic, pine nuts, basil, olive oil blended then grated parmesan or romano cheese added with a little salt and black pepper)  and froze it for later use since basil doesn't last very long without turning black.  Next, I washed the eggplant, cut it in half oiled the cut sides and placed them cut side down on a baking sheet, then into a 350F oven for 45 minutes to roast.  The eggplant is destined for baba ganoush (recipe in Moosewood Cookbook).

A bonus this week not in the box, was alot of plums from my friend, Judy.  Those were cut up and pureed in preparation for making jam tomorrow.

I went hunting for a raisin bread recipe in the Baker's Apprentice and put that together.  While it was doing it's first rise, got next week's batch of yogurt together and into the food dehyrator for 4-5 hours.

Shaped the raisin bread and set it in pans to complete the final rise, then made up the baba ganoush. 
The bread is baking now -- hope it comes out ok. Looking good so far.

What will we eat this week?

Sunday
Falafel in pita with hummus, baba ganoush and Greek salad

Monday
Lamb Vindaloo (from the freezer)
Naan(from the freezer)
Chard with Onions

Tuesday
Zucchini Kofta
Indian Potatoes
Greens (of some sort from the farmer's market)

Wednesday
Leftover Kofta with Rice (or potatoes if some leftover) and Green Salad

Thursday
Chicken Fajitas
Green Salad

Friday
Pizza
Green Salad

Lamb Last Night - it's what was for dinner!

The lamb chops, grilled then topped with a sprinkling of rosemary salt, were awesome.  Mel Thompson, of Sierra Farms, grows some of the best grass fed pastured lamb.  Mel is in Dixon, CA.  He has 1/2 or whole lambs, cut and wrapped, for sale about every two months or so.  Check out his blog at http://www.sierrafarms.blogspot.com/  Get on his mailing list and enjoy some of the best lamb you've ever tasted.

Enough about the lamb, with it, we enjoyed the first corn on the cob of the season - sweet and delicious.  To complete the meal, we had an arugula salad with peaches and feta cheese dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

But far and away the best treat was a vanilla ice cream float made with Straus vanilla ice cream and Drinkwell Lavender softers, more info at http://drinkwellsoda.typepad.com/  You can buy the softers from Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco or the Saturday farmers market at the Ferry Building, and, of course, if you belong to the Eatwell CSA, you can purchase them to be delivered with your box.  We are going try the next two Lavender softers with chocolate ice cream later this week or next week, if we can hold off that long!

Have a great day!

Our Next CSA Box, what will I do?

Strawberries
Onions
Basil
Caribe Potatoes
Summer Squash
Sweet Banana Peppers
Eggplant
Chard
Radishes
Green Bell Peppers
Peaches

Hmmm let's see - strawberries and peaches will go into yogurt smoothies in the morning for breakfast.  Basil will be made into pesto and frozen for later use.  Caribe potatoes and green bell peppers suggest a potato salad.  Eggplant roasted to make a yummy baba ganoush (yes, hubby will eat eggplant if I make baba ganoush).  Summer squash and chard can be made into a great quiche or frittata.  Sweet banana peppers sauteed with onions and Italian sausage on homemade rolls would be yummy, alongside a salad with radishes and other lovely greens.  I think that will do it, making me hungry just thinking about it all.

What's for Dinner This Week 7/15/2011

This week, in our CSA box from Eatwell Farm, we received beets, potatoes, onions, arugula, savoy cabbage, zukes, strawberries, plums, basil, a lovely bunch of lavender and more.  It is always challenging to use what is in the box.  You don't want to waste the beautiful fruits and veggies. The fruit will get eaten as yogurt smoothies in the mornings and with lunches.  This week we will be having-

Saturday
Grilled Lamb Chops(from Sierra Farms) with Rosemary Salt
Russian Beet and Potato Salad
Arugula Salad with Peaches and Blue Cheese

Sunday
Chicken Yosenabe (using the Savoy Cabbage in this)
Lettuce Salad with Tomato, Radishes and Carrot

Monday
Any leftovers (I call them MustGoes, because they Must Go)
from the Chicken Yosenabe

Tuesday
Chicken Stir Fry with Eatwell stir fry mix and Bok Choy

Wednesday
Penne with Zucchini, Garlic, Anchovy and Caper Sauce
(Recipe from Lidia's Italy)
Lettuce Salad with Tomato, Radishes and Carrot

Thursday
Must Goes

Friday
Pizza with Basil Pesto and Mushrooms
Greek Salad(cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, onion, celery, and feta cheese in a red wine vinegarette)

Hope you are enjoying all the wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables this season is providing!  Buon Appetito!