Healthy Cookbook Suggestions

Now this can be tricky territory. It seems that everybody and their brother has different ideas about what is healthy. I do think we can all agree that minimally processed, fresh, whole foods are the cornerstone of good nutrition. It's up to you if you add grass-fed meats, sustainably harvested fish, raw dairy, or go vegan. Then come coffee, alcohol and refined sugars all the way down to gluten and grains. Personally I'm for the first two in moderation while minimizing the sugar, cutting out gluten and also minimizing grains (the later mostly an experiment). We are continuously looking at our diets and searching for optimal nutrition. I imagine we all fit somewhere on that spectrum so this week I wanted to share a couple of cookbooks from our shelf that might pique your interest.

The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman
In a word - he gets it (and really I would almost be surprised if Mark Bittman is a stranger to of our dear members.) What qualifies as it? Well, no refined sugar, processed junk, factory produced meat etc. The focus is on high quality, fresh food with meat treated almost as a side note or accent instead of the main feature, tons of veg, whole grains and legumes.
See here for some of his recipes such as Spicy No-Mayo Coleslaw, Vegetable Pancakes and Tomato Cobbler.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
This book is on the reading list of all non-vegetarian farm apprentices. This book may appear a little radical and meat centric to some but the overall principal is actually not that different from Mark Bittman's, I'd say.  The focus here is on the health aspects of traditional meats, fermented vegetables, fermented dairy products (yogurt, kefir, cultured butter), and soaked whole grains. Quality reigns supreme here as well as nutrient density - bone broths, non-homogizined and raw milk, that sort of thing. Worth checking out for sure. And this may even send you down the very interesting path to find out more about Dr. Weston Price and the Weston Price Foundation. Alas, I've lent out my copy and don't have it on hand to share recipes but you can find loads of recipes from the Nourishing Cook, a woman who is cooking all the recipes a la Julie & Julia. Here are recipes for Swiss Chard and for Green Beans with Bacon and Carmelized Onions

There are a couple other great recipes this month from Bon Appetit:
Tuscan Kale Caesar Slaw
Charred Green Beans with Harissa and Almonds

Family Dinners

Ever since I saw this article a few weeks back in the NewYork Times - Putting the Squeeze on a Family Ritual  about kids eating "meals" out of pouches, a little rant has been brewing and bubbling inside me. I am well aware that kids and food is tricky territory. Fights and feuds at the dinner table are no fun and are stressful for all of us. While our family is pretty lucky in that the kids get to see the food in the field and can understand the hard work it takes to produce it, we still have to go through the growing pains of learning the ins and outs of mealtimes. This is particularly true now with our three year old, Baxter. Our current challenge is teaching that there are no other options at supper than what is on the plate and that everyone is sitting down together and eating the same thing. Alas, we persevere and have faith that we'll get through this phase of age three.

So, I'll bite my tongue and skip the rant. I'll bet you'd probably have a pretty good idea of what I'd say about the importance of feeding your kids healthy unprocessed whole foods. Suffice it to say it isn't really my opinion that children should be fed out of pouches. Instead I'll refer you to this amazing book that is right on spot about the importance of family dinners. It's even called The Family Dinner; great ways to connect with your kids, one meal at a time. It is loaded with statistics, stories, recipes and fun games that will transform your family dinners. I want to include some of the recipes here, so I won't go into too much detail about the guts of the book. Written by Laurie David, producer of An Inconvenient Truth, as well as a trustee of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Kirstin Uhrenholdt, who shares recipes and traditions from her native Denmark, this book also also contributions from Michael Pollan, Mark Bittman, Dr. Harvey Karp, just to name a few. So basically, you should run out and get this book. In the meantime here are a few recipes to try out with your csa veg! Enjoy!

Cabbage and Noodles
This week's sweet onions and savoy cabbage are perfect for this recipe.

2 Tablespoons olive oil plus 1 teaspoon for tossing
2 large onions, sliced
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 12-ounce package wide egg noodles
1 1/2 pound white cabbage, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp caraway seeds (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan drizzle the olive oil. Add the onions; sprinkle with brown sugar and salt. Slowly saute over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the onions are softened and golden with a few crunchy bits.
Meanwhile, start cooking the noodles by bringing a big pot of water to a boil. Salt to taste like the sea, add the pasta, stir well, and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, toss with a teaspoon of olive oil and put aside.
When the onions are done, add the cabbage to the pan and saute for about 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. When the cabbage and onions are soft and happily married, add the apple cider vinegar just to keep life from getting boring.
Turn the heat back up to medium high, add the cooked noodles and stir until hot. Toss with butter and caraway seeds. Taste for seasonings.


Pea Nutty Noodles

for the peanut sauce
1 pound of your favorite shaped pasta
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup warm water
3 Tbps chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp white (rice or wine) vinegar

Garnishes: pick and choose as many as you please and as much as you want

chopped peanuts
diced cucumbers
diced apples
sliced scallions
limes, cut into quarters
sliced cabbage
Asian chili sauce
chopped fresh cilantro or mint
shredded carrots

Pick out the garnishes you want to serve with the noodles and chop, dice and slice them. Put them in little bowls.
Boil the pasta until it is done, drain and rinse in cold water.
Mix all the ingredients for the peanut sauce together in a big bowl with a big spoon. Taste the sauce, when it is perfect toss in the pasta and pour into a big pile on a big platter and serve with little dishes of garnishes around.

Happy Birthday Muffins

If you're coming to this page from this week's CSA newsletter, you now that it is garlic harvesting time on the farm.  The garlic harvest (as well as hummingbirds visiting our bee balm)  means that it is Beatrice's birthday! Today she turns 7! Later this morning some of our friends will come over for a backyard circus and happy birthday muffins. So if you feel like you've been super healthy and been eating all your veg since the csa started here are some treats to enjoy from your csa share.

Morning Glory Muffins
from Food to Live By


Makes 16 muffins

2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/14 sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 can drained crushed pineapple
2 cups finely grated carrots
1 large apple grated
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3 eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with papers or grease with butter.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bow. Add the pineapple, carrots, apple, raisins, coconut, nuts and mix.
3. Whisk eggs, oil and vanilla together and then add to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Spoon into muffin cups, filling them almost to the brim.
4. Bake until golden brown 30 - 40 mins.

Zucchini Blondies
from The Gardeners Community Cookbook


5 Tbsp butter, melted with 1 Tbsp water
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium zucchini, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chocolate or butterscotch chips

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9 inch square baking pan.
2. Pour melted butter into a large mixing bow. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the bowl and stir to mix. Add the zucchini and nuts to the mix, making a stiff batter.
4. Spread batter into the pan and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. When cool enough to handle, slice into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature. Will keep, covered for 3 days at room temp.

Picnic Time

Though we don't usually take the 4th off - there is always lots of work to do and harvests to get in, we may cut the day a little bit short and have a picnic out by our swimming hole.  But right now it is Sunday morning and the children are playing with paper dolls on my bed while I  send out the week's farm news. I'm trying to stay in holiday mode here as much as I can so I'll just give you some links this week.  Here are some great recipes for picnics:


Broccoli Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Romaine and Broccoli Salad with Roasted Garlic Dressing
Beet and Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Penne with Grilled Zucchini and Mint
Thai Chinese Cabbage Slaw

So you have a favorite summer salad? Please share!

Enjoy,
Tracy