Cooking With This Week's Box
Baby Arugula:
Salad Mix (also
referred to as “Mesclun Mix” by some in this world):
Pie Pita Pumpkin:
Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro Sauce (See below)
No-Bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake (See below)
Porcelain Garlic:
Yellow Onions:
Orange Italian
Frying Peppers:
Variety of Tomatoes:
White, Purple or
Yellow Cauliflower:
Purple Viking
Potatoes:
Orange Carrots:
Broccoli Raab:
Mini Sweet
Peppers:
Guajillo Chili
Peppers:
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| Shrimp Scampi with Linguine and Broccoli Raab photo from healthyishfoods.com |
We’ve officially transitioned into fall and to celebrate,
we’re sending the cutest little pumpkins your way this week! This week’s featured vegetable is a new one
for us, Pie Pita Pumpkins. We’ve never
been much of a fan of pumpkins as we favor the more flavorful and sweet winter
squashes such as butternut and kabocha.
Nonetheless, this cutie caught our eye because it has a large amount of
hulless pumpkin seeds! I love two for
one vegetables, so this one went on the trials list for this year. If you’re looking for recipe ideas this week,
consider trying my recipe for Spicy
Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro Sauce (See Below). I wrote this recipe in my head over the
weekend after working in the cooler for awhile.
I was hungry and cold and this soup was just what I needed. It’s packed with nutrients, flavorful and
simple. The cilantro sauce is an added
bonus to stir in at the very end when you serve it.
The other recipe I’ve included this week is for a No-Bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake (See
below). I made this for the first time
last year for our Christmas Dinner dessert.
It’s vegan, raw, paleo and sweetened with only dates and maple
syrup……but wait, it’s also very creamy, flavorful and delicious! The creaminess in the filling comes from
soaked cashews. The crust is made with
chopped nuts and dates. It’s a dessert
you can feel good about eating!
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| Garlicky Broccoli Raab, Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Jam Sandwich photo from seriouseats.com |
This week’s cooking green is Broccoli Raab, a slightly
bitter green that has a mustardy flavor.
This green pairs well with garlic, fatty cheese, olive oil, fish,
tomatoes, etc. I included several tasty
recipe ideas for you this week such as Shrimp Scampi with Linguine and Broccoli Raab; Garlicky Broccoli Raab, Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Jam Sandwich; and Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe.
In addition to a cooking green this week, we are also
happy to have both baby arugula and salad mix!
That means it’s time to start tossing greens salads again! This is one of my favorite times of the year
to create tasty, simple salads topped with fruit, nuts, cheese, etc. You really don’t need to follow a recipe,
just use a flavorful oil, a fruity vinegar and some creativity in choosing the
other ingredients. Anything goes as long
as you use good ingredients and you like the final outcome!
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| Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken with Potatoes & Mini Sweet Peppers |
We’re moving into our final few weeks of pepper season
and this week’s pepper selections are quite colorful! Mini sweet peppers are great for snacking on,
but they are also tasty when used in other savory recipes such as Sheet Pan Roasted Chicken with Potatoes &
Mini Sweet Peppers,
a recipe well-suited to this week’s Purple Viking Potatoes or last week’s Peter
Wilcox potatoes. We also included either
guajillo or Korean chili peppers this week to give you a little heat to spice
up your meals! If you don’t have a use
for these peppers this week, dry them, put them in a jar and use them later in
the winter!
Looking ahead to next week, we’re going to see more
shifting of the seasons with our vegetable selections. We’ll be harvesting some fall head lettuce,
possibly daikon radish and a few beets.
We also have a few winter squash selections we hope to send your way and
a new crop of fall broccoli! I can’t
believe we’re two-thirds of the way through our CSA season! Time flies when you’re having fun and I hope
you’ve been enjoying all of your seasonal cooking adventures! Have a great week and I’ll see you next
time!—Chef Andrea
Vegetable Feature: Pie Pita Pumpkin
By: Chef Andrea Yoder
Description: These cute little pumpkins are a new addition to our line-up this year. We typically don’t grow pie pumpkins because, well they don’t taste as good as butternut or kabocha winter squash which are acceptable substitutes for pumpkin in recipes! Nonetheless, the leading line in the seed catalog description captured our interest: “A dual-purpose fruit with bright orange, sweet flesh and light green hulless seeds.” Well, this sounded different from other pie pumpkins so we thought we’d give it a try. When I called in our phone order to High Mowing Seed who is our supplier for this variety, the customer service gal chuckled a bit and then revealed that this is one of her favorite vegetables in their catalog! So we’re looking for feedback from you before we decide to grow it again next year. |
| Pie Pita Pumpkin Seeds |
Pumpkin can be used in a wide variety of sweet and savory recipes ranging from soup, gratin, casseroles, etc. on the savory side to bread, cookies, cheesecake and pie on the sweet side! There are several ways to cook pumpkins, or any winter squash. You can cut them in half and bake them, cut side down. Once cooked, scoop the flesh out and puree it. You can also peel away the thin skin and cut the raw pumpkin into chunks to either roast or incorporate into other recipes such as soup.
Storage: We don’t have any experience with storing this pumpkin, but due to the fact that it has a thin skin, our guess is that they won’t store very long. So, store your pumpkin at room temperature and try to use it within a week or two. In the meantime, keep your eye on it. If you see a spot starting to develop, it’s time to cook it and eat it or freeze it!
Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Cilantro Sauce
Yield: 6-8
servings (about 3 quarts)2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 yellow onion, medium dice
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp dried turmeric powder
1 fresh guajillo or Korean chili, stem removed*
1 cup diced sweet pepper
1 ½ cups diced carrot
4-5 cups pumpkin, large dice
1 orange, peeled and seeded
5 cups liquid (water, vegetable or chicken stock)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lime juice
1 can coconut milk
1 yellow onion, medium dice
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp dried turmeric powder
1 fresh guajillo or Korean chili, stem removed*
1 cup diced sweet pepper
1 ½ cups diced carrot
4-5 cups pumpkin, large dice
1 orange, peeled and seeded
5 cups liquid (water, vegetable or chicken stock)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp maple syrup
1-2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lime juice
1 can coconut milk
Cilantro Sauce:
1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup sunflower oil or olive oil
Salt, to taste
1 bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
½ cup sunflower oil or olive oil
Salt, to taste
- Heat oil in a 5-6 quart pot over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the diced onion and saute for 4-5 minutes or until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and ginger. Saute an additional 1-2 minutes, then stir in the dried turmeric until it fully coats the vegetables.
- Roughly chop the hot pepper, seeds included and add to the pot along with the sweet pepper, carrots and pumpkin. Cut the orange into eighths and remove any seeds. Add to the pot and stir to combine the entire mixture.
- Add the water or stock to the vegetables along with 2 tsp salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Cover and increase heat to medium high to bring the entire mixture to a rapid simmer. Once the soup is simmering, adjust the heat to hold it at a steady simmer.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes or until all the vegetables are soft.
- While the soup is simmering, make the cilantro sauce. Roughly chop the cilantro with a knife, then add it to the bowl of a food processor or to a blender along with the garlic cloves, apple cider vinegar and a few pinches of salt. Blend until the garlic and cilantro are coarsely chopped, then slowly drizzle in the oil while the machine is still running. You want the sauce to have a little texture remaining, so blend until the desired thickness is reached. Taste and add additional salt and vinegar as needed. Set aside until you’re ready to serve the soup.
- Once the vegetables in the soup are soft, remove the soup the heat and let set for a few minutes before blending. Carefully transfer the soup to a blender, working in batches and being careful to not overfill the blender pitcher. Blend until smooth, then pour into another bowl or pot. When the soup is all blended, taste a little to see if it has enough spice for your liking. If not, chop more fresh guajillo or Korean chili pepper and add it to the blender with several cups of the soup. Blend until smooth, then pour it into the remainder of the soup and stir well. Once all the soup is blended, return it to the original pot and keep it warm over medium-low heat.
- Stir in maple syrup, apple cider vinegar or lime juice and coconut milk. Stir to combine and simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding additional salt, black pepper, apple cider vinegar and/or maple syrup as needed.
- Serve the soup with a few spoonfuls of the cilantro sauce. Each diner can stir the sauce into their soup.
Recipe by Chef Andrea Yoder.
No-Bake Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake
For the Crust:
3 cups raw walnuts, almonds or pecans
10 medjool dates, pitted
3 Tbsp coconut oil, softened or melted
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
3 cups raw walnuts, almonds or pecans
10 medjool dates, pitted
3 Tbsp coconut oil, softened or melted
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
2 cups raw cashews, soaked 3 hours
⅔ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup pureed pumpkin (may substitute butternut squash)
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp lemon juice or 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
½ tsp salt, to taste
2 cups raw cashews, soaked 3 hours
⅔ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup pureed pumpkin (may substitute butternut squash)
½ cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp lemon juice or 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste
½ tsp salt, to taste
Make the Crust:
- Line an 8-inch spring form pie pan with parchment paper. If you do not have a spring form pan, you can also just press the crust directly into a lightly greased 8 or 9-inch pie pan or baking dish.
- Add the ingredients for the crust to a food processor or blender and pulse until it is well-combined and forms a sticky dough.
- Transfer the crust mixture to the parchment-lined pan and press it into an even layer. Stick the pan in the freezer while you prepare the pumpkin filling.
- Soak the cashews for at least 3 hours (or overnight). Drain the cashews and add them to a high-powered blender along with the remaining ingredients for the filling. Blend until super smooth and creamy. Taste the filling mixture for flavor and add more cinnamon, pure maple syrup, and/or sea salt to taste.
- Pour the filling over the pie crust and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate pie at least 3 hours before serving. (Note: you can also freeze the pie for 2 hours to get it to set up nicely. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or at room temperature for 2 hours before serving.)
- When you’re ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and cut into slices. Serve with a dollop of coconut milk whipped cream on top if you wish.
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