Every Day I'm Brusselin'

Thank you NY Times for yet another delicious, easy, healthy recipe. A great way to use up spinach and chard!

Two more recipes born out of my CSA box: Beet and Carrot Salad with Pepitas INGREDIENTS 3 beets, peeled and whizzed in the food processor until shredded (not pureed) 5 small carrots, also whizzed in food processor (see above) Toasted pepitas (AKA punkin seeds) Dijon vinaigrette (EVOO, dijon, white wine vinegar, and honey) Fresh, organic pea shoots Toss the veg and dressing with the pepitas and serve over a bundle of pea shoots. Good for beet-eaters and beet-haters alike. This is really delicious! Beet-Green and Basil Pesto with Spring Vegetables and Pasta INGREDIENTS For the pesto: 1/2 cleaned beet greens 1 cup basil leaves 1 cup fresh, Italian parsley Extra-virgin olive oil Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup or so) lemon juice 10 shelled, roasted pistachios  For the Pasta and Spring Veg: 1/2 pound brown rice pasta 1 small zucchini, diced 1 small summer squash, diced, 1/2 red pepper, diced Bring a large pot of water to a boi...

I picked up my first half CSA box today....so exciting! I couldn't wait to get home to check out the contents. This year I ordered an every other week half share from Tree of Life Farms and CSA in Cuba City, WI. Their produce always wows me at the Dubuque Farmer's Market, and this week's box was no different. While I have big plans for the head of green cabbage (I'll be eatin' coleslaw for breakfast) the pound of adorable, sweet carrots, and even the bunch of beets (raw beet salad!), I didn't have any ideas for the turnip greens. I'd never eaten them, let alone cooked them before, so I did some research on the interwebs. I found out that turnip greens are very bitter and incredibly healthy, with more nutrition ounce for ounce than kale! I also learned that the traditional Southern cooking method marries turnip greens, salt pork, and rice and beans. Now that was something I could get behind! So I ran to the grocery store, bought me some bacon, shallots, and...

It's been a week since I've eaten meat. I'm on a vegetarian kick lately, mostly because it's nearly impossible to get local, organic, grassfed meats in the grocery store in Dubuque, and some of the stuff at the farmer's market is simply too expensive for someone on a budget. It's been a good week and I feel really good without all the animal protein weighing me down. While I'm still not completely dairy free, I've cut down on dairy foods significantly, just for fun (and because I've just finished reading Mark Bittman's Food Matters . ) I'll have a bite of cheese now and then, and I'll never stop dusting my pasta with Parmesan. But I'm off milk, cream, and eggs for the time being. This hernbivorian kick has meant lots of experimentation in the kitchen. Yesterday I made a neat little Thai rice noodle salad, ala Mark Bittman. Today's lunch, leftover Thai noodles and a huge pile of salad greens and tiny green olives, left me feeling...