Beets are heavenly!

I love beets - especially the deep red ones that stain my hands as I clean and prepare them. Equally delicious and lovely to look at are beet greens. Full Belly provided me with tiny newly harvested beets and their greens. I generally just boil my beets, slice them and add a bit of salt and lemon. When the tops look nice and tender - I chop them and steam them until they are tender and give them the same treatment - salt and lemon. My husband does not have the same love affair with beets and their tops as I do. The following recipe was provided by Full Belly. I adapted it and it was a complete success with my husband - he loved it. And it stays pretty true to how I enjoy beets. Try it and see what you think.

Uncle Tony's Chard Di Bona

I love pasta and greens. A great way in my opinion to eat greens of any sort. I adapted the following recipe from one I found a number of years ago in the San Diego Reader for making chard and pasta.

Squash Pancakes

Full Belly often gives squash during the winter. Squash is not my favorite. But I've been working on finding ways to eat it - usually in recipes involving sugar and cinnamon. Here is one for Squash Pancakes. The batter is often a bit thick - if you leave it thick - turn the heat down and cook them longer. Or add a bit more milk or another egg to thin it to the usual pancake batter consistency. I don't recall where I found the recipe - so my apologies to the creator.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

Full Belly gave me red cabbage this past week. I adapted this great recipe in my favorite vegetarian cookbook: Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It is not overly sweet or sour - just enough to show off the delicate flavor of red cabbage. Really a delicious way to have cabbage.

Greens Soup

Adapted this recipe from one in the Sacramento News and Review. It is the most wonderful color - it would be great for St. Patrick's Day!

Cabbage!!

Full Belly provided me with cabbage and cilantro this week. Here is a recipe that show cases both nicely and it is not overly caloric - just crisp and a bit tart! Not sure what recipe inspired me, but this is great. The cilantro really makes it special. Try it on tacos instead of lettuce.

Celery Root Bisque

Full Belly gave me a celery root this past week - here is a great recipe for using it. Not sure what recipe inspired this. It's good too to add celery leaves - if any come with the root!

Ginger!!

It is that time of the year again! Holiday season and I think of ginger bread. Here is my current favorite recipe for ginger cake adapted from a recipe by Dave Lebovitz from his book Ready for Dessert.

Cobbler

Made cobbler again last night - one of my favorites - pear ginger. The topping I am currently using is one adapted from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. A must have cookbook. Since it is just me and my hubby, I've been experimenting with smaller portions for cobblers and such, something we can eat in one sitting.  This is not one of those recipes, sorry.

Collard Greens and Grilled Chicken

It is summer today in Sacramento - triple digit temperature. We pruned roses. Those roses. There are so many bushes here and while just dead heading is not such a chore - it is when there are so many of them. So we got up early and pruned for about an hour got the front yard done - we'll finish the back yard next weekend.

Afterward we had muesli with plain yogurt and fruit - strawberries, apricots, blackberries and apples - and just a touch of honey. Hit the spot on such a warm morning.

Endive Recipe

This is a great salad - very elegant and delicious! My hubby loves watercress. Adapted it from a recipe off the endive growers website:

http://www.endive.com/recipe/id39.htm

Wowzers and Gooseberry Meringue Pie

Just checking out some other blogs - some folks have real extensive blogs and great add on things. Maybe I'll have to experiment some more - right in my spare time - as if I have time to actually write as much as I do on this blog.

So Craig loves pie - in particular gooseberry pie. I found a nifty recipe for gooseberry meringue pie that we both really liked.

Off to Baltimore and Roasted Celery Root

Tomorrow we are flying to Baltimore. I am going to the NDRN Annual Conference http://www.ndrn.org/index.htm. I am currently the president of NDRN's Board of Directors and have been for nearly 2 years. I go off as president in May - terms only last 2 years.

Chili Relleno Bake

Today I made a baked chili relleno recipe. Adapted it from a recipe at cooks.com. Craig likes it because it has cheese, eggs and green chilies. We had a spinach salad and tortillas with it. It is really easy and tasty. Here is the recipe.

Full Belly Kale with Olives

After I write my blog for today - I plan to cook dinner. I have interesting things to prepare. About 2 years ago, I signed up for boxes of produce from the Full Belly Farm http://www.fullbellyfarm.com/. Every week except for a couple weeks in December, I have Craig go pick up a box of produce at a site in downtown Sacramento. The box contains whatever is in season. You can find out a day or so in advance what is going to be in the box, but I rarely do that - preferring instead to be surprised. 

Lemon Slice Pie

Hey - I said I'd post this recipe - Try it! Although I have no idea now where I got the idea for the pie from. Apologies to the chef. I like it better than lemon meringue because it is easier.