Farm Box Quinoa

CPK has this great Arugula and Quinoa Salad that I love. It was my inspiration for this meal. Do you have the Epicurious app? I love any recipe app that lets me put in ingredients that I have on hand and it gives me recipes to choose from. I put in quinoa and kale. It pops up Quinoa Salad with Kale, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan. Good starting place. In my CSA Farm Box this week I had kale, carrots, broccoli, avocados, and the green beans came from my yard.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup white quinoa, rinsed (Yes, do it, and here's why)
3/4 cup water
2 cups chopped kale (about 8 ounces)

2 medium carrots, scrubbed, peeled if not organic, 1/4" diced
1/2 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 cup chopped broccoli

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons EVOO
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1 medium avacado, cut into bite sized pieces


1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic and sauté 1 more minute. Add quinoa and sauté, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the water and kale, stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover, until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, 12 - 15 minutes.

2. While quinoa was simmering, give the carrots, green beans, and broccoli a quick blanche. Put all in a medium pot of simmering water. After 3 minutes, drain and put in cool water. When veggies are cool, drain again.

3. When quinoa is done, transfer mixture to a large bowl and let cool. Fluff up with a fork occasionally to bring the warmer part to the surface. If you are in a time crunch you can cool it faster by spreading out on a cookie sheet.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and mustard until smooth. Add 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Slowly add the EVOO, whisking continuously to emulsify the dressing.

5. Drizzle the dressing over the cooled quinoa mixture. Stir in cooled vegetables. Cover and chill completely, 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir to fluff and add almonds, Feta, and avocado. Additional salt and pepper to taste.

Can something this healthy really taste this good? Jim had 2 helpings.

Fresh Blueberry and Cream Cheese Pie

The BEST fresh fruit pie recipe around is the America's Test Kitchen Strawberry Pie. Link to epicurious.com, as not everyone has ATK access, here. The glaze for that pie is the best, made from the fruit. I have used the recipe with Strawberries and Peaches. It is the perfect glaze as it holds the berries. 

I made a Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie and brought it to a party this summer. More than one person declared it the best pie ever. Today, Trader Joe's had the big clam shell of organic blueberries that looked absolutely perfect. It was time to try Blueberries. 

1 1/2 Pound of Organic Blueberries, washed. Measure/weigh out 6 oz for glaze.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (1 1/2 packets of graham crackers, pulsed in food processor)
6 tablespoon, cold unsalted butter, cut into small squares.
1/4 cup sugar

Pulse together in the food processor. It  press over bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Let cool. Wash out food processor to make the glaze.

For the glaze (from the ATK recipe)

6 ounces of fresh berries (yes, I weighed them)
3/4 cup sugar (5 1/4 ounces)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons Sure-Jell, for low-sugar recipes (see note)
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice (1 lemon)

In food processor, process berries to smooth puree, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. You should have about ¾ cup puree. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, Sure-Jell, and salt in a bowl and add to berry puree. Pulse until blended.

Pour into a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with heatproof rubber spatula, and bring to full boil. Boil, scraping bottom and sides of pan to prevent scorching, for 2 minutes to ensure that cornstarch is fully cooked (mixture will appear frothy when it first reaches boil, then will darken and thicken with further cooking). Transfer to large bowl and stir in lemon juice. Let cool to room temperature.

Cream Cheese Layer

2 packages of Cream Cheese (8 oz packages) room temperature

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

zest from 1 lemon

In stand mixer or large bowl, whip cream cheese 2 minutes. Scrap down and add sugar, juice, and zest. Beat until fluffy, about 3 more minutes.

Assemble the Pie

Spread cream cheese mixture in the cooled crust, including up the sides. Fold the whole berries in the the cooled glaze. Spoon over the cream cheese layer. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Crab and Mac Salad

Last Saturday night, I went to dinner with my best buddy Sondra. The Fish Tail's special that night was King Crab Leg (1 1/2 pounds) dinner for $47. I only eat The Deadliest Catch about twice a year, so it is a special treat. At this price, even better! It was delicious, but I still had 3 legs I couldn't eat! What to make with the leftovers? This is what I came up with. Not a lot of color contrast, but the flavor makes up for it. The tomatoes, corn and basil came from my garden.

Crab and Mac Salad

1 cup dry whole wheat elbow macaroni, cook as directed to al dente

2 ears corn on the cob, cooked, kernels cut off
2 small tomatoes, seeded, chopped
1/4 white or red onion chopped fine (about 1/4 of a cup)

olive oil, about 1 tablespoon

1/4 cup Best Foods Olive Oil Mayo

1/2 cup shredded crab meat
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoon fresh basil, chiffonade (cut in thin strips)

While the macaroni is cooking, I cooked the corn on the cob in the microwave. Wrap the cleaned cob in a moist paper towel. I had two cobs so I microwaved them 2 minutes, turned them over and 2 more minutes.

Cook the macaroni to al dente (still a bit firm), drain well. Place in a medium glass bowl, toss with olive oil (so it won't stick together), let cool.

Chop tomatoes and onion. When cool enough to handle, cut corn kernels off. 

When macaroni is cool, add tomato, onion, and corn, mix gently. Add mayo, combine, then fold in crab meat. Ground pepper to taste. Chill. Top with basil before serving.