Roasted Radishes

Radishes have always been the one of the few vegetables that I thought I hated (brussel sprouts are the other). I got a large bunch of them from the farmers market and tried a few raw. To my surprise they were actually really good when sprinkled with some salt. I liked the crunch and the spicy bite they had. I just couldn't use them all raw before they went bad so I tried roasting them. They were wonderful. The roasting process really brought out the sweetness in them and mellowed the flavor.

Recipe:

1 handful radishes, cut in half
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat the oven to 425. Line a cookie sheet with foil. In a bowl, toss the radishes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Pour onto the cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Turn them and then bake for 10 more minutes or until crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

White Pizza with Mushrooms and Arugula Salad

Again with the CSA, I'm trying to use up all the greens before they go bad. Arugula was in the CSA share I got this week and I love it's spicy, peppery flavor. By the time I got to it the leaves had already started to droop, so I knew I had to use it where that wouldn't matter. Using it raw as a pizza topping was perfect!

Also, I cheated a lot on this one and used a store bought pizza crust and already prepared mushrooms. You can use the same mushrooms I used by making a batch of "wine braised mushrooms" that are already included in the archives.

Recipe:

1 pizza crust
olive oil
parmesan cheese
garlic powder
dried basil
5 wine braised mushrooms (or mushrooms that you sautee with some oil), sliced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
10-12 arugula leaves, torn into bite size pieces
olive oil
lemon juice
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 450. In a bowl, combine olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and basil. Spread this mixture on the pizza crust. Top pizza crust with mushrooms and then the cheese. Turn oven down to 425 and bake for 8-9 minutes. Broil for 30 seconds until the cheese is slightly brown and bubbly. While this is baking, toss the arugula with olive oil and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. When the pizza is finished baking, top it with the arugula salad.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

A friend of mine has a CSA share that she splits with her room mates, since her room mates were out of town this week she lt me take the majority of the share. It was a beautiful collection of greens and Fall vegetables like radishes, carrots, sweet potatoes, and squash. Most of these things can last for quite some time but the greens started to wilt the day after I brought them home. The box contained two bunches of fresh spinach. I knew I could eat one raw before it went bad, but the other one needed to be cooked before it became unusable. Hence, Spinach Artichoke Dip.

Recipe:

2 T butter
2 T flour
1 cup warm water
1 bouillon cube
garlic powder
pepper
parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese (about an ounce or so, not much)
1 bunch (about 2 cups) fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 a small onion, minced
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

In a sauce pan, melt butter over low heat and add flour. Whisk together and cook for a few minutes until it is thick and bubbly. Dissolve the bouillon cube in water. Slowly whisk in stock to the roux and simmer to thicken. It should already be fairly thick. Season with garlic powder, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Add a bit of mozzarella so that things hold together. In a separate pan heat oil over medim heat, add onion and garlic and sautee a few minutes until softened. Add spinach and artichokes and cook until the spinach is wilted. Season with salt and pepper. Add this mixture to the roux. Stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes so that everything comes together. Top with mozzarella and maybe a little parmesan. Broil until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

Pineapple Upside Down Biscuits

Baking a whole cake seems crazy when there is only one person who is going to eat any of it. Any time I make something it will go bad before I can finish it. I've started trying to bake things in smaller sizes so that I can have it once and not have to worry about eating the rest of it. Ramekins are perfect for this. The only problem is that baking things from scratch usually means that you will have way more than you need for one person. So I cheated a little bit and used biscuits. Whatever.

Recipe:

1 ring of canned pineapple
1 T brown sugar
1 T corn syrup
1 splash of pineapple juice (or water)
1 tsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 canned jumbo biscuit

Combine sugar, syrup, juice, butter, and vanilla in a saucepan and heat until it bubbles. Remove from heat. Place pineapple ring in a ramekin and top with the sauce until it comes up around the side of the pineapple. Stretch a bisuit out a bit and place it over the pineapple. Place the ramekin in a preheated oven (check biscuit wrapper for temperature - mine said 350) and bake for 5 minutes more than the directions said. Mine called for 15 minutes so I baked it for 20. Remove from the oven and turn it out on a plate immediately.

Squash and Apple Soup

I'm not going to lie, this needs something. I don't know what it is though. It was really good but it seemed like it just needed one more thing. Maybe you can figure it out. My housemate had some and he said he liked it as it was, so maybe I'm wrong.

Recipe:

2 T butter
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 large granny smith apple, chopped (my apple was huge, use half a normal apple)
1/3 cup white wine
1 veggie bouillon cube
1 package of frozen winter squash (this was most likely my problem with the soup)
1-2 T honey
salt
pepper

In a stock pot or heavy bottom pan melt the butter and then cook the apple for 3-5 minutes then add the onion and continue to cook until it is soft. Then add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the veggie bouillon cube, the honey, and the squash (which should be defrosted for the most part). Stir in enough water to get your desired consistency. The pectin in the apple will start to break down and thicken the soup so you will need to add more water as the soup comes together. Continue to simmer the soup for 20-30 minutes or until you get sick of waiting. Puree the soup with an immersion blender and season with salt and pepper.

Ginger Lemon Applesauce

I love Fall. It is my favorite season by far. I love when the weather starts to get cold enough to warrant warm and comforting foods. Applesauce is one of those comfort foods for me; it reminds me of my childhood for some reason.





Recipe:

1 granny smith apple
2 fuji apples
2 T lemon juice
1 T freshly grated ginger
2-3 T honey
1 dash of cinnamon
1-2 dashes of salt
1/3 cup water

Cut the apples in quarters and core them. Then chop into medium-large pieces and place in a saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until apples are soft. Mash with a potato masher if you want a chunky texture or puree with an immersion blender if you would like it to be relatively smooth.

Couscous Cakes with Yogurt Sauce

As a single person I often have left over food, which I am terrible at eating. I hate eating the same thing twice (or three times) in a row. I also really hate throwing food away, which means that I try to come up with creative ways to use leftovers to create something new. This was a fantastic way to use leftover couscous.

Recipe:
1.5 cups leftover couscous, I used garlic and olive oil flavor
1/2 a small onion, minced
2 T fresh basil, chiffonaded
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (depending on taste)
salt (to taste)
pepper
1 egg
2 T flour (start with 1 T and see how much you need)
2 T oil

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except egg, flour, and oil. Stir to combine. Add one large egg and mix together. Add 1 T of flour and mix. See how things are holding together. If it is not coming together well add 1 more T of flour over the top and place mixture in the fridge. After about 20-30 minutes take out of the fridge and stir together. Things should hold together fairly well. Form into patties (usually about 1/4 cup for each one) - you may want to spray your hands with non-stick spray or coat them with flour to prevent sticking. Heat oil over medium heat and when hot, place patties in the pan. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Place on paper towles to absorb some of the oil after cooking.

While waiting for the patties to chill you can make the following sauce:

Recipe:

1/4 cup chopped tomato
1 T fresh basil, chiffonaded
1 tsp capers
1/3 cup plain yogurt
salt
pepper

Cut the tomato and drain some of the juice out. Then mix all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Place in the fridge until you're ready to serve.

I like to serve the patty alone with the sauce on the side so that you don't lose the crunchy texture of the couscous patty.