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Chocolate Beet Cake

Chocolate Beet Cake

Posted by: on Feb 16, 2023 | No Comments

From CSA member Cheryl Munn

Thank you to Cheryl for passing on this great recipe. It makes a delicious moist cake! 

2 cups cooked and pureed with the skin on organic Red Fire Farm beets
1 cup organic granulated sugar
½ cup coconut oil, EVOO or butter
½ cup plain organic yogurt
3 organic eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup baking cocoa
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup all natural chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan.

In a bowl, combine the sugar, oil, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla. Cream until smooth. Add the beets stirring to blend well.

Mix flour, cocoa, soda and salt together in a separate bowl. Add to the beet mixture, beating until just blended. Pour half the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the batter in the pan, pour the remaining batter over the top of the chips. You could add walnuts or other nuts with the chocolate chips.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Servings: 12 to 16.

Notes from making this cake for Chester’s Birthday in 2023:
For using as a sheet cake, you can put the cake in a 9×13 size pan, and start checking it for doneness earlier at about 30-35 minutes. A doubled recipe did well for us for Chester’s birthday cake in a big lasagna baking pan that had about the footprint of a big baking sheet. We used coconut oil, some date and coconut sugars, and added the zest of one lemon for fun. The cake batter was quite thick and didn’t pour, so we used a metal spatula to even it out in the pan before baking. It baked up nicely.

This cake with the date and coconut sugar we used and whole wheat flour doesn’t spike the blood sugar and is not very sweet, which I like, but you could add more sweetener and change up the flours if you like a sweeter fluffier cake.  And to top, we made a ganache of equal ounces of heavy cream and bittersweet baking chocolate warmed and stirred together in a double boiler- wicked good with a little bit of fresh fruit on top :). Cheers! ~ Sarah Voiland

My Aunt Sarah’s Tomato Pie

Posted by: on Jul 13, 2021 | No Comments

My aunt made this pie when I was a kid, and it was so tasty I asked for the recipe. I’m recording it here, so in case I ever lose her handwritten note, I won’t have lost this perfect summer pie.

It’s easy enough for a kid to help make, and fun with layers of cheese and tomatoes and some decorating with basil at the end. I often make double this recipe for our family of four.

Cheers to my aunt Sarah, for making tomato season even better!

Ingredients:
1 9 inch pie crust (unbaked)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (or a blend with mozzarella)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp fresh basil, cut in chiffonade (reserve some whole leaves to decorate pie)
3-4 Tomatoes (more colors, more fun)

2 Tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Optional additions at the mozzarella layer stage:  an ear worth of fresh sweet corn kernels, 1 diced red bell pepper (or a spicy pepper if you want to kick it up), other herbs besides basil, chopped greens for a green layer or mixed in with mozzarella.

1. Make pie crust, if applicable.

2. Preheat oven to 400F.

3. Spread dijon mustard across the bottom of the unbaked pie crust.

4. Sprinkle grated cheese and garlic into pie crust to make an even layer.

5. Add basil and any other little things (like fresh sweet corn kernels cut off the cob, etc from the optionals above).

6. Slice tomatoes about a 1/4 inch thick or so, and layer over the top of the mozzarella, overlapping to make a nice tomato surface.

7. Gently drizzle olive oil around over the tomatoes to get some good coverage.

8. Sprinkle salt and pepper across the surface of the tomatoes.

9. Bake for about 40 minutes until tomatoes are nicely cooked through and the cheese has bubbled, and crust is cooked.

10. Serve either hot or cold, with a few basil leaves as garnish. If serving hot, let cool a few minutes for the cheese and tomato liquids to settle.

 

From Sarah Voiland, 2021.

Ali’s Eggplant Parmesan

Posted by: on Aug 13, 2019 | No Comments

Direct from our Operations and Harvest Manager, Ali Jacobs, who makes this recipe every year in big batches!

This recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled, I usually make about 5 at once in half sheet catering pans and freeze them for the winter, freeze before baking, to cook from frozen let defrost overnight in fridge, then cook normally. This is not a school night recipe, it’s complicated and involves a lot of time and utensils, that’s why I like to make multiples so I’m only doing the effort once. It can also be a great family project to do with kids, even if they’re not big eggplant fans they’ll enjoy the breading process and layering the final casserole.

 

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1-2 Eggplants
2-3 cups Breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp salt (or to taste)
1 cup flour
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Fresh Oregano – 4-5 Tbsp
Fresh Basil – 4-5 Tbsp

2 Qt Tomato sauce or Heirloom Tomato Puree

2 lb fresh Mozzarella Cheese (can use shredded if you want, but better ingredients = better flavor)
1 Qt ricotta cheese
1-2 cups parmesan cheese

 

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Slice eggplant into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.

3. Prepare a work area with a large plate or bowl of flour, a bowl of the egg and milk mixed together, and a plate or bowl of the breadcrumbs, herbs and salt mixed together. (You can also add some parmesan to the breadcrumb mixture for extra cheesiness).

4. In order, dip a slice of eggplant into the flour, making sure to cover all sides, then into the egg mixture, then into the breadcrumbs.

5. Place breaded eggplant slices onto a baking sheet that has been generously greased with olive oil.

6. Using a basting brush or oil sprayer to lightly oil the tops of the breaded eggplant slices. If you don’t have either of these you can drizzle oil quickly over the surface of the eggplant, however, be careful not to put too much on or they will become soggy.

7. Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes or until the breading has developed a crispy crust and the eggplant is cooked through.

8. Remove from oven and set aside.

9. Slice the mozzarella as thinly as possible, ideally about 1/4 inch thick slices.

10. In a deep 9×13 or larger casserole dish begin to layer your ingredients. Cover the bottom of the pan in a coating of sauce, this doesn’t need to be thick, just ensure it’s fully covered, then place a single layer of eggplant slices, don’t worry about holes between them, follow with a layer of cheese, I like to be a little conservative with the mozzarella so that it will get into every layer of the casserole, and fill in the gaps between with ricotta, you don’t need to have a perfectly even distribution of cheese, it’s going to melt and move, just get a slice or dollop every couple inches across the whole surface. Follow with a sprinkle of parmesan.

11. Continue layering, sauce, eggplant, cheese. I use a bit more sauce in the middle layers than I did on the bottom. You should end up with about 3 layers of eggplant.

12, On the top layer put an extra layer of sauce and then put the remainder of the parmesan (or to taste).

13. Bake in the oven at 375F, covered, for half an hour, then uncover and bake for another 15-30 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top is golden brown.

Leftover components can be used to make another, smaller casserole, or eggplant ricotta rolls, or anything else you can think of.

From Ali Jacobs, 2019.

Blueberry Lemonade

Posted by: on Jul 19, 2019 | No Comments

The most gorgeous color, and super simple. This was inspired by our neighbor Leo and his awesome blueberry lemonade stand!

Ingredients:
1 cup lemon juice
1 cup sweetener, sugar, or maple syrup
1 cup blueberries (plus a few in reserve for topping)
mint to garnish if you like

Makes 1/2 gallon.

Put all the ingredients except mint in a blender and add a little cold water. Blend until smooth. Put in a half gallon container and fill up to the top with cold water. Shake or stir to mix. Serve in cups with ice, little sprigs of mint and a few whole blueberries to top.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Posted by: on Oct 25, 2018 | No Comments

This recipe makes nice tender baked sweet potato fries with good browning. We grow three types of sweet potatoes most years, Japanese Murasaki with purple skins and white interior, Bonita with white skin and white flesh, and Orleans Orange, the classic deep orange inside and out. You can find them at the farm stores or markets to get a sampler of them to bake up and taste side by side. Oven fries are especially good for making a tasting, as the ingredients are so simple and you can taste each flavor.

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes
Olive Oil
Coconut oil (optional)

Salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice up however many sweet potatoes you want to eat into big chunky fries, all of similar thickness, for even cooking. Toss in a bowl, with enough olive oil to coat, and a little salt.

If you have coconut oil, I like to put a tablespoon or two on a baking sheet and set it in the oven for a minute to melt. Then spread the oil around the pan for a good coating. You could oil the pan with another high heat oil. I think the oil on the bottom gets them to brown better.

Spread the sweet potatoes across the pan so none are piled on top of each other, and each has good contact with the pan. Cover the pan with tin foil. Put in the oven and bake until sweet potatoes are tender, about a 1/2 hr.

Then remove the foil, and put the pan back in the oven to brown. Don’t stir, as this will mess up the browning. Scope the fries out periodically as they bake until you get the level of browning you want.

Serve with ketchup or dipped in a spicy mayo spiked with RFF hot sauce ;).

Eminently Adjustable Spicy Garlic Basil Lo Mein

Posted by: on Jul 31, 2018 | No Comments

A recipe from long-time CSA member Cheryl Munn! It features gluten-free ingredients. This recipe plays very well with seasonal adjusting and making with the produce that’s ready right now.  To honor that, I added “Eminently Adjustable” to her title, highlighting the excellent potential for local eating contained within.

You can easily get creative, subbing other onion family crops for shallots, other greens or broccoli for the bok choy or cabbage, something else flavorful for the peppers, and such. This here is a dish that is great fresh, but also as a lunch for the next day (or days if you like to make a bunch).

Sauce:
3/4 cup vegetable broth or water
1/3 cup low sodium gluten free tamari
2 Tbsp chili paste, or 1 Tbsp tomato paste and 1-2 Tbsp sriracha [use all tomato paste if you don’t want it spicy]
3 Tbsp coconut sugar or 80 milligrams pure stevia
1 Tbsp dried basil or 1/3 cup fresh chopped
1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp arrowroot

Lo Mein:
1 lb gluten free brown rice spaghetti, 14 oz brown rice fettuccine or Lo Mein noodles, cooked
12 ozs baby bok choy or cabbage, cut into 1/4″ strips
1 sweet red pepper diced or sliced thin
1 yellow pepper diced or sliced thin
1 lb carrots julienned (rainbow carrots would be good in this)
2 stalks celery diced
1/3 cup finely minced shallots
5 large garlic cloves minced

Directions:

Add ingredients for sauce, except arrowroot, to a bowl and whisk together. Add arrowroot, whisk and set aside. [a sub option for arrowroot powder is corn starch]

Cook pasta or lo mein noodles according to package directions, rinse and set aside.

While the noodles are cooking, prep vegetables as directed above. Put prepared vegetables except bok choy or cabbage in a large wok.  Cook vegetables on medium high 3 minutes, stir to keep from burning. Place cover on wok and cook 3-4 minutes. Remove lid, add bok choy or cabbage to wok and stir into other vegetables. Cook another 3 minutes. Add sauce to vegetables, stir, let simmer 2 minutes to thicken. Shut off heat, add noodles, stir until well mixed. Serve!

Recipe and photos from Cheryl Munn, 2018

Oven Roasted Parsnip Fries

Posted by: on Mar 22, 2018 | No Comments

One of the most delicious spring things is here! Roots hidden underground all winter gathering sweetness from the frosty cold. We just harvested these and baked the first batch – spring-dug parsnips! Fall and winter parsnips have lots of great flavor for this dish also, though the spring-dug ‘nips are the next level of sweetness. I love to roast them in the oven this way…

Ingredients:
Parsnips – as many as you’d like
Coconut oil (or other higher heat oil)
Salt

Preheat the oven to 400, while you wash and chop the parsnips into fries. Put a couple tablespoons worth of coconut oil on the baking pan and set in the oven to melt a minute. Take pan out and stir the parsnips around in the oil to get some coating, then cover with tin foil to roast for about a half hour until parsnips are very soft to tines of a fork.

Then uncover and roast more until you get that awesome caramelizing of the natural sweetness. Sprinkle with kosher salt or other coarser grind salt, serve hot. 

Also excellent dipped in a spicy mayo spiked with RFF hot sauce ;).

Colcannon with Shallots

Posted by: on Mar 15, 2018 | No Comments

For St. Patrick’s Day, a classic recipe from Ireland, perfect for our  seasonal ingredients. Colcannon is a recipe with so many variations, because it is beloved and made in many homes. Make your own variation!

2 lbs gold or white potatoes
6 tbs unsalted butter
5 large shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 cups of shredded savoy cabbage (packed in)
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper

Chop the potatoes in large chunks and boil in salted water until very soft to the tines of a fork, then drain water away (reserve for a soup stock if you like).

Melt 4 Tbs of the butter in a pan that will fit all the ingredients. Add the chopped shallots and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until shallots start to brown. Then add 1 cup of the shredded cabbage. Cook the cabbage down til it is wilted.

Add the milk and cream and start to simmer. Put in the cooked potato chunks and remaining cabbage. Mash it all, and season with salt and pepper, topping with the remaining butter at serving time.

Variations: Add chopped spinach with the cream at the end to make it green! Saute kale with the shallots to add green at that stage. You can replace the milk and cream with 1 cup or so potato cooking water, adding a little olive oil. Add in cloves of roasted garlic. Peel the potatoes if you don’t want peels in there. Top with crumbles of cooked bacon or tempeh.

Roasted Winter Veggie Tacos

Posted by: on Mar 1, 2018 | No Comments

One of our Deep Winter Share members shared this recipe, describing it as “my new favorite meal.” It’s inspired by the taco share we do in the winter time, a great way to enjoy the winter roots. You can swap any other roots you have in for the ones listed below, to good effect. Thank you Emily Pollock for sending it over!

TACO FILLING
Chop into smallish pieces, toss in olive oil, and roast at 425 for about 40 min, stirring occasionally:

1 large sweet potato
1 potato
2 carrots
1 rutabaga or gilfeather turnip
1 large onion
(sometimes I throw in watermelon radish or beet too)

Add the juice of 1/2 of a lime, salt, and pepper.  Serve with corn tortillas, cheese, and re-fried black beans below (I make a new mexico hatch chili sauce with this as well, because I like my tacos really spicy, but I don’t think it is necessary).

RE-FRIED BLACK BEANS
1lb black beans, soaked overnight
1T vegetable oil
1t cumin (preferably freshly toasted and ground)
about 1t salt (to taste)

Cover the beans with water, and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 3-4 hours, making sure there is still enough water.  Drain away excess water if applicable. Add vegetable oil, salt, and cumin, and puree with an immersion blender. Add the beans to your tacos!

From CSA member Emily Pollock, 2018.

Potato Leek Soup

Posted by: on Nov 28, 2017 | No Comments

This is a well-loved recipe around the farm that folks make to warm up for lunch, and enjoy with friends.

5 large white potatoes or equivalent (peeled and chopped)
5 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)
1 Tbs butter
3 large leeks (sliced using whites only)
1 Tbs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp celery salt
pepper and salt to taste
1 cup light cream
mushrooms (can be optional, but so good)

Peel and cut potatoes, slice leeks. Melt butter over medium heat in pot. Add leeks and let sit for several minutes. Add potatoes, chicken stock, thyme, bay leaf, celery salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft (about 20 minutes). Once potatoes are soft, remove from heat, remove the bay leaf, and use an immersion blender or food processor to liquify.

In a separate pan slice mushrooms into tiny chunks and sauté. Return the soup to heat, add cream and mushrooms and simmer on low until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper if needed, to taste. Enjoy!