Category Archives: Local Foods

Salad with Pan-Roasted Corn

Posted on July 18, 2016 | Leave a comment
pan-roasted-corn

Photo by Alice Henneman

Pan-roasted sweet corn adds texture, color and taste to salads. Here is an easy way to make it …

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Cooking Local, Seasonal Foods – Week 4

Posted on July 16, 2016 | 2 comments
Community Supported Agriculture Box with cabbage, zucchini, corn, cucumbers and kohnrabi

Week 4 CSA Box (Photo by Alice Henneman)

It’s been 4 weeks since I started receiving Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Boxes from my farmer Pekarek’s Produce.

Whether you have a farmer delivering a CSA box, are shopping at a farmers’ market, growing a garden or getting fresh, local produce at a grocery store … follow along as I share quick, simple (and good-tasting!) recipes you can make from ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Before I start posting some more recipes this week, I’d like to share a few tips on washing fresh produce for best taste and food safety.

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Pasta and Broccoli

Posted on July 16, 2016 | Leave a comment
Pasta and Broccoli recipe

Photo by Alice Henneman

When I make pasta, I like to add lots of veggies so at least 1/3 to 1/2 the pasta contains vegetables. This Pasta and Broccoli recipe is a quick and delicious way to add some green goodness to your pasta.

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Cabbage, Potatoes and Cheese Skillet Casserole

Posted on July 15, 2016 | Leave a comment
Cabbage, potatoes and cheese skillet casserole recipe

Photo by Alice Henneman

I was intrigued by this recipe I found on USDA’s “What’s cooking? USDA Mixing Bowl“. And, decided to try it with the local, seasonal foods I had on hand this week: Cabbage, potatoes and onions. The recipe said it made 5 servings; however, there were just two of us. We ended up eating every bit of it at one meal … there was something about the flavor that was tasty yet a comfort food type of feeling. Maybe it was the melted cheese and walnuts on top?

Try it and see what you think … the recipe follows.

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Everything but the Kitchen Sink Chopped Salad

Posted on July 12, 2016 | 3 comments
chop-salad

Chopped salad made with fresh veggies left in my fridge (Photo by Alice Henneman)

Sometimes you’re left with a “bit of this” and a “little of that” of fresh produce in your fridge. What to do?

To the rescue … a chopped salad! I made mine with tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage and green bell peppers. Here’s what I did plus some more ideas for chopped salads …

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4-Ingredient Guacamole with Tomato

Posted on July 10, 2016 | 1 comment

guacamole

Fresh from the farm or garden, tomatoes are one of my favorite summer foods. My husband and I especially enjoy them in this 4-ingredient guacamole recipe I created. I’m always smiling when I get some tomatoes in my CSA Box from my farmer, Pekarek’s Produce!

(NOTE: If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll have noticed I reduce recipes to the simplest procedures and shortest list of ingredients that still yield delicious, nutritious results to help you eat healthy every day. You’ll see in my photos how these recipes look when served in everyday dishes without any fancy trimmings.)

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Cabbage, Tomato and Corn Salad

Posted on July 10, 2016 | 2 comments
cabbage-corn-tomato-salad

Cabbage, Tomato and Corn Salad (Photo by Alice Henneman)

Cabbage, Tomato and Corn Salad is a recipe inspiration that came to me when I looked at the foods in this week’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box from my farmer, Pekarek’s Produce that included these foods. Though this recipe makes 4 side-salad servings, my husband and I liked it so well, we ate the whole thing for lunch.(These foods would also be currently growing in gardens and available at farmers markets.)

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Cooking Local, Seasonal Foods – Week 3

Posted on July 8, 2016 | 6 comments
csa-box-week-4

Week 3 CSA basket (Photo by Alice Henneman)

What shall I cook this coming week from my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box?

Check my blog through the coming days to discover what my husband and I will be eating! The recipes I offer are made with as few ingredients as possible and ones you probably have in your home. Plus, I’ll give you tips for making tastier recipes and how to care for your produce.  For starters, here’s a video showing how to make Roasted Tomatoes from my Extension College Joanne Kinsey, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, followed by a link for downloading the recipe. Continue reading →

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Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli

Posted on July 5, 2016 | Leave a comment
macaroni-cheese-broccoli

Pasta and cheese made with fresh broccoli

So far, I’ve created potato and kale recipes for the foods I received from my farmer, Pekarek’s Produce, this week. Signing up for a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share is a great way to nudge yourself into eating healthier, try a greater variety of vegetables and fruits and help share in the success of a farmer.

Next up is the broccoli. I considered several ideas for incorporating fresh (vs. frozen) broccoli into mac and cheese.

I decided to suggest starting with your own family favorite recipe and try this method several cooks used for adding fresh broccoli. While you’re cooking the macaroni (or other similar-sized pasta, such as penne or rotini), add about 3  cups of fresh broccoli florets during the last 3 minutes. Drain and continue as usual with your recipe.

If you have bread you need to use up or no other topping on hand, here is a quick recipe I created for a topping for the pasta.

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Tasty Microwave Potato Chunks

Posted on July 4, 2016 | 3 comments
potatoes

No peeling or oven required when making these tasty potato chunks.

csa-week-3

The foods I’m cooking with this week. 

Yesterday, I made the kale in my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box from my farmer, Pekarek’s Produce into Kale Banana Smoothies and smoothie cubes. In this post, I’ll tell you what I did with the new red potatoes.

I created a potato recipe that could make in the microwave as I didn’t want to heat up my stove. The really convenient thing about new potatoes is you don’t need to peel them. This recipe for “Tasty Microwave Potato Chunks” is quick to make and microwaves in about 10 minutes. I think you’ll also like my quick method for making “Toasty Potato Chunks” from any leftovers.

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