This recipe was a nice little find that popped up when I was searching for something that included a bunch of items in this week’s CSA box. I modified it a bit to make it a bit lighter and to use what we had on hand — it is super-simple and easily adaptable. This soup/bisque has a really nice sweet flavor from the corn, and is a great base for a nice pile of delicious Dungeness crab — though you’ll probably want to wait for it to go on sale. That stuff is expensive!

Chris says:

I’ve got just one question for you.

Lisa says:

What’s that?

Chris says:

Do you like crab?

Lisa says:

I love crab, why?

Chris says:

Do you like sweet corn?

Lisa says:

You know I do… that’s two questions, by the way.

Chris says:

Doh — whatever. I just think you’re going to love this — have a spoonful.

Lisa says:

Whoa, that’s awesome! The flavor of the corn in the soup is great, and then getting to crunch on those kernels… delicious!

Chris says:

Yeah — all that, and — piled with crab!

Lisa says:

I heart crab! Hey — I’ve got just one question for you.

Chris says:

What’s that?

Lisa says:

Do we have to share this?

Summer Corn and Dungeness Crab Bisque
4 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tbsp butter
18-20 baby carrots
1 large yellow onion
3-4 Swiss chard stems
2 stalks celery
2 medium zucchini
2 tbsp Herbes de Provence
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable, or a little of each)
2 ears of sweet corn, husked
1 cup fat-free Half and Half
1 pound of Dungeness Crab meat, diced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place the garlic in an aluminum foil pocket, drizzle with olive oil, and seal.
Roast for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.
Start dicing the vegetables and add them to the pot, starting with the carrots and working your way through to the zucchini.
Saute for about five minutes, and add in the herbs. Once vegetables have softened, add in the broth, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes.
While the vegetables are simmering, bring a large pot of water to boil and boil the corn for about three minutes.
Remove and let cool a bit, slice the kernels from the cob, and set aside.
“Milk” the cob (run the back of your knife down the length of the cob after the kernels are removed to collect the delicious milky corn squeezin’s) and add this to the pot.
Once the garlic is roasted and the vegetables have been simmering for 30 minutes, add the garlic and Half-and-Half.
Use a stick-blender to puree the vegetables and stock into a smooth consistency — you’ll get texture in a bit.
Add the reserved corn and half of the crab meat to the pot, mix well, and simmer for another five minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide among bowls, and garnish with remaining crab meat.

4-6 generous servings

I’m surprised that it took almost two years for these to show up on the blog, since we make them so often. It’s a great way to use up the bunch of kale that showed up in your CSA that you forgot about, or when trying to convince someone that he’d actually like the stuff. These end up as crispy, dissolve-in-your-mouth treats that you can season to your liking. Lately we’ve been using Penzey’s Northwoods Fire seasoning blend, which gives it a nice kick.

Tips…

• Wash and dry the kale really well before mixing with the oil and vinegar
• If the kale is too crowded on the baking sheet, it tends to steam rather than crisp — split among two baking sheets
• The kale will shrink a bit when it bakes, so don’t worry if your “bite size” pieces start out bigger than a bite!
• Start making bets with friends that you could get them to eat an entire bunch of kale, willingly, in one sitting.  You will win.

Kale Chips
1 bunch kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
salt, pepper, or whatever spices you like!

Preheat the oven to 350.
Tear the kale off the thick stems and into bite-sized pieces. Rinse and spin-dry the kale, then toss with the olive oil, cider vinegar, and spices of choice until well coated. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes or until crispy and just starting to brown. Watch carefully because they can go from done to burned in no time.
Remove from oven, put in a bowl, and inhale.

Lisa recently made these peanut-butter cups while we were on the Oregon Coast with the Small Clan — this is the second go-round for Lisa experimenting with peanut-butter cups, and it was a definite winner. The peanut-butter filling has the perfect texture thanks to the addition of crushed up graham crackers (!!) — I know, right? This recipe was found @ Pete Bakes, and for how surprisingly easy (and delicious!) they are, will surely be made again.

Om-nom-nom…

Who keeps leaving half ones? And can I finish them?

There’s only three left!

Yum, you can really taste the graham cracker…

I don’t taste the graham cracker, just delicious peanut-butter-filled goodness.

There’s only one left!

Wow, these are perfect…

It’s a good thing I didn’t make 40 of these… we’d have polished them all off!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
8 oz semi-sweet chunks
8 oz dark chocolate chunks
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup crushed graham crackers

In a medium bowl, mix together the peanut butter, confectioners’ sugar and graham crackers. Set aside.
In a metal bowl over a saucepan with boiling water, carefully melt the chocolate.
Use a pastry brush or a spoon to brush the melted chocolate on the bottom and sides of mini cupcake liners. This will be the base for your cups, so if in doubt, slather on more chocolate — you don’t want the lining too thin. Put the cupcake liners on a plate and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the freezer, and place about a teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture in each cup. Press down a bit to spread. Spoon more melted chocolate on top of each cup.
Place the peanut butter cups back in the freezer for another 15 minutes to set.
Allow cups to get to room temperature before serving, or just serve cold!

12-16 mini peanut butter cups.

This lighter-version of a favorite comes from Eating Well, and was a great way to feel comfortable eating comfort food. The biscuit topping was a nice surprise, and the dish really tasted rich and creamy. I’m putting in my official request for Lisa to make this again.

What the… did you really just make Chicken Pot Pie?

Lisa says:

Sure did…

Chris says:

But we never…

Lisa says:

…I was craving it! It’s a light version.

Chris says:

Wow, well it looks awesome.

Lisa says:

Just wait until you taste it — it may be light but it’s pretty rich.

Chris says:

Yeah it is! This is so good — though, I have a question.

Lisa says:

Ye-e-e-e-e-e-s….?

Chris says:

Is it still considered light if I have three helpings?

Lisa says:

…. uh-no-o-o-o-o-o.

Chicken Pot Pie

Filling
3 tsp canola oil
1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
1 cup carrots, cut into small pieces
10 oz cremini mushrooms, halved
1/2 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
2 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Biscuit topping
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 tbsp canola oil

To prepare filling, heat 1 tsp oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots; cook, stirring, until golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and broccoli and cook, stirring often, until browned and the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Return the onions and carrots to the pan. Add 2 cups broth and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Mix cornstarch with the remaining 1/2 cup broth; add to the pan and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens. Stir in chicken, peas, sour cream, salt and pepper. Transfer the filling to a 2-quart baking dish.
To prepare biscuit topping & bake potpie: Preheat oven to 400°F. Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and thyme in a large bowl. Using your fingertips or 2 knives, cut butter into the dry ingredients until crumbly. Add buttermilk and oil; stir until just combined. Drop the dough onto the filling in 6 even portions. Set the baking dish on a baking sheet.
Bake the potpie until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

6 Servings

This recipe comes from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless. The recipes in this book could mostly be considered weeknight-friendly; no three-hour ordeals. We really enjoyed this dish, where salmon is simply seared and then topped with a mexican-inspired creamed spinach. We served it a simple steamed green-bean and red onion salad.

Is there anything better than a seared piece of salmon?

Lisa says:

I’m sure there is, but I can’t think of anything right now.

Chris says:

What do you think of the spinach?

Lisa says:

You’re right, it just tastes like creamed spinach, but better.

Chris says:

You can actually taste the masa harina in the spinach; I really like it.

Lisa says:

You, me and Popeye.

Seared Salmon with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers
1 fresh poblano pepper
~5 cups cleaned spinach
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 tbsp masa harina
3/4 cup fat-free milk
2 6-oz skinless salmon fillets
salt and pepper

Roast the poblanos over an open flame, turning regularly until blackened all over. Place in a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.
Steam or microwave the spinach just until wilted and set aside.
Turn the oven on to its lowest setting. In a very large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until browned, about 4 minutes. Scoop into a blender and set the skillet aside.
Rub the skin off the poblano pepper with a paper towel and remove the seeds and stems. Roughly chop and add to the blender, along with the milk and masa harina. Blend until smooth.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Sprinkle both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. Lay the fillets in the oil and cook until browned, about 3 minutes. Use a spatula to flip the fillets and cook until the fish just barely flakes when pressed. Transfer the fish to an ovenproof plate and set in the oven.
Pour the poblano mixture into the skillet and whisk until it boils, about a minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, whisking in some more milk if it gets too thick. Season, add the spinach, and stir until warmed throughout.
Top each salmon fillet with a portion of the sauce.

2 Servings