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.

We heart larb, and we used to make larb gai all the time, but with Lisa being on a veggie kick lately, we introduced this version into the mix. Instead of chicken, I used a mix of various mushrooms we had on hand — shiitake, cremini, and good old white button. It was delicious! One thing to note is that after sauteeing the mushrooms you should try to get as much excess liquid out as you can — you’ll be adding more liquid via lime juice and fish sauce, and you don’t want to end up with a soupy mess. Also, I noticed this version warranted a greater fish sauce to lime juice ratio than when done with chicken.

How about we don’t talk about this one, and just eat it instead?

Chris says:

I’m *so* okay with that. Also, “om nom nom nom nom”.

Mushroom Larb
1 lb mixed mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, white, etc.), roughly chopped
1 tbsp roasted rice powder
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp chopped shallots
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp garlic and red chile paste
cabbage leaves
cilantro

Spray a nonstick skillet with oil and heat to medium. Add in the chopped mushrooms and cook until they release their water and start to brown.
Remove from the heat and put in a strainer to drain excess liquid. Add the mushrooms to a large bowl and stir in the rice powder, cilantro, green onions, shallots, and mint leaves.
In a separate small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, lime juice, chile paste, and cayenne pepper. Taste for desired levels of spicy/salty/sour.
Add to bowl with mushrooms, stir, and adjust seasonings.
Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve with cabbage leaves to scoop.

We made this recipe from Asian Flavors after one of Lisa’s running buddies put the thought of Korean food in our heads. I’d been wanting to make this recipe for a while, and the promise of a new hot sauce to dip them in made it a no-brainer. These pancakes aren’t as fluffy as American pancakes, and you can throw just about anything in them. These feature green onions, green beans, and red bell peppers. This is sure to be a fun recipe to experiment with later.

I could eat an entire meal consisting of just these.

Lisa says:

We’re almost there already…

Chris says:

Well, I had to toss the first one — my pan and oil weren’t nearly hot enought and it turned into a super-oily goo.

Lisa says:

Well it looks like you figured it out fine…

Chris says:

Yep, I think each successive one was better. By the way, I love that red hot sauce.

Lisa says:

I know! I like dipping them in that better than the soy sauce-based one.

Lisa says:

I didn’t think it was too spicy at first, but it builds… the more you have, the hotter it gets.

Chris says:

In that case, I have to find more stuff to dip into it!

Korean Green Bean & Scallion Pancakes
2 oz green beans
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup cold water
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
peanut oil
4 scallions, sliced into thin strips
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips

Blanch the green beans in a saucepan of boiling water for about a minute. Drain, cool with cold water, and chop into small pieces.
In a bowl, mix together the two flours. Make a well in the center, add the egg, and stir into the flours until mixed, gradually adding the cold water. The batter will be runnier than breakfast pancake batter. Stir in the sesame oil and let stand for 30 minutes.
Heat a small, heavy, non-stick skillet over medium heat, and add peanut oil to coat. Pour in a quarter of the batter, then add a quarter of the vegetables. Cook for 3-4 minutes until set and browned underneath. Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to a warming platter, and repeat to make a total of four pancakes.
Cut into squares and serve with the dipping sauces.

Dipping Sauce #1 (not pictured)
1/2 cup Korean Hot Pepper Paste (Gochujang)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp of sesame oil
1 clove of garlic, minced

Dipping Sauce #2 (pictured)
4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp ginger puree
1 tsp sesame paste
Pinch of sugar
1 tsp black sesame seeds

Hooray, I’ve always wanted to make baba ghanoush! I love the smokiness from the grilled and blackened eggplant.

Lisa says:

Yeah, this is good — tastes really close to how my dad makes it.

Chris says:

Same ingredients I’m assuming?

Lisa says:

Yep… though we always called it “moutabal” growing up.

Chris says:

I think this one came out just a little … sweet? …is that possible? It might just need a pinch more salt.

Lisa says:

You’ll never get an argument from me on adding salt. To anything.

Baba Ghanoush
2 medium-size eggplants
4 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup tahini
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
parsley

Score the eggplants all over with a fork. Preheat a gas grill on high and grill the eggplant whole until the skins are black and blistered, about 40 minutes. Remove the skins and spoon out the insides as soon as you can handle the eggplant. Puree the pulp in a food processor, then drain the bitter liquid from the eggplant by letting it sit in a strainer over a bowl for an hour.
In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice and tahini. Pound the garlic and salt together in a mortar until it is a paste, then stir into the tahini. Stir into the eggplant puree. Taste and add water to thin.
Pour onto a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil, then top with parsley.
Scoop with pita or Arabic flatbread.

This recipe comes from Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook — they make an nice starter, or you could do what we did and served them over a salad with a lemon-dill vinaigrette to make a light dinner. The book recommends a vegan alternative to tzatziki to serve alongside, but not being vegan, we went for the full glory of greek-yogurty goodness. The main impetus for this dish was the zucchini and tomatoes from our garden that were just begging to be eaten!

Ooh, these look awesome. Did you save any of our tomatoes to just eat on the side?

Chris says:

Whoops — though it looks like the rest will be ready to pick in the next few days.

Lisa says:

Dammit, oh well. Let’s see how these are…

Chris says:

I love the herbs. Dill and mint are a good combo.

Lisa says:

Yeah, they taste really good. Interesting texture…

Chris says:

Ha, was wondering if you’d mention that. Not quite exactly what I was expecting. Though when you realize that they’re mostly tofu, it makes sense.

Lisa says:

True! Maybe add just a little more bread crumbs?

Chris says:

Yep, that may help — whatever, they taste bueno.

Lisa says:

…as the Greeks say.

Chris says:

Totally.

Greek-Style Tomato-Zucchini Fritters
1 lb firm tofu, squeezed to remove extra water (place a heavy dinner plate on top for 10 minutes or so), then crumbled
1/4 cup ground walnuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp tomato juice
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup bread crumbs, plus 1/3 cup for coating
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
1/2 lb zucchini, grated and squeezed to remove excess water
1 lb seeded, finely chopped tomatoes, drained to remove extra liquid
Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Blend the tofu, walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you wish. Scrape into a large bowl and mix in the bread crumbs, dill, and mint — it should have the consistency of a thick cookie dough. (Add more breadcrumbs by the tablespoon if it’s not quite there). Fold in the zucchini and tomatoes.
Create golf-ball sized balls of the mixture, and drop into the bread crumbs and roll to coat. Flatten to about 1 inch thick.
Rub a large cookie sheet with olive oil, and as you complete each fritter, arrange so they do not touch. Spray with olive oil, then place in the oven and cook for 35 minutes, flipping once halfway through.

Serves 4

This recipe was recently featured on Serious Eats; it comes from a cookbook titled Almost Meatless: Recipes That Are Better for Your Health and the Planet. I’m all for the occasional veggie burger, but make no mistake: these plump, juicy orbs of joy are NOT vegetarian. Rather, ground lamb is supplemented with steel-cut oatmeal to add bulk — the aim of Almost Meatless is not to eliminate meat all together, but to just use less of it. I haven’t yet tried any of the other recipes from this book, but unless this a one-off standout, I certainly look forward to it!

What the — how are these “almost meatless”? Aren’t they made with lamb?

Chris says:

Yeah, but only 1/2 a pound in the entire recipe… certainly not “mostly meat”.

Lisa says:

Ah, okay. I get it.

Chris says:

These are so juicy! I would not have realized that they were made with oatmeal…

Lisa says:

Me neither — maybe rice or something, but definitely not oatmeal.

Chris says:

These would be awesome for a tapas party; just stick some toothpicks in them and you’re done.

Lisa says:

Ooooh, I think we should have one soon!

“Almost Meatless” Albondigas
1/2 cup steel-cut oatmeal
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped plus more for garnish
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, finely chopped
4 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lb ground lamb
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1 cup)
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
Juice from 1 lime

Mix together the oatmeal, cilantro, half the garlic, the chipotle, 2 teaspoons of the cumin, 1 teaspoon of the coriander, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to incorporate the lamb into the mixture, distributing it evenly. Form balls out of tablespoon-size scoops of the mixture and set aside.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining garlic, cumin, and coriander, cooking for an additional 30 seconds. Add the canned crushed tomatoes and water and stir to combine.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and add the meatballs. Simmer partially covered for 45 minutes.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, squeeze the lime juice over top, and serve with extra chopped cilantro.

4 Servings

This recipe from Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking sounded pretty interesting — it’s not your Garden(burger) variety veggie patty. With this recipe, the veggie patty is the bun, so you don’t end up with such a dry burger. You can then fill it with whatever strikes your fancy: we used avocado, sauteed shrooms, tomato, and sprouts.

Chris says:

Ha, these are awesome! It’s like an inside-out burger.

Lisa says:

I know — not only do they taste delicious, they look pretty fancy. We should make them for our next party.

Chris says:

I could totally see that — have a tray filled with these guys already assembled. Yum.

Lisa says:

I bet these would be good with guacamole…

Chris says:

That holds true with most things, IMHO.

Lisa says:

…or crispy shallots.

Chris says:

Did you bring that up just because I burned that one batch?

Lisa says:

Hmmmm… now why would I do that? Just saying they’d probably be so delicious on these mini-burgers… mmmm, so goood….!

Chris says:

O burnt shallots! Why must ye torment me so, cruel devils!?

Lisa says:

Whoa. What was that?

Chris says:

Not sure.  I just really want those on my burger now.

Ultimate Veggie Mini-Burgers
2 1/2 cups canned garbanzos, drained and rinsed (a little less than 2 15-oz cans)
4 large eggs
1/2 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion, chopped
zest of one large lemon
1 cup alfalfa sprouts, chopped
1 cup toasted bread crumbs
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a thick, slightly chunky hummous. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. Form into twelve 1 1/2″-thick patties. (Remember, these are mini-burgers, so they’re not very wide). If the batter seems too moist to form into patties, add more bread crumbs a bit at a time to firm it up. Or, if too dry, add a bit of water to moisten the batter.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Raise the heat if after 10 minutes there is no browning. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Cut each patty in half — like a bun! — fill with your favorite treats, and eat!

Makes ~12 mini-burgers

Update: As suggested by one commenter, I’m submitting these little guys to Equal Opportunity Kitchen’s Tried, Tested and True 3: Wedding Edition .

One thing that can be a challenge if you subscribe to a CSA is, well, not wasting vegetables! Sometimes you get way more of a certain ingredient than you’d normally buy at the store, or you end up with vegetables that you’re not used to cooking with. That actually ends up being a bonus for us, as it’s forced us into finding completely new dishes or to adapt and explore ways to incorporate new ingredients into old favorites. A few days ago I looked in the fridge and realized that we had most of a bunch of celery and a fennel bulb left over from last week’s delivery. Just a couple minutes of searching turned up this extremely simple salad recipe from Gourmet magazine — the only thing I had to pick up was the mozzarella. Great success!

Lisa says:

Such a fresh-tasting salad!

Chris says:

It was extremely simple and quick to make.

Lisa says:

I really like the crunch from the celery and fennel.

Chris says:

The light dressing really brings out the flavor of the fennel — I’m a fan.

Lisa says:

Now I’m ready for dinner!

Fennel and Celery Salad – Dama Bianca
1 medium fennel bulb, stalks discarded
3 pale inner (white) celery stalks, leaves discarded and stalks thinly sliced
1/4 lb ball mozzarella, roughly torn
1/4 tbsp grated lemon zest
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Cut fennel in half lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise about 1/4 inch thick. Toss with celery and arrange on a platter with mozzarella. Whisk together zest, juice, oil, sea salt, and pepper and drizzle over salad.

3-4 starter-size servings

Hmm, a tapas-style treat of quickly pan-fried peppers, with the odds that 1 in 10 will be incredibly spicy? Sounds like a slam-dunk to me! I saw these guys on YumBlog a few months ago, and thanks to a tip on ChowHound discovered that the Spanish Table sometimes carries Pimientos de Padrón in the summer. A quick walk down there this week confirmed their availability, so I picked some up for a quick Friday-afternoon snack.

Lisa says:

Are these spicy?

Chris says:

According to the write-up/legend/whatever, I’ve read that anywhere from 1 in 10 to 1 in 30 is hot.

Lisa says:

With my luck, I’ll get the hot ones.

Chris says:

With my luck, I won’t!

Lisa says:

Oooh, these are good!

Chris says:

I knew you’d like them… simplicity itself! Peppers, olive oil, salt!

Lisa says:

I heart sal… whoa! Can I get some water?

Chris says:

Did you get a hot one?? Lucky!!

Lisa says:

Actually it was really hot to start, but now it’s not that bad.

Chris says:

Well, hopefully that wasn’t the only one in th… Yikes! I just got one too — that IS hot! I really want more of these. I hear that they actually grow pretty well here; I sense some seeds in our future…

Pimientos de Padrón
Pimientos de Padrón
olive oil
coarse sea salt

Take a pan and pour just enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat up to high. When the olive oil starts to sizzle toss the peppers in whole. Lower the heat to medium-high, and shake the pan occasionally so the peppers cook evenly. When the peppers start blistering and browning, they are ready. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up some of the extra oil, then transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Eat ‘em whole and wait for a spicy one!

We had originally planned to roast some garlic for the housewarming party last weekend, but with all the other dishes we had, we decided to skip it. We had already purchased quite a few heads of garlic, however, so having Thad and Abbie over for dinner was the perfect opportunity to go for it! Many recipes for roasted garlic involve brushing the garlic heads with olive oil, we made it by just filling a roasting pan with olive oil to coat the bottom, and placing the heads cut-side down. This allows you to serve the now roasted-garlic-infused olive oil as an additional dip. The inspiration for this method comes from this post over at Desert Candy.

Thad says:

Pretty garlicky!

Chris says:

I like that you can taste a hint of garlic and caperberries in the oil.

Abbie says:

What? Those are caperberries? They look like olives!

Chris says:

Nope, try one — they’re like ginormous capers.

Lisa says:

These rule… you don’t even need the bread. I like just sticking a fork in and eating a whole clove by itself.

Chris says:

You heart garlic!

Roasted Garlic with Caperberries
——————————–
6 heads of garlic
olive oil
caperberries
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 325F. Cut the top third off of the heads of garlic — if you’re cooking something else that night, you can save the top bits, otherwise toss ‘em. Pour oil into a small roasting pan, then place the cloves of garlic cut-side down. Add the caperberries, salt, and pepper, and cover tightly with foil. Roast for 50 minutes or until the garlic is soft and golden brown. Remove the garlic cloves to a serving dish, and pour the oil into a bowl for dipping. Serve with warm baguette and get your dip on.