What's For Dinner: Veggie Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries


I was kind of jealous of everyone else that was having a cookout yesterday afternoon, even if it was 90+ degrees outside. So, during my evening grocery run to Whole Foods, I decided to pick up some fixin's for indoor grilling, given that one of the items that didn't make the move from WY to PA included our small charcoal grill. The last time we ate at Marathon Grill, I had the housemade veggie burger, which featured a curry flavor, so when I spied Dr. Praeger's Bombay Veggie Burgers, I knew I had a winner. The ingredient list met my less-processed requirements too, and included:

Carrots, Onions, String Beans, Oat Bran, Soybeans, Zucchini, Broccoli, Corn,
Soy Flakes, Spinach, Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Red Peppers, Arrowroot,
Garlic, Curry, Corn Starch, Corn Meal, Salt, Cumin, Parsley, Black Pepper

I cooked up the burgers on our Lodge Cast Iron Grill by grilling the burgers for several minutes on both sides until heated through. I served the patties on organic whole wheat sesame buns from Whole Foods, along with slices of heirloom tomato and torn romaine lettuce leaves from our CSA share. On the side was a handful of sweet potato waffle fries, another impulse buy from the frozen food section in Whole Foods. Unfortunately I didn't pay enough attention to them as they were cooking and burned them a little bit, but luckily most of the fries were still salvageable, and the rest were still quite tasty with a generous dollop of ketchup. D was a little put-off by the green color of the veggie burgers, but it didn't bother me at all, and I really liked the curry flavor.
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Memorial Day Cocktail Hour: Lemon-Lime Mojito



Oof, it is hot, hot, hot here in Philadelphia today. These hot and humid conditions so early in the season make me a little nervous for what the summer has yet to bring! I've got to admit we were quite spoiled by the lack of humidity and much-more-mild summer temps in Laramie. On the bright side, I think the heat is an excellent reason to drink an ice-cold mojito in the early afternoon. Thank goodness today's a holiday!

Lemon-Lime Mojito (printer-friendly version)
makes two drinks

8 fresh mint leaves
3 oz lemon-lime juice (juice from one lemon and one lime)
2 teaspoons raw sugar
3 oz rum
club soda

1. Add four mint leaves to the bottom of each glass.
2. Pour 1 1/2 oz lemon-lime juice into each glass.
3. Add 1 teaspoon of raw sugar to each glass (or add in a teaspoon of mint simple syrup).
4. Muddle the mint (use the proper tool, a muddler, or improvise like I did and use the stick end of a wooden spoon).
5. Pour in the rum.
6. Top with club soda (about 5-7 oz, depending on your glass size).
7. Drink!
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Ingredient Spotlight: CSA Box #3


We managed to successfully eat our way through most of last week's box -- we still have about 1/2 bunch of romaine lettuce to go. Looks like we'll be eating a lot of salads again this week!

This week's box from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative included:

1 Head Green Romaine Lettuce - Riverview Organics
1 Head Red Leaf Lettuce - Railroad Organics
1 Bunch Oregano - Noble Herbs
1 Bunch Collard Greens - Soaring Eagle Acres or Sunrise Ridge Organics
1 Bunch White Scallions - Farmdale Organics
1 Bunch Green Dandelion Greens - Hillside Organics
1 Bunch Red Scallions - Sweetaire Farm
1 Package Shiitake Mushrooms - Mother Earth Organics

I've never eaten (or cooked) collard greens or dandelion greens before. Here are a few recipes I've got my eye on to try out over the coming week:

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Made From Scratch: Mint Simple Syrup


Mint is coming out of our ears around here -- not only is our mint growing like crazy in our container garden outside, but we also received a large bunch of organically-grown mint in our CSA box last week. Needless to say, we need recipes to use it up! Since we've been drinking a lot of mint lemonade and mojitos, I thought that I'd simplify the drink-making process a little bit by whipping up a batch of mint simple syrup. Simple syrup is made from equal parts of water and sugar; you can flavor it in a variety of ways, such as with the addition of fresh herbs, as done here. This syrup can be kept in the fridge (in an airtight container) for several weeks.

Mint Simple Syrup (printer-friendly version)
makes about one cup

1 cup filtered water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large bunch mint, rinsed

1. Add water, sugar, and mint to a medium-size saucepot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Once the mixture begins to boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes, remove the saucepot from the burner and let sit an additional 10 minutes.
4. Strain the syrup through a fine sieve. Use the back of a spoon to squeeze out any additional liquid from the mint leaves. Discard the leaves.
5. Place the mint simple syrup in an airtight container and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
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What's For Dinner: Black Bean Enchiladas with Red Scallions and Cremini Mushrooms

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Today I'm over at Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative CSA Recipe Group, where I've shared a recipe for black bean enchiladas with red scallions and cremini mushrooms. Head on over and take a gander if you'd like. And, if you're new to my blog, welcome! Feel free to poke around the archives.

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What's Baking: Banana Chocolate Chip Bread


Last week I had a couple of bananas heading from "overripe" to "questionable" status, so I decided to make a couple of loaves of banana chocolate chip bread. The large loaf went with D to Colorado, and I saved the small loaf for myself. Sadly, the little loaf didn't last too long, as it was way too delicious. I think I can definitely blame the tastiness on the chocolate chips; most everything's better with a little chocolatey goodness!

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread (printer-friendly version)
makes one medium and one small loaf

1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup raw sugar
2 farm eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup Ghirardelli or Guittard semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease (use cooking spray or rub with butter) one medium and one small loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
4. Sift together the dry ingredients.
5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and mashed banana to the butter-sugar-egg-vanilla mixture.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pans.
8. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the bread center comes out clean.
9. Remove the bread from the oven and place pan on wire rack. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
10. After 10 minutes, remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool completely on the wire rack.
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Weekend Shenanigans: Salads, The Rapture (or Lack Thereof), Rita's, and a Half-Marathon

This was quite the packed weekend, though unfortunately I really don't have any photos to show for it! Friday night was a low-key night in, and I retreated to the bedroom early in the evening to watch a movie after a car alarm began noisily honking every two minutes directly outside our door around 9p. I was rather happy to see the car had been ticketed in the morning!

On Saturday morning I took Leroy for a walk and then spent the rest of the morning and afternoon tidying up the apartment and catching up on some reading. I'm a bit of a magazine-aholic, and with some major book-reading going over the past couple of weeks, the piles of unread magazines have been increasing at a rapid pace. And don't even talk to me about my New Yorker stockpile. I think I'm at least 10 issues behind at this point.

D arrived home from a week in the field in (snowy) Colorado around 5p on Saturday, and we decided to head out to Rita's to get a snack, dog in tow. We both got a chocolate-vanilla swirl custard; I have to admit I wasn't that impressed, though I'm a bit of a soft-serve snob (is that even possible?). We'll definitely go back at some point for water ice, however, since that's their claim to fame. Six o'clock came and went, and aside from a storm brewing, which quickly blew over, we did not witness any rapturous events. Which I took as a sign that we'd have to come up with something for dinner. We opted to punt and got a vegetarian pizza from Lazaro's, which we ate alongside a(nother) salad made from the greens in our CSA box. We spent the rest of the evening watching the latest Harry Potter movie (though I completely forgot what had happened in the previous movie, so was a little lost). To bed around 11p.

Up bright and early on Sunday -- 5:15a to be exact -- I had a half-marathon to run! After my traditional pre-race meal of a large glass of water and a slice of bread slathered in peanut butter and jam, I headed out the door around 6a. Though the race start was located about five miles away in the Belmont district of Fairmount Park, luckily there was shuttle service between the official hotel at 18th and Market and the starting line. I hopped on the bus once I arrived and made it to the start with plenty of time to spare.

The lines for the port-a-potties were a bit long, but I decided to wait it out, since I didn't want to have to scramble to find facilities along the course, nor did I want to spend the entire race wishing I had gone earlier. This resulted in my starting the race three minutes after the official start, but given that everything is chip timed, the "official time" really didn't matter all that much.

The first five or so miles went by quickly, and even up through mile eight I was feeling great. Around mile nine my joints began to protest, but upon the arrival of mile ten I was ready to rock it out. With only a measly 5K (3.1 miles) to go, I decided to kick up my pace. The last half-mile included a bit of a hill (luckily, most of the hills on the course were downhill, but at some point, what goes down must go up!), but I chugged upward, and sprinted toward the finish once I hit the last turn to the finish line. I ended up finishing in 1:57:09, a personal record. My previous record was 1:59:25 in the 2007 Chicago Distance Classic. I was quite excited to run so well, particularly since I hadn't run that distance in nearly two years.

D had planned to walk with Leroy up to greet me at the finish line, but unfortunately the two of them never made it as the directions to get to Fairmount Park were a bit confusing. I waited around for about an hour to see if they would show up before taking a shuttle back to Center City. The two of them were back at home, resting after their epic eight-mile walk.

I showered and then D and I walked over to Morning Glory Diner for brunch. I opted for the Monkey French Toast:

Monkey French Toast: challah French toast stuffed with caramelized bananas & mangoes, topped with caramel sauce and whipped cream

Holy cow, it was good. But I'm pretty sure I made up for my half-marathon-induced calorie-deficit for the day, and then some. Following breakfast, we walked down to the Headhouse Farmers' Market, where things were winding down. We were still able to purchase a loaf of honey wheat bread and a dozen eggs from pasture-raised hens. Success!

Back at home for nap time. (Well deserved, I think!) Dinner was a repeat of Saturday night's meal -- except this time the pizza was cold, and since someone ate all the praline pecans, I made up a batch of homemade croutons to top our salads instead. The remainder of the evening was spent watching the Harry Potter marathon on the Family Channel (wild and crazy!) and calling it an early night. All in all, a great weekend. Now I've just got to figure out what my next running goal will be. I'm still not quite convinced that I want to run a full marathon, but my great experience at the Odyssey Half-Marathon has definitely got me thinking.

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Ingredient Spotlight: CSA Box #2


It has been a rainy week here in Philadelphia. Luckily the rain let up long enough yesterday afternoon so that I could walk over and pick up this week's veggie half-share. Our current pick-up location is located over a mile away in South Philly. Good news is that next week we're switching to a closer pick-up location in Rittenhouse Square. (The new spot is at Metropolitan Bakery; I have a feeling I'll be picking up a loaf of bread along with my weekly veggie share!)

This week's box from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative included:

2 oz. Micro Radish Greens - from Eastbrook Produce
1 Head Green Leaf Lettuce - from Green Valley Organics
1 Bunch Red Scallions - from Sweetaire Farm
1 Bunch Rhubarb - from Little Brook Organics
1 Bag Mesclun Mix - from Echo Valley Organics
1 Head Green Romaine Lettuce - from Riverview Organics
1 Package Cremini (Baby Bella) Mushrooms - from Mother Earth Organics
1 Bunch Mint - from Noble Herbs (hello mojitos!)

Looks like we'll be eating a lot of salad over the next week! Good thing we bought a $3 salad spinner the last time we were at Ikea. I'm also excited that we've got another bunch of rhubarb this week; I'm becoming a little obsessed with making the perfect rhubarb bread.

I opted to start using up our share in a big ol' salad for last night's dinner. The inspiration for the salad comes from one I've had a few times at Tria Cafe. My version of the salad included a base of mesclun greens that was topped with crumbled organic goat cheese, fresh organic raspberries, and chopped praline pecans. I whipped (er, whisked) together a fresh dressing using lemon juice, dijon mustard, and balsamic vinegar (recipe below). I love a salad with a crunch, and though I usually go for savory croutons, I wanted something a little sweeter in this salad. The pralines so totally hit the spot. Yum.


Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette
makes about 1/3 cup

3 T fresh lemon juice
2 T dijon mustard
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 t garlic pepper

1. Whisk together all the ingredients.
2. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge.
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What's For Dinner: Roasted Vegetable Sandwich with a Balsamic Reduction


D had a hankering for a roasted vegetable sandwich over the weekend. So on Sunday while he took Leroy to the dog park, I picked up a few ingredients at the grocery store. Items in my basket at checkout included an heirloom tomato, a package of sliced portobello mushrooms, a yellow squash, a zucchini, and a demi-baguette. To make the sandwiches, I grilled the veggies on the stovetop with a bit of olive oil. I cut the demi-baguette in half then sliced each portion lengthwise. I brushed each piece of bread with Garlic Gold, then toasted the bread on the grill. After all the veggies and bread were thoroughly grilled, I added the fillings to each sandwich (which included sliced heirloom tomato, fresh mozzarella, grilled zucchini, squash, and portobello mushrooms) and pressed each panino to melt the cheese. I topped each sandwich with a drizzle of balsamic reduction sauce (recipe below) before serving. Done and done!

Balsamic Reduction Sauce (printer-friendly version)
makes 1/2 cup

1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed

1. Add the balsamic vinegar and crushed garlic to a small saucepot.
2. Heat over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, which should take about 40 minutes.
4. Let cool.
5. Use immediately or store in a airtight container in the fridge.
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What's For Breakfast: Greek Yogurt with Rhubarb Jam


Though I typically sweeten my morning bowlful of plain Greek yogurt with a bit of honey, today I opted to stir in a generous spoonful of homemade rhubarb jam. Can I just say how delicious this combination was? And I had a bit of an Aha!/duh moment -- fruit-flavored yogurt is really just plain yogurt with a bit of jam swirled in. Why pay extra when you can make your own version at home?
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What's For Dinner: Stir-Fried Veggies with a Peanut Sauce


We still had a few leaves of cooking mizuna languishing in the fridge, so I opted to use them up in a stir fry along with some chopped asparagus and tofu. I had actually purchased a wedge of herb-crusted tofu from Whole Foods, but opted to scrape off the crust, cut it into cubish shapes, and add it plain to the stir fry at the end to warm it up. I served the stir-fried veggies and tofu over a bed of basmati rice. The whole shebang was topped off with a peanut sauce (recipe approximation below) and some whole peanuts.

Peanut Sauce (printer-friendly version)
makes about 1/4 cup

Note -- I kind of just add a little bit of this and that to taste when making this sauce. Feel free to experiment with the flavors!

3 tablespoons natural crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tamari sauce
1 teaspoons brown sugar
1-2 tablespoons hot water

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Adjust flavor as needed.
3. Thin with hot water if necessary.
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Weekend Shenanigans: Mint Lemonade, Errands, and Gray Skies

It's Monday morning and I'm staring down 100s of files I get to review today (and for the rest of the week). I think this means a simple recipe and a short post is in order. Our mint crop is growing like crazy in our outside garden, so I harvested a few leaves to flavor a glass of Simply Lemonade. My Mom and I each had a glass of this refreshing drink at Le Pain Quotidien a few weeks ago, and I've been dreaming of making my own batch of mint lemonade ever since. I cheated by using a ready-made lemonade, but I'm sure it would be even more delish if you make the lemonade from scratch.

This weekend was pretty low-key -- the weather was a bit grey and gloomy for much of it. On Friday evening D and I left Leroy at home went out for dinner at Marathon Grill where I had a great housemade curry-flavored veggie burger, D had a regular burger, and we both shared a bottle of the house red wine.

On Saturday we started off the day with a walk with Leroy over to the Fitler Square Farmers' Market and then on to the Good Karma Cafe for coffees and muffins. After dropping Leroy back off at home, we ran a few errands around town, including a much-needed trip to Target, where of course we spent more than we had intended. What is it about that store? Saturday evening we took Leroy out for a walk, and finally got around to seeing the 10p mini-Eiffel Tower light show at the Kimmel Center (well, through the window, anyway). Leroy didn't seem to be all that impressed.

Yesterday began with a bit of a lie-in (Leroy didn't demand to be let out of his crate until 8a, a miracle!). Theoretically I was going to run 10 miles as a last long run before next weekend's half-marathon, but the threat of rain (and thunderstorms) kept me from lacing up my running shoes. (Clearly I'm easily dissuaded!) While D took Leroy to the dog park, I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few items for the week. Back at home I baked up a couple loaves of banana chocolate chip bread. I spent the remainder of the afternoon reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals (which I need to gather my thoughts about for a post of its own). We ate roasted veggie sandwiches later in the evening after D arrived back from the office. I made a balsamic reduction sauce to dress the veggies -- which totally took the sammies to a whole new level.

Now it's Monday and back to the daily grind . . . and those files are calling my name.
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What's For Dinner: Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Baby Mizuna Pesto


The Epicurious Food Dictionary has this to say about mizuna: "Hailing from Japan, this feathery, delicate salad green can be found in farmer's markets and specialty produce markets from spring through summer." Seeing as we got a big ol' bag of it in last week's CSA box, I'd have to say that their definition is spot-on.

Because our refrigerator seems more often than not to be the place where good greens go to die, I've been trying to use up the greens as quickly as possible. Since mizuna has an interesting peppery flavor, I thought it might make an intriguing substitution for basil in pesto. In addition to several handfuls of mizuna leaves, the pesto also included some chopped garlic, freshly-grated Parmesan, toasted pine nuts, and some olive oil. The resulting pesto has a fresh, "green" taste and makes for an interesting new twist on pesto.

I immediately used the pesto in a whole-wheat pasta dish (pictured above) that also included some steamed cooking mizuna leaves and chopped asparagus.


Baby Mizuna Pesto (printer-friendly version)
makes about 1 cup

3 cups loosely-packed baby mizuna, rinsed and dried
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
olive oil
fine sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Add the baby mizuna leaves to a food processor and process until coarsely chopped.
2. Add in the chopped garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. Process until all ingredients are combined.
3. Slowly pour in the olive oil while the processor is on until a smooth paste forms.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Made From Scratch: Rhubarb Jam


The second rhubarb recipe I opted to try on Saturday was one for rhubarb jam. I originally wanted to make up a batch of strawberry-rhubarb jam, but I'm having a bit of a difficult time sourcing organically-grown strawberries in my neighborhood. Rumor has it they can be found at Trader Joe's, but I haven't quite mustered up the strawberry desire enough to schlep all the way across town.

I only had a small bunch of rhubarb left over after cooking up a loaf of rhubarb bread, so I only made one pint of jam. (A small batch, indeed!) Though the orignal recipe calls for the addition of water, I opted to substitute in some Simply Lemonade I had on hand, if only to impart a little more lemony flavor. The resulting jam reminds me a bit of cranberries in its tartness, but I really like it.

Because I only made one pint of jam, and I plan to eat it sooner rather than later, I did not go through the steps required to properly can the jam for long-term storage. If you are interested in making and canning a large batch of jam, this USDA canning guide is indispensable.

Rhubarb Jam (printer-friendly version)
makes 1 pint

1 1/4 lbs fresh rhubarb, chopped
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup Simply Lemonade (or just use water)

1. Combine the chopped rhubarb, granulated sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Simply Lemonade in a large pot.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue simmering until thickened, about 40 minutes.
4. Pour into a jam jar and use immediately.
5. If you do not plan to use the jam immediately, follow these instructions to properly can your jam for safe long-term storage.

(adapted from this recipe)
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What's Baking: Rhubarb Bread


As I mentioned on Monday, I spent a few hours on Saturday trying out a few new rhubarb recipes. First up was a recipe for rhubarb bread. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at the outset that rhubarb would work in a bread recipe; I'm not sure where my misgivings came from, but after tasting this bread, I can assure you that my fears were absolutely unfounded. The resulting bread was delicious, and given that half of the loaf was gone by Sunday afternoon, I think it's safe to say that D can also agree with that statement. In fact, we both liked the bread so much that I just picked up a few more rhubarb stalks at Whole Foods so that I can make another loaf in the very near future.

Rhubarb Bread (printer-friendly version)
makes one 9" loaf

1/2 cup organic skim milk
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup organic canola oil
1 cage-free egg
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chopped rhubarb

For the topping:
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Lightly butter a 9"x5" bread pan. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, combine together the skim milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Let set for at least 10 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, stir together the brown sugar, oil, and egg.
6. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk mixture into the sugar mixture, stirring between each addition.
7. Fold in the chopped rhubarb.
8. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan.
9. To make the crumb topping, stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and melted butter.
10. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter.
11. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.
12. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for five minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and let it cool completely on the wire rack.

(adapted from this recipe)
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What's For Dinner: Spring Veggie Stir Fry



Several of the veggies from last week's CSA box just screamed "stir fry," so I decided to throw one together for our dinner on Saturday night. I watched a few videos about how to clean and chop baby bok choy, and then I set to it. Along with the bok choy, I also stir fried together the scallions and white mushrooms. For a little additional protein, I added some dry fried tofu cubes, which I had left over from a tofu dish I had made earlier in the week. To make a light sauce, I just whisked together some tamari sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, minced ginger, and minced garlic.

Spring Veggie Stir Fry (printer-friendly version)
makes 2 servings

3 tablespoons organic unrefined sesame oil
1 head baby bok choy, cleaned thoroughly and chopped (separate the stems from the greens for cooking)
1 medium bunch scallions, chopped (use both whites and greens)
1/2 package white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup firm tofu, cut into 2" cubes and dry fried [optional]

For the Sauce:
3 tablespoons tamari sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
juice from 1/2 lime
1" fresh ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced

1. In a small bowl, stir together the tamari sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, minced ginger, and minced garlic. Set aside.
2. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add in the baby bok choy stems and saute until translucent (about 3-4 minutes).
4. Add in the chopped scallions and sliced white mushrooms. Saute for an additional 3-4 minutes.
5. Add in the baby bok choy leaves and cook until wilted.
6. Stir in the sauce. Add in the pre-cooked tofu and continue cooking until warmed through, about 2-3 minutes more.
7. Serve over brown rice or noodles.
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Weekend Shenanigans: Rhubarb Bread, Rhubarb Jam . . . and a Few Other Things

Since I had a huge bunch of rhubarb from Thursday's first CSA share and I also had a few leftover stalks from the strawberry-rhubarb streusel cake, I decided on Saturday to spend a good portion of the day using up all the rhubarb I had on hand. First up was a loaf of rhubarb bread (recipe later this week). The bread turned out really great, and the whole loaf is almost entirely gone! Perhaps I shouldn't have halved the recipe and gone ahead and made two large loaves!

Later in the evening on Saturday I used up the rest of our rhubarb by making a small batch of rhubarb jam (recipe later this week). Since I plan to use it up immediately (and I only made one pint of jam), I didn't bother to go through the whole proper canning rigamarole. There's a good chance I'll be eating a few peanut butter and rhubarb jam sandwiches this week!

On Sunday morning, after D completed his workout at the gym, and I returned from an eight mile run, we leashed up Leroy and headed down to the Headhouse Farmers Market. On this trip we bought a dozen gorgeously-specked eggs, a half pound of fresh hand-rolled mozzarella, and a loaf of artisanal french bread. While D took Leroy to the dog park, I ran into Whole Foods to pick up a couple heirloom tomatoes and a few other items.

Back at the house D got some work done while the dog and I took a nap. Later in the afternoon D made up a batch of bruschetta with slices of french bread, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil leaves harvested from our garden. (No picture as we gobbled it all up!)


Later that evening, after we returned from a walk with the dog, D made a pizza from some of the leftovers of the day plus a few remaining ingredients from our CSA share. Tonight's pizza toppings included tomato sauce, cheddar cheese, heirloom tomato slices, sauteed white mushroom slices, and a handful of baby mizuna greens after the baking was complete. The perfect end to a lovely day.
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Ingredient Spotlight: The First CSA Share of the Season!

Yesterday afternoon D and I walked down to the Newbold neighborhood to pick up our first CSA veggie half-share of the season. We opted to join up with the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), which offers certified organic produce from over 75 Lancaster County family farms. From now until October, we will get weekly boxes of produce. This week's box included:

1 Bag Loose Bagged Baby Mizuna - from Echo Valley Organics
1 Bunch Cooking Mizuna - from Hillside Organics
1 Bag Baby Bok Choy - from Green Valley Organics
1 Bunch Rhubarb - from Little Brook Organics
1 Bunch Scallions - from Railroad Organics
1 Package Whole White Mushrooms - from Mother Earth Organics

I've never heard of mizuna or cooked with bok choy before, so the cooking adventures are going to start early! We opted to use some of the baby mizuna as a topping on our bean tortillas last night and it added a nice flavor. It had a fresh, peppery flavor that tasted similar to arugula.

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Cocktail Hour: Strawberry Margaritas

Since it's Cinco de Mayo and we have an abundance of strawberries in our refrigerator, tonight's dinner was served up with a round (or two) of strawberry margaritas.

Strawberry Margaritas (printer-friendly version)
makes four servings

2 1/2 cups crushed ice (about 1 1/2 ice cube trays' worth)
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup Simply Limeade
3 tablespoons triple sec
1 lb fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled, and quartered

1. Add the crushed ice to a blender.
2. Blend the ice with the tequila, limeade, and triple sec.
3. Add in the strawberries and blend to combine completely.
4. Serve in a margarita glass (or a martini glass, if say, you don't own any margarita glasses).
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What's Baking: Strawberry-Rhubarb Streusel Cake

I spied some lovely ruby-red rhubarb stalks at the Headhouse Farmers Market on Sunday; unfortunately, the whole bin had already been accounted for by an earlier shopper. Not one to be thwarted, I picked up some lovely stalks of my own at Whole Foods later in the afternoon, along with a couple packages of strawberries. Last year I made strawberry-rhubarb pie and strawberry-rhubarb crumble, so this time around I opted to make a strawberry-rhubarb streusel cake. I originally planned to make streusel bars, but realized way too late in the process that I lacked the parchment paper that would make it easy to extricate the cake from the baking dish to cut it into the bars. Guess that means I'll have to just make this again!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Streusel Cake (printer-friendly version)
makes 16 servings

For the streusel:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the cake:
1/4 lb rhubarb (about 3 medium-size stalks), rinsed and cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 lb strawberries (about 5 large berries), rinsed, hulled, and quartered
1 tablespoon light-brown sugar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (separated into 1/4 cup and 3/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large organic eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly butter an 8" square baking dish. Set aside.
For the streusel:
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, salt, and flour. Continue mixing until pebble-sized crumbs form. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
For the cake:
4. In a medium-size bowl, combine together the rhubarb, strawberries, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup flour. Set aside.
5. In another medium-size bowl, sift together the remaining flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
6. Use an electric mixer to combine the butter and confectioners' sugar. Continue to beat until light and fluffy.
7. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
8. Stir in the vanilla.
9. Slowly add in the flour mixture. Continue mixing until all ingredients are combined; used a spatula to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl when necessary.
10. Spread the batter into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
11. Top the batter evenly with the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.
12. Sprinkle the top with streusel.
13. Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
14. Let cool on a wire rack before digging in.

 (adapted from this Martha Stewart recipe)
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What's For Breakfast: Blueberry and Banana Buttermilk Pancakes


D requested pancakes for breakfast on Saturday, and I gladly obliged. I opted to make a batch of plain, blueberry, and banana buttermilk pancakes. The banana pancakes brought me down memory lane, as I used to make them all the time in Chicago when D would come down from Madison to visit for the weekend. For some reason, bananas went from green to overripe in a matter of days in my old apartment, so I always had mashable bananas at the ready. If you'd prefer blueberry pancakes, just sub in a cup of fresh blueberries for the banana.

Banana Buttermilk Pancakes (printer-friendly version)
makes 2 servings

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup organic nonfat buttermilk
1 cage-free egg, lightly beaten
1 ripe banana, mashed

1. Preheat an electric skillet to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
4. Combine the beaten egg and buttermilk in a small bowl.
5. Pour the liquid ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Add in more buttermilk to thin out the batter if necessary.
6. Pour the batter onto the prepared skillet in the to make the pancake size you prefer. Flip the pancakes when bubbles form on top.
7. Cook for an additional minute or two, or until the other side is lightly browned. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate.
8. Put the plate in a oven set at around 200 degrees to keep the pancakes warm while you make the rest of the batch.
9. Serve with pure maple syrup.
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Weekend Shenanigans: Gardens, Festivals, and Pizza

What a busy weekend! D arrived home around 9p on Friday night and we headed out with Leroy in search of a sidewalk cafe to enjoy an adult beverage. Unfortunately, we couldn't think of anywhere to go, and, given the cold breeze blowing, the sidewalk dining scene was a little scarce. After dragging poor Leroy through a large crowd, of which he was definitely not a fan, we finally gave up and headed to a convenience store a block from our apartment and picked up a pint of Ben & Jerry's to share.

We were up early on Saturday morning and after eating a healthy serving of buttermilk pancakes (recipe later this week), we headed out with Leroy in tow to run a few errands. We began the day down on East Passyunk Ave., where we stopped in at the Urban Jungle gardening store to check out their gardening wares and then walked through the Crafty Balboa crafts fair (where I spotted Jay McCarroll, winner of the first season of Project Runway, selling his wares). We picked up some new food and a new sturdy toy for Leroy (he's managed to destroy his stuffed duck -- now it's more like a disemboweled duck) at Petsmart then headed to Home Depot, where we picked up a bunch of plants (several heirloom and hybrid tomato varieties, string beans, basil, mint, and rosemary) and some seeds to get our container garden going.

After a quick stop for a swirl cone at Checkers, we returned home where D headed out back to set up his garden and I headed downtown to run a few errands. The streets were filled with people -- Saturday was the grande finale of PIFA, and Broad Street was closed to traffic from Chestnut Street to Lombard Street for a Paris-inspired street fair.

{one corner of the garden}

Upon my arrival home, D and I decided to head back out to find somewhere to go for dinner. I wanted to check out the street fair, but the crowds were a bit much for Leroy. So, I walked through the event a bit while D and Leroy paralleled my walk one block away. The big event of the evening was an aerial acrobatic performance set to start at 7:30p. In the meantime, there were music performances, a grassy field set up in the middle of the street where people were picnicking and enjoying the sights, and even a Ferris wheel. Quite the event!

{street fair}

After meeting back up with D and Leroy, we continued on our journey to find somewhere with outdoor seating where we could grab a meal. Given the warm and sunny weather, many other people had the same idea, and most restaurants with outdoor seating were already filled. We finally came upon Mama Palma's Gourmet Pizza, which had several open tables, so we quickly claimed one. D and I shared a gourmet delight (veggie) pizza, which featured a thin crust, fresh tomato sauce, artichoke hearts, asparagus tips, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, and a fresh basil garnish. Pretty delish -- and enjoyably not incredibly filling. (Thin crust FTW!)

{gourmet delight pizza slice}


While dining Leroy was quite the gentleman and for the most part hung out beneath D's chair, slurping on a bowl of water the waitress set down for him.

{Leroy behaving himself}

While eating, D and I strategized what we wanted for breakfast, and I ran into the Thriftway store on the way home to pick up a few necessities. Back home we shared a few more bites of Ben & Jerry's before calling it a night.

Sunday morning was another early start (the dog makes quite a good alarm clock, well, if your aim is to get up early, anyway!) And D set to making breakfast. After dining on scrambled eggs and hashbrowns, we got our stuff together and then headed down to the Headhouse Farmers Market, as today was the market's opening day. We picked up a couple of Market Day canelés, which I had just read about in this month's issue of Philadelphia magazine, a big bunch of asparagus from Culton Organics, apples from 3 Springs Fruit Farm, and a heirloom tomato plant from Happy Cat Organics. After our successful shopping trip, we returned up South Street, stopping at The Bean Cafe for iced coffees and a slice of pumpkin bread. D and I put together a shopping list, and I headed to Whole Foods and Superfresh with our granny cart to load up on some groceries while D took Leroy to the Dog Park behind Superfresh to play. D reported that Leroy started off a bit shy, but after a few minutes, was happily playing and running around with the rest of the dogs (yea!).

Upon our return home, I put away the groceries, then chilled for the rest of the afternoon, catching up on some reading, and making some baking plans. I didn't quite get around to making a batch of black & white cookies, but I did make a batch of strawberry-rhubarb crumb cake (recipe coming later this week). D was in charge of dinner and he made a pizza with homemade dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and basil (plus some leftover bacon on his side of the pie).

We ended the meal with a canelé each -- it was quite delicious, particularly the custardy-vanilla innards. Mmm! May have to get a few more at next week's market!

{mmm, canelé!}

To bed around 11:45p, after spending the evening watching the Phillies game and catching the President's announcemment that Osama had been killed. I had actually gone to bed to read, but heard the baseball announcers make mention of Osama's death after the crowd began chanting "USA! USA!" -- so out of bed and a quick channel change to NBC to get the full news. Yup, quite the action-packed weekend, indeed! I'm so happy that farmers market is in full swing -- and I'm definitely looking forward to harvesting some of our own backyard veggies in a few months.
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