Roasted Beets, Swiss Chard, Pear Salad

A bunch of organic beets was just $2.00 at the farmers market. I bought a bunch, roasted the beets and saved the leaves for sautéing.

Some organic Rainbow Chard was handy in the backyard home garden, so, got a few of those chopped up with the beet greens, sautéed in olive oil, with a hint of salt and black pepper.

Some Asian pears were ripe and ready in the backyard as well, and these pears have a crisp crunch and perfect sweetness that goes well with most salads.

Some feta or goat cheese, plus a simple Greek vinaigrette is all it takes to serve up this chock-full-of-goodness salad.

Papalo with Baby Romaine, Tender Mustard Greens, and Delicate Beet Greens Salad with Mayocoba Bean Dressing

I triumphantly waved a bunch of Papalo at the other adult when I got back from the farmer's market a few weeks ago, and promptly pinched off one sprightly leaf, offered it eagerly and focused on his reaction as he nibbled. Well, I needn't have focused so hard. The anguished mastication spoke volumes. And, was supplemented by a cocked eyebrow that queried, Did you just gather a bunch of weeds off the park on your way home?

Well!

So, I started gushing about this genuine farmer I met and the Oaxacan herbs he was selling at his stand in the farmer's market, and narrated the Pipitza episode that I shared here recently. And then, I brandished the Quelite bunch, which didn't help my cause.

Papalo is an acquired taste, much like cilantro can be. It has a strong presence with citrus undertones, and can be quite overpowering. But chopped and added to a quick fresh salad, in small quantities, it brings a distinctive flavor, much like Mesclun greens with its strong/bitter leaves may not be everybody's cup of tea.

I had some fresh baby Mustard Greens in the garden. They start out mildly sweet when you pop a few in the mouth, and then when you chew, the mildly pungent explosion is very appealing, not at all offensive.

I also had some baby beet greens in the garden. They make a fine addition to fresh salad.

Plus these gorgeous baby Romaine leaves. It is my obsession this year in my home garden. Early in the gardening season, I started saving the bottom 3 inches of Romaine hearts I bought from the store, and planting them in the garden box when it was still cool. As long as I keep picking off the young outer leaves, these Romaine bunches keep growing without much fuss. And I rather like these tender leaves in fresh summer salads.

The dressing was a "goddess" style dressing - rich and creamy - made with mayocoba beans plus tahini and red wine vinegar and lemon juice and Tabasco sauce and Bragg Liquid Aminos and olive oil -- a little of this and a little of that till it tastes just right.

I tend not to jot down the details of dressing and dips and vinaigrette that come about in my kitchen, especially since they are rarely planned and measured in any methodical fashion. The nice thing about having a wide selection of condiments from various cuisines is that it aids and abets my fascination with fusion cuisine. Well, the downside to not noting down the ingredients and proportions is, of course, I can never recreate the exact same magic the next time... C'est la vie!

Sauteed Beet Greens with Farfalle Pasta

A nice bunch of beets sporting a lovely head of beet greens, along with some lacinato kale and chard came home with the CSA basket.

A handful of colorful mini peppers and some shallots were huddled together in the crisper, feeling ignored. Little did they know that they were being saved for some good stuff.

Chop up some garlic, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes. Also chop up the greens. 

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan and sauté the chopped veggies, adding balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and Braggs liquid Aminos to taste, cover and cook till done, but not mushy.

Meanwhile, cook some farfalle al dente, drain and keep handy. Per cup of sautéed veggies, I prefer no more than half a cup of cooked farfalle to be mixed in.

When greens are done, toss in the cooked farfalle pasta and stir well. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and serve warm. I like it chilled, preferably the next day, when flavors have melded and is a fantastic summer pasta salad.

Walla Walla Sweet Onion Pressure Cooked Flavorful Chicken Breasts

Cooking is a personal meditative activity for me that offers simple satisfaction, while constantly inspiring and educating me. Sometimes, the unconventional combinations here that seem to flout tradition and good sense, might get a disdainful scorn from experienced chefs, but, I just smile calmly and refrain from knotting myself up over it.

Anyway, the other adult brought home a couple of chicken breasts that I've been trying to cook up in small installments over the week. Nothing too fancy this time around.

I wanted to pressure cook the chicken breasts with herbs and spices, then top it with a simple reduced sauce. However, this being the season, I threw in a couple of whole Walla Walla Sweet Onions and about a dozen cloves of fresh garlic.

Chicken breasts were rubbed with paprika and brown sugar first, then browned on both sides in the pressure cooker pan in hot oil. The peeled whole sweet onions and garlic were tossed in as well. Then, some Apple cider vinegar, Braggs Liquid aminos, Mirin, stone ground brown mustard went into the cooker, with a scoop of water, just enough to build up steam.

Once pressure cooked, the chicken breasts came out (after confirming the internal temperature of at least 170 °F) and the liquid in the pressure cooker pan was reduced till thick and saucy.

Meanwhile, I sautéed the beet greens on the side.

I didn't measure anything accurately for this recipe, so, no specifics to share. But, the recipe is so easy and versatile that it can be adapted to taste without much effort.

While kids enjoy simple staples like

 Orange Chicken and Almond-flax Baked Chicken nuggets and Chicken Satay, 

the other adult is always up for anything new like

Dark Cocoa and Fig Chicken, or

Cu Chulainn Chicken, or

Lychee Chicken, or,

Ginger Lavender Chicken, or

Peanut Chicken, or

Mango and Pepper Sauce Chicken, or

Chicken with Juniper Berries and Red Pepper Sauce, or,

Stuffed Chicken breast with Mole Sauce, or

 Guaje Chicken, or,

Chicken in Plum Sauce...

which makes it fun for me to cook up something new and interesting each time.

Sauces are so much fun!

Roasted Golden Beets, Purple Radish, Scallop Squash

A very simple dish, but, a huge favorite. The fresh golden beets and colorful radish from the farm were too good to pass up.

Red onions, Beet greens' stems, Radish green's stems came together with chunky cut vegetables in a hot cast iron skillet with a bit of oil to create this magic.

A dash of balsamic vinegar and white vinegar, plus some salt and black pepper is all the flavoring involved here.

Purple Radish, Gold Beets, Beet & Radish Greens, and Carrots with Coconut

Picked up some fresh veggies bursting with color at the farm and couldn't bring myself to cook them...

Of course, couldn't let them wilt and shrivel either.

So, made this simple dish that showcases the varying flavors and bright colors.

1. Clean, dice, and par-cook the carrots, gold beets, and purple radish in the microwave for about 4 mins
2. Meanwhile, clean, chop, and saute the beet greens and radish greens, with some diced onions and a touch of coconut oil
3. Drain and toss the cooked beets, radish, and carrots with the greens, adjust salt, allow to cook together
4. Meanwhile, grind some coconut and green chilies together - about ⅓ cup grated coconut with 1 Serrano chili; then stir this into the veggies in the pan
5. Tempering (optional): Heat coconut oil in a small pan, when shimmering add the mustard seeds and when they pop, add the cumin seeds and when they splutter, remove from heat and toss it into the veggies.
6. Serve warm with rice or roti; or enjoy as-is.

Beet Greens, Beets, Zucchini, Fingerling Potatoes Coconut Curry

The sheer array of vegetables in this Coconut Curry makes it one of my favorites: Beet greens, beets, home-garden round zucchini, fingerling potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, jalapeño, onions, ginger, galangal.

Home-garden round zucchini is yielding moderately. When I saw the first one ready to be harvested, I was all set to use it for stuffed squash recipe, but haven't gotten around to that yet. Meanwhile, the round zucchini gets featured in other recipes anyway.

This quick and easy curry can be flavored Thai style with red or green curry paste, or with Indian style Rohan Josh or Garam Masala paste.

Simmer the vegetables - making sure the vegetables that need the longest to cook go in first, then gradually adding in the other veggies so they are cooked to perfection and not mushy.

Stir in light coconut milk at the end and warm it up, don't let it boil.

Serve warm with brown rice and Sambal and garnished with some roasted peanuts and cilantro.