Zucchini & Black Beans with Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1 large zucchini or zephyr squash 2 cups cooked black beans 1/2 cup of Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Cook and drain the black beans.  Prepare one recipe for Pumpkin Seed Pesto.  Refrigerate or freeze extras. With a food processor or mandolin slicer with julienne attachment, slice the zucchini and/or squash into sticks.  You can use a sharp knife (and some patience) if you prefer to slice by hand.  Toss all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Alternately, you can serve this dish warm if you prefer cooked squash.  Saute or steam the squash, then remove from heat and mix in the beans and pesto.

Pan-Seared Brussels Sprouts

1 stalk of Brussels sprouts Canola oil Sea salt Toasted garlic drizzling oil

Thinly coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil. Remove Brussels sprouts from the stalk, including any stray leaves.  Cut the larger sprouts in half and place them cut-side down in the pan.  Place the rest of the smaller buds and leaves in the pan, trying to keep everything in an even layer.  Turn the heat on to medium or medium-high.  Do not disturb the sprouts while you are waiting for them to brown.

Sprinkle a little salt over the tops when they begin to turn bright green.  When the sprouts begin to brown on the bottoms you can give them a stir to make sure they are cooking evenly, but do not over-cook them.  They should still have a little crunch when done.  Remove from heat and drizzle toasted garlic oil on top, and salt to taste.

Cucumber Soup with Fennel and Fresh Herbs

Ingredients: 3 seedless cucumbers, peeled and cut into chunks 1 yellow onion, diced 1 bulb of fennel, diced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped 1 vegetable bouillon cube (Rapunzel: with sea salt & herbs) 1 cup of water 3 green onions, chopped 3 sprigs of fresh mint, stems discarded and leaves minced 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, minced 2-3 stems of fresh dill, minced 1/2 Cup of sour cream or plain yogurt Juice from 1/2 lemon Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup ice Toasted garlic drizzling oil for garnish

Method: Saute the yellow onion, fennel, and garlic in a little oil on medium heat.  When they are soft, add the vegetable bouillon cube plus 1 cup of water and let simmer until the bouillon cube is dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Place all ingredients except the sour cream and ice in a blender and puree until smooth.  Add the ice and blend until smooth again.  Finally, add the sour cream and blend on low until combined.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  Serve right away, or chill for up to 2 hours.  Float toasted garlic drizzling oil on top for garnish.

Steelhead Trout With Radish & Fennel Salad

I won't lie.  I saw a beautiful photograph of a bacon and radish crudo on the St. John's Restaurant facebook page, and thought to myself..."I should go there and eat that".  The next best thing, though, is to make something that looks as beautiful with the little treasures in our CSA share. I tried a few flavor combinations with the salad, but this one was the winner.  So glad we had some fresh basil this week!

Salad: 1 fennel bulb, finely diced 2-3 Tbs chopped fennel leaf 6 radishes, finely diced 10 basil leaves, thinly sliced 1/2 lemon, juiced 2 Tbs Lucini Dark Cherry Balsamico 3 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sea Salt Freshly ground black pepper Mix ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fish: 4 portions of Steelhead Trout, skins and bones removed Dry the fish with a paper towel, thin sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides On Medium-high heat, melt a little oil or butter in a skillet.  Gently place the fish in the pan and cook about 3 minutes on each side, (less or more depending on the thickness of the fish and how well done you like it.) Remove fish from pan and let rest on a warm plate.

Add 3-4 minced garlic cloves to the pan, plus 1 cup of dry white wine.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the alcohol burns off.  Salt to taste.

Pasta: Cook 4 portions of angel-hair pasta according to packet directions and drain. Drag each portion of cooked pasta through the garlic and wine sauce before plating.

Napa Farmhouse Salad With Sesame Dressing

This was my end-of-the-week salad, inspired by a lunch made for me once by CSA member Beth Capecchi.  Her's was an Asian salad with chicken, cabbage and ramen noodles.  It was delicious.  I didn't have ramen noodles for this one, but I did have a lot of crispy vegetables.  Nearly everything in this week's box can go in a salad, so you can pick and choose which ingredients to add or omit. If you are vegetarian, you can use extra Shiitake mushrooms or tofu for protein. This makes a large salad for 6-8 people, but if you have leftovers they will still be tasty the next day. Also, if sesame is not your favorite flavor, check out The Basics Of Vinaigrette recipe and create your own signature dressing!

Ingredients: 1 Head of Napa cabbage, sliced thinly Beet greens, sliced thinly 3 Green onions, sliced 2 Carrots, julienned 3-5 Radishes, sliced 6-8 Shiitake mushroom caps, sliced thinly 3 Beets (any color) cut into sticks and cooked to your taste. (I sauteed mine in oil with salt, then added a splash of white balsamic vinegar, some water, covered the pan and let them steam until they were tender.) 1 lb boneless chicken, cooked and shredded Thin style fried rice noodles for garnish (optional)

Sesame Dressing: 3/4 cup cold-pressed extra virgin sesame oil 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 1/4-1/3 cup rice vinegar Juice from one lemon 4-6 garlic cloves, minced A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated. 1 Tbs local honey Sea salt to taste

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, making sure the cooked chicken and beets have cooled first.  Whisk together Sesame Dressing ingredients until they partially emulsify.  Then pour the dressing over the salad and toss until it is coated.