Stuffed Banana Peppers With Lentils or Pork Sausage

Ingredients:

10-12 large banana peppers 1/2 head purple or green cabbage, sliced thinly and chopped into short strands 1 medium yellow onion sliced thinly 1 small fennel bulb sliced thinly 3 stalks of celery, minced 3-4 cloves of garlic 1 tsp paprika or cayenne pepper Juice from 1/2 lemon Salt and pepper to taste

For vegetarian recipe add: 1/2 cup (dry) french green lentils, cooked but still firm, and cooled 1/2 cup feta or grated aged cheese like gruyere, dubliner, or parmesan (for lentil version only)

For sausage recipe add: 1/2 lb ground sausage (I used Hoe Hop farms) 4 slices of brown bread, toasted until dry (for sausage version only)

Method: Combine ingredients in a bowl.  Make a slit in the banana peppers lengthwise and push the stuffing into the peppers.  Place the stuffed peppers in a lightly oiled baking dish.  Toss some sungold cherry tomatoes into the bottom of the dish, and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until they are as soft as you like them.  For the sausage stuffed peppers, make sure the sausage has reached 145 degrees before removing from the oven.

Serve with oven-roasted tomatoes and Toasted Coconut Jerk Sauce.

Toasted Coconut Jerk Sauce: 1 cup unsweetened first-pressed coconut milk (from can) 1/4 cup unsweetened small-shred coconut 1 Tbs Alchemy Spice Jamaican Jerk spice blend 10-15 basil leaves 1 tsp local honey 1 Tbs lemon juice

Place coconut in a pan and stir constantly over med-high heat until it begins to brown (about 1 minute).  Remove from heat and place in blender with other ingredients.  Puree until smooth.

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.

Spring Veggie Burgers

You might think veggie burgers are just for people who don't eat meat.  That is, until you try these.  These freshly made garden burgers are rich in protein, fiber, and nutrients, and extremely satisfying.  They store well in the freezer and can be quickly warmed up in a toaster oven, skillet, or microwave. This recipe makes 2-3 dozen burgers, depending on size.

Ingredients:

1 large beet root, grated 1 large kohlrabi bulb, peeled 1 leek 1 onion 3 carrots 8 oz wild mushrooms, whichever you like best 6 garlic cloves, peeled 1 bunch beet greens, chard or kale, finely chopped 1 bunch cilantro, chopped 1 cup nuts or seeds, ground (walnuts, pecans or pumpkin seeds work well) 3 eggs 1 cup red lentils (dry) 1 cup quinoa (dry) 3-4 slices of bread, toasted until completely dry, then ground in a blender or food processor. (Can substitute about 1/2 cup rice and almond flour and omit breadcrumbs if gluten-free) Juice from 1-2 lemons 1/2 cup canola oil 1 Tbs fennel seeds 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp cumin Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:

Cook lentils and quinoa according to packet directions.  (I like to use Rapunzel vegetable bouillon with sea salt and herbs to season the quinoa) The lentils are best if they are slightly under-done for this recipe. Let cool. Make breadcrumbs. This is another step, but it's pretty easy and there is no comparison between fresh and store-bought.  (You can make breadcrumbs in advance and freeze larger batches.) Chop all vegetables as small as possible, or use a food processor or grater.  If you like a softer texture to your burgers you can place the chopped or grated beet, kohlrabi, leek, carrots, and mushrooms in a skillet or pan with a little oil and a dash of salt and saute until the vegetables soften. Let cool. If you don't cook the veggies first, the texture is nicely varied and the veggies will stand out a little more.

Put all ingredients, except eggs, in a large bowl and mix with your hands to combine ingredients well.  Taste and adjust seasonings. Add eggs and mix well. You may need to add more flour if it is too wet.  It should be just dry enough to form into soft patties.

I usually use my hands to form the mixture.  If we are in a hurry, I fry the burgers with a little oil on medium-low heat for several minutes on each side.  Otherwise, you can bake them on a lightly oiled baking sheet for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees.

Serve on a toasted bun with Lemon Tarragon Aioli and arugula, or try it with Auntie's Guacamole, or smother it with caramelized onions and melted Cumberland or Coppinger cheese.

Extra burgers can be frozen. Carefully place them in gallon sized freezer bags in one or two layers (with waxed paper between layers). Make sure to keep them flat at all times, and freeze on a shelf.

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.

Kohlrabi Soup with Ginger & Lime

This is a great spring soup for cooler, rainy days like today.  Most of the ingredients are available at local grocery stores.  Kaffir lime leaves may be harder to find, but they make all the difference for this soup. If they are not available at a local Asian market, they can be purchased online.

Ingredients: 3 Kohlrabi bulbs, peeled and diced 1 Leek, chopped 3 Carrots, sliced into circles 6 Cloves of fresh garlic, minced Canola oil 1 Cup red lentils 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth A 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & grated 3 Limes, juiced 3 Kaffir lime leaves 1 Can coconut milk (15 oz) 1 Bunch of curly kale, stems removed and leaves chopped 1 red chili pepper, (optional) Sea salt to taste 3 Green onions, chopped

Method: In a large stock pot, saute 2/3 of the chopped kohlrabi, the leek, and 1/2 of the carrots in a little canola oil.  When they are soft, add the lentils, the garlic and 4 cups of broth.  Cover and let simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Remove from heat and puree roughly with an immersion blender.  Add the remaining broth, carrots, kohlrabi, Kaffir lime leaves and chili pepper.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes, then add the ginger, lime juice, coconut milk, and kale.  Stir and cook on low heat until the kale is wilted.  Salt to taste.  Add about a tablespoon of chopped green onions to each bowl before serving.