DINNER TONIGHT: Squash soup and cashew/spinach cheeze on campari tomatoes

I had the spinach and the kale from the CSA share last week, and I had the new supply of cashews, in addition to a leftover butternut squash and a couple of apples.  What to do for dinner?

I decided I wanted to save the kale for our Thanksgiving dinner, so it was time to experiment with a spinach/cashew cheeze — something I have considered, but never gotten around to.

With the squash and the apples, I made soup.

SPINACH/CASHEW CHEEZE
2 C spinach
1 C cashews
2 lg cloves garlic
1/4 C hot sesame oil
pinch sea salt
1/2 t apple cider vinegar
Campari tomatoes

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process to smooth (you could use a VitaMix – I would have, but mine is broken)
• Slice tomatoes about 1/4. thick.
• Spread cheeze on tomatoes and arrange on plate.

Note: I use campari tomatoes because they are small and give only 2 or 3 forkfuls.  You could use roma tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes.  (I have even used grape tomatoes – hollowing them out and stuffing them, but that was more work than I want to do again – although it did look cute)

SQUASH/APPLE SOUP
2/3 med. butternut squash, chopped
2 med. apples, chopped
1/2 C cashews
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T hot sesame oil
1 t Spike (or other salt-free seasoning)
1 t black pepper
pinch sea salt
warm water as needed to make a thick creamy soup

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until creamy.
• Add water as needed to obtain desired consistency.

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CSA WINTER SHARE INFO: What it is about, what might come

Here is how my winter CSA Share is supposed to work, according to the newsletter announcement:

WINTER “VEGETABLE” SHARE
20+lb share each delivery
$28 per delivery
5 deliveries
$140 TOTAL PRICE

1 – Week of December 15th
2 – Week of January 5th
3 – Week of January 26th
4 – Week of February 16th
5 – Week of March 9th

Contents of share may include:
Butternut Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes (white & yellow varieties), Carrots, Red Beets, Celery Root, Rutabaga, Watermelon Radish. First share may include: Cabbage, Kale, Leeks (depending on the weather– no guarantees on this!)

I also signed up for a Mixed Apple Share ($21.25 total for 3 lbs per delivery) and 2 Cider Shares ($20 total for 1/2 gallon per delivery). It came out to a little over $200 for December through March organic fruit/vegetable/cider delivery. All I will have to get from the market will be greens and onions, as I see it. (I have a boatload of dehydrated tomatoes from the summer tomato share.) Oh, but I have already finished 1 of the cider bottles. Yum!

I got the job of “coordinator” (or whatever they are calling it) of the Winter Share Distribution, which is at a local community center. Yea!!! One of the interesting things about the job is that I have to count people and children, so that the center can get funding. Good! Probably more than half of the members come in bearing children. Some come with three or four. Good numbers!

10/09/08 CSA SHARE: What I got

I could not report on what we were going to get because the farm would not tell us.  This is what I did get:

RED BATAVIA LETTUCE….1 hd
TOMATOES…………………2 pc
LEEKS……………………….2 pc
BUTTERNUT SQUASH…….1 pc
ACORN SQUASH………….1 pc
BABY BOK CHOI…………..2 hd
SAVOY CABBAGE…………1 hd
CAULIFLOWER……………1 hd
CARROTS………………….1 bunch

I also got a small bag of mixed apples and pears.

ACORN SQUASH TODAY

I went after the acorn squash today.  I have two, so I decided I could experiment with one of them.

First, I figured out how to peel the booger.  I halved it, and scooped out the seeds (I’m dehydrating my squash seeds — I read somewhere that they are the same as pumpkin seeds, and so I am experimenting with that concept– we’ll see)  Then, I cut each half into quarters and attacked the quarters with my German-born vegetable peeler (I really thought it might break, because the squash was really hard to peel, but, in the end, I had success!)

This time, once again, the slice of squash I took tasted nutty.   I threw half of the squash in the food processor with onion, red bell pepper, black pepper, garlic, Spike, and a very little olive oil and processed it all into almost mush.  I found that I could make little balls, so I used them in the salad mix I made.  They still turned out very sweet.

I’ve read some recipes for squash patties that suggest mixing with sunflower seeds — I think I may try that with some of the other half of the squash (which I saved in the refrigerator).

I think that, with the other acorn squash, I will just go with the sweet and make a pie or just a “pudding” with some walnuts or some almond cream, or something.  Maybe some cinnamon? (My room-mate says the squash tastes like sweet potato — NOT!!– but it IS that kind of sweet)

I still have a “sunshine” squash that is the size of a medium-size pumpkin… so I will be experimenting for a while.  Soup??  Pie???  Squash burgers????  The world is my oyster!

PASSOVER/HOLIDAY RECIPES

Here is a quick collection of some Passover/Holiday recipes I have amassed over the years. I hope some of them will work for you.

BEET SALAD
2 beets, peeled and grated
1/2 lg head of cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, peeled and grated
1 C of raisins
1 apple, diced
1/4 C lemon juice
1/4 C oil
1/4 C water

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH COOKIES

4 C butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 C raisins
1 orange, juiced
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
3 T raw honey

• Process squash in food processor. Remove to a separate bowl..
• In the food processor, process raisins and orange juice.
• Add raisin/orange mixture, nutmeg, cinnamon, and honey to the squash, and mix thoroughly..
• Spoon mixture onto a dehydrator tray with screen.
• Mash each cookie to a 1/2 in. thickness.
• Set the dehydrator at 145 degrees, and dehydrate for one hour.
• Reduce heat to 100 degrees, flip cookies, and continue to dehydrate to desired consistency (10 – 12 hours)

CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

1 bunch celery, chopped
4 C water
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C lemon juice
1 avocado
1 tomato, sliced
½ – 1 T honey
salt and pepper to taste

Blend all ingredients.

DOUBLE STUFFED TOMATOES
Reminiscent of baked tomatoes.
Remember to soak the seeds and sundried tomatoes the day before you want to eat this dish.

4 beefsteak (or other large) tomatoes
3 C sunflower seeds, soaked, drained, and chopped
1 C sundried tomatoes, soaked and drained
1/2 t paprika
handful fresh basil
1 clove garlic
5 black olives, pitted

• Cut off tomato tops and reserve.
• Remove seeds and interior flesh from tomatoes. (Reserve for other recipes)
• Process remaining ingredients to a cream.
• Fill tomatoes with mixture, to overflowing.
• Garnish with basil leaves
• Finish assembly by placing reserved tomato tops

ISRAELI SALAD

6 lg tomatoes, diced
6 cucumbers, diced
1/2 c scallions, chopped
2 lg carrots, grated
2 or 3 (or more) radishes, finely sliced
4 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice (or vinegar)
1 C parsley, chopped
2 T dill (optional)
2 t celery seed (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

• Mix first five ingredients in a bowl.
• Blend remaining ingredients for dressing.
• Toss salad and dressing.

ASHKENAZI STYLE TSIMMES
1/2 lb. prunes and raisins, pitted and soaked overnight in orange juice
1 lg sweet potato
1/2 lb. carrots
1 sm. butternut squash)
1 sm. turnip
1 sm. sweet apple, cored and chopped (optional)
1/3 C freshly squeezed orange juice
5 dates, pitted and chopped (optional)
1-1/2 t ground cinnamon (or to taste)
1/2 t ground ginger, or to taste

• Process sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, parsnip, turnip, squash, and parsnip, through Champion juicer fitted with blank plate (or process finely in a food processor) and set aside.

• Process soaked raisins and prunes to the consistency of a thick sauce, in a food processor to the
• add 1/4 of dates.
• Add cinnamon and ginger to the sauce.
• Mix sauce and vegetables as needed.

• Add chopped apple, and remaining soaked fruit.
• Mix thoroughly.
• Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

MACAROONS

2 C shredded coconut
4 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/4 C raw carob powder (optional)

• make the mashed bananas into little balls.
• roll the balls in shredded coconut,
• then in carob powder

KIBBUTZ-STYLE CHAROSET

1/2 C walnuts
3 med. apples, peeled and chopped
1 t honey, or to taste
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 C grape juice

In a food processor, process everything to desired consistency.

RAW GEFILTEFISH

1 C cashews, soaked overnight
1 C almonds, soaked overnight
1 C pine nuts, soaked overnight
1 sm. carrot
1 C green onion, or chives, finely minced
1 bunch parsley or fresh dill
1/2 C lemon juice
1 clove fresh garlic, or to taste
1 T kelp granules (or to taste) this gives the fishy, salty flavor

In a Champion juicer, fitted with the blank plate, process soaked nuts, and carrot. (Alternatively, process in a food processor.)
Combine carrot/nut mixture with lemon juice, kelp, and a water to a wet paté texture.
Add the onions, parsley, and garlic.
Adjust seasonings for flavor.

Form balls or patties, and let stand to develop flavor.
Serve on lettuce leaves with freshly grated
horseradish.