Here we are.....the last Otter Orchard for the year. In today's boxes:

Red Delicious Apples, Fair Trade Bananas, Blueberries, Strawberries, Valencia Oranges, Peaches, D'Anjou Pears, Mangos, Carrots, Cucumbers, Red Leaf Lettuce, Red Grape Cherry Tomatoes, Cauliflower, Green Chard and English Peas.

Wow!

Penne with Crispy Cauliflower
Courtesy The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market Cookbook

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4 olive oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional)
1 Head Cauliflower, trimmed and broken or cut into bite-sized florets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Pound Penne
Grate Dry Jack or other grating cheese for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil for cooking the pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the 1/3 cup olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the anchovy fillets and use a wooden soon to smash the anchovies once they begin to melt into the oil.  Add the cauliflower and cook until soft and browned, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the cauliflower is cooking, add salt to the boiling water and then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Scoop out and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.

Pour the drained pasta into the pan with the cauliflower over medium-high heat, add a little of the pasta water, and stir together for a couple of minutes. Add more of the pasta water if the mixture seems dry.

Pour the pasta onto a platter or into a big bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and serve. Pass the cheese at the table.

We've posted chard recipes before (click the link on the sidebar), but I always feel the need to offer as many options as possible, as I know people are sometimes freaked out by this big leafy vegetable.

Raw Swiss Chard Veggie Wraps with Creamy Pecan Spread
Vegetarian Times: September 1, 2009

This recipe uses both the leaves and the stems of Swiss chard. Soaked pecans make a creamy filling that’s packed with protein and antioxidants. For sturdier wraps, use a double layer of chard leaves.

Makes 6 wraps

Creamy Pecan Spread

1 cup raw pecans
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)

Swiss Chard Veggie Wraps

6 large Swiss chard leaves
1 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 small tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 small cucumber, peeled and cut into matchsticks

To make Creamy Pecan Spread:

Place pecans in large bowl, and cover with cold water. Soak at room temperature 8 hours, or overnight.

To make Swiss Chard Veggie Wraps:

1. Trim center ribs from chard leaves, set leaves aside, and dice ribs, like celery. Toss together diced chard ribs, carrots, onion, lime juice, and oil in bowl. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

2. Drain pecans, reserving soaking water. Place pecans, 1/4 cup soaking water, cumin, and garlic in bowl of food processor; purée 2 to 3 minutes, adding more water if needed for a creamy spread. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Place 1 chard leaf on work surface. Spread with 2 heaping Tbs. Creamy Pecan Spread, leaving 1-inch border on all sides. Spoon 1/3 cup carrot mixture down center of leaf. Top with 3 or 4 tomato wedges and 3 or 4 cucumber matchsticks. Roll chard leaf from bottom up into tight cylinder, tucking in sides as you go. Secure with toothpick. Chill 15 minutes, or store up to 2 days in fridge.

Chicken Veggie Soup

6 - 8 chicken thighs

5 zucchini

1 onion

5 red potatoes

1 bunch chard

5 carrots

21/2 quarts water

3 TBS chicken flavor powder bouillon

2 lemons (optional)

Season chicken (for example, Lawreys seasoning and lemon pepper). Brown chicken over high heat in olive oil. Remove from heat and place in large soup pot.

Chop onions, veggies and potatoes into medium bite size chunks. Slice chard liberally.

Soften onions in olive oil, add veggies and cook for additional 3 minutes. Add onions, veggies, and potatoes into soup pot over the chicken. Add water, then add bouillon to taste.

Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

Add chard and continue cooking until veggies and potatoes are soft.

Use a ladle to serve.  Remove the chicken from the bone and place in individual serving bowl then pour a nice helping of the delicious broth and veggies over all.  Can be served with lemon wedges on the side for additional flavor.

Soooo good!!  Your entire family including the kids will love it (veggies and all).....enjoy!!!

Serves family of 5 for a couple days.

Here's another alternative for mangos.

Mango-Avocado Rolls
Vegetarian Times: September 1, 2009

Vietnamese rice paper wrappers (also called báhn tráng) are easy to work with once you’ve moistened one or two and gotten a feel for how they soften up. You can also serve these wraps as appetizers by slicing them in half on the bias and serving them standing pointy-end up.

Serves 4
2/3 cup diced avocado
2 Tbs. lime juice
2 tsp. grated lime zest
2/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup vegan cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions (white and pale green parts)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp. chile sauce, such as sriracha
8 81/2-inch Vietnamese rice paper wrappers
2 cups alfalfa sprouts
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced fresh mango

1. Combine avocado, lime juice, and lime zest in small bowl. Stir in bell pepper, cream cheese, green onions, cilantro, and chile sauce; set aside.

2. Fill large bowl (9-inch diameter) with warm water. Submerge 1 rice paper wrapper 10 seconds in water, or just until it becomes soft. Remove wrapper to flat work surface, and let rest 30 seconds; it will become more pliable.

3. Spoon scant 1/4 cup avocado mixture just below middle of rice paper wrapper, leaving 1-inch border on either side. Top with 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts and 2 to 3 mango slices. Fold bottom of rice paper wrapper up over filling, pressing filling as you go. Fold both sides of rice paper inward. Gently press to seal. Roll up wrapper to top edge. Brush water on top edge, if necessary, to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers, avocado, sprouts, and mango.

Okay, all for now. In my next post I'll wrap up the year with some ideas for you about how to be food-inspired this summer.

CUSTOMER APPRECIATION DAY

WEDNESDAY MAY 26

Our last stand for the 2009-2010 school year happens next Wednesday, May 26.

To thank our customers, we will be having a huge sale.

$20 Farm Boxes will contain $40 in retail value produce. In other words - you'll get twice the normal quantity of fruits and veggies. What a bargain!  So order your farm box today! Click on the order link, download a form, and e-mail your order by Monday, May 24 at 5pm.

The stand will also be open from 1-3pm, offering the same great bargains, come on out and show your support for our last Otter Orchard of the year!

In Wednesday's farm box: Gala Apples, Hass Avocados, Fair Trade Bananas, Strawberries, Tommy Atkins Mangoes, Carrots, Tomatoes, Gold Potatoes, and Spring Mix.

For the first time, we had three 5th grade students choose the produce order. They worked with Sam to not only figure out the quantity/cost ratios, but also talked directly on the phone with our produce distributor to check on pricing deals, recommended fresh items, etc. It went exceedingly well, showing that students can clearly be involved on every level of Otter Orchard.

Thank you Tori, Chris and Audrey.

Tori - right after her flute duet at the Spring concert

Chris - whose picture somehow was on my phone one day.....ha ha - hope you like your photo

Audrey - our ever-faithful Otter Orchard cashier

I've been perusing mango recipes for treats to bring in this week for Sierra's birthday. I ran across this recipe, so if you're in Ms. McClain's class on Friday, this is what you will get.....minus the kiwis and doubling up on the mangos.

Kiwi and Mango Tartlets

2007 Ellie Krieger All rights reserved

Prep Time: 30 min; Inactive Prep Time: 4 hr 30 min Cook Time: 15 min

Makes 24 Tartlets

1 1/2 cups nonfat lemon flavored yogurt

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup whole-grain pastry flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 mango, finely diced

3 kiwi fruits, peeled, quartered and sliced

24 small mint leaves

2 teaspoons confectioners' sugar

Place the yogurt in a strainer lined with a paper towel. Put the strainer over a bowl and place in the refrigerator to drain and thicken for at least 4 hours and up to 8 hours.

In a medium bowl, beat the oil, sugar and egg until creamy. In a separate bowl whisk together the whole-grain pastry flour and the all-purpose flour. Gradually add the flour mixture to the egg/oil mixture, stirring, until they are combined and a soft dough is formed. Roll the dough into a ball and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a mini muffin tin or tartlet pan with cooking spray.

Roll the pastry dough into a 1/8-inch thick sheet. With a biscuit cutter or small glass make 24 rounds, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Place rounds in the pan and bake for 15 minutes, or until crisp. Remove tartlets from oven and set aside to cool completely. You can make the shells up to 3 days in advance and store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Transfer the drained yogurt from the strainer to a small bowl. Discard the liquid. Fill each tartlet with 1 teaspoon of thickened lemon yogurt. Place about 2 teaspoons of diced mango and 2 slices of kiwi and a mint leaf on top of each tartlet. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately after filling.


If you want to see a video version, click here.

In today's box: Pink Lady Apples, Fair Trade Bananas, Strawberries, Minneola Tangelos, Carrots, Tomatoes, Green Beans, Green Onions, Red Beets, and Spring Mix.

So the rain, is done now, right? Right? Right? I think it's time to break out the frozen peanut butter banana recipe.

Frozen Peanut Butter Bananas

2 Bananas
1/2 cup (or so) peanut butter
Cream or half and half
Chopped nuts (pecans are nice-they're not too crunchy) (optional)
4 Popsicle Sticks

Mix peanut butter with cream or half and half to an easily spreadable mixture. Cut bananas in half, insert popsicle sticks into bottom of bananas, spread peanut butter mixture all over banana, roll in nuts. Place on wax paper in freezer for at least a couple of hours before eating. This recipe is really nice for when you have bananas that are a bit past their prime, as well.

How about a raw strawberry pie? It could fit right in at Cafe Gratitude, perhaps.

Raw Strawberry Pie

1 to 2 lbs. fresh strawberries, tops removed, quartered
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 of a lemon)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups raw almonds
1 3/4 cups pitted dates

In a bowl, combine strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla and brown sugar. Mix well, and let sit while you make the crust. Place almonds in a blender or food processor and pulse on high until they resemble bread crumbs, about 1 minute. Empty into an oiled 9" pie plate. Put dates in blender with 1 tsp. of water and pulse on high until well chopped, about 30 seconds (it's okay if they're a little clumpy). Combine almonds and dates until they hold together, then press evenly onto bottom and sides of pie plate to form crust. Using your hands or a slotted spoon, pile berries into the crust, discarding any remaining liquid. Refrigerate for 2 hours and serve.

Or something even more simple:

Fruit Dip

In a blender or food processor blend  1 lb. strawberries with 1 8 oz. container whipped cream cheese and 1 tsp. lemon juice.  Blend or process just until smooth. Serve with apple, pear, pineapple, etc. that have been cut into bite-size pieces for dipping.


These recipes remind me of those pre-school days when I scrutinized every single snack....and actually took the time to make each and every one super-healthy, fun, and interesting. What happened to those days? Even their lunches were more carefully planned back then. On that note, have you seen this Bento Box photostream dedicated to artful lunches? And finally, my new favorite youtube recipe channel, Cooking with Dog, did a Bento Box episode. You have to watch it - it is hilarious:

Happy Wednesday!

In today's box: Fuji Apples, Fair Trade Bananas, Valencia Oranges, Strawberries, Carrots, Roma Tomatoes, Broccoli, Parsnips and Spring Mix.


I don't know about you, but I had never seen a parsnip until about 4 years ago when we went to a friend's house for dinner and they served roasted parsnips and carrots. I literally asked for more and more and more and I'm sure licked the platter clean. It's super simple and thoroughly rewarding.

Parsnips and Carrots

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Toss carrots, parsnips and fresh rosemary with a tablespoon or so of olive oil (you can be liberal here), kosher salt and a little pepper.

Bake for 10 minutes on a cookie sheet covered with tinfoil (or save the tinfoil - it's just for faster cleanup), flip 'em and cook 10 more minutes at least... 

Also, here's a recipe for a broccoli quiche that is made with the raw tortillas that come in something like a 1,000-count in the freezer section from Costco. Okay, kidding about the 1,000-count, but there are a lot so you'll have tortillas for awhile if you buy them.

Broccoli Quiche in Tortilla Shell Recipe courtesy Veg SF

• 2 uncooked tortillas (Tortilla Land from Costco)
• 8 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 cup broccoli
• 1 cup milk (or half/half)

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Lightly spray two medium/large sized ramekin (about 6″). Press one tortilla in each, pressing the ruffled edges down to create a nice cavern.
3. Mix the eggs with milk.
4. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup cheddar cheese and half of the broccoli in the bottom of each of the ramekins. Divide evenly and pour egg mixture over the tops. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the tops.
5. Loosely cover the ramekins with foil.
6. Bake about 30 mins. Remove the foil and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until a toothpick or wooden spear comes out clean. 

And finally, though it has nothing to do with your farm box elements, in honor of Cinco de Mayo and the beautiful weather, I'm sharing my favorite Horchata recipe.  This is always a huge hit and the kids love to make and drink it. The only disagreement we have is on how thick to make it.....I like it kinda thick and they like it the way it normally is made....nice and thin.

Horchata

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2007

8 tablespoons rice
1 cup blanched almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 strips lime zest, colored part only
3 cups hot water, plus 4 cups cool water, divided
Sugar, to taste, 1 to 1 1/2 cups
Mexican vanilla extract or vanilla extract, to taste, usually about 1 teaspoon

Place the rice in a blender or spice grinder and process until thoroughly pulverized. Take your time doing this - this is a critical step and the more finely ground the rice, the better the horchata will be. Transfer to a large bowl or pitcher and add the almonds, cinnamon, and lime zest. Add about 3 cups of hot water, cover, and let stand overnight.

The next day, transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until mixture is as smooth as it will get, again taking your time to allow to get as smooth as possible. Add 2 cups additional cool water and blend again until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture through a strainer lined with 3 layers of fine cheesecloth set over a bowl, little by little, pressing on solids and stirring to help mixture pass through the cloth. The more slowly you strain the mixture, the smoother the horchata will be. Transfer to a pitcher and add 2 cups more water, until the mixture is a pleasant, smooth consistency. Add sugar and vanilla extract, to taste. 


Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Serve cold over ice.