Market Find - Kohlrabi

Went to the Market this morning and this is what we bought for the first time ever:

It's called a Kohlrabi, and apparently can be eaten raw or cooked, similar to a carrot. The leaves can be sauteed or can be used as a wrap. I'm not yet sure what we'll do with it, this may require some online research.

I will keep everyone posted!

Garlic Scapes

As I mentioned in my last post, I picked up some garlic scapes at the market on Saturday.I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with them, and read around on the internet to see what people suggested. Two of the main suggestions were pesto and also sauteing them in butter. I didn't really feel like making pesto, but did like the idea of having pasta. Plus I had all of those heirloom tomatoes staring at me from the counter.

Before starting the recipe I decided I had to try a piece of garlic scape raw, just so I had an idea of what it was before I started cooking with it. It was very strong, almost instant heartburn. But, I knew from that small sample that once it was cooked down it would have a great flavour.

Pasta with Garlic Scapes and Heirloom Tomatoes

~ 8 garlic scapes, sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

~ 1/4 red onion, sliced

~ 1 tbsp each butter and olive oil

~ variety of tomatoes, chopped

~ 1/2 cup feta cheese

~ salt & pepper

~ pasta, your choice

Heat pan over medium heat, melt butter and add olive oil. Saute garlic scapes and onion in butter and oil until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, simmer for 15-20 minutes, until tomatoes have broken down. Season with salt and pepper.

At this point you can choose to serve, or as I did, you can add a bit of creaminess. Stir in 1/2 cup of feta cheese. If you choose to use feta, keep in mind that you won't need as much salt when you are seasoning.

In the meantime, cook pasta according to directions. Mix with sauce. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese, and garnish with a cherry tomato.

Very yummy!!! (and quite garlicky, in a good way)

Market Finds

We had a pretty stellar time at the West End Farmers Market this weekend. Started off by finding the English Peas and buying a bunch (I missed them last week). Then it was off to have some fresh Ham & Cheese Crepes before purchasing the rest of our weekly fruit and veggie run. This week we picked up fresh strawberries and raspberries, salad greens, chard, a bunch of different heirloom tomatoes, olives, tuna and baby back ribs and bacon. I'd say we did pretty well.

Doesn't it all look so good? Now to just find interesting ways to prepare it all. Oh, and the ingredient we bought this week that we've never had before were Garlic Scapes, we'll see how it goes!

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

It's finally starting to feel like summer, with the sun shining and the summer markets in full swing. This year, we made a pledge to try and purchase one thing each week at the market that we had never cooked before. So last week rather than go for the crimini mushrooms I usually get, I grabbed a couple of Portobello's. This recipe is what I came up with to cook them, and I think it's a keeper.

Reebs' Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

- 2 Portobello Mushrooms

- 2 shallots

- 3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained

- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

- 6-8 cherry tomatoes, chopped

- 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

- bunch of spinach and/or kale, chopped

- feta cheese

First off, prepare the quinoa. I prepared mine using a recipe for Quinoa with Shallots from my new Mark Bittman cookbook.

1 - Heat two tbsp's olive oil in a skillet with lid over medium-high heat. When hot, add shallots, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally about 3 minutes.

2 - Add the quinoa and stir; when grains start popping and toasting, add stock and bring to a boil. Stir one last time, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook undisturbed for 15 minutes.

3 - Uncover and test for doneness. If the kernels are still hard, make sure there's enough liquid to cover bottom of the pan, cover and cook another 5 minutes.

Once that was done, I put it aside and started working on the rest of the filling. First off, prepare the mushrooms. I wipe mine down with a damp paper towel, that way they don't get too wet. Remove the stems and chop for the filling. I scraped the gills out, this is totally a personal preference, really I just wanted to make more room for the filling.

For the Filling:

Heat a tbsp of olive oil in pan, sautee garlic, mushroom stems, and tomatoes until they start to soften. Add greens and continue to cook until greens are wilted. Stir in enough quinoa to make enough filling for the portobello's. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon filling over portobello's, making a large mound on each mushroom. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Bake in 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes, until feta is starting to brown.

Serve with a light salad.

Special Delivery

So I got home from this photography workshop I'm doing and my landlord had a package for me.

I was so excited to see it was from Amazon, because I had just purchased a few things online in the past week or so, and the best thing was in the box.

Mark Bittman's 'How to Cook Everything: 2000 Simple Recipes for Great Food'.

I was at a friends place on Friday and was flipping through his copy. I loved it so much I actually ordered it from my phone. I never thought it would come so soon!

I hope to be posting many new recipes from this cookbook in the coming weeks.

Tofu with Peanut Sauce

Even though apparently summer doesn't seem to want to arrive in Vancouver, I'm still trying, and grilling indoors since it's too wet and miserable out. I'm also trying to find new ways to cook with tofu, it's affordable, a great source of protein and can be quite good if well prepared. With tofu, it's really all about the marinade as tofu really absorbs the taste of whatever it is cooked in. This recipe is from Canadian Living, a great source for simple yet delicious recipes that are easy to adapt based on what is in your pantry/fridge.

The peanut sauce from this recipe is fantastic, and would be great with chicken as well!!!

Tofu & Vegetable Skewers with Peanut Sauce

- 1 pkg extra-firm tofu

- 2 cups sugar snap peas

- 2 cups cherry tomatoes

- 2 cups small mushrooms

- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

- salt and pepper

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup smooth all natural peanut butter

1/2 cup warm water

1/4 cup tamari

2 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp lemon juice (juice of half a lemon)

2 cloves garlic, minced

To make the peanut sauce, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Remove 3/4 cup and set aside.

Rinse and pat tofu dry. Cut into 24 equal pieces that can thread onto skewers. Add to peanut sauce in bowl, toss gently to coat and let stand for 10 minutes. Thread onto skewers.

In separate bowl, toss together vegetables with oil and salt and pepper. Thread vegetables onto skewers.

Place skewers on greased grill over medium-high heat. Grill, turning once, until tofu is browned and vegetables are tender-crips, about 10 minutes.

Serve drizzled with more peanut sauce, over rice.