Recipe: BLTS Sandwich

From 2021 Week 11 Newsletter

Yep, you read that right- BLTS: Bacon-Lettuce-Tomato-Shishito! When heirloom tomato season comes around my family clamors for BLT sandwiches- last year I included some blistered shishitos on a whim and I've never gone back! The smoky/sweet taste of the peppers is the perfect compliment to the juicy tomatoes and crisp salty bacon. If you're not a mayo fan, try adding on some sliced or coarsely mashed avocado and if you have any sweet onions leftover from a previous box those would taste great as well! 

~Rae

(Makes 2 sandwiches)

4 slices of good thick crusty bread

Mayo (or avocado) to taste

4-6 slices of bacon, cooked until just crisp

2-4 leaves of lettuce

1 pint shishito peppers (you'll only need a few for each sandwich but will want to snack on the rest!)

1-2 Heirloom tomatoes, thickly sliced and sprinkled with salt and pepper to taste

Drizzle peppers in the oil, and toss until they are evenly coated. Preheat a thick-bottomed or cast iron skillet over medium heat until it’s hot enough that a drop of water sizzles and evaporates quickly on contact. Add the peppers and let them cook, stirring every minute or so (not too often), until they are tender with charred spots, about 8 to 12 minutes. 

Lightly toast your bread, slather with mayo or avocado, and pile on the bacon, tomato, peppers, and lettuce. 

Find a good napkin, this sandwich will be juicy! 

Recipe: Bang Bang Chicken & Noodle Salad With Snap Peas

Pic from Rae’s kitchen

2021 Week 5 Newsletter

Rae’s Favorite!

If you aren't already familiar with it, Bang Bang Chicken is a delicious and refreshing Sichuan dish consisting of shredded poached chicken and julienned cucumber tossed with a sweet, spicy, and tangy dressing. In this recipe I add in some Chinese egg noodles to make it a meal and sub in snap peas for the cucumber. In my opinion it is a pretty flexible recipe so feel free to experiment with adding in any sweet crunchy veggie, chopped greens, or other protein of your choice- it's really the sauce that makes it perfect each time! (Thanks to The Woks Of Life for the original sauce ingredients) 

~Rae

2 tbs light soy sauce

4 tsp Chinese black vinegar (or rice vinegar)

2 tbs sugar

1½ tbs sesame oil

1 tbs chili oil (or to taste)

2 tbs toasted sesame seeds

1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorn (optional)

 ½ tsp salt

2 tbs finely chopped scallions

About ½ a package dried Chinese egg noodles or Soba noodles

2 tbs chopped cilantro

½ lb chicken breast

1 bag sugar snap peas sliced thin on the diagonal (you can also leave them whole if you prefer) 

First poach your chicken: Place the meat in a small pot, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, a few peppercorns, a handful of stems from your cilantro, and a slice or two of ginger. Pour in just enough water to cover, bring to a simmer, and cook for about 5min. Remove the pot from the heat and let it sit, with the lid on, for about 20 min. Remove from water and let cool then shred. 

To make the sauce: Combine soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sesame oil, chili oil, salt, and sichuan peppercorn (if using). Set aside.

Cook noodles according to package instructions and plunge into cold water to chill. 

Add noodles, chicken, sesame seeds, sliced sugar snap peas, chopped cilantro, and scallions to a large bowl and toss gently to combine. (Try sautéing your pac choi with some garlic and oyster sauce and serving it as a side to this salad!)

Recipe: Radish Sandwiches

Pic from The Splendid Table

Week 3 Newsletter

Recipe from The Splendid Table

Not only is this another wonderful hot weather meal, the butter in the recipe will also tame the spiciness of your radishes (just a tip if you're trying to introduce a picky eater)

1 standard-size baguette

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tsp flaky sea salt

1 bunch radishes, trimmed, washed, and thinly sliced

1 small handful salad greens of choice

Pinch fresh garden herbs such as chives or tarragon (optional)

Slice the baguette lengthwise and crosswise, creating 4 quarters. Place the bread on a cutting board cut sides up. Spread each quarter with softened butter, and sprinkle with salt. Pile sliced radishes onto each quarter, pressing them firmly into the butter. Lay the greens and herbs across the bottom quarters, and top with the corresponding tops. Press down on the halves firmly with your palms. Place the sandwiches on a cutting board and cut into small sandwiches or hors d’oeuvres.

Recipe: Roasted Beans With Israeli Couscous and Tahini Cream

One of Rae's Favorites!

½ pound green or yellow beans trimmed and cut

1 cup uncooked Israeli Couscous

½ tsp Za'atar Spice Mix (or just a mix of cumin and coriander if that is all you have) 

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (tiny tiny pinch here)

1/4 cup tahini

3-4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons water + additional to thin as needed

2 tbs cilantro, chopped 

Greek yogurt

Preheat oven to 400. Toss beans with a glug of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and the Za'atar. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 10-15min. Meanwhile cook Israeli Couscous per package instructions and set aside. For the tahini sauce- combine all the ingredients for the sauce and whisk until completely smooth and creamy. If the sauce is too thick add a touch more water. When the beans are cooked pile them on top of the couscous on each plate and drizzle with tahini sauce, cilantro, and a dollop of Greek yogurt. 

A note from Rae: I've made this with roasted fennel with a fennel frond garnish in the past (hence the fennel in the pic) but it is a super flexible recipe that can be combined with other veggies that you may have on hand so be creative! 

Recipe: Simple Chili With Fresh Shelling Beans

Rae's Recipe!

1lb ground beef (optional)
1-2 Bell Peppers, chopped
1 jalapeno, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 sweet onion, chopped
About 3 cups shelled fresh beans
2 14.5oz cans crushed tomatoes
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Salt to taste

Add your shelled beans to a pot with one clove of garlic, and simmer them with just enough water to cover for 20-25min. Set Aside.

In a thick-bottomed pot, saute chopped onion, bell peppers, and minced jalapeno over medium heat until the vegetables start to soften. Add in minced garlic and spices and cook for one minute, stirring frequently. Add in ground beef (if using) and saute, breaking up the beef, until it is no longer pink.

Fold in crushed tomatoes, reserved shelling beans, and water, and simmer gently over medium heat until all of the flavors have combined-about 15min. Add salt to taste.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, grated jack cheese, and minced cilantro
The chili will taste even better after sitting in your fridge over night!

Recipe: Carrot Top Pesto

from Our Crew Member Allie!

Per Allie: “This can work for any greens really. I also like to switch around the nuts also to play with flavors (and what my pantry has)” 

1lb carrot tops (about 2 very full cups mashed down - sometimes the stems can be really woody, if this is the case, cut them higher up so its more leafy - it can mess with your food processor and creates a not so great texture) 

1/2 - 1 cup of oil ( I like to use a mix of olive oil and avocado oil - for me full olive oil is too strong)

2 -3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2 cup almonds (walnuts would also be good)

salt (to taste but probably 1 - 2 tsp depending on if your nuts are salted or not)

Add garlic, almonds, and greens to food processor. Turn on and drizzle in oil. After it starts to get pasty. Stop, mix and taste. Add salt and more oil as needed. Continue processing until it's smooth and everything is blended. Tastes delicious right out of the processor but even better after having a chance to mingle. Use for dressings, toss in pasta, spread on toast. Honestly it makes every dish a little happier!

Recipe: Radicchio, Farro, and Tomato Salad

(This is from my (Alice's) Brain originally from Rand of One Leaf Farm, so the recipe is about as good as its going to get)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Farro
3 c vegetable broth
1 small head or 1/2 larde head Radicchio (or to taste)
1 cup Feta Cheese (or to taste)
Tomatoes (we usually use about 2 large)

Dressing
1 Shallot
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp champagne vinegar
small spoon of dijon mustard
* the ratio for this recipe is 2 parts oil, 1 part vinegar, but you can play with the proportions or make more or less to have on hand


Cook the Farro or Wheat Berries in vegetable broth using the linked method, or by combining the broth and farro, bringing the liquid to a boil, and reducing to a simmer - cooking for about 30-35 minutes or until done.

While the grain is cooking, finely mince the shallot. In a small saucepan, cook the shallot in the olive oil on medium heat. Once the shallot has softened, remove from heat and add mustard, lemon juice, and champagne vinegar.

Then chiffonade your radicchio and cut up tomatoes or cherry tomatoes into wedges.

I like to toss the radicchio in the salad dressing while the dressing is still warm, to wilt the radicchio just a bit. Then add the cooked farro, and feta and tomatoes at the end. This is just a rough guideline, so adjust the amounts to suit your taste - oh, and don't forget salt!! If you've got a bit of parsley around, that would be a beautiful addition too!

p.s. my roommate once roasted dates and prosciutto and I think those would be an insane and wonderfully decadent addition to this dish

Recipe: Rand's No-Fuss Fava Beans

A favorite famous fava recipe from Rand of One Leaf Farm!

"Often people stay away from Fava beans because they've been told that the beans must be shelled out of the pods, and then each bean peeled out of it's skin in order to make it edible, but its just not true! The whole thing is edible, a lot of the bean's flavor is in the pod and peel. These beans can then be served as a side, added to a salad, or mixed with rice or pasta to make a meal!"

-Shell beans from pods and rinse. No need to peel the beans, their outer membrane is where the flavor is.

-In a non-stick pan heat equal parts olive oil and butter on medium-high heat, just enough oil to coat the beans and not fry them.

-Toss loose beans in the oil, occasionally stirring. Add a pinch of salt to the sautéing beans, cover with a lid and turn the heat on low. Let it simmer in it's own juices for 5-10 minutes until beans are tender.

-Transfer the beans to a bowl and toss with minced dill, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: Pink & White Fried Rice With Sauteed Greens

A Farm Favorite from Rae

Rae's go-to recipe for turning extra greens into a tasty weeknight meal.

• 1 cup cooked and cooled sushi rice or Jasmine rice (rice that is leftover in the fridge from another meal is perfect!)

• 1 cup cooked and cooled pink or brown rice

• 2 cups chopped greens (spinach, chard, pac choi, turnip greens, radish greens, just about anything goes!)

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 tbs of grated fresh ginger

• 1/2 tbs of grated or finely chopped garlic

• 1/4 cup chopped white or yellow storage onion or scallions (if you use storage onions the flavor will be a bit sweeter)

• 2 tsp neutral tasting oil

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• soy sauce to taste

Add the neutral tasting oil to a skillet or wok and turn the heat to medium. Add chopped onion and saute until soft. Add in greens, garlic, and ginger, and cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are well wilted. Move the veggies to one side of the pan and add the sesame oil to the vacant side. Break the egg into the hot sesame oil and lightly scramble it right in the pan. When the egg is cooked, mix it in with the veggies. Briefly turn the heat to high and sprinkle in the cooled rice. Stir to combine and cook until the rice is hot and getting crispy. Lightly douse the fried rice with soy sauce, stir, and taste, to check for your preferred salt level. Add in more soy sauce to taste.