Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Colorful Chard and Chicken Stir Fry--a Concept Recipe for Stir Fries

Subtitle: The Stir Fry as a Concept for Simple Farm Share Suppers

Swiss chard, carrots, radish and onion cooked with chicken strips and seasoned with Asian flavors. Can be served over rice or rolled up in Chinese pancakes.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/colorful-chard-and-chicken-stir-fry.html

One of the most common ways I use the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share to fix supper for the family rarely appears here--a simple stir fry. Stir fries in my kitchen are one skillet meals into which I try to cram as many stray vegetables as possible. I'm not getting fancy with seasonings or sauces, it's just basic food that gets vegetables out of the farm share crate and into our family. I happened to get some photos of one, a rare occurrence, so I'm sharing the idea today.
Last week I made a stir fry using up dribs and drabs of what was available, no photos or anything, and got raves from the menfolk [my daughter was off in Canada pouring maple syrup onto pea soup in a sugar shack. And practicing French]. I was kicking myself for not documenting how I'd made it, so I'll be making that one again, deliberately. It had bok choy, smoked sausage, spring onions and roasted potatoes.
http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/colorful-chard-and-chicken-stir-fry.html

A few Notes:

  • When I make a stir fry using the quick cooking greens from the farm share [Swiss chard, bok choy, tatsoi, pak choy, spinach, cabbages--NOT turnip greens, mustard greens, or kale in this case] I separate the leaves from their stems, chop the stems up, and cook the stems first with the onions.


  • If I've got root vegetables to use I'll shred or finely dice them and add in along with the onions and stems.


  • I typically include a protein in my stir fries--a chopped chicken breast or two, some ground meat, scrambled eggs or a fried egg on top. A piece of diced chorizo or smoked sausage provides a ton of flavor with very little effort.


  • We usually have a starch with our stir fries. This is typically rice, but can also be potatoes, tortillas, Chinese pancakes (boughten** Mu Shu wrappers), bulgur or couscous. If you're going to have a separate starch like rice, make sure to start that first so it's ready.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/colorful-chard-and-chicken-stir-fry.html

For other recipes using Swiss chard, please see my Swiss chard Recipe Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, an ever-expanding [thanks to generous links from my fellow food bloggers] collection of ideas for what to do with your farm share. But wait, there's more! I've got a Greens Board on Pinterest. I share recipes on my FB page even. Wanna know how to Use This Blog? Click here.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/colorful-chard-and-chicken-stir-fry.html

**boughten. In preparation for a trip West to include sites from the Little House on the Prairie series I've been re-reading the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I love reading how Pa built a house using boughten boards and a boughten door. I buy my mu shu wrappers in the freezer section of Asian grocery stores.

Monday, June 15, 2015

Red White and Blue Savory Appetizer: Beet, Blueberry and Goat Cheese Rounds

Roasted beets, crumbled goat cheese and fresh blueberries combine in a savory summer appetizer.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/red-white-and-blue-savory-appetizer.html

I noticed the crisp flags snapping in the warm breeze as I walked Vincent yesterday morning. One block over, the whole street was covered with small flags planted along the edge of the sidewalk. The flags had been up for Memorial day weekend but since taken down.  It's not yet Independence day . . . . aha! Flag day. When we returned home I hung our flag out in front of the house.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/red-white-and-blue-savory-appetizer.html

I'm sure most people around the world will agree with my sentiment "I love the colors of my country's flag". Now, I'm not narrow-minded enough to think the world loves the flag of my country. I'm referring to people all over the world loving the flags of their countries. With bold crisp colors and simply classic designs, flags are beautiful. Flags are inspirational. Flags are timeless. I am fascinated when a flag seems to reflect the personality of the nation it represents.
Think on that for a while.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/red-white-and-blue-savory-appetizer.html

In the land of Pinterest it is traditional to serve foods combining the colors of our flag. I am positive Betsy Ross did not intend this sort of craziness, however here we are. I have yet to live in a place where I can get local fresh strawberries and local fresh blueberries simultaneously in early July, and if it ain't a local berry it ain't shOK, a soapbox for another time. I got inspired to try a savory red white and blue appetizer after making these sweet Red, White and Blue Muffins. I wanted to use the colors of my flag in a tasty way and thought of my Beet and Goat Cheese spread. Adding additional goat cheese and some fresh blueberries gives me the look I was going for as well as the fresh flavors I crave.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/red-white-and-blue-savory-appetizer.html

I spent yesterday sharing my worm bin and love of garlic scapes with the young gardeners in our town's historical society. They got to take home beet greens, but I know beets will soon appear in my Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share in time to make this recipe [and to use those amazing beet greens to make this recipe].

For other recipes using beets, please see my Beet Recipes Collection. For other recipes using blueberries, please see my Blueberry Recipes Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks looking to eat from the farm share. I'm sharing additional vegetable appetizers on my Awesome Veggie Apps and Snacks Pinterest board as well as on my FB page. Want to know how to Use This Blog? Click here.

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Chicken & Bok Choy Wild Rice Skillet Supper

Simple, hearty, homey baked skillet supper of chicken thighs and bok choy with wild rice.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/chicken-bok-choy-wild-rice-skillet.html

Looking at my blog calendar for the month I realized I could fill it up with grill recipes for a month or more if I maintain my usual posting schedule of 3x/week. Despite my enthusiasm for my new tool [a cool kitchen in summer + gourmet pizzas at home in less than 30 minutes? Who wouldn't be enthused?] I should rein it in and offer other ways to enjoy the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share produce.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/chicken-bok-choy-wild-rice-skillet.html


This one pot, well really one skillet, meal starts on the stove and finishes in the oven. Though it has rice and bok choy, it is decidedly NOT Asian in flavorings as I used a wild rice blend and Worcestershire sauce for the seasoning. This is a family friendly dish, and simple enough for my kids to make. Not that they did. But they could have.


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/chicken-bok-choy-wild-rice-skillet.html

We like leftover rice. I started with cooked wild rice because if I'm going to the effort of cooking 2 cups of rice for one meal, it's no big whup [?] to add in a couple more cups for a planned over leftover. My daughter uses leftover cooked rice in fried rice, both kids will help themselves to a bowl of rice with breakfast or for a snack, and anything still left when I start screaming that the fridge is too full gets wrapped up in plastic and frozen for a later snack.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/06/chicken-bok-choy-wild-rice-skillet.html

For other recipes using Bok Choy, please see my Bok Choy Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. You can find more recipes using greens on my Greens Pinterest board, and I share even more recipe ideas on my FB page. To learn how to use this blog, click here.