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Cranberry Pear Crisp
This sweet tart, perfectly spiced crisp tastes like the month of November to me. It calls for prepared cranberry sauce, and I use homemade, but a canned whole berry cranberry sauce would work here too. In a pinch, you might be able to get away with using a cranberry sauce jelly (the ones shaped like the can) though I’ve never tried it. If you do, I recommend breaking it up with the back of a spoon so that it takes on more of a sauce-like consistency.
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Rustic Garden Veggie Tart
Before I started gardening, I used to hate August. It’s hot, it’s dusty, the summer blooms are starting to die back, and — although it’s been a long time since I went back to school — that stifling Back to School feeling lingers in the air. Ugh. Give me a shady tree and a stack of books and let me know when autumn arrives. But as the steward of a rather large vegetable garden, August has become a time of abundance. Cucumbers, green beans, and summer squash still grow riotously while juicy tomatoes and fat eggplants begin to ripen on the vine. This tasty vegetarian recipe makes great use of the season’s abundant…
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Kale and White Bean Soup
This is one of those dishes that I threw together on a Wednesday night because I had a lot of kale to use up and I was in the mood for soup, but then it was so delicious that I had to make it again immediately so I could measure the ingredients properly and photograph it for the blog. (You’d think I’d have learned by now to measure and photograph every time I create something new, but I never do!) You can make every element of this from scratch if you have the time, or you can cheat and use what’s in your pantry for a quick meal. In this case, I used…
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Potato Chive Bread
This potato bread is pillowy soft and full of savory goodness. In season it is wonderful with fresh chives from your garden, but you may substitute any fresh herbs of your choosing. If using dried herbs, reduce the amount by two-thirds. You will need a stand mixer with a dough hook for this recipe. If you’re not familiar with how to shape dough for baking in a loaf pan, there are many good tutorials on YouTube. Basically, I flatten it out into a rough rectangle shape, fold it in thirds like a piece of paper to be stuffed in an envelope, and then I turn it sideways so the narrow end is closest…
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Homemade Chicken Stock
One of the kitchen tasks that I find most satisfying is making homemade stock from leftover meat bones. You’re literally taking what would otherwise be garbage and turning it into a nutritious, tasty, valuable commodity. At my local grocery store, their brand of non-organic stock costs $2.49/quart and is chock full of sodium, to say nothing of weird ingredients like “yeast extract.” What is that, even? As of this writing, organic chicken stock from a popular national brand costs a whopping $8/quart. By comparison, I purchased a whole USDA organic chicken for $12 and got two meals out of it before tipping its leftover bones into my stock pot. I’ll get a little…
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Garlicky Spring Vegetable Quinoa
This protein-packed, super food grain bowl will keep you feeling full and energized on a long kayak trip down the river or for an arduous day of weeding the garden. Don’t be afraid to toss in any leftover vegetables or protein you have in the fridge. This dish can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the bacon and using vegetable broth.
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Garlic Scape Pesto
This simple recipe makes great use of the garlic scapes prevalent at early farmer’s markets and in CSA boxes in June. Double, triple, or quadruple the batch and enjoy it year round on pasta, stirred into quinoa, or with any dish that would benefit from a grassy, garlicky boost.
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Blueberry Spelt Muffins
This recipe features my go-to base recipe for muffins with the welcome addition of plump, sweet blueberries and nutty spelt flour.
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Mediterranean Grain Bowl
This dish will cost you a bit up front if you don’t keep your cupboard stocked with a wide variety of grains*, however you will get several recipes out of each of them, ultimately making it a cost-effective and healthy lunch option or a great, simple side dish to bring to a picnic. Although this dish contains plenty of protein on its own, you could easily add slices of cold, grilled chicken breast, ground turkey, or blackened shrimp to make it a heartier meal or please the meat lover in your life!
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Sandwich Wraps
Sandwich wraps are a great lunch option to prepare in advance because, unlike traditional sandwich bread, wraps do not lose their freshness or texture when frozen. The biggest consideration when assembling these wraps for the freezer is what fillings will best retain their texture and flavor. Deli meat of all kinds works well, as do marinated vegetables such as bell peppers, artichoke hearts, and chopped olives. You will want to avoid salad greens or sprouts if you plan to freeze your wrap, as they will get slimy and wilted when thawed. You have several options for a spread. When I make these for my husband, I use Neufchatel, which is a slightly lower…
