Cucumber Salad with Peanut and Lime

This cool summer salad is an adaptation by FamilyStyle Food blog, and was originally published in How to Cook Indian by Sanjeev Kapoor (April, 2011). Karen of FamilyStyle Food blog writes of this recipe, "I love the utter simplicity of this salad. With just a few spices, a hit of citrus, toasty peanuts and a sweet exotic touch of coconut, cucumbers are transformed into something complex and unordinary. Be warned, it’s a slightly addictive little salad."

Cucumber Salad with Peanut and Lime
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 slicing cucumber, cut into ½-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 Serrano pepper or 2 jalapenos, finely chopped
½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, finely chopped or pulsed in a food processor
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon organic evaporated cane sugar (can substitute with honey or agave)
2 tablespoons roasted peanut oil (or olive oil)
½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Directions
1. Put the cucumber, chile pepper, peanuts, 2 tablespoons of the coconut, lime juice and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Heat the oil in a small saute pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they start to sizzle and pop, stir in the cumin, salt and remaining 2 tablespoons coconut. Turn off the heat.
3. Pour the mustard seed mixture over the cucumbers and toss everything together. Taste to make sure it's salty-sweet enough for your taste.

Butternut Squash Enchiladas

This recipe comes recommended by our CSA manager, Evan, from The Vegetarian Environmentalist (http://vegetarianenvironmentalist.weebly.com/).

Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Ingredients
1 cup cooked quinoa
1½ cups cooked black beans
½ baked butternut squash, flesh scooped out and diced
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, cored and diced
14 oz. can diced green chilies, drained
1 cup cilantro, chopped
8 oz. cheddar cheese, grated and divided
salt, to taste
16 oz. red enchilada sauce
2 dozen fresh corn tortillas, fresh if possible
2 15 oz. cans green enchilada sauce

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine rice, beans, squash, onion, pepper, chiles, cilantro, and half of the cheese in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and mix well.
2. Pour red enchilada sauce into a deep plate; dip each tortilla to coat. Fill each tortilla with one large spoonful of enchilada mixture, roll tightly, and place in a 9" x 13" baking dish or lasagna dish. When dishes are full, cover each dish with one can green enchilada sauce.
3. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and top enchiladas with remaining cheese. Bake 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Hot Pepper Jelly

Thank you for Myra, a shareholder from Kensington, MD, for sharing the following recipe, "to use the plentiful hot peppers we have been getting." She writes that her family likes to use this as a spread for cheese or meat sandwiches.

Hot Pepper Jelly
Recipe can be scaled up or down, keeping the same proportions.

Ingredients
2 cups finely chopped peppers (mixture of 1 bell pepper and deseeded hot peppers), remove excess moisture by draining chopped peppers in a sieve
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1 packet Suregell pectin (1.75 ounces)
2.2 cups granulated sugar

Directions
If you plan on using the jam immediately, it is sufficient to sterilize jars by filling clean jars with boiling water, emptying, and letting drip dry on a clean tea towel. If you plan to store the jam, follow usual sterilization and canning principles.
1. Put peppers, vinegar and pectin into saucepan.
2. Heat to a rolling boil over high heat with constant stirring.
3. Quickly add sugar, stirring well, and bring back to a rolling boil.
4. Boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Remove from heat, skim off foam. Pour into sterilized jars and cover.