Soy Marinated Steak with Sauteed Bok Choy and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

This meal tastes like restaurant food and is easy to create at home for less than half of what it would cost in a restaurant.  Here's to date night in your pajamas!

Serves Two

Ingredients:

For the Steak
 -One grassfed boneless ribeye or two small filets
-2 Tbsp brown sugar
-1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
-1/2 cup sake
-1 tsp siracha
-4 scallions, green parts only, chopped (reserve white parts for the bok choy)
-1 clove garlic, finely chopped
-1 1/2 piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
-dash of toasted sesame oil

For the Potatoes
-4-6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
-1/2 stick butter
-1 Tbsp Wasabi powder, mixed with a little water form a paste
-cream and/or milk to achieve desired consistency
-salt and pepper to taste

For the Greens
-1 large head bok choy, greens only, washed and finely chopped
-4 scallions, white parts only, chopped
-2 Tbsp soy sauce
-1 tsp siracha
-1 Tbsp sesame seeds
-1/2 tsp brown sugar
-olive or vegetable oil mixed with a dash of toasted sesame oil for sauteeing.

Method:

1. Combine all the "steak" ingredients except the steak itself in a large zip-top bag and mix to combine.  Add the steak, zip the bag closed, and place it in a bowl in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours.

2.  About 1/2 hour before you want to eat, begin preparing the rest of the meal.  Preheat the oven to 425.  Place the potatoes in a steamer basket over some water and cook until fork tender (about 10 minutes).

3.   Drain the water from the pot.  Run the potatoes through a ricer or food mill back into the same pot.  Add the butter and stir in milk or cream until potatoes are desired consistency.  Stir in Wasabi paste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover the pot and set aside.

4.  Pat the steak dry with a paper towel.  Heat a small amount of oil to smoking in a skillet.  Add the steak and sear well on both sides.  Place the skillet in the oven.  Cooking time will vary, depending on how well done you like your meat and how long you sear it on both sides.  Check with an instant read thermometer (125 for rare, 130 for medium rare, 135 for medium, 145 for well done).

5.  While the steak is in the oven, prepare the greens.  Heat the mixture of olive or vegetable oil and sesame oil in a large pan until nearly smoking.  Add the greens and the scallions (watch out for splatters!).  Cook, stirring frequently, until the greens are wilted.  Sprinkle with the brown sugar.  Add the siracha and soy sauce and cook until all the liquid is gone.  Stir in the sesame seeds and cook a minute longer.  Remove from the heat. (If they get cold before the steak is done, they reheat nicely.  Just turn the burner back on briefly until heated through).

6.  When the steak is at your desired temperature, remove it from the skillet.  Let it rest 5 minutes before cutting into it to preserve the juices.  Serve with the greens and the potatoes and enjoy!

Roasted Potato and Okra Salad

This recipe is courtesy of Erin's Food Files.

Ingredients

-2 lb small potatoes such as fingerling, red, or yellow-fleshed
-1 large bunch scallions, halved lengthwise and roughly chopped
-2 large fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon chopped
-1/4 cup olive oil
-2 1/4 teaspoons salt
-1 teaspoon black pepper
-3/4 lb small (2- to 3-inch) okra, heads removed
-1 cup fresh corn (from 1 to 2 ears, I used a combo of frozen kernels plus 1 ear of corn)
-1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
-1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

Directions:

Roast potatoes and okra:
-Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.
-Halve potatoes lengthwise and toss with scallion pieces, rosemary sprigs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread potato mixture in a large roasting pan and roast, stirring once, 20 minutes. Stir potatoes and add okra to pan, tossing to coat. Continue to roast until okra and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes more.
Cook corn while potatoes roast:
-Cook corn in 1 quart of salted boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Make dressing and assemble salad:
-Whisk together lemon juice, shallot, chopped rosemary, and remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl until combined. Discard rosemary sprigs, then add hot potatoes and okra to dressing along with beans, corn, and salt to taste, tossing to combine. Serve hot or warm.

Marinated Tomatoes

From: Pioneer Woman

This is a good recipe for all the summer tomatoes that are starting to come in, from the garden and the farm share. You can use any kind of tomatoes - large, small, red, yellow, etc. A few ideas on how to use them: as a side dish for a grilled dinner, on top of sliced mozzarella with cracked black pepper and sliced basil, piled onto slices of toasted baguette for bruschetta (or, top toasted baguette with the tomatoes, add sliced mozarella, pop into the toaster or under the broiler to melt the cheese), add to a green salad, or spoon over some quinoa or cous cous for a summer side dish.

Ingredients

1 cup Canola Oil (I used less, and substituted olive oil)
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
4 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 whole Green Onions, Sliced
1/4 cup Chopped Parsley
18 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)
1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme
2 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely
2 pounds Tomatoes, Cut Into Quarters (if Big) Or Halves (if Small)
1 whole Baguette, Sliced, optional
1 clove Garlic, Peeled, optional

Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in a large glass bowl. Whisk to combine, then add tomatoes. (You can increase the quantity of tomatoes if need be.) Use regular red tomatoes, or a mixture of red, yellow, heirloom, etc. Use different sizes of tomatoes, too--pretty!

Allow to marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, several hours if possible. Tomatoes will give off liquid as they marinate.

Use leftover tomatoes to make bruschetta: slice baguette and brush slices with olive oil. Grill on a skillet or grill pan until golden. Rub slices with garlic cloves. Top with tomatoes, allowing juice to drip on the bread.

Purslane Potato Salad

From diaryofalocavore.com

Serves 4 - 6

In a medium pot, boil five cups chopped potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. In a bowl, mix one cucumber, chopped into half moon slivers, 1 cup purslane leaves and buds, (flowers and stalks are edible as well if you choose) and 1 cup chopped scallions with greens. Add potatoes and mix well.

In a small wide bowl mix one egg yolk until smooth. Drip in, whisking constantly, 1 cup olive oil making sure to add slowly enough to keep mixture opaque. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1-2 finely chopped serano peppers. Mix well. Spoon over potato and vegetable mixture (there may be some spicy mayo leftover; it will keep in the fridge for at least a week) adding several teaspoons white wine or cider vinegar and fresh ground pepper and salt to taste. Toss well and serve at room temperature.

Hoisin, Orange, and Bok Choy White Fish

This was originally a salmon recipe but not being a salmon kinda gal (and the other half is in the anti-cilantro camp) it required a few tweaks. Original can be found here. The sauce is really flavorful, so I doubled up. So worth it. Cooking on the grill is just a preference, you could also do this in the oven.

Ingredients
2 heads of bok choy
1 good size fillet of white fish - (I like Turbot)
4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 green onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon cracked coriander seeds

Directions
1. Preheat the grill on medium
2. Create tinfoil packet and form bed of bok choy in center
3. Top bok choy with fish
4. Mix orange juice, green onion, hoisin, ginger, and orange peel in small bowl
5. Spoon mixture over fish
6. Sprinkle with salt and coriander
7. Close tinfoil packet
8. Place tinfoil packet directly on the grill & cook to desired consistency

Vegetarian Pad Thai

I'm a huge fan of recipes that take less than 30 minutes to prepare, and this recipe definitely meets my requirements. And the fact that not only is it easy, but it is also delicious, too, makes it a winner in my book.

Vegetarian Pad Thai (adapted from Everyday Food magazine)

makes 4 servings

8 oz wide rice noodles

1/2 pkg organic shiitake mushrooms, chopped

1 bunch organic scallions, chopped into thin slices, green and white (and/or red) parts separated

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 t vegetable oil

2 T fresh lime juice (1 lime)

3 T tamari (or soy) sauce

2 T dark brown sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 C cilantro leaves, rinsed and patted dry

1/4 C unsalted peanuts, chopped

1 pkg firm tofu, cut into cubes and dry-fried

1. Cook the rice noodles according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Some require boiling in water, others just need to sit in hot water for a certain amount of time.)

2. Whisk together the lime juice, tamari sauce, and brown sugar. Set aside.

2. Add the vegetable oil to a skillet and heat to medium-high.

3. Add the chopped mushrooms and saute until softened and lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chopped scallions (white and/or red parts only) and minced garlic cloves. Cook, stirring constantly, for an additional minute.

4. Add the lightly-beaten eggs to the skillet. Use a rubber spatula to agitate the eggs. Cook until just set, about 30-45 seconds.

5. Remove the egg mixture from the skillet and place on a plate.

6. Add the cooked noodles to the skillet. Pour the lime-tamari-brown sugar mixture over the noodles. Use tongs to evenly coat the noodles with the sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

7. Add the egg mixture to the noodles. Use tongs to break up the eggs and evenly distribute the ingredients. Cook for 1-2 minutes longer. Stir in the green parts from the scallions. Add in the dry-fried tofu and continue cooking until heated through.

8. Serve up the noodles on individual plates. Top each portion with cilantro leaves (which you'll notice I forgot to add to my entree pictured above, oops!) and chopped peanuts. Garnish with a lime wedge (or two).

Grilled Scallions with Lemon

Thank you to Teresa, a CSA shareholder from Philadelphia, for sharing this scallion recipe with us, which comes from a 2003 edition of Gourmet. Teresa writes, "Even without lemon, they were awesome and a great way to savor the scallions that are so plentiful this time of year."

Grilled Scallions with Lemon
Ingredients
12 large scallions (10 ounces total), trimmed, leaving most of greens attached
½ teaspoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
½ lemon

Directions
Toss scallions with oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Line up scallions side by side on a work surface and thread skewers, 1 at a time, crosswise through all scallions to form a solid rectangle. (Skewers should be inserted about 2 inches from each end.) Grill on lightly oiled grill rack, uncovered, turning over once or twice, until softened and charred in patches, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer scallions to a platter and squeeze lemon evenly over them, then remove skewers.

Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms

This is one of my favorite treats—easy to make and easily adaptable!

Stuffed Cremini Mushrooms
Serves 4 (appetizer servings)

Ingredients
1 package cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
olive oil
1 half onion, 2 to 3 shallots, or 4 to 5 scallions, all minced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
ground cayenne pepper, to taste
chives, finely chopped, to taste (optional)
⅓ 8-ounce package cream cheese
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cheddar, mozzarella, or grated Parmesan
breadcrumbs

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse mushrooms and remove stems from caps. Set caps aside and finely mince mushroom stems.
2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When hot, add mushroom stems, onions, shallots, or scallions, and garlic. Cook until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
3. In a bowl, mix together stems, onions, shallots, or scallions, and garlic with cayenne pepper, chives, cream cheese, and additional cheese.
4. Lightly coat the bottom of the mushroom caps with olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and fill with the cream cheese mixture. Top with breadcrumbs and bake in the oven until golden brown. Serve hot.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

Emily from Philadelphia is another shareholder that will be sharing her family's CSA experience this season on her blog, Organic Lunch. She added sliced radishes and fried scallions to this portobello mushroom burger recipe from AllRecipes.com.

Portobello Mushroom Burgers
Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients
4 portobello mushroom caps
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
4 (1 ounce) slices provolone cheese

Directions
1. Place the mushroom caps, smooth side up, in a shallow dish. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, oil, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over the mushrooms. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes or so, turning twice.
2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
3. Brush grate with oil. Place mushrooms on the grill, reserving marinade for basting. Grill for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until tender. Brush with marinade frequently. Top with cheese during the last two minutes of grilling.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Mizuna with Tofu

Thank you to CSA shareholder Wendy from Philadelphia for submitting this January 2011 Bon Appétit recipe. Shareholders Neil and Makaylia from Ambler also recommend this recipe, and report that a small handful of mint leaves makes a delicious addition.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy and Mizuna with Tofu
Serves 4

Ingredients
3½ tablespoons soy sauce, divided
4 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
3½ teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar, divided
1 14- to 16-ounce container extra-firm tofu, drained
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 baby bok choy, leaves separated
12 cups loosely packed mizuna (about 8 ounces)
½ package shiitake mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms (Wendy's addition!)

Directions
1. Whisk 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sesame oil, and ½ teaspoon vinegar in bowl.
2. Stack 2 paper towels on work surface. Cut tofu crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices; cut each slice crosswise in half. Arrange tofu on paper towels and let stand 10 minutes. Pat top of tofu dry.
3. Heat peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and cook, without moving, until golden brown on bottom, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer tofu to paper towel to drain, then place tofu on sheet of foil and brush both sides with soy sauce mixture.
4. Wipe out any peanut oil from skillet. Add 2 teaspoons sesame oil and place skillet over medium heat. Add green onions, ginger, and garlic. Stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add remaining 1½ tablespoons soy sauce and 3 teaspoons vinegar, then mushrooms, then bok choy. Toss until bok choy wilts, 1 to 2 minutes. Add mizuna in 2 batches, tossing to wilt before adding more, 1 to 2 minutes per batch. Season greens with salt and pepper. Add tofu to skillet. Toss gently to blend. Transfer to platter.

Scallion and Sorrel Pancakes with Smoked Salmon

Thank you to CSA Shareholder Lindsay, from Wayne, PA, for sharing the following recipe! She adapted a leek/sorrel recipe from www.bigoven.com to use up her scallions, sorrel, and spinach from this week's share.

Scallion and Sorrel Pancakes with Smoked Salmon
Serves 8 to 10 (appetizer servings)

Ingredients
¼ cup unsalted butter
salt (optional)
4 cups chopped scallions
vegetable oil
2 cups sorrel (can substitute with spinach)
4 ounces smoked salmon
2 eggs
¼ cup All-purpose flour
sour cream, (optional, for garnish)
chopped chives (optional, for garnish)

Directions
1. Heat sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add butter when pan is hot. After butter melts, add scallions and sauté until tender but not brown. Add sorrel or spinach; cook briefly to wilt. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Add flour; whisk until smooth. Add cooled scallions mixture. Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Film with oil. When oil is hot, drop about 2 tablespoons batter for each pancake on griddle. Cook until brown. Turn and continue to cook until brown on other side. Remove from griddle and top with salmon, sour cream, and chives. Serve immediately.

"Raw" Turnip Ravioli with Scallion-Asparagus Cashew Cheese

Hi everyone! My name is Angela Salvucci, and I’m a raw food chef & instructor. I do private instruction & coaching on a raw food diet/lifestyle, as well as very unique in-home demos and dinner parties, and I also work with Fresh Thymes Café in Wilmington (a CSA share pickup location!) with raw lunch entrees on Thursdays, and completely raw, vegan (and gluten free!) dinners about once a month.

I have been so thrilled to pick up my CSA shares this spring, and I look forward to blogging about all of the awesome, fresh food I create with the gorgeous veggies. I also blog at my website, www.rawappetit.com, if you are interested in recipes beyond those made with the CSA items.

So, what the heck is raw food, anyway? First off, it’s entirely plant-based – just fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and some sprouted grains. Then, nothing is prepared above 112 degrees (or so!), which preserves all of the enzymes and nutrients in the food. With enzymes and nutrients intact, your food delivers maximum digestibility and a top-notch nutritional punch – will all of the amazing flavor nature intended! Proponents point to a raw or “living” diet as potentially healing, aiding in weight loss, and helping your body maintain optimal pH to stay disease-free. I eat this way because it makes me feel great…and it is delicious!

So let’s get to the food…today I created just about the cutest ravioli ever, and they were a lot quicker than traditional ravioli, because the shell is…turnips! The teeny harukei turnips that came in my half share this week, thinly sliced, made great ravioli shells, and I used my asparagus and scallions, blended into a cashew “cheese” as a filling – yum!

Ravioli shells:
1 small bunch turnips (beets work, too!)

Asparagus-Scallion Cheese
1 cup raw cashews
½ bunch of asparagus
1 large scallion
A medium lemon
Seas salt & black pepper, to taste

Simple Parsley Pesto
1 cup roughly chopped parsley
½ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Black pepper, to taste


First, soak 1 cup of raw cashews in fresh water for at least an hour (if you forgot this step, don’t worry! You may just need to add more water later on).

Next, make your pesto: in a food processer (I like a small one for this job), combine parsley, oil, salt and pepper until mostly smooth. You’ll still be able to see specks of parsley. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Pour into a small bowl and set to the side.

Drain cashews. In the same food processer (don’t bother washing it, we’re going to add a little pesto, anyway!), combine cashews with 2 tablespoons lemon juice (you lemon will likely contain 3 or so, depending on its size), a teaspoon of lemon zest, half a teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of fresh black pepper. Add ¼ to ½ cup of water SLOWLY, until your mix resembles a thick but smooth ricotta cheese, pausing to scrape down sides. Add ½ of the thick, white part of the scallion, blend in, and adjust salt, pepper and lemon to taste.

Slice your asparagus crosswise into thin rounds, about 1/8 of an inch, reserving the tops. In a small bowl, combine cashew cheese mixture with 2/3 of a cup of asparagus and the remainder of the white portion of your scallion, finely chopped.

Now, slice your turnips into very thin rounds. I use a spiral slicer, which makes long, thin connected ribbons, that I break apart and piece back into circles. You could also use a mandoline, or a very sharp knife (watch your fingers!) or even a potato peeler. Try to get the slices less than 1/8 of an inch, closer to 1/16.

Arrange a dozen or so turnip slices on a dinner plate. Top each with ½ teaspoon of the cashew-asparagus mixture, and top with another turnip slice. Press down lightly – don’t worry if some cheese leaks out the sides. Repeat with remaining turnip slices and cheese (this recipe will make 4-5 dozen). Drizzle parsley pesto on ravioli (covering up any slices or holes in the turnip with a little dollop of sauce), and garnish with reserved asparagus spears. As I like to say…raw appétit! Please feel free to email me at angelasalvucci@hotmail.com with any questions!