Salad days

I am sure some variation on this theme has happened to just about every gardener who's ever planted lettuce at this time of year.  You know, the time when it all starts to grow.

One day, you have a little.  Tear it up, rinse it off, run it through the salad spinner and leave it stored in the fridge.

Then, you have even more.  It won't fit in the spinner, because that is already full of lettuce that you haven't finished yet.

Around this time, you are realizing that while you do really love eating salad, you are maybe feeling burned out on eating it every single day.  You are running out of ideas.  Especially since the tomatoes you're getting from the store aren't really that great in June.  Your spouse simply begins declining every offer of salad.

Then, if you are me, and decided to join a CSA, you receive even more lettuce.

Which means you now have to find a tertiary location for it.  The salad spinner is full, the crisper drawer is full, and pretty soon the entire bottom shelf of the refrigerator will be filled with greens.

And you still kind of don't feel like eating any more of it.  So you try to give some away, but have a real concern that your mother-in-law isn't actually going to come over and pick up the giant bag you have made for her (far left, above).

That is what I am discovering is the problem with salad/mesclun mix.  It has no other application.  While you could enjoy spinach and kale raw or cooked, cooked lettuce seems very, very gross. 

On the bright side, the succession planting sure is working!

And in other news, peas!  Finally!

Not enough to share, but I was flying solo for dinner that night anyway.

 You'll be shocked to hear this, but those peas were chopped up and joined some of their friends....

IN. A. SALAD.

Who knew these inexpensive Ikea pasta bowls would be getting so much publicity?

Kale City!

The good news is that the Toscano kale that I planted is flourishing - I plan to harvest it in the next few days.

The less-than-good news is that we also got a big bunch of Red Russian kale in our CSA bag last week.  That means kind of a lot of kale for 2 people in one week.  We do use some of this in juice, but I like trying to come up with other ways to cook it (besides the ubiquitous chips). And it absolutely had to be cooked last night, as it was starting to wilt quite depressingly in the fridge.

So, kale joined a few other random kitchen inhabitants in what I have decided to call "Mexican-Inspired Hash."

That blurriness in the middle frame is actually the steam coming off of my dinner - couldn't wait long enough to get a good photo!

To make this, you will need the following:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped*
2 medium sweet potatoes (yams)
1 package of chicken sausage (I used Spicy Jalapeno, which inspired the "Mexican-Inspired")
as much kale as you need to get rid of
1 clove garlic

*You could also add peppers or mushrooms if you have them on hand - chop them in pieces the same size as the onions and add in the same step

1. Heat some oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the onions
2. While the onions are cooking, peel and chop the sweet potatoes
3. Add the sweet potatoes to the pan, stirring with the onions.  At this point I also added a dash of Adobo seasoning, which imparts a nice "Mexican-Inspired" flavor
4. While the potatoes and onions are cooking, slice and dice the sausage into small pieces
5. Add the sausage, stirring again.  Increase heat to medium high (I did this to add some browning/charring to the sausage and potatoes)
6. Chop the kale into small pieces and add to pan
7. Mince or finely chop one clove of garlic
8. Add garlic to pan and reduce heat to medium-low.  Toss all ingredients
9. Cook until kale is your desired tenderness

This meal borders on "hearty," so I enjoyed mine with some salsa and guacamole to kind of brighten things up.

In general, when I am not putting kale into juice or dehydrating it into chips, I cook it like this - adding it at the end of dishes that are akin to stir-fries.  It cooks up quickly and adds nice color and vitamins to whatever you are making!  I make something along these lines probably once a week, with whatever veggies we have on hand, with or without meat, sometimes with eggs, sometimes with cheese... the possibilities are really endless.  You just need a generous saute pan and a hot stove!

First salad of the season! (or, how to make tofu croutons)

I think it is fair to assume that all of humanity can be divided into two groups - those who have an interest in something called "tofu croutons," and those who do not.  So I thought I'd be real upfront for those of you who don't, just so you know that buried within this post is information about this thing I've decided to call tofu croutons.  Don't shoot the messenger, carnivores.  You were warned.

The other night for dinner I decided to harvest some of the mesclun mix that is ready to eat.  I'd just bought some gorgeous looking strawberries and decided to incorporate the two into a salad.  Balsamic vinegar is a natural accompaniment to both salad and strawberries, so I mixed up a makeshift "balsamic vinaigrette" out of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a little lemon juice, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

I really would have loved to add some fresh basil, but as you can see in the picture, that plant is not quite ready for consumption!  So instead I settled for a little mint.

The salad was pretty, but nutritionally was not offering much as a dinner.  Enter the tofu croutons! To turn my block of extra firm tofu into crispy croutons, I followed the following steps (note that from start to finish this is a solid hour-and-a-half, so plan accordingly):

• Open and drain a package of Extra Firm Tofu
• Place between two plates with a heavy object on top (I used our juicer, since it was sitting on the counter anyway).  Leave for about 30 minutes -- this will press out any extra liquid and allow the tofu to better absorb the marinade.
• Cut tofu into chunks (mine were about 3/4 inch cubes). 
• Toss the tofu in either your own or store-bought balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  Allow to sit in a shallow pan or baking dish for another 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Spray a baking sheet with some type of non-stick cooking spray (I used olive oil spray)
• Scatter tofu pieces on the sheet, and bake for 20 minutes on middle or upper rack.
• After twenty minutes, check for crispness.  At this point, the "croutons" are cooked, but mine were still soft so I returned to the oven for another 20 minutes.  I like them very crisp on the outside.  You may want to set your timer in 5- or 10-minute intervals to be on the safe side.
• When they meet your established level of crispy-ness, remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.  Enjoy as a snack, on a salad, or in a stir fry.  I've also added them to soup.

I've experimented with many flavors on these little guys.  Another favorite thing is to do an Asian-influenced marinade (soy sauce, ginger, rice wine vinegar) and I toss in with stir-fry vegetables.  

When in doubt, Google "tofu marinade" for inspiration!

Swiss Chard

Here is what I know about Swiss Chard:
1) It is nutritious
2) It is typically prepared the same way you'd do spinach
3) It is easy to grow
4) You can eat the leaves and the stems (cooked).
5) It comes in a "rainbow" variety that I sadly did not buy seeds for, so mine is plain green

Here is what I know about myself:
1) I don't really like cooked spinach unless it is inside pasta.
2) Sometimes I grow things just because I can, not because I necessarily like to eat them (i.e., 'The Great Radish Debacle of 2009")