Rebecca, Author at Daily Rebecca

Second CSA Share and Recipe!

August 6, 2010

This afternoon Grace and I took a quick ride over to Kensington in GP to pick up our second box of produce from Maple Creek Farm!

Here’s what we got in our share this week:

Corn, cabbage, potatoes, red onion, zucchini, squash, green peppers, red pepper, cucumbers and green beans.

So for dinner tonight I was inspired to create a new take on a familiar dish. Generally I make Skillet Chicken Mozzarella, but I decided to forgo the chicken and add extra veggies, so I turned it into Skillet Veggie Mozzarella! (recipe below)

I really wish there was a way you could smell the onions, garlic and veggies sauteing on the stovetop!

Served over whole wheat pasta with a chunk of crusty bread and a glass of cabernet sauvignon…it was delish!

And just because I can’t resist…here’s a picture of my Graciebear in her makeshift bath. We’re trying to keep her up later to get an extra feeding so that she’ll sleep longer through the night. Bath time is her favorite, so it’s a good way to extend her night without having her fuss. Lugging out the bathtub is an ordeal, so we decided to give her a no-soap bath in the sink to accomplish our mission.

Skillet Veggie Mozzarella

INGREDIENTS:

Extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 zucchini diced

1 summer squash diced

1 red bell pepper diced

1 can diced tomatoes

Coarse salt/freshly ground pepper to taste

8 oz ball of fresh mozzarella, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saute pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and saute until translucent.

2. Add the zucchini, summer squash, red bell pepper and garlic. Saute until the veggies s become tender. Add the diced tomatoes and salt/pepper and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Cover the veggies with the sliced fresh mozzarella, cover and simmer until mozzarella is fully melted (approx 5 minutes). Serve immediately over whole wheat pasta (I generally use “egg noodle” or penne rigate shaped pasta)

Veggie Freak!

August 2, 2010

I recently signed up for a season share (CSA) with Maple Creek Farms. This means that I get a box of produce each week depending on what’s being harvested. My first share was ready for pickup last Friday. I just drive over to a house in Grosse Pointe, walk into the garage, check my name off on the list and grab my box. The first share consisted of: wax beans, onions, zucchini, broccoli, green peppers, cucumbers and corn. I’m determined to use the veggies in creative new recipes and so far it’s been so fun!

Here’s the contents of my MCF box for the week:

So far I’ve made chicken kabobs (with chicken from the Amish Market, green peppers, cucumbers and onions from my MCF box, and tomatoes and mushrooms from the Royal Oak farmers market. I served it with Wild Rice Pilaf from Trader Joe’s. DELISH!

I also made amazing zucchini patties with one of the giant zucchinis from my parent’s garden.

Today I made a cucumber onion salad (thinly sliced cucumber and onion, sugar, salt, pepper and rice vinegar) with more of my farm veggies.

And I whipped up 2 loaves of vegan zucchini bread. I was skeptical that it would turn out well without any animal products, but it is SO MOIST and DELICIOUS!

Recipes

Zucchini Patties

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups grated zucchini

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

salt to taste

cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used coconut oil for its many health benefits)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, onion, flour, Parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, salt and cayenne pepper. Stir well enough to distribute ingredients evenly.

2. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drop zucchini mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls, and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden.

Vegan Zucchini Bread

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons flax seeds

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

few dashes nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup white sugar (I used the full cup but think that 3/4 would be sufficient)

1 cup packed brown sugar

(I used the full cup but think that 3/4 would be sufficient)

3/4 cup vegetable oil (again I used coconut oil)

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups cups shredded zucchini

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9×5 inch loaf pans. Whisk together the flour, flax seeds, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder in a bowl until evenly blended; set aside.

2. Whisk together the applesauce, white sugar, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture and shredded zucchini until moistened. Divide the batter between the prepared loaf pans.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Happy 1 Month Birthday Grace!

July 31, 2010

Four weeks ago today my little peanut was born. Part of me feels like she’s been a part of our family forever and part of me feels like that day was just yesterday. I’m trying to treasure every single moment and not worry so much about her schedule, going back to work or any other thing that could rob me of these precious moments.

A few fun facts about Grace:

She moves her mouth in a million cute little ways while she sleeps.

She’s just started to stare at me from a few feet away…I haven’t noticed her staring at anyone else just yet :)

She loves to be naked on her changing table…she’ll literally stop a full-on scream the moment she’s laying there sans diaper.

She love bath time! It’s so sweet to watch her skinny little legs floating in the water. She’s super strong and likes to kick a lot, but when it comes to bath time she just lets those little legs and feet float in the warm water.

She’s a real-live bobble head! After week 2, she will no longer lay her head on your shoulder when she’s being held vertically. She bobs it all over the place freaking out the many people who are trying to delicately handle her.

She’s been struggling with gas and reflux, but it doesn’t keep her from being a champion sleeper. She takes after her mommy in that way :)

Happy One Month Birthday Graciebear!

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