Cultivating Sustainability

This hearty vegetarian burger, adapted from from Cooking Light, is one of the tastiest I’ve ever had. Be prepared though, because it can be quite spicy. Serve with a side of potato fries for a complete meal. (*Indicates produce from Star Hollow Farm.)

INGREDIENTS

Burgers

• 1/2  cup diced onion
• 1/2  cup dry breadcrumbs or quick oats
• 1/4  cup chopped cilantro
• 2  tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
• 2  tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
• 1  teaspoon hot pepper sauce
• 1/2  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8  teaspoon salt
• 1  large egg*
• 1  (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
• 1  (8 3/4-ounce) can no salt-added whole-kernel corn, drained (or use frozen corn)

Chipotle Mayonnaise

• 1/4  cup  low-fat mayonnaise
• 1  teaspoon  canned minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce

Potato Fries

• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 large potatoes, peeled and sliced into 3 inch strips*
• 1 tsp montreal steak seasoning (a spice blend made of coarse salt, black pepper, red pepper, garlic, fennel and other spices and herbs)

Other

• 1  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 6-8  mini buns
• Arugula leaves*
• 6-8 thick slices of tomato*

DIRECTIONS

Potato Fries

1. Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 425 degrees F.
2. Toss sweet potatoes with oil and seasoning. Place on a 9X13″ baking dish, coated with olive oil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes until sweet potatoes are tender in the middle and crispy and brown on the edges.

Burgers

1. To prepare burgers, combine the first 10 ingredients in a large bowl. Add pinto beans and corn; partially mash with a fork. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal portions, shaping each portion into a 3 1/2-inch patty, and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
2. To prepare chipotle mayonnaise, combine mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon chipotle in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until thoroughly heated. Place patties on bottom halves of buns; top each patty with 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, arugula, one thick slice of tomato, and top half of bun.

I definitely went over board this time. I must have been really hungry when I made this purchase, because in addition to ordering the harvest box, I also ordered quite a few other things:

CSA Harvest Box

• baby lettuce mix – a bag of delicate lettuce leaves
• spinach – one pound of crisp spinach leaves
• lacinato kale – also called dinosaur or black kale
• asparagus
• radishes
• scallions
• strawberries

CSA A La Carte items

• english cucumbers
• sugar snap peas
• yellow hothouse tomatoes
• scallions (Oops. This was a mistake. I guess I should have looked more closely at the contents of the harvest box. Not sure what I’m going to do now with 2 bunches of scallions.)
• red swiss chard
• farm-grown shiitake mushrooms
• strawberries (I knew the 1 quart that came with the harvest box would be gone in no time.)

This is by far the easiest way to quickly cook asparagus. And, it just happens to be delicious too!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. asparagus spears, ends broken off
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp cream balsamic vinegar
• 1 pinch of sugar
• Salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Rinse asparagus in water and pat dry.
2. Heat oil in a non-stick large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, and saute for about 5 minutes.
3. Add balsamic vinegar and sugar, saute for another 2-3 minutes, or until the asparagus are crisp-tender.
4. Season with salt to taste.

Over the winter I made Butternut Squash Tortellini. I doubled the recipe and froze half so that one day, when I was too busy to cook from scratch I would could still have a fabulous meal with little effort. Well that day occurred multiple times this week. All you need to bring this recipe together is any type of spring green, such as arugula, spinach, swiss chard, or other green that wilts well (note: kale and collard greens are a little too tough/sturdy for this recipe).

This recipe makes 2-3 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 15-20 frozen Butternut Squash Tortellini
• 1/2 large sweet onion, such as vidalia
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
• 1 large bunch of swiss chard, spinach, arugula or a mixture of spring greens
• 1/2 jar of vodka marinara sauce, such as Trader Joe’s
• freshly grated parmesan

DIRECTIONS

1. Bring a large stock pot filled with water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, dice onion and coarsely chop the greens.
3. Add frozen butternut squash tortellini directly to pot of boiling water. Return water to a boil, and boil for about 5-10 minutes, or until the tortellini begin to float to the top. Carefully remove from the water and transfer directly into two- three serving bowls. Drizzle with a little olive oil and set aside.
4. Saute onion in olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, until the onion turns golden brown. Add greens and sauce, saute until the greens are just wilted and the sauce is hot.
5. Spoon sauce evenly over the tortellini and top with freshly grate parmesan cheese.

I just placed my order for the week. Looking forward to a weekend of cooking!

In 2005, I started my very first garden in a fabulous sized plot in the shared yard of our apartment in Blacksburg, VA. I learned quite a bit that first spring (e.g. there’s a reason why you should space seedlings a certain distance apart from one another, so as not to create a jungle garden). The next season (same plot) I felt quite experienced and confident in my gardening skills, but quickly realized that each season is different and brings with it different challenges (weather, pests, etc.).

Apartment Garden Plot | Blacksburg, VA

My husband and I then moved to Alexandria, VA, where I was exceptionally lucky to discover that the Chinquapin Park Community Garden was expanding and had some extra, unclaimed plots. My friend, Sara, and I were able to take over 2 plots. What a fabulous summer of gardening. The plots were huge – about 20 feet by 20 feet.

Chinquapin Park Community Garden Plot | Alexandria, VA

Sadly, my community garden plot days are over. My husband and I moved to Washington DC at the end of 2008. We quickly learned that community garden plots are in high demand, and there just isn’t enough of them to meet this demand. We tried to get a plot at the Kalorama Heights Community Garden. Although we live only a 5 minute walk from the garden and they had a couple of openings, as Adams Morgan residents we are out of the “catchment” zone. Perhaps these plots are meant only for those wealthy enough to live in Kalorama Heights. Well, after giving up on getting a community garden plot and being inspired by my friend and co-worker, John (the mastermind behind Grown in the City), I decided to take advantage of my patio and plant a few tomato plants and herbs in flower pots. While we do not get the best light (we’re on the north side of the building), the plants are flourishing.

Patio Flower Pot Garden | Washington, DC

Cherry Tomatoes

Mint

Basil

Garlic Chives

Since we have roof access, I’m going to take my tomato plants up to the roof so they’ll get full sunlight. Maybe if I ever become brave enough (note: we never asked for permission from our landlord to put our plants on the roof), I’ll expand my small flower pot garden to a full-sized roof garden. Perhaps a project for next summer?

I love this simple sandwich recipe. It’s a great way to use fresh spring produce such as radishes and salad greens. If you are lucky enough to have access to hothouse grown vegetables – cucumbers and tomatoes – as I was this week, then throw them on too for a deliciously thick and crunchy vegetable sandwich.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 tbsp chive cream cheese
• 5 slices of cucumber
• 4 slices of radish
• 1 slice of tomato, cut in half
• 1/2 cup spring greens (such as arugula, baby beet greens, mesclun, or other lettuce)
• 2 slices fresh bread

DIRECTIONS

1. Spread cream cheese evenly on both slices of bread.
2. Top one side with sliced cucumber, radishes, tomatoes and greens. Cover with other slice of bread.
3. Eat immediately or wrap in aluminum foil and refrigerate until lunch time.

This week I decided to opt out of Star Hollow Farm’s CSA Harvest Box and create my own. I love all the amazing late spring greens, so I ordered lettuce mix, curly kale, stir-fry greens and mixed chard. I also ordered portabella mushrooms, Tuscarora radishes, Austrian fingerling potatoes, asparagus, english cucumbers, hothouse tomatoes, and eggs. I am looking forward to making grilled portabella mushroom burgers, asparagus, and salad; sandwiches with cream cheese, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes and greens; and a few Indian dishes with potatoes, kale and chard. I may have gone a bit overboard with my order (I was quite excited and eager to cook when I filled out my rather large order for 2 people). This week will be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.

Stir-Fry Greens Mix (6 oz)

Mixed Swiss Chard (6 oz)

Green Curly Kale (1 bun)

Tuscarora Radishes (1 bun)

Portabella Mushrooms (1 lb)

Hothouse Tomatoes (2 lb)

English Cucumber (3)

Austrian Fingerling Potatoes (1 lb)

Windmill Meadows Free Range Eggs (1 dozen)

This is a simple, yet delicious variation of the cosmopolitan, that uses cranberry raspberry juice and lime juice.

Serving Size: 1

INGREDIENTS

• 2 oz high quality vodka (such as Ketel One)
• 2 oz cranberry raspberry juice (such as Trader Joe’s)
• 1/2 oz triple sec
• 2 lime wedges
• 4 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine vodka through triple sec, 1 lime wedge (squeezed), and ice cubes in a cocktail shaker (my favorite is the Metrokane Fliptop Cocktail Shaker – it never leaks as long as you firmly screw on the lid, and firmly press in the fliptop).
2. Pour in martin glasses, and serve with a fresh lime wedge.

Have you ever had a margarita that tastes like chemicals or that leaves that bitter aftertaste in your mouth? Look no further…this recipe is adapted from my friend, Kathy’s, homemade margarita mix. This recipe makes approximately 6 servings (depending on the size of the margarita glass). Serve along side an assortment of tex-mex dips (salsa, guacamole, bean-dip, etc.) and chips.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups organic lemonade (such as Santa Cruz)
• 1 cup freshly squeezed organic lime juice* (about 6-10 limes)
• 1/2 cup pulp free, organic orange juice
• 3/4 cup high quality triple sec or cointreau
• 1 cup high quality tequila
• Margarita salt
• 2 additional limes
• 6 margarita glasses

Note: The freshly squeezed lime juice is very important and really shapes the flavor of the margarita mix. You may want to invest in some kind of juicing tool to make your job easier. If you want to substitute some of the freshly squeezed juice with bottled, then use at least 2/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice and top with 1/3 cup bottled organic lime juice like Lakewood or Santa Cruz – both available at Whole Foods.

DIRECTIONS

1. To make the margarita mix, combine lemonade through orange juice in a medium-sized pitcher.
2. Add triple sec (or cointreau) and tequila to the pitcher, refrigerate until cold.
3. To prepare margarita glasses, quarter a lime, and using one lime wedge, wipe the rim of the margarita glass until wet with lime juice. Immediately dip the rim in margarita salt. (Note: it’s easiest if you pour a little margarita sauce onto a medium-sized plate and invert the glass directly on the plate. This way you won’t contaminate the entire container of margarita salt, too.)
4. Fill each margarita glass with ice and top with prepared margarita mix.
5. Enjoy with friends!