DILLY BEANS

2 Pounds trimmed green beans

1/4 cup pickling salt

4 heads dill

4 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 1/2 cups white vinegar

2 1/2 cups water

Pack beans, lengthtwise , into hot sterilzed jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

To each pint add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 garlic clove and 1 dill head.

Combine water,vinegar,and salt and bring to a boil.

Pour,boiling hot,over beans,leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Remove air bubbles.Adjust caps.

Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in boiling water bath canner.

Yield: about 4 pints.

GREEN & GOLDEN ZUCCHINI

Pineapple Zucchini Bread

A great bread to freeze for a winter time treat!

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup salad oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups coarsely grated unpeeled zucchini,omit seedy center. (squeeze out juice)
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained well.
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 9x5 inch loaf pans.
In a bowl, beat eggs until frothy,beat in sugar,oil and vanilla and continue beating until mixture is thick and foamy.
stir in zucchini and pineapple.
In another bowl, stir together flour, baking soda,baking powder,salt,cinnamon, nutmeg, and nuts. add to zucchini mixture and stir just until all flour is moistened. spoon batter into prepared pans.
bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn onto rack to cool completely.

Peanut Dipping Sauce

this is my version of a peanut sauce used for dipping chicken satay or fresh spring rolls.
great for dipping cucumbers!

1/2 C. hoisin sauce
1/4 C. peanut butter
1/4 C. juice (pineapple or apple works)
2 minced shallots
4 garlic cloves minced
1 or 2 T. chili garlic sauce or sriracha sauce

in small sauce pan:
saute shallot until soft then add garlic,cook for a minute longer.
add peanut butter to melt. add hoisin.
add juice to thin to dipping consistency.
top with chopped peanuts.

Use warm or cold. lasts a week in the fridge.

Ideas for using cucumbers!

sliced cucumber sticks with peanut dipping sauce. yumm!
cucumber salad with sweet rice wine vinegar.
refrigerator pickles.
cucumber sandwiches.
add to coleslaw.
cucumber dip.
add to salad.
add to fresh spring rolls.
cut up for ready to eat healthy snacks.
in a veggie tray for potluck.

What to do with too many cucumbers:
cucumbers do not freeze but you can preserve them for eating all year!
bread and butter pickles.
dill pickles.
sweet pickles.
pickle relish.

Basket of Veggies

Vegetable Soup Stock

Save all the trimmings from washed veggies, throw in a pot with water and bring to a boil ,simmer for 60 to 90 minutes. Strain to have a clear broth. Now you can cook it down to reduce for freezing or use it now.
Candidates for the stock pot:
trimmings from most veggies,
any greens,lettuces,radish leaves and trimmings
stalks from chards,kale,broccoli,kohl rabi leaves
onions,garlic,shallots, (even the root ends and papery parts!)
carrot,corn cobs,potato peelings
squash
peelings from just about any vegetables
also this is a good way to use up that old wilted lettuce or spinach
WASTE NOTHING!!!
Avoid:
beets(red stock)
peppers,eggplant,bitter greens like mustard/collards

here is a tip a friend gave me recently:
save all your trimmings in a large zip lock freezer bag until you have enough or have time to make stock. just pop them in the freezer! even if they get ice in the bag, they still are great to use for soup stock!
i have been doing this and it works great! and it is much easier to save even those little bits!
you will be so glad to have stock ready made when winter soup fever hits you!
you can substitute vegetable broth for any meat broth in any recipe, just like vegans do it!
and think of the $ you can save!

ENJOY!

ORANGE AND FENNEL SALAD

1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced 2 medium oranges, peeled 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons sweetened dried cranberries
Place the sliced fennel in a salad bowl. Slice oranges to divide flesh sections and add to bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt and pepper. Toss, top with sweetened cranberries and serve.

I USED CANNED MANDRIN ORANGES,BASALMIC VINEGAR,AND WALNUTS! YUMM!

BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES

Bread and butter pickles are my favorite cucumber pickle.
Ingredients:
4 pounds pickling cucumbers (15 cups sliced)
3 onions, quartered, sliced about 1/4-inch thickness
1/4 cup kosher salt
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1 tablespoons mustard seeds
Preparation:
Wash cucumbers and cut off the ends. Slice crosswise into 1/8-inch slices.( I USE A CRINKLE CUT POTATO SLICER! CRISPER & LOOKS COOL!)
Toss in a large bowl with the salt and onion slices; cover with about 4 to 6 cups of ice cubes. Cover and let stand for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.
(I USE AN ICE CHEST, MUCH EASIER TO DRAIN OUTSIDE AND RINSE!)
Prepare the boiling water bath. Add water to a large canner with rack and heat to about 180°. The water should be high enough to be at least 1 inch above the filled jars.
Heat water in a small saucepan; put the lids in the saucepan and bring almost to the boil;
Sterilze jars. wash & dry, place on cookie sheet in 225 degree oven for 15 minutes.(turn oven off and leave the jars untill you need them.)
Drain the cucumber mixture.(i rinse it)
In a large pot (nonreactive) over medium heat, combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add the drained cucumber mixture and bring almost to a boil. do not boil.
With a slotted spoon, loosely pack the vegetables in prepared jars. Ladle the liquid into jars, dividing evenly among the jars. With a clean damp cloth (I keep a little bowl or cup of the boiled water handy for this step), wipe away any drips around the rims of the jars then cover with 2-piece jar lids. A lid lifter comes in handy to get the flat lids out of the water, or you could use tongs. Adjust the screw on rings firmly but do not over-tighten. Place filled in the prepared boiling water bath, adding more hot water as needed to bring the water up to about 1 inch above the jars. Bring the water to a boil. Cover and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Lift the jars out of the water and place on a rack to cool.Makes about 6 pints or 3 quarts.

Tzatziki (fresh cucumber dip)

Tzatziki (fresh cucumber and yogurt dip)

Drain the yogurt a day before you plan to prepare the dip.
( also a great veggie dip or just for chips! )

Ingredients:
2 cups plain yogurt (NOT nonfat or lowfat, it won't drain)
2-3 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, grated
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
2 minced shallots
dash of cayanne pepper

Preparation:
Line sieve with cheesecloth and place over medium bowl. Place yogurt in sieve. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to drain in refrigerator overnight.
Mix cucumber and 1 tablespoon salt in small bowl; cover and chill 3 hours.
Transfer drained yogurt to another bowl.
Mix in sour cream, lemon juice, shallots, & dill.
Squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible from cucumber.
Stir cucumber into yogurt.
Season with pepper.
Cover; chill at least 2 hours for flavors to blend.
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Serve cucumber dip with baked pita wedges, chips, crackers, as a veggie dip or on gyros. also great drizzled across a grilled flank steak. Use your imagination!
Our favorite is with Ruffles potato chips!

I used my food processor to grate the cucumbers, then chopped them fine, used twice as much as the recipe called for then added the salt, which draws out the moisture, put in strainer overnight in fridge to drain, but squeeze all moisture out before adding to yogurt. put in a clean kitchen towel and twist (this works great for grated potatoes also)
Enjoy!

Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup

1 cup brown lentils rinsed
4 cups water
4 cups chicken stock or low sodium broth
Salt
3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving, optional
1 large onion, chopped
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 bunch of Swiss Chard (I have used red, green and both), coarsely chopped..(recipe says use only leaves, I also use ribs chopped)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper

In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils, with the water, stock and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil.
Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat until the lentils are barely tender, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the 3 T of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of salt, and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the chard and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes.

Add the chard mixture to the lentils, cover partially and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, season with pepper and olive oil and serve.

6 servings.
Food and Wine December 2002

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here is a place to share all our recipes and get ideas for great meals!

welcome to the red plow farm blog