Simple Roasted Chicken

A whole chicken sprinkled with freshly chopped herbs was roasted in the oven. When there was approximately 30 minutes cooking time left for the chicken, I added french fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, turnips, kolrabi and carrots.

Fresh green beans cooked on the stove were the perfect accompaniment for this traditional meal.

Vegetable Curry

This Thai-inspired vegetable curry is a great way to incorporate whatever vegetables I have on hand from the csa. Here I roasted the squash, kohlrabi and turnips in the oven. In a large pot, I sauteed onions, lemongrass (always take back out because it can't be chewed) and an ancho pepper, added garlic, chopped carrots and chopped greens. I poured in a can of coconut milk.

In order to maintain the Thai philosophy of including sweet, salty, spicy, sour and bitter in the dish, I added a little agave nectar, fish sauce, chili paste, fresh ginger (from my garden), spicy basil and fresh lime juice. With the addition of the roasted veggies, it had a lovely flavor. We poured it over brown rice, and there were no leftovers.

Hummus Lasagna

I had quite a few csa veggies I was looking for a way to prepare. I decided to try just unloading them in a lasagna. I replaced the ricotta layer with hummus for a healthier version, and I didn't have any ricotta on hand. I used loads of swiss chard and other greens as well as squash I roasted in the oven with chopped onions.

I added some fresh chopped basil from my herb garden in the layers.

I topped the lasagna with a tomato sauce and sprinkled some parmesan.

Surprisingly, the entire family enjoyed this strange lasagna hybrid. They even took seconds.

We love to top off a meal with a rustic fruit tart made with fresh summer peaches and berries.

Overloaded Vegetable Quiche

I lined a springform pan with a crust I made. In a separate bowl, I combined lots of fresh eggs from around the corner with a little rice milk. I finely chopped all the vegetables in the refrigerator that no one was interested in. I added some carrots and finely chopped broccoli. I mixed the eggs with the veggies and poured into the crust. After baking at 350 until the quiche was firm, it was pulled out and rested until dinner.

Lovely Vegetable Dinner

Mashed cauliflower with a mushroom topping (mushrooms sauteed in butter and Braggs's liquid amino's), roasted yellow squash and fresh green peas.

When in the mood for decadence (in a healthy way)

Ingredients:

Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup crunchy almond butter (preferably unsweetened and unsalted)

• 3/4 cup Barbara's wheat-free oatmeal snackimals crumbs

• 1/4 cup maple sugar or other granulated sweetener

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

• 1/4 cup almond milk

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or almonds

Directions:

Line several mini-muffin tin with paper liners. (If You Care makes unbleached liners made from recycled paper.) Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the almond butter, cracker crumbs, and maple sugar and mix well. Remove the mixture from the heat. Evenly divide the mixture, approximately 2 tsp. per cup, among the muffin cups.

Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture. Top with chopped nuts. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

Modified from The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. Published by Rodale Books. © 2009

Annual ill-fated cherry ricotta birthday cheesecake

I drain and drain and drain. The cherries are drained for 24 hours, the ricotta is drained for 24 hours, but still the cake is to wet.