In Season Recipe: Balsamic Strawberries with Arugula

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WHAT?
A recipe?
What does that have to do with crafting, or business owning, or the New York Etsy Team?

Well last week, I wrote about joining a CSA as a way of incorporating a green and sustainable practice in your every day life.  I also discussed the benefits of supporting your local farmers and buying in season fruit and vegetables not just for you and your family, but for the community.

In the spirit of keeping with that idea, I've decided to share some good recipes during the summer and early fall months for you to use with seasonal produce, if you are a CSA member, farmer market shopper, supermarket shopper, or just want to whip up some good food for yourself, family and/or friends.

The requirement is that you love food. Really. That's it!

In a few weeks, I'll share composting (the scraps from your food preparation) tips for city dwellers, but I'll make sure to add in tips that don't require worms for anyone to use, too.

A bit of background before I share today's recipe:
About four years ago, I decided to try vegetarianism. I am not a vegetarian now, in fact, I love hamburgers, but I find myself eating vegetarian meals more and more.  It's been a natural progression and has easily been inspired by my environmental education.

Please know I am not expressing one way over another. I believe everyone should eat what they want and as they want. This is just my story.

When I made the decision four years ago, I purchased a cook book by Mark Bittman called "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" and it changed my life. It is a monster of a book, heavy and large, but it covers everything you could possibly imagine of cooking vegetables and fruit for every meal.  It has been a life saver since joining my CSA, as there have been countless Wednesdays where I'm staring a bunch of vegetables down, chewing my lip, trying to determine what to do with them.

And so last week, after first distribution, I was staring down a ton of vegetables with no clue what to do with my arugula and strawberries.

Yes, I could have eaten both individually, but should I whip up pesto? Should I make strawberry shortcake? What ingredients in my cupboards could I use to make deliciousness? 

That's where Mark stepped in.

I grabbed my copy of "How To Cook Everything Vegetarian" looked up arugula and found a recipe for "Balsamic Strawberries with Arugula". I can not express just how delicious it is. The arugula was fresh, the berries were the perfect combination of tart and sweet and were the right size (not the jumbo kind you see these days).


I'm pretty sure that I had too many berries to the bunch of arugula, and I definitely added a bit more balsamic vinegar than the recipe calls for, 3 Tbps, I believe, but it was perfect; the best fresh and light salad to kick off the strawberry season!

I also added optional goat cheese (at the bottom of the recipe), because I ate this as a meal with a small piece of baguette and called it a night.

Balsamic Strawberries with Arugula
by Mark Bittman
Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Time: 15 minutes

3 cups strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups arugula leaves
Salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. Toss the strawberries with the vinegar and black pepper in a large salad bowl and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add the arugula, sprinkle with salt, and toss again. Drizzle with olive oil and toss gently one last time. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Balsamic Strawberries with Arugula and Goat Cheese. Before the final toss in Step 2, crumble 4 ounces of goat cheese over the salad.

Happy eating!  If you make the recipe, let me know below. If you have a recipe you want to share or me to include, let me know.  Cooking is a sharing art.



Sara//
S2 Stationery and Design



Potato and pickled beet salad

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My husband was very anxious to kick off the barbecue season this year, partially due to a gradual change in my cooking habits in recent months which introduced vegetarian dishes to our dinner menu. Even though I enjoy a good steak once in a while, I love all the veggie-loaded side dishes. Potato and Beet salad is one of my family's and friend's favorites.




Ingredients:
1 can of Goya dark kidney beans
1 jar of Greenwood sweet & tangy sliced pickled beets
1 red onion
4-5 medium potatoes
Salt & pepper to taste
Mayonnaise

Recipe

Peel and dice the potatoes, place in a pot covering with water, add salt and cook on medium high until soft. Drain and let cool.

Drain the picked beets and cut into pieces.

Add diced red onion and drained red kidney beans.

Mix in mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper to taste.


Over the years, I have tried many brands of dark kidney beans and pickled beets, and learned that the ones I used in this recipe have the best flavour and texture. To make the salad a bit more sweet and tangy, I sometimes add a bit of liquid reserved from the pickled beets.

I hope you will enjoy this recipe, it truly is the perfect addition to an outdoor menu.


~ Mirela
Jantar Handcrafted Jewelry

Nutella Banana Crepes in under 5 minutes!

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In the spirit of February and loving yourself I wanna tell everyone about a sweet treat that you all will love! Nutella banana crepes. February is also the month of "World Nutella Day". This recipe is simple and will take less than five minutes to make. All you need is nutella, a banana, a tortilla, vanilla or hazelnut ice cream and confectioners sugar.

Dice banana into thin slices spread a thin layer of nutella to cover tortilla, spread diced bananas onto tortilla and fold then fold over once again.


Grill on George foreman grill, sandwich or panini maker or cook on stove top in a small pan for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until slightly brown and chocolate is warm and melted.

Next sprinkle w confectioners sugar and top w a scoop of ice cream.

Enjoy!!
Elena
Kokalakijewelry.etsy.com

in the kitchen with the {newnew}: espresso shortbread

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though i first made them for christmas gifts, these very grown-up cookies seem tailor-made for valentine's day. they'd be right at home next to a big cappuccino or latte on a breakfast-in-bed tray, or tucked into a bowl of ice cream for dessert. your valentine will thank you....

ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 cup ground espresso
1/2 teaspoon salt
4-6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (or use chips)


1) beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until creamy and smooth (about 2 minutes). add the vanilla and beat well. on low speed, mix in the flour, espresso, and salt until just combined.


2) scrape the the dough out of the mixing bowl with a spatula, making sure all ingredients are incorporated. form it into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least two hours.


3) preheat oven to 300˚. roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4" thick (it should be about an 8" x 10" rectangle). using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 2" squares and place 1" apart on ungreased baking sheets. prick them with a fork, and bake until pale golden around the edges, about 20-24 minutes. cool completely on a wire rack.


4) when the shortbread is cool, melt the chocolate on medium-low heat in the microwave until liquid---about 2-1/2 minutes in my microwave, possibly faster in yours. dip half of each shortbread square into the chocolate. as you get down to the bottom of the bowl, use a spatula to scrape out the dregs of the chocolate and coat the last of the cookies. though the picture below shows them cooling on a rack post-chocolate, i found the chocolate stuck to the rack, and had better luck when i cooled them on wax paper in future batches.




- cakehouse

Happy New Year: Japanese-American Potato Salad Recipe

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All over Asia, New Year's is the family holiday of the year, and Japan is no exception. Back in the old country, people sit around on New Year's Day reading their enormous stacks of New Year's cards and eating Osechi, but we've gotten a little more casual this side of the pond. (A friend of mine calls it the "hang-over party.") The main traditions we've saved at my household are spending a whole day eating delicious food enjoying the company of family and close friends.

Try this Japanese-American twist on good old potato salad!




Japanese-American Potato Salad
(serves a crowd)

5lbs of Russet Potatoes, peeled and in large dice
8 hard boiled eggs, shelled and in large dice
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 carrot, roughly grated
2 Tbsp. dried baby shrimp
2 cups mayonnaise (more or less depending on your taste)
Salt and Pepper

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water until tender, but firm. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, eggs, peas, and carrot. If necessary, mince baby shrimp finely (you shouldn't be able to see them once incorporated into the salad), sprinkle over salad and combine. Add mayonnaise until it reaches the consistency you like, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. This salad tastes best if left in the refrigerator overnight to let flavors combine.

You might tuck this recipe away until the Lunar New Year, it's never failed on Chinese New Year's either!

~Kari
http://ikyoto.etsy.com