My Birthday: June 3rd, 1985 or 1885?

I recently celebrated my big 2-5...  but my friends thought that my birthday presents indicated that my actual date of birth must have been in 1885 rather than 1985.  What 1885 woman wouldn't be just as thrilled with her new pitch fork and antique sewing machine?  But alas, I can also go vote after I turn my compost pile.  ;)  

D and I going all American Gothic:

Me on my new old sewing machine from the 1930s:

Celebrate Good Kale Tofu Stir Fry

I have almost an entire bed of kale this year so I am thinking of any way I can to use up this nutrient-packed green.  The variety of kale I planted is called Dinosaur Kale.  Dark green, almost black.  Bumpy not curly like the kale you usually find in the grocery store.  And, I think it's more succulent and better tasting.

My latest kalebration was this delicious stir fry where it is paired with tofu and then served over soba noodles.  Tofu gets a bad wrap from a lot of people (including my co-blogger here), but I think if we stop thinking of it as a "meat substitute," and start thinking of it as its own thing, we'll find it surprisingly delicious.  Added bonuses are that it's much cheaper than meat (especially good meat), it's rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and there's no worry about disinfecting every surface after you're done preparing it.  Here's a great way to try it out along with a couple of its other "super food" companions if you've been hesitant thus far!

Recipe:
-One block extra firm tofu (12 oz), drained
-1/4 c soy sauce
-1/4 c rice wine vinegar (or whatever kind you have)
-2 Tbsp sesame oil
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-2-inch piece of ginger, minced (or 2 tsp dried)
-red pepper flakes
-2 Tbsp honey
-Soba noodles
-1/2 large onion, chopped
-2 green onions, sliced
-basil, chiffonade
-sesame seeds, toasted

->  A few hours before you plan on cooking it, I like to wrap my tofu in a tea towel or cloth napkin and then sandwich it between two plates, placing weight on the top.  This will press out any excess liquid, making your extra firm tofu even more firm, eliminating a complaint many people have about the "mushy" texture of tofu.

An hour before you start cooking, mix up your marinade for the tofu.  Marinating tofu is another way to add flavor to it, making it more desirable to the new tofu eater.  Mix the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, 3 cloves of the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.  Slice the tofu in half-inch slabs, lay flat in a pan, and pour marinade over top.  Half an hour later, flip your tofu so that the marinade penetrates both side evenly.  When it's time to get cooking, cut the tofu slabs into half-inch cubes.

Now it's time to get cooking!  Dump your remaining marinade into a small sauce pan, add honey and about 1/2 c water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer until slightly thickened and ready to add it to the stir fry.

Also at this time, put water on to boil for your soba noodles, and cook them according to package directions until al dente.

Meanwhile, saute onion, and garlic together in about a 1/4 c of oil until almost translucent.  Push to the sides of the pan, and add tofu to the center.  Brown the tofu cubes in the oil, keeping them in the center (where it's hottest) while your onions stay on the edges.  Once onions are translucent and tofu is browned, add the kale, season with salt and more red pepper flakes if desired, and cover, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted and well-mixed with tofu and onions.  Top with the sauce you've had simmering.

Serve the kale-tofu stir fry over the soba noodles.  Top with green onions, basil (I used local purple basil here), and toasted sesame seeds.  Enjoy!

~*TIP:  Using soba noodles instead of rice or pasta is a good way to boost the filling power and nutritional content of your meal.  These whole-grain buckwheat noodles, traditionally found in Japanese cooking, contain significantly more protein than their rice and pasta counterparts, as well as many other valuable nutrients.

Spicy Sausage Kohlrabi Bake

It all started with a difference of opinion.  On one side, sausage, rice, onions, finished.  The other, a masterpiece, or shall I say, a matsonpiece, waiting to be created.  Kohlrabi, kohlrabi, kohlrabi.  That's all she said, and that's all it took.  So here we are folks!

This is a fusion of two intertwined (unbeknownst to them) dinner destinies.

Recipe:
-2 links chicken sausage (whatever flavor you desire), chopped
-1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, chopped
-1 freshly picked kohlrabi, leaves removed with bulb and stems peeled and chopped

-1 (32 oz) can stewed tomatoes 

-basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste

-kohlrabi greens (leaves), chopped finely

-handful of spaghetti

-grated mozzarella and Parmesan cheese

->Brown sausage in oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and garlic.  Cook until onions are translucent. Add kohlrabi stems and bulb.  Cover and cook until well mixed.  

Meanwhile, cook spaghetti until al dente.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

Add tomatoes and spices to the kohlrabi-sausage skillet and simmer until kohlrabi is fork tender and tomatoes have reduced into a thick sauce.  Add kohlrabi greens and mix until wilted.  

Mix spaghetti and kohlrabi-sausage sauce together.   Pour into a large casserole dish.  Cover with desired amount of grated mozz and parm (we desired lots) and a sprinkle of basil and oregano.  Put casserole into preheated oven.  Bake until cheese is bubbly and golden.  

Serve with a fresh garden salad, and enjoy!

~*TIP:  If you don't have access to kohlrabi for this recipe, you can as always use kale or collards in place of the greens and broccoli (especially the stems) in place of the bulb.  However, a great alternative for later in the summer would be replace the kohlrabi with fresh, chopped peppers and eggplant.  Mmmmm....*~

Aunt Mae's Birds

This post is for a very special fella that we know by the name of Slick Action Jackson.  Amanda showed me this nest of birds in her front yard so I took a little footage of the lil' suckers for her nephew Jack.  I also took a little film of a bird in my front yard recently and thought that fit here as well.  Enjoy!

Baby Birds:



A Bird in the Yard is Worth Two in the Sky:



and then...  she's like...  what?

Stuffed "Grape" Leaves

Don't let 'em fool you...  These may look like stuffed grape leaves, but they are made with the pickled kohlrabi leaves from the last post.  If you didn't bother to pickle any kohlrabi leaves, no worries.  You can pick up a jar of grape leaves at the grocery store and make these from some someone else canned.  You just may want to rinse them before you use them because they'll be made with a lot more salt.  They seem like they take a lot of time to make, but it's mostly down time, and they were well worth it!

Recipe:
-1 large onion, chopped finely
-zest of one lemon
-1/2 c pine nuts
-1 c brown rice
-3 c vegetable stock
-2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill (or one Tbsp dried)
-1/4 c chopped parsley
-kohlrabi leaves, pickled a few days before (see last post)
-juice of two lemons

->Saute onion in oil with lemon zest until translucent.  Add pine nuts and rice.  Stir until coated.  Add 2 c vegetable stock 1/2 c at a time, simmer rice until liquid is evaporated each time and rice is almost cooked, but still a little crunchy in the middle (about 20 min).  Take off the heat and add dill and parsley.  Mix.

Unroll kohlrabi leaf and lay it out flat.  Put about 2 Tbsp of rice filling at the stem end of the leaf.  Then you will want to roll the filling up in the leaf like a burrito.  Fold the bottom of the leaf over the rice, then fold in the sides of the leaf.  Roll the rice mixture all the way up in the leaf.  Once it is rolled up, squeeze the stuffed leaf gently in your fist to remove any air or extra liquid.

Put the stuffed kohlrabi leaves in a wide deep skillet, seam-side down.  Pour the remaining broth, lemon juice and a heave drizzle of olive oil over them.  The liquid should be about halfway up the sides of the grape leaves.  If it isn't, add water or broth until it is.  Simmer with the lid on for about 30 minutes.  Remove from liquid.  Serve at room temperature or chilled on a bed of lettuce and garnish with olives (if for guests), or eat them straight out of the pan (if for you).

~*TIP: Put a heavy plate (or two) over the stuffed grape leaves while cooking them in the pan to hold them in place so that they don't unroll while simmering.*~

Pickled Kohlrabi Leaves

With my most recent kohlrabi harvest, because the actual kohlrabi stem did not really swell like it should on most of my plants, I am left with an abundance of kohlrabi greens to use.  I've put them to almost every use I can think of, but still I wondered, is there any way I could preserve these to use later?  Freeze them?  Can them?  Canning greens sounds gross, right?  But then I wondered if there would be a way to pickle kohlrabi leaves in the same way grape leaves are pickled.  Here is my attempt.  You could of course use this recipe on actual grape leaves or other sturdy greens.

Recipe:
-Kohlrabi greens, rinsed (at least 10 intact leaves bigger than your hand)
-2 tsp kosher salt
-1 c lemon juice
-1 quart water

->To prepare the kohlrabi leaves, cut stems off of leaves flush with leaf.  Trim thicker parts of stems off of back of leaves.  Blanch leaves by plunging them into boiling water until bright green then take out and stack flat.
Combine salt, water, and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
While waiting for liquid to boil, roll leaves up so that they will fit inside of a quart jar.  I rolled mine individually so that they would fill the entire jar, but if you had a lot of leaves, you could roll them in groups of three.  I find it works best to roll them like a burrito, fold in the sides of the leaf, and then roll them up.
Situate rolled leaves in a quart jar.  Pour hot liquid over the leaves, and put the lid and ring on the jar.  This would be the time to process the jar of kohlrabi leaves if you want to can them long term.  However, I planned to use them this week, so I just let the jar cool and then put it in the refrigerator.

~*TIP: See next post for how to use these to make home-made stuffed grape leaves, one of my favorites.*~

Hakuna Frittata

Whenever I say frittata, Derek breaks into song with Hakuna Frittata (like in the lion king, but about frittatas)...  so this kohlrabi-packed frittata is named in honor of his vocal abilities.  To initiate the week of kohlrabi, try this out for any meal of the day!  Think of a frittata like an omelet if you want to have it for breakfast or a quiche if for brunch or a Spanish-style tortilla if for lunch or dinner.  It's a great way to use kohlrabi, but as noted in the last post, you can sub in broccoli stems and other greens if you can't find kohlrabi.  Oh, and one last thing, please be sure to sing hakuna frittata while making this dish.

Recipe:
-1 medium onion, chopped
-3-4 cloves garlic, minced
-1 large kohlrabi (or more), sliced thinly
-stems from kohlrabi greens, sliced thinly
-1 large bunch of kohlrabi greens, sliced thinly
-6 eggs, beaten and seasoned
-thyme
-1/4-1/2 c sharp white cheddar, shredded

->  Sautè onion and garlic over medium heat in a small (omelet-sized) pan until well mixed.  Add stems from kohlrabi greens.  Cook for a few minutes, and then add kohlrabi.  Cook until onions are translucent and kohlrabi is fork tender.  Add greens.  Mix in and cook until just wilted.
Meanwhile, season beaten eggs with salt, pepper, and thyme.  When greens are wilted, pour eggs over vegetable mixture.  Mix gently so that eggs fill all the gaps between veggies.  Cook over medium-low heat *without stirring* until the mixture begins to set up underneath (the top will still be runny), or in my case until you start to smell burning eggs.  :)
Top with cheese.  Put the oven on broil, and pop it in until cheese is melted and golden and eggs have puffed up.  Let cool a few minutes.  Then, slice like pie and serve in wedges.  Sprinkle with parsley or other fresh herbs if desired.  Would also be good with a drizzle of plain yogurt.  Mmmmm....

~*TIP: If you're not so sure about how oven-safe your pan handle is, you can cover it with aluminum foil before putting it in the oven to protect it from the heat.*~