Squash soup is seemingly more labor intensive than it really is. While you do have to allow for the time the squash will spend roasting in the oven, my recipe with it’s short list of ingredients takes no more than 30 minutes of active preparation. If you’re in a huge hurry you can always cook the squash in the microwave, but it’s also very easy to roast the squash the day before so you can have a healthy, hearty soup on the table in no time flat.

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With this recipe the only thing you’ll be missing is the high fructose corn syrup in most varieties of canned cranberry sauce. You’ll get some extra fiber to boot and the opportunity for creative expression with some suggestions for optional spices.
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I realize a recipe for hot soup may not be the most popular thing in Central Ohio at the beginning of July, but it is what I was inspired to make last week with the vegetables from my CSA share.

A couple of weeks ago we started getting early wonder beets. For some reason I was not in the mood to roast them for a salad or pickle them for winter use. Instead, I thought I’d wait and see what would come in our produce box the following week that I might be able to combine them with. When I opened the box and saw the collard greens and carrots along with more beets, it struck me that the collard greens would probably make a fine stand in for the traditionally used cabbage in borscht.

The recipe I came up with is more streamlined than the borscht recipes I worked on last fall, but it is still a dish that takes some time. I recommend roasting the beets and cooking the beef a day ahead while working on and eating the current day’s supper. That way, you can throw the rest of the recipe together in a jiffy the following day as it would only take 30 minutes to bring it all together if those two steps are done in advance.

In regard to preparing your beets for storage and cooking:

If your beets come with the greens still on (they are edible too!), make sure to cut the greens off about 1/4″ - 1/2″ from the top of the beet. Leaving the greens attached will cause the beet or root to loose moisture and nutrients. Scrub the beets well. There is no need to trim off the entire top or tail before roasting. Once the beets have been roasted and cooled, they will easily slip out of their skins. I like to wear kitchen gloves when handling the cooked beets. The deep color will stain your hands or anything else it comes in contact with!

Lastly, I can’t do all this writing about beets without sharing a bit about their nutritional value. Beets are a low calorie food that act as a natural cleanser. They nourish the blood stream and remove toxins from the body. They are high in Vitamin C and are a particularly rich source of potassium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. As with carrots, I highly recommend consuming organically raised beets in favor of those grown in soil that has been treated with chemical pesticides and fertilizers since they so readily absorb what is in the soil.

If you have a favorite beet recipe, I hope you’ll share it with me. I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy this tasty root.

Early Wonder Beet and Collard Green Borscht

Notes:

This recipe may be made entirely vegan by substituting sliced mushrooms for the stew beef, using vegetable stock and vegan sour cream. I’ve made borscht in this fashion many times and have never missed the beef! When using mushrooms instead of beef, I cook them until all the liquid has been released and has evaporated, allowing the mushrooms to caramelize a bit before adding the stock and continuing on with the recipe. This cuts the top of stove cooking time down by about one hour.

• 5-6 large beets
• 2 T. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lb. stew beef
• 3 qt. stock
• 3 small onions, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 12-16 large collard green leaves, ribs removed and leaves shredded
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• chopped fresh dill, for garnish
• sour cream, for garnish
• pumpernickel bread

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub beets, wrap in foil and roast until soft, about 1 1/4 hours. Cool and peel.

Meanwhile, heat a large heavy pot over medium-high heat; add oil and tilt the pot to coat the bottom with oil. Add beef, season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Add stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (Roasting the beets and braising the meat may be done a day ahead.)

Add the chopped onion and carrot to the beef and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Add the shredded collard greens and grate in the roasted and peeled beets. Cook until the collard greens are wilted, about 5 minutes; then stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Serve borscht topped with a dollop of sour cream and chopped fresh dill along with a thick slice of pumpernickel bread.

Serves: 6-8 adults

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I am embarrassed that is has been well over two months since my last post, and I apologize for not keeping up with bringing you new recipes and helpful kitchen tips. The good news is that December, January and February have been busy months for me. Amidst the flurry of activity I’ve been experiencing over the last few months, I have been filing away ideas to share with you in the coming weeks. Today I will share with you a recipe that is simple, tasty, healthy and seasonal (even if you live in the Midwest). First a little bit on eating seasonally.

One of the many objections I hear to eating seasonally is that it is difficult to impossible to do during the winter unless you live in certain parts of the country where farmers markets are available year round. I agree that it does take a bit more effort and creativity, but with a little knowledge eating seasonally is something everyone can aspire to do on a more frequent basis.

After participating in a CSA program for the first time during the spring/summer/fall of 2008, I had a hard time imagining not getting a weekly box of farm fresh produce throughout the winter months. As such, I began researching my options for consuming local produce over the winter. My first stop was to the Local Harvest website. After plugging in my zip code, I was provided with a list of farms near Columbus, Ohio that have CSA programs, sell directly to the public or participate at local farmers’ markets. Naturally the list of winter markets and winter CSA programs was thin compared to those that operate from April through October, but to my relief there were options! I ended up buying a share from Green Edge Gardens.

We are now coming up on 10 weeks into the winter program, and I have been spoiled once again. Of course the variety of produce in winter is not as great but what we have received from Green Edge has been plentiful, of high quality and tastes amazing. We’ve been enthusiastic recipients of winter squash, potatoes, oyster mushrooms, micro green mix, sweet potatoes, spinach, garlic, Swiss chard, arugula, sunflower sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, pac choi and even quart jars of canned tomatoes!

If you’ve been unaware of how to find local produce to grace your table, I encourage you to visit www.localharvest.org or send me a message. I’m always happy to help others get plugged-in to their local farming community.

Finally, I leave you with the recipe for a meal we’ve been enjoying frequently during these cold winter days.

Asian Greens and Shiitake Stir Fry

note: all quantities are approximate and need not be exact

• 1 bunch baby bok choy, spinach, swiss chard or any other relatively sweet green
• 1 quart Shiitake or oyster mushrooms
• 1 pound cubed firm tofu, optional
• 1″ piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 -2 T. soy sauce or salt to taste
• up to 1/3 c. water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
• 1 t. arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Wash greens and cut or tear into pieces if very large and set aside. The greens will shrink quite a bit so there is no need to be laborious about this step.

If using shiitakes, trim stems. If using oyster mushrooms, cut to medium-sized pieces. Set aside.

Heat a large non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. If using tofu, add a small amount of oil to the bottom of the pan and brown on all sides if desired. Otherwise it can simply go into the pan at the end of cooking just long enough to heat it up.

Add mushrooms and soy sauce to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly just until mushrooms begin to soften. If the pan begins to get too dry and the mushrooms and tofu stick, add a bit of water or stock.

When the mushrooms have softened, add the greens, minced ginger and sliced garlic. If you have opted to not brown the tofu, add it at this time. Allow the greens to wilt. While the greens are wilting, combine arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) and remaining stock. Pour the mixture over the mushrooms and greens and thoroughly stir in. Cook until the sauce begins to bubble.

Serve hot over steamed rice.

Yield: 2 servings

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Last week I was blessed to enjoy a couple of days off to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. Everyone contributed to the holiday meal in some way, and one of my contributions was my sweet potato casserole.

For me, Thanksgiving dinner isn’t a Thanksgiving dinner without sweet potatoes on the table. Sweet potatoes were so well liked in my family I can’t really remember that we ever had any left over from a meal whether it was Thanksgiving or not. Imagine the panic and shock I experienced when my husband, Bob, told me he did not like sweet potatoes as I planned the very first Thanksgiving meal we would eat together as a married couple.

“Um, how can we have Thanksgiving dinner without sweet potatoes?” I thought to myself. It just did not compute for me.

Determined that I could figure out a way to make anyone enjoy eating just about anything, I kept sweet potatoes on the menu. Though I can’t remember the details of what he didn’t like about his previous encounters with sweet potatoes, I do remember giving him the third degree to find out what didn’t work for him in the past. I am blessed with a wonderful husband who is willing to try anything I make, and that year we had an enjoyable dinner which resulted in Bob’s realizing sweet potatoes really can be good.

My presentation of this classic fall and winter dish has changed a bit over the years, but one thing remains the same - this recipe has converted many non-sweet potato eaters. It’s great not only with the thanksgiving turkey, but also with roast duck, pork or my spice rubbed chicken. You can also use any leftovers to make sweet potato ravioli.

This recipe makes plenty for a crowd. Halve it and bake it in an 8″ x 8″ pan if you’re making it for a family dinner.

Sweet Potato Casserole

For the potatoes:

• 4 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes 
• 2/3 c. brown sugar 
• 1/4 c. butter, softened* 
• 4 eggs* 
• 2/3 c. milk*
• 2 t. vanilla 
• 1 t. salt

For the topping: 

• 2/3 c. brown sugar 
• 1/3 c. flour 
• 3 T. chilled butter* 
• 1/2 c. pecans 

Preheat oven to 350° F. Scrub potatoes and prick all over with a fork.

Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until a skewer is easily pushed into the center, about 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool and peel. This step is easily done the day ahead. 

Combine all topping ingredients in a food processor and pulse together until somewhat crumbly. Set aside.

Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Combine brown sugar, butter, eggs, milk, vanilla, salt and baked sweet potatoes in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until potatoes are completely mashed and mixture of thoroughly combined.

Spread potatoes in prepared baking dish and sprinkle pecan mixture all over the top. Bake for approximately 40 minutes or until potatoes are completely hot and topping is crunchy.

*Notes: 
To make this casserole completely vegan use vegan spread in place of the butter and soy or rice milk in place of the milk.

In place of the eggs, combine 1/4 c. ground flax meal and 3/4 c. water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture is thick. Allow to cool. This step may be done the day ahead along with the baked sweet potatoes.

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