The Makeshift Cook

Last Wednesday marked the first delivery of my CSA share from Riverbend Farm. The spring has been so long and cool that it took a little longer than usual for harvestable veggies to start appearing, and some stuff, like the delicious broccoli, never got particularly big and robust, thanks to the cool weather. But the greens pulled on through!


Lots of things about buying a CSA share totally appeal to me, but one of the things I like the most is the surprise element. I'm not a total neophyte w/r/t to when certain veggies are in season, so I have some idea of what to expect. I guess what I'm saying is that the idea of preparing meals with whatever mystery veg is delivered on Wednesday appeals to me quite a lot (hence this blog).

So on Wednesday night I used the broccoli, tatsoi, some of the broccoli rabe, and scallions in a stir fry, and then I made a simple salad with the beautiful green and red lettuces and tender radishes.


It's not much of a recipe: fry the tofu in veg oil and Bragg's or soy sauce, separately. Smash a garlic clove and toss into a saute pan with olive oil and some crushed red pepper. Heat and add greens, sauteing until tender, adding water as needed. Season with sesame oil and a bit of salt or soy sauce, or just eat straight up with tofu. Top with scallions.


I also got a pot of herbs in my first CSA box--just need to divide and replant so that the couple we're splitting our share with can also enjoy the parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, basil, and chives.

This week's Quantity Bean is the Kidney, a powerhouse of fiber, protein, and iron. Here's what I've done with it so far:

-Made a vegan risotto with kidney beans and kale, using homemade vegetable stock (a first for me, how sad). I know, it sounds boringly nutritious, but it is actually quite good and settles like a ton of tasty bricks in your stomach. Use any basic risotto recipe and stir in kidney beans towards the end. Recommended for cold, blustery weather.
-Adapted the Veganomicon Chickpea Cutlet recipe that I am always talking about with kidney beans. I think this recipe would work well with any combination of beans and spices, really. It's magic.

Kidney Bean Cutlets
Mash together:
1 cup cooked kidney beans
2 T olive oil

Mix in:
1 medium carrot, grated fine
2 scallions, chopped
1 T of Braggs Liquid Aminos (I used 2 and it was too many, just FYI)
2 t adobo sauce
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup bread crumbs. I don't ever have bread crumbs handy, so I just toast a slice of bread and crumble it, and that works just fine.

Knead for a few minutes until the gluten strands form and the whole mass is holding together. Divide into four equal pieces, knead each briefly, and press into patties or cutlets or animal shapes, if you like, as long as they're flat and more or less uniform in thickness. Fry in delicious olive oil at medium-high heat until both sides are brown and the patties are firm. Serve with hot sauce and avocado.

I have made the Chickpea Cutlets many times, by the way, and have screwed up the recipe more than once, too, either by adding too much liquid or forgetting something, and it never seems to matter--they are always delicious.

If your rice is already flavored with lime juice and cilantro, there's no point in trying to make rice pudding out of it. Instead, grate a carrot, chop some cabbage, add more cilantro and lime juice, a few chopped scallions, a splash of orange juice, a little salt, a little olive oil, and some diced avocado. Mix it up and eat it up.

Here are some other things I have done with my recent Big Batch of Beans.
1. Bean dip. You can treat these little critters pretty much like black beans, which is to say: spice them with olive oil, garlic, cumin, chipotle peppers, lime, cilantro and/or leftover salsa and puree using your favorite pureeing machine. I did two different incarnations of bean dip for two different cookouts. The smokier, more chipotle-heavy one was a bigger hit. But some people like the cilantro-heavy first one.

2. Chili. Again, use in place of black beans in your favorite recipe.

3. Stew. I guess this wasn't really all that different from the chili, but I didn't use any chili POWDER. Sauteed onions and garlic and adobo sauce, added some tomatoes and the leftover beans and broth, realized there were hardly any beans left, and quick chopped up sweet potatoes and zucchini and simmered with frozen corn. I also fried some cubed tofu in oil, braggs, chili powder, cumin, and coriander, and sprinkled with lime juice. Served the whole shebang over cilantro-lime brown rice.

The adzuki beans are finally gone and it's time to move on to some other corner of my bean stash. I'll keep you posted.

Hat tip to What the hell does a vegan eat, anyway, for depicting a version of this dish and sending me on an internet quest for more information.

Turns out not much information is needed. This is a one-pot meal with potatoes, pasta, green beans, and pesto. I added olive tapenade and Gimme Lean snausage for extra flava.



Pasta Genovese
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
8 ounces of pasta (a short cut of pasta--I used farfalle)
A few handfuls of green beans (I used frozen)
As much pesto as you need--at least 3 tablespoons, I'd say
Tapenade if you have it, or some chopped kalamata olives
Gimme Lean sausage, or your favorite alternative

Bring a big pot of water to a boil and then salt it. Add potatoes and cook until tender but holding their shape. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.

While this is going on, heat a bit of oil in a saute pan and add your veggie sausage in little plops and cook until nicely browned.

About 3 minutes before the pasta is scheduled to be done, add the green beans. If you're using frozen, add them a bit at a time, so you don't interfere with the water boiling.

When everything is done, drain in a fine colander, reserving some of the cooking water. I didn't actually need any, but it's a good thing to have on hand in case your pasta plus adornments seems a bit dry or sticky. Pour the pasta mixture into a bowl and stir in the pesto and olives/tapenade and sausage. If cheese is your thing, add some parmesan too. Salt (if needed) and pepper to taste and chow down.

My first adzuki bean project for the week was a super-hearty noodle dish.

Greens, Tofu, and Adzuki Beans with Soba Noodles
For the tofu:
Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil and a few dashes of soy sauce (or shoyu, or tamari, or whatever) over medium-high heat. Add a package of cubed firm tofu and saute until all sides are golden and crispy. When done, set them aside on a plate.

For the noodles:
Boil water and cook noodles according to package directions. Don't overcook unless you like gummy soba.

For the veg (use the tofu pan!):
A bit more oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch fresh ginger, minced
1 bunch of stemmed, chopped lacinato kale (regular is fine too)
As many chopped mushrooms as you like
2 cups cooked adzuki beans and some bean broth
A few handfuls of fresh chopped spinach, why not?
3 scallions, chopped
Sesame seeds
Rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sri racha to taste

Heat the oil in the pan and add ginger and garlic. Saute quickly and add chopped mushrooms and a bit of water if the pan is too dry. Add chopped kale, and a bit more water and some soy sauce, and braise your delicious greens. When the greens are cooked, add adzuki beans and broth, and cook it all together, adding water whenever the pan is dry. Dash on some sesame oil and sri racha sauce, and add the tofu back in and stir to coat.


Serve over noodles garnished with scallions and sesame seeds.

Then! You have leftover noodles, and you want something like lo mein, and your co-op had house brand broccoli slaw for half price, so:

Broccoli Noodles
A bit of veg oil
A bit of sesame oil
A minced garlic clove
An inch of minced fresh ginger
A chopped leek
A ten ounce bag of broccoli slaw, or a bunch of peeled and grated brocc stems
A grated carrot
Some leftover noodles
Rice vinegar, soy sauce, and sri racha
A handful of chopped cilantro

Heat the oils and saute garlic and ginger for a minute or two. Add leek and saute until wilted and translucent. Throw in broccoli and carrots, and a few splashes of rice vinegar and soy sauce. Cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp, and stir in the noodles to coat and reheat. Add sri racha to taste and a wad of cilantro. Yummmm.


I love this because it ends up being mostly broccoli with just a few noodles mixed in.

It's been the week of the chickpea here at the makeshift kitchen. Several days ago I cooked up a huge batch with no real plan for them, but it's been nice to have cooked beans on hand to use as I wish (and with which to make yet more Chickpea Cutlets). I just cooked an even larger batch of aduki/adzuki/azuki beans, so stay tuned as I explore their manifold uses.

Anyway, this slaw thing just sort of came to me after I shredded a bit of beet for a variation on the house salad the other day. I love beets in all forms, but I have to say I haven't done a lot of raw beet goodness apart from the occasional trip to a juice bar (my favorite: carrot apple beet juice with lots of ginger). This recipe totally remedies that situation. It also made use of an old-ass apple I had in the fridge. You know that one apple? It's gotten a little too wrinkly to eat as a snack, but you only have one of them, so you don't want to make applesauce? Here's one way to use that apple.



Carrot Apple Beet Slaw with Chickpeas
Mix up a vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
a few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
a healthy plop of dijon mustard
a few squirts of Braggs Liquid Aminos (or plain old soy sauce)
1/2 tsp of thyme
1/2 tsp basil

Whisk together in a medium bowl and add 2 cups cooked chickpeas. Let that all mellow together and work on your veggies.

2 large carrots, grated
1 medium beet, grated
(Note: I just scrubbed the veggies really well instead of peeling. They're organic and there's good stuff in the skin, you dig?)
1 apple, peeled and grated
1 rib celery, chopped, including the leafy bits, why not?
1 scallion, chopped

Mix it all together with the vinaigrettey chickpeas, add salt if you need it, and garnish with black pepper and pumpkin or sunflower seeds or serve over lettuce.