tomatoes

CSA Week 3

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This week our CSA was filled with many of the same items that we have received the past two weeks. The new items we did receive were tomatoes and napa cabbage, however the cabbage was in rough condition. The cabbage has been eaten to pieces by bugs and was actually thorny to the touch- has anyone else experienced this before? Needless to say we weren’t too impressed and contacted our CSA farmer regarding this.

I don’t have any huge plans for the veggies this week, except to use them up as quickly as I can since (fingers crossed) we will be at the birth center for a few days (hopefully). This morning I am planning on making TLT bagel sandwiches and green juices for Neil and I, which will use lettuce, tomatoes, collards or swiss chard and the cucumbers from last weeks share. Neil is also working from home today so I will make a veggie packed lunch- maybe a curry noodle? Then for dinner who knows- something with more veggies!

What are your favorite recipes using the ingredients below?

{Closed}12 Days of Giveaways: Lucini- Dr. Weil Organic Collection

Lucini has become one of my favorite producers of tomato products, olive oil and of course their cinque e cinque.  I am thrilled that they have agreed to once again provide some of their amazing products for this years 12 Days of Giveaways.  This year they are providing some of their amazing, rich and tasty olive oil along with my favorite their plum tomatoes from the Dr. Weil Organic Collection.

Dr. Weil Organic Collection
Dr. Weil recommends Lucini Italia Organics because they are philosophically aligned with his principles on the health benefits of organic foods and extra virgin olive oil and because they are committed to advancing integrative medicine. Enjoy heirloom varietal San Marzano tomatoes with Lucini’s award winning Limited Reserve 100% Organic Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil for a mouth-watering Italian feast, perfect for any Italian food lover.
Each set includes:
  • Limited Reserve Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil® (500ml bottle)
  • Organic Tuscan Harvest Plum Tomatoes, Whole Peeled (720g jar)
  • Organic Tuscan Harvest Plum Tomatoes, Diced Peeled (720g jar)

GIVEAWAY:

Lucini   is generously providing THREE of the Dr. Weil Organic Collections for this giveaway. The giveaway is open to US and Canadian Residents ONLY. Giveaway Open until 12p est on 12/5

To Enter: (please leave a separate comment for each entry) Three Chances to Win!

    1. Answer this question: What would your make from the ingredients provided in the Dr. Weil Organic Collection?
    2. Follow Lucini on Twitter
    3. Follow @RunWithTongs on Twitter
    4. Tweet: “I want to win @luciniitalia giveaway http://wp.me/pFVWo-2NJ @runwithtongs #12daysofgiveaways”
    5. ‘Like’ Lucini on FB
    6. ‘Like’ Running With Tongs of FB

Roasted Tomatoes, Fennel & Garlic

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Last night I had a real hankering for oven roasted tomatoes. I eventually found myself at the natural foods store picking up a big bag of plum tomatoes and then home slicing them and preparing them to roast.  I decided to also roast some fennel from our CSA and a few bulbs of delicious local organic garlic.

How I Roast Tomatoes, Fennel and Garlic:

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Line two baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.

Cut tomatoes in half and place on the baking sheet flesh side up.

Slice the fennel bulbs into 1/4 inch slices and place in one layer on the baking sheet.

Dress the tomatoes and fennel with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.

For the garlic: I remove about 1/2 inch from the top of each bulb, saving the little bits of garlic that come off to use in another dish.

I then drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap in aluminum foil.

Enjoy your roasted tomatoes, fennel and garlic in sauces, soups, pasta dishes and dressings.

Or in these recipes to come.

{Sneak Peak}

Trust me the zombie I live with loved these dishes.

*Hubz is slowly getting better and his bruises have gone from dark purple to yellowing. He’s a tough guy.*

Recipe of The Week: Italian Almond Tart

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I have been attempting to get myself back in the kitchen to cook up some new recipes from my pile of ideas. Finally last night I decided to try out one of my ideas for this wonderful and delicious tart filled with creamy white-bean cashew cheeze and sweet roasted tomatoes.

Italian Almond Tart 

with Cashew-White Bean Cheeze, Sauteed Summer Squash & Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Yields 8 Servings

Ingredients:

  • One large tart crust (recipe below)
  • Cashew-White Bean Cheeze
  • One medium summer squash, thinly sliced & sauteed in olive oil for 4-5 minutes
  • Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Greens, for garnish
For the Crust
  • 1 1/2 cups almond meal
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning (dried) or 1 TBSP fresh herbs (basil, oregano, parsley, thyme)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 TBSP water

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix together the almond meal, salt, and Italian seasoning. In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil and water. Create a well in the almond meal mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Slowly stir the wet ingredients into the almond flour mixture until  combined. Press the dough into a 9-inch tart pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on the counter for about 30 minutes.

For the Cheeze

  • One 15-oz can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
In the bowl of a food processor, combine all of the ingredients; process until smooth.  You may need to add a little water to help the mixture combine; start with 1/2 tablespoon at a time.
For the Tomatoes
  • One pint of cherry or grape tomatoes
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
Preheat oven to 350F
Toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and place on a sheet pan.  Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

—
For the Tart

While the tomatoes are roasting, fill the cooled tart shell with the cashew-white bean cheeze.  Place in the 350F oven to warm for 10 minutes. Remove the tart from the oven and top with the slices of sauteed summer squash.  Once the tomatoes have finished roasting remove them from the oven; place the oven roasted tomatoes on top of the tart.  Garnish with a handful of greens, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
This is delicious warm, cold or room temperature.

Slow Cooker Smoky Pumpkin Chili

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As soon as the snow comes so do the chilis at our house. Yesterday was going to be a busy afternoon so I decided to get a head start on dinner before I went to work. I honestly rarely use our slow cooker and it has been in a box for the last year, however I decided that I would give it another try. Besides slow cooked food is always better especially when it comes to soups and chilis.
I have to say I used to be a little lost about how the slow cooker worked and years ago i decided I wanted to make chili in the slow cooker so I chopped everything up and placed it in the slow cooker, turned it on and then thought it was just going to cook everything perfectly…including the uncooked rice I had added to the chili. Boy did I learn my lesson- there are certain things that need to be cooked prior to being placed in the slow cooker (like uncooked rice).

That being said I learned my lesson and this chili turned out really delicious.

Slow Cooker Smoky Pumpkin Chili

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 3 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder or you can use 2 chipotles in adobo diced**
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 (15oz) can of low sodium vegetable broth, reserve 2 tablespoons
  • 1  (15oz) can no-salt added diced tomatoes
  • 1 (15oz) can brown lentils, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (150z) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon lite soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon umeboshi plum vinegar (optional)*
  • 2 teaspoons cocoa powder (make sure it’s unsweetened)
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add in the onions, carrots and celery; saute for 10 minutes.
  2. Stir in the garlic, spices and 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth into the onion mixture, cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add the pumpkin, vegetable broth, tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, lite soy, umeboshi plum vinegar, cocoa powder and onion mixture to the slow cooker.  Stir to combine and then cover and turn the slow cooker onto low for 6 to 8 hours.
  4. After 5-6 hours stir in the corn and taste for salt and pepper.

*You could use red wine vinegar.

**Chipotle is essential to make this chili smoky

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Recipe: Polenta Pizza With White Bean Sauce

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Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

  • For the Polenta:
    • 1 small butternut squash
    • 6 cups of water
    • 2 cups of corn grits polenta
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup fresh or frozen corn
    • 2 heaping tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • For the White Bean Sauce:
    • 1 can of cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
    • 1 medium tomato, diced
    • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • pinch of black pepper
    • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • Toppings*:
    • 1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
    • 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
    • 1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
    • dusting of nutritional yeast
    • dusting of Italian garlic gold

*For the toppings feel free to use whatever you would like; sauteed mushrooms, artichokes, and sundried tomatoes would be great on this pizza.

Directions:

  • For the Polenta: Cut the squash in half, deseed and put on a baking dish and place in a 400F oven for 30-35 minutes until soft.  Once the squash has cooled enough, scrap out the flesh and set aside. Prepare a large baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. In a large pot bring the water and salt to a boil and slowly stir in the corn grits with a long wooden spoon.  Turn the heat down to low and cook, stirring frequently for 20 minutes.  Stir in the remaining polenta ingredients. Continue to cook and stir for 10 minutes.  Pour the polenta onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out to a thin even layer.  Allow for this to cool in the fridge for 1 hour to overnight.
  • For the White Bean Sauce: Place everything in a high speed blender or food processor and process until smooth.
  • Assembling and cooking the Pizza: Preheat your oven to 400F.  Top the polenta with the white bean sauce and toppings of your choosing.  Bake for 25 minutes at 400F and then turn the broiler on high for 3-5 minutes, until the top is lightly brown.  Let sit 5 minutes before cutting and serving.  Enjoy!

Recipe: Tempeh Bolognese Napoleon

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This week all of my recipes are based on dishes from local Vermont restaurants that I have either always wanted to try or love.  The first dish I made was based on a dish from Leunig’s Bistro in Burlington Vermont.  I went here about 7 years ago and have wanted to return for years however the place is a little pricey so I decided tonight that I would try my own interpretation of a dish off their menu.

Tempeh Bolognese Napoleon

This dish is tempeh bolognese with a white wine tomato sauce topped with sauteed spinach and crispy eggplant over spaghetti.

Tempeh Bolognese:

  • 1-8oz package of tempeh, grated
  • 2 carrots, small dice
  • 2 celery stalks, small dice
  • 8oz mixture of mushrooms sliced (I used shiitake and baby bella)
  • White Wine Tomato Sauce:
    • 28oz can of crushed tomatoes
    • 1T olive oil
    • 1 small onion, minced
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1/2 cup white wine
    • 1t Italian seasoning
    • salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

For the Sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high and add onion; saute for 5-7 minutes.  Stir in garlic; 30 seconds.  Add the italian seasoning and white wine; cook 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper.

Toss the tempeh with the veggies and tomato sauce and place in a casserole dish.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until vegetable are soft.

Sauteed Spinach:

  • 1T olive oil
  • 10oz frozen spinach
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • salt and pepper

In a cold pan add the garlic and olive oil and heat until garlic is warmed. Add the spinach, salt and pepper and toss together until heated through and well coated.

Crispy Eggplant:

  • 1 small eggplant, thinly sliced
  • 1T olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of flour mixed with 1t each of salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
  • 1T salt

Toss the eggplant with the salt and place in a colander and let sit for 30 minutes.  Rise the eggplant and drain.  Pat out on paper towel until mostly dry and then dredge in the flour. Heat the olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium high and fry the eggplant until crispy.

4 servings of cooked spaghetti


To assemble:

On the based put the spaghetti, top with bolognese then the spinach, then the eggplant and sprinkle with vegan parmesan or nutritional yeast.

Serve with Italian wine and a yummy side salad.