Roasted Beet Risotto

We've been getting beets every week in our CSA share. I love beets! They are so sweet they taste like candy! I usually roast our beets and just enjoy them that way. I did, however, do some searching for new beet recipes. I found this recipe and gave it a try. We all really enjoyed it. I haven't done too much with risotto so I was a little nervous that it would turn out mushy. To my surprise it didn't! I think they key is to stir, stir and stir while adding the broth a little at a time. If you have the patience to do that then I think this dish will be successful for you as well. One other note. Hopefully those of you who have a CSA or buy your beets at the grocery store, keep the greens! Chop off the greens leaving two inches from the beet and store in a Ziploc bag. You can use the greens just like spinach, swiss chard or kale. My husband enjoys beet green omelets on the weekends!

Roasted Beet Risotto


Ingredients:

• 3-5 medium beets (1 1/2 pounds with greens), trimmed, greens chopped and set aside
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup of finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:

1. Put oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees
2. Tightly wrap beets in a double layer of foil and roast on a baking sheet until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool to warm in foil package, about 20 minutes.
3. When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stem and root ends, then cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4. Cook onion and garlic in oil in a large saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. 
5. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
6. Stir in 1/2 cup of broth and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until the rice is just tender and creamy looking, about 20 minutes.
7. Stir in beets, greens, salt and pepper and stir until heated through. Stir in cheese and remove from heat.

This dish was yummy and pretty as well. All of the rice turned a beautiful shade of dark pink from the beets! Give it a try and as always, let me know what you think! Enjoy!

Tex-Mex Summer Squash Casserole

Okay so it's been two weeks since my first 'weekly recipe' post! Sorry about that! I'm going to try my hardest to post one recipe a week. Since I didn't post one last week I'll post two this week!

The regular shares at our CSA pick up this week got ten squash!! That's a lot of squash! There was a choice between summer squash, cousa squash and zucchini. I plan on grating the zucchini and freezing it in two cup portions so I can use it to make zucchini bread later on. I also took a lot of summer squash.  If you have an abundance of summer squash or you really love it, try this recipe out. This was a really tasty dish and low-cal as well. Give it try.

Tex-Mex Summer Squash Casserole


Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 pounds summer squash, quartered lengthwise and thinly slices crosswise (about 10 cups)
• 2/3 cups finely chopped yellow onion
• 1 4 ounce can of chopped green chiles
• 1 4 ounce can of chopped jalapenos, drained (about 1/2 cup) 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 1/4 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided (about 7 ounces)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup mild salsa
• 4 scallions
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Combine squash, onion, chiles, jalapenos, salt and 3/4 cup cheese in a large bowl. Sprinkle with four; toss to coat. 
3. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and cover with foil.
4. Bake the casserole until it's bubbling and the squash is tender, 35-40 minutes. 
5. Spoon salsa over the casserole and sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups of cheese. Bake, uncovered, until golden and heated through, 20-30 minutes. 
6. Sprinkle with scallions and red onion.

If you like Mexican food I think you will enjoy this dish. This makes twelve servings and is only 101 calories per serving!! Enjoy!

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/tex_mex_summer_squash_casserole.html

Hip Hip Hooray For CSA!

My favorite season is finally here! I love the long warm days of summer but I also love the abundance of fresh summer veggies just as much! Our CSA has begun and it's been fabulous. If you don't know what a CSA is check out this post. http://homemadejess.blogspot.com/2011/10/community-supported-agriculture-are-you.html

This is my third year participating in a CSA. I feel like each year I have a better sense of how to make the most of all the veggies. I have been trying a lot of new recipes lately and thought I could highlight one or more of the veggies from our share in a new recipe each week. We have also been counting our calories so a lot of these recipes are low-cal. Don't let that term fool you! These recipes have been delicious and more than satisfying! So please check in every week for a new recipe. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we are!

The first couple weeks of our CSA are made up of a lot of greens. So the first veggie I'm going to highlight is spinach. My husband LOVES spinach any way he can get it. I like it as well but I enjoy it more when it is accompanied by something rather than just steamed. I found this recipe from Whole Foods and gave it a shot. This is by far the best pasta salad I have ever had! My whole family loved it!

Pasta Salad With Grilled Summer Vegetables and Fresh Mozzarella


Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 yellow squash or zucchini, cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices
• 2 red bell peppers, cored seeded and quartered 
• 12 oz fusilli pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 6 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into bite size chunks
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp chopped basil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat grill to medium heat. Brush squash and peppers with olive oil and grill, flipping once, until just charred in parts and tender.
2. Transfer to a plate and set aside to cool. Cut into bite size pieces
3. In a large bowl, toss grilled veggies with pasta, spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, vinaigrette, salt and pepper.

This makes 6 servings and is only 300 calories per serving!! Can't beat that! The best part is that you can substitute any of the veggies for whatever you have in the fridge. I bet this would be really good with grilled eggplant. This pasta salad is great for dinner or to bring to a cookout this summer. I guarantee everyone will love it. Give it a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1920