Green Pea Soup with Mint from CSA Week 1

I have been counting down the days.

It’s like Christmas!

Today I picked up my first box from my CSA with Gruber Farm! Included in the box from Week 1:

• strawberries
• kale
• collards
• broccoli
• daikon radish 
• radishes
• mesclun lettuce 
• peas
• sweet onions

I couldn’t believe how much was in the box. A whole pint of strawberries? As if I needed more – I went strawberry picking again yesterday. Thank goodness I can freeze them for smoothies! Needless to say, I was anxious to use my fresh produce in the kitchen.

 

Green Pea Soup with Mint, adapted from New Vegetarian Cooking

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh peas
• 1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 tbsp. plain Greek yogurt, for topping
• fresh mint leaves to garnish

Preparation:

Put the peas into a saucepan with 5 cups water, the onion, and garlic. Cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the onion and garlic are tender. Add mint and simmer for an additional minute.

Blend in a food processor until pureed, then return to the saucepan. Thin, if necessary, with a little more water and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reheat, then ladle into bowls, top with a swirl of yogurt, a grinding of black pepper, and mint leaves, and serve.

Of course I had to eat this with my favorite green spoon.  Not only does recipe require very few ingredients, it’s easy to make! I couldn’t believe how good it was for such a simple recipe. You can serve the soup warm, but it would also be delicious chilled. The Charleston weather is so warm already, and a chilled soup would be quite refreshing.

Let’s talk about the nutritional perks of peas! According to The Food Doctor (one of my favorite books), peas contain calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, B vitamins, folic acid, potassium, zinc, and iron. They’re a good source of vegetable protein, tone the stomach, and aid liver function.

Another favorite pea recipe of mine is Shrimp & Sweet Pea Risotto. Or, check out a bunch of Peas Recipes from my idol, Martha Stewart.

Do you like peas? Do you prefer fresh, frozen, or canned? They all taste different, I swear!

How often do you make your own soup? I’m always so impressed with how much better fresh, homemade soups are. It’s worth the work!

Life Is So Fun

Ah! The rest of the weekend was a blast. Saturday night, we celebrated Matthew’s 30th birthday with pork, keg stands and karaoke. Yes, I said keg stands. While the boys roasted a bunch of piggy, Amanda and I went to Wal-Mart to buy her favorite game, Apples to Apples. Wal-Mart is just a weird, creepy place. Check out this card I spotted. I’m so glad I noticed this gem.How bizarre is that. I really regret not buying several of them to give out on birthdays. I mean really, who tells their lover, “Being with you is so delicious.” WHAT?!

I also noticed this game. Anyone played this before? I should have bought that, too.

Lauren took a bunch of pictures of us doing karaoke so I will have to share those once she posts them on facebook. Amanda, Courtney, and I sang “Wannabe” by The Spice Girls. At one point I just stopped singing, because my voice is just audio violence.

We also ran into a bachelor party. I don’t know why or how I got this guy to pose with this animal, but he did. His outfit is a joke, don’t worry.

Today was a relaxing Sunday. Amanda and I saw Crazy, Stupid, Love.

It was really cute! Ryan Gosling is so darn hot I don’t even care that he’s blonde – I’d still have 1,000 of his babies.

For dinner, I made my first meal using Trader Joe’s products! Woooooooop!

Lemon Pepper Papardelle with Shrimp and Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz. bag of Trader Joe’s lemon pepper papardelle
• 1 lb. uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 cups frozen broccoli florets
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• salt & pepper, to taste

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the shrimp and broccoli, and cook until shrimp is opaque and broccoli is cooked through.
3. Add the pasta and lemon juice to the pan and toss ingredients together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

At first I worried that this might be bland because it doesn’t have much of a sauce. However, the pasta itself has so much flavor that the lemon juice is just enough! This would be really good with peas, too.

Does anyone have any Trader Joe’s recipes they’d like to share? A few of you already have, but please let me know your favorite TJ’s products!

I hope everyone has a great week! So far I have plans to:

• Monday: Review Uno Mas’s new menu items  – Sal Parco invited me, woo!
• Tuesday: Our first book club meeting to discuss House Rules by Jodi Picoult
• Thursday: Lunch with my favorite Yankee turned Southerner blogger, Sarah

Night!

How Do You Prefer Your Vegetables?

At work today, Sean and I ventured down to the cafeteria for lunch. As I was skimming the salad bar, whining that there were no beets for the 3rd day in a row, I suddenly heard Sean proclaim, “Veggie plate!”

Score.

For $4.49, we got to choose four different prepared vegetables. The lady serving at the hot bar must have thought that Sean and I:

a.) Need to gain weight

b.) Have a vitamin deficiency

c.) Should be put in a food coma so that we couldn’t work this afternoon, or

d.) all of the above.

This plate of food was meant for a small army.

Steamed broccoli, carrots, and snap peas, Brussels sprouts, butter beans, fried okra

Sean glanced at my plate and asked,  “You like okra?”

Me: “Nope. I liked fried okra.”

Sean: “So you like clogged arteries.”

Me: “Ew.”

Okra any other way is just nasty. Call me a distant relative of Paula Dean, but there are just some vegetables that taste better fried:

• okra
• potatoes
• pickles…err, cucumbers

Other than my fascination with frickles, I really don’t like fried food. It isn’t heart healthy and usually kills most of the vegetable’s nutrients. In an attempt to balance out my fried okra feast (oh, and the cookies), I made a healthy vegetable snack that afternoon.

Baked Kale “Chips”

• 1 bunch of kale, washed and patted dry
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• salt, to taste

To make the kale chips, I  removed the stems and tore the leaves into bite-sized pieces.

While I was getting my tear on, I found a dead ladybug. Ladybugs are supposed to be good luck, but dead ones? Um…

After the lady bug’s funeral service/burial in my trash can, I finished preparing the kale. In a bowl, I tossed it with olive oil, spread it on my Silpat-covered baking sheet, and sprinkled it with garlic and salt. I placed it in the oven that had been preheated to 350*.

Baked kale chips are done when they have reached your desired crispiness and the leaves start to brown. Be careful! It burns easily. You can eat the kale as is, or, if you’re as ketchup obsessed as I am, dip those chips!

So, I have to ask your opinion.

How do you like your favorite vegetable prepared? You all know I cannot get enough of roasted beets.

Which vegetables do you like better fried? Just admit it. I promise not to tell.

Walking Pneumonia Won’t Stop This Girl.

Yes, I’ve had some sickly symptoms.

1. I’ve been drinking a lot of fluids and have felt really warm for the past couple of weeks. I just thought Blackbaud kept the temperature too high, but really I’ve been a beverage diva. (Thank you for that term, Jessica.)

2. I’ve had an obnoxious cough for almost 3 weeks. It’s been so bad that my work sidekick, Kristin, posted this on my wall:

3. I’ve produced more snot than I knew was possible. I ran into Rob & three of his friends playing foosball in the cafeteria. When he asked me how I was, I responded, “Oh, just sick. I’m a snot factory.” All four boys suddenly stopped playing and just stared at me. Did I say too much?

Kristin convinced me to go to the doctor, so I paid a visit to my old boss who works with Nancy’s mom. They listened to my chest and then let me hear it. Oh my god. My lungs sounded like a hump-back whale in migration!!! (See here.) Peggy gave me this sweet mask to wear.

And then they diagnosed me with walking pneumonia. As horror movie as that sounds, it’s really not that bad. I just have to pop a few azithromycin pills and I’ll be brand new! In the mean time, I’ve been avoiding the gym and eating as many fruits & vegetables as possible.

Later when I was making dinner, Justin told me he was stopping by. I surprised him with my mask. He told me I was ugly.

My dinner was full of the onions, broccoli, and cauliflower from my CSA box, plus carrots, garlic, and shrimp. Lots of vitamins to make me well again!

And then came an even better surprise: Santo with Menchie’s frozen yogurt!! He stopped by with a huge bowl of angel food cake froyo topped with peanut butter, blackberries, pineapple, Reese’s pb cups, cinnamon toast crunch, and Cap’n crunch. What a combo! He also made sure to bring extra spoons. :)

Thank you friends!!

First Day with Pinckney’s Produce CSA

Thank for all your sweet comments regarding this stupid sickness! I really didn't want to go to the doctor so I called Nancy's mom who is an RN. She told me I sounded horrible and insisted making an appointment. Later on, she messaged me on facebook:

Subject: Sicko!
Message: Did u go to dr? Are you drinking OJ? Hot Tea? U can add honey. Is it upper respiratory? Do u think it's in your chest? Seriously, hot tea w/lemon and honey (even a little whiskey) might help. Take Ibuprofen.

WHISKEY? Is she freaking kidding me? I’d be dead!

Anyway…
After contemplating joining a CSA for the past year, I decided to take the plunge and join Pinckney's Produce. For those of you who don't know, a CSA (community supported agriculture) is a program where members purchase a subscription to a farm's harvest and receive a weekly delivery of fresh, local produce. I chose the small share size for a total of $260 ($234 + $26 delivery fee). The spring subscription lasts 13 weeks, so it averages out to be $20/week. I'm not sure that I usually spend $20 a week on produce, but I figured that it will help me add more veggies to my diet and inspire me to cook new recipes. Plus, it helps the community!

After work I picked up my first box from Whole Foods.

Week 1’s box contains the following:

• broccoli
• cauliflower
• collards
• spinach
• spring onions
• strawberries
• turnips
  

Holy overload of greens. My Vitamin C and beta carotene levels are going to skyrocket. This is just what I need while I’m sick. I ate most of the strawberries in the car on the way home and they were so good. I didn’t even care that they were unwashed.

For dinner, I was in the mood for something light, so I grabbed the easiest vegetable to work with: spring onions. I chopped up the bulb and sautéed it in olive oil until it was soft. In a small pan, I set an egg white omelet, then added the onions, the sliced greens, goat cheese and salt & pepper.

Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but this was so good for such a simple dish. I could really tell a difference in the freshness of the produce. I can’t wait to use the rest of the goodies.

And here’s where I need your help. Any recipe suggestions using broccoli, cauliflower, collards, mustard greens, or turnips would be greatly appreciated! I think I can handle the spinach on my own.

Have you ever joined a CSA? Did your farm’s website contain any helpful recipes? Feel free to pass those along too!

Welcome Back, Alcohol...and Chinese Food!

Earlier this month, B and I decided to have a no-drinking competition until August. For 3 weeks there would be no drinking at all -- not even on Fridays or Saturdays.  Guess who won?


BOTH OF US!


It's true -- neither of us consumed any alcohol. Brandon was challenged with his little sister's 21st birthday and his cousin's birthday. He was offered shots left and right but turned down anything but water. I was challenged being on vacation with everyone else drinking around me. I turned down wine with dinner and Boston-brewed beer. I was certain that Brandon would crack and I would win just out of stubbornness, but it looks like we're both strong-willed. During the challenge, we made some observations.

Christina:

• I still remembered how to flirt. 
• There were still injuries - bruised hand from volleyball and bruised knee from walking into my bed.
• I weighed 109.6 lbs the first day of the challenge. I weighed 107.4 on the last day of the challenge. Not a big enough difference to be worth giving up alcohol. 
• I really enjoy wine with certain foods. There were a couple times at dinner (with seafood in particular) that I would have liked a glass of wine. 
• I say "Ugh, I need wine." way more than I actually need it. I could have just screamed really loudly instead.
• I only noticed having more energy on the weekends, when I would typically drink more. Other than that, I didn't feel any different.
• Conclusion: I'll keep drinking!

Brandon:

• I felt like I took away from other people's fun to a degree. I still had fun, but I didn't party as hard. I was well-behaved the whole time and didn't make an ass of myself.
• Without a doubt, I saved money. In 3 weeks I saved about $300.
• I worked out more and I had a clearer view on life. I read my bible more. It was nice to see other people wasted and think, "Oh, is that how you are?"
• Conclusion: I'm very glad I did it. It kind of made me want to grow up a little bit more. I'm not in college and don't want to party my balls off anymore. I'm still young and have time to, but it was really nice to wake up every morning for 3 weeks not having a hangover. I never had a wasted day that I sat around hungover. I was always ready to do something and that was nice. 

Our original plan was for the loser to take the winner out for an Italian dinner, but because we both won, we planned something totally different. We decided to try Red Orchids, a Chinese restaurant in West Ashley. I was told by several people that they offer fresh, high-quality meals at reasonable prices. The restaurant is located in a plaza with Big Lots and Burlington Coat Factory. Don't let this discourage you.


The inside of the restaurant is open with lots of red paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The owner and hostess were both very friendly. Upon seating we were immediately greeted by our server, Will. He was extremely helpful when we asked for recommendations. He was very happy to answer all of our questions and did a wonderful job explaining the different dishes, wines, and beers.

After seeing steamed buns on Jessica's blog, I knew I had to try them. I was so excited to see them on the menu.

The buns were exactly as I expected - very soft, chewy, and doughy. The pork filling had a sweet sauce that did not overpower the sticky bun. It was really fun to try something new.


Brandon chose pan-fried dumplings as our second appetizer.

We had the option of ordering steamed or pan-fried dumplings. Will told us that pan-fried only meant fried on one side for a little bit of extra crunch, so we couldn't resist. It was perfect. The sauce that accompanied the dumplings was slightly salty and sweet. They were filled with pork and vegetables. 

For entrees, we chose a fish and a chicken dish. Brandon was eager to try one of the house specials: "a pair of 18-22oz of crispy snapper fillet, gently glazed with Chinese sherry, cayenne, and marmalade sauce." Brandon said this dish was very fresh and flaky, however being deep fried with the skin on, every third bite was fishy. I thought the sauce was thick and flavorful and ended up drizzling it on my rice.

We also shared the Hunan Chicken: "sliced chicken stir-fried with mushrooms, peppers, bamboo shoots, and snow peas in Hunan sauce.' This dish wasn't bad, but was lacking complexity. We both agreed that we both enjoy foods with several dimensions. If you're looking for a mild chicken dish, this is for you. The Hunan chicken would be great for those less adventurous or those who can't handle much spiciness. 

Both entrees were served with our choice of white rice, fried rice, or brown rice (for $1 extra). We chose one side of brown rice and one side of fried rice. The fried rice was tasty! Overall, the menu had a lot to choose from. Being that both B and I are not fans of fried food, I think we chose items that weren't pleasing to our palettes. We both agreed that we'd go back to try different entrees. I'd love to try the lemon shrimp, honey-glazed walnut shrimp, or the garlic chicken.  


At dinner, we each had a Japanese beer: Asahi for Brandon, and Sapporo for me. Both were delicious. Brandon's Asahi was a bit sweeter. I figured I would be toasty-faced after this large beer, but somehow I wasn't! I did feel a bit dizzy after half a glass though. When we got home, we popped open a bottle of my favorite white wine: Elk Cove Pinot Gris. Here I am with my wine baby:

And just because I can, I had some red too!!!

Off I go to finish getting my wine on!!!


Thank you all for your encouraging words during this competition! A couple times when I really wanted to drink, I thought about your comments and knew I'd be able to make it. XO!!!

Christina's Jerk Shrimp, Light & Fluffy Banana Bread

There is a major difference between Brandon and me in the way we find and decide on recipes. I use multiple sites, pour over a ridiculous amount of recipes, obsess over the different ingredients, and maybe decide on one by the end of the day. I'm out of control.

Brandon has a general idea of what he wants for dinner, goes to Food Network online, and finds a recipe in a matter of minutes.

THIS IS NOT FAIR!!!

Last night he wanted stir-fry, and like I said, he went online and instantly found a recipe: Christina's Jerk Chicken...That's really the name!

Earlier this morning, I was looking for a better banana bread recipe. It only took me a few minutes (woah) to find this Cooking Light recipe. I kept all of the ingredients the same, except I omitted the chocolate. As much as I love chocolate, I thought it would take away from the banana flavor. I thought this recipe was interesting because it didn't call for vanilla or cinnamon: two ingredients I want to add to eveeerrryyything.

The bread had a perfectly browned crust. At first I thought it appeared too dark, but it was perfect.

It was very light and fluffy, with just the perfect amount of crumble.

The addition of the yogurt really helped create a moist bread. Typical banana breads use a lot of oil - ick - which, in my opinion, weighs it down. I also used very ripe bananas that hadn't been frozen - I think this made a huge difference in the flavor. If you're looking for a light, fluffy, and delicious banana bread, I definitely suggest this one! :)

Chicken, Carrot, and Broccoli Stir Fry

I was craving a noodle dish all weekend, and since we were too afraid to try any of the Thai restaurants in Greenville and they were closed on Sunday in Atlanta, we made our own Monday night.

Brandon chopped up broccoli and carrots and let them simmer in a pan with a little water and soy sauce. He also cooked a chicken breast with garlic. Meanwhile, we boiled soba noodles.


I made a sauce that consisted of the following:
- 1/4 c. (or less) soy sauce
- 1/2 c. water
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
-1 tbsp orange juice

Once the chicken and veggies were done, we combined them and added with the sauce. It simmered for a few minutes and then we added the cooked noodles. For extra flavor, Brandon added sweet chile sauce to his.


I added a bit of almond butter and lime juice.

This dish was fairly easy to make. If we make it again, we'll add more ginger and a red pepper.