Jamie’s Recipes

I received sugar snap peas from Brian and Kelly of Black Sheep Farms. They wanted me to develop some recipes using these sweet delicious green peas. These peas are so wonderful raw, I could (and did) pop them in my mouth just like potato chips. When I would open the refrigerator door to find something for dinner or to get a glass of milk for one of my children, I would see those peas sitting so nicely in their bowl, and I would pop them in my mouth –just one or two at a time. After all, I still wanted to use them in a recipe. As a parent you are modeling behavior for your children so I caught my little girls popping entire pea pods into their mouths and enjoying the sweet green crunch. Needless to say this “snacking” dwindled down my supply of peas, after all was said and done I was left with about 20 or so pods.

Mom and Dad sent me home with a few zucchini fresh from the garden the last time I visited. I chopped them up to add to my scrambled eggs, along with some sauteed onions. I thought the sugar snap peas would be a nice addition, and boy was I right. After quickly gobbling up my veggie scrambled eggs, I wished I had more peas so I could enjoy this dish again the next day for breakfast. I love summer time and all the fresh fruits and vegetables we get to enjoy here in the Midwest.

SUGAR SNAP PEA, ZUCCHINI, AND ONION SCRAMBLE
Serves 2
20 or so Sugar snap pea pods, shelled
1 small -medium zucchini, chopped into half moons
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 T Olive Oil
3 eggs, beaten with a splash of water
salt & pepper to taste
cheese, optional

Heat skillet over medium-medium high heat. Add oil, onion, and zucchini. Cook until zucchini and onion soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in peas, cook for 1-2 minutes. Pour egg mixture over the cooked vegetables. Stir to scramble. Cook until eggs are soft. ENJOY!

Broccoli was another ingredient in my box of produce from Black Sheep Farms. My husband loves broccoli. Currently my favorite way to enjoy broccoli is serving it roasted (directions at the bottom of the page). Since it is Father’s Day weekend, I am doing a special recipe for my husband. Broccoli Quiche. I made a ham and broccoli quiche, and a sausage and broccoli quiche. You can use your favorite breakfast meat or leave the meat out entirely. Brunch type foods are my favorite and these quiches are no exception. It is a great way to use ingredients that are in season. The great thing about this recipe is that you can choose the ingredients according to your personal preferences, it is also a great way to use up your leftover meat and veggies. Another great thing is that aside from the pie crust, I could find all the ingredients at my local farmers market. Buy Fresh, Buy Local, and eat a damn good meal!

BROCCOLI BREAKFAST QUICHE
1 pie crust
4 eggs *
1 1/2 c milk
1 tsp onion powder (you could use less)
1 c cheddar cheese
1/2 lb sausage, cooked (or ham, bacon, etc.)
2 c broccoli, steamed (asparagus is good too!)
1 Roma tomato, sliced
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pie crust in 9 inch pie tin. Place cooked sausage in bottom of pie crust and top with steamed broccoli. Beat eggs and milk together until thoroughly combined. Add onion powder, salt & pepper and 1/2 c cheese, to egg mixture and stir well.  Pour egg mixture over sausage and broccoli. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 c cheese over the “pie”. Lay tomato slices over everything. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until egg mixture is set. ENJOY!

*I used 3 egg whites and 1 egg –just to lighten it up a bit.

OTHER RECIPES USING BLACK SHEEP FARMS PRODUCE:
Beet Greens and Garlic Scapes with Pasta
Tom Thumb Lettuce Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
Baby Bok Choy Pesto

ROASTED BROCCOLI
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
2 T EVOO
salt & pepper
shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Toss broccoli with oil and salt & pepper. Let broccoli cook for 10-15 minutes, turning half way through. ENJOY!

My mom recommends serving with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese –I haven’t tried it this way yet, but I am sure it is delicious. The broccoli picks up a delicious nutty flavor when roasted. I am addicted to roasting almost all my veggies.

Last week we ventured out to the farmers market where we received some tasty produce from Black Sheep Farms. We came home with a sack filled with baby bok choy, heirloom radishes, and Tom Thumb lettuce. I made a warm spring salad with grilled baby bok choy and radishes using a recipe I found at Burp! Where Food Happens, and the remaining baby bok choy I turned into a quick baby bok choy pesto.

Tom Thumb lettuce is a cute little variety of butterhead lettuce. It forms a loose little head. When I got the lettuce home, I trimmed off the roots and spread the leaves out in my kitchen sink filled with cold water. This helped crisp them up and clean off all the dirt. When I was in high school, I worked in the produce department at Hy-Vee, every morning I would take all the leaf lettuces, broccoli, radishes, and green onions off the shelf and give them a good soak in ice cold water to help crisp them up again. These were the days before they had the fancy sprinkler system built into the shelves in the produce section, but I digress. I would recommend waiting to wash and dry your lettuce right before you are going to use it. Once your lettuce is washed, you could always take it for a spin one of those fancy-schmancy salad spinners, or spread the leaves out on a clean kitchen towel to absorb all the water like I did.

Farm fresh lettuce deserves an equally fresh dressing. I paired this cute Tom Thumb lettuce with a fresh strawberry vinaigrette. Tossed on some walnuts and a little feta cheese, and I was in salad heaven.

Thank you to Black Sheep Farms for providing the produce for me to experiment with!

* My kids (ages 3 and 19 months) loved this salad. The next night at dinner Sasha commented that she didn’t see any salad on the table.

STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE
1/2 lb fresh Strawberries, hulled
1-1 1/2 T White wine vinegar
1 T sugar (more or less depending on sweetness of the strawberries)

Place hulled strawberries in the freezer for 30 minutes. Place semi-frozen strawberries in food processor, puree until smooth. With food processor on add vinegar and sugar, stir to combine.

TOM THUMB SALAD
this is for one serving
1 head Tom Thumb lettuce
1 T walnuts
1 T feta cheese
2 T Strawberry Vinaigrette

Toss all ingredients together and ENJOY!

I went back to my parent’s house for Mother’s Day weekend, and I asked my dad to give me a tour of the garden. I grabbed my camera and a notebook to jot notes. I’ve got a list of almost everything they have planted (26 different things will be planted), and photos of everything that has broke through the ground. It was so fun hearing my dad talk about his garden; it seems he is really enjoying this hobby –as long as it doesn’t interfere too much with his tee time, I imagine. Mom and Dad have planted a LOT of produce this spring. Dad is reading a gardening book, and he said that there is so much more he could plant if he wanted to, I have no doubts. Keep checking in as the plants begin to bare fruit (or veggies).

The List and Photos- Part One
Potatoes -460 hills or 50 pounds of seed potatoes

Next to the potatoes are Yellow Onions -60 plants

Green Beans -1 package –it is barely poking through the ground

Red Beets -half a package –they have just broken ground too

Click here for some of the first photos from the garden.

You can follow up on the garden with part two here.

Me, my sister and my brother first day of school. Circa 1996. Obviously my brother and I were making silly faces.

When we were kids, my parents always had a bountiful garden. In that garden they grew the fullest, tallest, bushiest tomato plants I have ever seen. These tomato plants were six feet tall at least, that may be a slight exaggeration but as a kid they seemed to tower over me. Even if my parents only planted a few plants we would always have tomatoes coming out our ears. Last summer was no different. In the past my mom would can the surplus tomatoes and over the winter she would use them for chili, goulash, and Spanish rice.  For the first time she made her own tomato sauce at the end of the growing season last fall. She used an Alton Brown recipe. It was delicious. Unfortunately I did not get to take any home with me. This winter my parents purchased some land behind their house, and I was notified that it is ALL going to be turned into a garden this Spring. YEAH!!! I am glad that I only live two hours away, because I will do what it takes to take home some fresh produce grown on my old stomping ground. (I hope to document this garden as it grows. Dad said it is going to be big.)

Homemade tomato sauce is something I have never attempted before, and it is about time I gave it a try. Although in March the only “fresh” tomatoes I can find in Nebraska are the ones they sell at the grocery store. I had some Roma tomatoes sitting on the counter (I was planning to turn into more pico de gallo, but never got to it) and they were approaching over ripe really quickly. A red sauce for spaghetti was the perfect option to use all of them up in one shot.

ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE
16 Roma tomatoes, quartered
1/2 c EVOO
1/2 white onion chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
small handful basil, torn into smaller bits
1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss tomatoes through Italian seasonings and put into a nonreactive 9×13 pan. Put into oven and roast 30 minutes. Stir and roast another 30 minutes.

Pour roasted tomato mixture into blender, add basil and Parmesan cheese. Pulse until desired consistency. Never buy jarred sauce again ENJOY!!!

You may be wondering what a CSA is; it stands for community supported agriculture. It is a way for you to develop a relationship with the farmer, the land, and the produce, with the end result being farm fresh fruits and veggies. You make a financial commitment and a small time commitment to the farm, thus becoming a shareholder and benefiting from your labor. In most cases you will receive weekly baskets of produce, some CSAs will have dairy, meat and fresh flowers included in their shares. CSAs are a great option for people who don’t have the time, experience or land to commit to a full-sized garden. Plus it is great for your family because you know exactly where your food is coming from!

Black Sheep Farms is a local CSA here in Omaha. Black Sheep Farms is a chemically-free family farm just outside of Omaha; operated by Brian Smith and his wife Kelly. They grow heirloom vegetables and specialty cut flowers. This year they are running a CSA at their farm. Space is limited to 15 full shares for $500 a piece or a half share for $250, a full-sized share will feed a family of four. The CSA will run from May 20- September 30, that is 20 weeks of fresh produce equal to $25/week for a full share. In addition to the fresh produce offered at that price, you will receive fresh cut flowers, get a Black Sheep Farms T-shirt, and be able to attend two social events held out at the farm –where you can relax on the farm, meet other like-minded folk and (most importantly) enjoy some good food.

Like I said earlier, you will have to make a small time commitment to your CSA, Black Sheep Farms is requiring a 10 hour “family friendly” time commitment for the season. Now I seriously doubt you are going to have to do any backbreaking, grueling, “hard-time” labor out there, but you may have to pick-up a rake. Not a big deal given the fact that you are contributing to the CSA, and the rewarding feeling of connecting to the land, and knowing what is going on your dinner plate.

You will be able to pick up your share at the farm each Wednesday during the season from 10 am- 7 pm. If for some reason you can not pick up your share, you can send some one in your place, or Black Sheep Farms will donate it to Together, Inc. food pantry on your behalf.

Due to high demand Black Sheep Farms will start taking names in March, and fill shares by a lottery system in early April, in the future they will give preference to past participants. May 3rd they will host an orientation meeting for the lucky 15. Head over to Black Sheep Farms, and fill out the form on the right side, declaring your interest.

You can also catch the Black Sheep Farms’ gang at the Village Pointe Farmer’s Market beginning May 2 from 8am-1pm.

Not from the Omaha area, but are still interested in finding a CSA in your neck of the woods? Local Harvest can help you.

Remember BUY FRESH, BUY LOCAL!

I picked up a pint of blueberry muffins at the Farmer’s Market last week; last night I turned them into the most delicious blueberry muffins. These are the best blueberry muffins I’ve ever had; and as a bonus they are low in calories! Truly a delicious breakfast (or snack) without the guilt. Each muffin contains 169 calories, so don’t feel bad about reaching for seconds. I found the original recipe on Cooking Light’s website, but due to the availability of ingredients in the pantry I needed to adapt it to fit my needs. Below is my adaptation. ENJOY!

THE BEST BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
Yield: 16 large muffins
Serving size: 1 muffin
160 calories (45 from fat)

1 2/3 c quick-cooking oats
2/3 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c AP flour
3/4 c packed light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 c fat-free sour cream
1/2 c skim milk
1/4 c canola oil
2 tsp lemon juice
2 large eggs
2 c fresh blueberries
2 T granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place oats in a food processor; pulse until oats resemble coarse meal. Place in a large bowl, add flours and next 5 ingredients (through salt) to oats in bowl; stir well with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

Combine sour cream and skim milk, stir to thin out sour cream. Add oil add eggs; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Stir in lemon juice. Gently fold in blueberries until just combined.

Spoon batter into 16 muffin cups coated with cooking spray; sprinkle batter with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Bake at 400° for 18-20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Remove from pans immediately. Place on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*If using frozen berries, toss with 2 T flour to coat.

I love summer in Iowa because we have Farmer’s Markets that are full of fresh fruit, vegetables, baked goods, local meats and eggs, beautiful flowers and various homemade sewn goods. On Saturday morning I headed with the girls to our Farmer’s Market. Each week there are more and more vegetables and fruits to choose from.  My favorite Farmer’s Market finds are tomatoes and sweet corn.  BLTs and sweet corn were a staple of my childhood meals.

Our dinner was a delicious BLT (I switched the lettuce for some local sprouts), sweet corn, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, and pesto couscous.This is a perfect summer meal! ENJOY!

BLT
2 slices cooked bacon
lettuce (or sprouts)
2 slices tomato
2 slices crusty French bread

Preheat oven 425 degrees F. Lay slices of bacon on cookie sheet, cook for about 10 minutes. Once done lay on paper towels to absorb grease.

*This is the best way to cook crispy bacon!

ASPARAGUS WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO
1 bunch asparagus
5 slices prosciutto

Blanch asparagus. Wrap prosciutto around 6-7 pieces of asparagus. Lightly spray bundles with canola oil. Roast in 425 degree F oven for 5-10 minutes.