When I saw the list of veggies this week I immediately thought salsa! So here you go, a refreshing snack and crowd please-er!  

Many of you can figure out on your own how to turn our ingredients of the week into a great salsa/pico de gallo. So, go for it- below is just a guide! By the way, the difference between the two is generally that salsa is more liquid-y while pico de gallo is chunky and less "wet" and typically includes ingredients like corn- and in this case zuchinni!  You can use the same ingredients to make salsa by not de-seeding the tomatoes. There is some tasting that should take place during the making of this creation to get it to your liking! If you're not sure if you will like one of the ingredients in the mix, just add a smaller portion. 


What you'll use from your bag:

• Tomatoes (de-seeded, ~1 cup chopped)
• Leeks (~ 1/4 cup, chopped)
• Peppers (1)
• Corn (1 or 2 ears from the stalk)
• Zuchinni (~1/4 cup, chopped)

What else you'll need: 

• Lime
• Cilantro (optional)
• Salt & Pepper to Taste

Serve with chips or over a salad with your CSA lettuce! 

First, prepare:

• De-seed a bunch of tomatoes (depending on how much you want to make) and chop them into small pieces- set them aside in a medium size mixing bowl
• De-stalk the corn (no need to cook it) 1 or 2 ears and add it into your bowl
• Chop the leeks as fine as possible then add to the bowl
• De-seed and finely chop 1 poblano pepper and add to the bowl
• Chop the zuchinni in small squares and add to the bowl

Then, combine:

• Squeeze 1/2 lime over the mixture
• Add finely chopped cilantro (if using)
• Gently combine the ingredients by hand or spoon
• Season w/salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy with friends! 

Happy 4th of July! I hope everyone has a great day celebrating our Independence! 

For some reason I'm extra excited about this weeks recipe. My inspiration for this was a recipe from "fine cooking." It's somewhat of a unique idea, sort of like a refreshing flat bread- a nice summer meal, maybe I'll even have it with a glass of wine (it must be holiday! :)) Our zucchini is fatter than the kind we can buy in the store and that will work great in this recipe.

I think I mentioned in a previous week that I love beets; if you don't you can leave them out of this recipe (like the photo.) 

What you'll use from your bag:

• Zucchini (about 3-4 zucchinis, cut in thinly sliced rounds)
  
• Beets (1 or 2, shredded- raw)
  
• Garlic (roasted, directions here)
  

What else you'll need:

• All-purpose flour (1-1/4 cups)
• Cold Vegan Butter (2/3 cup)
• White vinegar (1/2 tsp.)
• Cold Water (3 or 4 Tbs.)
• Olive Oil (2 Tbs.)
• Salt & Pepper
• Cashew Nut Cheese (see recipe here)

First, make the dough:

• Place the flour, cold butter, and a little salt in a food processor and mix/pulse until the butter is in small pieces
• Add the vinegar and cold water and continue pulsing until the dough forms
• Shape the dough into about a 1 inch thick disk, then wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 30 minutes (look to the next section for preparations while you are waiting for the dough)
• Roll the dough onto a floured service into an 11 inch round, transfer to a backing sheet or pizza pan; then cover with plastic and refrigerate another 30 minutes (or until you are ready to use it)

Next, more preparations:

• Roast the garlic (recipe from last week, here, at the bottom of the page)
• Toss the zucchini rounds with 1/4 tsp of salt and place in a strainer, let sit & drain for 30 minutes
• Prepare the cashew nut cheese (recipe here)
• Preheat oven to 400
• Process 1 or 2 roasted garlic cloves with the cashew cheese in a food processor

And then...:

• With your hands squeeze the zucchini to release all the water, then place in a bowl and toss with 1 Tbs. of olive oil and some dashes of pepper.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and bake for 30 minutes
• Spread the cashew cheese evenly on top
• Then arrange the zucchini in overlapping circles (like the photo) 
• Drizzle the remaining 1 Tbs. of olive oil on top
• Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until zucchini is slightly browned

Finally...:

• Remove tart from oven. 
• Top with dollops of shredded raw beets
• Cut and Enjoy

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday! Namaste

It seems like Eggplant is always growing in the southern Caribbean but it’s really prevalent right now. I wanted to try a new appetizer and I’ve never made Baba Ghanoush- which seems odd, it’s really easy to make- sort of like hummus but with eggplant instead of garbanzo beans. 

The thing with this recipe is that you have to take responsibility for the correct mixture of the ingredients.  Eggplants that are bought in the markets in the states & other developed countries (I imagine) are usually huge b/c they are grown using
chemicals or they are simply a different variety.  The eggplants here are much smaller, more like the size of a "normal size" zucchini in supermarket. 
 
What you’ll need:
-3 Eggplants (or just 1 if you are using one of the super big ones that resemble a small club)
-3 tbls. tahini
-Juice from 1-2 lemons (to be added gradually)
-3 tbls. Sesame seeds
-2 cloves garlic
-1 ½ tbls. olive oil (to be added gradually)
-salt, pepper, & cayenne to taste

What’s Next:
-Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet with oil
-Place eggplant(s) on baking sheet and poke with a fork in many areas
-Roast in the oven for 25 minutes (or 35-40 if you are using a large eggplant) *for you sailors who are oven-less you can accomplish a similar result by slicing your eggplant in half (long ways) and cooking skin side down in a pan with the lid closed at medium/low heat
-Once done roasting, remove from heat and place eggplant(s) in a large bowl of cool water for a few minutes then peel off the skin.
-Place eggplant(s), tahini, sesame seeds, and garlic in food processor (I also toss in some of the skin).  Pulse to combine and add in lemon juice at intervals (you may need more or less than 1 lemon) - The mixture should be fairly thick but well combined (you still have to add the olive oil…)
-Transfer mixture to a bowl and stir in olive oil- again you may need more or less than the prescribed amount- taste and add salt, pepper, & cayenne.  You can always squeeze in more lemon or olive oil.
-Refrigerate for at least a couple hours before serving (it's better that way!)
 
-As you can see in my photo I served this on a fresh baguette with cucumbers, very tasty!

I hope that all makes sense- it’s really not difficult and it would be difficult to totally mess it up but with the different size of eggplants the rest of the ingredients will be different each time.  Comment if you have other suggestions for Baba Ghanoush or let me know how this one works out.

Marty regularly demands snacks and this is one of his favorites.  It’s also great as an appetizer.  Cruisers very often get together on one another’s boats and share food, drinks, and stories.  This is something easy to make and eat (with your hands) and a good crowd pleaser.  I know some people back home that aren’t hummus fans but I have yet to meet a cruiser who doesn’t eat
hummus!


What you’ll need:
-Pitas
-Hummus (click to view recipe)
-Tomato
-Cucumber 
-Avocado

*Note: you can probably use any veggies you like or that are in season, the ones I use are always around on the islands*

What’s Next:
Cut up your pitas in triangles or any shape you like-about the size of a tortilla chip.  Toast the pitas by placing them in a pan with a bit of olive oil- flip after a couple minutes.  Or, you can put them on a cookie sheet in the oven and use the broiler- should only be a few minutes for them to get crunchy.

When your pitas are crunchy remove them from the pan and place on a plate.  Slice the tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado.

Smear hummus on each pita chip then place a tomato, cucumber, and avocado on each.

Simple and lovely!