Meatless Monday: Roasted Fennel and Carrots

August 11, 2014August 6, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

There are some vegetables that just shout farmers market or CSA to me. Mustard Greens. Garlic Scapes. Kohlrabi. Fennel.

I know, I know – fennel isn’t JUST from farmers markets and CSAs, but that’s literally the only time I ever end up getting it, meaning I hardly ever know what to do with it. Last year, I ended up keeping the fennel raw and preparing a Tomato, Fennel and Avocado Salad. It was good, but B didn’t like it that much – he didn’t like the texture of the fennel raw so I ended up eating most of his salad. (#winning!)

This year, week 9 of our Fresh Fork farm share came and once again we were faced with another bulb of fennel. I was determined to prepare it differently, in a way even B would enjoy. Enter, roasted fennel and carrots. Oh. Em. Gee. I may be overreacting, or just a little too excited, but I am super in love with preparing fennel this way. Even B tried it and liked it! The fennel softens and the strong anise-type flavor softens somewhat. I can’t wait to make this again!

Roasted Fennel & Carrots - i crashed the web

Roasted Fennel & Carrots

Here’s what you need:

One fennel bulb (without the stalks, but save the fronds), chopped into 1/2 inch slices
four large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 425.
Toss sliced fennel and carrots with olive oil.
Place fennel and carrots in a small casserole dish. Toss with fennel seeds and add minced garlic, salt and pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until carrots and fennel are tender.
For added fennel taste, save the fronds and sprinkle 1-2 tsp. of the leaves on top.
Enjoy! Makes 2 side dishes or one large vegetarian main dish. For a vegetarian main dish, serve with a protein-rich grain like freekeh or quinoa, and/or a side of beans like lentils. Yum!

Roasted Fennel and Carrots - i crashed the web

fresh out of the oven!

Some questions for you:

What food or ingredient do you think of when you think of CSAs or farmers markets?
Do you enjoy fennel? How do you eat it – raw or cooked?
Do you eat your friend/significant other/child/roommate’s food if they don’t like it? I’m not judging!

Lazy Weekends

August 4, 2014August 3, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

After having several weekends in a row with plans and stuff to do, it was nice to have a weekend home with NOTHING on the schedule. Which meant, of course, making big to-do lists (cleaning! filing! working!) but getting none of them done. Which was completely, absolutely fine because what I did get done was probably much more fun. Like doing these 7 things:

7 Ways to Spend a Lazy Weekend

1. Reading.

Finished two of the books I was in the middle of! On to Orphan Train next. Any other good summer reads to recommend?

just finished this!

2. Running. a 7.6 miler on Saturday and a 6.6 miler on Sunday. One of these days I’ll get a Garmin so I actually run even numbers.

Mileage for the week. The 8s are mostly 7.6 - dailymile rounds them up

30+ mi even with two days off from running this week! Full disclosure: I never ran 8 full miles or 7 full: the 8s are mostly 7.6 and the 7 is 6.6- dailymile rounds them up

3. Baking. Once again we had a surplus of blueberries from our CSA, so I whipped up a batch of Blueberry Buttermilk Scones.

as B says, Game of Scones!

4. Pho-ing. Yeah, I know that’s not a word. But Friday night B and I hit up our favorite Pho place for some salads, spring rolls and bun. Sorry, bun not pictured (but enjoyed very much!)

superior pho

5. Suiteing! Yup, again, stretching it with the word, but B and I enjoyed a fun Indians game on Sunday in after a friend asked us to join him in their company suite.

B found a twin @ the game in our suite!

WINNING after extra innings!

Enjoying the Suite and great weather!

6. Cooking at home. Which meant pasta from Ohio City Pasta (via Fresh Fork) and Limoncello from Italy!

fresh product pickup!

limoncello

7. Enjoying new flavors of ice cream. Because what summer weekend would be complete without it? Pictured below (sorry it’s somewhat blurry) is orange ginger from Rothschild Creamery!

Orange Ginger Soft Serve!

Despite not cleaning, or doing the work I wanted to, as you can tell, it was a pretty good weekend after all.

Some questions for you:

Do you enjoy after dinner drinks like Limoncello? What’s your favorite?
Any fun flavors of ice cream you’ve tried lately?
What’s a new book I should add to my list?

Meatless Monday: Cilantro Garlic Scape Pesto

June 23, 2014June 17, 2014 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

B is one of those people who doesn’t like cilantro. He doesn’t mind it in moderation (as in 1-2 sprigs in a salad or guacamole), but that’s it. So when we received a few bunches of cilantro in our Fresh Fork summer share, I knew I’d have to make something pretty amazing that would help us use the cilantro fast. And then when I only ended up using half our garlic scapes in a stir fry one night the idea came to me – cilantro garlic scape pesto.

Looking online, I was surprised to find quite a few pesto recipes featuring cilantro, garlic scapes, and other CSA-friendly ingredients. I chose/created this one because these were the ingredients I had on hand. It’d certainly be delicious with another type of nut and an added sprinkle (or two) of parmesan!

Cilantro Garlic Scape Pesto

Cilantro Garlic Scape Pesto

Here’s what you need:

10 garlic scapes
1 bunch cilantro (roughly about 1 cup)
1/4 cup chopped or slivered almonds
3 Tablespoons olive oil

Here’s what you do:

Cut up garlic scapes into 1-2 inch pieces. Add sliced scapes and cilantro to blender. Mix well.
Add in slivered almonds, continue to blend until a thick paste forms.
Add in olive oil, one tablespoonful at a time and continue to blend until paste becomes somewhat creamy. Add in extra salt, scapes, cilantro or oil to taste, as necessary.
Enjoy! Makes about 1/3 cup pesto- perfect on top of some pasta, zoodles, or even chicken (for a non-meatless dish).

Cilantro Garlic Scape Pesto

Some questions for you:

Do you have a CSA? What’s the strangest ingredient you’ve gotten?
What’s your favorite pesto recipe use? I love the basic pesto with pignoli nuts and basil.
Are you a cilantro fan? Yes I am! Love it on chicken, salsa, seafood (especially raw seafood – hello ceviche!), and more.

Crock Pot Lentils and Kale

August 14, 2013August 14, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Some nights for dinner I just want something healthy, easy, filling AND tasty – is that so much to ask for?

Most nights I can get 3 of the 4. Pasta with meatballs – tasty, easy, filling, but not super healthy (especially when served with a chunk of crusty bread and fresh mozzarella .. OMG I can taste that goodness now). Homemade black bean burgers with sweet potato fries and braised kale – tasty, filling, healthy but not really super easy (well it’s easy .. just takes time to prepare). So last week when I was “cleaning” out my fridge and found some leftover kale from our CSA and an onion – and then of course found lentils and canned tomatoes in our pantry – a light bulb went off. I realized that combining all those ingredients would most definitely satisfy all of the above! Healthy? Obviously! Easy? Yes – I’d be using my crock pot. Filling? Of course – 1 cup of this dish has about 15 g. of protein (and more if you pair it with chicken). Tasty? Um, anything with lentils and kale in my opinion is tasty (I understand if you disagree).

Enjoy the following “recipe.” I literally just threw everything in my crock pot, googled “lentil crock pot cooking times” and hoped for the best. And it worked! Serve as is, or with chicken, which B had. He actually looked at me like I was crazy when I asked if he wanted anything with the lentils for dinner. “You mean, do I just want lentils and kale for dinner? Am I a rabbit?” – may or may not be exactly what he said. I also sprinkled Penzeys vindaloo seasoning on my leftovers which made for an awesome Indian-type dish.

crock pot lentils and kale - i crashed the web

Crock Pot Lentils and Kale

Here’s what you need:

2 cups lentils, rinsed
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 cups chopped kale (don’t forget to remove the stems)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1-2 tablespoons cumin
2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken, if you don’t mind if it’s not vegetarian)
1 cup water
salt and pepper, to taste

Here’s what you do:

Rinse lentils. Add to crock pot with onion, garlic, canned tomatoes and kale.
Add spices — ginger, onion powder, garlic powder and cumin. Mix all ingredients within crock pot. Pour broth and water over mixture.
Cover and cook on Low for 5-6 hours.
Enjoy! Serve alone, or as a side dish with chicken if your husband gasps at the thought of just eating lentils and kale alone.

Enjoy! As you can see, it’s not the prettiest dish, but it’s healthy, filling and SUPER EASY.

slow cooker lentils and kale - i crashed the web

PS – Here are some more of my favorite crock pot dishes. You MUST try the jambalaya!

Fresh Fork Week 8 – And Fennel, Tomato and Avocado Salad {Recipe}

August 5, 2013August 3, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

How are we already EIGHT weeks into our Fresh Fork summer share? It may seem weird to say this – and somewhat cheesy – but I feel like it’s become a part of B and me. We look forward to picking up our weekly share, trying the new recipes and enjoying all the glorious fresh produce and some other local grub (those local corn chips … and local oats … and more – were SO good!).

Anyway, enough blabbering with how much I am loving my Fresh Fork. Here’s what we got this week:

1 lb grassfed ground beef
1 bulb fennel
3# red skin potatoes
1 candy onion
1 head red cabbage
1 lb yellow beans
1 cucumber
1 dozen eggs
1 pint sweet cherries
1 quart apricots

And a blurry photo of what we got (I may have been at Parnell’s for happy hour before the pick up):

fresh fork week 8

We’ve finished pretty much everything, minus the beef, which is in our freezer until B figures out what he wants to do with it. Because I don’t really like ground beef unless it’s in a meatball. Even then I prefer turkey. It happens.

Some of our meals:

B made this dish, featuring the cabbage (doesn’t it look professional?!)

pork and cabbage

We had a wine and cheese night – and the apricots went deliciously with it!

wine and cheese

A summery meal featuring potato salad from the potatoes (and the corn, tomato and eggplant are from week 9 – shhhh yes I’m skipping ahead)

20130803_203724

And my favorite (well, not my favorite – the pork and cabbage was probably the best, but don’t tell B) – fennel, tomato and avocado salad – which we enjoyed with the beer can chicken.

20130728_174833

You can make the fennel salad too – it was really easy so here’s another non-recipe for you to enjoy for the next time you get fennel. There was something just so delicious about the sweetness of the fennel with the bitterness of the balsamic. And who doesn’t like tomato and avocado?

fennel tomato and avocado salad {i crashed the web}

Fennel, Tomato & Avocado salad

Here’s what you need:

1 bulb fennel
2 fresh tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
Your favorite balsamic vinaigrette. Don’t have one? Make your own! Here’s my favorite recipe – it makes more than enough for this salad plus more:
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed or minced

Here’s what you do:

Cut up the first three ingredients. Chop up the fennel bulb into 1/2 inch thick slices. Cut up tomato into thin slices. Find a ripe avocado and cut it into bite sized pieces.
Arrange tomato, avocado, and fennel on a plate.
Drizzle about 1-2 tbs of your favorite balsamic dressing over the salad. If you’re making mine, combine vinegar, oil, mustard and garlic in a jar and shake well to combine before drizzling a little over the salads. You’ll have leftover dressing for later.
Enjoy!

Fennel, tomato and avocado salad

For other Fresh Fork Recaps:

Beer Can Chicken

July 31, 2013July 29, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

We got another 5-lb chicken in our Fresh Fork delivery last week. ANOTHER chicken! Just when I thought I was done sticking my hand inside that cavity to find the giblets … nevermind, I digress.

I already made pretty much the best roast chicken ever (Thanks Mom!) … and I don’t have a deep fryer … so what was I to do with another 5-lb chicken? One of my coworkers, Gail, kept suggesting I make Beer Can Chicken. I have to admit – I was skeptical. Beer Can Chicken? Didn’t that involve sticking a beer up a chicken? That wasn’t something I was really ready to do.

The chicken and the beer can meet … it gets more awkward. (Yes, I have red/white/blue Bud cans)

But when we picked up the chicken, I still didn’t really know what to do with it. And so when I asked B, and he also suggested Beer Can Chicken, I knew it was likely a done deal. So I found a few different highly-rated recipes and decided to give it a try. The result? Awkward? Yes. I may have had a few conversations with the chicken while I was making it. They kinda went like this:

Me: (As I’m pushing the chicken on top of the beer can) Oh boy, I’m so sorry…soo sorry..so sorry Mr. chicken!

B: Who are you talking to?

Me: Uhh, the chicken?

B: Why? What are you saying?

Me: I may be apologizing. I just feel so rude … I’m literally sticking a beer can up this chicken’s … umm …

B: You realize it’s dead, right?

Me: (starting to feel sheepish) Yes …

B: And you realize you already stuck your whole hand inside of it to clean it and take out the giblets, right?

Me: I still have no idea where these giblets are! I think I got another giblet-less chicken!

Okay, that’s probably not word-for-word what happened … but you get the idea. And then when the can had to come out of the chicken? That was even worse. Anyway, if you think you can bring yourself to stick a beer can inside a chicken, then this recipe is for you. Pretty simple, pretty delicious – and the leftovers are just as good!

beer can chicken | i crashed the web

Beer Can Chicken (based on this recipe)

Here’s what you need:

1/2 c. garlic powder
1 tbs salt
2 tbs onion powder
1 tbs oregano (I used dried)
1 tbs basil (I used dried)
1 tbs parsley (I used dried)
freshly ground black pepper
2 (12 fluid ounce) cans light-flavored beer (I had Budweiser®)
1 whole chicken (mine was 5-lb)
1 yellow onion, chopped into one inch pieces
5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into one inch pieces
5 stalks celery, chopped into one inch pieces

Here’s what you do:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Clean and rinse chicken. This where you’re supposed to discard the giblets, but I honestly didn’t find them. Again. Anyway, wash the inside of the chicken and dry it completely.
Mix the seasonings together in a small bowl – garlic powder, salt, onion powder, dried oregano, basil, parsley, and ground black pepper.
Pour 1/3 of one can of beer into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place the open beer can (2/3 full) in the center of the baking dish.
Place the chicken, legs down over the open beer can. With the breast of the chicken facing you, use a knife to cut a small slit on each side of the front of the chicken and insert the tip of each wing into each slit. It will look like it’s crossing its arms.
Rub the dry seasoning mixture over the entire chicken. Place chopped veggies in pan surrounding chicken. Open the remaining beer and pour 1/2 of it into the pan under the chicken and over the veggies. Save the remaining beer.
Bake the chicken for about 45 minutes and then pour remaining beer into the pan around the chicken. Continue baking for about 45 more minutes or until the juices run clear. A meat thermometer should read 165-170 degrees when inserted at the thickest part of the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the oven and remove the beer can. Be careful – it’s hot!
Cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy with veggies!

Before …

After!

Happiness Is a Warm Loaf of Zucchini Bread

July 29, 2013July 29, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

Dessert breads are THE BOMB. Dot Com. Don’t you agree? Pumpkin bread … banana bread … apple bread … and of course, zucchini bread. And because it’s “bread” it’s not dessert, right? And it’s a perfect pre or post-workout snack, right? Of course! (Disclaimer- I am NOT a certified dietitian or physician so please don’t take my medical advice)

So when I got some extra zucchini from our CSA a few weeks ago, right before we went on vacation, I put it in the blender, grated it, and froze it for later use. Later didn’t take long – one night last week I opened the freezer and the container I had frozen the zucchini in fell right out and cracked open. Which was a sign that I had to use it immediately! I called my mom and asked for her to share her favorite zucchini bread recipe. She makes it at Christmas, during other holidays and just for fun – so I of course had to ask her to share.

She texted me pictures of quite a few recipe cards – but told me that the “Betty’s” recipe was the one she uses most often. No, my mom’s name is not Betty. And no, I have no idea who Betty is. But since my mom said it was her favorite (and she had written “v. good” on the card) of course, that was the one I had to use. And I was not disappointed – the bread was delicious! Right out of the oven when it was warm, I couldn’t help but try it. And then again as a snack with peanut butter on it. Don’t judge until you try it!

easy zucchini bread {i crashed the web}

“Betty’s” Zucchini Bread – apparently from a really old (before I was born!) Bon Appetit (according to my mom’s recipe card)

Here’s what you need:

2 c flour
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
2 c sugar
3/4 c vegetable oil
2 c zucchini; grated and well drained (since mine was frozen, I defrosted it in the microwave and then removed as much liquid as I could)
Original recipe also calls for walnuts and raisins. I’m not a fan of bread with either in them (and I didn’t have either on hand) so I didn’t use them.

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift first 5 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Beat eggs in a large bowl until light. Gradually add sugar and beat until thick and a bright yellow color.
Add oil gradually and beat well. Mix in zucchini.
Add sifted dry ingredients and blend well.
Add batter to a greased and floured 12-cup bundt pan or two 8×4 inch loaf pans. My mom typically makes a bundt – I used loaf pans.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool before removing from pan and slicing.
Enjoy! Serve warm or cold. It tastes delicious by itself, or with peanut butter (trust me). Or with honey. Or with butter. Or with cream cheese frosting!

YUM.

bon appetit recipe card for zucchini bread

Check out the recipe card and my mom’s notes – “1980” and “V. Good Bundt”

Some questions for you:

Zucchini bread – yay or nay?
Favorite dessert bread? This is one of my favorites. I also really liked the Bailey’s bread I made last St. Patrick’s Day!
What do you put on your zucchini bread or other dessert breads? As I mentioned, I tried it with peanut butter. It was delicious. I also put peanut butter on banana bread.
Do you keep old recipe cards? No! But I do have a big recipe binder that I take out from time to time. I also love looking through my mom’s recipe cards when I’m home.
Who do you call/ask for recipe suggestions (outside reading my blog of course…KIDDING)? If it isn’t obvious yet, my mom!
Do you like nuts or raisins in your bread? No, no and no. I typically take raisins out of my baked goods if they’re in them. And I could do without nuts. But nut butter? YUM!
Have you ever made a recipe from a recipe card that was older than you?
What else do you use zucchini for? Lately I have been using zucchini a lot. I searched old posts and found zucchini fries, zucchini and pasta, zucchini stuffed with quinoa and more!

Summer Yellow Beans with Onions, Lentils and Toasted Almonds (And a mini Fresh Fork Week 7 Recap)

July 23, 2013July 22, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

I’m slacking off this week. Thursday after our CSA pickup, I didn’t take a picture of everything we got. Shocker, I know … but I can assure you that nearly everything has been eaten AND enjoyed already. Here’s what we got:

1 whole chicken, approx 5 lbs
1 lb yellow wax beans or green beans
1 shallot
1 candy onion
1 bunch swiss chard
1 pint blueberries
1 quarter peck cling peaches

We haven’t used the chicken yet (I hope to make something yummy this weekend …. and don’t worry, I hope NOT to have another giblet incident again) but have already enjoyed the blueberries, peaches, swiss chard, beans and onion!

Here are some photos instead of how we’ve enjoyed the food:

Perfect snack – blueberries and peaches!

Dinner! Veggies are all Fresh Fork – sauteed swiss chard, balsamic marinated salmon, and yellow beans with lentils, onions & toasted almonds (recipe below!)

And now – what we did with all the yellow string beans. Besides eat them as snacks – because I definitely did that. Yes, I brought a baggie of them into work – they were so sweet and perfect as a crunchy snack! But then I only had 1/2 pound left for dinner (shh don’t tell B that I ate the rest) – so I had to supplement them with some other stuff, like lentil and onions – which meant they actually came out awesome! Even B really liked them – he asked me multiple times how I had made them, and not in a weird, eew how did you make this type voice, so I take that as a good thing.

Summer Yellow Beans with Onions Lentils and Toasted Almonds ~ I Crashed The Web

Summer Yellow Beans with Onions, Lentils and Toasted Almonds

Here’s what you need:

12-15 almonds
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
2 candy onions, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound yellow string beans with the ends cut off
1/4 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth if you are a vegetarian
1 tsp Italian seasoning
2 cups lentils, already cooked (or 1 15-oz can if you don’t have any prepared)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once preheated, toast the almonds on a baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes or until they start to take on a darker color and begin to smell. Watch them – you do NOT want them to burn!
While almonds are toasting, boil some water in a large pot. Add the beans and cook for about 3-5 minutes until they’ve begun to soften slightly. Drain beans.
In a large nonstick pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and diced onions and cook until onions are translucent. Add half of broth and cook until broth starts to disappear.
Add beans and rest of broth and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until beans start to get tender. Add the Italian seasoning and lentils. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until entire dish is warmed through. Transfer beans to a serving bowl.
Sprinkle with toasted almonds and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!

Finely chop the almonds and toast for 5-10 minutes at 350.

Get some awesome onions from your CSA. You may have to clean them off.

Dice the onions and sautee with garlic. Add part of broth and cook until broth cooks down.

Summer Yellow Beans with Onions, Lentils and Toasted Almonds {I Crashed The Web}

Boil the trimmed beans for a few minutes.

When onions are soft, add green beans, rest of broth and cook for a few minutes. Then add seasoning and lentils and cook a little more.

Put in a fun plate and top with toasted almonds.

Enjoy!

For other Fresh Fork Recaps:

Fresh Fork Week 6 and B Cooks: Pasta with Zucchini and Garlic in a Red Sauce {Recipe}

July 16, 2013July 12, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

We missed an entire week of our CSA thanks to our travels to Milwaukee (I’m not that sad because our trip was awesome and everyone needs a week of beer, brats, cheese and jelly beans away from their CSA right?), so no recap for last week’s supplies. We took the week off and instead have a credit to buy more goodies another week. Woohooo!

But wait until you see what we got this week. Oh what’s that? I forgot to take a picture of everything we got because I was out to dinner celebrating a coworker’s birthday and B had to pick up our CSA? Whoops. Well let me tell you instead:

1 lb sweet pea linguine from Ohio City Pasta
2 zucchinis
1 large candy onion
1 bunch beets
1 head green leaf lettuce
1 quart plain Velvet View Yogurt
2 cucumbers
Approx 1 lb slicing tomatoes
1 pint sweet cherries
1 pint blueberries

Okay, I lied, here are a few photos I took of SOME of the stuff… but no awesome picture of everything laid out on my counter.

Salad for lunch! With Fresh Fork cucumber, lettuce and tomato

fresh veggies

So what did we do with everything this week?

Beets- TBD. After the last beet / dress incident, I’m going to be VERY careful with whatever I decide to do. Most likely roast them again. While wearing a garbage bag. That I will keep on while eating the beets.
Lettuce and cucumbers and some tomatoes- perfect for salads! Lunchtime here we come. YUM!
Blueberries and cherries- enjoyed as snacks. Both were eaten immediately and I have no regrets. That’s right – I have no regrets. Because B didn’t have any. Whoops! Side note – have you ever had cherries with cottage cheese? Delicious in my opinion – both are slightly tart so I really liked the combo.
Yogurt- still TBD. Likely eating it by itself with some fruit, perhaps some homemade granola (remember those oats I got a few weeks ago?), or with my fruit. Or added to make a cream sauce. Or as a topping on a southwestern salad (like sour cream). What do you think?
Zucchini and Ohio City Pasta- See the recipe, below. B made me dinner!

That’s right, B made me dinner. Okay, stop sounding so surprised. If you knew anything about us you would know that B is actually an amazing chef and way more creative in the kitchen. So when he proposed making me dinner, of course I said ,”YES PLEASE!!!” (well, I really said, “Are you sure? We can go out and get Vietnamese food if you prefer? Or I can help? Or we can get Chipotle? Or go to $1 dog night at the Indians Game? What do you want to do?” Yes, I am that indecisive.)

Thankfully B said that no, he would cook for me. And I asked if I could blog the recipe. He said no. He said – I’m not making a recipe. I’m just cooking some zucchini and putting it on pasta. That’s when I had to explain to him that I sometimes include non-recipes on my blog because well, everyone likes a non-recipe once in a while. So here we go – allow me to introduce to you, B’s Pasta.

Pasta with Zucchini and Red Sauce |I Crashed the Web.

B’s Pasta & Zucchini (Pasta with Zucchini and Garlic in a Red Sauce)

Makes about 4 large portions

Here’s what you need:

1 lb. of your favorite pasta. We love making our own but having the sweet pea linguine from Ohio City Pasta was a treat!
2 zucchinis, diced into about 1-inch pieces. Our pieces looked like little wedges.
3-4 cloves garlic
1-2 tbs olive oil
1/4 red wine (approximately. B doesn’t measure anything)
1-2 c of your favorite spaghetti sauce. We used our own homemade sauce. Because pasta sauce shouldn’t come in a can – sorry – otherwise it tastes like ketchup. Seriously.
Parmesan cheese for topping (optional)

Here’s what you do:

In a skillet on medium-low, heat up the olive oil. Add diced zucchini and salt/pepper to taste.
After 3-4 minutes or zucchini has started to soften, add garlic. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Add red wine and let zucchini and garlic simmer. You may have to turn the heat down low if it starts to look like it’s almost going to boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until zucchini is a deep red (I thought it almost looked like eggplant) and cooked through.
While zucchini and garlic are cooking, prepare pasta according to directions. Homemade and Ohio City Pasta only take a few minutes to cook, but if you buy a box it will likely take 10-12 minutes so you may want to put the on as you add the red wine.
When pasta is cooked, add it, along with red sauce, to the zucchini / garlic / wine mixture. Cook for about another minute or so until all flavors are combined.
Serve with some fresh Parmesan if you like. My dad would skip this step – he’s not a Parmesan cheese fan. (and yes, my mom is Italian. It works somehow)
Enjoy!

sauteed zucchini for Pasta with Zucchini and Red Sauce |I Crashed the Web.

Zucchini is sauteeing

Pasta with Zucchini and Red Sauce |I Crashed the Web.

Zucchini is cooking with the garlic and wine

Add in tomato sauce and pasta. Serve with or without Parmesan!

For other Fresh Fork Recaps:

Fresh Fork CSA Week Four And An Asian-Inspired Bok Choy Stir Fry {Recipe}

July 2, 2013June 30, 2013 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Week Four of Fresh Fork was the first week that did not include any meat. I know, right – that meant tons of even more great greens and other veggies. And cheese! OH cheese. How do I love thee. Anyway, I digress. We picked up Week Four and were greeted with the following:

everything from our bag (minus the camera-shy cherries)

Week 4:

1 dz eggs
1 head large stem bok choy
1 head red leaf lettuce
1 head baby bok choy
1 6 oz piece Charloe cheese
1 lb bag snow peas
1 head broccoli
1 lb sweet cherries
1 bunch beets with tops
1 bunch spinach
2 ct zucchini
1 quart strawberries

This week did the following:

Bok choy, baby bok choy, snow peas, broccoli: I made an awesome Asian-inspired stir fry. I had never cooked with bok choy before but was excited to stir fry it with some of the other veggies we had. I’m pretty pleased with the results and am sharing the recipe below.
Eggs: Breakfast and baking! I just made some awesome peanut butter cookies that are also blog-worthy.
Lettuce: Salads for lunch.
Cherries: SO delicious! B isn’t usually a cherry fan and they are not typically my fruit of choice but they were so delicious. I’m sad they are gone.
Strawberries: These were pretty ripe when we got them and I knew we wouldn’t be able to finish them AND the cherries right away so I froze them. Can’t wait to decide what to do with those!
Spinach: sauteed in a little olive oil and garlic and enjoyed for breakfast with my eggs.
Zucchini: TBD. I was going to roast them like last week but haven’t had time – I may just blend them up and save for future zucchini bread baking.
fresh fork week 4 prepared

Yup. That’s it. Nothing else to report on. What’s that? You notice I missed the beets and you’re you’re dying to know how I prepared them? Don’t worry, I’ll feature them on an upcoming meatless Monday post. And let you know what to do if you also spill them all over your white dress. Not like that has ever happened to me.

asian inspired bok choy stir fry with baby bok choy sugar snap peas and broccoli

Asian-Inspired Bok Choy Stir Fry

Here’s what you need:

1 Tablespoon olive oil (you may need a little more if you have a ton of bok choy like I did)
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 Tbs powdered ginger (you could use fresh ginger but I didn’t have any so the spice from my spice rack had to do)
2 large bunches of chopped fresh bok choy – I used all the bok choy we had which was a LOT. One huge bunch bok choy plus a bunch of baby bok choy
1 c chopped broccoli
1 c snow peas
2-3 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
Sriracha to taste

Here’s what you do:

Chop up bok choy. Not sure how to do this? This is a pretty good video to show you how.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
Add broccoli and snow peas and cook 2-3 minutes.
Add bok choy, soy sauce and ginger powder. Bok choy cooks up pretty fast, so keep an eye on it. Recipes I had said it could be done in as little as 5 minutes, but since I had SO much in the pan it took me more like 10 minutes. The bok choy is done when the green parts are dark green and wilted and the stalks are crispy but tender and flavorful.
Add sriracha to taste. I like mine spicy so I added a good drizzle over the top.