What I Eat - Day Thirty-Eight

Hi Everyone!  I'm back from vacation, and excited to spend more time in the kitchen learning new things, and sharing them with you!   In the coming months, I want to learn more about sprouting (beans, lentils, grains, etc.) and fermentation.  Keep on checking in, and we'll learn together. 

Here's a picture of my latest CSA Basket from Field Good Farms, including:
-1 zucchini
-1 head of lettuce (which I exchanged for another zucchini)
-5 cucumbers of various sorts
-1 patty-pan squash
-0.75 quarts of beans
-1 pint of tomatoes
-1 head of fennel
-1 pint of potatoes
-1 sweet pepper
-sweet corn
-watermelon
-dill weed
-swiss chard 
I have absolutely NO idea what to do with fennel, but I'm going to figure it out and post it next week! 

Also, my family and I picked up local garlic....enough to last the winter. 

Breakfast - Coconut Yogurt and (two) Ontario Nectarines

Lunch - Steamed Green Beans, Pickled Beets, and Fried Potatoes

For the potatoes, I combined ingredients from my CSA basket that had gone unused in a frying pan with a bit of oil, topped with hemp hearts:
-thinly sliced potatoes
-green onions, chopped
-garlic scapes, chopped
-scallions. chopped
It was A LOT of work cleaning and chopping all those tiny veggies, but it was an extremely tasty dish. 

Dinner - Leek and Lentil Soup

Thanks to my Mom for preparing this delicious meal (and sharing the recipe, in her words, below)!  

Ingredients
-green lentils
-leeks, rinsed thoroughly, chopped finely
-carrots, scrubbed and diced or coined
-celery, chopped
-summer squash (zucchini, yellow zucchini, or crook-necked), chopped to bite-size
-italian parsley, chopped finely
-thyme, pull leaves off stems
-drippings from chicken roast (or vegetable broth)
-water

Instructions
1) Wash leeks, being sure no soil remains between layers.  To do this, first halve the leeks vertically, and rinse between each layer.  (I used young leeks, thinned from the garden).  Chop very finely.  Cover the leeks with 1-2 inches of water in a large soup pot.  Bring to boil and simmer 30 minutes, covered.  This makes a lovely stock without pureeing. 

2.  Rinse lentils and prepare as directed.  I simmered the green lentils 45 minutes in a tightly covered pot, with a little more than 2:1, water to lentils.

3. Add chopped carrots to the leeks.  Return to a boil, and then simmer, covered, 10 minutes. 

4.  Add the dripping or vegetable broth, and return to a boil.  Then add onions, celery, squash, parsley, and thyme.  Bring all to a boil, cover, and simmer until vegetables are desired softness.

5.  When lentils are soft, drain if desired (I didn't), and add the lentils to the pot of vegetables.  Stir.  Season to taste.  I added no seasonings except what was in the roast drippings. My guests wanted a low-salt meal, also (that's me!).  The flavour of the soup was delicious and delicate, good with white wine, fresh fruit, cucumbers, crackers, and sunflower seed butter.  

Dessert - Ontario Plums