zucchini with thyme

a super simple recipe. great for serving a large crowd or for when you are running short on time.

Ingredients:

• zucchini
• olive oil
• sea salt or kosher salt
• fresh black pepper
• dried thyme

Notes on the recipe:

• use a large skillet. a non-stick or cast iron is great. the main thing is that you want a large cooking surface, not a narrow pot.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: this is a quick recipe. It is best to cook the zucchini when all pieces can sit on the bottom of the pan easily. If you have a lot of zucchini it is best to cook it in batches rather than all at once. It will take only a tiny amount more time, and is well worth it.

Instructions:

• chop the zucchini into 1/2 inch to 1/3 inch thick semi circles
• heat the oil in the skiller
  
• flick one zucchini slice onto the heated oil. if it starts to sizzle and blister, you know its ready. dont put the zucchini on when the heat is too low.
  
• add all the zucchini and start stirring around. you can cook the zucchini till its super dark and carmelized, or cook it for a short time until the outside has a golden blistered look.
  
• add about 1-2 tsp of kosher salt. this draws out moisture from the zucchini helping it cook faster.
  
• add a generous amount of dried thyme (approx 1 tbsp per medium sized zucchini is a good estimate).
• add the fresh black pepper.
  
• you're done!

Variations:

• add chopped bell peppers towards the end. cook them until they are just slight wilted
• add cooked butter beans along with the black pepper

Celery, Quinoa, Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

equipment:

• 1 large soup pot
• 1 immersion blender (you can do it with a regular blender, but its such a pain...)
• 1 pyrex bowl
• 1 microwave
  

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of celery from the CSA (this is about 2/3 the size of the bunch you would get in a store)
• 2 medium onions
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, to taste
  
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa.
  
• 1/3 lb jerusalem artichokes
• vegetable broth (if you dont have, add a dash of cumin and turmeric (translate: about 1/4 to 1/2 a tsp of each per 2 cups of water).
• olive oil for sauteing
• salt and pepper to taste
• thyme (dry is fine)
  
• sage (fresh or well ground. dont use any big dry leaves).
• yogurt or cheese- optional
  

Notes: in short, the recipe uses 1/2 the celery and 1/2 the artichokes you got today. feel free to double.

Instructions:

• place the quinoa in the pyrex bowl with a touch more than 2 cups of water. place a lid or plate on top of the pyrex bowl and microwave it for 20 minutes on high. (NOTE- if the quinoa is not pre-rinsed, you will need to rinse it ahead of time. Other note to self- this is why you should always buy pre-rinsed quinoa. final note- this is a great way to cook quinoa).
  
• wash the jerusalem artichokes well. chop em small.
  
• heat olive oil in the bottom of the pot. add the jerusalem artichokes and start to saute.
  
• chop the onions small and add them to the pot.
• chop the garlic and add it to the pot.
  
• chop the celery. feel free to include the leaves.
  
• when the onions are translucent and the jerusalem artichokes look cooked, add the celery. stir.
• when the celery looks slightly wilted, add the quinoa.
• add the thyme & sage
• add enough vegetable broth so that it covers the mixture by about 2 inches.
  
• let it simmer
• puree with the immersion blender. if you want it thinner, add more broth and let the mixture simmer again.
  
• serve hot or cold. great with a dollop of yogurt on top. or some grated cheese.
  

Fennel with Lentils, Thyme & Chard

recipe inspired by a french dish in Moosewood Simple Suppers (a fantastic cookbook)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked lentils
• 1-2 bulbs fennel, finely sliced
  
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• white wine vinegar
• 1 cup chopped chard- optional. Any other green, including bok choy, could work too (can use more or less, but the raw leaves should not be more than 3/4 the volume of the fennel)
  

Directions

• boil the lentils
• in a separate frying pan, saute the garlic in the olive oil
• when the garlic is slightly golden, add in the fennel and stir
• when the fennel is slightly golden (it gets a slight shade of off white darker) add in the thyme and stir.
• mix in the chopped chard
  
• leave on stove top while stirring for 3-4 more minutes or until chard is fully wilted
  
• mix the lentils
• serve with a generous drizzle of white wine vinegar

AMAZING