Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potato Soup

CSA Produce: Potatoes, Herbs, Onion
Serves 6


Ingredients:
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup whole milk
1 1/2 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix

3 lbs Russet potatoes, peeled and diced into about 3/4-1" cubes (about 8 medium potatoes)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup diced yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 (14.5 oz) cans chicken broth*
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, divided (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 oz. finely grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (or crumbled if you like it extra crispy)
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, 1/4 cup milk and ranch seasoning mix. Cover bowl and refrigerate. 
Heat olive oil a large cast iron dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onion and saute about 4 minutes until golden, add garlic and saute 1 more minute. Add chicken broth and diced potatoes and bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover pot and cook 15 - 20 minutes until potatoes are very tender. 
In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups milk with 1/4 cup flour (whisk very well to break up flour) and pour mixture into soup. Increase temperature to medium high heat, and bring mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly (stirring constantly will help break down the potatoes a bit). Once mixture reaches a boil, reduce heat to low, add ranch dressing mixture from refrigerator, 1 cup (4 oz) grated Cheddar cheese, grated Parmesan cheese and season with black pepper to taste. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently (note, if you want smaller potato chunks in the soup you can simply mash the soup with a potato masher to break them down a bit more). Serve warm, sprinkle each serving with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, chopped bacon, and chopped green onions. 

*you can use low sodium chicken broth if you prefer, for this recipe I just used regular and didn't add any salt to the soup. If you use low sodium you may want to add additional salt to the soup.

Pumpking Chili

CSA Produce: Tomatoes, Peppers, Herbs, Pumpkin
Healthy
Makes 4-6 servings



1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 cups tomato juice
2 (15.25-ounce) can black beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
hot sauce to taste


Directions:
In a medium saute pan, brown the ground beef; drain. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
In a slow cooker, combine the diced tomatoes, tomato juice, beans, pumpkin, chili powder, cumin, pumpkin pie spice, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir to combine. Add in the cooked beef and stir.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite chili toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, or tortilla strips.

Heirloom Tomato Sauce

CSA Produce: Tomatoes, Basil
Healthy, Vegetarian, Quick



Ingredients:
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic
Fresh basil
A bunch of ripe (even a little overripe is okay) heirloom tomatoes
Salt and pepper
*** The more tomatoes you have, the more of the other ingredients you will need.  Be generous, eyeball it, and don't worry, it will come out great!


Directions
1.  Place olive oil, sliced garlic, and fresh basil in a large pan.  Heat over medium heat until fragrant.
2. Meanwhile core and coarsely chop your tomatoes.
3.  Stick the tomatoes, skin and all, in the food processor or blender.  And turn it on!
4.  Pour your pureed tomatoes into the pan with the olive oil and simmer until reduced and delicious. 5.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Apple Hand Pies

CSA Produce: Apples
Makes about 16

PIE CRUST
2 1/2 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold
1 c. water with ice
APPLE FILLING
1 1/2 Granny Smith apples
2 McIntosh apples
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. ginger
TOPPING
1 egg, beaten lightly
Turbinado
1. PIE CRUST. Place flour, sugar, and salt in bowl. Whisk together.
2. Dice butter and place into flour mixture. Using a pastry knife, cut butter into flour until it resembles coarse meal.
3. Using a pastry fork add 1/2 cup of the ice cold water into mixture and combine. Continue adding water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough just comes together. You may not need the full cup of water.
4. Gather dough together. Cut in half, wrap disks in plastic wrap, and place in fridge for 30 minutes to chill. Warm dough is not your friend.
5. APPLE FILLING: Peel, core, and dice apples. Add the rest of ingredients. Stir and set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 375°. Roll dough out on a well floured surface (about 1/8″ thick). Using a 4 1/4″ biscuit cutter, cut 16 circles out of the dough. Place the dough on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.
7. Spoon a small amount of the apple mixture into the center of the dough (about one heaping tablespoon), leaving a 3/4″ clearing space around the edge. Lightly paint egg wash around half of the circle. Fold dough over, pressing to seal. Use a fork to crimp the edges. Cut a tiny slit in the top of the dough to allow for breathing while baking. Lightly paint with egg wash. Sprinkle with turbinado. Repeat.
8. Bake for 20-25 or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before serving. Flavor is best served same day.

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

CSA Produce: Squash
Healthy
Serves 4

Extra virgin olive oil
4-6 patty pan squash
1/2 lb ground pastured pork sausage
2 yellow bell peppers, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups black rice, cooked
1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Marinara for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 in baking dish lightly with olive oil.

The recipe will fill 6 small squash or 4 larger squash. Wash the squash. Slice off the tops, and using a spoon, gently scoop out the insides. Don't scoop all the way through the bottom. You want to create a cup to hold the filling. Chop up the squash you scooped out and set it aside.

Lightly coat the squash cups in olive oil and pierce with a fork in a few spots. Bake the squash for about 15 minutes, until they begin to soften. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a skillet, brown the sausage on medium heat. When it is about half way done, add the bell peppers, onion and the chopped squash you scooped out. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink.

Stir the rice, bread crumbs and ricotta into the sausage. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Once the filling is cool enough to handle, divide it evenly into each squash. Pile it high and press gently with a spoon so that it is compact.

Tomato Basil Soup

CSA Produce: Tomatoes, Onion, Basil
Quick, Healthy, Vegeatrian
Serves 4

Ingredients:

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 - 14 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes

1 - 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes (add the tomatoes you got in your CSA bucket)

2 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)

1 tsp of sea salt

1 tsp of sugar

1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of fresh basil, julienned

parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, saute garlic in olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute - being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add the crushed tomatoes.  Add the whole tomatoes one at a time, squeezing them into the pan to break them up.  Add the juice from the whole tomatoes, as well.  Add chicken stock, salt, pepper and sugar.  Cook the soup on medium at a simmer for 10 minutes. 

Veggie Salad

CSA Produce: Summer Squash, Onion, Cucumbers, Peppers
Healthy, Quick, Vegetarian
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups canned peas (rinsed and drained)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 white onion
• 1 cucumber
• 1 handful of fresh parsley
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• Dash of salt and pepper

Instructions

Finely chop the onion, red pepper, zucchini, parsley, and cucumber into pieces large enough to poke with a fork but not that much bigger than the pea itself.