Basil Mini Quiches

Mini Basil Quiches

This week guest writer, Kelsey Snider, offers up a delightful mini quiche that’s likely to be a hit on the breakfast table with its airy texture and hints of fresh basil and cheese.  It’s a recipe that’s simple enough for everyday, but elegant enough to book as the headline act for a special brunch gathering.  Be sure to select certified humane eggs from Glaum Ranch, available as an add-on to your weekly Freshness Farms delivery.  Thanks for sharing, Kelsey…

glaum eggsEggs have this amazing ability to keep me full throughout the morning. They do a great job of preventing noontime hunger attacks that inevitably turn into a torrid affair with greasy grilled cheese. Because I’m sure I’m not alone in appreciating the magically filling powers of the egg, I’m sharing with you a mini quiche recipe that involves minimal effort and ingredients. Make these ahead of time for the week and store in the fridge so you can get your morning egg fix no matter how rushed you are.  These quiches are also crustless, making them easy to prepare and gluten-free, if that’s important to you. If you don’t have cheddar, you can use any kind of cheese you like, even those odds and ends that are too substantial to throw away and too little to use for anything else. In my experience, the wider the cheese variety, the better—so create your own cheese blend.

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Summer Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

This month marks another year cooking together with Freshness Farms.  Three in all.  Our weekly installments found their early inspiration in summer sweet corn, so today we’re celebrating with freshly harvested ears, courtesy of Swank Farms in Hollister.  And what a way to toast the season.   It’s difficult to think of any vegetable that embodies the essence of summer better.  Sweet, simple, flexible.  There’s nothing fancy about this old-fashioned American favorite; who doesn’t love food that’s casual enough to eat with our hands?

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Pupusas with Kale Curtido

pupusa with curtido

In our household summer is a time of grand ambition and limitless opportunity.  Or so it seems, at the outset, with weeks of unbridled possibility ahead.  Notes to self have accumulated steadily since last summer; we’ve got a long list of projects on our hands.  THE LIST.  In January we’re confident that summer’s long, warm days devoid of school (if not jobs) will be the magic elixir to rejuvenate our procrastination-prone existence with newfound motivation.  The story we spin to ourselves goes something like this, “once summer hits we’ll clean out the closets and garage, get into shape, thoroughly weed the garden and repair the drip system.  Then begin the bathroom remodel in earnest while working through the family budget.  Fix the leaky kitchen faucet and degunk the shower drain.  And grow some really fabulous tomatoes, too.”  No problem, there’s still plenty of time.

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Greens with a Kick

Arugula and Summer Fruit

In observance of Independence Day there will be no Freshness Farms delivery next week, July 3.

This week welcomes another guest writer, physician and home cooking enthusiast, Lauren Hidalgo. Fresh off the plane from a trip to England and Ireland where “rocket” is featured prominently on salads, pizzas and sandwiches, I am delighted to share Lauren’s flexible recipes featuring arugula, a favorite leaf that perks up any plate with a peppery kick.

Arugula is a staple in my kitchen year round, but come summer it moves from supporting actor to starring role in the foods I prepare.  I tend to get pretty cranky on blistering hot days, so the last thing I want to do is use a lot of heat when cooking.  Thankfully, arugula always steps up to the plate because it is the building block for many yummy meals.  Known as “rocket” in Europe, arugula is similar nutritionally in many ways to spinach, and has relegated spinach to “ugly stepsister” status in my kitchen.  I actually find fresh spinach kind of boring; it doesn’t possess much flavor in my mind, compared to the delicious peppery taste of arugula.  And let’s face it, that weird squeaky feeling you get when chewing fresh spinach is as bad as fingernails on a chalkboard.  That being said, the bold, assertive taste of arugula is not everyone’s cup of tea, and spinach is a great substitution in the recipes that follow.

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Arugula with Grilled Fruit and Cheese

Arugula Salad with Grilled Fruit

This salad is a favorite of guest writer, Lauren Hidalgo, and is delicious when summer fruit is at its peak.  If you’ve never used halloumi, you are in for a treat.  This mild tasting Greek cheese has a high melting point that makes it perfect for grilling.  Look for it at Whole Foods or a market specializing in Middle Eastern foods.

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