Get Out of the Box! Buy local produce and invent a new recipe

My husband (Chef Owen) and I signed up to pick up a box of fresh, local produce from the farmer's market. Since we get whatever comes in the box, it challenges us to get out of our box and try new recipes! (Check out our first delicious recipe at the bottom of this post.)

Owen picked up our first box from Ahwatukee Farmers' Market. He was gone more than an hour and came back with our box PLUS three loaves of fresh bread, turnips, radishes, and some yummy yulu seeds. (Note To Self: Don't send a chef to a farmer's market alone.)

Our box held a generous supply of seasonal vegetables. Here's what we received in our first box:

• 8 assorted citrus
• Head of purple and speckled leaf romaine lettuce
• 2 baby fennel
• 3 bulbs of spring garlic
• Bunch of bright lights swiss chard
• 2 small sweet potatoes 
• Tuscano kale
• Spaghetti squash

We've had a lot of fun creating new recipes using some items we don't typically buy and many that we do - with the added benefit of buying local. Our first recipe, Winter Veg Korma (below) was unusual, delicious, and loaded with healthy ingredients.

Get out of your box and give it a try - I'd love to hear what you think!

Recipe: Winter Veg Korma

By Chef Owen May and Dr. Michelle May

This flavorful Indian dish is a great way to serve up nutrient rich sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and kale over brown rice. Sound too healthy to be delicious? SURPRISE! We loved it. Just try it and let us know what you think!

Korma is a dish with meat or vegetables braised in water, stock, and yogurt or cream. Garam masala is a fragrant mixture of spices with numerous variations which may contain up to 12 spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, dried chiles, fennel, ginger, mace, or nutmeg.

Tip: Keep fresh ginger root in the freezer. Just peel it and store it in an airtight plastic bag in the freezer. Cut off pieces as needed.

Sauce:

1/2 onion, diced
1 small tomato, diced
1 inch of fresh ginger, finely diced
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons of garam masala 
1/2 teaspoon salt

Winter Veg:

1 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 small sweet potatoes (1 pound)
1/2 small butternut squash (3/4 pound)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups of water
1/2 bunch of kale; remove leaves from stem and chop
1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained 
1/2 cup of light coconut milk 

Directions

1. Combine first six sauce ingredients (onion, tomato, ginger, water, garam masala, salt) in a small food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat large sauté pan then add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When oil is hot, add diced sweet potato and butternut squash. Cook until vegetables start to soften then move them to the edge of the pan.
3. Add another tablespoon of oil to the center of the pan, and when hot, add sliced red onion and sauté, combining vegetables when onion is soft. 
4. Remove vegetables to a plate.
5. Add 1/2 tablespoon of oil to pan; add sauce and cook until thickened, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.
6. Return vegetables to the pan and add 1 1/2 cups of water.
7. When mixture is simmering, stir in kale and chickpeas.
8. Cook until sauce is thickened then add cocunut milk and heat through.
9. Serve over brown rice.

Comments

[Michelle May MD]

Please let me know if you like having recipes posted on this site.
Michelle

[Barbara Hunt]

Yes please Michelle - that would be great.

[Tammy Newman]

Yes, love the idea!

[Jillian Richwine]

I've tweeked a marvelous combination of roasted brussel sprouts and kale with seasonings and flavored olive oil. My family backed away seeing it the first time, but over a few trials of tweeking and flavored oil they almost eat the entire panful before I get to sit down to the table!! Who would have thought they would ever like greens this much? They do now!!

[Michelle May MD]

YUM! I'm going to try it. What are your favorite seasonings and flavored olive oils to use?