The Ultimate Sweet of Summer

So, the past two weeks' CSA shares have brought us rhubarb, which, while I enjoy when others prepare, has never been a staple in my personal produce ensemble. I have totally been missing out! After throwing together this crumble-like thing, I am totally impressed with the versatility and fabulousness of this humble stalk. Got a 4th of July picnic coming up? Make this for SURE:



Rhubarb Berry Double Crunch Crumble

• 1 C flour (obvi I used whole wheat)



• 1 C rolled oats



• 3/4 C brown sugar (I go scant on the sugar measurements)



• 1/2 t each cinnamon and nutmeg (I go heaping on the spice measurements)



• 1/2 C butter, melted
  

Sauce

• 3/4 white sugar



• 2 T cornstarch



• 1 C cold water



• 1 t grated orange rind or 1-2 T finely chopped candied ginger (I went the ginger route)

Filling (these measurements have plenty of flexibility as long as the total works out to approximately 4-5 cups of fruity goodness)

• 1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb, peeled if mature



• 1 C sliced strawberries



• 1 C sliced peeled apples (I used two small galas)



• 1 C blueberries

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in melted butter. Press half of mixture into a greased 8-9" square pan. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in water and rind or ginger until smooth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to med-low and cook 5 min or until thickened and clear, whisking constantly. Toss together fruit and arrange over base layer of crumble. Pour sauce over top of fruit. Sprinkle remaining half of crumble mixture on top and bake for about 50 mins or until fruit is tender, topping is golden and you have a delectable and bubbling pan of summery goodness.

To die for with vanilla bean yogurt or ice cream.

It's CSA Season!

It's my favorite time of year in Colorado - heaps of local produce available at our fingertips! This year, Rob and I signed up for a CSA share from Grant Family Organic Farms. They have options galore. You can get weekly deliveries of everything from the expected veggies and fruit to bread, cheese, mushrooms, meats, eggs, flowers and more. We signed up for a single share each of veggies, fruit and flowers (yay!) and are two weeks in, and so far, so good, or perhaps I should say, so green! We've been receiving lots of baby spinach and lettuces along with plenty of fresh herbs (parsley and cilantro), plus green onions, radishes and rhubarb. It's such fun to pick up our share every Friday afternoon and embark on the challenge of figuring out how to use everything! Given all the cilantro, I've now twice made the below recipe that I found on allrecipes.com and it's become an instant favorite.


Grilled Halibut with Cilantro Garlic Butter

• 2 pieces halibut


• 1 lime, halved


• salt and pepper


• 1/2 C finely chopped fresh cilantro


• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced


• 2 T butter (I have also used Smart Balance and used less than 2T with no problem if you're concerned about your saturated fat intake)


• 1 T olive oil

Season the fish with salt and pepper and juice from half the lime. Send your husband out to grill the fish or pop it under the broiler if you're doing it yourself. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute, then add the cilantro, butter and the juice from the other half of the lime. Saute 1-2 mins. Remove from heat. When fish is done, top each filet with half the sauce. YUM! So simple, and sooo delish.

Taking hints from others...

On a recent visit from my parents, my Mom was surprised to see my cookbook stand filled with issues of Diabetic Living magazine, and rightfully so - no diabetes here, fortunately! I came across the mags at work, since one of my clients has a sugar-free product and runs advertising in them, so I receive copies of them to track what other types of messaging are running in that environment. As I was perusing a few issues, I noticed how many of the recipes looked really great, and with good reason. For diabetics, it's super important that they get a balance of protein, fiber and complex carbs at every meal, with a minimum of sugar...kind of like how the rest of us should be eating, too! With that realization, I dove right in, devouring several issues from cover to cover, rabbit-earring numerous pages with tantilizing recipe ideas. I've made a bunch and have been really pleased with all of them! Here's one I made recently that makes for a great, light summer lunch:

Egg and Broccoli Slaw Wraps (makes 3 wraps)

• 2 T light sour cream


• 3 t snipped fresh chives (I used green onions)


• 3/4 t shredded lemon peel


• 3 t lemon juice


• 1 1/2 t honey


• 1 C packaged broccoli slaw mix


• 6 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and sliced


• 3 8-9" whole wheat tortillas


• 1/4 C (or to taste) bottled roasted red sweet peppers
  

In a small bowl, combine sour cream, chives, lemon peel and juice, and honey. Add broccoli slaw and toss to coat. (The recipe now says to chill overnight, but of course I read that as I had a hungry crowd waiting for lunch, so that definitely didn't happen - and I got no complaints). Spread slaw mixture evenly on each tortilla, topping each with two sliced eggs and strips of roasted red pepper. Yum!