I don’t put a recipe up on this site unless I think it’s worth making again, but I have to tell you — I love these pickled carrots. They’re fresh and refreshingly crunchy, sweet, sour, salty, with a little kick, and all that and healthy, too! I love to eat them as a quick pre- or post- workout snack, or as a side dish for sandwiches or salad. I even had a few on my way out the door this morning after breakfast. And before I start getting any questions – no, I’m not pregnant; they’re just that good.

Even better than how good they taste is how easy they are to make. Cutting the carrots into pieces is the most time-consuming part, and if you make a big batch, they’ll keep in the fridge for weeks.

If you like these, but aren’t so big on the spices, you might also want to try these marinated carrots from my grandmother Pat. They’re another great refrigerator staple to keep around in the summer.

Spicy Carrot Pickles
These quick pickles are a takeoff on this recipe from Bon Appetit, but with different spices. In terms of the spices, I really just used whatever I found in my cabinet, and encourage you to do the same. I think the carrots, garlic, lemon, and vinegar are about the only things essential for this recipe.

6-8 medium carrots (or about 5 large ones), cut into thin sticks, about 2″ long, or whatever shape you like, such as quarter or coins
peel from one lemon (removed in strips)
4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3″ piece of ginger, cut into thin sticks

1 cup water
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes (or more if desired; with 1 teaspoon my pickles had a very mild kick, but the chili flakes I have on hand right now are pretty mild themselves)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Pack carrots, lemon peel, garlic and ginger into a one quart jar.

Combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices in a microwave safe container. Bring to a boil in the microwave, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Pour the brine and all the spices over the carrots (they should be covered). Let cool, close tightly, and refrigerate at least overnight. Pickles will keep for several weeks in the fridge. However, they will get spicier with time.

Sorry for the long hiatus — hopefully I’ll be back around here a bit more!

This is another recipe that comes from the cookbook I made for Jessica.  It was sent to me by her friend Carrie Geddie, who found the original recipe at All Recipes. It’s a delicious vegetarian lasagna, and was one of Matt’s favorites of the recipes we sampled. I’m sure it would also be a great make-ahead and freeze to cook as needed type of meal. Thanks for sharing, Carrie!

Artichoke Spinach Lasagne

9 uncooked lasagna noodles
1 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 (14 ounce) can marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (28 ounce) jar tomato marinara sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (4 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with cooking spray or butter.

Boil a large pot of salted water. Cook noodles according to package directions or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes, until onion is translucent. Add in broth and fresh rosemary. Bring to a boil. Stir in artichoke hearts and spinach. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in jar of marinara sauce.

Spread 1/4 of the sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with 3 cooked noodles. Sprinkle 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over noodles. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with tomato sauce mixture. Sprinkle crumbled feta on top.

Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, until hot and bubbly and the cheese is beginning to brown. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving.

This is another recipe from the wedding present cookbook I made for my friend Jessica, sent to me by Julia Wade.  A good roast chicken recipe like this is great because it’s delicious but actually pretty simple, and looks much fancier than it is.  And if you add some root vegetables nestled around it like we did, they become wonderfully infused with all the juices from the chicken, and make it a one-pot meal.  Thanks for sharing, Julia!

You might also like:

• Pork Chops Saltimbocca
• Swedish Meatballs

John’s Roasted Chicken
Adapted from Julia Wade

1 roasting chicken, gutted and thoroughly washed
1 onion, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 carrots
8 or so fingerling potatoes
12 or so Brussels sprouts
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Herbes de Provence (or other combination of herbs such as rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage, or lavender)
4 Tablespoons butter, melted

Peel carrots and cut into chunks. Halve potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Sprinkle with Herbes de Provence and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Toss with olive oil, and arrange vegetables around the edge of a roasting pan big enough to hold the chicken.

After washing chicken, pat dry with paper towels. Salt and pepper inside of chicken generously. Place quartered onion and lemon, along with remaining garlic inside of the chicken cavity. Tie legs together with butcher twine.

Coat outside of chicken with olive oil and rub thoroughly into the skin. Salt and pepper generously. Crush Herbs de Provence to release essential oils, and sprinkle on outside. Nestle chicken among the vegetables.

Roast at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Turn oven down to 375 degrees. After another 15 minutes, baste with butter. Baste again with chicken juice from pan every 20 minutes until chicken is done.

Chicken will be done when drumsticks jiggle, and feel ready to separate from the rest of the bird. When done, let bird sit for 10 minutes before carving.

To carve, use a sharp knife and separate wings and thigh from the body. Cut the joint only. Then slice breast and rest of bird. ENJOY!!

Matt and I went in with 2 other couples to share a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box this year. Every week, Blue House Farm delivers a big box of vegetables to Valley Presbyterian, and we get to take some of them home with us. Our subscription started this past spring, and this was the last week. I have loved it since it allowed us to try some vegetables that we aren’t that familiar with, and because it forced us to be a little more creative, while also basically doing our meal planning for us. Instead of starting from scratch trying to come up with menu ideas, each week we’d check out what was in the box, and think about how we could plan our meals for the week around that. The only downside for me is that we didn’t make it to the farmer’s markets as often, since we already had our vegetables, so I do miss that a bit. Overall it’s been a really good experience though, and one I heartily recommend if it’s an option in your area.

If you’ve ever talked to someone with a CSA subscription though, you have almost certainly heard that they get a lot of leafy greens. I love greens, so that’s been fine with me, but I admit it can sometimes be a challenge to come up with new ideas for ways to use them. This recipe for Greens with Coconut Milk and Bacon, adapted from Steamy Kitchen has become a real staple for us this year. It’s apparently based on a Caribbean dish called Callaloo, which Wikipedia says is traditionally made with either amaranth or taro greens. We like it because it’s fast, easy, and delicious, and it can be made with things we usually keep on hand, so it’s great when we don’t know what else to make. Jaden‘s original used kale, but we’ve adapted it for whatever greens arrived in our box that week, including swiss chard, kale, and radish, turnip, and collard greens. And even if the greens are a bit wilty and past their prime, it is no problem in this dish.

The original recipe called for 1 cup coconut milk and 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth. We did that at first, but lately have been ditching the broth and just using the whole can of coconut milk, so we’re not left with half of an opened can. We’ve sometimes served it, as in the picture, with red beans and rice (I admit, from a box — remember, this is our last minute emergency meal!). But if you make a big pot, it’s really plenty hearty as a one dish meal. Just don’t forget the cornbread!

Greens with Coconut Milk and Bacon

It is pretty much essential to serve this with cornbread, which cooks in about the same time it takes to get this on the table. Or if you’re skipping the cornbread, at least serve it with some kind of bread to soak up all that delicious pot likker.

We usually use the whole can of coconut milk, but you can lighten it up somewhat by using half coconut milk and half broth.

4 slices of bacon, chopped into 1″ pieces
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 or more large bunches leafy greens (e.g. kale, chard, collard greens), at least 8 cups, chopped
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk, or 1 c coconut milk and 1 c vegetable broth

In a large dutch oven or saute pan, cook the bacon until it begins to crisp. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add the greens and allow them to cook down for a few minutes, just until you can stir things around again. Stir in the coconut milk (and broth if using) and simmer about 5-10 more minutes, until it thickens slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.